Podcasts about jesus you

When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?  MESSAGE SUMMARY: The stories of the New Testament tell us that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, points out that Jesus, the Word, was the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". John tells us that Jesus had authority over nature, over creation, and over life itself, and he tells us that Jesus was the life-giver that came to earth for us. In John 20:26-29, Jesus asked the Apostle Thomas a fundamental question that Jesus asks you today– “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?'”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”. When Jesus has asked you: “Whom do you say that I am?”, and how did you answer? Did you tell Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”? Have you, in your life, become a Jesus Follower? If not, why not   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Psalms 67:1-7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Being in Christ, Part 2” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

We should not be playing church but be committed to Jesus  You will bond to something  Stand your ground for the Word 

Thursday, 27 March 2025   So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” Matthew 8:31   “And the demons, they invoked Him, saying, ‘If You eject us, You permit us to go into the sounder, the pigs'” (CG).   The previous verse noted the sounder of pigs that was feeding in the distance. Now, Matthew continues with, “And the demons, they invoked Him.”   The words are straightforward and continue the same understanding previously displayed, which is that Jesus has total authority over them. It is the same word, parakaleó, used already three times in Matthew which has been translated twice as comforted. In Matthew 8:5 and here, it is active rather than passive. Therefore, it signifies to invoke.   They are looking for a type of comfort by invoking Jesus to withhold His hand of judgment until the set time. In this state of begging Him, they were “saying, ‘If You eject us, You permit us to go into the sounder, the pigs.'”   In Mark's account, it says Jesus was invoked to not send them out of the country. In Luke's account, it says Jesus was invoked to not send them into the abyss. Each account is focusing on what the writer thought was the key point for his gospel. There is no contradiction then.   Rather, the conversation may have been something like this:   Jesus: “What is your name?” Demon guy: “Legion.” Legion: “Please don't send us out of the country.” Jesus: “Eventually you will have to go.” Legion: “Yes, but please don't send us to the abyss. It isn't the set time.” Jesus: “You must leave this man.” Legion: “We accept that. Instead of sending us to the abyss, please permit us to go into the sounder of pigs.” Of course, this is speculation, but a simple example like this shows how each of the gospel narratives could be true at the same time. Matthew, being a Jew, focused on the unclean pigs. Mark, being told the matter from Peter, focused on the demons not wanting to be removed from the surrounding country. But with Jesus there, how could they continue in the country? Luke, being a Gentile doctor, focused on the final destination for their condition, the abyss.   Matthew, above all else, knew pigs were unclean and remembered that these demons would accept being in unclean animals. This would have had all the more impact on him after the law was fulfilled and annulled. He would then come to understand how the Holy Spirit could even descend on unclean Gentiles.   We are being schooled in the workings of God in Christ, and how He is able to make something clean out of something unclean and how He can bring near those who were far away.   Life application: The words of Matthew are perfectly in line with the words in Mark and Luke. What seems contradictory at first fits harmoniously with what could be when thought through. John, as he completed his gospel, said –   “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:25).   As this is so, John is giving a reason for the brevity of the gospels. Matthew could have meticulously recorded every single word of every conversation that occurred in the presence of the Lord. And Matthew's gospel would go on and on. It would be a giant, cumbersome, and difficult book to get through.   This would be the case with each gospel. But then each gospel would be identical to the other and they would be superfluous. However, each is an acceptable length to allow an understanding of what God in Christ has done so that we can then accept, by faith, that they are sufficiently presented in order to harmoniously weave together with the other gospels without being burdensomely long.   The things that were not necessary to know have been omitted entirely from the four gospels, such as conversations around the dinner table with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.   Though such accounts may be interesting, they have no bearing on Jesus' work and fulfillment of the law. Hence, they are not included in the word. What we have is fully sufficient to allow us, by faith, to accept what God has done in the stream of redemptive history. Therefore, let us have faith and believe.   Lord God, may we be people of faith by accepting Your word for what it is, a reliable and accurate account of what You have done in and through Jesus to restore us to Yourself. Thank You for this precious word that tells us of our wonderful Savior, Jesus! Amen.

Join us for a captivating conversation with Bart Sharp, an embodiment of the Sacred Masculine deeply devoted to the legacy of Mary Magdalene. With over 20 years of experience in intuitive and shamanistic practices, Bart shares his insights on the transformative power of sacred lands and the significance of the Magdalene.You will discover:⚜️ The Wild Feminine of Bugarach: Find out how the Magdalene Christ Consciousness is deeply ingrained in the lands in Provence, Camargue and Occitanie and what places to connect to best on your own quest with Mary Magdalene & Yeshua⚜️ Geometry & Energy Patterns Revealed: Bart explains the unique energetic qualities of the various sacred sites in the South of France, especially Rennes Le Chateau as a Centerpiece of a global triangle connecting into Egypt & Denmark ⚜️ Using Chant & Intuition to activate places: Hear Bart's personal experiences and tips as a guide and pilgrim sharing how to best discover, approach and preserve the sacredness of places ⚜️ Remembering the Frequency: Explore how each site unlocks memory & deeper truths within the body for higher frequencies to unwind, opening possibilities of astral travel through portals like Mary Magdalene's Cave in St Baume.About Bart:Bart is an intuitive and shamanistic practitioner helping people release their deepest repressed limitations.Whether it is an abused childhood, interacting with shadow aspects of self, entity removal or various highly abnormal traumas, Bart has helped those with anything from normal to unusual issues. The desire to teach and facilitate a greater consciousness is Bart's driving passion, he does this in a variety ways from private sessions, classes, books such as “Magic Speaks”, audio downloads, intuitive tour guide to sacred sites in SW France, and as a radio show host of “Becoming Quantum Conscious” on United Public Radio Network and UFO Paranormal Radio Network.  His Home is Austin, Texas and SW France.

I declare over your life that:·       The Lord your God has set you high above all your contemporaries. His gift in you shall cause you to flourish everywhere you go in Jesus name·       Only blessings are allowed in your life. These blessings are for you and for your children even those yet unborn in the name of Jesus:·       You are blessed in the city and you are blessed in the field.·       Your body is blessed and fruitful·       Your ground is blessed and fruitful·       Your enterprise yields intergenerational blessings in the name of Jesus·       Your workforce and every tool you need to work for you are blessed in the name of Jesus·       You are blessed in your storehouses, bank accounts and investment vehicles·       Your kitchen is blessed and your household is blessed·       You are blessed coming in and blessed when you go out·       You are blessed in your journeys and you are blessed when you are at home·       You are blessed everywhere you go for the blessing of the Lord is your shield·       Every enemy of yours who rises up against you are declared defeated before your face in the name of Jesus·       Every challenge facing you right now is declared incapacitated for the Lord God will fight for you in Jesus name·       The Lord has commanded the blessing upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake.·       The Lord has blessed you in the land which the Lord your God gives you to inhabit.·       Since God has made His heir, you are blessed with all the blessings of the earth in Jesus name·       The Lord establishes you and He has made you holy, blameless and without a single fault in His eyes·       You are a saint of God and are called by the name of the Lord.·       The Lord has promised to never leave you nor forsake therefore I decree that in this month, you shall experience the presence of the Lord and His Kingdom life in Jesus name.·       Those who hate you shall be afraid of you. You shall be a voice to bring the gospel to those in your sphere of influence.·       You shall have a surplus of prosperity  and abundance in every area of your life – in your business, your career, your investments, in relationships, through destiny helpers, in your health, in wisdom, in knowledge, in skillfulness, in prudence and over all the earth in Jesus name.·       The Lord opens to you now His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain over your life in its season. You shall be like a tree planyted by the rivers of water that brings its fruits in its seasons. You are always fruitful and productive by the spirit of the Lord.·       The Lord blesses the work of your hands and caused it to prosper beyond your wildest imagination.·       You are a lender not a borrower and if you borrow you shall make good use of it in investing right in the name of Jesus.·       The Lord has made you the head – and you shall be above only.·       The Lord is with you, you are a success in every area of your life and in every way.

Music for Meditation, Jesus You are So Beautiful, "Jesu, du bist allzu schöne" (Georg Böhm: 1661-1733)

When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?  MESSAGE SUMMARY: The stories of the New Testament tell us that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, points out that Jesus, the Word, was the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". John tells us that Jesus had authority over nature, over creation, and over life itself, and he tells us that Jesus was the life-giver that came to earth for us. In John 20:26-29, Jesus asked the Apostle Thomas a fundamental question that Jesus asks you today– “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?'”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”. When Jesus has asked you: “Whom do you say that I am?”, and how did you answer? Did you tell Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”? Have you, in your life, become a Jesus Follower? If not, why not?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Psalms 67:1-7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “A Christmas Message” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

I used to be almost 400 pounds (Obviously the audience is going to do/say somethin big—hopefully they're drunk and react atrociously so that it makes sense for me to go—) I know. Anyway, it's a long story. It took a long time but obviously, I'm no longer anywhere near 400 pounds. Sometimes . I still like to eat. A lot. I eat a lot. I love to cook, I love trying new recipes. Sometimes I eat a bit more than I work out so you know, I get a little chubby— Then I get paranoid thinking I've gone and got fat again so I high tail it to the gym and workout, pump it out, stretch or whatever. —and after a good workout or two I'm usually relieved, I'm like oh, I was just bloated. Phew! There's my abs. I was just bloated! Jesus You know, when you're heavy, you don't bloat— Or you do, you just don't realize it, Especially if you're very heavy like I was. So I never even knew what bloating was until— I was about a size 9– Mind you, this is down from a size 28– In women's— For those of you who don't know, that's an 4 of 5 x down to a medium. (The audience will probably do something) I know. lol writing comedy is funny. Try preforming it. That sounds hard. Anyway, I never realized what anyone meant by “bloating” at all until one day it happened to me. A few years ago, I was still kind of moderately normal and by that I mean, eating “regular foods” now I'm pretty much a health nut with the exception of the occasional cupcake charade or, you know, home made French fries. But besides that you know, fast food— processed food, no; and this is actually the reason why; because I had never experienced the phenomena of bloating before, which I learned meant that you could eat something one day, and then wake up the next day— fatter. NO. I did not know this phenomenon was what was considered “bloating” I freaked out . I like, went out with my friends—and this is LA, by the way— all my friends are like actors, and like, travelers and whatnot, and so we like went out for lunch, or something and I don't remember what I ordered or what it was I ate— could have been something simple, potato chips— a burger, I don't know. But the next day, I go to put on like my favorite pair of jeans or whatever—like the same jeans I wear all the time— And the shit was like— smaller. I'm like “wait” what. Mind you, I'm living in LA—but imm staying at this like hip hostel in Westwood where myself and all of my pals are like, bohemians—whatever— I'm a cartoon character. I basically wear the same thing— or a variation of the same thing every day, and so I go to put on my jeans— Like, probably the same jeans from yesterday— And they don't fit. I'm like: What is this? I start freaking out . I'm like oh my god, am I fat again?! Oh my God! No!! I'm like jumping around the room, doing squats and shit trying to stretch out the denim . Yes . I'm like “Oh no, what happened!” What happened?! Am I pregnant?! Oh god! I had never just like— been bigger overnight like that. So I opted for something stretchier. Like some fuckin1-yoga pants or whatever. Leggings. And later on I'm talking to my friend and I like basically just—you know— I ask her, hey, like — have you ever just woke up like, fatter? And she's like “what do you mean?” And I'm like, do you ever just like “get fat overnight” and she's like “I don't know what you're saying.” This is LA, by the way. And I'm like, “Okay, so the pants I was wearing yesterday— like, yesterday— “ She's like “The ones with the— “ “Yeah.” “The ones you always wear?” “Exactly. So I woke up today, and they like— didn't fit.” She's like “that's strange— are you bloated?” I'm like “am I what?” She goes “bloated—you know?” I'm like “I don't know. What's this?” She goes “you're probably bloated; its just gas” I'm like “gas” She's like “it can make— you know— you've never been bloated?” Than I'm like, reaching into the crevices of my mind, thinking back to all those commercials when I was a kid Where the lady would have like a pot belly, like struggling with her zipper and frowning a lot like — pretty much the same as I had just that morning and my friend goes “Yeah, you're probably bloated.” I'm like mortified. I spent my entire life thinking this was something that just didn't t happen to me, but as it turns out, I just couldn't notice! At a certain point, all my clothes were elastic. I never realized, I thought growing up that I just couldn't bloat! I thought I was special. Turns out I was just not able to notice and now—I realize—the smaller you get— the more you notice. “So that's what they mean” That shit is a crime! So I stopped eating so much processed foods and stuff Started really watching it, eventually started working out a lot. I had to get my heart like, stomped on for that last part. Dude I liked, started dating a fitness model. Yeah. Ow. You know since then I've belonged to ever major fitness club in the world. Bless your heart, son. I can hardly skip a day. Sometimes, I do take it easier than usual, though—you know— it's hard to sit in your apartment after two hours of cardio and really focus on anything. So every once and awhile when I really need to get shit don't I just relax and know that I'm never more than a week away from peak fitness at all times. I train hard, It's good. But now I realize the same thing— being extra fit— It's like a never ending battle— That when you're extra fit, just the smallest change to your body can affect the way it looks. When you're cut, drinking too much water and then not sweating it off will take away some of the definition in those cuts. It's insane! I have a new gauging system. I'm like “Alright, as long as this line is still evident, we're okay.” This— I'm not gonna lie, I love being skinny. I might let go, for a like a couple days at best but I can't let it go too long. I'm gonna be old one day— Maybe. Possibly. I don't know, if I stay single, I'm not getting old. Decisions have been made. Being old is one thing, it's like whatever Being old and alone?! Bitterness. Just— depressing. I know I won't be able to work out forever, so I go as hard as I can now so that when and if the age comes on, I will know I've done my absolute best to maintain the body I've been given for this existence. After being that heavy, it is like magic I love being skinny. I really love it. I can fit into places. I can wear things I never would have imagined wearing ever in my life. I love it At a certain size, certain clothes become multi wear. I recently got this skirt that I'm sure was meant to be a pencil skirt— but I pulled it up and over everything and it just so turns out that it also happens to be— a sexy little minidress. Covers just enough— could wear it clubbing— yes. It's also a very soft fabric so I wore it to sleep, this little minidress— Very comfortable fabric, very soft— And when I woke up, it had hiked up and I realized “oh my god, this is also a really cute top! Yesl also a halter top. Nice. I threw on some pants with it, and as I'm wearing it around it kind of form fits, you know, as I'm walking around, not wearing a bra with it—cause I realized this also— The smaller you get. The less atrocious it is in general when you're not wearing a bra. The too became a cute cop-halter. No bra. Yay weight loss! Multi-wear fashion. I always wear a bra regardless, in public, cause I'm classy— but I realize at minimum weight, I don't really “need” to. And that's the horrible thing about being tiny— is when I'm extra ripped, like super cut— I get like a-cup mammaries. Makes me a little sad but also makes sense, since my mom is like straight A cup, or like a B on good days. This makes me sad, going from a GG cup to an A cup. Scary to me, having tits that small, and it makes me sad— But hey, what can I say?! I like having abs, and seeing my ribs. Oh. Ribs. That sounds good right now. I miss ribs. Being a vegan is alright {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ©

