Podcasts about Israelites

One of the most frequent and controversial topics pastors and Bible teachers have to address is divorce. The prophet Malachi did, too. Find out what he says to the Israelites who were leaving their wives for foreign girls who worshipped idols and how His message applies to us today.

Divine guidance is one of the benefits of your salvation. We must listen to the Holy Spirit to remain focused on God's plan. When God speaks, He keeps you on the path for your life. Join Kenneth Copeland and Professor Greg Stephens on Believer's Voice of Victory as they explore the parallels between Paul and Moses, highlighting how the history of the Israelites is intricately woven into Paul's ministry to many nations. Learn that the same hand of God, which guided the Israelites, also guided Paul. That same divine guidance is available to you!

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body and refocus your mind to experience the reality of God's presence. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  As we come to the end of one year and the beginning of a new year, let me pray a very old blessing that God gave to Moses to have said over his people. You might think it's weird to be listening to a recording of me praying for you without me knowing specifically who you are. But God knows. God knows all who will listen to this when I am praying this for you. So let me speak and pray these God-given words over you… Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)  “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Then God says to Moses in the next verse… Numbers 6:27 (NIV) “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

Divine guidance is one of the benefits of your salvation. We must listen to the Holy Spirit to remain focused on God's plan. When God speaks, He keeps you on the path for your life. Join Kenneth Copeland and Professor Greg Stephens on Believer's Voice of Victory as they explore the parallels between Paul and Moses, highlighting how the history of the Israelites is intricately woven into Paul's ministry to many nations. Learn that the same hand of God, which guided the Israelites, also guided Paul. That same divine guidance is available to you!

Matthew reveals the Israelite lineage of Jesus, reminding us that God works in the messiness of life and invites us to grow in faith. (Lectionary #193) December 17, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Pastor Merisa Marquez discusses the account from Numbers 13 where the Israelites, despite God's promises, express a desire to return to Egypt after being discouraged by the majority of the spies' reports about the Promised Land. She emphasizes the contrast between the Israelites' fear and the faith of Joshua and Caleb, encouraging trust in God's plan.

Romans 9:4-5 — What is the significance of the apostle Paul's use of the term 'Israelites' in Romans 9:4? Why didn't he use the term 'Jews' or 'Hebrews' instead? In this sermon on Romans 9:4–5 titled “Who are the Israelites” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the three terms which are often used to describe this people group: Jews, Hebrews, and Israelites. Each of these terms have a different meaning when used in Scripture and he details those three meanings. The term Jews is used to show the opposite of Gentile, which is the rest of the world. Hebrews describes a time in Jewish history when they spoke Hebrew. The term Israelites is the term given to God's chosen people in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then goes on to detail two other terms of supreme importance that Paul uses in this passage. Adoption is used in a general sense, but means that God has placed this people group in a whole new position as his children. Glory means how God presented Himself to His people, proving His faithfulness to them. All Gentiles have been brought into a share of this, becoming sons and daughters of Christ through adoption. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29?v=20251111

What makes the difference between someone who merely hears about Christ and someone who truly enters God’s presence? Pastor Mike Fabarez unpacks why the Israelites missed their moment at the threshold of the promised land. It’s a warning about the gap between knowing the right message and actually trusting it.

At first, Moses did not want to return to Egypt when God called to him from the burning bush. Why was he so resistant? Why did Moses want to know God's "Name?" God promised to provide Moses with a "sign" which would assure Moses that God was with Him in Egypt. What was that sign? And when God told Moses to ask Pharaoh for a three-day cessation from work so the Israelites could go and worship God, why did He not instruct Moses to demand their permanent release instead?

The little book of Malachi can be uncomfortable to study. Instead of pointing fingers at others, it helps us take a serious look at our own lives and ask tough questions like, “Am I giving my best to God?” Learn to recognize the warnings the Israelites ignored (the insincerity and hypocrisy in their hearts and worship) and see how the same things are a concern for us.

