Podcasts about maybe god

Daily Dose of Hope May 19, 2025 Day 1 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 1   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come before you on this Monday, as we start a new week, with both humility and gratefulness.  You are so powerful, so holy, and so wise.  We need you.  We seek you.  We are desperate to hear a word from you today, Lord.  We also know that we have failed over and over again.  Lord, forgive us for our sins, for the ways we fall short.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...Jesus, help us stay focused on you and your Word today.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start the book of Matthew.  While the author does not identify himself, most scholars agree it was written by Matthew the tax collector.  He actually mentions himself a couple times in the Gospel.  The events in the book take place in the first 40 or so years of the first century.  It was actually written somewhere between 50 and 90AD.   Let's keep in mind that all the Gospel accounts were passed down and taught orally for about 30-40 years before they were written down.  Each Gospel author collected and arranged these accounts to highlight certain themes about Jesus.  Mark, who we just finished, emphasized Jesus' authority.  Matthew, on the other hand, very intentionally uses his Gospel to demonstrate the continuation and fulfillment of the whole Biblical story of God and the people of Israel.  Thus, he emphasizes how Jesus is the Messiah in the line of David, and he focuses on how Jesus is Immanuel (which means in Hebrew, God with us.) Matthew 1 starts with a genealogy.  Sometimes, our inclination is the brush over the genealogies, but this one is pretty unique.  First, we can see the connection between the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus. As we read through the names on the list, we get a picture of God's history of redemption for his people.  Abraham and David are highlights, as both were recipients of God's promises for the people of Israel, significant parts of redemptive history.  Another reason I love this genealogy is that five women are specifically mentioned. This was at a time when women were basically never mentioned in the history of patriarchal societies. And here we are, five very unique and interesting women–Tamar (who was quite tricky to achieve her purpose), Rahab (at one point a prostitute), Ruth (a Moabite), Uriah's wife (Bathsheba), and Mary.   The first four women were Gentiles or married to Gentiles, they were outsiders to a certain extent, and yet they had tenacious faith, the kind that would be critical for faith in Jesus.  This focus on Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba leads to the introduction of Mary.  It's like the author is saying, “Don't discount Mary!”  She may not be who you would expect to be the mother of the Savior of the world but God uses all kinds of people!  God lifts up all kinds of women, those who are proper and those who aren't. What a beautiful reminder that the Gospel is for ALL. Then, we have Joseph's story.  Joseph is probably the most underrated person in the Christmas story. He is like the father of the bride at the wedding. No one notices him yet he gets to help pay for the whole shin-dig. But Joseph is an example of faithful, unquestioning obedience in the middle of fearful, life-altering circumstances.   Scripture says that Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.  Remember, Mary was a very young girl and was probably very poor.  Joseph would have been older than her.  We tend to think of Joseph as a carpenter but really it's more likely he was a general builder. He was from a kind of backwater, remote area of Palestine. He was probably illiterate (education was generally just for merchants and aristocrats at the time). Both Mary and Joseph were humble people from a very humble part of Israel.   Scripture continues, "before they came together, it was found that Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit." Joseph, being a righteous man, faithful to the law, didn't want her to be publicly disgraced so he had decided to divorce her quietly. At the time, when one became engaged, it was much more formal than it is today. Most likely, Joseph had made an agreement with Mary's father, perhaps years earlier, to take Mary as his wife. This would have been a binding agreement. In the eyes of the law, they were as good as married already, even though the relationship had not been consummated.   Mary was found to be pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind that all Joseph knows at this time is that she is pregnant. His fiancé is pregnant and he knows the baby isn't his. We don't think much about Joseph's feelings. We focus a lot on Mary (and rightfully so) but Jospeh must have had all kinds of feelings too.  The whole thing must have been crushing for him. He had hopes and dreams. My guess is that he was hurt and betrayed. Despite that, he doesn't fly into an angry rage or have a desire to hurt Mary even though this would have amounted to adultery in their culture.   Joseph had compassion. He doesn't want to bring additional shame onto Mary if he can help it. Part of this could have been that Joseph was older than Mary. He might have known that a girl of that age didn't really have much control over her sexuality in that culture. Joseph is in a predicament. He wants to be faithful to the law, so he can no longer marry her, but yet he doesn't want to humiliate her either. So he decides to quietly divorce her, not make too much of a big deal about it. Regardless, Mary would face humiliation and be ostracized. That was the nature of the situation.   But before Joseph breaks off the engagement, he goes home and goes to sleep. It's always good to sleep on big decisions. While he is sleeping, an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” And here is the amazing thing. Scripture says that when he woke up, Joseph did what the angel told him and took Mary as his wife. If Joseph had doubts, they weren't recorded. If he made excuses, we certainly don't know about them. It appears he was simply obedient.    It's worth mentioning that the angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to marry Mary because the baby she is carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We know that Mary was risking a lot, but Joseph was also taking big risks here. He also will make some pretty significant sacrifices. People are generally pretty good at counting and they would know that the baby was conceived before they got married. He also faces being ostracized and being an outcast in his community. It was scary! What would their lives look like? What would their families do? What would become of them? Joseph models for us that we can be obedient in spite of fear. He did what was commanded of him, even when it was hard.   Being obedient to God doesn't always look like we want it to look. Let's be real. We want being obedient to God to be a good job with a comfortable salary, a nice home, good schools for our kids, plenty of leisure time and fun activities, a fairly decent social standing, and occasional church attendance. For most of us, if we are honest, that's what we want obedience to God to look like the typical American dream.  But we learn from Joseph is that obedience to God might not always make sense, it might not be popular, and it might not be comfortable.   Obedience to God may also require sacrifice. In the case of Joseph, obedience may have cost him his reputation and his place in the community. We know that later it means he has to drop everything to go to Bethlehem for a census. Then, he has to go to Egypt to keep the baby safe from an evil king. This probably wasn't what Joseph envisioned for his young family.   When God calls us to something, there are often things we have to give up. Joseph gave up stability and safety. Think about what God has called you to. Maybe God has called you to minister to someone and give up your time. Maybe God has called you to share your faith with your neighbor, coworker, or that person at the gym and risk rejection. Maybe God has called you to volunteer in a specific area or give sacrificially to a mission partner. Maybe God has called you to go back to school, change jobs, reconcile with an estranged friend or family member. Maybe God has called you to full-time ministry. However God has called you (and I can guarantee he has called you in some way), it typically involves some kind of sacrifice, discomfort, and hard work. Being obedient to God doesn't always look like we want it to look.   The last thing I'll mention is that God calls us to obey even when we are fearful of the future. This is so hard but God calls us to obey through the fear. We trust that if God has called us to it, God will see us through it. What I've come to learn is that obedience and trust go hand in hand.   Have a wonderful Monday.  We will chat again tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Instead of asking, “Am I past my prime?” we should be asking:“Am I living this stage of life with purpose and perspective?” Ecclesiastes invites us to live in light of eternity—not to despair over what we’ve lost, but to rejoice in how much time we still have to glorify God. Whether your “second act” looks like a new calling, a slower pace, or mentoring others—you’re still in the story God is writing. Think of Sarah, Paul, Noah—some of their most meaningful work happened later in life. “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13 That’s your calling, whether you’re 18 or 80. Join the Conversation:We want to hear from you! How are you embracing your current season of life? Have you discovered a new purpose in your “second act”? Leave a comment on today’s episode, or share your story on Instagram using #Lifeaudionetwork. Let’s encourage one another to live well—no matter what chapter we’re in. Full Transcript Below: Looking Forward to the Second Act By: Laura Bailey “Anyone who is among the living has hope —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” Ecclesiastes 9:4 NIV Turning my head from side to side, lifting my eyebrows, and pulling back the skin around my chin, I wondered if it was time for me to start an anti-aging routine. I turn 40 in six months, and truthfully, until a few weeks ago, the approaching descent into middle age didn’t bother me. Most of my friends are in their forties and fifties, and their lives seem to be thriving; they didn’t take going over the hill as their life was over. Instead, it was almost as if they started living. Most were experiencing the perks of older children or an empty nest, reaping the benefits of a successful career, or embracing a slower pace where they could finally stop and smell the roses. And yet, I couldn’t shake the persistent accusing voice that dominated my thoughts, “the best years are behind you.” We live in a society that elevates youth over maturity, but God’s word says the opposite. Proverbs 16:1 tells us that gray hair is a crown of glory, and Job 12:12 shows that more trips around the sun bring more profound knowledge and rich experiences to our lives. Scripture tells us to honor our elders, to respect them, and to glean wisdom from their lifetime of lessons. The “second act” of our lives can be even better than the first half, especially if we live with the proper perspective. The book of Ecclesiastes invites readers to experience the benefits of a life in light of eternity. One of the book's central themes is the reality of our mortality, which shouldn’t drive us to despair but encourage us to ask, “Am I using my time on earth well?” What does it mean to live life well? Solomon, Ecclesiastes's author, tells us in verse 12:13, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” God created humanity with a purpose to glorify Him and make Him known. As the author of our lives, God divinely appoints the days, when we will be born and depart from this earth. Every stage, season, decade, or year serves a purpose, as Ecclesiastes 9:4 tells us that while we have breath in our lungs, we have hope! Not only that, but our lives have a purpose, no matter how many candles are on the cake. We don’t have to fight the signs of aging, cling to the memories of yesterday, or long for youth. Instead, we can embrace God’s plan and purpose for a new life stage. Perhaps, like Sarah, in our second act, the Lord grants a request we’ve been praying about for decades ( Genesis 21:1-7). Maybe God will call us to a completely different career path, project, or passion, like Paul ( Acts 9). Or, potentially, God will make room for you to rest, shedding the weight of the responsibilities of your younger years and having time to invest in the next generation before you go to glory like Noah ( Genesis 6-9). I don’t know what the Lord has planned for me next. Truthfully, my life is not what my 18-year-old self would have envisioned for my forties. But it is beautiful, and I am assured that it will be infinitely better than I had planned because of God’s providence. I am learning that God is more interested in my heart’s posture than my productivity. This allows me freedom and grace to age well, knowing that I am fulfilling my purpose as long as I bring God glory and honor. And well, that looks different in different seasons of life. I pray that as the years tick by, I grow in spiritual maturity and biblical wisdom and that my life always looks more like Christ today than it did yesterday. The best is yet to come, if not in this life; those of us in Christ have the promise of eternity. The end of earthly existence is not the end but only the beginning. May we use the time the Lord grants us well, making the most of every season as we live in light of eternity. Intersecting Faith and Life: A friend once encouraged me to stop asking, “What does God want me to do?” and instead think, “Who does God want me to serve?” This season, take some time to consider your current circumstances. Who can you serve, show God’s love, or pray over? For Further Reading: Hope if You Aren’t Living Your Best Life Now The Aging Process: Life is Seasonal Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Jesus said that we're to be his witnesses to the ENDS of the Earth! And here they are reaching further than it's ever been before… All because Paul and Silas trusted and adjusted to God's to somewhere plans and just try to force their own! Maybe today some of you need to do the same… ● Maybe God is closing some doors ● Maybe God is saying no to opportunity ● Maybe God is saying stop to something that seems good and it doesn't make sense To redirect you… to make your paths straight… If you sense that, will you follow God's leading and adjust as necessary to let him guide you? How do you know? ASK don't Assume