I used to be almost 400 pounds (Obviously the audience is going to do/say somethin big—hopefully they're drunk and react atrociously so that it makes sense for me to go—) I know. Anyway, it's a long story. It took a long time but obviously, I'm no longer anywhere near 400 pounds. Sometimes . I still like to eat. A lot. I eat a lot. I love to cook, I love trying new recipes. Sometimes I eat a bit more than I work out so you know, I get a little chubby— Then I get paranoid thinking I've gone and got fat again so I high tail it to the gym and workout, pump it out, stretch or whatever. —and after a good workout or two I'm usually relieved, I'm like oh, I was just bloated. Phew! There's my abs. I was just bloated! Jesus You know, when you're heavy, you don't bloat— Or you do, you just don't realize it, Especially if you're very heavy like I was. So I never even knew what bloating was until— I was about a size 9– Mind you, this is down from a size 28– In women's— For those of you who don't know, that's an 4 of 5 x down to a medium. (The audience will probably do something) I know. lol writing comedy is funny. Try preforming it. That sounds hard. Anyway, I never realized what anyone meant by “bloating” at all until one day it happened to me. A few years ago, I was still kind of moderately normal and by that I mean, eating “regular foods” now I'm pretty much a health nut with the exception of the occasional cupcake charade or, you know, home made French fries. But besides that you know, fast food— processed food, no; and this is actually the reason why; because I had never experienced the phenomena of bloating before, which I learned meant that you could eat something one day, and then wake up the next day— fatter. NO. I did not know this phenomenon was what was considered “bloating” I freaked out . I like, went out with my friends—and this is LA, by the way— all my friends are like actors, and like, travelers and whatnot, and so we like went out for lunch, or something and I don't remember what I ordered or what it was I ate— could have been something simple, potato chips— a burger, I don't know. But the next day, I go to put on like my favorite pair of jeans or whatever—like the same jeans I wear all the time— And the shit was like— smaller. I'm like “wait” what. Mind you, I'm living in LA—but imm staying at this like hip hostel in Westwood where myself and all of my pals are like, bohemians—whatever— I'm a cartoon character. I basically wear the same thing— or a variation of the same thing every day, and so I go to put on my jeans— Like, probably the same jeans from yesterday— And they don't fit. I'm like: What is this? I start freaking out . I'm like oh my god, am I fat again?! Oh my God! No!! I'm like jumping around the room, doing squats and shit trying to stretch out the denim . Yes . I'm like “Oh no, what happened!” What happened?! Am I pregnant?! Oh god! I had never just like— been bigger overnight like that. So I opted for something stretchier. Like some fuckin1-yoga pants or whatever. Leggings. And later on I'm talking to my friend and I like basically just—you know— I ask her, hey, like — have you ever just woke up like, fatter? And she's like “what do you mean?” And I'm like, do you ever just like “get fat overnight” and she's like “I don't know what you're saying.” This is LA, by the way. And I'm like, “Okay, so the pants I was wearing yesterday— like, yesterday— “ She's like “The ones with the— “ “Yeah.” “The ones you always wear?” “Exactly. So I woke up today, and they like— didn't fit.” She's like “that's strange— are you bloated?” I'm like “am I what?” She goes “bloated—you know?” I'm like “I don't know. What's this?” She goes “you're probably bloated; its just gas” I'm like “gas” She's like “it can make— you know— you've never been bloated?” Than I'm like, reaching into the crevices of my mind, thinking back to all those commercials when I was a kid Where the lady would have like a pot belly, like struggling with her zipper and frowning a lot like — pretty much the same as I had just that morning and my friend goes “Yeah, you're probably bloated.” I'm like mortified. I spent my entire life thinking this was something that just didn't t happen to me, but as it turns out, I just couldn't notice! At a certain point, all my clothes were elastic. I never realized, I thought growing up that I just couldn't bloat! I thought I was special. Turns out I was just not able to notice and now—I realize—the smaller you get— the more you notice. “So that's what they mean” That shit is a crime! So I stopped eating so much processed foods and stuff Started really watching it, eventually started working out a lot. I had to get my heart like, stomped on for that last part. Dude I liked, started dating a fitness model. Yeah. Ow. You know since then I've belonged to ever major fitness club in the world. Bless your heart, son. I can hardly skip a day. Sometimes, I do take it easier than usual, though—you know— it's hard to sit in your apartment after two hours of cardio and really focus on anything. So every once and awhile when I really need to get shit don't I just relax and know that I'm never more than a week away from peak fitness at all times. I train hard, It's good. But now I realize the same thing— being extra fit— It's like a never ending battle— That when you're extra fit, just the smallest change to your body can affect the way it looks. When you're cut, drinking too much water and then not sweating it off will take away some of the definition in those cuts. It's insane! I have a new gauging system. I'm like “Alright, as long as this line is still evident, we're okay.” This— I'm not gonna lie, I love being skinny. I might let go, for a like a couple days at best but I can't let it go too long. I'm gonna be old one day— Maybe. Possibly. I don't know, if I stay single, I'm not getting old. Decisions have been made. Being old is one thing, it's like whatever Being old and alone?! Bitterness. Just— depressing. I know I won't be able to work out forever, so I go as hard as I can now so that when and if the age comes on, I will know I've done my absolute best to maintain the body I've been given for this existence. After being that heavy, it is like magic I love being skinny. I really love it. I can fit into places. I can wear things I never would have imagined wearing ever in my life. I love it At a certain size, certain clothes become multi wear. I recently got this skirt that I'm sure was meant to be a pencil skirt— but I pulled it up and over everything and it just so turns out that it also happens to be— a sexy little minidress. Covers just enough— could wear it clubbing— yes. It's also a very soft fabric so I wore it to sleep, this little minidress— Very comfortable fabric, very soft— And when I woke up, it had hiked up and I realized “oh my god, this is also a really cute top! Yesl also a halter top. Nice. I threw on some pants with it, and as I'm wearing it around it kind of form fits, you know, as I'm walking around, not wearing a bra with it—cause I realized this also— The smaller you get. The less atrocious it is in general when you're not wearing a bra. The too became a cute cop-halter. No bra. Yay weight loss! Multi-wear fashion. I always wear a bra regardless, in public, cause I'm classy— but I realize at minimum weight, I don't really “need” to. And that's the horrible thing about being tiny— is when I'm extra ripped, like super cut— I get like a-cup mammaries. Makes me a little sad but also makes sense, since my mom is like straight A cup, or like a B on good days. This makes me sad, going from a GG cup to an A cup. Scary to me, having tits that small, and it makes me sad— But hey, what can I say?! I like having abs, and seeing my ribs. Oh. Ribs. That sounds good right now. I miss ribs. Being a vegan is alright {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ©

I used to be almost 400 pounds (Obviously the audience is going to do/say somethin big—hopefully they're drunk and react atrociously so that it makes sense for me to go—) I know. Anyway, it's a long story. It took a long time but obviously, I'm no longer anywhere near 400 pounds. Sometimes . I still like to eat. A lot. I eat a lot. I love to cook, I love trying new recipes. Sometimes I eat a bit more than I work out so you know, I get a little chubby— Then I get paranoid thinking I've gone and got fat again so I high tail it to the gym and workout, pump it out, stretch or whatever. —and after a good workout or two I'm usually relieved, I'm like oh, I was just bloated. Phew! There's my abs. I was just bloated! Jesus You know, when you're heavy, you don't bloat— Or you do, you just don't realize it, Especially if you're very heavy like I was. So I never even knew what bloating was until— I was about a size 9– Mind you, this is down from a size 28– In women's— For those of you who don't know, that's an 4 of 5 x down to a medium. (The audience will probably do something) I know. lol writing comedy is funny. Try preforming it. That sounds hard. Anyway, I never realized what anyone meant by “bloating” at all until one day it happened to me. A few years ago, I was still kind of moderately normal and by that I mean, eating “regular foods” now I'm pretty much a health nut with the exception of the occasional cupcake charade or, you know, home made French fries. But besides that you know, fast food— processed food, no; and this is actually the reason why; because I had never experienced the phenomena of bloating before, which I learned meant that you could eat something one day, and then wake up the next day— fatter. NO. I did not know this phenomenon was what was considered “bloating” I freaked out . I like, went out with my friends—and this is LA, by the way— all my friends are like actors, and like, travelers and whatnot, and so we like went out for lunch, or something and I don't remember what I ordered or what it was I ate— could have been something simple, potato chips— a burger, I don't know. But the next day, I go to put on like my favorite pair of jeans or whatever—like the same jeans I wear all the time— And the shit was like— smaller. I'm like “wait” what. Mind you, I'm living in LA—but imm staying at this like hip hostel in Westwood where myself and all of my pals are like, bohemians—whatever— I'm a cartoon character. I basically wear the same thing— or a variation of the same thing every day, and so I go to put on my jeans— Like, probably the same jeans from yesterday— And they don't fit. I'm like: What is this? I start freaking out . I'm like oh my god, am I fat again?! Oh my God! No!! I'm like jumping around the room, doing squats and shit trying to stretch out the denim . Yes . I'm like “Oh no, what happened!” What happened?! Am I pregnant?! Oh god! I had never just like— been bigger overnight like that. So I opted for something stretchier. Like some fuckin1-yoga pants or whatever. Leggings. And later on I'm talking to my friend and I like basically just—you know— I ask her, hey, like — have you ever just woke up like, fatter? And she's like “what do you mean?” And I'm like, do you ever just like “get fat overnight” and she's like “I don't know what you're saying.” This is LA, by the way. And I'm like, “Okay, so the pants I was wearing yesterday— like, yesterday— “ She's like “The ones with the— “ “Yeah.” “The ones you always wear?” “Exactly. So I woke up today, and they like— didn't fit.” She's like “that's strange— are you bloated?” I'm like “am I what?” She goes “bloated—you know?” I'm like “I don't know. What's this?” She goes “you're probably bloated; its just gas” I'm like “gas” She's like “it can make— you know— you've never been bloated?” Than I'm like, reaching into the crevices of my mind, thinking back to all those commercials when I was a kid Where the lady would have like a pot belly, like struggling with her zipper and frowning a lot like — pretty much the same as I had just that morning and my friend goes “Yeah, you're probably bloated.” I'm like mortified. I spent my entire life thinking this was something that just didn't t happen to me, but as it turns out, I just couldn't notice! At a certain point, all my clothes were elastic. I never realized, I thought growing up that I just couldn't bloat! I thought I was special. Turns out I was just not able to notice and now—I realize—the smaller you get— the more you notice. “So that's what they mean” That shit is a crime! So I stopped eating so much processed foods and stuff Started really watching it, eventually started working out a lot. I had to get my heart like, stomped on for that last part. Dude I liked, started dating a fitness model. Yeah. Ow. You know since then I've belonged to ever major fitness club in the world. Bless your heart, son. I can hardly skip a day. Sometimes, I do take it easier than usual, though—you know— it's hard to sit in your apartment after two hours of cardio and really focus on anything. So every once and awhile when I really need to get shit don't I just relax and know that I'm never more than a week away from peak fitness at all times. I train hard, It's good. But now I realize the same thing— being extra fit— It's like a never ending battle— That when you're extra fit, just the smallest change to your body can affect the way it looks. When you're cut, drinking too much water and then not sweating it off will take away some of the definition in those cuts. It's insane! I have a new gauging system. I'm like “Alright, as long as this line is still evident, we're okay.” This— I'm not gonna lie, I love being skinny. I might let go, for a like a couple days at best but I can't let it go too long. I'm gonna be old one day— Maybe. Possibly. I don't know, if I stay single, I'm not getting old. Decisions have been made. Being old is one thing, it's like whatever Being old and alone?! Bitterness. Just— depressing. I know I won't be able to work out forever, so I go as hard as I can now so that when and if the age comes on, I will know I've done my absolute best to maintain the body I've been given for this existence. After being that heavy, it is like magic I love being skinny. I really love it. I can fit into places. I can wear things I never would have imagined wearing ever in my life. I love it At a certain size, certain clothes become multi wear. I recently got this skirt that I'm sure was meant to be a pencil skirt— but I pulled it up and over everything and it just so turns out that it also happens to be— a sexy little minidress. Covers just enough— could wear it clubbing— yes. It's also a very soft fabric so I wore it to sleep, this little minidress— Very comfortable fabric, very soft— And when I woke up, it had hiked up and I realized “oh my god, this is also a really cute top! Yesl also a halter top. Nice. I threw on some pants with it, and as I'm wearing it around it kind of form fits, you know, as I'm walking around, not wearing a bra with it—cause I realized this also— The smaller you get. The less atrocious it is in general when you're not wearing a bra. The too became a cute cop-halter. No bra. Yay weight loss! Multi-wear fashion. I always wear a bra regardless, in public, cause I'm classy— but I realize at minimum weight, I don't really “need” to. And that's the horrible thing about being tiny— is when I'm extra ripped, like super cut— I get like a-cup mammaries. Makes me a little sad but also makes sense, since my mom is like straight A cup, or like a B on good days. This makes me sad, going from a GG cup to an A cup. Scary to me, having tits that small, and it makes me sad— But hey, what can I say?! I like having abs, and seeing my ribs. Oh. Ribs. That sounds good right now. I miss ribs. Being a vegan is alright {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ©

https://youtu.be/sxe59pYQxik?si=a3eUPt19p0OAtBdv Taking Hatred Head-on - 3 - How to fight Hatred as a Peacemaker Taking Hatred Head-On Bumper   Welcome to Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt!   Hatred Head On   Hatred is widespread.-in our heart. Hatred has a high cost.-wrecks our health, mind, relationships.-not just a strong dislike… Jesus says hatred is like murder.   We should take hatred head-on. Me: Scrolling facebook… “Every person who believes   BLANK   is a stupid hypocrite… and other insults.”…thoughts. -Untrue-How can they think this about me?-How do they think they are? -Oh yeah… Anger! Hands near the keyboard… ready to let loose! I'LL SHOW THEM! …But then I paused and asked myself, "Is this really how I want to fight hatred?" “Arguing with a fool makes two.” Leon Darden   Keep scrolling… don't get into hateful arguments.   I am a Pastor… I am drawn to foolish hateful arguments.   Us: We live in a world where hate seems to be winning. -Battleground of ideologies. -Political divisions are tearing families… -Racial tension is high. -Hateful culture – school. -Destroy your enemy!   Hatred feels insurmountable.   It's easy to feel overwhelmed and want to fight fire with fire.   How the World fight Hatred…   The world tells us to… -stand our ground -shout louder -"cancel" those who disagree with us   Here is the problem with that. Hatred vs Hatred = More Hatred Hatred cannot overcome hatred.   Fighting hatred with hatred, only creates more hatred.   But what if there's a better way? What if we're called to be different?   What if Christianity were more than just an old dusty religion, but an ancient truth that reveals a better way to fight hatred?   Worth checking out?Something radically different?   God: Jesus says something radical in Matthew 5:9. *Context* Most noteworthy message – Sermon on the mount. Huge crowd, early in his ministry… What would Jesus want them to hear?  Matthew 5:9 " Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Jesus didn't say… "Blessed are those who win arguments" "Blessed are those who silence their opponents." No! Jesus praises the peacemakers.Jesus says there is Blessing in making peace… Blessing (Makarios) – Blessed & Happy “Happy are the peacemakers…” Peacemaker (eirēnopoios) – One who loves peace   Jesus – You will be happier when you prioritize peace.   Love peace… value peace… more than.. -Ego/pride.-Revenge. -Winning.   Peace is an important word… Understand it? Peace is not an absence of conflict. The effort of peacemaking may bring you into conflict. Peace is security & safety even in conflict. In the storm… but safe.Have enemies… but secure.   Peacemaking will draw you into conflict for the security & safety for others. The prophet Micah reveals something we need to remember… Micah 6:8 And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   Act Justly. Strive for Justice for others.   Wild turn for some… Peaceful pursuit for safety & security-Peaceful Protest & Resistance -Civil disobedience-Speaking Truth to Power Biblical examples… Peaceful pursuit for safety & security-Peaceful Protest & Resistance -Jesus speaks out & removes dishonest money system from the temple. (Mark 11:15-17) -Civil disobedience -Egyptian Midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, refused the Pharoah's order to kill children. (Exodus 1:15-21) -Speaking Truth to Power - Prophet Nathan confronts king David over adultery & murder (2 Samuel 12) Peacemakers enter conflict for security and safety.   Not enough to avoid conflict.It is Christian to enter conflict… but we must not act in hate.My rules of thumb… Motivation must be HELP not HURT.If peaceful protest becomes hateful… Leave.No riots or threatening others.Refuse to be a political pawn. Count the cost… you could be arrested.   Simpler…-Speak up for others at school.-Stand against other people's bullies.-Be both biblically and politically educated and vote.

Read OnlineAfter Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!”  Luke 11:37–40It's hard to imagine Jesus calling someone a fool. But that's exactly what He did. This Pharisee had just finished listening to Jesus give a series of teachings and then invited our Lord to His home for dinner in an apparent gesture of kindness. But as the passage unfolds, it's clear that this Pharisee is no friend of Jesus. Instead, his hospitality and kindness are a cloak for the evil within his soul.Why does Jesus respond so fiercely, calling the Pharisee a fool? Because this Pharisee is filled with hypocrisy. His exterior actions do not flow from a heart filled with charity and faith. Instead, his exterior actions are a show. He is a fraud. He, like many of the Pharisees, was very concerned with various external rituals, such as scrupulously washing his hands before he ate. He believed that doing so was a sign of his holiness and closeness to God. But it wasn't. His heart was one that was filled with judgment and self-righteousness. He looked down on others and elevated himself. In doing so, he deceived others and even deceived himself.The central message we must take from this is that we must diligently focus upon that which is in our hearts. Our hearts, our interior life, must be blooming with love of God and others. We must place all of our efforts on cultivating a sincere life of virtue within. This is done by prayer and humility. Humility will open our eyes to see the truth of who we are. Prayer will strengthen us to change as we see that which needs to be changed within. Only then, when we see clearly the truth of who we are and prayerfully rely upon grace obtained by prayer, will we be able to become people of true integrity and holiness. And only then will our interior holiness be made manifest externally in our actions.Reflect, today, upon these powerful words of Jesus: “You fools!” Don't be offended by these words; they are words of love from our Lord. They are His fierce attempt to wake this Pharisee up and lead him away from his hypocrisy. Listen to these words as if they were also spoken to you. Every one of us can humbly benefit from this loving chastisement from Jesus. Every one of us needs to humbly be transformed more fully interiorly. Let Jesus' words speak to you and reveal to you the ways that you need to change. Perhaps your pride has led you to an interior practice of judgment of others. Perhaps it has blinded you to sins that you need to confess. If you can listen to these words as if they were spoken to you, then Jesus' fervor will reach you, and your eyes will be opened to that which is in your soul that needs to be changed. Do not turn a blind eye to this. Be open, be humble and listen. My fervent Lord, You spoke words of love in many ways. At times You were gentle and at times You were firm. Please give me the grace and humility I need to be open to Your firm rebukes of love. Help me to sincerely see the ways in which I need to change my life so that Your grace will transform my interior life, flowing over into my actions. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee By Luca Signorelli, via Wikimedia Commons

