Famous Christian hymn penned by Horatio Spafford in the late 19th century
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4 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
2 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
4 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
4 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
4 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
3 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
3 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
5 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
5 episodes with It Is Well with My Soul
Audrey Minch continues in our series on Luke as she looks at chapters 17 and 18. Looking at how we can call out to God to save us as we come to Him in prayer and humility. Today's Music: Stand In Your Love, Trust In God, I've Witnessed It, and It Is Well With My Soul
Join Janie as she takes on a deep dive of a familiar scripture, Jeremiah 29:11-14. She shows us the special connection this passage has with Esther and Mordecai!Scripture Memory Begins at 29:38Bible Verses Referenced:Jeremiah 29:11-14Jeremiah 6:13-14Jeremiah 29:4-10Psalm 35:27Joshua 2:18Matthew 6:33"It Is Well With My Soul" by Bradley KnightSisters with Swords is produced and edited by Holly Knight. Original music by the Minister of Funk and husband of the year, Bradley Knight, can be found here. You can find Holly's book Stubborn Obedience on Amazon! And don't forget to visit Janie's restaurant, The Biscuit Bar, if you're in the DFW Area. Please like, subscribe, and share this episode with your friends and follow us on Instagram! We are so grateful for you, sister, and are cheering you on as you wield your sword.@sisterswithswords@heyhollyknight@janiejoburkett
Send us a textIn this timely and special episode of The Beached White Male Podcast, host Ken Kemp welcomes back his trusted friend and guest, Betsey Newenhuyse, for a deep dive into the emotional and spiritual challenges of our current political climate. As the nation grapples with division and uncertainty, Ken and Betsey explore how faith, friendship, and personal reflection can serve as vital coping mechanisms.Their conversation is framed by two compelling pieces of writing: an essay by the celebrated storyteller Garrison Keillor and Katherine Stewart's powerful new book, Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy. Keillor's reflections on friendship, place, worship, and prayer provide a sense of comfort and nostalgia—reminding us of the grounding forces in our lives that help us weather difficult times. Meanwhile, Stewart's investigative work exposes the dangerous political forces seeking to manipulate faith for power, offering a sobering counterpoint to the more personal and spiritual aspects of the discussion.Ken and Betsey reflect on the tension between these two perspectives—the solace found in spiritual traditions versus the urgent need to confront political realities that threaten democratic values. Through honest conversation, they explore how people of conscience can stay engaged without losing hope, how faith communities can be both a refuge and a call to action, and how, even in the midst of turmoil, we can still proclaim, “It is well with my soul.”The Three Tenors perform “It Is Well With My Soul” in Bath, EnglandBecome a Patron | Ken's Substack PageSupport the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com
En el año 1871, el abogado Horatio Spafford sufrió una serie de tragedias devastadoras. Primero, perdió gran parte de su fortuna en un incendio en Chicago. Luego, envió a su esposa e hijas a Inglaterra, pero el barco naufragó y solo su esposa sobrevivió. En medio de su dolor, mientras viajaba para reunirse con ella, escribió el famoso himno que dice: "It Is Well With My Soul" (Alcancé Salvación). Esta es una declaración de fe en medio de la tragedia. Aunque el sufrimiento es una realidad de la vida, pero en Cristo, nunca es el final de la historia. Dios es experto en redimir lo que parece destruido. Él transforma las cenizas en belleza y el lamento en danza. A veces, no entendemos por qué pasamos por ciertos dolores, pero podemos confiar en que Dios usará incluso lo más difícil para Su gloria y nuestro crecimiento. Si estás atravesando una temporada de pérdida o dolor, recuerda que Dios sigue escribiendo tu historia. No todo está perdido. En Sus manos, tu dolor puede convertirse en un testimonio de restauración y esperanza. La Biblia dice en Joel 2:25a: " El Señor dice: «Les devolveré lo que perdieron"(NTV).
2 Corinthians 4:17 — These light and momentary afflictions that are creating an eternal weight of glory—what is this hope Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks of in such trying times? Listen to this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:17 and examine oneself in light of such truth. What is the attitude in facing present difficulties and the unknowns of the future? In this commentary on the passage, the listener will discover what Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the “acid test.” This test combines one's total reaction to life and that everything in it is not merely optimism or stoicism. Paul is an example of a man who easily despaired. How could Paul talk like this? Learn what true positivity is in light of knowing that everyone is born to die. The history of the great song, “It Is Well With My Soul,” shows us that there is hope in the midst of trial because of Christianity's message, not simply the call to toughen up. Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the listener to gain a new capacity to see life and eternity as a whole, and to not be distracted by the immersions of the world, such as orthodoxy, intellectual ascent, morality, experience, and crises.
2 Corinthians 4:17 — These light and momentary afflictions that are creating an eternal weight of glory—what is this hope Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks of in such trying times? Listen to this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:17 and examine oneself in light of such truth. What is the attitude in facing present difficulties and the unknowns of the future? In this commentary on the passage, the listener will discover what Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the “acid test.” This test combines one's total reaction to life and that everything in it is not merely optimism or stoicism. Paul is an example of a man who easily despaired. How could Paul talk like this? Learn what true positivity is in light of knowing that everyone is born to die. The history of the great song, “It Is Well With My Soul,” shows us that there is hope in the midst of trial because of Christianity's message, not simply the call to toughen up. Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the listener to gain a new capacity to see life and eternity as a whole, and to not be distracted by the immersions of the world, such as orthodoxy, intellectual ascent, morality, experience, and crises. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29
Mental Health is a huge topic that can barely be touched on in a 20-minute podcast. But on this episode of Everyday Theology, Jacob, Ravae, and Brandon start the conversation—especially regarding therapy and counseling. We'll talk about the importance of taking care of your mental health, finding the right therapist, and how Christians can begin to approach conversations regarding mental health. This conversation is ongoing, and we look forward to touching on it in future episodes. ResourcesCheck out all our resources on mental health here: https://bit.ly/3ZathN7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this powerful podcast, we explore inspiring testimonies of faith and resilience amidst life’s storms. From the heart-wrenching tales of triumph to tragedy, we highlight stories of individuals who have weathered the storm of Hurricane Helene and the devastating Asheville flooding in 2024. Drawing on the timeless hymn “It Is Well With My Soul,” we […]
A new MP3 sermon from FairHavens Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: It Is Well With My Soul Subtitle: Strength For Today Speaker: Bob Kirkland Broadcaster: FairHavens Baptist Church Event: Devotional Date: 8/13/2024 Length: 3 min.
A new MP3 sermon from FairHavens Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: It Is Well With My Soul Subtitle: Strength For Today Speaker: Bob Kirkland Broadcaster: FairHavens Baptist Church Event: Devotional Date: 7/31/2024 Length: 3 min.
A new MP3 sermon from FairHavens Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: It Is Well With My Soul Subtitle: Strength For Today Speaker: Bob Kirkland Broadcaster: FairHavens Baptist Church Event: Devotional Date: 7/31/2024 Length: 3 min.
In this week's episode, Dennis Jernigan shares the story behind the hymn, It Is Well With My Soul, along with a short biography of the life of the hymn's composer, Horatio Spafford. Dennis also couples his song, Hide Me In The Cleft of the Rock, with that old hymn. This medley is from his recording, HYMNS I. That mp3 is available at https://dennisjernigan.com/store/product.php?c=24&p=2777 or on iTunes. You can join Dennis and the people of All In All Church for live-stream worship on the first Wednesday evening of each month. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/therealdennisjernigan at 7 PM CST. Mark it in your calendar. Worship with All in All Church - First Wednesday of each month. Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Vol. 3 is available at https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Kingdom-Seekers-Vol-ebook/dp/B081K8TZLX Check out my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/DennisJernigan and read through the various tiers of support and discover the myriad of benefits you will receive based on the level of support you choose. If you're willing, go ahead and sign up!
A new MP3 sermon from Grace Chapel Primitive Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: It Is Well With My Soul Speaker: Timothy Guess Broadcaster: Grace Chapel Primitive Baptist Church Event: Sunday - PM Date: 6/30/2024 Length: 37 min.
Step into the vibrant Choir Room where the rich tapestry of song and spirit comes to life. This week, my co-hosts Dorian Johnson, Mietta Stancil-Farrar, and I, Greg Thomas, as we uncover the poignant history of the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" and then followed by a live rendition by the enchanting Sarai Negron-Ingold. Mietta brings us the CRQ and we delve into the conversation of recruitment for a community choir.With personal anecdotes, we delve into the transformative power of choir singing and the sense of community it fosters. From the unique perspective of our blind singer, Ed, to the cultural diversity that shapes the spiritual expression within this group, we celebrate the collective voices that resonate through the choir in the walls of Gracepoint Gospel Fellowship in New City, NY.The Choir Room resonates with tales of personal journeys and the shared experiences that draw us to the power of voices united in harmony. We discuss the balance of personal freedom and collective message delivery in worship, and how the evolution of choral direction has shifted from stringent conformity to a liberating platform for individual interpretation. As we explore the multifaceted nature of singing, we tap into the intuitive performance dynamics and the profound impact it has on the mental, physical, and emotional spheres of our lives.Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the choir and worship team, whose dedication creates an invigorating space for all who seek solace in song. If our stories of faith, diversity, and musical passion resonate with you, we invite you to connect with us and join next week for another session of harmony and storytelling in the Choir Room. Reach out to us with your thoughts at TheChoirRoom@MetroMusic-Arts.com, where your voice becomes a part of our ever-growing chorus.Perpetuating and Promoting the Christian and Positive Idea Through the Medium of Music and Other Arts.
