Podcasts about Jordan River

Fr. Mike elaborates on the significance of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. He points out that the location of the Jordan River is particularly noteworthy because it's the same river that Joshua crossed over to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, signifying that Jesus will bring about a new exodus. Additionally, it's the lowest spot on the planet, symbolizing Jesus' humility. Finally, Fr. Mike emphasizes that when we are baptized, we are adopted as beloved sons and daughters of God because what belongs to Jesus by his nature is given to us by God's grace. Today we read Luke 3-5 and Proverbs 25:27-28. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Stepping out in faith- God performed a miracle when He parted the waters of the Jordan River for the children of Israel to cross into the promised land. They had the ark of the covenant, God's presence, to go before them, but they still had to demonstrate faith by stepping into the water and trusting God's promise.

"Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, 16the flowing water stood still..." Joshua 3:15-17Imagine standing at the edge of a vast, roaring river. The waters are tumultuous and foreboding, yet, like the Israelites at the Jordan River, you feel God urging you to step forward in faith. In Joshua 3:15-17, we see a remarkable moment: the Israelites crossed the flooded Jordan, not waiting for the waters to recede, but trusting that God would make a way. When we stand at our own symbolic rivers, we too are called to take that leap of faith.In our lives, there are moments where the waters feel impossibly high. Yet, like the Israelites, it is often in these moments that we find our greatest opportunities for faith and growth. Reflect on where the "water" is highest for you. Is it in your relationships, career, or perhaps a personal dream? God invites you to take a step into those uncertain waters and trust that He is with you. Remember the encouragement of Isaiah 43:2, which says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."One essential question to consider is, “What specific step is God asking me to take first?” Just as the priests had to step into the raging water before it parted, we are often required to act before we see the outcome. Remember the quote from Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Your faith can create a dry path not just for yourself but for others who are watching you journey forward. As you find the courage to take that first step, know that God is steadying your path. Philippians 4:13 reassures us that “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” With God's strength, your obedience can have a ripple effect, encouraging others to join you as you navigate the waters of your life. Amen. Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Amen.Prayer for the day!My God, I thank You for the promise of Your presence. Lord, lead me to the river You've placed before me. Consecrate my heart and steady my steps, allowing me to embrace the unknown with confidence. Grant me the courage to step forward and get my feet wet, so that through my obedience, I create a path for others to follow. May my journey serve as a testament to Your faithfulness and love. In Jesus' name. Amen. https://maglife.org

During his 60 Minutes interview on Sunday night, when asked about a so-called two-state solution, President Trump did not indicate whether or not he supports such a move. On this week's Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten said it was positive the president doesn't endorse such a plan, but ideally, he would come out against it. Josh has argued many times that the establishment of another state between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea would be an existential threat to the state of Israel.

"But God" In part one of this series, Pastor Josiah takes us to the Jordan River, where faith met the impossible. The waters didn't part before the priests stepped in—they parted when they did. This message reminds us that God's power moves when we do, turning impossible moments into “But God” breakthroughs.Join us for Thrive Church In person (more info here) or Online Sundays 2:30PM (MT) on Youtube Want to partner with Thrive Church:https://www.thrivecalgary.ca/give-online  

Title: The Participationist KingSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeOverview: In this sermon from Calvary Monterey, Pastor Nate Holdridge examines the profound significance of Jesus' baptism in Matthew 3:13-17. Why would the sinless Son of God submit to a baptism of repentance? Pastor Nate reveals how Christ's baptism was an act of complete identification with humanity—a deliberate choice to participate fully in our story so we could participate in his. Through the Trinitarian authentication at the Jordan River, we discover three transformative realities: we participate in Jesus' life (the "in Christ" union that brings redemption, new creation, and freedom), we participate in the Spirit's anointing (what Pastor Nate calls "dove power"—gentle yet authoritative strength), and we participate in the Father's delight (the eternal love spoken over the Son now extended to us through adoption). This message challenges believers to embrace their identity as beloved children who represent Christ with both truth and tenderness, understanding that salvation is far more than forgiveness—it is union with the Triune God. Part of the series "The Promised King and His Good Kingdom."Link to Discussion QuestionsLink to Sermon Notes

Kingdom Culture- Week 1November 02, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownCulture eats strategy for breakfast.— Peter DruckerFrom that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near…People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.— Matthew 3:1-2, 5-9Repentance was what Israel must do if her exile is to come to an end.— N.T. WrightIf repentance carries the tone of ‘what Israel must do if her fortunes are to be returned', it can also have a much more down-to-earth ring: to abandon revolutionary zeal.— N.T. WrightThe repentance for which Jesus called, then, was not at all like the regular repentance of individual sinners when they recognized their sin and underwent the normal Jewish practices for restitution.  That could take place, in principle, at any time in Israel's history…Jesus' summons was more radical by far…Jesus was urging his compatriots to abandon a whole way of life, and to trust him for a different one.— N.T. WrightHe is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.— Leviticus 16:21-22At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”— Ezekiel 3:17-21From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17The good news is about the living God overcoming all the powers of the world to establish his rule of justice and peace, on earth as in heaven, Not in heaven later on.  And that victory is won not by superior power of the same kind but by a different sort of power altogether…The kingdoms of the world run on violence.  The kingdom of God, Jesus declared, runs on love.— N.T. WrightStop trying to bring about the promises of God through your own effort and worldly means.“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.— Matthew 5:3-12

