Podcasts about his grace

Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى (S7) The Messenger ﷺ: “Whoever's account is scrutinised, he will be destroyed”. Thus, one must ask for an easy reckoning. A poem goes as follows: “In my righteous deeds I have no expectation, in Allah's سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى Mercy I have anticipation”. Every blessing from Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى is His Grace. Every punishment is Justice. No one can question Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى, He is The King of everything, He سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى is The Most Wise.

Ephesians Series  Message: 05 Episode: 3 of 3 Broadcast: September 28, 2026 Key Verses: Ephesians 1:15-23 In this episode of Walk in Truth, Pastor Michael Lantz continues the study in Ephesians with a teaching titled "His Grace, His Masterpiece," based on Ephesians 2:1–10. Paul contrasts who we were apart from Christ with what God has accomplished through His mercy and grace. Though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God made us alive together with Christ, raising us up and giving us new life through Him. This passage makes clear that salvation is a gift of God's grace, received through faith, and not something we can earn through our own works. Yet God's grace does not simply rescue us from our past—it gives us a new purpose, as we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared for us to walk in. Pastor Michael walks through these powerful truths, encouraging believers to understand their new identity in Christ and the transforming work of God's grace. This teaching will help equip you to walk through life as a Christian with gratitude, purpose, and confidence in the grace that makes us God's workmanship.  Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture.  Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com  

God Became Human to Enable Jesus Followers to Have a Personal Relationship with Him through His Grace and Gift of the Holy Spirit MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Jesus tells us in John 15:12-14, that you, as His follower, are His “friend: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends.". God became flesh, and He dwelt among us. God became human to draw you into a personal relationship with Him. In John 1:14, the Apostle John identifies Jesus as the “Son of the Father”: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.". God alone can satisfy the meaning and purpose of your life. God alone can satisfy your hunger to know your life's meaning. Most importantly, God alone can give you forgiveness of your sins as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-14: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.". Jesus' life, miracles, death, and His resurrection are invitations to a life-long personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. Our personal relationship with God is through His gift, to followers of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Surely it is God who saves me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my defense, and He is my savior. Therefore, you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day, you shall say, “Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name; make His deeds known among the peoples; see that they remember that His Name is exalted.”. Amen. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future.  know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:10-13; Colossians 2:10-15; Psalms137:1-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Giving Thanks to the Lord” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Ephesians Series  Message: 05 Episode: 2 of 3 Broadcast: September 25, 2026 Key Verses: Ephesians 1:15-23 In this episode of Walk in Truth, Pastor Michael Lantz continues the study in Ephesians with a teaching titled "His Grace, His Masterpiece," based on Ephesians 2:1–10. Paul contrasts who we were apart from Christ with what God has accomplished through His mercy and grace. Though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God made us alive together with Christ, raising us up and giving us new life through Him. This passage makes clear that salvation is a gift of God's grace, received through faith, and not something we can earn through our own works. Yet God's grace does not simply rescue us from our past—it gives us a new purpose, as we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared for us to walk in. Pastor Michael walks through these powerful truths, encouraging believers to understand their new identity in Christ and the transforming work of God's grace. This teaching will help equip you to walk through life as a Christian with gratitude, purpose, and confidence in the grace that makes us God's workmanship.  Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture.  Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com  

Ephesians Series  Message: 05 Episode: 1 of 3 Broadcast: September 24, 2026 Key Verses: Ephesians 1:15-23 In this episode of Walk in Truth, Pastor Michael Lantz continues the study in Ephesians with a teaching titled "His Grace, His Masterpiece," based on Ephesians 2:1–10. Paul contrasts who we were apart from Christ with what God has accomplished through His mercy and grace. Though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God made us alive together with Christ, raising us up and giving us new life through Him. This passage makes clear that salvation is a gift of God's grace, received through faith, and not something we can earn through our own works. Yet God's grace does not simply rescue us from our past—it gives us a new purpose, as we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared for us to walk in. Pastor Michael walks through these powerful truths, encouraging believers to understand their new identity in Christ and the transforming work of God's grace. This teaching will help equip you to walk through life as a Christian with gratitude, purpose, and confidence in the grace that makes us God's workmanship.  Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture.  Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com   

