Podcasts about Martin Luther

It's Friday, January 30th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian activists call for self-defense measures for Christians In the middle of the night, Islamic Fulani militias brutally killed seven Nigerian Christian men in a coordinated attack on a mining site in the Plateau State, reports International Christian Concern. The incident has reignited long-standing fears of targeted violence against Christian communities and intensified calls for lawful self-defense amid persistent insecurity. Military sources confirmed that the attack occurred at about 1 a.m. last Thursday when Islamic Fulani militias stormed the site, opening fire on miners who had remained overnight. At the graveside, grief gave way to anger, frustration, and an unmistakable sense of abandonment. Weeping relatives and neighbors spoke of fathers and sons lost — not in open combat, but while struggling to survive in an economy that has pushed many into mining at night which has been banned. Human rights advocate Alex Barbir said, “This is no longer just about illegal mining. It is about our people being hunted in the night, killed without mercy, and buried without justice. How long do we continue to die quietly?” He argued that communities must be empowered to defend themselves where the state has repeatedly failed to provide adequate security. Rev. Dachomo agreed, saying, “We preach peace, but peace must not mean surrender to slaughter.  The right to life is sacred, and protecting that life is not a crime.” Anglican pastor protests confirmation of woke female Archbishop of Canterbury The formal confirmation of Sarah Mullally as the new Anglican archbishop of Canterbury was interrupted when a bold pastor publicly objected and was forcibly removed from the service, reports LifeSiteNews.com. On Wednesday, during the Confirmation of Election service for Sarah Mullally at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Anglican pastor Paul Williamson stood up and shouted his objection after the officiant falsely declared that no opposition had been presented, leading to his restraint and removal from the cathedral by security personnel. Listen. OFFICIANT: “Endorsed on this mandate is a certificate which verifies that public notice was duly given as required and that no person has appeared in opposition to the confirmation.” WILLIAMSON: “I did!” (rest of audio undiscernible) Williamson claimed he was "nearly pushed down the stairs" outside by "four heavies" during his removal from the cathedral on Wednesday. Williamson's protest highlighted ongoing divisions over Mullally's appointment within the Anglican Communion, which has been fracturing for years over sexuality and gender.  1 Corinthians 14:24 says, “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.” On January 26, 2015, during the consecration service at York Minster for Libby Lane, who was to become the Church of England's first female bishop, Williamson was the lone dissenting voice when the gathered clergy were asked whether she should be ordained. And, in 2005, Williamson protested against the legality of the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, reported The Guardian. Trump warns Iran 'time is running out' as US military builds up in Gulf President Donald Trump has warned Iran that "time is running out" to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program following the steady build-up of US military forces in the Gulf, reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. The US president said a "massive Armada" was "moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose" towards Iran, referring to a large US naval fleet. In response, Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the country's armed forces were ready "with their fingers on the trigger" to "immediately and powerfully respond" to any aggression by land or sea. Trump's latest warning follows his promise that Washington will intervene to help those involved in the brutal and unprecedented crackdown on protests in the country earlier this month. Demonstrations began after a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian currency, but swiftly evolved into a crisis of legitimacy for the country's clerical leadership of the Islamic regime. Apple cider vinegar was sprayed on Rep. Ilhan Omar A man accused of attacking Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Somali-American, during a town hall event on Tuesday reportedly sprayed apple cider vinegar on her, reports Fox News. Anthony James Kazmierczak, age 55, was seen on video lunging at Congresswoman Omar while spraying an unknown substance on her shirt out of a syringe. Right before the attack, Omar called for the resignation or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, following two fatal shootings involving federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis. Listen to the lead up to the attack. OMAR: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.” (audio of attack) At the time of the attack, Kazmierczak said, “She's not resigning. You're splitting Minnesotans apart,” according to The Western Journal. Man paints over heretical billboard to read 'Jesus is God' A viral video shows a man painting over a heretical billboard campaign in California, altering the message to read, “The Bible says … Jesus is ___ God,” reports The Christian Post. The undated video shows an unidentified man atop a billboard platform with the Los Angeles skyline behind it as he paints over the word “Not” in the ad which had initially stated “Jesus is Not God”, transforming the billboard into a proclamation of faith.  World's Last Chance, the group behind the billboard, claims the message is part of “four billboard themes that dare to shatter the chains of long-held misconceptions.” In addition to the Jesus billboard, which adds the text, “Jesus did not pre-exist in Heaven,” the group's website lists three others, including one that attacks Trinitarian theology and another promoting the so-called “flat earth” theory. In addition to the billboard campaign, the World's Last Chance website features several videos purportedly “debunking” the deity of Jesus and the Trinity.  The billboard campaign has been reportedly spotted in California, Georgia, and other states. In a January 21st video, author and Living Waters founder and CEO Ray Comfort responded to the billboard remodeling job with a stark warning about the impact of false teaching in the public square. Listen. COMFORT: “These signs have been erected by a strange sect that claims to believe the Scriptures, yet openly denies the deity of Christ -- a contradiction the Bible doesn't permit. “Scripture plainly teaches that God was manifest in the flesh [1 Timothy 3:16] and that Jesus Christ is ‘the image of the invisible God' [Colossians 1:15] and ‘the express image of His person.' [Hebrews 1:3] Jesus Himself said, ‘I came down from Heaven,' [John 6:38] and ‘Before Abraham was, I am' [John 8:58], a direct claim to deity that His hearers understood clearly. “He is not merely a moral teacher or a created being, but the Creator Himself. ‘For all things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made.' [John 1:3] The Bible warns that any teaching that denies the Son is not from God.  ‘Who is a liar? He that denies that Jesus is the Christ, he is the Antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.' [1 John 2:22]. This is the spirit of antichrist, which John says was already active in his day and continues now.” [1 John 4:2-3] Updated link to children's book on Martin Luther's wife And finally, yesterday, as we noted the 427th anniversary of the birthday of Martin Luther's wife, Katherine von Bora, I referenced a beautifully illustrated children's book entitled Katharine von Bora: The Morning Star of Wittenberg. Written by twins Jenna and Shanna Strackbein, I initially linked to Amazon if you wanted to purchase it.  However, because they have not restocked the book, you can get a copy through Generations. Scott Brown, Director of Church and Family Life, wrote, “When I read it to my grandchildren, I choked up a few times encountering the beauty of marriage and the wonderful way Katy served the Lord in her generation. Now she was inspiring the rising generation of my own family. What a blessing!" Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, January 30th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Dr. Ken Schurb of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod The post Martin Luther's Large Catechism, Part 4 – Dr. Ken Schurb, 1/29/26 (0294) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

It's Thursday, January 29th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Evangelical college fired teacher for calling homosexual behavior sin A Christian teacher in England went to court last week to defend his religious freedom. Dr. Aaron Edwards worked at Cliff College in Derbyshire. Three years ago, the Evangelical college fired him after he called homosexuality a sin in a social media post. Edwards is now appealing a tribunal decision that upheld his dismissal with the help of the Christian Legal Centre. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the organization, said, "This case raises serious questions about freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the lawful limits of institutional authority.” Referencing Acts 4:20, Edwards said he does not regret speaking the truth, saying, “As the apostles said before their accusers, ‘We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.'” Euthanasia bill failed in French Senate A bill to legalize euthanasia failed in France's Senate last week.  Political deadlock among lawmakers effectively killed the bill. Gregor Puppinck is the Director General of the European Centre for Law and Justice. He said, “This text was terrible. It allowed euthanasia and suicide by decision of a single doctor, at the oral request of a patient, in three days, without the relatives being informed and able to take legal action.” Canada euthanized elderly woman against her will Meanwhile, in Canada, an elderly woman was tragically euthanized against her will through the country's Medical Assistance in Dying program.  This according to a report by the Office of the Chief Coroner. The report identified the 80-year-old woman as “Mrs. B.” She initially expressed interest in the program. But later, she wanted to withdraw her request, “citing personal and religious values and beliefs.” However, assessors with the euthanasia program approved the killing after her husband reported experiencing “caregiver burnout.” Proverbs 12:10 says, “The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Canada backs off deal with China after Trump tariff threat Canada reached a preliminary agreement with China earlier this month to lower tariffs on certain goods. However, U.S. President Trump criticized the deal. He wrote on Truth Social, “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.” In response, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney backed off the agreement with China. Federal Reserve didn't change interest rate In the United States, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged yesterday. The central bank decided to keep its key lending rate between 3.5 percent and 3.75 percent.  The Fed noted, “Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have remained low, and the unemployment rate has shown some signs of stabilization. Inflation remains somewhat elevated.” Fewer U.S. pastors leaving ministry A new survey from the Barna Group found fewer pastors are considering walking away from the ministry. Twenty-four percent of U.S. senior Protestant pastors say they have seriously considered leaving full-time ministry within the past year. That's down from 42 percent in 2022. Pastoral burnout heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic but has been stabilizing since then. The report noted, “Fewer pastors appear to be in immediate vocational crisis, even as many continue to carry fatigue, grief, and uncertainty about the future of ministry.” Today is birthday of Martin Luther's wife And finally, today marks the birthday of Katharina Von Bora, the wife of Martin Luther. She was born on January 29, 1499. Her mother died in childhood and she was sent to a Catholic boarding school before becoming a nun. At the convent, Katharina discovered the writings of Martin Luther. Along with other nuns, she learned about salvation by grace through faith in Christ. This led Katharina and the nuns to ask Luther for help to escape the convent.  Luther was able to help the nuns find husbands and jobs, except for Katharina. The two were eventually married. Together, they had six children.  Author Michelle DeRusha described Katharina as “a woman who risked marrying one of the most controversial men of the time – a man who could have very likely been burned as a heretic at any given moment. She was a woman who raised six children; ran a boardinghouse; oversaw a farm complete with fruit orchards, livestock, and a fishpond; and advised and cared for her husband.” Consider an excellent, full-color, beautifully illustrated children's book about her entitled Katharine von Bora: The Morning Star of Wittenberg. It is co-authored by Shanna and Jenna Strackbein, twin sisters who were homeschooled in Aransas Pass, Texas, by their beloved mother Jenny. Joel Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan said, "Boys and girls (and adults too) will love this beautiful book about a godly woman who helped to change the world." Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, January 29th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend and Early Church scholar Dr. Thomas Scheck to talk about his latest work, a translation of St. John Fisher's refutation of Martin Luther. The importance of this discussion can't be understated as we unpack one of those Catholic writers, theologians, and bishops who wrote against Martin Luther, and the Reformers, at the very time of the Reformation. Counter to what so many of us thought as Protestants, the Catholic response to Reformation era ideas was immediately, intense, and thorough. Our discussion this week digs into that response and how figures like Fisher called Luther to task – on some of his misquotations and misuses, too! – at the very inception of the Reformation.For more from Dr. Scheck check out his author page on Amazon.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Catholics living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In my experience it's a safe bet that most Protestants are not enthused about the veneration of relics— i.e. bits of a saint's bone or bits of things they once used, such as pieces of their clothing (these are called “secondary relics”). That would apply even to Protestant “saints”: if I came to a Lutheran carrying a fragment of Martin Luther's shinbone in a fancy reliquary box and asked him if he would like to venerate it, he would probably take a pass and reply, “Thanks anyway.” If I came to a Calvinist with a similar fragment of Calvin's shinbone in a reliquary and made the same offer, he would probably knock the box from my hand with a stern Genevan rebuke.

Lyndal Roper, Regius Professor of History at Oxford University is on excellent form to talk me through the German Peasant's War of 1524-25. Things I learned:- take Martin Luther seriously (but not literally)- monasteries feed the poor and needy (particularly when they are armed and extremely determined)- the scale of the revolt was off the charts, nothing like it until the French Revolution- the East German State celebrated its revolutionary past with a mural of the war which needs to be on everyone's 'must see' list (only to collapse a few months later!All in all this is a terrific and thought provoking episode. The role of Luther in all this surprised me greatly. Lyndal's book Summer of Fire and Blood is here.If you enjoy the conversation then please follow the show, share it with a friend and leave a review!

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “A local church's elders do not rule on their own merits or according to their own designs but as subjects and delegates of Christ the chief shepherd…. Our elders may appear to be painfully ordinary men, but under their loving leadership, we receive the ministry of Christ himself…. “Our holiness is not merely personal. It is also the foundation of our corporate identity as the church. The surprising thing about the Bible's testimony is that the word saints does not single out exemplary church members, or church members whose gifts and graces are only of a particular variety. In fact, in biblical terms, there are no individual saints. In its sixty appearances in the New Testament, the word is always plural and always used as a description of all the Christians in the church…. We are not lone saints…; we are corporate saints, members of a holy company…. “The church in eternity will appear more lovely, but it will not be more loved.”~Megan Hill in A Place to Belong: Learning to Love the Local Church “God allowed his Son to suffer as if a condemned sinner, so that we might be delivered from the penalty of our sins. This is God's righteousness, that we are not justified by works (for then they would have to be perfect, which is impossible), but by grace, in which case all our sin is removed.”         ~John Chrysostom (c. 347-407), early church leader in Constantinople “And so, we, having been called through His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through ourselves or through our own wisdom or understanding or piety or works which we wrought in holiness of heart, but through faith, whereby the Almighty God justified all men that have been from the beginning….”~Clement of Rome (died c.100 AD), early church leader in Rome, from a letter written c. A.D. 96 “This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word by heart, but occupy himself with it every day as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in his commentary on St. Paul's Letter to the Romans “The body of Scripture is a doctrine sufficient to live well…. Theology is the science of living blessedly forever. Blessed life arises from the knowledge of God…. And therefore it arises likewise from the knowledge of ourselves, because we know God by looking into ourselves.”~William Perkins (1558-1602), Cambridge-based Puritan theologianSERMON PASSAGERomans 1:1-17 (ESV) 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe Genesis 4:1–16 Genesis 4:1–16 | Cain — a brother's worship curves inward from CrossPointe Coast on Vimeo. DISORDERED WORSHIP SIN IS CROUCHING AT THE DOOR BLOOD CRIES FROM THE GROUND Hebrews 11:4 (ESV) By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. A.W. Pink First, he owned that God was righteous in driving fallen man out of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Second, he owned that he was a guilty sinner, and that death was his just due. Third, he owned that God was holy, and must punish sin. Fourth, he owned that God was merciful, and willing to accept the death of an innocent substitute in his place. Fifth, he owned that he looked for acceptance with God in Christ the Lamb. Isaiah 1:12 (ESV) “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Martin Luther … our nature has been so deeply curved in upon itself because of the viciousness of original sin that it not only turns the finest gifts of God in upon itself and enjoys them … it even uses God Himself to achieve these aims, but it also seems to be ignorant of this very fact, that in acting [with such great injustice], so perversely, and in such a depraved way, it is even seeking God for its own sake. James 4:1–3 (ESV) What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. James 4:6–8 (ESV) Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Hebrews 12:24 (ESV) to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Dr. Ken Schurb of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod The post Martin Luther's Large Catechism, Part 3 – Dr. Ken Schurb, 1/23/26 (0231) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260121dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 The Lamb of God Takes Away Our Sins When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward where he was baptizing in the Jordan River, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” But what does it mean that he “takes away our sin”? Sin is defined in various ways throughout the Bible. It is rebellion against God; it is failing to live up to God’s law of perfect love; it is every thought, word, and action that does not flow from a right relationship with our Creator. Sin’s corruption permeates every part of our lives. Not only does sin lead to needless pain and cause countless problems in every personal relationship, but it also separates us from the holy God who made us and who will be our judge. Finally, the wages of sin is death. As one preacher of the gospel, Martin Luther, said, there are only two places where sin can be: on the sinner or on Christ. Either we carry the weight of our disobedience ourselves and accept its consequences of eternal separation from God, or we rejoice in God's work of placing our sin—all our sin—squarely on Jesus, the Lamb of God. This is the heart of the gospel, the good news of what Christ came to accomplish for us. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). The result for those who turn to Jesus in faith is that God no longer treats us as our sins deserve. Although our corrupted nature still leads us to act contrary to his word, sin does not factor into how God sees us. Instead, he assures us that, in Christ, we have been forgiven. He gives us strength to live for him and joy in the knowledge that we are his dearly loved children through faith in Jesus. Prayer: Lamb of God, you took away the sin of the world. Thank you for your mercy! Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

In this joint session between the Fakeologist and Tim Ozman of the Infinite Plane Society (IPS), the speakers deconstruct the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) as a staged media event and “auto-hoax”. The conversation explores the historical context of MLK Day, the use of “world actors” in political narratives, and the systematic “Great Deconstruction” of global psyops over the last century.Tim Ozman argues that the MLK assassination follows a established template for “fake” historical events, similar to those of JFK and RFK. Key points of the analysis include:The “Michael King” Theory: Ozman highlights that MLK's name was officially changed from Michael to Martin Luther in 1957; he contends that while the character “Martin Luther King” may have “died,” the man Michael King did not.“Duping Delight”: The speakers review a 1968 60 Minutes interview with the King family, claiming the children's micro-expressions and lack of visible grief suggest a staged scenario.FBI Involvement: The discussion references unclassified files and COINTELPRO, suggesting MLK was a character created or “neutralized” by intelligence agencies to manage the civil rights narrative.Numerology and Code: The speakers point to recurring numbers in the assassination story, such as the .30-06 caliber rifle, and the date (April 4th, or 4/4), which they associate with symbolic “death and resurrection” codes.The episode draws extensive parallels between historical events and current media narratives:The Charlie Kirk “Squib” Theory: Ozman discusses a theory that Charlie Kirk was recently involved in a staged assassination attempt involving “squibs” (theatrical blood effects). He identifies “predictive programming” in the NFL, where a player named Christian Kirk was involved in a “30-06” scoring pattern.Don Lemon and the “KKK Act”: The speakers discuss recent reports of Don Lemon leading a mob into a church, noting the irony of him potentially being charged under the “Ku Klux Klan Act”.A major theme of the discussion is the use of “actor-driven reality” to control the public's worldview.Hyper-realistic Masks: The speakers argue that technology for creating fake people—including hyper-realistic masks and muscle suits—has existed for decades and is used to repurpose actors into different roles.Elon Musk as a Villain: Ozman analyzes “predictive programming” in recent films where billionaire characters based on Elon Musk are used to seed themes of social collapse and election interference.Tim Ozman introduces his latest initiative, “The Great Deconstruction,” a forum and timeline designed to systematically break down every major psyop of the last 100 years. The goal is to provide an “off-world stage perspective” for people transitioning out of the “Truman Show” of mainstream and alternative media.Would you like more details on Tim Ozman's specific breakdown of the “predictive programming” found in recent movies or his analysis of the “King” symbolism in media fakery?The MLK Assassination as a Staged EventContemporary Parallels: Charlie Kirk and Don LemonTechnological Deception and World ActorsThe Great Deconstruction Project

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260121dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 The Lamb of God Takes Away Our Sins When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward where he was baptizing in the Jordan River, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” But what does it mean that he “takes away our sin”? Sin is defined in various ways throughout the Bible. It is rebellion against God; it is failing to live up to God’s law of perfect love; it is every thought, word, and action that does not flow from a right relationship with our Creator. Sin’s corruption permeates every part of our lives. Not only does sin lead to needless pain and cause countless problems in every personal relationship, but it also separates us from the holy God who made us and who will be our judge. Finally, the wages of sin is death. As one preacher of the gospel, Martin Luther, said, there are only two places where sin can be: on the sinner or on Christ. Either we carry the weight of our disobedience ourselves and accept its consequences of eternal separation from God, or we rejoice in God's work of placing our sin—all our sin—squarely on Jesus, the Lamb of God. This is the heart of the gospel, the good news of what Christ came to accomplish for us. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). The result for those who turn to Jesus in faith is that God no longer treats us as our sins deserve. Although our corrupted nature still leads us to act contrary to his word, sin does not factor into how God sees us. Instead, he assures us that, in Christ, we have been forgiven. He gives us strength to live for him and joy in the knowledge that we are his dearly loved children through faith in Jesus. Prayer: Lamb of God, you took away the sin of the world. Thank you for your mercy! Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

On today's show, Hope is back in the studio! We jump into our round table and kick it off with Hope. Hope talks about her weekend and bopping around town…

This video explores the theology, philosophy, and Christology of Martin Luther King Jr. I argue that he is best understood as a moderate American Unitarian.I mention Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther, Michael King Sr. (Martin Luther King Sr.), Schleiermacher, Paul of Samosata, William Ellery Channing, Paul Tillich, Henry Nelson Wieman, Coretta Scott King, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Walter Rauschenbusch, Mahatma Gandhi, Saint Augustine, Saint Anselm, Blaise Pascal, Os Guinness, Keith Ward, Desmond Tutu, Francis Collins, Christopher Hitchens, and more.

MLK was a Baptist minister, deeply rooted in the African-American Christian tradition, who became a pivotal leader in the Civil Rights Movement, drawing his powerful oratory and philosophy of nonviolent resistance from his faith and biblical teachings. He co-pastored Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with his father and was a Protestant Christian, a denomination that grew from the Reformation started by the original Martin Luther, whom King Jr. was named after. January 19th is recognized in America as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Check out the YouTube version of this episode at https://youtu.be/HNO5Cks_8MM which has accompanying visuals including maps, charts, timelines, photos, illustrations, and diagrams. Inquisikids products available at https://amzn.to/49ZRrhV PragerU podcast available at https://amzn.to/3MRvsz0 PragerU books at https://amzn.to/3APDaWN MLK books available at https://amzn.to/49zwY32 Civil Rights books available at https://amzn.to/4q0jbJf ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Mark's History of North America podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credits: Inquisikids Daily 15jan2024 Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.?; PragerU 5-Minute Videos 14jan2019 Where Are You, Martin Luther King? by Jason Riley, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whiskey Review: Short Barrel Bees Knees Single Barrel Store Pick   Topic: 2026 the year of Catechism   Follow us on all your podcast platforms and: Instagram: @manhoodneat X: Manhood Neat (@ManhoodNeat) / X Youtube: Manhood, Neat Podcast - YouTube Reach out: manhood.neat@gmail.com   Show Notes: Key Scripture References: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Ephesians 6:4, Matthew 28:19-20, Psalm 78:4-7. Definition of Catechism Catechism refers to a structured summary or manual of religious doctrine, typically presented in a question-and-answer format   History of Catechism Early origins The practice of catechesis, or systematic instruction in Christian faith, traces its roots to the New Testament era, where the Greek term katēchein (meaning "to instruct orally") was used for forming disciples and preparing converts for baptism. The earliest known written catechism is the Didache, a brief anonymous treatise composed between 60 and 85 AD During the patristic period (2nd to 5th centuries), key figures contributed foundational works: Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures (4th century) for baptismal preparation, Basil of Caesarea's The Morals, and Augustine of Hippo's Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love (early 5th century These emphasized core elements like the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, focusing on faith, hope, and charity Catechesis during this time was rigorous, often lasting months or years, to ensure converts were assimilated into Christian life and doctrine. Reformation Era The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century marked a significant revival of catechisms, driven by the need to combat ignorance of basic doctrines among clergy and laity. Martin Luther published his Small Catechism in May 1529 for households and children in 1528 John Calvin followed with a catechism in 1537 Catholics produced the Roman Catechism (also known as the Catechism of the Council of Trent) in 1566 Modern Era Today, catechisms persist across denominations—Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican, and Orthodox—serving as tools for discipleship, though with less emphasis on memorization and more on relational teaching.   So, it's for Children? No it is part of discipleship grounding individuals in truth fostering spiritual maturity guarding against heresies. deeper Bible engagement prayerful reflection accountability through catechism studies. clear Q&As make teaching relational and memorable integrating head knowledge with heart transformation. combats modern challenges like relativism building resilient faith in disciples of all ages. But yes, you should catechize your children Biblical Calling fathers as spiritual heads (Ephesians 6:4) commanded to instruct children in the Lord's ways unique influence of paternal leadership in modeling faith, providing security, and passing on a legacy (Proverbs 22:6)

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260117dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. Matthew 3:13-15 Baptism Connects Here is an interesting question: If Jesus never sinned, why did he need to be baptized? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus endured temptations but never succumbed to them. He never sinned—not once. Not a stray thought, not a rash word, not a single misdeed. So, why did he need to be baptized? Jesus needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” Not his righteousness—ours. Every one of us needs to be baptized into Jesus, and his baptism connects us to him. We are washed just as he was. But the water that washes us is not just water, it is water connected with Jesus’ very words—”the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Martin Luther explained: “It is certainly not the water that does such great things, but God’s Word which is in and with the water and faith which trusts this Word used with the water. For without God’s Word, the water is just plain water, and not baptism. But with this Word it is baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit.” The little words at the end of today’s Bible passage should tell us something about our life of faith: “Then John consented.” We do nothing to initiate our contact with God, but he invites us to receive faith as a gift. Our humble “consent” is not something we do actively, but something God gives us to do in response to his grace. What a great God we have! He has connected himself to us by becoming human like us. And he has connected us to him through this simple faith-creating act of baptism. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of baptism that connects me to you, my perfect Savior, and makes me a member of God’s family. Guard and protect me, body and soul, that I may experience your love and goodness always. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260117dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. Matthew 3:13-15 Baptism Connects Here is an interesting question: If Jesus never sinned, why did he need to be baptized? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus endured temptations but never succumbed to them. He never sinned—not once. Not a stray thought, not a rash word, not a single misdeed. So, why did he need to be baptized? Jesus needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” Not his righteousness—ours. Every one of us needs to be baptized into Jesus, and his baptism connects us to him. We are washed just as he was. But the water that washes us is not just water, it is water connected with Jesus’ very words—”the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Martin Luther explained: “It is certainly not the water that does such great things, but God’s Word which is in and with the water and faith which trusts this Word used with the water. For without God’s Word, the water is just plain water, and not baptism. But with this Word it is baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit.” The little words at the end of today’s Bible passage should tell us something about our life of faith: “Then John consented.” We do nothing to initiate our contact with God, but he invites us to receive faith as a gift. Our humble “consent” is not something we do actively, but something God gives us to do in response to his grace. What a great God we have! He has connected himself to us by becoming human like us. And he has connected us to him through this simple faith-creating act of baptism. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of baptism that connects me to you, my perfect Savior, and makes me a member of God’s family. Guard and protect me, body and soul, that I may experience your love and goodness always. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

On this high-energy Friday episode of Right on Radio the host recaps a bold claim from the previous show, criticizes mainstream media and Fox News talking points, and reflects on recent music and prayer. The program mixes spiritual reflection with hard-hitting political analysis and teases evidence the host says will clarify how fast events are changing "at warp speed." The episode opens with the recurring segment "Word on Word," comparing Zephaniah 3:17 and Galatians 5:16 as the host and chat vote on the daily scripture. The host shares a personal testimony about walking by the Spirit and how that has impacted his life over the past month. Political topics include a summary of Donald Trump's announced health plan—direct medical accounts, cutting out insurance middlemen, and projected prescription price drops—plus speculation about imminent deployments of the Insurrection Act, funding cuts to sanctuary cities, and increased ICE actions. The host connects these moves to broader domestic law-and-order narratives and ongoing debates about fraud and public safety. A major thread of the show examines surveillance and control technologies: a long post the host reads argues that Israeli occupation tech, Palantir platforms, and tools field-tested in Palestine and El Salvador are being adapted into a global control architecture at borders and in criminal justice. The episode highlights El Salvador under Bukele as a prototype—mass arrests, new detention infrastructure, Pegasus-style hacking, and plans to deploy AI tutoring (XAI/Grok) in schools—arguing these are beta tests for broader social control. Geopolitical shifts are also discussed, from Taiwan's semiconductor investment commitments (and onshoring of chip production) to diplomatic moves with China and the evolving role of nation-states. The host ties these shifts to Israel's rising geopolitical importance and even to apocalyptic expectations, while reading a controversial historical quote about Martin Luther to spark reflection on religious history and influence. The show closes with practical announcements—an upcoming interview with Tim Cohen, Sunday Bible study, Tuesday live on Rumble, Saturday night corporate prayer on Telegram—and an appeal to listeners to pray, stay vigilant, and engage with the show. Expect a fast-paced mix of scripture, current events, surveillance analysis, and geopolitical forecasting in this episode. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically?  Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more.  Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more... https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

Dr. Ken Schurb of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod The post Martin Luther's Large Cateshism, Part 2 – Dr. Ken Schurb, 1/15/26 (0151) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

As we have talked about leadership in a culture of grace, the concept is that each of us has agency and capacity to lead in our own ways. The paradox is that implicit in leadership is servanthood. Martin Luther said that God is found not only in suffering, but also in the midst of doubt, fear, tribulation, temptation, despair and lament. Paradox defines us as individuals and Christians.  In these difficult times, the paradox is that God hasn't left the scene. The crucified God is with us as our center. This paradox stands at the heart of our gospel. Today's message comes to us from PaStor Jason. The Gospel comes from Matthew Chapter 3, verses 13 - 17. The Scripture lesson is from Isaiah, Chapter 42, verses 1 - 9.

“The Prisoner, the Pedagogue, and the Promise” - a lesson about the purpose of the Law: to expose and restrain sin for a time, not to save sinners, so that it would drive us to Christ alone for justification and freedom through faith. Music: “Come, Thou Savior of Our Race” Lyrics by Martin Luther. Performed by “Crimson Covenant.” Copyright ©TobyLogsdon, 2026

Send us a textSome ideas make preaching feel optional. We take aim at one of them: the notion that hell purges sin or that escape comes later if you miss grace now. Starting with Job 12:14—what God shuts, no one opens; what he breaks down, none rebuild—we explore how divine sovereignty anchors assurance and energizes mission. If God opens the door of salvation, who can shut it? If he destroys the old man, can we become uncreated? These aren't abstractions; they're the difference between fear-driven religion and a life steadied by the finished work of Christ.Along the way, we revisit Martin Luther's outrage at indulgences and the economy of fear that preyed on the hungry. If forgiveness could be dispensed at will, why sell it instead of giving it for love? That question exposes why borrowed righteousness and the imputation of another's merit fall apart. We reflect on Spurgeon's note that the Magi worshiped Christ alone, then trace the thread to the cross where Jesus declares, “It is finished,” laying down his life with authority. From the ark's sealed door to Psalm 103's mercy and Isaiah 43's promise—sins blotted out “for my sake”—we show how God's name guarantees the preservation of those he saves.This conversation is both sobering and strengthening. False comfort about judgment invites apathy; the truth that God is just, holy, and able calls us to readiness, unity, and love. We share practical encouragement for teachers and listeners: prepare with reverence, speak with clarity, and carry the message to those who are weary. Wisdom doesn't stay in the study; it stands at the doorway and calls. If you've wrestled with assurance, mission, or the pull of easy answers, this one will sharpen your sword and steady your heart.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs solid hope, and leave a review so others can find these conversations. What stood out most to you?Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Dr. Ken Schurb of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod The post Martin Luther's Large Cateshism, Part 1 – Dr. Ken Schurb, 1/8/26 (0081) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

The transfer portal has taken over college athletics. But, what if I told you Martin Luther was the original transfer portal player from the Catholic Church? #martinluther #catholic #catholicchurch Please like, subscribe, review, and share out! https://linktr.ee/thecoachsteveshow Check out belly up sports podcast network! https://bellyupsports.com/ Head to www.guardiansports.com/guardian-caps and use the code: “15OFF” – good for 15% off Guardian Caps to help the impact for football players Get back to the basics with Coach Stone: https://www.coachstonefootball.com/ Get the best sunglasses in the game today! Use for any activity! Go to https://www.yeetzofficial.com/ use the code CSS for 10% off Looking for the cleanest nutrition drink? Looking for the cleanest drink to give you energy without the crash? Head to https://www.swiftlifestyles.com/ and use the code: coachsteveshow to get 15% off!

The transfer portal has taken over college athletics. But, what if I told you Martin Luther was the original transfer portal player from the Catholic Church? #martinluther #catholic #catholicchurch Please like, subscribe, review, and share out! https://linktr.ee/thecoachsteveshow Check out belly up sports podcast network! https://bellyupsports.com/ Head to www.guardiansports.com/guardian-caps and use the code: “15OFF” – good for 15% off Guardian Caps to help the impact for football players Get back to the basics with Coach Stone: https://www.coachstonefootball.com/ Get the best sunglasses in the game today! Use for any activity! Go to https://www.yeetzofficial.com/ use the code CSS for 10% off Looking for the cleanest nutrition drink? Looking for the cleanest drink to give you energy without the crash? Head to https://www.swiftlifestyles.com/ and use the code: coachsteveshow to get 15% off!

In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Stephen Paulson and Caleb Keith discuss the theological implications of divine favor, exploring Martin Luther's perspectives on the law, the role of suffering, and the significance of the incarnation. They discuss the transition from ascendant mysticism to a more democratized understanding of spirituality, emphasizing the importance of recognizing God's downward movement towards humanity. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Face to Face: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Steven Paulson

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260105dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 Gift Wrapped for God What do you think of your new clothes? We’re not talking about the new clothes you might have gotten for Christmas, but the new clothes that the Lord has gifted to you. Our eyes can’t perceive these new clothes we’re wearing, but God notices them on us. He sees us wrapped in “garments of salvation” and a “robe of righteousness.” We didn’t pick these clothes out or buy them for ourselves. These clothes were a gift from Jesus. And he paid a steep cost to give them to us. He paid with his life for us to wear these clothes. More than that, he took our grimy, dirty, sin-covered clothes away from us when he gave us his garment of salvation. Martin Luther famously captured this exchange that happened at the cross when he said, “Lord Jesus, I am your sin; you are my righteousness. I have made you what you were not; you have made me what I was not.” Jesus has made us what we were not. Jesus wraps us up as gifts for his heavenly Father. He presents us to the Father, wrapped in his perfection. He says, “These people are my joy. And I know you'll love them too, Father.” Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for gift wrapping me in your garment of salvation and robe of righteousness. My soul rejoices in you because you covered my shame and sin with your forgiveness and glory. I am precious in God the Father's sight. Let that truth give me peace every single day. In your name, O Lord. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

January 5, 2026 Today’s New Testament reading: Matthew 5. Welcome to the NEW TESTAMENT PODCAST from Walk Thru the Bible! In one year, you'll listen through the entire New Testament.  Each day, you'll hear a portion of the New Testament as well as  devotional thoughts from esteemed theologians like C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, Susannah Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, and more! Learn more and explore additional FREE resources including a Fathers of the Faith Guide AND a Daily Worship from the Heart Text by visiting: https://www.walkthru.org/ntpod. Thanks to our partners at Biblica for making the NIV audio Bible available. Find out more at www.biblica.com. The Listener's Bible TM: NIV TM Edition Audio Copyright ℗ 2011 by Max McLean. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Holy Bible, New International Version TM, NIV TM Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “New International Version” is a trademark registered in the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. The “NIV”, “New International Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. ©2025 Walk Thru the Bible All rights reserved.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260105dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 Gift Wrapped for God What do you think of your new clothes? We’re not talking about the new clothes you might have gotten for Christmas, but the new clothes that the Lord has gifted to you. Our eyes can’t perceive these new clothes we’re wearing, but God notices them on us. He sees us wrapped in “garments of salvation” and a “robe of righteousness.” We didn’t pick these clothes out or buy them for ourselves. These clothes were a gift from Jesus. And he paid a steep cost to give them to us. He paid with his life for us to wear these clothes. More than that, he took our grimy, dirty, sin-covered clothes away from us when he gave us his garment of salvation. Martin Luther famously captured this exchange that happened at the cross when he said, “Lord Jesus, I am your sin; you are my righteousness. I have made you what you were not; you have made me what I was not.” Jesus has made us what we were not. Jesus wraps us up as gifts for his heavenly Father. He presents us to the Father, wrapped in his perfection. He says, “These people are my joy. And I know you'll love them too, Father.” Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for gift wrapping me in your garment of salvation and robe of righteousness. My soul rejoices in you because you covered my shame and sin with your forgiveness and glory. I am precious in God the Father's sight. Let that truth give me peace every single day. In your name, O Lord. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Throughout history, the Lord has used Romans to save many giants of the faith. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and numerous others have experienced the glory of the gospel through this God-inspired letter. Romans contains the longest introduction of any of Paul's letters: a staggering 71 words between Paul's name and the name of his recipients. His greeting contains a lengthy description of the gospel, setting up a letter devoted to unpacking the gospel's beauty and glory. The book of Romans should elicit wonder in us about the magnificence of God's plan to save us which He formed in eternity past. It should lead us to the same response that Paul experienced when he was overcome with emotion at the greatness of God: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom 11:33)

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260104dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 You Are What You Wear Some have said, “You are what you wear.” If you are in a clown suit, you probably are a clown. If you’re wearing a baseball hat, team jersey, baseball pants, and cleats, you probably are a baseball player. If you are wearing a beautiful white wedding dress, you probably are a bride. You are what you wear. By birth, we needed new spiritual clothes to wear. Why? Because, by nature, we are sinful people who are wearing sinful, dirty, greedy clothes. Thankfully, through Jesus, God has given us new spiritual clothes. The prophet Isaiah wrote that, “He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” The LORD himself has given us his garments of salvation; he has dressed us in his robe of righteousness. “Righteousness” is a word that means “perfection.” How did he do this? First, Jesus lived a perfect life; he was robed in righteousness. Then Jesus lovingly made a trade. He dressed us in his perfection and clothed himself with our sinfulness. Taking our sins on himself, he suffered the punishment we deserved. By his death, he paid for our sins so that we will never have to. As a result, we can delight greatly in the Lord! Martin Luther put it this way: “In his righteousness I live, not in mine.” In the end, who are we? Check out Isaiah’s description of our clothes once again. We are saved. We are perfect in God’s eyes. We are what we are wearing—beautifully perfect in the pure clothing given to us by God himself. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for becoming what you were not, so that I might become what I was not. Give me great joy as I remember who I am through you—one who is clothed in a garment of salvation and arrayed in a robe of righteousness for all time. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

You don't gear up once the battle starts. You put it on now, or you bleed. So what is the gear? How do we prepare for battle and not find we walked piece by piece through what it means to stand. The belt of truth keeps a life together. In the ancient world you'd “gird up your loins” so you wouldn't trip—truth does that for the soul. Lies aren't neutral; they rewire reality. Believe a lie about your spouse and it will change your home. Believe a lie marketed for profit (think OxyContin) and communities pay. In a world of influencers, spin, and weaponized narratives, we need a wise information diet. I won't deep-dive fads. I want to be useful where I can actually act. I avoid demagogic voices, follow the money, and ask whether this input helps me love my neighbor and remember the spiritual battle. Community matters too. The Asch experiments showed that one honest voice can help another person tell the truth. Wear the belt of truth; be that voice. Then the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness means a life examined and approved by a higher authority. Every human heart aches for that. If my “rightness” rests on my performance, I ride a roller coaster. If it rests on people's approval, they own me. God gives a better way: imputed righteousness. Jesus aced the wilderness, the trials, the cross—and He credits His record to us. That breastplate protects the heart so we don't start starved for approval; we start full. Martin Luther prayed, “Jesus, I am your punishment and you are my reward.” When the enemy condemns, we answer with 1 John 3:20 and Colossians 3:3—my life is hidden with Christ in God. I don't preach, parent, or work to get approval; I move from approval. That shift reframes everything: obedience flows from love, difficulty becomes formation, and we carry a humble swagger—Jesus for me, in me, and through me, in spite of me.

John 13:12–17,When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.In the year 1521, an artist named Lucas Cranach published a pamphlet of several woodcut images he had made of the pope. The printing press had been around almost a hundred years, but only a small fraction of the population could read, and so pictures were an important way to get a message across. And in these woodcuts images, Cranach, who was a good friend of Martin Luther, had two panels side by side: on the right side was a depiction of Pope Leo, but on the first side was a depiction of Jesus. And one of his most famous woodcuts features the scene of Jesus in John 13. The text beneath the image is our passage today, John 13:14–17.In this image of Jesus, you can see he is basically doing what the passage says: his disciples, a ragtag looking bunch, are huddled together in line, and Jesus is stooped down on his knees, by a water basin, washing their feet. We're supposed to contrast that image with the image on the other side: it's the pope sitting on an elevated platform, and there's a room full of dignitaries, and they're all in line to kiss his feet. It's clear that the pope is doing the exact opposite of Christ, which is why the heading at the top, on the right side, says, “Antichrist.” Some of you may know, our Reformation forefathers thought the pope was the antichrist — and I just wanna say they were not crazy to think that because the pope literally did antichrist things … And nothing made that more obvious than how the pope treated people so differently from how Jesus did. See John 13 was (and is) a standard of authenticity for every true disciple of Jesus. We should read this passage and ask ourselves: Does anything in my life look anything close to what Jesus is doing here? If you could put a picture of yourself on that right side, what would it look like?I believe it's God's providence that John 13 is our text at the very beginning of 2026. And we're gonna look closely at this passage today, but here's my goal: I want this passage to shape a prayer for our church for this entire year. The prayer is this: that we would grow as joyful servants of one another like Jesus is of us.That's the prayer — and there's a lot we could say about this — but I wanna start with the most basic this morning. Following the words of Jesus in this passage, I want to tell you three reasons we should serve one another like Jesus serves us. Here's the first. We should serve one another like Jesus serves us …1. Because Jesus is our Teacher and Lord (vv. 12–13)Look at verse 12. This is after Jesus has washed his disciples' feet. John tells us that Jesus basically cleaned himself up, sat back at the table, and then he began to teach with his words. See, the whole thing has been teaching, but now it's formal. And the first thing Jesus says, the end of verse 12, is:“Do you understand what I have done to you?”He's implying here that they don't understand, which is what he already said in verse 7. In verse 7, Jesus told the disciples: Hey, you don't get what I'm doing now, but you will later. And now is that later: Jesus is about to explain the meaning of his washing their feet — and we're on the edge of our seats for this!What Jesus did was shocking enough, but now he's gonna tell us the deeper meaning. He starts in verse 13. Verse 13:“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.”Notice the first thing Jesus does here is affirm the disciples. He starts by telling the disciples something they get right. And what they get right is who Jesus is. He is their “Teacher and Lord.”The word “Lord” here could be just a respectful way of talking to somebody with authority, but we know it's more than that in the New Testament. This is a confession of the deity of Jesus. Jesus is God the Son. He is the Lord Jesus. And we would expect this word to be front and center in what Jesus is called.But look at that word “teacher” in verse 13 — it's another way to say rabbi. And “rabbi” or “teacher” — that was something these early Jewish disciples called Jesus, but we don't really use that language today, at least not in our circles. I grew up in the church, and I've been a Christian for about three decades, and I don't know that I've ever heard anyone refer to Jesus as their “Lord and Teacher Jesus Christ.” But why don't we say that? That's a fair question to ask, isn't it? Because Jesus says it is right to call him Teacher, but we don't. So why not?It's actually a simple answer. It's because we combine Jesus as Teacher with his identity as Lord. This comes through in our third baptism vow: We affirm that, “with God's help, we will obey the teachings of Jesus and follow him as Lord, Savior, and Treasure.” “Learn from me”So we may not use the word “Teacher” but it is absolutely implied! This is the way we relate to Jesus as his disciples — we obey his teachings, we follow him. I think it's okay that we don't commonly call Jesus our “Teacher” — but it's okay only as long as we know he is that to us. He's certainly more to us than Teacher, but never less — Jesus teaches us how to live in this world!I think of Jesus's famous invitation in Matthew Chapter 11 to come to him and find rest. Remember he says: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me …” (Matthew 11:29). Learn from Jesus how to live!Or in the Book of Ephesians, Paul warns us not to live like the Gentiles — because their hearts are hardened and they're full of greed — and Paul says, “That is not the way you learned Christ!” (Ephesians 4:20). Hear that? We learn Christ. We learn from him! Jesus is our Teacher. It is right to call him that, but what matters most is that we know that's who he is. And when we know that, when that fact is established, then of course we're gonna do what he says. This is foundational: we should serve one another like Jesus serves us because Jesus is our Teacher and Lord, and he tells us to. And we could stop here, to be honest, because that's enough. But there's more. We should serve one another like Jesus serves us …2. Because Jesus has given us an example (vv. 14–16)This is verses 14–16, and it's really the central part of the passage. So let's read it again, and notice this whole unit is an argument. Verse 14: If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.The logic of what Jesus says is grounded in the disciples' relationship to him — the Teacher/disciple relationship is implied, but Jesus names two more relationships in verse 16: master/servant, and then sender/messenger. We see that in verse 16.Now, what's the same in all of these relationships is that there's a hierarchy, and in each one, Jesus is the superior and we are the inferior. This is vital to the argument. Jesus is saying plainly in verse 14: If I, your superior, have washed the feet on my inferiors, then my inferiors ought to wash one another's feet.And in case we get stuck on the feet-washing part, in verse 15 Jesus explains that what he did was an example bigger than feet. Jesus has given us a model for how we treat one another.He has given us a pattern for all of life — it's not about one specific act of washing feet, but this is about a way of being. This is how we live together as the body of Christ: we serve one another the way Christ served us — which included washing our feet.And so, get this: if our Teacher, our Master, if he went that low to serve us, what would we consider too low in serving one another? See what he did there? Jesus has opened up for us endless possibilities of good works. Because now, following his example, nothing can be too low. Nothing can be too inconvenient. The degree of our serving is not determined by our station, but by the needs of our brothers and sisters. That is not the way it is in the world! Seriously, don't try this at work! Stick to your job description.What About Spiritual Gifts?But the local church is different. And this is where, heads up, we need to be careful with the topic of spiritual gifts. Now we're gonna get there one day in First Corinthians, but let me just offer a word of caution here … There is a school of thought that says it's incumbent that every Christian find a church where they can use their spiritual gifts. But see, the problem with this thinking is that it can lead individual Christians to hop from church to church asking the questions, “Can I use my gift here? … Can I use my gift here? What about here? Here? Who wants this gift?” And look, it's not bad to want to use your gift, but, instead of looking for the church where you can use your gift, how about commit to a church and let the first thing you ask be: What are the needs? Where can I help? Show me the places where I can follow the example of my Teacher and wash some feet!Look, I'm not gonna mention names (because I don't wanna embarrass anybody), but I've seen that kind of needs-first serving in this church over and over again. And when the whole church serves one another this way — in the example Jesus has given us — it is one of the most beautiful, compelling realities on the planet. Because Jesus is the only reason it makes sense. He is our Teacher and Lord, and he gave us an example.Here's the third reason. We serve one another the way Jesus served us …3. Because there is a blessing that comes through doing (v. 17)This is verse 17, and it's a verse that I want everybody to see. There are few keywords in this verse that we're gonna focus on, but first, everybody find verse 17. Chapter 13, verse 17, Jesus says:“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”First word to see here is “blesséd.” This is a wonderful word. It's used 50 times in the whole New Testament, and 40 of those times are by Jesus himself. I think that counts as one of his favorite words! And the most famous place Jesus used this word was during his Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus starts that sermon with what's called the Beatitudes. You've heard these before …“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” …Jesus goes on to mention nine different blesséds, and none of them are what you'd expect. They turn the way of the world upside down — which tells us that Jesus's idea of “blessedness” is probably different too. To be blessed, according to Jesus, does not mean to be comfortable or to have things easy — it does not mean more power, money, and fame (that's the world's idea). But to be blessed according to Jesus means to be truly happy in relation to God — it's about the ‘good life' under the kingdom of God, which is the only ‘good life' that is true and lasting. To be blessed according to Jesus is not cheap fun, but it's a deep joy in God, given by God.Don't we want that? I'll take some of that in the New Year! The Way to BlessingWell, good news! Jesus is gonna tell us how we can get it. Everybody track with me — Look back at verse 17: Jesus starts, “If you know these things” — what things? He's talking about what he has just said. He's talking about the explanation he just gave in verses 14–15 for what he was doing in washing their feet. Jesus is saying: If you know I've given you an example! Or: now that you know I've given you an example! — Hey, it's good to know things isn't it? I'm so thankful that we can read the Word of God and know things about God and about life. It is a gift to know, amen. And we wanna grow in our knowledge! (2 Peter 3:18).But in verse 17, where does Jesus saying the blessing is?Verse 17: “If you know these things — or, now that you know I've given you an example … Blessed are you if you [have a Bible study and talk more about it] …Blessed are you if you [listen to a sermon and take good notes] …All goods things. But what does Jesus say in verse 17?“If you now know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”Do them. Like in real life, actually do the thing. Do what Jesus did!But Your Neighbor DoesYou know, thanks be to God, the heart of the gospel is that we are saved by grace, not by works. Romans 4:4, Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.Amen! We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. It's like Martin Luther said:“God does not need your good works … but your neighbor does.” Your brother does. Your sister does.Listen: there is a blessing from Jesus that you can only have when you serve others the way he serves us. That's why we're joyful servants!And again, the blessing is not comfort. It's not ease. It's not convenience. It's not power, money, and fame. In fact, in the serving it's pretty much the opposite of all those things. There are at least moments of discomfort, difficulty, and inconvenience. You stoop low, at a cost, with no fanfare. But Jesus says, in doing that you will be blessed.And we all raised our hands and said we want that blessing. All that's left is the doing. How Does That Look?What does that look like for you? (Come back at 5 tonight to hear more about this), but I want to ask you now: in this New Year, in what ways are you gonna follow the example of Jesus, and do what he did? Where are the needs in our church, the needs around you, that God would call you to meet?Hey, let me just say: for those of us who are worried about our church growing this year, if we just do this, we're gonna be okay. The question is not: Am I going to be cared for with all these people here? The question is: How can I serve all these people the way Jesus served me?And when we're all asking that … it's beautiful.And look: it starts here. It starts with me; it starts with the pastors. All of us are in the same boat in that we all want to be more like Jesus. I'll tell you a story I thought of last week, and this is kinda crazy, because I haven't thought of this in 22 years, but it popped in my head a few days ago. When I was a freshman in college and trying to figure out God's calling on my life, I went to an FCA event to hear this guest preacher who was talking about calling. And I don't remember his message other than this one story he told, about a dream he had. This guy has preached to people all over the country, and seen a lot of fruit, and he had this dream where he was sitting on a white horse … He is sitting on this horse, looking out over all the people he had preached the gospel to. And then he sees Jesus walking up to him, through this crowd of people, and when Jesus finally gets to him, Jesus looks up and says, “Hey, would you get off my horse?”The guy said: Hey, whatever Jesus is calling you to in life, it's never to be on his horse.We've actually seen in John 13, Jesus calls us to serve like he serves. And I want you to know: your pastors are in this for that. That's my heart for you. And what I'm about to say — I don't mean this as anything different from the past, but I just wanna tell you: with God's help, I'm gonna serve you the best I can this year. With all the grace that God supplies.And that's our prayer together, for all of us. It's that God would grow us as joyful servants of one another like Jesus is of us.That's what leads us to the Table.The TableI want us to sense in a new way the wonder that we are children of God. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus, and one another, and we live by him and for him. It's all grace! All gift! And at this Table we rest in that.We come here to thank Jesus for his cross and resurrection, and to receive afresh all that he is for us — Lord, Savior, Treasure, and Teacher.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260104dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 You Are What You Wear Some have said, “You are what you wear.” If you are in a clown suit, you probably are a clown. If you’re wearing a baseball hat, team jersey, baseball pants, and cleats, you probably are a baseball player. If you are wearing a beautiful white wedding dress, you probably are a bride. You are what you wear. By birth, we needed new spiritual clothes to wear. Why? Because, by nature, we are sinful people who are wearing sinful, dirty, greedy clothes. Thankfully, through Jesus, God has given us new spiritual clothes. The prophet Isaiah wrote that, “He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” The LORD himself has given us his garments of salvation; he has dressed us in his robe of righteousness. “Righteousness” is a word that means “perfection.” How did he do this? First, Jesus lived a perfect life; he was robed in righteousness. Then Jesus lovingly made a trade. He dressed us in his perfection and clothed himself with our sinfulness. Taking our sins on himself, he suffered the punishment we deserved. By his death, he paid for our sins so that we will never have to. As a result, we can delight greatly in the Lord! Martin Luther put it this way: “In his righteousness I live, not in mine.” In the end, who are we? Check out Isaiah’s description of our clothes once again. We are saved. We are perfect in God’s eyes. We are what we are wearing—beautifully perfect in the pure clothing given to us by God himself. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for becoming what you were not, so that I might become what I was not. Give me great joy as I remember who I am through you—one who is clothed in a garment of salvation and arrayed in a robe of righteousness for all time. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

In this episode, we examine the decisive clash between Martin Luther and Pope Leo X, focusing on the documents and events that turned reform into rupture. We walk through Exsurge Domine (Arise, O Lord) and Decet Romanum Pontificem(It Becomes the Roman Pontiff), explaining what Rome actually condemned, why Luther refused to recant, and how authority, obedience, and doctrine became the central fault lines of the Reformation.The episode also explores Luther's responses in 1520, the public burning of the papal bull, and the appeal to a future council, alongside Leo X's broader vision for the Church, including his patronage of Renaissance art through figures like Michelangelo and Raphael. By grounding the discussion in primary sources rather than slogans, this episode asks a crucial question: who has the authority to judge doctrine when Scripture itself is disputed?This is a historical and theological deep dive into how competing claims of authority produced one of the most consequential schisms in Western Christian history.If you'd like to donate to our ministry or be a monthly partner that receives newsletters and one on one discussions with Dr. Stephen Boyce, here's a link: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=6381a2ee-b82f-42a7-809e-6b733cec05a7Here a the link to the documents: https://www.papalencyclicals.net/leo10/l10exdom.htmhttps://www.papalencyclicals.net/leo10/l10decet.htm

The unheard story of David and Goliath, Columbus and the Cannibals and Martin Luther

It's a Fireside Chat with the Rev. Dr. Cameron MacKenzie (Professor of Historical Theology, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN) who joins us to talk about celebrating Christmas with Martin Luther during the Christmas Season. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Christmas is more than historyChristmas is not just about something that happened 2,000 years ago. It is about what God is still doing today.God does not wait for perfectionWe often think we need to fix ourselves before God can enter our lives. Christmas tells us God comes right into the mess.God moved inAt Christmas, God put on flesh and became our neighbor. God chose closeness over distance.“For you is born a Savior”This message is personal. Not just for the world, but for you right where you are.A Savior comes to healThe word Savior points to healing and wholeness. God desires peace within us and between us.God wants relationship, not debateGod is not just an idea to think about. God is seeking connection and love.Christmas is an invitationAs John Wesley said, the best of all is God is with us. And as Martin Luther and Meister Eckhart reminded the church, Christ longs to be born in us.Make room for ChristThe heart of Christmas is allowing Christ to dwell within us so that love, healing, and hope can shape our lives.

Evan Gaertner and Mike Yagley continue their conversation about Martin Luther’s response to Erasmus about the condition of the human will. This episode focuses on why Martin Luther thinks this conversation is important. Righteousness according to moral efforts will always fall short, and God desires that we find our righteousness by having faith in Him. This sort of righteousness must be revealed by God Himself and is not found by our own vain quests for holiness. Beer Break Griffin Claw’s Macchiato.

It's a Fireside Chat with the Rev. Dr. Jon Bruss (President, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN) who joins us to talk about Christmas in Martin Luther's sermons during the Christmas Season. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Into Our Darkness, Light Has Come - Christmas Eve 2025 Sermon |  Series: No Place Like Home for Christmas |  Sam Holm, Lead Pastor |  Preached 12-24-25 4:00pm   Tag: Christmas Eve, Advent, Nativity, Manger, Baby, Jesus, Holiday, Music, Hope, Peace, Joy, Christ, Matthew, Light, Dark, Tree, Martin Luther, Hope, Darkness, Cross, Christmas Tree, Salvation

Into Our Darkness, Light Has Come - Christmas Eve 2025 Sermon |  Series: No Place Like Home for Christmas |  Sam Holm, Lead Pastor |  Preached 12-24-25 4:00pm   Tag: Christmas Eve, Advent, Nativity, Manger, Baby, Jesus, Holiday, Music, Hope, Peace, Joy, Christ, Matthew, Light, Dark, Tree, Martin Luther, Hope, Darkness, Cross, Christmas Tree, Salvation

How do you serve God faithfully in youth ministry without sacrificing your family in the process? In this heartfelt Christmas-week episode of Youth Worker on Fire, Doug Edwards reflects on decades of student ministry and shares one of the most important lessons he's learned the hard way: every yes comes with a cost—and sometimes the most spiritual word you can say is "no." Rooted in powerful Christmas Scriptures like Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:21, and John 3:16, Doug reminds youth pastors, volunteers, parents, and grandparents why this season is ultimately about Emmanuel—God with us—and the families He has entrusted to us. Drawing wisdom from Martin Luther and leadership insights from John Maxwell, Doug opens up about the trips, retreats, and ministry opportunities he said yes to—some of which he wishes he had approached differently for the sake of his wife and children. In this episode, you'll hear about: ✅ Why "good ministry opportunities" can still cost you what matters most ✅ How saying yes to ministry often means saying no to family time ✅ Why prayer should increase—not decrease—when life gets busier ✅ The leadership truth: whatever you say yes to, you say no to everything else ✅ How to model healthy boundaries for students and volunteers ✅ Why Christmas is the perfect season to reassess priorities and pace This episode is a must-listen for youth pastors, ministry volunteers, teachers, parents, and grandparents who want to finish ministry strong, not burned out—and who want their families to feel loved, valued, and prioritized along the way.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press. The mass production of books and other printed texts revolutionized the world. Gutenberg created a transformation in knowledge acquisition and communication. This kicked off the first information age. The printing press had a bigger effect on the world than the computer or the internet.

Today's guest is David McWilliams, an economist, podcast host and author. David worked at the Central Bank of Ireland, UBS and BNP Paribas and is the founder of the Kilkenomics Festival, a unique blend of economics and stand-up comedy. His book is called The History of Money: A Story of Humanity, which is my favorite book from 2025. In today's episode, David walks through the evolution of money over the last 5,000 years. He explains why money is a foundational social technology that is central to every aspect of our civilization, from the political to the artistic. He delves into historical anecdotes—from clay tablets in Mesopotamia to Gutenberg's printing press to Martin Luther's disruptive influence on the church. Throughout the episode, he emphasizes that economists need to do a better job helping people understand money and its role in navigating modern economic principles. (0:00) Starts (1:26) David explains the Kilkenomics Festival (3:41) David McWilliams on "Money, The History of Money, A Story of Humanity" (9:55) Evolution and trust in money throughout history (26:28) Impact of the Gutenberg printing press and Martin Luther (36:42) Historical perspectives on speculation and losing money (43:18) Future of economics, storytelling, and equity culture differences (49:18) Educating youth on finance and investing ----- Follow Meb on X, LinkedIn and YouTube For detailed show notes, click here To learn more about our funds and follow us, subscribe to our mailing list or visit us at cambriainvestments.com ----- Sponsor: Learn more about Alpha Architect and important information about the fund: funds.alphaarchitect.com/aaua  Follow The Idea Farm: X | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok ----- Interested in sponsoring the show? Email us at Feedback@TheMebFaberShow.com ----- Past guests include Ed Thorp, Richard Thaler, Jeremy Grantham, Joel Greenblatt, Campbell Harvey, Ivy Zelman, Kathryn Kaminski, Jason Calacanis, Whitney Baker, Aswath Damodaran, Howard Marks, Tom Barton, and many more.  ----- Meb's invested in some awesome startups that have passed along discounts to our listeners. Check them out here!  ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). ----- Ad Disclaimer: This information does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or a solicitation to deal in any security or financial product. Certain information contained herein has been obtained from third party sources and such information has not been independently verified by The Idea Farm. No representation, warranty, or undertaking, expressed or implied, is given to the accuracy or completeness of such information by The Idea Farm or any other person. While such sources are believed to be reliable, The Idea Farm does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information. The Idea Farm does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein as of any future date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a three-year interim, Dad and I finally return to Reinhold Niebuhr's magisterial work, The Nature and Destiny of Man, first delivered as the Gifford Lectures in 1939, then revised and published in 1943. In this episode on vol. 2, we discuss what Dad cribbed from Niebuhr upon his first reading this book 55 years ago (!), the question of metanarratives and what we can (and can't) know about history, why the atonement is necessary, and of course, Sarah's favorite topic, the Parousia of Christ. This year of podcasting ends not with a whimper, but a bang! Looking toward an EIGHTH year of Queen of the Sciences? Show your support by becoming a Patron! Notes: 1. Related episodes: Niebuhr on the Nature of Man, Resurrection according to Macrina and Nyssa, Before Auschwitz, Doctrine to Bible (and Back Again), Cybertech and Personhood, Propaganda, The Image of God 2. Antti Raunio, "Martin Luther and Love" 3. Need more on communism? Try this very digestible approach in Sarah's memoir, I Am a Brave Bridge, about the Hinlicky family's year in Slovakia just after the fall of the iron curtain 4. Need more on the Parousia? Sarah's Forty Facets of the Ascension is now out on all platforms! And, guess what, lots on the Parousia in her Seven Ways of Looking at the Transfiguration, too!  

Step into Tudor England at its bloodiest and most unhinged, where monarchs changed religions on a whim and the price of disagreeing with the crown was burning alive. In this episode, we unravel the real story behind Mary I—“Bloody Mary”—and the Oxford Martyrs whose deaths became political theater. But to understand why Protestants and Catholics were so violently at odds, we go back even further: the Medici, Martin Luther, a warrior pope and a rant that changed the world. This is a story of fire, faith, and rebellion, so you love messy history, morally gray heroes, and the way centuries-old scandals still shape modern identity and politics, this episode is your new obsession.And if you want more deep dives, feminine power lessons, and weekly transformation, join The Shallontourage—my global girl gang for confidence, strategy, and seduction. Your new era starts here.