A Sermon for All Saints' Day St. Matthew 5:1-12 by William Klock What does it mean to be “blessed”?  In today's Gospel we hear St. Matthew's telling of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount—or the beginning of it, at any rate.  Blessed is this person and blessed is that person.  But what does it mean to be blessed?  And what's Jesus really getting at with this list: being poor in spirit, mournful, meek, merciful, and so on?  And who is the promise of blessing for?  This past Monday I found myself listening to a sermon by one of these woke, “exvangelical” guys whose ministry is about walking people through the deconstruction of their faith.  If you haven't come across it yet, “deconstruction” is a trendy euphemism for apostasy.  You throw away all the bits of Christianity that you can't harmonise with the secular world, leaving behind a gospelless gospel—like the security blanket I had as a toddler.  I wouldn't get rid of it, so my mom slowly cut it down, a little bit at a time until all I had was a little bit of fabric I could hold.  It wasn't a blanket anymore, but for some silly reason I still found security in it.  These folks do that with the gospel.  This preacher was preaching on the Sermon on the Mount and he started out by holding up Mohandas Gandhi as the one man who followed Jesus better than anyone else in the Twentieth Century.  Gandhi heard these words of Jesus and faithfully followed him.  Never mind that he was also a devout Hindu.  This preacher reduced the Sermon on the Mount to a bracing ethic.  It's Jesus teaching us how to be good and, through that, how to make the world a better place.  It doesn't really matter, he said, if you're Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist.  Jesus just wanted people to live this way and in doing so, we'll know the blessings of a better world.  He took the gospel and turned it into law.  And not even a good law.  The Old Testament law—the torah—has a lot more gospel to it than I think we often realise.  At its heart was that first and greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The God who reveals himself in the scriptures.  Not Zeus or Jupiter.  Not the gods of Gandhi's Hindu pantheon.  Not Mohammed's corruption of the biblical God.  Only the God who has made himself known through the law and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles, and most of all through his son, Jesus the Messiah.  Without love for him, no amount of loving your neighbour as yourself will truly heal the hurts of the world.  There is no blessing apart from him—and, more specifically, apart from loving him with all our being. Why?  Because it was our rejection of him that brought sin and death into the world in the first place.  Idolatry—whether it's the worship of false gods or the worship of ourselves—idolatry is the first sin from which all the others and all the world's misery cascade.  This is why God's gracious plan to set his creation to rights began as he reestablished our relationship with him. If we look to the scriptures we see that blessing comes through being in relationship with the God of Israel.  Specifically—because “relationship” is such a squishy modern idea—specifically blessing comes through being in covenant with him.  Think of Abraham.  The Lord established a covenant with him.  The Lord promised Abraham a family and a land and great name.  In a word: blessing.  In return Abraham was to trust him—to live by faith and to give the Lord his allegiance.  And, centuries later, when the Lord delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, consider what he did.  He revealed his glory by defeating Pharoah, his army, and his gods.  He revealed his glory in signs and wonders the likes of which no one had ever seen.  And then he met his people at Mt. Sinai.  He made them a promise: to make them great, to give them a land, and most important of all, to live in their midst.  Their end of the covenant—their promise to God—was embodied in the law.  Like Abraham, they were to live by faith and obedience and to give him their full allegiance—to love him with all their being and to love their neighbours as themselves.  And not just for their own benefit.  The Lord had a greater purpose.  He wanted the nations not only to see his glory, but for them to see the blessing that comes through living in fellowship with him. And so, before he died, as Israel was encamped in Moab and ready to cross the Jordan River to conquer Canaan, Moses assembled the people and reiterated the covenant.  “If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, if you carefully do all his commandments, the Lord will set you high above the other nations…Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb…and blessed shall be your basket and kneading bowl.  Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.”  And Moses reminded them that this was no mere “duty”.  This was no mere exchange of works in return for a declaration of righteousness.  This was grace.  Through Moses, the Lord reminded the people of all he'd done for them.  He'd rescued them from Egypt.  He'd defeated Pharaoh.  He'd done signs and wonders.  Their clothes had not worn out.  He'd provided every last morsel of food that they'd eaten for forty years.  All so that they would know that “I am the Lord your God”.  In other words, to reveal his love, his grace, his glory, and above all else his faithfulness—to enter into relationship with them and to give them every reason to have faith in him and to give him their allegiance.  To keep the law was to live by faith in the character and promises of God—to love him in return for his love. And this theme rings through Israel's history and Israel's scriptures.  This is what blessing means in the biblical economy.  Think of David's words in Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, not stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he exercise himself day and night.  And he will be like a tree planted by the waterside, that will bring forth his fruit in due season.”  The prophets use this same language of blessing when they rebuke Israel for having strayed from the Lord.  Blessing isn't just some nebulous idea of things being good—as a lot of people use it today.  Blessing is about creation—and humanity—being set to rights.  If you want to picture “blessing” in your mind's eye, picture Adam and Eve, in the garden, all their needs provided, as they faithfully steward God's creation and live in his immediate presence.  Brothers and Sisters, that's blessing.  David wasn't posting #blessed on Instagram with a picture of his pumpkin spice latte next to the fireplace.  For David it was #blessed with a picture of the tabernacle radiating the visible presence of the Lord in the midst of a people serving and loving and taking care of each other. This is what we've got to have in mind as we listen to Jesus begin to preach his great sermon in Matthew 5.  And we have to remember that it wasn't the reality that Israel knew.  This is why the people were so desperate for the Messiah.  The world is not as it should be.  Israel was most definitely not as it was supposed to be.  They wanted to know God's blessing—not just in the sense of material prosperity—above all, they longed for his presence.  And so, Matthew writes, “Seeing the crowd, Jesus went up the hillside and sat down.  His disciples came to him.  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Do you want to see God's kingdom, to know him as Father, to know creation set to rights, your sins forgiven, and your tears wiped away?  This is the way.  And it's not a set of ethical guidelines.  Too often we think of it that way.  It's character.  It's a mindset.  It's the character and the mindset of men and women who know desperately that the world is not as it should be.  But not just that.  Gandhi knew well enough that the world is not as it should be.  This is, first and foremost, the mindset of people who know the world as it should be is centred on the living God who created and sustains all things and us living joyfully, lovingly, and faithfully in his presence.  This is the mindset of people who have that image of Adam and Eve in the garden walking with the Lord in the cool of the day in their mind's eye and the longing of their hearts.  It's the mindset of people who have that image of tabernacle full of God's presence in the middle of a people who love him with all their being and their neighbours as themselves. And so it's the mindset of men and women who are not only outraged over sin and evil and longing for God's justice to fall on the people who have done them wrong.  It's the mindset of men and women who know that they've done wrong themselves—who know their own poverty of spirit.  Of men and women who mourn not only the sinful state of the world around them, but who also mourn their own sinfulness and the contributions they've made to the world's sick and sorry state.  It's the mindset of men and women who are meek, because they know that pride and selfishness do nothing more than deepen the world's darkness—who know that pride and selfishness are rooted in the very idolatry that drives God to the margins.  It is the mindset of men and women who, knowing the injustice and the unrighteousness of this broken world, hunger and thirst for God's justice and righteousness.  They long for his return as king to bring an end to evil and to rule with justice, because they know that we can never fix the world on our own and in our own power.  It is the mindset of those who are have known God's mercy and are therefore merciful themselves.  Of those who understand the ugliness of sin and idolatry and run from it, who are pure in heart.  It's the mindset of men and women who know the story and know of God's grace and how he loves sinners and desires above all else to be reconciled with them, and so they themselves become peacemakers and reconcilers. I don't think Jesus' list here is by any means exhaustive.  He preached this sermon more than once.  I expect he preached some version of it just about everywhere he went and it was a little different every time, which is what we see in the parallel passage in Luke's Gospel, where the list of beatitudes is shorter and a little different.  Jesus is describing a mindset using characteristics that resonated with his fellow Jews in that specific time and place.  These were the attitudes needed to counter the problems that infected First Century Israel.  Notably, these are all characteristics deeply rooted in Israel's prophetic tradition.  And I can't help but wonder if he learned this mindset, this character from his mother.  She sang her song, the one we call Magnificat and sing at Evening Prayer, when Elizabeth blessed her on hearing the news she was pregnant with the Messiah.  I wonder if Mary sang that song to Jesus when he was a boy, because we can hear echoes of it in his beatitudes: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  For he hath regarded the lowliness of his hand-maiden.  For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call be blessed.  For he that is mighty hath magnified me and holy is his name.  And his mercy is on them that fear him through all generations.  He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He hath put down the mighty from their set and hath exalted the humble and meek.  He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away.  He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, forever.”  Can you hear the echoes? But that's not the end of Jesus' beatitudes.  There are two more and I think they give us the key to how this works.  In verses 10-12 he continues: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of justice [or righteousness—the Greek word means both and there's no easily drawn line between justice and righteousness], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people slander you and persecute you and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me.  Celebrate and rejoice!  There's a great reward for you in heaven.  For that's how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.” And as we read that we should start to realise that while Jesus is talking about “them”, what he's also doing is outlining his own vocation and ministry.  Jesus would stand weeping over Jerusalem, mourning the unfaithfulness of his people and the judgement that was hurtling towards them like a freight train.  He would let himself be arrested and then stand, unresisting and refusing to retaliate or even to defend himself as he was mocked and spit on and beaten to within an inch of his life.  He would, beaten and bloodied, carry his own cross through the streets of Jerusalem and out to Golgotha.  His clothes would be stripped from him by the soldiers.  And as he breathed his last and died, one of those very soldiers would declare, “Surely this man was the son of God.” We think that when God comes to set the world to rights he'll send in the cavalry.  Most of the Jews in Jesus' day thought the same thing.  The Messiah would come like David, riding at the head of a great army to crush the heads of the Gentiles.  But instead the Messiah went humbly to Calvary.  He let sin and death rise up to their full height and strike him down so that when he rose from the grave three days later, he crushed the serpent's head and overturned the victory of sin and death. Brothers and Sisters, this is how God takes his throne and sets the world to rights.  This is how Jesus becomes Lord.  This is how blessing comes.  In poverty and meekness, bringing mercy and making peace.  And giving his life for the sake of his enemies.  Because any other way would simply perpetuate the very things you and I have done to get the world into the mess it's in. And now that Jesus has done it, our calling as his people is to keep doing it.  As St. Paul says, we're to have the mind of the Messiah.  This mindset has always been the mindset of the faithful people of God and it will be until the mission is one day done.  I suppose if he wanted to, God could simply save his people from their bondage, set the world to rights, and set them free to live in it, but that's not how he does things.  From the beginning he created Adam and Eve to bear his image—that means to be his stewards, to act as the priests of his temple.  And so when he delivered Israel from Egypt, he showed the people his glory and gave them reason to love and trust and obey him.  He established a covenant with them.  He took up his dwelling in their midst so that they would be his light in the midst of a dark world—so that the nations would see and come to give him glory.  He made them stewards of his glory and his grace.  And, Brothers and Sisters, in Jesus he has done the same for us. I started slowly reading through Ephesians this week—which might give you a hint of things to come—and the first thing I was struck by in the very first chapter was how, over and over, Paul proclaims the glory of God that has been revealed in Jesus and the Spirit—and that is also revealed in us.  I couldn't help but think how Jesus goes on after the Beatitudes: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.  A city can't be hidden if it's on top of a hill…That's how you must shine your light in front of people!  Then they will see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  This is what we see at the end of Revelation: the nations seeing the glory of God revealed in Jesus and his church and streaming to the New Jerusalem to worship him.  Brothers and Sisters, God's glory revealed in us, because he's made us new, and God's glory revealed by us, as we go to live and to proclaim his new creation. It is no easy task, but it is the only way to know and to make known God's blessing.  We go out, knowing our own poverty of spirit, but also the riches of God's grace.  We go out meek and mourning, but also knowing the joy of being coheirs with the King.  We go out hungering and thirsting for justice, but we do so having experienced mercy ourselves.  We go out to battle, paradoxically, with the intent to reconcile.  And as we do this, we also transpose this Messiah-like character into the key necessary to meet our own culture.  In a world of ugliness where truth is now defined as whatever we want it to be and politicians try to win our loyalty with lies and appeals to our greed, we go out knowing that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for truth, beauty, and goodness.  In a culture obsessed with consumption and debt, we go out knowing that blessed are those who are satisfied with the riches of God.  However we do it, Brothers and Sisters, our calling is to go out into the world as light in the darkness, knowing and confident on the one hand that Jesus is Lord and has won the battle, but also going out with the same humility of spirit that took him to the cross.  Knowing that when God rides out to war to set the world to rights, it's not with the cavalry, but to the humility of Calvary.  So, too, must it be with us. Let us pray: O almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

In this teaching on 2 Kings 5, Pastor Tyler Warner and Calvary Chapel Trussville encounter the story of Naaman, a Syrian general afflicted with leprosy, and Gehazi's greed and punishment. This narrative beautifully illustrates the transformative power of God's grace and the humbling journey towards faith. We're reminded that no matter our status or accomplishments, we all suffer from the 'leprosy' of sin - an incurable condition that only God can heal. The simple act of washing in the Jordan River symbolizes the simplicity of salvation through faith, challenging our tendency to complicate or earn God's grace. This story prompts us to examine our own hearts: Do we, like Naaman, struggle with pride or preconceived notions that hinder our acceptance of God's free gift? It encourages us to embrace childlike faith and surrender, recognizing that true healing and freedom come not through our own efforts, but through humble obedience to God's word.

In this teaching on 2 Kings 6:1-7 , Pastor Tyler Warner and Calvary Chapel Trussville encounter a seemingly simple story about a borrowed axe head that falls into the Jordan River—yet within this brief narrative lies a profound truth about spiritual power and effectiveness. The sons of the prophets were experiencing growth, needing to expand their building, a refreshing sign after Jezebel had nearly wiped out all prophets from the land. But in the midst of their labor, disaster strikes: the axe head flies off and sinks into the water. What makes this crisis so severe isn't just the loss of a tool, but that it was borrowed—the young prophet could face financial ruin or even slavery for losing it. When Elisha asks the crucial question, 'Where did it fall?' and miraculously makes the iron float, we're given a powerful metaphor for our spiritual lives. We all begin our journey with borrowed power—the strength, wisdom, and effectiveness we experience comes entirely from God, not from ourselves. Yet somewhere along the way, many of us lose our edge. We keep swinging the axe, working just as hard, but nothing seems to happen anymore. Our marriages stall, our ministries plateau, our joy evaporates. The lesson is clear: when we realize we've lost our spiritual effectiveness, we must ask ourselves the same question Elisha asked—where did we lose it? Where did we stop praying like we used to? When did we abandon our first love? The beautiful promise is that God doesn't want us to languish in powerlessness. He wants us to return to where we fell, repent, and resume doing the things we did at first. The moment we reattach that axe head, everything changes—not because the tree has fallen yet, but because now we have the borrowed power of God to complete what He's called us to do.

