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Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Compassion. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Inadequacy. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Abundance. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Turkeys and Eagles, Part 3: A Child of God's Light”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Failures. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Grace. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Be Strong & Courageous”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 2: The Mind of the Soul”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Welcome to day 12 of Journeying Through a Month of Grace. Today we give ourselves healing.  We come here to this beautiful planet to remember where we come from, who we truly are. We come here to remember that we are already whole that there's nothing broken about us. And yet, on this level of existence, we experience pain, hurt, trauma and suffering. We feel separate from ourselves and other people. We feel that in fact we are broken. Healing is tending to those wounds that have hurt us in the past with loving care and tenderness. Healing can happen in many ways and forms. Sometimes it is a smile from a stranger, or a simple word of kindness. It is the breath we give ourselves, the space, the stillness, the nourishment and care. It is the time we give ourselves to heal, to feel, and to remember our truth.  “I'm here. I love you. I don't care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it—I will love you through that, as well. If you don't need the medication, I will love you, too. There's nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love So, today give yourself healing.   ----------------- As we're Wrapping Up 2022 (listen to episode #167) many of us find ourselves in a lot of fast-paced pressure. We have so many things we wanna wrap up, finish and complete before we enter the year of 2023, that we tend to forget to really tune in and slow down. This is the season to slow down. I myself need this reminder so I thought I take you on this journey with me.  I hope you enjoy.  Connect with me on: Instagram: @nadinekuehnholistic Facebook: @nadinekuehnholistic Pinterest: @nadinekuehnholistic Website: www.shehealsher.com Inquiries & Collabs:  Email: collab@shehealsher.com   Love, Nadine   Related Episodes: A Month Of Grace - Day 11 - Give Yourself Nourishment A Month Of Grace - Day 10 - Give Yourself Stillness A Month Of Grace - Day 9 - Give Yourself Gratitude A Month Of Grace - Day 8 - Give Yourself Time A Month Of Grace - Day 7 - Give Yourself Acceptance A Month Of Grace - Day 6 - Give Yourself Water A Month Of Grace - Day 5 - Give Yourself Compassion A Month Of Grace - Day 4 - Give Yourself Rest A Month of Grace - Day 3 - Give Yourself Sacred Space  A Month of Grace - Day 2 - Give Yourself Breath A Month of Grace - Day 1 - Give yourself Grace  

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Failures. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Grace. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Is Your Life's Focus on Jesus the Narrow Door and the Only Door to Your Eternal Life?”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Compassion. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 1: The Promise of the Spirit (Apostles Anglican Church; Knoxville, TN)”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Inadequacy. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Abundance. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Advent Sermons from Isaiah – Part 3: The Glory of God; the Way of Holiness”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Christian Way of Living Part 2. CWLiving.org Cliff Spier [^] Lombardi believed that if you want to win at anything in life, you had to perfect and master the basics. [^] Col R.B. Thieme Jr said on 15th of August 1979. “A pivot of mature believers - which is what we all should be - break no laws, sponsors no violence, including assassination, crime, terrorism, or revolution. Confiscates no one's property. And does not intrude on human privacy. [^] But turns the world upside down through the invisible force of Bible Doctrine, and the function of, the royal family honor code.” Do you recall what God's will is? You should know and recall what one of the shortest verse in the bible is. [^] 1 Tim 2:4 who [JC] desires [wills] [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] to come to the [epignosis] knowledge [through metabolized BD] of the truth [believer]. [^] God's will = 1) salvation; 2) 2 Peter 3:18 IOWs How God works (Thinks) (God's Righteousness, Justice and Love) So the next logical question is How does God's Righteousness get satisfied? [^ - Blank screen] Blessing or Discipline (your choice) God's Promises Learn more God's promises. So far - 1 Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Lamentations 3:25. We are to use these promises to ‘slam' all our cares, anxieties and problems on God, then relaxing about them knowing that in Lam 3:25 God will provide solutions while you relax and wait on His timing. This should also give you courage. Tip -- Make a list care, problems, concerns - mine is on my phone, and cite them to God in your Faith Rest procedure prayer to God. You have to move forward every day, you have to make decisions every day. Now you can do that, even in difficult times or in pressure situations, with the courage God gives you by using the F/R procedure and having confidence in God, God will come through for you. So then trusting in God and using His procedures (acknowledging Him) He will guide your life and that life will be one of prosperity (mental prosperity - RMA) and he will guide your life with the result you will have maximum happiness and a life of fulfillment (Prov 3:5-6). [^] Problems come in two flavors; 1 - the ones we created by bad decisions (which have internal (pressure, anxiety) and external (ramifications to others)) and 2 - problems others created and put on us (these can be circumstances of life or overt decisions made by others that cause you problems, including ‘natural disasters' such as Mt Saint Helen's, floods, war, pandemics, etc. ) So you know your problem is internal or external. So what??? [^] Sooooo it matters not whether we or others created the problems, God has a solution to them. His solution is to use what you know from the bible to make decisions (based upon your best judgment – at the moment) and to use the Faith Rest procedure to remain calm, relaxed in spite of the pressure, and have courage to move forward because God will fulfill His promise. > V2 goes on – [^] Psalm 91:2 I will say to the Lord, [your conclusion upon using the F/R procedure] "[You are] My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" So the result of using the F/R procedure is coming to the conclusion that God will fulfill the promise to you (that is, you are trusting God) so that you can say (to yourself and others) God is my refuge and my fortress. Also you thank God, in prayer or verbally to others, “My God delivered me because I trust Him” (I trust His word – promises). So you are praising God and thanking Him with your thinking because He will and does protect you. But, this is only for the believer who is using Rebound and the F/R procedure. See when you follow God's thinking and use His tools and develop the spiritual skills to live your life (CWLiving) then God blesses you and part of the blessing is protection per Psalm 91. Also look how personal v2 is. My refuge, My fortress, My God. As I said God wants to have a personal relationship with you. This is you having a personal relationship with God by using His tools (promises) to live your life. And as I said you become grateful to Him for giving you these promises to use in daily life. I like v3 because it has been true in my life. [^] Psalm 91:3 For it is He [God] who delivers you from the snare of the trapper [people and circumstances in life], And from the deadly pestilence [deadly hazards like corona virus]. The snare of the trapper is an illustration of traps in life. Who would set traps for you in life? Have you ever had people in your life who were out for you and wanted to do you harm? I have. I have had bosses at work that ‘hated' me and wanted to destroy my career. I knew it and I did not react to them. I treated them with kindness and respect and I did my job to the best of my ability. And no matter what these bosses tried to do, in the end, they had no effect on my career. [nor my RMA] Now this sounds like I was perfect in all of this. I was not. A few times I got depressed and worried BUT when I did, I Rebounded and used the F/R procedure and went back to a relaxed state so I could do my job. And that is what happens most if not all the time. Sometimes we fail. We Rebound and go back to using the F/R procedure. So God protected me, I was allowed to do my job and very successfully. Then later God's solution was to give me a better job (a promotion). So God did not make the person go way, instead, He protected me so I could do my job and He ‘promoted' me and the person who ‘hated' me, got to ‘stew in their own juices' while watching me be successful. This is an example of God protecting me because I was using His solutions to the problem. > Circumstances in life can also lay traps for you, but again the solution is the same – Rebound when necessary and diligently use the F/R procedure. The second part of v3 I covered in the example of the pestilence above, using the corona virus as an illustration. [^] Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions [feathers], And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark [a defensive wall – like a castle wall]. Here is a picture of v4a that says it all. [^] Notice how the mother bird is holding on to her chicks. Physically protecting them, giving them cover and warmth – that is total protection. Notice also that the chicks could fly away if they wanted to. But they are choosing to stay under her protection. Same with us and God. We can remove ourselves from God's protection by using human solutions to problems instead of using God's solutions. So it is our choice, use God's solutions or use human solutions. Versus 5-7 are additional descriptive illustrations of terrors that can affect Believers. [^] Psalm 91:5 ¶ [result from v2 of using F/R procedure] You will not be afraid of the terror by night [criminality, etc], Or of the arrow that flies by day [warfare]; Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon [earthquake, volcano, tsunami]. Notice night and day, darkness and noon – this is a reference that God protects the believer 24 hrs/day! God never sleeps. He is on the job 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week. [^] Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall [die] at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it [terrors and disasters] shall not approach you. V7 is interesting. You might be in the midst of a great natural disaster or the corona virus with thousands dying all around you but it, the disasters and terrors, will not affect you. We are blessed (by God) in the USA and we do not have many disasters like other parts of the world, but when we do, God protects the believer who is executing His Plan for their lives. [^] Psalm 91:8 You will only look on with your eyes, And see the recompense of the wicked [Justice of God in action]. V8 is interesting because it now introduces what happens to those who are evil, from v3 and 5-7. Not only are you protected but the Justice of God punishes those who are evil (anti-God, believers not using His Divine Solutions in life and unbelievers). You will many times see that they get Divine Justice from God for their deeds. Recompense – How would you like to be in the Recompense side of God's Justice?? Versus 9 & 10 are a conclusion. [^] Psalm 91:9 For you [the Believer using the F/R procedure] have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. Psalm 91:10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent [where you live]. V9 is a restatement of v1-2 and the conclusion of all these terrors and adversities is that you are protected wherever you are. These 9 verses give you enough background to understand what God is telling Believers who a executing His Plan for their lives, the protection and comfort He provides 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. And, and the recompense for those bel who do not and for those unbel who are evil. [^ Blank Screen] So this is a great example of God's promise to believers who Rebound when necessary and use the F/R procedure to handle problems, anxieties, disasters, evil and adversities of life. God protects the ones He Loves. And since He is an all-powerful God, He has the means to provide protection to His loved ones. You can see His Divine Essence in action. His Righteousness not tolerating evil and His Justice executing justice on evil in this world, His Omniscience knowing what will happen in advance and having a plan to protect the believer in these circumstances, His Omnipotence shielding the believer from the consequences of evil and disasters, even when those around you are affected. He does all this because He Loves you and you responded to His Love by first believing in Jesus Christ for salvation and then following His procedures, commands and getting to know and appreciate Him and trusting Him for deliverance from the problems of life. God can only keep His promises and in them is true security. Once you latch on to what Psalm 91 says, and once you understand the context of Psalm 91 as a whole, and once you believe God's promise, and trust God for the fulfillment of Psalm 91, then you have security. You have security in your salvation, you have security in your life, both physical and spiritual, you have eternal security, you have everything that you need, every resource to be secure in this life, no matter what. Psalm 91 is a benefit in the midst of adversity, it is a benefit in the midst of a corona virus plague. Also as you are relaxed, you look around at others who are in panic and fear and you can ‘see' what a wonderful God you have, that Loves you and protects you. Last thoughts Why is the F/R procedure so important? Why do I keep telling you to be diligent in using Rebound and the F/R procedure? What does claiming God's promises on some specific ‘issue' you are having do? First if you trust God and believe His promise(s) then you can be relaxed. That is called a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA). You can relax, you do not have to dwell on your problems, you let God handle them. What else does a RMA bring to you? Courage. Courage under adversity or better said Courage under fire (as in a battle). So what if - you momentarily think about your problem(s) that you asked God to handle by using the F/R procedure? There is nothing wrong with that. It happens. Remember Crunch! Give yourself grace. But if you dwell on them more than momentarily, then you have in essence told God that you want to handle them. So you need to Rebound (you told God that He was going to handle them and you changed your mind, not trusting God) and then you must use the F/R procedure again for that problem. See there is a solution for that too. Think about this for a moment. When a problem comes up, you are able to claim a promise and calm down, by utilizing the Faith Rest procedure, and have a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA), under adversity and that is something that only the believer in Jesus Christ has at their disposal, only the believer. You should be able to see what a great God we have. You should be experiencing encouragement of both God's presence and His care for you. You will rest with the confidence that whatever happens in life is with His knowledge and nothing happens outside of his knowledge (Omniscient). Psalm 91. And you know what? This is one of several problem solving procedures God has provided for believers only. You are well taught and know God provides 10 PSDs that you can use. We just looked at two. Rebound and F/R procedure. Now it is your job to use these two diligently! ############### ############### Morning Thought Process Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. How do we do this? What is our Morning Thought Process? Recalling what God says and tell us to do. Recalling Psalm 118:24 and then using the Faith Rest Procedure for any and all concerns we have. Daily, which is another say of saying: diligently using the Faith Rest Procedure. So, in the morning it begins with Thinking and recalling God. Psalm 55:22 [CMD] Cast [all] your burden upon the Lord [TLJC], [Promise] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous [believers using the CWLiving] to be shaken. So you can pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I have these thoughts of unsurety and I need your help to combat them by using Psm 55:22; therefore I cast the following (name them) to you …. Deuteronomy 20:3 … “Hear, O Israel [believers using CWLiving], you are approaching the battle against your enemies [problems, adversities of life] today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, Deuteronomy 20:4 [Promise] for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save [or deliver] you.” … (continuation of the prayer above) and I know you God are the One who goes with me and fights for me in Deut 20:3-4 … Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord [TLJC], the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. … Isaiah 40:29 [Promise] He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power [physical and mental courage and a RMA]. … Therefore Heavenly Father I claim your further promise of Isa 40:28-29 to strengthen me so I do not give in to wrong thinking and I express my feelings, give me more strength to handle them… Psalm 91:15 [Promise] He [believers using CWLiving] will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him. … because I know based upon your promise of Psalm 91:15 that you will answer my request and you will rescue me and I will know that rescue comes from you … Luke 1:37 [Promise] "For nothing will be impossible with God.” … for nothing is impossible with You (Omnipotent). And I know that I am to … James 1:2 ¶ [CMD] Consider [thinking vs. emoting, consider all that you know about God and His essence] it all happiness, my brethren, when you encounter various trials [testings, adversities, Providential Preventative Sufferings], v3 knowing that the testing of your faith [doctrine, F/R Drill -- ex. Job, Paul in prison] produces endurance [hupomone – w/ circumstances]. v4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. … Thank you Heavenly Father, I pray in Christ's name, Amen.