"So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 TPT   *Transcription Below*   Thank You to Our Sponsor: The Sue Neihouser Team   Katie M. Reid is an author, speaker, podcast host, and songwriter who inspires others to live out their purpose with tenacity, wisdom and grace at katiemreid.com. She is the author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done, A Very Bavarian Christmas novel (which is becoming a movie) and the co-creator of The Digital Peace Pact and the Check Your Selfie Story-Coloring Book. Katie is also the co-host of The Martha + Mary Show podcast. As the Inspiration Doula, Katie coaches creatives, helping them bring life to their projects. Her album, Echoes of My Heart, the Daughter song, and The Very Bavarian Christmas musical soundtrack can be accessed here and on other music streaming platforms. Katie delights in her husband and five children. Musicals, iced tea, and cut-to-the-chase conversations are a few of her favorite things.   Questions and Topics Discussed: As a woman who excels in getting things done, what tips can you share as it relates to getting things done around our home? What are some of the changes you've made to your lifestyle that have led to the greatest results? What habits and rhythms do you have in place to support your personal development and spiritual growth?   Other Episodes Mentioned from The Savvy Sauce During Episode: 183 Leading Your Family, Marriage, and Self with Justin Maust Patreon 47: Business, Leadership, and Legacy with Justin Maust    Other Episode Mentioned During Episode: Mary & Martha Show: Benefits of Chiropractic Care with Dr. Lianne Coombe   Other Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce: 81 Sacred Rest with Doctor, Author, and Speaker, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith 150 Brain Science and Spiritual Abundance with Ken Baugh 256 Gut Health, Allergies, Inflammation and Proactive Solutions with Emily Macleod-Wolfe   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: (0:11 - 1:29) 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.   Thank you to the Sue Neihouser Team for sponsoring this episode.   If you're looking to buy or sell a home this season, make sure you reach out to Sue at 309-229-8831. Sue would love to walk alongside you as you unlock new doors.   Welcome to the final episode of The Savvy Sauce for 2025. We look so forward to meeting you back here after today's episode on Monday, January 5th.   But for today, my guest is Katie Reid. She is wildly creative and also completely grounded in her faith.   She's an author, speaker, former podcaster, and coach for creatives. She's going to share on a variety of topics today, ranging from health to discerning God's leading for what's next in each of our lives. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Katie.   Katie Reid: (1:30 - 1:33) Thank you so much for having me, Laura. This is such a treat.   Laura Dugger: (1:33 - 1:45) Oh, it's a delight to get a chat with you. And I want to go back. I want to hear the origins of your writing and podcasting journey and how it's led to the work that you get to do today.   Katie Reid: (1:46 - 3:00) Well, in about 2014, I had a bucket list. And on that bucket list, there were things like make a quilt and sing the national anthem in a professional sporting event and bake an apple pie and writing a book was on it. And so, Laura, I've always been a very driven and purposeful person.   So, it felt like it was the time to write a book. And I had no idea how hard it was going to be and that it would accidentally turn into a career that I forgot to ask my husband if I could start. But it was when I started writing and I had been writing, you know, just as a kid here and there.   But it turned into what I did as a career. And it was not necessarily easy. But God has refined me through the process.   And so, my first book Made Like Martha came out in 2018. And then I have dabbled in fiction books as well. And then I have a Bible study that is out now.   God, What Do I Do? based on Judges one through five. So, I kind of write a little bit of everything. And it's been a wild and wonderful journey.   Laura Dugger: (3:01 - 3:07) Wild and wonderful for sure. Going back to that bucket list, have the other ones also become realities as well?   Katie Reid: (3:08 - 3:28) You know, I have sang the national anthem at some not  professional sporting events, but, you know, high school events and that kind of thing at my college. I have made an apple pie. My mom is a quilter and I just decided she can do that.   I kind of removed that off the list. But now I can check off, write a book.   Laura Dugger: (3:28 - 3:53) That's incredible, which is a huge undertaking. So, thank you for your labor of love. And even going back, I love how you've identified that you kind of relate more to the Martha personality rather than the Mary personality.   So, can you define what that means and share some of the benefits and the drawbacks of each personality leaning?   Katie Reid: (3:54 - 6:41) Sure. So, in the Bible, in Luke 10:38-42, we meet two sisters, Martha and Mary, and they had a brother, Lazarus, as well, and they were friends of Jesus. And Martha it seems like your firstborn type A, you know, to do list kind of gal.   And Mary was like a disciple of Jesus sitting at his feet, maybe more relationally driven. And so, when I read this story that has, you know, Martha gets a lot of flack because a lot of people like, “Oh, we need to all be like Mary.” And so, this story, I always wanted it to go differently.   Martha goes to Jesus. She's worried and distracted by all her preparations. She's housing or hosting Jesus and his disciples at her home.   And Mary's sitting there listening to Jesus teaching. And so, Martha goes to Jesus and says in the Katy paraphrase, “Hey, Jesus, I'm here doing this all by myself. Tell Mary to get off her duff and help me.”   And I so, Laura, wanted Jesus to say, “Martha, you are right. Mary, get in there and help your sister.” But that's not what he did.   And so, I want to take a closer look at the story and see what did God really say? Because I think over time, we've probably read books or heard different sermons that paints Martha in a certain light. And I wanted to see for myself, you know, have we added things to this that aren't really there?   And what I discovered is, you know, Jesus made us. We know this from Psalm 139 on purpose and for a purpose and intricately. And so, it was no mistake that Martha was made to do and to get things done.   But she got a little out of whack kind of with her heart posture, as I say, you know, kind of trying to strive and earn versus working from a place of love. She was working for love and she already had that love right there in Jesus in her home. And so, that's what Made Like Martha is about.   But I see how, you know, a lot of us are a blend of both of these women, you know, task oriented, relational oriented. But I think we lean more one way or the other. But the world needs all kinds of people in it.   And so, I think sometimes we view it as a competition when actually it's just different. But we can never go wrong with sitting at Jesus's feet. But also, we can be at peace and settled on the inside in our relationship with the Lord, even when our hands are busy.   Because if we just all sit, things will not get done. And, you know, we are both busy moms, Laura. And, you know, there's just there's a to do list every day, isn't there?   Laura Dugger: (6:41 - 7:00) There is. But you are someone who really does excel at getting those things done. Like you said, it's in your wiring from the Lord.   So, what tips can you share with all of us? And maybe starting with how does that specifically look for getting things done around our home?   Katie Reid: (7:01 - 8:47) Yes, I think there's a resource I have on my website that we can share in the show notes, and it's called the “All Done Calendar.” And I don't know about you, Laura, but my to do list can have like 25 things on it, which is just very unrealistic. Right.   I am not going to get 25 things done in a day. And so, I created this all done calendar and it's a blank calendar. It's got some pretty designs on it.   And what you do is you write down a few things each day that you actually got done. And cleaning half of the bathroom can totally count. You don't even have to do the whole thing. But it's a way to celebrate what you've already done instead of just being fixated on all there's left to do. And so, that's something that helps me is to be like, OK, I did not get the 25 things done. But what with the Lord's help did I get done?   And sometimes I might have had these really lofty goals, but maybe instead I had a meaningful conversation with my team. Or maybe instead I left the dishes and sat down and watched a movie with my family and likely fell asleep 10 minutes in because I sat down. But I think we can just feel, especially in this Pinterest world and comparison with social media, we can feel like we're behind all the time.   And so, this all done calendar is just a really practical way to just look back over the month and be like, look what I did do. And sure, there could be lots of things left, but it's a way to just remind ourselves of what we have in that gratitude. I call it a lavish list instead of a lack list.   You know, instead of counting all the things you don't have, give thanks for all the things you do.   Laura Dugger: (8:48 - 9:05) Wow. And that gratitude really does change everything when our mindset is changed. Do you have any other tips that you use then for meal planning or logistics?   Because you can introduce us to your family as well. You've got quite a few kids with your husband.   Katie Reid: (9:05 - 11:47) We do. We have five kids. The oldest is almost 21. She's a girl. Our youngest is a girl also, and she's almost nine. And then we have three boys in the middle, 18, 16, and 12.   And so, we are a lively and a loud family. I think for me with meal planning, I actually do enjoy cooking and my daughter had a lot of culinary training. So, I know some women are just like, it happens every day and I don't like it.   But what I often do with our busy schedule is on Saturday or maybe Sunday afternoon, I like to cook things in bulk. So, maybe I'll make a soup and some taco meat and put pulled pork in the crock pot so that we can kind of eat off that. And during the week, I kind of batch cook.   So, I don't feel like I'm doing it all the time. And we also from a young age have equipped our kids to make their food. I remember we had someone stay with us, Laura, and they were like almost appalled.   They're like, “I mean, these young kids just got up and made their own food. Where was the mom?” And my husband said, “That's actually what we've trained them to do.”   I mean, they were getting like cereal. The other day, the baby of the family is almost nine and we do probably too much for her as one tends to do with their youngest child. And so, I equipped her and empowered her.   I said, “You know, Lark, you can make your own eggs.” And so, sure enough, she got a stool. I just reminded her to spray the pan and turn off the oven.   And she made herself, you know, eggs with bacon bits in it. And you can see that sense of pride. She was a little hesitant at first.   But I believe in working smarter, not harder. And so, we do divvy up, you know, chores around the house. In fact, I dare not say this too loudly.   But when I started writing, my husband said to our kids who were quite a lot younger at the time, “Guess what? Mom's not doing the dishes anymore. So, you guys are each going to have a night or two. And you're going to do those because we want her to be faithful to what God has also asked her to do. And you guys need to learn how to do this.” And so, Laura, when they first started loading the dishwasher, I had to fold my hands because they were not doing it in the way I would have envisioned.   But it was still getting it done. So, I have this little mantra. If someone else can do it with at least 75 percent, you know, effectiveness, then that should be good enough.   Because I think sometimes as women, we kind of want it my way or the highway. But then we wear ourselves out because we're trying to control or manage everything. And sometimes 75 percent is good enough.   Laura Dugger: (11:48 - 12:21) Katie, you sound like a wonderful mother. I think that's such a gift to your kids. Their studies show doing chores and being more self-sufficient, being trained that way is beneficial to them across the board.   So, I applaud you. Well done. But another one of your sweet spots that you seem to get after is healthy living.   And so, I'd love to know, what are some of your most beneficial lifestyle changes that you've implemented in your family? And now they've led to the greatest results.   Katie Reid: (12:22 - 15:12) Yeah, so, one of the things we do as a family is we go to the chiropractor. And I know that some people have mixed feelings about that, but we love our chiropractor. And, you know, I'll probably get the statistics, you know, not quite right. I'm a creative brain versus a very logical brain. But I do know there are many health benefits to chiropractic care. It boosts your immune system.   I can for me personally, some of the benefits is I used to get vertigo sometimes, which is a terrible thing if you've never had it, where the room is like spinning and I'd have to just lay in bed, which is not a great thing, you know, for our busy lifestyle. And so, I have less vertigo. I can move my head back and forth freely and lots of other things.   But one thing that was interesting, and we did interview my chiropractor on the Martha & Mary Show on the podcast, is there's so many things that can be benefits to it. And at my age, I'm almost 48. I can see 50 from a distance.   And my friends and I, Laura, are talking about our bodies so much. We are now like our moms would do. And even going to the bathroom more regularly can be a benefit of chiropractic care or, you know, your cramps not being as bad, all that.   So, that's one of the things we have done. This year, we are trying to walk a lot more. So, my husband and I and our two youngest children, we have this little half hour route that we do. And we were even doing it in the middle of winter. And then as things have gotten busier, that's fallen a little bit by the wayside, but just fresh air. We have some great conversations.   And the other thing, too, is I don't know if you're like this, Laura, but during COVID, we put on a lot of weight and we didn't realize it. We could see it in other people, but we went to the doctor and I was shocked by what I weighed. And I went to a naturopath and I just said, “Can you help me?”   And so, I thought I was taking good care of myself, Laura. But looking back, I surely was not. And a lot of it was what I was eating.   I was not drinking enough water. So, anyway, that helped to just the education of that our food has such an impact. And so, really it you know, we are not like health freaks by any means, but trying to have more vegetables, some healthy options.   I had no idea what a big deal protein was. I just didn't know, you know, as kids who ate SpaghettiOs and, you know, mac and cheese growing up in the 80s. There just wasn't as much out there about, you know, that connection with what you're putting in your body and how you're feeling.   Laura Dugger: (15:13 - 18:23) That's such a good point. I love hearing these habits and I very much enjoyed that episode that you did with your chiropractor. We'll have to link to that as well in the show notes.   And now a brief message from our sponsor. With over 28 years of experience in real estate, Sue Neihouser of the Sue Neihouser Team is a RE-MAX agent of Central Illinois. And she loves to walk alongside her clients as they unlock new doors.   For anyone local, I highly recommend you call Sue today at 309-229-8831. And you can ask her any real estate questions. 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Thanks for your sponsorship.   Katie, you're such a go-getter and in the midst of homeschooling and writing this book, you also still pursue personal development and spiritual growth. So, do you have any systems or rhythms in place to support that growth?   Katie Reid: (18:24 - 21:43) Yeah, I think a couple of them. I often want to talk to people, talk about the Mary and Martha event. Some people are that way with Bible study and prayer. There are some who just love to study the Bible. There're others who lead with prayer. I've been the Bible study girl. I love to study, you know, as a teacher. Maybe that's just my thing. But prayer was something that I felt like I was always getting like a D minus in. And it's not that I never would, Laura, but, you know, I just have a friend, Lee, who co-hosts The Martha & Mary Show with me, and she is a prayer, a pray-er. And so, one of the things I did was I know accountability is key in developing healthy practices, whether that's physically or spiritually or emotionally.   And so, we started a mom's prayer group at our church that meets most Fridays throughout the year because I knew, I mean, surely I wasn't going to just pray on Fridays. But I knew if I had that group and I was helping lead it and show up that that would be a discipline that would get into my life. And it really has, but it just felt very daunting.   Another tip my friend gave me just with incorporating more prayer is to have like a trigger. So, every time you open a door to pray or every time you interact with water, let it serve as a reminder to pray. And again, I just need that kind of accountability in my life. I can get distracted easily.   And so, that was just another thing that helped me to just have that in the forefront of my mind. And I also feel like having teen and young adult children, you will just start praying much more naturally because you realize that your influence is shifting. You're more of a coach and a support than you are kind of that direct supervisor. And so, God gave me this phrase of like, "Prayer is the way sometimes we got to parenting, but prayer is also what we need to get through parenting."   And so, I have been doing much more prayer lately, but I just encourage the listeners, whether it's Bible study or prayer, which are essential to our spiritual growth, grab a friend and ask them, you know, you could text each other in the mornings, like, "Hey, I'm praying for you about this. Or will you pray about this?" But it is when we link arms, we have more effectiveness, I think, because we're not just trying to do it on our own. And I feel like in our culture, especially with all the pressures of, you know, social media and all of that, we try to be all things to our family, like, you know, grow organic vegetables and sew our kids' clothes and homeschool and you fill in the blank. But yet it's so much more accessible done in community. For example, I love batch cooking. So, maybe I could make an extra lasagna for someone and then I don't love to fold laundry, but maybe my friend comes over and we fold laundry together. I just think we can be so isolated. And we're missing out on sharing our strengths with others and them with us. And I just think family life is best done in community, if at all possible.   Laura Dugger: (21:44 - 22:15) That's so wise and so practical. I love that. Even the tip of when you interact with water to pray. That's really helpful. And speaking of spiritual growth, I do want to highlight some parts of your amazing book, which, as you said, it's entitled, God, What Do I Do? So, I want to just dive into a couple of the sections, beginning with, "God, what do I do with what you've given me?" So, Katie, can you just expound on that topic?   Katie Reid: (22:15 - 23:38) Yeah, for sure. So, we've all been given time, talents, treasures. You've probably heard those three Ts before. And at the end of my life, Laura, I want to be able to stand before the Lord and by His grace say that I was a faithful steward with what He has entrusted me. And I think we often are told, particularly as women, to keep everything in balance. And I don't know about you, Laura, but that just feels like pressure to me. Like, surely I'm going to drop one of these plates I'm spinning. And so, I like to think about it as being a faithful steward with what's right in front of me, because that feels more manageable. And yes, we still need the Lord's help to do that. But right now, we're doing this interview. So, I want to be a faithful steward of that. And then next, I'm going to go hang out with my college roommates and we're going to have a little reunion. And I want to be faithful with that. But I think we can get really overwhelmed when we're just trying to do everything perfectly. And in the study, we talk about faithfully stewarding the people, position, and place that God has put you in or that's before you. And I think that happens one decision at a time. And again, it feels more manageable when we think about it like that.   Laura Dugger: (23:39 - 23:48) I love that. I even love the questions that you ask about those specifics. Do you want to share those three questions?   Katie Reid: (23:49 - 26:27) Yeah. So, we talk about, you know, what people have you been entrusted with? What position have you been entrusted with? And what place have you been entrusted with? And I think that helps us recognize our purpose as well, like in the current season that we're in. But going back to the time, talents and treasures, you know, time, I feel like right now is such a precious commodity. And we talk about, you know, at church, like tithing your finances. But the idea I've heard people explain, what does it look like to tithe your time?   And I can cram so many things into the day that my husband and I are walking through this process of me having more margin in my life, more white space. And that's a part of stewarding our time. It doesn't mean we have to burn out and just run ragged. You know, we see this pattern in Jesus' life. He would minister and then He would retreat and recharge and then He'd minister. And I think there's some unhealth that we see in our culture and even in my own home with sometimes of just the unrealistic expectations I have.   And life happens. We could have a perfectly executed plan. But then this is a true story. The dog ate chocolate and we have to run for an emergency vet visit. Or I don't know about you, Laura, but you know, sometimes my kids want to have deep conversations at a time that is very inconvenient. But we want to take advantage of those times and take that opportunity.   And so, just going before the Lord and saying, "God, you have given me time. You've given me talents. You've given me treasures. And I want to faithfully steward them. Show me how to move forward in a way that honors you." And I think we have to be careful sometimes. I think we need to put some blinders on because what you are called to might be totally different than what your sister is called to or what I'm called to. And that we need to listen and have the abiding relationship with the Lord because we need to faithfully steward what He's asked us to do, not what He's asked someone else to do. And so, I love that word, too. What God has "entrusted" to us, again, could look a lot of different ways. But He doesn't require perfection. That's why Jesus came, because we couldn't do it. And He's with us in it. And we want to move forward with Him as we manage the people and the place and the position that He's entrusted to us.   Laura Dugger: (26:27 - 27:14) Oh, that's so good. And just to dig a little deeper then, too, I feel like I'm in a similar place where I sense the Lord asking me this week, asking me to ask Him, "What pace do you want me to be living at? What pace is healthy and sustainable? And what changes do I need to make?" So, I feel like I'm just on the beginning of this journey. But if you and your husband have already been diving in to margin, which is a word that I feel like I could answer with, and maybe slowing down a little bit, how do you do that? You're a creative as well, and you've got all these ideas and these good things that you want to go after. Do you have any practical parameters or pieces of discernment in place to know how to create margin as well?   Katie Reid: (27:15 - 29:12) Yeah, I think one thing that I am still learning is that “yes" has a cost to it, right? Now, of course, if Jesus asked us to do something, we want to say yes, regardless of the cost. But let's say someone asked me if I would write an article for a website and I'm launching these books. That sounds like a great idea. But Laura, sometimes I forget what that yes will mean. That's going to be at least three hours of time. And so, to almost look at the ask and associate them with time. And so, while that's a great thing, I also have kids that are in sports right now, and I don't want to miss those sports. Or could I use an article I've used before? Do they want original content? And so, I think with our yes' and no's, just thinking about, again, unless it's an obedience thing where the Lord has just made it so clear.   The other thing my husband often says to me is, "OK, Katie, that is a great opportunity. But what is going to come off of your plate to make room for that?" Where I can just keep heaping it on and it's spilling on a potluck when you overfill your plate and it's all spilling out and just making a mess. And so, that's another thing of like, "OK, what will come off?" I also run things by my husband or a close friend to say I have this opportunity for this. "What do you think?" Because sometimes we have those blind spots where we can't see what that might mean in the future. So, kind of a board of advisors, if you will, people who know you well know your personality. And just because it's a good idea doesn't mean it's a bad idea. And that can be so hard, especially if we're good at something. Sometimes we think it's an automatic yes, but we have to evaluate the season that we are in as well.   Laura Dugger: (29:13 - 30:26) Did you know that this podcast is 100% listener supported? We love producing free content that's available to everyone around the world with our monthly newsletters when you sign up for our email list and with our weekly episodes. We pray that this has been a benefit to you, that if any episode has ever impacted you, what we ask is that you will partner with us now and generously and prayerfully give financially before the end of the year.   There're multiple ways to do this online at TheSavvySauce.com. You can donate through Stripe or PayPal or Venmo with just a simple click, or you can send snail mail to us at Savvy Sauce Charities, P.O. Box 101, Roanoke, Illinois, 61561. We hope you choose to support us today.   The word discernment comes to mind with your book. It's a lot of discernment, a lot of these questions as we're turning to God. So, can you share any of the parts of the section that you wrote about, "God, What Do I Do Next?"   Katie Reid: (30:27 - 34:11) Absolutely. You know, I'm a pretty decisive person, but I know a lot of people are not, and they can be overwhelmed. I mean, even at the grocery store, if we're trying to pick out cereal or Band-Aids even, there are so many options that it can just become overwhelming. We're inundated by information. And so, I think when we are not sure what to do next, there are things we actually can decide, even if we don't specifically know what to do about a situation. And that's a lot of what is found in God, What Do I Do?.   And we follow the Israelites as they're entering the Promised Land. They made some not great choices sometimes, and they made some good choices sometimes. But the idea of their leader had died and they needed to know what to do next. And one of the first things they do, we see in Judges 1:1, is they inquire of the Lord. They go to the Lord and ask Him what they're supposed to do. And Laura, we can never go wrong doing that.   I have a dear friend who told me one time, "Katie, I don't like praying out loud because I just have really simple prayers. They are not eloquent." And I reassured her, you know what? SOS prayers totally count. So, if you find yourself in a situation where you do not know what to do next: "Lord, help me. Lord, I need you." You cannot go wrong praying those prayers. And there's actually, the Bible study goes through six decisions we can make, even if we don't know specifically what to do. And the first one in the introductory lesson is the decision to remember. The more kids I've had and the older I've gotten, I get a little more forgetful. I used to be so good at Memory, that game. And now it's like, I don't know, I'm going to pick the same ones every time. We can be forgetful. But when we recount God's faithfulness in the Bible and also what He's done in our own lives, it can help us make more clear-headed decisions. We have this little box in our home that we decorated back in the scrapbooking days. And inside it, we have a couple pictures and objects that remind us of things God has done for us in the past. One of the things He had asked us to do when we did not have much money, we were getting ready to move across the country and we had two vehicles. And we could have really used the money from the vehicle, one of our vehicles, but the Lord put on both my heart and my husband's heart to give away a vehicle.   And so many people, even Christian believers close to us, Laura, were like, "I don't know, that doesn't seem very wise." But we knew God's voice. We knew what He was asking and it was such a blessing in it. And so, we have a picture of that car, and we have that in the box. And so, I have not done a great job of pulling the box out a lot, especially with our younger kids. But it's just kind of those memorial stones of "Remember how God did this."   I remember one time we were having car difficulties, and I told the family, I said, "You know, wouldn't it be great if someone at church just handed us an envelope with the money we need to repair this vehicle?" And my kids kind of rolled their eyes. "Oh, there's mom and her big faith again." And Laura, wouldn't you know it, someone came up to my husband and said, "We just want to gift you this." And it was like $200 and it was exactly what we needed. And so, it's like stories like that to remember God has been faithful in the past. He will continue to be faithful, even if I don't know specifically what to do about a situation. He will be with me in it.   Laura Dugger: (34:12 - 34:42) Wow, that is incredible. And those spiritual markers build confidence and faith in us with our own journey. But like you said, passing them along to the next generation, that is huge and sharing these stories of God's faithfulness. And this is just such a small sample of your book, because I just want to make sure we highlight one other piece, but you share this insight about one part of the question, "God, what do I do to encourage those around me?"   Katie Reid: (34:43 - 36:25) Yes. So, we look in Judges 4, we met a judge Deborah and there was a military commander named Barak. And so, Deborah was a prophetess and judge, and she goes to Barak and reminds him of what God has already told him. Isn't that a good friend? And she said, "Hey, hasn't God said," and then reminds him. And you know what I love about this is we see this collaboration for the Kingdom.   And maybe it's more of an exhortation than an encouragement. But then later on in Judges 5, there's the song that Deborah and Barak sing. And part of the song is they are calling out those that helped them in battle. And, you know, it's an encouragement. They also call out those who didn't help in a different kind of call out way. But sometimes it bolsters our faith.   If someone else speaks into our life and says, "I see this in you." And a lot of times we think that encouragement, but we don't give voice to it. And I can look back over my life when people have taken the time to encourage me. It's like we cling to those words to keep going. Something we do at our church is the last Sunday of the month we have testimony time. And it is so encouraging to hear what God is doing in other people's lives. And in our own struggles, it can really bolster our faith to keep holding on and to celebrate what He's doing in them. So, I think giving credit to God for what He's done in testimony can really help encourage those around us as well.   Laura Dugger: (36:26 - 37:12) Wow, that is awesome. I love that you do that at your church. Such a practical way to live out so much of the Bible that talks about sharing His story, sharing His faithfulness, and that we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, which is already taken care of, and the word of our testimony. That's so powerful. And Katie, you're just fascinating and multifaceted. And there's a piece of your bio that I just love. You say that you're an "Inspiration Doula". So, I want to hear some of your favorite ways, whether it's questions or stories or bits of wisdom, to share so that you can encourage creatives, which is hopefully all of us because we're created in our Creator God's image.   Katie Reid: (37:14 - 40:11) You know, Laura, I love to see what God, how He has wired different people and encouraged them to share that gift with the world. I love holding the ladder for people so they can climb higher and do more. And sometimes I think on this crazy journey of podcasting and writing and speaking, sometimes I get the sense that God is allowing me to walk through these doors so that I can turn around and help someone else do it but even go further and do more than I have.   Nothing brings me more joy than seeing someone using their giftings. For example, we had a writing retreat recently that really turned into a spiritual renewal retreat. And one of my friends, she is very content to stay home with her kids. She is pretty introverted, but God has given her these talents that she is using more and more. For example, she directed a skit that's, you know, at our church for Easter and did such a great job. And she has written this book that's kind of like a Little House on the Prairie-esque book. And she was working on it at the writing retreat. And, you know, she's around these other women that are speaking all over the country and doing all these things. And so, some way she's like, "What am I doing here?"   And we reassured her she was right where she should be. And so, this fall she's going to teach this class using her book with homeschool students. And then they're going to write their own books. And Laura, I just think it's so fun to see her using what God has placed in her hands in her sphere of influence. And so, I love to—a lot of times people just need that nudge and a little bit of cheerleading to take those next brave steps. I also sometimes they just need to see somebody else doing it to realize that they can do it too.   And again, it can look so many different ways from having people into your home. I have a friend named Cherry and she started a ministry called "Welcome to the Table" where once a month she welcomes women into her home. They share a meal and it has just exploded because people are hungry literally and figuratively for that kind of community. So, a lot of times my coaching looks like encouragement, looks like some practical steps that they can take. A lot of times creatives are not finishers. And I have this weird blend of creativity and administration.   And I just love to help people kind of have a roadmap for what would it look like to get it done. And so many people do not set deadlines, Laura. They're like, "Yes, I'm going to write that book. Or yes, I'm going to start that event. Or yes, I'm going to start a book club." But then they don't give themselves a deadline. So, even just that little tip of like tell somebody else your deadline can really help get the wheels turning.   Laura Dugger: (40:11 - 40:41) That's good. Again, such practical advice. And Katie, you are such a natural encourager. There's even a joy or lightheartedness in your voice and a warmth. And I love how you come alongside others and help develop them and see their dreams fulfilled. So, I love that generosity of spirit. But I also want to hear what else is coming next for you, including, will you tell us about this novel that's becoming a movie?   Katie Reid: (40:42 - 42:40) Yes. So, interestingly enough, when I launched my first book, Made Like Martha came out in 2018. And then I had this idea for a book about Deborah from Judges. Well, wouldn't you know, here we are seven years later and that book is finally coming out. So, in the meantime, as I was encountering a lot of closed doors about this particular book, I was like, "Well, I'm a creative and I'm a writer. And if I can't write nonfiction, I guess I'll try fiction."   And so, I wrote a Hallmark-like story called A Very Bavarian Christmas. We self-published it. It came out in 2020. And funny that God knew that people actually needed something lighthearted with a happy ending because I wrote it in 2019. And then when it came out, people were hunkered down and just needed that kind of feel good type of clean rom-com. And so, I call this the little book that could, Laura, because literally I got an email from Carlos from California and that it went to my spam folder. And it surely sounded like spam, but what Carlos said is, "Our team has read your book and we would like to purchase the movie rights." And so, sometime in the future, it will likely be on UP TV. There's going to be a movie based on my novel.   And then the sequel, A Very Bavarian Summer, has recently come out. July 5th was its release date. And it's just been such a fun journey. So, a publisher ended up picking up the series. And I was just as surprised as anyone. I was hoping it would be a movie. I kind of wrote it like that. And again, there was many voices saying, "Yeah, you know, you're not a fiction writer. So, let's kind of see how it goes." But I just knew that God had given me this story and that anything is possible. And it wasn't a guarantee. It would all turn out how I thought it would. But it's been a very fun and exciting journey for sure.   Laura Dugger: (42:41 - 42:52) That's incredible. So excited for you. I have to keep us posted for when we can see that. But where else can we go after this conversation to continue learning more from you?   Katie Reid: (42:53 - 43:51) Well, the best place is at my website, katiemreid.com. And Reid is R-E-I-D. And if you subscribe, listeners, to my website, I send out a good newsletter, I call it, once a month with all the things. I'm also on Instagram @katiem_reid. And then my books are available, Made Like Martha, God, What Do I Do?, A Very Bavarian Christmas, and A Very Bavarian Summer. And so, we're also pitching another Bible study. So, hopefully in a year or so there will be some more. But I love to resource people. My desire, whether I am writing nonfiction or fiction, is to see captives set free. Because Jesus has set me free. And I long for others to live that abundant life with Jesus. And so, that thread is throughout each resource we offer. And I would love to connect with listeners over my website or online.   Laura Dugger: (43:52 - 44:17) I'll make sure to link to all of that in the show notes. I love that, setting the captives free, joining that good work that Jesus is doing. And Katie, you already know that we're called The Savvy Sauce. Because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight or discernment. So, as my final question for you today, what is your savvy sauce?   Katie Reid: (44:18 - 45:12) Well, I am bad at small talk. I like to go deep fast. And so, I feel like my savvy sauce is asking meaningful questions. Whether that be of my spouse or my kids. And really getting to know their heart and what makes them tick. We call them quality questions.   And I think people are willing to open up when they feel safe, when they feel seen, and when they feel known. And so, I love to just kind of dive in deep. In fact, my husband and I will joke if we're out on a double date or something. I'll just say, "Listen, I'm bad at small talk. So, can we talk about fill in the blank?" And so, I think that's one of my savvy sauces. It might annoy some people, I guess. But I think it's really fun to watch someone talk about something they're passionate about. And just get to know them better.   Laura Dugger: (45:13 - 45:52) Amen to that. I love that so much. I do not think it's obnoxious or annoying or anything. I actually very much appreciate when we first met through Justin and Jenny Moss. And Justin's been a repeat guest, so I'll link to his episodes as well. But we met at their daughter's wedding. And I was instantly drawn to you. And it was near the end of the night, so we didn't get to spend as much time together as I hoped. But you have that magnetic personality. And I love even the gifts of your decisiveness. And the way that you're able to articulate all of your wisdom and share it with us. It was such a blessing. So, thank you for being my guest today.   Katie Reid: (45:53 - 46:04) Laura, thank you so much. And I love what you're doing with The Savvy Sauce podcast. And you are just shining and in your element. And it's so evident. And I just appreciate you.     Laura Dugger: (46:04 – 49:49) Thank you, Katie. 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.