Is it possible to find meaning in the places we once thought were meaningless? Maybe God is found in the absence, the silence. Join us as we talk about it. This is the audio podcast.

Do you ever sit in your car with the engine running but haven’t yet put it in drive? You can pray for direction all day, but at some point, you’ve got to step on the gas. Pastor Greg Laurie says our Christian walk is like that. There’s a time to be still and trust, but there’s also a time to move. Maybe God is calling you to take action, just like He did with Nehemiah. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, good encouragement about stepping up and moving forward in our walk of faith. Listen on harvest.org --- Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever sit in your car with the engine running but haven’t yet put it in drive? You can pray for direction all day, but at some point, you’ve got to step on the gas. Pastor Greg Laurie says our Christian walk is like that. There’s a time to be still and trust, but there’s also a time to move. Maybe God is calling you to take action, just like He did with Nehemiah. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, good encouragement about stepping up and moving forward in our walk of faith. Listen on harvest.org --- Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on I Know That My Redeemer Lives (Easter Sunday). He will be reading out of Job 19: 25-26. And Job just says, okay. Maybe God is gonna slay me. Maybe God is punishing me. I don't know. But no matter what God allows in my life or what God causes […] The post I Know That My Redeemer Lives (Easter Sunday) first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

The whole resurrection of Jesus thing – can be a bit hard to swallow. I mean – did it really happen? And if it did, what does it mean for us here and now?   A Crazy Morning Let me paint you a picture. Just the other day, someone you love has passed away. You really admired and trusted this person. I mean, you'd seen them in operation and now they're gone. It's a shock. It shouldn't have happened. They were so young and so full of potential and promise; they had a future. And now that person's gone. It takes some time to come to grips with that sort of a loss. The shock, the sadness, even anger – we go through all sorts of different stages in that grieving process. You wake up with that dull headache in your head … what's it about? And then you remember your loss. But the phone rings and it's another friend and they're ranting and they're raving that this person who was dead, they're saying, "He's alive! He's alive! I've seen him!" Hang on a minute, what sort of a crackpot is this. What's going on? Is this some sick joke? But your friend's adamant. "He's alive!" Now what? How do you react to that? I mean, it's an incredible claim, an incredulous claim. Mad. You saw him die with your own eyes – arrested, crucified, buried and defiantly very, very dead. You know, in one sense it's almost easy to believe if you read it in the Bible. You know, it's something that happened a couple of thousand years ago to Jesus, I mean, long enough ago to make it safe. You know what I mean. Sure God could do anything, God could do that way back then, it was 2000 years ago. The question is, if you believe that Jesus rose from the dead again lets just transpose that into today, here and now. You get a phone call tomorrow morning, ‘Jesus is alive!' You saw him die … he's alive. Today we're going to put ourselves back in the shoes of the Disciples right there in that place in Jerusalem. This is the second message in a series of four that I've called, “The Price He Paid for You”. And it's about that part of the Easter story that involves the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What was that about? Did it happen, and if it did, what does it mean to you and me, here and now? Now, if we put ourselves back in the shoes of those Disciples, right there in that Jerusalem 2000 years ago with the Jesus they knew, all of a sudden it gets a whole lot harder to believe. It was a bit like that for Mary Magdalene: She went down to the tomb to embalm the body of Jesus and Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept she bent over to look inside the tomb and she saw two angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been – one at the head and the other at the foot. And they asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?' ‘They've taken Jesus, my Lord away,' she said, ‘and I don't know where they've put him'. At this she turned around and she saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't realise it was Him. ‘Woman,' He said, ‘why are you crying? What are you looking for?' Thinking that He was the gardener she says, ‘Sir, if you've carried Him away, tell me where you've put Him and I'll go and get Him.' And Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.' And she turned towards Him and cried out in Aramaic ‘Rabonni' which means ‘teacher'. Jesus said, ‘Don't hold onto me as I haven't yet returned to the Father, go instead to my brothers, the Disciples and tell them I'm returning to my Father and your Father and to my God and to your God.' And Mary Magdalene went to the Disciples with the news. ‘I've seen the Lord,' she told them.” He had said these things to her. See it wasn't only Mary. I mean, I love the fact that even though Jesus had told them time and time and time again He would rise from the dead, she looked at Jesus and it's so incredible to think that He could possibly be alive, she mistakes Him for the gardener. Do you know the joke in that? The Son of God has risen from the grave and Mary, I mean the humour here is just something else, Mary looks at Him and thinks he's the gardener – the guy that mows the lawns and weeds the garden and does the edges. But she wasn't the only one: After that Thomas, sometime they call him doubting Thomas now Thomas was one of the Twelve and he wasn't with the Disciples first came to them after He'd risen from the dead, and so the other Disciples said to him, ‘Thomas, we've seen the Lord, He's alive'. But Thomas said, ‘Come on, unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my fingers where the nails were and put my hand into His side where they pierced Him, I am not going to believe this rubbish.' Now work that out. Jesus' Disciples were in a house together and this time Thomas was with them, and though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you, Shalom.' And then He said to Thomas, ‘Tom, come on, put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and start believing.' And Thomas just said, ‘My Lord and My God.' Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me you believe and are blessed. But blessed are those who have not yet seen but they believe'. Now I don't know but I think I'm with Thomas. This is hard to believe when you're close to it. What do you believe? Maybe it's an uncomfortable question. Maybe it's easy to consign this resurrection of Jesus thing back into the past. Kind of like a fable that we give some moderate level of intellectual assent to; a kind of vague, half-believing insurance policy thing. But the Apostle Paul takes it very seriously. In Romans Chapter 10 verse 9 he says: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead then you'll be saved. 1 Corinthians Chapter 15 verse 17: If Christ has not been raised than your faith is futile. So for Paul the resurrection wasn't some optional extra; it wasn't some kind of distant myth; not something we can just kind of half believe, maybe. And we can say, "Look, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead." But see what Paul says here, "If you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead then you'll be saved and if you don't believe from the heart that God has raised Him from the dead then you're wasting your time." What do you believe in your heart about the resurrection of Jesus? The resurrection can seem completely incongruous amidst the day-to-day realities of our lives. I mean, we get up and we go to work and we do all the stuff and we sit in meetings and we take the kids to school and we do all those day-to-day things. And you look around and you think, "Could Jesus in the midst of all this normality, could He have risen from the dead?" Now stick the resurrection right in the middle of your day-to-day reality and ask me, "Berni, in the middle of all this, do you actually believe that this Jesus was raised from the dead? I mean, it seems incongruous, it's an outrageous notion; it just doesn't fit. Come on Berni, do you really believe this stuff?" And my answer to you is, "Absolutely. I do. I believe in my heart that Jesus was raised from the dead." That's me. What about you? What do you believe, and if Jesus did rise from the dead, so what? What does it mean to you here and now, today?   Living the Resurrection Okay, if Jesus did rise from the dead, what does it mean to you and me, here and now? What relevance is there in all of that for our lives? Can the resurrection of Jesus Christ have any impact on your life and mine today? I think they're the right questions to ask. I mean, why have a resurrection at all? Why did God plan it that way, and why did He make it central to believing in Jesus? Earlier we saw how the Apostle Paul said it was essential that without faith in this resurrection there was no point: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” “And if Christ wasn't raised then your faith is futile." Okay, that's the theology if you like. Take that at face value. But why is it so important? Why does God put it right at the centre of believing in Jesus? It's not an optional extra, it's central. So I'm a pesky bloke; I keep asking these questions because truthfully, people never explained this stuff when I became a Christian at first, in terms that I could really understand and lay hold of. All these Christians were talking about the resurrection and the blood of the Lamb and all this sort of stuff, like it was really important. Well, great, but why? Believing in Jesus for me is a process; it's a lifelong thing that happens. And at some point I took the step of faith to believe in Him but what I discovered was there were lots of different parts of my life that didn't fit with Him – selfishness, anger, judgement – and I'm a really judgemental person naturally in the flesh, all stuff that actually stunted my growth. It's crazy how we want to hold onto the rubbish in our lives for dear life, but we do. And it turns out to rob us of life. You know, I used to spend most of my time being angry with people because they didn't measure up to my standards. They didn't see the world the way I did. And you know what, that robbed me of life. So instead