The Christian Way of Living Part 1. CWLiving.org Cliff Spier Turn to Hebrews 4:12 [^] Col R.B. Thieme Jr said on 15th of August 1979. “A pivot of mature believers - which is what we all should be - break no laws, sponsors no violence, including assassination, crime, terrorism, or revolution. Confiscates no one's property. And does not intrude on human privacy. [^] But turns the world upside down through the invisible force of Bible Doctrine, and the function of, the royal family honor code.” As the believer advances to spiritual maturity, he or she more and more fully orient's the Gods absolute eternal essence (JR SOOO LIVE), who he is, and is rightly motivated to live the honor code, Rom.12:2, that is with renovated thinking. [^] Rom 12:2 [CMD] And do not be [Stop being] conformed to this world [the cosmic system], but [CMD] be transformed by the renovating of your mind [thinking – Rebound, F/R Drill, GO & DO …], [so] that you may prove what the will of God is [1 Tim 2:4], that which is [1] [divine] good and [2] acceptable [living the spiritual life - CWLiving] and [3] perfect [mature spiritual life] which is pleasing to God, the mature status quo [execution of the spiritual life - CWLiving] Rom 12:2 says so that you may prove what the will of God is… Do you recall what God's will is? You should know and recall what one of the shortest verse in the bible is. [^] 1 Tim 2:4 who [JC] desires [wills] [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] to come to the [epignosis] knowledge [through metabolized BD] of the truth [believer]. [^] God's will = 1) salvation; 2) 2 peter 3:18 IOWs So how do we get to this place Col Theime mentioned? A pivot of mature believers. (on the board) I assume you are saved and you are here to learn Gods word. To learn or mature in handling problems. No just your own problems from the decisions you make, but external problems. And boy are we getting allot of external problems today. [BLANK Screen – W] < disobedience => disbelieving, apathy and lack of F.R Drill>> Heb 4:12 For the word of God is [keeps on being] living [alive] and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of [1] soulish things [cosmic things] and [2] spiritual things [God and his word], of [3] both joints and marrow [body], and able to judge the thoughts and intentions [motivations] of the heart [rt lobe – where you think]. When I studied Heb 4:12, esp the first word, gar - translated 'for' it really opened my eyes to the ICE of the verse. gar is used per HELPS Word-studies: [^] "Strong's 1063 gár (a conjunction) – for. While "for" is usually the best translation of 1063 (gár), its sense is shaped by the preceding statement – the "A" statement which precedes the 1063 (gár) statement in the "A-B" unit." What precedes Heb 4:12? Heb 4:1-11 is talking about the Exodus Generation and for us to get out of revisionism, v1 Therefore ... It goes on to talk about the Jews (they are always our example) and how they failed time and time again to use Faith Rest. The specific example is Sabbath Rest. It then goes on and talks about disobedience of the Jews [v6, v11] in 1) not Faith Resting [v1-2, v3-6, v9], 2: apathy toward their duties as a client nation (individually and collectively) [v1-2, v6], and 3) disbelieving [v3]. So, my Heb 4:12 starts out with [^] Heb 4:12 For [the solution to v11 disobedience: disbelieving, apathy & no F/R] ... and continues with Heb 4:12b ... the word of God is [keeps on being] living [alive] and powerful [effectual - accomplishes its objective] and sharper than any two-edged sword, ... So not only do we need to understand the seriousness of disobedience in our life, we are not to fall into the trap that the Exodus generation did which is disobedience: i.e. disbelieving, apathy & no F/R, because not recovering from Revisionism will lead to what happened to the Exodus Generation, the sin unto death and a loss of rewards. So Three things Israel was disobedient at: 1 – disbelieving 2 – apathy 3 – no Faith Rest life aka - The My Way Highway of life. Disbelieving and apathy are volitional matters. You have to check your own motivation to correct them. I'd like to focus on Faith Rest and mix with it God's Divine Essence Then challenge you to strengthen both. Remember our CWLiving skills > What is the F/R Drill? Faith in this case means ‘what you believe'. What we believe as it relates to God is what the bible tells us. And in this case specifically promises that God gave us. Rest means that we claim these promises and believe that God will honor the promise (trust) and so we can relax. Why do we believe that God will honor his promises? His Divine Essence. His character. [BLANK screen – W] Let me give you an example. We all have fears. Let's say it raining hard and the roads are slick and you are afraid of driving but you must. So you are going to claim, by reciting to God, one of His ‘promises' that He has make to you (don't worry I'll give you a promise to use in a second) and tell him your fear and let Him handle it. So we can be relaxed knowing, in this case, that God will give us the courage to use our driving skills to handle driving in the rain. [^] The promise we will use (and I use this almost every day) is found in 1 Peter 5:7. It says: Give me all your concerns because I (God) care for you. I like what Pastor Rory [^] Clark says: Slamming all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. So we ‘give' or ‘slam' all our concerns, worries, fears upon Him, because He cares for you. Again we do this so we don't have to ‘worry' about them. We leave them in Gods hands. So we can relax or the ‘Rest' part of Faith/Rest. Claim a promise by faith (believing God) and then resting that He will handle the situation. [BLANK screen – W] Just a few short things to know about this before we use it. - God is not a genie, we don't get three wishes and He makes them come true. God does not fix problems, He ‘fixes' us. (repeat) - God, usually, does not make the problem go away. Rather He gives you the strength (courage) to handle them with the skills you have. In the example above, God won't stop the rain but He will make sure your driving skills handle any situations you come upon. Therefore, you can trust Him, relax and drive safely in the hazardous rain. That is how God works. That is how He helps you. So take a moment and think about what bothers you, what are you worried about or afraid of? (I keep a list, so I don't forget, and I change the list frequently) So in this example, when you drive safely under God protection inn the rain, what did you do? The first thing you learn by this is: you're starting to trust God Notice Rebound and F/R Drill have to do with you. Not about other people. They deal with your thinking and with circumstances in your life. That is what God designed them to be. It's how you start out. Changing your thinking. Not doing anything…. Hold on to the F/R Drill because I will be coming back to it. (shift gears) Who and what is God? The simple explanation is God is the Supreme Being in the universe God is all powerful, He's smart, etc ... He is not flesh and blood God is a spirit. But these are inadequate, but true phrases and descriptions. But inadequate. We have been taught about His Divine Essence, His character. And that is what we will explore along with the F/R Drill as the fundamentals of the CWLiving. There are three primary things to know about God: [^] 1 - He is what is called absolute righteousness, meaning he can't sin and the reason He can't tolerate or be near sin. And the reason He provided Rebound. God is perfect and He can only act perfectly. Again that is called Righteousness 2 - God is also Just. He can only do the right thing a right way. Think of it in a legal sense as a court room judge. He knows all the facts and can only render a perfect verdict and judgment. So anything God does it is Just, fair and he has no bias. 3 - And the third thing here is God is Love. There are a lot of ideas about love. BUT, lets look at an example from God. Before we believed in Jesus Christ for Salvation, we were not ‘saved'. We do not have a relationship with God. God wants to have a relationship with us; therefore He had to solve that problem. He did what [^] John 3:16 says, God soooo (my emphasis) loved the world (you and me) that he gave us His uniquely born son, that whosoever (me and you) believes in Him shall have everlasting life (aka we will go to heaven). Whether we realize it or not, when we believed in Jesus Christ for Salvation, we claimed that promise of John 3:16 and we became saved. Just for reference notice God did all the work. All we have to do is believe. It takes no ‘effort' to believe. God did the work of Salvation. It takes faith. Faith in someone higher than you. Now that is Love. God doing all the work and we get all the benefit. But wait there is more to this ‘salvation' Let's look at it from the Divine perspective of God's Essence. Righteousness, Justice and Love God in His Righteousness could not have a relationship with you and me before salvation. Therefore His Love motivated Him to find a solution. That was Jesus Christ So God found a way. God's Love motivated Him to find a way which satisfied His Righteousness that allowed God's Justice to establish a relationship with you and me. I hope that is not too confusing. But that is how God works. He loves us and wants to do things for us, because He loves us and when His Righteousness is satisfied then His Justice is freed to do what God's Love wants to do. God can't do anything He wants to do. He operates within His own integrity. That integrity is His Righteousness and Justice. So He is motivated by His Love yet His Righteousness has to be satisfied for His Justice to execute what His Love wants. [Blank Screen – W] How God works (Thinks) (God's Righteousness, Justice and Love) So the next logical question is How does God's Righteousness get satisfied? Great question. It is when we follow His ‘instructions'. Or better said when we follow what the bible tells us. For example, you Rebounded at the beginning of class. You followed God's instructions (procedure found in 1 John 1:9) and when you executed that procedure, God's Righteousness was satisfied and His Justice forgave you of your sin(s). So that is How God works. God loves you. He wants the best for you. And He provides information on how we are to think, and when we think with God's thoughts, or think like God thinks, then He is free to bless us and help us. That is why God in His love provided the Bible, which is His complete information about Himself for us to understand and follow, by thinking like God thinks. And when our thinking changes then our actions follow. You know God does not make the sp life hard. Recall Jesus saying My yolk is easy my burden is light – and we said to ourselves sure, right!!!! I am not going to tell you that reaction is right nor wrong. Why? Because it is a matter of perspective. I can stand here and quote bible verses until I am blue in the face and that will not persuade you. Or maybe you know its true (the bible says so) BUT you have not experienced that yourself. That has been true for me at times in my life. Sooooo, let me tell you it is a matter of your perspective as to the validity of JC statement. Let me explain. Recall Adam and the Woman. God has one only one prohibition in all the entire garden. You can tend the tree (and everything in the garden) and take care of it but you cannot eat of its fruit. (some say the bible says you can go near the tree nor touch the tree. Absolutely false. Go read you bible. God said tend every everything in the garden. ) So Adam had to tend the tree but he and the woman could not eat of the fruit of the tree. Preciseness is important in Gods system. It is how Satan trips us up and did trip up the woman. So one prohibition. Do not eat. (Now isn't that easy – My yolk is easy my burden is light…) Yet what did the woman do? Crunch… Hey Adam, you tall dark handsome man, have a bit. Crunch. One command, only one. Now that was simple wasn't it? Yes. Yet….. So is it simple. Simple to rebound? … Yes Is it simple to claim a promise (surmising you know at least one promise) … Yes And when you do that, Gods +R is satisfied and His Justice executes what His Love wants for you. Simple? Yes. So what's so hard….. We are human…. We are arrogant. We make things hard. Now this is where an aspect of Grace kicks in. We are to give ourselves Grace. In my youth the expression was take a chill pill, give yourself a break. We are only human… very funny if you really understood what it meant. We are to relax and follow God procedures. Thus far tonight Rebound and F/R Drill allowing Gods Love to give us the things we need because His +R is satisfied, because we are using Gods procedures (Rebound and F/R Drill) and God's J delivers what Gods Love wants. So easy. Let's proceed. The next thing to understand is to Trust – Trusting God [^] Proverbs 3:5 [1] [CMD] Trust in the Lord with all your heart [rt lobe – where you think. PSD #3 F/R Drill], And [2] [CMD] do not lean on your own [HVP] understanding [man's opinion vs God's]. Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways [3] [CMD] acknowledge Him, [Promise] And He will make your paths straight. [1, 2, 3 - easy] Proverbs 3:7 [conclusion v5-6] Do not be wise in your own eyes [conceited - arrogance]; [CMD] Fear [Trust] the Lord and [CMD] turn away from evil. Straight forward. First this verse is both a Command and also a promise. A command to Trust in the Lord. How? That starts with knowing a little about God and doing what He says. That is why we Rebound and why I am starting with the Faith Rest procedure. Knowing those two things and using them starts the trust in God process. [In God We Trust] God said x, I will do x and I trust God will do x. Simple, but very important. Like 1 + 1 = 2. Next it says with all your heart. That is our goal – recall what Col Thieme said? Bel using BD turns the world upside down. In the sp life, we can't quite Trust God perfectly yet.. but you can start by using what you know right now (Rebound and F/R procedure). So if that's all you have in your ‘heart' so far and if you do them diligently, then you are fulfilling this part of the command. The third part is interesting and should generate some questions. But first let's look at it plainly: “And do not lean on your own understanding”. Leaning on your own human understanding is using human opinion, the worlds thinking in solving problems vs God's thinking in solving problems. Lean on God and His thinking vs lean on what humanity tells us. If human solutions do not line up with what God says then that thinking is faulty. Where human wisdom lines up with God's thinking or Divine Wisdom then humanity is following the way God thinks. Either way its Gods thinking that is correct, every time. The interesting part here is there are at least two ways to think. God's way and humanity's way. Also called God's Divine Viewpoint (DVP) and human viewpoint (HVP) thinking. We know in fact there are multiple views of humanity, many different forms of ‘philosophy'. But only God's ‘philosophy' matters and is the only one that produces results that are for your best interest, happiness and prosperity in all situations and all the time. This applies to you individually and us a group or humanity. For right now, let's keep it simple, God's viewpoint of life is correct and that is the one we are to learn and think. So And do not lean on your own understanding. Means we are NOT to use human thinking, HVP, but learn and use God's thinking, DVP. Next is verse 6, In all your ways acknowledge Him. So how do you acknowledge God? Does this mean witnessing, etc? God wants your thinking to change, He wants your mind to be ‘renovated' – out with the old thinking and in with the new thinking. God knows if you think like Him and use His procedures and follow His commands then your actions and what you do will follow suit and be based upon His DVP. So God is focused on thinking and not on acting or actions (since allot of people ‘act'). So what this means for you is something I said on Trusting: if what you have in your ‘heart' is Rebound and F/R procedure and you use them diligently, then you are acknowledging Him in all your ways (two areas so far!). So verse 6a just restates what verse 5b says (a side note, I don't know if you like poetry or not, but the relationship between v5b and v6a is called a synonymous parallel. These verses in Proverbs are all Hebrew poetry and they don't use rhyming as their style of poetry but parallelism. God uses this restating technique to both reinforce its importance and to say the same thing slightly differently so the reader understands more completely what He is saying.) So if you are using Rebound and F/R procedure then you are acknowledging God in all your ways! Now the last part of verse 6 - God's promise to you: And He will make your paths straight. A promise to make your paths straight. Make your paths straight is a metaphor (defn: A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly referring to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide clarity or identify hidden similarities between two ideas.). So to make your paths straight means to live your life in the way God wants you to live your life for maximum happiness and blessing in life. Because that is what God wants (I am not giving you lots of bible verses to back up what I say so as not to inundate you... But you can rationalize it yourself, if God is God then He must have a plan and a purpose for my life and He must have given us all the information we need to live that life ... ). God wants you to be happy and prosperous in your life. God gives us His thinking that we need to learn, procedures to execute, commands to follow so that when we do these things we can live our life, solve the inevitable problems we face big and small, day to day, have happiness and contentment in this life. You might ask “How does God make our paths straight?” In its most simplest form it is two things: 1 - you are learning and thinking what God has said, in your case Rebound and F/R procedure. If you are being diligent about using them, then you are acknowledging God and you think differently or you are more relaxed so that you can think and act differently. 2 - with your relaxed thinking and decision making, God opens and closes ‘doors', He brings circumstances into your life which will now guide your life in different directions. [^] Confused which way to go? Then make the best decision you can and if God does not want you to go in that direction, he will close the door. If you are receptive to closed doors, then you see that for what it is and you go in another direction. Don't take this to the ridiculous as some do, “should I eat Mexican or Italian tonight? I'll wait on God's will”. In all cases you make the decisions in life as to what you think is best. Remember, you will not be in fear or worry because you are using the F/R procedure and as long as you do and are remaining calm about it (really, not faking it) then any decision will either be guided by God and an open door or the result of the decision will be a closed door. Then you know to go in a different direction. The key is [pause]: are you diligent in using the F/R procedure and are you trusting God such that you are relaxed? If so, then your trust in God is not in vain and He will come through for you (but also remember it will be in His timing). [^] Trust is a process. [^] You start out slowly, so to speak, claim a promise and wait upon the Lord to handle that promise. If you put more and more on his ‘plate' and you trust Him to handle it then the more and more relaxed you become. When you see this happening in your life, you realize you have peace and tranquility that you did not have before. That is the result of using Gods thinking and specifically the F/R procedure. An other verse which is similar is Laminations 3:25. [^] Laminations 3:25 [Promise] The Lord is good to those who trust in Him [F/R procedure] and to those who wait for Him [divine timing of God, having patience], One of the objectives you have eventually is to want to please God. God is a person, He thinks and He has emotions (just perfect emotions vs our sometimes irrational emotions). He can be ‘pleased'. And doing what He wants for us to do in our lives is something worth aspiring to. This verse tells us that God is good to those who trust Him. That's what you are doing by being diligent in using Rebound and F/R procedure. Lamentations 3:25 says trust and wait upon God. The waiting is also a test. God is testing you to let him handle the situation in His time and for you to relax and wait. Patience. [Blank screen – W] Let's look at Fear - One thing that can characterize what was going on during this COVID-19 crisis is fear. So I wanted to talk to you about fear. There are several ‘fears' in life, some are inherent (you acquired them early in life, or acquired them through difficult circumstances in life) and some come on suddenly (COVID-19 virus with all the conflicting information we get). So let's discuss fear and look at it from God's Divine viewpoint (DVP). In the bigger sense, most people are afraid of death. Many don't think about it until they have an experience with it (friend, loved one, war, etc) and other fears can develop as we age. But as a believer in Jesus Christ, you should have no fear of death. You know what happens after death. You go to heaven. Now some in Christianity have said, and some religions say, you can lose your salvation by being ‘bad'. BS! Why? Because the bible NEVER, NEVER says that. It clearly says many times, you have what is called Eternal Security. Once saved always saved. Period. Unfortunately that is not how humans think (HVP). We want to feel sorry; we want to make amends or penance. BUT recall what I told you. God does not think like humans think. We have to learn how God thinks. And this is very important. Probably the most important thing after mastering Rebound and the Faith Rest procedure is to understand more and more about God and how He thinks. So once saved always saved. Proof – John 3:15 [in order] that whoever believes may in Him [Jesus Christ] have eternal life. John 3:16 "For God sooooooo loved the world, [with the result] that He gave His uniquely born Son [virgin birth], that whoever believes in Him shall never perish [eternal security], but have everlasting life.” John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to judge [punish] the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged [Great White Throne Judgment for unbelievers]; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the uniquely Son of God. Second Proof – John 10:28 [Promise] and I [Jesus Christ speaking] give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish [salvation cannot be undone]; and no one shall snatch [pluck] them out of My hand. [eternal security] John 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. Our first security is the eternal security. You cannot lose your salvation. And you go to heaven at physical death. So God handles the fear of death. No Fear! Next - Do you really understand why God loves you? Yea, Jn 3:16… But Do you really understand you and all mankind are precious to God? Think of that for a second in human terms. I love dogs. [^] [^] I loved my first dog, Hans. He was a playmate, ‘friend' and companion. He was precious to me. And every dog since then has been precious to me. What's precious to you? [BLANK Screen – W] Now, think how much more God thinks of you as precious? He created you. Don't you think that someone who created you would not also think of you as something precious to Him? ((Wait a second Cliff, my parents ‘created' me? Not quite true. Your parents ‘created' you physically and give your certain DNA traits. Through the reproduction process (that God invented), your parents DNA gave you a body. )) God gave you life and He gave you, you. I.e. your soul, your personality, the real you. When you die your physical body goes back to the earth. Your soul is still alive. And with salvation, you will live in heaven forever (and God will also give you a ‘new' body in which to house your soul). God created you and that makes you very precious to Him. That is an inkling of how much God loves you. My second favorite verse in the bible is Matthew 7:11 – [^] Matthew 7:11 [Promise] If you then [the context it is talking about parents], being evil [compared to the character & integrity of God], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! How much more! How much more does God our Father know how to give ‘good gifts' to you! What are good gifts? The things in life that you desire that are in accordance to His plan. So if we know how to give graciously to others, how much more does God who is infinitely powerful, know how to give to us gracious things in life that we desire to have which are in accordance to His plan. He has a perfect plan for our lives. And He will provide everything we need for our life. I can imagine some questions. “I do not have what I want in this life (yet)”. Are you in the Plan of God for your life? [BLANK Screen – W] So thus far in the CWLiving we ---- You started at the beginning. Salvation. Then … Rebound and the Faith Rest procedure. Master that. Next … We start with getting to know a little about God. As we get to know God and use His procedures then we trust God. That is the beginning of being in the Plan of God for your life. Simple 1, 2, 3. Proverbs 3:5 & 6. Go back and read it. [^] Rebound when necessary Diligently using (mastering) the F/R Drill Understanding God's Essence, esp His Love -> +R –J Then using your volition to execute what God says – CMDs, Promises, Instructions. … and He will make your paths straight. Very Key. Simple. Crunch…. My focus over these lessons is going to be just that. Giving you Promises and going over biblical narratives to focus your attention on the range of promises and commands we have and to see how God thinks using His divine Essence. [BLANK screen – W] In this country we are living in MORE difficult times than in the past. We are going to be tested more than ever because of the decay, the rot of our nation. (it humorous but NOT funny – what the socialists, the democrats are pushing for is to make our lives more and more difficult – a true reversal of ‘peace and prosperity' we experience today) God's way – peace and prosperity – their way hardship and difficulty. So mastering the F/R Drill and understanding How God thinks is paramount for your sp life and living in this cosmic system. If you can recall how God thinks vs cosmic system And if you can recall more than one F/R Promise (one tailored to your ‘issue(s)) Then you have the solid foundation to advance and thrive in Satan's Cosmic system. > So let's proceed by reviewing God's Divine Essence then mixing in some narratives and promises of the bible to highlight them. Before we do let's review - 1 - Faith & Divine Essence Faith in God. What is faith? I have said several times you must trust God. Faith is putting your trust in something greater than you and your problems. If someone says I trust God but can't explain why, then that is empty faith and it is not going to help you be relaxed or help you psychologically. Being relaxed or what the bible calls prosperity (mental prosperity) is one of the great benefits of the Faith Rest procedure. RMA. So, if you know or recite Gods promises and know that God backs them up because He is an all-powerful God, then you are putting your faith in someone stronger and mightier than you. You see faith must have an object. And in our case at GBC and what Pastor Bob has taught us, our faith is in God, specifically His promises and Him as an all-powerful God. Now when I say an all powerful God – what does that mean to you – Omnipotent. Well not really. It really is means that God acts IAW His character – Omnipotent God doing the right thing the right way. Not whatever He wants. That might sound sacrilegious but it is true and a key component to understanding God's Essence. God does the right thing the right way, every time – right thing – +R, the right way - Justice, and the power to do it is Omnipotent. So an all powerful God is a +R, J and Omnipotent. 3/10 attributes. What are the attributes of God's Divine Essence, His character? Pastor Rory Clark gave us an acronym to remember this by: JR SOOO LIVE (pronounced: junior soooooooo live) • Justice – God renders a fair decision based upon all the facts. He always does the right thing in the right way. He is a perfect (just) judge. • Righteousness (+R) – this refers to God is perfect, He never has made a mistake, never thought anything wrong, is perfect and without sin. • Sovereignty – God is supreme authority of the universe. There is no one more powerful or ‘above' Him. • Omniscience – God is all knowing, God knows everything including what would have happened if different decisions were made. He knows all the outcomes. • Omnipresent – God is in all places at once. He is present everywhere. • Omnipotent – God is all powerful. For example the bible describes God's creation of the universe as the work of His fingers. Your fingers are the weakest part of your body, yet God created the whole universe and all its great beauty with just His fingers. Now that is power. (and no God does not have fingers – it is a metaphor) • Love – God is Love. This is a huge concept but to keep it relatively simple we have to use all of the following words to describe God's love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives several descriptions of God's love: "Love is patient, love is kind. God's Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (see note at end). Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God's love never fails." That is a lot to digest, but I think you can get a glimpse of what true love is and God is Love. • Immutable – God never changes. He never makes a decision that He would change. He does the right thing the right way the first time. • Veracity – God is truthful. Titus 1:2 "God, who does not lie." Also that means the bible is inerrant, without error (in the original language that is was written). God's perfect thoughts given to mankind. • Eternal Life – God always existed, He was in the past, present and future forever and ever. This is the One whom we put our faith or trust in. This is the One whom we put our faith or trust in. So when God says in 1 Peter 5:7 Give me all your concerns because I (God) care for you. Or Slamming all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. He means it. Re-Read God's attribute of Love over again. That is His attitude towards YOU. And now you know why the bible is called God's word. It is just not title. It is God's very words to you and to me. God's veracity, His Omnipotence make sure that you have His absolute thinking in the bible. That is why it is the oldest book in the world, God has preserved the bible for 4000-5000 years. Who else could accomplish that? Only God because of His attributes. That is who we put our trust in. I emphasized trust. But trust is something you have to develop; it is a process. You have to learn to trust God. Learning about His Divine Essence is an academic endeavor. You still have to learn to use [experience] each of His attributes and see it working for you. When you do you start and continue to trust God. It is a process. It does not happen overnight. Many people, including myself spend years exercising the Faith Rest procedure and trusting God. Sometimes I fail, but I keep going. I make mistakes but I keep on going (this is something I will talk about later, the concept of perseverance). ((RECAP??? Let me recap this last section on Faith in God, His Divine Essence and its relationship to learning to trust God by using the Faith Rest procedure. Faith has to have an object or it is just blind or useless faith. In understanding (and memorizing) God's Divine Essence, His attributes, we can see that the One we put our Faith in is stronger, more powerful, perfect (Veracity) and Loving. We must learn to trust Him and what He says. We start to do that by Rebounding when necessary and using the Faith Rest procedure. And as I have said, we must master this part of the CWLiving. )) 2 - God's Promises Learn more God's promises. So far - 1 Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Lamentations 3:25. We are to use these promises to ‘slam' all your cares, anxieties and problems on God then relaxing about them knowing that in Lam 3:25 God will provide solutions while you relax and wait on His timing. This should also give you courage. Tip -- Make a list, mine is on my phone, and cite them to God in your Faith Rest procedure prayer to God. You have to move forward every day, you have to make decisions every day. Now you can do that, even in difficult times or in pressure situations, with the courage God gives you by using the F/R procedure and having confidence God will come through for you. So then trusting in God and using His procedures (acknowledging Him) he will guide your life and that life will be one of prosperity (mental prosperity or relaxed) and he will guide your life with the result you will have maximum happiness and a life of fulfillment (Prov 3:5-6). Problems come in two flavors; 1 - the ones we created by bad decisions (which have internal (pressure, anxiety) and external (ramifications to others)) and 2 - problems others created and put on us (these can be circumstances of life or overt decisions made by others that cause you problems, including ‘natural disasters' such as Mt Saint Helen's, floods, war, pandemics, etc. Sooooo it matters not whether we or others created the problems, God has a solution to them. His solution is to use what you know from the bible to make decisions and to use the Faith Rest procedure to remain calm, relaxed in spite of the pressure, and have courage to move forward because God will fulfill His promise. 3 - Psalm 91 God's Promise of Protection for the Believer Third, lets study a passage to put most of the concepts together – God's Divine Essence, His promises and what He does for us in terms of protection (anti-fear). Psalm 91 is an example of God's protection of you as a believer in Jesus Christ (JC). God protects believers who trust (here is that word again) in Him. When you are executing the Plan of God then because God Loves you, He wants the best for you. Based upon you executing His procedures, His Love wants to bless you and He can because His Righteousness sees that you are following His procedures and commands so then God's Justice provides you blessings. Simple? Crunch Psalm 91:1 He [the believer in JC] who dwells [via F/R procedure] in the shelter of the Most High [a reference to God] Will abide [reside] in the shadow of the Almighty [Omnipotence of God]. The author of this Psalm is saying Believers in JC whose thinking and who live their lives using God's solutions (so far in our lesson today Rebound & F/R procedure) will find shelter and reside under God's protection. God protects those whom He Loves. Protection from what? Versus 3, 5-7 give us some examples (criminality, war, pestilence, natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, etc). But let's pick one from v6 that is applicable today – the corona virus. God protects the Believer from the corona virus. Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon [earthquake, volcano, tsunami]. He shelters (protects) you and does it in at least one of 3 ways (which will be true for any example). 1) God protects the Believer from catching the virus. 2) God allows the believer to catch the virus but heals the believer. 3) God allows the believer to catch the virus and allows the believer to die and go to heaven. What a minute! How is #3 protection? God provides blessing to a dying believer: - first you are relaxed even when you are dying (F/R procedure); - second, in being relaxed while dying you might be a witness to others who will be curious why you are so relaxed, it is an opportunity to witness to someone; and - third God's Plan for you is to witness in dying. His Plan for you is up and He is bringing you to heaven. There cannot be a more greater protection that to spend eternity in heaven. This might be hard for you to understand but God has a Plan for you and will provide all the means for you to be relaxed and fulfill His Plan. And that Plan just might be putting you in a situation of death so that someone else can benefit from your death. How many soldiers died in WWII so that we can have the freedom and prosperity in the USA today? See there is a bigger plan and purpose, greater than just your own life. So yes, death can be part of God's Plan for a believer. And in that death, you can be relaxed and happy. That is not how the world (cosmos) thinks. Again another example of God's thinking is opposite of the worlds thinking. So back to the first 2 ways God protects the believer. Verse 1 says those believers who use the Faith Rest procedure will find shelter and reside under the protection of Omnipotent God. We might not know how God's Omnipotence might protect us in advance but we can trust (here is that word again) in His promise, an Immutable promise and when we use that promise, God will deliver. Just in this verse we can see how to apply parts of God's Divine Essence. God is all powerful, Omnipotent, and can prevent you from catching the virus or heal you if you catch the virus. God knows through His Omniscience why He might want you to catch the virus or even die, so that His Plan for you and others can be fulfilled. God's promise is Immutable it will never change and since you claimed the promise God's Righteousness is satisfied so that His Justice can execute the promise that God in His Love proved for you. Thereby proving God's Veracity. So in this example you can ‘see' how God thinks and how God works. V2 goes on – Psalm 91:2 I will say to the Lord, [your conclusion upon using the F/R procedure] "[You are] My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" So the result of using the F/R procedure is coming to the conclusion that God will fulfill the promise to you (that is, you are trusting God) so that you can say (to yourself and others) God is my refuge and my fortress. Also you thank God, in prayer or verbally to others, “My God delivered me because I trust Him” (I trust His word – promises). So you are praising God and thanking Him with your thinking because He will and does protect you. But, this is only for the believer who is using Rebound and the F/R procedure. See when you follow God's thinking and use His tools and develop the spiritual skills to live your life then God blesses you and part of the blessing is protection per Psalm 91. Also look how personal v2 is. My refuge, My fortress, My God. As I said God wants to have a personal relationship with you. This is you having a personal relationship with God by using His tools (promises) to live your life. And as I said you become grateful to Him for giving you these promises to use in daily life. I like v3 because it has been true in my life. Psalm 91:3 For it is He [God] who delivers you from the snare of the trapper [people and circumstances in life], And from the deadly pestilence [deadly hazards like corona virus]. The snare of the trapper is an illustration of traps in life. Who would set traps for you in life? Have you ever had people in your life who were out for you and wanted to do you harm? I have. I have had bosses at work that ‘hated' me and wanted to destroy my career. I knew it and I did not react to them. I treated them with kindness and respect and I did my job to the best of my ability. And no matter what these bosses tried to do, in the end, they had no effect on my career. Now this sounds like I was perfect in all of this. I was not. A few times I got depressed and worried BUT when I did, I Rebounded and used the F/R procedure and went back to a relaxed state so I could do my job. And that is what happens most if not all the time. Sometimes we fail. We Rebound and go back to using the F/R procedure. So God protected me, I was allowed to do my job and very successfully. Then later God's solution was to give me a better job (a promotion). So God did not make the person go way, instead, He protected me so I could do my job and He ‘promoted' me and the person who ‘hated' me, got to ‘stew in their own juices' while watching me be successful. This is an example of God protecting me because I was using His solutions to the problem. Circumstances in life can also lay traps for you, but again the solution is the same – Rebound when necessary and use the F/R procedure. The second part of v3 I covered in the example of the pestilence above, using the corona virus as an illustration. Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions [feathers], And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark [a defensive wall – like a castle wall]. Here is a picture of v4a that says it all. Notice how the mother bird is holding on to her chicks. Physically protecting them, giving them cover and warmth – that is total protection. Notice also that the chick could fly away if they wanted to. But they are choosing to stay under her protection. Same with us and God. We can remove ourselves from God's protection by using human solutions to problems instead of using God's solutions. So it is our choice, use God's solutions or use human solutions. Versus 5-7 are additional descriptive illustrations of terrors that can affect Believers. Psalm 91:5 ¶ [result from v2 of using F/R procedure] You will not be afraid of the terror by night [criminality, etc], Or of the arrow that flies by day [warfare]; Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon [earthquake, volcano, tsunami]. Notice night and day, darkness and noon – this is a reference that God protects the believer 24 hrs/day! God never sleeps. He is on the job 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week. Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall [die] at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it [terrors and disasters] shall not approach you. V7 is interesting. You might be in the midst of a great natural disaster or the corona virus with thousands dying all around you but it, the disasters and terrors, will not affect you. We are blessed (by God) in the USA and we do not have many disasters like other parts of the world, but when we do, God protects the believer who is executing His Plan for their lives. Psalm 91:8 You will only look on with your eyes, And see the recompense of the wicked [Justice of God in action]. V8 is interesting because it now introduces what happens to those who are evil, from v3 and 5-7. Not only are you protected but the Justice of God punishes those who are evil (anti-God, believers not using His Divine Solutions in life and unbelievers). You will many times see that they get Divine Justice from God for their deeds. Versus 9 & 10 are a conclusion. Psalm 91:9 For you [the Believer using the F/R procedure] have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. Psalm 91:10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent [where you live]. V9 is a restatement of v1-2 and the conclusion of all these terrors and adversities is that you are protected wherever you are. These 9 verses give you enough background to understand what God is telling Believers who a executing His Plan for their lives, the protection and comfort He provides 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. And, and the recompense for those bel who do not and for those unbel who are evil. So this is a great example of God's promise to believers who Rebound when necessary and use the F/R procedure to handle problems, anxieties, disasters, evil and adversities of life. God protects the ones He Loves. And since He is an all-powerful God, He has the means to provide protection to His loved ones. You can see His Divine Essence in action. His Righteousness not tolerating evil and His Justice executing justice on evil in this world, His Omniscience knowing what will happen in advance and having a plan to protect the believer in these circumstances, His Omnipotence shielding the believer from the consequences of evil and disasters, even when those around you are affected. He does all this because He Loves you and you responded to His Love by first believing in Jesus Christ for salvation and then following His procedures, commands and getting to know and appreciate Him and trusting Him for deliverance from the problems of life. God can only keep His promises and in them is true security. Once you latch on to what Psalm 91 says, and once you understand the context of Psalm 91 as a whole, and once you believe God's promise, and trust God for the fulfillment of Psalm 91, then you have security. You have security in your salvation, you have security in your life, both physical and spiritual, you have eternal security, you have everything that you need, every resource to be secure in this life, no matter what. Psalm 91 is a benefit in the midst of adversity, it is a benefit in the midst of a corona virus plague. Also as you are relaxed, you look around at others who are in panic and fear and you can ‘see' what a wonderful God you have, that Loves you and protects you. Last thoughts Why is the F/R procedure so important? Why do I keep telling you to be diligent in using Rebound and the F/R procedure? What does claiming God's promises on some specific ‘issue' you are having do? First if you trust God and believe His promise(s) then you can be relaxed. That is called a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA). You can relax, you do not have to dwell on your problems, you let God handle them. What else does a RMA bring to you? Courage. Courage under adversity or better said Courage under fire (as in a battle). So what if - you momentarily think about your problem(s) that you asked God to handle by using the F/R procedure? There is nothing wrong with that. It happens. Give yourself grace. But if you dwell on them more than momentarily, then you have in essence told God that you want to handle them. So you need to Rebound (you told God that He was going to handle them and you changed your mind, not trusting God) and then you must use the F/R procedure again for that problem. See there is a solution for that too. Think about this for a moment. When a problem comes up, you are able to claim a promise and calm down, by utilizing the Faith Rest procedure, and have a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA), under adversity and that is something that only the believer in Jesus Christ has at their disposal, only the believer. You should be able to see what a great God we have. You should be experiencing encouragement of both God's presence and His care for you. You will rest with the confidence that whatever happens in life is with His knowledge and nothing happens outside of his knowledge (Omniscient). Psalm 91. And you know what? This is one of several problem solving procedures God has provided for believers only. You are well taught and know God provides 10 PSDs that you can use. We just looked at two. Rebound and F/R procedure. Now it is your job to use these two diligently!