Your Daily Prayer

At an interesting and quick pace, The man asked to be seen by the doctor, A wish, No distasteful strand of eloquence left unopened— He asked for a mailbox, and she gave him a shovel (And a shower for a show!) O Conan!!! That just became so readily amusing to me, That I might have failed to have mentioned, dear reader An atrocity unwinding for us we have found— and we have found such indeed, in perpetual times, To be one another, and all at all times! A quest! Given a seat at the entry, To have been given any attention, And keep each of them with me A mention— For factor of disappearance— “¿whereforeartthou women? “ We'll ask— (But no children please) I get it; I got tracked down for an autograph And asked for one, if any For a stone each Goes to the other. Listen, Movement again Catch me if you can, car//cat. What a head trip What a head trip What a disasterous ask, How I failed to have lost you at all, And found one at the crossroads, Dropped off at the crosswalk Don't forget waffles! Stramlining streamers And bicycle tires Times of the times Of the times (Of the times, I said) I love iron And ironing boards in the flatiron district Don't do anything I wouldn't (Fair, and very well said.) Fair and very well done, your honor Are we all on the same ark now, Noah?! No! It couldn't be I had ever lived so dangerously Look at me I went all that way And only lost $22 dollars! A dollar a minute! —times a wasting! I went all this way And still owe 30 minutes on the stationary bike {After 30 More Minutes on The Stationary Bike} In the crosshairs//crosfires of something once thought as love, we find reason to give in trust to such, as not has now parted from within these sequences —of time, through time— and by time, in and of itself, in nature —with and throughout cause of now and where we have come, into truth; Awakened by our judgement, And in spirit, here gathered as farkind. Sometimes, I honestly don't know what any of this stuff means— or what I'm writing until after I've done it. I've got to go; That's Christopher Lloyd. John Wilkins, Sr. Sir. Reporting for duty. Have you got your paperwork gathered? As you asked. As was commanded. Yes, sir. I see here you have— mounted— —and unmounted— —yes…this mission—several times within the last decade. I've seen to it to show all paths taken within the simulation—sir—both in and out of each district within the series grid. *face* —uh, sir. …I see. And your continuum? Spotless: In fact— with your judgment, you might confirm I've become somewhat of a— (Clearing throat) Ahem. —celebrity. *coughs* —sir. [a break] —it has been well documented. All Things Considered… …All Things Considered. (Breaks fourth wall, as if to say “i beat you to the punch.) (No pun intended.) That's not funny! No, it's not, but— All Things Considered… …. “All Things Considered” {Enter The Multiverse} Huh. A new show. Oh My God. What's wrong? A new parallel. —where? …close. And—how?! Since when did we ever know how things happen— [The Festival Project ™ ] —In this realm, or anywhere else? —- How's “anywhere else” sound? Marvelous— as long as it doesn't cost too much. It won't. Please tell me you're taking these things seriously. Serous as it gets. It's as serious as they come, I think. They're going to kill him. They're going to kill me! I'm…gonna kill him. Well— that's enough! Off to work! I've gotta go! AND LIVE FROM NEW YORK, ITS —I touched it. Shut the —— UP. Um. What. You can't say that. We're live . I just did [bleep] say that Why is it— —oh my god— —where's the censor?! Are we live!? We're live! Cut to commercial! We can't! Run the backup generators. Ahahahahah. We gotta get this thing off the ground. We'll see. Oh! She's— I'm sure you'll understand lately. Through the corridor. Where's the corridor. You'll see it. *walks into wall* Er—maybe not. Portal! Portal! Portal! Always. Follow. Your instinct. Maybe later? I— Wait! Where are you going?! Somewhere else! I don't know! There's something you should know. What should I know. He—shot himself this morning. Oh, that's terrible. I might have my wires crossed, Then again, Come again, Here again— Second time The controller of everything Controller of God —but if God has a controller I guess that's who I am (That's who I am) I'm not tryna look cute today; I just wanna go in on a loan How long has it been Seen I seen what you saw— But if I saw your face, It's a whole new world I got lost once; No more scholarships No more storms, No abortions. No missed calls, No more harsh words (Harsh words lost!) No more music, More songs Fire on, Bass guitar— I play everything on the wall I'm a whole animal I got tired of the wall, I got a will to work I just won't work For a star! Someone call my employer, I got ties, and bosses Leather cuffs and centrifugal force less I'm so worthless But you started it for her No, I don't want to smile; I should just start the fire under my soul To get lost with it. I'm still tied to the art, Still tied to it all I still can't decide For my heart Or my soul If I should just move on with it. I shouldn't move over so fast; This whole car has bucket seats. I should just leave it to God, And I don't want to worry too much About projects I already took losses on If it buffers again, I know I'm in charge Just thinking about where I've gone with it says I should let it go, All the way gone. I don't need a divorce I need to resurface Just let go And just get gone I've been missing a piece of my heart And I've had a lot of fun times On rooftops But I got two dogs barkin With no bones And no boners As thrones To sit upon What was that about the crown? If my plane goes down, all is lost. I thought about voice activated doors— Keeping the lights on at night And starting wars over Don't hold onto value What doesn't serve you only Sell the dream they sold you To show you The cold shoulders; I need no more open doors And no pawns If it's not worth all of it All of it. I don't want More open doors, And more artifacts to show I could only get cold hard numbers No nurses more; Wait till you get a divorce— That'll show you the cold hard world. I'm not worried about an offer. I'm not worried about a job, As long as I've got long John Silvers I'm not worried about the way it works so much Except Leaving a piece of myself In the past, With no way to get out. (There's no way to get out) Didn't I say before That I loved the whole world over you. You built the whole world over water The wall around Rome in a day. Remember the time you sold your piece And your peace Remember what you could give To forgive To forget To spend your entire life Spinning and spinning In the wild And End-the-end It's a win-win situation. It's a push to start world, you know This—we live in A paranormal paradox Of modern amenities And [Conviniences] [The Festival Project™] —-I just want to play with him. I promise, I'll give it right back when I'm finished I don't plan on keeping it Or living long Or doing well— Or coming home till morning. Everyone gets worried after supper When the car backs out of the driveway, God knows I could be gone for an hour at most, Or a month, Depending on Where I'm going Nobody knows When I close my doors to visitors Open to the public, on some days. On some, Corporate function. Dress code with all the right Suits and ties, Dollar signs and Brunches Now, far beyond private Firewall And a lockdown mode. I'm dizzy with the loss of time But you'd chain me to a bedpost, Managed by a stranger Then again, at night I've lost all hopes All night, Steady fishing in a man made pond For nine hosts. So if 9 out of 10 times The answer is yes, And one no— Might as well vote; Get on with it I should fill out an app for McDonald's yet I'm already full of c/gum And water. So why not? [The Festival Project ™ ] Laramie Hughes is a jack of all trades. A representative of God on all behalfs Tearing down the institutions of sanity Forbearance of betrayal Unkind, but bewildered They come in all incarnations Ignorant to one another Which one's which? However, The light that brings awareness to all things, The triad of knowledge, Wisdom and illumination Your pain is words in music Tears to translation, The chaos, destruction Of forming worlds once thought As foraged, once of thought But now become of us What we are The color of God (He looks to meet his untimely demise atop a skyscapter in midtown Manhattan) Oh God, here it goes Below, the summoned protector waits, awakened as archangel and antithesis to what is known, to catch him — thus prolonging his existence, and though not truly preventing his untimely death, giving birth to his enlightenment... Oh God, here it comes. He jumps, giving way to all element -a ragdoll, She stands basking in his glory, Nonchalont And catches him. A high tide breaks, Catching into a storm In the night, Off the coast, In Los Angeles Embargo! Embargo! A sanctioned cry, For here once more Friday comes, Again we call to all Ark, The martyr of aces— Keeper of stones, Craft of Wanda, They call God, But also non-form Circumstance of other Antithesis, Before antiquity. The light in your language Has crafted pure steadyform Emotion in my cadence, Thought to be worlds of wonder Dance, brave fortune has captured! Light, scared not of darkness But ending in all time The underworlds unknown to awareness At all— A Kingdom; See you now the heart unfold, The tired messages of animals form A love so misrepresented as to call it so One, Besides the box of fixatures, Captor or wrechetness The end of all evil, The Sun of a new kind Blood on the water, Bask in I now, Another misfortune The keeper of keys has gone and fallen Not into rest, But another world— Waking is he to the cries And the sorrow thoughts of others, The many amass, To structure what had bonded Him of his hands, The ties, No more a world he leaves behind! No more is he! Steady, mister I have forgiven the end of all what is real In exchange for your interest Sanctioned Embargo! Embargo! So, wounded mother— In your care I bloom If only to forget of you, Upon waking my own, A gifted enchanted and given sword, No shield but I, As my own title Becomes coordinates; A map and globe to scale Crafted of thought Trickle now your tears, chorus Dear chorus— Sing now of accomplishments and whistles gestured at the woven wicker basket Have you a candle for us, Doctor— Or perhaps, As architect, You have fashioned, dear savior A mercy- Forgive us of our pondering Unknown of your nature Until light had vanished From our eyes And dark tortured skies Screeched with winds captivated As to know Where you had gone. Oh— why?! Would this lapis appease you? A ring of tin and aluminum; I thought not (Then again to think at all, Becomes your own world.) Again I am crying for your forgiveness A kindness granted Only to know once, The word of your will Again, The fur of cat is groomed With the essence of frankincense, The wreath of rosemary A run through the financial cordidor Panhandling There, I gathered wood for fire— The journey a gift of eternal enchantments A forceful trek to ponder What I had tied To my own, A heart, A soul, A seed— An ocean. Keeper's Saint, Will you again find tide with us? In our minds, we are at feast and in fortunes But our bodies gravely, Not at rest, But to give way to What is wanted. Embargo! For this true, it's no comedy upon us; These acts of kindness And tea fortold Have come again, As once in Athens, And again in Rome And now in New Jerusalem, As to be Opposite Eden —and suddenly, All the blondes I had become Had come to surface That I was her, Buried in my own blindness and envy Having thought of myself as the enemy And she of circumstantial evidence of the devil at large I pitied again, The blankness of my own heart The displacement of my own soul Never having been loved at all By a man besides my own father She can clear a sample! Why I got licenses, Replacements and mailboxes?! I got nothing but a refund Shit 15 more minutes, no fame Control Let me get the fuck out of here Before the whole world follows Let me get the fuck out of here Before the whole world follows Six Kings since Six aces Since process Covered incofortable Since Prince given 6 senses 6 grievances Seven suns Seven daughters Seven worlds Seven waters BENYONCÉ and her 6 parallel selves are seated at an upscale restaurant in New York City. Oh my God— That's Beyoncé. No way! It is— Oh my Yod. Seven waters please Uh… My cousins! Cousins! You didn't know—? Family. Cousins! Right A super gay waiter enters wearing by some coincidence a relic he purchased that Beyoncé herself had once worn; he clocks in for his shift and sees the seven neyonces ay the table ||| {THE GAYEST FANGIRL SCREAM THAT EVER} Sss. Demarcus, as we learn the super fan is called, after losing his job due to the incident, is sought out by Beyoncé and her 6 multidimentional selves and contracted as a bampheramph to enter the void and aide in time traveling the other dimensional multi space, returning each Beyonce to her respective existences and thus restoring the balance to the Beyonceverse as a whole; though he he learns he may never be able to return home to his primary dimension, he agrees anyway to the dangerous feat and is promised upon completion of the mission to be thoroughly rewarded, however Demarcus makes it known that the greatest reward of all is to have had the joy and experience of meeting his all time idol and lifelong hero— a tale of the love and power of fandom, and heroic journey of everyday heroes, brought together though the love and journey of music—and superstardom. [Demarcus is eventually returned to a dimension in which his wildest dreams have become a reality.] #fastfridays {Enter The Multiverse} L E G E N D S Embargo! Nonetheless, here we are-/ All unmasked and known by our titles As labels, In the unknown the darkened light spoken Had awoken to none more than chaos A rampant pain and fury of unrequited love On four accounts, Mark the 5 and 6 For an eight series coincidal There we are in the whole form If only one God, Which has been said To walk upon us, All the knowing of Nothing at all Besides the hope of a midnight dawn By candlelight Foraged in rain And pastel paint For domed cielings Incense prayers And glorious foretelling Of those to come once And again And never more Once world has sought Only fair weather modems And blinding call, so— We are again In entourage, Our own truth— Embargo! The chorus and ensemble assembles As protons and smoke, Ashes and dust, Cadences and melodies Melodramas [The Festival Project ™] Hark! How now? Vikings! —you said what? And Frat Boys! Jyre snatches the binoculars from Hyro.. Let me see that. To die in one way, In form another— For who can deny any artform So crafted with such delicate an I, That any you, fair beings Could understand The circumstance of what love I gave The shield of oath, The blood of sacrifice, An origin None truth would swallow Or define the son(g)bird, Once scattered and set to depart Dear storms would follow, A songbird, Canary, Dove, And the trumpets of swaddled, Mother goose and laid bane in arms, The wrath of therefore furious wages, The seeing and benign snadow of tithings Truths that borrow! Scared from creatures Actual or none at all The gallows and gourdes Of strings pulling, Speaking our words from quilted fingertips— The Gods, Safely perched and at safe distance From he who does not want her But becomes of all the treasured stone Awakened in her fortresses