Title: Glorious, Abounding Grace Text: Ephesians 1:4-6 FCF: We often struggle praising God for His glorious grace. Prop: Because The Father elects and predestines people to be His children in Christ, we must praise the Father for His grace. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Ephesians chapter 1. In a moment we'll read verses 4-6 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As I said last week, verses 3-14 are one sentence, one prayer, one thought of Paul's. And it is this one thought that governs the rest of the letter both in teaching and in application. As such, it is incredibly important not only to get the meaning of every single word correct, but then to see how those words relate to each other. Don't expect too many short sermons as we move forward, and definitely expect to have grammar lessons every week… this week included. So let's get to it. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Sovereign and infinite Father, You sit on a throne above all things. You created time, matter, space, light. You brought order from chaos. You have formed and shaped all that is and all that will be. You have decreed what is Your will and published it. And not one decree or purpose You have made, can be altered or thwarted by any being. You are in absolute control over all things in Your creation, including the salvation of Your people. I pray that You would help us to see and understand this, so that we, as Your children, may praise You rightly for Your glorious grace. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “All objections to predestination proceed from the wisdom of the flesh” Martin Luther “The reason for the predestination of some and the reprobation of others must be sought for in the goodness of God.” Thomas Aquinas [Slide 3] “To get rid of predestination we have been willing to degrade our God into a godling.” B.B. Warfield “Let a man go to the grammar school of faith and repentance before he goes to the university of election and predestination.” George Whitefield And with Mr. Whitfield's comment, the bell has rung and class in the University of God the Father has begun. Let us set out to study God's Spiritual blessing to us of election and predestination. I.) God, in His love, chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be justified, so we must praise Him for His grace. (4) a. [Slide 4] 4 - For he chose us in Christ i. The first word in the sentence here is an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs and answer questions concerning the words or phrases they modify. ii. In this case, the question being answered is “to what degree” or “in what way specifically” iii. Paul has just said that God is to be praised because He has favored believers with every Holy Spirit benefit by uniting us to Christ. iv. Now Paul moves on to explain to what degree God has blessed us with Holy Spirit benefits in Christ. v. He begins by telling the Ephesians that He, meaning God the Father, chose them. vi. The word chosen means selected or elected out of many alternatives. The Greek word is also in the middle voice which indicates that the action of choosing is being done to or for the one doing the choosing. vii. This means that the choice being made is for God's own reasons and to God's own purposes. viii. Now some Christians oppose or take issue with the doctrine of election and predestination. They have interpreted these passages differently to assuage their discomfort with God choosing individuals for salvation. In this, they see God's choice as a choice of a group or a kind of people rather than individuals. 1. They would say that God predestined the church, believers, whoever they may be. 2. They would say that God selected the cruise ship to get us to salvation, ie Jesus Christ, but not who specifically would board that cruise ship. It is up to each of us to decide whether we want a ticket or not. 3. The phrase “in Christ” in this text seems to support their point. And even what we've said last week puts that spin on it. God only gives these promises to Christ and we inherit them by being united with Him. 4. Ironically, although these Christians use Ephesians 1:4 to support corporate, non-individual election, Ephesians 1:4 is actually very challenging to such a view. 5. Not because of the words “in Christ” but because of the little pronoun, “us.” 6. In the context, the word “us” cannot refer to the universal church as a whole. 7. It can APPLY to the universal church, but the only people to whom Paul has referred in this letter so far are himself and those who are saints in EPHESUS. 8. That is a very specific collection of individuals. 9. Furthermore, if we are to assume that the Spiritual blessings mentioned in verses 3-14 are applied to each individual saint and not simply to the church as a whole, then we must understand this choosing to have been done individually and not just corporately. 10. Additionally, it is impossible to think about a group of people without also meaning, to some degree, individuals who make the group. 11. Taking the cruise ship example, any who are on the cruise ship get to go on the cruise. But to be on the cruise ship you must have a ticket. And how are tickets distributed? Individually. Even if you get a “group rate” how are those tickets dispersed? Individually. 12. Added to this, the word for God's choosing here is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament almost exclusively when God chooses individuals. 13. Therefore, the only consistent understanding of God's election of people is on an individual level which produces as an effect, a corporate body. 14. In other words, we must think of it as BOTH individual and corporate and not merely corporate. 15. God has chosen individuals to be in Christ forming His universal church. ix. Why should God the Father be praised? Because He chose us, every believer, individually, by name, in the lamb's book of life. x. And He did this in Christ. xi. But rather than seeing “in Christ” as though God only chose Christ and not individuals… xii. The preposition “in” here refers to location, meaning that Him choosing us is choosing us TO BE united to Christ. xiii. God did not choose us when He chose Christ… instead He chose us to be united to Christ, to be inside the covenant in which Christ is the mediatorial head. xiv. All the blessings of the New Covenant come to Christ alone. But we as individuals, are chosen to be in Christ which means we are chosen to receive those same blessings. xv. When did God choose this for us? Was it when we believed? xvi. No. Long before that. b. [Slide 5] before the foundation of the world i. The preposition simply introduces something that occurs before something else. ii. Foundation here means establishment or laying of a foundation of a house. iii. This phrase foundation of the world then, establishes that God's individual election of each believer to be united to Christ occurred before God created the world. iv. Before Adam fell, God already chose individuals to be united to Christ through faith and create a group of people that would be His kingdom of priests. v. Taking the cruise ship example, did God choose to put our names on our tickets when we decided we wanted one? No. He purchased the ticket with our name on it before the foundation of the world. vi. The scriptures speak of a book called the lamb's book of life. vii. In it are recorded all those INDIVIDUALS who are part of God's Kingdom and in Revelation 13 the scriptures teach us that those names written in this book have been there since before the foundation of the world. viii. This utterly destroys the corporate election idea. It is simply not what the scriptures teach. At least not in isolation. God thinks individually and corporately for both sinners and His elect. ix. This also cripples the argument that God assigns our names upon our confession of Christ. It is simply not true. God has assigned our names to the lamb's book of life before the foundation of the earth. Before we did any good or evil. Before we had any capacity to believe or not, God chose us to be united to Christ. x. Some object and say, that God looked into the future to see who would believe and chose them. 1. Not only does this add significantly to the definition of the word foreknowledge, but it also creates more problems and doesn't solve the problems it tries to. 2. The problem it tries to solve is that God punishes people for sin when He had not elected them for salvation. But if God looks ahead to see who would choose Him, and chooses them, why then would God create the people who wouldn't choose Him. By creating people who He knew would not choose Him, isn't He just as culpable for their punishment? Isn't that election for reprobation too? 3. Furthermore, it is hard to see how God electing us to salvation because we would choose Him, is NOT works based salvation. Does God ever tell us that He make these choices based on the qualities He sees in us? Is that what the scriptures teach? And if He does, how is salvation a work of God and not of our doing? xi. No. As difficult as it may be, we must see it as the apostle Paul sees it here. God chooses who He will put into Christ and He does so before the foundation of the world without considering any worth we may have. xii. But for what purpose? Why did God do this? c. [Slide 6] that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight i. God the Father chose this for individuals, not simply so that they would be saved, not simply that they would inherit the blessings of the covenant relationship between the Father and the Son… ii. But so those who inherit these blessings would also be His true people. A people who He sees as holy and unblemished. iii. Again, this hints at both individual and corporate election. iv. God chose individuals in Christ so that we might be something collectively… namely… a holy and unblemished people who accurately image Him. v. There is some scholarly debate as to whether Paul refers to justification or sanctification. Is this talking about God's declaring us righteous or is this talking about becoming more holy and blameless? vi. In favor of the justification view, 1. The words “In His sight” might hint at this being about justification. 2. Being holy and unblemished in His sight could mean something different than actually being holy and unblemished. And I think if we are honest, it kinda has to. For none of us are holy and unblemished. Not really. 3. But in Christ… because Christ is holy and unblemished and we are chosen to be in Him, we inherit that status legally. We are as good as our covenantal head, even if we as individuals are still sinners. God sees us as holy and unblemished. And Christ will present us holy and unblemished to the Father. 4. This also keeps the focus on God and His work rather than moving to our works. vii. However, in favor of the sanctification view, 1. This actually sets up the rest of the letter in that Paul will urge the Ephesians to actually live holy and blameless lives. 2. Holy meaning different by loving righteousness and blameless meaning lacking a love for sin. 3. Why must they live these lives? 4. Because they have been called by Christ's name. They have been chosen to be something that they should live up to. viii. I think I slightly favor the justification view, but really, you can pick either one, both are biblically sound. d. [Slide 7] in love. i. It is difficult to know how to interpret the final two words of this verse. ii. It largely depends on what it modifies. Is it referring to God choosing in love, for us to be holy and blameless in love, to be before him or in his sight in love or could it go with what follows in verse 5? iii. What's the difference? iv. Well, if God elects, predestines, or if we are justified in His sight in love, then this is emphasizing God's motive in His sovereign role in salvation. That it is not a mindless, random, or cold choice but one done in love toward those He chooses, predestines, or justifies. v. If it goes with holiness and blamelessness then it would emphasize how God's electing of us produces a holy and blameless living person who is also loving to others. vi. I slightly favor the view that this deals with God's sovereign role in salvation. Mainly because that seems to be Paul's point through this. It is giving glory to God for His role. It also fits a pattern that is repeated in verse 5 where God does something for a purpose from a certain motive. vii. But in reality, either view is biblically true. e. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Paul recounts just one of the Holy Spirit blessings that the Father has given to us. Namely that in love, God chose each believer individually, before the foundation of the world, to be put into Christ for the purpose that they would be holy and unblemished in His sight. As far as blessings go… Paul starts with a banger. Can you think of a greater blessing to start with? That, if you are truly a Christian here today, God chose you before time began, to be His possession and secured under His covenant which He made in His Son, so that you would receive the benefits of that covenant and be seen as though you were as holy and unblemished as the head of that covenant… which is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. Wow. If we are in the right frame of mind, I can think of two responses this should produce in us. First… is the question why me? And second is the need to praise the Father for His divine election. [Slide 9 (blank)] Transition: But this is only the first part of God the Father's Spiritual Blessings that He gives to us. He has chosen us. But wait… there's more! II.) God, by His mere good pleasure, predestines to adoption those whom He chooses in Christ, so we must praise God for His grace. (5) a. [Slide 10] 5 - He did this by predestining us i. The words “He did this by” are not actually in the Greek text. ii. But the NET actually does us an interpretive favor, because we might wonder what the relationship is between God's choosing us in Christ and His predestining us. iii. Predestining is a circumstantial participle. Circumstantial participles tell us the circumstances under which another action occurs in the sentence. iv. Since the only action that has occurred in this sentence so far has been God's choosing us, predestining us must provide the circumstances under which His choosing occurred. v. When circumstantial participles are in the aorist tense, like it is here, most of the time this means that the participle occurs prior to the verb and in some way necessitated or led to the main verb happening. vi. Ok, after all that Grammar gobbledygook, what does that mean? vii. God chooses us because or after, or according to His predestining of us. Meaning He predestines us and then He chooses us, all occurring when? Before the foundation of the world. viii. But what does it mean to be predestined? ix. The Greek word breaks down into two words. Marked out-beforehand. Or we could say, predetermined. x. The idea here then, is that God chooses us to be holy in His sight because He has predetermined for us… a destiny. xi. God does not give us a choice… He gives us a destiny. xii. Jesus says that those who believe in Him will not be condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because only Christ can save. xiii. In other words, we all start as condemned. We all start as unbelievers. We all start with one destiny. xiv. It is only those whom God the Father has predestined that are given a different destiny than condemnation. xv. And what is that destiny? b. [Slide 11] to adoption as his sons i. The preposition “to” is a preposition of purpose. ii. God has predestined us for the purpose that we would be adopted as His sons. iii. Our destiny is that we would become children of God by adoption. iv. Once again, this destroys the idea that God predestines and then elects a corporate entity. The metaphor of adoption makes absolutely no sense if this is not seen as individuals. v. In fact, the metaphor of adoption proves that God elects and predestines from individual to corporate. You are adopted individually to become part of a family. This is exactly what Paul is saying. It doesn't work the other way. Whether you look at Greek, Roman, or Jewish adoption law, all three emphasize the paternal authority to adopt individual children. vi. How does He accomplish this? c. [Slide 12] through Jesus Christ, i. The preposition through here is a preposition of means. ii. Christ is not the instrument or tool to accomplish our adoption. Rather Christ is the path or the process for us to be adopted as sons of God. iii. Again, this emphasizes the Father's role in adoption and the Son as the mediatorial head of a new covenant. He is the means to being made to be fellow sons and daughters of God with Him. iv. The NET here omits two words which are in the Greek. It was difficult picking a translation to use for this sermon. All had their pros and cons. This is a big con here for the NET. v. The two words omitted are “to Himself” vi. To is a preposition of direction, indicating for us that this adoption as sons through Jesus is a path that leads to God the Father. Essentially this is John 14:6 again, where Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father but by me” vii. Or perhaps another way we could say, “No one gets to call Him Father except through me.” viii. Well, how did God go about predestining and choosing us for this? d. [Slide 13] according to the pleasure of his will i. God chooses and predestines individuals in Christ to be holy by giving them a destiny for the purpose of making them His family members… and He made those decisions before the foundations of the world according to the pleasure of His will. ii. What does that mean? iii. According to is a preposition of reference. It is used to mark out the source of information, a plan, or an agreement. iv. What follows then answers the question, from what source did God consult to make these decisions. v. Pleasure here is actually good pleasure. It is a delightful intention or fixed intention of benevolent favor. vi. Will is the attitude of the mind to favor or choose one alternative over another. vii. The source God consulted to predestine and choose us, is His favorable will. viii. Again, this indicates that God did not predestine and choose in a cold, random way. Rather in a loving and benevolent way. ix. I've said this several times before but I'll say it again. God doesn't leave us guessing why He predestined and elected us to salvation. He tells us. We just don't like the answer because it doesn't tell us enough. x. God predestines and elects according to His good will. And that is it. xi. It is pure grace. Man has no part in any of this. e. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: Paul's second point here on this blessing of the Father is connected by the word “predestining.” His predestining is what led to the action of Him choosing us in Christ. As the firstborn Christ inherits all from the Father, and Christ has shared all with those whom the Father has adopted according to His good will. God didn't give a choice – heaven or hell. He gave us a destiny. We were born with a destiny of condemnation. But because of His predestination and election before the foundation of the world – He gave us a new destiny. A new family through Christ's atonement. A path carved out for our adoption. So, what should we do with this knowledge? What should this doctrine produce in us? Praise. Praise to the Father for His sovereign plan. [Slide 15 (blank)] Transition: So, we have seen what God has done. He has chosen us in Christ to holiness and blamelessness in His sight in love, by predestining us to adoption though Jesus according to His benevolent will. But why? What is His goal in all this? What is His purpose? III.) God graces us with grace in Christ, so we must praise Him for His grace. (6) a. [Slide 16] 6 - to the praise of the glory of his grace i. To is a preposition of purpose. And it marks out the purpose of this destiny of sonship. ii. It is to gain for Himself sons and daughters who praise Him. iii. But for what? iv. The glory, which means the majesty or the honor, or the esteem, or the fame of… v. His grace. vi. Not only is grace something that we should be wishing to others. Not only is grace the lifeblood of the Christian walk. vii. His Grace being big in our eyes and worthy of great praise, is the purpose of our election and predestination. viii. God elects and predestines us so that we will praise Him for His MATCHLESS GRACE! ix. It is so important for us to empty election and predestination of anything of men. Why? Because only then can we see the grace of God as truly matchless and glorious. x. A grace that predestines and elects based on what we will do or who we are… is no gift of grace at all. It is merely a reward for work. xi. But a grace that elects us out of pure favor and love, is a grace that is glorious indeed. xii. But how much grace has God given to us? b. [Slide 17] that he has freely bestowed on us i. The Greek word means to bestow grace. But several translations add the word freely or lavishly. ii. This is because it would literally be translated, “He graced us with grace.” Which forms an idiom of abundance. iii. To freely or lavishly bestow is to do so without end or without limit. That God gives grace without stopping. iv. God freely and lavishly bestows His glorious grace on us in our election and predestination. And we must praise Him for it. c. [Slide 18] in his dearly loved Son. i. Again, this is a preposition of location. ii. It refers to our unity to Christ. iii. We are one with Christ and therefore, just as Christ received unlimited blessing and giftings from the Father through the Spirit, so also, we are given unlimited grace through the Father choosing and predestining us to be adopted children who praise Him for His glorious and abounding grace. d. [Slide 19] Summary of the Point: Paul finishes the first stanza of His doxological eulogy about God the Father. He has told us that God has chosen us in Christ by predestining us to be adopted through Christ. He has told us that this is because He loves us and has good will toward us. He has told us that He has done all this before the world was created and without any consideration on who we are or what we might be or do. All of this sets up the Father's glorious purpose in our predestination and election. And it is so we, as adopted members of His family, would accurately worship Him for His glorious grace which He has lavished upon us in Christ. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 20] In Paul's opening words of his good word of praise to God the Father, he told us that God has blessed us with every Holy Spirit benefit and kept them for us in the heavenlies in Christ. Now Paul expands on what some of those Spiritual blessings are and how they lead to all other Spiritual blessings. And he opens with one of the most perplexing and unfortunately one of the most controversial doctrines in the scriptures. Yet Paul clearly has no intention of starting a fight or argument. He wants his readers to be swept away by the magnitude of God's grace. So, however we understand this passage, we must see God's grace loom as large as possible. And that means taking the most straight forward reading of the text, which is that God predestines and elects those who will be adopted as sons and be part of His family and He does this according to His own good will without consulting anything about who we are or what we've done. God doesn't give us a choice; He gives us a destiny. A destiny we weren't born with and one we'd never see if He did not give it to us. THAT indeed, is glorious grace. And we should praise Him for it. But let me break this down and, unfortunately, defend these doctrines which are so plain in the text this morning. 1.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God chooses before the foundation of the world who will inherit the blessings Christ purchased in His atonement. a. A clear and straight forward reading of this text brings us to this exact conclusion. b. God lovingly chooses before the foundation of the world individuals who will become holy and blameless in His sight both in their justification and in their sanctification. c. Who He chooses is a mystery and the individuals He chooses certainly form a corporate group of people who all have been chosen together… d. But with those caveats aside, whether we want to or not, we cannot help but confess that this doctrine is 100% true. e. It is by God's Sovereign choice in electing individuals that they inherit the blessings of the New Covenant. f. And when we go back to the passages about the New Covenant, passages like Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31, we read about this. God gives them a new heart not as a nation, but as individuals within the nation. God guarantees that they will follow Him. He guarantees that each individual will not need to be taught about Him because they will know Him. God tells them it isn't for them He will do this but for His name, or for His posterity. For His family. He tells them He will make them unblemished and cleanse them from their uncleanness. g. Then in Ezekiel 37 directly after this, He illustrates the New Covenant to the prophet by having him preach to the valley of dry bones. Bones cannot hear, much less respond to preaching. Yet Ezekiel preached and the bones came to life, took on flesh, and fled. h. Whatever God does in the New Covenant, it is clear from the Old Testament passages, that God does it by Himself. Why? Because WE are dry bones. We have 1 destiny. i. God chose, before He created the world, who He would unite to Christ. 2.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God chooses based on His predestining us to be adopted into His family. a. Because of the relationship of the words in the text, we must understand that predestination precedes or in some way contributes to God's choice before the foundation of the world. b. This means that God's plan to give a destiny of adoption into His family preceded or contributed to who He would choose to be in Christ. c. This helps us to understand why predestination and election seem to have a corporate feel to it. d. Because God began with the intention to gain for Himself and family by adoption, He then chose individuals to be in Christ to form that family. e. There is an unmistakable corporate nature to this plan of God's but it is accomplished through individual names put in the book of life before the foundation of the world. f. And we must recognize that this plan of God's for His elect is not merely to save us from sin and death. It is to save us TO adoption. To be in God's family, bear His name, and to be holy and blameless in His sight. g. God has a plan for us first and then puts names to it. h. He is truly sovereign over all – including salvation. i. Because these things are true, we must… 3.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God chooses and predestines us based on something we are or something we have done or will do. a. God tells us what source He used to predestine and choose us. b. It was the good pleasure of His will. c. Now this answer doesn't satisfy us. We kinda want to know more. d. But what this answer refutes, and what the scriptures refute, is that God determined these destinies and choices based on something He saw in us. e. God did not look ahead to see who would believe before he made their destiny to adoption and chose them in His Son. f. He consulted His good will and predestined and chose according to it. g. To say otherwise endangers the very core of the gospel being not of works and not of man. For if God chose us because of something we are or will do… is there no room for boasting? I see a lot of room for boasting. h. Instead, if God chose me because He is good and delighted to choose me… I have nothing but praise to offer. 4.) [Slide 24] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God chooses and predestines a group and not individuals. a. I came into this text fully resolved against the idea that God predestines and elects corporately. b. Through this text, I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. God most certainly predestines and elects those who are saved in a corporate way. He predestines a group. A family. c. But He doesn't predestine and elect empty spots in his family. He elects individuals to adoption into His family. d. Based on this text and the rest of the New Testament, this must be how we see this. e. Because the blessings of the New Covenant are given to Christ individually, and because each of us must express individual faith in Christ for God to unite us to Him, and because God will give new hearts to individuals within that New Covenant, and because God has written individual names in the book of life who will not be cast into the second death and who will not be blotted out… f. We must come to the conclusion that this election and predestination is of individuals to a corporate destiny found in and through Jesus Christ. g. We must deny that God only elects a non-individual group to salvation. For this does not hold up to the scrutiny of the entire New Testament's teaching on the matter. h. Based on all we've discussed this morning… There is one thing we must stop doing. 5.) [Slide 25] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop fighting these doctrines and submit to them instead. a. Notice I did not say we must stop fighting OVER these doctrines, although that is also true. We must certainly stop fighting each other over these things. And I think I know how we can do that… b. Emboldened by this text, I exhort all of us to stop fighting these doctrines. Full Stop. c. Now, even when we lay aside all the caricatures and false representations of these doctrines, it does not make them easy to swallow. d. They are uncomfortable. I'll give you that. It is uncomfortable to put all of our salvation in the hands of God and leave nothing for us. e. It is uncomfortable to think that there are many people God has not predestined and elected to salvation. f. But the scriptures rarely call us to believe what is comfortable. Most of the time the scriptures call on us to believe things that are quite uncomfortable. g. Paul makes it quite clear. God alone predestines and chooses who will be part of His family. In the same way God alone chose Seth, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David. God predestines and chooses. And we just need to yield to that teaching. h. It is ONLY when we yield to that fully that we can obey the true command of this text. i. Which is what? 6.) [Slide 26] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must praise God for His glorious grace in predestination and election. a. God planned to adopt sinners into His family through Christ's path. b. If you are a believer today… c. God then picked you before time began to be united with His Son and in the New Covenant. d. God did all this because He loves you and in accordance with His good and favorable will. e. He put your name in the lamb's book of life. f. He chose Seth to produce a line that would lead to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and eventually to the Messiah who would be your new covenantal head. g. He sent His Son in the fullness of time to pay for your sins. h. His Son was the firstborn of many brothers so you would be adopted into the family of God through His atonement. i. He did all of this… for you. For me. j. Why? k. So, we would praise the wonder, the power, the majesty, the glory… of His grace. l. God's grace, his powerful favor to make you what He predestined and elected you to be. m. Your application from this text is not to go home and fight these doctrines. It is not to go home and argue with God thinking you are arguing with me. n. Your application is to praise the Father for the wonder of His grace! o. If you leave here and do anything less – it is disobedience to the scriptures. 7.) [Slide 27] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God didn't just choose to save us from sin. He has appointed us to be in His family, inherit His name, and live like He wants us to live. a. I know we've mentioned this already but let me just draw attention to it one more time. b. God designed a destiny first and picked our names for that destiny second. He decided what He would do and then to whom it would apply. c. This is FAR BEYOND escaping hell. d. We were sons and daughters of Satan my friends! We were like our father the devil. e. But God didn't give US a choice, HE chose us for a DESTINY. One He marked out before the foundation of the world. f. Do you not feel loved? Do you not feel comfort of the good pleasure of God's will? 8.) [Slide 28] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Even though God predestines and elects those who He will save, God does not reveal to us the individuals for whom He has done this. Therefore, the invitation to repent and believe is given to all. And that means you! a. One of the dangers of preaching the doctrines of predestination and election is that it is largely an intramural discussion. b. As Whitfield said, one should start with grade school teachings before moving to university teachings. c. The gospel call is for people to repent and believe. Only after someone has done this will they come to recognize that their repentance and faith were gifts of God given to make sure they become what He chose them to be before time began. d. But a danger in preaching these things is that unbelievers become quite fatalistic. They conclude that if God has already decided this… then no matter what I choose, it doesn't actually matter. I'm not going to change my destiny. e. But that is the thing… God doesn't offer a choice; He offers a new destiny. And one piece of information God conceals from us… is to whom He offers this destiny. f. If you are here today and you are not a believer, then you know the destiny you have. That is condemnation. It is death. It is the wrath of God for your sin. g. But perhaps for the first time you've been made aware of another destiny in the family of God. One that God provides to all whom He unites to His Son by true faith. h. How do you know you have that destiny offered to you? i. By receiving it. Turn from your sin. Trust in Jesus as your new representative. Both to take away your guilt of sin and to give you holiness and blamelessness. j. Walk in a new family and live up to the family name. k. If you do this, then you know that God has destined you for it. l. It is kinda the way we always determine destiny isn't it? How do you know you were destined to be a great singer? You sing. How do you know you were destined to be a great baseball player? You play. m. How do you know God has destined you for His family? You turn from your sins and you trust in Jesus as God's Son and your new representative. In short, you trust what your Father says. n. Is that you today? [Slide 29 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer from the English reformer Henry Airay. Set apart and dedicate our hearts, Lord, with the touch of your Holy Spirit, so we may worship you in spirit and in truth, and so we may rejoice in your Son Christ Jesus our salvation. Teach us to renounce all confidence in anything that does not include him! Purge us daily more and more from all overdone affections, and from all those unbridled desires which may draw us away from you or hinder us from serving you. Renew in us a right spirit, so we may worship you-not in a comfortable way that we dream up on our own, but in spirit and in truth, according to your holy word. Set us apart and make us holy through your Holy Spirit, so that as we completely abandon all worldly confidence, we may wholly and only rejoice in Christ Jesus forever and ever, amen. Benediction: Now may your rising soul survey The mercies of your God; May you be lost in wonder, love and praise, So that through every period of your life His goodness you will pursue, Until our Lord Comes again. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.

We weren't ready to leave the hockey rink, so we read Face Off by Chelsea Curto! It's been on our list forever and we just hadn't gotten there, but we're sooooo glad we did. Give us female hockey players and reformed rakes all day long, please and thank you. We also wax rhapsodic about Dolly Parton because we will always love her.SOS: Scizza Glizztas by Ryan J. PowellUp Next: Hispanic Heritage Month! Gabriella and His Grace by Liana De La RosaWhat We're Reading:Knots About You by Effie RayeThe Grump Next Door by Effie RayeGamble on a Gargoyle - Maggie MayhemFollow us on SpotifyWebsite: www.chicklitbookclubpodcast.comMerch: https://chicklitbookclubpodcast.threadless.com/TikTok: ChickLitBookClubInstagram and Threads: ChickLitBookClubPodcastPinterest: ChickLitBookClubPodcastBlueSky:@clbcpodcast.bsky.socialYoutube: @ChickLitBookClubEmail: chicklitbookclubpodcast@gmail.com

Hollyview Church sermon from September 13th, 2026. Pastor Brian Ricketts continues our series in the book of Acts, with a message from Acts chapter 15 entitled "Rest in His Grace".