of peace and joy, I was always angry. There was always resentment in my heart. Not rocket science is it. Its one thing to believe with our head or our heart in Jesus and to live it out authentically requires change and that's where the resurrection comes in. Again, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans Chapter 8: If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you. Let's unpack that. You have the crucifixion, the death of Jesus, where Jesus paid for all our sins. You know, we turned away from God, we missed the whole point of creation, that's what sin is (we looked at that last week) but God is loving and just. We've all fallen short and so Jesus died for us, and when we believe in that, our slate is wiped clean. We're forgiven and we have a fresh start. Like a prisoner coming out of gaol having served his sentence. It's fantastic. But you and I know that getting rid of that rubbish in our lives that God calls sin, it's a life-long process. Come on, we're all naturally selfish. At least I am. Someone does us wrong somehow and we want anger and revenge and payback time. But Jesus turns around and says, "Do you want to believe in Me with your life? Well show me, go on. Go out and love your enemy, in fact pray for them." I don't know about you but that way of living just didn't come naturally to me. So the process of changing we discover changing those things is really hard. I mean, it's very hard, and in fact in some areas it's downright impossible. I was just talking recently with some friends and I know I'm a very outcome-oriented person and I expect everyone else to be the same. They're not. Some people are wonderfully relationship-oriented, much more so than I am. Now those people aren't outcome-oriented but we need them too. So what am I going to do? Do I spend my whole life getting angry with them? Do I spend my whole life complaining about people who are different to me and they don't fit with my way of thinking and behaving? I mean, Paul bemoans this reality in Romans Chapter 7 when he says: I can will to do what's right I just can't seem to do it. Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrection is learning to live again. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through that same Spirit. God wants to bring life back to our bodies, colour into our cheeks. How many people need that in their lives right now, and they're looking in all sorts of strange places. There a people who are broken and hurt inside; there are people who are suffering from low self-esteem; there are people addicted to anger like I was; and we go looking for solutions in all these wrong places when the solution is staring us in the face. This isn't some theory, its actuality. The same Holy Spirit who breathed life back into the dead body of Jesus is the Spirit that wants to give us victory over the sin of our humanity and breathe life back into our mortal bodies. That's what the resurrection is about here and now. The Spirit wants to give us victory and a new life. Come on, this is great stuff, this is a great plan, this is good news. It's fantastic news! God wants to do for you and for me, here and now and every moment of every day for the rest of our lives here on earth, to keep changing us and setting us free and filling us with fresh new life what He did for Jesus when He brought Jesus back to life after the crucifixion on the Cross. God wants to give us a new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Isn't that awesome? In a moment we're going to take a deeper look at that, because Jesus, as it turns out, has something very, very special for you and me.   A Certain Hope for Tomorrow Have you ever been in a place where you've lost all hope? Hope, as it turns out is a very precious commodity. We all need it in our lives to look forward to; to hope in the deep sense that I have future, I know where I'm going. And when there is no future it's tragic. When we lose hope it feels like our life is over, and that's the problem with death. We all die at some point physically. Some die young; others watch their bodies progressively give up the ghost. If God is God though, if He loves us the way the Bible says He does, then hope will be very, very high on His list, because the last thing that would do or He would want for us is to experience hopelessness and it turns out that hope is very high on His list indeed. That's what the whole resurrection thing is about. It's a funny thing, but when things are going bad in our lives, isn't it funny how hope breaks really quickly. Have you noticed that? Look at the Disciples: over and over again Jesus told them, ‘Guys, I'm going to be crucified but I'm going to rise again. Come on!' He told them lots of times, but when it happened, when He died, they were fearful, they were devastated, they were scattered to the four winds. They deserted Him; they completely lost sight of His promise of the resurrection, the thing that would give them hope. Actually most of them, as we saw before, needed convincing that Jesus was alive again. Bit like us. Life takes a turn for the worst, the first thing you do is you throw hope out the window. It's kind of natural. 1 Chronicles Chapter 29 verse 15 says: Our days on earth are like a shadow without hope. And let me get right in your face now for a bit, because we need some good teaching on hope. It's not ‘hope that it rains tomorrow' or ‘hope that it doesn't rain tomorrow', I mean the certain hope that faith in Jesus Christ brings. When we put our trust in Jesus in the good times and we lay down our lives and we love Him and we adore Him and we worship Him and we follow Him with our lives, I tell you what happens: when the storm clouds start to roll in, something strange and new and wonderful happens in our hearts. It's like that hope shines and won't go out. Peter the Apostle writes in His first letter, Chapter 1 verse 3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … It's a beautiful passage, if you have a Bible grab it, and have a look: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (I love that) “a new birth into a living hope, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead into an inheritance that's imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for us who are being protected by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this we rejoice, even though now for a while we've had to suffer various trials. Boy that's an understatement. The people Peter was writing to, the Christians, were being tarred and feathered, burnt at the stake, fed to the lions, killed and Peter writes to them and says, “… but you know something, when you look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have a certain hope for the future.” Over and over again the New Testament talks about Jesus being the firstborn from among the dead. In other words, it points back to His resurrection. Jesus took all of our sin, He who knew no sin became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. So He died because of our sin and He's the first of many to rise again. He's the firstborn, the first one in this resurrection cycle and we put our hope in that because we too when we believe in Jesus, will rise again and have eternal life. One day when my body gives up the ghost, one day I'll stand before Jesus for ever and ever and ever. It's a historical fact that death couldn't hold Jesus down, and when we put our trust in Him, that's where we put our hope. Our problem is, we spend so much time hoping for the next pay rise, hoping for some temporal bauble here on earth that we lose sight of the living hope we have through Jesus Christ, through His resurrection. Let's do it again: By His great mercy He has given us a new birth. We are born again into a living hope, not an uncertain hope, not a hope that's fleeting and fading but a certain hope – the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading that is there for you, that is there for me, if we put our faith in Jesus. And if we're able to say before God in our hearts, ‘Jesus is your son, He died for me, He rose again', it's rock solid. And do you know the basis of that promise – it's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at your life for the moment, the things that aren't going too well for you at the moment; the things that you might want to change. The reality is that we can't change some of them. Maybe God will change some of them, I don't know, but in the meantime He wants us to live life in the certain hope that we have a future, an eternal future. And we know that because we can look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He defeated sin on the Cross – the wages of our sin became His death. But Jesus defeated that. He paid for my sin, He paid for my sin on the Cross and still He rose again even though He bore all that sin. And that's what awaits us. That doesn't compare to anything you and I can have on earth here. It just doesn't compare. That certain hope of eternal life with Jesus far outweighs it far eclipses anything we could have here and now. John writes in the book of Revelation Chapter 21; he gives us a glimpse, like a crack opens up in heaven and he's able to see inside: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. And I saw the Holy City – the New Jerusalem – coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death or mourning of crying or pain for the old things have passed away. Nothing, nothing comes anywhere close to that. We wander around down here in the weeds and the murky mire and we try to get hope and satisfaction out of all sorts of things that are going to pass away. What things on this earth be able to take with us when we breathe our last, come on? That's why God wants us to put our faith in Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is God's call to set our eyes and our hearts and everything we are and all our hopes and dreams on heavenly things because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ – the first among many. That's where we are going when we trust in Jesus. Paul writes in Colossians Chapter 3 verse 1: If you have been raised with Christ, set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things on the earth because you have died to them. It is time my friend for you and me to start living our lives from an eternal perspective. When the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central truth, central to what we believe in our hearts, two things change. Firstly, the Holy Spirit starts taking away the rubbish that God calls sin and giving us life here and now – vibrant and abundant life. And secondly, no matter what happens, no matter how sick we get, how poor we get, we know that one day we will stand before Jesus Christ. Cry Hallelujah!