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus' Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus' Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God's Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God's model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus' Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Inadequacy. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Abundance. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11.  A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities ‘For the kingdom of God is . . . of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit'”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

On this Memorial Day, We Remember Jesus’ Definition of LOVE: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends” MESSAGE SUMMARY: On this Memorial Day and as we see on TV at the National Cemeteries here and overseas, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Today, let us all remember those with God’s Agape Love those men and women who served America and sacrificed so much for us by giving up their lives in Agape Love.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107b:12-22. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Jesus Followers Cannot Live their Lives Without Living in the Indwelled Power of the Holy Spirit, but Consequences May Arise", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

On this Memorial Day, We Remember Jesus’ Definition of LOVE: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends” MESSAGE SUMMARY: On this Memorial Day and as we see on TV at the National Cemeteries here and overseas, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Today, let us all remember those with God’s Agape Love those men and women who served America and sacrificed so much for us by giving up their lives in Agape Love.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107b:12-22. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Jesus Followers Cannot Live their Lives Without Living in the Indwelled Power of the Holy Spirit, but Consequences May Arise", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus’ Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus’ Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Inadequacy. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Abundance. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “God’s Covenant with Moses Is His Perfect Agape Love that Provided the “Ten Commandments” which Show Us What Sin Is", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””:  www.AWFTL.org/watch DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Current Times Increase Our Uncertainties and Fears, but Remember “There is no fear in love {Agape, Self-Sacrificing Love}, but perfect love casts out fear” MESSAGE SUMMARY: We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17 (The New Testament book of 1 John is believed to have been written by the Apostle John, author of the “Gospel of John”.), John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Recently, TV news has had reasons to show our National Cemeteries which, along with our consideration of Veterans Day this past week, reminds us of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. Today, let us all remember those with God’s Agape Love that sacrificed so much for us by giving up their lives.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Presence. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Today, With All the “Clutter” in Our lives from Information Noise and the Uncertainties Surrounding Us, Listening for God’s Voice is Critical", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””:  www.AWFTL.org/watch DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Like a hammer on a drumHammer on a drumThere's a hammer on a drumBeating inside meThis love forever wonderThis love forever wonderThis love forever wonderSo here I stayThis love forever wonderThis love forever wonderThis loveSo light a candle for meLight a candle for meLa, la, la, la, la, la, laLight a candle for meLight a candle for me

Health Care Workers and Forward-Deployed Military, Today, Illustrate Jesus’ Self-Sacrificing “Agape Love”   MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Today, let us all remember those, who with God’s Agape Love, have sacrificed and are sacrificing so much for us by giving up their lives for us.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  In all my ways I will seek to know Him, and He will make my pathways straight.  (From Proverbs 3:5f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “America Will Not Survive as a Nation Unless the People of God Stand Up and Plead for Our Survival - Pray for America": at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Cultural Turmoil and Health Threats Bring Fear, But Your Fear Is Overcome By Following God’s Call and Seeking His Will”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

This week there are two episiodes of the podcast going up, both of them longer than normal. This one, episode ninety-nine, is on "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys, and the group's roots in LA, and is fifty minutes long. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.   Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Misirlou" by Dick Dale and the Deltones. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ ----more---- Resources No Mixclouds this week, as both episodes have far too many songs by one artist. The mixclouds will be back with episode 101. I used many resources for this episode, most of which will be used in future Beach Boys episodes too. It's difficult to enumerate everything here, because I have been an active member of the Beach Boys fan community for twenty-three years, and have at times just used my accumulated knowledge for this. But the resources I list here are ones I've checked for specific things. Becoming the Beach Boys by James B. Murphy is an in-depth look at the group's early years. Stephen McParland has published many, many books on the California surf and hot-rod music scenes, including several on both the Beach Boys and Gary Usher. The Beach Boys: Inception and Creation is the one I used most here, but I referred to several. His books can be found at https://payhip.com/CMusicBooks Andrew Doe's Bellagio 10452 site is an invaluable resource. Jon Stebbins' The Beach Boys FAQ is a good balance between accuracy and readability. And Philip Lambert's Inside the Music of Brian Wilson is an excellent, though sadly out of print, musicological analysis of Wilson's music from 1962 through 67. The Beach Boys' Morgan recordings and all the outtakes from them can be found on this 2-CD set. The Surfin' Safari album is now in the public domain, and so can be found cheaply, but the best version to get is still the twofer CD with the Surfin' USA album. *But*, those two albums are fairly weak, the Beach Boys in their early years were not really an album band, and you will want to investigate them further. I would recommend, rather than the two albums linked above, starting with this budget-priced three-CD set, which has a surprisingly good selection of their material on it.   Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Today, there are going to be two podcast episodes. This one, episode ninety-nine, will be a normal-length episode, or maybe slightly longer than normal, and episode one hundred, which will follow straight after it, will be a super-length one that's at least three times the normal length of one of these podcasts. I'm releasing them together, because the two episodes really do go together. We've talked recently about how we're getting into the sixties of the popular imagination, and those 1960s began, specifically, in October 1962. That was the month of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which saw the world almost end. It was the month that James Brown released Live at the Apollo -- an album we'll talk about in a few weeks' time. And if you want one specific date that the 1960s started, it was October the fifth, 1962. On that date, a film came out that we mentioned last week -- Doctor No, the first ever James Bond film. It was also the date that two records were released on EMI in Britain. One was a new release by a British band, the other a record originally released a few months earlier in the USA, by an American band. Both bands had previously released records on much smaller labels, to no success other than very locally, but this was their first to be released on a major label, and had a slightly different lineup from those earlier releases. Both bands would influence each other, and go on to be the most successful band from their respective country in the next decade. Both bands would revolutionise popular music. And the two bands would even be filed next to each other alphabetically, both starting "the Bea". In episode one hundred, we're going to look at "Love Me Do" by the Beatles, but right now, in episode ninety-nine, we're going to look at "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin' Safari"] Before I start this story properly, I just want to say something -- there are a lot of different accounts of the formation of the Beach Boys, and those accounts are all different. What I've tried to do here is take one plausible account of how the group formed and tell it in a reasonable length of time. If you read the books I link in the show notes, you might find some disagreements about the precise order of some of these events, or some details I've glossed over. This episode is already running long, and I didn't want to get into that stuff, but it's important that I stress that this is just as accurate as I can get in the length of an episode. The Beach Boys really were boys when they made their first records. David Marks, their youngest member, was only thirteen when "Surfin' Safari" came out, and Mike Love, the group's oldest member, was twenty-one.  So, as you might imagine when we're talking about children, the story really starts with the older generation. In particular, we want to start with Hite and Dorinda Morgan. The Morgans were part-time music business people in Los Angeles in the fifties. Hite Morgan owned an industrial flooring company, and that was his main source of income -- putting in floors at warehouses and factories that could withstand the particular stresses that such industrial sites faced. But while that work was hard, it was well-paying and didn't take too much time. The company would take on two or three expensive jobs a year, and for the rest of the year Hite would have the money and time to help his wife with her work as a songwriter. She'd collaborated with Spade Cooley, one of the most famous Western Swing musicians of the forties, and she'd also co-written "Don't Put All Your Dreams in One Basket" for Ray Charles in 1948: [Excerpt: Ray Charles, "Don't Put All Your Dreams in One Basket"] Hite and Dorinda's son, Bruce, was also a songwriter, though I've seen some claims that often the songs credited to him were actually written by his mother, who gave him credits in order to encourage him. One of Bruce Morgan's earliest songs was a piece called "Proverb Boogie", which was actually credited under his father's name, and which Louis Jordan retitled to "Heed My Warning" and took a co-writing credit on: [Excerpt: Louis Jordan, "Heed My Warning"] Eventually the Morgans also started their own publishing company, and built their own small demo studio, which they used to use to record cheap demos for many other songwriters and performers. The Morgans were only very minor players in the music industry, but they were friendly with many of the big names on the LA R&B scene, and knew people like John Dolphin, Bumps Blackwell, Sam Cooke, and the Hollywood Flames. Bruce Morgan would talk in interviews about Bumps Blackwell calling round to see his father and telling him about this new song "You Send Me" he was going to record with Cooke. But although nobody could have realised it at the time, or for many years later, the Morgans' place in music history would be cemented in 1952, when Hite Morgan, working at his day job, met a man named Murry Wilson, who ran a machine-tool company based in Hawthorne, a small town in southwestern Los Angeles County. It turned out that Wilson, like Dorinda Morgan, was an aspiring songwriter, and Hite Morgan signed him up to their publishing company, Guild Music. Wilson's tastes in music were already becoming old-fashioned even in the very early 1950s, but given the style of music he was working in he was a moderately talented writer. His proudest moment was writing a song called "Two Step Side Step" for the Morgans, which was performed on TV by Lawrence Welk -- Murry gathered the whole family round the television to watch his song being performed.  That song was a moderate success – it was never a hit for anyone, but it was recorded by several country artists, including the rockabilly singer Bonnie Lou, and most interestingly for our purposes by Johnny Lee Wills, Bob Wills' brother: [Excerpt: Johnny Lee Wills, "Two Step Side Step"] Wilson wrote a few other songs for the Morgans, of which the most successful was "Tabarin", which was recorded by the Tangiers -- one of the several names under which the Hollywood Flames performed. Gaynel Hodge would later speak fondly of Murry Wilson, and how he was always bragging about his talented kids: [Excerpt: The Tangiers, "Tabarin"] But as the fifties progressed, the Morgans published fewer and fewer of Wilson's songs, and none of them were hits. But the Morgans and Wilson stayed in touch, and around 1958 he heard from them about an opportunity for one of those talented kids. Dorinda Morgan had written a song called "Chapel of Love" -- not the same song as the famous one by the Dixie Cups -- and Art Laboe had decided that that song would be perfect as the first record for his new label, Original Sound. Laboe was putting together a new group to sing it, called the Hitmakers, which was based around Val Poliuto. Poliuto had been the tenor singer of an integrated vocal group -- two Black members, one white, and one Hispanic -- which had gone by the names The Shadows and The Miracles before dismissing both names as being unlikely to lead to any success and taking the name The Jaguars at the suggestion of, of all people, Stan Freberg, the comedian and voice actor. The Jaguars had never had much commercial success, but they'd recorded a version of "The Way You Look Tonight" which became a classic when Laboe included it on the massively successful "Oldies But Goodies", the first doo-wop nostalgia album: [Excerpt: The Jaguars, "The Way You Look Tonight"] The Jaguars continued for many years, and at one point had Richard Berry guest as an extra vocalist on some of their tracks, but as with so many of the LA vocal groups we've looked at from the fifties, they all had their fingers in multiple pies, and so Poliuto was to be in this new group, along with Bobby Adams of the Calvanes, who had been taught to sing R&B by Cornell Gunter and who had recorded for Dootsie Williams: [Excerpt: The Calvanes, "Crazy Over You"] Those two were to be joined by two other singers, who nobody involved can remember much about except that their first names were Don and Duke, but Art Laboe also wanted a new young singer to sing the lead, and was auditioning singers. Murry Wilson suggested to the Morgans that his young son Brian might be suitable for the role, and he auditioned, but Laboe thought he was too young, and the role went to a singer called Rodney Goodens instead: [Excerpt: The Hitmakers, "Chapel of Love"] So the audition was a failure, but it was a first contact between Brian Wilson and the Morgans, and also introduced Brian to Val Poliuto, from whom he would learn a lot about music for the next few years. Brian was a very sensitive kid, the oldest of three brothers, and someone who seemed to have some difficulty dealing with other people -- possibly because his father was abusive towards him and his brothers, leaving him frightened of many aspects of life. He did, though, share with his father a love of music, and he had a remarkable ear -- singular, as he's deaf in one ear. He had perfect pitch, a great recollection for melodies -- play him something once and it would stay in his brain -- and from a very young age he gravitated towards sweet-sounding music. He particularly loved Glenn Miller's version of "Rhapsody in Blue" as a child: [Excerpt: The Glenn Miller Orchestra, "Rhapsody in Blue"] But his big musical love was a modern harmony group called the Four Freshmen -- a group made up of two brothers, their cousin, and a college friend. Modern harmony is an outdated term, but it basically meant that they were singing chords that went beyond the normal simple triads of most pop music. While there were four, obviously, of the Four Freshmen, they often achieved an effect that would normally be five-part harmony, by having the group members sing all the parts of the chord *except* the root note -- they'd leave the root note to a bass instrument. So while Brian was listening to four singers, he was learning five-part harmonies. The group would also sing their harmonies in unusual inversions -- they'd take one of the notes from the middle of the chord and sing it an octave lower. There was another trick that the Four Freshmen used -- they varied their vocals from equal temperament.  To explain this a little bit -- musical notes are based on frequencies, and the ratio between them matters. If you double the frequency of a note, you get the same note an octave up -- so if you take an A at 440hz, and double the frequency to 880, you get another A, an octave up. If you go down to 220hz, you get the A an octave below. You get all the different notes by multiplying or dividing a note, so A# is A multiplied by a tiny bit more than one, and A flat is A multiplied by a tiny bit less than one. But in the middle ages, this hit a snag -- A#. which is A multiplied by one and a bit, is very very slightly different from B flat, which is B multiplied by 0.9 something. And if you double those, so you go to the A# and B flat the next octave up, the difference between A# and B flat gets bigger. And this means that if you play a melody in the key of C, but then decide you want to play it in the key of B flat, you need to retune your instrument -- or have instruments with separate notes for A# and B flat -- or everything will sound out of tune. It's very very hard to retune some instruments, especially ones like the piano, and also sometimes you want to play in different keys in the same piece. If you're playing a song in C, but it goes into C# in the last chorus to give it a bit of extra momentum, you lose that extra momentum if you stop the song to retune the piano. So a different system was invented, and popularised in the Baroque era, called "equal temperament". In that system, every note is very very slightly out of tune, but those tiny errors cancel out rather than multiply like they do in the old system. You're sort of taking the average of A# and B flat, and calling them the same note. And to most people's ears that sounds good enough, and it means you can have a piano without a thousand keys.  But the Four Freshmen didn't stick to that -- because you don't need to retune your throat to hit different notes (unless you're as bad a singer as me, anyway). They would sing B flat slightly differently than they would sing A#, and so they would get a purer vocal blend, with stronger harmonic overtones than singers who were singing the notes as placed on a piano: [Excerpt: the Four Freshmen, "It's a Blue World"] Please note by the way that I'm taking the fact that they used those non-equal temperaments somewhat on trust -- Ross Barbour of the group said they did in interviews, and he would know, but I have relatively poor pitch so if you listened to that and thought "Hang on, they're all singing dead-on equal tempered concert pitch, what's he talking about?", then that's on him. When Brian heard them singing, he instantly fell for them, and became a major, major fan of their work, especially their falsetto singer Bob Flanigan, whose voice he decided to emulate. He decided that he was going to learn how they got that sound. Every day when he got home from school, he would go to the family's music room, where he had a piano and a record player. He would then play just a second or so of one of their records, and figure out on the piano what notes they were singing in that one second, and duplicating them himself. Then he would learn the next second of the song. He would spend hours every day on this, learning every vocal part, until he had the Four Freshmen's entire repertoire burned into his brain, and could sing all four vocal parts to every song. Indeed, at one point when he was about sixteen -- around the same time as the Art Laboe audition -- Brian decided to go and visit the Four Freshmen's manager, to find out how to form a successful vocal group of his own, and to find out more about the group themselves. After telling the manager that he could sing every part of every one of their songs, the manager challenged him with "The Day Isn't Long Enough", a song that they apparently had trouble with: [Excerpt: The Four Freshmen, "The Day Isn't Long Enough"] And Brian demonstrated every harmony part perfectly. He had a couple of tape recorders at home, and he would experiment with overdubbing his own voice -- recording on one tape recorder, playing it back and singing along while recording on the other. Doing this he could do his own imitations of the Four Freshmen, and even as a teenager he could sound spookily like them: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys [Brian Wilson solo recording released on a Beach Boys CD], "Happy Birthday Four Freshmen"] While Brian shared his love for this kind of sweet music with his father, he also liked the rock and roll music that was making its way onto the radio during his teen years -- though again, he would gravitate towards the sweet vocal harmonies of the Everly Brothers rather than to more raucous music. He shared his love of the Everlys with his cousin Mike Love, whose tastes otherwise went more in the direction of R&B and doo-wop. Unlike Brian and his brothers, Mike attended Dorsey High School, a predominantly Black school, and his tastes were shaped by that -- other graduates of the school include Billy Preston, Eric Dolphy, and Arthur Lee, to give some idea of the kind of atmosphere that Dorsey High had. He loved the Robins, and later the Coasters, and he's been quoted as saying he "worshipped" Johnny Otis -- as did every R&B lover in LA at the time. He would listen to Otis' show on KFOX, and to Huggy Boy on KRKD. His favourite records were things like "Smokey Joe's Cafe" by the Robins, which combined an R&B groove with witty lyrics: [Excerpt: The Robins, "Smokey Joe's Cafe"] He also loved the music of Chuck Berry, a passion he shared with Brian's youngest brother Carl, who also listened to Otis' show and got Brian listening to it. While Mike was most attracted to Berry's witty lyrics, Carl loved the guitar part -- he'd loved string instruments since he was a tiny child, and he and a neighbour, David Marks, started taking guitar lessons from another neighbour, John Maus. Maus had been friends with Ritchie Valens, and had been a pallbearer at Valens' funeral. John was recording at the time with his sister Judy, as the imaginatively-named duo "John & Judy": [Excerpt: John & Judy, "Why This Feeling?"] John and Judy later took on a bass player called Scott Engel, and a few years after that John and Scott changed their surnames to Walker and became two thirds of The Walker Brothers. But at this time, John was still just a local guitar player, and teaching two enthusiastic kids to play guitar. Carl and David learned how to play Chuck Berry licks, and also started to learn some of the guitar instrumentals that were becoming popular at the time. At the same time, Mike would sing with Brian to pass the time, Mike singing in a bass voice while Brian took a high tenor lead. Other times, Brian would test his vocal arranging out by teaching Carl and his mother Audree vocal parts -- Carl got so he could learn parts very quickly, so his big brother wouldn't keep him around all day and he could go out and play. And sometimes their middle brother Dennis would join in -- though he was more interested in going out and having fun at the beach than he was in making music. Brian was interested in nothing *but* making music -- at least once he'd quit the school football team (American football, for those of you like me who parse the word to mean what it does in Britain), after he'd got hurt for the first time. But before he did that, he had managed to hurt someone else -- a much smaller teammate named Alan Jardine, whose leg Brian broke in a game. Despite that, the two became friends, and would occasionally sing together -- like Brian, Alan loved to sing harmonies, and they found that they had an extraordinarily good vocal blend. While Brian mostly sang with his brothers and his cousin, all of whom had a family vocal resemblance, Jardine could sound spookily similar to that family, and especially to Brian. Jardine's voice was a little stronger and more resonant, Brian's a little sweeter, with a fuller falsetto, but they had the kind of vocal similarity one normally only gets in family singers. However,  they didn't start performing together properly, because they had different tastes in music -- while Brian was most interested in the modern jazz harmonies of the Four Freshman, Jardine was a fan of the new folk revival groups, especially the Kingston Trio. Alan had a group called the Tikis when he was at high school, which would play Kingston Trio style material like "The Wreck of the John B", a song that like much of the Kingston Trio's material had been popularised by the Weavers, but which the Trio had recorded for their first album: [Excerpt: The Kingston Trio, "The Wreck of the John B"] Jardine was inspired by that to write his own song, "The Wreck of the Hesperus", putting Longfellow's poem to music. One of the other Tikis had a tape recorder, and they made a few stabs at recording it. They thought that they sounded pretty good, and they decided to go round to Brian Wilson's house to see if he could help them -- depending on who you ask, they either wanted him to join the band, or knew that his dad had some connection with the music business and wanted to pick his brains. When they turned up, Brian was actually out, but Audree Wilson basically had an open-door policy for local teenagers, and she told the boys about Hite and Dorinda Morgan. The Tikis took their tape to the Morgans, and the Morgans responded politely, saying that they did sound good -- but they sounded like the Kingston Trio, and there were a million groups that sounded like the Kingston Trio. They needed to get an original sound. The Tikis broke up, as Alan went off to Michigan to college. But then a year later, he came back to Hawthorne and enrolled in the same community college that Brian was enrolled in. Meanwhile, the Morgans had got in touch with Gary Winfrey, Alan's Tikis bandmate, and asked him if the Tikis would record a demo of one of Bruce Morgan's songs. As the Tikis no longer existed, Alan and Gary formed a new group along the same lines, and invited Brian to be part of one of these sessions. That group, The Islanders made a couple of attempts at Morgan's song, but nothing worked out. But this brought Brian back to the Morgans' attention -- at this point they'd not seen him in three years. Alan still wanted to record folk music with Brian, and at some point Brian suggested that they get his brother Carl and cousin Mike involved -- and then Brian's mother made him let his other brother Dennis join in.  The group went to see the Morgans, who once again told them that they needed some original material. Dennis piped up that the group had been fooling around with a song about surfing, and while the Morgans had never heard of the sport, they said it would be worth the group's while finishing off the song and coming back to them. At this point, the idea of a song about surfing was something that was only in Dennis' head, though he may have mentioned the idea to Mike at some point. Mike and the Wilsons went home and started working out the song, without Al being involved at this time -- some of the rehearsal recordings we have seem to suggest that they thought Al was a little overbearing and thought of himself as a bit more professional than the others, and they didn't want him in the group at first. While surf music was definitely already a thing, there were very few vocal surf records. Brian and Mike wrote the song together, with Mike writing most of the lyrics and coming up with his own bass vocal line, while Brian wrote the rest of the music: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin' (Rehearsal)"] None of the group other than Dennis surfed -- though Mike would later start surfing a little -- and so Dennis provided Mike with some surfing terms that they could add into the song. This led to what would be the first of many, many arguments about songwriting credit among the group, as Dennis claimed that he should get some credit for his contribution, while Mike disagreed: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, “Surfin' (Rehearsal)”] The credit was eventually assigned to Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Eventually, they finished the song, and decided that they *would* get Al Jardine back into the group after all. When Murry and Audree Wilson went away for a long weekend and left their boys some money for emergencies, the group saw their chance. They took that money, along with some more they borrowed from Al's mother, and rented some instruments -- a drum kit and a stand-up bass. They had a party at the Wilsons' house where they played their new song and a few others, in front of their friends, before going back to the Morgans with their new song completed. For their recording session, they used that stand-up bass, which Al played, along with Carl on an acoustic guitar, giving it that Kingston Trio sound that Al liked. Dennis was the group's drummer, but he wasn't yet very good and instead of drums the record has Brian thumping a dustbin lid as its percussion. As well as being the lead vocalist, Mike Love was meant to be the group's saxophone player, but he never progressed more than honking out a couple of notes, and he doesn't play on the session. The song they came up with was oddly structured -- it had a nine-bar verse and a fourteen-bar chorus, the latter of which was based around a twelve-bar blues, but extended to allow the "surf, surf with me" hook. But other than the unusual bar counts it followed the structure that the group would set up most of their early singles. The song seems at least in part to have been inspired by the song "Bermuda Shorts" by the Delroys, which is a song the group have often cited and would play in their earliest live shows: [Excerpt: The Delroys, "Bermuda Shorts"] They messed around with the structure in various ways in rehearsal, and those can be heard on the rehearsal recordings, but by the time they came into the studio they'd settled on starting with a brief statement of the chorus hook: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin'"] It then goes into a verse with Mike singing a tenor lead, with the rest of the group doing block harmonies and then joining him on the last line of the verse: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin'"] And then we have Mike switching down into the bass register to sing wordless doo-wop bass during the blues-based chorus, while the rest of the group again sing in block harmony: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin'"] That formula would be the one that the Beach Boys would stick with for several singles to follow -- the major change that would be made would be that Brian would soon start singing an independent falsetto line over the top of the choruses, rather than being in the block harmonies.  The single was licensed to Candix Records, along with a B-side written by Bruce Morgan, and it became a minor hit record, reaching number seventy-five on the national charts. But what surprised the group about the record was the name on it. They'd been calling themselves the Pendletones, because there was a brand of thick woollen shirt called Pendletons which was popular among surfers, and which the group wore.  It might also have been intended as a pun on Dick Dale's Deltones, the preeminent surf music group of the time. But Hite Morgan had thought the name didn't work, and they needed something that was more descriptive of the music they were doing. He'd suggested The Surfers, but Russ Regan, a record promoter, had told him there was already a group called the Surfers, and suggested another name. So the first time the Wilsons realised they were now in the Beach Boys was when they saw the record label for the first time. The group started working on follow-ups -- and as they were now performing live shows to promote their records, they switched to using electric guitars when they went into the studio to record some demos in February 1962. By now, Al was playing rhythm guitar, while Brian took over on bass, now playing a bass guitar rather than the double bass Al had played. For that session, as Dennis was still not that great a drummer, Brian decided to bring in a session player, and Dennis stormed out of the studio. However, the session player was apparently flashy and overplayed, and got paid off. Brian persuaded Dennis to come back and take over on drums again, and the session resumed. Val Poliuto was also at the session, in case they needed some keyboards, but he's not audible on any of the tracks they recorded, at least to my ears. The most likely song for a follow-up was another one by Brian and Mike. This one was very much a rewrite of "Surfin'", but this time the verses were a more normal eight bars, and the choruses were a compromise between the standard twelve-bar blues and "Surfin'"s fourteen, landing on an unusual thirteen bars. With the electric guitars the group decided to bring in a Chuck Berry influence, and you can hear a certain similarity to songs like "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" in the rhythm and phrasing: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin' Safari [early version]"] Around this time, Brian also wrote another song -- the song he generally describes as being the first song he ever wrote. Presumably, given that he'd already co-written "Surfin'", he means that it was the first song he wrote on his own, words and music. The song was inspired, melodically, by the song "When You Wish Upon A Star" from the Disney film Pinocchio: [Excerpt: Cliff Edwards "When You Wish Upon a Star"] The song came to Brian in the car, and he challenged himself to write the whole thing in his head without going to the piano until he'd finished it. The result was a doo-wop ballad with Four Freshmen-like block harmonies, with lyrics inspired by Brian's then girlfriend Judy Bowles, which they recorded at the same session as that version of “Surfin' Safari”: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfer Girl [early version]"] At the same session, they also recorded two more songs -- a song by Brian called Judy, and a surf instrumental written by Carl called "Karate". However, shortly after that session, Al left the group. As the group had started playing electric instruments, they'd also started performing songs that were more suitable for those instruments, like "What'd I Say" and "The Twist". Al wasn't a fan of that kind of music, and he wanted to be singing "Tom Dooley" and "Wreck of the John B", not "Come on baby, let's do the Twist". He was also quite keen on completing his university studies -- he was planning on becoming a dentist -- and didn't want to spend time playing tons of small gigs when he could be working towards his degree. This was especially the case since Murry Wilson, who had by this point installed himself as the group's manager, was booking them on all sorts of cheap dates to get them exposure. As far as Al could see, being a Beach Boy was never going to make anyone any real money, and it wasn't worth disrupting his studies to keep playing music that he didn't even particularly like. His place was taken by David Marks, Carl's young friend who lived nearby. Marks was only thirteen when he joined, and apparently it caused raised eyebrows among some of the other musicians who knew the group, because he was so much younger and less experienced than the rest. Unlike Al, he was never much of a singer -- he can hold a tune, and has a pleasant enough voice, but he wasn't the exceptional harmony singer that Al was -- but he was a competent rhythm player, and he and Carl had been jamming together since they'd both got guitars, and knew each other's playing style. However, while Al was gone from the group, he wasn't totally out of the picture, and he remained close enough that he was a part of the first ever Beach Boys spin-off side project a couple of months later. Dorinda Morgan had written a song inspired by the new children's doll, Barbie, that had come out a couple of years before and which, like the Beach Boys, was from Hawthorne. She wanted to put together a studio group to record it, under the name Kenny and the Cadets, and Brian rounded up Carl, Al, Val Poliuto, and his mother Audree, to sing on the record for Mrs Morgan: [Excerpt: Kenny and the Cadets, "Barbie"] But after that, Al Jardine was out of the group for the moment -- though he would be back sooner than anyone expected. Shortly after Al left, the new lineup went into a different studio, Western Studios, to record a new demo. Ostensibly produced by Murry Wilson, the session was actually produced by Brian and his new friend Gary Usher, who took charge in the studio and spent most of his time trying to stop Murry interfering. Gary Usher is someone about whom several books have been written, and who would have a huge influence on West Coast music in the sixties. But at this point he was an aspiring singer, songwriter, and record producer, who had been making records for a few months longer than Brian and was therefore a veteran. He'd put out his first single, "Driven Insane", in March 1961: [Excerpt: Gary Usher, "Driven Insane"] Usher was still far from a success, but he was very good at networking, and had all sorts of minor connections within the music business. As one example, his girlfriend, Sandra Glanz, who performed under the name Ginger Blake, had just written "You Are My Answer" for Carol Connors, who had been the lead singer of the Teddy Bears but was now going solo: [Excerpt: Carol Connors, "You Are My Answer"] Connors, too, would soon become important in vocal surf music, while Ginger would play a significant part in Brian's life. Brian had started writing songs with Gary, and they were in the studio to record some demos by Gary, and some demos by the Beach Boys of songs that Brian and Gary had written together, along with a new version of "Surfin' Safari". Of the two Wilson/Usher songs recorded in the session, one was a slow doo-wop styled ballad called "The Lonely Sea", which would later become an album track, but the song that they were most interested in recording was one called "409", which had been inspired by a new, larger, engine that Chevrolet had introduced for top-of-the-line vehicles. Musically, "409" was another song that followed the "Surfin' Safari" formula, but it was regularised even more, lopping off the extra bar from "Surfin' Safari"'s chorus, and making the verses as well as the choruses into twelve-bar blues. But it still started with the hook, still had Mike sing his tenor lead in the verses, and still had him move to sing a boogie-ish bassline in the chorus while the rest of the group chanted in block harmonies over the top. But it introduced a new lyrical theme to the group -- now, as well as singing about surfing and the beach, they could also sing about cars and car racing -- Love credits this as being one of the main reasons for the group's success in landlocked areas, because while there were many places in the US where you couldn't surf, there was nowhere where people didn't have cars. It's also the earliest Beach Boys song over which there is an ongoing question of credit. For the first thirty years of the song's existence, it was credited solely to Wilson and Usher, but in the early nineties Love won a share of the songwriting credit in a lawsuit in which he won credit on many, many songs he'd not been credited for. Love claims that he came up with the "She's real fine, my 409" hook, and the "giddy up" bass vocal he sang. Usher always claimed that Love had nothing to do with the song, and that Love was always trying to take credit for things he didn't do. It's difficult to tell who was telling the truth, because both obviously had a financial stake in the credit (though Usher was dead by the time of the lawsuit). Usher was always very dismissive of all of the Beach Boys with the exception of Brian, and wouldn't credit them for making any real contributions, Love's name was definitely missed off the credits of a large number of songs to which he did make substantial contributions, including some where he wrote the whole lyric, and the bits of the song Love claims *do* sound like the kind of thing he contributed to other songs which have no credit disputes. On the other hand, Love also overreached in his claims of credit in that lawsuit, claiming to have co-written songs that were written when he wasn't even in the same country as the writers. Where you stand on the question of whether Love deserves that credit usually depends on your views of Wilson, Love and Usher as people, and it's not a question I'm going to get into, but I thought I should acknowledge that the question is there. While "409" was still following the same pattern as the other songs, it's head and shoulders ahead of the Hite Morgan productions both in terms of performance and in terms of the sound. A great deal of that clearly owes to Usher, who was experimenting with things like sound effects, and so "409" starts with a recording that Brian and Usher made of Usher's car driving up and down the street: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "409"] Meanwhile the new version of "Surfin' Safari" was vastly superior to the recording from a couple of months earlier, with changed lyrics and a tighter performance: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Surfin' Safari (second version)"] So at the end of the session, the group had a tape of three new songs, and Murry WIlson wanted them to take it somewhere better than Candix Records. He had a contact somewhere much better -- at Capitol Records. He was going to phone Ken Nelson. Or at least, Murry *thought* he had a contact at Capitol. He phoned Ken Nelson and told him "Years ago, you did me a favour, and now I'm doing one for you. My sons have formed a group and you have the chance to sign them!" Now, setting aside the question of whether that would actually count as Murry doing Nelson a favour, there was another problem with this -- Nelson had absolutely no idea who Murry Wilson was, and no recollection of ever doing him a favour. It turned out that the favour he'd done, in Murry's eyes, was recording one of Murry's songs -- except that there's no record of Nelson ever having been involved in a recording of a Murry Wilson song. By this time, Capitol had three A&R people, in charge of different areas. There was Voyle Gilmore, who recorded soft pop -- people like Nat "King" Cole. There was Nelson, who as we've seen in past episodes had some rockabilly experience but was mostly country -- he'd produced Gene Vincent and Wanda Jackson, but he was mostly working at this point with people like Buck Owens and the Louvin Brothers, producing some of the best country music ever recorded, but not really doing the kind of thing that the Beach Boys were doing. But the third, and youngest, A&R man was doing precisely the kind of thing the Beach Boys did. That was Nik Venet, who we met back in the episode on "LSD-25", and who was one of the people who had been involved with the very first surf music recordings. Nelson suggested that Murry go and see Venet, and Venet was immediately impressed with the tape Murry played him -- so impressed that he decided to offer the group a contract, and to release "Surfin' Safari" backed with "409", buying the masters from Murry rather than rerecording them. Venet also tried to get the publishing rights for the songs for Beechwood Music, a publishing company owned by Capitol's parent company EMI (and known in the UK as Ardmore & Beechwood) but Gary Usher, who knew a bit about the business, said that he and Brian were going to set up their own publishing companies -- a decision which Murry Wilson screamed at him for, but which made millions of dollars for Brian over the next few years. The single came out, and was a big hit, making number fourteen on the hot one hundred, and "409" as the B-side also scraped the lower reaches of the charts. Venet soon got the group into the studio to record an album to go with the single, with Usher adding extra backing vocals to fill out the harmonies in the absence of Al Jardine. While the Beach Boys were a self-contained group, Venet seems to have brought in his old friend Derry Weaver to add extra guitar, notably on Weaver's song "Moon Dawg": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Moon Dawg"] It's perhaps unsurprising that the Beach Boys recorded that, because not only was it written by Venet's friend, but Venet owned the publishing on the song. The group also recorded "Summertime Blues", which was co-written by Jerry Capehart, a friend of Venet and Weaver's who also may have appeared on the album in some capacity. Both those songs fit the group, but their choice was clearly influenced by factors other than the purely musical, and very soon Brian Wilson would get sick of having his music interfered with by Venet.  The album came out on October 1, and a few days later the single was released in the UK, several months after its release in the US. And on the same day, a British group who *had* signed to have their single published by Ardmore & Beechwood put out their own single on another EMI label. And we're going to look at that in the next episode...