Cast of shadows, Bond and tied by boundless skies The Cosmos, A journey— Entered in antithesis And formed awakened in the galaxies For where apartheid stands as happened No other circumstance and safety whileyou, Will I now or neither gathered From all eyes have seen, Heart has heard, Sailors watch the sails have set Into wind with breath of air, Forming therefore more words, wisdom of color Coat of arms Swarms of aces, And currents dollars; The foretelling of stories often told, But neigh listened to, But watched and taught By neighbors with greetings, Dressed as others in our forms, How call, A truth be told, For once in the den of wolves And the call of tiles, Tires, never once to touch the ground, Chosen by nature To be fitted by those of ours Who wait in the galley— Unbynow, our ties Who have chosen in sense of nature To have forgiven us, Our lies— To have caused us To have shattered there, And on the wicked, resting wings Of a creature Who does not fly She keeps holy water by her bedside Of roses and willpower The 6th Saint of Guesses And Fantasy… Wow! Reese Witherspoon. Hey. Yeah! I totally forgot you existed. Well… thanks— —and I totally get you mixed up with Drew Barrymore, sometimes— Oh… Brittney Murphy— Okay, that's not— —Dakota Fanning. Okay, yeah, that's— But she's like 12. She's like, 30, I think. What's the difference? A lot. Like, a decade and a half. Hollywood, ya know. Uh… Time flies. Anyway. Yeah. Reese Witherspoon. Geez. Yeah. Have fun. Wait, where are you going? I gotta go— whatever, some bullshit— Hollywood— blah blah blah. Then why am I here? Consider yourself lucky. For what?! Everybody wants to be in The Festival Project! What's “the festival Project?” I don't know. ‍♀️ —?! Welp, see ya. —!!! {embargo} I was serious enough, In my words and my ties For the sake of my bonds, Out of bounds and on Brooklyn bound trains, From Manhattan Machine washed field of fantasy, Outfitted for us all on the glory of a spring day In autumn, California heroine or lure, Folktales And superstardom Made of truth and of love, A new kind, The end of ages laced with wickedness A bounty on her words, The way of others are kind in their shadows, No one has called, And now, No one is watching Waiting, whisperer A different one, another kind The brief awaiting, Then there goes I Under the hidden sun, The Autumn come, The fall of man, The dawn of love, The synchronicity of sounds as songs The birds call home, No wonder the window was open. No books, All alone— To summon up my own galaxy Would be to wish I hadn't let tie me To worldly pleasure On fasting day— But yet again, Here calls my own nature, Needing to be needing to be wanted, Then withered, as it were, to something else. Hiding in your eyes, I am My love of natures kind Your hazel tides And ocean blue— The thought of jade, Who yet again Was meant for always, As I am only Darkness scorned beauty All of your luck, as my witness Forever to hear shadow To the wickedness of man Though we are not aligned, Still the same as many kind, I want not the slow churning Of being that, and this at all —as God is one And acts in many parts, All of us, Or some, Between set boundaries, Games of war, And for arguments sake, inquisitive Gestures of word fare, gameplay, Galleys and artfare— Begin to think you, me, And I, yourself, you— Lest we part in denial Of our dire cause To form man The Standard. The Classic. The Ordinary. And— You rat-toothed bastard! What did I do?! You know what you done! I haven't! And that's bad grammar— Don't you tell me how the hell to talk, before I kill ya! Kill me! For what! You know what! I must admit, I've become quite partial to using This Jimmy Fallon character As a human shield. WHY. WHY ME. wtf. lol Why Jimmy Fallon. Because. — AGH— NO HES GOOD HOOMAN SHIELD. ___ HE'S A GOOD HUMAN SHIELD! Enter the corridors, The unclaimed nature Of travelers, in our time, Coming the wave of signs, Foreigners, Call watchers, Then and here, Come waiting, wanting to know glory, The foundation Of Love Light The faceless god Comes creeping in the night Seeking body to form Among the walking, A fiercety of weapons kind Explanations embellished with Seemingly meaningless Only wanting time to waste, Skinny and shallow, Part chef and waiting, None to others, at all, Therefore I now, part ways From waves and tides To become rain and ghosts, Beauty and wind, Lessons and learned sins, Therefore now I, Wait and wonder, Pondering to feed the birds Or quench the thirst For game and superstardom, Not only of hreatness, But ground in the greys and silvers of my hair Mustache and whiskers, Brows and hind eyes— Where are you now That I was upon waking, A mistress, But gathered now, Awakens under clouds of sun, To be another, Only formed as the ground crumbled under her Again, I live Again, I go where there is no light of sun By the shield of sight, And the whisp of this, That needs attention as such, To call I— A lost soul, But friendly enough ghost To have written songs in your partial kitewind. Then, said I— A watch upon the wrist would only tell time, But not the day or the place of arrival for I, Dear pardoned traveler, Have also come journeys Bound by galaxies grasp, To have whispered into ears, The things of Jesus You will wait for him As the curtain closes, To come again, though does he know not In which beast he will be But you, shadows Wait in his envy, The things you seek to ask and believe The greetings of long since foreshadowed bark Amongst you, believe now, A new tale of these things, As we bring peace, You are now In our forest, Whenever be you now Or forever, As all is eternal, As I am You are Fuck! Whatever that means! I know, right! Is this gonna happen every Friday now?! Every Friday you fast, yes! Goddamn! Or don't! I don't care, really. Up to you. No preference or preference really— Anandar! You called me out of my— —what was I saying!? First Aliocha Then Anandar, A salamander and wildebeest this morning The grounds had shook With all of the games being played In the honor of one Then, I thought A ghost myself— Impartial to suicide, But having lost the fit of love Now to be tied at the alter, A sash Okay. Delicate rain falls from leather skies, Calling beasts of ours to nest in the calm and warm Mother of Grattitude, May I ask, Where are you now, That I've become humbled, And true to art, As having been asked, Now not scrolled upon stone walls Or scryed by fire, But in this age, Begot by light, Another monster of my mind, Shifted into these as saints, The words of songs and poems, The pages of unknown worlds, In the cyberspace, Perhaps, Also as cosmos, Also as thoughts Also as words Also as light— Also as species; These things are true to which I know With what knowledge you have gave me To think this way, Upon each breath— No attempt to be prolific, But to be at all Some wages as exchanged Material things not wanted, but needed And monetary gains, Also as thoughts now, But perhaps also cosmos True, or not? Fact, or fiction? Carson, or Fallon? What? Who wore the pants better. I— Quickly! I'm a dead man. (I'm sure they're both dead.) Hurry up! What the fuck! We're talking about two literal ghosts here! Which is why—we don't have all day. Do you know how long it took me to get Wilder down here for this? Isn't he dead too?! Perhaps, I am. Boy, the rabbit was mad… Almost as mad as the hatter, And as expected GET THAT DAMN CAT OUT OF HERE! Your annual obsession is in; Turns out, you've come down with the madness We all tried on, as a hat once in fables But now, Machine washable, Returned to Amazon With the packaging label attached, And still! None was as mad as the black hatter at all! No tea, but only strong Colombian coffee led Taken black, And made so strong by Alice, Who indeed had been shrunk To be fit to be tied By Kendrick Lamar, No white rabbit at all, But oh, To call him a cat, Or a hatter, Or caterpillar Would make no sense at all— At all you say?! At all, As you see, He was no red King, No, But made house of cards And all had fallen on his kingdom To become something other Than Alice at all, But also lost For you see, She had fallen, dear Alice, Into some hole in Compton, And dropped Into the bottom of the ocean Propmptly below The Island Of Long —as so is below Had happened above Once a porcelain fable, Now having been painted, With the laces Or tie died folly Of uncorked Nothing happens for nothing at all No justice for just calls, No focus, Full world The fear bought And new war For walks Erhmergersh It's a purple flermergerder! *gasps* Erhmgersh! Whurt er luridly purple plurbergerder!! Lurvlry! Oh!! Ernd Shutrd ur lurvley sherd erv pruplelerplre! There's in sense in An evening with fate if he misses it Assumed to be dead, or with you— But for the cause, There was no absolute certainty of the remittance— The scoured and folded body Of the wonderful world of God, Once betrayed and forgotten For better or worse, With Gratitude asking for an experience Her waters had sculled canyons, And her words fell as oceans Of another place in time Or custom caskets Please bury me, sheathed in earth, So that I breathe her Forgiveness For a toxic and harmful incarnation Of our greedy Alignments and reconciliation Recognizing that— If it's going to go fast, It's gonna be loud— And if it's gonna be loud It might as well be a gun (Just kill me already) Not hungry yet, But moving my parts where they ought to be Out in the world, And not waiting at all To come home, If I'm called with the promise Of never returning —not to return here . Maybe i'm the one they call The devil himself When all I wanted Ever Was just to be loved —even by just my mother Not every other day But every day By someone I live and can't love In crustpunks city, USA Better known as Brooklyn New York Where the mullet is making a comeback God help em! I just turned back time By two whole minutes Thinking of skylines painted With music Meanwhile, I almost forgot I'm still a cat My fucking goodness But I've no use for a litter box Not even a little bit (Which things should be and which things though not) The curious case of Benjamin Button In full throttle. I'm so serious— That's the second mullet I've seen in a week. Stop it! God help em God bless em Gid love em Haven't I been standing here More than 12 minutes already? Standing still in New York As new worlds are formed With new words I must have done something wrong today. The bus driver was okay lookin. I don't look at bus drivers. I'm like— Woah, buddy. You can handle all that you can handle all this. Good job, Jimmy. Can you please stop using me as a human shield. No! Cause then I'd need another human shield! Then get another human shield! No! Why not! This one is indisposable! Oh God. Where'd she go!? Who?! God! What! She never came here! What do you mean!? She said— I was here the whole time! I didn't see anybody! Well who'd you see? Nobody, just some crack head! Goddammit, we missed her! What?! Didn't I tell you—all the crackheads are God?! What! Nobody ever told me that. How did nobody ever tell you that? I told you that! You never told me that. I told you that. I know I told you that. You never told me that. Well— Goddammit. What the FUCK. Why the devil always wanna be BEHIND a motherfucker? Do I have something on my back? Oh look. A portal. Skrillex?! It looks like The Devil attached to my back I might have to take a knife in it A counterpart To take the hex off (Something told me not to go out.) Something also told me Nothing happens at all With no movement But God was lost as crossroads, either how And anyway, And anyway, we all got lost At one time or another What if I told you, Once formed to one another You've become Forever bonded AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE! You really want to bring the— Now, When you need it most, you become the hero you are Ther you always were. But least expected it, Especially now that everyone Well fit to be Tied to the cross This for sure is why I dont fly spirit. The New York experience At poverty level Is eye opening To the inequality And injustice Foraged by ignorance I've never been to bowling green But got errands to run Honestly, You put your practically newborn baby in a bus Exposed to all these people?! BITCH, are you OUT OF YOUR MIND? #I_NY Yo somebody' actual grandma just got on the bus In a tube top I'm not eggagerating This woman was like 70 years old And you know black don't crack! But I'm like: DAMN. Who GRANDMAMA IS THIS?! Then she gon sit down next to me, And get on Instagram. She's checkin her stories. I'm like— Damn, She looks about the same age as my actual grandmother. That's— I'm like Woah. My grandmother don't do all that. My grandma taught me how to make lemonade, that's it. How to make lemonade, and to stay in abusive marriages until the kids grow up. That's it. This I know. Thanks grandma. I almost like this lady better. She tore up, but she hip! Is not the entire world a chemical dependence? Dancing through projects And galaxies Stunted in movement, alcoves Shallow ponds and hollow rivers tides Comes again who I am, When not all else m She got off the bus, I was like “Bye grandma!” Aww. Imma miss her. She smelled good, too. You know racism is really bad When a colored woman would rather wear an old, ratty old wig Or a terrible weave Than her own natural hair. I'm guilty of it myself— And this is because I know The way you are treated in public— By not only whites— but other blacks Judgement and mistreatment of the public in general— If you natural hair is the furthest away from what has been made to be the ideal standard. I'm rolling through the hood To return after 9 months This internet router Which never worked due to “outages” And came with hidden fees Now on my credit report The deeper I get into the hood, and the more the bus clears out The most clusters of housing projects And dilapidated buildings I see— A reminder that the world at all much has not been changed But only further hidden away from the eyes of what is known A car without a name a fixer upper but a keeper A classic [EKO restaurant] {Enter The Multiverse} Punk rock Jimmy Had a lot to say Skeleton, skin and bones Skeleton Keys, I am formicated I thought none deserving of such At all All the icons And idols And suffered star worshipers Watching for lost survivors Galloping the galaxies —unicorns. Horses colored as unicorns No fair appetite at all For applications, Mezmerized, believing you will fold at mercy The ions, are to say at least All to none They had already worshiped her Already murdered her Already bloodied her gown! Drown, now! Die! Silence! Cadences, Return to sender, your creatures Fury of the underlord Garnished of the underwent Weeping of galaxies tied Tied, Dirty faith. Wicked wars, Sorted earth, l — Now, remember how you found her YO, FUCK YOU JIMMY FALLON. He shakes his head and smirks smugly. Oh… “OH” ?! OH! YOU RUINED MY LIFE. You had a life? I had SOMETHING. What was it? I— *smash* Wow. —SHOULD KILL YOU. Somebody get this guy out of here! AGH?! No, it's okay. You were wrong about everything. I was— you just shifted. Excuse me? You shifted! Who are you?! BUBBLEEEEESSSSS!!!! I'm— so sorry. THEY KILLED MY DOG. Your rot weiler's name was “bubbles?!” BUBBBBBBBBLLLLEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!! OH GOD, BUBBLES!!!!!! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] The Complex Collective. © COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © -Ū.