God uses the salvation of guilty and rebellious sinners as a means to bring glory and honor to His name. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:7 titled “The Exceeding Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings this convicting truth as he speaks of God's Son Jesus Christ who died a cruel and torturous death as a criminal upon a cross. He did not do this so that the world would be a more comfortable place to live or so that people would become more moral. He did this to redeem a people to the praise of God the Father. The sin He died to overcome was far more than a simple social phenomenon; it was rebellion against God the Creator. And this world He came to set free from sin was not simply a world that had problems, but it was ruled by the devil, the god of this world. All of creation looked forward to this great act of redemption. From the creation of the world to God allowing the fall, it all finds its meaning in Jesus Christ and His vicarious death on the cross. Because this salvation is of God and wholly by grace, those who receive it can never fall away. For all who God saves, He will bring to perfection on the last day when He returns. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29?v=20251111

When God gives you a promise, you cannot step into purpose until He breathes His Grace on it.For more info, visit:www.collective.org.za

God uses the salvation of guilty and rebellious sinners as a means to bring glory and honor to His name. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:7 titled “The Exceeding Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings this convicting truth as he speaks of God's Son Jesus Christ who died a cruel and torturous death as a criminal upon a cross. He did not do this so that the world would be a more comfortable place to live or so that people would become more moral. He did this to redeem a people to the praise of God the Father. The sin He died to overcome was far more than a simple social phenomenon; it was rebellion against God the Creator. And this world He came to set free from sin was not simply a world that had problems, but it was ruled by the devil, the god of this world. All of creation looked forward to this great act of redemption. From the creation of the world to God allowing the fall, it all finds its meaning in Jesus Christ and His vicarious death on the cross. Because this salvation is of God and wholly by grace, those who receive it can never fall away. For all who God saves, He will bring to perfection on the last day when He returns.

God uses the salvation of guilty and rebellious sinners as a means to bring glory and honor to His name. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:7 titled “The Exceeding Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings this convicting truth as he speaks of God's Son Jesus Christ who died a cruel and torturous death as a criminal upon a cross. He did not do this so that the world would be a more comfortable place to live or so that people would become more moral. He did this to redeem a people to the praise of God the Father. The sin He died to overcome was far more than a simple social phenomenon; it was rebellion against God the Creator. And this world He came to set free from sin was not simply a world that had problems, but it was ruled by the devil, the god of this world. All of creation looked forward to this great act of redemption. From the creation of the world to God allowing the fall, it all finds its meaning in Jesus Christ and His vicarious death on the cross. Because this salvation is of God and wholly by grace, those who receive it can never fall away. For all who God saves, He will bring to perfection on the last day when He returns. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29?v=20251111

 ਟੋਡੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਬਿਸਰਤ ਸਦਾ ਖੁਆਰੀ ॥ ਤਾ ਕਉ ਧੋਖਾ ਕਹਾ ਬਿਆਪੈ ਜਾ ਕਉ ਓਟ ਤੁਹਾਰੀ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਿਮਰਨਜੋ ਜੀਵਨੁ ਬਲਨਾ ਸਰਪ ਜੈਸੇ ਅਰਜਾਰੀ ॥ ਨਵ ਖੰਡਨ ਕੋ ਰਾਜੁ ਕਮਾਵੈ ਅੰਤਿ ਚਲੈਗੋ ਹਾਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਗੁਣ ਨਿਧਾਨ ਗੁਣ ਤਿਨ ਹੀਗਾਏ ਜਾ ਕਉ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਧਾਰੀ ॥ ਸੋ ਸੁਖੀਆ ਧੰਨੁ ਉਸੁ ਜਨਮਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਤਿਸੁ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ॥੨॥੨॥ ਅਰਥ: ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ (ਦੇ ਨਾਮ) ਨੂੰ ਭੁਲਾਇਆਂ ਸਦਾ (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੇ ਹੱਥੋਂ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਦੀ) ਬੇ-ਪਤੀ ਹੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਜਿਸਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੂੰ ਤੇਰਾ ਆਸਰਾ ਹੋਵੇ, ਉਸ ਨੂੰ (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੇ ਕਿਸੇ ਭੀ ਵਿਕਾਰ ਵੱਲੋਂ) ਧੋਖਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਗ ਸਕਦਾ।ਰਹਾਉ।ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਬਿਨਾ ਜਿਤਨੀ ਭੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਗੁਜ਼ਾਰਨੀ ਹੈ (ਉਹ ਇਉਂ ਹੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ) ਜਿਵੇਂ ਸੱਪ (ਆਪਣੀ) ਉਮਰ ਗੁਜ਼ਾਰਦਾ ਹੈ (ਉਮਰ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਲੰਮੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ, ਪਰ ਉਹ ਸਦਾ ਆਪਣੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਜ਼ਹਿਰ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਦਾ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ) । (ਸਿਮਰਨ ਤੋਂਵਾਂਜਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਜੇ) ਸਾਰੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਦਾ ਰਾਜ ਭੀ ਕਰਦਾ ਰਹੇ, ਤਾਂ ਭੀ ਆਖ਼ਰ ਮਨੁੱਖਾ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੀ ਬਾਜ਼ੀ ਹਾਰ ਕੇ ਹੀ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।੧।ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਆਖ-ਹੇ ਭਾਈ!) ਗੁਣਾਂ ਦੇ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨੇ ਹਰੀ ਦੇ ਗੁਣ ਉਸ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੇ ਹੀ ਗਾਏ ਹਨ ਜਿਸ ਉਤੇ ਹਰੀ ਨੇ ਮੇਹਰ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ। ਉਹਮਨੁੱਖ ਸਦਾ ਸੁਖੀ ਜੀਵਨ ਬਿਤੀਤ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਸ ਦੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਿਕ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਅਜੇਹੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਤੋਂ ਸਦਕੇ ਹੋਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।੨।੨।TODEE, FIFTH MEHL:Forgetting the Lord, one is ruined forever. How can anyone be deceived, who has Your Support, O Lord? || Pause || Without meditating in remembrance on the Lord, life is like a burning fire, even if one lives long, like a snake. One may rule over the nine regions of the earth, but in the end, he shall have to depart, losing the game of life. || 1 || He alone sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord, the treasure of virtue, upon whom the Lord showers His Grace. He is at peace, and his birth is blessed; Nanak is a sacrifice to him. || 2 || 2 ||English SummaryThis Shabad by Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Todee, Fifth Mehl) highlights the spiritual peril of forgetting God and the ultimate peace found through divine remembrance.Divine Protection vs. Ruin: Forgetting God leads to perpetual spiritual decay and ruin. Conversely, a soul anchored in God's sanctuary is completely safe from the deceptions and vices of worldly illusions (maya).The Futility of Worldly Life: Life lived without remembrance (simran) is harmful and toxic—comparable to the long, venomous life of a snake or a burning fire. Even achieving supreme earthly power over all regions of the world is ultimately meaningless, as a life without spiritual devotion ends in losing the game of life.The Grace of Devotion: Sing the praises of God is a privilege granted only through Divine Grace. Those blessed with this remembrance live a truly peaceful and blessed life, inspiring deep reverence and gratitude.Would you like a deeper reflection on how the metaphor of the snake is interpreted in Gurmat philosophy?

Matthew 8:2-4 MSGThen a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.” Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, “Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”The famous saying by St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel everywhere and if necessary, use words”. Francis's wisdom reflects Jesus's teaching in that a radically healed and changed life will always speak louder and be respected more than any sermon from a life that just looks like everyone else's.When God forgives any sinner and sets that person free, the reality of a changed life will result in a constant reflection of gratitude to Him that flows out of a transformed heart.How has your heart been changed or transformed through Jesus? What is noticeable about your life that points towards God and His Grace ?Listen once again to Jesus's final instructions to the healed leper: Just quietly present your healed body … along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.” St. Francis was certainly right in his day, and most especially today in our current culture. People are longing to witness a forgiven, grateful, and transformed life. That message never gets old and always makes a difference. Today, choose to let your cleansed and grateful life bear witness to what Jesus has done in your attitudes, words, and actions.Let's pray to that end: “Father, may all I am be a reflection of all You are. May my life speak loud about You and all You have done for me. Today, I am forgiven. Today, I am grateful. As above, so below.” - Amen

God Became Human to Enable Jesus Followers to Have a Personal Relationship with Him through His Grace and Gift of the Holy Spirit MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Jesus tells us in John 15:12-14, that you, as His follower, are His “friend: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends.". God became flesh, and He dwelt among us. God became human to draw you into a personal relationship with Him. In John 1:14, the Apostle John identifies Jesus as the “Son of the Father”: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.". God alone can satisfy the meaning and purpose of your life. God alone can satisfy your hunger to know your life's meaning. Most importantly, God alone can give you forgiveness of your sins as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-14: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.". Jesus' life, miracles, death, and His resurrection are invitations to a life-long personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. Our personal relationship with God is through His gift, to followers of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Surely it is God who saves me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my defense, and He is my savior. Therefore, you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day, you shall say, “Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name; make His deeds known among the peoples; see that they remember that His Name is exalted.”. Amen. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:10-13; Colossians 2:10-15; Psalms137:1-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Jesus says: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division”” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

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ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਃ ੩ ॥ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਚਾਕਰੀ ਸੁਖੀ ਹੂੰ ਸੁਖ ਸਾਰੁ ॥ ਐਥੈ ਮਿਲਨਿ ਵਡਿਆਈਆ ਦਰਗਹ ਮੋਖ ਦੁਆਰੁ ॥ ਸਚੀ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਵਣੀ ਸਚੁ ਪੈਨਣੁ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਧਾਰੁ ॥ ਸਚੀ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਚਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਸਚੈ ਨਾਇ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥ ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਹਰਖੁ ਸਦਾ ਦਰਿ ਸਚੈ ਸਚਿਆਰੁ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਸੋ ਕਰੈ ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਨਦਰਿ ਕਰੈ ਕਰਤਾਰੁ ॥੧॥ ਮਃ ੩ ॥ ਹੋਰ ਵਿਡਾਣੀ ਚਾਕਰੀ ਧ੍ਰਿਗੁ ਜੀਵਣੁ ਧ੍ਰਿਗੁ ਵਾਸੁ ॥ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਛੋਡਿ ਬਿਖੁ ਲਗੇ ਬਿਖੁ ਖਟਣਾ ਬਿਖੁ ਰਾਸਿ ॥ ਬਿਖੁ ਖਾਣਾ ਬਿਖੁ ਪੈਨਣਾ ਬਿਖੁ ਕੇ ਮੁਖਿ ਗਿਰਾਸ ॥ ਐਥੈ ਦੁਖੋ ਦੁਖੁ ਕਮਾਵਣਾ ਮੁਇਆ ਨਰਕਿ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥ ਮਨਮੁਖ ਮੁਹਿ ਮੈਲੈ ਸਬਦੁ ਨ ਜਾਣਨੀ ਕਾਮ ਕਰੋਧਿ ਵਿਣਾਸੁ ॥ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਭਉ ਛੋਡਿਆ ਮਨਹਠਿ ਕੰਮੁ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਰਾਸਿ ॥ ਜਮੁ ਪੁਰਿ ਬਧੇ ਮਾਰੀਅਹਿ ਕੋ ਨ ਸੁਣੇ ਅਰਦਾਸਿ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਪੂਰਬਿ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਕਮਾਵਣਾ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੨॥ ਪਉੜੀ ॥ ਸੋ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਸੇਵਿਹੁ ਸਾਧ ਜਨੁ ਜਿਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇਆ ॥ ਸੋ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਜਹੁ ਦਿਨਸੁ ਰਾਤਿ ਜਿਨਿ ਜਗੰਨਾਥੁ ਜਗਦੀਸੁ ਜਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਸੋ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਦੇਖਹੁ ਇਕ ਨਿਮਖ ਨਿਮਖ ਜਿਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਹਰਿ ਪੰਥੁ ਬਤਾਇਆ ॥ ਤਿਸੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਸਭ ਪਗੀ ਪਵਹੁ ਜਿਨਿ ਮੋਹ ਅੰਧੇਰੁ ਚੁਕਾਇਆ ॥ ਸੋ ਸਤਗੁਰੁ ਕਹਹੁ ਸਭਿ ਧੰਨੁ ਧੰਨੁ ਜਿਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਭੰਡਾਰ ਲਹਾਇਆ ॥੩॥Here is a concise English summary of the Gurbani verses (Shalok and Pauree by Guru Amar Das Ji, Third Mehl):1. The Blessings of True Guru's Service (Shalok 1)The Ultimate Peace: Serving the True Guru brings the highest peace, worldly honor, and spiritual liberation (salvation) in the Court of the Lord.The True Lifestyle: True devotion involves adopting truth in actions, wrapping oneself in the dress of the True Name, and loving the Divine.Grace: True service is only performed by those upon whom the Creator bestows His Grace.2. The Pitfalls of False Pursuits / Worldly Attachment (Shalok 2)The Poison of Maya: Those who ignore spiritual truth and chase false worldly pursuits lead cursed lives. They consume, earn, and surround themselves with the "poison" of ego and attachment.Consequences: Such ego-driven individuals (Manmukhs) face constant suffering, internal destruction by lust and anger, and ultimately painful spiritual ruin.3. Praise and Devotion to the True Guru (Pauree)The Guide to Salvation: Devotees are urged to serve and worship the True Guru day and night, as He implants the Lord's Name within the heart.Dispelling Darkness: The True Guru clears away the darkness of emotional attachment, reveals the spiritual path, and grants access to the supreme treasure of devotion.

Preacher: Sam Powers Titus 2 Titus 2 | Strengthened in His Grace from CrossPointe Coast on Vimeo.Special Guest: Sam Powers.