Shannon Gallentine speaks on when generosity is broken. We often rely on ourselves instead of the resources and provisions that God has given to us to be generous to others. We then broke into small discussion groups and shared summaries with each other. Today's Music: From the Day, The Love Of the Father, Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me, and It Is Well With My Soul
A central article of faith of Christianity is that Jesus will return visibly and powerfully to end this era and bring in a world of eternal life and glory. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles to Mark 13 as we consider the Second Coming of Christ. And as I do this morning, my mind goes back 29 years, my wife and I were missionaries in Japan. I went regularly on Saturdays to a different city, taking a train from Tokushima to Takamatsu. In that city I would teach English and the Bible. On one particular day, a Saturday, I was walking through the streets of Takamatsu, and praying about the ministry I was about to have. I looked overhead, and there was a spectacular cloud formation. You know what I'm talking about, one of those clouds that just heap up like a pile, like a mountain up to the sky. Very, very dramatic. It was especially dramatic in that there was a small peephole of sunlight coming through and there were rays that were streaming down. I was just overwhelmed. I began singing the hymn we're going to close with today, It Is Well With My Soul, because I really felt that it was well with my soul. I was especially thinking about the fourth stanza which says, "And Lord haste the day when our faith will be sight, the clouds be rolled back like a scroll. The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend. Even so, it is well with my soul." Think about that when we sing at the end. But I was thinking about that myself, and how dramatic and how awesome that day was going to be. As I was contemplating this sermon, I was thinking about that day, the day that is yet to come, and our understanding of all that will happen on that day. I would say easily the most dramatic moment in the history of sin-cursed humanity. I can't actually imagine a more spectacular and dramatic day than that, and we are going to understand it and effectively see it today by faith. My prayer has been that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened, that you would be able to see the invisible, the future. And that you would see the glories of the greatness and the majesty and the power and the terror, indeed the terror, of that day in which everything on earth will come to an end. To see it by faith and understand it by faith, that's my desire. How different is the circumstance of Jesus' Second Coming from that of his First Coming. Think of the Christmas hymn, A Little Town of Bethlehem, “how silently the wondrous gift is given.” We know that an army of angels came and appeared, but just to a very small number of shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem, no one else got to see that. It was just a pregnant couple, a pregnant woman, no room in the inn, and then Jesus born in the natural way. Very quiet. But the Second Coming of Christ will not be so. and we need to understand it. We need to understand it biblically. We need to understand the reasons for it. This morning, as I was thinking about that, the reasons for the Second Coming, I listed out a series of them. Why is Christ coming back to Earth? First and foremost, for the glory of God, for the open, clear, plain, visible display of the greatness and majesty of almighty God. Secondly, to be praised and marveled at by the saints, stimulating us in worship such as we have never experienced before, and that, even for all eternity. Third, to rescue His persecuted people from imminent deadly danger. Fourthly, to bring about justice for them as they are crying out for justice day and night. To bring about justice and, indeed, vindication for His people. Fifth, to punish evildoers, idolaters, blasphemers and wicked people who have not fled to Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Sixth, to end the open reign of Satan and antichrist and that final government which we have described recently. Seventh, to establish the kingdom of God in righteousness and purity in answer to the prayers that have been prayed in every generation, "May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." To usher in the new heaven and the new earth, the perfect world free from all death, mourning, and crying, and pain. To be with His people forever and to end the reign of sin and death for all eternity. These are the reasons and many others. I. The Absolute Certainty of the Second Coming It's beneficial for us today to walk through this biblically, to understand it, to understand what Mark reveals about it. I begin with the absolute certainty of the Second Coming of Christ. The Second Coming of Christ is taught many, many times throughout the Scriptures. This is one of the central articles of the Christian faith, that Jesus Christ will return visibly and powerfully to end this era of human history and bring in a world of eternal life and radiant glory. We believe this as Christians. Now, Paul speaks of the purpose of Jesus's first coming like this in Galatians 1:3 and 4, "The Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age." To rescue us from this present evil age. What is this present evil age, and what world of eternal blessedness did Christ come to usher in? No text captures it better than Revelation 21:4, "He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain for the old order of things has passed away." This present evil age in Galatians 1 and the old order of things that is passing away are the same, they're just different ways of talking about the same thing. The present evil age is characterized by the reign of sin, sin reigning in death, and mourning and crying and pain. That's this present evil age from which Jesus has come to rescue us. The new heavens and the new earth that Jesus will bring in at His Second Coming will be forever free from those enemies, forever free from sin, and Satan, and death, mourning, crying, and pain. Therefore, the Second Coming of Christ is a central aspect of the Christian hope. We are looking forward to it. We're longing for it. We're yearning for it to come. We're seeking to speed its coming by service to God and by the proclamation of the gospel. The Second Coming is therefore taught in many places in Scripture. First, historically, by a man named Enoch, seventh from Adam. We learned this in the book of Jude. Enoch, seventh from Adam, that's a long, long, long, long, long time ago, said these words, prophesied about these wicked men, "Behold the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones, angels, to judge everyone and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Enoch said that. How in the world did Enoch know about the Lord coming with thousands of angels the same way we do? The Lord revealed it to him prophetically. "The Second Coming of Christ is a central aspect of the Christian hope. We are looking forward to it. We're longing for it. We're yearning for it to come. We're seeking to speed its coming by service to God and by the proclamation of the gospel." It started with Enoch, then many other places. I zero in into my mind to Daniel 7, the vision that Daniel the prophet had at night, a night vision. The centerpiece of it was a vision of the Son of Man, Daniel 7: 13 and 14, "In my vision at night, I looked and there before me was one like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. And He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power. All people's nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." It's taught there in Daniel 7. It's taught in Matthew 24 and 25, and here also in Mark 13, and we'll walk through it carefully today, but there are many other passages on the Second Coming. Jesus, for example, in John 14, spoke to his apostles the night before He was crucified, saying, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my father's house or many rooms. If it were not so I would've told you, for I'm going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you," listen now, "I will come back and take you to be with me so you also may be where I am." It's a clear prediction of the Second Coming of Christ. Then that very night after Jesus was arrested, and early the next morning when He was on trial, He quoted Daniel 7, and I'm not going to read it now because I'll read it later in the sermon, but He referred to the Second Coming at that point. It got Him killed. It got Him condemned by the Jewish authorities. Then after His death on the cross, and after His physical resurrection from the dead, and after He had spent forty days instructing His disciples and giving many convincing proofs that He was alive, after all of that training was over, He gave them His final word, "You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to the ends of the earth.” [Acts 1:9-11] "After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently into the sky as He was going when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you've seen Him go into heaven.'" It’s a clear prediction of the Second Coming of Christ. The Apostle Paul, wrote of it often. He spoke of the Parousia, the coming of Christ. He spoke of it many times, most dramatically in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18, "The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with a voice of the archangel, with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." That's the rapture. Caught up midair, mid-heaven to meet the Lord as He descends from heaven to earth, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words. I hope you're encouraged with these words. This is the future. This is what Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 4, and in 2 Thessalonians 2, "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [the Parousia] and our being gathered to Him, we ask you brothers not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, reporter, or letter supposed to have come from us saying the day of the Lord has already come. You didn't miss it.” That ship has not sailed," et cetera. But he talked about the Parousia, the coming of the Lord. The Apostle Peter talked about it in 2 Peter 3: 3-4, "First of all, you must understand that in the last day, scoffers will come scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this coming he promised?” What coming? That's the Second Coming of Christ. “Where is it? We don't see it. Where is this coming He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Peter goes on to talk about how the generation of Noah before the flood were saying the same thing, Jesus made that same connection. They were saying, "There's no flood. We don't see any flood," until that flood came. Then later in 2 Peter 3 : 10 he said, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." Also the Second Coming of Christ is taught many times in the Book of Revelation, such as Revelation 1:7, "Behold He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him, so shall it be on men." We'll return to that passage a number of times. Then of course in Revelation 19, it openly depicts and describes the Second Coming of Christ with an angelic army, and Jesus coming with a sword coming out of His mouth with which He will slay the wicked. Then in the final chapter, Revelation 22:7, Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." Again, Revelation 22:12 and 13, "Behold, I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I'll give to each person according to what he has done. I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." We believe in linear history. We believe in an unfolding history. We don't believe in reincarnation and cyclical history that goes around. No, we believe in a beginning, a middle, and an end. We believe in an alpha and omega, and Jesus is that letter and that letter and every letter in between. We believe in a purpose to history, and we believe it's going to end, this phase, this present evil age will end with the Second Coming of Christ. Then again, Revelation 22:20, the second to last verse of the Bible, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'" That's three times in Revelation 22 He says, "I'm coming soon." Then John replies, "Amen. Come Lord Jesus." It seems then that looking forward to the Second Coming, yearning for the Second Coming, crying out for it as John does, is essential to our healthy lives in this present evil age. This is a major theme taught many times in the Bible. II. The Heavenly Bodies Darkened, Shaken, and Removed What aspects does Jesus give here in Mark 13, that's our purpose now, as we look through Mark 13:24-27. It begins with the heavenly bodies darkened, shaken, and removed. Look at verse 24 and 25, "But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” The context here, as we remember, is in those days following that distress. We're right in the middle now of Mark 13. The last sermon was entitled, as you remember, “Run For Your Lives.” Look at verses 14-19, "When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers? Pray that this will not take place in winter because those will be days of distress unequal from the beginning when God created the world until now, and never to be equaled again." The Abomination of Desolation, we walked through that, devoting a whole sermon to that. The Abomination of Desolation is the defiling of a sacred space by a blasphemous Gentile power. Concerning the destruction of the temple, Jesus talked about the Gentile army surrounding the city ready to destroy it. But the Abomination of Desolation, per se, is the antichrist finally setting himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Jesus clearly warned his church that would be living in that geographical region, both at the destruction of the temple, but then as it foretold the final events. When you see that, when you see these things spoken of by the prophet Daniel, run for your lives, get away as fast as you can. This is what the Bible calls the Great Tribulation. The Book of Revelation gives many more details about what life on earth will be like at that time, and how terrifying and terrible it will be. Seven seals broken, seven trumpets sounded, seven bulls poured out. Those seven, seven, sevens give heaven's response to the wickedness and sinfulness of man on earth, and they will ravage the surface of the earth. Ecological disaster such as has never been seen before, a clear link between human sin and the ecology as we saw from the beginning when Adam sinned and the earth was cursed, and it produced only thorns and thistles for him. We learned in Romans 8 that the whole world has been cursed with the bondage of decay; there's a link between human sin and the ecology. The ecological disasters described specifically in Revelation 8, have never, however, been seen before. A burning up of green grass, a burning up of a third of the trees on earth, a turning of a third of the ocean waters to blood, a killing of a third of the living creatures in the sea. What effect would that have on human commerce and life itself? Then even worse, a third of the drinking water is fouled, made undrinkable. But what effect will that have on national boundaries when some parts of the world have drinking water and other parts don't? You can't live longer than a certain number of days without water, a terrifying, terrible rending of the planet because of the judgments of God. It's not an accident, but it's something God is pouring out. The unleashing of plagues on mankind resulting in painful sores and an agony so great that the people, the inhabitants of the earth, will long for death, but they will not find it. An unleashing of demonic powers billowing up from the deepest resources of the pit and coming to bring agonies and torments on people, [Revelation 9]. It's a terrifying time. Then the coming of the beast from the sea, the antichrist, the one-world government, the one-world religion, all of those things that culminate in the Abomination of Desolation. Those are terrible days. Mark 13:19-20, "Those will be days of distress unequal from the beginning when God created the world until now, and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive," think about that, "but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened." Immediately after the distress of those days, the Second Coming happens, and it's described here as the shaking and rending and destruction of the cosmos. Look up into the night sky. Look up into the sky and see the lights that God put there. Verse 24 and 25, "In those days following that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” The heavens will be rent, similar to Isaiah's prayer concerning the wickedness of man. He said in Isaiah 64:1-2, "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you as when fire sets twigs, ablaze and causes water to boil. Come down and make your name known to your enemies. Cause the nations to quake before you." Isaiah 64, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down." It's interesting, this idea of rending the heavens, it creates a sense of a membrane or barrier between us and the heavenly realms. A rending is a tear and a rip, and out of it, Isaiah wants God almighty to come and bring judgment. What's interesting is, this is the language used at Jesus' baptism. When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were torn, but out came a dove, a symbol of peace, a symbol of reconciliation with God. That's the First Coming, peace on earth, goodwill to man. That's the first rending happening. The second will not be so. It'll be more like Isaiah 64, the wrath of God coming out of that rending of the heavens, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken and removed. I need to bring up the Polish astronomer, Copernicus. Some of you I'm sure are thinking about Copernicus. Maybe not, but I am, anyway. Until Copernicus, most people on earth thought that the stars, the sun, the moon revolved around the earth, the earth was the center of everything. They moved in concentric spheres, earth is center, and they moved across, so the sun would make it circuit across the sky in this sort of pattern. But along came Copernicus, and he wasn't the only one, but he led the way to teach us that actually the earth revolves around the sun, physically. That is true, physically. However, the Bible does give an earthbound purpose to the heavenly bodies. The reason they exist is found on planet Earth. We get that from Genesis chapter one, "And God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth, and it was so. God made two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, that's the sun, and the lesser light to govern the night, that's the moon. He also made the stars." One of the great understatements in the entire Bible, "Oh, by the way, He also made the stars." But God made them all, and God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth. That's twice we have an earthbound statement for the sun, the moon, and the stars. Let the earth physically revolve around the sun, that's fine. But when events come to their conclusion on the surface of the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars will end their career. There's an earthbound purpose to these, to give light to the earth and to mark time, seasons, and days, and years. This proves also to me, there are no other planet earths out there having an unfolding redemptive history; that Jesus is doing that saving thing that He did here in planet after planet, after planet like some traveling roadshow. That is false. It is not true. When events come to an end here, the stars will fall from the sky. Literally, the sun will be dark and the moon will not give its lights. Either the sun's light will be blocked or reduced or ceased to give it altogether, because the sun will no longer exist. The sun and the moon, we are told, will not be needed in the new heavens and the new earth, the new Jerusalem, because the glory of God