Podcasts about deuteronomy

The last book of the Pentateuch is a book of history, of morals, and religion. Deuteronomy portrays God as eternal, sovereign, holy and righteous, but it also portrays Him as a loving God who cares for His people and seeks their obedience. Join Dr. James Boice next time on The Bible Study Hour as he returns to the great principles of the faith, studying of the last book of Moses and the Pentateuch. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29

Michael Thiessen, Joe Boot, and Nate Wright unpack how Christians can practice genuine hospitality to immigrants without losing the cultural and legal unity of a nation. Drawing on Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Psalm 2, they argue for care for the sojourner, one law for native and foreigner, and real integration through shared public life—pushing back on church antinomianism and the “multiculturalism = virtue” assumption. They also address the “coercion” objection (every institution disciplines) and why rulers still owe public allegiance to Christ. Get Dr. Boot's latest book, Think Christianly: Developing an Undivided Mind, today!: https://ezrapress.ca/products/think-christianly-developing-an-undivided-mind Stay up to date with Ezra Event: https://www.ezrainstitute.com/events/

"Don't ever use the sovereignty of God as an excuse for inaction as a parent. And at the same time, don't assume that this is some kind of formula or Prosperity Gospel parenting that says, 'if you plant your seed of good parenting, it's going to yield a believing crop.'" Pastor Adriel Sanchez shares from Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6, and 2 Timothy 1 what fathers and parents can do to disciple their children. LISTEN TO "TELL ME A STORY" WITH YOUR KIDS Apple: https://apple.co/4kl95kp Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/37haTmiplpnfQCMdkeDlhz Other: https://pod.link/1799743963 PARTNER WITH US - https://solamedia.org/partner/?sc=AS2502V When you become a partner today, you'll receive two remarkable books as our thanks: Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Dr. Michael Horton and Praying with Jesus by Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We believe these books can guide you into a clearer understanding of the Spirit's work and a richer prayer life. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARE Sola is home to White Horse Inn, Core Christianity, Modern Reformation, and Theo Global. Our mission is to serve today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. Our vision is to see reformation in hearts, homes, and churches around the world. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/

Patrick answers personal concerns, dispels spiritual anxiety, gives guidance on balancing faith with fitness, and highlights the quiet heroism of family life, all while weaving in humor and reflections on the importance of Catholic radio support. James - There are two verses that are prophetic in Deuteronomy and Ezekial. Could they apply to the United States? Also, how do I pray a 54 Rosary Novena? (00:55) Dan – You shared a letter from a woman who gave up her job to raise kids and sometimes felt resentment. If we got rid of neuroscientists, life would go on, but if we got rid of mother’s life would not go on. (14:25) Audio: Deprogrammed ex-climate change activist https://x.com/wideawake_media/status/1986041101061374359?s=46&t=m_l2itwnFvka2DG8_72nHQ (16:22) Jack - How can I workout without being vain about it? (27:22) Andrea - What effect does the Eucharist have on the human body? (34:56) Dru - Porn on my religious apps (NOT the Relevant Radio app) (43:49)

Part 2 Deuteronomy 27: "Curses and Blessings."  Join me today for Part 2 of  fascinating look into the origins of modern law!  You think 613 laws is too much, consider that today in America, we follow 43,000 LAWS!!!  ALL their origins come from Mosaic Law- ask any lawyer!  Come and see the origins of what you likely thought were "common sense!"  Part 2 Deuteronomy 27: "Curses and Blessings."

“What if hope isn't about holding on—but about being held?” In this episode, I had the privilege to sit down with Cheri Fletcher—a writer, speaker, and flash mob aficionado—who shares the story of her daughter Annie, a vibrant young woman whose life reflected creativity, compassion, and faith.Cheri opens up about the sudden medical crisis that took Annie's life at just 29, the ache of surrendering to God's will, and the unshakable truth that we are never left to simply “hang in there”—we are held by the God who goes before us. Drawing from passages like Deuteronomy 31:8 and Isaiah 41:10, she reminds us that even when life shatters, God's presence remains steady and sure.We also talk about Cheri's new project, the Grief Communication Cards, a set of thoughtful prompts designed to help grieving families and friends talk more openly about their loved ones. Jill shares how she plans to use these cards with her own family this holiday season as a gentle way to remember and celebrate her daughter Hannah.  Use the code WAITING10 for 10% off your set!  This episode is a tender reminder that when we don't have the strength to hold on, God is the One holding us—steady, present, and faithful.Resources Mentioned:Cheri Fletcher's Website: cherifletcher.comGrief Communication Cards – use code WAITING10 for 10% offWhile We're Waiting Facebook Group – Support for Bereaved ParentsI would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Psalm 119:113-120 Psalm 79:1-5,8-11,13 Psalm 80 Deuteronomy 4:7 Prayer Requests to psp@sqpn.com

Today is day 309 and we are studying The Sixth Commandment. 309. Why does God prohibit murder? Because every human being is made in God's image, all human life is sacred, from conception to natural death. Therefore, I may not take the life of others unjustly. (Genesis 9:6; Deuteronomy 19:4–13; Psalm 94:1–7; Isaiah 46:3–4; Romans 12:19–21) We will conclude today by praying Prayer 43.For Social Justice found on page 659 of the Book of Common Prayer (2019). If you would like to buy or download To Be a Christian, head to anglicanchurch.net/catechism. Produced by Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Madison, MS. Original music from Matthew Clark. Daily collects and Psalms are taken from Book of Common Prayer (2019), created by the Anglican Church in North America and published by the Anglican Liturgical Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Catechism readings are taken from To Be a Christian - An Anglican Catechism Approved Edition, copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the five levels of pleasure! We explore the difference between comfort and pleasure and how one is meant to being a focus on the pleasures Hashem has given us to enjoy in this world. 

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/HermanJoin the Angel Guild today and know you are not just watching, you're helping make bold, faith driven stories like Disciples in the Moonlight possible. That's Angel.com/HermanBizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comRegister now for the free Review/Preview Webinar November 20th 3:30pm Pacific, schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio Review, and subscribe to Zach's Daily Market Recap at (SLOW) Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.The Left Inverted Animal Farm (and No One Noticed). // Is Woke the Natural Extension of Feminized Institutions? // The Dictator of Canada Wants to Edit Christian's Sermons.Episode links:  Animal Farm (1954) Trailer #1 | Gordon Heath, Maurice Denham, John Halas, Joy BatchelorAnimal Farm — 3D Animated Movie | George OrwellTranstifa showed up to my house last night to harass and intimidate me. I tried to have an honest discussion with them about men competing in women's sports since I had just attended the @SantaRosaJC vs. Modesto volleyball game to protest the male player on Santa Rosa's team. It went about as well as you could imagine. lol.The Great FeminizationMark Carney's Minister wants to CONTROL which Bible passages can be read at church. - "Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans, so many chapters are hateful to LGBTQ people."

Election Day is more than a civic duty—it’s an opportunity to honor God with the choices we make at the ballot box. Deuteronomy 30:19 reminds us to “choose life,” aligning our decisions with God’s ways so that blessings flow to us and our communities. Voting as a Christian is about more than candidates or parties; it’s about reflecting God’s principles and demonstrating the heart of faith in action. Highlights Christians are called to vote with discernment, seeking God’s guidance and aligning choices with His Word. Election Day historically has been viewed as a sacred responsibility to uphold godly principles in governance. Individual votes matter—John Wesley emphasized acting “as if the whole election depended on your single vote.” Abstaining from voting can have spiritual consequences (James 4:17). Voting reflects the values of our hearts and serves as a declaration of faith (Psalm 119:30, Joshua 24:15). Praying and humbling ourselves before God ensures our votes honor Him and contribute to healing the land (2 Chronicles 7:14). A biblically guided approach to elections helps Christians navigate political and moral complexities faithfully. Join the Conversation How do you ensure your vote reflects your faith? What steps can you take this Election Day to seek God’s guidance in your civic decisions? Share your thoughts with #VotingWithFaith #ChooseLife #ChristianVote.

Today is day 308 and we are studying The Sixth Commandment. 308. What is murder? Murder is the willful and unjust taking of human life. (Genesis 4:1–10; Deuteronomy 19:4–13; Acts 7:54–8:3) We will conclude today by praying Yodh stanza of Psalm 119 which is verses 73-80 found on page 432 of the Book of Common Prayer (2019). If you would like to buy or download To Be a Christian, head to anglicanchurch.net/catechism. Produced by Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Madison, MS. Original music from Matthew Clark. Daily collects and Psalms are taken from Book of Common Prayer (2019), created by the Anglican Church in North America and published by the Anglican Liturgical Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Catechism readings are taken from To Be a Christian - An Anglican Catechism Approved Edition, copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dargons x Treasure x Deuteronomy 15:7-8 x Matthew 6:1-4Your daily crossover of faith and fandom! Experience daily Biblical encouragement from nerdy Christian podcasters, bloggers, and content creators. Join the Nerd of Godcast community at www.NOGSquad.com

In the midst of intense brokenness, it can be extremely difficult to feel the presence of the Lord. Today's "First Monday Story"is a sweet reminder to recognize that even in the most heartbreaking of circumstances, the Lord is with you.   Joni Cheney, from our community group in Fairhope, Alabama, joyfully expresses her faith and walk with the Lord during the most difficult time of her life. In this hope-filled story, Joni will point you to the unwavering truth found in Deuteronomy 31:8:  "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8   Links: For more information on the Anna Todd Cheney Memorial Foundation, contact Joni at Cheneyfamily3@gmail.com   Listen to a similar story:  Brooke Preus- Ep. 291: "Finding Purpose in Suffering- Walking Through a Child's Cancer Diagnosis and Remission" Give to StoryTellers Live in honor of Joni and any of our past storytellers!!    Become a Patreon Insider to access bonus content.   Join us live on Thursday, November 6th, at 7:00 PM at Samford University Wright Center for a night of worship and fellowship with Ellie Holcomb, presented by Portraits of Hope!  Register here and use promo code ELLIE10 for 10% off at checkout!   Shop for our When God Shows Up Bible Study series~ Stories of Hope, Stories of Freedom, Stories of Faith. Are you interested in one-on-one coaching with our very own Robyn Kown!?  Click HERE!   Check out all of our live speaking engagement opportunities on our website.   Sign up to receive StoryTellers Live's weekly newsletter for updates and details on our live gatherings.