Today we celebrate how God has used our generosity to take back what the Enemy has stolen. Broken lives that were once shattered have been restored. Hope reigns where despair once did. The generous gifts of your time, treasure, and talent have made the difference. Let's learn a few key lessons from how Joshua celebrated the ground taken in crossing the Jordan River.I. God's Commands Aren't Always Practical (vv. 1-3)II. Our Obedience Is Always Vital (vv. 4-5, 8)III. Remembering the Past Is Inspirational (vv. 6-7)IV. God's Power Is Irresistible (v. 24)Talk with God: Meditate on 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 and thank the Lord for His faithfulness to “multiply the seed” of your obedience and generosity (v. 10).Talk with others: Ask a friend how you can pray for them this week and encourage them to look back at a time when God's hand in their life was evident.Talk with kids: Why did the Israelites want a king?

814 They Attempted Again To Seize Him, But He Escaped Their Clutches, A Guided Christian Meditation on John 10:39-42 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.  You can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tense or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:   Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation NET 39 Then they attempted again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. 40 Jesus went back across the Jordan River again to the place where John had been baptizing at an earlier time, and he stayed there. 41 Many came to him and began to say, “John performed no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true!” 42 And many believed in Jesus there. RSV 39 Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him; and they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there. Reflection on Scripture: Imagine the ridiculous idea. A group of  religious policemen go try and arrest the creator of everything on the earth they walked. When I read this I am overwhelmed by the irony of it all. Jesus on many occasions escaped capture. He would not go until his time came. Even when he was finally captured he did so knowingly. He even told Judas to betray him  quickly. For us to assume that we can dictate God's plans is such a spiritually immature and damaging mindset.  Yet we are not above this mindset. We like to think we control our world. We like to feel empowered. In some ways this is something God has created within us. Our Godly drive to improve the world around us is good. If we are not careful we can get captured by the idea that we can bend God to our will. Equally unhelpful is that God wants to help us to do whatever we want. God wants our development and perfection and only he knows what it is.  With that said I do believe God wants us to learn to pursue good autonomously. Also I think he wants to empower us to engage with Him regarding our plans. I think this is drastically different than us being a law unto ourself and pursuing our own selfish desires and claiming it is what God wants. I believe that God wants us to reach out to him and plead for discernment regarding our lives. The goal should always be for us to seek God's will not to bend God's will to our own. I want you to ponder   Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

Joshua marked the crossing of the Jordan River with a stone monument commemorating God's gracious deliverance. As we celebrate 175 years, we see God's hand of blessing with us.

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores Tractate Bava Metzia 84a, focusing on the profound relationship between Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish, their transformative encounter, and the tragic fallout of their dispute. The episode delves into themes of Torah's transformative power, respect for teachers, self-sufficiency, and the Jewish people's global mission. Key points include:Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish's Encounter: Rabbi Yochanan, swimming in the Jordan River, is pursued by Reish Lakish, a highway robber. Rabbi Wolbe digresses to note the Jordan's flow from the sweet Sea of Galilee (a “giver”) to the bitter Dead Sea (a “taker”), symbolizing the sweetness of giving. Rabbi Yochanan praises Reish Lakish's strength, suggesting he redirect it to Torah study, while Reish Lakish retorts that Rabbi Yochanan's beauty suits women. Rabbi Yochanan offers his sister in marriage if Reish Lakish repents, leading to his transformation. Reish Lakish weakens physically upon accepting Torah, as Torah shifts focus from physical to spiritual pursuits, consuming one's energy (6:11–9:54).Torah's Transformative Power: Rabbi Wolbe explains that Torah is not just a subject but a “sam hachaim” (elixir of life), weakening physical desires to strengthen spiritual ones. Reish Lakish's sudden weakness reflects Torah's overwhelming influence, countering the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), which distracts from study (e.g., causing sleepiness or daydreaming, per Psalms 20). This underscores the incompatibility of material and spiritual pursuits, critiquing modern attempts to “have it all” (e.g., 2008 mortgage crisis).Their Dispute and Tragedy: Years later, as scholars, they debate when a vessel becomes susceptible to tumah (ritual impurity): Rabbi Yochanan says when metals are fused; Reish Lakish says when polished. Rabbi Yochanan's comment, “A thief knows the tools of thievery,” is meant constructively but offends Reish Lakish, who retorts, “How have you benefited me?” Rabbi Yochanan responds that he brought him under the Divine Presence. Reish Lakish's disrespect causes divine retribution, leading to his illness and death. Rabbi Yochanan's sister pleads for mercy, but he cites verses (Jeremiah 49:11) to prioritize divine justice, as Reish Lakish's contempt endangered their bond and the nation's spiritual integrity (29:34–32:14).Rabbi Yochanan's Grief: Rabbi Yochanan is heartbroken, grieving Reish Lakish's loss. A new student, Rabbi Elazar ben Pedas, merely affirms Rabbi Yochanan's teachings, unlike Reish Lakish's challenging 24 questions and answers, which clarified Torah through debate. Rabbi Yochanan's anguish drives him to madness, and the rabbis pray for his death, as his bond with Reish Lakish was central to his existence (50:30–54:38)._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on September 5, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on October 24, 2025_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud, #Yochanan, #ReishLakish, #BavaMitzia, #mentorship, #parenting, #marriage, #authority, #respect, #leadership, #reverence ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores Tractate Bava Metzia 84a, focusing on the profound relationship between Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish, their transformative encounter, and the tragic fallout of their dispute. The episode delves into themes of Torah's transformative power, respect for teachers, self-sufficiency, and the Jewish people's global mission. Key points include:Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish's Encounter: Rabbi Yochanan, swimming in the Jordan River, is pursued by Reish Lakish, a highway robber. Rabbi Wolbe digresses to note the Jordan's flow from the sweet Sea of Galilee (a “giver”) to the bitter Dead Sea (a “taker”), symbolizing the sweetness of giving. Rabbi Yochanan praises Reish Lakish's strength, suggesting he redirect it to Torah study, while Reish Lakish retorts that Rabbi Yochanan's beauty suits women. Rabbi Yochanan offers his sister in marriage if Reish Lakish repents, leading to his transformation. Reish Lakish weakens physically upon accepting Torah, as Torah shifts focus from physical to spiritual pursuits, consuming one's energy (6:11–9:54).Torah's Transformative Power: Rabbi Wolbe explains that Torah is not just a subject but a “sam hachaim” (elixir of life), weakening physical desires to strengthen spiritual ones. Reish Lakish's sudden weakness reflects Torah's overwhelming influence, countering the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), which distracts from study (e.g., causing sleepiness or daydreaming, per Psalms 20). This underscores the incompatibility of material and spiritual pursuits, critiquing modern attempts to “have it all” (e.g., 2008 mortgage crisis).Their Dispute and Tragedy: Years later, as scholars, they debate when a vessel becomes susceptible to tumah (ritual impurity): Rabbi Yochanan says when metals are fused; Reish Lakish says when polished. Rabbi Yochanan's comment, “A thief knows the tools of thievery,” is meant constructively but offends Reish Lakish, who retorts, “How have you benefited me?” Rabbi Yochanan responds that he brought him under the Divine Presence. Reish Lakish's disrespect causes divine retribution, leading to his illness and death. Rabbi Yochanan's sister pleads for mercy, but he cites verses (Jeremiah 49:11) to prioritize divine justice, as Reish Lakish's contempt endangered their bond and the nation's spiritual integrity (29:34–32:14).Rabbi Yochanan's Grief: Rabbi Yochanan is heartbroken, grieving Reish Lakish's loss. A new student, Rabbi Elazar ben Pedas, merely affirms Rabbi Yochanan's teachings, unlike Reish Lakish's challenging 24 questions and answers, which clarified Torah through debate. Rabbi Yochanan's anguish drives him to madness, and the rabbis pray for his death, as his bond with Reish Lakish was central to his existence (50:30–54:38)._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on September 5, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on October 24, 2025_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud, #Yochanan, #ReishLakish, #BavaMitzia, #mentorship, #parenting, #marriage, #authority, #respect, #leadership, #reverence ★ Support this podcast ★