will illuminate that new universe and that new Jerusalem. It doesn't mean they don't exist, it just says they won't be needed, so maybe they won't exist at all. The sixth seal of Revelation speaks of the same thing. Revelation 6:12-14, "I watched as he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair. The whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to the earth as late figs dropped from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." Isaiah 64, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down and make the mountains shake before you like boiling water." The fourth trumpet in Revelation correlates, Revelation 8:12, "The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon and a third of the stars. So a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, also a third of the night." Isaiah had also predicted this, Isaiah 34:4, "All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll. All the starry hosts will fall like withered leaves from a vine like shrill figs from a fig tree." We have this image again and again and again. I'm aware that in the Book of Isaiah, it's sometime linked to cataclysmic events that happen on earth such as the end of an empire, like Babylonian empire, when it doesn't literally happen that the stars fall from the sky, but it's like the events will be so big, it'll be like that. I understand that language. But since the language is used again and again and again and again, that may be just a poetical connection to what actually will physically happen at the end of the world. Now you wonder how could God do this? It's because God is sovereign over every created thing in the universe. Isaiah 40:26 says, "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name because of His great power and His mighty understanding, not one of them is missing.” They continue to exist, according to Isaiah 40:26, because God wills that they continue to exist. God sustains the stars. A new heaven, a new earth will have a new cosmos as well. III. Jesus Comes With the Clouds Next, Jesus comes with the clouds. Look at verse 26, "At that time, men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with power and great glory." This was predicted by Daniel and then cited by Jesus at his trials. The very thing that Daniel saw in the Son of Man vision that I’ve already read for you, Daniel 7:12-13, he saw the Son of Man coming into the presence of almighty God on the clouds, and receiving from Him power and great glory. The angels and then all peoples on earth worshiping Him and serving Him. That's the Son of Man vision. Jesus cited that on the trial for His life before the Jewish authorities. Think of the boldness of Jesus, He knew they wouldn't be able to accept it, but He still proclaimed it, referred to it. in Mark 14:62-64, they asked Him, “'I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you're the Christ the Son of God.’Jesus said, ‘I am.’" Period. That's a claim to deity, "I am.” Then He quotes or alludes to Daniel 7, "And you'll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven." Now that's a clear prediction to his enemies, "You will see this. You're going to see this whether you believe in me or not. It will not take faith to see this. You will see it." “The high priest tore his clothes,'Why do we need any more witnesses?’ he asked. ‘You've heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’ And they all condemned him as worthy of death.” Jesus predicting his own Second Coming is what officially got him killed, quoting Daniel 7. The clouds, Jesus coming with the clouds, I believe are both physical like I saw in Takamatsu that day, but they're also symbolic. Clouds are referred to again and again in connection with the great power of God. Clouds are awesome and dramatic. I think all of us who have flown have been above the clouds and then seen a carpet of clouds dramatically. And you can see, especially at sunset, they're all glowing, they're very dramatic things. Clouds literally hid Jesus when He ascended from the earth. It's reasonable for them to be a feature on his return. But the clouds also symbolize the wrath of God, again and again, the wrath of God. Like at Mount Sinai, Moses said to the Jews, in retrospect, looking back on the day at Mount Sinai, Moses said, "You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while at blaze with fire to the very heavens with black clouds and deep darkness." God surrounded Mount Sinai with terrifying black clouds as though a lightning strike could come out of that cloud at any moment. Psalm 18 is probably the strongest connection here. Psalm 18:7-13, "The earth trembled and quaked. The foundations of the mountain shook, they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils. Consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down. Dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherub him and flew. He soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him. The dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of His presence, clouds advanced with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The Lord thundered from heaven, the voice of the most high resounded." It's terrifying. What's going on in Psalm 18? What is David talking about? What happens is David is in trouble on a battlefield, and cries out to God to deliver him, and then God does. He comes to rescue David in the midst of his trouble. Do you not see how that applies to the Second Coming? I believe the Second Coming is a rescue mission. I believe that the bridegroom is coming to rescue the bride because she's about to become exterminated by the antichrist, and He's filled with rage over it. Psalm 18 describes that. Would God do all that for one person, King David? We know that God protected David in every battlefield he ever fought on. He never died in battle, so God did deliver him, and rescued him, and crushed his enemies under his feet. David himself is a symbol of Christ. But ultimately, I think this idea of God rending the heavens, coming with the clouds to rescue his people is consummated at the Second Coming. It's a rescue mission where the people of God are rescued from their enemies, and from imminent death. Isaiah 30:27, "Behold the name of the Lord comes from afar with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke. His lips are full of wrath in his tongue of consuming fire.” Jesus comes with the literal clouds, the physical clouds, but also metaphorically, He comes in the wrath of God. "This idea of God rending the heavens, coming with the clouds to rescue his people is consummated at the Second Coming. It's a rescue mission where the people of God are rescued from their enemies, and from imminent death" IV. The Mourning of the Nations Next, the mourning of the nations. It's not mentioned in Mark, but I want to bring it up. It's mentioned in Matthew, and it's also mentioned in Revelation 1 and Revelation 18. Matthew 24:30, "At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn." Think about that, they’re all going to mourn. "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” Again, Revelation 1:7, "Behold, He's coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him. Even those who pierced Him. And all the people of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be. Amen." A mourning. Why are the nations mourning? “It’s not the end of the world.” No, it will be the end of the world. That's it. All of the things that those unbelievers had been living for will instantly come to an end. This is depicted with the fall of Babylon in Revelation 18:9-11, “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with [Babylon] and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more.” The party is over. All the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life is done that day. It's over. It's judgment day for them, and so they will mourn. The righteous wrath of the Lord is being poured out on them for their sins, especially because they have not loved Christ or his people. As it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:10, “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” Revelation 18:18-20 says, "When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' And they'll throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning, cry out, 'Woe, woe, Oh great city where all who had ships of the sea became rich through her wealth. In one hour she has been brought to ruin. Rejoice over her, oh heaven. Rejoice saints and apostles and prophets for God has judged her for the way she treated you.'" That's the justice of God, but there is mourning and grieving. Let me just stop right now and say the best thing we can do is believe all of these things, and the judgment day that follows, and even more, the hell that follows that, and mourn and grieve now by faith. Grieve over sin now and flee to Christ. That's the best thing we can do is believe these things now when there's still time. At that point, the tears will mean nothing. V. The Gathering of the Elect Then there's the gathering of the Elect. Look at verse 27, "And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." This is, I believe, the primary reason, other than the glory of God, the primary reason for the Second Coming. He's come to gather His bride together, His people. The antichrist will be bearing down on them with great power, great hatred. He'll be hunting them down to force them to blaspheme by receiving the mark of the beast. Jesus said if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. That's how bad it's going to be, but for the sake of the Elect, those days will be shortened. Everyone has their limit. There's only so much temptation we can face. No matter how courageous, no matter how faith-filled, no matter how much we are willing to suffer and die as martyrs, there is a limit to what we can endure. Remember, as I talked about last week, the night that Jesus was arrested, He made them say twice who they were there to arrest so that He could say concerning the rest of his followers, "If you're looking for me, then let these men go." John said Jesus said this so that the saying Jesus had stated would come true, "Of all those you have given me, I have not lost one." There is a time to run away. But if that antichrist power is spreading over the earth with so much domination, and if those days had not been cut short or counted as in Daniel 12, He would say, "When the Son of Man comes, will there be any believers left on earth?" So He intervenes. Furthermore, I think He just wants to be with us. Ultimately, isn't that it? Isn't that the point of His death on the cross? He wants to spend eternity with us. He wants to feast with us in heaven. He wants to walk with us in the new heaven, new earth. He wants fellowship with us. He earnestly desires to be with us. Isn't that amazing? Doesn't it blow your mind? We're pathetic, and yet He loves us and wants to be with us. And guess what? We're not going to be pathetic in heaven. Praise God. We'll be really pretty amazing. We'll be glorified. He loves us. He says in John 14:3, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.” Why? “So that you also may be where I am." Or again, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, "And so we will be with the Lord forever." Ezekiel 37:23, have you heard this before? "They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Do you know how many times it says that in Ezekiel and Jeremiah? The answer is seven. That's how many times again and again, "They will be my people and I will be their God." He wants fellowship with us. Or again, it's cited in Revelation 21:3, "I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them, they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God, and He'll wipe every tear from their eyes and there'll be no more death, mourning, crying or pain.'" He wants to be with us. And this is at this moment, the rapture, as I mentioned. He's going to send out his angels and they'll gather his Elect. They're dispatched to collect us and bring us up to meet the Lord in the air. Let me read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 again, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up." That's “rapture.” That's what the word means. And the Latin root is “to be captured up, caught up.” I picture like a mother cat and a kitten being grabbed by the back of the neck, something like that because we can't fly, gravity works on us. So how are we going to meet the Lord in the air? He's going to send out angels who can fly, and they will pick us up so that we can meet the Lord in the clouds. You may say, "Well, why does He want to meet us in the clouds?" I don't know, but He does. We're going to go out like a welcome committee, and meet Him in the clouds. This is the rapture. Verse 27, "He will send His angels and they'll gather His elect from the four winds from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heaven." By the way, the Elect by then will all have been converted. Evangelism and missions will be done by then, no unconverted elect. This is the eternal separation at this moment of the Elect and non-Elect, as Matthew 24:40-41 says, "Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill, one will be taken and the other left." Yes, I believe in the “left-behind” thing. But the left behind here is not pre-trib seven year and all that. This is the separation of the Second Coming. If you're left behind at that moment, you are non-Elect, and the gospel era is over. The sheep and the goats are separated, the wheat and the weeds are separated, the good fish and bad fish are separated forever. The non-Elect will be stunned and seem like they have no idea what's happening. They will not understand this. Matthew 24, "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man." From the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage right up to the day Noah entered the ark. They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. VI. Properly Preparing for the Second Coming How can we apply this? How can we properly prepare for the Second Coming? I've already said it, but first and foremost, trust in Christ and Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins while there's time. That day is the end of the faith era. It's the end of the gospel era. It's the end of the open door to Noah's Ark era. God closed Noah's door with His own hand. God ended that. Everyone outside the ark perished. Now is the time to enter. Now is the time to believe. Now is the time to trust in Christ, to believe in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. That's how it starts. And what does that look like? Paul spoke to the Thessalonian Christians in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, "You turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath." What does it mean? It's to turn to God away from idols. What are idols? It's the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. It's all the things that lead us away from God. It's all the wickedness. We turn away from those things, away from sin to God through Christ, and we receive forgiveness for all of our sins, Jesus' blood shed for all of our idolatries. You did that in Thessalonians, you turned to God from idols, and you waited, to wait for His son from heaven. So prepare that way. Secondly, cry out in prayer, I would say daily, for the Second Coming of Christ. This line is already very famous. I cited it once, but you remember it's the Lord's prayer, "Our Father in heaven, hallow be your name." What's next? "May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That's the Second Coming. It's a crying out for the Second Coming. Pray that. Do it. Revelation 22:20, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I'm coming soon.'" What was John's response? "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." That's a prayer, right? Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Or again, Revelation 1:7, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him." John's answer, “Even so, "Amen. Let it be. I want that to happen." Or again, in 1 Corinthians 16:22, if you have New American Standard Translation, it reads like this, "If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be a cursed.” What is “maranatha”? It's Aramaic for, “come, Lord.” It's a prayer for the Second Coming. Christians should cry out for Jesus to come, and this accords with our understanding of prayer. Not as, number one, giving God an idea He didn't have before, or number two, persuading God to do something He didn't want to do until you persuaded him. That's not what prayer is. Then what is prayer? It's understanding from the Word what God has said He's going to do but hasn't done yet, and ask him to do it. Wouldn't you think the Second Coming fits that description? Has God revealed that he wants his son to come? Yes. Has it happened yet? No. Pray for it. Pray for it. Thirdly, look forward to the Second Coming and long for it. Your prayer for it will stimulate that. You should long for the Second Coming. 2 Peter 3:12 says, "Look forward to the day of God." 2 Peter 3:13, "In keeping with his promise, we're looking forward to a new heaven, new earth." Then verse 14, "So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this…” That's three consecutive verses. Look forward to it, look forward to it, look forward to it. That means yearn for it. Say, "I want this to happen." Fourth, be holy. Again, leaning on 2 Peter 3, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?" Answer, you ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God. 2 Peter 3:14, "So then, dear friends, since you're looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him." Now that day is coming, bringing about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with this promise, we're looking forward to a new heavens and new earth called the home of righteousness. Only pure people will enter the new Jerusalem. We know we can't purify ourselves by our own efforts, but we know that it's justification, sanctification, and then glorification. That's purification. John says very plainly in 1 John 3, "We know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Everyone who has this hope in Him is purified, just as He is pure. The more you believe in the Second Coming, what Jesus is coming to do, the more zealous you should be to put evil and sin to death in your own life. Colossians 3:5 and 6, "Put to death therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." The Second Coming. That's why He's coming back, to destroy those sins. Fifth, speed the Second Coming by evangelism and missions. Peter said, "As you look forward to the day of God in speed, it's coming." Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." We speed the day of God by evangelism and missions. With every unconverted elect person who then becomes converted and crosses over from death to life through faith in Jesus, we've gotten that much closer to the Second Coming of Christ. We are called on to preach the gospel to lost people. We're surrounded by people who, like in the days of Noah, they are not ready for the Second Coming, and we should care about that. Sixth, serve the Lord's purposes in light of the Second Coming. 2 Timothy 4:1 and 2, "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead. And by His appearing and His kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching." We are each given a role to play. You all have a ministry or should have a spiritual gift ministry. Do it. 2 Timothy 4, "In light of the second coming." In light of the fact that in view of his coming, you're going to give an account for your life and your ministry. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the time we've had to walk through this deep, powerful, and significant topic. Father, I pray that you would press these truths home. Help us to live in light of them, help us to be prepared, help us to warn others who we know are not yet prepared. Oh Lord, help us to be holy, to put sin to death. Help us to just saturate our minds in the truths of the Word so that we may live a life pleasing to God. In your name we pray. Amen.