Psalm 119:97-104 Psalm 74 Deuteronomy 15:7-8 Prayer Requests to psp@sqpn.com

274. Holy Spirit Stories and Fruit and Ways to Identify His Guidance in Our Lives with Margaret Feinberg   Exodus 31:3 NIV "and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—"   *Transcription Below*   Questions and Topics We Cover: Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so will you share some insight into what you've been learning about the Holy Spirit from your most recent research for your latest book, entitled The God You Need to Know? If someone listening has trouble identifying the Spirit's role and God's direction or Jesus' voice in their life, how would you encourage them to grow in attention and recognition of His voice and leading? Do you have any stories to give as illustrations for the Spirit still mightily being at work in the world and in people's lives today?   Margaret Feinberg, one of America's most beloved Bible teachers, speaks at churches and conferences and hosts the popular podcast The Joycast. Her books and Bible studies, including Taste and See, Fight Back with Joy, More Power to You, and The God You Need to Know have sold more than one million copies and received critical acclaim and national media coverage from the Associated Press, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and more. She was named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today. Margaret savors life with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Zoom.   Margaret's Most Recent Work: The God You Need To Know Book and Bible Study   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Dream Seller Travel, Megan Rokey   Other Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce: 150 Brain Science and Spiritual Abundance with Ken Baugh Special Patreon Re-Release Theology and Discipleship with Ken Baugh 259 God Speaks to His Kids . . . Here's How with Chris Allen Fruitful with Laura Dugger   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 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:09 - 2:18) 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.   Do you love to travel?   If so, then let me introduce you to today's sponsor, DreamCellar Travel, a Christian-owned and operated travel agency. Check them out on Facebook or online at DreamCellarTravel.com. Today we get to learn from one of the most joyful human beings I've ever encountered.   My guest for today is Margaret Feinberg, and she's an author and researcher and podcaster and speaker. Most recently, her research project turned into a book where she was researching all about the Holy Spirit and His work in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and still His work that's present and active in our lives and around our world today. So, her stories of His specific presence at work in our lives are so moving, and she also pairs that with practical ways that we can more clearly hear from the Holy Spirit and identify His voice in our lives.   We also chat about the true definition of the word weird, which I actually want to elaborate on now because in the moment I couldn't find the definition that was so powerful. So, weird is defined as unearthly or uncanny, extraordinary, involving or suggesting the supernatural, and completely fantastic. Sometimes we think the Holy Spirit may be inviting us into something that seems weird, but He's redefined weird for us, and I just pray that all of us after this conversation will accept the invitation with gladness from Holy Spirit in our lives to join in whatever adventure He has planned for each one of us today.   Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Margaret.   Margaret Feinberg: (2:18 - 2:24) What a delight to be with you today. It's absolute joy, and you look fantastic, by the way.   Laura Dugger: (2:24 - 2:45) You're so kind. I can tell that joy is one of your markers already, and that makes me think you just have such a rich spiritual heritage in general. So, we don't typically start here, but can you go back and share your parents' story of coming to faith in Jesus Christ?   Margaret Feinberg: (2:46 - 5:22) Absolutely. I share this in the book, The God You Need to Know, in Bible study, but it's pretty beautiful. They actually came to know Jesus back in the 1970s during the Jesus movement, and my father was raised Jewish, and my mom was not really raised much in the church, and so, they got married, and separately on the same weekend, they came to know Christ. My father, back in the 1960s, he was actually a surfboard manufacturer.   He helped build longboards the very first time that longboards were cool, and these customers kept coming into his little store and telling him about Jesus, and eventually he grew so frustrated that one weekend he went out turkey hunting, and he was sitting in turkey blind, had tons of time around him, and decided to sit down and read the entire New Testament over the course of that weekend, and he read it, and he thought, “Wow, Jesus came to earth.”   He lived, he died, and he was resurrected that we can have eternal life for free, and he thought, in his Jewish brain, that is a good deal, and so, he just believed in Christ, and meanwhile, my mom is at home and has her own encounter. She's finishing reading a book by the name of The Great Late Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, which was actually the best-selling book of the decade back in the 1970s, and at the end of that book, it had an invitation to come to know Christ, and so, both of them come to know Christ separately on the same weekend. They come home on that Sunday, and they're a little awkward about it because it sounds weird. They don't really want to tell each other, and then finally start to spell out, and there's such joy that they both came to know Christ because the Holy Spirit was at work in their lives. What's amazing is that they had been trying to have kids for the first eight years of their marriage and hadn't been able to conceive, and within a month of them coming to know Jesus, I was conceived. So, you just see the work of the Holy Spirit all over that, and that He is leading people to Christ. He is on the move, and sometimes it doesn't involve any of us doing anything, and that's a freedom marker for us. It's not our job to run around and try to save everybody. Holy Spirit is already at work, and when we have the opportunities to be part of that, it is a privilege and a joy. Trust in a God who is so good and so loving and so kind that He will find people through reading books and hiding out in a turkey blind hunting turkeys all weekend.   Laura Dugger: (5:23 - 5:45) That gives me goosebumps even to hear the timing of that and you being conceived. Then you also had a unique childhood. At that time, not as many people were homeschooled, and your story was fascinating. So, what was homeschooling and spiritual discipleship like for you in the growing up years?   Margaret Feinberg: (5:46 - 8:18) Yeah, so, in those early years, my mom and dad had that mom-and-pop kind of surf shop down in Cocoa Beach, Florida. For all you surfing nerds, Ron Jon loaned my dad the money to marry my mom. I mean, so, we're talking deep surfing roots, still friends to this day, and so, they would work, and a lot of you are entrepreneurs and are listening, and you get this, but they would often work seven days a week, 14 hours a day, just trying to keep this little store open with their employee. It just was. It's just a rough business, retail, and so, the only way that they could get away was they would leave the store in the hands of a manager. They decided to buy a really small, inexpensive boat, and we would go sail from the coast of Florida into the Caribbean. So, as we did that, what do we do for school. I remember for third grade, we actually went for an entire year, and so, it was homeschooling. Now, this is like early 80s, and you have to think like it's not exactly fact-checked, reputable, like you send your work in like once or twice a year. So, I'm living on this boat, super remote, not even around a ton of kids, pretty isolated, and I figured out that if I did all my schoolwork in one day that I could play the other six, and so, that was my year of third grade. Fortunately, things turned out okay, but I learned so much more just meeting people from all over the world, surfing or swimming.   I learned how to, at eight years old, shoot my first lobster because we had to survive off the ocean. So, it was an incredible experience. Then after that, ended up going into public school in the later years once we got to like probably fifth, sixth, a lot more steady than those early years. But you know, the thing that I always saw in my mom was I would wake up, and she would usually be on the couch or on the deck of the boat, and she would be reading her Bible, and there was something about that. It wasn't spoken.   It wasn't like you must do this, but I watched it, and I saw it, and now all these years later, that's what I do. So, for all those mamas and papas who are listening and watching, I just want to encourage you - like how you live, those little things, the kids and the grandkids and the great-grandkids, they watch, they see, and it matters, and so, thank you. Those of you who are engaging in those things. It pays dividends for decades and generations to come.   Laura Dugger: (8:20 - 8:28) That's incredible, and then can you share about your own faith journey? You saw that modeled. When did it become personal to you?   Margaret Feinberg: (8:29 - 11:44) Yeah, you know, even as a young kid, I was aware of God and Jesus and Holy Spirit, and just the Lord was very tender to make Himself real to me when I was young. When I went away to college, and this is just normal behavior, you know, there is that kind of making faith your own, figuring it out, and so, my freshman year of college, I partied like a rock star. I got the bees, the beer, the boys, and the Ben and Jerry, like I, you know, I just all the things, and I remember at the end of that year, I had this sense that God was saying to me like, you are my child. I have called you by name.   You are mine. Come back to me, and I read about this in The God You Need to Know, but one of those was a turning point I went to. It was actually a Methodist conference on Holy Spirit, and while I was there, I had an unusual experience, but in it, you know, I'm watching, I'm listening to all these lectures.   I'm in the conference. I'm attending all these things, and at one point, I had a thought pop into my mind that was not my own, and the thought was go to the prayer room and look underneath the tablecloth. I was like, okay, that's weird, but it was like go to the prayer room and look underneath the tablecloth. So, I'm like, you know what? At the end of the day, like what do I have to lose?   I mean the worst thing that happens is I wander into our prayer room. Okay, we'll take the risk, and I remember going in there, and I'm kind of like there's some people praying (a couple). I'm trying to like I don't want to be weird like I know it's a conference on the Holy Spirit, but still I'm like I am not going to be weird about it. So, I'm like trying to peek underneath a tablecloth, and there's nothing there, and there's all these tables around the room. So, I'm kind of like making my way across, and I'm seeing like one lady like eyeing me like what is happening. So, I peek under another one. Anyway, I go table after table, nothing after nothing until I reach the very last table. I pick up the tablecloth, and there is a Bible, and I look, and it's full of like notes and photographs. So, I pull it out, and there's a name on the front, and so, I just kind of said, “You know, excuse me in the prayer room like does anybody know this person, and most people were like no, and one lady says you know what I do know her, and she had to leave the conference early, and I actually have her phone number.” So, all of a sudden I'm on the phone calling this lady and saying “Hey, I just found your Bible on the phone.”    She says, “You have no idea. That Bible is full of decades of prayers and notes and photos that can't be replaced. I have been sitting here praying that someone would find my Bible.” So, I'm just in awe like Holy Spirit, I didn't even know - like wow like this is not just a mental learning.   This is a real experience, and so, I told a couple people at the conference about it. One said' “You know what, actually, if you're driving up that direction, I've been praying to get a ride up that direction.” So, I was able to drop off this ministry worker, return this Bible to this precious woman, and that really became one of the markers in my life. Oh my goodness Holy Spirit is real. He is on the move. He is leading and guiding us, and this is such an exciting thrilling adventure to be on.   Laura Dugger: (11:45 - 12:12) Wow, and it absolutely is. You are an incredible storyteller. It's so powerful the way that you wrote some stories in your books, the way that you're sharing it now. God has really gifted you with that, and that's part of your purpose in life being that storyteller. So, how did you begin to uncover the purpose that God had for you in life?   Margaret Feinberg: (12:12 - 15:09) That's such a great question, so, I'm going to answer that a couple different folds. Can I do that? So, the first answer is all of our purpose is the same. It is to love God, love others, and delight in Him forever.   That is the purpose of all of our lives, and so, that is the answer. At the same time, a lot of what I think you're saying is purpose is a little bit about vocation. Is that right?   And so, we need to recognize that as believers that this idea that somehow our vocation or what we do is our purpose and is supposed to give us meaning and value to God has really only been around for the last 50 to 75 years and largely established in the American culture. But for thousands of years, that has never been the case. And so, what that does is that for a lot of us, when we don't kind of understand that it puts a heavier weight on the job. The vocation that we do to carry all of this burden of purpose, fulfillment, meaning, ordained by God.   I mean, that becomes like a heavy burden for a single job or vocation to carry that it was never meant to. Right? And so, again, back to what is our purpose? It is loving God, loving others, and delighting. And that never changes no matter whether you are raising littles, whether you are whatever the title on your business card, if you still have those, or identification on social, whatever it is. But that never changes.   And so, I think that we have to step back and recognize that. Now, I do understand that I am in a role in which my job provides spiritual meaning. And that is delightful.   And I am super grateful for that. But in that, my spiritual meaning is still not about what books I write or podcasts or any of that nonsense. It's all about how I'm living in my community and real one-to-one relationships that are done privately and never published on social media.   That is the real life. And so, I just want to encourage everyone out there to think that that job is the thing. The job is never the thing.   Now, don't let that distract you because what do you do when you're retired? What do you do if you can't do that job? But if you are in a vocation, if you are in a role, that to understand, yes, God can use that, and to invite Holy Spirit into that space, but to make sure that we don't find our identity in that.   Because that's a short runway. That's going to end at one point. And to really ground ourselves into the eternal and what does not have an end and what will sustain us from our first breath until our last.   Laura Dugger: (15:10 - 16:38) Wow, I love how you put all of that. And so, I'm going to share a story, so, bear with me because you may not be aware, but back in 2013, our lives first crossed paths. So, back then, we were pregnant with our first child.   And my husband, Mark, and I went with my parents to the American Association of Christian Counselors conference in Nashville. And you were one of those keynote speakers at the Opera Land Hotel. And I was just mesmerized by every word you shared.   And so, I see why people write about you, and they say you're one of America's most beloved Bible teachers, because you were so endearing from the first word spoken. But at the time, you were battling cancer. And yet you were still willing to generously and joyfully share about the goodness of the Lord and the ways that we encounter Him in nature through olives and bees and so on.   But the one other thing that has stuck with me for over a decade is when you encourage the audience of probably thousands of people in attendance, that if we don't know what to be thankful for today, be thankful for nose hairs. So, do you remember that?   Margaret Feinberg: (16:39 - 19:24) I do. Yeah, that defined gratitude in the little things and in the heart. I do.   And the reason I said that, because without context, that sounds really, really strange. But whenever anybody who's out there and is walking through any medical, whether that's mental health or physical challenges, one of the difficulties is in the medical world, they don't tell you everything that's coming. And so, there are all these hidden surprises, and you can read about it, and you can WebMD it, and you can read online, and all of them are just going to say you're going to die tomorrow.   We already know that. We know we shouldn't Google these things, right? But no matter what you're walking through, there are things that people just don't tell you.   And so, I knew that going through chemotherapy, I would lose my hair. And sure enough, in 10 days, it was all falling out. Nobody told me that that included all my hair, including my nose hairs.   And so, what I had to learn the hard way is when you don't have nose hairs, like kind of what holds anything that's liquid in your nose, it just falls out. And so, my encouragement was to everybody, you don't have anything to give thanks to God for today. Give thanks for your nose hairs.   And just a light way of saying, you know, even when you're walking through the darkness, and I know some of your listeners and your viewers are, you are in dark seasons. And if that is you, I just want to say, I get you. I get it.   I have battled cancer. I have battled autoimmune. I have battled being sick for years.   I have battled being embezzled. I have battled surviving a destructive pastor. I know suffering and pain.   But even when we're in the darkness, we are a people who poke holes in the darkness until it bleeds light. And that's who we are. And gratitude is just one of those tools that helps us do that.   So, I just want to encourage you today, like whatever it takes for you. And there is something in this concept of joy. And I don't quite understand.   I can't quite wrap my head around it. But joy is something that you can give away even when you don't have it. And in the process of giving away joy when you don't have it, somehow our capacity for joy expands.   It's a strange equation in God's economy. It does not add up. It does not make sense.   But whether it's, you know, climbing in an MRI machine and saying, man, has anybody praised God from this square inch today? Whether it's showing up and giving just a simple gift to someone else, whether it's writing the note, whether it's encouraging someone else, even in our own pain. When we do that, our capacity for joy just grows bigger and bigger.   Laura Dugger: (19:25 - 21:58) And now a brief message from our sponsor. Do you have a bucket list of travel destinations? Or maybe you have a special event coming up like a big anniversary, a honeymoon, or even just that first trip to Europe?   If so, you need to call DreamCellar Travel. 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That's worth saying again, in most cases, there is absolutely no service fee for this work.   Instead of booking online and being the one to deal with your airline schedule changes or the sudden change in country entry requirements, or the hotel that looks beautiful but is really under construction, call a professional. Let them deal with the problems that arise while traveling so you can just enjoy the trip. DreamCellar Travel has been planning dream trips since 2005 to amazing destinations such as Alaska, Italy, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, France, South Africa, Iceland, and more.   Where do you dream of going? You can reach out to the DreamCellar Travel at 309-696-5890 or check them out online at DreamCellarTravel.com. Thanks for your sponsorship.   You just lived this so well, and I know joy is a fruit of the spirit. Will you share some insight into what you've been learning about the Holy Spirit, especially from all your research from your latest book? As you mentioned, it's entitled The God You Need to Know.   Margaret Feinberg: (21:59 - 25:44) Yeah, I'm super excited about this book and Bible study. I've had a lot of questions about the Holy Spirit since I was a little girl. I remember reading the Bible and thinking, Jesus, He's so real.   He's so human. That I can recognize, and I get the picture of God on the throne, all powerful and sovereign. But when I think about the Holy Spirit, I'd be like, I'm struggling here a little bit.   And growing up in Southern Baptist and Methodist and Episcopal and non-denominational and charismatic, I got little pieces of Holy Spirit, but I just kind of struggled. And I think one of the reasons I struggled is that often, maybe like you, when I ask questions about Holy Spirit, I was like, “Well, you need to go read the book of Acts and read Acts 2.” And that's that beautiful moment of Pentecost where the spirit comes in and it's like a violent wind and tongues of fire.   They descend and people start speaking in other languages and other people hear they're declaring the glories of God. And then all of a sudden 3,000 people get saved. I think that is awesome.   But that doesn't look like my every day. So, I'm not quite sure. And so, for the last few years, I've been struggling to write this book.   And when I really came alive was with a scholar by the name of Jack Levison, and he focused in on the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. And all of a sudden that changed everything for me. Because what happens is if we jump to Acts, and particularly Acts 2 to understand Holy Spirit, it would be like showing up on your wedding day and being like, this is who you're marrying.   And you're like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't know this person. Like we haven't courted. We haven't dated.”   I don't, what, what, what? And yet that's often what we do as believers when we're directing people. And so, I took a deep dive into Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament, looking at Genesis where Holy Spirit hovers over the waters, the chaos, the darkness, looking at how Holy Spirit hovers over our lives and how that's consistent with God, as in the book of Deuteronomy, as well as Jesus in the New Testament, that hovering like a, like a hen, I wanted to gather the children.   And you start to see this through it. You start to look in the lives of Bezalel, who was the first person who was filled with Holy Spirit, to do what to make and to make those, you know, the tabernacle and to lead an entire guild of artisans. We see the life of the Spirit in Daniel, where all of a sudden Nebuchadnezzar on multiple occasions is saying the Spirit of God is in him.   We have somebody who is literally running around like a wild animal at certain points in his life, who is still recognizing the power of Holy Spirit. I think it's the word in Hebrew is Ketria. We start seeing it in the life of Ezekiel, where the Holy Spirit is lifting him up, giving him new perspectives.   And what's cool is that once you start to recognize the rule of Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, you arrive at Acts 2 and you go, of course, it would happen this way. And suddenly for those of us who for maybe we've been hesitant about Holy Spirit, or maybe we've had maybe a lack of teaching or maybe some teaching that was a little bit abusive and was used to manipulate. Like all of a sudden we can back up from that and be like, oh, Holy Spirit, this is you from the beginning of time.   This is so normal. This isn't weird. This is just part of just being a follower of Jesus.   And so, one of the things that I love about this book is it takes the weird out, takes the scary out. It's so just biblically based, especially in the Old Testament. And I think some of your listeners and viewers will be surprised like, whoa, I didn't know that was, what?   That's where? And that's really fun and exciting.   Laura Dugger: (25:45 - 26:14) Absolutely. I think it did bring to light so many things from the Old Testament, like I said, especially. And I think you were even able to share some of your own stories, and that's why we're so often called to remember.   I think when we preserve and document those and share those stories, we can reflect back and remember God nudging us like he did with you, putting a thought in your mind that was not your own. That increases our faith in others, I think, as well.   Margaret Feinberg: (26:14 - 28:25) I think it really, really does. I think that one of the things we have to remember when Holy Spirit, so, in Psalm 139, we know that God knows he made us in the womb. And so, to recognize that all of us are made differently, and my hunches are some listeners right now who are thinking, man, yeah, I know people who talk a lot about Holy Spirit, but that's just not me.   I don't really see or enact or feel Holy Spirit. And so, first of all to you, I want to say I don't feel Holy Spirit either. I've been to a ton of churches and conferences, and the person on the stage will say, man, do you feel the Holy Spirit here?   And I'll be like, nope, nope, not at all. So, I'm not a feeler. But what I can do in those moments is I can acknowledge with my head, Holy Spirit is here, because we know that as part of the Trinity, Father, Son, Spirit, Holy Spirit is here.   And then secondly, to recognize that like Psalm, you know, that describes that He knew us in the womb, that we are all different. We know today that there's a neurodiversity, right? So, some people learn audio, some people visual, some people like myself, ADD, ADHD.   And God knows that, like the Creator did not make a mistake. And so, wouldn't it make sense that the Holy Spirit, who knows us as the spirit of a living God, would interact with us in different ways? I have an e-newsletter, and I've surveyed, you know, thousands of people, how they recognize the spirit, and it's just so diverse.   Some are like me, a thought pops back in my head that is not my own, that causes me to love God, love others, serve others, take risks in godly good ways. For other people, they do feel it. Some people have like a warmth in their body.   Some people kind of just feel like this, this just comfort or peace, like liquid love that envelops them. Some people recognize God and the Holy Spirit through nature. And so, I listen to this, and I think, doesn't that make sense that God and Holy Spirit would know us so well that He would know how to communicate with us?   And so, that when we start gathering with other believers and say, “Hey, how is Holy Spirit working in your life?” It starts to get this excitement of recognizing it and celebrating it and making it normal and not weird.   Laura Dugger: (28:28 - 28:48) And I think let's even take that one step further. So, if somebody is listening and they currently have trouble identifying the spirit's role or God's direction or Jesus's voice in their life, how would you encourage them with even first steps to grow in attention and recognition of His voice and leading?   Margaret Feinberg: (28:49 - 34:09) Goodness, that's such a great question. Something that's really changed my life in the last few months is my friend, Drake. He's a Young Life leader here.   And he said, Margaret, when I'm training people how to recognize Holy Spirit, he says, “I and the kids get a journal and write one question down for Holy Spirit each day. The question could be about purpose, identity, Holy Spirit, what's on your heart, Holy Spirit, who do I serve today? And write that one question down.”   That's it. That's all we're doing. And then throughout the day, return to that one question in prayer again and again.   And then pay attention to conversations that suddenly you have, Bible passages that flutter through your mind, the sermon that's given, conversations with other believers. Like just pay attention. And it's amazing.   And then the next day or that night, jot down whatever happens. The next day, change the question or keep the same question. And just start changing the posture of your life to pay attention to that one question.   And I think you're going to start to see and encounter some things. It may not happen quickly. It may take a few weeks or even months, but it will happen.   I think I was thinking about this just this morning. I haven't shared this with anybody. But in some ways, like people are like, I don't recognize Holy Spirit.   It's kind of like my friends who are birders. Okay. Some people super into birding.   And I know there are birds. I mean, occasionally I'll see a bird out the window, but birders have a whole different mentality. They slow down.   They pay attention. And they have some tools like binoculars to be able to look and to see. And it's the same thing about paying attention to Holy Spirit.   We've got to slow down, pay attention. And maybe the tool is just asking Holy Spirit one question a day. But suddenly you'll start to see and recognize.   Can I give you a fun story? Please. Okay.   So, just at Easter came around and I was probably a couple weeks before and they're having this crazy good sale at Target on some new releases. So, I'm at the Target website early in the morning before they sell out. And I saw a purse and I bought myself a few things.   But I saw a purse and I immediately thought of my friend Janella. And so, I was just like, I'm just going to buy this for her. Now, let me be clear.   I've never bought a purse for her before. I don't really carry around a ton of purses. I'm a Apple pay, like keep it light.   