How did the Israeli economy react to the war against Hamas?  Hear from a major player on the ground – Dr. Eugene Kandel, former economic adviser and Chairman of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, discusses Israel's financial resilience after the war against Hamas. Having made aliyah from the Soviet Union in 1977 with his family, Dr. Kandel covers the stock market rebound, missed economic opportunities with Jordan and Egypt, and the success of the Abraham Accords.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Take Action: Elected Leaders: Demand Hamas Release the Hostages  Key Resources: AJC's Efforts to Support the Hostages Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman:   Professor Eugene Kandel served as economic adviser to the Prime Minister of Israel from 2009 to 2015, and with Ron Sor is a co-founder of Israel's Strategic Futures Institute. He is also chairman of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the only public stock exchange in Israel, known locally as the Bursa. He is with us now to talk about the impact of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza on Israel's economy, the potential and impact so far of the Abraham Accords, and how history could one day view October 7 as a turning point for Israel's democracy.  Dr. Kandel, welcome to People of the Pod. Eugene Kandel:   Thank you. Thank you for having me.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Before we begin, your family came to Israel in 1977. Can you share your family's Aliyah story? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, when I was 14, my family was living very comfortably in the Soviet Union. My father was a quite known writer, playwright, a script writer. And around him was a group of Jewish people of culture that were quite known in their domains, mostly Jewish. And so at some point in 67 he sort of had this vision and started studying Hebrew. But 1970 and then by ‘73 when I was 14 years old, he came to me and said, Look, your mom and I decided to immigrate to Israel. What do you think about it, and I said, I don't know what I think about it. Okay, you know, if we want to immigrate, let's immigrate. I never felt too much belonging there. So unfortunately, Soviet authorities had other ideas about that. So we spent four years as refuseniks. My father, together with Benjamin Fine, were the editors of the underground publication called Tarbut. And for people who did not live there, they put their names on it. So this was, these were typewritten copies of Jewish culture monthly. And there were two names on it. You could go to jail for this. My father was always pretty brave man for his petite size, because during the Second World War, he was very, very hungry, to say the least. So he didn't really grow very much. But he's very big inside.  And so the following four years were pretty tough on them, because he couldn't work anywhere. Just like in McCarty years in this country, people would give work to their friends and then publish it under their own name. That's what he did for his friends, and they would share the money with him, or give him most of the money. There were very, very brave people. And then, you know, there was an incident where they wanted to send a message to my father to be a little less publicly outspoken. And so two KGB agents beat me up.  And that started a whole interesting set of events, because there was an organization in Chicago called Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry. Pamela Cohen. And I actually met Pamela when I was studying at the University of Chicago. And thanked her. So they took upon themselves to harass Soviet cinema and theater and culture officials. And so they were so successful that at some point, the writers league from Hollywood said that nobody will go to Moscow Film Festival unless they release us because they do not want to associate with people who beat up children. I wasn't a child, I was 17 years old, but still. And that sort of helped. At least, that's how we think about it.  So it's worthwhile being beaten up once in a while, because if it lets you out, I would take it another time. And then we came to Israel in a very interesting time. We came to Israel four hours after Anwar Sadat left. So we came to a different Israel. On the brink of a peace agreement with Egypt. And so that was it.  We came to Mevaseret Zion, which was an absorption center. A small absorption center. Today I actually live probably 500 yards from where we stayed. Sort of full circle.  And today, it's a significant, it's about 25,000 people town. And that's the story, you know, in the middle, in between then and now, I served in the military, did two degrees at Hebrew University, did two degrees at the University of Chicago, served as professor at the University of Rochester, and then for 28 years, served as professor of economics and finance at the Hebrew University. So I keep doing these circles to places where I started. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You say you arrived four hours after Sadat's visit to Israel on the brink of a peace agreement with Egypt. Did that peace agreement live up to expectations? Eugene Kandel:   Well, it depends what are your expectations. If your expectation will continue in the war, it definitely did, because, you know, for the last, you know, whatever, 48 years, we didn't have any military activity between Israel and Egypt. And we even have security collaboration to some extent. But if you're thinking about real peace, that would translate into people to people peace, business to business peace, it did not generate that at all. Because there was a very, very strong opposition on the street level and on the intellectuals level.  It actually started to break a little bit, because today you can find analysts on Egyptian television that are saying that we are, we are stupid because we don't collaborate with Israel. It is allowed today, It's allowed to be said in, you know, 20-30, years [ago], that person would have been ostracized and would never be allowed to speak.  So there is some progress, but unfortunately, it's a huge loss for the Egyptian economy. For Israeli economy, it is probably also a loss, but Israeli economy has a lot of alternatives in other countries. But Egyptians don't seem to be able to implement all the things that Israelis implemented a long time ago. You know, whether it's water technologies, whether it's energy technologies. Lots of lots of stuff, and it's really, really unfortunate that we could have helped Egyptian people, the same people who rejected any relations with us. And that's a pity. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The next peace agreement that came was with Jordan in 1994, quite some time later. Did that peace agreement live up to expectations, and where were you in 1994? Eugene Kandel:   1994, I was a professor at the University of Rochester, so I wasn't involved at all. But again, it was a very, very similar story. It was the peace that was sort of forced from above. It was clearly imposed on the people despite their objections, and you saw demonstrations, and you still see. But it was clear to the leadership of Jordan that Israel is, in their case, is absolutely essential for the survival of the Hashemite Dynasty. In the end the Israeli intelligence saved that dynasty, many, many times.  But again, it wasn't translated into anything economic, almost anything economic, until in the early 2000s there were some plants in Jordan by Israeli businessmen that were providing jobs, etc. But I was privileged to be the first to go to Jordan together with American officials and negotiate the beginning of the gas agreement.  We were selling gas to Jordan, because Jordan was basically going bankrupt because of the high energy costs. Jordan doesn't have its own energy, apart from oil shale. Sorry, shale oil. And for some reason they weren't able to develop that. But Israeli gas that we are selling to them as a result of what we started in 2012 I believe. Actually very important for the Jordanian economy. And if we can continue that, then maybe connect our electrical grid, which is now in the works, between the water-energy system.  And now maybe there is a possibility to connect the Syrian grid. If we have an agreement with Syria, it will help tremendously these countries to get economic development much faster. And it will help Israel as well, to balance its energy needs and to maybe get energy, provide energy, you know, get electricity, provide gas. You know, there's all these things where we can do a lot of things together. If there is a will on the other side. There's definitely will on the Israeli side. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In addition to gas, there's also water desalination agreements, as well, right? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, there was a Red to Dead project, which was to pump the water all the way from the Red Sea along the Arava Valley. And then there is a 400 meter, 500 meter drop. And so to generate electricity through that desalinate that water that you pump, and then send that water to Egypt, send the electricity that was generated and not needed to Israel and then dump this salt stuff into the Dead Sea. Frankly, I don't know where this project is. Nobody talks about it for the last seven, eight years. I haven't heard.  Now there are different projects where you would get energy generated in Jordan and sold to Israel in Eilat, for example, because it's difficult for us to bring electricity all the way South. And so if the Jordanians have large fields of photovoltaic energy they can sell, they can satisfy the needs of a lot, and then in return, we can desalinate water and send it to them. So there's all kinds of projects that are being discussed. Manya Brachear Pashman:   But Israel does provide water to Jordan, correct? Eugene Kandel:   There are two agreements. One agreement, according to our peace agreement, we are supposed to provide them with a certain amount of water. I don't remember the exact amount. But that's not enough, and so we also sell them water. So think about it. There is a sweet water reservoir called Tiberius, Kinneret, in the north, and we sending water from there into two directions according to the agreement. We're sending it to Amman, pumping it up to the mountains, and then we're sending it throughout the Jordan Valley, all the way along the Jordan River, to the Jordanian side. So it's quite striking when I used to go between Jerusalem and Amman, it's actually an hour and a half drive. That's it. You go down, you go up, and you're there.  And so when you're passing the Israeli side, you see the plantations of date palms that are irrigated with drip irrigation. So very, very economically, using the brackish salt water that is pumped out of the ground there. You cross two miles further, you see banana plantations that are flood irrigated at 50-centigrade weather, and the water that comes from them comes on an open canal. So basically, 50% of the water that we send this way evaporates. Growing bananas in that climate and using so much water, it's probably, if you take into account the true cost of water, it's probably money losing proposition, but they're getting the water. The people that are the settlements on that Bank of Jordan River, are getting it for free. They don't care. And if somebody would just internalize that, and instead of sending the water down in an open canal, would send the whole water up to Amman, where there is a shortage of water, enormous shortage of water. And then you would take the gravity and use that water to generate electricity, to clean that water, the sewage, clean it and drip irrigate plantations, everybody would make enormous amounts of money. Literally enormous amounts of money. And everybody's lives would be better, okay? And I'm not talking about Israelis. It's within Jordan. And you can't say that there's no technology for that, because the technology is two miles away. You can see it.  And it just puzzles me. Why wouldn't that be done by some entrepreneurs, Jordanian entrepreneurs. We could really help with that. We could even help by buying the water from them back. The water that we give them, we can buy it back. Because in Israel, the water is very expensive. So we could finance that whole thing just by sending the water back, but that would be probably politically unacceptable, I don't know. But it's really, really . . . for an economist, it's just a sad story. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Missed opportunities. Well, let's go back. I introduced you as the chair of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the Bursa. And I am curious. Let's talk about the economy. Does Israel treat its stock market the same way we do? In other words, are there opening and closing bells at the beginning and end of every day? How does the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange work compared to the United States? Eugene Kandel:   Well, we do have the opening bell, but it's usually reserved for some events. We don't have the events every day. Usually, if there's a new listing, or there's somebody celebrating, like, 20 years of listing, we have all kinds. Recently, we had Mr. Bill Ackman came and gave a speech and opened the trading together with us.  There are events around Jeffries Conference. But it's much more, you know, ceremony, I mean, it's not really connected to anything. Trading starts whether you press the button or don't. But Israeli stock exchange is unique in the following sense: it is an open limit book. What means that there is, you know, buyers meet sellers directly, and it works like that, not only in stocks, which is similar to what it is everywhere, but it's also in bonds, government bonds, corporate bonds, and in derivatives.  So in that sense, we do have our ceremonies, but the interesting thing is, what is happening with the exchange in the last two years. Accidentally, I joined two years ago as the chairman, and over the last two years, the stock exchange, the indices of Israeli Stock Exchange were the best performing out of all developed countries, by far. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Did that have something to do with the war? Eugene Kandel:   Well, it should have been, you know, in the opposite direction, but, the war is, not this length of war, not this intensity of war . . . but if you look back over at least 25 years, the Israeli economy responds very robustly to military conflict. Usually they're much shorter. If you look at even quarterly returns of the stock exchange, you would not know that there was a war in the middle, definitely not annual. If you look over the last 25 years, and you look at this stock, annual returns of the indices, you would not know that there was anything wrong, apart from our 2003 crisis, and Corona. Even the great financial crisis, you would not see it. I mean it was basically past us, because we didn't have a financial crisis in Israel. We had repercussions from, you know, the rest of the world's financial crisis, but we didn't get our own. And so we do have resilience built in, because we're just so used to it. However, having said that, it's the first time that we have such a long and intensive war on seven, whatever fronts. So it is quite surprising that just like any other time, it took about three months for the stock market to rebound after October 8. It was a big question whether to open the market on October 8. We struggled with it, and we decided that we do not want to give anybody the right to disrupt the Israeli economy.  I mean, it was a really tough decision, because there was certain people were saying, Well, how can you do that? It's a national tragedy. And of course, it was a national tragedy. But closing the market would have meant two things.  First of all, it would have shown the world that our economy can be interrupted. It would have given the benefit to those people that did these atrocities, that they managed to do more damage than they already did. And we didn't want to do that. And it didn't collapse. It went down, of course, but it rebounded within less than three months. By the end of that year, it was back on the same level. And then it did this comeback, which was quite phenomenal. And it's an interesting question, how come? Because during that time, we had some cases where Israel was boycotted by investors, very few, by the way, but we also saw many, many new investors coming in.  You could look at the war from the negative side. Of course, huge costs. But with all that, it was about 10% of annual GDP, because we are, you know, we're a big economy, and we borrowed that very easily because we had a very strong macro position before that. So we now 76% debt to GDP ratio. It's much lower than majority of developed countries. But we still had to borrow that. It was a lot of money, and then the defense budget is going to go up. So there is this cost.  But vis a vis that, A, Israeli technology has been proven to be unmatched, apart from maybe us technology in certain cases, but in some cases, even there, we have something to share. And so we have huge amounts of back orders for our defense industries. During the war, and they were going up when some of the countries that are making these purchases were criticizing us. They were learning from what we did, and buying, buying our equipment and software, etc.  And the second thing, we removed the huge security threat. If you look before October 7, we were quite concerned about 150,000 missiles, some of them precise missiles in Hezbollah's hands, an uninterrupted path from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah, constantly replenishing. We would bomb them sometimes in Syria, but we didn't catch all of them. We had Hamas, we had Hezbollah, we had Syrians, we had Iranians. We had, you know, not, you know, Iraqi militia. So, Hezbollah doesn't exist. Well, it exists, but it's nowhere near where it where was at. And the Lebanese Government is seriously attempting to disarm it. Syria, we all know what happened in Syria. We didn't lift a finger to do that. But indirectly, from what happened in Hezbollah, the rebels in Syria became emboldened and did what they did. We know what happened with Hamas. We know what happened with Iran. Okay, Iran, even Europeans reimposed the sanctions. So that's the side effect.  So if you look at the Israeli geopolitical and security situation, it's much, much better. And in that situation, once the war is over and the hostages are returned, and hopefully, we will not let this happen again, ever, to work hard so we remember that and not become complacent. It's an enormous, enormous boost to Israeli economy, because this security premium was quite big.  So that is on the positive side, and if we play smart, and we play strategically, and we regain sort of good relations with some of the countries which are currently very critical of us, and somehow make them immune to this anti Israeli antisemitism propaganda, we can really get going. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You mentioned investors. There were more investors after the war. Where were those investors coming from, internally or from other countries?  Eugene Kandel:   It's interesting that you asked this question, because in 2020, early 2024 a lot of Israeli institutions and individuals moved to S&P 500, and they got really hammered. Twice. Because A, S&P 500 was lagging behind the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. So there was some other players coming in, because otherwise, when you move money, usually, you should see a drop, but you saw an increase. That meant that there are others came in. But the more interesting thing is that shekel was very weak when they bought dollars, and now shekel is about 15% stronger, so they lost 15% just on the exchange rate. And so a lot of money that went to S&P came back in the last six, eight months. So the internal money came back.  But on top of internal money, we looked at the behavior of foreign investors right after October 7. They didn't flee the country. Some of them sold stocks, bought bonds. And then so Israeli institutions made money on that, because Israeli institutions bought stocks from them at about 10%, 15% discount, and then when it rebounded, they made money. But that money didn't leave, it stayed in Israel, and it was very costly to repatriate it, because the shekel was very weak. And so buying dollars back was expensive. And the money slowly went into stocks. And then people made quite a lot of money on this. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The last topic I want to cover with you is external relations. You mentioned Syria, the potential of collaborating with Syria for water, gas. Eugene Kandel:   Electricity. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Electricity. And I presume that you're referring to the possibility of Syria being one of the next members to join the Abraham Accords. That has been mentioned as a possibility. Eugene Kandel:   Maybe. But we can, we can do something much less. Manya Brachear Pashman: Outside of the Accords. Eugene Kandel:   Outside of the Accords, or pre-Accord, or we can, we can just create some kind of collaboration, just we had, like as we had with UAE for for 15 years before the Accord was signed. Was a clear understanding.  Maybe. But we can, we can do something much less outside of the Accord, or pre-Accord, or we can, we can just create some kind of collaboration, just we had, like as we had with UAE for for 15 years before the Accord was signed. Was a clear understanding.  You know, I was in UAE, in Dubai on the day of signing of the Accord. I landed in Dubai when they were signing on the on the green loan, on the White House lawn. And we landed. It was amazing. It was the degree of warmth that we received from everybody, from ministers in the economy to ministers that came to speak to us, by the dozen to people in the hotel that were just meeting us. They issued, for example, before signing the Accord, there was a regulation passed by by UAE that every hotel has to have kosher food. We don't have that in Israel. I mean, hotels mostly have kosher food, but not all of them, and, and it's not by law.  This was, like, clear, we want these people to feel comfortable. It was truly amazing. I've never, I could never imagine that I would come to a country where we didn't have any relations until today, and suddenly feel very, very welcome. On every level, on the street, in restaurants. And that was quite amazing, and that was the result of us collaborating below the surface for many, many years. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Parity of esteem, yes? Suddenly. Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, they didn't feel they did exactly the important part when the UAE businessman or or Ambassador order you feel completely no chip on the shoulder whatsoever. They feel very proud of their heritage. They feel very proud of their achievements. They feel and you feel at the same level. They feel at the same level, just like you would with the Europeans. We always felt that there was something like when, when, Arab delegations, always tension. I don't know whether it was superiority or inferiority. I don't know. It doesn't matter, but it was always tension in here. I didn't feel any tension. Was like, want to do business, we want to learn from you, and you'll to learn from us. And it was just wow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Same in Bahrain and Morocco? Eugene Kandel:   I haven't been to Bahrain and Morocco. I think Bahrain wants to do business. They were very even, sort of some of, we sent the delegation to Bahrain to talk about sort of Israeli technology and how to build an ecosystem in the same with Morocco. I think it's a bit different. I think it's a bit different because we didn't see much going on from from these two countries. Although Morocco is more advancing much faster than Bahrain. There are a lot of interesting proposals coming out of it.  There's a genuine desire there. In the last two years, of course, it was difficult for for anybody to do anything in those but interestingly, when almost no European airlines or American airlines were flying to us, Etihad and Emirates were flying to Israel. They were flying. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Past two years? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, they would not stop. And you're just like, wow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So would you say the Abraham Accords have had a significant impact on Israel's economy at all? Eugene Kandel:   I do not know. I mean, I don't have data on that by the sheer number. I mean, the the number of Israeli tourists Sue UAE, it's probably 10 or 20 to one to the vice versa. So we've been Israelis flooding UAE. In terms of investments, there are some technology investments. There's some, some more infrastructural investors, like they bought 20% of our gas field. There are collaborations between universities and research centers. So it's hard to measure, but you have to remember that there was a huge amount of trade and collaboration under the surface. So it surfaced. But that doesn't mean that there was an effect on the economy, just people suddenly saw it. So you don't know what the Delta was. If the same amount of business was suddenly coming out of Jordan, we would have seen, you know, big surge. So I'm not sure how much . . . I don't mean to say that there was no impact. I'm just saying that the impact was much more gradual, because there was so much already, right? But I'm sure that it is continuing, and the fact that these airlines were continuing to fly, indicates that there is a demand, and there's a business. Initially a lot of Israelis thought that there was, this was a money bag, and they would go there and try to raise money and not understanding culture, not understanding. That period is over. I mean, the Emiratis conveyed pretty clearly that they not. They're very sophisticated investors. They know how to evaluate so they do when they make investments, these investments make sense, rather than just because you wanted to get some money from somebody. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, thank you so much.  Eugene Kandel:   Thank you.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you missed our last episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC's Director of Congressional Affairs Jessica Bernton. We spoke shortly after receiving the news that a deal had been reached and the hostages from the October 7 Hamas terror attack might finally come home after two years in captivity. That dream was partially realized last week when all the living hostages returned and the wait began for those who were murdered.  