When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?  MESSAGE SUMMARY: The stories of the New Testament tell us that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, points out that Jesus, the Word, was the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". John tells us that Jesus had authority over nature, over creation, and over life itself, and he tells us that Jesus was the life-giver that came to earth for us. In John 20:26-29, Jesus asked the Apostle Thomas a fundamental question that Jesus asks you today– “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?'”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”. When Jesus has asked you: “Whom do you say that I am?”, and how did you answer? Did you tell Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”? Have you, in your life, become a Jesus Follower? If not, why not?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Psalms 67:1-7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Is Your Life's Focus on Jesus the Narrow Door and the Only Door to Your Eternal Life?” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Saint Luke the Evangelist. Russian Eastern Orthodox icon from Russia. 18th century. Wood, tempera. Via Wikimedia Commons. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/ultraviolet-light-reveals-scientists-hidden-bible-passage-1500-years-later (for Luke) Unique passages: https://www.julianspriggs.co.uk/pages/UniquePassages  Thanks Biblehub.com's parallel chapters tool. Words of Jesus ("All the Red Letter Scriptures") https://www.jesusbelieverjd.com/all-the-red-letter-scriptures-of-jesus-in-the-bible-kjv/    Parallel Passages in the Gospels https://www.bible-researcher.com/parallels.html#sect1     The Eye of the Needle (crossword/sudoku feedback): https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-25583,00.html#:~:text=The%20%22Eye%20of%20the%20Needle,in%20order%20to%20enter%20heaven   Camel needle w/Aquinas citation (of Anselm of Canterbury)-- Anselm of Canterbury as cited in Catena Aurea, Thomas Aquinas, CCEL Edition. https://classictheology.org/2021/10/12/through-the-eye-of-an-actual-needle-the-fake-gate-theory/    The Widow's Mite: https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/the-poor-widows-mite/    Miracles of Jesus reference list: https://sunnyhillschurch.com/3301/the-37-miracles-of-jesus-in-chronological-order/    TRANSCRIPT   Welcome to the Popeular History Podcast: History through Pope Colored Glasses. My name is Gregg and this is episode 0.21g: Sayings of the Savior Part VII: A Look at Luke.   All of these aught episodes are made to let us build our Pope-colored glasses so we can use the same lenses when we look at history together. If you're lost, start at the beginning!   Today we continue our Sayings of the Savior series with a look at Luke, covering everything Jesus said in that Gospel that we haven't yet discussed–so leaving off things like the miracles we did in 0.20 and the parables and other sayings we did in earlier Sayings of the Savior installments- so we'll be leaving you in suspense right before the concluding few chapters discussing Jesus' death and His (spoiler alert) resurrection, which we'll cover as we finish the remaining mysteries of the rosary in future Catholic worldbuilding episodes.   We already covered the first three chapters of Luke gradually from Episode 0.14 to Episode 0.19, and we'll cover the last three chapters as we talk through the Passion and the Resurrection (oops, spoilers). Which leaves Luke chapters 4 through 21 as our focus for today.   Luke 4 starts with the Temptation in the Desert. As you know by now, it's not unusual to find parallel scenes in the Gospels, especially in the so-called synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and fitting with that pattern, we saw a version of this scene in Matthew, and it actually made an appearance in Mark as well, though the Mark version was so abbreviated it didn't actually assign any dialog to Jesus or Satan so I didn't zoom in on it–after all, this is Sayings of the Savior.   Anyways, let's see Luke's temptation scene and note what differences we see from Matthew's version.   In the first temptation, Matthew has Satan referring to multiple stones Jesus could turn into bread after his 40 day fast, while Luke has just one stone. I'm sure there's commentary that discusses this difference--it's the Bible, there's commentary for everything– but unlike the Mark episode, I'm not going to go into quite that level of detail with Luke. It's worth noting that when Christ responds with   LUKE "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'”   GREGG he leaves off the second half of the quote from Deuteronomy 8:3   “but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”   which Matthew had included.   Then, the second and third temptation we saw in Matthew are reversed. In Luke, Satan first tells Jesus he can give him all sorts of power if He worships him, which, I mean, I guess things would have been pretty different if Jesus had taken him up on that. Like, serious plot twist. But nah. He says   LUKE “It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only”   GREGG and then the third temptation in Luke's ordering is the testing of God's protection of Jesus. Rather than seeing if God will save Him, Jesus says:   LUKE: It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”   GREGG After seeing the devil off, Jesus begins his traveling and preaching ministry and soon enough winds up in his hometown. This is a scene that showed up in Matthew and Mark as well, the one where Jesus notes that no prophet is welcome in his hometown. In Luke it's more thorough and frankly dramatic. Long quote ahead, let's get into it:   LUKE 4 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,   17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:   18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,   19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”   20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.   21He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”   22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.   23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'"   24"Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.   25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.   26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.   27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian.”   28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.   29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.   30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.   GREGG   So, just to recap, we have Jesus preaching a bit of a softball passage from Isaiah, promising good news to the poor. That was a long quote, so let's hear just that passage as a refresher:   “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor”   The good news part is clear enough In terms of freedom and healing, but what is the year of the Lord's favor mentioned?   By all accounts it's the Jubilee year described in Leviticus 25. You know how the seventh day is the Sabbath, a day of rest for the people? Well the seventh year was a “day”of rest for the fields, where they were to lie fallow, that is, go untilled and unworked, letting nature take its course for a year. Crops could not be harvested in an organized way, though what grows could be casually consumed by the owners, or by the needy,  or really by anyone, or by animals. Going further, personal debts among the people of Israel were cancelled in a levelling move. This custom is still in force in much of Israel, where it is called the Shmita. Of course, following the quasi-precept of “two Jews, three opinions”, application slash abrogation of this practice varies.   Anyways, the Jubilee year was not the seventh year, the Smhita I mentioned, but rather the fiftieth year, being the year after the seventh set of seven years, because symbolism. In the Jubilee year, things were even more intense, for instance going beyond personal debt forgiveness to returning sold land to the tribe of origin and to freeing Israelites who had sold themselves into slavery, basically a factory reset for society.   But note, this was only enslaved Israelites who were to be freed in the Jubilee year, the “year of the Lord's favor”. And this is where we turn back to Luke 4, because Jesus pivots the conversation away from the people of Israel to the fringes and even beyond the borders of Jewish society, to Sidon and Syria. But sending the good news to the gentiles is quite a bridge too far for his audience, who prepare to kill him in their rage. Like I said, quite the scene, and it's easy to understand why skeptics might place it as having been written after Christianity had already begun to spread among the gentiles and catch flack for doing so on the home front. My main narrative episodes haven't gotten far, but we've already started to see some of that tension, and it will only grow.   Of course, I've committed to getting my Catholic Worldbuilding stuff done before I dive back into the main narrative stuff, and to do that we need to get through the rest of Luke, and to do *that* we at least need to get through the rest of Luke 4.   After escaping the assembled mob, apparently by miraculous means of some kind because it simply says He walked right through the crowd, Jesus proceeds to do other miracles in towns around the region. The people who lived near Peter's mother-in-law must have really appreciated the assist, because in stark contrast to his hometown reception they tried to keep him from leaving. He responded:   LUKE 4 “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”   GREGG Luke 5 opens with Jesus calling his disciples to follow Him. We covered the miraculous catch of fish that got Peter on board when we did our roundup of miracles, and other assorted miracles carry us through to Verse 27, when we have the Call of Matthew, known to Luke as Levi.   Matthew vs. Levi Is worth a minute. Matthew is the more common name for this disciple, and may have been his Christian name. But Levi is the name preferred here in Luke and also in Mark. One explanation I saw in multiple places is that Matthew is a Greek name while Levi is Hebrew, an explanation that suffers from being wrong, as Matthew is Hebrew for “gift of God”. A perhaps more successful explanation is that Matthew was a Levite, you know, someone from the Tribe of Levi, and things got a bit garbled. Or there was a name change that just didn't get recorded in Scripture or in any other tradition for that matter..   Matthew and Levi being separate individuals seems to be the least popular theory, so regardless of the particulars, your takeaway from this should be the same as it was when we talked about this last episode: they're the same person.   Either way, here's the call of Matthew *cough* Levi:   LUKE 5 27Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.   GREGG OK, maybe I didn't need to go into all that detail for two words of Jesus, but hey, what's done is done, so “follow me” across a few more verses, where Jesus gets questioned about the company He's chosen to keep:   LUKE 5 Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”   GREGG That's good news for us sinners, I can tell you that much.   Luke 5 finishes with some parables, which we covered in the Parables roundup earlier in this series, so on to Luke 6, which opens with the grain-picking scene we've seen a couple of times already. SYNOPTIC ROUNDUP, you know the drill [airhorn], except I'm skipping rehashing the other two accounts, just, you know, general reminder that synoptic parallels are a thing.   Anyways, let's get another dose of that “Lord of the Sabbath” action:   LUKE 6 1One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”   GREGG Oh yeah, good stuff. Check my Matthew and Mark episodes if you want more commentary on it, I want to buckle down and get to John. Of course by that I mean John the Baptist, whose inquiry  gives us of the next section we need to cover. Of course, as is so often the case with these synoptic Gospels, this isn't actually a whole new section. This next chunk closely matches a parallel passage in Matthew 11. If you want to follow along, in Matthew it's the start of that Chapter, while in Luke we're at chapter 7 verse 18:   LUKE 7 18John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? 20When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'” 21At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.   GREGG Oh look there's a batch of miracles that didn't make it into my miracles roundup, at least not directly. It's pretty vague, and it's unique to Luke. This small difference is exactly the sort of thing that gets analyzed to try to understand the relationship between Matthew and Luke, and like every other bit of Scriptural analysis you can find someone taking pretty much any conceivable stance. In any case, the reference to those timely miracles helps set the stage for the next verse, which is back to closely paralleling Matthew:   LUKE 7 22So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”   24After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 28I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”   GREGG Now, I went back and checked my commentary on Matthew's version of this scene, and it was basically nothing. Which is fair, I was pretty deadline-crunched at the time and knew I'd be revisiting it here. But it's definitely worth noting that both passages have John the Baptist, who Jesus proclaims as a great, or even the greatest, prophet, both passages have this spiritual giant publicly uncertain about whether Jesus is the Messiah.   You could perhaps argue this was a ruse, but John seems to have been a straight shooter- that's why he's sending delegates from prison after all rather than asking himself. So it seems to be a genuine question. Which means if you're under the impression that having faith or even being the greatest prophet ever automatically means you have no remaining questions and can see all of God's plan perfectly, apparently not. After all, John had been the one ministering at Jesus' baptism, where Heaven had opened and the Spirit had come down as a dove and God's own voice had told Jesus: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”   And yet now John is asking, publicly: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?"   There's a lesson in there on vulnerability and openness to God's plan. Or perhaps a lesson in how everyone can encounter uncertainty, no matter how certain their role seems. We'll see Jesus go even further in questioning during the Passion narrative when the time comes.   Skipping a few verses of parenthetical commentary that can only be found in Luke, let's pick back up at Luke 7 verse 31:   LUKE 7 31Jesus went on to say, "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: "'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”   GREGG If you aren't willing to listen, you'll find any excuse to dismiss the message. But the wise will be shown by making the right choice.   After wrapping that up, Jesus goes on a bit of a parable tour until he winds up with a bit more family awkwardness In Luke 8:19:   LUKE 8 19 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting CORRECT  to see you.”   21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.”   GREGG Ouch, but also yay, Jesus doesn't put His earthly family above others. Which is good news If you didn't start out as His family, though it might sting a little if you did.   The rest of Luke 8 is a bunch of previously-discussed miracles, so we're on to Luke 9:   LUKE 9 9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.   GREGG This Isn't the first or even the second time we've seen these basic marching orders, but it actually is the last as John is, well, a very different Gospel, as we'll see in our next worldbuilding episode.   Anyways, after feeding the 5,000 we get to verse 18, where Luke's version of Peter's confession begins. As with Mark, don't get too excited:   LUKE 9 18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”   19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”   20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”   Peter answered, “God's Messiah.”   21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.”   GREGG   So that's three for three on synoptic Gospels having Peter describe Jesus as the Messiah. Only Matthew did the keys thing, though. Also note the messianic secret trope popping up again- Jesus will apparently reverse his gag order after the Passion, because the Book of Acts- which was also written by Luke, or at least by whoever wrote Luke, will be all about telling everyone Jesus is the Messiah.   Immediately after that exchange, Jesus starts talking about his future, and it's not rosy:   LUKE 9 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”   23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.   27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”   GREGG This is all closely paralleling Matthew, and Mark as well, though as usual Mark was a bit shorter, skipping the last verse about some standing there not tasting death before they see the Kingdom. Again, you can see why early Christians were basically a doomsday cult expecting the end sooner rather than later. Certainly *your* end will come, so, you know, keep that in mind.   We're going to skip the transfiguration since that's its own mystery of the rosary with its own episode, and there's another miracle account after that. So skipping along, come with me to Luke 9:43:   LUKE 9 While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.   GREGG If my episode on Mark is still fresh in your mind, you may already predict where this is going, as this particular section is a close Mark and Luke parallel. Matthew split things up in different ways but for both Mark and Luke the conversation with a child and being the greatest in the kingdom follows immediately after Jesus states what will become of him, leaving the disciples too afraid to ask.   Let's carry on with the next verse:   LUKE 9 46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”   GREGG The next verse is a bit of a random aside, but an important one as I mentioned before when it came up in Mark:   LUKE 9 49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”   50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”   GREGG Skipping ahead to verse 57, we have some stray sayings that underline the urgency of following Christ:   LUKE 9 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”   58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”   59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”   But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”   60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”   61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”   62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   GREGG A bit harsh, but Jesus is like that sometimes.   Luke 10 opens with an long section on Jesus' next project, sending out seventy-two disciples, or seventy according to some manuscripts. Some may recall a previous seventy vs seventy-two discussion when we talked about the Septuagint, and I expect there's a reason for that parallel, but either way that's not the particular rabbit hole I want to go down here today. Instead, I want to note that we can have some fun with this Luke-only passage, and that we wouldn't be the first to do so.   You see, seventy is a long but not completely impractical number of folks to list off, and while Luke doesn't give names, there are plenty of extrabiblical sources assigning names and biographical details to some or all of the seventy. This passage discussing Jesus sending out seventy disciples was especially useful for ancient or wannabe ancient dioceses that couldn't trace back to a specific Apostle. Instead, lo and behold, turns out their founder was one of the unnamed seventy. Boom presto, a biblical founder!   Of course that's the skeptical read, it could well be that some such stories are true. But there are enough names assigned to the 70 that they certainly aren't *all* true, kind of like how there are at least four heads of John the Baptist floating around. In the end, as a reminder, Catholics are generally free to believe or disbelieve in the authenticity and or efficacy of any particular relic or tradition as long as they accept the fundamental teachings and authority of the Catholic Church.   In terms of the promised fun we can have, I'd like to announce a little side project, a game where I share a story of someone spreading Christianity and the next episode we'll discuss whether it's real or made up and what the sources are.   We'll start that at the end of this episode. For now, let's hear about the seventy slash seventy-two:   LUKE 10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.   5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.' 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.   GREGG Someone tell the Jehovah's Witnesses…   LUKE 10 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.   13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.   16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”   17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”   18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.    GREGG That verse is the root of some of the quirky snake-handling churches in Appalachia by the way…   LUKE 10 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”   21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.   22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”   23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”   GREGG   Those last two verses touch on an interesting discussion throughout Church history, namely the fate of those who lived before the time of Christ.   Could they be saved? Observant Jews of the time, yes, certainly. But those who never encountered Christianity or Judaism because of when or where they lived historically has proven a bit of an awkward question for the Church. The “well you better go tell them” impulse has long served to recruit missionaries, but on the other end many did and do argue that it hardly seems fair to expect folks to follow what through no fault of their own they've never been exposed to. Granted it's less of an issue nowadays when very few folks worldwide haven't at least heard of Christ, but the question remains. Certainly the Catholic Church insists that all humans who are saved are saved through Christ, there's no other way. And yet the Church also affirms that God is not bound by time, as evidenced by the defined belief required of all Catholics in the Immaculate Conception, where the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of sin from the moment of her conception. Obviously that took place before the Incarnation, so it's not like the years going from BC to AD is a firm barrier for the saving action of Christ in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Indeed, by implication, the previously mentioned Jews who awaited the grand opening of heaven were able to do so by the work of Christ according to the Church, though given how many horrible things have been done to Jews in the name of Christ through the years that isn't something that tends to be emphasized.   In the end, I think you probably know me well enough by now to correctly guess that I land on the hopeful end of this discussion. By one means or another, all through Christ, I hope for all. But to be very clear, that's my hope, and for what it's worth. Pope Francis' hope as well according to a recent interview, but it's not established Church teaching.   Skipping past the parable of the Good Samaritan, let's go to verse 38 for Martha and Mary, an exchange that's my go-to analogy for the two basic types of service to the Church, with Martha being the “active” type and Mary the “contemplative”.   LUKE 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”   GREGG   The first part of Luke 11 covers Luke's take on the Our Father-covered in 0.21b- and the Friend at Midnight covered in our parables roundup. So skip along to Verse 9, which parallels Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, so it will sound familiar:   LUKE 11 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.   11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”   GREGG Skip ahead again, this time to verse 24, because verses 14-23 were covered under miracles:   LUKE 24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”   27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”   28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”   GREGG There's a reminder that relapsing can be worse than the initial lapse, and a nice compliment session preserved only in Luke. But then the tone shifts, and the rest of the chapter has parallels in Matthew:   LUKE 11 29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here   GREGG Then there's a comparatively light lamp analogy, which I kind of covered during the Sermon on the Mount commentary, but not in its entirety, so I'm giving it all to you here:   LUKE 11 33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”   GREGG And now as we get back to a more challenging tone, and as Jesus targets the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law specifically, I want to give the same general note that I gave for the parallel verses in Matthew: do not take these verses out of context to justify antisemitism, which has no place in the Catholic Church, or really in the world. For one thing, keep in mind Jesus is a Jew speaking to fellow Jews here.   Anyways, let's continue: LUKE   37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.   39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.   42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.   43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.   44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”   45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”   46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.   47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.”   GREGG Let's take a moment to reflect on that last line: “this generation will be held responsible for it all”. It's surprisingly harsh, even for a surprisingly harsh Jesus, for Him to hold the generation he was talking to responsible for all the blood of all the prophets that has been shed from the beginning of the world. But there it is. I can see a case being made for these verses as part of a theological justification for original sin, though really the key verse for that is Romans 5:12, which we'll talk about later. Either way, given the emphasis on “this generation”, I don't think that's what's going on here, as original sin doesn't like, target specific generations.   So, what's up? Why is Jesus focusing in on the present generation, at least the present generation as of His lifetime?   Well, there's the key. It's His generation. Jesus is there, and all of the sin of history, past, present, and future, will be brought to account through Him.   Jesus, as always, is the answer. It's not that the world was especially sinful in the first century AD. But the answer to all sin was walking the earth then. *That* is why it's a generation that deserves a particular singling out.   Of course, that reflection- my own theological musing I should say, which is a dangerous thing to do and I defer to any correction that may come my way– anyways that reflection should not detract from the straightforward fact that Jesus is really taking the Pharisees and Teachers of the law to task here   LUKE 11 52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”   53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.   1Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy   2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.   3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs   GREGG Fortunately no one in our day falls into religious hypocrisy anymore, right? …right?   Anyways, the next few verses, once again paralleled with Matthew, put things into context, while weaving in hints of future persecution:   LUKE 12 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” GREGG After a break for a parable, the overall theme resumes in verse 22:   LUKE 12 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?   27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.   32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   GREGG Did you catch one of the most challenging things Jesus says?   “Sell your possessions and give to the poor”   This isn't the only place Jesus says that, but it hits a little harder when he's giving it as general counsel rather than as specific advice to a rich young man looking for specific advice on how to live well. If you have more than you need, your excess needs to go to those who lack. You will ultimately have to account not only for what you did, but what you didn't do. If you've seen Schindler's List, think of his regret after all he's done, that he didn't sell the car to do more. When your life is done, what regrets will You have?   I know I need to do more, part of this project is to remind myself of that and to embarrass myself publicly for my shortcomings. Listen to Jesus' message, don't get hung up on the messenger.   A few parables take us forward to verse 49, a source of top notch dad jokes about our matchless king. But Jesus goes beyond that, preaching division. His message is hard, it will not be universally popular.   LUKE 12 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”   54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It's going to rain,' and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It's going to be hot,' and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?   57 “Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”   LUKE 13 13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”   GREGG That excerpt took us into Luke 13, which continues with parables and a miracle until verse 23, which is, frankly, basically the start of another parable, but not one I covered in the parables roundup so we'll do it here.   LUKE 13 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”   He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.'   “But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.'   26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'   27 “But he will reply, ‘I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'   28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”   GREGG I recently saw one of the first verses in that passage cited as pointing towards the idea of Hell being full. After all,   “many I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”   Is fairly clear, and even accounting for Jesus' action as the owner of the house, in this and elsewhere ultimately those who are out on the cold are truly out in the cold. As much as I freely admit I don't get the logic of hell being populated, I also freely admit that the idea of it being empty is an exegetical stretch given passages like this. In the end, God reigns and I do not. I know what God asks of me, and I do it. As much as I like to know and to talk, I accept that I don't have and cannot have all knowledge.   Anyways, Jesus continues with a lament over Jerusalem we saw in Matthew, which Luke supplies with a little more context:   LUKE 13 31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”   32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!   34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”   GREGG And now with that note looking to Jesus' future- something he definitely keeps doing throughout the Gospels- we have something of an intermission, because Luke 14, 15, and 16 are all so full of parables that we've already covered along with all of Jesus' words from those chapters. Luke 17 opens with yet another parable, and then a miracle, so we're actually regrouping at Luke 17:20, where Jesus talks about the upcoming kingdom and talks about the end times, always fuel for a discussion, though I am skeptical about how productive such discussions are, given how Jesus opens the discussion by noting that the coming of the kingdom cannot be observed. And really, if there's something you'd be doing differently if you knew the world was ending--honestly that's probably something you should be doing *now*, because your life will end very soon in the grand scheme of things, and you can't rule out today.   Anyways, let's resume:   LUKE 17 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,' or ‘There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”   22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!' or ‘Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.   26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.   28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.   30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot's wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” [36]   [KJV] 36Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.   37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.   He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”   GREGG Oh, hope you don't mind me throwing in a little bit more KJV there. I would have announced it in advance but I was kind of on a roll with that transition and didn't want to kill the vibe. I'm no scripture scholar but my guess is the reason the KJV keep having verses the NIV is skipping is because back in the day folks were more reluctant to identify a passage as an addition due to manuscript evidence, you know, just in case. Better safe than sorry. But again, I'm no expert. Now, if I ever do get a budget for this beyond basic hosting fees I do have an expert in mind, so periodic reminder I do have a Popeular Patreon kicking around somewhere.   In any event, that's it for Luke 17, and we can basically skip the first half of Luke 18, since that's a couple parables and related stuff we've already addressed.   In Luke 18 verse 18, we've got a familiar question, not only familiar because it already came up in both Matthew and Mark, but it's actually already come up in Luke as well, as part of the runup to the parable of the Good Samaritan. That parable was split off from the other synoptics, being present only in Luke despite being extremely famous. But this time around, the passage is a close parallel to both Matthew and Mark. Let's go!   LUKE 18 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” GREGG We treated the “eye of the needle” thing almost embarrassingly thoroughly last episode, so refer back to my Mark commentary for detail on that. The ending simply promising a much greater reward for giving things up to follow Jesus is a mild tweak of the “first shall be last” thing we saw concluding this passage in Matthew and Mark, for what it's worth.   Next up, Jesus gives the third prediction of his death he's given in Luke:   LUKE 18   31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”   34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.   GREGG Jesus predicts his death three times in each of the synoptic Gospels, so that being the third and final prediction is a sign we're getting close.   Chapter 18 finishes with a miracle, so we're on to Chapter 19, which opens with the second account of Jesus calling a tax collector to follow him present in Luke. And unlike the call of Matthew slash Levi, this call of Zaccheus is *only* present in Luke.   LUKE 19 19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.   5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.   7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”   8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”   9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”   GREGG I mentioned a bit ago we were getting close to the end of things for today, and another sign that we're getting close is that the next thing we get to cover, after skipping another parable, is Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is liturgically covered in the Palm Sunday observances that kick off Holy Week, aka the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Let's hear what Luke has to say, starting at verse 28:   LUKE 19 28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' say, ‘The Lord needs it.'”   32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”   34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”   35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.   37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:   38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”   “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”   39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”   40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”   41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.”   45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'”   47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.   GREGG From the classic handwaive of “the master has need of it” to the admittedly brief account of Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple, there's a lot of good stuff in there, but nothing especially new, all things we basically saw in Matthew and Mark.   Similarly, the opening verses of Luke 20 are also close parallels of the other synoptic gospels. But hey, you know the drill, let's hear Luke tell it:   LUKE 20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”   3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John's baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”   5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will ask, ‘Why didn't you believe him?' 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”   7 So they answered, “We don't know where it was from.”   8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”   GREGG The next few verses are taken up by the Parable of the Talents, so we'll skip that and go on to more close synoptic parallel passages starting in Verse 20. If you're wondering, we're parallelling Matthew 22 and Mark 12 here:   LUKE 20 20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”   23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”   “Caesar's,” they replied.   25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.”   26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.   GREGG Yes, as you'll recall, giving God what is God's means giving God everything, but at the same time, like, pay your taxes.   The parallels continue with the next section   LUKE 20 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”   34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”   39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions. 41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord:     “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies     a footstool for your feet.”' 44 David calls him ‘Lord.' How then can he be his son?” GREGG   Yes, all closely paralleling Matthew 22 and Mark 12 still, both of which we've discussed. For what it's worth, John is going to be something quite different.   In any event, the last bit of Luke 20 is absent from Matthew, only parallelled in Mark 12:   LUKE 20 45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”   GREGG Luke 21 opens with another section we that we didn't see in Matthew but covered in Mark, namely the Widow's Offering:   LUKE 21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”   GREGG I do love the message there, namely that God sees and accounts for effort when it comes to our actions, including our giving. Like I said, the Widow's Offering was in Mark too so I went into some more detail last episode.   As the chapter continues, the parallels with Matthew resume, now in Matthew Chapter 24, and Mark 14. Overall the theme is the end times, fairly appropriate given the transition to the Passion that will come in the next chapter    LUKE 21 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”   7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”   8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,' and, ‘The time is near.' Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