Forgiveness! Let's look at eight things that it is not. Isaiah 1:18Ephesians 4: 29-32Isaiah Piano: 'It Is Well With My Soul' arr. Gary NorianRev. Raymond G. CoffmanPodcast HostZachary SmithPianist Audio Engineer Clark CoffmanLog Cabin Community ChurchVinings Georgia
Today, Dave shares the story behind the Hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" and how we shouldn't let our circumstances determine our attitude.
Considering the beloved hymn around the 150th anniversary of the event that inspired it – and how the cross and empty tomb let us know it’s okay to not be okay, because Jesus will make everything okay. The post IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL appeared first on Plymouth Meeting Church.
Relax and fall asleep fast to this Bible meditation for deep sleep with relaxing meditation music. Narrated by Tyler Boss. Tonight's story will take us on a journey into deeper peace and deeper sleep as we hear that at all times, we can say, "It is well with my soul." Unlock the premium ad-free Christian Bible sleep meditation experience in the Abide app: https://abide.co/awesomeDiscover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us
Welcome to Hope for the Caregiver here on American Family Radio. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is the program for you as a family caregiver. How you doing? How you holding up? What's going on with you? Those and more are the type of questions that we ask ourselves as family caregivers that I ask you. I want you to ask me, how are we doing? How are we holding up? And you can see more about why I do what I do here, how we do it, who we're doing it for all at HopeForTheCaregiver.com. HopeForTheCaregiver.com. I want to continue our conversation that we were having last week about the 1-2-30 Last week we just spent time on help. Today, we're going to finish the phrase which is help me, me, money and endurance. We're going to talk about that just to review for those of you who maybe missed it last time. Under your health, get an annual flu shot. Some people don't. Want to take a flu shot? Some people medically don't feel they can do that, but I still recommend it. That's kind of a guide. But the whole point of this is not religion. I'm not setting up some type of institution that you got to, this is what we got to do. You know, I was driving to Bozeman the other day. We had an early snowstorm. We got about 80 inches of snow and it was pretty cold too. It was about 15 degrees when I was driving over there. When you get a lot of steam coming off of the river as you go through, and it gets very foggy to drive through the canyon that I have to go through to get there. Between the steam and the fog and the snow-covered road, sometimes it's hard to know where the road is. And that's why I'm grateful they have those reflectors so close. And sometimes they're double tiered because of the amount of snow we get. And it just helps me know where the road is. And so that's all this is, just a reminder of where's the road? Where's the path? We don't have to put ourselves under any kind of bondage to follow this. We just come up with tools that may help us. So, for your health, one annual flu shot, two well visits a year, and 30 minutes daily of physical activity. okay, and if you can't get a flu shot or you don't want to get a flu shot, please don't get all bent out of shape about that this is just a suggestion, and two well visits a year well, why wait a whole year to find out at your annual physical that you have high blood pressure or your sugar is real high or you know yada yada yada 30 minutes a day of something physical do something physical And for your emotions, how about a counseling visit? You know, once a month, just once a month to spend time with a counselor, a trained mental health professional, two support groups over the course of a month. They're not going to fix the problem. That's not what they're there for. They're there to better equip you to deal with the challenge you deal with. And most of the challenges we deal with, we will find are internal. It's how we respond to the things outside us that we don't like, which creates a lot of stress for us. So we better learn how to take things in stride and carry things and be flexible and be at peace with the ambiguity and all those kinds of things. Well, those are things that you can get from being around others, struggling with the same stuff, getting some help from a trained professional, and then spend 30 days a year in church. Okay. We as caregivers can't always go every Sunday, but we can aim for it. Why? Well, it's important that we have community around us, that we're hearing the gospel being preached to us and make sure it's a church that is grounded in biblical authority in the scriptures, not, you know, some type of, um, motivational speaker with a religious flair. Let's try to avoid that. Those are not helpful things. Okay. But let's go to a place where they better equip you with the studies of the scriptures to have a deeper walk with the Lord. Okay. And in knowledge, we should all be theologians showing up at church, the study of God, Not religion, which is the study of man's approach to God. Let's go with theology. Let's study. Let's learn. Let's pursue God. We can know God. He's given us his word to be able to do so. And let's do that in a community of believers for several reasons. One of them, it's going to strengthen us for the journey. But the other thing is, more importantly, scripture commands us to do it. Forsake not the assembly. Scripture states so. Those are things that one to thirty for your emotions So, you know counseling visit once a month again, don't put yourself under bondage to adhere to that Just consider that as a goal and it may be just for a season that you do this to support groups a month and you could do them virtually if you need to and and 30 days in church per year for your emotions and then for your lifestyle, something for yourself every week. Do something, one thing. for you. Have a vacation from being a caregiver. Again, we may not be able to do that at one time, but that's a day and a half a month. And you may have to split that out by hours. So if you've got a day and a half, a month, so that's 30 hours a month that you could take one hour a day to take a break from being a caregiver, roughly. I mean, you see how you do the math. Don't again, don't put this as some kind of unrealistic burden on yourself. Just make this a goal. You know what? I'm going to take, I'm going to take a little bit of time off from this. You can, anybody can find 30 minutes somewhere. Okay. And then as part of that lifestyle, listen to 30 minutes a day of something funny. Get laughter back in your life. I know your circumstances are dire. So are ours, but we laugh and it's important to laugh. Ecclesiastes says there's a time to weep and a time to laugh. We have plenty of time to weep as caregivers. Do we laugh? Okay, it's really important that we do this. And then the P of help is for our profession. And I recommend this. I do it for myself. One training class per year to learn a new skill. And I don't care what it is. You may learn Excel spreadsheets on your computer. You may learn how to garden. You may learn how to cook better. There's all kinds of cooking classes. You know, Graham Care, who's been on this program, The Galloping Gourmet, just a wonderful man. He's got a whole series of things on Amazon and other places that you can go and learn how to cook better. from him on heart healthy stuff you can do and it's really good stuff. I mean he's been out there a long time. But, you know, you can go out there and get that if you want to learn how to cook better, which I recommend doing because, you know, who doesn't want to be a better cook? Cooking can be a chore for us as caregivers. I understand that. But still, I like to prepare and I like to get in there and try new things. I'm fairly adventurous in the kitchen and I make a great venison taco. I've tried, I've had elk Stroganoff and elk spaghetti sauce and I try all kinds of different things. You never know. I mean, do you know how to cook game? Do you know how to cook this? Do you know how to make a good roast? Do you know how to, you know, do things that will bring a lot of flavor to your life, but learn something. I took a class last year at Hillsdale College on C.S. Lewis and Christianity. 30-part class, free. It's just lectures and I listen to it and you take a little test. I passed it, got a certificate. So, you know, there's always something you can learn. As an employee, in your profession, you can always improve yourself with some kind of training. And then, two performance meetings a year with your supervisor. Why wait for an annual one to find out there may be a problem? Have two, just to make sure that there's good communication. And then, as part of that, by the way, give a good day's work. Be forthright with your boss. Let them know what's going on with you. You don't have to give all the details, but let them know what's going on. And then ask for and give flexibility to the best of your abilities. And then 30 minutes a day away from your desk or phone during office hours. 1-2-30. One training class, two performance meetings, 30 minutes daily. So those are just some tips that I came up with. I don't normally give tips, but it's something I do for me. He will be strong to deliver me safe and the joy of the Lord Welcome back to Home for the Caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is the program for you as a family caregiver. That is my wife, Gracie, with Russ Taff, off of her CD, Resilient. By the way, if you want to get a copy of that CD, the easiest way to do it is go out to, I should call this number, 615-297-7000. 5388 at Logos Bookstore. 615-297-5388. And Gracie's fussing at me because I haven't loaded that on so that you can download it from iTunes and everything else. You can do individual songs, but you know, you can go out there to iTunes and Amazon Prime and all that kind of stuff. You can do it, but I haven't done it. I've had a few other things going on in my life so I'm working on it and I'm trying to build a page. You can see some of it right now. See what you think at PeterRosenberger.com with all my product pages and so forth. So feel free to take a look and see what you think. We're trying to update a lot of things. and it's Peter Rosenberger, R-O-S-E-N-B-E-R-G-E-R.com. It's a new page I'm doing. I'm going to link to it from the Hope for the Caregiver page, but I'm just trying some things and we're working fast and furious on that. So anyway, all right, let's get back to the Help Me 1230 program that I came up with. And on this, We address the me, M, me, help me. The M is for money. So how do you deal with your money as a caregiver? What do you do with one, two, thirty? Well, here's something I came up with. All right. Again, you don't have to do this. It's something that helps me. I come up with one charity to financially support. One charity has nothing to do with being a caregiver, has nothing to do with all the other things I deal with. It's me putting something towards helping someone else financially. You don't have to spend a lot. You can do $5 a year, but do something that focuses on supporting something other than your own world. Get outside yourself a little bit. Find a worthwhile cause. Could be anything. I mean, there's so many different worthwhile causes. I would recommend, by the way, if you listen to this program regularly, support American Family Radio. Okay. Just go online at AFR.net and support them. You're getting something out of this. Are you giving something back to them? Okay, you're, you're, you're benefiting from this and they are working hard. I've been in, I've got to know these folks pretty well over the years that I've been on the air with them. And these people work pretty hard to, to stay focused on bringing a clear message of the gospel through geopolitical events, through teachings, through all kinds of things that they do. So support them. If everybody in this audience that benefits from what I'm saying and doing here went out to AFR and just pledged, I don't know, ten bucks a month. You know, that would be a huge thing for them. This is a big audience. Ten bucks. Whatever it is that the Lord lays on your heart, but do something that is supporting something else. Besides Yourself. Push yourself to support, to give. Okay? So that's something we can do. It gets our mind off of our misery and lets us know that we are doing something that has greater value. One charity that you could support and get involved with it. Okay? Two meetings per year with some type of financial advisor or an accountant. Just to go over everything to make sure it's solid. Are your taxes being paid? I was talking to a caregiver the other day who's way behind on filing income tax. I don't know that he has to pay that much, but you have to file them. Death in taxes. Okay. I mean, that's just render under Caesar and Caesar's very demanding. So let's stay on top of that. Let's don't get behind. You don't need to add that kind of pressure. For those of you who are professionally in that world, financial reps and accountants and so forth, if you are looking to help someone that's a caregiver, call your pastor and say, look, I'd love to sit down with any caregiver here. I'm not trying to germ up business. I'm going to do this just to be able to help. and sit down with them and make sure that they're okay financially, that they have some kind of plan. Don't sell them anything. You're not trying to make a living off of these people. You're just wanting to help. It would be a huge help, and I bet you your pastor would know somebody in the church who could benefit from that. just to sit down, have a conversation, make sure everything's up to date. You know, it may be a situation where you'll have to charge them something down the road, but I'm not trying to create leads for you for your business. I'm just saying, this is how you help a caregiver. If a caregiver looks tired, I bet you their wallets look tired too. Their purses look tired too. Okay. So sit down as a caregiver with somebody who is a trained financial expert in their field. Interview with is a must. Okay? It's really important that we be smart financially. And if we don't know how to do something, there are plenty of people that do. So seek out good financial counsel. Make sure that all of your filings are done on time. Make sure that you're properly deducting stuff. Did you know you could deduct all kinds of things that are caregiver related? Mileage. back and forth to the pharmacy or back and forth to doctor's offices and things such as that. Ask about that sort of thing. Maybe it's possible for you. Okay. Just get some, get some good eyes, trained eyeballs on you, just like we're doing with doctors, just like we're doing with counselors. Now we're dealing with our money and it's money's tight. I know that. But as I've often said, it's not a lack of resources. It's often a lack of resourcefulness. And it's very important. Today is a great day to start making healthy financial decisions. Don't beat yourself up over what you did last week. Man, I have made so many financial blunders, but I don't have to do it again today. I can learn from that and I can seek out counsel from people who are better trained and wiser and smarter at this sort of thing. and they can give me good counsel. And if they won't spend the time to help you, shake the dust off your feet and go to another one. You know, there's people out there that will help if you ask for help. They'll help you. But be very specific and intentional of what you're dealing with. What is the pressing issue? So the best way to start sometimes is, okay, are all of your filings up to date? All of your tax returns, all that kind of stuff. If it's up to date, We're in good shape. Let's go to the next issue. You know, the next issue, the next issue, just chip away at this. You didn't get here overnight. You're not going to get out of it overnight. And you say, well, Peter, I don't have any money. So it doesn't really matter. Everybody's got something. If you're completely destitute, that's a different conversation. But I don't think that you are at this point. So let's start making good financially healthy decisions right now. Okay. Right now. And then the 30. So we've got one charity that you can support. Think about somebody else's challenges other than your own. Two meetings per year with a financial advisor or an accountant of some type that can go through your stuff and, and help you develop a solid plan. Remember I had, um, the gown here. A while back, his name is Hans Scheele. Finishing Well is his podcast. You can go out, he has an amazing library of podcasts you can go out and listen to for free. And Hans said something great on this program. He said, don't avoid calling me just because you don't think I can afford it. Let me make that decision. Okay, so I thought that's an open invitation. You can reach out to him at his website and let him talk to you about it and see what may be available. You don't have to start with, you know, $100,000. You can start with $1. Okay, that's the goal is for you to start. So don't be embarrassed, don't be ashamed, don't be afraid. Just step out in boldness and say, I am going to start making better financial decisions today and I'm going to seek the help of somebody who can help me do it. Okay. Commit to that. and then 30. Now what is 30? What are we going to do? 1, 2, and 30. Remember everything is 1, 2, and 30. So what are we going to do with 30? Well, here's what I suggest. Try squirreling away $30 from every paycheck into some type of savings or investment. Try squirreling it away. Okay? You may not be able to right now. Some of us, you know, I know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck. I know what it's like to live You know, under paycheck to paycheck that you're like, okay, well, I'm only going to go into debt this much this month. You know, I've been there. I mean, Gracie's cost is fortune. I mean, it's the numbers are staggering for what Gracie's journey has cost. And then you have lost labor cost that they don't even figure that in of