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will save it.” Back home on the farm it was not uncommon for kittens to be born around this time of year. The momma cats liked the hay mow of our barn. The old bales of hay and straw provided nooks and crannies for secluded little dens. We kids liked to find these newborn kittens and tame them. The kittens were terrified at first. Their fur would be sticking out and their claws extended, but eventually they would trust you. You could tell when your job was done when the kitten would start to purr while lying on your lap. The image I would like to bring to your mind is perhaps one you've experienced. Sometimes these kittens would be a few weeks old before we would find them. Kittens grow up quickly. These older kittens would want to run away, but if they couldn't, they would fight back. They were still quite helpless, but they wanted you to believe they were far from helpless. They would puff out their fur, arch their backs, growl, and make that weird spitting sound with their mouths as they would strike out with their paws. This was quite intimidating. The kittens were quite harmless, but they made me think twice. It was 99% bluffing. If the kitten were facing a real enemy, all this play-acting would be futile. All the enemy would need to do is snatch the kitten up in its jaws, and that would be the end of that. Human beings can be like those bluffing kittens when it comes to things that are stronger than us. Sin is much stronger than us. I wish we could always and easily tell sin to take a hike, but sin often gets the better of us. Our guilt is stronger than us. We accumulated so much guilt by our evil deeds. The devil is stronger. Death is stronger. We are quite helpless. We are like kittens. However, it is not uncommon to think we can somehow defeat these enemies. If we bristle out our fur, arch our backs, and strike out, maybe we'll be left alone. With sin and guilt, for example, the most common strategy is simply to forget about them. As time passes, the pangs of conscience lessen, but does forgetfulness really make our sin go away? Does shutting our eyes or pulling the blanket over our heads make the monster go away? Another strategy for dealing with sin and guilt is to fight back. Maybe God's commandments are old fashioned or impractical. Maybe you couldn't live the life that you want to live and still keep God's commandments. God wants us to be happy, doesn't he? “Live and let live” is great advice for a certain kind of peaceable life. However does this make sin and guilt go away? Maybe our conscience is soothed for yet another day, but the enemy remains. The strategies regarding death can be similar. Nothing is more common than ignoring death. Put it out of mind so that you can more fully embrace whatever good might be coming your way. This sounds like good advice, and maybe it has its place, but does it make death go away? Or maybe instead of taking death seriously we can celebrate life. Hopefully the person in question is good enough so that we can celebrate. Hopefully they didn't commit any gross sins—at least not publicly. Hopefully they were only guilty of the common and respectable sins that church people commit. Otherwise it might feel strange to celebrate. But, in any case, what does it matter? It is all for nothing. Even with all this bragging and story telling the person remains quite dead. A few short decades later, they will be quite forgotten. In all our dealings with these forces we are like defenseless kittens. We do what we can. We put on a show. But nothing can really be done. It's all play-acting. It's all bluffing. Our very real enemies have us in their jaws whether we make a fuss or not. I think this might help us better understand a statement of Jesus's that can be quite enigmatic otherwise. He said on one occasion: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but however loses his life on account of me will save it.” We might think that we have no other choice than to playact and to bluff. We have to cope somehow. But if we commit ourselves to these strategies for dealing with these very real enemies, then we will have a very different savior in our minds than Jesus—and what a pathetic Savior it is too. A kitten pretending to be a tiger? By trying to save our own life we will lose it. But what is the alternative? The alternative is to believe in Jesus. However, this belief will be under the cross. That means we will be in unfavorable conditions and will suffer loss. As Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but however loses his life on account of me will save it.” We must lose our life with Jesus. What does that mean? It means that we allow whatever nasty enemies who have invaded our comfy little den to bite and devour us, while believing, at the same time, that they will not be triumphant. Though they do their worst—though they have me in their jaws—I will prevail because my God is for me and not against me. God will save me when the time is right even if I should end up in their gullet, in the belly of a large fish, or in a den of lions. Let's apply this to the enemies we've already talked about. There are a lot of ways to cope with sin, but Jesus is the only one way to be victorious. Repent and believe the good news that Jesus is the Savior of sinners. But even when we have done this, sin remains a powerful enemy. I wish that we Christians could become so strong that we could always tell sin to take a hike, but we aren't. Seasoned Christians know that the devil has very good aim with his poisoned arrows. He can find the gap in our armor so that we fall into sin quite against our will. Our situation with death is very similar. Try as we might, we can't avoid it. This is true for Christians and non-Christians alike. We all die. The difference with Christians is that we believe Jesus when he says: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The first part of that statement is clear enough. We believe that even if we should die, yet we will live because we will be resurrected. But what about the second part when he says, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die?” The apostles died. Christians for two thousand years have died. Did none of those live and believe in him? No. They were believers. And they didn't die—not really. They died in the belief that this slight momentary affliction of death would last but a little while; salvation comes with the morning. Sometimes the New Testament calls death a sleep. When we go to sleep at night we do not fall asleep with horror. We know that the morning is coming. Not only will we wake up, but we will even feel refreshed and energized. So it is with those who die with faith in Jesus, the resurrection and the life. Unfortunately, those who really will die are like foolish kittens who think that they can save themselves by playacting. They think they can stave off death or come to terms with it. They think memories or celebrations can make the person live on in some sense. This posturing and fuss and bother are as insubstantial as smoke. They don't know how strong their enemy is. Imagine the horror the kitten feels when their show doesn't work, but they find themselves in the jaws nonetheless. That is death. I understand perfectly why people do playacting. It can seem like the only recourse we've got. It can seem defeatist to admit anything is stronger than us. We are told always to fight, and for good reason. We don't want to be in those jaws. Playacting is a way to convince ourselves that we need not be in those jaws. The kitten is desperate not to be picked up because it doesn't know what might happen. One thing is sure: it will lose control. In order to be a Christian we must lose control, so to speak. We must put ourselves and our futures into the hands of a God who has told us that he has our best interests in mind even as we are going through painful or scary circumstances. And this is not like a fairy tale where the enemy is no more and can no longer hurt us. It will be like that in heaven, but not until then. The apostles said this plainly. They said, “It is only through many hardships that we will enter the kingdom of God.” We kittens have many enemies and their teeth are sharp. However, we have hope! Even if we should die, yet shall we live, and declare the praises of the Lord. On Good Friday it is fitting to think about our enemies such as sin and death, which are more powerful than we are. Good Friday and Easter show us that Jesus is more powerful than sin and death. However, Jesus saves in a very special way. He doesn't ignore sin and death. He doesn't go around them. He doesn't go over them or under them. He goes through them. The jaws clamped on him, just as they clamp on us. However, what looked like defeat, proved to be victory. The same thing is true for us Christians. We cannot get rid of sin. We cannot avoid death. We go through these things. They bite and gnash with dreadful effects, but even while they are doing their worst, we believe that we will be victorious and they will be defeated. Jesus will see to that. Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will save it.” Amen.