Jesus Is the Only Door to Your Eternal Life, But Jesus Has Given You the Key – His Gospel MESSAGE SUMMARY: From the Gospel of Luke “Life's Possessions and Wealth” A Yale Pediatric Oncologist's (A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life and Death) experienced a life transformation from being an Atheist to an Agnostic and then becoming a Christian because of her involvement with the death and near-death experiences of young children with cancer. These children had no predisposed reason to understand God or Heaven; however, their verbalized near-death experiences are compelling. In Luke 13:22-30, Jesus gives us a glimpse of Heaven because He does not want us to miss out on Paradise. Are you going to be saved? Before presenting His Parable of the Narrow Door, Jesus sets up this Parable in Luke 13:24: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.". in John 10:7-9, Jesus tells us that He is the door: “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.". Also, Jesus paints the picture, in Luke 13:24, of a feast in Paradise: “And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.”. In this Parable in Luke 13:25, Jesus expresses how difficult it will be to get into Heaven: “When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'". After the door is inaccessible, Jesus tells us in Luke 13:27: “But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'". Knowing God personally and His Grace, through Jesus on the cross and Jesus' Resurrection, is what enables us to have eternal life – Jesus the Christ is the door, as Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is the only way to eternal life: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'". Eternal life is offered to us through God's grace, but we can only receive eternal life through our personal faith and our knowing God through a personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 13:22-30; Luke 23:43; Revelation 2:7; John 3:16; John 10:7-9; John 17:3; Matthew 7:21-23; John 14:6; Psalms 22b:17-31. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God's Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life's Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

ਤਿਲੰਗ ਘਰੁ ੨ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥ ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਦੂਜਾ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਤੂ ਕਰਤਾਰੁ ਕਰਹਿ ਸੋ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਤੇਰਾ ਜੋਰੁ ਤੇਰੀ ਮਨਿ ਟੇਕ ॥ ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਜਪਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਏਕ ॥੧॥ ਸਭ ਊਪਰਿ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਦਾਤਾਰੁ ॥ ਤੇਰੀ ਟੇਕ ਤੇਰਾ ਆਧਾਰੁ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਹੈ ਤੂਹੈ ਤੂ ਹੋਵਨਹਾਰ ॥ ਅਗਮ ਅਗਾਧਿ ਊਚ ਆਪਾਰ ॥ ਜੋ ਤੁਧੁ ਸੇਵਹਿ ਤਿਨ ਭਉ ਦੁਖੁ ਨਾਹਿ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਹਿ ॥੨॥ ਜੋ ਦੀਸੈ ਸੋ ਤੇਰਾ ਰੂਪੁ ॥ ਗੁਣ ਨਿਧਾਨ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਅਨੂਪ ॥ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਜਨ ਸੋਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਕਰਮਿ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਹੋਇ ॥੩॥ ਜਿਨਿ ਜਪਿਆ ਤਿਸ ਕਉ ਬਲਿਹਾਰ ॥ ਤਿਸ ਕੈ ਸੰਗਿ ਤਰੈ ਸੰਸਾਰ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਲੋਚਾ ਪੂਰਿ ॥ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਕੀ ਬਾਛਉ ਧੂਰਿ ॥੪॥੨॥ ਅਰਥ: ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਸਭ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦਾਤਾਂ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਸਭ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਿਰ ਉਤੇ ਰਾਖਾ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਅਸਾਂ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ) ਤੇਰਾ ਹੀ ਆਸਰਾ ਹੈ, ਤੇਰਾ ਹੀ ਸਹਾਰਾ ਹੈ।ਰਹਾਉ।ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਤੂੰ ਸਾਰੇ ਜਗਤ ਦਾ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈਂ, ਜੋ ਕੁਝ ਤੂੰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈਂ, ਉਹੀ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਤੈਥੋਂ ਬਿਨਾ ਹੋਰ ਕੋਈ ਦੂਜਾ ਕੁਝ ਕਰ ਸਕਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ। (ਅਸਾਂ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ) ਤੇਰਾ ਹੀ ਤਾਣ ਹੈ, (ਸਾਡੇ) ਮਨ ਵਿਚ ਤੇਰਾ ਹੀ ਸਹਾਰਾ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਸਦਾ ਹੀ ਉਸ ਇਕ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਜਪਦਾ ਰਹੁ।੧।ਹੇ ਅਪਹੁੰਚ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਹੇ ਅਥਾਹ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਹੇ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਚੇ ਤੇ ਬੇਅੰਤ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਹਰ ਥਾਂ ਹਰ ਵੇਲੇ ਤੂੰ ਹੀ ਤੂੰ ਹੈਂ, ਤੂੰ ਹੀ ਸਦਾ ਕਾਇਮ ਰਹਿਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈਂ। ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਜੇਹੜੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਸਿਮਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੋਈ ਡਰ ਕੋਈ ਦੁੱਖ ਪੋਹ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਕਦਾ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ (ਮਨੁੱਖ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੇ) ਗੁਣ ਗਾ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਨ।੨।ਹੇ ਗੁਣਾਂ ਦੇ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨੇ! ਹੇ ਸੋਹਣੇ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ! ਜਗਤ ਵਿਚ) ਜੋ ਕੁਝ ਦਿੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਹੀ ਸਰੂਪ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ! ਸਦਾ ਉਸ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਰਹੁ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਸਿਮਰਨ) ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੀ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਮਿਲਦਾ ਹੈ।੩।ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਜਿਸ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੇ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਜਪਿਆ ਹੈ, ਉਸ ਤੋਂ ਕੁਰਬਾਨ ਹੋਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। ਉਸ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਦੀ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਵਿਚ (ਰਹਿ ਕੇ) ਸਾਰਾ ਜਗਤ ਸੰਸਾਰ-ਸਮੁੰਦਰ ਤੋਂ ਪਾਰ ਲੰਘ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਆਖ-ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਮੇਰੀ ਤਾਂਘ ਪੂਰੀ ਕਰ, ਮੈਂ (ਤੇਰੇ ਦਰ ਤੋਂ) ਤੇਰੇ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਚਰਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਧੂੜ ਮੰਗਦਾ ਹਾਂ।੪।੨।TILANG, SECOND HOUSE, FIFTH MEHL:There is no other than You, Lord. You are the Creator; whatever You do, that alone happens. You are the strength, and You are the support of the mind. Forever and ever, meditate, O Nanak, on the One. || 1 || The Great Giver is the Supreme Lord God over all. You are our support, You are our sustainer. || Pause || You are, You are, and You shall ever be, O inaccessible, unfathomable, lofty and infinite Lord. Those who serve You, are not touched by fear or suffering. By Guru's Grace, O Nanak, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. || 2 || Whatever is seen, is Your form, O treasure of virtue, O Lord of the Universe, O Lord of incomparable beauty. Remembering, remembering, remembering the Lord in meditation, His humble servant becomes like Him. O Nanak, by His Grace, we obtain Him. || 3 || I am a sacrifice to those who meditate on the Lord. Associating with them, the whole world is saved. Says Nanak, God fulfills our hopes and aspirations. I long for the dust of the feet of the Saints. || 4 || 2 ||The Supreme Creator & Sole SupportEnglish Summary of Tilang, Second House, Fifth MehlThis sacred hymn by Guru Arjan Dev Ji emphasizes absolute surrender, devotion, and recognition of the One Supreme Creator in all things.Key ThemesThe Supreme Creator & Sole Support: The hymn begins by establishing that God is the ultimate Creator and sustainer of all. There is no other power; whatever happens is according to His will. The devotee relies entirely on God's strength and support.Freedom from Fear and Suffering: God is described as inaccessible, unfathomable, and infinite. Those who lovingly serve and remember Him are completely freed from fear and suffering, which is attained through the Guru's grace.Seeing God in Everything: All that is visible in the physical universe is a reflection of God's own form. He is the treasure of virtue and supreme beauty. Constant meditation on Him brings inner transformation, granted purely through His grace.The Power of Holy Company (Satsang): The seeker bows in utmost reverence to those who meditate on the Lord, noting that being in their company helps uplift the entire world. The hymn concludes with a humble prayer asking God to fulfill the devotee's deep yearning: to obtain the dust of the feet of His saints.

Beloved the Good News we proclaim is that in the midst of the unending headlines filled with human suffering, harm and pain - God has come to tell a story to weave a tapestry of His Grace - that every detail of our lives is touched by this Grace to tell an eternal story that we have become a part of - this is the mystery of our confession. We believe in a Grace that will make all things work together - so we can say - all shall be well.

Jesus Is the Only Door to Your Eternal Life, But Jesus Has Given You the Key – His Gospel MESSAGE SUMMARY: From the Gospel of Luke “Life's Possessions and Wealth” A Yale Pediatric Oncologist's (A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life and Death) experienced a life transformation from being an Atheist to an Agnostic and then becoming a Christian because of her involvement with the death and near-death experiences of young children with cancer. These children had no predisposed reason to understand God or Heaven; however, their verbalized near-death experiences are compelling. In Luke 13:22-30, Jesus gives us a glimpse of Heaven because He does not want us to miss out on Paradise. Are you going to be saved? Before presenting His Parable of the Narrow Door, Jesus sets up this Parable in Luke 13:24: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.". in John 10:7-9, Jesus tells us that He is the door: “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.". Also, Jesus paints the picture, in Luke 13:24, of a feast in Paradise: “And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.”. In this Parable in Luke 13:25, Jesus expresses how difficult it will be to get into Heaven: “When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'". After the door is inaccessible, Jesus tells us in Luke 13:27: “But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'". Knowing God personally and His Grace, through Jesus on the cross and Jesus' Resurrection, is what enables us to have eternal life – Jesus the Christ is the door, as Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is the only way to eternal life: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'". Eternal life is offered to us through God's grace, but we can only receive eternal life through our personal faith and our knowing God through a personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 13:22-30; Luke 23:43; Revelation 2:7; John 3:16; John 10:7-9; John 17:3; Matthew 7:21-23; John 14:6; Psalms 22b:17-31. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God's Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life's Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

YOUR STORY STILL MATTERS Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony…” Never underestimate the power of your testimony. We often think our story is too ordinary, too broken, or too unfinished to make a difference in someone else's life. We tend to compare it to someone else's dramatic testimony and convince ourselves that ours isn't worth telling. But God doesn't measure the value of a testimony by how dramatic it is. He measures it by His Grace that brought us through and our willingness to tell it. Your testimony is simply the story of what God has done, what He is doing, and what you have learned along the way.

How can the apostle Paul be so exuberant in praise about the grace of God? Why is the grace of God something the apostle constantly writes about? It is because he knew the grace of God; he experienced it and it led to his worship and praise. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:7 titled “The Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds Paul's words on the riches of God's grace. By better understanding God's grace one gets a glimpse into the very character of God. In the riches of God's grace they see that He gives fully, freely, and abundantly. It can be no other way. He must give grace liberally because of who He is. Pastorally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones applies God's grace to the Christian by highlighting their desperate need for it. Thankfully, His grace is sufficient for all needs. Millions have drunk from it, yet it is still bubbling up, offering assurance for all who come and drink from it. The gracious and good news of the gospel is the free and full forgiveness for those who are in Christ Jesus according to the riches of God's grace.

How can the apostle Paul be so exuberant in praise about the grace of God? Why is the grace of God something the apostle constantly writes about? It is because he knew the grace of God; he experienced it and it led to his worship and praise. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:7 titled “The Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds Paul's words on the riches of God's grace. By better understanding God's grace one gets a glimpse into the very character of God. In the riches of God's grace they see that He gives fully, freely, and abundantly. It can be no other way. He must give grace liberally because of who He is. Pastorally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones applies God's grace to the Christian by highlighting their desperate need for it. Thankfully, His grace is sufficient for all needs. Millions have drunk from it, yet it is still bubbling up, offering assurance for all who come and drink from it. The gracious and good news of the gospel is the free and full forgiveness for those who are in Christ Jesus according to the riches of God's grace. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29?v=20251111

This week we dive into Psalm 30 to hear while God's anger is for but a moment, His Grace is forever.

How can the apostle Paul be so exuberant in praise about the grace of God? Why is the grace of God something the apostle constantly writes about? It is because he knew the grace of God; he experienced it and it led to his worship and praise. In this sermon on Ephesians 1:7 titled “The Riches of His Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds Paul's words on the riches of God's grace. By better understanding God's grace one gets a glimpse into the very character of God. In the riches of God's grace they see that He gives fully, freely, and abundantly. It can be no other way. He must give grace liberally because of who He is. Pastorally, Dr. Lloyd-Jones applies God's grace to the Christian by highlighting their desperate need for it. Thankfully, His grace is sufficient for all needs. Millions have drunk from it, yet it is still bubbling up, offering assurance for all who come and drink from it. The gracious and good news of the gospel is the free and full forgiveness for those who are in Christ Jesus according to the riches of God's grace. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29?v=20251111

Why Are You Holding Onto What God Has Forgotten? Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” This was the topic of one of our sessions at my Encounter School of Ministry class last night.  The topic was dead to sin.  We talked about how, because Jesus died on the cross for us and because we are baptized, we are dead to sin.  When we are born, we have a fallen nature.  This is because of original sin.  However, when Jesus died on the cross, he took our sin with Him.  Therefore, we no longer have a fallen nature; we have a sinless nature.  In Romans 6:11 it says, “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Do you consider yourself dead to sin?  I wasn't sure what to say when asked this question.  I wasn't sure what this question even meant.  Then we were asked another question that gave me a little more clarity.  Do you consider yourself a sinner who does the right thing now and then, or do you consider yourself a saint who sins sometimes?  This is all about a mindset.  We have to live into our baptism promises.  We need to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and when he did, he removed our sinful nature.  Our identity matters.  You may think this is a little thing and it doesn't really matter.  You may think the above question is just a matter of semantics.  I assure you it isn't.  What you tell yourself matters.   We are saints who sin sometimes.  It is important that we understand this because the enemy wants us to focus on our sins.  He wants us to think we are unredeemable.  He wants us to feel like we are our sins.  The enemy wants us to take on our sins as if they are our identity.  For instance, I lied to someone; therefore, I am a liar.  I stole a piece of candy from a friend; therefore, I am a thief.  You are not your actions; you are not your sins.  You are a redeemed child of God; that is your identity.  Your sins are things you do and they can be forgiven and forgotten.   Did you know that Jesus doesn't remember our sins once we confess them?  He forgives and forgets them.  It says this in the verse above.  Jesus is saying he blots out our transgressions and he does not remember our sins.  One of the saints, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the nun responsible for the spread of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, was once asked by her spiritual advisor to ask God what her last mortal sin was.  He wanted to make sure her visions about the Sacred Heart were truly from God.  Who better to know our last mortal sin than God, who knows everything?  The next time she was having prayer time, she asked the Lord what her last mortal sin was, and do you know what he said?  I don't remember.  With this response, her spiritual advisor knew her visions were from God. Can you believe this response?  I thought this was a great verse to bring to all of you today because I don't remember ever hearing this verse before.  I have read through the entire Bible three times, and I have done several Bible studies, and yet I don't remember ever hearing this verse before.  We tend to think of God as someone who is writing down all of our sins in a book and keeping track of them so He can show them to us at the end of our lives and ask us to explain them.  However, this verse says He forgives and forgets our sins.  How amazing is that?  Another things a lot of us think is that we need to work really hard to make up for our sins.  We don't.  Jesus did that when he took our sins to the cross with Him.  All we have to do is admit our sins, confess them to God, and they will be forgiven and forgotten.  Our teacher explained it like this, “Jesus just wants you to admit that you took the cookie from the cookie jar.”  God wants you to come before Him as a child and admit what you have done.   The enemy wants you to hold onto what you have done.  He wants you to accept your sin as your identity, and he wants you to be too ashamed to share it with the Father.  The devil wants to convince you that God couldn't possibly forgive you for this thing you have done.  He convinces you that this thing is different; yes, God forgives sin, but not sins like this, not sins this bad.  The devil is a liar.  He is telling you this because he knows your deepest fear is not being forgiven or accepted by God.  There isn't anything you can do that is unforgivable.  And it is not hard to be forgiven.  All you have to do is admit what you have done and then accept the forgiveness God gives to you. This last part is hard for many of us.  We are willing to confess our sins, and yet we have a hard time accepting the forgiveness God is offering us.  We have a hard time believing we are worthy of this forgiveness.  Let me set one thing straight: we aren't worthy of God's forgiveness or His Grace.  We aren't worthy, and yet He gives them to us freely.  Through His death on the cross and through our baptism, we are redeemed from our sinful nature, and therefore our sins are forgiven and forgotten.  It is incredible and yes, hard to believe.   If we look at this through our worldly eyes, we find it hard to believe God would forgive and forget.  Forgiving and forgetting is something we really struggle with.  If we are struggling with identifying as a saint who sins sometimes and instead think of ourselves as sinners who sometimes do the right thing, we can take this to God during our prayer time.  This week, while we are praying, we can ask God to show us how to transform our thinking.  We can ask God to help renew our minds so we can understand this truth.   We can ask God to show us how to adopt this identity of a saint as our own.  If God forgets our sins, why are we holding onto them?  Why do we take these sins and make them our identity?  Our true identity is a redeemed son or daughter of Christ.  Our true identity is a saint who sometimes sins.   Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us to truly believe we are saints who sometimes sin and not sinners who sometimes get it right.  Lord, help us to believe you forgive our sins when we confess them, and then you forget about them. Help us to believe you are not sitting up there in heaven keeping a stick account of every sin we have ever done.  We love you, Lord.  It is amazing to us how you forgive and forget even though we aren't worthy.  We are so very grateful, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, amen! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  If you would like to give a witness for Witness Wednesday, there is still time; just contact me today. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!  Have a blessed day! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Episode 522 debuts on Wednesday, July 15, at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time). Rebroadcasts will take place according to the Crusade Radio Network programming schedule. Our topic is The Letter to the Archbishop of Boston on Father Feeney, Part III.   Father Leonard Feeney and Dr. Fakhri Maluf (later, Brother Francis, M.I.C.M.), ca. 1948. They are standing on either side of the cherished statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague at St. Benedict Center in Cambridge, Mass. This statue was presented to the Center in February of 1948, having been blessed by His Grace, the Archbishop of Prague, Josef Beran. The statue arrived on February 22, the day the very day the Communists took over Czechoslovakia. (Image is digitally upscaled and enhanced.) Reconquest is a militant, engaging, and informative Catholic radio program featuring interviews with interesting guests as well as commentary by your host. It is a radio-journalistic extension of the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center.