What does it really look like to commit your whole life to God, not just your words? In this episode, we walk through Nehemiah's renewed covenant, Israel's community-wide commitment to family, faith, and finances, and the bold repopulation plan for Jerusalem. We'll discover how these chapters reveal God's unwavering faithfulness to his people and point to the deeper promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We'll also look at how our lives today mirror the Israelites and what it looks like to live as God's set apart people.Podcast themes: Commitment requires more than intention. The Israelites didn't just say they would follow God. They signed their names, made specific commitments, and reordered their lives around their covenant. So ask yourself: Where am I relying on good intentions instead of real follow-through? Obedience often involves sacrifice. Some Israelite families moved into a broken, unattractive Jerusalem simply because God chose them to. Our obedience today often looks the same. God may call us to forgive, serve, move toward community, or let go of something we'd rather keep. The question is whether we trust him enough to say yes.Everyone has a place and purpose in God's story. Nehemiah's detailed lists show that every person matters and has a role in God's plan. Whether you feel front-and-center or behind-the-scenes, your obedience contributes to God's work in the world. No one is invisible in the kingdom of God.We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info! Contact Bible Book ClubDONATE Buy merch Like, comment, or message us through Bible Book Club's InstagramLike or comment on Susan's Facebook or InstagramLeave us an Apple reviewContact us through our website formThanks for listening and happy podcasting!