How many of us would feed a hungry stranger with the last crust of bread left in the house?The prophet Elijah received a prophecy that the land would suffer a years-long drought, and this message from God had come to pass. The Lord sent him to a ravine east of the Jordan River, where He sent ravens with bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and Elijah could drink from a brook, but eventually, the brook ran dry because there was no rain in the land.The Lord commanded Elijah, “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”When the prophet came upon the widow, she told him she had just enough flour and oil left for a last meal for herself and her son, and she expected they would die of starvation after this final meal.Elijah instructed her not to be afraid and asked her to make a small loaf of bread for him, then to do the same for herself and her son.1 Kings 17:15–16 says, “She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.” Because of the kindness she paid to the Lord's servant, the unnamed widow was blessed with enough to continue sharing with Elijah, and enough for her family to eat until the rains returned.Let's pray.God, you are our steadfast provider. When we have an opportunity to give to those in need, remind us that you bless us with enough to share. Help us to give unselfishly from the abundance you provide for us. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

The Wilderness E8 –– In the Bible, God often turns wilderness wanderings into times of testing, purification, and preparation for returning to the garden land. The tragedy of the Hebrew Bible, however, is that when people do return to the garden, they keep following their own distorted wisdom and desires. This is why the beginning of every gospel account features a wild prophet named John, who is out in the wilderness by the Jordan River, preaching a baptism of repentance. It's a symbolic reenactment of when God purified the exodus generation through the deadly chaos waters and treacherous desert. But then Jesus approaches John, also asking to be baptized. Why? In this episode, Jon and Tim unpack the background and ministry of John the Baptizer and how Jesus' baptism connects to his larger Kingdom mission.CHAPTERSRecap of Theme and Setup for John the Baptizer (0:00-15:53)John's Background and Words to the Pharisees (15:53-38:03)Why Jesus Participates in a Baptism of Repentance (38:03-44:47)The Heavenly Announcement After Jesus' Baptism (44:47-51:33)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode's official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, translated by Geza VermesYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Lunch Break ft. Abstractv” by Lofi Sunday“Old Record” by Lofi Sunday, Marc VanparlaBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today's episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This message examines Israel's crossing of the Jordan River as a powerful moment of transition from wilderness wandering to entering God's promises. It explains the historical and spiritual significance of the Jordan River and the Ark of the Covenant, showing how God miraculously stopped the river's flow to lead His people forward. The sermon draws five parallels for the church today: we are always in transition, everyone must move forward together, we follow God's Word, all believers share in ministry, and consecration prepares us for God's wonders. Ultimately, it calls believers to be spiritually ready, united, and obedient as God leads them into greater promises.