The Holiness of God is not blemished by withdrawing His Grace from a sinful creature, whereby he falls more into sin.

Episode 521 debuts on Wednesday, July 8, at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time). Rebroadcasts will take place according to the Crusade Radio Network programming schedule. Our topic is The Letter to the Archbishop of Boston on Father Feeney, Part II. The American Ecclesiastical Review 1952-10: Vol 127 Iss 4 — at archive.org — at archive.org (this is the issue that has the “Letter to the Archbishop of Boston” in it, in Latin and English) Letter from the Holy Office Concerning Fr. Leonard Feeney — by Cardinal F. Marchetti-Selvaggiani at catholicculture.org Mystici Corporis Christi — encyclical of Pope Pius XII, at vatican.va  Iam Vos Omnes — apostolic letter of Pope Pius IX at novusordowatch.org Father Leonard Feeney and Dr. Fakhri Maluf (later, Brother Francis, M.I.C.M.), ca. 1948. They are standing on either side of the cherished statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague at St. Benedict Center in Cambridge, Mass. This statue was presented to the Center in February of 1948, having been blessed by His Grace, the Archbishop of Prague, Josef Beran. The statue arrived on February 22, the day the very day the Communists took over Czechoslovakia. (Image is digitally upscaled and enhanced.) Reconquest is a militant, engaging, and informative Catholic radio program featuring interviews with interesting guests as well as commentary by your host. It is a radio-journalistic extension of the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center.

Jonah was POWERLESS to save. Jesus is POWERFUL to save. God SAVED you before you ever ASKED Him. Even God’s punishments are MERCIES if they lead you to REPENTANCE. God gives His GRACE to EVERYONE. If it's not GOOD, God's NOT DONE. Should God have compassion on ALL people? Verses Referenced: Matthew 28:19-20; Jonah 1:1-2; […]

In this episode, Hugh talks about how eternal life became the word through His Grace

Set Apart by His Grace for His Glory - Part of our weekly Sunday morning study through Exodus.

You Are Personally Responsible and Accountable, to God, for All He Entrusts to You MESSAGE SUMMARY: Who is going to be responsible? God wants us to take responsibility and accountability for that which He has entrusted us. Some would say: “God has not entrusted me with much.”. This person would be wrong! What about his life? What about Jesus Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples? What about his children? What about his job? God has entrusted us with much, and God is holding us personally responsible and accountable for these trusts. In Jesus' parable from Luke 16 about the rich man's incompetent manager, Jesus summarizes the meaning of His parable in Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.". in Luke 16:12-13, Jesus summarizes His position regarding our responsibilities and accountabilities for His trusts given to us as well as the trusts of us given by others here on earth. Also, responsibilities are prioritized: “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”. Jesus is, also, telling us that, if we cannot be responsible for earthly treasures, how can we be responsible for Spiritual Treasures. As Christians, it is imperative that we put God first. If we don't put God first in our lives, then, in a subtle way, we begin to resent God and His Grace. Proverbs tell us, in Proverbs 19:22, that the desire of every human heart is to love: “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.". Only Jesus can give us this “steadfast love”, winch is a Spiritual gift or entrustment from God. However, most of us go through our lives trying to find substitutes for God's love to fill our lives; and we can't find a substitute outside of God. Only God and Jesus can meet out heart's need for “steadfast love”. By the way, our earthly riches will not make it into heaven with us; only our heavenly or Spiritual Riches accompany us. We are responsible and accountable for all with winch God has entrusted us – both earthly and heavenly.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 16:1-15; Proverbs 19:22; Matthew 28:18-20; Psalms 124:1-8. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have a Personal Relationship with the Creator of the Universe So Pray, Listen, and Be Patient for God's Call”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/   DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Set Apart by His Grace for His Glory - Part of our weekly Sunday morning study through Exodus.

Jesus Followers Are Sinners Who Have a Savior Because “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . .”; Is Jesus Your Savior Too? MESSAGE SUMMARY: We are all sinners, but we now have a Savior – Jesus. As Paul tells us, in 1 Timothy 1:15-16, that the Gospel provides Salvation for all followers of Jesus, including the worst of sinners -- Paul: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.". Also, Paul, in 1 Timothy 2:3b-6, further points out that God wants all of us to be saved by His Grace through Jesus if we only, as sinners like Paul, reach out to bring Jesus into our lives: “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”. It is only because of Jesus the Christ that we receive the healing that we need. “I am a sinner who now has a Savior – do you”?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Presence. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Timothy 1:15-17; 1 Timothy 2:3b-6; 2 Timothy 1:8-12; Psalms 89a:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus?”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥ ਫਿਰਤ ਫਿਰਤ ਭੇਟੇ ਜਨ ਸਾਧੂ ਪੂਰੈ ਗੁਰਿ ਸਮਝਾਇਆ ॥ ਆਨ ਸਗਲ ਬਿਧਿ ਕਾਂਮਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਫਿਰਤ ਭੇਟੇ ਜਨ ਸਾਧੂ ਪੂਰੈ ਗੁਰਿ ਸਮਝਾਇਆ ॥ ਆਨ ਸਗਲ ਬਿਧਿ ਕਾਂਮਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਤਾ ਤੇ ਮੋਹਿ ਧਾਰੀ ਓਟ ਗੋਪਾਲ ॥ ਸਰਨਿ ਪਰਿਓ ਪੂਰਨ ਪਰਮੇਸੁਰ ਬਿਨਸੇ ਸਗਲ ਜੰਜਾਲ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਸੁਰਗ ਮਿਰਤ ਪਇਆਲ ਭੂ ਮੰਡਲ ਸਗਲ ਬਿਆਪੇ ਮਾਇ ॥ ਜੀਅ ਉਧਾਰਨ ਸਭ ਕੁਲ ਤਾਰਨ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇ ॥੨॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਰੰਜਨੁ ਗਾਈਐ ਪਾਈਐ ਸਰਬ ਨਿਧਾਨਾ ॥ ਕਰਿ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਜਿਸੁ ਦੇਇ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਬਿਰਲੇ ਕਾਹੂ ਜਾਨਾ ॥੩॥੩॥੨੧॥ DHANAASAREE, FIFTH MEHL:Wandering and roaming around, I met the Holy Perfect Guru, who has taught me. All other devices did not work, so I meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. || 1 || For this reason, I sought the Protection and Support of my Lord, the Cherisher of the Universe. I sought the Sanctuary of the Perfect Transcendent Lord, and all my entanglements were dissolved. || Pause || Paradise, the earth, the nether regions of the underworld, and the globe of the world ó all are engrossed in Maya. To save your soul, and liberate all your ancestors, meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. || 2 || O Nanak, singing the Naam, the Name of the Immaculate Lord, all treasures are obtained. Only that rare person, whom the Lord and Master blesses with His Grace, comes to know this. || 3 || 3 || 21 ||ਅਰਥ: ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਭਾਲ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਜਦੋਂ ਮੈਂ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਹਾ ਪੁਰਖ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲਿਆ, ਤਾਂ ਪੂਰੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਨੇ (ਮੈਨੂੰ) ਇਹ ਸਮਝ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ੀ ਕਿ (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੇ ਮੋਹ ਤੋਂ ਬਚਣ ਲਈ) ਹੋਰ ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਜੁਗਤੀਆਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਕੋਈ ਇੱਕ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਭੀ ਕੰਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਉਂਦੀ। ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੀ ਕੰਮ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ।੧।ਇਸ ਵਾਸਤੇ, ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਮੈਂ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਆਸਰਾ ਲੈ ਲਿਆ। (ਜਦੋਂ ਮੈਂ) ਸਰਬ-ਵਿਆਪਕ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੀ ਸਰਨ ਪਿਆ, ਤਾਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਸਾਰੇ (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੇ) ਜੰਜਾਲ ਨਾਸ ਹੋ ਗਏ।ਰਹਾਉ।ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਦੇਵ ਲੋਕ, ਮਾਤ-ਲੋਕ, ਪਾਤਾਲ-ਸਾਰੀ ਹੀ ਸ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟੀ ਮਾਇਆ (ਦੇ ਮੋਹ) ਵਿਚ ਫਸੀ ਹੋਈ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਸਦਾ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਿਆ ਕਰ, ਇਹੀ ਹੈ ਜਿੰਦ ਨੂੰ (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੇ ਮੋਹ ਵਿਚੋਂ) ਬਚਾਣ ਵਾਲਾ, ਇਹੀ ਹੈ ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਕੁਲਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਤਾਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ।੨।ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! ਮਾਇਆ ਤੋਂ ਨਿਰਲੇਪ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਗਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ, (ਨਾਮ ਦੀ ਬਰਕਤਿ ਨਾਲ) ਸਾਰੇ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ, ਪਰ (ਇਹ ਭੇਤ) ਕਿਸੇ (ਉਸ) ਵਿਰਲੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੇ ਸਮਝਿਆ ਹੈ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਲਕ-ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਆਪ ਮੇਹਰ ਕਰ ਕੇ (ਨਾਮ ਦੀ ਦਾਤਿ) ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈ।੩।੩।੨੧।

Your Sin Is Never Too Great for God; If You Return to God, He Will Return to You MESSAGE SUMMARY: We all sin, and sometimes you may perceive your sin to be so horrendous that you think your life is lost to God's willingness to forgive you; therefore, you believe that you are lost to God's Salvation. If you repent to God of your sins and return to God in your life, He will return to you. Whenever we fall into sin, do we repent and return to the Lord? Hopefully, our answer is: "I will, with God's help.". Our God wants us to return to Him because He loves us -- He is a covenant God. In Malachi 3:7, God admonishes His people who have turned away from Him; but God promises His return to His people if they return to Him: “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?'". However, Malachi asks the question: “How shall we return?”. Joel 2:12-13 provides the Lord's answer to Malachi's question: “'Yet even now,'” declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord our God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.'”. The Lord wants to meet you where you are and to bring His Grace to you. In Matthew 26:27-28, Jesus confirms His Covent relationship with you: "And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'”. If you return to God in your life, He will return to you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Most merciful God I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Amen.  TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Malachi 2:4-6; Malachi 3:1-5; Matthew 26:27-29; Psalms 15:1-5. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Our Awesome God -- Part 3: Trinity; Jesus, the Christ”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