This is Love…So, Receive It

This is Love…So, Love God and Others

This is Love…So, Sacrifice for Others

This is Love…So, Let it Define You

This is Love…So, Abide in Christ

This is Love…So, Resist the World

This is Love…So, Love the Church

This is Love…So, Proclaim It!

MESSAGE SUMMARY: On this Memorial Day and during these last days of Easter Season, even in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we cannot ignore the Agape {Self-Sacrificing} Love (i.e. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”) of a Risen Jesus and those Veteran men and women lying in Cemeteries across the world. Grieving and remembering these Veterans’ ultimate sacrifices are meet and right so to do. However, it is even more meet and right so to do to give thanks for Jesus’ eternal life-giving Agape Love and our Veterans’ earthly Agape Love given for us and our country. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus tells us of the actions that constitute the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Today, let us all remember those Veterans who acted with God’s Agape Love and who sacrificed so much for us by giving up their lives.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In Times of Uncertainty and Fear, Seeking and Hearing God’s Voice Is Critical": at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.  WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “In Covid-19 World’s Uncertainty, God Gave You the Holy Spirit as Your Counselor and to Walk With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Track Listing 1. Wine Wine Wine 2. Seductive & Sexy (7-11 Riddim) 3. Romping Shop ft. Spice 4. Virginity ft. Gaza Indu 5. Happy Pum Pum 6. Mile High Club (Pink Eye Riddim) 7. No Games (Love Triangle Riddim) 8. Wine Fi Nuh (Bank Robbers Riddim) 9. Bike Back (Ice Cream Riddim) 10. No Bed 11. Proper English (Nookie Riddim) 12. Whe D Bleaching Fa (Gold Spoon Riddim) 13. Tight Pussy Gal Dem (Throwback Giggy Riddim) 14. No Dutty Panty 15. Dutty Wine (Mad Indian Riddim) 16. Beat'n Beat'n (Rae Riddim) 17. Cock Up Is A Ten (Unfinished Business Riddim) 18. Beyonce Wine (Sidewalk University Riddim) 19. Whe Di Gal (Gear Box Riddim) 20. Push It (Gardener Riddim) 21. Get Wild (Gal Farm Riddim) 22. How Yuh Do It Like Dat ft. Lisa Hype (Baddaz Riddim) 23. Slow Motion (Street Bullies Riddim) 24. Yuh Love (Smoke Machine Riddim) 25. Like Christmas (Like Xmas) ft. Sheba 26. Good Night 27. Fuck Pon Him 28. Like A Jockey ft. Gaza Slim (Street Groove Riddim) 29. Know Bout Me ft. Gaza Indu 30. Tun Up The Fuck 31. Nuff Gal Mi Fuck (Ducati Riddim) 32. Love So 2015 33. 3AM (3AM Riddim) 34. Bet Mi Money 35. Ignite The World (Flammable Riddim) 36. Tun Back Way (Sex Mate Riddim) 37. Hold Me (Hurt It Up) (Revel Riddim) 38. A Bay 39. Pretty Face 40. Early Morning (Mint Tea Riddim) 41. Wah Yuh (Crowd Response Riddim) 42. Fuck It & Cum ft. Gaza Slim(Coolie Gal Riddim) 43. Convertible (Jupiter Riddim) 44. Pussy Me Say (Toasted Riddim) 45. Better Can Fuck 46. Tell You Say (V6 Riddim) 47. Freaky Gal Pt. 2 48. Freaky Gal Pt. 1 49. Mi Beat Up Di Pussy 50. It Bend Like Banana 51. Gwaan Suh (Summer Bounce Riddim) 52. Under Water (Zinc Roof Riddim) 53. Boom It Off 54. Designa Vagina 55. In Stock 56. Real Bad Gal 57. Back Way ft. Spice 58. Washer Dryer ft. Ishawna 59. Si Dwn 60. Volcano 61. Fever 62. Loodi ft. Shenseea 63. Taxi ft. Likkle Miss 64. Keep Him 65. Come Home 66. Fuckability (Tribaco Riddim) 67. Pretty From Morning (Flammable Riddim) 68. Customer Care (Customer Care Riddim) 69. Colouring This Life 70. Electric 71. I'll Take You There (Cure Pain Riddim) 72. Fall Ina Love (47th Floor Riddim) 73. Gal A Get More (Heat Rave Riddim) 74. X (World Vibes Riddim) 75. Anything A Anything ft. Gaza Slim 76. Grab Up Yuh Crotches (Remedy Riddim) 77. Beg Yuh A Fuck (2010 Riddim) 78. Dumpa Truck (Smokin Riddim) 79. Can't Get Ova Mi (Kurrupt Krysmus Riddim) 80. Come Breed Mi ft. Gaza Indu 81. Come Ya Nuh Mi Gal (New Era Riddim) 82. Love You Enuh (Lost Angel Riddim) 83. She Know Fi (Bruk Up Riddim) 84. How Yuh Proud ft. Lisa Hype (Bruk Up Riddim) 85. You Mi Need (Dancehall EFX Riddim) 86. All Out 87. Whine 88. Turn & Wine (DNA Riddim) 89. Sex & The City (Contra Riddim) 90. Benz Punany (S-Class Riddim) 91. Go-Go Club (Go-Go Club Riddim) 92. Buss A Whine (Gaza Riddim) 93. Nah Let Go (England Town Riddim) 94. Gal A Wa Me Do Yuh Mek U Do Me Dat (England Town Riddim) 95. Gaza Man Mi Name (Teasa Riddim) 96. Whine Fi Mi (Teasa Riddim) 97. Nymphomaniac (Nymphomaniac Riddim) 98. U A Mi Baby 99. Can't Do Without Me ft. Gaza Slim (Wild Bubble Riddim) 100. Love It 101. Ring A Rozy (Giggi Riddim) 102. Exercise (Ex-Her-Cise) Zj Chrome 103. Credit Alone Done (New Money Riddim) 104. Pretty Position (Promiscuous Riddim) 105. Bicycle Ride 106. Mamacita ft. J Capri (Rvssian Riddim) 107. Goodas From Birth (Tropical Punch Riddim) 108. Sweet To he Belly (Egyptian Riddim) 109. U Hotta (March Out Riddim) 110. Go Go Dancing (Ying Riddim) 111. Mi Love Pussy (Toaster Riddim) 112. Work It Like A Factory (Chromium Riddim) 113. Bicycle (Triple Bounce Riddim) 114. Seductive (10 Long 10 Strong Riddim) 115. Love Dem (Set Mi Free Riddim) 116. Like A Movie (Movie Star Riddim) 117. Go Girls (Hot Wuk Riddim) 118. Breast Specialist ft. Beenie Man (Scoobay Riddim) 119. Stress Free (Scoobay Riddim) 120. Designer Wine (The Set Up Riddim) 121. See A Man U Want (Bounce Riddim) 122. Please (Coolie Dance Riddim) 123. Move Your Body Remix ft. Nina Sky & Jabba (Coolie Dance Riddim) + More...