Are you disillusioned with God? Are you disappointed because your expectations haven't been met? Maybe God didn't heal you or provide certain finances? John the Baptist dealt with these same struggles. The very man who proclaimed Christ as the Messiah was now doubting that himself. John dealt with his doubts in a way that sets an example for each of us. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29

Are you disillusioned with God? Are you disappointed because your expectations haven't been met? Maybe God didn't heal you or provide certain finances? John the Baptist dealt with these same struggles. The very man who proclaimed Christ as the Messiah was now doubting that himself. John dealt with his doubts in a way that sets an example for each of us. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/790/29

Hollywood movies are a clear indicator that the end of the world is of interest to many people. We all have an existential angst about not just our personal future, but the future of the universe. Maybe God put that interest in us. What better place to turn than the Bible to find answers to how the world will end.1) The beastly nature of history2) The ironclad kingship of heaven3) The final conflict of sufferingText: Daniel 7:1-28

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Joshua 18-20; 1 Corinthians 9 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to another episode of the Daily Radio Bible! I'm your host, Hunter, your Bible reading coach, here to guide you through our daily journey in the scriptures. Today marks day 83 of our biblical exploration, where we'll delve into the book of Joshua chapters 18 through 20 and then turn our attention to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. We'll uncover the sacred narrative of land allotment among the tribes of Israel and explore the profound teachings of the Apostle Paul. As we walk through these passages, we'll reflect on the manifold ways God's word speaks to our lives today, urging us to seize the blessings He has set before us and to live intentionally in His purpose. Join me as we embark on this spiritual journey together, allowing the Bible to be our guide and comfort. Let's dig deep into these passages and discover the rich wisdom and grace they have to offer us. Grab your Bible, settle in, and let's listen to God's voice together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The lesson of the ox. In the Bible, we have these strange obscure laws like don't muzzle an ox while it's threshing grain from Deuteronomy 25. And yet within these strange and obscure sayings, there are layered implications. God is speaking to farmers about treating their animals with care, but he's also picturing for us something more, something deeper. He's including these things for us, not just for the farmer. He wants to teach us something, about the way we should treat those who serve or care for us, who work on our behalf, who even work on behalf of our soul. So when we read through the Old Testament, it seems unrelated to our everyday experience, and it often does. I mean, how does muzzling an ox have anything to do with me? When we read these things, we shouldn't dismiss them. We need to see them for what they are. Yes. He is speaking to a farmer. And, yes, Joshua is speaking to the tribes of Israel. But God is speaking to us too. It was written not just for them, but for us. God is pointing us to a deeper reading. And sometimes, that's an allegorical reading or an analogous reading. In fact, many of the church fathers felt that a “spiritual” reading of scripture was a higher form of engagement with the text. They welcome this creative allegorical interpretation of the text. Maybe God would have you chart out what he has in front of you. Maybe he would have you sit down and write out the boundaries of his blessings and gifts for you. Maybe you would find, as the children of Israel did, that there are unoccupied lands and gifts yet to be realized in your life. Maybe God is wanting you to chart them or to go out and seize them. There's a lesson in the ox. This whole Bible that we are reading is written for us. It's not just about oxen and writing reports. It's about what God has done for us. It's a revelation of Him. It's about the God who gave us his life and learning to seize and live in the reality of it. So maybe we can all chart out what God has actually done for us. And when we do that, let's go out and occupy it. Let's seize it. Let's live in the reality of who we are in Christ. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters and my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 3/23/25 by Pastor Steve Shields. The kingdom contains contaminants. Weeds are growing in the wheat. Birds are inhabiting a growing spice plant. There is yeast in the baking flour. There are carp in the net with walleye. The kingdom will never be perfect until the harvest. God allows things to happen in the kingdom for His own reasons. Maybe God allows what he allows because He patiently loves people. The good, the bad and the ugly. Some things are best left in God's hands. These parables don't say we should ignore someone who is struggling with sin. But they do show us that zealously purging the kingdom of weeds is not our job. Guarding your heart is your full time job. When you demand that the kingdom look like something God doesn't demand it look like, you suffer. And you fail to grow because you feel like you are doing a lot of work fixing other people. Real spiritual growth is fixing yourself - taking your own sin and brokenness to God. So guard your heart against thinking that contamination elimination is your job. Live in such a way as to show the good - the goodness of God.