Like it's just not my thing. But put it in the cart, send it to her. So, I get a text from her about a week or two later.   And she goes, how did you know? Did I tell you about my Easter meltdown? And I said, no, I didn't know.   And she tells me, and I had known this, that her mother had passed away last year. What I didn't know is every single year, since she was a little girl for Easter, her mom would buy her a dress and a purse. And this was the first Easter without her mom.   And she could justify financially buying the dress, but not the purse. And all of a sudden this purse, which wasn't a normal purse. She's like, this is an Easter purse.   I was like, I don't know that, but okay. Arrived. And she said, I just, I just cried because I knew that the Lord saw me.   He heard me. You know, he was with me, part of his kingdom. And so, she says, but here's the thing.   The purse matched my dress perfectly. And you start to see that happen. And I didn't hear a voice from God say, go buy your friend a purse.   I was just like, “Hey, I've been praying every day, a single thing from Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, will you order my steps?” And then you see something that you couldn't orchestrate on your own in 500 years happen.   And you go, that is the work of Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit in the New Testament, it's parakletos. It means advocate.   It can be translated comforter, advisor, barrister. For those of you watch too many British shows like I do, you know, the legal counsel. But if I were to kind of break that down from just biblical words, here's how we know it's the Holy Spirit.   Number one, Holy Spirit will remind you: God loves you. God sees you. God hears you.   And you're part of His kingdom. And what happened in that story was both of us experienced that. God loves, He sees, He hears, and we're part of His kingdom.   And so, that is the thrilling part about life in the Spirit. It's not so I feel good or I have little things that happen. It's about being part of God's kingdom on this earth, living out the life that Christ describes and designed for us.   And so, we cannot do that apart from Holy Spirit. And also, you may notice I haven't been using the term the Holy Spirit because we wouldn't say I talked to the God today. I talked to Jesus.   And Holy Spirit is a person; a person you can have a relationship with. And just as you can have a relationship with Christ and talk to Christ, you can do the same with Holy Spirit who is, again, paracletes, your advisor, your comforter, your helper. Why would you not tap into that?   Why would you want to spend a life missing out on the fullness of that?   Laura Dugger: (34:10 - 36:48) Oh, that's good, and I'll have to try and apply that and refer to Holy Spirit rather than I even did it there, the Holy Spirit. I'm thinking in the book of John, I love the amplified version where it says, “one of the things to describe Holy Spirit is standby.” And I've thought of that so many times because I love looking up definitions and seeing exactly what that means.   And it's just the immediacy of the help available. And that's been a way that I've experienced Him in my life especially the short prayers of help, please help now. Or if I need direction, a lot of times it comes in parenting for me, like, I'm not sure which way to go.   Can you give me discernment right now? And He's immediately available. So, I would say my own personal experience, it's a lot of what you've mentioned, definitely through reading the Bible that I feel like He speaks so much.   You're like, well, bring the words off the page. Journaling is such a practical way. And I'll link to our friend Chris Allen's episode just about hearing from God and training our kids on how they can do the same.   Just those thoughts that they're not always from us, but we're processing thoughts that are given to us. But one other thing, so, this is inspired from your book. You mentioned about dreams and just asking Holy Spirit to speak to you through dreams.   So, in our life currently, one of our daughters is going through some health issues and we were launched into having to do this FODMAP diet. And it's not that big of a deal, but I had never heard of it before. And it limits and restricts quite a few things.   So, the immediate need of that seemed a little bit overwhelming. We're kind of in a busy season and completely revamping everything our family eats all day. I've been preoccupied and kind of consumed with that.   So, twice this week, because in my quiet time I felt like God just kept saying, bring it to me, come to me with this, ask me the questions. And so, I've been journaling and I feel like He's been responding with Scripture. But the last two nights in a row, I've woken up with a recipe in mind for our family.   And that has never happened before. But you are the one who challenged us just to say, just ask. And that was probably, probably started asking over a month ago.   So, thank you.   Margaret Feinberg: (36:49 - 40:32) Wow. I love it. And you know what?   That makes me want to ask. Does that make sense? Like there's this excitement and there's this joy.   When you share about how Holy Spirit is working in your life, I'm like, I want that too. And that's just, yeah, I think that so often we forget who is with us.   The person, the person of Holy Spirit is with us. We don't have to keep all this striving and straining. And man, I got a life hack this on my own.   You know, there is this availability of the power and the presence of the person of Holy Spirit, the spirit of the living God. One thing I want to note on the Trinity, just so that I don't, I don't want anybody to think, oh, she's just cutting out one part of the Trinity. No.   Trinity is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A couple of things on that. Number one, often, and part of the emphasis on the Holy Spirit, a little bit more in looking at this in the Old Testament, is when we see things in groupings of three, we tend to think that the third one listed tends to be lesser than or third place.   Right. And yet Father, Son and Spirit are equal. And what we see throughout the Bible is we have to remember that where there is one, all are present.   And so, like in creation, we see God take the lead. But, you know, Holy Spirit is mentioned in Genesis 1 to Jesus using the reference of we is there. And so, we start to see that the word, I think it's the word perichoresis is this term that describes the Trinity in a dance.   And so, at different parts of Scripture, we'll see one member of the Trinity take the lead, but the others are always present, whether it's, you know, Jesus taking the lead in the Gospels. But we see the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. We see God saying, this is my son and whom I am pleased.   Well, please listen to Him. And so, to recognize that, but also to recognize, again, like this, this reality that Holy Spirit is in us and with us. Like, wow, that starts to change everything.   So, all of a sudden, and you say, “It's no big deal changing the way your family eats. Can I just say that is an enormous deal. The time that it takes to prepare the food, the thinking, the thought space, the bad recipes, it is so big.”   So, you can try to minimize that. But I'm just going to say, “First of all, I'm glad there's a way forward, but I'm sorry, because that is massive. And it's a lot.”   And Holy Spirit wants to meet us there. Remember Genesis 1:2, “In the beginning, God created the heavenly earth and the earth was formless and void.” Tohu wavohu in the Hebrew.   “And the spirit was hovering over.” That word is merechefet. And it means to hover, to brood like a mama eagle.   One rabbi translated it as to flutter. And what is the spirit fluttering? Remember in the Bible, sorry to go to teaching mode, but whenever someone is introduced in scripture, the introduction is the most important.   We see that in the life of Saul. He literally is hiding in baggage and can't find his own donkeys. And it plays out that way, right?   So, how is Holy Spirit introduced? Could have entered any place and comes on the scene hovering over the chaos, the uncertainty, and the unknown. And so, here you are in that place of uncertainty and unknown, a little chaotic.   And what is Holy Spirit? Here's a recipe.    Doing what? Reminding you, you are loved by God. You are seen by God.   You are heard by God. And you are part of this kingdom. Man, when we start to share these stories, it just, oh, it creates this hunger to experience and know the spirit more.   Laura Dugger: (40:32 - 42:02) It does, and it's so humbling, just his loving kindness.    I want to make sure that you're up to date with our latest news. We have a new website.   You can visit thesavvysauce.com and see all of the latest updates. You may remember Francie Heinrichson from episode 132, where we talked about pursuing our God-given dreams. She is the amazing businesswoman who has carefully designed a brand-new website for Savvy Sauce Charities.   And we are thrilled with the final product. So, I hope you check it out. There you're going to find all of our podcasts, now with show notes and transcriptions listed, a scrapbook of various previous guests, and an easy place to join our email list to receive monthly encouragement and questions to ask your loved ones, so that you can have your own practical chats for intentional living.   You will also be able to access our donation button or our mailing address for sending checks that are tax deductible, so that you can support the work of Savvy Sauce Charities and help us continue to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ. So, make sure you visit thesavvysauce.com.    Are there any other stories that come to mind to think of Holy Spirit being alive and moving and working in people's lives today?   Margaret Feinberg: (42:03 - 46:15) Oh, I'll give you one that I just found. You know what's so funny? Again, when you start to use the prayer prompts, when you start to do these just like a burger, all of a sudden you're like, oh my goodness, I didn't know how many birds there were.   So, went over to our friend's house. It was somebody at church. We actually, they weren't our friends at that point.   We noticed that when they came to our church, the son is on the spectrum. And so, in Sunday school class would often just stare at the wall in the corner by himself, not interact a whole lot, and their daughter. And so, my husband said, hey, let's bring a meal over to them.   And they invited us to stay for dinner. And so, the son comes in and he's probably maybe nine years old, wrapped up in a blanket, like a little burrito. And he won't make any eye contact with us.   You know, the mom's like, say, “Hello to Margaret.” Won't interact. Kind of woombas around, disappears, comes through a few times.   Finish eating. We go out in the living room. And the mom starts telling the story that she was exhausted as a mom.   She was completely burnt out. And she just said, “You know what? I'm going to the reservoir and I'm going to go paddle boarding.”   Just take a few minutes for myself. So, she goes out. She's paddle boarding.   All of a sudden she sees like a piece of paper on the surface of the water. She looks down and she goes, what is that? So, she picks it up.   Turns out to be a QR code to the zoo. Now, she doesn't know if it's used trash or what, but she's like, I'm going to keep this. She paddles some more, sees another piece of paper.   It's another QR code to the zoo. She's like, maybe they blew away from the, I don't, so, she grabs it. And she prays and she says, Lord, now you know that we're a family of four.   So, if we're really supposed to go to the zoo, we need four of these. Keeps paddle boarding. Finds two more.   And so, she comes home and says, “Guys, we're going to try to go to the zoo. I don't even know if these work.” But next day goes to the zoo, scans them.   Boop, boop, boop, boop. They all work. So, they go to the zoo.   So, they're walking through. And all of a sudden, the son comes upon a display of red pandas. And he just stops in his tracks.   And he stares and he watches. And the rest of the family, you know, the sister and the dad want to go on and they do. But he just says, “Mom, can we stay here?”   And so, he stays there for several hours just staring in this strange connection. He's never had, Mom had never seen anything like this with the red pandas. And so, she's telling me this story.   And suddenly I look around their living room and I realize there is panda paraphernalia everywhere. She looks at her son and says, “Honey, why don't you go put on your panda outfit?” Disappears, comes back in the panda outfit.   And all of a sudden, he's looking at us. He's talking to us. He's engaging us.   He goes over to his parents and paws them like a panda. And all of a sudden is snuggling with them. And she says that one encounter at the zoo changed their relationship with their son.   She says there are days that my son will get completely overwhelmed and start having a meltdown. And she'll use panda language and go up to him and say, “Well, you know that pandas eat 13 hours a day. Maybe you need a snack.”   And it is provided this connection and this new language for them as a family that they never had before. All because she went paddle boarding at the reservoir and pieces of paper started floating on the surface of the water. Friends, this is the work and power and presence of Holy Spirit.   Reminding us we are loved by God. We are seen by God. We are heard by God.   And we are part of this kingdom. And for your listeners, that may be strange stories of paper. And that may seem really odd.   But, man, I read a book that talks about Jesus saying, “Hey, go check out the fish.” And all of a sudden a coin to pay taxes comes out of his mouth. I read a book that declares that, you know, he is the alpha and the omega.   He is the beginning and the end. He knows where we are. He knows what we need.   And He wants to intercept. And sometimes that shows up like recipes in your brain in the morning.   Laura Dugger: (46:16 - 47:27) Amen, sister. And you can keep sharing as many stories as you want. But one more.   As I was reading your book, it was actually over Easter weekend. And at that time we had some tornadoes that were passing through the Midwest where we live. And in the middle of the night, we're all up.   We're in the basement. And once the sirens ceased, we got our girls back to bed. And we came and I just wondered, we came back to bed and I thought, is this just going to be for a few moments?   Is it going to happen again? Are we going to be up all night and need to take cover? So, with those concerns on my mind, I crawled back into bed.   And, you know, cortisol is kind of rushing through. So, I picked up your book to read. And my eyes fell to the words you quoted from part of Isaiah 31:5.   So, I specifically fell to this where it says, “He will shield it and deliver it. He will pass over it and will rescue it.” And I fell asleep well knowing that I could receive comfort from Holy Spirit, that the storm had passed for the night and God was shielding our family from it.   And indeed He did. They ceased.   Margaret Feinberg: (47:28 - 47:42) Isn't that incredible? I mean, we talk about I mean, just that's the word of God and the power of Holy Spirit, like speaking right in that moment in that exact situation. That is awesome.   Absolutely awesome. I love it.   Laura Dugger: (47:43 - 48:17) So, I love just Holy Spirit is even working through the words on your pages. I want you to be encouraged. I know you've prayed over this resource, but it's so incredible.   Somebody once said that books are little missionaries. And it's so true throughout the world. You have no idea who's cuddled up in bed reading these words and getting to encounter him.   So, thank you for all of your work for this. But Margaret, do you have any other practical tips that you want to impart to us so that each of us can cultivate the fruit of spirit in our lives?   Margaret Feinberg: (48:18 - 50:39) Yeah, I would say, you know, if you're if you're new to this and this idea, you know, pick up a copy of The Gods You Need to Know. There's also a Bible study. I am passionate about doing this in community.   The Holy Spirit, we often in the Americana church, think of our little personal private relationship with Jesus. And that's not church history. That's not the work of God.   Since the beginning of time, it has always been through relationships and community and recognizing that each of us has something to bring to the table in relationship with God and each other and gifts and talents and insights. I am in my questions. I think I referred to this later or earlier about, you know, I surveyed a bunch of people in my newsletter just about, hey, so, how do you recognize Holy Spirit?   One lady responded and she said, “Well, I recognize Holy Spirit because whenever I'm lost, I ask Holy Spirit for directions, and I just know where to go.” And she goes and it happens over and over in, you know, neighborhoods when I'm driving, when I'm going places. And I thought, okay, so, first I'll just be honest. My first thought was that's weird. I haven't heard that before.   And we assign anything weird that we aren't familiar with. And then I thought a little longer. I thought, man, I want her on my team.   I want her on my team because I get lost all the time. And I think that at times, sometimes we encounter people who encounter the Spirit differently than us. Remember that neurodiversity, but to recognize living in relationship, hearing how Holy Spirit works in different, sharing those stories.   There's something contagious and powerful in it. So, I would say definitely pursue Holy Spirit in relationship with others. Get together with others.   Start talking about this. Start praying together. Holy Spirit, we want to know you.   You know, it's okay to say, Holy Spirit, in the past, I've seen really unhealthy things. Or nobody's really taught me about you. But I trust that as the Spirit of the living God that you want to reveal yourself.   Just start praying, Holy Spirit, I want all of you. See what happens over the course of a week or two of praying that.   And what you become aware of. What Bible passages flutter through your mind. What conversations you suddenly stumble upon.   What answers to things you've been plagued with suddenly come. I trust God that if you ask and you honestly pursue, God will show up and show off.   Laura Dugger: (50:41 - 51:45) I completely agree. And now I'm curious to look up. I feel like the Lord has kind of put on my mind the word weird this year a few times.   Because truly, when you think of what he did, even in the Old Testament, think of Noah, just like, okay, I'm obeying. I'm putting nails in this wood for never seeing rain. It's weird what we're called to sometimes.   And I think that's what can make me hesitate for obedience sometimes. Like, that feels weird. Or I don't want people to think I'm weird.   So, I'm going to look up the definition of weird. I'd love to read it to you. Okay, so, I just looked up the definition of weird.   And it says, suggesting something supernatural or uncanny. And I think we should reframe the word weird. And when we're invited into something weird by supernatural God of the universe, that's an incredible invitation, like you say, to adventure.   So, I hope we can embrace the weird.   Margaret Feinberg: (51:47 - 54:41) And to recognize that feeling of, I don't want to do this. This feels strange. That is universal.   That is not you. That is not unique. And for all of our listeners and viewers, I have it.   Everybody has it. When we're trying to discern, you know, if something is prompted by the Holy Spirit, number one, is this, does this align with scripture? And does it align with the character of God?   Does it increase my dependence on God? Which means it's probably going to go against my natural instinct, which unfortunately is pretty self-word rather than outward. Does it cause me to love God and love others more?   And so, of course, Holy Spirit is going to be working in this expansive ground to pull us away from our self-word direction outward. And that is always going to be stretching and feel strange. And sometimes we're not going to see the outcome.   And we've got to become comfortable with that. We are not responsible for the outcome. We are responsible for obedience.   Some time ago, I swim a lot. And I just felt just in my gut, like, talk to the person in the lane next to you. And so, I go out swimming, and he's next to me, and I'm like, okay.   And so, I started this conversation with this elderly gentleman. And I'll just be honest. It was more like a non-versation.   I mean, we talked about sports ball teams and the weather and nothing. I really cared. Nothing deep.   Nothing meaningful. And on one hand, maybe I misheard. Okay.   But no harm, no foul. I mean, I showed kindness to a stranger. Loved others.   Like, there's no, like, okay. You know, on the other hand, I will never know what might have happened. Maybe he felt left alone.   Maybe he felt seen. But the outcome doesn't matter. And so, there are going to be times that we step out, and we see it, and we encounter it, and it's so exciting.   And there's going to be other times that we go to that thing, and we go, Lord, I didn't even know what that was. But maybe that was about quick obedience. You know, almost like building a muscle, getting stronger to say, you did it then.   I'm going to keep challenging. I'm going to give you opportunities to do this again and again. Because I want you on the front lines of, you know, eyes are searching to and fro for people who are, you know, obedient, quick to respond, that Holy Spirit wants to use.   And so, know that not seeing a result, totally normal. Keep going. Keep going.   Because you will see responses sometimes. And it is awesome. And in part of that, it's almost like building a muscle that I think God is so gracious and so loving kind that he will show you, like, quick outcomes sometimes when you respond to that little impulse to keep you going.   But there are going to be times you're not going to see them, but he's still at work. Because, again, you may be one of 17 people in a long chain where the fruit or the outcome as part of God's kingdom is still coming. And after a while, it's fine to be number 4, 7, 9.   You don't always have to be number 17.   Laura Dugger: (54:42 - 55:06) That's so good. That is such the biblical principle of being faithful with little. And then sometimes He allows us to be faithful with much.   And, Margaret, this is not your only resource that you've written for all of us to enjoy. Can you share some of your other resources and what's available or what you've learned that we may learn if we pick up a copy?   Margaret Feinberg: (55:06 - 56:31) Yeah. You know, I've definitely the most passive. I just gave four years of my life to this book and Bible study.   I do a ridiculous amount of research, so, I'm very, very slow. So, top would be The God You Need to Know book and Bible study. But I think another one, and you referenced it earlier, is a book called Fight Back with Joy, and it's also a Bible study.   And it just takes a look. You know, it tells a little bit about my cancer story, but it's really about anybody who's battling anything. You know, sometimes in life we pick the battles, and sometimes the battles pick us.   And sometimes that's in your marriage, maybe a custody battle. It may be a health issue. It may be a financial calamity.   It may be the loss of a business. There's just so much in a strange relationship with a kid that you love so much. And in that darkness, you know, it's so easy to sink.   And this book and study is just, it shows that more than whimsy, joy is the weapon we use to fight life's battles. And gives just tons of practical tactics on how to enact that and what that looks like, and how, most importantly, how to rally around others in a healthy, beautiful way when they are in the midst of that. I think one of the failures of the church today is to really equip and train believers of every size and form of how to love others well in the midst of their pain.   What to say, what not to say, how to give, how to support. And this book and resource really does that well.   Laura Dugger: (56:32 - 56:43) Oh, so grateful for all of those. We'll make sure and add a link in the show notes. And if we want to connect or follow you after today's conversation, where would you like to direct us online?   Margaret Feinberg: (56:44 - 57:09) You can find me at my website at Margaret Feinberg. I do my most loving of my people, I'll just be honest, through my e-newsletter. I mean, I sit down, I pray over, I pour my heart and my life into that.   It's quiet. Nobody ever sees it. I am also on socials, on Instagram, at Facebook, at MA Feinberg, at Margaret Feinberg.   But I would love to connect with you. And if anybody wants to email, my email is hello@margaretfeinberg.com.   Laura Dugger: (57:09 - 57:26) Love it. Thank you for sharing all of that. And you may be aware that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or discernment.   And so, as my final question for you today, Margaret, what is your savvy sauce?   Margaret Feinberg: (57:27 - 58:05) My savvy sauce is waking up every day and asking the Holy Spirit one question. When I don't know what to pray, I just say, “Holy Spirit, order my steps.” And if you will do this, you will do this for just 15 days.   I have a belief. It may just change the course of your life. The great part, it takes less than 30 seconds.   This is not doing heavy lifting. This is not time consuming, man. If you're raising those littles and you are overwhelmed, if you're running a business and you are overwhelmed, something very simple like this can change everything.   Laura Dugger: (58:06 - 58:10) So good. And you are so obviously connected to the vine, to the Lord. And I just want you to receive this, the fruit of the spirit.   I have experienced every single one in this conversation from engaging with you today. You are loving, joy, peace, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. And all wrapped into one.   So, praise the Lord for the way He made you. You are an absolute delight. I have enjoyed this so much.   Thank you for being my guest.   Margaret Feinberg: (58:10 - 58:11) What a privilege and joy. Grateful for you.   Laura Dugger: (58:11 - 1:02:30) One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.    Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.    We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.    That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.    This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “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.”    So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.    Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.    And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.    First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.    You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.    We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.    And finally, be encouraged. 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.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.    And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Today is day 307 and we are studying The Sixth Commandment. 307. What is the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment is “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17) We will conclude today by praying The Decalogue found on page 100 of the Book of Common Prayer (2019). If you would like to buy or download To Be a Christian, head to anglicanchurch.net/catechism. Produced by Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Madison, MS. Original music from Matthew Clark. Daily collects and Psalms are taken from Book of Common Prayer (2019), created by the Anglican Church in North America and published by the Anglican Liturgical Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Catechism readings are taken from To Be a Christian - An Anglican Catechism Approved Edition, copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In this enlightening episode, we dive deep into the pressing issue of burnout in our fast-paced society. Join us as we explore the concept of margin—how creating space in our schedules and priorities can lead to a more balanced and fulfilling life. We discuss the overwhelming stress and exhaustion many of us feel, and how the relentless pursuit of progress can often come at the cost of our peace. Through personal anecdotes and insightful observations, we highlight the importance of recognizing our limits and the detrimental effects of living life on the edge. Key topics include: The impact of technology on our work-life balance The significance of building emotional reserves How fear of missing out and falling behind drives our schedules Practical indicators that you may be heading toward burnout The relationship between margin, faith, and well-being Whether you're a busy professional, a parent, or simply someone looking to find more peace in your life, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable steps to help you reclaim your time and prioritize what truly matters. Read along with our chosen scripture: Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 24:19; Matthew 6:31–34 In our attempt to get the most out of life, it's easy to lose control of our lives. For most of us, space in our schedule feels more like a luxury than a necessity. In this series, Bryant shows us how to create in our life and relationships before it's too late. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are an alternative to church as usual. Our Sunday worship service is approximately a 75-minute experience designed to introduce people to the message of Jesus and equip believers to live their lives in response to the Gospel while their kids enjoy one of our safe children's environments. Centerpoint is designed to meet you wherever you are on the journey whether you are just checking out the "church thing" or you are a committed Christ follower. Centerpoint is a casual environment that combines today's music with creative media and relevant teaching. We hope you will visit us at Centerpoint Church regardless of what your past church experience has looked like.