From the very beginning, God's desire has been clear: He wants to be with His people. In this episode, we trace the theme of God's presence—from Eden, to the center of the Israelite camp, to Jesus, Immanuel—God with us. We talk about how God pursues us, how His presence shapes our faith, and what it means to follow Jesus as a life lived with Him.

When I led a ministry for moms of preschoolers, we hunted for an image to describe the unending demands that mothers experience. Changing diapers. Wiping noses. Picking up toys. It turns out the image was right in front of us: a disposable juice box, collapsed in on itself. Moms can feel like empty juice boxes. That ministry served moms by leading them to the Source of living water that can fill them to the full—Jesus. In John 7, Jesus went to the Festival of Tabernacles (v. 12), commemorating God’s provision during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings. This festival included a water-pouring rite symbolizing the fruitfulness that only moisture produces and foreshadowed the spiritual rain the Messiah would bring. Jesus fulfills what the ancient festival anticipated. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (vv. 37-38). At times, we can feel like empty containers. Weary from caregiving. Worn from working. Exhausted by everyday responsibilities. The unending demands draw us dry! But when we live in relationship with God, He provides springs of living water within our heart to refresh and refuel us no matter how many cares and concerns try to drain us.

ISAIAH WAS a wordsmith. And the Hebrew word he used translated “idols,” ʾĕlîlim, identifies the spiritual nature and origin of the idols he condemned. Dr. Christopher B. Hays, citing work of A. T. Clay published in 1907, identified the origin of ʾĕlîlim as the name of the Mesopotamian deity Ellil, which was the Akkadian form of the Babylonian/Sumerian god Enlil. As Derek documented in The Second Coming of Saturn, Ellil/Enlil was the equivalent of the Canaanite father-god El, and thus “the abomination of the Ammonites,” Milcom (i.e., Molech). He was also known as Assur, chief god of the Assyrians, Dagon of the Philistines, Kronos of the Greeks, Saturn of the Romans, and probably Osiris of the Egyptians, among others. We believe this entity is also Shemihazah, leader of the sons of God in Genesis 6, whose rebellion created the monstrous Nephilim, the spirits of which became demons upon their deaths in the Flood of Noah. Isaiah, then, was condemning not carved blocks of wood or stone, but the demonic spirits they represented—the “gods” of the pagans whom the kingdoms of Israel and Judah continued to worship. We'll see as we get deeper into the Book of Isaiah that the prophet understood the nature of the entities the Israelites were interacting with. The cult of the dead was alive and well in the time of Isaiah. Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, has been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! Derek's new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821)Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon)Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation | @thebiblesgreatestmysteries• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site! Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the left-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

Colossians 4:2 DEVOTE yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (NIV) Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, FAITHFUL in prayer. (NIV) 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually, (NIV) Luke 18:1 Always pray and never give up. (NIV) 1. KEEP CIRCLING FOR SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH Acts 1:14 They all joined together CONSTANTLY IN PRAYER, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (NIV) Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ASK HIM!” (NIV) 2. KEEP CIRCLING TO BREAKTHROUGH OBSTACLES Joshua 6:1-5 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” (NIV) 4 QUICK LESSONS ON HOW TO CIRCLE OBSTACLES FOR A BREAKTHROUGH   2A. SECURELY SHUT DOES NOT STOP GOD  2B. SEE WHAT GOD SEES Joshua 6:2 “Then the Lord said to Joshua, “SEE, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.” (NIV) 2C. SEEING LEADS TO A FAITH THAT DOES NOT STOP 2D. SPEAK TO THE OBSTACLE  Mark 11:22–24 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone SAYS TO THIS MOUNTAIN, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they SAY will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (NIV) 3. KEEP CIRCLING FOR FAMILY BREAKTHROUGH  Luke 1:6-7 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both VERY OLD. (NIV) Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; YOUR PRAYER HAS BEEN HEARD. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. (NIV)

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 Samuel's exhortation to the Israelites to fear Yahweh and serve Him and listen to His voice and not rebel against His commands. Scripture References: 1 Samuel 12:14; 1 Samuel 1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Samuel 8:6-9; 1 Samuel 12:1-22; Joshua 24:14-15; Deuteronomy 28-30; Daniel 2:21 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

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “And I'm not talking about the distant future, where super intelligence leads us to traveling the galaxies and overcoming death and All that. I mean the nearer term future...in a world where we keep accelerating towards better and better and more capable AI...I think AI is uncategorically the best hope for accelerating prosperity. It will touch everything.” ~Guillaume Verdon, better known for his X handle “Beff Jezos”, as heard on episode 8“The Accelerationists” of the podcast The Last Invention, hosted by Gregory Warner. “Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world… The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity…A vast image …Troubles my sight:Somewhere in sands of the desertA shape with lion body and the head of a man,A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,Is moving its slow thighs, while all about itReel shadows of the indignant desert birds.The darkness drops again; but now I knowThat twenty centuries of stony sleepWere vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”~Written about the bleakness of the future by William Butler Yeats in 1919 in the aftermath of WWI, the height of the global flu pandemic of 1918-19 which nearly killed his pregnant wife, the wake of the Easter uprising in Ireland against the British crown, and the beginning (in his view) of the collapse of the civilization Europe had spent the last 1600 years building.SERMON PASSAGE selected passages (NIV)Exodus 16 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” Deuteronomy 8 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Micah 5 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Luke 2 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  John 6 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…” 51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”…58 “This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Just as the Israelites in Exodus needed the blood of a spotless lamb to save themselves from physical death, we need the blood of God's Lamb, Jesus, to save us from spiritual death. When we understand that there is nothing else that can save us but His blood, then we can share this news with others. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/640/29?v=20251111

The Great Rosary Campaign is an ongoing prayer and penance campaign for the conversion and strengthening of both Catholic and non-Catholic leaders.For the next 5 weeks—going through Advent, Christmas, and heading into the New Year—we will be praying for the conversion of various tech leaders who are spearheading AI. We are also praying that, alongside any potential benefits that may come from AI, the evil that may result from it may be mitigated for the sake of the salvation of souls.THIS WEEK of the Great Rosary Campaign, we will pray for the conversion of the CEO of Meta (Facebook), Mark ZuckerbergThe SUGGESTED PENANCE this week, while we remain in Advent, is a 24 hour water fast (adjusted for your state in life).In these dark times, we must fight evil with the most powerful weapons we have. The Rosary is foremost among them. Join the Great Rosary Campaign today at: www.GreatRosaryCampaign.com.Countless Saints and Popes have told us that the Rosary is incredibly powerful for three things in particular:Keeping the FaithMoral renovationConversions of non-CatholicsThe Great Rosary Campaign is also based on several biblical themes and principles.First, PRAY FOR OUR BRETHREN. “Pray for one another…” (Jas. 5:16). “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10).Second, PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:43-44).Third, PRAY FOR ALL MEN, PARTICULARLY LEADERS AND THOSE IN AUTHORITY. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, or kings and all who are in high positions…” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).Fourth, GOING INTO BATTLE WITH THE ARK. When the ancient Israelites came to Jericho, God didn't tell them to besiege the city. Instead, He told them to march around it with the Ark of the Covenant seven times, and on the seventh the walls would fall. We will now "march" in prayer for seven days with the New Ark of the Covenant, Our Lady, through the Rosary. We pray in hope that on the seventh day, a day especially devoted to Our Lady (Saturday), extraordinary graces of conversion will be given to those we are praying for.Fifth, EVANGELISM AND APOLOGETICS = LOVE + ARGUMENTS + PRAYER + PENANCE. Ultimately it is God who reveals Himself to a soul, and empowers them to say "yes" to Him by His grace. He chooses to use us, but He does not have to. We must remember that as we evangelize and defend the Faith, our arguments will be fruitless unless informed by love (charity), and reinforced by prayer and penance.Sixth, RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL. “Do not return evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing" (1 Pet. 3:9).Sign up to take part in the Great Rosary Campaign today: www.GreatRosaryCampaign.com

ISAIAH WAS a wordsmith. And the word he used translated “idols,” ʾĕlîlim, identifies the spiritual nature and origin of the idols he condemned. Dr. Christopher B. Hays, citing the work of A. T. Clay published in 1907, identified the origin of ʾĕlîlim as the name of the Mesopotamian deity Ellil, which was the Akkadian form of the Babylonian/Sumerian god Enlil. As Derek documented in The Second Coming of Saturn, Ellil/Enlil was the equivalent of the Canaanite father-god El, and thus “the abomination of the Ammonites,” Milcom (i.e., Molech). He was also known as Assur, chief god of the Assyrians, Dagon of the Philistines, Kronos of the Greeks, Saturn of the Romans, and probably Osiris of the Egyptians, among others. We believe this entity is also Shemihazah, leader of the sons of God in Genesis 6, whose rebellion created the monstrous Nephilim, the spirits of which became demons upon their deaths in the Flood of Noah. Isaiah, then, was condemning not carved blocks of wood or stone, but the demonic spirits they represented—the “gods” of the pagans whom the kingdoms of Israel and Judah continued to worship. We'll see as we get deeper into the Book of Isaiah that the prophet understood the nature of the entities the Israelites were interacting with. The cult of the dead was alive and well in the time of Isaiah.