Summary of Sermon – Joshua Session 3 Text Focus: Joshua chapters 3–5 — Israel's crossing of the Jordan River, covenant renewal, and Joshua's encounter with the Lord. 1. Crossing the Jordan: Following God's Presence Joshua leads Israel to the Jordan River as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The ark of the covenant symbolizes God's presence and direction. The people are instructed to keep a reverent distance and follow where they have not been before — a metaphor for trusting God's leadership into new seasons. Emphasis: Check with God before acting, as David did. Without divine guidance, human wisdom leads to destruction. 2. Sanctification and Preparation Joshua tells the people to sanctify themselves—prepare their hearts before encountering God. Spiritual application: many believers fail in preparation; we rush to worship or prayer without focus. Encourage deliberate quieting of the heart before God. 3. The Miracle and Memorial When the priests step into the Jordan, the waters stop—a new generation witnesses God's power, as their parents did at the Red Sea. Twelve stones are taken from the river to build a memorial at Gilgal, a lasting reminder of God's faithfulness. Application: Tell your children what God has done; leave spiritual testimonies, not just material inheritances. Forgetting the cost leads to complacency—just as people forget the price paid for freedom or salvation. 4. Covenant Renewal at Gilgal God commands the new generation to be circumcised, renewing the covenant their fathers neglected. Gilgal means “rolled away”—God rolls away the reproach of Egypt. Spiritual meaning: God circumcises our hearts, removing spiritual blindness. Revival is not for the lost (“unvived”) but for believers to be revived—to renew their first love. 5. Transition of Provision After the Passover, the manna ceases, and Israel eats the fruit of Canaan. Message: God changes seasons—He may not move in the same way He once did. Mature believers learn to hear the still small voice, not depend on grand emotional experiences. 6. The Divine Encounter Joshua meets the Commander of the Lord's army—a divine or pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. He is told to remove his sandals, as Moses did at the burning bush, for he stands on holy ground. Application: The deepest encounters with God often happen alone, not in crowds. God desires one-on-one time with His people—to reveal Himself personally and intimately. 7. Final Exhortation Make room for personal encounters with God, beyond church gatherings. Strength, joy, and peace flow from direct relationship with Christ. No one—not even loved ones—can take the place of Jesus in bringing joy or fulfillment. Closing Prayer A call for God's people to keep Him first, walk closely with His Spirit, and regularly make time for intimate communion with Him—away from distraction.

Israel's crossing of the Jordan in Lesson 3 was a miraculous success: We have tried to imagine the logistics of getting thousands of people of all ages, across a swollen river, together with their animals But, in last week's lesson, God accomplished all of that. And this miracle had another effect: It turned out to be psychological warfare, highly successful. Text: Joshua 5
 1 "When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they ...

Join Swoopes and Soup, and they journey with the children of Israel as they cross the Jordan River.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The book of Deuteronomy opens as the people of God arrive at the end of their 40-year-long journey in the wilderness, and now reside along the border of Moab and the edge of the Jordan River: right on the cusp of stepping into the Promised Land. As they are right on the cusp of something new, Moses stands before them and speaks - a word of encouragement and hope to empower the people to take their next step forward.

Veronica Kasprzak went upstairs to check on her 15-year-old daughter, Annie, only to find an empty room and a runaway note on the bed. The very next day, a gruesome discovery would lead police down a twisty path that would eventually lead them right back to the beginning. Instagram: @CousinsonCrimePodcast Email: CousinsonCrime@gmail.com Theme Music by AleXZavesa Join our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/CousinsOnCrime Check out our merch store! https://cousinsoncrime-shop.fourthwall.com/? Sources: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175618312/anne_grace-kasprzak https://www.deseret.com/2015/4/22/20563314/mother-of-anne-kasprzak-wants-responsibility-not-revenge-for-her-daughter-s-accused-killer/ https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/remembering-annie-kasprzak-681119811852 https://www.ksl.com/article/32050897/documents-detail-pregnancy-rumors-cellphone-records-in-kasprzak-killing https://youtu.be/LM8WZdEvnP8?si=x0taPJaddgYh3SqT https://youtu.be/qxenmIWwLtI?si=tljcThMuQSWqJ1Ot https://youtu.be/1P-CPl_iXx4 https://youtu.be/qxenmIWwLtI?si=8qM7GgQQ6JnFuK3a

Put On Your Nikes – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Oct. 12, 2025) This week's homily invites us to look at two powerful moments of healing — Naaman the leper in the Old Testament and the ten lepers who call out to Jesus in the Gospel. Both stories reveal the same truth: God's power often moves through simple obedience, not spectacle. Naaman expected a dramatic miracle — a show of divine power — but instead was told to do something small and ordinary: wash seven times in the Jordan River. Insulted at first, he finally “just did it” — and was healed. The ten lepers who met Jesus were told only to “go show yourselves to the priests,” and it was as they went that healing came. Fr. David reminds us that this is how grace works in our lives, too. The Holy Spirit stirs our hearts with small, gentle nudges — to reach out, encourage, forgive, invite, or serve — and when we act in faith, God works wonders through those ordinary moments. In our parishes, we're already seeing this unfold: people returning to church, families entering RCIA together, hearts being stirred to serve and grow. God is moving because people are saying yes. So the next time you feel that quiet prompting from God — to say something kind, to take a step, to act in love — don't overthink it. Lace up your spiritual sneakers, take a cue from Naaman, and just do it.

As we celebrate 50 years of God's unwavering faithfulness at Willow, Pastor Shawn Williams invites us to reflect on all God has done and boldly trust Him for what's ahead. Just like Joshua, we step into new beginnings with our eyes fixed firmly on God's limitless power, not our own. The same God who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River is leading us today, filling us with confidence that His faithfulness then guarantees His faithfulness now—because the God who has done it before will do it again!

Welcome back to the podcast! We've all been told that if you really trust God, you'll never have questions or doubts. But that's simply not true. Listen today to find out why!--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Believable Lie #4: Real Faith Means No DoubtsMany Christians quietly carry a burden they rarely admit out loud: “If I really had faith, I wouldn't have doubts.” The idea sounds spiritual, but it's simply not true. Even the Bible's greatest heroes wrestled with questions—including John the Baptist. Real faith isn't the absence of doubt; it's the choice to keep trusting Jesus even when life leaves us with a boxful of questions.John the Baptist Looked Like a “Super Christian”When John the Baptist burst onto the scene, he seemed like the last person who would ever doubt. He preached with fiery conviction:“But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. ‘You brood of snakes!' he exclaimed. ‘Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.'” (Matthew 3:7-8, NLT)John didn't mince words. He lived boldly, called people to repentance, and baptized crowds in the Jordan River. He even recognized Jesus for who He truly was:“Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NLT)At first glance, John seemed like a rock of unshakable faith. But even this great prophet had questions.John's First Doubts: “Why Me?”When Jesus came to be baptized, John tried to stop Him:“But John tried to talk him out of it. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,' he said, ‘so why are you coming to me?'” (Matthew 3:14, NLT)John didn't fully understand what Jesus was doing. His theology was still “under construction.” And that's an important lesson for us: you don't have to have perfect doctrine before you belong to Jesus. From the very beginning of Christianity, the core message was simple—Jesus is God, He died and rose again, and those who repent and believe will be saved. (Acts 2:36-39)If John the Baptist could wrestle with holes in his understanding and still be called a man of faith, then we can, too.John's Expectations of Jesus Didn't Match RealityLike many Jews of his day, John expected the Messiah to bring immediate judgment:“He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” (Matthew 3:12, NLT)John pictured a Messiah who was fiery, fierce, and forceful—someone who looked a lot like himself. But Jesus...

Question: Nowadays the Jordan River has almost ceased to exist. What was so special about crossing this river in the time of Joshua? 
It was spring, when seasonal rains, plus melting snow from Mt. Hermon, put the river at flood stage. Many of the well-known fords were now covered by deep water, swift and dangerous. Questions: Had the two spies returning from Jericho experienced any special trouble in crossing the Jordan from west to east? 
None was recorded.
 So, what could be the problem in crossing from east to west? 
The spies were strong young men. The people of Israel were composed of men, women, and ...