Send us a textIn this chapter Moses calls the people to obey and explains what they will receive (hint rain is vital in the blessing).  He reminds the people that if they lived in Egypt, they wouldn't need God like they will in the land of promise.  Veronica and Erika explain the importance of rain and how flesh out why it's called the land of milk and honey. Our website is The Context and Color of the BibleWe are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bible | FacebookWe are on Instagram - @contextandcolorofthebibleWe are on YouTube - The Context and Color of the Bible - YouTubeMusic: Tabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4453-tabukLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Was Jesus actually born in December? If not, why do we celebrate it then and not his actual birthday? Does celebrating it in December along with the traditional things that are a part of it have pagan roots? If so, does that mean Christians are wrong for celebrating Christmas? Does having a Christmas tree and other items as part of our celebration violate rules in Deuteronomy or other Bible passages? The post SILY 670- Constantine and Christmas appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Make “A” Difference — Bring Your “A” Game! Let's Go! continues with a powerful reminder that we're created by God on purpose and for a purpose. In this message, Pastor Steve shares how we make a difference when we align with God's plan, attune our ears to His voice, act in faith, and abide in His presence. When you bring your “A” game — abiding, aligning, acting, and walking in authority you'll make a lasting impact for generations to come. Scripture: Genesis 1, John 15:4–11, Jeremiah 38, Deuteronomy 29:29 Series: Let's Go! Date: November 2, 2025 Life Church

Deuteronomy 5:19, 21

Deuteronomy 14:22-29; 15:1-15

Deuteronomy 9-10: The Gospel According to Deuteronomy Deut 9:1, 4-8, 22-26; 10:1-4, 12-22 Pastor Thomas Hwang

Israel's Future in Bible Prophecy:  A Biblical Exposition   Introduction: The Setting from Luke 21 As we open our Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 21, we find Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the city of Jerusalem. His disciples marvel at the temple's grandeur, but the Lord turns their attention to far greater matters—the signs of the end times and the destiny of His people.    In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus declares: "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”   Here, the Lord Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, a tragic fulfillment of judgment on unbelieving Israel.    Yet, notice the phrase "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." This points beyond that historical event to a future restoration. The "times of the Gentiles" refer to the period when Gentile powers dominate Jerusalem, but it has an end. From this vantage, Jesus shifts in verses 25-28 to cosmic signs and His return:   "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”   Luke 21 sets the stage for our study: Israel's past rebellion, present trials, and glorious future under the Messiah's reign. God's Word promises that though Israel has stumbled, He will lift them up. Let us trace this thread through Scripture, seeing God's unchanging faithfulness to His covenant people. Israel's Past: From Abraham's Call to Repeated Rejection To understand Israel's future, we must first look back to her origins. God did not find Israel as a nation; He created her. In Genesis 12:1-3, the Lord calls Abram, a Gentile idol-worshiper from Ur of the Chaldees:   "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”   Abram—later Abraham—became the father of the Jewish nation through Isaac and Jacob, whom God renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28). This was no accident of history; it was divine election. God promised Abraham an everlasting covenant in Genesis 17:7-8:   "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”   This covenant is unconditional—based on God's promise, not Israel's performance. It includes land, seed, and blessing, and it stands today. God reiterated it to Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15), forming the twelve tribes of Israel.   Yet, from the exodus onward, Israel repeatedly rejected her Creator. In the wilderness, they murmured against Moses and God (Exodus 17:3; Numbers 14:1-4). Entering the land, they turned to idols (Judges 2:11-13).    The kings, from Saul to the divided kingdom, led them into idolatry, culminating in Assyrian and Babylonian captivities (2 Kings 17:7-18; 2 Kings 25). Prophets like Jeremiah warned of judgment for covenant unfaithfulness (Jeremiah 3:6-10).   This pattern peaked in the rejection of the Messiah Himself. The Jewish leaders knew the Scriptures foretold His coming. Psalm 22:16-18 vividly describes His crucifixion:  "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”   Isaiah 53:3-6, 9-12 paints the suffering Servant: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ... And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”   Micah 5:2 pinpointed His birthplace in Bethlehem. Zechariah 9:9 described His humble entry on a donkey. The religious elite studied these texts daily. Yet, when Jesus fulfilled them—born in Bethlehem, riding into Jerusalem on a colt, bearing our sins on Calvary—they rejected Him defiantly, not blindly.   In John 1:11, we read: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." They expected a conquering general to smash Rome, not a suffering Savior (Acts 1:6). But they knew. In Matthew 27:22-25, Pilate asks, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" The crowd cries, "Let him be crucified." When warned of innocent blood, they shout, "His blood be on us, and on our children." This was open defiance. Peter charges in Acts 2:23: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."    And in Acts 7:51-52, Stephen indicts: "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.”   Israel's history is one of gracious election met with stubborn rebellion. Yet God, in mercy, preserved a remnant through exile and diaspora, never forsaking His word.   Israel Today: A Tiny Nation Amid Global Hatred and Fleeting Peace Fast-forward to our day. Ethnic Israel—the Jewish people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—numbers about 9.6 million worldwide, with roughly 7.3 million living in the modern State of Israel. This political entity, reestablished in 1948, occupies a land about 8,500 square miles—roughly seven times the size of Rhode Island, yet smaller than many U.S. states, squeezed between vast hostile neighbors. It's a miracle of survival: a people scattered for nearly 2,000 years, regathered to their ancient homeland against all odds.   But today, antisemitism surges like a tidal wave, especially in the United States. Reports show a 21% global rise in incidents in July 2025 alone, with the U.S. seeing nearly 70% of religion-based hate crimes targeting Jews. ADL surveys reveal antisemitism has woven into daily American Jewish life—on campuses, streets, and workplaces—spiking since recent Middle East conflicts. Why this hatred? Scripture unveils the roots.   First, it's divine judgment for rejecting the Messiah. In Matthew 27:25, their cry of "His blood be on us, and on our children" echoes through generations, as Jesus warned in Luke 19:41-44: "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”   This "visitation" was Christ, spurned. Zechariah 12:2-3 prophesies nations gathering against Jerusalem like a "burdensome stone," a future reality foreshadowed today.   Second, Satan fuels this enmity. As the father of lies (John 8:44), he hates Israel because through her seed comes the woman's offspring who crushes his head (Genesis 3:15). Revelation 12:13 depicts the dragon (Satan) pursuing the woman (Israel):    "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child." Satan knows Israel's role in God's redemptive plan—birthplace of the Church, guardian of Scripture, and future throne for Messiah.   Why does God allow this? To humble His people, drive them to repentance, and fulfill prophecy. Deuteronomy 28:15, 64 warns of curses for disobedience:  "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. ... And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.”   Yet, this scattering has an end. God uses hatred to refine Israel, as Hosea 5:15 states: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”   Amid this, Israel boasts more peace initiatives than any nation. The Abraham Accords under President Trump in 2020 normalized ties with Arab states, and in 2025, Trump unveiled a bold 20-point Gaza peace plan, signed in its first phase, aiming for enduring prosperity without forced displacements.    Trump's "peace through strength" approach—bolstered by U.S. resolve—has invitations from leaders like Egypt's el-Sisi for regional summits. Noble as these are, Scripture warns they are fragile. Daniel 9:27 foretells a future "prince that shall come" (the Antichrist) who "shall confirm the covenant with many for one week"—a seven-year peace deal with Israel, only to break it midway: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”   No human accord can thwart God's timeline. These deals set the stage for the ultimate betrayal.     We must distinguish: Ethnic Israel is God's covenant people, the physical descendants of Abraham (Romans 9:4-5).    Political Israel is the modern state—a vessel for prophecy, but not the full spiritual fulfillment yet.  God preserves the nation, but salvation comes to individuals who repent.   God Is Not Done with Israel: Insights from Romans 9-10 Turn to Romans 9-10, where Paul, a Jew of Jews, wrestles with his people's unbelief. He affirms God's irrevocable gifts in Romans 11:29: "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." But chapters 9-10 explain the tension.   In Romans 9:1-5, Paul's anguish pours out: "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”   Israel has every advantage—covenants, law, promises—yet many reject Christ. Paul explains in Romans 9:30-33: "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”   Their zeal without knowledge (Romans 10:2) led to defiance.    Yet God hardens whom He will (Romans 9:18), not arbitrarily, but to fulfill mercy on both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11:11-12, 25-27): "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? ... For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”   "All Israel shall be saved"—a national turning to Messiah at His return. Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20-21 and 27:9, confirming future restoration.     Beware of replacement theology, the dangerous error claiming the Church has permanently supplanted Israel in God's plan. It twists Romans 11 to say the "olive tree" is only the Church, erasing Israel's distinct promises. This denies the land covenant (Genesis 15:18), ignores prophecies like Ezekiel 37's dry bones reviving as a nation, and contradicts Paul's plea in Romans 10:1: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved."    This desire points future, not past. God has two programs: one for the Church (the body of Christ, Jew and Gentile in one, Ephesians 2:14-16), and one for national Israel. To merge them robs God of His faithfulness and fuels antisemitism by devaluing the Jewish people. Though Israel has defied Him—from golden calf to crucifying the King—God loves His covenant people. Jeremiah 31:3 whispers: "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."    He cannot break covenant; Numbers 23:19 assures: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”   Israel's Future: Tribulation, Invasion, and Glorious Restoration The road ahead is stormy, but victory dawns. Zechariah 12:10 promises: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”   The Great Tribulation: Judgment and Awakening The Tribulation—a seven-year period of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7)—brings global wrath, but especially on Israel. Why? First, to judge unbelieving Jews and the world for sin. Revelation 6-19 details seals, trumpets, and bowls of judgment. Second, to break Israel's defiance, as Zechariah 13:8-9 foretells:  "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”   Third, to prepare earth for Christ's return in Revelation 19:11-16, where He treads the winepress of wrath: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ... And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”   During this horror, Israel becomes a focal point—and unwilling host to the world. Revelation 12:6 describes: "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Multitudes flee to Israel seeking refuge, only to face Antichrist's fury. Yet, salvation breaks through. God seals 144,000 Jewish evangelists from the tribes (Revelation 7:4-8)—12,000 from each—to proclaim the Gospel worldwide.    Two witnesses in Jerusalem, empowered, most likely Moses and Elijah, prophesy for 1,260 days, calling fire from heaven and striking with plagues (Revelation 11:3-6): "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. ... And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” Their ministry awakens thousands. When slain, God resurrects them before a watching world (Revelation 11:7-12). Many Jews repent, fulfilling Romans 11:26. As Antichrist's abomination desecrates the temple (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15), believing Jews flee to Petra (Bozrah), the rose-red city of Edom. Jesus urged in Matthew 24:15-21:  "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: ... For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”   God supernaturally protects them there for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:14), as Micah 2:12 gathers a remnant to "Mizpah"—a stronghold.   The Ezekiel 38-39 Invasion: Gog's Futile Assault Before or early in the Tribulation, a massive coalition attacks a seemingly secure Israel. Ezekiel 38:1-6, 8-9, 14-16 describes: "And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. ... After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. ... Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.”   Gog (a title, perhaps Russia's leader) leads Magog (Russia), Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer (Turkey), and Togarmah. They invade for spoil, when Israel dwells "safely"—perhaps post-peace deal. God allows it to reveal His holiness (Ezekiel 38:16, 23).  But He intervenes supernaturally in Ezekiel 38:18-23; 39:1-6: "And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. ... Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”   Birds and beasts feast on the dead (Ezekiel 39:17-20), and it takes seven months to bury them (39:12).  God uses this to turn Israel to Him (39:21-22, 29): "And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. ... Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”   The Antichrist's Treachery and Christ's Victorious Return The Antichrist emerges as a false peace-broker, confirming that seven-year covenant (Daniel 9:27). But midway, he betrays: halting sacrifices, setting up his image in the temple (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4): "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”   He persecutes Jews savagely (Daniel 7:25: "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High"), demanding worship (Revelation 13:15).   But Christ returns! In Revelation 19:19-21: "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”   He binds Satan (Revelation 20:1-3) and crushes Israel's foes at Armageddon (Zechariah 14:1-4, 9): "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. ... And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”   The Millennial Restoration: Blessing Beyond Eden With enemies vanquished, Christ establishes His 1,000-year kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6). Israel, at last, fulfills her calling as head of nations (Isaiah 2:2-3). Zechariah 8:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 paints the joy: "Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. ... Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. ... For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.”   The desert blooms (Isaiah 35:1-2: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing").    En-Gedi's shores overflow with fish (Ezekiel 47:8-10): "Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.”   Israel becomes the world's economic powerhouse, exporting blessings (Zechariah 8:13). Nations stream to Jerusalem for instruction (Micah 4:1-2). The wolf dwells with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6-9), pre-Edenic harmony restored.   Beyond the Millennium, after final rebellion and judgment (Revelation 20:7-15), God creates new heavens and earth (Revelation 21:1-4; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). No more curse—eternal joy, with redeemed Israel and Church worshiping the Lamb forever.   Beloved, Israel's story is God's story: rebellion met with grace. Though they defied Him, He pursues with everlasting love. As Luke 21 urges, when signs unfold, "look up"—redemption draws near. May we, like Paul, pray for Israel's salvation, standing firm on God's unbreakable Word. Amen.