Why do we wait for a disaster in order to show our true colours? What is love anyway? Universal laws v laws written by man, unconditional love, gloves made from ants, shinrin yoku, the Truman Show, the green and the blue - its amazing what fits into 30 mins! I have found it so inspiring and uplifting to see the outpouring of love during this time of lockdown because of the Corona virus and I really hope that this love continues to infect and effect us so much deeper than any virus ever could, because we are seeing it pouring out everywhere and its GOOD! Elle magazine wrote an article earlier this week called “12 individual acts of kindness proving love and humanity will win over the coronavirus” and they talked about moving our focus from scaremongering to caremongering so in this episode we are going to celebrate and talk about, LOVE. Tonight, Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need are coming together for THE BIG NIGHT IN and the Comic Relief Tshirts are drawn by artist Charlie Mackesy with the simple caption saying LOVE WINS Amidst all the catastrophic effects that this virus is having across the globe, the devastation that it is causing to families, to friends and loved ones, to communities, businesses, and economies across the board, we are seeing something else pushing through ….. acts of love and kindness that otherwise would probably never have occurred. From people reaching out to their neighbours and communities for the first time, conversations from the other side of the road, shopping for one another, kids leaving parcels of cookies on doorsteps, writing letters and sending notes, the grandson moving in with grandmother with Alzheimers, companies donating skills, materials and anything they have; hotels giving rooms to NHS staff, businesses changing the way they do what they do in order to support and give – through to the more public stories of Captain Tom (£28million) and Kia/Ken 17 year old carer Kia gave one of her patients, 94 year old Ken, a cushion with his wife’s picture on it …you don’t have to go far to hear any number of these stories of kindness and compassion which way outbalance the frantic fights for loo rolls we all saw just a few weeks ago. The truth is, in the words of Wet Wet Wet "Love is all  around us" …we are seeing it, there is no denying it WHAT IS LOVE? When push comes to shove, we know, at least rhetorically that love is all that matters, it’s almost so familiar to us that we don’t hear it, it’s a word that we use all the time, I love coffee, I love holidays, I love Christmas, I love my dog – but what does love mean – what actually is it? Google says Love is a complex set of emotions, behaviours, and beliefs associated with strong feelings of affection, protectiveness, warmth, and respect for another person Oxford dictionary says Senses relating to affection and attachment - A feeling or disposition of deep affection or fondness for someone, typically arising from a recognition of attractive qualities, from natural affinity, or from sympathy and manifesting itself in concern for the other's welfare and pleasure in his or her presence. Also, a feeling or disposition of benevolent attachment experienced towards a group or category of people, and (by extension) towards one's country or another impersonal object of affection – did that tell you anything? If we look to the music industry, artists who are the orators of love and emotion: John Lennon – all you need is love Frozen – Love is an open door Wet wet wet – love is all around us, it’s everywhere we go Pat Benatar – love is a battlefield McFly – love is easy Adele sings about feeling at home or feeling whole It’s like how the internet connects us all in the 21st century, we can reach out and connect with anyone anywhere – love is a web that has connected us since the very beginning, to each other, to nature, to peace, to life. Wherever we are in life, no matter our age, our background, our situation or our position – there is one thread that joins us all together and that is LOVE So, why does it take something like this in order for us ALL to step up. Rebecca Solnit studied spontaneous responses to some of the world’s worst natural and man-made disasters for her book A Paradise Built In Hell and writes “the history of disaster, demonstrates that most of us are social animals, hungry for connection, as well as for purpose and meaning”. And that a truly dire situation, as tragic as it is “drags us into emergencies that require we act, and act altruistically, bravely and with initiative in order to survive or save our neighbours, no matter how we vote or what we do for a living” So we come back to the question, what is love? Is it just a feeling or is it something more powerful? The School of Life wrote an article called The Definition of Love  and in it they suggest that it manifests itself through charity, imagination, kindness, forgiveness, loyalty, generosity and patience So the supermarket worker who shows up to work even though they could be furloughed despite still getting coughed on and customers walking too close to them as if social distancing doesn’t count for them as they work there The taxi driver who is now delivering milk for free to those who are self isolating The carers who are giving every minute of their time to keep their patients feeling ok about life even though they can’t have visitors, teaching them how to use Zoom and facetime The technology companies who are making ventilators and the local seamstresses who are sewing gowns for the NHS The award winning film maker who is cleaning at his local hospital Those are all expressions of love aren’t they? So if love is indeed all around us – does that mean gooey cuddly feelings or does that mean that like the air we breathe, love is around us to give us purpose, passion, energy and a reason to be? Does the existence of love give us opportunities to go beyond ourselves? If we look at love as being the substance behind who we are, the thing that gives us life and energy as opposed to something we feel, can we then connect with something deeper? Something bigger than ourselves? And the things we want from life? Does that help us rise above all the hurdles we are facing right now as we desperately cling on to a sense of normality? In my experience, when we lean on what we are familiar with and get our sense of security from what is around us, as soon as change comes along, we fall apart because what we were leaning on was never permanent in the first place - It’s like that wonderful scene in Only Fools and Horses when David Jason’s character Dell has been leaning on section at the end of the bar and then it gets flipped up and he leans back and falls straight to the floor – let’s not lean on the end of the bar! If we have inner strength, that comes from a permanent source, ie love, we become as strong as Aslan the lion! It’s like being a parent, the whole focus of parenting is to bring your children up so that they can stand on their own 2 feet. Now how we go about that is all very different, across the world there are many different coming o…f age celebrations and rituals age 11-20 where the child proves they are able to survive. I watched a documentary last year which showed how young boys from a tribe in the Brazilian Amazon, mark their coming of age when they turn 13 in a Bullet and Ant Initiation. They are sent out into the jungle to search for bullet ants which are then sedated by a leader who submerges them in an herbal solution. The ants are then weaved into gloves with the stingers pointed inwards. The ants are said to have the most painful of all insect stings, and so when they wake up, super angry, they don’t sting just once, when one ant stings, it releases chemicals that signal other ants in the vicinity to sting repeatedly and so the excruciatingly painful initiation begins. Each boy has to wear the gloves for ten minutes. Enduring the pain demonstrates the boys’ readiness for manhood -- so few cry out as doing so would demonstrate weakness. Each boy will eventually wear the gloves 20 times over the span of several months before the initiation is complete. Now I’m not suggesting that we all inflict pain on ourselves in this way, however, if we pin our survival on something transient, temporary or transitory, we put ourselves in a position of weakness. We talked in episode 54 about finding your inner strength and resilience with Cathy Madavan ….this is how we survive. By drawing strength from and leaning on something that is permanent, never changing, life giving. So in a world where everything changes and nothing stays the same, what is permanent? Love – it’s the very fabric of everything. It gives, it expands, it grows. We know in psychology that green is the most soothing colour, it brings rest and relief whilst blue brings calm and peace – so the very existence of nature in most basic sense right now, is that it brings us peace – In Japan they have a practise called shinrin yoku which means forest bath and their practise is to take time every morning to walk in the forest, with the belief, and scientific evidence to back it up, that time with nature is good – so nature isn’t just there for the sake of it, it is giving out beyond itself, you could say, that is an expression of love. It’s not just a feeling, it’s action, it’s a noun AND a verb And what’s even more fabulous about love, is that it’s infinite.– when Brian first came into the children’s lives and we started to negotiate the life of a step family, I could see the guilt the children battled with, eventually they learned that your heart grows the more you ask it to. The more you love, the greater your capacity becomes to love even more It’s another universal law, like gravity – what goes up must come down, in the same way, the more we give, the more we get. Like the universe which has been expanding for millions of years - if we are able tap into the source, then we get to grow and expand with it, rather than shrivel up with resentment, fear and anger. There’s so much finger pointing at the moment and of course we will learn lessons and mistakes have been made, some intentional, many others not – but love is bigger. It provides space to give, to forgive and to move on into what will become our new normal. There is more to this than what we see right now, we just need to trust the process and the universal law of love – as I’ve been saying over the last few weeks, we aren’t the first ones to have trodden this path. I think that the reason why we often feel unsatisfied with life is because our focus is on getting rather than giving. When actual fact, our need isn’t to get, our need is actually to give, to reach out beyond ourselves and to connect as we are seeing all around us right now. So in that case, if it’s all about love, then ultimately, love wins …doesn’t it? We get there eventually. We realise, even in the midst of a pandemic that there is more to life than the Truman show that we were all existing in before this happened – did you ever see the Truman show? Brilliant movie starring Jim Carey if you’ve not seen it, it is a story about a man named Truman (Jim Carrey) who was born and raised in a movie set. This set is the size of a small town, and is enclosed by a large dome that, when looked upon from the ground, looks the same way our sky looks with changing weather patterns and a sun that rises and falls. Truman’s whole existence is this movie set. In fact, it is all he has ever known. He was born and raised on set, and now goes to work, comes home to his wife and hangs out with his best friend drinking a few beers here and there. But he doesn’t realize his entire life is a stage and everyone – from his wife, best friend, co-workers, policemen, newspaper boy, etc are all actors, part of a production that is being broadcasted to the entire world 24/7. Truman is an unwitting experiment, manipulated by a large TV network and used for the world’s entertainment. Fairly early on in the movie, the truth begins to eek its way out and he twigs that there is more “out there” and the story unfolds of his search for truth, for more, and the trials he encounters as he tries to escape are gripping, not only making it a fantastic move, but also a fascinating truth because I think it draws many parallels to our lives today – even though this was made over 20 years ago. We too have been institutionalised by our very own Truman shows, believing that it’s about owning a house, getting a degree, owning the latest technology, getting married. In another great movie Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman’s character Red says I’m telling you these walls are funny, first you hate them. Then you get used to them. Enough time passes, it gets so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized." – and I wonder, have we sometimes been institutionalised by the systems around us, the ones that tell us that you need to earn a certain income, or climb the career ladder, or have children, or go abroad in order to have a holiday all those “things” that we work so hard to achieve, what actually matters? Love matters. Its all that matters. PRAYER = PEACE A couple of weeks ago I said a prayer on my IGTV and was amazed at the amount of people who got in touch with me saying how much peace it had brought them and that they used to go to church, or grew up with prayer perhaps at home or on a Sunday but that they had not continued with it in their life as church or religion hadn’t been such a good experience ….the very place that is meant to be the model of love has often been the complete opposite and feels like a place of judgement and criticism. …and so because of that, we ditch that source of peace that we once might have really benefitted from. MAN MADE RELIGION This makes me so sad – I’ve had a love hate relationship with the institution of church my entire life, however I think it’s really important that we separate the human intervention here. We created church, we created religions that have rules and boundaries, conditions and laws ….I have long believed that the worst ambassadors for love are so often the ones that proclaim it from a pulpit. We hear about horrendous child abuse taking place at the hands of religious leaders who are meant to be the very ones to provide safety and security – the absence of love is evident …and then we throw away the very source of where it all began because of human behaviour Love is part of who we are, its more than who we are, it’s when you move beyond yourself. Before religions and temples and churches came along and took ownership of these things, there was already love, giving, growing, hovering and protecting. And maybe if we can look beyond the mistakes and misgivings of human nature, we can embrace our humanity, our spirit or God-given humanity which is to love, to allow love first in all we do “but first love” has become my mantra over the years - I don’t actually think I’ve ever shared with you – I mentioned it on the Feed Your Fabulous podcast a few months back – for me that’s where all begins and is about – when we allow love to permeate through all we do, we find purpose and passion but more importantly right now, we also find strength that sees us through the storms, challenges and inevitable losses in life…. Because we know that there is more than this. So my hope and prayer for all of us is that love continues to infect and effect us and that you find peace. LOVE WINS - by the way, click the link for the book by the same title, it's by Rob Bell is absolutely fantastic! Have a good week, I’ll talk to you next time and if you want to reach out, all my links are on my website pipagordon.co.uk

This episode I'm joined by Ben Valadez. He is a young and talented musician and song writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist for With Andrea, a 4 piece indie rock band well known in the music scene for their high energy and unique look and sound. He is also the lead vocalist for Love So & So, a pop duo with dream like music production and illustrative lyrics. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

**Explicit** There is more cussing in this one you guys and gals. Seriously though I'm starting to get more comfortable and I wanna be open and honest about this pretty serious topic going into "The Month of Love" So take a listen peeps....and remember I'm @ReallyKallday on Instagram So hit me up and make me post more pictures!!! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/reallyk/message

Part 1 of our Song of Songs sermon series begins this week. You can follow along with the sermon notes below...Sermon Series: Song of Songs: Love, Sex, Dating, MarriageSermon: Love is...“...but the greatest of these is love.”1 Corinthians 13:13What we believe about love can often be dictated by our environment.Two things we will choose between:• World defined love• God defined loveLove Devine:“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine; your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you. Draw me after you; let us run. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you. I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept! Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions? If you do not know, O most beautiful among women, follow in the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats beside the shepherds' tents. I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots. Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.”The Song of Solomon 1:2-10The passage was from God (Passion in Love) and of God (Divinely Given)David Platt says it like this: “Love Poetry Divine”Love Defined:“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”1 Corinthians 13:4-7 LOVE IS:• Patient• Kind• Rejoices with Truth• Bears, Believes, Hopes, EnduresLOVE IS NOT:• Envy • Arrogant• Rude• Rejoices in Wrong-doing The greatest of all is LOVE“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”1 Corinthians 13:13 Freedom is found in the ultimate display of Love // Jesus ChristIsaiah 53:5 // We have freedom through sacrificeLove - Action on display, sacrifice of self.

I want to share with you what I believe to be the ‘secret’ to success, happiness, fulfillment, in your business and life. In my last podcast episode, episode 120, I shared what I believe to be the biggest challenge that you will need to overcome to see success in your business – The Achievement Trap. This episode serves as part 2 of that message. So, if you haven’t listened to episode 120 yet, I recommend that you listen to that message first. Consider having love be the guiding force in your life, regardless of the circumstance.  Nothing stands to transform us, our relationships, and our world, more than a commitment to live our lives from love. - Marianne Williamson from her book, ‘A Return to Love’ So, what do I believe is the ‘secret’ to success, happiness, fulfillment, in your business and life?  In one word – LOVE. In life, most of us have been so paralyzed by fear.  And this fear shows up inside of us through feelings of unworthiness, doubt, and negativity.  And these emotions and feelings are blinding us from our potential. However, when we shift our feelings and emotions to ones of LOVE, we begin to see ourselves and our roles in this world differently. We begin seeing that each and every one of us has a unique and essential role to fulfill in this world. When we stop obsessing over ‘making sales’ and ‘getting our next recruit,’ we can instead obsess over ways to show kindness, compassion and generosity to the people we came into contact with every day. If this was the filter through how we lived our lives and operated our businesses, it would literally change everything.  If you learn nothing else from listening to this podcast, I want you to leave with this - you were created with the purpose of extending God’s love to the people in this world.  And your networking marketing business is simply a vehicle that can be used to live out this purpose.  The moment you make the decision that your business is a way for you to serve mankind and not just a way to make money, you will experience a joy and fulfillment that you’ve not felt before.

CATCH UP WITH K + L The ladies are back from their tour stops in NYC with Heather McMahan, Erin Claire, and Stewart Pearce! K & L are thrilled to bring you on tour with them as they share these live shows as upcoming episodes—today’s with Erin Claire is the first! It is all about Human Design. K & L begin today’s episode by sharing some information from the blueprints Erin created for them. Krista also details part of her meeting with Deborah Hanekamp, a.k.a. Mama Medicine, who teaches her how to read healthy versus dark auras.   THE INTERVIEW Today we are LIVE at The Assemblage with Human Design Guide, Erin Claire Jones! Get your notebooks out because this episode is full of powerful information related to YOU--your Human Design. Erin breaks down each of the five types of Human Designs (Manifestor, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector, and Reflector), so that you can better understand how you operate in your career and relationships. Erin explains how to make decisions based on your ‘Inner Authority,’ and how your ‘Not-Self Theme’ is an easy way to know when you’re off track. We talk about the shadow parts of the chart, the colors of the channels, and what each of the ‘Profile’ numbers mean. Erin fabulously makes this information digestible so you may learn more about yourself and this insightful system.   We also talk about: The origin story of Human Design The white vs. colored areas on the design charts The benefits of sleeping alone, alone time, & being in nature Navigating relationships based on design How human design gives insights into eating and nutrition The meaning of the black and red colors in the channels Find more to love at almost30podcast.com!   Love: So much love and gratitude to everyone who attended our live shows with Heather McMahan, Erin Claire, and Stewart Pearce in NYC! Special thanks to The Assemblage John Street for having us for our events with Erin Claire Jones and Stewart Pearce! Resources: Want Erin's blueprint? Use code ALMOST30 for 10% off at erinclairejones.com/blueprint Look up your Human Design at erinclairejones.com/lookup Instagram: @erinclairejones Human Design Episodes: Ep. 162 Human Design + Deconditioning To Find Yourself with Jenna Zoe ; Ep. 37 Aligning Who You Are With Who Were Made To Be: Human Design with Jenna Zoe   Upcoming Events: November 26th: Melbourne with Rosie Acosta November 28th: Sydney with Jessica Sepel December 7th: Los Angeles with K&L December 12th: Miami with Nikki Novo Sponsors: Sonder Stays | Visit sonder.com and use code ALMOST30 between Sept. 16, 2019 - Dec. 31, 2019 for a 10% discount on top of an additional 15% discount when you create a Sonder account. STUNN | Visit stunnco.com/almost30 or use code ALMOST30 at checkout to receive 20% off your first order. Kopari Beauty | Visit www.koparibeauty.com/almost30 for 20% off Four Sigmatic | Use code ALMOST30 for 15% off your order at foursigmatic.com/almost30 EverlyWell | Get 15% off a test using code ALMOST30 at everlywell.com/almost30 Daily Harvest | Use code ALMOST30 for 3 FREE Cups in your first box at www.daily-harvest.com   Almost 30 is edited by Crate Media

How often do I moan that I don’t have enough time? This week as I prepare for my Camino walk, I’m reviewing a workshop I attended at The Society of St. John the Evangelist, an Episcopal Monastery in Cambridge, MA. It's time to...Stop, Pray, Work, Play & Love“So much of our stress and anxiety derives from our pollution of Time. God has given us the gift of time, and called it holy, yet we often experience time as a curse. Recapture time as a gift and discover how to experience the joy of the present moment.”— Br. Geoffrey Tristram I remember a turning point in my life was sitting in a monastery chapel and hearing the opening verses of Psalm 62: “Only in God is my soul at rest. From Him comes my salvation.”I realized how I was filling up time and exhausting myself through work. When had my life and the world gotten so far out of balance?As I worked through the workbook in Lent 2015, I acknowledged that there is a cadence to life. It is a rhythm that needs to be constantly reset with a cycle of prayer and love. But first I have to stop the cycle of ceaseless and useless activity. The circle completes when I again feel God’s embrace as His beloved child, held tightly in His arms and bathed in His love. Are you interested in having the cycle become your daily habit? You can download the workshop workbook here: WORKBOOK.I’m going to develop a daily ritual starting each day with a refreshing STOP and then PRAY. And ending each day in LOVE.I do have enough time to be fully present with God.Blessings, my friend,Agatha Donate to the Anglican Centre in Santiago here: https://unitedthankoffering.com/camino/. The most recent newsletter, Summer 2019 is here: https://www.anglicancentresantiago.org/news-along-the-way/.

I have a serious love affair with online business. It is a GAME changer. Seriously. There has NEVER been an easier way to make money doing what you love and are passionate about. We aren’t living in our parents or grandparents generation. The old way of doing college and getting a job and climbing a corporate ladder doesn’t exactly equal security anymore, so why the heck aren’t you jumping off the cliff and finding your wings along the way doing what you L-O-V-E? So, in today’s episode, we chat about:  1) Ways to Monetize what you love 2) What is your “niche” (and why it’s WAY simpler than what you think) 3) How being a real human being makes you a winner already 4) The differences in traffic online (and why none of it is truly free) 5) Why its ok to ask for money for what you have to offer 6) Why 100k followers mean nothing unless you can MONETIZE them in some way. Let’s get you strategic in figuring out who you are talking to and why so that your follower count actually impacts your bottom line 7) Never EVER forget that there are human beings on the other end of what you are creating I hope that you enjoy today’s episode. If you do, can you leave us a review? We LOVE you. Ps. Are you in my free facebook mentoring community yet for badass women building their empires? Click HERE to join us. 

Losing someone can be one of the hardest experiences we have as humans.  In today’s podcast I share with you 8 ways you can support others through grief.   Show Summary   Today I want to about grief.  An amazing man who recently moved out of my ward and neighborhood passed away on Saturday and a lot of my thoughts have been centered around him, his wife, their family, and then reflecting back to other times when people I know have grieved and when I have as well.   I’ve experienced a lot of grief in my life, and it’s never something that is easy, but the way we think about the person, the situation, and the death, makes a big difference in how we experience grief.   For example - I’ve mentioned before that my Grandma passed away a few months ago.  She was in her mid 80’s, she had lived a long full life.  She had suffered from dementia the last few years and had had two broken hips in the last 6 months.  And while I love her deeply, and I was still so sad that she was gone and I wouldn’t  be able to talk with her and take care of her anymore, for me, I think of her death as a blessing.  She wasn’t suffering anymore.  She had lived a long full life, and I had done what I could to love her and take care of her to the very end.     Now contrast that with another experience.  When I was 10-years old, my moms entire family was on vacation at lake and my 3-year old brother drowned and later passed away.  My entire family was heartbroken.  It was tragic.  We didn’t see it coming.  It wasn’t expected.  And it caused a lot of turmoil and grief in the lives of my entire family.  The grief consumed us for a long period of time.  It was awful.     So today I want to go over 8 points on how you can support others and yourself through grief.   Realize that grief is that it is different for everyone and every situation Everyone experiences it differently and its different in every situation.   Even if someone has gone through the exact same thing, their thoughts shape how they feel about it just as your thoughts shape how you feel about it. For example - I had a miscarriage in between my 2nd and 3rd child.  I was only a few weeks along and because I had had 2 healthy pregnancies already, it wasn’t something that I was prepared for at all.  The day that it happened I was pretty upset by it.  I was sad that it was happening, but my thoughts were more along the lines of “I’m not sure why this is happening, but God knows best.  Maybe there would have been something wrong with this baby and God knows what I can handle.  I will be ok.  Everything will be ok.”  And I was able to recover physically and emotionally pretty well from it. Another person may experience the exact same thing quite differently and I know plenty of women who have.  And their grief is valid!  It is their experience.  It may be absolutely devastating to them and I totally understand that.  Just because that wasn’t my experience, doesn’t make it any less valid or important.  It was a loss for them and they are allowed to grieve however they want. I do want to point out again that our feelings come directly from our thoughts.  So while my thoughts about my miscarriage helped me recover fairly quickly, and someone else’s thoughts about theirs are different and maybe they struggle with it more, BOTH are valid.  But our feelings about it, do come directly from our thoughts and if you are choosing to stay in pain longer, that is totally fine. Meet the person where THEY are Because everyone deals with grief differently, it’s important to find out where that person is in their grief how to best support them. Some people want to be surrounded by family and friends and some people want to be left alone or to grieve with just a small support group For some it may help them feel better hearing about others experiences, while some just want to focus on their own grief and not hear about others. Some people want to stay busy to keep their minds and bodies from breaking down and not focus on the loss.  Others want to curl up in bed and cry. All of the examples are valid.  Everyone grieves in their own way and we as friends and family (and sometimes its us!) have to realize that all of that is ok and its important to support them where they are.  To not push what WE think they SHOULD be doing on them, but let them grieve how they need to. Now, that is not to say that if we are seeing signs of depression or not moving through the grieving process after a significant amount of time that we just leave it alone.  But initially, it is important to let them grieve how they need to.  But if it has been 6 months, a year or More and you are still seeing DAILY struggles, you may want to step in and see what can be done to help them. Stay in the present with the person that is grieving. The last thing a person wants to hear when they are grieving is “they are in a better place” or “their work was finished” or something to that effect.  Just stay in the present.   I love you and I’m sorry you are hurting.  I’m here to support you in whatever way you need right now. Don’t try to fix the unfixable Watching someone in pain and grieving can sometimes be uncomfortable and we feel the need to try and fix it and make it better for them and to make it so that we aren’t uncomfortable anymore.  The pain will dissipate over time, but there is nothing you can do in the present to fix that.  Just be there to support.  Be willing to be uncomfortable so that you can support the person who is grieving.  Realize it isn’t about YOU and its only about THEM. Anticipate, don’t ask Don’t ever say “Call me if you need anything”  When someone is grieving they are so caught up in it they can’t identify their own needs very well and definitely don’t have the capacity to ask at that point.  So anticipate.  Give concrete offers - “I will bring dinner at 5pm on Tuesday” or “I will be by each morning to take the kids for a little while.” Then, be reliable Realize that the normal every day stuff may be beyond their capabilities as well.  Dinner.  Taking care of kids.  Picking up prescriptions.  Ask about specific tasks.  While they may feel ok about you bringing dinner in, they may not be ok with you doing their laundry. There are some tasks after a person passes that can be very difficult.  Picking out a casket, planning the funeral, flowers can be all overwhelming.  Ask what you can do to help or if they want you to go with them.   Run interference  To someone who is grieving, the influx of people who want to show support can be overwhelming.   Grief can be an intensely personal and private affair and having a bunch of different people coming in and out can be overwhelming. A lot of times people don’t want to have to talk about what happened over and over and over (although some do) so minimizing the people around those that are grieving can be a good idea. Have a Gatekeeper - one who is the designated point person to coordinate well-wishers, meals, tasks that need to be taken care, childcare is a good idea. If you are NOT that person, respect the wishes of those who are grieving and go through the Gatekeeper. Get Support If you are a primary support for someone who is grieving, make sure you have support too.  Supporting someone who is grieving can take a great emotional toll on you.  So its important you have support behind the scenes. Love So much of grief is about love.  It about loving someone who is no longer there and love that has no place to go. Above all - love that person who is grieving.  Show up. Say something.  Do something.  Be willing to not have all the answers but be there! If possible, show the person who is grieving how much you cared about the person who passed away too.  A plant they can plant in their yard as a memory.  A scrapbook.  A crystal box for keepsakes.  A statue. And remember the anniversaries.  Sometimes those can be just as hard and bring up all of the feelings again. I like to put things on my calendar so that I can show up for that person in a loving way when I know they may be struggling.