Hundreds of years after the Exodus, the Israelites decided they wanted a human king just like all the other nations and kingdoms. After a disastrous few decades under their first king, Saul, the Lord chose the shepherd boy David to lead them. And God made a covenant with David that his throne would be established forever. By the end of the Old Testament, however, centuries passed without a king on David's throne. Then Jesus came - the ultimate seed of David - to fulfill all the promises of the Davidic Covenant.

These days, having a child out of wedlock is pretty much a valid lifestyle choice in many cultures. I'm not saying that it's right, just that that's how it's perceived. But back in Jesus' day … man it was a huge scandal. Seriously.   A MISCONCEPTION Well, here we are hurtling towards Christmas. You know, it's interesting when you look at the candy cane – you know that simple little cane with the white and then the three small stripes and then the big stripe – and we think of it as a candy cane, but the confectioner who first created it, didn't create it as a candy cane. He created it as a "J" for Jesus and the white was there to symbolise the holiness of God and the three small stripes were there to symbolise the stripes on His back when He was beaten and the one thick stripe, the red stripe was there to symbolise the blood of Jesus. Isn't it funny how we take symbols to do with Christmas and a whole bunch of other things and we change their meaning – we re-interpret them – and I think it's really true of this thing that we call Christmas. You know, as I look at my four years studying at Bible College, the most profound thing that I learned was this – that theologians, and I can class myself as one of those – we love to take the stories of God in the Bible and snip them up and put them in little piles which we call doctrines. You know, the doctrine of the Trinity; the doctrine of original sin; the doctrine of the incarnation and so we think, "WOW, you know, I've sorted out God; I've got Him is little piles; I have a systematic theology and now I understand God." Well, in a sense that's good, because it's good to know what we believe and why we believe it and look at the whole council of God in His Word. But you know something, if that's all we do, I think maybe, we missed the point because God's chosen way of revealing Himself to us is mostly through stories. Stories throughout history of His engagement with His chosen people, Israel, and then in the New Testament, stories of His new promise; stories of His grace as the church grew out of a revelation of God through Jesus Christ. God speaks to us through His story in history and to me that's the most profound insight that I got after four years of Bible College. And no where is that more true than in Jesus. John in his Gospel calls Jesus the Word, "In the beginning was the Word." Jesus is God talking to us saying, "This is what I'm like." Jesus is a message in a bottle. And Jesus is unique – He is the only person in history, as the Son of God, who could have chosen the place, the time and the circumstances of His birth. Let's just think about that for a minute. It's true isn't it? If Jesus is who He says He is – the Son of God – He is the only person in history that could have chosen the circumstances of His birth. Well, if that's true; if it was a deliberate choice, what is God saying to us about Himself through the manner in which Jesus came into the world, through this story that we now call Christmas. See, it's not some neat doctrine; it's not some neat theology of the incarnation. We learn about Christmas through the stories in Matthew and Mark and Luke and John and I guess, in a sense, many of us know them backwards. But Matthew begins, after the great, long genealogy that we looked at the other week – Matthew now begins with this story – if you've got a Bible, grab it, open it – we are going to Matthew, chapter 1, beginning at verse 18. It says this: "Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way." So in other words, here's the story. "When His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he decided to do that, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife for the child conceived in her is from God the Holy Spirit. She will bear you a son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "look the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and they shall name Him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us". When Joseph awoke from the sleep he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a Son and he named Him Jesus." So here's Mary, pregnant from the Holy Spirit. How? Well, Luke tells us the angel appeared to her and said, "Fear not!" Have you ever seen a Christmas card with "Fear not!" plastered across the front? Not really! So how to you think Mary felt? She gets spoken to by an angel; she gets told not to be afraid, "you're going to be pregnant because God the Holy Spirit is going to make you pregnant." Now how do you think it went when Mary told Joseph? Here's this single teenage girl from this place called Nazareth; Nowheresville and she wanders in with her belly swollen and she says to her fiancee, "Well, Joe, it's like this – I didn't sleep with anyone – God did this!" WOW! Would you believe her? Joseph didn't – he planned to dismiss her quietly because this was a society where getting pregnant out of wedlock was a disgraceful thing. I mean, the Hebrew law commanded the women who were caught in adultery be stoned to death so the social context was that it wasn't a life style choice; it was something that you stoned someone to death for. But Joseph has a dream. Remember he doesn't have a New Testament; he doesn't know how it's going to turn out. He has this subjective thing called a dream and even if it were true, what incredible pain. How many times would Mary have gone over the angel's words? How many times do you think Joseph would be second guessing his dream? How breathtakingly reckless was God to allow the whole future of humanity to hang on the responses of these two poorly educated, hapless, rural teenagers? I mean, we know Him as Lord, the Christ, the Son of God but His parents and family friends; Mary's little illegitimate baby; the bastard; the stigma. Yet that's what Jesus chose for Himself. That's why I've called this message, "The Illegitimate God". You and I, we read this story of Christmas with a sense of wander and awe and we know how it ended. Then, back then and there? Well, for them it was a scandal; it was a fantasy; it was, "Is God really doing this?"   SOME VISITORS So here we are looking at this story of Christmas – firstly, the way that this baby was conceived – the sense of scandal that would have followed Him around when He was a little child – but then He was born into this brutal, political climate. Let's read on the story; this space and time and situation that God chose for His Son to be born into. We are going to pick it up in Matthew, chapter 2, beginning at verse 1: In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem asking, "Where is this child that has been born the King of the Jews, because we observed His star at it's rising and we have come to pay homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened and all Jerusalem with him. And calling together all the chief priests and the scribes and the people, he enquired of them, 'where the Messiah was to be born?' And they told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, "And you Bethlehem in the land of Judea, are by no means the least amongst the rulers of Judea, for from you shall come a ruler who is to be the Shepherd of His people, Israel." And the story goes on that Herod secretly called for the wise men and he told them, "Go and find this Jesus and come and tell me", because he wanted to kill Jesus. We look at the politics of Palestine and Israel today – the mess – there seems to be no solution – they just keep shooting each other and blowing each other up. Back then it wasn't much different! You had a brutal Roman empire and the Roman Emperor ruled over a whole bunch of countries including this little country called Israel. And under him you had a despot; an Herodian King. And then this Herodian dynasty – we know about Herod – they were sort of half breeds and they were illegitimate and they were in cahoots with the Romans – together they oppressed the people. The religious leaders were part of all that and there was this sense of hopelessness amongst the people. It was every bit as messy then as it is today. And into this malaise is born Jesus, the Son of God and then these wise men – these Magi (a Magi was an astrologer; a sooth sayer). All of this was forbidden in the Old Testament – people who worshipped the stars were to be stoned to death. And they came from where? From the East; from Babylon – eighty kilometres south of what today is Baghdad. And remember, Babylon was a place of horror and evil for first century Israelites because that's where in 587 and 586 BC they were exiled into slavery. So God invites the Magi; these astrologers from hell to come to the birth of His Son and to worship Him. If you and I were God would we have invited them? I don't think so. And yet God doesn't just invite them but how does He go and get them from Babylon to Bethlehem? Does He send them a prophet? Does He send them John the Baptist? Does He send them a letter? Does He send them the Scriptures? He doesn't do any of those, He sends them a star. You see, God chooses a symbol that they can understand and follow and brings them to worship this child. Babylon who once destroyed the temple and exiled the chosen people is now worshipping the true God. God may well have hated their sin but He loved them much more that He hated their sin. And then one night in a dream – if you flick over the page to Matthew, chapter 2, beginning at verse 13 – Joseph has another dream, it says this: Now after the Magi had left, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and says: "Get up and take this child and His mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child and destroy Him. So Joseph got up, took the child and His mother by night and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord, through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I have called My Son." See, here we go again – Joseph is having another dream – this subjective thing. It's not like he sits down and he reads the New Testament; he reads the Old Testament and God speaks to him through His Word. No, God spoke to Joseph through a dream and so Joseph and Mary and Jesus all became refugees. They had no rights; they had no land; they had no possessions; they were fleeing for their lives. There are thirty two point nine million refugees in the world today. That's grown by almost fifty percent in just twelve months. Jesus, the Son of God becomes a refugee. How long? What would they live on? Where would they live? Where would they go? Would they be safe? They had to endure hardship for the first few years of His little life. Would you or I, if we were God, have put our son through this? And you read on in Matthew, chapter 2, verses 16 to 18. "When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. This massacre of the infants – have you ever seen a Christmas card about the massacre of the infants? See, we turn Christmas into this little pantomime, but the birth of Jesus into this world; the time when God stepped into this world and became man was a brutal time; it was a tough time and it was the time God chose for His Son. I mean, today we see suicide bombers in the Middle East and the shelling of targets and the shooting by snipers – imagine if you added to that the slaughter of all the children under two in and around Bethlehem – you don't see that on a Christmas card do you? What was God thinking by sending His Son into such a mess?   SO WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT GOD? And then of course, after they returned from Egypt, Jesus and His family moved to Nazareth – you can read it in Matthew, chapter 2, beginning at verse 19. When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up and take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel for those who are seeking the child's life are now dead. So Joseph got up, took the child and His mother and he went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea, in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there and after being warned in a dream, he went to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: "He will be called a Nazarene." God allowed, indeed, constructed the circumstances so that the Son of God would grow up in the backblocks of nowhere – in Nazareth. Does anything good come out of Nazareth? And He became a carpenter; not the King; not the head of theology at Jerusalem seminary; not the chief grand whatever in the synagogue or the temple – a lowly carpenter. So what do we learn about God? If God chose the circumstances into which Jesus would be born; if He chose these two young teenagers; if He chose the stable in Bethlehem; if He chose Herod and the persecution and the flight, what does that tells us about God? If Jesus came to reveal God to us, what do we learn about God from the first Christmas? When you read through the Old Testament about God you see His sovereignty; His power; His hugeness; His transcendence. Isaiah says: To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal," says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and see who created all these stars. See, God is great. Here at Christmas we see this greatness reduced to the size of the single fertilised egg – not even visible to the human eye. Born in the stable with the stench of cow dung and urine on the floor, hunted down, a refugee, the massacre of these infants around Him and then slinking back to Nazareth to eek out an ignominious existence as a carpenter, relying on two uneducated teenage bumpkins for safety and nurture – with always the hint of scandal – Mary's little illegitimate child. Well may God be great but hang on a minute, when you look at Christmas, my God is also small. My God is also humble. If you look at this theological doctrine of incarnation, Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Man – He's different to us yet He's the same as us. But if we really ask ourselves the question, we would mostly conclude that Jesus was fundamentally different from you and me. But like Luther, I believe that if we are even to begin to understand what God is saying in Jesus, we have to draw the conclusion that Jesus is God, deep graven into the flesh. Like the candy cane – on the one hand, white and pure and blameless and different, but with a red stripe; with the blood, suffering like us, He lived, He suffered, He cried, He struggled, like us. That's the point of Christmas; that's the point of Jesus being born into these brutal circumstances, in such humble surrounds. This is God saying, "Jesus is like us". We can have the best doctrine of the incarnation and completely miss the point. God is humble. He shows us that in a profound way at Christmas. He chose the time. He chose the circumstances. He chose the stable and the animals in it. He connects with us. That's why Jesus says later in Matthew, chapter 11, verse 28: Come to Me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest in your souls." And later in John, chapter 16, verse 33: "I've said these things to you that in Me you might have peace for in this world you will have tribulations but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world." What a contradiction! God, the sovereign God who created all the universe through Jesus, all things that were created were, in fact, created. And yet He calls Himself humble; He makes Himself low at Christmas time. But then everything about Jesus is a contradiction. On the one hand He's the Lion of Judah; on the other hand He's the Lamb of God. When I look at the Christmas story – just the way it is, just plain and simple – look at the circumstances that Jesus was born into, you know what I see? I see something that rings true; I see an authenticity; I see a Jesus who comes humbly into this world and then says, "Come to Me because I'm gentle, I'm humble of heart." I see a Jesus who was prepared to be a refugee; who is prepared to be under threat of death. It's an amazing thing, Christmas and you know, if we just look at it as a pantomime; if we just sing the wonderful little songs and still look at it as children, I think we miss the point. God chose an amazing time for Jesus to be born and we look at Christmas by knowing how it all ended up. We've read the whole New Testament; we have the benefit of knowing that He died and rose again and the church grew up out of that and two thousand years on, you know, we are living the life. So we look back at Christmas through a whole bunch of history and stuff that those people, at that time, simply didn't have. Philip Yancey sums it up this way – I love what he says. This is what he writes: "He is the image of the invisible God; the first born over all creation," an apostle would later write, "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together," But the few eye witnesses on Christmas night saw none of those things. They saw an infant struggling to work never before used lungs. It's the story of a God who steps out of heaven, powerful, transcendent, able to choose anything He wants – He chooses Mary and Joseph; He chooses a stable; He chooses for His Son to become a refugee; He chooses for His Son to grow up in Nazareth as a carpenter. God speaks to us through this Christmas story. God went to extraordinary lengths to say this: "I am humble of heart. I have come to be one of you. I have come to walk in your shoes, in your skin, to experience all the things that you experience." It's the message of Christmas. A God who reaches out in the most amazing way; in the most startling way; in a way that we would never have done if we were God – and speaks to us His love and His desire to have a relationship with us. That is what Christmas is about.

In the midst of colorful creations made from old plastic bottles cut to resemble feathers and even lampshades, a tour guide at the New Orleans museum shared the thinking behind the use of such material. “For a city that’s had such hardship, we’ve also learned to use what we have to create joy and beauty. We don’t focus only on the hard times; we celebrate the resilience.” Nehemiah and the Israelites also faced hardship but resiliently pressed on in God’s joy. They’d been captured and taken away from their home, and at last were able to return to Jerusalem from exile (Nehemiah 4:7-12). But upon arriving, they still faced opposition to rebuild the wall that protected Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6). Even after the wall was completed and they gathered for a celebration, hearing the words of God’s law, their spirits were heavy. They were “weeping as they listened” (8:9). But Nehemiah reminded them that they could find joy and strength in God—remembering who He was and what He’d brought them through. Nehemiah told them, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (v. 10). Focusing on God can give us joy and strength too, especially when our circumstances seem dire. God’s ability, character, and the Scriptures can renew our minds and bring us joy (v. 12)—providing the strength and resilience we need.

Just as the Israelites in Exodus needed the blood of a spotless lamb to save themselves from physical death, we need the blood of God's Lamb, Jesus, to save us from spiritual death. When we understand that there is nothing else that can save us but His blood, then we can share this news with others.

“I will make thy windows of agates.” — Isaiah 54:12 The church is most instructively symbolized by a building erected by heavenly power, and designed by divine skill. Such a spiritual house must not be dark, for the Israelites had light in their dwellings; there must therefore be windows to let the light in and […]

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Abundance means having a very large quantity or supply of something, more than enough, or overflowing fullness. Let's make this tangible. How many times have you turned this definition into something you wanted more of? Or maybe you perceived if you had more of a thing your life would be better? Have you ever caught yourself thinking if I only had X amount more money, I could do Y with it? Or I wish I had a new car! A bigger house. Or maybe you really want to go on that great vacation or buy a new handbag. Social media has really fueled this culture of comparison making things seem like needs as opposed to wants. We live in a world that largely spends more than it makes. According to debt.org, 90% of American households hold debt that totals the staggering amount of $18.2 trillion dollars. And, statistically, the more education someone has directly correlates with the amount of debt they hold. The average debt for someone with a high school diploma is $50,401 verses someone with an undergraduate degree at $115,456. Most of the debt is a mortgage, followed by auto loans, school debt, and credit cards. Roughly 44-57% of working Americans earning greater than $60,000 annually hold credit card debt. With delinquencies in all categories rising, 39% of women say their debt is unmanageable. But how did we get here? While economic implications are surely a factor in our borrow-now-pay-later society, we need to look at the heart implications of our increasing need for more. Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 5:10). We possess what we think we need and then simply want more. Are you jealous of something someone else has? Are you coveting a relationship? Maybe you feel like having something will earn you status or entry into another social group. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's (Exodus 20:17). Coveting is to desire something belonging to someone else—something you are craving that is not yours. This can be a possession or even a relationship. When did this start for you? Far before I knew Jesus, I certainly knew what Air Jordan shoes were. Growing up in an affluent area, I was the kid who took the city bus and had clothes from a big box store. We certainly could not afford those shoes. Feelings of shame and embarrassment were common as I could not keep up with other kids because of how I was dressed. What did my parents do for Christmas? They borrowed. They bought me a few pieces they shouldn't have. I not only coveted what the other kids had but wanted the relationships too. My relationship with borrowing started before I could do it myself and then came college and credit cards. Borrowing to get ahead. Some of the borrowing like school loans propelled me forward, but some of the credit for things I coveted put me in debt. Have you ever heard someone say everyone has a God-sized hole in their heart? That is because all the money, possessions, and friendships we want more of can never give us more abundance than the love of our Lord through his son Jesus Christ. Those clothes may have made me more popular and gained me a few friends, but they never filled this hole. The only thing that can give us true abundance is Jesus. As we talk about this holy abundance, let's consider the pitfalls of seeking worldly abundance. I want to stress I am not suggesting a life of poverty, but when is enough, enough? Having an abundance of worldly things makes it difficult to experience the filling of that God-sized hole in your heart through Jesus. God's Word is clear. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts (1 Samuel 2:7). If you think wealth equals abundance, remember, wealth comes from God, and it's so much more than money. The Bible is clear about wealth, and the sooner we orient ourselves to this view on abundance, the closer we can get to true abundant living with Jesus! We already talked about coveting, but what about greed? Jesus warns, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions (Luke 12:15). Greed is an intense, selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. Jesus warns of this and tells us our life is not tied to these possessions. Greed for power we believe can lead to wealth can certainly show up at work. Are you seeking that next promotion? This alone is not a bad thing! But checking your heart and intentions about the “why” is critical. Are there feelings of coveting or an intensity to feel worldly gain? Remember that God-sized hole? This underlying feeling will not fill it. God's word teaches us to hold loosely to our abundance, which is quite the opposite of greed. If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them (Deuteronomy 15:7). Being tightfisted is another reference to greed. Are you holding on too tightly to anything? Clearly, God wants us to give to those in need. Not only does God want us to give to the poor, he wants us to return to him in praise. Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest (Proverbs 3:9). What about all the borrowing I mentioned as we started our time together today? What does God have to say about this? Clearly, wealth and possessions come from the Lord, and he wants us to honor him and give to others. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none (Deuteronomy 28:12). Lend, but don't borrow. Considering 90% of all Americans have debt, we can assume Christ-followers are included in this statistic! Aside from traditional lending, loans, and credit cards, what about when you lend money to family? God does not want us to charge interest. If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest (Exodus 22:25). God's Word has a lot to say about money! It isn't all doom and gloom if we keep a right mind about it. What is a right mind about money you ask? Considering what we just talked about a simple summary is: Acknowledge that everything comes from the Lord. All wealth. All possessions. Hold these things loosely. Don't be greedy or covet what others have. Honor the Lord with our first fruits. Lend but don't borrow. Give to the poor. These verses from 1 Timothy sum it up well, Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Our abundance is from the Lord—everything we have! What happens when we don't keep a right mind about money? Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf (Proverbs 11:28). Better a little with righteousness than great income with injustice (Proverbs 16:8). Trusting in our worldly wealth and not handling it with care has consequences! Trust in wealth and you will fall! No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). Simply, the more you are focused on money, the more your mind will be far from God. Does this unhealthy view on money and wealth as abundance keep you far from a relationship with Jesus Christ? What worldly possessions are you thinking about right now? Think about things that God cares about that cost you little to nothing? Remember the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. How can you do this today? Perhaps you can shift your mindset from striving for wealth to striving for time with loved ones and friends! Perhaps you can take time to serve with a local charity. Stop to pray for a friend. Take a walk in nature and meditate on God's word. Sing a song of praise and thanksgiving to our Lord. Write a note or letter to someone who could use some encouragement. Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21). Are you treasuring the things God cares about and views as abundant, or are you fixated on what the world says abundance is? Do you worry more about how someone feels when they are with you or what they think of what you are wearing or what your house looks like? God cares that you are living abundantly from the inside out! If you are ready today and find yourself a little too focused on worldly abundance or maybe you are among the 90% of people in America who hold debt, have hope and run to Jesus! Remember why we need him. All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God. God knows we are not perfect like Jesus, and he lavished us with his mercy that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I don't know about you, but this feels beyond abundant! Breaking free from habits of seeking worldly abundance starts with repenting if you aren't walking in a right-minded way about money as we read about in 1 Timothy 6. Do you covet? Are you greedy? Do you withhold from giving to those in need? Perhaps you are in debt. Bring all of this to the feet of Jesus in prayer and talk to someone who can hold you accountable to changing your ways. There are many programs that can help you find a right relationship with money, keeping you in order of serving God first! Turn your eyes from social media and from looking at what everyone else has! Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you (Hebrews 13:5). God will never leave you or abandon you! He is the only one who can fill the space in your heart like nothing in this world can.