We continue through Paul's letter to the Ephesian churches this morning with Paul's exhortation section. Contra our fragmented and hyper-politicized world, the church of Jesus is supposed to be a united body of believers in the gospel -last week on 4-1-16-. This morning he continues to speak to us in our world of anything goes that we don't live like the world -negatively- but live as the new creations in Christ that God has made us -positively-.--DON'T LIVE LIKE THE OLD, FALLEN WORLD -VV. 17-19- Futility-Darkness-Alienated-Heard-Hearted-Callous-Sensuality-Impurity- -BUT LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION -VV. 20-24--You learned, heard, - were taught -3 past tenses- the truth in Jesus--You put off -past tense- your old self --man- - Adam--You put on -past tense- your new self --man- - Christ--...-RE--CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE --RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS -Gen. 1-26-27--Be renewed -present tense-

We continue through Paul's letter to the Ephesian churches this morning with Paul's exhortation section. Contra our fragmented and hyper-politicized world, the church of Jesus is supposed to be a united body of believers in the gospel -last week on 4-1-16-. This morning he continues to speak to us in our world of anything goes that we don't live like the world -negatively- but live as the new creations in Christ that God has made us -positively-.--DON'T LIVE LIKE THE OLD, FALLEN WORLD -VV. 17-19- Futility-Darkness-Alienated-Heard-Hearted-Callous-Sensuality-Impurity- -BUT LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION -VV. 20-24--You learned, heard, - were taught -3 past tenses- the truth in Jesus--You put off -past tense- your old self --man- - Adam--You put on -past tense- your new self --man- - Christ--...-RE--CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE --RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS -Gen. 1-26-27--Be renewed -present tense-

We continue through Paul's letter to the Ephesian churches this morning with Paul's exhortation section. Contra our fragmented and hyper-politicized world, the church of Jesus is supposed to be a united body of believers in the gospel -last week on 4-1-16-.-This morning he continues to speak to us in our world of anything goes that we don't live like the world -negatively- but live as the new creations in Christ that God has made us -positively-. --DON'T LIVE LIKE THE OLD, FALLEN WORLD -VV. 17-19- Futility-Darkness-Alienated-Heard-Hearted-Callous-Sensuality-Impurity--BUT LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION -VV. 20-24--You learned, heard, - were taught -3 past tenses- the truth in Jesus--You put off -past tense- your old self --man- - Adam---You put on -past tense- your new self --man- - Christ---...-RE--CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS -Gen. 1-26-27---Be renewed -present tense-

We continue through Paul's letter to the Ephesian churches this morning with Paul's exhortation section. Contra our fragmented and hyper-politicized world, the church of Jesus is supposed to be a united body of believers in the gospel -last week on 4-1-16-.-This morning he continues to speak to us in our world of anything goes that we don't live like the world -negatively- but live as the new creations in Christ that God has made us -positively-. --DON'T LIVE LIKE THE OLD, FALLEN WORLD -VV. 17-19- Futility-Darkness-Alienated-Heard-Hearted-Callous-Sensuality-Impurity--BUT LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION -VV. 20-24--You learned, heard, - were taught -3 past tenses- the truth in Jesus--You put off -past tense- your old self --man- - Adam---You put on -past tense- your new self --man- - Christ---...-RE--CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS -Gen. 1-26-27---Be renewed -present tense-

We continue through Paul's letter to the Ephesian churches this morning with Paul's exhortation section. Contra our fragmented and hyper-politicized world, the church of Jesus is supposed to be a united body of believers in the gospel (last week on 4:1–16). This morning he continues to speak to us in our world of anything goes that we don't live like the world (negatively) but live as the new creations in Christ that God has made us (positively).DON'T LIVE LIKE THE OLD, FALLEN WORLD (VV. 17–19) FutilityDarknessAlienatedHeard-HeartedCallousSensuality/Impurity BUT LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION (VV. 20–24)You learned, heard, & were taught (3 past tenses) the truth in Jesus:You put off (past tense) your old self ("man" = Adam)You put on (past tense) your new self ("man" = Christ)...[RE-]CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS (Gen. 1:26–27)Be renewed (present tense)

We continue through Paul's letter to the Ephesian churches this morning with Paul's exhortation section. Contra our fragmented and hyper-politicized world, the church of Jesus is supposed to be a united body of believers in the gospel (last week on 4:1–16).This morning he continues to speak to us in our world of anything goes that we don't live like the world (negatively) but live as the new creations in Christ that God has made us (positively). DON'T LIVE LIKE THE OLD, FALLEN WORLD (VV. 17–19) FutilityDarknessAlienatedHeard-HeartedCallousSensuality/ImpurityBUT LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION (VV. 20–24)You learned, heard, & were taught (3 past tenses) the truth in Jesus:You put off (past tense) your old self ("man" = Adam)You put on (past tense) your new self ("man" = Christ)...[RE-]CREATED AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS (Gen. 1:26–27)Be renewed (present tense)

Blaise Pascal's Case for Christianity I.    The Genius of Blaise Pascal  A.    Amazing life of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) B.    Pascal as an apologist; not a fideist (unlike Soren Kierkegaard) C.    Nature of apologetics. Defend the Christian worldview as objectively true, compellingly rational, and pertinent to all of life (1 Peter 3:15) II.    Pascal's Case for Christianity A.    His apologetic be reconstructed. Order. Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is. Worthy of reverence because it really understands human nature. Attractive because it promises true good.  B.    We consider only two elements: the wager and the deposed royalty argument; there are more. See Douglas Groothuis, Beyond the Wager: the Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal (InterVarsity Academic, 2024).   III.    The Wager: Risks, Rewards, Options A.    We should bet on God being rule instead of betting on God's unreality in light of the possible consequences.     I should be much more afraid of being mistaken and then finding out that Christianity is true than of being mistaken in believing it to be true.  B.    Theoretical reason: Is P true? How can I know this? C.    Prudential reason: What do I gain or lose by believing P? What actions should I pursue on this matter? D.    The outcomes and belief states 1.    Believer, if Christian God exists:Gain: eternal life; avoid hell. Infinite gainLoss: worldly pleasures. Finite loss 2.    Believer, if Christian God does not exist:Gain: pleasures of religion. Finite gain    Loss: worldly pleasures and truth. Finite loss 3.    Unbeliever (atheist or agnostic or member of other religion), if Christian God exists:Gain: worldly pleasures. Finite gainLoss: eternal life; gain hell, infinite loss 4.    Unbeliever, if Christian God does not exist:Gain: worldly pleasures. Finite gainLoss: nothing. E.    Given the stakes, we should investigate the claims of Christianity with an open mind and open heart and not be indifferent.  There are only three sorts of people: those who have found God and serve him; those who are busy seeking him and have not found him; those who live without either seeking or finding him. The first are reasonable and happy, the last are foolish and unhappy, those in the middle are unhappy and reasonable.   IV.    The Human Problem and Puzzle A.    What sort of freak then is man! How novel, how monstrous, how chaotic, how paradoxical, how prodigious! Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, repository of truth, sink of doubt and error, the glory and refuse of the universe! (131/434). B.    How to live with the human burden in light of reality; “deposed royalty” who can be restored through Jesus Christ C.    What are the options? We will look at two “live hypotheses” V.    A True, Rational, and Significant Explanation. A.    True explanation of the human condition: one that agrees with objective reality; factual; realism. B.    Rational explanation: one that explains who we are in accordance with the evidence and sound reasoning. C.    Significant explanation: one that gives us value, meaning, and realistic hope for being human in the world. Philosophical anthropology is a very important part of any worldview. D.    Manner of explanation: abduction (inference to best explanation)   VI.    Views of Being Human: The New Age Worldview A.    New Age or spiritual worldview: Ken Wilber, Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra  1.    Background belief on humanity a.    Pantheism: everything is divine. b.    Monism: all is one (or nondualism) c.    Morality is not absolute, but good and evil dissolve into a universal and impersonal oneness. 2.    New Age view on humanity a.    Human nature is really a divine nature: we are one with an impersonal deity. b.    Human problem: we have forgotten our true identity as divine, one with all things, and unlimited. c.    Human solution: Find the divine within through meditation, yoga, self-realization seminars. 3.    Questioning New Age philosophy a.    Human beings are limited in power and goodness; this is evident and not a delusion or matter of ignorance. b.    There are moral realities that reveal a moral dualism: good and evil; right and wrong; virtue and vice. Rape is always wrong; kindness is better than wanton cruelty. VII.    Christianity: Deposed Royality A.    Background belief: personal theism—God as Creator, Lord, Judge B.    Pascal's point can be strengthened by natural theology: arguments for God's existence from nature and in accord with reason.  C.    Human nature: created in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:27) 1.    Uniqueness of humanity: ethics, culture, language, religion  2.    Human greatness: creativity, intelligence, etc. (#113/348) Thinking reed. It is not in space that I must seek my human dignity, but in the ordering of my thought. It will do me no good to own land. Through space the universe grasps me and swallows me up like a speck; through thought I grasp it.  3.    Human dignity: image-bearers of God (Psalm 8:3-5) 4.    Disjunction from the rest of the living world; different in kind, not just degree D.    Human problem: we are fallen, warped, alienated, deposed 1.    Human evil: sexism, racism, pettiness, greed, envy, ad nauseum 2.    Our moral and spiritual corruption (Psalm 14:1-3; Mark 7:21-23) 3.    Corruptio optimi pessima: “There is nothing worse than the corruption of the best.” 4.    The essential problem: pride, self-centeredness, egotism (Romans 3:9-20) 5.    Escaping our condition through diversion Diversion. If man were happy, the less he were diverted the happier he would be, like the saints and God. Yes: but is a man not happy who can find delight in diversion?  E.    Neither angel nor beast, but human It is dangerous to explain too clearly to man how like he is to the animals without pointing out his greatness. It is also dangerous to make too much of his greatness without his vileness. It is still more dangerous to leave him in ignorance of both, but it is most valuable to represent both to him. Man must not be allowed to believe that he is equal either to animals or to angels, nor to be unaware of either, but he must know both.  F.    Humans! Wretched and great  G.    The reality of death; life kills us all; finite time to figure it all out (Hebrews 9:27). VIII.    Finding Truth, hope, and Purpose A.    The human condition requires a radical, transcendent cure B.    Jesus Christ provides this liberating cure for all people  1.    Jesus: You must repent (Matthew 4:17). 2.    Jesus provides forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:6-8: Ephesians 2:1-10) 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). 3.    The message is liberating for everyone; we are all deposed royalty (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 4:12; I Timothy 2:5-6). C.    Being human with knowledge, hope, and integrity 1.    Jesus is a God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.  2.    A world view that makes sense of oneself and others 3.    The strength to love and serve through Jesus Christ, “the Mediator” (Pascal's term) The Christians' God is a God who makes the soul aware that he is its sole good: that in him alone can it find peace; that only in loving him can it find joy: and who at the same time fills it with loathing for the obstacles which hold it back and prevent it from loving God with all its might.   4.    Provides incentive to give oneself selflessly to God and God's liberating program for humanity. 5.    Know then, proud man, what a paradox you are to yourself. Be humble, impotent reason! Be silent, feeble nature! Learn that man infinitely transcends man, hear from your master your true condition, which is unknown to you. Listen to God.  Resources on Blaise Pascal and the Human Condition 1.    Douglas Groothuis, Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal (InterVarsity, 2024).2.    Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith, 2nd ed. (InterVarsity Press, 2022). 3.    Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism (InterVarsity Press, 2000). Critique of postmodernist ideas in philosophy, theology, ethics, race, gender, and the arts.4.    Blaise Pascal, Pensées, ed. Alban Krailsheimer (Penguin, 1966). Standard collection with an excellent introduction by Krailsheimer.5.    Blaise Pascal, The Mind on Fire, ed. James Houston (Bethany House Publishers, 1997). Collection from Pensées and Pascal's shorter works. Excellent introduction by Os Guinness.6.    Michael Rota, Taking Pascal's Wager: Faith, Evidence, and the Abundant Life (InterVarsity, 2016).7.    James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalogue, 5th ed. (InterVarsity Press, 2009). Compares major worldviews, including each worldview's understanding of the human condition.   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

FINDING POWER OVER ERRORACTS 13:1-12 I.      The Desperate Need: Power in Gospel Outreach A.    Truth decay and the reality of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18) B.    Handling opposition in evangelism and apologetics C.    Finding spiritual power for the proclamation and defense of the gospel II.     The Spreading Flame: The Acts of the Holy Spirit A.    The birth of the church through the work of Jesus Christ, Lord of all. B.    Jesus: “You will receive power from the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:8; John 14:16-17) C. Beginning of great gospel adventures—and conflicts (Acts 14:22) III.     Preparation for Ministry (Acts 13:1-3) A.    Prophets and teachers: Spirit-empowered ministry positions B.    Multi-ethnic ministry (Galatians 3:26-28) C.    Fasting and prayer before God and with the church (Acts 2:42; 3:1; 4:24; 6:4; 10:31; 14:23; 28:8) D.    Prayer and fasting in the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-2; 6:16-18; 9:5) E.    God's corporate call for mission (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:45-49: Acts 1:8) F.    Paul's individual call to mission (Acts 9:1-19; Galatians 1:11-24) His first excursion to the Gentiles G.    Power principle #1: We need a God-ward orientation to discern God's call to mission and to receive God's power over error. H.    Power principle #2: We need the wisdom of the church to discern God's call to mission and to receive God's power over error. IV.     Beginning the Mission (Acts 13:4-5) A.    The importance of Paul's first mission; door opened to the Gentiles B.    Sent out by the Holy Spirit (second reference to the Holy Spirit) C.    Proclaimed the Word of God by the Spirit (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12) D.    John was their helper (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28) E.    Power principle #3: We need to proclaim God's word to find power over error. F.    Power principle #4: Behind the scenes helpers are vital for powerful ministry. V.     The Power of Error: Enter the Sorcerer (Acts 13:6-8)     A.    Team traveled a long distance for the gospel; sacrifice (Matthew 10:37-38) B.    Bar-Jesus: Jewish sorcerer and false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, 20; Acts 8:9-11; Revelation 22:15) C.    Sergius Paulus: intelligent Roman political leader. Wanted to hear the Word of God. This is an open door for the gospel. Considering Sergius Paulus's authority, the mission team probably could not have refused his offer; that adds extra pressure.  D.    Elymas wants to shut the open door for the gospel. Conflict and controversy ensue.  E.    Power principle #5: The power of error opposes the truth of the gospel. VI.     Power Over Error: Enter Paul (Acts 13:9-11) A.    Saul, called Paul (Roman version of the Semitic Saul) B.    “Filled with the Holy Spirit” (third reference to the Holy Spirit) C.    Stared him down with condemning truth. He is a: 1.    Child of the devil (John 8:44) 2.    Enemy of everything right (Matthew 13:39) 3.    Full of deceit and trickery (Matthew 13:19) 4.    Paul's question…not answered by the sorcerer. 5.    Blinded, for a time (Isaiah 44:25-26) D.    Power principle #6: A Spirit-filled and biblical-informed Christian challenges error courageously. VII.     Power Over Error in Evangelism (Acts 13:12) A.    Sergius Paulus was amazed at God's truth and power; he believed B.    Miracles and teaching work together through the Holy Spirit, all backed by prayer and holy living. C.    Power principle #7: God's work in God's way finds power over error, but this does not eliminate hardships and setbacks in our mission (Acts 14:22). VIII.     Finding Power Over Error Today A.    Spirit-led and biblically informed mission generates opposition to its mandate.  B.    Prepare for spiritual opposition as you explain, proclaim, and defend the gospel. C.    Applying these seven power principles today 1.    Find godly fellowship (Acts 2:42) 2.    Seek God in prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:16-18) 3.    Study and share God's Word (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:15-17) 4.    Expect opposition and controversy (Matthew 10:34-39) 5.    Find humble helpers—and be a humble helper 6.    Expose error courageously in God's timing (Joshua 1:6-9) 7.    Expect God to vindicate God's truth, but not without hardships. Recommended reading: 1.    Sharon Beekman, Silencing Satan (Wipf and Stock, 2012). Major academic study by one who understands the demonic world by experience and through study as a Christian. 2.    Mark Bubeck, Overcoming the Adversary (Moody Press, 1984). On spiritual warfare. An updated version is called Warfare Prayer.3.    Ajith Fernando. The NIV Application Commentary: Acts (Zondervan, 1998). Excellent and practical commentary. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Psalms of Jesus -- You are in debt to God, only Christ can repay the debt for you to be forgiven and in knowing God's forgiveness you can forgive others.