Thanksgiving is upon us and that can only mean one thing. No not overdosing on dark meat and gravy. No not watching the Lions lose again. It's Black Friday! We breakdown some great gift ideas for the gamer in your life. Also, news on Steve Carell starring in a Minecraft movie, Breath of the Wild may not launch with the Switch, Super Mario Run, Nintendo's mobile endless runner gets a price and release date, and the return of Dr. Love? So check out all this and more on Episode 54 of Rated G for Gamers.

Hope, Faith and Love So often one of the enemy's strategy is to give us a Flue, Pastor Lucas calls it "Spiritual Coldness". Today as we continue our Journey through Paul's epistles we are Going to look at 1 Thessalonians and we are going to find out the Antidote for this Cold. Anyone would like to be immune from this cold? Get ready for God's great revelation in his word. Watch us Live Sunday on our Snowballchurchla FB page https://www.facebook.com/snowballchurchla/ or connect with us on Instagram @snowballchurchla @pr.lucas_rodrigues Become a Partner with us: Your generosity and financial partnership with us is how we are able to help expand the kingdom. 1. Text "Snowballchurch" to 77977 2. Download our Church App/the Pushpay App. Or 3.Go to our link: https://pushpay.com/pay/snowballchurch/2q_K1iZlIKkFQdVE_6abSg