Today, we're diving into a topic that challenges the way we think—following the Holy Spirit, even when it doesn't make sense. How do we trust God when His direction seems completely counterintuitive?Our springboard for today's discussion is: Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”God's ways have always defied human logic. Noah was told to build an ark when there wasn't a drop of rain in sight. Peter was called to step out of a perfectly good boat onto stormy waters. These moments weren't about reason; they were about trust. When God speaks, His guidance often transcends what we can comprehend, because He sees what we cannot.Think about how often our instincts tell us to play it safe, to rely on what we know. But when the Spirit moves, He calls us beyond comfort and into radical faith. Maybe God is leading you to a job that seems less secure but aligns with your calling. Perhaps He's nudging you to forgive when every part of you resists. Or maybe He's asking you to give generously when logic says to hold on.The real question is: Do you trust Him more than you trust yourself? Human reasoning has limits, but God's wisdom is infinite. True faith isn't just believing in God—it's acting on His voice, even when it doesn't add up.Question of the Day: Where is God calling you to step out in faith, despite it not making sense?Let's Pray: Lord, Your ways are higher than ours. Teach us to trust You beyond our understanding. Give us courage to follow Your Spirit, even when it challenges our logic. In Jesus' name, Amen.Let's Get To Work!Support MyR2B Ministries: MyR2B Ministries is our full-time ministry. Your paid subscription helps sustain this work and expand our ministry outreach. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Today, we're diving into a topic that challenges the way we think—following the Holy Spirit, even when it doesn't make sense. How do we trust God when His direction seems completely counterintuitive?Our springboard for today's discussion is: Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”God's ways have always defied human logic. Noah was told to build an ark when there wasn't a drop of rain in sight. Peter was called to step out of a perfectly good boat onto stormy waters. These moments weren't about reason; they were about trust. When God speaks, His guidance often transcends what we can comprehend, because He sees what we cannot.Think about how often our instincts tell us to play it safe, to rely on what we know. But when the Spirit moves, He calls us beyond comfort and into radical faith. Maybe God is leading you to a job that seems less secure but aligns with your calling. Perhaps He's nudging you to forgive when every part of you resists. Or maybe He's asking you to give generously when logic says to hold on.The real question is: Do you trust Him more than you trust yourself? Human reasoning has limits, but God's wisdom is infinite. True faith isn't just believing in God—it's acting on His voice, even when it doesn't add up.Question of the Day: Where is God calling you to step out in faith, despite it not making sense?Let's Pray: Lord, Your ways are higher than ours. Teach us to trust You beyond our understanding. Give us courage to follow Your Spirit, even when it challenges our logic. In Jesus' name, Amen.Let's Get To Work!Support MyR2B Ministries: MyR2B Ministries is our full-time ministry. Your paid subscription helps sustain this work and expand our ministry outreach. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Be Bold & Praise While You Wait (Be Bold Series)Acts 16:25-28 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don't harm yourself! We are all here!”This story actually begins a few verses before this. In Acts 16:16-24 it says, “Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”  She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!” At that moment, the spirit left her.  When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.  They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar  by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”This is where our verse takes place.  They have been beaten with rods and are now chained up in prison.  You would think after a day like that they would feel defeated.  You would think that they would be questioning God and asking Him why they have to suffer so much when they are just doing what He asked them to do.  You might also think that they were passed out in pain and sleeping.  Is this what they were doing?  No, the verse says it was midnight and they were still praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  This is something that always amazes me about the apostles and other believers in the faith, such as the Saints.  I am always amazed by their strength.  I know that God underwent extreme suffering in the 24 hours before He was crucified.  He sweat drops of blood. If that is not suffering, I don't know what is.  And yet, I think we can downplay it sometimes and think, well, He is fully God and fully human, so of course He can withstand it; he is God.  However, countless other Saints have gone through extreme suffering and have done it with joy.  Paul & Silas had just been beaten with rods, and yet they were not questioning God. They were praising and singing to Him.  This is something that I think we can hear sometimes and not pause and think about how truly amazing it is.  I don't know if we glaze over it because we don't understand it or because we don't think we are capable of it.  I don't know the reason, but I wanted to pause and take a moment to recognize how remarkable these two are for how they endured their suffering.  We could all learn a lot from them and how they lived not only when times were good but also when times were tough.  The verse says that at midnight, while they were praying and praising, they were set free.  The door opened, and their chains came loose.  What strikes me about this verse is that they were set free yet did not leave.  They stayed there until morning, when the guard woke up.  What I hear the Lord saying to me about this verse is that everything He does is for His glory and the good of His kingdom.  If Paul & Silas would have left at midnight, they could have escaped.  However, it would not have been known how they escaped.  People could have said that someone broke in and freed them.  God would not have gotten the Glory.  However, by waiting until morning, they not only converted the guard and his whole house to believers, but they were also set free and did not have to worry about being caught for escaping.Sometimes, the things we are going through or the things others are going through make no sense to us.  If we had been there in that jail cell, it would have made no sense to us that when they were freed, they didn't leave the cell.  I can't imagine sitting in that cell and just waiting for the jailer to wake up when we could have escaped and been hours away by the time the jailer woke up.  Luckily, Paul and Silas were good at listening to the Lord and trusting in Him.  They were not scared in that jail cell.  They praised the Lord and trusted that the Lord would get them out of the situation.  They were patient and waited on the Lord's timing, and by doing so, they saved the jailer and his whole family.  Do you see how if the apostles left at midnight, they would have escaped and would have been free?  Do you also see that they did not leave at midnight, yet they were still free?  We never know how God will work things out for us.  Sometimes, we can only see things in black and white.  We can see only two choices.  For instance, we could see that if we left the cell when the door was opened, then we would be free.  However, if we stay there, then we would be stuck in jail forever.  Sometimes, we are so angry, upset, scared, and afraid that we can't see all the possibilities.  We only see the two.  Sometimes, we may not see all the options because we have limited information, whereas God has all the information He would ever need.  It seems as though the apostles waited for God to tell them what to do next.  They trusted that God would take care of it even though they didn't know what would happen next.  This may be the same in some circumstances in our lives, too.  We may not understand why God asks us to wait a little longer.  We know God can save us now, but we don't understand why He isn't.  We don't understand why we are going through all of this in the first place.  Maybe God is using this thing you are going through to save someone else.  Maybe by watching your strength in the face of your situation, someone will decide to give God a try.  Maybe after watching how you were saved from your circumstances, someone else has also decided to be saved.  We don't know what God's plan is or why He does what He does.  There is one thing that we can be sure of, and that is that God has a plan, and He has a reason for everything.  God can use all things for His glory.  We may think that some things are a coincidence.  However, if you look back over the last 5 or 10 years of your life, I bet you will see how those things you felt were coincidences were actually things that God timed out perfectly for a specific reason.  It is amazing to me how detailed God's plan is.  He has every tiny detail planned out.  The next time we get tired of waiting for our suffering to end, maybe we can remember this verse, pray, and praise him even when we are struggling.  We can remember that if He has not saved us yet, it is for a reason and that a greater good will come from our situation.  I know that doesn't always make it easier for us when we are in the moment.  However, I felt God wanted me to share with you that even when we don't know His plan and don't understand it, we should still know that He has a plan, and it is for our good and the good of his whole church.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  We ask that you give us the strength of Paul and Silas when we suffer.  Lord, we ask that you give us the strength and the wisdom to pray and sing praises to you when we are suffering.  Help us know that you have a plan even when we don't see or understand it.  Help us to know that we are never suffering in vain.  You will always use our suffering for your glory.  We love you, Lord, and thank you for all you do for us.  You are amazing, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and Jesus' holy name. Amen.  Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk Boldly with Jesus. This month's theme for mentoring is “I Am Made New.” I invite you to join us on Tuesday night and learn how you are made new through Christ. You can find all this information at walkboldlywithjesus.com or click on the link below. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “In the silence of your hearts, I speak to you. I am not a loud, clanging, noisy voice that distracts you. I am just a small whisper telling you, “Turn to the right - go here. Turn to the left - see that person; they need your help. They need your prayers”.  www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

We all do it. We avoid sorrow and chase after joy—celebration, fun, and whatever makes us feel good. So why does Solomon say that sorrow is better than laughter? Welcome to The Daily. We go through the bible verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter, every single day. Our text today is the second part of Ecclesiastes 7:1-4. A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. — Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 Now, Solomon isn't telling us to enjoy suffering. He's saying we need to recognize its value. Laughter is temporary. It feels good for a moment, but sorrow? Sorrow makes us stop. It forces us to reflect. When we face hardship, loss, or even the reality of our own mortality, something shifts. We break free from the cycle of just going through the motions. We stop taking life for granted. And we start appreciating what truly matters. The house of mourning makes us pause. The house of feasting—it can be a distraction. Fun and pleasure aren't wrong, but if we're not careful, they can numb us. Solomon warns that the fool stays in the house of mirth (i.e., amusement)—always chasing the next high, never stopping to ask, Where is this leading? But the wise? They step into the house of mourning. They reflect. They take it to heart. They consider their actions, their legacy, and what life is really about. And here's the irony—sorrow becomes a tool in God's hands to shape a deeper joy. One that's not dependent on circumstances but rooted in wisdom and meaning. Sorrow slows us down so wisdom can catch up. So let me ask you—are you using entertainment, success, or busyness to avoid life's deeper questions? Maybe it's doomscrolling on your phone, binging another show, or staying constantly busy so you don't have to think. Maybe… God is calling you to pause, reflect, and grow in wisdom. #WisdomInSorrow, #Ecclesiastes7, #SpiritualGrowth ASK THIS: How have moments of sorrow shaped your faith and priorities? Are you using entertainment or busyness to avoid deep reflection? What distractions keep you from facing life's deeper questions? How can you embrace wisdom through hardship rather than run from it? DO THIS: Take five minutes today to reflect on a recent hardship—ask God what He wants to teach you through it. PRAY THIS: Lord, help me to see the value in sorrow and not just chase temporary happiness. Teach me to seek wisdom in every season, even the difficult ones. Amen. PLAY THIS: Even When It Hurts.

There are those moments when I make life much harder than it has to be, and in fact sometimes I wonder if I'm slipping. There was a time not too long ago when I looked frantically for my house keys. And, of course, I mobilized the whole family and said, "I've got to get out of here! I'm running late! Everybody go on a search mission; we've got to find my keys." I found them in the door right where I'd left them. I've been doing that since I was about 20. Did you ever find your car keys missing and you run all over the place, and you find them in your own hand? Oh, you say, "Oops!" Or your glasses and they're on your face. It happens more often than you might think. The answer you've been looking for frantically might be right there in front of you. You might be surprised how close the answer is to what you've been looking for. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Answer Under Your Nose." Now, our word for today from the Word of God about the answer under your nose is in John 14, beginning at verse 6. "Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.' Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that would be enough for us.' Jesus answered, 'Don't you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you for such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"?'" This passage introduces us to what I call the Philip Syndrome. Philip has this problem - we read about it in the New Testament. He seems to have the tendency to miss an answer that is right in front of him. And who knows, you might be suffering from the Philip Syndrome. Remember back to the feeding of the five thousand? Philip said, "Lord, what are we going to do? We don't have near enough money, even if we go to a bank and get a loan. How are we ever going to feed all these people?" And Jesus said, "Why don't you go look for a lunch? The answer's right here. All we need's a lunch - go find a lunch." Here He's looking for some special event. He says, "Lord, we want to see the Father. We want to have a big, spiritual event here." And Jesus said, "Look at Me! I'm right in front of you." The answer in John 14 was right in front of Philip. I wonder if the answer you've been waiting for, straining for, praying for could be right in front of you. For example, maybe you've been waiting for just the right person to come along to fill a very important slot. Why don't you look around at the people you already have right now instead of pinning all your hopes on somebody that Scotty's going to beam down from the Enterprise? Maybe the person you need has been right under your nose all along, and you haven't seen what they could do. Or maybe you need to look again at your money and your resources, and find if there's a creative way to use what you already have instead of waiting for more. Maybe the answer you've been looking for, praying for is right there in the resources you already have if you just used them differently. Or look at yourself. Maybe you're the answer to your prayer. Maybe God wants you to do what you've been praying for somebody else to do. Our ministry started in New York years ago when a young woman came up to me and said, "Ron, I've been praying for a year for somebody to be the first Youth For Christ staff worker." She said, "You know what? I think it's me." The answer was right under her nose. Yeah, maybe you're the answer to your own prayer. Maybe God is leading you to stop doing something or to start doing something. You're just not obeying, you're hoping for something easy. Quit running around looking for an answer. Stand back! Maybe you've got it. Maybe the answer is right in front of you.

Witness Wednesday #150 911 MiracleToday's witnesses are actually two things I read on line and really wanted to share them with you. The first one is about how good God is, even in a tragedy. It is a story about what happened to one family on the terrible day of September 11, 2001. The second one is about a little boy who had extraordinary courage to speak up against someone a lot older than he was in order to defend someone he didn't even know. They are both amazing stories of how God is working in our world.A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset we drove home.I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can't just sit by for; I have to do something.'I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my grandchild.' Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.'He explained to me that his wife had worked in the WorldTrade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'there is something else you need to know.'His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves ..When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact it may have on someone. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.“I was on my usual running path when I heard an older man yelling loudly enough for me to hear through my headphones. "Sexy lady, hey hey hey sexy lady!" He kept screaming it and I decided to just ignore him and keep running.This ignoring seemed to piss him off so he lashed out and said "eff you, dumb B****!" Now let's keep in mind he was well-dressed and appeared to be on his lunch break from an office job.That was my trigger point. The B word. I ripped off my headphones prepared to stand up for myself when this little boy who was walking alongside his mother and little sister in a stroller looked at the guy and said, "Hey. That is not nice to say to her and she didn't like you yelling at her. You shouldn't do that because she is a nice girl and I don't let anyone say mean things to people. She's a girl like my sister and I will protect her."The man was immediately embarrassed and started gathering his lunch to leave. I asked the mother if I could hug the little boy (his name is James) and I told him how grateful I was for him. He just shrugged and said "Well I just wanted to make sure your heart was okay."According to his mother, this is a typical day in the life of James. Thank you so much to the mothers and fathers who are raising the next generation to be brave and courageous, and to be little earth angels for all. I am so touched.” Weren't those two stories amazing! The first one is a good one to remember when you are delayed for some reason and you feel like being angry. Maybe God orchestrated that delay for some reason or another. The second one reminds us that there are still good people in this world. If that little boy could stand up to a grown up for someone he didn't even know, maybe we could have the courage to stand up for someone too. If we see someone being treated badly, we should stand up for them. God wants us to help those who can't help themselves. It is our duty as Christians. We don't want to be knocking at the door of heaven one day and hear God say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness” Matthew 7:23.  www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

“Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16 NLT) This verse from 2 Samuel 7 is part of a promise God delivered to King David through the prophet Nathan. David was troubled by the fact that, as king, he lived in a beautiful cedar palace while the ark of the covenant, where God’s Spirit dwelled among His people, was kept in a tent. David’s ambition was to build a beautiful temple for the Lord. But God (through Nathan) said no. David wasn’t the person for that job. That task would fall to David’s son Solomon. After declining David’s offer, God makes a stunning promise. It’s known as the Davidic covenant, and it deserves to be read in full. “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. “‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever’” (2 Samuel 7:8–16 NLT). God reaffirmed the promise He made to Abraham about a land for his descendants. He promised that David’s son would succeed him as king of Israel. And He promised that David’s kingdom would last forever. This is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who was called “the son of David” (see Matthew 21:9 nlt). Not only would Jesus be a descendant of David, He also would be closely identified with the beloved king. What kind of person receives such an honor from the Lord? That’s the question we’re going to explore over the next several days. David was a shepherd, a musician, a poet, an outcast, a warrior, and a king. In fact, he was the greatest king Israel ever had. He was part of the most exclusive genealogy of all: the ancestors of Jesus. And aside from Jesus, there are more verses written about David than about any other Bible character. He’s also the only person in the Bible God calls “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22 NLT). God dealt with him the way He dealt with many people He was preparing for greater ministry assignments. David was anointed king of Israel as a young teenager, but he didn’t ascend to the throne until he was thirty. God used that interval to prepare David for what was ahead. Some of that preparation involved hardship. When you have gone through the desert of hardship, God uses you to more effectively minister to others. Do you find yourself in a “desert experience”? Maybe God has some training in mind for you. Remember, you can never be too small for God, only too big. Reflection question: What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 1st of March, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start off in the Book of Isaiah 55:8. The Lord says: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.” If we go to the Book of Micah 4:12: “But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,…” Folks, we must stop arguing with God. You know, Job, the farmer, I can identify with that man so much. Job was arguing with God, remember? You can go to Job 38 and you will see where the Lord has had enough of the arguments, enough of the senseless continually questioning God instead of believing Him. He says: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” I just love it - He says, “Stand up like a man and I will question you.” Maybe God is going to question you today, my dear friend, and say, “Where were you when God created? How dare you question God and His integrity and His authority. Let's stop questioning God and let's start believing God. You see, it's also okay when people come to you and they ask you, “How can God allow this to happen?” You can say, “I don't know” because you are not God, but that is the time that we can say like the farmer Job when he came to his senses, he said, “Even though He slay me, even though He kills me, yet will I still trust Him”, (Job 13:15), because he knew the heart of God.Corrie Ten Boom is one of my heroes, that Dutch lady that was put in a concentration camp with her old dad and her sister, Betsy, and her dad died within weeks and Betsy got sick. She was a Christian and Corrie was nursing her on her lap and she was dying, and Corrie was so upset about what was happening. “God, where are You? How can You let this happen to my sister?” And she heard a little voice whispering. She looked down, it was her sister, and the little voice said, “Corrie, if you know Him, you do not have to ask why.”Let's stop arguing with God today and start believing Him because He always has our best interests at heart.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

Great conversation with Brandon!  Growing up without his real dad in the house and his deep desire to have a father figure in his life… he did grow up with a younger brother and a loving mom! Thank God for moms! God does provide opportunities and in this episode you will hear how his Grandpa also played a major role in his life! I appreciate the transparency Brandon has in this episode.  Though it all, he's not bitter or angry, but grateful…  Maybe God was the Father figure all along?Brandon is a husband and a father to his son!  Brandon made the decision long ago to be a loving and intentional dad.  Follow them on social media and see for yourself! To connect with Brandon, you can message him through IG/FB or give him a call on his cell at (503) 877-7853.#Jesusfollower #discipleship #fatherhood #PiInsurance_ _ _For more stories like this, go to: https://www.youtube.com/@BuddyJamesPuckettIf you or someone you know want to be on the podcast, please reach out to me on Instagram @conversationswithbuddy or text me at 503-851-8031. _ _ _About Buddy Puckett:Buddy Puckett has been in the mortgage and finance space and mentoring men for over 25 years.  A mentoring opportunity all started when he first began in the mortgage industry in 1998, when he began to mentor a younger guy who happened to be married.  This person was not making great choices and it was sadly affecting his marriage.  We all are 1 decision away from something really dumb, so accountability became something Buddy knew he needed as well.  Buddy's wife, Shawn, suggested he start a podcast in 2022 to share the stories of people who have struggled,failed, overcame by realizing the life of love, joy and peace is only available through a relationship with Jesus Christ! “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me'.” John 14:6

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 9th of February, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Book of Romans 8:28:”And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Folks, all things. There's a greater purpose for our lives and often we don't realise it. You know, I just think of Joseph, the man with the coat of many colours. Yes, he was betrayed by his brothers, sent into slavery, and forgotten in the dungeon, but right through that time, the Lord was preparing him to be the second most powerful man on earth. Pharaoh was regarded as the most powerful man on earth and he made Joseph his Prime Minister but he had to go through that disastrous time.What about Moses, some say the greatest leader that has ever lived? I'm not talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. An incredible man who could take a nation through a wilderness for forty years, but what happened? He slipped up. He lost his temper. He killed a slave-driver and as a result had to flee for his life. He was an adopted son of Pharaoh, he could have even become Pharaoh, but God had a greater purpose for his life and he saved His people.What about you today, where are you today? I'm talking to a young man, or a young woman who has maybe just failed university and you say to yourself, ”Lord, have You forgotten me. Have You forsaken me?” No, no, God's got another plan for your life. You'll see, maybe not immediately but you'll see later. Maybe I'm talking to a farmer who has just gone bankrupt and he was so big and so successful and he cannot understand why. Maybe God took the farm away from you in order to save your family because you were spending no time at home and you were losing your family. Now all of a sudden your family has become the most precious thing that you have.We don't know what God's purposes are but one thing we do know is at the end of the day, it always works out for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.So what must you do? You must carry on with where you are at, and God will turn it around for you. He's done it for me.Jesus bless you and goodbye