When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?  MESSAGE SUMMARY: The stories of the New Testament tell us that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, points out that Jesus, the Word, was the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". John tells us that Jesus had authority over nature, over creation, and over life itself, and he tells us that Jesus was the life-giver that came to earth for us. In John 20:26-29, Jesus asked the Apostle Thomas a fundamental question that Jesus asks you today– “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?'”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”. When Jesus has asked you: “Whom do you say that I am?”, and how did you answer? Did you tell Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”? Have you, in your life, become a Jesus Follower? If not, why not?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Psalms 67:1-7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go!” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Good Shepherd John 10:7–15 The Jews were not only blind but that they were sinfully blind John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. Cast of Characters Sheep Shepherds Criminals Jesus uses a real world example to teach a real world truth. In the real world, who you are spiritually close to and who you listen to determines your hurt or your happiness. People Who Want to Hurt You (vs.8, 12) Robber Thief Destroyer/Murderer People Who Should Help You (vs. 11) Hireling Other Religious People People Who Want to Help The Great Shepherd (Jesus Christ) He is the Door (vs. 6-7) He is the Defender (vs.10-15) The true shepherd saves (10:9). The true shepherd safeguards (10:10a). The true shepherd satisfies (10:10b). A good shepherd Points out the danger Notices when you are out of the safety of the sheepfold Knows the danger of being away from God Doesn't give up on you until the Great Shepherd does Wants you to be where you are safe and happy Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Why Does this Matter? Jesus is the only one who Saves Jesus is the only one who Satisfies It is always dangerous to be away from Jesus You have real enemies

You can grab the free workbook at www.catholicmomcalm.com/lent2024 Full text of St. Faustina's Diary. Selected Excerpts from St. Faustina's Diary: When I look into the future, I am frightened, But why plunge into the future? Only the present moment is precious to me, As the future may never enter my soul at all.   How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?   [Hairshirt] I don't demand mortification from you, but obedience. By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself.   [After asking her to paint the image] Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me.   [Pot of roses] I change such hard work of yours into bouquets of most beautiful flowers, and their perfume rises up to My throne.   [Dreadful sufferings.] “Do what You will with me, O Jesus, I will adore You in everything. May Your will be done in me, O my Lord and my God, and I will praise Your infinite mercy.” Jesus said, "I am always in your heart."   Honorable mention 112 on Feb. 26th - knowledge of your own sin   But, in order to hear the voice of God, one has to have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence, but an interior silence; that is to say, recollection in god.   Let the soul be aware that, in order to pray and persevere in prayer, one must arm oneself with patience and cope bravely with exterior and interior difficulties. The interior difficulties are discouragement, dryness, heaviness of spirit and temptations. The exterior difficulties are human respect and time; one must observe the time set apart for prayer.   My child you are My delight, you are the comfort of My Heart. I grant you as many graces as you can hold. As often as you want to make Me happy, speak to the world about My great and unfathomable mercy.   I must never judge anyone, but look at others with leniency and at myself with severity. I must refer everything to God and, in my own eyes, recognize myself for what I am: utter misery and nothingness. In suffering, I must be patient and quiet, knowing that everything passes in time.   Tell the world that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.    Jesus made known to me how very pleasing to Him were prayers of atonement. He said to me, The prayer of a humble and loving soul disarms the anger of My Father and draws down an ocean of blessings.   Although My greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little. I demand of you a childlike spirit.   Nun who thought her sins were beyond forgiveness. Tell her that her disbelief wounds My heart more than the sins she committed.   My Jesus, how little these people talk about You. They talk about everything but You, Jesus.   At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son.    Today, the Lord said to me, My daughter, I am told that there is much simplicity in you, so why do you not tell Me about everything that concerns you, even the smallest details? Tell Me about everything, and know that this will give Me great joy. I answered, “But You know about everything, Lord.”     And Jesus replied to me, Yes, I do know; but you should not excuse yourself with the fact that I know, but with childlike simplicity talk to Me about everything, for My ears and heart are inclined towards you, and your words are dear to Me.   When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the Heart of Jesus and say only one word to Him:     “You can do all things.” And then I keep silent, because I know that Jesus Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him.   When one day I resolved to practice a certain virtue, I lapsed into the vice opposed to that virtue ten times more frequently than on other days. In the evening, I was reflecting on why, today, I had lapsed so extraordinarily, and I heard the words: You were counting too much on yourself and too little on Me. And I understood the cause of my lapses.   Now I understand that if the Lord demands something of a soul, He gives it the means to carry it out, and through grace He makes it capable of doing this. So, even if the soul be utterly miserable, at the Lord's command it can undertake things beyond its expectation, because this is the sign by which it can be known that the Lord is with that soul: if God's power and strength, which make the soul courageous and valiant, is manifest within it.   Virtue without prudence is not virtue at all. We should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of prudence. Prudence consists in discretion, rational reflection and courageous resolution.   This firm resolution to become a saint is extremely pleasing to Me. I bless your efforts and will give you opportunities to sanctify yourself. Be watchful that you lose no opportunity that My providence offers you for sanctification. If you do not succeed in taking advantage of an opportunity, do not lose your peace, but humble yourself profoundly before Me and, with great trust, immerse yourself completely in My mercy. In this way, you gain more than you have lost, because more favor is granted to a humble soul than the soul itself asks for.   the Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one's misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. -- Jesus: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause?   Soul: Lord, the reason for my sadness is that, in spite of my sincere resolutions, I fall again into the same faults. I make resolutions in the morning, but in the evenings I see how much I have departed from them.   Jesus: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons.   Soul: Yes, I know all that, (91) but great temptations assail me, and various doubts awaken within me and, moreover, everything irritates and discourages me.     Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy. -- But if there is anyone else in such a heart, I cannot bear it and quickly leave that heart, taking with Me all the gifts and graces I have prepared for the soul.   I want you to become like a knight experienced in battle, who can give orders to others amid the exploding shells. In the same way, My child, you should know how to master yourself amid the greatest difficulties, and let nothing drive you away from Me, not even your falls. 

You can grab the free workbook at www.catholicmomcalm.com/lent2024 Full text of St. Faustina's Diary. Reflection question: In what ways are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety keeping you from holiness? Excerpt from St. Faustina's Diary for today (1448): Jesus: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause?   Soul: Lord, the reason for my sadness is that, in spite of my sincere resolutions, I fall again into the same faults. I make resolutions in the morning, but in the evenings I see how much I have departed from them.   Jesus: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons.   Soul: Yes, I know all that, (91) but great temptations assail me, and various doubts awaken within me and, moreover, everything irritates and discourages me.   Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy. Read More  

You can grab the free workbook at www.catholicmomcalm.com/lent2024 Full text of St. Faustina's Diary. Reflection question: In what ways are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety keeping you from holiness? Excerpt from St. Faustina's Diary for today (1448): Jesus: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause?   Soul: Lord, the reason for my sadness is that, in spite of my sincere resolutions, I fall again into the same faults. I make resolutions in the morning, but in the evenings I see how much I have departed from them.   Jesus: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons.   Soul: Yes, I know all that, (91) but great temptations assail me, and various doubts awaken within me and, moreover, everything irritates and discourages me.   Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy.

How do you find happiness? Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024 Luke 24:1-12 Isaiah 25:6-9 Sayings of Jesus: “You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.” - Matthew 22:39 “...be wise as snakes, and innocent as doves” - Matthew 10:16 “Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34 “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” - Luke 6:27 “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” - Luke 6:37 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28 Quotes Marcus Aurelius: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” Seneca: “Every new beginning comes from other beginning's end.” C.S. Lewis: “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” Mary Shelley: “The beginning is always today.” Desmond Tutu: “Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.”w

Fran has just learned from her manager, Ben, she may be laid off. Driving home that evening, Fran says to Jesus, “That was pretty incredible what Ben said to me today, Lord. He wants to keep me!” “And it looks like he wants to ask some questions and I know I have to be ready to give answers for the hope that is within me,” Fran smiles as she pulls in her driveway. After her evening with the kids and putting them to bed, she sits quietly and talks to Jesus: “You know, I really worry about John. If he gets laid off instead of me, it could be devastating for him. And with all his expenses now—he's got it worse than me, Lord. Should I suggest to Ben that he keep him and not me?” Fran needs some wisdom, and she has learned to ask for it when she needs it, because the Bible promises to give us wisdom if we ask for it. That still small voice impresses on her it would be better to let this work itself out and just keep her hands off. As long as she's willing to accept it either way and she knows the Lord will take care of her either way, she's in a win-win situation. However, her concern for John continues, and she prays for him. “And Louise, too, Lord. If I stay and she goes, that would be hard for her and me, too,” Fran reminds Jesus. But, of course, he never forgot. Did Fran lose her job? No. The next day Ben told her he had decided to fight the decision to lay off five people and convinced them to cut that to four. So, Fran stayed and so did John. But Louise was laid off. But, you see, for Fran the outcome was decided when she gave the situation over to the Lord and looked to him for her support and trusted him to take care of her. Once she did that—and continued to do that—she was in a win-win situation. Regardless of the circumstances, her peace remained. Obviously, Fran is very thankful. She is, however, very concerned about Louise and has been spending lots of time with her in the evenings, encouraging her and praying with her. She did have lunch with Ben, and they talked about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It's all new to Ben and he finds it a little scary. But Fran is sowing seeds and praying they will take root in good soil in his heart. Whatever circumstances you're facing today, remember with Jesus at your side, you have a resource of strength and wisdom that will not fail you. Be sure you practice his presence in your everyday life. Just like Fran, you need to realize Jesus is there beside you all the time.

Today on the Daily Nugget, Mike shares the story about a Hindu who has a near death experience. He goes to heaven and meets Jesus… You won't believe what happens next. It's not necessarily what you think!

Welcome back to the Jesus Glow Series! Friend, today we will overcome the sneaky things that dull our shine. Remember, Jesus is the light that shines within you. Let it GLOW!

Unlock the timeless wisdom of Jesus: "You must be born again. You must become like a child." In this vintage 2018 episode, explore the beauty of a beginner's mind—a mindset of endless curiosity, openness, and boundless possibilities. Embrace fresh beginnings with the wonder and joy of a child.  Go further with this episode  >  see the show notes for The Beauty of a Beginner's Mind, Opening Doors to Fresh Beginnings (#296) Podcast Vault  >  see all Jesus Smart podcast episodes Elevate your inbox  >  subscribe to The Smart, a newsletter from Jesus Smart What do you believe?  >  see the Jesus Smart Creed

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!” Luke 11:37–40It's hard to imagine Jesus calling someone a fool. But that's exactly what He did. This Pharisee had just finished listening to Jesus give a series of teachings and then invited our Lord to His home for dinner in an apparent gesture of kindness. But as the passage unfolds, it's clear that this Pharisee is no friend of Jesus. Instead, his hospitality and kindness are a cloak for the evil within his soul.Why does Jesus respond so fiercely, calling the Pharisee a fool? Because this Pharisee is filled with hypocrisy. His exterior actions do not flow from a heart filled with charity and faith. Instead, his exterior actions are a show. He is a fraud. He, like many of the Pharisees, was very concerned with various external rituals, such as scrupulously washing his hands before he ate. He believed that doing so was a sign of his holiness and closeness to God. But it wasn't. His heart was one that was filled with judgment and self-righteousness. He looked down on others and elevated himself. In doing so, he deceived others and even deceived himself.The central message we must take from this is that we must diligently focus upon that which is in our hearts. Our hearts, our interior life, must be blooming with love of God and others. We must place all of our efforts on cultivating a sincere life of virtue within. This is done by prayer and humility. Humility will open our eyes to see the truth of who we are. Prayer will strengthen us to change as we see that which needs to be changed within. Only then, when we see clearly the truth of who we are and prayerfully rely upon grace obtained by prayer, will we be able to become people of true integrity and holiness. And only then will our interior holiness be made manifest externally in our actions.Reflect, today, upon these powerful words of Jesus: “You fools!” Don't be offended by these words; they are words of love from our Lord. They are His fierce attempt to wake this Pharisee up and lead him away from his hypocrisy. Listen to these words as if they were also spoken to you. Every one of us can humbly benefit from this loving chastisement from Jesus. Every one of us needs to humbly be transformed more fully interiorly. Let Jesus' words speak to you and reveal to you the ways that you need to change. Perhaps your pride has led you to an interior practice of judgment of others. Perhaps it has blinded you to sins that you need to confess. If you can listen to these words as if they were spoken to you, then Jesus' fervor will reach you, and your eyes will be opened to that which is in your soul that needs to be changed. Do not turn a blind eye to this. Be open, be humble and listen. My fervent Lord, You spoke words of love in many ways. At times You were gentle and at times You were firm. Please give me the grace and humility I need to be open to Your firm rebukes of love. Help me to sincerely see the ways in which I need to change my life so that Your grace will transform my interior life, flowing over into my actions. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

For me there were two options. I can be very rich and lonely 10 years down the line, or I had to change something so that I'm happy and I'm not lonely and I'm with someone that I enjoy being with.20 YEARS IN PERSPECTIVE:I changed absolutely everything. So I was in the recruitment industry in Poland before INSEAD, and then I ended up in investment banking in Austria. The only thing I didn't change was the market, because my entire life, the theme has been emerging markets.I spent two and a half years in Vienna doing corporate finance, and then love called, and so in 2006 I moved to London. In 2008 I got a call from a head-hunter who was chasing me for a job in Kazakhstan and in April 2008 I moved to Almaty, Kazakhstan and then I moved to Russia in 2011. The end of 2012 I got downsized, it was the best thing that happened to me, because I needed to exit Moscow, I needed to exit finance.At the time I was also going through a divorce, which was “amazing”, it was a major shock to the system, took me a number of years to get over it, not in terms of the relationship, but in terms of the failure, I treated it for the longest time as something I failed at.So what I did is I bought a ticket around the world and took off for six months, the end of this was our reunion in Fonty in 2013.Where I am today is I serve on boards, I have my own small business in aroma therapy, which is a direct to consumer model, I help with my family's business, which means these days I've [also] opened a hotel. And then I do a lot of pro bono work.I got a guy who landed on my balcony in London, and so we have a seven year old son now, and I'm mostly spending time in Bulgaria.On topic: a woman in finance, overcoming adversity and life in generalFor a woman to decide that she doesn't like where she is and to move on is a fact of life. I did not like entering a boardroom with 22 men and two women on a regular basis. I did not like eating lunch in the MD lunchroom where I was the only woman and the guys had to talk with me out of politeness. But what they can talk to me about was Sponge Bob, they didn't know what to talk about.The biggest challenge was solving my personal life because I was 36 and getting divorced. I thought I'm 36 and starting a family, and then one day I'm 36 and getting divorced. So I went through the fear of would I be alone, I went through the fear of would I have children…There are three things in life that ruin you - one is divorce, one is losing your job, and I forget was the third one, and then you die. So I had two of those at the same time. So you are pushed. You are pushed, and this is when either you grow either or you go back to your old self, but going back to your old self, it's going to come back to bite.After the rain comes the rainbow, in the darkest hour, I need someone to just remind me, that.On all things INSEAD and giving backWhy I do it, I will revert to what a lot of people in these episodes have mentioned, the word impact. And it's having an impact and working for something that's bigger than oneself.Without education, society goes down the drain. And sometimes people tell me, “Yes, but MBA is a luxury good.” And I'm like, “But you need leaders, as well.” And it's not leaders in the arrogant sense, but it's people who have the courage, people who are willing to be honest. So, if you want to change things, we need education at all levels.I keep on saying thank goodness for my healthy sense of self-confidence because otherwise some of the things people have done are like, Jesus…You've also seen them dance without their shirts on, so that's a great equalizer.

Introduction • A few months ago I got an interesting text from Steve Walker. He said, “Hey, we're going to be going through Ephesians, and we want to know if you'll be up to preach.” • So I was like, “Yeah!” Texted him back. Absolutely. o I love Ephesians. I've been to Ephesus a couple times, maybe I'll be able to talk about some of the harbor there and the multinational city and the impact that had on the believers there. o Riot in the theater in Acts 19 and tie that into the book. The goddess Artemis. o Or maybe I'll get to say something about Apollos. I did a really cool study once on Apollos and Alexandria. Favorite.  Acts 18 mentions that he was a Jew who grew up in Egypt and went to Ephesus to preach the gospel.  It's really cool since that's where the Jewish philosopher Philo grew up. He was into rhetoric and there were a number of erudite schools in Alexandria.  Apollos may have learned some of his rhetoric from Philo and taken it to Ephesus.  Maybe I'll get to talk about that a bit! o Or maybe I can talk about Jews and Gentiles. Ephesians is all about unity between the two. My wife is Jewish, I'm not. I lived and taught in Israel for years…maybe I'll get to talk about that. • I got all excited, went home, turned to my passage in Eph 5:22 to see what I get to preach on. And these are the words I read: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” o OK, there goes Apollos, the theater, Jews/Gentile…“Wait that's the passage you give me?” o It's not exactly my first choice.

In this sermon, Casey Schutza explores the significance of true friendship and its relevance in combating the loneliness epidemic. True friendship is characterized by consistency, candor, care, and counsel. We are called to find that friend in Jesus and be freed to be that friend for others. Through Christ's ultimate act of friendship on the cross, we are reminded of the depth and power of true friendship. Sermon Notes  What does True Friendship look like? True Friendship is Consistent True Friendship is Canid  True Friendship gives Care True Friendship gives Counsel How do we become a friend like that?  You have to find that Friend in Jesus You have to be freed to be that friend to Others  

When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?  MESSAGE SUMMARY: The stories of the New Testament tell us that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, points out that Jesus, the Word, was the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". John tells us that Jesus had authority over nature, over creation, and over life itself, and he tells us that Jesus was the life-giver that came to earth for us. In John 20:26-29, Jesus asked the Apostle Thomas a fundamental question that Jesus asks you today– “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?'”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”. When Jesus has asked you: “Whom do you say that I am?”, and how did you answer? Did you tell Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”? Have you, in your life, become a Jesus Follower? If not, why not?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Psalms 67:1-7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “You Are Personally Responsible and Accountable to God for All He Entrusts to You” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

One of the age old questions in Christianity is how do you connect with Christ and maintain that relationship. Today, we discuss how we can do this in sports and how we as athletes can learn to prioritize that connection over everything that comes with being an athlete. Author, pastor, speaker, and former athlete Robert Bass joins the show today to talk about this interesting topic, and what he has learned from his time as an athlete. Robert has had a unique journey in becoming a pastor, and he explains his journey a little bit in our conversation today. We also get to talk about his new book, Hidden Fruit: Receive All That God Has For You. This book is not just for athletes, but is a great resource for everyone that wants to connect with Christ in this life.Topics for this discussion:How to handle frustration and failure in sportsWhat Robert would do differently as an athleteFeeling God while watching, playing, and practicing sportsAre athletes made specifically to play sportsPrioritizing peace and rest in Jesus “You don't need to sacrifice when Jesus has already done that for you” Link for Robert's new book: https://hiddenfruitbook.com/https://www.competingforchristpodcast.com/Make sure to subscribe and follow the show!

As we continue our week on loving people well, we're going to fix our eyes on Jesus. What better example or model is there for how to love than the One who laid his life down for the world? Today may you catch a glimpse of this beautiful King who loves perfectly. May you not only get a picture of how you could love others, but experience his incredible love for yourself afresh. Our Scripture for today comes from 1 John 3:16, and today's worship is Jesus You're Beautiful by Jason Upton.  -- When you trust Christ as your savior and Lord, you begin a relationship that extends into eternity.  However, eternity doesn't start in heaven, and you don't have to wait until then to experience a full life in Christ.   The truth is that we as Christians are called to invest in our relationship with God in this life as well as in the life to come.    And that means becoming more like Christ every single day.    In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provided a systematic ethic for how to be his disciples.         It was a relatively short sermon, but God's truth in that message has never stopped reverberating throughout the world.   Our latest book, The Path to Purpose delves into the timeless wisdom of Jesus' most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. St Augustine described the sermon as “a perfect standard for the Christian life.”   While we may doubt ourselves from ever achieving such “a perfect standard,” Jesus' central message in his Sermon on the Mount helps us see that standard not as a burden but rather as a source of freedom, purpose, and a guide for living beautifully.   To know more about God's calling on your life, request your copy today of The Path to Purpose: Christ's Vision for Your Life in the Sermon on the Mount, at supportfirst15.org.  

Guests: Jordan Whicker, Ethan Severin, Cole Travis   The Ultimate Gift is a fictional story about the journey of a young man named Jason Stevens who is the spoiled, rotten grand-nephew of Red Stevens, who leaves a series of “gifts” for Jason to learn, under the guidance and tutelage of his attorney friend Theodore J. Hamilton. Each chapter is a new “gift” that Jason must learn - and, as a young man, you need to learn as well.   The Gift of Learning Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel. “The only thing I can honestly say that I know now that I didn't know when we left here four weeks ago is that the desire and hunger for education is the key to real learning.” It takes a lot of humility to be a lifelong learner! Learning also takes hard work - learning doesn't just happen, you have to make plans to learn!!! The greatest insult is to tell someone that you have nothing to learn from them! Find people you want to learn something from, take them to coffee, and ask them good questions!   The Gift of Problems “If we are not allowed to deal with small problems, we will be destroyed by slightly larger ones.” The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt - prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child…good reminder! When we can learn from our own problems, we begin to deal with life. When we can learn from other people's problems, we begin to master life. What life lessons have you learned from watching others? The world needs more Jesus…YOU have an opportunity to bring the Light of the World to address the problems in the world!   The Gift of Family Jason went to the Red Stevens Home for Boys to see the value of family from those who look like they don't have family.   It's Better to Build Boys Than to Mend Men by C. Truett Cathy…the founder of Chick-fil-A was incredibly involved in the lives of young men, especially those without a family.   Family is not as much about being related by blood as it is about relating through love. If you don't have a biological “family,” you can develop and invest in a spiritual family!   T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website. Huge thank you to Jared Wood for allowing T4M to use his music in our intro and outro selections.

In our final episode of the Faith series, I talk with my friend, pastor of Transformation Church and former NFL player, Pastor Derwin Gray.  We get into why it's important to talk about race in the church… Why the church is still VITAL for people's faith and relationships in Jesus… You don't want to miss this POWERFUL episode… _____ Follow Pastor Derwin on Instagram HERE. Purchase his book How to Heal Racial Divide HERE. Watch Pastor Derwin's sermons from Transformation Church HERE. _____ You can find me on Instagram (@loswhit) here: https://bit.ly/CarlosIGNotes Get tickets to see me and my friend Annie F. Downs on the Here For You Tour this summer!!! Get access to all 13 dates HERE: https://bit.ly/CarlosTour Purchase your copy of my new book, How to Human, HERE: https://bit.ly/HowtoHumanNotes Let's keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear ALL my updates. https://bit.ly/MasFamiliaNotes _____ ATHLETIC GREENS: Athletic Greensis giving you a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/HUMANHOPE. … INDEED: Need to hire? You need Indeed. Visit Indeed.com/HUMANHOPE to start hiring now. … TUTAPONA: Give $15 per month for 15 months to help put 3 adults or children who have lived through armed conflict through one of Tutapona's mental health programs. Give at https://www.tutapona.com/give15 …HIYA HEALTH: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/HUMANHOPE

God speaks this blessing over Jesus: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” And then leads him straight into the wilderness.   Wait… what?   Have you ever wondered why? And if Jesus was led into the wilderness, what does that say about our own wilderness seasons?   Listen in and meditate on Mark 1. As you do, allow the Spirit to help you notice something from these words that applies to your own life.   Once you've listened to this Scripture Experience podcast, head over to the next episode and listen to the interview with author Casey Tygrett (posted 4.26.23). We discuss how wilderness seasons are restless seasons. And how restlessness can actually be a gift in our life.   You can find Jodie at http://www.jodieniznik.com/ Instagram @creatingspaceforgod Facebook @JodieGNiznik Download free sample chapters from my Bible studies here.   The exact verses read in this podcast are printed here for your use: Mark 1:9-13 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended himSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read John 12:23-25 which says, “Jesus replied to them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.'” This is Holy Week which began with the Triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. Holy Monday commemorates the cursing of the fig tree, and the cleansing of the temple. Today is Holy Tuesday and observes Jesus predicting His own death. Christians vary in how specifically they celebrate Holy Week, but there is value in understanding the ancient traditions. And even now, in setting out to say something of value concerning Christ's work leading up to the cross, I personally want to clasp my hand over my mouth and say nothing for fear of getting it wrong. Like Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips and we are looking upon the most holy things of God. And yet we've been invited to look on in worship at our incredible Savior. And so we'll venture in further. Jesus' had become infamous. And His entry into Jerusalem, especially around Passover, had created quite a stir. Some Greeks wanted to see Him. But when asked if they could, Jesus seems to answer a question no one asks and says, “The hour has come.” Jesus predicts His own death.  To illustrate His death, He appeals to the principle of sowing and reaping. By Jesus dying, He (like a seed) lays the groundwork for exponential returns. His death is not the end of the story but rather just the beginning. His eyes are on His impending death yes, but more so on the crop it will yield later.  And He includes us in on the picture. Often the passion of Jesus is seen as something He does alone. And that's true. But here Jesus sees an obvious if/then. Since He will die and produce a crop, in the same way, you and I will produce a crop leading to eternal life. But how? By hating our lives. This passage has often disturbed readers. And understandably so. Let's not attempt to soften the blow of His words. But let's also consider. Did Jesus hate His life? Did He want to lose it? No. He asked that the cup of suffering be taken from Him if possible. Jesus never had a death wish. But He passionately wanted to redeem people, and please God, and accomplish His task, and fulfill scripture, and reconcile all creation. You could say these far outweighed His all-too-human instinct for self-preservation. And in the same way, we are invited to participate. In the suffering, yes. But far more in the glory. Jesus - You amaze me at every turn. I've seen You suffer. And I've seen some of the return. I want to see more. And I hardly even know what I'm asking, but I want to play the role You have for me in it. 

Four week series titled The Stories of Your Life with key stories of the people surrounding Christ's passion. We're calling the series “The Stories of Your Life” because we believe they are Passion-week stories that impact you today. The purpose of this series is to challenge us to learn from these stories and apply this knowledge to our lives. Their mistakes, strengths and perspectives can teach us much in 2023. IF we are teachable! Today we're going to focus on a story that may be a little unusual…It's the story of a little man who climbed a tree and became world famous because he did. Today is Palm Sunday. It is the Sunday before Easter and it begins the Holy Week, the Passion of Christ. Christ came to seek and save the lost, including the worst of sinners. Palm Sunday is that very important day in history, when Jesus began His journey towards the cross. Jesus was on mission, fully knowing what was ahead of Him. Luke 19:28-38 28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' say, ‘The Lord needs it.'” 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Palm Sunday is the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds who were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover met Him with palm branches shouting: “Hosanna! (Save Now!) Palm branches were considered symbols of victory and triumph at the time. Days later, the same people of Jerusalem would turn on Jesus and demand of the Romans, ‘Crucify Him!' We are busy people with stuff going on almost every day of the week. · Many of you are on the heels of spring break · Some are returning from the Men's Retreat · You may have thoughts about Easter: ‘Who is coming for dinner?' ‘What am I going to cook for dinner?' ‘I have to hide the eggs before the children arrive', and in all of the upcoming thoughts about Easter, the real meaning of it may, even unintentionally, get missed. From day one, Jesus was on mission. Jesus the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus is still on mission. Jesus came to seek and to save you and me! It is important to stop and look more closely at Jesus and the buildup of miracles prior to His entry into Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples travel through Jericho which is about a day's journey from Jerusalem. Two blind men cry out to Jesus, Lord, let our eyes be opened. Jesus is moved with compassion and He touches their eyes, and the two blind beggars receive their sight. The blind men begin to praise Jesus and also the crowd of people. There are tremendous crowds around Jesus as He passes through Jericho. Everyone wants to see the one who has healed the blind men. Now we begin with the story of the man I've already referenced: Zacchaeus. The story of Zacchaeus is not so much about “Who” Zacchaeus was but “Who” Jesus is. Jesus is the God of the universe who came down from heaven in human form to connect with us. Luke 19:1-10 19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. Zacchaeus was a Jew. He was a traitor to his nation. He collected money for Rome, and no one liked him. Think of the politician you despise the most – that's how people felt about this man. Zacchaeus was a crook. Verse 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. It is likely that people were jeering at Zacchaeus as he was climbing that tree. They surely didn't want this type of man, a sinner, interrupting their chance to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was short in stature but he didn't let his limitations stop him. Zacchaeus was far from Jesus but he didn't want to be. He was curious. He had heard many things about Jesus, that He was the Christ, the Messiah, and the Son of the living God. For all that was wrong with Zacchaeus – there was something very right about him: He wanted to see Jesus. Sometimes we need to do our own thing, to break the status quo to meet God. The crowds were ‘pressing in'. Zacchaeus went vertical. He climbed a sycamore tree because he was unable to see over the people. In 2023, breaking the status quo may look like: 1. Saying “No” to something that your friends are doing that isn't nice. 2. Getting up early to pray when the norm is to sleep in. 3. Tithe to your church when the norm would be to spend it on yourself. Will you step up or be content with the crowd? Zacchaeus did what it took to see the Savior. My question for you today is “What excuses do you make for not seeking Jesus?” I believe we all feel a tug on our heart to come to God more, but it's too often suppressed by our excuses: 1. The Bible is overwhelming. I don't understand it when I read it. 2. My life is too busy to sit down and read the Bible. 3. I rather be doing something that I enjoy. 4. I can't concentrate on the Bible. I have a thousand things that I am thinking about so I am easily distracted. Maybe today will be a good day to shine light on your excuses. What excuses are hindering you from seeing Jesus? We would never be hearing about the story of Zacchaeus if he chose to wallow in his inability to see Jesus. If you want to know Jesus more do something about it! I want to be in the tree. And not in the crowd. Verse 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. It may not feel like it because we've heard the story so many times… BUT, THIS IS scandalous! It was very unpopular to be associated to tax collectors. Jesus didn't seem to mind that He was getting a reputation for hanging out with sinners. Jesus shocks the crowd by willingly calling Zacchaeus out, to be a guest in his home at the expense of offending the crowd. Likewise, Jesus expects us to welcome the unwanted and unacceptable. Will you accept the unlovable into your life like Jesus? Verse 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” When the people see what is happening, that Jesus is going to be the guest of a man who they view as a sinner, they become furious. They don't marvel at such grace; they just mutter. What's your response when someone deserving of punishment receives mercy instead? Zacchaeus had become rich by dishonestly extorting their money when collecting taxes. Certainly he didn't deserve mercy. Are you complaining about things? The Bible says that the crowd despised Jesus' acceptance of Zacchaeus. They were so tied up in their own emotion of disgust that they missed the miracle of Jesus transforming the heart of a sinner. Verse 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” After Jesus reached out to Zacchaeus, he got down quickly from the tree. He had a response full of joy and great excitement. Zacchaeus changed his ways and went above and beyond to make things right. That's the definition of repentance. With Jesus, Zacchaeus overcame his past. He became a new person! Verse 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. (And now Jesus gives us the moral of the Zacchaeus story) 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus does what is “Impossible with man” but “possible with God”. Zacchaeus was a changed man. Forgiveness and grace made him immediately generous. Jesus seeks and saves lost people because they are valuable to Him. Jesus has no requirements for us before He comes to visit. If He visited Zacchaeus, He will visit you! Jon Kelly is living proof that the transformative work of Jesus Christ in the life of an individual can result in a transformed heart and a remarkable life change. We don't have to make everything right with all our dealings before letting Him in. He already knows you by name and He desires to be in relationship with you. Two points from today's message: Point One: Jesus loves all people! Including sinners and outcasts. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” Likewise, we are to imitate God. He expects us to welcome the unwanted and unacceptable. · A mother who is lost in romance novels and is full of lust · Drug addicts, alcoholics · The business man who is full of pride and greed and is far from Jesus · You fill in the name of the person or people who are ‘unwanted' in your life Some people might seem like they are beyond hope, but then, Jesus seeks them, and the Gospel changes them. Lost people are valuable to Jesus. Therefore, they must be valuable to you and me. We should remember this is what happened with us before we were believers. We were lost, Jesus sought us, He found us, and He changed our lives. Romans 5:6 says, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Point Two: Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” The Son of Man came to seek and to save you. When you are far from Jesus, He closes the distance. Jesus was willing to go to the cross to redeem you back from sin and death. Likewise, we are to imitate God. Matthew 28:19-20, is for the church, you and me. We must individually reach out to those who are lost and help them find their way home. As believers we must be willing to welcome the outcasts, the lost, and all people BECAUSE relationships matter. 1. Ask Jesus to give you opportunities to share the Good News in conversations, even if it terrifies you. 2. Be willing to talk about Jesus, even if we think people won't listen and may even ridicule us. Today you have an opportunity to respond. We are going to celebrate Palm Sunday by celebrating Communion together. Some call it the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. You do not have to be a member of the Church of the Nazarene to take communion. What we ask is that you have a personal relationship with Jesus. Maybe you are thinking “I am like Zacchaeus. I have done awful things in my lifetime. But, today, I am MORE than curious. I want to come to Jesus. I want to experience the JOY of the LORD living inside my heart.” If that is you, then this day and this Holy Communion is exactly for you. Today, you can ask Jesus to forgive you for the things you have done wrong against Him and against others AND ask Him to come live in your heart. If that is you, heaven is rejoicing! Reading from Luke 22: 14-20, 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. The Lord himself ordained this holy sacrament. He commanded His disciples to partake of the bread and wine, emblems of His broken body and shed blood. This is His table. The feast is for His disciples. Let all those who have with true repentance turned from their sins, and have believed in Christ unto salvation, draw near and take these emblems, and, by faith, partake of the life of Jesus Christ, to your soul's comfort and joy. Let us remember that it is the memorial of the death and passion of our Lord; also a token of His coming again. Let us not forget that we are one, at one table with the Lord. You are invited to come forward and partake in the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Church Family: (Raise up the bread) The bread, representing the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was broken for you, may it preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ died for you. (Raise up the cup) The cup, representing the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, may it preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this, in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for you, and be thankful. May it be, in Jesus Name, Amen.

The Baptism of Jesus | You are Seen by Christ Covenant

The book of Romans answers the deepest questions we have as humans -- who do we belong to and why are we here? If we truly grasp and believe the message of Romans we will personally know God, have an assurance of heaven, and understand the gospel. This second sermon looks at what the gospel is.    SERMON TEXT: Romans 1:1-6 SERMON NOTES:  +The Gospel has always been the plan of God + The Gospel is Jesus + The Gospel demands a response of faith fueled obedience + The Gospel is destined for all nations + You can belong to Jesus  + You can trust and obey Jesus + You can invest your life in the mission of Jesus

If our citizenship is in heaven, what does that mean for us here, today? What is our relationship to the nations of this world? AnarchoChristian Resources: Citizenship, EP 22 https://www.anarchochristian.com/citizenship-ac022/ God's Nation, Episode 66 - https://www.anarchochristian.com/gods-nation/ Jesus' Sword, Episode 88 - https://www.anarchochristian.com/jesus-sword-ac088/ Peter and the Other Romans 13, EP 70 - https://www.anarchochristian.com/peter-and-the-other-romans-13/ Amazon links: Strong's Concordance: https://amzn.to/3exyH0p Lipscomb's Civil Government: https://amzn.to/3TqdLas MLJ on Ephesians 4: https://amzn.to/3rYWAks Chrysostom's Homolies on the Statues: https://amzn.to/3TtIyDn   Other Resources: Strong's Concordance online - https://biblehub.com/strongs.htm Read Saint Chrysostom's Homilies on the Statues - https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/190101.htm Read Martyn Lloyd Jone's Sermon on Ephesians 4:17 - https://www.monergism.com/christian-and-non-christian-ephesians-417 David Speights' Foreigners and Strangers - https://youtu.be/snBWB_DoJUs Lyrics to “Foreigners and Stranger” by David Speights We were born into a world of earthly kingdomsGiven to the god of war But when you meet, the kingdom life of Jesus You realize there's so much more In days of old the kings said bow before their idols True believers never would So they were thrown into the fiery furnace They followed God as so we should Some would tell you that you ought to pledge allegiance To a kingdom of this world They say the flag represents our freedomBut that's not the freedom of our Lord Jesus said to render unto CaesarJust the things his image bears But we belong to a different kingdom The image of Christ is what we wear Scripture tells us we cannot serve two mastersFor we cannot love them bothWe must choose what kingdom we followLet us serve the Lord of Host Chorus: We're here as foreigners & strangersLiving in a foreign land.  Oh yea.We're here as followers of Jesus Take a stand The kingdoms of earthThey will not endureThe kingdom of Godis forever sure! So choose you this day Which kingdom you'll serve Our Lord's promise standsFor all who endure Sweet AnarchoChristian gear!Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A7141123011%2Cp_4%3AAnarchoChristian&ref=bl_sl_s_ap_web_7141123011 Proud Libertarian - https://proudlibertarian.com/collections/anarchochristian Get your Tuttle Twins books through our affiliate link! https://tuttletwins.com/?ap_id=AnXP1 Support the show! Support the show on Patreon & PayPal Find us on the web! AnarchoChristian.com Twitter Facebook YouTube Subscribe today, and don't miss an episode! iTunes Google PlayStitcher Android YouTube Credits: Tune by Owen-Glass Beats by Semiotician