What does it mean to live a life after God? The Israelites and Malachi disagreed on the answer. We'll watch Malachi address the priests' arrogance and expose their blemished rituals as an outward show. As Dr. McGee tells us, “God was telling them what they sacrifice is really a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Any imperfect offering was an insult to Him.”

I greet you in Jesus precious name! It is Friday morning, the 12th of December, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Leviticus 12:8:”So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.' ” What does that mean? “Make atonement” - I looked up the Oxford Dictionary and the literal meaning of the word “atonement” is “reconciliation of God and man.” Father God did it once and for all, for you and for me. He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, down to earth from heaven as a sacrifice, an ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins.Now that, my dear friend, is real love - Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice for our sin! If you read in Leviticus, you will see that the Israelites had to keep going up to the Temple to offer sacrifices for their sins. They took bulls, they took rams, they took goats, they took turtledoves to pay for their continual sins but eventually it wasn't enough, so Father God sent His own Son to be the ultimate sacrifice for your sin and for my sin. John 15:13 says: ”Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” That is what Jesus did for us. Do you remember that novel written by Charles Dickens, the famous writer? It was called “The Tale of Two Cities, and basically, it is the story of a friend dying for his friend. These were two identical men, and the one went to the guillotine in France in place of his friend, and the famous line in that whole story, that novel, goes like this, ”It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done. It is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”I want to say to you today, we too must be prepared to die to self so that Jesus can live through us.Have a wonderful day, God bless you and goodbye.

This month, Cynthia and Molly weigh in on six ways to wait with purpose and hope based on what we can learn from the Theotokos, the shepherds, and the Israelites this nativity season.

Who was Malachi? Was he a man or an angel? Together we examine the evidence and discover, ultimately, it's “the message not the man that matters.” Travel with us through Malachi, and see him confront the Israelites on many of the same issues Nehemiah did, including: the defilement of the priesthood, the foreign marriages and divorce of Israelite wives, and neglecting their giving to God.

Actions have consequences. When Peter went to the gentile centurion Cornelius, and brought him the truth, he believed. Peter didn't require Cornelius to become a Israelite. Instead, Peter ate with the unclean gentiles. Now Peter returns to the church at Jerusalem and is questioned about his behavior. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29?v=20251111

Send us a textIn today's episode of Small Beginnings with Sara, I'm sharing the very real, very personal journey I'm walking right now — a journey of letting go, of releasing what has held history and meaning for decades, and of trusting God as He leads me into a new season.I open my heart about packing up my life, releasing the bookcases I bought in 1986, saying goodbye to my beloved studio, and stepping into a new identity as a traveling artist. These aren't just physical changes — they're spiritual invitations. Invitations to loosen my grip, to make room for what God is preparing, and to walk by faith into places I've never been.Through the stories of Abraham, Joshua, Ruth, the Israelites, and the disciples, we explore how God has always called His people to move forward without having all the answers. And we anchor these truths with Scripture that has been holding me in this season — Isaiah 43, Ecclesiastes 3, Hebrews 11, and Psalm 121.Today's episode is about: • Letting go of the familiar so God can lead you into the new • Recognizing His gentleness in every transition • Trusting Him when your future looks different than expected • Learning to see physical release as spiritual receiving • Holding hope when you're stepping into unmarked territoryIf you are standing in your own doorway of transition, wondering how to move forward, I pray this conversation gives you courage, clarity, and companionship.

The Ten CommandmentsGod loves us so much that He guides us with His Agape love toward a life of virtue and goodness. From the beginning of time, God has endowed us with the gift of discernment and the ability to choose to do good.Join us in this insightful episode, in which we reflect on how God, through Moses, rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and led them all to the Promised Land, showing them the path to holiness through the Ten Commandments.Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast. Please follow us on Instagram.We love you and are infinitely grateful for your support!May God always bless you!Marjorie and Maya.

Why Take The Longer Path?Exodus 13:17-18 “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.” But God led the people round by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the sons of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle."I was listening to a sermon on the Elevation podcast. The pastor of Elevation church, Steven Furtick, gave a great sermon called “This May Be Plan C.” When I heard him talking about one part in particular I felt like the Lord wanted me to share it with all of you. There were many things about the sermon that stood out to me but it was almost an hour long so I can't go into all of it. However, I do recommend you check out the whole sermon as it was really good. I am just going to talk about the part that has to do with this verse.Pastor Steven was talking about how God didn't take the Israelites on the shortest path out of Egypt. The verse says, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near.” This makes us think that there was a way to the promised land that was shorter. And if God is explaining why He didn't take them that way, then that leads us to believe that way would have made more sense. If we are taking the quickest, easiest way, we usually don't explain why we are going that way. Everyone knows why. However, if we are taking an unexpected path, or one that is longer, we might explain why.So, why did God take them on a longer path? The verse says, “Lest the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.” God knew the people were leaving Egypt but if they ran into trouble and had to fight their way out of Egypt, they might turn around and go back. Also, God knew that the Pharaoh was going to change his mind and come after them. God knew the way of the Philistines would lead them into a situation they were not ready for yet. He also knew what was coming after them and He knew that they would need the Red Sea.I wonder if you have had a time, or maybe many times in your life when you felt like God took you on the round about way to get to where you were going? You feel like there must have been an easier and quicker way to get to where you ended up. What if we trusted that God knew what He was doing? What if we look back and try to see how God might have been protecting us from taking the easy or most quickest path because we might have encountered something we weren't ready to encounter? What if God took us the way He took us because He knew we would need something from that journey or that other path.Pastor Steven talked about how sometimes the problem we are trying to wish away is actually the answer to our prayer we have be asking from God. When the Israelites got the the Red Sea, I am sure they thought it was a problem. I am sure they saw the water on one side of them and heard the army coming up behind them and they questioned why God would lead them to this body of water when there were other paths they could have taken. I am sure they were wishing they were anywhere but in front of the Red Sea at that moment. Yet God used this perceived problem to answer their prayers. He parted that sea and allowed them to walk across it on dry ground. And then he used that water, the one they thought was a problem, to swallow up their enemy.Do you have any problems in your life that might be the answer to your prayers? It may not look like it at first. You may just look at the problem and see it as a problem. However, what if you looked at it and explored how it might be an answer to your prayers? What if you look at the path that the Lord has taken you down and try to see why that path makes sense? Is there a reason God didn't take you down the quickest easiest path? Is there something you needed to go through so that you could be the person He created you to be? Is there something you needed to survive so that you could show others they will survive it too? Was there something on that other path that the Lord knew you weren't ready to face yet?When I asked the Lord what He wanted me to teach today this is what I felt like I heard, “Teach them about how they may not be where they thought they would be. They may not have taken the path they thought they would have but if they keep walking with Me and trusting in Me then they will get there in the end. Show them I am walking with them and leading them. There is a reason I led them on the path they are on. I will help them get to where they are going. It's never too late for Me to grant your heart's desire. Don't give up asking for what you truly want. I do hear you. I am working all things for your good.”I know some of you are disappointed with the way things in life have turned out. I know some of you have been asking for some pretty big things for a long time. I know some of you really need a healing or some direction. I feel the Lord wants you to know it is coming. Your healing is coming. Your trip to Africa is coming. Your heart's desires will be fulfilled. Yes, you might be on the long road to get here, but there is a reason for that. God is putting you on the road you need to be on. Trust in Him and keep walking with Him and He will lead you to where you want to go. I really feel like He wants me to emphasize that it is NEVER too late. Don't give up. Don't feel you are too old, too young, too sick, to inexperienced, to anything. It is NEVER to late for God to fulfill your dreams. Keep asking, keep walking with Him, He won't let you down.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to the podcast today. Lord, please give us the strength to keep asking. Please help us never to give up. Please help us to walk the path you put us on, not the one we think we should be on. Please help us keep walking with you and trusting you. Please help us to trust even when we don't understand. We love you Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with Your Will and in Jesus's Holy Name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you still have some last-minute gifts to buy, why not get your loved ones a copy of my book? CLICK HERE to order an autographed copy.  It could be a great way for them to start out the New Year, learning about how much God loves them and who He says they are. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in July 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Everything he has created is good in his sight. And his blessings and his mercies pour out each morning anew on every creature and part of his creation.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

FROM THE CONCERNED CITIZEN ON XLarry Fink CEO of Blackrock - the largest wealth management company in the world says “the digitalisation of all and financial assets will be stored in digital wallets - it will happen worldwide and it will happen very rapidly”FROM DEMOCRACY NOW:Leaked Memo Shows Attorney General Bondi Ordered FBI to Compile List of “Domestic Terrorism” Groups

God renews covenant with the Israelites via Moses.

The account of Esther, the Jewish orphan who becomes the queen of Persia, is neither a Cinderella story, nor a how-to guide for righteousness. It does, however, give us a picture of the God who graciously uses broken people to achieve His glorious ends and fulfill His covenant promises. The names that the two Jewish characters operate under, Esther and Mordecai, are not Israelite names, but are instead names that give honor to Persian gods. The book reflects how they operate under this saturation of Persian culture by mentioning the Persian king 190 times while God is never explicitly mentioned. On today's episode we meet Esther, Mordecai, King Ahaseurus, and the self-righteous enemy of God's people: Haman.Esther 1 - 1:02 . Esther 2 - 5:51 . Esther 3 - 11:50 . Esther 4 - 15:42 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

We all know that Moses was sent to Egypt by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But did you know that he was also called to deliver God to the Israelites? The Lord sent Moses to Egypt from the burning bush because God saw how His people were struggling under the "hand" of the Egyptians, and He would show them the difference between the power of Pharoah's "hand" vs. God's own "mighty Hand," a theme we will see repeated throughout the plagues ahead.

Mark Williams-Wynn takes us back to the wilderness of Exodus to contrast the Israelites' distant longing with the confident hope we have today to speak with God face-to-face.