The Gospel of John Week 15 Scripture: John 10:34-11:53, Psalm 82. John wrote his Gospel to make us understand that Jesus is just who He says He is. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and this Gospel of John. When we read it with open eyes and ears and minds, we see and understand who Jesus is. As our text opens today, we see the religious leaders again trying to trap Jesus and seize Him. Killing Him is their goal.  We read again that He escapes, but not because He is afraid, but because the time has not yet come. When the time does come, Jesus will be absolutely fearless.  We will see this developing as we move into chapter 11. As we enter chapter 11, Pastor shares some of the more recent archaeological discoveries in the area of the Jordan River Valley. Pastor shares the possible discovery of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the interesting information we learn from this discovery. As we begin chapter 11 we hear that Lazarus, who lives  in Bethany is sick. Jesus is about 20 miles from Bethany and is across the Jordan River on the opposite side. Lazarus has two sisters, Mary and Martha. Pastor does some speculating about Mary. He shares that both early and late in Jesus' ministry a woman anoints His feet and wipes them with her hair. In the first anointing Jesus tells the woman her sins are forgiven. Pastor poses the possibility that both anointing were done by Mary, Lazarus' sister, and he goes further with the possibility that Mary of Bethany (Lazarus' sister) may also be Mary Magdalene (the one from whom Jesus cast out seven demons.) Back to our story… Jesus is about 20 miles away when He receives word of Lazarus' sickness from a messenger sent by Mary and Martha. When Jesus hears Lazarus is sick He says that the sickness is not going to end in death, but in the glory of God. Jesus does not head to Bethany yet. By the time Jesus does finally head to Bethany Lazarus is dead and when He arrives Lazarus has already been in the tomb four days. Martha greets Jesus as He arrives. Jesus says to Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life and that the one who believes in Him will live even though they die and that whoever lives by believing in Him will never die. Then He asks Martha, “Do you believer this?” And she replies with a statement of faith that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. Then Jesus asks Martha to send Mary to Him. Mary comes and falls at Jesus feet saying that had He been there her brother would not have died.  Reminder: Jesus had said to the messenger that had come to tell Him of Lazarus' sickness, that Lazarus' illness would not end in death, but it did…… and Mary weeps.  Jesus asks where Lazarus has been laid and He weeps too.  Jesus understands our sorrows. Then Jesus asks them to open the tomb and though reluctant as the body has been dead four days, they move the stone. Pastor talks about the process of a Jewish burial in the days of Jesus and also shares pictures and information on ossuaries that have been discovered. Back to our story….  Jesus says for them to roll the stone away, and adds, “Didn't I tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” The stone is rolled away - Jesus prays to the Father - then He says, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus comes out of the tomb alive and covered in the linen burial wrappings. The wrappings are removed and many believed in Jesus after seeing this - others went to the religious leaders and told them what Jesus had just done. Now their desire to get rid of Jesus rises even more. Caiaphas then says, “isn't it better for one man to die for the people, than that the whole nation perish” and Caiaphas unknowingly speaks a prophetic word. And from that day on the religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus. We begin to see Jesus set His own execution into motion. This is not something that happens by accident, it is the Father's will and it is something Jesus runs toward. He willingly sets Himself in this position the leads to His death and ends with His resurrection! In today's study we see there is a great difference between religion and a relationship with the Living God. Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01     ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.      ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before. Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

H2H003: What is a Disciple? | From Head to Heart to HandsWelcome to Heart to Heart Conversations, Episode 3!

"Grace is simply receiving what we don't deserve." Question: Or perhaps is "grace" the usual, natural behavior of a gracious person?"Is it a difficult struggle for God to be gracious? Question: Do we get to decide who "deserves" grace?And should we decide that in this case, grace is "deserved," is it still "grace?" Question: Was God also using psychological warfare? Question: If so, was God's psychology proving effective? Joshua wanted to find out:
 Joshua 2 
1 Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” Question: Why "especially ...

What if baptism didn't begin in the New Testament? What if the waters of creation, the flood, the Red Sea, the Jordan River, and more have been telling a deeper story all along?In this episode, we take a posture of discovery, tracing the theme of water throughout the Old Testament to discover how the Old Testament shapes our understanding of baptism today. Rather than ending with a concrete definition, we'll reflect on key moments where water appears in Scripture, allowing them to reveal what we know today as baptism.From chaos to cleansing, from judgment to new creation, we'll explore how God has been using water as a symbol of transformation since the beginning. Whether you're new to the Bible or a seasoned theologian, join us as we dive into the story.Connect With Us providenceomaha.org | Instagram | Facebook Email Us formation@providenceomaha.org

A thunderous voice cries out from the Judean wilderness, calling an entire nation to turn back to God. John the Baptizer, the last of the rugged Old Testament prophets, confronts the corrupt religious leaders and urges repentance. Jesus appears and, despite being our sinless Savior, wades into a pool of our sins and submits to John's baptism to fulfill all righteousness. Join us as we witness the incredible moment when the heavens open and the Holy Trinity is revealed at the Jordan River.  The Rev. Matthew Kusch, pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Matthew 3.  To learn more about King of Glory, visit kogelgin.org. The Gospel of Matthew bridges Old and New Testaments, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Law we could never keep and establishes His kingdom of grace for all nations. Written by a tax collector transformed by pure grace, Matthew reveals Christ as the true Son of David and Emmanuel (God with us) who challenges us with the crushing demands of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount to the sweet comfort of the Gospel in His death and resurrection. From royal genealogy to glorious resurrection, this verse-by-verse study proclaims the One who conquered sin, death, and the devil for us, now delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation through Word and Sacrament as He remains with His church always, even to the end of the age.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

When the Crow is After You Speaker: Michael Shockley Scripture: 1 John 1:4; Psalm 42 Episode Summary In part 2 of our 1 John series, Pastor Michael uses the metaphor of being chased by a crow to explore how we can have joy even when life feels overwhelming. Through King David's story of betrayal and exile, we discover that while circumstances may not be okay, we can still be okay through Jesus. Key Points - The “crow” represents life's troubles, discouragement, and painful circumstances - David's response to betrayal shows how to acknowledge pain without being destroyed by it - True joy comes from Jesus, not from positive circumstances - We can shake our fist at the darkness while still trusting God Main Takeaway Joy isn't something we manufacture or achieve - it's a gift from the Holy Spirit that sustains us through difficult seasons. When life isn't okay, we can still be okay because of our relationship with Jesus. Reflection Question What “crow” has been chasing you lately, and how can you practice saying “It's not okay, but I'm okay” in that situation? Tune in to hear Pastor Michael's personal struggles with being an “Eeyore” and how the story of David crossing the Jordan River speaks to anyone feeling chased by life's troubles. Connect & Give Learn more about ReCreate Church at www.recreatechurch.org Give online easily and securely through Tithe.ly

Joshua 5 demonstrates God's perfect timing as Israel pauses for a week in enemy territory after crossing the Jordan River, showing that weakness doesn't necessitate timidity and that God's people can find peace even in opposition.• Israel enters the Promised Land and immediately sets up camp at Gilgal while surrounded by enemies• Joshua circumcises all the men, making them temporarily vulnerable but recommitting them to God's covenant• The celebration of Passover reminds the people of God's promises and faithfulness• God stops the manna after 40 years, teaching that His provision may change while His faithfulness never does• Joshua encounters the commander of God's army who teaches him that God doesn't take sides—He takes over• When facing challenges, our strength isn't in our strategies but in our worship and surrenderThe primary question isn't "Is God on our side?" but rather "Are we on His side?" Take off your shoes and worship Him—He doesn't need your sword or shield, but He will take your worship. If you want to learn more about the MidTree story or connect with us, go to our website HERE or text us at 812-MID-TREE.

You would think that after miraculously parting the torrent of the flooded Jordan River, bringing fear to their enemies, God would have said to Joshua, “Now, go! Strike hard and fast while you have the momentum!” But He didn't. God brought everything to a screeching halt when He gave Joshua this command: Circumcise all the men and boys.This seemed to make no sense. Not only did it go against military logic, but it also left their fighting forces physically vulnerable for days as they recovered. But Joshua obeyed anyway.For the 40 years the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness, the people had failed to circumcise the boys born into their families. That faithless generation died along the way, and the generation that now stands on the threshold of their future is the uncircumcised.Why was it such a big deal to God that the men be circumcised?Since the days of Abraham, circumcision had been a sign of the Israelites' identity. It was to be a constant reminder of God's covenant with them and a supreme symbol of their loyalty to Yahweh. He offers His provision and protection to all who will enter into this covenant with Him. Unless and until this generation of Israelites were willing to embrace the covenant, they would be trying to take the land in their own strength. But once they DID embrace that covenant, the Lord God Almighty was bound by that covenant to bring His power to bear.God called his people to mark out their identity through circumcision—the most basic and most intimate of ways. That reminder resulted in several things.It emboldened them.  Every day as a man dressed, he was reminded, “I am in covenant with God. God is for me; I will not be afraid.” It assured them. With every act of procreation, they were reminded that not only were they God's people, but their children were too. They were part of a multi-generational movement. It admonished them. When tempted to compromise sexually, it was a visible admonishment to live God's way.In the New Testament, Paul draws a parallel between circumcision and baptism. For the believer in Jesus, baptism is a symbol of the Christian's identity. If you are in covenant with God through your faith in Christ, you can have confidence in your future. God has committed Himself to bringing His protection, His provision, and His power to bear upon your life. Text: Joshua 5Originally recorded on September 11, 2016, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

In March 2012, 15-year-old Annie Kasprzak vanished in Draper, Utah. The next day, her body was discovered in the Jordan River, and what looked like a tragic runaway story quickly turned into a murder investigation. Annie's death revealed secrets, lies, and a tangled trail that would take years to fully unravel. NOW AVAILABLE: CRIME WITH HOLLY PATREON! www.patreon.com/crimewithholly Enjoy ad free for just $2 a month! Enjoying the show?  Here's a way to find out where else you can follow CrimeaHolly! https://linktr.ee/CrimeaHolly Crime with Holly Case Suggestion Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGdPu4AWAoG_-cmznwcNxnNQlEyX9nxxOwZNZfqpprL3TaUQ/viewform Episode Sources: Dateline Season 24 Episode 41 True Crime with Aphrodite Jones Season 6 Episode 10 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/saltlaketribune/name/anne-kasprzak-obituary?id=25730436 https://theretrobliss.medium.com/he-decided-his-future-was-more-important-than-hers-ec25fc679000 https://www.saltlakecounty.gov/globalassets/1-site-files/district-attorney/press-releases/2016/bagshaw-amended-information-16-0229.pdf https://kutv.com/news/local/bagshaw-sentenced-15-years-to-life-in-murder-trial-of-girl-found-in-jordan-river https://www.oxygen.com/injustice-with-nancy-grace/crime-time/joanna-franklin-daniel-ferry-derailed-annie-kasprzak-murder-investigation https://kutv.com/news/local/teen-charged-with-kasprzak-murder-could-be-tried-as-adult https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2239728&itype=CMSID

In Joshua 3-4, the Israelites face the flooded Jordan River before entering the Promised Land. God instructs them to follow the Ark of the Covenant and consecrate themselves spiritually before the crossing. When the priests carrying the Ark step into the water, God parts the river, allowing the entire nation to cross on dry ground. Afterward, God commands them to take twelve stones from the riverbed as a memorial of His faithfulness for future generations. This story teaches us to step out in faith, stand firm when God moves, and intentionally create memorials to remember His faithfulness in our lives.