Introduction Paul as he was evaluating his preaching ministry in Corinth, said, these remarkable words, 1 Corinthians 2:3. He said, "I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling." So I feel that today a few weeks ago, I felt led by the Lord I felt pressed on my heart that Ephesians 6:9 would be a jumping off place to talk about an issue that faces our nation and our church, our ministry and this community, and that's the topic of racism. Since that time, I've done a lot of reading. I've done a lot of talking to friends, both black and white. I've talked to leaders in the community, other pastors. And the more I've had those conversations, the more this sense of fear and trembling has increased, not decreased. This is a hot issue for people. It's hard for people, it's hard to hear, it's hard to talk about, it's polarizing, it's divisive, and painful. That's why I somewhat identify with Paul's self-assessment weakness, fear, trembling. But, you know, I also stand before you today with a tremendous confidence in the power of the Word of God to make changes in human hearts, that the Word of God has a supernatural power to change the world. It's been going on for 20 centuries the Gospel of Christ and so Paul continues in 1 Corinthians the next couple of verses saying, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with the demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom but on God's power." So I just have a sense of confidence that the Word of God is powerful to demolish satanic strongholds, and I just consider racism to be a satanic stronghold, and I think 2 Corinthians 10 says that we wield weapons that have supernatural power to blow up satanic strongholds. Blow them up. I believe that racism is a subset of the overall darkness satanic darkness that's come on the human race. It's a subset of it, that darkness is the darkness of sin, of rebellion against a holy God. But God has sovereignly shown his light in the darkness. Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." And that light is Christ. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." And God's word is light. Psalm 119:105, "A lamp to our feet and a light to our path." And the Church, God's Church is light, we are the light of the world, Jesus said. “He lights a lamp and puts it up on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.” And so it says in Isaiah 60, speaking of the heavenly Zion, "Arise and shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Behold, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you, nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn." So the obstacles are huge, problems are complex, seem to be insoluble but I think where the darkness is the greatest, God's light can shine most gloriously. Where the enemy is seen to be strongest, God's power is displayed most radiantly gloriously and that's what I want to see happen today and through our church. I. Recent Events Search Our Souls Summer of 2016 So we begin by just looking at recent events. Recent events, just search our souls. This summer has been a hot summer. Now I know it's hot, it's hot, every day. I had some hope last week when it got to be 75. I'm just weak and it's not because I'm from Massachusetts, I don't like the cold either. So it's been steaming hot this summer. But the heat I'm talking about here, is the heat of current events. It's the heat of the issues connected with this topic of racism. On July 5th, Alton Sterling a 37-year-old African-American man was shot several times at point-blank range while being pinned down by two white police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And the incident and downloading of the videos led to ever escalating protests, resulting in a July 9th, demonstration, in which police officers were injured. And then the next day, July 6, Philando Castile was fatally shot, in St. Anthony Minnesota. Police officer Jeronimo Yanez pulled him over in St. Paul, Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds was with him in the car, and after being asked for his license and registration Castile notified the officer, he had a license to carry weapon and one in the car and office told him not to move, and as he was putting his hands up, the officer, shot him in the arm four times and he bled to death. Diamond Reynolds video live streamed it and it obviously created immense reaction culminating in the shooting of three officers in Baton Rouge July 17th. All of these things coming together. And these events at the beginning of the summer just two more in a series of high profile events, all fitting that description of interactions between people of color and law enforcement. The names have been burned into our minds, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, places like Ferguson, Missouri, North Charleston, South Carolina have become the focus of intense national scrutiny. A year ago in April 2015, in Baltimore, in the city of Baltimore, there were significant race riots, racial riots involving the injuries stemming from incidents involving injuries of Freddie Gray at the hands again, of law enforcement officials pushed the outrage of African-American community to a boiling point, and demonstrations got violent. Somewhere in the midst of all of those events that we've been discussing, that have been going on in recent years, a controversial group called Black Lives Matter was organized, and has become an increasingly vocal, and visible part of the political election and other parts of the landscape. Borrowing a phrase from Thomas Paine's opening words in his American crisis written around the time of the American Revolution. "These are the times that try men's souls." Or search our souls, should search our souls. My Own Anguish and Journey So, I have searched my soul and I've been thinking about myself. So who am I? Where do I come from? What's my background? Well, I was born in Boston, I was raised in Eastern Massachusetts, I was Irish-Catholic, went to college as an unbelieving, nominal Catholic. Never dreamed when I matriculated as a freshman at MIT, that I would end up the senior pastor of a Southern Baptist Church. I don't think any of those words would have meant anything to me at that point. What in the world is that? On this issue, as I find myself now the senior pastor of a predominantly white Bible Belt Southern Baptist Church, pastor in the Southern Baptist Convention which I learned after I became a Southern Baptist, that it was started in 1845, when slave-holding missionaries wanted to take their slaves with them on the mission field and Northern Baptists refused and so, they broke off and started the denomination of which this church is a member. I was surprised to find that out, but it's just history. 1845. The same year this church was established. The more I've learned details about the struggle for the Civil Rights Movement and the terrible injustices of the Jim Crow era, institutional racism, that segregated South. So I didn't see with my own eyes, I was more in 1962, so the Civil Rights Movement was going but I was really little, I didn't know much about it, but since the Civil War ended, and 13th or 14th amendments, were passed ending slavery. But then the situation just was still horrible, for blacks in America. And then I look at my own heart and I just have always had, honestly revulsion and hatred for those kinds of things. It's always been part of my life but honestly I didn't have any black friends growing up. None. There were just none in the community at all. I know that Boston was a focal point of racial tensions and demonstrations and even riots, violent riots during the busing era. But again, I didn't know much about that. I think in my heart, honestly, I'd always wanted to have African-American friends, but I just didn't have an opportunity. So I was wired that way, but in the end, it didn't really help me because I tended more and more to think that's got nothing to do with me. That's not who I am. It's not what I think, it's not what I've done. So I don't really need to think about this topic. But I believe that I have a position of responsibility in this community, a position to lead this church, to preach the Word, and I'm increasingly aware that most of my sins, and the racial issues have to do with sins of omission, not sins of commission, things that I should have been doing and haven't been doing. And I'm going to have to give the Lord and account some day, for my ministry in this community. And the issue of racial reconciliation is going to be one of the themes we're going to discuss, I believe, and I want to be faithful. TGC and Mika Edmondson Back in May, I attended the stakeholders meeting of the Gospel Coalition. Every other year, we have a conference, a big conference and then the alternate year it's just the Gospel Coalition gets together and we're a group of mostly pastors, but also evangelical leaders from different denominational backgrounds. And we had the privilege of listening to Dr. Mike Edmondson talk about this theme, this title, it was assigned to him, "Is Black Lives Matter", that group, "the New Civil Rights Movement?" Well, that talk just blew me away. I didn't know that much about BLM. I learned a lot from him about it. He did a great job of just tracing out very carefully the differences between BLM and the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others. Significant differences. For example, the Civil Rights Movement was originated in the black church and was steeped with biblical themes and a desire for reconciliation, genuine reconciliation between blacks and whites, a genuine unleashing of biblical truths by Dr. King and others. Many of the leaders were pastors etcetera, they used non-violence that many said got from Gandhi but Gandhi said he got it from Jesus, so let's just give the glory of Jesus of loving your enemies, turning the other cheek, winning people's affections by that kind of behavior. And that was the strategy. BLM is different in many ways. I think perhaps most significantly by their embracing of the Gay Rights Agenda and linking those two together in ways that Evangelical Christians find repugnant, especially black leaders who were active in the Civil Rights Movement, just find utterly repugnant, and don't agree at all that it's the same. Also some embracing of socialism, socialistic themes by BLM and seemed countenancing violence and other things just some significant difference but none of that was what really moved me. What really moved me was at the end he said, "Do you understand why BLM has been raised up? Why? It's because the evangelical church has stayed on the sidelines on this issue. There's been no coherent, well-thought out, vigorous evangelical answer to these social issues. That's why." He said, "We the church can do better than Black Lives Matter. We must do better than that. We must step up and speak the truth about these things, so that that movement becomes by contrast, pathetic and obsolete because these issues are so, in such a healthy, beautiful way being addressed by the Church." So his words burned in my heart, I was moved. I was moved to tears. So, three weeks ago, I was going to a place to study and write my next sermon, which I thought that morning my next sermon was going to be on spiritual warfare. God willing, that will be next week. But instead, I ran into a friend of mine, African-American man named Eddie White, who went through our internship a number of years ago. Eddie was a layman in his church and just felt the leading to become a vocational pastor. He wanted to become a pastor. Found out about our internship, did some research on the website, and downloaded some things. That same day he saw Matthew Hodges driving the van with the First Baptist Church thing on the side, he's like, "Woah! A sign from God." He followed him to Liberty Street, got out and had a conversation, went through our internship, eventually left his job, went to Southeastern Seminary, and is now a pastor. Big fork in his road and we were privileged of being able to walk with him. Saw me right away, recognized me, we hugged. And I stood there in the parking lot and talked to him for 50 minutes on my study day. But I didn't realize that the Lord had different plans for me and that a whole different sermon. So, we got to talking about these themes. He said, "Pastor you need to come with me to the Greensboro Civil Rights Museum." I said, "When do you want to do it?" He said, "How about this week?" So we went that Thursday. It's the kind of thing that changes your life. He took me first on a tour of NC A&T, traditionally black college. There we parked and then I was walking by a statue with four guys on it. Now, we did more walking by that statute, he came back and said, "These were the Greensboro Four." I didn't know anything about the Greensboro Four, many of you do, many of you don't. But there is this big statue of four men standing side by side. The Greensboro Four were students at NC A&T during the Civil Rights era. Back then by law, public institutions were segregated. The lying slogan at the time was, separate but equal. Well, they were separate, the “separate” part was vigorously enforced, but the “equal” not at all. Separate schools, separate motels, separate restrooms, separate water fountains, separate swimming pools, separate places on public transportation. John Piper said in his book Bloodlines, he said, "How could you communicate more clearly the lie that being black was like a disease?" Well, there was a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, for you younger people. Woolworth’s was that generation's version of Walmart. I remember Woolworth’s, I actually walked into a Woolworth’s once. But there was a Woolworths there and they had a lunch counter and the lunch counter had a place where you could sit and eat. But it was open to whites only. Blacks could order food there, but they had to take it out. So these four students thinking of just a way to agitate and to affect change said, "Why don't we go to lunch counter and sit down and order something and not leave till they serve us?" So that's what they did. Four students, David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. and Joseph McNeil, did that on February 1st, 1960, at 4:30 PM, walked into Woolworths, went right, they couldn't sit side by side, but they found seats, sat down and ordered coffee. They were obviously immediately refused and urged to leave fervently, but they didn't leave. They stayed there until the store closed that night. The next day, more NC A&T students joined in this and it started to grow. 20 more students recruited from other campuses joined in, white customers heckled them while they peacefully studied to keep busy. Just reading books, newspaper reporters, a TV film crew covered the second day, and more and more people got involved. Within one week of the initial protest, Greensboro students throughout North Carolina in different other campuses following black campuses like Central here and all that, here in Durham, started similar protests. It became a whole pattern of protest, and it was incredibly effective. The original Woolworth’s in Greensboro, where those demonstrations were happening, however, was losing money hand over fist to the tune of $1.6 million, during those weeks. So the store manager Clarence Harris quietly asked three black employees to change out of their work clothes and order a meal at the counter and it was done. The segregation of that lunch counter was finished. So we were standing there on the campus. He told me this story, etcetera. I didn't know anything about it. We went from there to the Greensboro Civil Rights Museum, which is at the Woolworths where the Woolworths was, but it's not a museum. And we went in, and it was just extremely moving for me, to walk through that place to see the photos up on the wall to be reminded of what things were like. It's recent history friends, recent history. And it's difficult to look at those pictures, pictures of violence, the Birmingham Police turning a water cannon on peaceful protesters, freedom riding buses being firebombed, lynchings. I saw a Coke machine there that was in the bus terminal, I think, at that time. Again, segregated had a black section, white section, but the Coke machine had been designed to have two faces to places to vend. So with the wall separated, but you had the white side and the black side. The white side was 5 cents a Coke, black side 10 cents. The woman who was giving us a tour said, "I was down in the Coke Museum down in Atlanta, they didn't have one of these machines down there, one of those historical machines. Didn't show it." But it's there in the Civil Rights Museum. Clear evidence of separate but unequal, I mean unequal price. So at one point, I look over at Eddie and there's tears streaming down his face. I was just at a museum, just looking at pictures, thinking about history sober-minded, but he was feeling at a whole different level. His mother had been involved in the counter demonstrations there at NC A&T, she had been a part of it. She told them all these stories. And it bothered me that it meant more to Eddie than it meant to me. It felt like we weren't as one as we could be. I wanted to be more one with my friend. This pattern of non-violent protest continued. There were certain other aspects people would challenge like they had things called pray-ins, where groups of black people would go to predominantly white churches, and come and just kneel and pray, taking whatever abuse came. Some white churches responded by having human chains, blocking people from getting in. Some churches did that. It's possible our church did that, not for sure. Anecdotally we heard that that happened. So, that's history. What is “Racism”? So, what is racism? What are we even talking about? Can I tell you, first of all, I don't really know how to define race? The more I think about it, the harder it gets. I don't even know what it is. I can define ‘human race.’ But I have a hard time defining race. It's very, very difficult, just has to do with physical features or attributes that cluster a group or identify a person. Racism John Piper defines this way, "An explicit or implicit belief or practice that qualitatively values one race above another." So, it's a belief leading to actions that one race is superior to all others or maybe to a specific other race. So superiority of one race, inferiority of the other race or races, and then actions that flow from it. I think it has to do with a bias, a slant, a perspective that always goes in one direction, coupled with denigration and even hostility toward others. That's what I think of when I think of racism. I was at a basketball game my son was playing in a week ago. We're sitting in the stands, and the father of one of Calvin's opponents was sitting behind me. He had a good set of lungs. And I just thought the man was exceptionally biased in all of his comments. They all seemed to go from one slant. Whether the refereeing or the plays that were made or his praise or his condemnation, everything went one direction. But what really got me was when he said, "We should be wiping up the floor with this team." I was like, "Alright I'm about ready to say something." My son's been playing basketball most of his life. He can play a little. So he's not a mop. I kept my tongue. I don't know if it was cowardice, or good manners, or Christian sanctification, but I didn't say anything. I don't want to trivialize at all racism, but it's that bias, where you see every current event, whatever from your angle, and then that denigration of the other people where they're like mops or lower than you. That's what I think of. Why Am I Talking About This Now? Now, why am I talking about this now, why today? Well, I've already told you, one reason, current events. I don't want the church to have its head in the sand like we don't know what's going on, and we're not relevant. That's a lie. The Bible is perfectly relevant to everything that's going on, the Gospel is. But also the text that you heard Ben read for us look at it again, it says, "Masters, treat your slaves in the same way,” the same way that I encourage the slaves to have in mind the invisible Jesus, every moment that they serve, and they do their service as unto him. Masters, I want you to be aware of the invisible Jesus all the time, in how you treat your slaves. Do not threaten them. Talked about that at length last time, not going back into that. Since you know that he who is both their master and yours doesn't have, Now here's the phrase. "And there is no favoritism with him." “No partiality” some translations give us. He's “no respecter of persons.” So I've meditated on, “there is no favoritism.” That's where the sermon title comes from. There is no racism with Christ. So as I thought about, “What does it mean?” I think there's a positive and a negative side of there's no favoritism. First, he equally delights in every person that he has made in terms of their amoral distinctives. He just enjoys how he made you. He just delights in the color of your skin, the color of your hair, the color of your eyes, the shape of your eyes, the shape of your nose, the shape of your chin, your height, all of those amoral diverse tendencies of humans, God delights in all of them, equally. Now that's unbelievably important. Even aside from the topic of racism, I want all of you to be able to look in the mirror and say God made me, and be delighted in what he made. And God does make differences. He does make distinctions. Frankly, where would the Olympic games, be if there weren't differences between people? Everybody would finish in a tie. God makes differences, but Paul says clearly in Corinthians, "Who made you different than anyone else?" Answer, “God did.” And what do you have that you didn't receive? Answer, “Nothing, everything I have, I received.” “And if you did receive it, then why do you boast as though you did not?” That kills racism right there. Every difference, God made, and we should delight in it. God just delights in what he has made. So what I want, is I want us to be able to look at each other's faces and just delight in what God's made fearfully and wonderfully, and just say, "It's beautiful, all of it because my Father made it." So that's positive, there's no favoritism with God, it goes that way. Then negatively, on Judgment Day, every moral decision. So I talked about amoral distinctions. Every moral issue will be evaluated fairly and justly by God. There's no favoritism, no special deals, no skillful lawyers with their special techniques, no sweetheart deals, no bribes, none of that. Romans 2:9-11, "There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, but glory, honor and peace, for everyone who does right, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, for God does not show favoritism." That's what that means. So Judgment Day, level ground. So, we face the challenge of racism and we have weapons of biblical truth in our hands. Now, if you look at your outline, the bulletin, I want to look at five biblical just heat-seeking missiles, that destroy racism. But I want to cluster them together. I want all of them together, that if we really embrace these biblical theological themes, racism should be gone forever, certainly from the Church. II. Biblical Doctrine Destroys Racism Creation: The Whole Race Descended from One Man So, first creation. Biblically, the Bible teaches plainly all of us are created in the image of God. Every single human being is equally in the image of God, and even more fascinatingly, all of us are descended from one man. That's amazing. It says in Acts 17:26, "From one man, he made every nation of man, that they should inhabit the whole earth, and He had determined the time set for them, and the exact places where they should live." Now why, why is that relevant to race? Well, it's because people get separated, like after the flood gets separated from each other and settle in certain valleys, and just are there without interactions from outsiders. And then they have children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Some genetic tendencies start to float to the surface and then they all start to have those tendencies. Like, God celebrating in Isaiah 18, the people of Cush, the Cushites, what we call modern Ethiopians, he said, "Go to a people tall and smooth-skinned." It's just delight that God has in that beautiful people. But he describes them physically. How do they get to be that way taller than other people? They're all descendants from Noah, all descended from Adam, but it has do with how God sovereignly orchestrated these things to happen. It's a beautiful thing, and God knew exactly what happened when he put all of that in the genetic code of Adam. Boy is he going to be surprised when he has a red-headed kid and one with black hair, and he's like, “Huh? Interesting.” You know, interesting. And just a journey of discovery Adam and Eve finding out just how diverse it can all get. But it's just a beautiful thing. Fall: The Whole Human Race Equally Sinned in Adam Secondly, the fall. Every single human being on earth, is equally fallen in Adam. We all fell in Adam. Romans 5:12 says, "Sin entered the world through one man, and death sin. And in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” We're all sinful in Adam positionally, and then we're sinful in ourselves actually, because we received from Adam a sin nature and though we don't sin, all of us sin exactly the same ways. So no, I don't sin exactly the same way as other people, but all of us are equally in need of Jesus, the Savior, all of us. And so Paul is very clear about this in Romans 3, "What shall we conclude then? Are we any better?" Romans 3:9, "Not at all." So, there he's talking to Gentile. Are we any better? Are they any better? We're all in the same place for he says, "Not at all, we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles are whites and blacks whatever, either or you want to put it, are equally under sin." “As it is written, There is no one righteous, not even one, no one who understands, no one who seeks God, all have turned aside, they together become worthless.” There is no one who does good, not even one, that's all of us. There's a unity in sin here, shameful unity, unity in shame. And you can say, "Well I don't do this." Yeah, but James 2:10 says, "Whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at one point of it, guilty of breaking all of it." And then there's that multigenerational aspect in Matthew 23, Jesus said, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'" Now, listen, the next thing Jesus says, "And so, you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then the measure of the sins of your forefathers." Now, friends, each person stands or falls on his or her own actions. We're not responsible for the sins of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. But there's something going on in what Jesus said there. And so for me to disavow guilt, say, "I wouldn’t have done it, that's not who I am." It's not helpful, that's not a helpful way it's true, but not helpful. I didn't commit the same sins as a clansmen, who did a lynching, or as some evil people that bombed little girls in Birmingham, or a governor that blocks Brown v. Board of Education. I didn't commit all those same sins, but I'm human, like that. Each of those people are, we're all human. And I can't say, "Look, I know I would never have done any of those things." In Daniel 9, Daniel prayed in solidarity with his people, the Jewish nation. Daniel being a pure man not sinless, but he just included himself. "We have sinned, we have violated your laws, we have broken your covenant, we have disobeyed, you." And there's that solidarity. So God gives to each person according to what he has done, that's true, but God calls in us with humility to recognize the same sin nature in me, as in anybody else. We all need a Savior. Redemption: Elect from Every Nation Were Equally Redeemed by Christ Thirdly, redemption. Thank God, there is a Savior. Thank God, Jesus came to save us from these sins and in God's plan, he elected, he chose people from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation, to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Revelation 5:9, "You were slain, [speaking to Jesus,] you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men, for God from every tribe and language and people, and nation." Revelation 7 pictures them standing around the throne and worshipping God in white robes and saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne." So in that way, Romans 3:22 says, "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." God presented him as a propitiation of blood sacrifice, the one who turns away God's wrath through faith in his blood. We're all saved the same way, thank God. Church: The Church All Over the World is One in Christ And then fourthly, that brings me immediately the doctrine of the Church. Having been justified, we are then assimilated, by the Spirit into one Church worldwide. And we have sweet fellowship through the Spirit with people of radically different backgrounds than us. We have become one body in Christ. That's just true, there's not different works God's doing all over the world, one work. And so, Galatians 3:27-28, says, "All of you who are baptized in Christ Jesus have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither junior Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you're all one in Christ Jesus." And then Colossians 3:11, "Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all." So that unity of the Church, that destroys racism. And then finally, best of all, Heaven. Where are we going? What's it going to be like when we get there? How beautiful is that? We are going to see people from every tribe, and language, people and nation. I already said, Revelation 7:9-10. I believe, maintaining amoral diversity. Purified, all of us from our sins, but different from one another. I can't imagine, some matrix of people all standing the exact same height, face, shape and all that. That's just weird. And I wouldn't know why that was even what happened. In our resurrection bodies we all look exactly alike and that doesn't make any sense to me. But we'll be pure from all sins, pride, racism, it'll be gone. And we're going to be together, and these central topic of Heaven will not be any of us. It'll be Christ and his achievements and we're going to be together worshipping. And so, Isaiah 60, the picture of the heavenly Zion, gates standing open continually to receive wealth from the nations pouring in, diverse displays of worship to almighty God, that's what that is. Isaiah 60:11. So These five biblical themes have the power to destroy racism, creation, fall redemption, church and heaven. III. A Journey of Unity John 17: Trinitarian Unity Now, my go-to verse on multi-ethnic churches has been for years, John 17, Jesus's prayer that all of the world who hears the Gospel through the words of the apostles, “that all of them, Jesus prays may be one, Father, just as you and I are one, may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me. And have loved them even as you've loved me.” One of the key things I've said this before, I'll say it again, I believe you should go through John 17, the so-called high priestly prayer of Jesus and say everything Jesus asked for, he gets, everything, 100% because that's just Jesus, he never prays outside of the will of the Father ever. So it's like, "Oh gee, I wish Jesus could have the unity he prayed for." No, he's going to get it, it's going to happen. We are going to be in Heaven as one as the Father and the Son are one. Now, what does that mean? It's a mystery, but in the doctrine of the Trinity, we have ‘separate’ if we can use that language, persons who have a perfectly one relationship with one another and never ever disagree about anything, ever. And not only that, but they passionately hold their views with each other. I really, really love Jesus. Well, I really do too. And that's how Heaven's going to be like. I mean not exactly like that, but better. But that sense of passionate oneness around the truth and the works of redemption and Jesus, but he's thinking about now may they be in the process of becoming more and more one to let the watching world see a work that only God could do. Don't you yearn to see that in this local church? That we would put the Gospel on display by supernatural unity, but the journey ahead of us is going to be hard. It's a journey of hard work, of seeking out areas, pockets of sin and shining the Gospel light. And so, a journey of justice and love stands in front of us. There're just serious social issues to address. The evangelical church has traditionally had a blind spot on social action and social justice. There's a long history of this. The fundamentalists tended to withdraw from science and culture and just pull back and just get in their own plays, and just celebrate Jesus crucified and bodily resurrected the fundamentals, but to not engage the surrounding culture. And this is part of that lack of engagement. Michael Emerson and Christian Smith, wrote a book called Divided By Race: Evangelical Religion and The Problem of Race in America. They said this, "Recall that in the Jim Crow era, most evangelicals even in the North, did not think it their duty to oppose segregation. Instead, they felt it was enough to treat blacks they knew personally with courtesy and fairness." “So my job as a Christian is just be Christian to everyone I know. Just treat them kindly and with respect and that's it. And not challenge the structural institutional sins, not do anything about that.” That's a heritage. IV. A Journey of Justice and Love So what is our goal? This is a slogan I've got. And this is like what's in front of me? A prayer goal on the issue of racism in society and structurally and in institutions. I got this from a quote in Piper's book, Bloodlines, "To render race inconsequential for life opportunities, to render race inconsequential for life opportunities, or irrelevant let's say. It doesn't matter what your race is, here are the opportunities." That's the goal. Now, I will say that's much more true now than it was 50 years ago. I think that clearly, progress has been made, and isn't that encouraging? The Christians through action and non-Christians too but just through common grace whatever, you can become, the society can become less racist and more openly, or overtly, just. So that's encouraging to us to try. But that's what we want to see happen or in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous statement, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." That's a different way of saying the same thing. So we have a biblical commitment to act especially in proportion to our positions of responsibility. So the more that God's given you, the more He's going to require from you. So we have a commitment to speak up. Isaiah 1:17, "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17. Later Isaiah 58:6, "Is not this the kind of fasting that I have chosen to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" Or Proverbs 31:8-9, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves", that's advocacy, "For the rights of all who are destitute, speak up and judge fairly and defend the causes or the rights for the poor and needy." There Remain Serious Social Issues to Address So present hot button issues, what are we going to do? Let's take the law enforcement and people of color issues. Now these are terrible incidents, but it's pretty obvious that I tend to see them differently than my black friends do. And that's a problem for me. I want to see things more together. I want us to be together and see it, and to understand what they see when something like that happens. Some people deny that in those incidents, there's any racism at all. I don't know how you can know that, but there isn't any. What happened is that people are resisting arrest, and then this happens, etcetera. Other people think it's nothing but racism all the time. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle. On those that say there's no racism, all there's specific cases though, they've become a little bit difficult to explain when like an African-American gentleman's on his back with his arm, straight up, and just trying to surrender quickly whatever, and still get shot. And then, does the society react properly? The grand juries and all that, do they do the right thing? So there's just issues with that all over. I know that most of the people within a one-mile or three mile radius of this place that we might seek to reach would see things radically differently I think than us, and that should matter as we're trying to reach the community. But there's deeper issues than that. I'll tell you, on that particular one, I saw a panel discussion, a round table discussion after Ferguson. And there was this one African-American sister in Christ, who's married to a black police officer, she said, "I can't tell you how conflicting this whole issue is for me. I see it very much from the angle of racial justice, but I want my husband to come home safely at the end of the night." And those are touchy moments when there's tension. And you got a split second decision. It's hard to know what to do. What kind of training? What kind of response after the fact, investigating the incident? Hard to know. That's what she said, speaking honestly. But I know there are deeper issues. Present Conditions There're heartbreaking issues concerning the African-American community, especially young men in the African-American community. Homicide is the number one cause of death for black men between 15 and 29 years of age and has been for decades. 94% of all black people who are murdered, are murdered by other black people. It's heart-breaking. The more you look at this, it's just shattering. It's like, "Lord, what can we do?" In the past several decades the suicide rate among young black men, has increased more than 100%. In some cities, black males have a high school dropout rate of more than 50%. I was standing in line at Lowe's yesterday with Calvin, hoping you don’t if I tell. Calvin was turning on flashlights and turning them off and he was urging me to buy one of them. Like I'm good. High energy, lots of stuff going on. I just wanted to check out and leave. African-American woman standing next to me, she said, "That's just the way boys are. I have three sons of my own." We got into a conversation. "How old are your sons?" Her name was Lynn. "How old are your sons?" "Well praise Jesus they're 19, 18, and 15." I said, "Well Calvin's 15." We got talking. She says, "A 19-year-old and he's still a virgin.” She said that to me. We're total strangers. A little awkward. It's awkward. It's like, "Oh, good for you. Keep it up." But just the themes of raising young men and the challenges of doing that, and how hard it is, and this is much on her mind as a mother. These themes come together, they're not in a vacuum, they come together in a complex of issues, In 1965, the year after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, 24% of black births in America were to single women. Today, the number is 72%. Just the devastation and being raised without a godly father who can give direction to a young man as he grows. Now, as we look at this complex of issues, there tend to be polarized answers. Answer number one, answer number two. Answer number one tends to focus on personal responsibility. Individuals need to take personal responsibility for their education, their morality, their actions. They need to live up to standards of society, and not get into the kind of difficulties that cause all these troubles. Alright? Focus number two is structural or institutional reform. There has to be significant changes made to society and structures in society. Bigger than any individual and it's going to take massive efforts to make. Those are two approaches, two different approaches. Social or political conservatives tend to be in the first camp, Republicans. And then social, what do you say, political liberals, etcetera, Democrats for the most part tend to be in the other. And there you've got that divide. What do you do? And African-American scholars are divided in the same way. Two Seemingly Conflicting Poles Henry Louis Gates Junior of Harvard, said, "The causes of poverty within the black community are both structural and behavioral. It's not one or the other." He said this, "Not to demand that each member of the black community accept individual responsibility for their behavior, whether that behavior assumes the form of gang violence, sexual activity,” you name it, “is another way of selling out a beleaguered community." But Elijah Anderson of Yale said, "Without a massive program of reconstruction, inner-city residents, especially young black men will remain mired in hopeless circumstances that they cannot escape." Now, if you go with the more structural intervention side, things get even more complicated and divisive. Government intervention has made a difference, a big difference, like Brown versus Board of Education and other things with the Civil Rights Act. It does make a difference. But sometimes structural intervention makes things worse, like things like affirmative action programs are criticized, even by black scholars because they establish a preferential treatment for blacks, the kind of writes, impermanently a gap, which is insulting frankly, to African-Americans at that point. But then how do you level the playing field? So what do you do? Shelby Steele, African-American scholar says this, "Blacks can have no real power without taking responsibility for their own educational and economic development. Whites can have no racial innocence without earning it by eradicating discrimination and helping the disadvantagde to develop both sides." I feel harmony with that statement. So for us, we have to look at what God's given us, what positions of influence, what has he given us that we can use to level the playing field in an intelligent way. John Piper: “Seven Feelings Rise In My Heart” Now, as I was reading Bloodlines by Piper, he got to after going back and forth and back and forth for far more pages than I burdened you with this morning. He just stopped in the middle of the book he said, "Can I tell you I have seven feelings right now?" That's John Piper by the way, he just has seven feelings. Most of us have one feeling, he has seven. But they were just so thorough and complete and they lined up and I just thought it was right. What were his seven feelings? “Alright, first I feel regret for my own sin in this area. Sense of regret. Secondly, I feel sorrow over cycles of despair and depression, and hopelessness and brokenness and the ruin of so many human lives. Thirdly, I feel anger at sin on all sides of this equation. No one's escaped. There is no one righteous, there's no one clean on this one. And I feel anger about that sin. Fourth, I feel frustration over untold layers of complexity of trying to actually solve this thing. It's frustrating to me that everything we try to do actually seems to make things worse sometimes. Fifthly, I feel empathy with the truth claims as I perceive them to be true on all sides of this debate. I feel drawn by the truth that I read and it's like, ‘Yeah that's true.’ Sixth, I feel a great longing to see the Gospel unleashed in this issue. And the Gospel preached, and individual saved, and lives transformed. And then finally, seventh, I feel tremendous hope for the future. Not just the eternal future of what's going to happen in Heaven but that even in our society, new things can be thought of, that will greatly improve life for everybody involved.” V. Application The Gospel Alright, so for me, applications. First and foremost, I always seek to preach the Gospel. And I actually see a lot of folks that are here that aren't usually here. Glad that you're here, praise God for that. I don't always know why people come to church, but I know this, none of this issue, this reason is by far the most significant issue of anybody's life. Jesus said, "What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" So even if the entire world of opportunity were handed right to whether you're black or white, it wouldn't matter if you weren't a Christian, if you weren't born again, it will do you no good on Judgment Day. And beyond that, all of the biblical truth that I've talked about only gets unleashed in the lives of believers. People who believe these themes. So come to Christ and trust in Him. Embrace the Gospel, the Gospel has power to change hearts. Ask God to Search Your Heart Secondly, if you're a Christian, just take Psalm 139:23-24, and just say, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, show me patterns of sin inside me." Now on racism it may be issues of deeper hardness in your heart toward individuals that may be there. And you didn't know it was there. There's some hiddenness that can happen there. Could be some sins of commission, things you've said or done in the past and you should feel ashamed for it, and you feel that and you want forgiveness for it. But it might be like me, mostly sins of omission, that you've shrunk back from getting engaged frankly. Shrunk back from energetic ministries and out of laziness, selfishness, cowardice, whatever reason, "Search me, O God and show me know my heart." Seek New Friendships Thirdly, seek out genuine friendships with different people, people different than yourself. When I say seek out, I mean get out of your usual patterns, and go be involved in ministries or other things that enables you to make new friends that are different from you. And as you have opportunity, if they are, blacks with whites or whites with blacks, talk about these things. And don't shrink back from talking about it, but lean into the topic of racism like we've tried to do today and say, “Help me think better about this.” I want us, I want me and Eddie White, I want us to feel the same about the things that his mother went through. I want to feel the same and be one with my brother. And I want to be good friends. That's going to be one of the most important things you can do, genuine friendships with people who are different and genuine communication. Pray For An End to Racism Fourth, pray for an end to racism, that race would someday be irrelevant inconsequential for life opportunities. Just pray for that. Pray that God would work. And if you say that there's no such thing as bias, there's no such thing as, well very controversially the phrase, “white privilege,” things like that. Look, I understand why you might think that way. I understand certain aspects and some of them amoral and some of them moral. You don't want to feel like the things you learned in your education were just handed to you because you're white and all that. I understand all that. But I liken it to bike riding. I like to ride bikes for exercise, and I've just found that uphills are harder than downhills. Have you guys, maybe some of you right bikes and you know, it's just when it's like this, it's hard. And when I get to the top, I'm exhausted.: But if I get to turn around and come back down, I remember riding out in the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was with a friend of mine, and we rode uphill for two hours and downhill for like 20 minutes. Scariest ride of my life. Over 50 miles an hour on thin tires. I don't think I'll ever do that again. But it was exhilarating. But bias is like that. It's just like every stroke of the pedal is a little bit harder just a little bit harder. Like is it real, is it actually happening? Well, that's where friendships can come in, where you can actually communicate. What we're seeking is often called the level playing field, achieving it may be a lifetime work. I don't know, but that's the goal. That's what we're looking for. And pray for FBC Durham to be a light in a dark place in a city on a hill. Pray for us to do creative ministries. Find ways to reach out. I was talking to Nathan Miles after the Wednesday meeting about the refugee issue. And I didn't even touch how the refugee issue is an issue of racism, too. And I mean, I could go on and on about this. But just that kind of ministry will really help us grow in terms of social justice and getting involved or urban ministry. So many of you guys are involved in that. Pray that God would do a multi-ethnic work, in this church just more and more people of different backgrounds becoming members here. And then finally, don't see color blindness, seek delight in what God's made. Let's just really enjoy each other in what God's made and delight in it, like we will in Heaven, so close with me prayer. Prayer Father, we thank you for the time we've had to look at this topic. I just thank you for this church. I thank you for the hearts of the people here, I thank you for their eagerness to hear from God and from this word, and they're consistent trust in the Word to take this church where it needs to go. God, do a work, a supernatural work of unity and love and justice in our church, and through our church. Help us to be more energetic and active than ever before in issues of social justice, but with the saturation of the word of God and the inherent scriptures in the Gospel of Christ, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Land of Beulah In his classic allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, Christian life depicted by John Bunyan, he captures various aspects of the Christian pilgrimage from the City of Destruction, unregenerate, being lost, with a burden of guilt and unforgiven sin pressing on his back through the narrow gate, to the cross where at last that burden falls away into the empty tomb, and then many adventures and dangers that follow until at last, Christian and his companion, Hopeful, reach the River of Death, and they cross the River of Death, and go up finally at last to the celestial city, Heaven. And so every aspect of the allegory captures some aspect of the pilgrimage from being lost, dead in your transgressions and sins, beyond death into Heaven. But at one point, very fascinating point of this, allegory Christian and Hopeful come on this side of the River of Death, and that's the key, to a place called “Beulah Land.” The Hebrew word Beulah means beautiful, comes from the Book of Isaiah. And Bunyan describes an experience that these pilgrims have in Beulah Land. I want to read that to you, "The Pilgrims were entering Beulah Land, whose air was very sweet and pleasant, the way lying directly through it. And they solaced themselves there for a season. Yeah, here they heard continually the singing of birds and heard the voice of the turtle dove in the land. And in this country, the sun shines night and day. Therefore, this was beyond the valley of the shadow of death, it was out of the reach of giant despair, and neither could they from this place so much as see Doubting Castle. Here, they were within sight of the city they were going to. Also here, met them some of the inhabitants thereof, for in this land, the shining ones commonly walked because it was on the borders of Heaven. Now, as they walked in this land, Christian and Hopeful, they had more rejoicing than in parts more remote from the kingdom to which they were bound, and drawing near to the city, they had a yet more perfect view thereof. It was built of pearls, and precious stones, also the street thereof was paved with gold, so that by in reason of the natural glory of the city, and the reflection of the sun beams upon it, Christian, with desire, fell sick. Hopeful, also had a fit or two of the same disease. But being a little strengthened and better able to bear their sickness, they walked on their way and came yet nearer and nearer, where were orchards, vineyards, gardens, and their gates opened into the highway. Now, as they came up to these places, behold the Gardner stood in the way to whom the pilgrims said, 'Whose beautiful vineyards and gardens are these?' The answer, 'They are the king's, and they are planted here for his own delights and also for the solace of pilgrims.' So the gardener had them into the vineyards and bid them refresh themselves with delicious fruit. After that they fell into a rich sleep, and they talked in their sleep about the celestial city to which they were going, and after they woke up, they saw the reflections of the sun upon the city, for the city was pure gold, and the reflections were so glorious that they could not as yet with open face behold it but only through an instrument made for that purpose. After that Christian and Hopeful resumed their pilgrimage to the city." Now this is on this side of the River of Death. An experience, a foretaste of heavenly glory. What in the world is Bunyan talking about? Everything in Christian's journey in Pilgrim's Progress connects with some aspect of the pilgrimage from being lost ultimately to Heaven. All this foretaste of heavenly glory before they've crossed the River of Death, something that happened ahead of time. And a vision of the celestial city, clearer than they had ever had before, so glorious, they couldn't look on it full on, but only, as Bunyan says, through an instrument made for that purpose. You know how it says in 1 Corinthians 13, "Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face-to-face." Also how it says in 1 Corinthians 15, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." And how it says in Timothy, that God dwells in, “unapproachable light.” So they couldn't look full on at the glory of the city, but just through an instrument, I think the scripture, prayer appointed for that purpose, they had a glimpse of Heaven. Is there a Beulah Land experience in the Christian life? Is that even possible? Can we have such a vigorous, overwhelming foretaste of heavenly glory, that our hearts are overflowing with it, peace and love capturing our hearts at that moment, something we can experience now, and that we'll never forget the rest of our lives? Is that even possible? If so, should we seek it, what should we do about it? Is there something we can do to pursue such a foretaste of heavenly joy? I think that Ephesians 3:14-21, at least in part, addresses these questions. That Paul is actually praying for the Ephesian Christians to have precisely that kind of an encounter with God. I believe it's part of our birthright as Christians, to have a lively, vigorous sense of Christ's love for us poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and that that pouring, that sense, that experience can be so great that we can hardly know if we're awake, or asleep, alive or dead. I also believe that most Christians never experience 1/100th part of this, that it's possible to go to Heaven, never having had anything like this at all. That the ordinary ministrations, the workings of the spirit in our lives are amply sufficient to bring us through a fruitful wonderful prayer life, Bible study life, Christian life, using our spiritual gifts right up until we cross the river of death and go into Heaven. I believe all of that's true, but I think the language of Ephesians Chapter 3:14-21, seems to go far beyond any of those things. Knowing the Unknowable: A Mystical Connection with Christ Look again, this time, beginning of verse 16, Paul prays for these Ephesian Christians, "I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide, and long, and high, and deep is the love of Christ, and that you would know that love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, Amen." Ascending the Mountain of Christian Experience So we've been working our way through this incredible prayer and we've reached this point of seeking to know the unknowable, some kind of a mystic connection with Christ, far beyond anything that we have experienced. To some degree, as you read this, we're ascending the mountain of Christian experience, of sensing, of feeling that Christ loves us. Most Christians, I believe, live most of their Christian lives down on the smog-covered plains. They're alive, they're not “dead in their transgressions and sins,” they are serving God, but they are with heads down, breathing in noxious fumes from the world, becoming increasingly sickly in some sense spiritually, barely able to be mindful of such a mountain of Christian experience that's even possible, perhaps questioning whether it's even possible. Most Christians I think, live there. But Ephesians 3:14-21 speaks of Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Christians. He gets on his knees before the Heavenly Father, and he prays for them and he prays that God, through the Spirit, would strengthen their hearts. The focus is on the inner man, on the inner being, the heart, the soul, and a strengthening work, a buttressing work going on through the Spirit because something massive could come upon you. And I think that that strengthening is necessary in two senses, for the journey up the mountain above the haze through the self-denial, the prayer, the turning away from worldliness, the turning away from sin, it's hard. Christ suffered when he was tempted. And so, we suffer when we resist temptation and say no to the things of the flesh. And nothing's come back yet, there's been no feedback loop, no elevation yet. And we wonder if there's even anything in all this and you have to be strong to persevere and not give up as you seek Christ in new ways, ways you haven't before. And so he prays that there might be a strengthening through the Spirit, according to the riches of God's glory, in the inner man, in the inner being. To the end, and we talked about this last week, that Christ would settle down and dwell in your hearts through faith, that you would be able to have, in some sense a continual feast with Christ. We talked about those meals that Jesus continually was eating with his disciples and the conversations he would have and the fellowship. It just seemed to be one meal after another with Jesus, from beginning to the end of His ministry, and how we can have a continual feast through the Spirit with Christ, a sense of Christ's love for us in fellowship with us, which is really, the consummation of the whole Immanuel, God with us, Christ dwelling with us, making his tabernacle with us, walking with us through the day, that “Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith.” Christian Mysticism: A Supernatural Experience But more than that, based on certain testimonies from saints, from Christians that have had overwhelming experiences, overwhelming foretaste of Heaven, that you're going to need strength just to survive it, that it's so massive, so overwhelming that like D.L. Moody said, "Alright, that's enough. I can't take any more. I'm only flesh and blood. There's only so much of this I can take, I’ve reached the limit." So there's that dual sense of strengthening necessary in all of this, through the Holy Spirit. Now, I know that Christians are leery of these kinds of things, some leery ones have talked to me in the last couple of weeks, that's fine. I love those discussions, "All right, where are we going, what are we doing? Are we going to become charismatic?" Is that what's going to happen here at First Baptist Durham? Is that what we're talking about? Friends, I am trying my best to be faithful to Ephesians 3:14-21, and I read extreme language here. Extreme. Far beyond things that most of us, that I myself have experienced. And I yearn for that. I yearn to have that happen at our church, I yearn for that in my life. I would like to have an encounter with God that I would never forget. Something that would happen to me that I would say years later, "That was one of the days of Heaven, something happened to me that day, I don't know if I was awake or asleep, alive or dead, whether in the body or out of the body, I don't know, God knows, but I saw things, heard things, experienced things that I can scarcely put into words." And as I look at Ephesians 3, at this prayer, I think it lines up with a healthy Christian mysticism, if you want to use that language. A healthy experience of God, of Christ, of the Holy Spirit, a triune working of a sense of His love that is so great and so empowering that it will have a great impact on you in terms of your own personal holiness, your internal journey and our church's external journey, evangelism and missions in this community unto the ends of the earth. And I yearn for that. I'd love to see God do that in this church. So that's what I've been praying for. Evidence in the Text: Not a Common Experience So look at the language. Look at verses 17-19, "I pray that you're being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints," he says, "to grasp how wide, and long, and high, and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." So we're grasping at the infinite dimensions of Christ's love as though your soul is just soaring over the vast expanse of the infinite universe of Christ's love and you're probing the dimensions, and you're probing the limits of the universe and you soon come to realize there's no boundary to this. There's no limit to Christ's love for me, I never realized how great it was. He's praying in paradoxical language of you knowing something that transcends knowledge. To know the unknowable. And you need power in order to do it, and you need to know love, to know, to sense love. That's what he's talking about. To experience it more fully, more deeply than you've ever done before. And the end of all of that is that you would be filled, so filled that you could be said to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. That something like that could happen to you. Not the emptiness of Eastern mysticism or Buddhism or any of those kinds of things or the weird kind of some of the medieval Catholic mystics that focused over-much on odd aspects of theology, and were not well-grounded in truth, who focused on the Virgin Mary and did some other things, not talking about those things. I'm actually talking about a more orthodox experience than you've ever had in your life, saturated with truth flowing from scripture, to the point where you didn't realize there was all that there. That's what I'm talking about: Fullness, not emptiness. And then in the doxology, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably infinitely more than all you ask or think." Seems like extreme language don't you think? Something far beyond anything you ever thought was possible. Talk about that more next week. It's not a common place feeling, not an everyday occurrence. And if you think so, then you just haven't read the words of Ephesians 3 carefully, and that's why I'm trying to go through it carefully, going through these phrases, so you realize there is far more in terms of your sense of Christ's love for you than you have ever known before, and that it's a good thing for you to have that, for you to know that Jesus loves you, far more than you ever did before. John Owen put it this way, "There is a light that cometh and overpowerth a man's soul, and assureth him, that God is his and he is God's. And that God loveth him from everlasting. It is a light,” listen to this, this is John Owen, “a light beyond the light of ordinary faith." For All Christians, Not Just Some These Ephesians Were Already Converted Did you hear that? It's beyond saving faith, it's beyond that and that's the very thing we get, as we've been saying, Paul is praying this for Ephesian Christians. They're already converted, they've already heard the “word of truth, the Gospel of their salvation, having believed they were already marked in Him with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,” that's already happened, and yet here he is praying. Not "and yet", because of that he's praying that they would go far beyond what they've already experienced in their Christian lives. And this isn't just for some specialist Christians. These Experiences Are For Every Christian This is for anybody, this is for ordinary people, so he prays for all the saints. See that in verse 18? "That you may have power together with all the saints." And we talked about that last time. Saints is not like the Catholics say. The special ones, the Hall of Fame ones. This is anybody that God could do this to, “pouring out His love into your heart by the Holy Spirit.” And in the doxology, to Him be glory in the church, he's praying for the whole church, for everybody to glow radiantly with glory. That's the sense of it. This is for everybody. Now, many Christians are going to beg out, they're going to opt out. They’re going to say a lot of things, "Too hard, don't really think it can happen, don't really need it, don't really want it." What? "I don't really want a foretaste of Heaven." Well, "Do you want Heaven?" Let's start there. "Yes, I want Heaven." "Would you like a foretaste of it?" "No, I have no interest in that." "Huh, explain that to me, help me with that." "I want heaven but no foretastes." "Okay, I like a little foretaste." "How about a bigger one?" "Well, that's... No, I don't want a big one, I want just a medium foretaste." See, the whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If you want Heaven, I would think a foretaste would be good. If you want a little foretaste, why not a big one? God is able to do immeasurably more than you ever thought was possible in this whole area, talk about that more next week. Now, toward the end of the 18th century, beginning of the 19th century, there was an American congregational minister, named Edward Pason, and he talks about Beulah Land. He talks about the experience that I began this sermon with. Pason had been a Christian for many years, he'd lived out a very fruitful ministry for Christ as a pastor, but then God took him to a whole new level of experience of Christ's love for him. And he wrote to a fellow pastor, he said, "When I read Bunyan's description of the Land of Beulah where the sun shines and the birds sing day and night, I used to doubt whether there even is such a place on this side of the River of Death. Does it even exist?" But then he said this, "Were I to adopt the figurative language of Bunyan, I might date this letter that I'm writing from the Land of Beulah of which I have been for some weeks now a happy inhabitant." Wow, I wouldn't mind spending weeks in Beulah Land, but Edward Payson was spending weeks. He said this, "The celestial city is full to my view. Its glories beam upon me, its breezes fan me, its odors waft to me. He fills the whole hemisphere pouring in a flood of glory, in which I seem to float like an insect in the beams of the sun; exulting, yet almost trembling, while I gaze upon this almost excessive brightness and wondering with unutterable wonder why God would deign to shine upon a sinful world as this. A single heart and a single tongue seem altogether inadequate to my wants. I want a whole heart for every separate emotion I'm feeling and I want a whole tongue to express that emotion." Four Concentric Circles of Christian Experience Wow! What in the world is he experiencing? And could there be some of that for me? Could I experience something like that? Well Payson, who's a pastor, started to diagnose Christians and their experiences in his shepherding, in his ministry. And he came up with what he would call, four concentric circles of professors of faith in Christ, people who claim to be Christians; Christians. He said this, "Suppose people who claim to be Christians arranged in different concentric circles around Christ as their common center. Some value the presence of their Savior so highly they cannot bear to have even a moment's separation from Him. Even their daily chores and their employment. They will bring up and do as best they can constantly in the light of His countenance, and while engaged in it will be seen constantly raising their eyes to Him as they're fearful of losing even a single beam of his light." Continually focused. I don't want anything to come between me and the Savior. That's how they live, all the time. Circle number two: "Others, who to be sure would not be content to live out of His presence, are yet less wholly absorbed by it than these, and may be seen a little further off, engaged here and there in their various callings, their eyes generally upon their work, but often looking up for more of that light that they love." Circle two. Circle three: "A third class beyond these, but yet still within the life giving rays, includes a doubtful multitude, many of whom are so much engaged in their worldly schemes that they may be seen in some way standing sideways to Christ, looking most of the time away from Him to their tasks and their employments, but then, occasionally looking back to Jesus and being refreshed." And then circle four: "Yet further out among the last dimly scattered rays, so distant that it's often doubtful whether they come at all within their influence, is a mixed assemblage of busy ones, some with their backs wholly turned to Him, wholly turned upon the Son, and most of them so worried and troubled about their many things as to spend, but little time for their Savior." All of these claiming to be Christians. So… Where Are You? So where are you? Where are you? Are you able to find yourself in there somewhere? It has to do with a sense of continual focus on the love of Christ, a sense of dependence on Him, reliance on Him, and of feeding back from Him through the Spirit of sense of His love for you. Do you live your life in continual focus on Jesus, sensing His presence, knowing His love, filled with his peace? Or are you further? Or further and further? Or further and further and further away from a warm, vigorous sense of Christ's love for you? Now, Payson said, "It's not hard for any of these to be reclaimed or strengthened. All you have to do is turn and face Christ." That's it, and how do you do that? Well, by the means He's ordained, by the scripture, by prayer. And the turning is two-fold. You're turning away from worldly pursuits, away from the “sin that so easily entangles you,” away from an over-focus of God's good gifts in the world that can become idols, a turning away from that to Christ in the scripture and in prayer, until you feel your heart warmed and empowered by the Spirit and a sense of joy and love filling you. That's what it takes. And then, once that starts to come, you become zealous and jealous of that and protect it from anything that would encroach. That's how you become one of those inner circle people. They're not intrinsically different than anyone else. It just has to do with how they're living. Rooted and Established in Love Paul Continues His Prayer Now, I've been following the text; Payson's insights are helpful, but let's look a little more carefully at Ephesians 3. Look at Verse 17. That's where we're at as we move through this. He says, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Rooted and established in love. I have a strong kind of dual image here; one of them living, one of them not. Rooted in love, I picture a huge maple tree, let's say, or some oak, some mighty tree, with this deep root system. And you've got these roots subterranean and probing down, and you're able to find subterranean rivers of water, and it doesn't matter what the conditions are above ground, you have a continual sense of the love of God for you in your heart, a sense of right doctrine, you're rooted in the scripture, established and living like a vibrant tree that's rooted in love. And then, established in love, more of a building image, like a building with its foundation upon the rock and it's unshakable, and there's a depth to that foundation, and it's not going to be “blown and tossed by every wind of doctrine,” like it says in the next chapter. But you're rooted in truth, rooted and established, but it says, "In Love." Power to Comprehend Going beyond that, he then prays for power to comprehend, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp the dimensions of Christ's love." So again, we have power language. Some of the translation just have, “may be able,” but it really does speak of power, and since Paul earlier mentioned power just a moment ago, let's stick with the power theme, that you would be empowered to understand, empowered to grasp; empowered to grasp. To comprehend. So, it begins as mental, it begins as intellectual. So, there's a thought aspect, but it's going to go beyond that. I know, but I know. I started out just knowing, but now I know. "What are you doing with your voice there?" I don't know, I can't put it into words. I'm knowing what's beyond knowledge, but it started with knowledge. It always starts with knowledge, as every love relationship does. Necessities: Knowledge and Emotion I mean, think about a couple that's working their way toward maybe engagement and toward marriage, and they're trying to figure it out, and there's an attraction there and they're spending some time, and they start giving tokens to one another of increasing feelings, right? It could be notes, it could be little gifts, they go out on a date together, spend some time, and then they each go back and ponder the events of the evening; ponder the events. And they're thinking about what happened and what was said and what it meant. And so, that's what I mean, there's a truth behind the things that were said, the notes that were written, the gifts that were given. But then there is something beyond that. There's feelings that go with it. And so, in every love relationship, there's a knowledge aspect, and then there's a feeling that goes beyond it. And you can't sever the two. You can't say, "I just want the feelings. I don't want knowledge. So, I'm going to tell you what, I will just buy for you a precious note from someone and you can take it home and read it. You won't know who it's from, but it's for you." Completely severed from anything. It has no meaning. It's a precious love note. You can buy them at Hallmark. I often wonder about the card people. I mean, can you imagine spending your whole day writing love notes to people you don't know? I often think about the work week. I should just change this subject quickly, but I'm going to say one thing. Ever read a card that you think was written late on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend? Like, "Didn't put a lot into this one, I guess." Alright, back on topic. There is a knowledge that then flows into emotion, and the two can't be disconnected. So, you're going to know Christ's love doctrinally. You're going to know who He is who loves you. Who are we talking about? This is the long-expected Jesus. This is the one that was predicted through the prophets. This is the Son of God and the Son of Man, fully God, fully man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, who did all these incredible miracles, who walked on water, fed the 5,000, who raised the dead, Lazarus after he'd been in the tomb four days raised to life! That's who we're talking about. The one who died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sinners like you and me. This one who died, who was our substitute, who was raised to life on the third day in a resurrection body and ascended to Heaven and now sits, we're told in the Bible, “at the right hand of Almighty God and rules over Heaven and Earth.” This Jesus loves you. That's incredible. Think about that. So there's a doctrinal base. He said, "I want you to know what is beyond knowledge." Far more than just mental but it begins intellectual. And then he goes into this dimensional language, "To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." So, one of my fellow scientific, geeky people, came up to me a few weeks ago and said, "Why do you think four dimensions? Wide, long, high, deep." I said, "I don't know. Usually we think in terms of three dimensions. I said, "I think of it maybe in terms of perspective. You stand and you're looking at something beautiful. And you look left and right, and you look as far as the eye can see, and look in the foreground, and you look up and you look down. It's your perspective maybe. I don't know." But he talks about the dimensions, a sense of Christ's love for us. Like it says in John 15:9, "As the Father has loved me even so have I loved you." Now, ponder that. And we could never fully comprehend the amount of love the Father has for the Son, but Jesus says, "That's how I love you." To love that surpasses knowledge. And so, I want you to ponder. I want you to have a sense of the dimensions of this. How Wide? So I pictured this, and I thought about one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, along the coast, the rocky coastline of Maine. The highest mountain there on Mount Desert Island is called, Cadillac Mountain. You can drive up to the top. So I imagine taking a friend who's never been out of the city, like we talked about C.S. Lewis, he's used to making mud pies in the slum. So you're bringing him out and you're taking him through the night; through the dark of night. And it's a very dark night, and you drive and you get to Cadillac Mountain and you go all the way to the top, but it's still pitch black. And you get out of the car and you just stand there. And it's about an hour before sunrise, and then little by little, some of the light starts coming over the Atlantic Ocean and you start to see what there is in the foreground and in the distance. And as more and more light starts to spread, you start to see what there is up the rocky coastline, and you start to see Bar Harbor, the fishing boats down in the bay, the trees that come right up, the trees that are close are huge right in your face and then there's some that are further away. You see rocky cliffs. You see Eagle Lake, and other things behind you. You're looking behind you. There's the inland area of Maine, and more and more and more light as the orange and the reddish light of the dawn and the sunrise comes until it's full light of day. And I have a feeling that that's what Paul wants you to do in terms of the dimensions of Christ's love for you. Now, I don't know that he meant for us to parse it out, but I'm going to just do a little biblical meditation in front of you. This is what you do on your knees. You get the Bible and you say, "Okay, how wide is your love for me, Christ?" And I don't know that we could do this, but I think of it in terms of the breadth of Christ's saving purpose around the world, that we have been adopted into a royal family of brothers and sisters “from every tribe and language and people and nation;” the diversity being staggering. It's a broad work of Christ that He's done here. How Long? And then, how long? I think of the time axis there, that if you look back behind you, you're looking as far as your eye see and even farther to eternity past, before the creation of the world, God the Father set His love on you by name and chose you “before you were born or had done anything good or bad, chose you in Christ.” As it says in Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." And so, he set an everlasting love on you, knowing full well you would sin and what sins you would commit, and how Jesus at that point in eternity past covenanted to shed His blood for you, in effect, dying for you convenantally and in the mind of God, before you were even born, or before the world was even created. As it says in Revelation 13:8, "Our names have been written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." And how it says in Ephesians 1:4-5, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted." So, you're looking behind you, and that's as far as the eye can see, Jesus has been loving you by name, right up until the time you were converted. Now, when you look forward you say, "Okay, for the rest of my life, He's going to keep loving me. He will never leave me. He will never forsake me. He's going to filter all of my temptations. He won't let the Devil have at me. No temptation will seize me, except what is common to man, and He will be faithful and will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear. And if I should fall into sin, He will restore me. “He will, when I confess my sin, cleanse me from all unrighteousness” and restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast. And I'm going to continue running this race until I die. And after that, then things get really awesome because after I die He's going to raise me up. He's going to give me a resurrection body and He's going to put me in a resurrected world surrounded by other resurrected people and it's going to be awesome. That's how long is the love of Christ for me." How Deep? Let me switch it and talked about how deep is His love. How far down would He go to save you? Picture that. How deep the descent? I was reading a story about a American submarine, the Squalus, that sank off the coast of New Hampshire. And it was in 243 feet of water on the seafloor. And a diver dove down with a cable, 243 feet down, and fixed it to the submarine so that a diving bell could go down and rescue those people. I'm thinking, "That's a lot of commitment. That's a lot of courage." How deep would Jesus go down to save you? And I think about that in terms of Philippians 2, "Jesus being in very nature, God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness,” down. Born of the Virgin Mary, and being “found in human likeness he humbled himself and became obedient, a life of a servant even to death, even death on a cross.” And even that's not enough, because two others were crucified with Him. We have to see in the spiritual realm how He was our substitute and the wrath of God was poured out on Him. That's how deep He went to save you and me. How deep were you? How far down were you in degradation and wickedness and sin? He went that far down to save you. How High? And then, how high? How high will you bring you? How exalted are His purposes for you? Well, we've already seen that somewhat in Ephesians 2:6-7, "God raised us up with Christ, and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, He might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." So much more exaltation yet to show you. You underestimate how high He wants to bring you and how glorious is that going to be for you, how wide and long and deep and high is the love of Christ. "That," verse 19, "you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." We're going to talk more about that next week. But just foretaste, a little bit of foretaste, that you would be, in some sense mysteriously, as full as God is, filled with God, filled with all the fullness of God. That's what we'll ponder next week. Application Seeking Christ’s Love So applications. What do we do about all of this? Well, for two weeks now, this is the third week, I've been making a very simple plan appeal to you, and that is that you would turn away from the entices of this world into extraordinary prayer. By extraordinary I mean something different than you've been doing, and that you would be seeking in God, through God, through Christ, a sense of Christ's love for you. You would be asking for it directly. Say, "Lord, I'm not satisfied with my mediocre Christian experience. I'm not satisfied with what's been happening in my soul. I want to know your love more than I've ever known before, and I'm willing to run a race here. I'm willing to deny myself. I'm willing to fast, not just from food, but maybe from electronic entertainment, fast from worldly things. I'm willing to turn my back on the world until you will pour out in my heart a sense of the love of God. I want that. And I don't just want it for myself, I want it for this person or that person." You name them. Somebody, a spouse, a friend, a church member. That you would do that, and that you would be willing to think deeply about these things and "gird up the loins of your mind." 1 Peter 1:13 KJV says it that way. That you'd be willing to think about these things and ponder and go over, and assess yourself and say, "Where am I in that concentric circle? Am I like Pluto? Am I like in the orbit? I'm a Christian, but it's just so cold and dark out here." Or are you closer and closer? Where are you? Meditate on these verses and don't make excuses. Don't be satisfied with less, and don't make excuses. Don't come up short of all the fullness of what God intends for you. Don't live like a pauper when you could live like a prince, and don't make excuses. Don't say, "I'm too busy to spend time doing that." I've thought about, let's say, a 30-year-old businessman who is an entrepreneur, successful business, single, but his business consumes his life and all that, but he feels lonely. He goes home to a darkened place, and lots of material possessions, but he's just alone. And he feels like maybe it's about time that he might find a wife. And you look at, what is he willing to do for that? And if the answer is nothing, he probably won't find one. But as he continues increasingly to acutely feel that loneliness, he's going to start making time in his life. He's going to do what's necessary. Well, I just want to say, how much more could you make time for Christ? Say, "I feel cold. I feel distant and I need to make time to seek Him." And don't think it'll be simple. He's not a vending machine. You pour in two or three quarters and then you get it. He tests us. He's jealous. He's a person. And if you're doing things that offend him, He won't pour out that blessing. And even if you're not, he will stretch you and test you and make you persevere. So persevere. Be single-minded. Remember, it's not impersonal. It's not a thing we're seeking. We're not seeking a thing. We're seeking a person. Turn Away From Sin And be willing to turn aside from sin. It says in James chapter 4, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that scripture says without reason that the Spirit,” I think the Holy Spirit, “that He caused to live in us envies intensely?” Is jealous over us? That's why Scripture says, “He gives us more grace. That's why scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble’ Submit yourself then to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” Now listen to this, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." So that's what I'm urging. “Wash your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded.” Don't be double-minded. Be single-minded after Christ, and persevere as it says in Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Praying for the Spirit of God Now, I want to give an invitation to the church. For the last two months I've been praying here at 6.00 AM, praying for God to pour out His Spirit on our church, specifically praying for evangelistic fruit, but also praying for these things, these themes. Recently, some people have heard about this and have joined me in praying, and I'd like to invite the whole church. I come here, so if it were at my house I would not invite the whole church. But I'm inviting any of you that would be willing to make a sacrifice, who would have time to come 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM this Wednesday. And I'm planning on doing this through the end of January next year 2016, so I don't know, for about eight weeks. And if the Lord wants to extend it, He can do that. But I just feel called on by God to call on you to join me in praying. If you're not able to come, then pray on your own during that time for God to pour out His Spirit on our church. Pray specifically for evangelistic fruit. Wouldn't you love to see in 2016 a river of baptisms, of outreach here in the community and really to the ends of the Earth to hear about that as an answer to extraordinary prayer. That's what I'm praying for. But I'm also praying internal journey for extreme experiences with God resulting in holiness; yearning for both of those things. So, if you're able to come, join. If you can't do it this week, God willing, I'll be doing it next week and just come. Start in my office, and if there's too many we'll come in here and we'll pray. Prayer So, close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the things that we've been learning in Ephesians and we pray that you would pour out your Spirit on this church, pray that you would oh Lord work in this church, give us fruit, oh Lord, give us a sense of your love for us in Christ greater than we've ever had before. And then Lord, give us powerful inducements toward evangelism and outreach. Help us to reach out with the Gospel and to see lost people come to faith in Christ. Help us to know you and to follow you better than ever before through the power of the Spirit in Jesus' name, Amen.