Send us a textAfter Joshua dies, Israel forgets God and the Midianites steal their food year after year. When the people finally pray, God answers. He sends a prophet to remind them of His rescue and then calls an unlikely hero named Gideon. While Gideon is secretly threshing wheat, an angel says, “The Lord is with you.” Gideon asks for proof, and God sends fire to burn up his offering. That night, God tells Gideon to tear down his father's altar to Baal and build one for the Lord. Even though Gideon feels small, God promises, “I will be with you.” Kids learn that God hears prayers, chooses ordinary people, and gives courage to do what is right.Talk about it:Why were the Israelites hiding, and what made life so hard for them?How did God show Gideon that He was really speaking to him?Why did God ask Gideon to tear down the altar to Baal?What is one brave thing you can do this week to follow God?Visit our website: kathyskidsstorytime.orgWe'd love to hear from you.To reach us quickly, click the “Send us a text” link at the top of the episode description.Or write to us by mail:Kathy's Kids StorytimePO Box 44270Charlotte, NC 28215-0043

Today we come to one of the most fascinating times in the history of the kingdom of Judah, an amazing king who does amazing things by the power of an amazing God. But first we take a look at King Ahaz who ruled from 731-715 BC. In 2 Kings 16:2-3 we read that Ahaz did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the ways of other kings, even sacrificing his son in the fire. King Ahaz     ⁃    Finds himself under attack by Pekah and Rezin     ⁃    Discovers there is a price to pay when you turn your back on the Living God     ⁃    Seeks help from the Assyrians - Assyria was a massive growing super power.     ⁃    Then God brings a rebuke through the prophet Isaiah (a most effective and influential prophet) but Ahaz refuses to listen.     ⁃    Ahaz continues to turn away from God and desecrated the Temple of God as he continues to rebel against God.     ⁃    His rebellion brings sadness and tragedy and he continues to suffer military attacks. During Ahaz's reign in Judah, we read in 2 Kings 17:5-6 that Israel is defeated by the Assyrians after a 3 year siege. At the end of Ahaz's reign we see that in spite of the faithlessness of God's people, God remains faithful.  The next king of Judah is one of the best. King Hezekiah is Ahaz's son and Hezakiah rules 715-686 BC. King Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Kings 18:3.   King Hezekiah     ⁃    In the first month of the first year of his reign he had the Temple cleansed. 2 Chronicles 29:3-5     ⁃    Then Hezekiah holds a national Passover celebration inviting all of Israel and Judah. They had a 2 week Passover celebration. 2 Chronicles 30:1.     ⁃    Hezekiah destroys the sacred stones, high places and Asherah poles and also brakes into pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had used to God's glory but that had become an idol of the Israelites who had been burning incense to it. 2 Kings 18:4      ⁃    Hezekiah is facing the enemy of Assyria as they are coming to conquer Jerusalem and so in 2 Kings 20:20 we read that he built a tunnel and a pool. In the 1880's the Siloam Inscription was discovered. It tells the story of the building of the tunnel. Hezekiah built this tunnel to ensure there would be water when under siege by the Assyrian army by diverting the Gehon spring into Jerusalem leaving no fresh water available to the Assyrian army.      ⁃    Then the siege begins against Jerusalem. 2 Kings 18:28-29 the king's commander, speaking in Hebrew, calls out that the king of Assyria says that Hezekiah has deceived you because he will not be able to deliver you from me and my army. The king of Assyria is trying to get the people in Jerusalem to just give up.     ⁃    Then Hezekiah prays a beautiful prayer - 2 Kings 19:15-16 and God listens and the King of Assyria is defeated by God Himself. 2 Kings 19:35-36. The Assyrians withdraw and return to Nineveh and the siege is ended.     ⁃    Then Hezekiah becomes very ill to the point of death. Isaiah comes to Hezekiah to tell him to put his house in order. Hezekiah weeps and prays and God sees Hezekiah's tears and hears his prayer and God heals him. 2 Kings 20:1-5      ⁃    Hezekiah is visited by the Babylonians, a rising power that will ultimately defeat the Assyrians. 2 Kings 20:13 we read of Hezekiah being tempted by pride. The prophet Isaiah then brings a word to Hezekiah telling him that everything you just showed off to the Babylonians will be taken by Babylonians. Hezekiah repents.     ⁃    The prophets Micah and Isaiah were very active during Hezekiah's reign.     ⁃    Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings the nation had ever known. 2 Kings 18:5-6 tells us that Hezekiah trusted the Lord, that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, both before and after him, that Hezekiah held fast to the Lord and did not stop following God and that he kept the commands of the Lord. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays  https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Be a true Israelite—and take back what's rightfully ours.

Letters from God: A Message of Hope As we step into the Christmas season, it is a time of reflection and reconnection, much like the old tradition of sending Christmas cards with letters to friends and family. In this sermon, we are reminded that God also sends us messages, and this Christmas these messages are filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 – A Message of Assurance The sermon begins with a powerful reminder from Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse was originally for the Israelites during a time of despair, but it resonates through time, offering assurance that God is always thinking of us, even when we feel distant. The Power of Hope Hope is a recurring theme throughout the sermon, emphasizing its importance in various aspects of life: Health: Hope is linked to better health outcomes, and a study cited shows that hopeful individuals had a significantly lower risk of death after a heart attack than their pessimistic counterparts. Success: Hope is crucial for success, as it fosters resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges. Relationships: Hope breathes life into relationships, making them more positive and fulfilling. Hope in Christ While hope in general is beneficial, the sermon underscores that hope in Christ is unparalleled. It is a hope that shines light into the darkest corners of our lives. The story of Simeon in Luke 2 exemplifies this hope. Simeon, a devout man, awaited the Messiah with hope, and upon seeing Jesus, he knew his prayers were answered. This encounter illustrates the transformative power of hope in Jesus. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure Matthew 13:44 provides a vivid illustration of the value of hope in God's kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is likened to a treasure hidden in a field which, once discovered, prompts a man to sell everything he owns to possess it. This parable teaches that: True hope is unseen: Often our hopes are tied to visible, material things, but true hope is found in the unseen treasures of God's kingdom. Hope gives direction: Like the man who discovered the treasure, hope in Christ gives our lives direction and purpose, guiding us toward a future aligned with God's vision. Embracing God's Hope The sermon concludes with a call to embrace the hope offered through Jesus Christ. This hope is the foundation for a life of peace and purpose, transcending the temporary and visible to provide eternal assurance. As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that the hope we have in Christ is like a treasure, offering us a future filled with God's promises. Whether you are already living in this hope or seeking it, the message is clear: God has plans for you—plans for hope and a future. For those seeking prayer or guidance, the church offers support to help individuals move from despair to the hope found in God. May this season be one where God's light and hope shine brightly in your life.

Egypt's Decline and the Rise of Israel: Colleague Eric Cline explains that while Egypt survived the collapse, it merely "coped" rather than flourished, entering a chaotic era known as the Third Intermediate Period; as Egypt retreated from the international stage, a power vacuum allowed smaller entities like the Israelites to emerge, while recent DNA evidence from Ashkelon confirms the Philistines' origins in southern Europe, likely Crete or Sardinia, showing they migrated and intermarried with local Canaanites rather than simply conquering them. 1894

A few years ago, our church hosted refugees fleeing their country because of a change in political leadership. Entire families came with only what they could fit in a small bag. Several of our church families opened their homes, some with little room to spare. Such gracious hospitality echoes God’s command to the Israelites before they inhabited the promised land. As an agricultural society, they understood the importance of the harvest. Every bit of food would be essential to get them through until next year’s harvest. God told the Israelites when harvesting not to go back to retrieve what they may have missed. “Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:19). They were to practice generosity not by giving when they knew they had enough but by giving out of a heart of trusting in God’s provision “so that God could bless the work of their hands” (v. 19). God always has enough. The practice of hospitality also reminded them that they had been “slaves in Egypt” (v. 22). While we may not have experienced such oppression, we’ve all experienced being an outsider or being in need. As we give to others, we do well to remember our most basic need: freedom from our sin. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). When we’re hospitable, we celebrate our generous God who “loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Why do we need God's Law to truly repent? We can't turn away from something if we don't know it's wrong. God's Law helps us understand right from wrong so we can recognize our sin, repent, and renew our relationship with Him. The Israelites in Nehemiah 9 finally get this when God's Law highlights the uncomfortable truth...they're no different than their ancestors. Their response is beautiful.Join us as we dive into one of the most powerful prayers in Scripture and walk with the Israelites through their incredible day of repentance. With this masterclass in confession, the Levites show us how to renew our relationship with God using the ACTS model of prayer. Themes of this podcast: Why wearing scratchy sackcloth matters (and what it means for us today)How repentance creates a pathway to relationship with GodGod's covenant renewals throughout Scripture all point to JesusNehemiah 9 is the last recorded covenant renewal before 400 years of silence. Then Jesus shows up with a New Covenant that He writes on our hearts.Show Notes:ACTS ModelWe love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Contact Bible Book ClubDonate or pick up merch here Like, comment, or message us through Bible Book Club's InstagramLike or comment on Susan's Facebook or InstagramLeave us an Apple reviewContact us through our website formThanks for listening and happy podcasting!

Anchor Passage: (Nehemiah 13)After returning to Jerusalem, Nehemiah found that the Israelites had broken every one of their commitments. His response teaches us a lesson in resolve: to lead with restlessness yet be sustained by resting in God. Join us as we discover how this tension points us to Christmas—to the only One who can change our hearts and give us the true rest we need!First Time? Start Here: https://rock.marinerschurch.org/connectcardCan we pray for you? https://rock.marinerschurch.org/page/692You can find information for all our Mariners congregations, watch more videos, and learn more about us and our ministries on our website https://www.marinerschurch.org/---------------------------------------------------------------- FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marinerschurch • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marinerschurch • Twitter: https://twitter.com/marinerschurch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinerschurch • Online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariners.online-------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the ministry and help us reach people worldwide: https://www.marinerschurch.org/give/Like podcasts? Check out more from Mariners Church https://www.marinerschurch.org/podcast-channels/

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off our weekly theme, “Five Christmas Promises,” with Philip Miller, who discussed one of the promises: God sees your need and hears your prayer. We turned to Exodus 3:7-8, where we see that God listened to the cries and prayers of the Israelites when they were in Egypt; they were not unheard. Philip Miller is the Senior Pastor of Moody Church in Chicago. His voice can also be heard on the weekly Moody Church Hour radio broadcast. Then, starting on January 5th, you can listen to Pastor Philip on the upcoming daily program, Living Hope. We then had Bill Gaither join us to talk about his experience in the gospel music industry and his upcoming Christmas tour. Bill is a Grammy Award-winning artist and a pioneering figure in Gospel music, and is celebrated for both his songwriting and mentorship. He is also the founder of The Bill Gaither Trio and is known for penning over 700 gospel songs, including timeless classics like “Because He Lives.” Bill will be bringing the Homecoming Christmas Tour to Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL, on Friday, December 12, at 7 pm. We also had Boyd Bailey join us to talk about the beauty of joyful giving. Boyd is currently the President of the National Christian Foundation of Georgia, where he helps families steward their generosity through donor-advised funds. Boyd is also the founder of Wisdom Hunters, a ministry whose devotional emails help more than 100,000 readers connect with Christ each day. He also wrote the new book, "The Power of Generosity: Experiencing God's Amazing Abundance." You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to listen to a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Bill Gaither Interview [06:10] Boyd Bailey Interview [15:27] Philip Miller Interview [27:41] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of Fed by the Fruit with KB takes you on a rich, Scripture-soaked journey through the life of Moses—from his miraculous rescue as a baby in Egypt to his leadership over millions of Israelites in the wilderness. KB walks through the major moments of Moses' story: his upbringing in Pharaoh's palace, his impulsive actions and flight to Midian, the burning bush encounter, the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the establishment of the Old Covenant with God's people. You'll also learn how the tabernacle, sacrificial system, and the Day of Atonement all pointed forward to Jesus and the New Covenant.But this isn't just Bible history; it's deeply practical for your everyday walk with God. KB unpacks what Moses teaches us about waiting on God's timing instead of forcing our own, being faithful in the “valley” and the mundane, allowing God to shape our character in hidden seasons, and stepping out in courage when He calls—even after failure. You'll be reminded that God's ways and timing are better than ours, that His presence is what sets us apart, and that He is still writing redemption stories through imperfect people. If you're in a waiting season, wrestling with calling, or needing fresh encouragement to trust God, this Moses episode is for you.This episode serves as both an informative guide to embrace a healthier, more balanced lifestyle, encouraging listeners to embark on their journeys with renewed vigor and compassion.Reach out to KB on Instagram and share your thoughts.