Malachi Tresler. Deuteronomy 6:4. "The Father is the source of all things—life begins with Him, and our worship belongs to Him."

Send us a textEver wondered how Christians can confess one God while worshiping the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? We take a slow, careful walk through Scripture to show why the Bible leads us to a triune confession without turning God into parts or faces of a single person. With a pastor's tone and a student's humility, we map the clear boundaries: three divine persons, one indivisible essence, acting inseparably in creation, providence, and redemption.We start by defining the Godhead and why equality of eternity and deity must be held for Father, Son, and Spirit. From there, we trace the distinct roles in salvation—election by the Father, redemption by the Son, regeneration by the Holy Spirit—showing how unity and distinction live together in the same gospel. Along the way, we address common pitfalls like modalism and the “Jesus only” movement, explaining why the Bible's personal language for the Spirit and the Son rules out a single-person God who changes forms.To anchor the conversation, we open key texts: Elohim in Genesis 1, “Let us make man,” the confusion at Babel, and the Shema in Deuteronomy 6, read carefully to show how God's oneness does not erase the hints of plurality. We also talk about why terms like Trinity or triune can be useful even if they aren't in the Bible, just as believers use words like “millennium” or “rapture” as shorthand for clear biblical ideas. Because no analogy can capture the uncreated God, we end by commending a posture of faith, repentance, and humility—receiving what God has revealed and refusing to force what he has not.If this helped you see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with fresh clarity, follow the show, share this episode with a friend who's wrestling with the Trinity, and leave a review telling us which passage most changed your perspective.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

      I. Introduction       A. Discipleship in the Reformed tradition, specifically the Westminster tradition       B. Context of Reformation Day celebrations and the five solas:           1. Sola Dea Gloria (glory to God alone)           2. Solo Christo (through Christ alone)           3. Sola Gratia (by grace alone)           4. Sola Fide (through faith alone)           5. Sola Scriptura (scripture alone)   II. The Reformation Was More Than Five Points       A. The Reformers did not reduce Christianity to a handful of slogans       B. They wrote extensive confessions and catechisms addressing doctrine, piety, worship, and government       C. All four areas matter for sustainable Christianity  III. Making Confessions and Catechisms Is Biblical       A. Scriptural precedents: Deuteronomy 6, Psalm 78, 2 Timothy 1:13-14       B. The biblical pattern of passing down sound teaching to the next generation   IV. Honesty in Theology       A. Confessions provide transparency about what a church believes       B. Allow people to know what they are agreeing to when joining a church       C. Prevent bait-and-switch tactics  V. Unity Through Shared Confession       A. Common theological foundation strengthens the church       B. Helps avoid being tossed about by every wind of doctrine VI. Substantial Doctrine for Turbulent Times       A. Need more than doctrinal minimalism to weather life's storms       B. Comprehensive understanding of God, humanity, sin, and salvation provides ballast       C. Time to experiment with "theological maximalism" VII. Doctrine Leads to Doxology       A. Deeper knowledge produces richer praise       B. Understanding justification, adoption, sanctification enriches worship       C. Knowledge pursued rightly leads to godliness, not pride VIII. Conclusion       A. Exhortation to dig into God's word using the tools of confessions and catechisms       B. These tools help Christians grow, promote unity, teach truth, and provide doctrine for deeper praise       C. Thanking God for salvation in Christ and asking for increased faith and usefulness  

Deuteronomy 9-10: The Gospel According to Deuteronomy Deut 9:1, 4-8, 22-26; 10:1-4, 12-22 Pastor Thomas Hwang

Step into a moment of calm reflection as we explore Deuteronomy 28:2–8 — a powerful promise of divine blessings that follow obedience. In this short devotional from Morning Hour of Prayer, you'll be reminded that when you listen for God's voice, His favor overtakes you in every area of life — in the city, in the field, in your home, and in your work.A timeless message of hope, provision, and spiritual abundance.Looking for a better way to relax? Discover the Good Feels Pineapple Mango Cannabis Seltzer — a crisp, all-natural THC-infused drink that brings calm, clarity, and good vibes without the hangover. It's the perfect balance of tropical flavor and smooth refreshment, crafted to help you unwind and feel uplifted any time of day.

To be continued in part 23, By FinalStand for Literotica. Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 23 Zane Spars with the minds of the Faculty In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels. "You are quite the James T. Kirk in this Undiscovered Country of Freedom Fellowship University," Doctor Scarlett eventually spoke up. I didn't know who that was but I had a feeling it wasn't a modern Christian author. "Who?" I asked. Doctor Scarlett blinked. "James T. Kirk, Captain of the Starship Enterprise, from Star Trek," she seemed confused that I didn't know who this guy was. "Wait, you mean that bald guy? I thought he was named something else," I wondered. "That's Jean Luc Picard, who was the captain in the second series called Star Trek: The Next Generation," she corrected me. It was somewhat amazing to me that the Vice Chancellor was a science fiction buff. Who knew? "Oh, wait, you mean that guy that Chris Pine plays?" I thought I figured it out. "Thank you; he is kind of hot." "No," she corrected, "that is the new series of movies, but it is the same character." I nodded as the pieces slowly came together. "Ah, the Green Orion Slave Girl," I finally clued in, "and that black babe who later showed up on Heroes." Sensing Doctor Scarlett's exasperation I added, "I remember ladies better than I do men." "Obviously," she noted. "I did not call you to my office to discuss trivia, Mr. Braxton, " "Please, call me Zane," I interrupted then, "and I apologize for interrupting. May I call you Victoria?" "Doctor Scarlett will do," she shook her head. "As I was saying, I asked you here to discuss your integration into this school so that we can avoid some of the problems experienced in the past." I looked at her; she looked back, expecting me to say something, but I didn't. "As the sole eligible male on campus, what do you see as your role here?" she pressed on. "Uhmm, Doctor Scarlett, I am a student here, that is my role. Are you implying that I'm looking for something special because I am a guy?" I questioned. "Mr. Braxton, Zane, you are a guy, you have remodeled your personal quarters into a bordello, and there is evidence of you having sexual relations with multiple female students," she responded. "How is that not 'something special'?" "The administration stuck me in the attic, then told me I could set up my room any way I saw fit," I clarified. "The vast majority of my room is set aside for my fellow freshmen to have a place to unwind and relax." "I've never violated any girl's Purity Pledge, though a few have reconsidered it after meeting me," I admitted. "I've been in a few fights, I'm not proud of that. I did as much as I could do to resist Chancellor Bazz, I am proud of that. What she was doing was ten shades of wrong and I don't run away from a righteous fight." "Zane, I am not condemning you for defending the women in your life, nor for having a healthy libido," Doctor Scarlett stunned me with a lack of blame being tossed my way. I worked that over in my mind until I figured out what was going on. "So, do you have any recommendations on what I could do differently to fit in?" I inquired. The problem was, this wasn't about me fitting in. She wasn't lauding my sexuality and she was trying to throw me off-center by the little annoying phone call game, followed by this sympathetic interpretation of my school life to date. I knew she wanted to manipulate me but I didn't know why. I had to get her to tip me her hand so I could figure out what the game was. "Are you familiar with the concept of Christian Female Tribalism?" Scarlett opened. "I get the feeling it has something to do with the six framed articles from non-Christian magazines hanging on your wall," I noted. "Also, you are clearly the darling of the Christian media," I added, as I tallied up the dozen other articles attesting to her fame. "I haven't dedicated my life's work for the sake of popularity," Doctor Scarlett smiled (sure, right). "I am looking into the relationship between Jesus Christ's teachings, men and women. My research has led me to believe that women exist in a more spiritually pure form when solely in the company of other women." "Where do men fit into this picture?" I questioned. "Men provide the ultimate guidance, of course, as well as their roles in procreation and raising male children past the age of eleven," Doctor Scarlett related. "Women are happiest and most effective when they form their own networks and hierarchies." "You don't date much, do you?" I had to ask. "Mr. Braxton, I have lived a chaste life in pursuit of my studies," she answered. "Outside of your father, Victoria, have you ever lived under a man's guidance?" I wondered. It was a calculated move to use her Christian name. "It is Ms. Scarlett, Zane, and I have relied on a variety of pastors for spiritual guidance over the years," she stated. "Okay," I stood up, "we have nothing to discuss then." She didn't yell at me as I headed for the door. "You've never been in love and I can tell you have a poor estimation of romance." "You would be incorrect, Zane; I have been in love but I chose purity over sinfulness," she countered. "My faith is based on God being love, without reservation, restriction, or guilt. I know exactly where you are coming from," I said with my hand on the doorknob as I looked over my shoulder. "You are seeking validation for the mistakes you've made over your lifespan and you are willing to sacrifice the young ladies at the school." I was getting angry. "I was hoping for something better but it seems like a different conductor but the same old music, Doc." "That is not so," Doctor Scarlett stayed calm. "I am not attempting to drive you or any other student off campus. I am not your enemy." "That is simple enough to resolve," I nodded. "What is your perfect women's society view and response to promiscuity?" "Lust is a sin; women should resist sin as vigorously as men," she countered. "The seven deadly sins are Catholic, not the words of Jesus," I grinned. "In fact, the first list wasn't even created until the 4th century after Christ." "That does not make them any less valid," Doctor Scarlett offered. "What is the cut-off date for Bible legitimacy?" I turned and faced her. "1000 Ace? Today, here, and now? Who is to say I can't create new scripture, then?" "I apologize, Zane," she mused, "but you hardly seem to be someone touched by the hand of God with a gift of prophecy." "Do I have to lay on hands to prove it?" I beamed. I had finally been able to interject sexual innuendo into the conversation. She didn't respond like a damn normal person, no. Doctor Scarlett stood up, walked around her desk and came to a stop barely a foot from me. I am not so easily deterred. I leaned into the doctor until my nose was at the crux of her neck and shoulder. I used my cheek to push her hair aside and sniff my way up to her ear. She was really ironclad in her control of her passions. I trailed my nose up to her eyebrow ridge, circled over the forehead, down past the other eye, and over to her lips. We didn't kiss but I did get what I wanted. "How about I call you Victoria when we are alone?" I tested her. "No; call me Ms./Dr./Vice-Chancellor Scarlett," she corrected. "You are my student." "Cool," I shrugged. "Is there anything more for us to discuss?" "I would like to discuss my plans for this school and the role I think you can take on," Scarlett persisted. "We've had that discussion, I chose a messy democracy over any sweet-smelling dictatorial existence," I declared. "Your belief system stands for the denial of self-determination." "It does not, Zane. If anything, it gives women more power over their lives," she explained. "But the basis for your system retains men in charge, with the added 'benefit' of women being more removed from the critical decision-making processes," I replied patiently. "Don't you enjoy being in charge of so many women here at FFU, Zane? You have certainly convinced dozens of women to do what you want, even to their own detriment," Doctor Scarlett drove her point home. I laughed; I couldn't help myself. "I might enjoy being in charge if any of the women would give me the opportunity, Victoria. Honestly, I allow the women here to safely experiment with their sexually," I explained. "Thing is, I really don't mind because I help these ladies become more comfortable in their skins, with their desires, and allow them to share things they have discovered about themselves. If I was with only one woman, what peer could she talk to? You've put your blinders on to the fact that women want to examine those urges they all have," I proposed. "They don't surrender to lust; they acknowledge it, explore those frontiers, and then decide how to use that knowledge," I continued. "Most of the women in my life here don't lose their virginity. I think by challenging their Purity Pledge, they become stronger in their convictions. I'm not taking any choice from them; they are exercising their own will concerning their bodies." "If you deny the male role in the Christian relationship, doesn't that emasculate you?" Victoria asked, and I noticed she didn't chastise me for using her first name this time. "I'm not going to fall into the trap of mistaking sexual activity for true masculine activity," I headed her off. "I would like to think I mediate disputes, help with our studies, and protect them physically if needed. I don't like to fight, but I will fight to defend my ladies. So no, I don't feel less of a man because I listen to, occasionally obey, and always try to respect women." "I see your point, Zane, and I will give it some consideration," Doctor Scarlett lied to me. "Oh, wow, that condescension was unwarranted, Doc," I shook my head. "You would never accept that I could be the man who would alter your lifelong path. You have an unrealistic expectation of what that man would be like but it allows you to pursue your goal without male guidance and still be a good Christian woman." "So now you think I am a hypocrite?" She gave a patient smile. "Nope. I think you believe the theory you are selling, Vic. You are clever, attractive, but somewhat annoyed that your looks give your ideas less credence though you still use your looks when needed. You are manipulative because you are sincere and you want to keep the argument based on rational discourse, not passion." "That would make you my opposite," she observed. "You embrace your gut instincts and allow your emotions to override what you think is the safe course of action. It is a pity you perceive me to be your enemy; I thought we could do great things together." "You are the enemy, but you are not the bad guy; I respect those who have faith, even if it is faith in something I don't agree with," I pointed out. "You believe women are better off without male interference in their lives. I believe there is nothing better in Creation than a man and woman in harmony with one another," I stated. "Don't you believe in safeguarding these young ladies' souls?" Victoria pressed on. "If the ladies were children I could understand your interference," I countered, "but they are adults, capable of making adult decisions, and you do them a disservice by stealing their destinies from them." "You see yourself as a better alternative?" she remained serenely calm, that's so hot. "Lady, my life is a mess," I grinned. "I have a hard time figuring out what I'm going to do much less what I should tell someone else to do." "But you are making the decision that my solution is the wrong one. How do you justify that?" she countered my grin with a smile of her own. "Just because I don't have the right answer doesn't mean I don't recognize the wrong one when I see it," I reposted. "As I said earlier, we have nothing to discuss." "Very well," she allowed, "but please tell me what the whole sniffing thing was about." "It was more than sniffing, Doctor Scarlett. I was looking for your pulse reaction, sweat, what kind of perfume and body soap you use, as well as facial tics and eye dilation." "That is certainly odd," she pointed out. "Well, it tells me you are a mid-thirties virgin who likes feminine things. Your skirt is finely woven wool, your shirt is silk, and your cross is 24 K, as is the necklace, with a real ruby inset. Your bra is a black half-cup, which is very nice if you are wearing a white shirt. Lastly, you are wearing stockings, not pantyhose." "Since neither you nor Ms. Reveal is a lesbian, you are wearing these clothes for your own enjoyment because you are not interested in any man right now," I told her. "You are still holding out for your Mystery Man which is oddly romantic for someone who denies romance." "Ms. Buchanan was right," Scarlett laughed softly. "You would be interesting to deal with." Right as I made ready to ask her what exactly Christina said, my stomach began rumbling. "I'm off to lunch unless you need me for anything right now," I sighed. Victoria turned me around and directed me out the door. Rio, Mercy and Vivian were waiting for me. It rapidly became clear that Rio was Doctor Scarlett's next appointment. "Ms. Reveal," I inquired of Doctor Scarlett's assistant who glared in response. "I'm heading off to the dining hall, and since I doubt you've been able to grab a bite to eat, do you want me to pick up something for you and the doctor?" I doubted that was what she expected. She typed away at her keyboard for a few second, checking out today's menu. "Mr. Braxton, could you get me the Caesar Salad and Doctor Scarlett the trout?" she said. "Zane," Rio snickered softly, "how far did you get? I'd hate to have to sex her up all over again when I can go straight for the main dish." "Smooth, Bro," I groaned while Marisol looked like she was going to staple Rio's ear to the desk. "The Doctor and I talked and that is all," I cautioned Rio. "I suggest you do the same and keep it simple." Rio snorted and followed Doctor Scarlett into her office. Before she dropped out of sight, Rio half-turned, pointed at Victoria's ass, and mouthed 'Wow' and made out the hourglass curves. She was really subtle; only Mercy, Vivian, Marisol and I saw it, which meant all of us. "Mercy, are you going to be okay?" I inquired once the door shut and Mercy had sat down on the bench outside the office. "I need to stay for Rio," Mercy sighed. "Vivian, can you wait for Rio while Mercy and I take a walk?" I asked my guardian. "Absolutely, Zane," Vivian nodded. She took a seat while Mercy followed me wordlessly out the door. "You don't have to do this, Zane," Mercy spoke up after a while. "Own up to all you do, Mercy," I replied, "and by that, I mean I brought you and Rio into a collision course so I am as responsible for your happiness as I am for Rio's." "I, umm, thank you," Mercy worked out the words. "Rio can be too much to handle at times." "Yes," I wrapped a very inappropriate arm around her shoulder, "she can be, but I feel she's worth putting up with the bull crap. Don't be discouraged by her fooling around with other women, or men; Rio is far more loyal than people give her credit for. She may do things to piss you off, that's a given, but she wants to be with you. In fact, who do you believe she was thinking of when she bought that ass plug?" "You?" she meekly mocked me. "Ha, ha, ha," I chuckled. "That is the reason I don't sleep on my stomach these days, Mercy. She plays rough. She loves rough too, so I feel it is an adequate trade-off. If you want to snuggle with someone else from time to time, you are welcome on my pillow any night." "Zane, do you think I'm a lesbian? What I am trying to say is, I think I may be a lesbian but I'm not sure," Mercy confided in me. "It doesn't matter what I think but in my experience, you are bi-sexual, not a dedicated lesbian. That could mean that you like relationships with girls but the occasional fling with a guy," I said. "You have had sex with me and I know you enjoyed it. You are not in an environment that allows many men so now that you are coming into your sexuality, you are confronted by women. Sexual orientation is one thing; sexual preference is another," I went on to say, "At Spring Break we should put your ideas to the test. Until then, don't worry too much about it." "Not being a virgin would be horrible enough," Mercy related. "If my parents thought I was homosexual, they would die, or kill me." "Mercy, do you think what you are doing is sinful?" I questioned. Mercy had to think about that for a while. We gathered up three trays and made our way back to the Vice Chancellor's office. "Yes, yes, I do, Zane," Mercy muttered. "I am afraid I'm going to Hell." "Mercy, you are not going to hell, at least not for what you've been doing the past few weeks," I comforted her. "Think about the good you've done for Rio." "I am still steeped in perversions," she moped. "Trust me on this; the battle between Heaven and Hell will not be decided by the playful use of a dildo, ass plug, or vibrator," I whispered into her ear. Mercy rewarded me with a wicked little smile. "What matters is the happiness you bring, the trust you earn, and the powerless you protect. Don't knock yourself out because you too are feeling pleasure." Mercy stopped walking which brought me up short. She worried her lower lip as she worked some things out in her head. "Do you think I'm really Rio's best hope at salvation?" she asked softly. "You more than anyone else," I responded. I could see a weight lifting off her shoulders. "Thank you, Zane," she smiled at me. We entered the Administration building and headed for the Vice-Chancellor's office. "I'm going to have to tell Rio about his conversation," I told her. Mercy looked uncertain. "Someone deserves a spanking, don't you think?" That wonderful little lusty smile crept onto her lips once more. More Monday Mornings   Doing the correct thing is good; doing right and confounding your enemies at the same time is golden. Blow & Arrow "You are getting better, Zane," Molly Travers told me after my rotation to the shooting line. "If you say so," I shrugged. "I've yet to hit the rings twice in a row." "But you are hitting the target every time," she pointed out. "Great," I chuckled, "if I ever get attacked by a rhino or a barn door, I'll do fine." "If it is a big barn door, a really big barn door," she snickered in sympathy. "So, uhmm, what do you think your chances against Hope are?" "Huh," I looked to her, "are you betting on me and Hope's sparring match?" "It's not really a bet, more like a wager," Molly grinned. "Betting and wagering is the same thing, Molly," I pointed out. "Okay, fine, we are betting on the outcome," Molly admitted. "So what do you think the odds of you winning are?" "Barring the intervention of large fighting robots, I'd bet on the cute Asian chick to win," I joked. "Arrows," Chastity called out. It was my job to retrieve all the expended arrows from the field, being the junior member of the team. After that we did one more round, then we cleaned up and made our way to either study period or our next club. Chastity held me back so that we could go to Karate class together. "Don't be too hard on Hope," Chastity abruptly told me. "I'm not all that sure I can beat her, Chastity," I confided. "Oh, there is no chance of that," Chastity assured me. "She's going to destroy you. I only want to make sure you are a good sport about it because she really likes you and she's worried you might take this beating the wrong way." I stopped and stared at her somewhat incredulously. "Oh, come on," I grumbled. "I have some sort of chance. She's not that good." "If thinking that makes you feel better," she patted me on the back. "Well, if you believe I can't win, you will be willing to make a wager on the outcome then," I challenged Chastity. "What would it be?" Chastity mused. "You in a little, itty-bitty French Maid's outfit for twelve hours of my choosing," I said. "What do I get if Hope wins?" Chastity countered. "What would you want?" I grinned. "Any one favor to be decided on later," was what she came back with. "Oh, please, my favor is relatively precise while you want the world," I pointed out. "Okay, I want one 'forgiveness' in advance," Chastity offered. I groaned. "You just have to keep busting my chops, don't you?" I sighed. "Fine, I'll make the bet." For a private sparring match, Hope and I drew a great deal of attention. Christina, Heaven, Chastity, and Faith were expected, as was Coach Gorman. I had kind of hoped Cappadocia would hang around so we could hook up when the fight was over. Everyone else was rather distracting. Both Hope and I went shirtless, me bare-chested and she with a black sports bra, as well as barefoot. We set up four meters apart with Hope doing something that mimicked warm-up exercises. It took a second of eye contact for the fight to begin. I kicked out viciously; she collapsed beneath the blow and swept my legs. My back slapped the mats and before I could move or mount much of a defense, Hope was all over me. It was arm bar and she had my head in a scissor lock and that was that. I tapped out before she could render me unconscious. No one said anything as I regained my feet. I was careful not to make eye contact until I'd backed up a bit. I had no clue to what kind of Monkey Kung-fu she had just worked on me but I knew that what little Thai Kickboxing I had wasn't cutting it, but I knew even less Karate and even less of what Gorman and Black had shown me. It boiled down to making use of what I did know to the best effect. This time I danced to the left using a little trick Gabrielle Black had taught me (with some pain added). At first Hope mirrored my movements so when I lashed out with my first kick it caught her off-guard since I'd also been slowly closing the distance between us. She tried to snake within my reach but I kept shifting and kicking to hold her at bay. When she finally did get inside, I hit her with every fist/arm/elbow strike I knew. I knocked her back, pursued her, and for a moment it looked like I had a chance. Hope kept maneuvering with the grace of a gymnast so I couldn't pin her to the mat. Once she got to her feet I sensed I was rapidly running out of options. I certainly didn't expect a chop to my temple and that was pretty much all she wrote. She jumped up, put her knee into my diaphragm and rode me to the ground. I managed to block twice against her strikes as she straddled my stomach. I almost knocked her aside, we wrestled, and that was the totally wrong thing to do. I knew crap about wrestling. My tapping out was a foregone conclusion once she got me on my stomach. For a second I lay there marveling how quickly I'd gone down, twice. I noticed that Hope was still standing astride my body so I rolled over in place and looked up. For a second she had this look that reminded me of staring into the pitiless depths of the ocean. "My head hurts," I emphasized with a deep breath. That set off a flash of light in her eyes. "The important one or the one on top of your neck?" she smiled from above. Hope crossed her arms and helped me stand. "Are we okay?" she suddenly seemed worried. "Oh, hell, no," I gasped. "I've got to learn me some of those moves. You were freaking awesome." That outburst gained me a snort of amusement on her part. "I am not a master so I would have to consult my master before taking on a student," Hope informed me. "Your Father?" I was curious. "No; my Father had to get permission to teach my sisters and me. My Master is back in Korea," she answered. Hope and I parted ways and various friends now felt free to join the party. "Damn, Bro, she kicked your ass. I'm ashamed to call you family," Rio mocked me. "Rio, now you know how he feels about you every day," Valarie shot back. "I think he did pretty good, all things considered," Coach Dana Gorman stated. "I don't believe Zane's ever fought against a 'soft' or passive style." "Fifteen or twenty more years and I would have had her," I chuckled. "You are right, Coach; I've never seen her precise style. I've tried some of the exercises monks use but those were primitive compared to what Hope showed me today. Now I think I'm going to take a shower." "Everyone will clear out now," Coach ordered as I made my way to the showers. ZETAS "Honestly, Zane," Sahara lectured me deliciously, "did you have to flush my phone down the toilet?" "Technically, I only dropped it in," I corrected. "I didn't hit the handle. Besides, you know your husband would only annoy us with his incessant phone calls." "I still feel a little guilty," Sahara sighed. "He knew when I would be over and where we would be going if he wasn't going to be kind enough to be there," I pointed out. "The only reason to call you would be to ruin the moment he could have pre-empted by showing a little consideration for your feelings." "That is not fair," Sahara countered. "My husband is a community leader with many responsibilities." "So would you be if people would wake up and see you as I do," I answered. "Zane, I don't want any misconceptions about me," Sahara stared at me intently. "I am loyal to my marital vows." "I don't doubt that for a second," I agreed. "Betrayal leaves its own scars and I don't see any on you." Sahara didn't immediately react to that, instead taking a long sip of her tea. "Certainly you have heard the rumors by now?" she said softly. "Yes, and I believe them," I responded gravely. I let that hang there for thirty seconds. "Aliens did land in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, and they interred the bodies at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base before finally moving them to Area 51." Sahara didn't know what to make of that for a second but slowly began to smirk. "What? Was there another rumor that I should be giving a damn about?" I concluded. "Some people compromise for the easy way out, some people remain mostly steadfast and take the hard road, but you are the only man I know who gladly skips through a minefield because even the hard road is too much of a compromise for you," she commented. "I can only be me," I replied. "I couldn't be you; I doubt the clothes would fit." "Oh, you are such a strange individual," she tilted her head. Before she could explain our food arrived and she felt it prudent to wait until there were fewer prying ears. "Do you think it is appropriate for me to, ask about Ms. Vickers?" "No," I responded patiently. "If you ever feel like it is your business, she's in church every Sunday and she's nice, if a bit nervous considering the current circumstances." "It is only that I hear things about you when my husband talks to other people and, much of it doesn't make sense," she added. "For instance, I believe I'm the only one who sees it but I'm sure you are having an affair with Rochelle Wellington." "I'm neither confirming nor denying anything but how does that make you feel?" I countered. "Infidelity is a crime," she answered after a few seconds, "but Mayor Wellington is a horrible, horrible man." And this was coming from the woman married to that bastard, Pastor Bill. "I confess that I find the whole thing very amusing, to the point where I pray to Christ for forgiveness virtually every night. That includes using me as a distraction for Kendra's nosey little self." "That was not my intent if that's any consolation," I sighed. "I simply thought we had a lot in common." "Such as?" she smiled. "Well, before we moved here, we had no idea where Lancaster, Virginia was," I started. "We both know that waving a Bible around doesn't make someone holy; a custom may be fine for you but it isn't for everyone and we know what it is to be judged by people who have never gotten to know us," I completed. "I also wanted you to know that I know about Bill and we are not alone." "Know? What do 'we' know?" she asked confidently enough. "We know why he let them think you were the one who was unfaithful," I clarified somewhat. Sahara stared at me, her face torn by a plethora of warring emotions; loyalty, anger over being betrayed, and relief that she didn't bear this terrible burden alone anymore were all there. "Men handle such things differently than women," Sahara told me in a distant voice. "My father wanted boys." "I imagine your Father-in-Law wishes he had raised his boy to be a man too," I joked. "That's unfair," I corrected myself. "I have nothing against men of a different persuasion. It is bastards I have a problem with." "Please, Zane, he is still my husband," Sahara admonished me. "Well, he had better start treating you better or I may re-familiarize him with Deuteronomy 23:1 (ty-jw)," I responded. "Your loyalty to him should be met with respect. That is the deal we make when we get married." "What makes you think you know so much about marriage?" Sahara inquired after a bite, some savory chewing and a gulp. "I'm smarter than I look. Okay, that's not too difficult, but I'm usually smarter than people give me credit for." "Smart things like inviting Ms. Kennan to services yesterday?" she taunted me. "I actually didn't invite her but don't tell anyone; I revel in people's opinion that I'm irreverent," I grinned. Sahara tried and failed to fight down her own smile in response. "I've actually invited Belle, Ms. Kennan, to live with me and Jill as well as giving her a job." "I, I don't know what to make of that," Sahara worried. "She's very pretty, I imagine." "Sahara, you need to become a better judge of people," I said. "I wouldn't trust Belle with my car keys or my favorite cuff links, but I'd trust her with Jill's life or my own." "Sometimes it helps to remember we are still listening to the words of a poor carpenter's son who suffered through exile," I pointed out, "who wouldn't do what the authorities told him to do, died because he was betrayed by a close friend, and went to the grave abandoned by all those who said they understood him; not most people's first choice for founder of the world's largest religion." "When you put it that way, it sounds depressing," Sahara agreed. "It also sounds exactly as it played out. It often does not occur to most believers that the flame of Christianity almost fluttered out before it ever really came to life." She looked for me to say something but all I did was grin. A few seconds later I saw that flicker of understanding come alive in her eyes. "Here you are, the star of multiple on-line sexual misadventures, sitting with the preacher's disreputable wife in the most romantic restaurant in town and we are discussing morality and religion," she chuckled. "No one will believe us despite this being the truth. I find your perverse and bizarre sense of humor very enchanting, Zane." "The important thing is that you are having a good time, Sahara," I explained. She laughed out loud, drawing attention to our little candlelit alcove of the eatery. I doubted she cared and I certainly didn't. We finished our meal, I paid, and we headed straight back to her place. The game was, we left zero time for any possible hanky-panky to take place. We wanted the people who were going to accuse us of impropriety to make real asses of themselves when we revealed our timeline established by my filling up of gas right before picking her up, our valet ticket at the restaurant, and finally, our credit card receipt for the restaurant itself. I had outlined my plan to Sahara and she heartily approved. Unlike the time her husband had screwed her over, she could fight this scandal. I pulled into the Penny's driveway and I rushed around to get her door for her (thank you, Heaven, for that bit of etiquette). We walked through the front door only to see Pastor Bill a few steps away from the door. "Where have you been?" he growled. Sahara dutifully lowered her head. "We were at Zetas," I stated calmly, "right where I told you we would be." Bill ground his teeth and glared at Sahara. "What have you been doing?" he snapped. "Nothing," I now grinned. "I accidentally left the lube and the box of condoms on your kitchen counter." Pastor Bill was rendered speechless. "I was the one who dropped her phone into the toilet; don't blame Sahara," I told him. "Sahara, this was fun. I don't often get to have an adult conversation about the basis of Christianity. I do appreciate your insights. I gotta go now. You two have a good evening and I guess I'll see you on Wednesday night, Sahara. Bill, I'll see you on Sunday." "I doubt you will be seeing my wife again," Bill finally ground out. "Sahara, please give me and your husband a moment alone?" I asked her. "Of course, Zane, and thank you again for an intellectually stimulating night," was her own way at rebelling. I could tell ol' Bill didn't appreciate her pleasant tone to me one bit. When she had moved out of sight I leaned into my so-called religious leader. "Bill," I whispered to him, "between you, me and God, if something happens to Sahara, I'm giving you one year and a day, then they'll never find your body. You know the kind of low-lifes I hang out with. I'm not bluffing. The only other injustice will be that you won't suffer nearly enough. Am I absolutely fucking clear?" "I'm not afraid of you, you sleazy scumbag punk," he hissed. "Whatever, Bill, but you might want to know that the circuit board for your home security system is manufactured by a company I own," I lied. I had no idea if there was a circuit board for his system or who the hell manufactured it, but I was pretty sure he didn't know either. Bill and I were at an impasse. He was a bully and a liar who was used to manipulating people using both other people's faith and sins to get what he wanted. My advantage was that I was well known to be willing to inflict pain to get what I wanted (I just wanted to protect my ladies) and he was averse to actual physical confrontation. Belle brought a whole new definition to the conflict at First Anointed Free-willed Fellowship of Christ Church. There were a growing number of people willing to resist the order Bill had crafted for his own power. Now people defied him and the normal techniques of censor had little effect. His best hope was that Zane Braxton would get hung in another bizarre encounter and remove himself from the equation without Bill's interference. That was his hope, anyway. ON The CRUX OF CHANGE "Hey, Briana," I told my buddy from Colorado State. I was standing outside the door that led to my floor once more. "Hey, Future Slave to my Desires," she giggled back. She was a whole lot more playful than the last time we'd talked. "Gak!" I played with her. "I'm pleased to find you in higher spirits tonight. I hope that means you are doing better?" "Actually, I had a freaky weekend," she sighed. "I met my boyfriend's other girlfriend, it was a totally psycho-girlfriend moment too. She came at me when I was training with some sisters for a 5K run. She appeared in the parking lot and started screaming at me. It was scary. I had three sisters and she brought two wacked-out friends. A pair of off-duty firemen broke it up; sadly, one is married and the other is gay." "Briana, I have a confession: I'm a gay man in denial and I'm tired of hiding the real me," I stated sincerely. Briana's laughter rocketed through the connection, followed by some off-screen conversation, then the phone being handed around. "If you want that lie to be believable, tell us you are secretly a lesbian," Jarunee snickered at me in her native Thai tongue. "Give me a second and I'll come up with something more believable," I chuckled back in the same lingo. "How have you been?" "Pretty good; better than you since that little Korean girl wiped your ass all over the mats," she responded in English. "Okay, she's not so little, and I have it on good authority she was a champion on the Tijuana Midget Fighting Circuit while still in preschool," I covered my ass, then a fear began clawing its way inside me. "Is there any suggestion that she and I may have gone to bed together?" "Of course; this morning's upload," Jarunee informed me. "Oh, in that case, please tell the rest of the Kappa Sigmas that I won't be doing Spring Break after all," I groaned. "What, why?" Jarunee gulped, wondering what she'd done wrong. "Her dad is going to kill me," I related jokingly. "I won't make it to the end of this semester, much less to March. It was a nice dream, though." "Are you serious?" Jarunee worried. "Apparently Hope's, that's Hope Song who kicked my ass, father is some sort of a South Korean superman who eats two-bit punks like me for breakfast," I shrugged. "It can't be, and the phone was taken away. "Oh, my God! Was that one of Yeong Song's daughters you banged that can now be seen all over the internet?" a different girl babbled. "You really are a dead man." "Ooo-kayyy, who are you, by the way? I'm Zane," I started off. "Sorry. I'm Chrissy and my father is in the Navy and he does, stuff. I don't know how bad that man is but I've seen SEALs scramble to get out of that man's way faster than they would for any admiral." "What? That's absurd," I joked. "No one is that much of a bad-ass." Except for Gabrielle Black, I am so going to die at this man's hands, aren't I? "All I know is that the Navy decided it was safer to put him up at our house as opposed to a motel. Mom got upset because apparently the North Korean government put a huge bounty on his head since he killed so many of their Special Forces guys, no lie." I said nothing for the longest time. "Maybe he'll think I'm good son-in-law material," I tried to sound upbeat. "Yes," Chrissy tried to sound positive as well. I, of course, was desperately trying to remember how many times I had made Hope suck my cock, and our discussion of anal sex wasn't worth mentioning. Curling up into a fetal ball wouldn't do anyone any good either. "Very well, Chrissy. Can I talk to Briana one more time?" I asked. "Of course, Zane, and don't worry; the whole Kappa Sigma Sorority will start working on this problem. We will figure out something," she assured me. "Hey, guy," Briana sounded apprehensive, "are you going to be okay?" "Babe, it is just another day ending in 'y'. I've got this," I said confidently. "Good night, now." Briana said her good-byes and I took a moment to get my thoughts together before heading upstairs. It turned out I had over seventy ladies in my place, none more surprising than Coach Dana Gorman. She was paired with Valarie against Millicent and Raven in what looked like a close match up on the pool table. Another totally bizarre image was Vivian and Rio laying stomach first on the floor near one of the TV's, calves kicking in the air with Vivian helping Rio with something oddly akin to schoolwork. Mercy, Opal, Brandi, and Brigit were gathered around the closest table having formed some sort of study group as well. Magically enough, in the twilight of my life (no, I am not over-reacting!) it is good to see one of my plans actually work in almost the way I had intended. No one had noticed me arrive so I turned to go to the drink bar, and walked right into Paige. "Hi!" she squealed in excited delight. Her tight little albino body vibrated with orgasmic energy. "Hey, Babe," I kissed her on the lips lightly. She kept her hands tightly clasped behind her back. "You don't smell like sex," she grinned. "I went out to eat with the preacher's wife, Paige," I groaned. "Not every date is an inevitable sexual hook-up. We had a nice meal and talked about our church, morality, and religion, honest to God." "I believe you," Paige wouldn't stop grinning. "Cordelia is in your room, waiting for you, and thank you, thank you, thank you." Paige was undoubtedly ecstatic over the red marker on Cordelia's face that read 'Paige is smarter'. To see that was one of Paige's deepest desires. Cordelia was working away on her tablet as I slipped into my room. She was fully on my sleeping stage, lying on her back and tablet held up over her head as she worked on it. "Hello, Zane," Cordelia said. "I like your place; it is very you." "Cordelia," I managed to say back in a civil tongue. "Did you know who Yeong Song is?" "Of course I do," Cordelia answered without looking away from her work. I didn't say too much because I had little polite to say to the girl at the moment. After a minute she finished up working on her computer, put it down, propped herself up on her elbows, and smiled my way. Her pigtails swayed as she looked me over. "You are upset," she noted. "Why are you here?" I inquired curtly. "Oh, now we are in the 'you are angry with me but doing an admirable job controlling your violent impulses and going to reduce your interactions with me yet not going to let me alter your lifestyle in any way' phase," Cordelia sighed. "I am not fighting the fact that you are the smartest person on campus, maybe the smartest person I've ever met, but I think we are done playing around. When I drive out of these gates for the last time four years from now, I'm going to forget you and go on with my life," I told her. Cordelia smirked, then laughed. "Zane, I made you, you are my creation," she giggled. I was about to get pissed, then I got another boot to the head. "I was drawn to your family's tragic death years ago, saw your return to the United States as an excellent opportunity for us both, created several identities, talked to your aunt on-line about FFU, altered the admissions software so your application would be accepted, and made sure your medical records weren't examined until you were on campus." "You put me and Rio together," I pieced together; Cordelia nodded. "Iona?" "Ah, she's loyal to you, but it was easy enough to put her in your class. She is the type of girl who runs across traffic to save a turtle crossing the road," Cordelia smiled. "I knew she'd rally to your side, just like I knew that would be enough to keep you here until other events unfolded," she seemed terribly pleased. "Now the sorority and Christina are all you as well as the run-ins with the law, but you are my weapon to use on this campus, Zane. I could never beat Chancellor Bazz without creating a scandal that would break the school apart," she informed me. "Your rebellion was a possibility I explored but your ability to enlist Christina and the freshmen wasn't something I could facilitate; again, that was all your doing." "I have respected you and Heaven," Cordelia pointed out. "Because Christina and I would kill you," I countered. "No; I kept her secret because I am not needlessly cruel," she said. I almost believed it. "Wrong, Cordelia; you didn't betray Heaven because Christina and I would leave FFU," I stated. "Your game would fall apart; not because either one of us is special but because you don't like playing with dumb people, there is no challenge to it." Cordelia's smile only got wider. "You don't disappoint," she remarked, without a hint of shame or guilt. "Am I forgiven?" It occurred to me that no matter how absurd on the surface, Cordelia wanted someone to know and, in a way, understand her genius. "I think we may be past that," I murmured. "How about this; the Time Lord Mafia needs, I need your help," she confessed, but I was wary. "When Ms. Black came here I was suspicious that her record was too clean," Cordelia related, "so when you gave me that warning, I began digging very carefully. Well, this morning something happened." "Oh, crap," I muttered. "How bad and how likely is it that you will be tracked back to here?" "I set up a blind station in Lima, Peru," she said matter-of-factly, "all paid for in cash by people who don't know the real me. I had surveillance on the place as standard practice. Late last night, Lima time, three armed men broke into the small room and tore the place up." "Who were they?" I was now more intrigued. "They spoke perfect Spanish so I had no clue until one of them screwed up and a cheap shelf fell on him. He cursed in Hebrew." Cordelia exhibited real shock. "They were Mossad. I check up on some other stuff and I really think they are Israeli intelligence." What in the hell was Mossad doing hunting Gabrielle? What the hell was the only guy in an all-girls university doing getting involved with all this? Fuck it all, I'm a horny eighteen-year-old boy with more girlfriends than any two sane men would want. Wasn't talking to yourself one of the signs of mental instability? I was saved by the phone, sort of. "Zane, this is Doctor Scarlett," the Vice Chancellor said, "I am at your door and I need to come up and talk to you for a bit." "Of course, Doctor Scarlett," I responded as I caught Cordelia's eye. I hung up and the two of us headed into the main area. As soon as we exited the screens, Cordelia went toward the closest group of students to warn them and I travelled down the stairs. "Hey, Doctor," I greeted my latest guest. I screened the keypad from her view, asked the system for a new password, and read it off to her as it popped up. Doctor Scarlett reentered the code and had it scan her thumbprint without comment. "Thank you, Zane," Victoria greeted me politely. "I would like to see your domicile as well, if that is convenient." "Sure thing," I told her. "We have about forty-five minutes before curfew so it's pretty occupied." "It is your room," she nodded. "I have every reason to believe you are responsible with its use." I wouldn't say that, but then in the past five minutes my life had gone to hell anyway, and I had to put up a good face until bedtime. "Ah, the pictures I've seen do not do the view justice, Mr. Braxton," Doctor Scarlett exhaled. "Relax, take a walk around, and/or help yourself to some food, Doc," I offered. "After nine o'clock you may call me Victoria, Zane," she allowed in return. I was a little stunned. No one seemed overjoyed that Victoria was here but they weren't stampeding toward the door either. "You provide a great deal of stability," she told me softly. "Your presence provides your guests with a sense of peace and safety." "Perhaps you missed Coach Gorman giving two of your students pool lessons right over there?" I suggested. "Dana is your guest too, though I doubt her mood is swayed one way or another by your sense of calm," she grinned, then was brought up short. "Zane, there are two women in, bikinis in your, " "It is a hot tub," I provided the identification, "and I also provide the swim suits for those who need them." Victoria stared at me for a few seconds and I could sense her ready to finally explode on me with some righteous rage toward my overtly sexual ways. "Why would you have women's swimsuits?" she asked patiently. "I have one-pieces as well," I responded. "What would be the point of installing a hot tub, showers, and a sauna if I don't also supply the girls with swimsuits and towels?" Those words put her back on an even keel. Still -- "Doc, I have women coming in my second-story bedroom window back home in the middle of the night for the purposes of sexual intercourse," I sighed. "I hardly need to give students here revealing clothing to feed any vicarious thrill. Do you want a suit to take a dip?" "Let me think about that," she replied quickly. "How long does it take you to obtain a girl a suit?" "I have a suit for you already; you are virtually Vivian's size. And I even have one in red if that is your preference," I said. "Do you really want me to be in a red bikini?" she wondered. It was a trick question. "It is a one-piece, and all I want is for you to be as happy as you can be without trampling on the aspirations of others," I answered. "So you feel responsible for all the girls at this school," she stated. It took me a moment to realize this was a statement, not a question. "Good night, Zane," Victoria smiled. "Good night, ladies," she called out to the room. A chorus of 'good night's' were returned. She disappeared down the stairs and I felt a deep desire to be alone. Peace and quiet sounded good, yeah, I know. "Bro?" Rio snuck up on me. She gave me a quick once-over, then tenderly wove her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. "I'm okay, Rio," I muttered. "Don't lie to me," she squeezed me tighter. "Trust me; I know that desperate, hopeless look well and I can see it creeping up behind your eyes. Zane, I don't know what's wrong and I'm not going to ask, but I want you to know that I'm here for you." I tilted my upper body back and met her gaze. "Who are you and what have you done to my Rio?" I grinned weakly. "Hey," she remained scarily compassionate, "you've soaked up my pain often enough. It is about time you let me carry some of yours." "What can I do?" Iona wiggled up to my side. A further miracle was delivered when Paige appeared within my field of vision at over five feet away. "Guys, do you think I can have the night to myself? I need to work out things in my head," I begged. "Consider it done," Rio and Iona stated together. Iona departed to spread the word. Rio departed as well, but doubled back to give me another hug. "Zane, don't leave me," she whispered into my chest. "Three seconds ago I was going to knock you out, roll you up in a blanket, and take you with me when I scaled the walls and ran home," I sighed. "To the bitter end," I gave Rio's and my own little motto. "To the bitter end," she mumbled back. After that, going to bed was surprisingly easy. "Zane," Gabrielle greeted me with a ghostly voice. I had called her and said we needed to talk. "Someone did some poking around on you," I told her, "and as a result, three Mossad agents broke into a false station they had in Peru. Is there anything we need to know about why Israeli Intelligence sent three armed men looking for you?" "Three," she mused. "The back-up squad was outside. Since you made no mention of a grenade, I assume they wanted me alive. What are the odds of them tracing the search back to Freedom Fellowship?" As she talked, she sat down on the bed next to me, next to my hip. "Since I have no clue as to what resources they can bring to bear, I would feel safe enough remaining here if they were after me," I answered. "What's your next move?" For a reason that went way beyond insane, I suddenly didn't want her to leave. "I wait. I do not have infinite exit plans or resources," she told me. "You are taking this awful well," I noted. "As opposed to wasting energy becoming pointlessly annoyed? You will keep me apprised of further developments," she commanded then rose to leave. "Gabrielle, do you know a guy named Yeong Song?" I blurted out. "I know of him but I've never met him," she stop