What Books are Healthiest for Your Tween or Teen an Interview with Betsy Farquhar and Hayley Morell (Episode 293)   *Disclaimer: Some of this content is not intended for young audiences. Please use discretion.   Proverbs 4:7 NIV “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”   *Transcription Below*   Betsy Farquhar holds Masters degrees in Children's Literature and Information and Library Science. She taught middle and high school English, homeschooled her three children, and has served on many book award committees.   Hayley Morell loves reading, writing, trying new recipes, knitting, or chatting with her parrot. Hayley loves traveling and lived abroad in Europe and Asia. She and her husband and infant live in Wisconsin in an old house overflowing with books and are active in their local community.   Their Website, Book, and Social Media Handles: Instagram @redeemed_reader and Facebook: @redeemedreader   Thank you to our sponsor: Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are some benefits of reading and why is it worthwhile to devote our time to curating a healthy diet of books? Can you elaborate on why the Young Adult or YA category is the most controversial? What is on your radar for genres or books that will require even more discernment in the future?   Other Savvy Sauce Episode Mentioned: 21. Promoting a Family Culture of Reading with Megan Kaeb 22. Inspiring Your Children to Become Readers, Part Two with Megan Kaeb 253. Low Tech Parenting with Erin Loechner 273. Wise Living: Why to Get Outside, and Travel, and Read Aloud with Amber O'Neal Johnston   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*‍   Music: (0:00 – 0:11)   Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:46) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today over 55 years later at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka.   Owned and operated by the Bertschi family, Sam Leman and Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over Central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at lemangm.com.   My guests for today are Betsy Farquhar and Haley Morrill, two of the four authors of this book, The Redeemed Reader, which is also the name of the website that they run together where they have thousands of book reviews for children and tweens and teens.   We all know that books are so powerful, so it's vitally important that we're discerning both for what we're intaking and the filters that we use to allow our children to engage with books in our home. We're going to sprinkle book recommendations throughout this episode, and you're also going to learn some surprising things, such as more details about the YA or young adult category. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Betsy and Haley.   Betsy Farquhar: (1:48 - 1:49) Thanks. It's good to be here.   Laura Dugger: (1:50 - 1:57) I would love to just start out hearing the way that the two of you found your way into the work that you get to do today.   Betsy Farquhar: (1:58 - 2:42) Mine started way back in the 1900s when I was in college. I did my senior thesis on children's literature, George MacDonald, and that led to a children's literature class my last semester, which led me to grad school with one of my now co-workers, but at the time fellow students and friends, and we got our master's in children's literature. And then rabbit trail, lots of detours, children, marriage. She and I started a blog back when those were cool and hip, and it was reviewing children's books and that was just for fun. And then we connected with Janie and Emily from Redeemed Reader. Through that blog venue, we were commenting on each other's blogs, and they brought us on board. And so here we are 15 years later.   Hayley Morell: (2:43 - 3:38) And for me, I was a high schooler. I was homeschooled. I loved reading.   So, I started my own blog back in the teenage years and I was always looking for book recommendations and came upon Redeemed Reader in the early days. I turned out they were looking for an intern. I started interning and at the end of my internship, Emily Witten, who was our founder, asked if I'd like to stay on.   And that was 14 or 15 years ago now. So, I was younger. And so, I had a period at college.   I studied at Boyce College. I worked in children's ministry and worked as a private tutor. So, a lot of interactions with children.   I was known as the babysitter with the book bag for a number of years. And now I've got my own little, and so I'm in the land of board books and happily working at Redeemed Reader.   Laura Dugger: (3:39 - 3:49) I love hearing that. And if people are watching this through video, can you both just say your name, so we know who's Betsy and who's Haley? I'm Haley.   Betsy Farquhar: (3:50 - 3:51) I'm Betsy.   Laura Dugger: (3:52 - 4:07) Okay, wonderful. Thank you for that. And at Redeemed Reader, I'm assuming you have so many book recommendations to try and read and review.   So, how do you even determine which books you are going to review?   Hayley Morell: (4:08 - 7:49) So, right now we are wrapping up one of the things we love doing, which is providing award coverage. In January is when the American Library Association announces their awards, and they like to recognize the best middle grade with the Newberry, the best picture books with the Caldecott, and then a number of other awards. We know that those books are going to be going into lots of libraries and schools.   And so, we like to provide coverage of that and review those books that we know parents are going to be seeing on shelves and wondering, is this a good book? Should we be reading this? What do we want to check out?   We also like to watch what is popular. What is causing discussion? So, several years ago, that was The Hunger Games.   And there was a lot of questions about dystopia. Should we be reading this? Is this helpful?   Do I want my teen reading The Hunger Games? More recently, some popular middle grade series like Keeper of the Lost Cities have had a lot of parents asking, what is this series? Is there anything I should know about?   And so, we try to have a balanced review. We review books that you're going to find at the library. We also like to review books that maybe you wouldn't know about.   So, a smaller Christian imprint, for example, we like to review that type of book to encourage readers to read widely, to read Christian authors, to read secular authors. We like books. And so, we each bring our own specialty to the team and experience.   Janie, who's our senior editor, is a children's author. She loves history. And so, as the community relations manager, I tend to handle review requests.   So, when somebody asks us, can you review this book? It's popular. Or I'm an author.   I wrote a book. Can you review it? I'll look at the book.   I'll look at how hard is it to get? We do try to review books that are easy to find, that you might find in your local library. But then I'll look at our team.   So, for Janie, if it is going to be a nonfiction history, let's say for a 10 to 12-year-old, I know that's going to be up her alley. Meanwhile, Betsy loves poetry. She loves nature, nonfiction.   Betsy is a very, I'd say you're one of our Renaissance people. And so, I know Betsy is going to be inclined towards maybe a novel and verse. And she also likes dealing with high school books.   You've got that teacher education background, where if it is an epic poem, Betsy is going to be our reviewer. Megan is our amazing picture book author. She's super creative, loves picture books.   Megan is who I turn to when I find a picture book. Meanwhile, I used to handle as I was the team member of the team and then turned into my 20s. So, I gravitated toward YA, and I still love a good YA fantasy.   But I am now in board book land and picture books. So, I have been expanding my reach. I do serve on our middle grade fiction, so I can help out with middle grades.   But each of us will flex in, flex out. Megan has a large family of boys. And so, if it's a boy book, she is a great person.   We love to send those to her to see if her boys like them. And that's, I could keep going because we love books, but that's a big snapshot.   Laura Dugger: (7:50 - 8:09) That's so helpful because you cover such a wide variety of books throughout your team. And as curators of book reviews, what questions are you most commonly receiving, both from young people and maybe their parents as well?   Hayley Morell: (8:12 - 9:22) I think we often get questions like, is this book clean? Is this book safe? And we like to kind of change that question.   And we like to say, why is the content in this book? Because that can be different, you know, depending on something that is in a picture book, which wouldn't be appropriate for an age, could be very appropriate for a YA book and a great discussion starter. So, it definitely depends on the content and what audience and what age of the audience we're dealing with.   So, we try to, as people ask us, well, is this safe or is this clean? Should I read this? We want to build discernment and encourage parents to interact, parents and educators to interact with our reviews.   And they know their reader. They know how their reader is going to receive a book. And what questions might come up.   And so, we like to help interact with that conversation. And then there's another kind of question we often get, which I'm going to let Betsy answer.   Betsy Farquhar: (9:23 - 10:10) The other question is, my kid likes blank kind of book or is blank kind of reader. What do I get for him or her? And so that, of course, can vary widely.   But people love to know what book is right for my family or my classroom or my child. And so, we try to write our reviews with that question in mind, not to make a blanket statement, you should all read this book, or nobody should read this book, but to give parents and educators enough information to make that decision for themselves. And then we started doing these reels on Instagram, where we're pretending we're answering a customer service phone call with questions we've been asked, right?   My son only likes video games, or my daughter doesn't want fantasy, but she reads these kinds of books. And so, we try to help people think that through.   Laura Dugger: (10:10 - 10:14) So, that's really how we continue.   Hayley Morell: (10:15 - 11:09) Sorry. And one more question that we often get because we are book reviewers is, will you review my book? And so, at that point, we do have a process.   We encourage people to submit a request. And it could be maybe a book they're curious about and would just like a review from us, or they're an author or a publisher. And so, in that case, we direct them to our review submission form.   And like I said before, we are definitely looking for books that are easy to find. That will encourage us to review a book, because while we love books that are like smaller imprints, et cetera, and we do try to provide coverage for that, we also are aware that a lot of our audience only has their library or their school library. And so, we are trying to do books that are easy to find and accessible for our readers.   Laura Dugger: (11:10 - 11:40) Okay, that's really helpful to hear what people are writing in and asking you about. And so, hearing the sweet spot from each team member, and then Betsy, how you mentioned people love to know what's right for my family. So, no, this won't fit every situation. But can you give examples of maybe books that the four of you find yourselves recommending quite a bit because they are ones that fit a wide range of people?   Betsy Farquhar: (11:41 - 13:39) Of course, we put a ton of recommendations in our book that came out in the fall. And those are sort of our most common recommendations. We have a place on our website called Starred Reviews.   And those are the best of the best in our mind of their genre. So, if you're looking for graphic novels, and you see a star on a graphic novel, it's because we think this is an amazing graphic novel. So, that's just a helpful framework, because of course, people are all over the map, right?   We're in the midst of whittling down our Book of the Year for this year. And we also have our Reader's Choice Book of the Year. And those books are ones we tend to recommend all the time.   So, I'm going to give you just some samples of what are on our Reader's Choice list, because that is a public list. And I can't reveal the 2025 releases we're considering for the other one. But for our Book of the Year for the Reader's Choice this year, we have The Found Boys by S. D. Smith.   We've got, I've got them all right here, Olivetti by Allie Millington. There's The Hiding Place: A Graphic Novel and the Watership Down: The Graphic Novel that are both really fun. People have really enjoyed them.   We've got the first book in The Dream Keeper Saga by Kathryn L. Butler. That's a Christian fantasy series. We've got Enemies in the Orchard, which is the novel in verse about World War II.   One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome, which is another novel in verse about some Black pioneers going west on a wagon train. And that might be, oh, The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo. Kate DiCamillo is a super prolific author, and we do recommend her books often.   Her book, Ferris, was our Book of the Year last year. So, there's just a quick sampling of some middle grades' books. And middle grades, for people who don't know, that's the broad fourth through eighth grade age range.   You think of like ages 8 to 12. And they tend to be the broadest in audience. You can usually read those aloud to a younger audience, or even teenagers might find them enjoyable.   So, that's a good start.   Hayley Morell: (13:40 - 14:29) I do think one of the beauties of our team is that we've worked together for a long time. And we trust our team. And so, I will happily recommend a book that I haven't seen, but I know Betsy loved and reviewed.   And it's so fun reading the same books. So, like right now, since we're on award committees, we are seeing a lot of the same books and getting to talk about them. But I think it's one of our strengths that we each bring something to the table.   And I would say if someone really likes history, I'm going to look at what Janie has loved recently, because I know she is looking for those good new history books. And its so fun recommending books and getting to play to our strengths.   Laura Dugger: (14:31 - 16:16) And that comes out in book recommendations. When you're passionate about what you're reading, it's naturally contagious, I think. And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Bertschi family for over 25 years. 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Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you, and they appreciate your business.   Learn more at their website, LemanEureka.com or visit them on Facebook by searching for Sam Leman Eureka. You can also call them on 309-467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.   I'm curious, over the years, what character qualities have you noticed in people who are now adults, but they originally fell in love with reading in childhood?   Betsy Farquhar: (16:17 - 17:39) So, that's a pretty broad question. I would think, I'm just going to paint this with broad strokes. People who read typically are people who think, and especially in a day and age where we're bombarded with screens and soundbites all the time, if somebody can actually read an analog book from start to finish, then typically they're going to be able to think about ideas in a different way than people who are just existing on soundbites.   So, the ability to think is pretty critical. There's been a lot of studies that show that people who read also have better empathy. It's just a way we can sort of step into somebody else's shoes, especially if we're reading a story about somebody who perhaps lived in a different time period, or they're from a different ethnic background, or even if there's just a different socioeconomic level, it helps us understand the people on the other side a little bit better.   So, that kind of, this twin characteristics of empathy and thoughtfulness, I think are pretty common. We all go through seasons where we don't read as much, whether we're stressed or perhaps, my kids are in college and they were avid readers in high school, and they're not doing a lot of reading for fun right now, but they know how to read and they enjoy it. So, they'll probably come back to that in the future.   So, I think that's a helpful thing to remember, just because your eight-year-old loves reading, when he or she is 18, they may not be reading as much, and that's okay. They'll probably come back to it.   Hayley Morell: (17:40 - 17:53) And I've definitely seen that with younger siblings too, burning out and then all of a sudden back, asking for book recommendations. And it's fun to know that reading habits stick around.   Laura Dugger: (17:55 - 18:38) That's well said. And yet, even if they lie dormant for a while, they may be reawakened in adulthood. But I think I find it's less common for someone to fall in love with reading for their first time as an adult.   So, I think it's very beneficial as parents to cultivate or instill this love of reading in our children. And you two are the experts. So, I'd love to hear your take on this.   What are some of the benefits of reading? And why is it worthwhile to devote our time to curating a healthy diet of books, both for ourselves, but especially for our children?   Hayley Morell: (18:39 - 20:06) Betsy, I think you might've said this once, but I think it came up as we were talking about writing our book. As I have a small child who's just starting to notice pages and we're reading board books and he's trying to reach for it. I remember someone once said that reading to a very young child, they're not registering the story yet.   They might be registering the pictures. But the time that we're taking reading, when I read to him or when my husband gets home from work and they read one board book together, he's not really looking at the book as much as he's looking at our face and hearing our voice. And books are becoming something that we do together and that we do as a family.   And it's a way that we're building relationships. And I think that's a great encouragement to me to keep reading. And I have nieces and nephews who loved books.   And then that's something that we enjoy the story together and we'll laugh over silly stories and we'll read. But I think that it's something that as we want to like curate our collections but also think about how are we encouraging children to love reading. It's if they see us reading too and see us enjoying books and still picking up a book ourselves.   I'm not sure, Betsy, if you have anything that you would add to that.   Betsy Farquhar: (20:07 - 20:41) Well, I just think the better we read anything, the better equipped we are to read the story in the Bible because God revealed himself to us in a written book. And so, we're sort of flexing those muscles when we read. And the more we can engage with what we read, even if it's a picture book with a five-year-old, we're beginning that practice of developing discernment.   And that's part of discipling our children. So, I do think it's all part of the same picture. It's not going to look the same for every family but just working on developing those muscles of discernment and reading intelligently, that's going to go a long way.   Laura Dugger: (20:43 - 22:07) I love how you bring in the Bible that is so important. And I found myself even just this week at bedtime praying over our daughters that they would have a love for the written word because that is what God has gifted to us. And I love how the word became flesh and dwelt among us, but he is the original storyteller and has instilled that in each of us.   And I think just a very practical way at any age to help our children cultivate this love is by reading aloud. And we recently were on a family vacation and had a rental vehicle and we had a long drive-in front of us and listened to the radio for a while. But we also like this tradition of reading one book aloud on a vacation.   So, we remember our time in Florida from one year was a place to hang the moon and it was a different book this year, but I get car sick while we're driving. So, I couldn't read it aloud. So, our oldest daughter read it aloud for all of us.   And I realized how much attention and focus is required and imagination to paint these pictures of the characters in your mind. And I just thought, wow, there's so much learning that's going on even as the one listening to the book, not reading the actual words.   Betsy Farquhar: (22:09 - 22:15) And a place to hang the moon was our reader's choice favorite last year. So, lots of our readers have read that one.   Laura Dugger: (22:16 - 22:36) It's such a good one. And as wonderful as books are, they're also powerful and influential. So, as you've reiterated, discernment is required.   And I'd love for you to elaborate on why the young adult, or the YA category can be the most controversial.   Hayley Morell: (22:38 - 25:12) Young adult protagonists are often upper teenage years. And so, we like to say, as we mentioned in our book, no topic is out of bounds. And this means that there can be a lot going on and a lot of messiness.   We like to use that word as we're talking about that. And sometimes the messiness can be thought provoking. Sometimes it can be provocative.   And we have noticed often YA deals with questions of identity. Who am I? How do I relate to the world?   And that can look like lots of different things. It can include sexual identity, which can lead to a lot of conversations. But something that we like to lean into as we look at the YA genre is that in a world where everything is constantly shifting, as you have a teen and they're encountering conversations at school, conversations with peers, or using social media, having an ever-changing feed that I can look at my Instagram feed and it's going to look nothing like a teenager's Instagram feed.   Even if you're looking at the same account, the way that reels are coming, they're getting bombarded with messages. The messiest of books is static. And you both can look at that and read the cover, read what's going on, and talk about it.   And you both have the same place to have a conversation. And so, we like to lean into that when we're looking at YA books and realize they are powerful, but they're powerful conversation starters. And books like, Betsy recently read a book, and it's called Bright Red Fruit.   And it's a cautionary tale about a teenage girl who has a relationship with an older man that's predator. And he is taking advantage, trying to separate her that is an excellent conversation starter. It's not an easy book to read.   You're reading it, getting worried for this girl, but it's a great way to say, let's read this book and let's talk about what a healthy relationship looks like, because this is not healthy. So, we love YA books that can provoke conversations. And sometimes it might be you both looking at a book and going, you know, this doesn't seem helpful.   We don't need to finish this book. It's okay to stop reading a book and return it to the library.   Laura Dugger: (25:12 - 26:11) I completely agree. And even with that YA section, one of our daughters was just saying, when I go through that section of the library, it seems like every single book is about death. And it did provoke a good conversation from that.   But I think it was Sarah McKenzie who was the first person that I heard explain the difference between a middle grade novel or YA because from my understanding, middle grade isn't just for those grades. You even said younger ages can enjoy that and older. I have friends that only read middle grade novel now as adults.   So, it's not just your reading level, but YA has different rules on it where I think you said anything goes, any topic is allowed. So, it doesn't mean that YA is necessarily what you have to graduate to once you enter high school. Is that right?   Hayley Morell: (26:11 - 27:06) But yes, it's typically and the funny thing that you kind of leaned into it, some middle grade books definitely deal with coming of age or might even have a teenage protagonist, but it's written in a way that a 12 year old could read it and enjoy it. When you get into like the higher YA, it is more like young adults, people starting their own lives, having adventures, leaving home, going on quests. And like you said, bringing in some heavier topics.   Now we have seen since like in the last five years, a lot of books dealing with death and grieving that are hitting that middle grade genre too, which can be helpful. But at the same time, if you're just reading sad books, you might want to change your diet and find a fun, happy book too.   Laura Dugger: (27:07 - 27:31) Again, in a conversation like this, it has to be more general of a recommendation, but there's such a difference, I'm sure in YA for your 13-year-old versus your 18-year-old. So, for someone who does want to dip their toe into some YA books, do you have anyones that you find yourselves recommending again for that age group?   Betsy Farquhar: (27:32 - 28:42) I'll jump in here. We've got a couple of book lists on our site that are, have actual number ages attached to them. Thirteen books for 13-year-old boys is a great one for that younger teen audience.   But those tend to be, they're grappling with some coming-of-age issues, but they tend to be more adventure based in a sense and more fun. I think of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. There's a little bit of language.   There's a little bit of romance, but it's very teen, young teen friendly. And its actually kind of a good picture of men being heroes and women are heroes in very, like the men are men, they're very masculine. And the women, even if they're part of the army, so to speak, they're still doing it in a feminine way.   So, it's just kind of a nice sort of entry into some of those conversations. But then if you fast forward, by the time teens are in their upper teens, they should be able to read adult books too. And so, you might find yourself reading something like Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, which is very much written for an adult market, but very accessible to teens if they're willing to grapple with some of those ideas.   But that book's going to be a lot heavier than a book for a 13-year-old.   Laura Dugger: (28:44 - 29:05) That's helpful just to have examples. And I think it's also helpful to put this into context by reflecting back through time. So, just in America, what have you learned about the trends and the changes in libraries, specifically over the past 75 years?   Betsy Farquhar: (29:06 - 31:30) So, I have a library degree too, so I love talking about libraries. In library science, we have a rule, it's called Ranganathan's Law, and it simply says every book is reader, which means that for every book out there, there's a reader out there. And libraries take that very seriously.   No book is off the table for a public library. We had an entire class on serving our community. So, the goal behind a public library has always been to serve the community in which it's placed.   Now that's changed a lot as our society has changed a lot. So, before World War II, most libraries were funded very locally, local taxes, they may have even been subscription-based, but after we have all these army vets coming back after World War II, they're going back to school later. We have this explosion of information access for people who can't get it.   So, the Library Services Act was the first one. We've had lots of iterations since then. Now it includes technology.   It started with giving federal dollars to rural libraries, and it's continued even to big cities now, but the focus is still on services for people who can't access them as easily. So, free Wi-Fi was a really big one before Wi-Fi was as broad spread. There are services for the blind and for other communities that might not be able to read as easily.   So, it's still sort of an information hub, but I think that makes us uncomfortable sometimes as Christians because our society has changed so much that we go into a library now and we're like, I would never read this book to my kid. Well, but your neighbor might, and the public library is not the parent of your child. The public library is serving the whole community.   So, go ahead and request them to stock some Christian books. A lot of them will buy the Christian books that you request because they want to serve you. You're part of their community.   So, I think we just have to remember that their goal is broader. My goal as a parent is far more niche than my public librarian's goal to serve her community. She's not my enemy.   Even if she's picking things for story time that I would never read to my children, it doesn't mean I have to ignore the library. I can love that those are image bearers. I can respectfully bring up my concerns, and I can suggest books and I can build a relationship with this fellow image bearer in my community.   It can be a great mission field. So, yes, libraries are continually evolving. That's why they now offer you can even check out sports equipment.   They're still trying to provide information and resources for the community.   Hayley Morell: (31:32 - 32:01) I just recommended or requested two books that were Christian picture books that aren't in our system. And one of our librarians helped me fill out the form explaining why I wanted them. And I just got a notification yesterday. Both are on hold for me and have been added to our library. So, it's exciting. If you don't ask, you don't know if you're going to get it. I honestly was surprised. I was like, oh, they actually got the books I wanted.   Laura Dugger: (32:02 - 32:56) It is so exciting when they do that. I love our local library, and the staff is just wonderful to work with. So, that's great encouragement for us to get to know them by name and have a relationship with them.   