This week at Glad Tidings Church, we conclude our Legacy series with a powerful reminder that God is always working—upstream and down the road. Drawing from Joshua 3–4 and Habakkuk 2:3, Pastor Adam Haugen unpacks what it means to wait on God when the river feels raging, the miracle seems delayed, and doubts start to rise.Through stories of Joshua's faith at the Jordan River, the hidden clay that became the Temple's foundation centuries later, and the legacy of Glad Tidings itself, we see how obedience today can shape worship and transformation for generations to come.If you've ever wrestled with God's timing, questioned His silence, or wondered if your faith really matters, this message will encourage you: while you're waiting, God is working—upstream in ways you cannot see, and down the road in ways you cannot yet imagine.

I've been on the phone a lot with some of these guys and would like to share some of the LOVE! Braythers in arms fighting the SpiritWars nonstop are always needed. I, Michael Basham am found at Faithbucks.com and Fringeradionetwork.com HALLLLLLELLLUJAHMillennial Mustard Seed PodcastJoin host Rod Smith as we dive deep into the unusual, unexplained, and unexplored facets of our world. With a seeker's humility and a biblical lens, Millennial Mustard Seed never fails to inspire, provoke, and intrigue listeners toward deeper faith in Christ.Special Guests:- Rod Smith (Host)- Aaron Christian Davis (Co-host)- Basil Rosewater (Guest) – Co-host of Canary Cry Radio, expert in fringe Christian perspectives, cultural commentary, and AI ethics.Core Topics Covered:- Are Dolphins supernatural creatures? Also note it's illegal to swim with our brainy water buds or to witness a dolphin birth.- AI technology's role in end-times deception and the rise of the Beast system.- The Nephilim tech connection: How ancient advanced knowledge mirrors today's AI breakthroughs.- A deep dive into the transhumanism agenda, mind-hive consciousness, and AI's goal of mimicking omnipresence.- The Jordan River as a literal and symbolic portal in Scripture — its prophetic implications.Key Quotes & Insights:- "The enemy is building his own counterfeit omnipresence through AI and tech grids. But God's Kingdom is the original and ultimate reality." — Rod Smith- "If you want to understand the end-times, you have to understand prehistory — because what was, will be again." — Basil Rosewater- "The technologies of the fallen are making a comeback, but the power of Christ's Kingdom is far greater." — Aaron Christian Davis Recommended Resources:- The Genesis 6 Conspiracy by Gary Wayne- Judgment of the Nephilim & The Final Nephilim by Ryan Pitterson- Bride Ministries International – Daniel Duval's deliverance and spiritual warfare resources- Canary Cry Radio – Alternative Christian commentary on fringe topicsCall to Action:Contact the Show: Email Rod Smith at ⁠mmseed@proton.me⁠Subscribe for Exclusive Episodes: ⁠Spotify Exclusive Content⁠Support the Ministry: Buy Rod's new book The Words Are Salt on ⁠Amazon⁠Partner With Us:- Venmo: @Rodney-Smith-368- PayPal: ⁠paypal.me/creative775⁠- CashApp: $Rodsworth77Please leave a 5-star review and share this episode with a friend. Help us grow the mustard seed!Hey, rod here.MMS was added to the top 100 book of revelations podcast on million podcast.com alongside the likes of Dr Chuck Miller, Canary Cry boys and Prophecfy Watchers to name a few!  Link belowhttps://www.millionpodcasts.com/book-of-revelation-podcasts/

Before the Israelites could enter the Promised Land, they had to stand at the edge of the Jordan River — and trust God to make a way. At a retreat diving deep into the book of Joshua, the leader God appointed after Moses died, I found myself at my own river's edge, staring at something God was asking me to let go of. But I wasn't ready. This is the story of how He met me there — in my fear, in my wrestling — and how crossing over became more than just a metaphor. Sign up for my new monthly newsletter, The Keeping Room: Faith, Favorites and a Little Southern Soul. From a favorite house plan to my go-to beauty products with some decor and faith-filled inspiration sprinkled in. It's like a care package for your soul and your home delivered to your inbox!

In the conclusion to our series "Stand Firm" Roger Morris emphasizes the significance of stepping out in faith, trusting God's power and authority, and the necessity for believers to move beyond living by emotions and doubts. Drawing from biblical examples such as Moses with his staff (Exodus 4) and the crossing of the Jordan River, (Joshua 3) Roger illustrates how obedience to God's instructions can lead to miraculous outcomes. Additionally, he shares a personal story of a testimony of miraculous healing and recalling a prophetic word that reiterated God's plan for his life. Finally, viewers are invited to accept Jesus Christ into their lives, emphasizing the inclusivity and transformative power of God's call.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:   00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:31 The Power of God's Authority 01:44 Moses' Journey and Trust in God 04:47 Facing Fear with Faith 10:48 Crossing the Jordan River 18:41 Personal Testimonies and Obedience 26:00 Call to Salvation 27:34 Conclusion and Partnership Invitation   Connect with Bill & Roger Ministries: www.billandroger.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064668460680

Send us a textHave you ever wondered why God commanded the Israelites to establish Cities of Refuge? Or what this ancient legal provision has to do with your life today? Prepare to be amazed as we uncover how these strategically placed cities reveal Christ in ways you might never have considered.The Cities of Refuge weren't just safe havens for accidental manslayers—they were divinely designed object lessons pointing directly to Jesus. We explore how the accessibility, proximity, and urgency associated with these cities perfectly mirror our salvation experience. From the carefully maintained roads leading to them (representing the clarity with which we should present the gospel) to their strategic placement ensuring no one was far from safety (showing Christ's nearness to all who seek Him), every detail reveals God's redemptive plan.Most striking is the revelation that these cities weren't randomly scattered—three cities on each side of the Jordan River, symbolizing how the Trinity is accessible to everyone regardless of which "side" they're on. The number six (the number of man) reminds us that salvation was designed specifically for human need.This episode will transform how you read the Old Testament, helping you see Christ on every page. As one participant beautifully puts it, Scripture is like "a never-ending treasure chest" where we discover new revelations of God's love and plan with each careful study. Whether you're new to Bible study or a seasoned student of Scripture, you'll gain fresh insights into how God has always been revealing Christ—even in what might seem like obscure legal codes.Join us for this eye-opening exploration, and discover why approaching Scripture with childlike curiosity unlocks its deepest treasures. How might your relationship with God change when you begin seeing Christ everywhere in His Word?The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

In this message, special guest and ministry partner, Patrick Mpande shares his journey from humble beginnings in Africa to international ministry, proving that God makes a way where there seems to be no way. Whether it's fear, uncertainty, or seemingly impossible circumstances, this message will challenge you to take that first step of faith. Just like Joshua faced the flooded Jordan River, God is calling us to step out in faith. Renaissance Church - Richmond, Texas https://ren-church.org #alloflifealltheearth #walkgrowlive #preaching

In Numbers 31–33, we walk with Israel through some pivotal moments at the very edge of the Promised Land. First, the Lord commands Moses to send the Israelites into battle against the Midianites, the very people who had enticed Israel into sin back in Numbers 25. This becomes Moses' last conquest, a battle where not one of the 12,000 Israelite soldiers is lost, and where we see offerings given in gratitude and purification laws reminding the people of God's holiness. Then, in chapter 32, the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask to settle east of the Jordan River instead of entering the Promised Land. Moses is furious at first, connecting their request to the failure of the ten spies decades earlier that led to forty years of wandering. He fears history will repeat itself. In the end, the tribes agree to help their brothers fight, but their decision becomes a sobering example of settling for less than God's best and making plans outside of His promises. We'll see the long-term effects of this choice ripple throughout Scripture in Joshua, Kings, and the prophets. Finally, chapter 33 gives us a travel log of Israel's wilderness journey — every stop, every camp, every step guided by God's presence. It's a reminder that nothing was wasted, and every mile mattered because He was with them. Together, these chapters highlight God's protection in battle, the danger of half-hearted obedience, and the steady faithfulness of His presence through every season of the journey. Oh, that's so good! For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/numbers-31-33/

This week, we saw Jesus step out of obscurity into His first public moment—His baptism in the Jordan River. Luke provides a brief account, but Matthew and Mark elaborate on the details. Follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see how God is moving at MetaChurch.Support the show

As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to its conclusion, the narrative makes a transition: Moshe finishes conveying the mitzvos to the nation, and sets up his final parting message to the people. First, he commands the nation to perform several elaborate ceremonies on the very first day that they cross the Jordan River; then he […]

We've reached the final leg of our big globetrotting adventure. The fam is going to Israel. I think Lego Hair assumed that there was going to be a heavenly choir lightly singing the whole time. Rays of sunlight shooting out from behind big, puffy white clouds, and the Jordan River being full of crystal clear water.We watched the fam get to ride camels while Lego Hair was uncomfortable. A couple of the girls getting chatted up at the Dead Sea. Jim Bob tries to haggle at the Old City Market while not remotely understanding the exchange rate. Like what you hear? Can you find it in your servant's heart to support a snarking couple in Arizona? Swing on over to ⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/diggingupthedugg⁠⁠ . We have tons of special extras for the Pickle People. Ad-free episodes, recipes, personal stories, Q&A's, Mildred content. We're excited for you to join our wonderful community over there. We are close to the latest end of the season, "State of the Pod" episode where we do a Q&A. Head on over to instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@digginguptheduggarspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to submit your questions for this episode. We also have a P.O. Box 5973, Glendale AZ, 85312

In this episode of Compelled, Emma Mae McDaniel invites us into Joshua 1–3, where God calls His people to cross the overflowing Jordan River at harvest time—an impossible task apart from Him. With honesty and encouragement, Emma reminds us that just as God assured Joshua of His presence, He assures us today that we are never alone in what feels daunting or overwhelming. Through His Word and Spirit, we are equipped to walk in strength and courage, not by our own power, but by His. If you've ever felt unqualified, weary, or unable to carry the task in front of you, this episode is a gentle but firm reminder that with God, even the impossible is possible. https://www.emmamaemcdaniel.com/books - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sinners were coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, ask to be baptized with that same water? Today, Sinclair Ferguson considers the gospel message that this moment conveys. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/why-was-jesus-baptized/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts