Podcasts about may god

Is Christianity mainly about the Spirit catching people up into the progression of heaven on earth? Or is Christianity mainly about building institutions, societies, and laws that benefit the individual conscience and familial aims? We see both in the Scriptures. Spirit and structure.  As Christians, we engage in politics because of the Incarnation. Because Jesus is both God and man, heaven and earth are coming together. The earthly king is not God, but humans have the ability in partnership with God to bring His rule into ours.  The messy part is how that happens and with what sort of methods. Many Christians disagree on these things, and we must guard our hearts against resentment. May God bring us to repentance, extend His grace towards us, and show us how to love one another so that we can receive His vision for heaven on earth in all its nuance and beauty. 

Greetings to all.May God bless your day.Fr. Kennedy

Episode 263 How 2 B Bad at Something Sensers! A lot of times we can be very surface with our conversations with peers, but what about when we want to dig a little deeper…What does one talk about when they want to go beneath the surface? What do you find to be meaningful in conversation?So we all have something that we can use some practice or time and effort in doing to become more efficient at it; What's your poison? What's something you're horrible at doing, but you still want to try it out each time? I believe unconditional love starts with you, the person before you can offer it to anyone else. However, some of us have a tendency to overly critical on ourselves that cause us to be down at times. Some parts of us that we haven't quite figured out how to accept. What's yours? May God and His Universe remove any negative energy you may have stored from reading this. If you dig the episode, click, like, and share on your page. Help build the tribe of healing

Have a Social with the Saints! Receive encouragement for your daily life as we meet & discuss St. Marianne Cope,  a role model of faith who famously cared for those with Leprosy on the Hawaiian islands. How will she help and inspire you? Be encouraged and inspired in your daily life! Get a free quote card and pamphlet of St. Marianne Cope here. We invite you to share them with friends and family. To learn more about St. Marianne Cope, click here for the official website for the Saint Marianne Cope Shrine & Museum. We want to hear from you! What struck you about St. Marianne Cope? Please send us your feedback to join the conversation by email at ministry@pilgrimcenterofhope.org The official Socials with the Saints theme song is "Hero's Ascent" by Chris Haugen. Used with permission. Thanks for listening, and remember, you are never alone in the communion of the saints! May God bless you. Help us spread hope!

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time IIJanuary 21, 2026 – Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr  Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Mark. Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up here before us." Then he said to the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.The gospel of the Lord. Homily At the center of today's gospel is Jesus' question to the Pharisees: "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" The question concerned the man with the withered hand. He was someone Jesus could help and to not help him, even on the sabbath, would be to do evil. The whole purpose of the sabbath was to take time to give glory and praise to God. The whole purpose of Jesus' life and ministry was to give glory and praise to God through his preaching and life-giving acts of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. At his baptism by John, God had declared Jesus his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased. By healing the man with the withered hand, Jesus was being faithful to whom he was and gave glory to God. The Pharisees probably had not witnessed Jesus' baptism or heard the voice from heaven. They did not recognize Jesus as the beloved Son of God; they simply saw him as a miracle worker doing forbidden work on the sabbath. Their dedication to the law and their power of interpreting the law blinded them to the law of charity. In the end their sense of dedication and power made them unfaithful to the very law they were trying to protect. In today's first reading we hear the story of David's defeat of the Philistine giant Goliath. In facing Goliath, David remained true to himself as a shepherd and to his faith in the God of Israel. By the grace of God, his sling and stone became more powerful than Goliath's armor and sword. David's defeat of the braggart Goliath is thrilling, as is Jesus' put-down of the smug Pharisees, but victory on the side of God often comes with a price. David would run afoul of king Saul's jealousy and the Pharisees would take counsel with the Herodians to put Jesus to death. Nevertheless, Jesus remained faithful to God his Father all the way to the cross and resurrection. We see the same in the life of St. Agnes, whose memory we celebrate today. She was a Virgin in the early Church who had pledged her life to Jesus Christ and believed in his promise of the resurrection. She preferred to serve the poor and attend to the widows and orphans in the Church than to get married. When the governor's son proposed marriage to her, she replied that Jesus Christ was her only spouse. The young man denounced her to his father for being a Christian. She was true to herself and cheerfully accepted being beheaded rather than betray her spouse Jesus Christ. Her example is remembered and honored to this day. Hopefully, none of us will have to face death for our faith in Jesus Christ, but there come moments in our lives when we have to choose between being true to ourselves as children of God by attending the needs of others or to give in to social pressure by excluding them from consideration. We celebrate the fact that the victory belongs to God who is always at our side and we ask St. Agnes to intercede for us that in those moments we place our trust in the God of mercy. May God bless you.   Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsR Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

Psalm 67:1-3 - May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!

The first admonitionPaul gives us is to walk in love. We walk in love because love is thefoundational characteristic of the Christian life. If we walk in love, we willnot disobey God or injure others, “for he who loves another has fulfilledthe law,” as we read in Romans 13:8. TheHoly Spirit places that love within our hearts. Romans 5:5, tells us that thelove of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It flows outof us because God is love. We are living with God, walking with God, andtherefore we are walking in love. Now Paul goes on to point out something else.Not only do we walk in love, but we also walk in the light. We see thisin verse 8, where he says, “For you were once darkness, but now you arelight in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” We walk in love, and we walkin light. Why? Because God is light. Remember, we are imitating our Father.When we walk in the light, we have nothing to do with the darkness of sin. Paulthen gives us specific descriptions of sins that we are to avoid. In verse 3,he says, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not evenbe named among you, as is fitting for saints.” Then in verse 4, he adds,“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are notfitting, but rather giving of thanks.” First,we see sins of the flesh. Why do we avoid these sins? Because we are saints.Notice that phrase, “as is fitting for saints.” Saints are those who have beenset apart—sanctified—for the glory of God. We are different because we are inChrist, not because of anything special in ourselves, but because we belong toHim and have been set apart for His purposes. Myfriend, you don't have to wait for a church or an institution to declare you asaint. The moment you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, you become a saint.Even the believers in the church at Corinth—troubled as that church was—werestill called saints. They had been set apart, even though there were things intheir lives and in their church that did not belong there. That's why Paul saysthese things are not fitting for saints. Whatis fitting for saints is that we do not walk in darkness, but in light. We putaside fornication, sexual sin, uncleanness, and covetousness. Covetousness isreally a weakness of our fallen nature—an expression of uncontrolled appetites.The fornicator and the covetous person both seek to satisfy desires by takingwhat does not belong to them. We see this clearly in 1 John 2:16, which speaksof “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.” Paul tells us thatthere should not even be a hint of these things among us. We stay away fromthem because they are not fitting for the saints of God. ThenPaul addresses our speech in verse 4—“neither filthiness, nor foolishtalking, nor coarse jesting.” These are sins of the tongue, and they arenot fitting either. Instead, we are called to give thanks. When we trulyunderstand how blessed we are in Christ—when our hearts are filled withgratitude and appreciation for God's goodness—we will not speak in ways thatare displeasing to Him. Coarsejesting is a form of speech that takes something clean and twists it intosomething dirty through cleverness or wit. People with filthy hearts and mindsdo that. They take what is pure and corrupt it with their words. My friend,that should never characterize Christian conversation. By the grace of God, weavoid these things. Why? Because we are children of light, and we are to walkas children of light. We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.May God help us to understand these truths, to avoid the sins of the flesh andthe sins of the tongue, and to make sure that what we say and what we do bringsglory to God. May we reflect His light to a world that is filled with darkness. 

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Jim Miller and today's message entitled, "Do What Now?" TODAY'S MESSAGE WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

January 18, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Twelve years ago tomorrow, I celebrated the Eucharist here for the first time as your Rector.  It was January 19, 2014 at 10:30am.  I remember it well.  I knew way back then I had been called into something amazing – a new relationship with all of you.  And so, twelve years ago today I stood here by God's grace and nothing for me, and I pray for you, has been the same since. That is why the date of January 19th at 10:30am is something I will never forget.  It's the way it is with life altering events, right?  Folks remember the day a child was born, the first date we had with our spouse (and of course the day of the wedding itself – or we better!).  And, on a sadder note, the day a loved one died – their saint day, as we like to call it in the church, is a day each year that doesn't go unnoticed. We remember too moments that changed the country or the world – the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, WWII broke out, President Kennedy was shot, Astronaut John Glenn put his foot out onto the lunar surface, the Challenger spacecraft exploded, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and the January 6th insurrection.  And, those who were around for it remember too when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “Dream” speech to the thousands gathered for the March on Washington for Freedom & Jobs…and where they were when they heard the terrible news that he had been assassinated. These moments changed us – challenged us – demanded something of us.  And we were never the same from those points forward.  And so when we hear in the second part of the gospel of John read today this story of people's first encounter with Jesus, it should not surprise us that the community that wrote this gospel noted something about it.  The gospel account says “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” …where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.  It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.  That's a kinda funny thing to write down, don't ya think?  What was so special about it being 4pm?  Something tells me it wasn't the first century version of “It's 5 o'clock somewhere.”  Clearly the community that wrote this fourth gospel knew that the lives of first disciples would be changed so much in that initial encounter with Jesus that they would never forget where they were and what time it was when it happened.  That is what call does.  It stops us in our tracks for a moment, and we are forever changed as we accept Christ's invitation to come and see. I suppose the question for each of us now is – do you recognize that moment for you and what will you do about it?  Because Christ is calling us to come and see in this life altering moment for our community and in this country.  As we watch ICE agents, sent by our President only into cities that did not vote for him, terrorize people regardless of citizenship status – wounding and killing children of God as they drag them without warrants out of their homes and businesses, shatter the windows of their cars with children inside, attack those who dare to peacefully protest with tear gas, pepper spray, and flash bombs, as well as using lethal choke holds (like the one that killed George Floyd) on those they detain. As this country fails to support those who are laying their life on the line for democracy in Ukraine, while the President imitates Putin, calling the US to invade Greenland, a sovereign territory of Denmark, and threatening NATO allies that have sent military and financial support to Greenland to prevent it. As we read the social media comments of people who think ICE agents have a right to abuse, kill, or deport people without due process because they are “illegals,” in a land where none of us are originally from here, save those of the indigenous tribes. As we find that our nation's highest court, in defiance of precedent and the US Constitution, affirms the right of ICE agents to target people based on the color of their skin, their accent or the language they speak, or their place of work. As we mourn the 32 killed by this administration ICE enforcement action in 2025, including Jean Wilson Brutus, who died while in custody at Delany Hall in Newark. As we hear our President refer to the countries these people come from as s-hole countries, while saying that we need more people from places like Norway – translation – he wants less people of color or Asian descent and more white people.  As we continue to wait for the Department of Justice to follow the law and release the files associated with the pedophile Epstein and stop protecting anyone who was involved in this horrific human trafficking of young girls for sex. As we hear over and over again the racist, misogynist, homophobic, and xenophobic garbage this President, his staff, and those who support him spew on a near minute by minute basis. I could go on and on and on…it's exhausting, isn't it? But in the midst of all of this – Jesus bids us to follow him as he goes to where he always stays – beside the vulnerable and afraid, alongside the oppressed and the lost.  This is a pivotable moment for every one of us as we stand amid this turning point in our nation.  We see, surely, what is happening.  The question for us is – will be follow Jesus when he bids us to come with him? It is a good question to consider as we celebrate the life of a man who did follow Jesus – followed him all the way to the cross – the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King's final Sunday sermon was at our own Episcopal cathedral in DC.  In that grand pulpit of Washington National Cathedral, King said this: “…Our experience [is] that the nation doesn't move around questions of genuine equality […] until it is confronted massively, dramatically in terms of direct action […] I submit that nothing will be done until people of goodwill put their bodies and their souls in motion and it will be the kind, the sole force brought into being as a result of this confrontation that I believe will make the difference […] On some positions, cowardice asks the question: is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right?  And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular. But [one] must do it because conscience tells [them] it is right.” (https://cathedral.org/blog/today-in-cathedral-history-mlks-final-sunday-sermon/) Folks, that time is now.  Jesus' call to us is now. And here's the thing – the passage in Isaiah about the prophet we heard this morning was telling us something perhaps we need to hear as we consider what Christ is asking of us.  Because in no less a way as was said about the prophet Isaiah, God is saying this to each of you now: “I formed you in the womb to be my servant, and I give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”  And that salvation, my friends, is the hope God has in mind for all of us – that beloved community where all are welcome, and no one is harmed. This is who you were formed in the womb to be – God's transformative agent, following Christ to where he abides – with the least, the last, the lonely, and the lost.  This is our faith, what we committed to in baptism.  And this is how we should honor the saints, like King, too. Because if we truly want to honor people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then we have to do more than attend breakfasts and recall his sermons/speeches – we must live as he lived, and be willing to die as he did. And if we truly want to follow Jesus, we must do more than go to church, pray, and read scripture – we must live as he lived and be willing to die as he did.  This past week, the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, put it this way: “We are now engaged in a horrible battle that is eternal, that has gone on for millennia. […] and we are now, I believe, entering a time, a new era of martyrdom. Renee Good being the last of note of those martyrs. New Hampshire's own Jonathan Daniels, a man also of white privilege, stood in front of the blast of a sheriff in Haynesville, Alabama, to protect a young black teenager from a shotgun blast. He died and was martyred. We know of the women, the Maryknoll sisters, who stood alongside the poor and the oppressed in El Salvador and were brutally raped and murdered in the name of Jesus. [Archbishop] Oscar Romero, in a mass, called upon the death squads of El Salvador to lay down their arms or risk excommunication [and ] was martyred the next Sunday at the altar.  I have told the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire that we may be entering into that same witness. And I've asked them to get their affairs in order—to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable. And it may mean that we are going to have to act in a new way that we have never seen perhaps in our lifetime, except for these remote stories that I've just cited, to put our faith in the God of life, of resurrection, of a love that is stronger than death itself.” (https://www.nhepiscopal.org/blog) Amen Bishop!  Amen. “Now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.” Not everyone can do this to be sure.  Those who care for others, like young children or aging parents, those who face physical, mental, or emotional challenges, and of course – the vulnerable themselves.  The rest of us though – we must make a choice and it is by no means easy.  Neither was it for Jesus, for Dr. King, or for any of the other martyrs of the church.  This does not mean we recklessly engage in violence, but it does mean we act not only on social media, but with our voices, our feet, our very bodies in the streets, in the halls of government, anywhere that children of God suffer – anywhere Jesus calls us to come and see. If we do this, if we follow Jesus, then King's words will come to be.  In the end of that sermon at Washington National Cathedral, he said: “So, however dark it is, however deep the angry feelings and the violent explosions are, I can still sing “We Shall Overcome.” We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. We shall overcome because Thomas Carlyle is right: “No lie can live forever.” We shall overcome because William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.” […] With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair the stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. […] God grant that we would be participants in this newness and this magnificent development if we will, but do it. We will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day, the morning stars will sing together and the [people] of God will shout for joy.” And so, as we enter into our thirteenth year together amid these deeply troubling times, as we consider in our hearts the path that lay before us, I leave you with this from the epistle of St. Paul we heard this morning – that you may know my deep gratitude for all that you do in the name of Jesus, and be reminded of all that you have been given by God for the work that lay ahead.: St. Paul wrote: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind […and] He will also strengthen you to the end.” Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sermon-January-18-2026-1.m4a   The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge January 18, 2026 The Second Sunday After The Epiphany 1st Reading – Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-12 2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Gospel – John 1:29-42 The post “Now Is The Time!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

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Romans 12:18 Family of God #3 – Living as a Family Intro: Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ‘ John Nolland To build a city on a hill is a piece of assertiveness. It expresses a certain confidence and a claim to importance, and flags a desire on the part of the inhabitants to play a wider role in human affairs. People who want to live a quiet and secluded life build their cities tucked out of sight in the hope that they won't be noticed. The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text Homes were lit with small terra-cotta oil-burning lamps. These could be carried around when required, but would normally sit on a stand conveniently located to provide a basic level of illumination for the whole dwelling (this is possible because the homes in mind consisted of single rooms, as was typically the case with Palestinian homes of the period). Lighting a lamp in order to hide it under the something is as senseless as thinking that a city built on a hill can be kept from the sight of those who pass by. In order to fulfill their nature, those who are the light of the world must be prepared to be located in places of clear visibility. This is all about a mission perspective. The outcome is that people are impressed by what God is currently doing. Our city is broken by sin, and the God-designed role of the family has been fractured.Because of this, our church must be a visible, living example of what it means to live as a family the way God intended—so people can find a place to belong that glorifies Jesus and points them to Him. Get ready to be visible! This is not to scare you but to make you realize that with Jesus, you are different from the average person! You do stand out! BUT Luke 8:16-17 ‘ “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ‘ If I come into your house and you have most of the lights off in an attempt to hide the mess, it's still visible, even if you don't think so. If our church is hiding sin or not following the commands of Jesus, it will come to light! Perfection is not the goal here but rather, reliance on God and our church family so that others learn to do the same! What fruit do we want evident in our church? Fruit: Love! Agape: selfless, sacrificial love John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Philippians 2:2-4 ‘Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ‘ Fruit: Unity: Harmony within a community (family) John 13:34′ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ‘ Romans 12:18 ‘Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. ‘ Does not mean we have to be everyone's best friend or even like everyone. How do we do this as individuals? (we are family, made up as individuals, what the individual does, affects the whole family) How do we live as a family: Believe the best Currently people are suspicious, always wondering others motives (from a negative view) Family should be in a posture of grace Colossians 3:13 – ‘Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ‘ DEF: The amount that something is permitted. Sewing definition : a built-in buffer for errors and future alterations, giving you “wiggle room” to make garments bigger or smaller”. Colossians 3:13 says allowances for faults, not sin. But sometimes, when we are hurting, we can equate someone’s faults with sin. Why? ‘“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? ‘Jeremiah 17:9 In contrast 1 Cor. 13:4a – Love is patient, love is kind. (gives allowance) If we do not do this and suspicion settles into our spirit then it's like: 1 Cor. 13.1 – ‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. What settles in your heart starts to come out in your conversation! How do we give allowance? Pray for the person! In the moment On your own Ask the Holy Spirit if your heart is deceiving you BONUS: What if it is sin? Matthew 18 – go to them! First!!!!!! I have seen this broken so many times. It is incredibly divisive! It is the opposite of unity! More later Watch our words Watch our language (my bible tiles this section as “living as children of the light” Ephesians 4:29 – 32 – ‘Don't use foul or abusive language. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander Watch our motives Are we believing the best or trying to comfort our own soul and wrong thinking? Are we believing the lies? From our past, our enemy etc. Luke 6:45 – ‘A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. ‘ Don't gossip Bible “gossip” definition: whispering, tattling, spreading of secrets or rumors for the purpose of slander (which has to do with what I want/need) The Social Issues Research Centre found that 55 percent of men's conversation and 67 percent of women's conversation involve gossip. Research shows that women are more likely to participate in gossip than men Romans 1:29 – gossip is evil Gossip phrases “What do you think about…, did you hear, did you notice…” The gossip prayer request If you hear these phrases this is how we should respond Please stop talking about that. I don't want to gossip. Sounds like you are hurt. Have you prayed about that? Is this about a sin issue in their life? (Matthew 18) How to help with Matthew 18… Why is gossip so serious? It brings pain to the person It is a way for us to feel “better” than someone else” (by pointing out their “flaws”) This is the opposite of Agape, what we want to produce in our church. It brings divisiveness and disunity, the opposite of the unity Christ wants for his Bride! Encourage 1 Thess. 5:11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. Listen! James 1:19 – ‘Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ‘ Listen to learn Listen to love Listen to serve Agree to disagree Serve one another ‘God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. ‘ 1 Peter 4:10 Honor one another Romans 12:10 – ‘Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. If you are struggling with these things (unity, love, gossip, listening, honoring etc. it is a sign of heart issues. Wrong thoughts Unhealed past Unforgiveness Bitterness 8. Prayer to pray: ‘Holy Spirit, please point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life and may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord , my rock and my redeemer.’ (Psalm 139:24, Psalm 19:14) Why does all this matter? How we treat each other as a family determines if others want to be a part of our church and how people view Jesus! As this church grows, whatever WE are will determine what the church will be in the future! What does the word say? Matthew 5:16 – Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. John 13:34-35 ‘So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” ‘ Romans 15:5-6 ‘May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘

LifeSite's John Henry Weston: "What is synodality?" Saint Pius X's encyclical "Pascendi". Francis' 2015 launch of his Synodal Church. The non-magisterium of Leo's listening, learning, "discerning" Church. Not the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church - now just the Synodal Church. "Synodal" vs. all the marks of the true Catholic Church. Synodal Church the evil offspring of Modernism. Modernism not just a heresy, but "the synthesis of ALL heresies." Modernism perverts art, glorifies ugliness. This episode was recorded on 1/16/2026. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!

Behold the Lamb of God - Our mission to point others to Christ. (Behold the Lamb of God - Maher)The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

Episode 262 How Mistakes Teach LessonsSensers! 2026 is in full swing and we're still cranking out the conversations to spark debate in our minds. So we all make mistakes, but some of us learn from them and then others we take the same test until we pass it. What mistake did you learn the most from? Do you ever get pissed off at something? What method do you use to bring yourself back to a calm state? I've tried a few different techniques but one has stood the test of time for me in the last few years. Let's talk about it….We meet people all the time in our daily lives. We pick up on a few things as we meet these individuals, but what's the first thing that you see when you come across a person? One thing I can share is that energy won't ever lie to you. May God and His Universe remove any negative energy you may have stored from reading this. If you dig the episode, click, like, and share on your page. Help build the tribe of healing

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Jim Miller and today's message entitled, "Worth Fighting For." TODAY'S MESSAGE "There are certain truths so important that we have to stand for them even when the world hates us for it." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

January 11, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Now, if you have been here these past few weeks of Christmastide and the Feast of the Epiphany, you would be right thinking that Jesus sure grows up fast, I mean we just celebrated his birth, then last week he's a kid being visited by Magi, and now he's a grown man! I mean, at this rate, a week from now should be Palm Sunday, right? Wrong. Well, sort of – Ash Wednesday is coming up in just a few weeks, so buckle up. Still, you couldn't be blamed for feeling a bit of lectionary whiplash right about now. Kinda the way you feel the day after Christmas when there's stuff in the stores for Valentine's Day, which I do NOT appreciate given that happens to be my birthday, and there is no need to rush it. But, back to the texts we heard today from the Gospel of Matthew and from Isaiah. In the gospel we here the story of Jesus' baptism. Left off of what we heard today, is what Jesus does just afterward. He is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where he encounters evil. And in the wake of all that has happened in our nation this past year, and most recently, this past week, it would seem a message we very much need today. I will speak more about that in a minute, but it is important to first underscore what we are hearing in today's texts – about Christ's baptism, yes, but also about our own. Our collect today, the prayer we offered at the beginning of this service, was this: “Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made…” This isn't just a dunk in some water – this is a contract with God – a covenant we make in the name of Christ, and that is sealed by the Holy Spirit. And in our passage this morning from Isaiah, we hear some of what that covenant requires of us. About the prophet, God says “I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” Now, think about that…and then hear again the vows we all make at baptism either for ourselves, or was made by our parents, and Godparents, and we later confirmed. We promise to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and striving for justice and peace among all peoples, respecting the dignity of every human being.” See, the thing is…when we are baptized, we are baptized into something…or really baptized into someone. It is an identity that comes with a calling – the calling to free the captives, fight for justice and peace, and to love and serve. We are baptized into a life of Christ – because we are the body of Christ alive in the world today. And as the body of Christ, we don't just leave the waters of baptism, grab a towel, and continue as though nothing happened. We do as he did after his baptism – we live the life we are called to live – a life of ministry in a broken world – a life of wilderness moments when we are challenged, and pushed to the brink. And Lordy, we are in the wilderness now. This past week our government continued its horrific, unconstitutional, racist, and cruel violence against the people of our nation. Renee Nicole Good, a US citizen and young mother of three, was gunned down while in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this past Wednesday. Her wife, Becca Good, is left to care for their 6 year old son. The video of the attack is brutal to watch, and the lies about her and the incident by our government just add to the horror. Renee is not the first to be killed, or tortured, or imprisoned unlawfully. She sadly will not be the last. In fact, on Thursday, the very next night, two more people were shot by ICE agents in their vehicle in Portland. These are very dark days for our nation and for the world. Like many of you, I have been at more than one vigil in response – one of them just down the street from my home on the Newton Green– which is in the middle of a very red part of our Garden State. Like the other vigils, it was a community gathered in love amidst tragedy and hate. Sadly, even as we stood together, someone shouted out from a passing truck “ICE, ICE, Baby!” The cruelty of our President and his followers seems to be the point. Yet we were not deterred, and continued to stand together to be a witness to the horror that has taken yet another life. One of the things I have said at these vigils is that our faith is one that follows a man who preached love and peace, and was executed by the government because of it. Yet his resurrection taught us all that light will always overcome darkness, life is stronger than death, and love will always defeat hate. It is the only thing that can. Renee Good understood that truth. Her wife, Becca Good, said in a statement after her murder, said: “I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.” Indeed we do. We must. Because love is the only way out of this long national nightmare. We must stand as a testament to the power of love – to heal, to restore, to change the world – because that is what we committed to in our own baptism. So, we will keep on fighting for the suffering Christ in our midst, never forgetting Renee and all the other victims. That is how we will change the world – one step, one vigil, one march, one act of kindness, one moment of courage at a time. But that does not mean the road will be easy for us. It certainly wasn't for Jesus. He had his time in the wilderness, and we are now deep within it too. Today, we are faced with a seemingly never-ending onslaught of cruelty by those who should be servants of the people. We are worn to the bone by the vitriolic hate our President, his team, and his supporters spew nearly hour by hour, all amid a daily avalanche of lies and purposeful misdirection by the ones we are supposed to trust. The purpose is to knock us off center and keep us so disoriented that we feel helpless, hopeless, and filled with rage. Why would they want this? It's simple really – it is so we respond with the same in kind. For evil knows that darkness will feed darkness, hate will fuel hate, violence will breed violence. They fan the flames to incite those who oppose them to be just like them, which will give them fodder to increase the violence in a never-ending cycle. And in moments like this, it is very tempting to give into it. Why not fight fire with fire – violence with violence, hate with hate. We feel so drawn to it, do we not, if we are honest with ourselves? But the thing is, we need to consider who tries to draw us to hate and violence. Remember what happened to Jesus in the wilderness – the evil one spoke to him – catching him when he was worn from his long journey in that place – and showing him a path forward that seemed so simple. If Jesus would only turn aside from God, everything would be great – he would be great – the evil one said. You could understand the temptation. I mean – he was promised he could turn stone into bread – that would solve all the hunger in the world. He could be made king over everyone – imagine today if you could take the power away from all the world's brutal dictators, including our own? Yet Jesus knew that isn't the path toward peace, toward wholeness, toward grace. It wasn't for him, and it most certainly isn't for us. To be clear – righteous anger at injustice is good and will propel us to act like Christ, and overturn tables of oppression. But anger rooted in hate will only lead to violence and a turning away from Christ – that can never be our way forward. No, not for those who are baptized into him. We are meant to choose another way. At that vigil the other night in Newton, the organizer wanted to close with the hymn Amazing Grace, but wasn't sure of the words. So, I stood beside her and helped lead everyone in singing those lyrics of redemption. One of those verses is: Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. Grace is God's gift to us, and it, not hate, will always lead us through the wilderness and to home – where we will be grounded in the knowledge and love of Christ, and renewed to live as we are called to live in our baptismal covenant. And folks – that will change the world. It really will. God's grace is how we will get through this. Love is how we will change it. After I spoke at the vigil in Newton, a young mother of two boys – a teen of about 14 years old or so, and the other about 10 – came up to me. The teen apparently had told his mom after listening to me that he wanted to go to church, and she – a person who had been harmed by her own church experience – wanted to know where I was a priest, feeling that it would be inclusive. Since our parish is so far from where this was, I told them of another one they should try. That conversation filled me with hope – to see young people yearning for a relationship with God. And it is certainly something seen a lot these days as church attendance by all ages is on the rise. I believe that this is a sign of the future of the church, as people seek a way forward, and they witness us living out our lives in Christ. Because so many people today are yearning for an alternative to the madness they are witnessing. In a world filled with conflict, violence, hate, war, poverty, and abuse of the environment – seekers hope to be connected to something they sense is larger than all of that – stronger than all of that – to a God that loves unconditionally, and a faith community that reflects that love openly, consistently, and with intention. They are looking for comfort and peace, yes, but most especially, they want to know that God loves them in a place that welcomes everyone, amid a world that wants to exclude them. That is why what we do here is so important. It feeds us in a time of deep hunger, but it also is food for the world. Here is where we are given the strength for our wilderness journey. Here we offer that food of life to others. Here we are reminded of our baptismal contract with God – a life of prophetic witness, rooted in the love of Christ, that calls us to speak truth, to act for justice, to stand for peace, to offer hope and love to a people in darkness. We have made a commitment to God to be the ones to speak up against those who traffic in hate and violence. To be the ones to stand against those who seek to oppress and marginalize. To be the ones to respond to hate with love and lies with truth. And especially to be the ones to counter the racist, homophobic, and sexist, words and actions by earthly rulers and proclaim in the streets, in the halls of government, in our churches, and everywhere in the world that God loves EVERYONE– NO EXCEPTIONS – and so will we. For like the prophet in Isaiah, and like our savior in whose name we are baptized, we too were given “as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” There are many in prisons now – dungeons of bigotry and oppression, poverty, hopelessness, loneliness, and addiction. This is not time to throw the covers over our head and attend the church of the Holy Comforter. This is not a time to tune out. This is not a time to not pay attention. This is not a time to forget who we are, and whose we are. This is the time for us to be who we were born and baptized to be – prophets of his light, grace, and love – God's beloved agents of transformation. And there is nothing – no President or other leader, no ICE agent or army, no person or organization, that can stop what we, together, and by God's grace, will bring about – the overturning of evil, and the restoration of the world. They may have killed Renee Good, but by the good in each of us, rooted in the love of Christ – we will prevail. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sermon-January-11-2026-1.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge January 11, 2026 The First Sunday After The Epiphany 1st Reading – Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 29 2nd Reading – Acts 10:34-43 Gospel – Matthew 3:13-17 The post “The Good In Us” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

We hope you are blessed listening to our podcast and we would love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please send to our page or write us a letter. Address is Fellowship Temple Church 300 Weldon Ave Madisonville, Ky. 43431. We would love to hear from you. We are on Facebook on Saturday nights and Sundays during our weekly service. Thanks so much for listening and May God bless you! Sis. Kay Williams singing "When our Lord shall come again"

Jesus was baptized to show us the path to holiness and call all of His disciples to "take the "plunge" of commitment to follow Him.   (Come to the River - Bob Hurd) The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

Maduro's capture: right or wrong? Praying with annoying people? Did any Jews expect Messiah to be God Himself? Does capitalism beget Communism? The predatory nature of Islam. Charlotte's new order bishop. Mamdani's "warmth of collectivism." Modernism, the synthesis of all heresies, cannot be "reformed." Our reasons for joy and gratitude! This episode was recorded on 1/6/2026. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ ‪@WCBHighlights‬ May God bless you all!

Evening lessons: Psalms 67, 72; Jeremiah 5; John 2:1-12.  May God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and show us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us.

Happy New Year!I apologize for missing the last few days.  I was on a trip to visit family in Texas, and I ended up extending my stay there for a few days.  I am well and am glad to be back here with you!  May God richly bless you and your families in this new year!Starting the morning off with God is the key to strength and success in your day!Join me in praying the Catholic morning offering, as well as hear meditations, learn about the saint of the day,  and hear today's Scripture readings from Holy Mass.To sign up to receive a daily email of the Morning Offering through The Catholic Company, go to https://www.morningoffering.com/Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.The Morning Glory Consecration Prayer is excerpted from "33 Days to Morning Glory:  A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration" by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, © 2011 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., p. 137.If you have any comments, please email me at Deanna.pierre25@gmail.com.Support the show

Feast of the Epiphany (trans.) – January 4, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany.  The actual feast is on January 6th, and today would be the Second Sunday after Christmas.  Still, this year, the story of the magi's visitation to Jesus would have been a part of the text choices for today, so all good. Now, this feast, which occurs on Tuesday, ends our Christmastide – our twelve days of Christmas.  So, as I said in previous years, don't let anyone give you a hard time about still having the tree up.  Besides, they can be thankful you don't celebrate Christmas until Candlemas on Feb. 2,nd as some do!  Every year we tell the story of the Magi who travel from the East to bring gifts to the Christ child, and as it is good to repeat each time the origin of this story of the three wise guys. Matthew, the only gospel account of the magi, never tells us how many there were, or even if they were all men. But since Matthew mentions three gifts, later Christian tradition came to identify three of them. And in the late sixth century Armenian Infancy Gospel, the Magi are even given the names-Melkon or Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar. But just as we don't really know the names of the people who wrote the gospels, we also don't know the names of these folks, so call them whatever you want – Larry, Mo, and Curly –really up to you. This story is one that is celebrated not only because of gifts, but as a symbol that the child born to us at Christmas was for all the people of the world, because the sages came from lands so very far away. Whatever you name them, we know you can't call them “on time.”  As we hear today, Jesus was not a baby anymore, but a child, and living in a house.  Apparently, Waze or Google Maps was not available to these Eastern travelers.    Well, even if they were late, and brought really weird gifts to a young child, each year we like to tell the story of their visit…   Loud Knock Heard From The Back Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches King 1 presents Mother Diana with gift. Mother Diana opens the box, inside is a snow gauge.  Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud – “We saw a star and were guided by its light to the Christ child.  As we moved along, we needed to always check that we were still on the right path.  The truth is – While being too restricted is not good for anyone, taking an occasional measurement on your life journey does allow you to be sure you are still on the right path.  His life should be the measure you use.” Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says, Thank you great sage!  While I love a beautiful snowfall, let's hope I don't need to use this too often.  Now, as I was saying…   Loud Knock Heard From The Back Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches King 2 presents Mother Diana with gift. Mother Diana opens the box, inside is Bluetooth speaker, and a scroll.  Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud – “We stopped along the way at the palace of King Herod.  He told us to return and tell him where we found the Christ child.  Yet we were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and went home by another way. The truth is – There is a lot of noise in the world, and many voices will try to tell you who you are, where you are to go or what you are to do.  Be sure you are listening to the right one.” Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says, This is sooooo cool!  I can't wait to set this speaker up.   Now, as I was saying…   Loud Knock Heard From The Back Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches King 3 presents Mother Diana with gift. Mother Diana opens the box, inside is a wreath of bird food, and a scroll.  Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud – “We brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.  Impractical?  Perhaps. But a symbol of who he was to be for the world – King, God, and Sacrifice.  Yet he was clear about the gift we are to bring in his name, and it was none of those things. The truth is – Food is essential for life, and the law of God in our time, and yours now, is to care for the stranger among us.  How you feed others is the gift of love you bring to Christ.”  Mother Diana rolls up the scroll and says… Wow – thank you great sage – I am so excited to think about this gift – it looks so pretty.  Let's see…three magi, three gifts, I guess we must be done.  So…   Loud Knock Heard From The Back Ceremonial Music Plays As King Approaches King 4 presents Mother Diana with gift. Mother Diana opens the box, inside is a mixing spoon and a scroll.  Mother Diana reads the scroll aloud – “The star awakened us to something important happening in the world, and Christ stirred us to new life. The truth is – There are important things happening in the world now too, and Christ desires us all to come to him, to follow him, to be him in the world. This is a time to be stirred up.”  Well, thank you great and final sage??? – You have given me a lot to think about.   Are we done?  [look around] Well, this is an assortment of cool gifts, right?  A snow gauge, a Bluetooth speaker, a bird food wreath, and a mixing spoon.  These Magi have given us something to really think about, haven't they?  The thing is, these all might be quirky gifts, but the magi did manage to come up with just what we need this year.  Especially in this time when it seems the world is spinning and we struggle to know where to go or what to do. Especially in this moment in the world where the voices of bigotry and hate are not only prevalent, they are coming from our nation's leaders. Especially now, when we hunger for righteousness, and hear the cries of the vulnerable who are starving for lack of shelter, food, and most especially – love. Especially now, when we are worn to the bone, but there is oh so much more work to do in the name of Christ. These gifts we received today can be a reminder to us all of who we are and whose we are, and what that means for us as we welcome the Christ child into our hearts. As we move through the world, there will be many who try to guide our paths. The measure of our lives will not be like measuring snow, which is needed only for a season, and tells us only what is true in a snapshot of time.  It will be how we measure up to our commitment to the Christ born to us that will be most important for us to keep in our heart and mind.  Here, at this table, and among other travelers in our faith, we are able to check-in, gauge our lives, and adjust as needed. This world is filled with so many angry and hateful voices, who will try to lead us to abandon the Jesus in our midst to the cross.  For he told us that he is in the immigrant, the sick, the poor, and the imprisoned.  But like those sages of long ago, we are meant to listen to his voice, not to these others.  How do we discern which is which?  His will always be the voice of compassion, generosity, kindness, and love.  We will always be reminded of that voice here too – in the scripture and at this table.  So many cry out in hunger – hunger to be seen, to be heard, to be fed, to be loved.  All of creation groans from our abuse and neglect too.  We feed on him here, so that we can feed him in the world.  The food of life that is Christ, is to strengthen us for the journey, that we may feed others, caring for them and all of creation by his love shining in us and through us. And finally, the world is too dangerous and dark for us to be silent, to be hesitant, or to hide away.  We must not only be stirred up, we must stir up the conscious of the world!  There is no time to waste, not a moment to spare. People are dying – physically, emotionally, spiritually – God's children – our sisters and brothers.  What is done to any one of them is done to Jesus himself.  We cannot sit here in the warmth of his love, and then ignore his pain when we leave.  If we do, we render Christmas meaningless for ourselves, and all the world. The wise folks brought Jesus symbols of who he was – gold for a king, incense for a deity, myrrh for a sacrifice.  Today they bring symbols of who we are as followers of that Christ child.  And just as that night so long ago changed everything, letting all the world know that God's love is stronger than hate, that light will always overcome darkness, and that death is forever defeated by life – by our lives lived in Him the angels continue to rejoice in heaven as he is reborn in each of us at Christmas, and every day we open our hearts to Him. So, with all that in mind, as I do each year I offer this quote by Michael Dougherty. “When the carols have been stilled, when the star-topped tree is taken down, when family and friends are gone home, when we are back to our schedules, the work of Christmas begins…to welcome the refugee, to heal a broken planet, to feed the hungry, to build bridges of trust, not walls of fear, to share our gifts, to seek justice and peace for all people, to bring Christ's light to the world.” May we, like the magi, be willing to follow where God leads us, trusting that there is always another path to take that will lead us out of darkness into light –His light.  May we know that we need no star, only an open heart, to see the God who yearns to love us – and wants so much to be in relationship with us.  And most especially, that once we receive the gift of Christmas, the Christ child, in our hearts, that we do the work of Christmas and share that light with the world.  Because it is we, not the magi, who are now meant to reveal Christ to a world who hungers for God's love.  Christmas isn't over…it's only just begun. Amen. Based upon a concept by the Rev. Phillip Dana Wilson – Used with permission. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Rec-001-Homily-Visit_of_the_Magi-2026.m4a   The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge January 4, 2026 The Feast Of The Epiphany (Trans.) 1st Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7,10-14 2nd Reading – Ephesians 3:1-12 Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12   The post A Visit From The Wise Guys – 2026 appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Leo slams gambling. Explosion of online betting! Somalian child/healthcare fraud: millions stolen in MN, OH, PA etc.? Not upper, middle and lower classes, but Productive Class vs Criminal (Marxist) Class. The Productive Class as the success of true capitalism. The family as foundation of wealth. Enslaving the producers: turning owners into owers! Enslavement by debt. Fragmentation of conservatives in America: only Christ can unify in true Faith, Hope and Charity. This episode was recorded on 12/31/2025. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Jim Miller and today's message entitled, "Straight From God." TODAY'S MESSAGE "There are essentials of the Christian faith which can't be compromised, because to lose the essentials is to lose all that God wants for us and all the blessings He has to give." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

We hope you are blessed listening to our podcast and we would love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please send to our page or write us a letter. Address is Fellowship Temple Church 300 Weldon Ave Madisonville, Ky. 43431. We would love to hear from you. We are on Facebook on Saturday nights and Sundays during our weekly service. Thanks so much for listening and May God bless you! This message was recorded by the Founder of Fellowship Temple Church..He passed in January 1977. We remember him on the first Sunday of every year. This is in memory of our late Pastor.Sis. Kay Williams and Sis. Fay Rodgers singing"I've got a mansion"

Episode 260How We Reflect on 2025?Sensers! I intended to put this out before the New Year rang in but fuck it, Happy New Year for those who value it, otherwise welcome back Sensers!So those who follow the content, we love to discuss ways of being manly/masculine etc. but there's another side to this; I want to touch on the things that we as man are still trying to figure out successfully or things some of us just don't know in general yet how to do. No shame in it, just a map of construction for us to tackle on being the best versions of ourselves.2025, here and gone, but I took some time to discuss how the year went for me. I trust that you each of reading this had your fair share of challenges throughout the year, I'm grateful that we can still tell the story here in 2026. For now, lets the talk about 2025 and the moments I experienced.May God and His Universe remove any negative energy you may have stored from reading this. If you dig the episode, click, like, and share on your page. Help build the tribe of healing

As the Jubilee Year comes to a close, let us heed the words of Pope Leo XIV and remain Pilgrims of Hope in our world.  (Pilgrims of Hope  Francesco Meneghello with  translation by Andrew WadsworthThe homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

A doctor decided to retire after treating cancer patients for nearly thirty years. While working with a billing company to resolve his clinic’s finances, he opted to forgive $650,000 of debt people still owed him. In an interview about this act of generosity, the doctor said, “I’ve always been rather uncomfortable with sick patients not only having to worry about their own health, [but also] their families, and their jobs, [and] money. That’s always tugged at me.” Even if we’ve never been deep in financial debt, all of us have experienced something similar in a spiritual sense. The Bible likens sin to “debts” (Matthew 6:12). It also says there’s no way for us to repay what we owe God. We can’t donate money to charity, serve others, or work out a deal with Him to cover what we owe. Jesus is our only hope. Through His death and resurrection, Christ “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 2:14). Accepting Jesus’ sacrifice for the wrong things we’ve done means waking up to a new day, completely free from the burden of sin. May God’s mercy and forgiveness shine into the world as He helps us lovingly address people and circumstances in our lives.

How do we pass on the faith to the next generation? God has entrusted us with tools that are simple. You might say ordinary. They are ordinary in that anyone can do them. They are extraordinary in that when we are faithful to deploy them God gives the increase to our efforts and more is accomplished through them than we could accomplish through any of our best laid plans. In this episode I share with you a sermon I recently preached at a men's breakfast at Bethel Church in Frontier, Saskatchewan.Happy New Year! May God add His blessings to your endeavors in 2026!

Here St. Isaac does not define virtues as behaviors but as states of being before God. He strips away external markers and leaves the soul alone with truth. What he offers is not a ladder of accomplishments but a geography of the heart. A stranger, he says, is not one who has left a place, but one whose mind has been estranged from all things of life. This is the quiet violence of the Gospel: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn 17:16). Estrangement here is not contempt for creation but freedom from possession. Abba Arsenius fled Rome, but what he truly fled was the tyranny of relevance. To become a stranger is to consent to being unnecessary. It is to let the world continue without you and discover that God remains. The mourner is not a melancholic soul but a hungry one. He lives, Isaac says, in hunger and thirst for the sake of his hope in good things to come. This is the blessed mourning of the Beatitudes, the ache that refuses consolation because it has tasted something eternal. St. John Climacus calls mourning “a sorrow that is glad,” because it is oriented toward the Kingdom. It is grief baptized by hope. Such a soul does not despise joy; it waits for the only joy that cannot be taken away. Then Isaac dares to say what a monk truly is. Not one who has taken vows, not one who wears a habit, but one who remains outside the world and is ever supplicating God to receive future blessings. The monk stands at the edge of time and begs. His posture is eschatological. He lives as though the promises are real. This is why the monk's wealth is not visible. It is the comfort that comes of mourning and the joy that comes of faith, shining secretly in the mind's hidden chambers. Christ Himself names this hiddenness when He says, “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:6). The true treasure does not announce itself. It warms quietly. Mercy, too, is redefined. A merciful man is not one who performs selective kindness but one who has lost the ability to divide the world mentally into worthy and unworthy. This is the mercy of God Himself, who “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Mt 5:45). St. Isaac elsewhere says that a merciful heart burns for all creation: for humans, animals, demons, even for the enemies of God. Such mercy is not sentimental. It is cruciform. It is the heart stretched until it resembles Christ's own. And then Isaac turns to chastity, and again he refuses reduction. Virginity is not merely bodily restraint but an interior reverence. One who feels shame before himself even when alone. This is a startling phrase. It speaks of a soul that lives before God even when no one is watching. Shame here is not self-loathing but awe. It is the trembling awareness that one's thoughts are already prayers, or blasphemies, before the face of God. Therefore Isaac is unsparing: chastity cannot survive without reading and prolonged prayer. Without immersion in the Word, the imagination becomes a wilderness of unguarded images. Without prayer, the heart has no shelter. Abba Evagrius taught that thoughts are not defeated by force but by replacement—by filling the mind with divine fire. The Jesus Prayer, Scripture read slowly, the psalms murmured in weakness, these do not merely resist impurity; they transfigure desire itself. What unites all these sayings is this: St. Isaac is describing a soul that has accepted vulnerability. God has permitted the soul to be susceptible to accidents: not as punishment, but as mercy. Weakness becomes the doorway. Hunger becomes the guide. Shame becomes watchfulness. Mourning becomes wealth. Nothing here is safe, and nothing here is superficial. This is not an ethic for the strong. It is a path for those who have consented to be poor before God. In the end, St. Isaac is teaching us how to stand unarmed in the presence of the Kingdom; estranged from the world, aching for God, clothed in quiet prayer, and guarded not by our strength but by grace that shines unseen in the depths of the heart. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:04:33 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Page 170 paragraph 7 Homily Six 00:04:45 Angela Bellamy: What is the book titled please? 00:04:56 Angela Bellamy: Reacted to "What is the book tit..." with

As we step into a new year, I wanted to do something sacred and intentional—pray Scripture over you. In this special episode, we walk through powerful biblical prayers from Ephesians, Colossians, Thessalonians, and Numbers, explaining why these prayers matter and how they shape a faith-filled life. These aren’t rushed or performative prayers; they are grounding, relational, and deeply personal. Prayer isn’t about getting God to cooperate with our plans—it’s about deepening our relationship with Him. This episode offers peace, clarity, endurance, and blessing as you begin a new season, anchored not in resolutions, but in God’s Word and presence. May God bless you and keep you. May He direct your every step. And May God fill you with His peace as you step into the new year, my friend. Xo, Donna And remember, I'd love to connect more on Instagram, where you'll find me at @donnaajones. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode! Listen in to learn more : (03:20) – Why every new beginning should be undergirded by prayer (08:45) – Grasping the depth of God’s love changes everything (Ephesians 3) (14:30) – God brings to fruition what faith prompts (2 Thessalonians 1) (20:10) – Praying for wisdom, endurance, and spiritual strength (Colossians 1) (27:40) – Receiving God’s blessing, peace, and shalom for the new year (Numbers 6) Donna’s Resources: Order a copy of my new book - Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life: A Biblical Guide to Communicating Thoughts, Feelings, and Opinions with Grace, Truth, and Zero Regret. It is available anywhere books are sold– here is the link on Amazon. If you need a helpful resource for someone exploring faith and Christianity or simply want to strengthen your own knowledge, you’ll want a copy of my book, Seek: A Woman’s Guide to Meeting God. It’s a must for seekers, new believers, and those who want to be more confident in their faith! Connect with Donna Instagram: @donnaajones Website: www.donnajones.org Donna’s speaking schedule: https://donnajones.org/events/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Hey CBJ Family! Happy New Year!  May God bless you in new ways with mircales, excellent health, and new opportunities for you to grow deeper in faith.  Today, we are talking about 2 words that changed our year: give & discpline.  Words of the yhear matter becasue God is intentional. We belive that when God highlights a "word" for you, it's an invitation into deeper alignment.  If you are ready to enter a new season in 2026, or if you are asking God for clarity, to be more obedient, or direction, this episode is for YOU! Make sure to follow us and DM us any new topics you want us to discuss on the show! @chosenbyJesusCBJ Watch and subscribe to the show on YouTube @chosenbyJesusCBJ Have a happy and safe new year, we love you CBJ Family!

Happy New Year!!!Ministry in 2026 won't be about having all the answers or running perfect programs. It will be about presence. Faithfulness. Listening well. Creating safe spaces where students can encounter Jesus and discover who they are in Him. And in all of it, remember this truth: you are making an eternal difference.Some of the fruit you'll see this year. Much of it you won't. But none of it is wasted in God's hands. He is at work in and through you... shaping lives, building faith, and advancing His kingdom in ways that will last far beyond this year.We're cheering you on as you head into 2026. May God give you wisdom, courage, joy, and endurance for the road ahead. Thank you for saying yes again this year.

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Joe Kim and today's message entitled, "Let Him Cook" TODAY'S MESSAGE "As we move into the new year, may we be a community marked by endurance and encouragement...and may we become the fragrance of hope in a hungry world." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

We all want to matter forever and make forever differences. God has written eternity in our souls, and we have the honor to share one very special way that Chrissy Stergos, a professional counselor, is making forever impact. May God use this chat to stir up something wonderful inside of each of us, to help others in their pursuit or, perhaps, to find a special way that God is planning to work through you. Let us hold the shield wall together!

Hello and welcome to the program Retornando a la Palabra. In today's sermon originally recorded on July 28, 2013, we listen to the founding pastor of Centro Cristiano Internacíonal, Pastor German Ballesteros. I'd like to encourage you to pull out your bible and continue listening to today's sermon.        We hope this message has encouraged you to seek the voice of God. We encourage you to discover the nature of God through his word the Bible. If you'd like to download this episode or share with someone you know remember you can do so by subscribing to the podcast which you can find by searching retornando a la palabra or ccichurchsa on your favorite podcast listening device.Thank you again for spending this time with us and until next time we'd like to leave you with a quote from our founding Pastor the late Pastor German Ballesteros, “Cambia tu mundo con Cristo en tu corazón.” May God bless you.    

Christmas Eve – December 24, 2025; May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. This is the most wonderful time of the year, or so we are told by Johnny Mathis and others.  It really is though, even if the turkey didn't thaw out in time, the kids are hyped up on sugar and dreams of Santa Claus, and the in-laws are about to send you to a therapist's couch.  Yet sometimes when we think about Christmas, we get caught up in the Hallmark version of it – the lights, the carols, the cookies, and the gifts, that when we hear the story of that first Christmas, whether here at church or from Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas, it seems so far away from who we are that we lose sight of what it means for us.  But the thing is, this story isn't as foreign to our lived reality as we sometimes make it – and that knowledge helps us to see something we need to know now.  The author of Luke, from where Linus and we get the birth story we usually hear on Christmas Eve, sets the scene for us in the midst of human history – it was when a certain ruler was in charge and had commanded a census of “all the world.” Now, just for context, things were difficult in those days – they were indeed a people who walked in darkness (though the prophet Isaiah was speaking about an earlier time).  The empire's taxes were hard, and most labored for their own food.  Poverty was crushing most of the people, while a small elite profited off of them and lived lavishly.  And there was political unrest caused by an appointed ruler, Herod, a larger than life sort, who the people  viewed with suspicion because of his ties to the empire.  This is the setting into which God chooses to enter, and there is a lot we can all resonate with in it to be sure – but more on that later. Back to the story itself – this census moves Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a journey of nearly 100 miles (with no trains, planes, or automobiles to get them there).  It also likely meant a lot of others were making similar journeys, so as the song goes – there may be No Place Like Home for the holidays, but the traffic really is terrific!  And then there is the problem of trying to find places to stay along the way.  I have to wonder if Joseph and Mary made their place in Nazareth an Air B&B, given all the folks traveling in the opposite direction. At any rate, all that travel must sound familiar to a lot of folks today who stood in long TSA lines, navigated bumper to bumper traffic, or was trying to figure out where to put everybody who made it home for the holidays.  Add to all of that is the fact that Mary is very pregnant!  Lordy – that's gotta be a tough trip. So, back to our Holy Family – they get to Bethlehem, and there is “no room for them in the inn.” Now, that may mean Joe forgot to make reservations (you know that meant a big argument later – right?).  But it wasn't like they had to go to a barn somewhere on the property.  Likely, because other guests already took over the host family's guest rooms, it was sort of like telling them they had to sleep on the old lumpy sofa in the unfinished basement. Homes in those days had a lower level where animals were brought in for the night and in cold weather.  That is where the host family had to send Mary and Joseph.  If you can imagine that for a moment – it means the house was filled with people – all there for the census taking one supposes.  That is a made for  Hallmark crazy time moment for sure, that many of you here likely know far too well.  And for this couple, who already had a lot going on, sleeping among the animals may have been the most peaceful part of their days – a respite from upstairs where perhaps Joe's crazy Uncle Roy was getting into it with Grandma Lucy, who had a bit too much eggnog.  At least the animals aren't likely to break out into a fight over politics.  From the animals point of view though, this was a nightmare. I mean, first this couple comes down, takes over two of their beds of hay, and dang it – then they have a baby (what a noisy mess) and worse – they put that little human on their food in their manger – yuk!  The animals were probably like – What the heck!  And as for the birth, you know that was crazy time at the OK Corral.  Women upstairs likely came down to help, making things a bit crowded; and birth scenes, even for the virtuous like Mary, are typically not quiet events, despite what the hymn says.  Giving birth then, and even today is joyous and noisy.  Sadly, it is also dangerous – for both the mother and the child.  And after all that – shepherds arrive to tell them that angels appeared in the sky and confirming what the angel had said to Mary at the beginning of this journey.  No wonder she pondered it all in her heart – before nodding off for a much needed nap. What a wild family story this probably became over the years, right?  I mean, can you imagine on the 10th Christmas, somebody saying – Hey Joe and Mary, remember that crazy year of the census?  And them saying back “Lordy what a time that was” as Joe grabs another eggnog and Mary chases Jesus and his siblings away from the presents. Seriously though – that was the Luke story.  Filled with very human stress, joy, and a bit of craziness – and all wrapped up in love.  The Matthew story was much less chaotic, but far more dangerous.  Mary was pregnant, but she and Joseph were engaged, not married – which in those days, and in some parts of the world today – means danger for Mary and her unborn child.  In a dream, Joseph is told by an angel not to discard her, but to marry her as planned.  After the baby is born, a few wise people from the East come to their house (with very impractical and odd gifts).  Then, Joseph has another dream where an angel tells him that King Herod is out to kill Jesus.  So ,the Holy Family become refugees.  They flee the danger in their homeland, cross over the border into Egypt, and stay there until Herod dies.  Thankfully for most, this story in Matthew is not as familiar to their Christmas gatherings as the one in the Gospel of Luke.  But it is to many in this country now, who fled from danger in their home countries, often with children and just the clothes on their backs, to come here for safety.  To them, this flight to Egypt is very familiar. So, if we really take in the story we celebrate tonight we may just find a place for ourselves in its familiarity.  Sure, we don't ride donkeys generally (although how cool would that be – well, except not from the donkey's perspective, I suppose).  We don't trudge for miles on all dirt roads (even if in NJ it feels that way), have farm animals on the first floor of our house, or have to travel for our government census (they kinda frown on that). And we don't typically see choirs of angels singing, have shepherds coming over with strange news, people bearing odd gifts knocking on our door, or an awe inspiring astrological phenomenon shining in the sky above (which I can guarantee meant that it was cloudy over New Jersey that first Christmas night, as it always is when there is something cool to see).   No, we don't have any of that on our Christmas to do or see list, but then again, it is not those things that matter anyway.  What makes this birth we celebrate so important to remember is the rest of it.  God chose to enter into the world through relationships of love – the love of parents for their newborn child, of a young couple starting their life together, of family, friends, and neighbors gathering in likely too small a space but somehow making it work.  This birth, that changed the world forever, begins among family relationships that are messy and wonderful all at the same time, and amid moments when we feel exhausted or lonely even in a crowd (as it must have felt for Mary, Joseph, or the shepherds sometimes). It is in the mundane, the mess, the fear, the joy, the hurt, and the longing – the ever day ordinariness and sometimes craziness of human existence – that God comes – choosing to connect heaven and earth in the form of a vulnerable baby, born to world weary parents, in a humble setting, amid a chaotic family gathering, to a people who walked in darkness.  Today we too are a people who walk in darkness – the deep night of bigotry and hate, oppressive governmental leaders, marginalized people, poverty and loneliness, violence and war. And here's the thing, we who live in a land of deep darkness, need to remember most of all this night – Jesus is being born now too, and we have a part to play in that birth.  Long ago, God chose Mary because God knew she had the courage to say Yes to that call, the faith to trust the Holy Spirit even when things got crazy, and the will to bring Jesus into a world in need.  And God chooses us to do the same now.  You, and you, and you, all you-all, are not spectators this night.  You are a part of the story.  The story that is happening now. You are the one God now calls to bring the light of Christ's love into the darkness.  You are the one that needs to trust the Holy Spirit amid the insanity of this time and place. You may not see angels flying around in the sky, or shepherds knocking at your door in the middle of the night, but you are meant to be a part of this story nonetheless.  You are meant to be Mary – bearers of Christ to those who walk in darkness. We all are. And perhaps Mary's need to ponder all of it in her heart makes a lot more sense to us now.  It is a lot to think about – more than whether the tie you got for your dad was a good idea or not.  Because while the gifts we give at Christmas will someday be put away and forgotten, this gift – to be Mary – to carry Christ's light within us, give birth to his love for the sake of others, nurture him in the world – it is the gift of a lifetime – and the call we all have.  And perhaps like her, we may be wondering: Why me? Why would God come into this crazy world at this time and place? Will I be able to do what God is asking me to do, and will it really matter? And when you need to ponder that, come here among your parish family, where you will be given what you need for your life journey, just as Mary was so long ago.  Remember that when she became pregnant as the Archangel Gabriel told her, she traveled to her cousin Elizabeth, who affirmed her call.  Here is where you too can take a moment from the busy-ness of the world to come among family and be affirmed about your life and in your call. The story of Christmas – of the birth of Jesus – is our story – of God active in our lives and in the world.  It reminds us that mystery and wonder abounds even in chaos, that healing and restoration come with humility and grace, that God's great love appears in the most unexpected ways, and bursts into our ordinary lives to bring freedom and justice for the oppressed, and to proclaim for all to hear that everyone is a beloved child of God – no exceptions.  And perhaps most especially, that God chooses us to help bring this all about. God chooses us to be Mary – bearers of Christ into the world. So let us all have a Mary Christmas!  M-A-R-Y and the other kind too. For then we may one day truly see peace on earth, and good will for all.  Merry Christmas Everyone! For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Rec-001-Sermon-Christmas_Eve-11pm.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge December 24, 2025 Christmas Eve 1st Reading – Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 2nd Reading – Titus 2:11-14 Gospel – Luke 2:1-20     The post “Ponder This” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

We hope you are blessed listening to our podcast and we would love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please send to our page or write us a letter. Address is Fellowship Temple Church 300 Weldon Ave Madisonville, Ky. 43431. We would love to hear from you. We are on Facebook on Saturday nights and Sundays during our weekly service. Thanks so much for listening and May God bless you! Born again believers singing"Almighty God"

Encounter God in 2025, Sundays at Viewpoint Church.May God stir up our hearts to hear his voice through the pages of Scripture today. And may we align our hearts with His as we read the pages together as a family.As you sit down to read the Word daily, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. Then join us as we walk daily together through the pages that will change our lives! ------------------------------------------ Whether this is your first time with us or you have been watching for a while, we would love to connect with you! https://www.viewpointchurch.org/connectWe would be honored to pray for you or someone you know. Our team prays for all the prayer requests we receive on a regular basis. https://www.viewpointchurch.org/prayer------------------------------------------STAY CONNECTED!➜ Website: https://www.viewpointchurch.org➜ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viewpointch...➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViewpointChurch

Emmanuel or Jesus? St John survived martyrdom? Long-suffering? Daily indulgences? Saved without Penance? 1994 Assisi Conclave: "Pope" Linus II? Angels of Christmas. This episode was recorded on 12/22/2025. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!

When we place the Christ child in the center of our families, everyone's life is transformed.   (Holy Family - Danielle Rose and Peter Kolar St Francis de Sales 7pm Sunday Choir )The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

The fundamental reality of our lives is a spiritual one. According to Ephesians we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. As I have come to realize the role these battles were playing in my own life and how to fight in these battles my life has changed for the better. On this episode I share with you a talk I recently gave at Bethel Church's Fall Meetings in Frontier, Saskatchewan.Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for tuning in throughout 2025. May God bring you Grace and Peace in 2026.

Merry Christmas!  Praying YOU receive the gift of new life this Christmas.  Be sure to subscribe to Mamas in Spirit wherever you listen to podcasts and follow on Instagram and/or Facebook. Announcements of new Mamas' projects in 2026! You are a gift to our beloved community. May God bless and keep you, always!

Merry Christmas everyone! As I close down the year and celebrate the 5th anniversary of this podcast, I want to leave you all with a special message. May God bless you and your family as we head into 2026!

On this Christmas Day, open your hearts to the light of Christ so that He may be born in you! Merry Christmas!  (Light Up Our Life- Angie Killian) The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

Have a Social with the Saints! Receive encouragement for your daily life as we meet & discuss this chain-smoking misfit who became a heroic martyr during the Second World War. Who was she? Be encouraged and inspired in your daily life! Get a free quote card and pamphlet of Bl Sára Salkaházi here. We invite you to share them with friends and family. We want to hear from you! What struck you about Bl Sára Salkaházi? Please send us your feedback to join the conversation by email at ministry@pilgrimcenterofhope.org The official Socials with the Saints theme song is "Hero's Ascent" by Chris Haugen. Used with permission. Thanks for listening, and remember, you are never alone in the communion of the saints! May God bless you. Help us spread hope!

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Pastor Jim Miller and today's message entitled, "Not What They Thought." TODAY'S MESSAGE " Hundreds of years before Christ was born, the prophets foretold a Messiah. They saw him coming, and promised a king who would be like no other. In the same way that they prepared for him, we do as well." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

Episode 259How We Feel Disrespected Sensers! Have you ever just felt in your mind whether it was justified or not that you were unworthy? So when those thoughts arise, how do you go about handling them as they occur? Do we go to vices? Do we sit with those thoughts? Do we project onto those around us? What gets the happy feeling going inside you? When life gets challenging as we know it to be a constant battle, what do you do to generate the happy chemicals inside your mind to shift your mood in an upward spiral? Is it a song? Is it a touch? Is it a thought? Is it an accomplishment? Fellas, have you ever been in a toxic situation with a woman and found yourself tolerating behavior you wouldn't want to see your son or father face? How did you handle that level of disrespect? How much of the disrespect did you enable for it to prolong as long as it did in your life? What do you do when you feel that you've been disrespected by a woman? May God and His Universe remove any negative energy you may have stored from reading this. If you dig the episode, click, like, and share on your page. Help build the tribe of healing

Welcome to the “Prison Pulpit” on the China Compass podcast! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. Follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I share, among other things, daily reminders to pray for China. Also, feel free to email any questions or comments to bfwesten at gmail dot com. And last but not least, learn more about (most of) our strategic prayer and missions projects @ PrayGiveGo.us! The Prison Pulpit As I’ve stated all year, the goal of the Prison Pulpit series is to remind people to pray for persecuted believers as Hebrews 13:3 teaches us to do: “Remember those who are in prison, as bound with them.” As I am recording this podcast, we have just passed the 7th anniversary of the attack and forced closure of Early Rain Church in Chengdu, China, and the arrest of Pastor Wang Yi, on December 9th, 2018. A couple weeks ago I read the Wang Yi family newsletter that was published just 12 days before his arrest on Dec 9, 2018. Last week I shared a few updates that were put out by unnamed Early Rain Church members in the aftermath of the attack and arrest of the pastor and most of the leadership. As one of last week's updates reminded us, there was no guarantee that the next update would ever come. Arrests were ongoing and, for lack of a better phrase, church leaders were falling like flies. However, in spite of all this, more updates did follow, and I want to share some of them with you now: Early Rain Urgent Prayer Update #10 (12/12/18) May the Lord give us love for souls. These law enforcement officers greatly need the gospel of Christ. They have greatly sinned against God. We need to pray for them, for we were once like them. May the Lord himself speak words of comfort to us, for he has given his life for us. We suffer with those brothers and sisters who suffer as though imprisoned with them. May God make peace like a river flow through our hearts… Please strengthen your resolve, brothers and sisters. Experience in the midst of every kind of tribulation and danger the filling of the Holy Spirit and the renewal of your lives. Early Rain Urgent Prayer Update (12/15/18) According to some testimonies of brothers and sisters that have emerged, they have been sharing the gospel while under guard. They have been using their suffering as a beautiful testimony for the Lord. Some police officers and workers have been very interested in the gospel, even giving their addresses and asking for Bibles. May the Lord choose for himself children from among these law enforcement officers persecuting the church. Another encouraging testimony from a church member who was just released from 10 days of detention... “It is like a monastery in there. I cultivated myself for ten days there. Thank God for his protection. I often shared the gospel in there. There was a Tibetan named Z who really wanted to hear preaching, to join a small group, and to become a Christian. There was also a master’s student who has been quite miserable since entering [the detention center]. He wanted to buy a Bible, and I told him I would give him one. He also wanted to attend a small group Bible study. There was also another person who used to belong to a traditional house church but who stumbled because of marriage problems. I am preparing to give him one of our church’s thumb drives so he can listen to preaching. Please keep praying for the nearly 20 brothers and sisters at the detention center and for Yingxu and Shuqi, about whom we still have no information. And pray for the others, as well, because we don’t know how they are doing now. It is a high-level detention center, and it is quite strict; but from another perspective, the despair of the prisoners inside is also quite high, making evangelizing more fruitful. Thank the Lord!” Lord, the greatest freedom in the world is the freedom of becoming your children. You say that we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. May your Spirit fill us and make us to worship freely, to enter prison freely, to spread the gospel freely. Give us free and noble hearts. Turn us into liberated criminals willing to be detained by the world. For a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted you, they will persecute us. We also ask you to forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Open their eyes to see your glory and turn them into free children! In the cross, in the cross / Be my glory ever / All our sins are washed away / Only by His blood. Follow China Compass Subscribe to China Compass wherever you get your podcasts. Follow me on X (@chinaadventures), email anytime (bfwesten at gmail dot com), and check out our website (PrayGiveGo.us). Hebrews 13:3!

Grail Psalms? Anglican Ordinariate? Flaws in "My Catholic Faith"? Forgiving myself? Excessive grieving? Euthanasia: murder by doctor? Catholic devotion to Mary: viewer objects! Absurdity of "Bible alone." Leo's program: leftist politics and religion. This episode was recorded on 12/16/2025. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!