Saturday is review day on The Daily Promise. Every Saturday, we review the promises of the week so we can allow them to go deep into our hearts and lives. Here are the promises we covered this week. Deuteronomy 20:4 – God Goes With You to Fight for You Ephesians 6:13 – God Has Given You Spiritual Armor. John 10:27 – I Hear God's Voice and I Follow Him. Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord. Revelation 3:20 – Jesus is Knocking.

Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners Moses's charge to the Israelites to make sure that they loved Yahweh, kept his charge, HIS statutes, HIS judgements, and HIS commandments all their days.Scripture References: Deuteronomy 11:1; 2 Timothy 2:15; Deuteronomy 1:1-8; John 5:45-47; Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1; Romans 7:7; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 5:17; Matthew 22:36-40; John 14:23-24 Scripture translation used is the Legacy Standard Bible.  “Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.comFIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code.  I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain  Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you,  if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z  JOIN DR. JORI IN DEVOTIONAL JOURNALING IN 2025Check out this 9 min YouTube Video outlining her journaling strategy! Don't Forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/lqe9TO7RSz4 BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive    LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING?              CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds   Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com Support the show

What does it look like to raise girls who see marriage and family not as cultural constructs—but as part of God's unchanging design? In this powerful conversation, host and American Heritage Girls Executive Director Rachael Culpepper welcomes Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, a global movement advocating for children's rights to be raised by both their mother and father. Together, they explore why a Biblical understanding of family is not only foundational for our daughters' emotional and spiritual growth but essential for preserving truth in a world that's constantly rewriting the rules.  Katy's passion for God's design is contagious. With wisdom, courage, and years of advocacy experience, she unpacks how cultural trends have shifted family decisions away from the wellbeing of children—and how Christian parents can help restore that focus. Through Scripture and real-world insight, this episode encourages moms and dads to lead with conviction and grace, modeling for their girls what it means to live according to the Creator's beautiful blueprint for family.  Listeners will be challenged to see marriage and family not as outdated ideals, but as divine gifts designed to reflect the heart of God—where love, sacrifice, and identity all find their source. Whether your daughter is growing up in a culture of confusion or curiosity, this episode will help you equip her to discern truth, celebrate God's design, and walk confidently in faith.  Scripture References in This Episode:  Genesis 1:27–28 – God created man and woman in His image and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply.  Genesis 2:18–24 – The divine creation of marriage as a union between man and woman.  Deuteronomy 6:6–7 – Parents are called to teach God's commands diligently to their children.  Psalm 127:3–5 – "Children are a heritage from the Lord."  Ephesians 5:21–33 – God's design for marriage as a reflection of Christ's relationship with the Church.  Malachi 2:15 – God desires godly offspring through faithfulness in marriage.  For more from Katy Faust, visit thembeforeus.com.  Explore resources to raise girls rooted in Christ at raisinggodlygirls.com.  And to find or start an AHG Troop in your community, visit americanheritagegirls.org. 

Jesus said he was the only way. But don't all roads lead to heaven? Let's find out together as we read John 14:1-7 and Deuteronomy 10:12-22.#JesusIsTheWay #Salvation #ChristianFaith #BibleTruth #FaithInJesus #DailyDevotional #GospelOfJohn #BibleTeachings #FaithQuestions #ChristianAnswers

In this episode of the Jewish Inspiration Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe delves into day 101 of his series on "Orchis Tzadikim" (Ways of the Righteous), focusing on the trait of remembrance (Zechira) as a vessel for all mitzvot and Torah. He connects it to biblical references like Tzitzit and Tefillin, which serve as reminders to fulfill God's commandments. Rabbi Wolbe highlights the "Six Constant Mitzvos" from Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz's teachings—faith in God, rejecting other gods, God's oneness, love and fear of God, and avoiding stray thoughts—as remembrances achievable every moment. He introduces 30 daily remembrances to foster divine favor but details only the first four: God's creation of humanity from nothing, granting health, bestowing wisdom, and providing the Torah as a life manual. Interwoven with personal stories, such as appreciating the present moment and gratitude for life's gifts, the episode emphasizes constant thankfulness to God for existence, health, intellect, and spiritual guidance.Recorded at TORCH Centre in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 24, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on October 31, 2025_____________This series on Orchos Tzadikim/Ways of the Righteous is produced in partnership with Hachzek.Join the revolution of daily Mussar study at hachzek.com.We are using the Treasure of Life edition of the Orchos Tzadikkim (Published by Feldheim)_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jewish-inspiration-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1476610783Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4r0KfjMzmCNQbiNaZBCSU7) to stay inspired! Share your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Our Mission is Connecting Jews & Judaism. Help us spread Judaism globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org.Your support makes a HUGE difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#JewishInspiration, #Mussar, #MasterClass, #Remembrance, #Judaism, #Love, #Reverence, #Hashem, #Gratitude, #DivineGifts, #Thankfulness, #Blessings,  ★ Support this podcast ★

The shards of blessing and warning we've seen so far in 1 Kings are gathering momentum in these chapters, as we see the glories of the kingdom, and the folly of the human heart side by side.This episode is sponsored by P&R Publishing P&R are dedicated to publishing excellent books that promote biblical understanding and godly living. They have a wide range of titles that aim to serve Christ and his church.US listeners can visit the P&R Publishing website to purchase the teen devotional  recommended in today's episode. UK listeners can purchase the book and other titles from our 10ofThose partner page.You can find all the resources we recommed to help get into 1 Kings on our website and as well as the resources library mentioned. You can also find the passage in Deuteronomy mentioned in this episode here.

Have you ever thought that "calling" was just for certain people or wondered if you had somehow missed God's call for your life? Or, do you worry that God might call you to something you don't want to do? Brian Delamont joins Heather and Keane to tackle the myths about "calling." 1 Timothy 2:4 "God calls people to Himself." "Once we know Him and His truth, we become a part of His body, a part of the Church, and as His disciples, we enter into a lifelong process of becoming who He knows we can be and doing what He asks us to do." Matthew 28:18-20 "Calling rests on a lot more than just me and my understanding. God's calling is always part of God's plan, and this includes His plan for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth and in the life of each individual who hears this call and then follows." Matthew 4:18-20 "We always have to give up something because we give up our old life, we give up our old self, to become what God is calling us to be and become." "Who knows me better than the God who made me? He will be the One who calls and leads." "'God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called.'" Redeeming Work By Brian Dik "God does call the equipped, and He's also the great Equipper Himself." Luke 10:45 Ephesians 2:10 "God has a powerful and a long history of taking human action and redeeming it for His divine purposes." Genesis 50:20 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 "It's our God who makes us worthy of His calling, not the other way around." Judges 6:14 Isaiah 6:8 "A clear call from God does not necessarily mean that things will look successful from a human perspective. We may only see difficulty, and yet that doesn't negate God's call or God's presence."  John 10:27 Mark 8:34 Exodus 3:10-14 Deuteronomy 31:23 October Reflection: What am I waiting for? What's my role in this, and what is God's role? How can I help break down the myth of calling in my community and call out the gifts I see in others? What's changing our lives: Keane: Joining a film group at church Heather: Embracing "hygge" Brian: Spending time with TeachBeyond National Directors Weekly Spotlight: Asuncion Christian Academy We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Connect with God — on Abide, a Christian meditation app that provides a biblically grounded place to experience peace and progress in your relationship with Christ. Use this biblical meditation, narrated by Melissa Disney, to center yourself on the truth in God's word. God is worthy of all of our praise! Meditate on Deuteronomy 10:21 Allow the music & nature sounds, deep breathing, prayer, and scripture help you connect with God in a new way. For a 30 day free trial of our premium ad-free content, your trusted friend for meditation is right here: https://abide.com/peace Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Follow along with Bro. Cooper as he continues his study in the book of Deuteronomy

This week John shares some wisdom from Deuteronomy 7:1 on battling our problems, the "ites", in our lives. They may be more powerful than we are, but they are NOT more powerful than the God we serve. ________________________________________________________We post a weekly devotional episode every Thursday and our regular episodes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook

A new MP3 sermon from Old Providence ARP Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Halloween...Trick or Treat? Subtitle: Daily Devotionals Speaker: Patrick Malphrus Broadcaster: Old Providence ARP Church Event: Devotional Date: 10/31/2025 Bible: Deuteronomy 18 Length: 21 min.

Can we rest our way to freedom? John Mark explores how Sabbath is far more than a wellness practice—it's an act of defiance against the relentless pace of modern life. He shows how God built a rhythm of work and rest into creation itself, and how the command to Sabbath is actually a way to resist cultural forces of busyness, consumerism, and endless accumulation. Key Scripture Passages: Genesis 2v1-3; Exodus 20v8-11; Deuteronomy 5v12-15This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Joan from Coto De Caza, California; Rob from Marble Falls, Texas; Steve from Deptford, New Jersey; Dustin from Los Angeles, California; and Anna from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at https://practicingtheway.org/give.

Learning to read the Old Testament like Jesus, and to find him the shadows. This lesson includes typologies from Numbers and Deuteronomy. For a PDF outline of this lesson, click the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O9H9GyHJ0FXmN6wMZ2SKb8arirDkuHFs/view?usp=sharing For the PDF of the Old Testament scriptures fulfilled in Christ, click the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_kZzgz8SOTEvADX3OQLojVlCWBBNoF0g/view?usp=sharing  

Psalm 4 Psalm 134 Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Prayer Requests to psp@sqpn.com

Our nation has three forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and four foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. The Book of Genesis principally orients around these people. The the narratives of a Adam and Noah are but pitstops along the way until the Torah focuses squarely on Abraham and his descendants. What is the role of a patriarch and a matriarch? What is significant about that designation? What is the relevance of the stories of these people to our lives? What is instructive about these about the episodes of the Patriots and matriarchs in the Torah (the Torah must always be instructive)? In this magical podcast, we journey backstage into the story and the concept of our illustrious forefathers and foremothers. The lessons that we learn prove to be quite instructive indeed.– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletterSUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★

Shortly after his father’s unexpected death, Aaron gifted his mother with a framed, poster-sized photo of dozens of items that encapsulated his dad’s life—collectibles, photos, rocks, books, artwork, and more—each holding special meaning. Aaron spent days collecting the items and arranging them, and then his sister Rachel captured the arrangement in a photo. The gift was a visual tribute to their father’s life, who despite his decades-long struggle with self-loathing and addiction, never left his love for them in doubt. It also attested to God’s love and miraculous healing power that led to their father’s victory over addiction in the last decade of his life. When after forty long years God’s people crossed into the promised land, Joshua chose a man from each of the twelve tribes to gather a stone from the dry riverbed to “serve as a sign among [them]” (Joshua 4:1-6). Joshua used these rocks to create an altar and lasting tribute to God’s power and provision (vv. 19-24). The Israelites’ journey hadn’t been easy. But God had been with them providing water out of rocks, manna from the sky, and a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night to guide them—and clothes that never wore out (Deuteronomy 8:4)! The memorial pointed to Him. God does amazing things! May what we leave behind be a lasting tribute to His love and power.

"In him we live and move and have our being." When Paul quoted the Greek poet Epimenides at Mars Hill in Acts 17, the Athenian philosophers weren't confused—they knew exactly what he was referencing. Their council of gods. In this LIVE from Blurry Con preview, Dr. Joel Muddamalle explains that Greek philosophy included a divine hierarchy ruling over nations and territories, strikingly similar to what Scripture describes in Deuteronomy 32:8. When God judged humanity at Babel, He didn't just scatter the nations—He disinherited them, assigning each to divine beings called "sons of God." These weren't decorative angels; they were governing authorities with real power over territories. The Greeks called them gods. The Hebrews understood them as rebellious divine council members. Paul, standing in the intellectual epicenter of the ancient world, used their own theology against them: "That council you worship? They're defeated rebels. The 'Unknown God' you acknowledge but don't know? That's Yahweh—and His Son Jesus Christ has authority over every power you've been serving." Joel walks through how Paul's Mars Hill sermon connects to the entire biblical narrative of spiritual warfare: the serpent's Eden rebellion, Babel's cosmic judgment, Mount Hermon where divine beings (Watchers) descended and corrupted the nations they were supposed to steward, and ultimately Christ's victory reclaiming all territory and authority. This is why Paul could confidently quote Greek poets—he wasn't compromising truth, he was revealing it through a framework the Greeks already understood. Joel explains what the divine council is, why geography matters in spiritual warfare, where demons originate (not fallen angels—Scripture doesn't teach that), how territorial spirits function, and why missions and prayer look different when you understand cosmic geography. The Greeks believed in a council of gods ruling over territories. Paul said: You're right about the structure, but wrong about who's in charge. Christ has defeated them all and reclaimed His rightful dominion. This conversation bridges ancient philosophy, Hebrew theology, and practical spiritual warfare—showing they're not contradictory but complementary when understood correctly. Whether you're trying to make sense of Ephesians 6, understand missions strategy, or grasp what Christ actually accomplished, Joel provides the framework Scripture assumes but Western rationalism has stripped away. Blurry Con 3 might be sold out, but you can still join us virtually on our Livestream. Get tickets here: www.blurrycreatures.com for half the cost of last year! This episode is sponsored by:https://zocdoc.com/blurry — Find and instantly book top-rated doctors today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we conclude the Wisdom + Folly collection of talks, Pastor Ben Stuart leads us in discovering what we can learn from the downfall of Solomon and the Kingdom, which, though ancient, has many lessons for us in modern times.Key Verses // 1 Kings 10:14-11:13, Deuteronomy 17:14-17, Philippians 2:8-11 —With Passion City Online you can join us live every Sunday at 9:30a and 11:30a! Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com/dc—Give towards what God is doing through Passion City Church: https://passioncitychurch.com/dc/give —Subscribe to our Youtube channel to see more messages https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurchdc—Follow along with Passion City Church DC: https://www.instagram.com/passioncitydc—Follow along with Pastor Ben Stuart: https://www.instagram.com/ben_stuart_—Passion City Church is a Jesus church with locations in Atlanta and Washington D.C. For more info on Passion, visit https://passioncitychurch.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.