And just to zero in on that one piece after World War II, I think that's tied to what so many people call is it the golden age of children's literature where some people will say we only read books before a certain year, like mid-1900s. But I love that you guys review even modern books because it's not that it was all better back then. But I do think there's a piece of truth in it that libraries had to be so discerning back then with less funding.   And so maybe they had the best of the best available and then funds came in and we can have a wider range.   Betsy Farquhar: (32:56 - 33:40) There's so many factors here historically because we could really nerd out, but I won't. But what's also being reflected is simply printmaking technology because the ability to print paperbacks, paperbacks as like a thing weren't a thing until the 20th century. So, books were incredibly expensive.   You've got all those factors playing in too. So, not only are they getting different funding, but there is an explosion in printmaking technology that allows publishers to produce inexpensive books. And that allows families and libraries to buy more books.   It's not dissimilar to the way we have digital media now that's got its own sort of technology behind the distribution of the digital books. So, there's a lot of factors involved in that.   Laura Dugger: (33:41 - 34:03) That is fascinating. I'm glad you brought that up. And like I said, so helpful to look back.   But now if we're also looking forward, I'd really appreciate your perspective on where we're headed. So, what's on your radar for genres or books that may require even more discernment in the future?   Hayley Morell: (34:04 - 37:18) So, right now, romanticy is having a moment and that's a genre that is getting a lot of attention. There's a lot of marketing using that language. And I think it's really helpful to realize this is a marketing term.   So, Fourth Wing became very popular. That is a book that is for adults. It has a lot of explicit sex.   But it used the term romanticy and it sold very well. And so suddenly all books that are fantasy and have some romance are being called romanticy. And that could mean a lot of different things.   So, what we're seeing is this term that if it's used in the YA genre, we don't know what it means going into a book. It might mean a lot of focus on romance and some unhelpful sex. It also could mean a really fun fantasy that happens to have a romantic angle.   So, I recently gave a starred review to A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim. That's a Chinese fairy tale, beauty and the beast type story. And it is excellent.   One of the marketing terms that used was romanticy. And it just is a wonderful fantasy story that has this thread of romance perfectly appropriate for teen readers. But that is a term that we're currently aware of.   And this is a genre that we want to notice and take with a grain of salt. It's kind of a contrast on the other side. It's differentiating between romanticy has romance and then there's cozy fantasy, which is more cottage core, comfortable feeling.   It also could have sex. So, there's, as we run into this fantasy genre, there's a lot of things going on, but it's definitely having a moment. And it's just nice to know what's going on and what cozy fantasy is going to be focused on character development, like very like a shopkeeper who inherits a cottage with a garden and grows mushrooms.   That's cozy fantasy. Romanticy is a chosen one motif who's at some dramatic school. Dark academia is also having a moment where it's a lot of angst, a lot of little bit of horror.   And some of it can be done really well because it's popular. There's a lot of it out there. And so, some discernment is required as you're figuring out, is this a book for adults or is this a book for teens?   I think I would be cautious with books that are being marketed for adults as romanticy because you could run into some things that are meant for an adult audience and might not be helpful for that teenage reader of yours.   Betsy Farquhar: (37:18 - 38:06) The only other thing I'll add, and this is sort of a different approach, but we're seeing a lot of genre blending. It's getting harder to say this is a mystery or this is a fantasy, even this is a historical fiction story. So, I think genre fiction in general is kind of having a moment.   And when we say genre fiction, we really mean things like mystery, science fiction, romanticy, these sort of sub genres that are underneath the broader terms of realistic fiction or speculative fiction is an umbrella term that includes fantasy, dystopia, science fiction, magical realism, all the little niche downstream sort of sub genres. But we're seeing some really interesting things. It's going to be harder to automatically decide I like that genre, or I don't because they're just mixing and matching elements from all over the place.   Laura Dugger: (38:08 - 39:15) Mm-hmm. That is helpful. I had never heard of some of those things that you just mentioned, but also I'd love for you to respond after I shared this story.   I had a previous guest, Megan Cabe, who used to run a blog. It was called Young Book Love and she would review, I think, middle grade novels, maybe a little bit of YA, but she would say most topics are beneficial to read, even if they're difficult, what you all refer to as messy books. But she did provide extra caution and just said she strongly advised against explicit sexual content because those mental images have a way of sticking with us.   And I agree with her. I would also add sometimes what's not appropriate for our children is not appropriate for us either. And just a funny way to remember this, I had a loved one recently who just said, “You can't sugarcoat a turd. I'd love your take on all of that.”   Hayley Morell: (39:17 - 41:54) So, we like to use the term beyond ever after when we're dealing with this idea of what romance is helpful, what is not helpful. And like you said, the age of the reader comes into play because something that might be a good conversation point with your teen, let's say dealing with a first kiss, that is something that is good to be thinking about and be talking about having healthy conversations about what is God's design for sexuality. And as you are starting to notice the opposite sex and have feelings, what do we do with those?   And again and again, it's been shown that it is helpful to have these conversations because if we're not having a conversation about what is God's view and what does God want us to do with this, our young people are going to turn to the world, which is very happy to give them a lot of talk about sexuality, but some very different perspectives and answers that are focused on yourself, let's you do you versus no, what has God given us and how are we going to steward this?   So, one of the things that I like to, that we like to be aware of as we're reviewing at Redeemed Reader is, is this a 12-year-old reading this book? And if a 12-year-old is reading a book and in the book, a 12-year-old is having a crush and it's kissing, we don't want our 12-year-olds kissing. That's not that helpful yet.   I mean, that's, that's quite young and yes, in some cultures you might, but not yet. However, if this is a book about an 18-year-old on a high school trip, like Becky Dean has some really fun YA romances that are appropriate for teens, then dealing with what is it like dating? What is it like dealing with these emotions and chemistry that can be really well done for an 18-year-old?   But like you said, we want to be aware of our imaginations. We want to be aware of what we're able to handle. And for someone, maybe reading those romances is fun and helpful.   For another, it might be unhelpful. And I think that comes down to as a reader growing discernment and knowing what you are able to read that will still be edifying.   Betsy Farquhar: (41:56 - 42:55) I'm going to piggyback a little bit. I, I agree that there, we look to scripture for what the standards are, and the Bible is not describing sexual activity in sordid detail. So, it's probably a good idea for us not to be wallowing in the same sorts of things.   And I think the same thing is true for language. In fact, it's easier to ignore profanity in a book you're reading versus listening to it. I mean, if we immerse ourselves in audio books that have, that are littered with profanity, it's going to stick in our head differently than if we're just reading it on the page.   And I think sexual activity; there are some similar dynamics at play. Obviously, a visual scene is going to be probably stick with us even more than a written scene. But either way, you know, that's part of discernment is what is my imagination doing with this?   And the overall picture of my reading diet. Is this all I'm reading? Is this what my thoughts are going towards?   Are they pointing me back to Christ? Are they promoting some helpful conversation? Or is it just sort of my guilty pleasure? Well, that should be maybe a sign.   Laura Dugger: (43:21 - 43:45) Some love stories are described as squeaky clean. But when it comes to the world of Christian romance, what are some helpful questions that we can be asking our tween or teen? And what are some healthy considerations for filtering books that we're going to allow to be consumed in our home?   Hayley Morell: (43:47 - 47:15) So, it's interesting. I think each genre of romance can have its own pitfalls. And I know I really appreciate the authors who are writing clean, squeaky-clean stories.   And as I've read them and consumed them, one of the things I've noticed is that it is clean. There's no question of something being clean. But at the same time, if the only thing we're reading, going back to having a balanced book diet, is a squeaky-clean story, I don't think that's helpful because it doesn't show an accurate view of the world.   And we want to be preparing our tweens and teens for a world where, yes, there is a happily ever after. Yes, we have the fairy tale wedding, or we have an imagination that is sparked by boy meets girl. But then what happens next?   And we live in a fallen world. And so, we have to work on relationships. We have to work on communicating.   And sometimes squeaky clean can lean so far into being safe that it doesn't actually show what it is like to have a relationship with the opposite sex. I think of one story I read and it's very superficial, playful. Snarky is often something I've noticed in the squeaky clean because we don't, we have to have some form of banter.   And so, it's perpetual sarcasm and no physical touch. But then suddenly our protagonists marry and now they're still being snarky and not touching. And as an adult, I look at that and go, that is not an accurate portrayal of what it looks like to have a romance and to have marriage.   And so, we love to ask, what are the relationships like in this book? And if that's in a middle grade novel, one of the things we love seeing is are they showing a healthy family? Are they showing parents that like being together?   Because that's at a middle grade level is you're sparking that imagination. What is our protagonist seeing as the adults around them are having relationships? Do the adults like to be together?   I just was reading a really sweet, Betsy, I think you read it. But Will's Race for Home is a story about this boy and westward expansion. And so, it's when the Oklahoma, Oklahoma land rush opens up.   And there's the sweetest time where he talks about how he knows his father loves his mother because his father will look at his mother and she will blush. And it's the sweetest age-appropriate picture of what romance looks like when you're a 12-year-old looking at your parents. And I think that type of thing can be a really healthy way of having these conversations versus having a diet that is just squeaky clean and yet might actually be showing an inaccurate portrayal of what it's like to have relationships in a fallen world.   Laura Dugger: (47:16 - 47:30) Well, let's get specific on another type of book as well. How do you advise parents to think critically on what age is appropriate to consume what you mentioned earlier, the Hunger Games or a book like that?   Betsy Farquhar: (47:31 - 49:44) Ooh, pick me. I love these kind of books. I'll read anything.   And I tend to get tasked with books that are difficult sometimes. Although many of us on our team read them and we do talk about these behind the scenes. So, when you're thinking about the age your child is and when they're ready for any book, but especially a popular one, I think part of that is our job as parents is always to be watching our children, to be students of our children.   How are they consuming media in general? What kind of video games? What kind of movies?   Are they on social media? What is their media diet like? And how are they handling that?   And if they're showing discernment in general, and they're kind of grappling with issues and ideas, then they're going to be ready for a book like the Hunger Games sooner than a child who's just blindly taking it all in. There's no magic age where you say, ooh, you're 12, you can read the Hunger Games. A lot depends on what that child's already displayed.   And I think dystopia are the books where there's some apocalyptic future and there's usually an autocratic governor or government system or it's futuresque. But they're really great books about bringing up big questions about how society works and the nature of authority and even the nature of anarchy. And they're just such great discussion starters.   But if your child isn't able to have those kinds of conversations yet, they're going to miss the forest for the trees and it's going to be all shock value. But I'm going to add a big caveat. If it's really popular and you think your child is maybe ready, maybe not quite, I would probably go ahead and read it with him or her if all of the peers are reading it.   Because I would rather my child have that conversation with me than with their friend. Or at least have it with me first before they read it with their friends. Even if we skip parts, maybe it's a book that you feel like we can't read chapter 12 for whatever reason.   Be honest with your child and say, you know what? This book has a scene I'm really uncomfortable with. Maybe give a brief summary.   We're going to keep going. But engage with your children over what is popular. I think that is the number one takeaway because they're going to find answers somewhere.   We want it to be from us.   Laura Dugger: (49:46 - 50:52) That is good. And that's why I appreciate the redeemed reader because you're putting in all this work for us because we can't pre-read everything. But when we're faced with a situation like that, it is helpful that we can choose to read some with them.   And another angle, I just love a few of your quotes in the book. First, on page 76, you write, If Genesis were made into a true-to-the-book movie, the Redeemed Reader team would not allow our children to watch it. We might abstain as well.   And then you go on for page 111 and you say, the best tool we can give our growing readers is God's word. The more they know and understand the Bible, the better equipped they will be to think discerningly, to recognize error, and to know how the Bible handles the same issues. So, will you just elaborate on this wisdom and advise us on how and why to encourage our children to read the Bible, even though it is messy?   Betsy Farquhar: (50:53 - 52:58) Well, it is a messy book, but thankfully, it's not only a messy book. I mean, if it were a movie, we have nudity very quickly. Then we have rebellion against God, and then we have murder.   And before you know it, six chapters in, the world is so bad that God is sending a flood to destroy it. So, it must have been really bad. But the Bible isn't giving us all those details.   And I think that is a big piece of the picture when it comes to discernment in literature. The Bible is not shy about telling us that people sinned. I mean, our heroes, David, infidelity, murder, you know, most of the famous people in the Bible did something egregiously wrong and sinful.   And yet the whole story of the Bible is God redeeming his people. We're all sinners. And there is hope because of Christ.   None of us can make it without Christ. And so, in the Bible, you're seeing both the mess and the hope. You're seeing God's answer to this problem.   And so, as we read scripture with our kids, one of the things that is helpful is we know what sin is. It's rebellion against God. It includes everything from sexual activity outside of marriage to gossip and pride and sort of the easy sins, right?   They're all sin. So, I think that's one thing that comes across when we're studying God's word. We also see Christ.   And when we then turn to a book, just a regular fiction book or even a nonfiction book, is the book also labeling sin as sin or at least a mistake? Or is it glorifying it? How is it handling it compared to how we know scripture handles it?   Is there any hope in the book? And where is that hope found? Are they just praying to the universe?   We're seeing universe capitalized all over the place now as sort of this amorphous deity. Well, that's not hopeful. I don't want to pray to Jupiter.   You know, we have a God who cares about us. And so just getting your kids to sort of reckon with the differences between how a book is portraying hope and judgment versus how scripture portrays it, that's going to take them a long way.   Laura Dugger: (53:01 - 53:23) That's fantastic. And your book lists at the end of each chapter are reason enough to purchase the book. But I'm sure that you've encountered additional titles since your publication date that you also enjoy.   So, will you share a handful of book recommendations, maybe some from each of those sweet spots again from your team?   Hayley Morell: (53:24 - 54:03) For young adults, we've actually mentioned both of the ones that I would add. They both have received starred reviews. A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim.   Excellent fantasy for young adults. And then Bright Red Fruit by Sophia O'Heo. And that one is a discussion starter.   It is a messy book, but it's an excellent book for its audience. Those would be two young adult fantasies. We see a lot of young adult fantasies.   So, but I would have loved to include those in the book. We just read them later.   Betsy Farquhar: (54:03 - 55:03) So, quick correction, Bright Red Fruit's not a fantasy, but it is it is. Oh, I apologize. That's fine.   It's a discussion starter. And that usually means that there's something in there you need to know about before you read it. As a parent, I would recommend doing your homework on that book.   It's a really good book to read with your daughters, but you might want to pre-read it first. Middle grade, that's our biggest bucket. Because it's the most it's got the widest audience reach and it's just so fun.   So, some of the ones that we've really liked, The Teacher of Nomadland by Daniel Nayeri. He is a Christian author. He won the National Book Award for this book for young people's literature and a Newbery Honor.   It's fantastic. It's a story about World War II. Benny on the Case by Wesley King is a really lovely mystery that features the protagonist has mosaic down syndrome, and it's just not very common to read books with different disabilities represented.   So, that's just a really sweet story. Lots of fun.   Hayley Morell: (55:04 - 55:05) It's a great audio book too.   Betsy Farquhar: (55:06 - 56:40) Yes. Song of the Stone Tiger, another Christian author, Glenn McCarty. It's a kind of a mix of realistic fiction and fantasy.   So, it's fun. A new one that we like. And then I'll leave you with one more.   I actually have it right here. So, for those who are watching this, they can see it. It's called Radiant by Vonda Michaud-Nelson.   And it's a novel in verse, but a beautiful picture of what it means to love your neighbor. So, The Sword by Marty Murkowski from New Growth Press. It's kind of a family devotional resource.   It was the World Magazine Book of the Year. We gave it a starred review as well. The Amazing Generation is a book for kids by the same author as The Anxious Generation.   So, that book is like a super bestseller for adults. This is kind of taking that idea and helping kids know how not to be the anxious generation, right? How they can be the amazing generation.   The World Entire is a nonfiction, maybe technically a picture book, but it's really long. And it's for this audience. And it's a true story about World War II, about a rescue.   I think it was set in Portugal. And then a graphic novel that's nonfiction. I'm trying to cover all your different genres here.   This is How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Meadez. It's about his father and how he emigrated or escaped from Cuba. But it's a graphic novel.   So, there's a lot of visual interest. So, that's a really interesting background for kids who are hearing a lot of headlines about places like Cuba. And they're like, what's really going on?   A book like that can help them understand just some of the nuance behind the headlines.   Hayley Morell: (56:41 - 58:51) One of the things about middle grades as we talk about books is that middle grade is the age where readers are just exploding. And while you might have been able to keep up with your reader, then they hit 10 or 12 years old, and you give them a stack of books and they're reading them and asking for more. So, we definitely have a lot of middle grade reviews.   Picture books, though, are another place that we just love. And there's been some recent ones that we looked at and got, oh, this would be so good for the book. Something like Tuesday's Bear by Alexander Davis.   It's this beautiful story based on a true historical event. Unclaimed luggage is where, you know, if a suitcase gets lost, what happens to the contents? Well, one family had an idea, and Alexandra tells it through the story of this little bear who gets lost and then is found.   It's the most beautiful story. As a Christian, you can see a lot of very true themes running through it. And it's a delight to read aloud.   Wild Honey from the Moon by Kenneth Craigel. It's a story about a mother shrew whose little boy is sick, and she is going to do anything, even if it means traveling all the way to the moon to get some wild honey. It's a very imaginative story.   Beautiful pictures. A couple sneak peek that are going to just, these reviews are just going up. Iguanodon's Horn by Sean Rubin.   We've loved Bolivar, it was a graphic novel he did about a dinosaur. You can tell he likes dinosaurs. This is an amazing nonfiction picture book.   And for our Christian readers, this is a book about dinosaurs that doesn't have evolution. And I think you're going to love it. One more. His Grace is Enough. This is like Dr. Zeus type rhyming. Melissa Kruger wrote it.   It's a Christian book and it's a wonderful reminder for children. When you are dealing with sin, God's grace is enough. And I think you'll find if you read this, you'll be repeating the stanzas to yourself and encouraged as you read.   Laura Dugger: (58:54 - 59:41) I love having book lists. And if any other listeners are like me, we'll finish this episode and go ahead and put a bunch of books on hold at the library, which is always so convenient. And I'm sure a lot of people aren't able to take notes right now.   Maybe they're driving or working out as they're listening to this. But I love that every episode on The Savvy Sauce now has a transcript available. So, if anybody wants these book lists, you can go to the show notes page, either on our website or click on your podcast app and the transcript is available there.   So, thank you for all those wonderful recommendations. And do you have any other helpful tips to give us as parents if we're trying to navigate this well?   Betsy Farquhar: (59:42 - 1:00:26) Yes, start at birth and start not just reading with your kids, but asking them questions. They don't, it doesn't have to be a lengthy discussion. Is Piglet a good friend to poo?   You know, if you're reading Winnie the Pooh or if you're an Elephant and Piggy fan, like my kids were. Do you think Gerald should share his ice cream with Piggy? You can just pause in the middle of the story and just get them thinking, right?   So then when you get to the Hunger Games, you can say, what did you think of the ending? Would you have liked it to end differently? Those are great open-ended questions that get people talking and engaging and that you're often running.   If you can just think, I need to engage with my kids over what we're reading, then almost any book can be a discussion starter.   Laura Dugger: (1:00:27 - 1:00:33) Well, where can we go after this conversation to find more of your book recommendations?   Betsy Farquhar: (1:00:35 - 1:01:29) I'll do this one. Redeemedreader, alloneword.com is our website. And then we're super creative.   Our Facebook is exactly the same. Redeemedreader, alloneword. Our Instagram is redeemed underscore reader.   That's kind of a long story. But if you Google Redeemed Reader, you'll find us. And then the best way, oh yes, of course our book, which is also called The Redeemed Reader.   We're so original. But the best way to experience Redeemed Reader, other than the book, is through our weekly newsletter, which Haley curates and she does a fantastic job. But there's where you'll get the latest reviews.   We put in links for other places around the web that you might find interesting, different bookish news. Haley does a really fun book trivia with picture books. So, we like to think that it's going to make your inbox a happy place.   It's not a marketing email.   Laura Dugger: (1:01:30 - 1:01:50) I love that. We will provide links to all of that in the show notes for today's episode. And you two are already familiar.   We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for both of you today, what is your savvy sauce?   Betsy Farquhar: (1:01:52 - 1:03:03) So, as a business owner and a mom and a wife, it's probably not a surprise that I love my planner, but I've been through a lot of planners in my day, and I have very specific requirements. It needs to be bound, not coil bound. There's a certain size.   I mean, I have issues. I should say I have high standards for my planner. The single best feature in my current planner is that it forces me to break down my to do list between my life to do and my work to do.   And that was a game changer for me because I am wearing a lot of hats as most women are these days. And so, I limit myself to the number of bullet points that I'm given in the planner so that my work doesn't overtake my family life. It tends to be that way, sadly, more than the other way around.   Usually, my family life is not overtaking the work life, but it just it just gives me a chance to articulate each week. You know, I've got a birthday coming up that I need to plan for or I need to make sure my I mean, I graduated my youngest last year from high school, but the senior year in high school has a lot of deadlines. And so, it just helped me prioritize those milestones for my family and not let work get in the way.   Love that.   Laura Dugger: (1:03:03 - 1:03:04) What's the name of your planner?   Betsy Farquhar: (1:03:04 - 1:03:17) It's called the commit 30. I know there are other planners that do the same sort of thing, but I love having a weekly spread and I just love breaking it out between life to do and work to do.   Laura Dugger: (1:03:18 - 1:03:20) Absolutely. That sounds amazing. I love it.   Hayley Morell: (1:03:21 - 1:05:10) And my savvy sauce, I was going to say, Betsy is the planner and Betsy, I know you wouldn't appreciate this is spiral bound. So, I echo having a planner is a great way for me to just sort through all my thoughts, put them down and organize what needs to get done. But my savvy sauce is related to tech habits.   And as we were getting ready for our first, my husband and I were talking about how could we be mindful with our phone usage? And I have to thank Betsy for recommending Andy Crouch's, The Tech-Wise Family. Love that book.   And one of the things that we decided to do was to create a charging station downstairs in our house. And when I am not working where I need my phone for authentication or sending a voice message or being on the phone, if I'm not actively working, my phone lives on its charger. And that's been a struggle for me.   I have to admit the moment I had a child, anxiety kicked in. And for the first month, the phone was on me because that's what I needed to have a little security blanket. But I've been learning to leave my phone behind.   And then I'm not tempted to pick it up and scroll. And I feel like a child again because I get to the middle of the afternoon. And since I haven't been distracting myself, I've been getting things done. And all of a sudden I'm like; it's two o'clock and it's not dinner time yet. I have all of this time because I've created some more time by using the phone as a tool. But not having it right present and honestly, just distracting myself with it.   Laura Dugger: (1:05:12 - 1:05:48) That is a good, savvy tip. I love both of those. And you two have such warm and engaging personalities.   And I love those benefits that you were talking about for people who are readers. I experienced all of that through both of you today. And you're so wise and discerning yourselves.   And I am just beyond grateful that the Lord gifted you with your intellect, but also this passion for reviewing these resources. You're benefiting so many parents and children alike.   So, thank you for the work that you do. And thank you for being my guests.   Betsy Farquhar: (1:05:49 - 1:05:57) Thank you for having us. It is all from the Lord. Anything we have that's wise and worth taking away.   The credit should go to him, of course.   Hayley Morell: (1:05:58 - 1:06:00) Ame

God Became Human to Enable Jesus Followers to Have a Personal Relationship with Him through His Grace and Gift of the Holy Spirit MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Jesus tells us in John 15:12-14, that you, as His follower, are His “friend: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends.". God became flesh, and He dwelt among us. God became human to draw you into a personal relationship with Him. In John 1:14, the Apostle John identifies Jesus as the “Son of the Father”: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.". God alone can satisfy the meaning and purpose of your life. God alone can satisfy your hunger to know your life's meaning. Most importantly, God alone can give you forgiveness of your sins as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-14: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.". Jesus' life, miracles, death, and His resurrection are invitations to a life-long personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. Our personal relationship with God is through His gift, to followers of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Surely it is God who saves me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my defense, and He is my savior. Therefore, you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day, you shall say, “Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name; make His deeds known among the peoples; see that they remember that His Name is exalted.”. Amen. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will seek God's perspective on my situation. For I know that in all things God works together for good to those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. From Romans 8:28 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:10-13; Colossians 2:10-15; Psalms137:1-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 1: The Promise of the Spirit (Apostles Anglican Church; Knoxville, TN)” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

In John 20 we have arrived at the grand finale! After Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in the Garden, He appears twice to His apostles and some other followers in the Upper Room! These appearances by Jesus are so powerful! Not only does He impart His own resurrection life to His followers, but He also imparts heavenly peace! Peace that is assured because of His nailed pierced hands and wound pierced side. Peace that has been secured by His finished work on the cross! May we encounter the Risen Lord and the multiplication of His Grace and Peace in a fresh way!

In this episode, Donna sits down with Jacqueline Williams to explore the realities of healing, resilience, and the emotional journey that comes with navigating addiction and its ripple effects.Jacqueline shares her personal story with vulnerability and strength, offering listeners insight into what it truly means to face pain, process trauma, and choose healing, even when it's uncomfortable.This conversation is a reminder that healing is not linear, not easy, and not always pretty—but it is possible.In This Episode, We Discuss:

This episode is one of those conversations that stays with you. Katie Blackburn joins us to share her deeply personal journey through divorce, her husband's addiction, parenting a child with autism, and the long road of starting over as a single mom. With honesty, humility, and so much heart, she opens up about what it really looks like to walk through seasons that feel impossible—and how grace met her there. Throughout this conversation, Katie reminds us that grace isn't something we have to climb toward—it's already beneath us, holding us through every fall, every setback, and every uncertain step forward. And maybe more importantly, she shows us what it looks like to keep going anyway… one day at a time. We talk about healing, faith, and the quiet, daily work of rebuilding a life. Katie shares how writing became part of her healing process, how community quite literally carried her when she couldn't carry herself, and why the idea of "doing it all on your own" is one of the biggest lies we buy into. There's also so much wisdom here about what it means to actually move through pain—not avoid it.  In the midst of it all, Katie speaks to hope. If you've ever gone through a season of pain, loss, sadness, or great change, this episode is for you.   We cover:  What grace actually looks like in the middle of chaos and trauma Using writing as a tool for healing and processing pain Why community and relationships are essential—not optional—for resilience Practical ways to metabolize pain through movement, support, and honesty The beauty and strength found in intergenerational living Rebuilding faith and hope after loss Letting go of self-sufficiency and trusting God's steady grip Living "one day at a time" in seasons of crisis The impact of self-talk and daily persistence in long-term healing If This Episode Spoke to You… Share it with a friend who might need a reminder that they're not alone. And that even here—especially here—grace is already holding them. Bio: KATIE BLACKBURN is a writer, teacher, and a lifelong learner, but her most cherished role is being a single mom to her six incredible kids. Her favorite thing to do is tell people about the ways God has held her through circumstances that seemed impossible. When she's not taking care of kids or telling stories, you can probably find her riding her bike, pretending she's in the Tour de France. L FIND MORE ABOUT KATIE BLACKBURN Katie Blackburn – Instagram and Website Katie Blackburn Book - Grace Will Meet You There Katie Blackburn Podcast- Coffee+Crumbs Podcast A FEW THINGS MENTIONED Burn the Ship- Essay QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE Has God met you in a difficult place? What did His Grace feel like to you? Why is it important to remember these moments when God has met you? Who can you show up for right now and help in a practical way? How can your feeling inform you about what is going on inside of you? How can you ask and invite God's grace to meet you in the middle of your emotions? LET'S CONNECT Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend. Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you! Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier  

I could have picked any headline about any number of issues, but this particular story stood out as especially horrific. Are the bad things that happen in America part of God's judgment against us for stories like this? Praise God for His Grace in spite of our sins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I could have picked any headline about any number of issues, but this particular story stood out as especially horrific. Are the bad things that happen in America part of God's judgment against us for stories like this? Praise God for His Grace in spite of our sins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I could have picked any headline about any number of issues, but this particular story stood out as especially horrific. Are the bad things that happen in America part of God's judgment against us for stories like this? Praise God for His Grace in spite of our sins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I could have picked any headline about any number of issues, but this particular story stood out as especially horrific. Are the bad things that happen in America part of God's judgment against us for stories like this? Praise God for His Grace in spite of our sins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send a textOkay but can we just talk about how powerful it is when our kids don't just learn about Jesus… but actually feel like they know Him?