Shownotes & links: http://mariahfreya.com/accessing-divine-love Too cheesy? I don’t think so. Divine Love can be overwhelming, yes. You might think: Who am I to deserve and receive Love? So instead you give and give and give until you are empty and drained, wondering where all that energy went. Then maybe you stop believing in it all together, as the world seems like a pretty dark place, anyways. This podcast is dedicated to helping you receive love at every moment of the day. To filling up your vessel until it’s overflowing and you can continue giving without it all draining away. Imagine you are overflowing with love so that the only thing you can do all day long is make love with everything and everyone around you. I have invited Lauren Peters to take part in this podcast. She is a love guide and healer, working especially with couples. She is creatress of Omni Love TV, an upcoming TV show dedicated to Divine Love. In this episode, we go into detail about: • What’s Divine Love? • What’s the greatest barrier that disconnects us from Divine Love? • How can we access this powerful source in our relationships, business and life in general? • What are some helpful daily practices that can plug us right in?

1. Kranium – Lifestyle (DJ Rusty G Dubplate) 2. Vybz Kartel – Without Money 3. Chan Dizzy – Very Easy 4. Black Diamon – Never See You Again 5. Masicka – F@#$ Away The Pain 6. Shawn Storm – Tan Bad 7. Vybz Kartel – Have A Little More 8. Vybz Kartel – Love So 2015 9. Alkaline – A Bagga Tings 10. Demarco – Bun Up Road 11. I Octane – Gyal Ting 12. Mavado – Nah Use Dem 13. Vybz Kartel – Mi Nuh Trust People 14. Beenie Man – BadMind People 15. Chi Ching Ching x PopCaan x Beenie Man – Way Up n Stay Up (Remix) 16. Tarrus Riley X Zagga – Free Up 17. Christopher Martin – We A Di Vibe 18. Vybz Kartel – Drink Up 19. Mavado – Hotta Than Bread 20. Beenie Man – Champagne Fountain 21. Tommy Lee – Bad Man Dawg (Alkaline & Gage Diss) 22. Gage – Shotgun (Tommy Lee Diss) 23. Alkaline – One Inna Dem Head 24. Vybz Kartel – Box Lunch 25. Mavado – Clear D Way 26. I Octane – Teeth & Lip 27. Konshens – Flick (Demarco Diss) 28. Demarco – Fool Fool Gangsta 29. Demarco – Lime Chip (Konshens Diss) 30. Aidonia – Lightning 31. Elephant Man – Chikungunya 32. Elephant Man – Do The Right Thing 33. Kiprich – Walk 34. Mavado – Dem Nuh Bad 35. Gully Bop aka Country Man – My God Dem Nuh Bad Like Me 36. Konshens – From Mi Born (Gal We Seh) 37. Tommy Lee – Ryda 38. Mavado – Sick Like Flu 39. I Octane – Star Boi 40. Shawn Storm – Nuh Man 2 Mi 41. Wasp – Freestyle 42. Tony Matterhorn – After Dark 43. Gully Bop aka Country Man – P@#$% Specialist 44. Demarco – Puppy Tail 45. Vybz Kartel – A Bay 46. Vybz Kartel – Dark Shades 47. Vybz Kartel – Bare Vybz 48. Vybz Kartel x Keshan – Kill Or Die 49. Vybz Kartel – Me Mek Yuh Feel Sure 50. Vybz Kartel x Russian – Yellow Yellow 51. Vybz Kartel x Russian – New Jordans 52. Vybz Kartel x Spice – Conjugal Visit 53. Popcaan – Where We Come From

"My Foolish Heart" "Fools in Love" So many pop song lyrics through the ages have been about fools. Listen to this lesson to learn that the Bible has a lot to say about fools, too. Find out which questions fools ask that need to be answered and which ones are just distractions and should be exposed with humility and respect. Discover how an reductio ad absurdum argument reduces what fools say to the absurd and how we can offer the fountain of life to those who so desperately need it. Also includes 1 Peter 3:15-17