what I could be making. with, you know, without these types of encumbrances that we have on us. But here we are. So shoot for 30. You may be able to do, you know, 300. You may be able to do 3,000. Some of you may be able to do 30,000 a month. I don't know, but the point is you're doing something that you're socking it away. You're putting into some type of savings or investment that's going to help you. And that's where trained financial advisors can help you. It may be that you're starting off really small, but the discipline of doing that is going to be a game changer. And speaking of discipline, tithe, that's also going to force you into a discipline financially. And this is what scripture commands of us. So tithe and watch God work. I mean, God says in the scripture, test me in this, watch him work, but say, Lord, I'm going to be responsible for my finances. And I am going to tithe to where I'm being spiritually fed in my church. And I'm going to support my church. And if you're making a hundred dollars a week, You tithe $10. Yes, that's going to be tough. There are people that can give all kinds of great big gifts to church. That's not what Jesus is looking for here. Do you remember the story of the widow and two mites? Because she's giving all she has to give. Okay? God is not limited, nor does He require you to support Him. He's not limited to your support. He's not requiring your support in the sense that He's got to have it. It's a discipline for us to be able to say in faith, we're going to rely on God to supply all our needs according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus. Okay. It's going to push us. It's going to be tough and we're going to have to make hard decisions, but that's just part of being a caregiver. We make hard decisions all the time, but now we're going to make healthy decisions. They may be hard, but they're healthy. This is Peter Rosenberger. We'll be right back. We're going to wrap up with our Help Me 1230 program that I developed for myself of just things to remember for me. And the last one is E, help me, M-E, endurance, E for endurance. How do we, how do we endure? How do we stay focused on this? One daily outside contact with positive and loving friends. Find a friend somewhere that you can call. Phone a friend. Just call them up and listen to someone who is speaking life into your life, who's a positive person, who loves you, cares for you. Reach out to them. I don't care if it's just to talk about the weather. I don't care if it's to tell the joke of the day. Just find somebody outside of your home and your caregiving world that you can call. Okay, that's one. The two, everything is 1-2-30, two hours per week of just me time. Just you. Two hours. You can find two hours. Don't tell me you can't, because you can. I'm going to pull rank on you. Not many of you all have been a caregiver for as long as I have, or through what I've been through, and I can find it. So if I can find it, you can find it. You may have to be creative, may not be able to do it all at once, but find two hours somewhere. just for you. Where I live here in Montana, I get out on a horse. Okay, some of you may not be able to do that, particularly if you live in urban environments, but that's what I do for me. In the wintertime, it's a snowmobile, sometimes just for a walk. I said one of the other things to find something 30 minutes that you could watch that's funny every day, just something, maybe just combine a couple of these things, but make it for you. Spend time practicing. When I sit down at the piano and practice, I'm not just trying to learn how to play better, I am communicating from the depths of my soul. That's how I do it musically. Some of you paint, some of you garden, some of you Some of you like to needlepoint. Some of you like to, you know, create all kinds of things, whether it's knitting and who knows, whatever. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Just find something that's for you and do that for two hours every week. And then take 30 minutes a day and you can find this to be still, to have some kind of devotional time, to be quiet, just to be still. If you do not take time for stillness, you will make time for illness, but learn to be still. Okay. Look through all the scripture. How many times you hear the Lord say through scripture, be still, y'all be quiet, simmer down now, be still. Okay. Learn to be still. 30 minutes a day. It's a discipline. You may not get it the first time you go first 10 times you go, but you can try to work towards that. of Learning to Be Still. Quieten your thoughts. 1-2-30. Our Help Me program. And that's just something I came up with to give a guideline to myself and to fellow caregivers. Please, again, do not feel like you've got to somehow adhere to this. as far as with some type of rigidity, but just use it as a way of keeping you back on the main road. We can get lost in the weeds so easily. So, 1-2-30, and I'm going to leave you with a bonus 1-2-30, okay? A bonus 1-2-30. You're not having to pay any extra for this, all right? There are times when we just Money, Endurance, And Caregivers If you don't see nail prints, then this ain't yours to fix. You are responsible for your own actions and what comes out of your mouth, your thoughts, words, and deeds. One day our Savior's plan is going to be clear and all of this will be made right for those who trust in Him. And that's where our faith comes in. And I cling to that promise. God will wipe all the tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away. It's a book of revelations. We have a Savior. That's why I love Keith Green's hymn, There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son. I just love that hymn. I love that hymn. There is a Redeemer. There is a Savior. And we're not that Redeemer or Savior. Okay, so you have one Savior. And then two, remember everything is 1, 2, 30. And then two hymns. Now for me, these are the two hymns that I remember that come to me in moments when it's just overpowering. And most of us feel overwhelmed, overpowered, and outmatched on a good day. On a bad day, we're just feeling completely engulfed. But in those moments, There are great hymns of the faith of people who have been there before us, who live to write about it, who live to sing about it, some who even live to laugh about it. But in this particular case, this hymn, and you all know this hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. When sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it is well with my soul. How many of you all know that hymn? It is one of the most widely recognized hymns in the entire world. I remember in a clinic in Ghana where we're treating amputees and the waiting room was filled with amputees. If you've ever been in a room filled with amputees, it is extraordinary. And there must have been 30, 45 people there. All these different amputees, women, men, children, and we're putting legs on them. This is what we do at Standing With Hope, standingwithhope.com if you want to go see more about that. And they're all singing, It Is Well With My Soul. Now, let me tell you something. If you hear a room full of amputees singing with their whole being, It Is Well With My Soul, that is an extraordinary and memorable event. And if they can do it, you can too. So remember that. Two hymns. The second one I remember is Great is Thy Faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hath provided. Can you hang on to those two hymns? It is well and great is thy faithfulness. There may be others that you want to do. Huge repository of hymns out there that we just all but ignore in our modern day church. I would recommend we not ignore them. But you go back and look at them. But those two are pretty familiar. Hang on to those. One, Savior. Two, hymns. And then 30 words. 30 words. You think you memorized these 30 words? I bet you already have. Listen to these 30 words that have sustained billions. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. You've already memorized those 30 words. Many of you are saying it with me. Say it again. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. One Savior, two hymns, thirty words. One is just piling on you. You may not be able to remember anything else, but you can remember that you have a Savior. You can remember that your loved one has a Savior, and you ain't that Savior. You can remember to look down at your hands And when you don't see nail prints, you can remember that you're not that savior, that this is way above your ability to fix, and you can trust him. You can remember two hymns that sustain you in moments when clarity and your ability to even think is just out the window. And you can say, when sorrows like sea billows roll whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say it as well with my soul. If Horatio Spafford can pin that over the watery graves of his children and say that with conviction, and the world sings that, and if a room full of amputees waiting on a prosthetic leg in Ghana, West Africa can say that, so can you and I. And then 30 words. 1-230. I've given you the best I got of this today, and I'll put this out on the podcast and you can go ahead and reference it again, but I thought it might be helpful to you today to listen to some of these things to guide you back on the main road. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is Hope for the Caregiver. Hopeforthecaregiver.com. We'll see you next time.
During our monthly Encounter Worship Service, ECC Elder, Eric Heeg brings us a short message about the origins of the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" and discusses the importance of worshipping through the storms of our lives.
Trump Power Move In Florida. Donald Trump outflanks DeSantis in Florida, goes on stage with five legislator defectors from DeSantis, causing more humiliation for the single-digit Governor. Trump hits an amazing 64% in the GOP Primary, as DeSantis fends off questions about his height and his high heels. Talking teleprompters and candidate authenticity. Meanwhile, studying the logic of low-confidence Democrats on the 81 million votes. Tracing the Soros money behind the effort to knock Trump off the ballot in Colorado, in the name of “democracy” no less. Advising a strong NO vote on HH in Colorado. Tributes to Douglas Bruce and his TABOR legacy. Discourses on smart pop singer Morrissey. To the hymnal with Horatio Spafford's “It Is Well With My Soul.” With Great Listener Calls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Forgiving others, it sounds perfect but why is it often so difficult? Let look at passages from the Old & New Testaments and then some practical advice on how we can forgive ourselves and others. Old Testament: Psalm 5:7-12 New Testament: Matthew 18:21-35 Piano: 'It Is Well With My Soul' arr. Gary NorianRev. Raymond G. CoffmanPodcast HostZachary SmithPianist Audio Engineer Clark CoffmanLog Cabin Community ChurchVinings Georgia
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL"by" Charlie Puth and Ariana GrandeWhen peace like a river attendeth my wayWhen sorrows like sea billows rollWhatever my lot, Thou has taught me to sayIt is well, it is well with my soulIt is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soulThough Satan should buffet, though trials should comeLet this blest assurance controlThat Christ (yes, He has) has regarded my helpless estateAnd has shed His own blood for my soulIt is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soulMy sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought (the thought)My sin, not in part, but the whole (every bit, every bit, all of it)Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more (yes)Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soulIt is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul (sing, "It is well")It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soulAnd Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sightThe clouds be rolled back as a scrollThe trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descendEven so, it is well with my soulIt is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soul (because of You, Jesus, it is well)It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well with my soulGREATEST THY FAITHFULNESS"by" ColdplayGreat is Thy faithfulness, O God my FatherThere is no shadow of turning with TheeThou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail notAs Thou hast been, Thou forever will beGreat is Thy faithfulnessGreat is Thy faithfulnessMorning by morning new mercies I seeAll I have needed Thy hand hath providedGreat is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto meSummer and winter and springtime and harvestSun, moon and stars in their courses aboveJoin with all nature in manifold witnessTo Thy great faithfulness, mercy and loveGreat is Thy faithfulnessGreat is Thy faithfulnessMorning by morning new mercies I seeAll I have needed Thy hand hath providedGreat is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto mePardon for sin and a peace that endurethBlessings all mine with 10, 000 beside
Tragedy to Triumph Isa 26:3 #Nightlight #RTTBROS "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." The hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" is a beloved classic that has brought comfort and hope to countless Christians over the years. The lyrics were written by Horatio G. Spafford, a successful lawyer and businessman who lived in Chicago in the late 1800s. Spafford was a devout Christian who had experienced many trials in his life, including the death of his young son and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of his property. In 1873, Spafford planned a trip to Europe with his wife and four daughters. However, at the last minute, he was unable to join them due to business obligations. His family set sail on the SS Ville du Havre, but tragically, the ship collided with another vessel and sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Spafford's four daughters were among the 226 passengers who perished in the disaster. When Spafford received the news of his daughters' deaths, he was devastated. Yet in the midst of his grief, he penned the words to "It Is Well With My Soul." The hymn expresses his deep faith in God and his trust that even in the darkest moments of life, God is still in control and can bring peace to the soul. One of the verses that inspired Spafford's hymn is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 26, verse 3: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Just as Spafford found comfort in his faith during his darkest hour, we too can find peace and hope in Christ, no matter what trials we may face. The hymn's chorus echoes this sentiment, declaring, "It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul." This simple yet powerful declaration reminds us that our ultimate peace and joy come not from our circumstances, but from our relationship with God. The hymn has continued to resonate with Christians around the world, and its message of hope and trust in God has brought comfort to countless people in times of trial. It reminds us that even when we face the most difficult circumstances, we can still find peace and hope in Christ. As we reflect on the story behind "It Is Well With My Soul," let us remember that our faith in God can sustain us through even the darkest moments of life. Let us fix our minds on Him and trust in His unchanging love and faithfulness. And let us join with Spafford in declaring, "It is well with my soul." Our Podcast, Blog and YouTube Links https://linktr.ee/rttbros Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. RSS feed https://anchor.fm/s/127be410/podcast/rss https://linktr.ee/rttbros
Scott Sauls is a pastor, podcaster, and an author. And through all of the above is a tender shepherd for us as we reckon with the broken and messy places in our lives. His sensitive perspective is born from his own painful past, and so he is a trusted guide as we navigate our way out of hurt into hope. Scott's latest book, Beautiful People Don't Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans, is a most helpful read; get your copy here. This week's featured song is: "It Is Well With My Soul" from our own Andrew Greer. Listen to his music here. Learn more about Bridges ... Spiritual Conversations Through Generational Conversations here: BridgesShow.com. And if you like what you are listening to, leave us a 5-star rating and a review, and follow and subscribe to Bridges –– it truly does help us keep chuggin' along as we create new episodes for you! FOLLOW PATSY Facebook / Instagram / Twitter FOLLOW ANDREW Facebook / Instagram / Twitter _________________________________________ SPONSORS The world needs to know … it's not as bad as the news tells us. Human trafficking may be a big problem, but Love Justice International is providing an epic solution. By intercepting human beings before they are trafficked, Love Justice is making rescue an everyday reality for vulnerable people all over the globe. And we want to keep the good news coming. Will you come alongside us and become a monthly partner of Love Justice International today? It's not all bad news after all ... Sign up today here: lovejustice.ngo/bridges
Today we're going to talk about Horatio Spafford, the author of the famous hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”. As we'll see, Spafford went off the rails in his later life and, so, he's relegated to a Bonus Episode as we wind down are focus on the great hymn writers. This is probably going to stand as the longest episode in season 4 and I had to trim a lot of crazy stuff from it just to keep the episode to a reasonable length. So if you are interested go check out the source articles, particularly Leben, that I've linked in the show notes.RESOURCESBethel Church Ripon: https://www.bethelripon.com/life-stories/horatio-gates-spaffordCovenant Protestant Reformed Church: https://cprc.co.uk/articles/spafford/Isabellaalden.com: https://isabellaalden.com/2017/08/28/horatio-spaffords-second-chapter/Leben: https://leben.us/shipwreck-american-colony/
"Dear Diary, It Is Well With My Soul" by Pastor Matt Miller. Diary of a Dreamer Series - Part 7. The message was preached on March 12, 2023.
This podcast episode tells the story behind the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul." The hymn was written by Horatio Spafford after he experienced a series of tragic events, including the death of his young son. Despite his grief, Spafford turned to God for strength and comfort. The result was this beautiful hymn that has been a source of comfort to Christians all across the world. God can turn our tragedies into a masterpiece telling of His grace. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram @healingfromtheinsideoutpodcast
Wanted to get some positive information out after a week of dark exposure. Many who still aren't paying attention can't help but hear about the BALLOONS… the fear around this makes the eyes peak over the CONSPIRACY bow…and wala… many see a weak leader… and want REAL LEADERSHIP back… we will see this and we will end with IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL
A discussion about the famous hymn It Is Well With My Soul
BATTLE BELONGS© Phil Wickham Music, Simply Global Songs, Sing My Songs, and Remaining portion is unaffiliatedPSALM 46 (LORD OF HOSTS)© 2015 Jennie Lee Riddle Music (div. of New Nation Music [Admin. by Music Services, Inc.]), Tent Peg Music (div. of New Nation Music [Admin. by Music Services, Inc.]), and Songs From Wellhouse (Admin. by Wellhouse Entertainment LLC) | CCLI Song # 7053138 -- CCLI License # 420630STRONGER#5060810 by B Fielding and R Morgan 2007 Hillsong PublishingSAME GODCCLI #7063694 | Nathan Nockels, Kristyn Getty, Keith Getty, and Jonas MyrinIT IS WELL WITH MY SOULCCLI #25376 | Philip Paul Bliss and Horatio G. Spafford
BATTLE BELONGS© Phil Wickham Music, Simply Global Songs, Sing My Songs, and Remaining portion is unaffiliatedPSALM 46 (LORD OF HOSTS)© 2015 Jennie Lee Riddle Music (div. of New Nation Music [Admin. by Music Services, Inc.]), Tent Peg Music (div. of New Nation Music [Admin. by Music Services, Inc.]), and Songs From Wellhouse (Admin. by Wellhouse Entertainment LLC) | CCLI Song # 7053138 -- CCLI License # 420630STRONGER#5060810 by B Fielding and R Morgan 2007 Hillsong PublishingSAME GODCCLI #7063694 | Nathan Nockels, Kristyn Getty, Keith Getty, and Jonas MyrinIT IS WELL WITH MY SOULCCLI #25376 | Philip Paul Bliss and Horatio G. Spafford
11/13/2022 Hebrews 10:19-24 Meg Hoffman Slides from November 13, 2022 Music for Sunday’s worship gathering It Is Well With My Soul by Spafford/Bliss All Creatures of Our God & King by St. Francis of Assisi We Will Feast in the House of Zion by McCracken I Will Never Leave You Alone by Zach/Vice The Love of Christ is Rich and Free by Gadsby/McCracken All […]
This recording is of the full evening service at First Baptist with hymn request night including "Amazing Grace," It Is Well With My Soul," and "Heavenly Sunlight." James Turner gave a report on the Commitment to Stewardship program. Once again for the day Dr. McIntyre was the guest speaker and a special welcome was given to those of his family in attendance including his sister-in-law Mrs. Turley. A male soloist preceded the evening message. Dr. McIntyre's message dealt with a history of the early church in Antioch where the believers were first known as Christians. As this church was known for its evangelistic outreach Brother McIntyre encouraged the congregation of First Baptist to pattern their church after this church of the early Christians.
When we experience difficult trials, it isn't always easy to see God's loving hand guiding us and comforting us through our mortal journey preparing us to join Him in His glorious presence. This scripture and sacred music highlight is a look at the praising words of Psalm 103 and the lyrics and history behind the beloved hymn "It Is Well With My Soul." "It Is Well With My Soul": https://bit.ly/3AkXvRp Episode Transcript: https://bit.ly/3SP1vko
*No video for this week's sermon* Listen as guest preacher Jordan Gustafson wraps up our series entitled 'Dependence,' exploring Psalm 46 and its connectedness to the famous hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." Join or follow us below: Facebook: www.facebook.com/midtownpreschurch Instagram: www.instagram.com/midtown.pres/ Website: www.midtownpres.org/ Community Groups: www.midtownpres.org/community-groups Sunday Services: www.midtownpres.org/
Each week we will look at a classic hymn, learn the history of it, and how to apply the biblical truths to our own lives. This week we will focus on "It Is Well With My Soul" written by Horatio Spafford
Pastor Andy Davis unfolds an episode of Jesus' life that expands our comprehension of him as the Son of God and alerts us to not underestimate him. - Sermon TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles to Mark 4:35-41. We continue this incredible study in the Gospel of Mark. There's something deeply unsettling to most of us when it comes to the sea, a primordial fear of its power, and its unpredictability, and its mystery. We cannot see below the surface or beyond the horizon, and we can never know for sure what's coming at us. There is, of course, the simple fear of drowning that can seizes us all. The fact is, we cannot survive for long underwater, and death by drowning is a terrifying way to go. Beyond that is the fear of the weather, a sudden storm that can turn the once placid sea into a raging inferno of power, mighty white-capped breakers coming at us, and wave upon wave, utterly beyond our ability to withstand or subdue. Then there's the irrational terror of creatures of the deep. The summer of 1975, the summer that Jaws came out, I was in Lake Winnipesaukee. I was on an Astroturf-covered floating raft, unwilling to dive into the lake and swim back to shore for fear of a great white shark. Having no idea that that was a saltwater creature, and I was in fresh water, and there was zero chance of being eaten by a shark. That didn't matter, I was terrified. We read the accounts of the sailors that sailed with Columbus, and they were afraid of the terrifying monsters of the deep, of great whales with their immense size, and their powerful tails and their powerful mouths, or even a giant squid with their long undulating tentacles. All of these things are terrors. The sea represents the darkest side of man's terrors, and it can quickly reduce even the most courageous man to a trembling child. That's why this account of Jesus' effortless power over the wind and the waves is so compelling. It asks the fundamental question that's before us, when we read all four of the Gospels, “Who is this man?” The fundamental answer, that's so clear, only Almighty God can control the wind and the waves with the simple word of His command. This story adds more vital information to the quest of our faith, to understand the basic thesis of the Gospel of Mark, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. What does that mean? What does that mean that He's the Son of God? What does that mean for each of us individually, personally? Beyond this, this amazing account gives us a sense of the total control of Jesus over the hardest moments of our lives, and His ability to speak peace to our souls when we need it the most. That's what we're looking at today. "Only Almighty God can control the wind and the waves with the simple word of His command." I. The Setting for the Storm, and Its Sudden Severety Now, we need to set this storm, the setting of the storm and its sudden severity, and the personal setting, Jesus' ongoing, amazing ministry, his overwhelming ministry. Jesus had had a very long day of ministry just like every day. So in Mark 4:1-2, it says, “Jesus began to teach by the sea. The crowd that gathered around Him was so large that He got into a boat and sat in it out on the sea while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables.” Though Mark 4 doesn't mention any healings or demon possessed people being set free, that was of course the norm, the huge crowd that was there almost certainly were there to be healed as well as taught. So it was that same busy day, it was the end of a very overwhelming, busy day, in verse 35-36, “That day, when evening came, He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along just as He was in the boat. There were also other boats with Him,” so it was absolutely exhausting, long day. The text says that they left the crowd and took Jesus along just as He was. What does that mean? He didn't have the chance to change his clothes or refresh himself in any way, it's just there it is. It's time to go to get into the boat and go across the lake, right on the heels of a very hard day. The boat that they were in seemed to have been powered by wind and sail, not by oar. These boats generally could hold about 15 people. So we would imagine, and the text confirms, a kind of a flotilla of boats, not just one, but a group of boats going across, carrying the twelve apostles and other disciples that were following Jesus. Now, we need to look at the physical setting, which is the Sea of Galilee. Mark 4:1 mentions the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is one of the most fascinating bodies of water in the world. It's a freshwater lake that is, at the lowest altitude of any such lake in the world, approximately 690 feet below sea level. It measures about 13 miles long, 7 miles wide, about 150 feet deep at its deepest point. It's fed partially by underwater springs, but mostly by the Jordan River, which flows north to south from Mount Hermon, which stands 9,200 feet above sea level. It's a marvelous source of fresh water, supplying, even today, much of the nation of Israel with drinking water. Over the centuries, it provided an amazingly, abundant supply of fish. Although fishing is now banned in the Sea of Galilee because the stocks got to a dangerously low level, but even in our lifetime, it still was a source of sardines that were caught there every year. The biggest issues with the Sea of Galilee are the geography and the weather. The lake is in the center of a deep geological rift that cuts a gash in the surface of the Earth, running 4,500 miles long down through Africa, as far south as Mozambique. I myself have been in that rift in the nation of Kenya, I was in the Rift Valley Academy, the same gash. It makes that area vulnerable to earthquakes, seismic activity. The rift causes steep hills and cliffs on each side of the Sea of Galilee, making it effectively sit down in a deep bowl. It is therefore vulnerable to high winds, which can cause staggeringly dramatic storms to rise up. The narrow confines of the lake multiply exponentially the effect of these winds and storms, making the Sea of Galilee, a very dangerous place in a storm. The record shows in March of 1992, one storm in the Sea of Galilee generated a 10-foot wave that overwhelmed and flooded the city of Tiberius. The storm comes up with sudden severity, look at verse 37, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped.” The suddenness of the storm is more clear from the Gospel of Matthew, as if the storm just came up out of nowhere, without any warning at all. Matthew 8:24 says, "And behold there are arose a great tempest in the sea.” The Greek word for the storm used here is also used for a hurricane, an overpowering wind of gale force, maybe as high as 80 miles an hour. The word is intensified by the additional Greek word “megale”, a mega storm, a great storm. This is a great hurricane. Matthew 8:24 uses the Greek word “seismos”, from which we get seismic, like a seismic event, an earthquake. Luke 8:24 says the waters were raging, dashing and pummeling the boat. The effect of this hurricane wind and these raging, thrashing waves was that the boat was quickly filling with water. These men, we need to understand are professional fishermen who grew up on the Sea of Galilee. In their professional opinion, their boat was about to go down — it was going down. Those conditions meant certain death for them all. II. Jesus' Perfect Humanity vs. the Disciples'Faithless Terror We see Jesus in this account, Jesus' perfect humanity contrasted with the disciples' faithless terror. Jesus' humanity is on display in that He was physically exhausted and asleep on a cushion, Jesus was fully man and fully God. This is the great mystery of theology, the mystery of the incarnation. His attributes as both fully human and fully God are on full display in this amazing account. First, we see the humanity of Jesus in His physical exhaustion. Verse 38, “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.” Jesus' physical limitations are part of the mystery. He got tired, just like the rest of us. He got very little rest. The needs of the crowd were relentless, and so also was His compassion on the crowd, relentless. It's fascinating that Mark alone gives us the detail of the cushion, Jesus sleeping on a cushion. You may ask, why did Jesus sleep on a cushion, and I would answer because it's more comfortable. There's no great mystery here. What it shows is that Jesus is no ascetic, seeking out intentionally harsh treatment for his body. If there was a cushion around, He's going to use it and support his head, it's just more comfortable. So He's not an ascetic, but at the same time, He was willing to live a very difficult physical life. He said to one man who wanted to follow Him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head,” [Matthew 8:20], so He was used to a difficult life. But in this particular case, He found a place to lay His head on a cushion. He must have been extremely tired because the wind and the waves, and the boat filling with water don't wake Him. That's Jesus in His humanity. We know that Almighty God needs no rest at all, ever. It says in Psalm 121: 3-4, "He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." Or again, Isaiah 40:28, it says, "God's power is limitless. The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, he will not grow tired or weary." But Jesus in His humanity did grow tired and did get weary. We also see Jesus' perfect humanity in His complete trust in His heavenly Father. Here, by his sleep in the storm, He is commending a life of faith to each one of us. He was perfectly at rest in His Father's hands. He knew there was literally no chance whatsoever He was going to die by drowning in the Sea of Galilee. Imagine the heavenly newspaper with the headline, "Son of God dies tragically in a boating accident. All of heaven, shocked prophecy's not fulfilled.” You know about piercing hands and feet and things like that, Psalm 22. Impossible. So Jesus thought it was a good chance for a nap. Jesus lived out every moment of His life in complete trust in His Father. Psalm 22, that same Psalm says, "You brought me out of the womb. You made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth, I was cast upon you, from my mother's womb you have been my God." So He knew He could sleep, and God would watch over Him. I love Psalm 4:8 on this very matter, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety." Wouldn't you love to live your life like that? In the midst of the deepest troubles of your life, just be able to go to sleep and know that God is going to take care of you, He's going to protect you. This is what the disciples had to learn to do, to so trust in their heavenly Father, that there's never any cause for mindless, unreasoning terror. So that's Jesus' humanity. "Jesus lived out every moment of His life in complete trust in His Father." We also see Jesus' infinite majesty as the incarnate Son of God. We have a combination, therefore, of normal weakness and infinite power. In one passage, we have Jesus' weakness and His weariness and His fatigue, but we also have Him give the display of, I would say arguably, the most physically powerful thing that any human being has ever done on Planet Earth. We have, by contrast, the disciples' faithless terror. Jesus gives us the plain example of a man completely trusting in His heavenly Father. But by contrast, the disciples are wild with terror, they're out of their minds. They wake him, verse 38, and say to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we perish?" Big picture is that Jesus came into the world because He cared that we were perishing, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16] So He cares. No one has cared more than Jesus. The disciples' faith needs to be strengthened so that they would not ever doubt Jesus' love or power, and they must also trust God's plan. They must lose their fear of dying, and Christ's resurrection will do that for them. Now, the question comes, why did they wake Jesus at all? What were they thinking when they woke Him? They certainly weren't expecting Him to do what He got up and did. They were stunned by it. Maybe they just thought it was good manners, "If we're going down, it'd be good that Jesus were awake when it happens." Or maybe they felt that He had, which He clearly did, a specific “in” with God, and that God would affect some kind of protection for them though they didn't know how. The Old Testament actually speaks much of God's protection in the midst of storms, perhaps the clearest is Psalm 107:23-29 which says, "Others went out on the sea in ships, they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, His wonderful deeds in the deep. For He spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens, they went down to the depths. In their peril, their courage melted away, they reeled and staggered like drunken men. They were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed.” So God spoke and the storm came, and then God spoke and the storm went away. He brings it, then He ends it. So perhaps they thought, in waking Jesus up, that He would call on His Father and that God would deliver them in the same pattern. I don't know what they were thinking, they certainly didn't expect what was about to happen. Now, as I'm walking through the account, I also want to ask, what did the disciples do wrong? They're professional fishermen who are bred and raised on this very sea. They knew it like the back of their hands. They saw the magnitude of the wind, the size of the waves, the swamping of the boat, they were bailing, they were trying to save their lives. In their expert opinion, they're going down, they're all going to drown. They didn't wake Jesus immediately, but sought to use all of their skills to survive. At the last moment, they went to Jesus and woke Him up, and He rebuked them. So why did He rebuke them? What did they do wrong? We'll get to that at the end of the sermon. Hold on to that thought. III. Jesus’ Stunning Power Over Creation Now, I want to talk about Jesus' stunning power over creation. Now we know the wind is beyond all human control. No one can control the wind. As a matter of fact, scripture says it openly. Ecclesiastes 8:8, "No man has power over the wind to contain it." Or again, John 3:8, "The wind blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it's going." That's the wind. But Jesus, Jesus is the master of all creation. John 1:3, "Through Him, all things were made, and without Him, nothing was made that has been made." And again, Hebrews 1:3, "He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word." He made it and He sustains it, that's Jesus. Again, He has effortless power over the wind and the waves, verse 39, "He got up, rebuked the wind, and said of the waves, 'Peace be still.'" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm, by the Word of the Lord alone. No striving, no effort, just sheer power, absolute authority. The power of the Word of Jesus. Now that's the miracle. It's a simple matter of cause and effect. There's nothing miraculous about a storm ending, all storms end, eventually, thank God. But the circumstances here directly link the end of the storm, the sudden end of the storm with Jesus' Word — cause and effect. It was because He said 'Peace be still' that everything was completely calm. That's the miracle. Note both aspects, the wind and the waves died down instantly. This is a miracle beyond all description. The wind instantly stopped this gale force, hurricane wind stops, a staggering amount of power ,just stopped in its tracks. In the text, there's not even a breeze or a gentle zephyr at the end, nothing, it's done. But for me, being more kind of mechanically engineering minded, the stilling of the waves is even more remarkable. How long would that take? The undulating white-capped waves crashing back and forth instantly leveled. Ordinarily, they would've undulated for hours, but it became as flat as a millpond on a still day, all of that at the Word of Jesus' power. Why the word “rebuke” in Matthew and Luke? Why does He rebuke the wind and the waves? Matthew 8:26, "He got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm." Luke 8:24, "He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, the storms subsided and always gone." Why this word “rebuke”? As if the wind and the waves were living beings who were doing something wrong rather than inanimate objects, air molecules or water molecules just doing what physics was telling them to do. There is a sense in which that storm, that devastating hurricane storm is part of this sin-cursed world. It's part of the cursing of nature, that's part of man's sin. And Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth, and He came, we're told in Ephesians 1, as the plan of God for the consummation of the ages to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. So they represent evil and curse, and He came to put it to an end. I think that's why it says “rebuke”. Unruly, wild nature will be subdued, brought into peaceful order in the New Heavens, in the New Earth — more on that at the very end of the sermon. I believe this is the most visually stunning miracle of Jesus' life. No other miracle is as spectacular as this. It's similar to the Red Sea crossing, it's just simply spectacular. Most of Jesus' miracles are quiet, subtle healings, they're not really much to look at. I do not say that the distilling of the storm is His most significant miracle, that's His own resurrection, far more significant than the distilling of the storm. But I'm just saying it was the most spectacular. The healings are just subtle. You think about the paralyzed man. There's nothing spectacular about a paralyzed man getting up off of His pallet and walking home. There's nothing spectacular about a blind man, a man born blind, washing mud off His eyes. Now, it's very significant for those who knew Him, or for those men themselves, it’s very significant, it's just not spectacular. This would've been spectacular, this is entirely different. If you had been there, the sheer spectacle would've taken your breath away. Then Jesus rebuked His disciples. He turns to them and rebukes them. He rebukes their lack of faith. He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" I mean, this is the whole point of the miracle, and indeed of all miracles. It's the point of having the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit having Mark write this down. The lesson is that we, the readers, we who hear about this would have faith in Christ, that we would believe in Jesus as the Son of God. That's the reason for the miracle and the account. The rebuke of His disciples' lack of faith is sharp. He never coddled unbelief, He never said, "It's okay to not believe in me." Notice also the clear contrast in this account. We'll see it again with Jairus, and at other times, the clear contrast between faith and fear. Faith and fear often seem to be opposites in the Bible. Faith drives out fear. If there is this kind of fear, it's because there's a lack of faith. "Faith and fear often seem to be opposites in the Bible. Faith drives out fear. If there is this kind of fear, it's because there's a lack of faith." Now, after the rebuke, the disciples have another reaction, and what is it? Fear. But it's even greater now. They seem to be more afraid of Jesus in the boat than they were of the storm outside of the boat, and with good reason. This is the presence of Almighty God, the incarnate God in the boat with you. Look at verse 41, “They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind in the waves obey Him.’” Fear is the constant right reaction to the display of the omnipotent Holy God, to us as sinners, as creatures. For example, Elijah and his contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah prayed a simple prayer and fire fell from heaven, and burned up the sacrifice and the alter and everything there. And when the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God." There's a fear that was filling them at that moment, and so it was with these disciples, fear of the Lord. IV. Two Lasting Questions The text ends with these two lasting questions that just kind of stand over, and they're timeless questions. Jesus, to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The questioning of Jesus to us and our faith, and then the disciples, to one another, and to the world, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey Him." So we take those questions and we translate this account into our lives. The point of the Gospel of Mark is to answer the question, “Who is this man?” He is the Son of God, He is your savior. That's who He is, He and no other. Along with that is the constant expansion of our comprehension of what that means. So what does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? It means this, He can speak to the wind and the waves and they obey Him, that's what it means. He can drive out any demon and they're terrified of Him. He's not afraid of them, they're afraid of Him. There's no disease or sickness He cannot cure instantly with a Word or a touch. He can raise the dead, He can raise you from the dead. That's what it means that Jesus is the Son of God. He can look at you and tell you, based on your faith in Him, your sins are forgiven, and they are. That's who this is, that's who Jesus is. But even more is to apply that faith directly to our lives, and to drive out faithless fears, wherever they may be. Many people readily connect with this account, speaking metaphorically of the storms of our lives. I think that's right actually. All of us have challenges, deeply distressing issues that cause us to writhe and roll and churn like we're being tossed about in a storm. But when we have those storms, we can turn to Christ, the one who stilled the storm to quiet this storm around us, and even more importantly, inside of us. Many songs and hymns capture the sense of Christ's power over the storms of life. I like this one by Casting Crowns, Praise You In This Storm. The lyrics go like this, "I was sure by now, God, you would've reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. And once again, I say, 'Amen,' and it's still raining. But as the thunder rolls, I barely hear your whisper through the rain, 'I'm with you.' And as your mercy falls, I'll raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. And I'll praise you in this storm. And I will lift my hands, for you are who you are, no matter where I am. And every tear I've cried, you hold in your hand, you never left my side. And though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm." Or this one, It Is Well With My Soul. "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." Or one of my favorites, Be Still, My Soul. "Be still, my soul” [second stanza], "Thy God doth undertake to guide the future as He has the past, thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake. All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul, the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below." Oh, I could multiply these songs. What kind of storm are you going through? I don't know. Maybe you've been through some, or you're just getting ready for the one that's coming and you don't even know what's coming. I don't have a problem with this storms of life approach at all. In fact, it's normal biblical speech. The Bible often uses metaphors to speak of painful trials we endure, of the saving work that God has for His people. Isaiah 4:6 says this, "That saving work will be a shelter and a shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and a hiding place from the storm and rain." Of the trials we endure in life, the metaphor of passing through water, river, fire, Isaiah 43:1- 2 begins with the simple command, "Fear not. Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name, you are mine. And when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." This seems to be a lasting image, this storms of life approach. Yes, Jesus' miracle was physical, absolutely. I believe that, the account says it. But His ability to bring a peaceful end to our trials is taught again and again, as well as His ability to give us peace in the middle of the storm. So the lasting lesson of this miracle is to trust Jesus and not give way to fear when you're going through a storm. So what are the storms of life? It's anything that buffets you and causes you pain, anything. Any trial that rocks your world, knocks you around, maybe even threatens your life itself. We think about the three trials we walk through with Job again and again, remember? Loss of possessions, loss of loved ones, loss of health, those three. To expand, it could be for you a chronic illness. And the treatment, it's just not responding to the treatment. It could be the loss of a child through death, it could be the long goodbye of Alzheimer's with a beloved parent or spouse. It could be a wayward, grown child that just will not submit to Christ. Any news that rocks your world and staggers you and brings you to your knees and brings tears to your eyes and causes you to cry out to God, "Why, Oh Lord?" And then all the more, if that news causes a significant change in the way you have to live your life from that point on, it’s permanent, that's a storm. This text tells us Jesus controls that storm. He wisely brings it, decides how long it's going to last and how severe it will be, and then He is able to bring it to an end. He's telling you, in the middle of that storm, He is with you. He's speaking to you in the midst of the storm, just like Job, “and God appearing in a whirlwind and speaking in the midst of the storm” to Job, saying, "I'm right in the middle of whatever storm is buffeting you." When He says, "Peace, be still," He's not first and foremost, speaking to your circumstances, He's speaking first and foremost to your soul. Philippians 4:6 and 7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." That's Him saying, "Peace, be still," to your soul. God has the power to bring supernatural peace to your heart in the midst of the worst storms of your life. Now, the question I want to ask you is, how are you displaying faithless fear in your life? Where is the faithless fear? I don't know where that is, you have to answer that yourself. Be honest with yourself, where am I displaying a faithless fear? The whole world just went through this COVID pandemic. I wonder if it's possible that there's some people that have been scarred by the experience, and have developed a faithless fear in the midst of it. I don't know, I'm not judging people, I just am asking for people to judge themselves. Where is there an inappropriate fear of death, or fear of disease, or fear of pain or loss that is gripping your soul? Jesus would say, "Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?" And if that's not it, there are other places. We're susceptible to faithless fears everywhere. He wants us to use our faith to drive away our fear. Now, let's circle back on this question. How could the disciples have done better? I mean, it’s a little hard on these guys; the boat's filling with water, what did you want them to do? They didn't know what they're talking about. Yes, they did. They knew better than you, that boat's going down. So why does Jesus rebuke them? Should they have waited longer to wake Jesus? Was God pushing them right to the very brink? I mean, they'd done everything they could, the bailing, all of that. I don't know what they did, but no, God wasn't pushing them to the brink. First of all, they should not been afraid that God would let Jesus drown. I mean, that's not going to happen. By extension, he's not going to let His apostles drown either. Beyond that, they should not have been terrified of death at all, but that won't really come until He conquers death with His resurrection. From then on, they would be delivered a fear of death. But this is where I'm going to land on this one. I think they should have woken Jesus earlier. Why do I say that? They tried everything they knew to do, everything in their own strength, and at the last resort, they bring Jesus in. I think that's a bad model for the storm. What do you say? “I’ll do everything I can, and when all else fails, as my last resort, I'm going to bring Jesus in.” Don't do that. Get Him up immediately. "Looking like a storm's brewing, Lord, what do you think?” I think that's what they should have done. We're going to end with Jesus' final and eternal power over creation. This awesome miracle shows Jesus' power over all creation. By that power, He's going to bring in a new heaven and a new earth, and the turbulent world of evil will finally be subdued. I want you to contrast these two statements in Isaiah. Isaiah 17:12, "Oh the raging of many nations, they rage like the raging sea. Oh the uproar of the peoples, they roar like the roaring of great waters," along with Isaiah 57:20-21, "The wicked are like the tossing sea which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. There is no peace says my God for the wicked." That, with Revelation 4:6, the vision of the throne of God, Almighty God, “Before the throne of God, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” A placid sea, there's no hurricanes, no storms in heaven. Jesus, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control will transform the universe and get rid of all storms. You can look forward to that. In the meantime, if He wills to bring you through a storm, He does it because He loves you and because He's wise, and He knows how long to make it last. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the time that we've had to look at your Word. And we thank you for the power of your Word, and we thank you for your power over every storm. And now, Lord, as we turn to the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, we pray that you would bless us with your presence through the Holy Spirit. Lord, we pray, Lord, that you would minister in this room through this ordinance. We know that there's nothing special about the bread or the juice, but there's something powerful about the combination of these elements, and the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, and the people of God. So be in our midst now, as we observe this ordinance of the Lord's Supper, in Jesus name. Amen.
Jenn walks us through growing up with her dad and then later into life when her family finds that he has Alzheimer's. It's a beautiful and heart breaking story. If you want keep up with Jenn, click the link to her blog, It Is Well With My Soul.thepainfulreality.com
Jenn walks us through growing up with her dad and then later into life when her family finds that he has Alzheimer's. It's a beautiful and heart breaking story. If you want keep up with Jenn, click the link to her blog, It Is Well With My Soul.thepainfulreality.com
What is faith? Hi, I'm Mike Henry Sr. with Follower of One, I want to talk about faith for a few days. And so I turned to Hebrews chapter 11 today's passages verse one, Hebrews 11:1. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen." That's from the English Standard Version. This is a very familiar passage. And I looked at it in a number of translations. Sometimes it's called assurance. Sometimes it's called reality. Sometimes it's called realization. In one translation in the original king James, or at least in an old version of the King James. It says that faith is a substance of things hope for. The evidence of things not seen. Why is faith even necessary? First of all, faith is like this proof. It's the final say in what we can't see, God continues to hide from us to mask things and to make us trust him. The challenge is, is that we have to express this trust based on faith. That's what I'm doing. My word this year is trust. I want to have the faith that helps me relax, knowing that God is in control and that he's in charge of things. This faith needs to make a difference in our lives. We need to operate as if we see it, this conviction of things not seen. It means that we're confident. We have this confidence that comes from knowing that God is in charge. Eventually we will see God, or we will see his glory. We will be blown away by him so much that every knee will bow. It says in Philippians and every tongue will confess. In the song. It Is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford. The author talks about a day when his faith shall be sight. When we can see what's going on, faith isn't necessary anymore. But God has created the entire world and our entire relationship with him and all of eternity to ride on this faith. And so I wanted to talk about it for a few days. We're going to talk through different pieces of Hebrews chapter 11 and consider how faith shows up in our daily life. Faith, I hope helps me be a better employee. It helps me take extra time for people. It helps me be a blessing to others. It helps me go beyond my job description. I'm not living in this scarce mindset where I believe that I can only give so much for what I'm paid. Faith tells me that I can trust God and I can go beyond what's expected of me. And God will make it right. Romans 8:28 says that God causes "all things to work together for good to those who love him and who are called according to his purpose." Our faith helps us walk in what we know about God. We lean on that and we trust that because he is who he says he is. Our faith becomes this proof of what we believe. And our lives prove what we believe when we live according to faith, I believe that's the model God has for each of us. And that I believe is our challenge for today. Shall we live by faith? When we live by faith, Jesus becomes visible. He's the key to the faith that we have. He's the key to everything. And when we live, according to that faith, other people see him, they see something different and they might even ask the question, why are you doing this? And that's our opportunity to tell other people about him. That's our goal is marketplace ministers. Today, I want to thank you for being a marketplace minister. Thank you for considering how faith might make your day different today. That's our job is to live different lives so that others might ask. You can join a community of people who are passionate about doing that by heading to https://community.followerofone.org and creating a free profile there. You might even join us on the next marketplace mission trip. Thanks again for listening and thanks for being a marketplace minister.
To close out Women's History Month we have a guest whose very platform has been built on books she has written and lessons she has taught to women (and learned for herself!). Wendy Pope's latest book is called Jesus Everlasting, and this conversation is an open invite to women and to men to discover the character of Jesus is through the stories of the women of the scriptures. This week's featured song is: "It Is Well With My Soul," recorded live in the Bridges studio by our very own Andrew Greer. Discover more of Andrew's music here. Learn more about Bridges ... Spiritual Conversations Through Generational Conversations here: BridgesShow.com. And if you like what you are listening to, leave us a 5-star rating and a review, and follow and subscribe to Bridges –– it truly does help us keep chuggin' along as we create new episodes for you! Follow Patsy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow Andrew on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ____________________________________ SPONSORS When you give a Bible through Food For the Hungry (FH), you provide a family with the Word of God in their own native language –– often a rarity! –– offering joy and hope today that will last for eternity. A Bible is not only important for providing a family spiritual health, it also offers a practical education in teaching children to read! Your gift is tax-deductible, so purchase the gift of a few Bibles for families around the world here: fh.org/bridges We treasure scripture. And we love how The Abide Bible presents it so thoughtfully and beautifully. Learn more and get a copy for yourself or a loved one here: BridgesShow.com/Abide.
In Matthew 16 Jesus tells His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” The Christian walk is not easy —as Paul writes to the Corinthians, we are afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. The Christian life requires us to continually lay down our lives in order to become more like Christ. We must take up Christ's cross, instead of trusting in our own works. Even though we are frail as summer's flower, we can have confidence that the King of Heaven will gently bear us and rescue us from all our foes (Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven). We “put no confidence in princes nor for help on man depend.” Instead, we trust in our God who reigns forever and promises to deliver us from oppression (Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah). When our hope is in Christ alone, “no power of Hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck us from His hand” (In Christ Alone). We must sacrifice all the vain things that charm us most, and instead boast in the death of Christ our God (When I Survey The Wondrous Cross). Because Christ offers us life in Him, we can say, “it is well with my soul” —whatever our circumstances may be (It Is Well With My Soul). This morning as we lay down our crosses, we take up Christ's cross and rest in His “love so amazing, so divine.” Let's lay down our lives to live in Christ. —Emma Marsh & Henry C. Haffner
For this episode we are reminded of a song by Bob Kauflin and Sovereign Grace, It Is Well With My Soul. Horatio Gates Spafford wrote these words after the tragic death of his four daughters.Lyrics:When peace like a river attendeth my wayWhen sorrows like sea billows rollWhatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to sayIt is well, it is well with my soul...The Duo breaks down the topic of peace finding practical ways to achieve greater peace in your life.
Soulful Femme is a blues, funk, jazz duo from Pittsburgh, made up of two women: Stevee Wellons (vocals) and Cheryl Rinovato (guitars). Their debut album, “It Is Well With My Soul” is being released on June 4th, 2021. Vocalist Stephanie Wellons, aka Stevee Wellons, has been performing in the tri-state area for the last 25 years and is known for her high-energy stage presence and performance. Stevee has performed with numerous area bands and currently teaches and coaches voice at numerous CCAC college campuses in the area. Formerly, she taught at the prestigious Afro-American Institute (AAMI), in the Homewood Area of Pittsburgh. An experienced recording artist as well, Stevee has recorded in Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago and Baltimore. Stevee Wellons Band won the 2015 Blues Society of Western PA's Blues Challenge and represented Western PA at the 2016 International Blues Challenge.Studying Applied Music with a 2nd major in Arranging and Composition at famed Berklee College of Music, Cheryl Rinovato began her musical career as a studio musician throughout New England. Since moving to Pittsburgh, Cheryl has pursued her musical career as a professional musician for numerous area bands and has done extensive studio work. Cheryl has also been the recipient of the prestigious Jim Weber Award, given to blues guitarist of the year, three times; in 2012, 2013 and 2015. She is a Delaney (out of Austin, TX) endorsed guitarist with 2 signature guitar models.Stevee and Cheryl have performed with: Shemekia Copeland, Ana Popovic, Samantha Fish, Tas Cru, Miller & the Other Sinners, Joann Shaw Taylor, Tommy Castro and Mike Zito. These two dynamic personalities complement each other with the gift that they combine for a dynamic experience. Sit back and be entertained!"www.soulfulfemme.comhttps://www.facebook.com/soulful.femmehttps://twitter.com/SoulfulFemmehttps://www.instagram.com/soulfulfemmeband/
If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click hereAlso included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that
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