Luke 5:1-11Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.' Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!' For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.' When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. My dad was a car salesman when I was growing up. He worked an odd schedule: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. one day and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. the next. One summer when I was about seven, he bought a little jon boat with an old motor. On the days he didn't have to go in until the afternoon, my dad, my brother, and I would strap the boat in the bed of the truck and head to Shadyside Lake for the morning. It was always a competition to see who would catch the most fish. My dad usually came in last, though he'd tell you it was because I didn't like taking my fish off the hook. It didn't matter anyway because Chad always seemed to outcatch us. But our time fishing was never really about how many fish we caught.We fished for sport, of course—just time for a father and his sons to be together, like every father wants. But for Simon Peter and the others, fishing was their job, their livelihood, a central part of their identity. Their boat would have been one of, if not the most, important things they owned. So I wonder if Simon hesitated when Jesus asked him to put it out a little way from the shore so he could preach to the crowd pressing in on him. Whatever the case, Jesus went out on the lake, sat down, and preached. When it was over, I'm sure Simon was ready to shake Jesus' hand and say, “Great sermon today, Rabbi. Thank you very much. Let's get you back to shore.” But that's not what Jesus wanted. No, Jesus said, “Let's go back out. I want to fish. I know where you should go.”Do you think that's what Simon really wanted to do? He had been out all night away from his family. He still had to wash the nets, and to make matters worse, he had caught nothing. No fish meant no money. No money meant all sorts of questions—how would he feed his family or buy the necessary supplies to keep his business afloat? So Simon responded, “Master, we were at this all night and caught nothing.” In other words: Jesus, take it from me—there's nothing out there.I wonder how many times Simon rowed his boat ashore with empty nets. This likely wasn't the first time. And think for a moment how hard that must have been—how it would leave Simon feeling. This was the thing he was supposed to be an expert in, the thing he'd done all his life. Like me, he spent many days fishing with his dad. So I imagine each time he spent all night on that boat and caught nothing, his inner critic was loud: “You're not a good fisherman, which means you're not a good provider or husband. You don't really know what you're doing. You're incompetent. You fail at this just like you do everything else.”I have no doubt that voice left him feeling like he wasn't good enough, smart enough, or rich enough. What he felt was despair. And when you feel that way, the last thing you want to do is go back out and try again.Surely you know what that's like—not for your nets to be empty, but to fail at the very thing you're supposed to be good at. Or for your expertise to let you down. I have to believe you are no stranger to that inner critic telling you that you are not good enough, smart enough, or rich enough. If you are anything like me, you hear it nearly every night, saying you didn't do enough today. You should have done more or done it better—because if you had, maybe people would see your worth. Maybe God would too. Maybe your inner critic replays each encounter you had throughout the day, making you question what you said or did. Or perhaps it reminds you of all the mistakes you've made and why you aren't worthy of love or joy. How do we not fall into despair and self-doubt when we hear this?But then Simon changes his mind and says to Jesus, “Yet if you say so.” Those five words are what being a follower of Jesus is all about. I'm not sure about this, God, but I'll give it a go. I've got my doubts—about this and about myself—yet I trust you. I really don't want to do this, Jesus, yet if you say so.Simon says those five words and does as Jesus says. You know the story from there: the disciples catch a whole school of fish, and their nets begin to tear. So they call over their partners to bring another boat. Once help arrives, both boats are swimming in so many fish that they begin to sink. Now, it would be easy to get caught up in the fish, to think they are the most important, most miraculous part of this story. We could even twist this story to mean that if I am obedient to Jesus—if I just do what God says—then I too will get a miracle.You likely don't want a literal boatload of fish, yet you might hope for some miracle of abundance.But don't focus on the fish; that's not the point of the story. If we do, we miss the most miraculous part—namely, that the Savior of the world is on board with them. The fish simply point to what's most important: sitting beside them on their little boat is God in the flesh!Everyone who saw the catch was amazed, but it is Simon who realizes what it means. So he turns to Jesus and says, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” In other words: I am not worthy for you to be on my boat. I'm not worthy because I doubted you. I'm not worthy because I'm just a fisherman, and not a good one at that. If you only knew me and my sin, if you heard my inner critic, then you too, Jesus, would know I'm not worthy.But that's exactly why Jesus got into the boat. He didn't get on that boat because Simon had earned it. Clearly, it wasn't Simon's fantastic fishing skills that lured Jesus. If anything, it was the opposite. If anything, it was because the nets were empty. It was because Simon hadn't caught any fish. It was because of the self-doubt and despair this so-called fisherman must have been feeling. If Simon had hauled in a huge catch the night before, what need would he have had for Jesus? It's all grace that Jesus was on Simon's boat. It wasn't merit—because that's not how the kingdom of God works. Jesus was there because Simon was in need. The best news for all of us who hear that inner critic, who are familiar with despair and self-doubt, is that the same is true for us. God is in your boat—not because you are worthy, not because of your merit, not because what you think you are good at. It is because our nets are empty. It is because we have failed. It is because we are in need that Jesus gets on board. If we never doubted, if we never failed, what need would we have for such grace? It is grace that silences the inner critic, telling us that we are enough, we are worthy, because we are loved.“Do not be afraid, from now you will catch people”. That's our job, too. All around us people are falling into despair and self-doubt from the words of their inner critic, all of it amplified by the world we live in. We are tasked with catching them by offering the same grace we have received in Jesus Christ. It's getting on board with them when their nets are empty. It's helping them—not because they've earned it, but because they need it.Just as with my dad and brother, it's not about the fish. It's about recognizing that, as unworthy as we are, Jesus is on board with us, guiding us where we should go and what we should do. And even when we are unsure or unwilling to follow, may we have the strength and courage to respond: “But if you say so.”Amen.

Are you ready for a change or to live your best life? Maybe God is signaling to you it's time for a shift. A new life coach is ready to help you prepare and organize with a strategy. Quadasia (Dasi) Love wears a lot of other hats too: international chaplain, model and actress, and a prophet at her church (through the fivefold ministry) that's focused on unity and going soon to Zambia. (3:15) Dasi Love kicks us off on this podcast episode with insight on how faith impacts big life changes for us, like God's call and tools to do special things vs. bad habits and the world's distractions. There are plans that need to be made over the course of months, part of her life coaching called "My Kairos Time" (greek for due season): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571592010474. (8:40) Time management is huge for a lot of us. Time to eliminate excuses. And when do you know to make that sometimes-scary change in your life? Dasi says "God can't be through you what He isn't to you." She went from being a pre-med Biology major in college and a future Dr. Love....to a real relationship with Jesus, attending seminary and becoming a Chaplain for Dunamis International Chaplains. This young woman is (19:03) also an actress and model who won't comprise on certain photo/video shoots. She was the stand-in and running double for the main actress in the Kendrick Brothers' popular film "Overcomer." (25:35) Dasi also loves to discuss what true unity looks like, in and out of the church. She's learned a lot from her job as a chaplain - going where they're needed! (32:50) One more hat she wears is as a prophet top make sure others are in alignment with the Word of God, not as a "fortune teller." This is part of the Christian concept of fivefold ministry - 5 roles to serve the church in different ways. Satan can also pervert those roles or what's in the Bible. What can also get in the way of those gifts are pride, churches' fear of criticism, denomination differences, pastors not held accountable). (44:33) Along with fundraising for a Fall 2025 trip to Zambia, Dasi Love also has partnered with pastors to help persecuted believes in the Islamic state of Pakistan. She explains...then closes our episode out in prayer. Thanks for listening to the #RunTheRace podcast, which I hope you'll subscribe to! Share it with your friends. Also, write a quick review about it, on Apple podcasts. For more info and listen to any previous episodes, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.

Have you ever felt like your job is just a job? Maybe God wants you to do something else for his Kingdom? Join us as we dive into the idea that there is no sacred or secular work for the Christ follower.

We knew some folks who owned a convenience store and they were people who worked some very long hours to make a living, believe me. But we enjoyed teasing them about the prices in their store. We'd give some astronomical price for a half-gallon of milk, or a boxes of cookies, or a candy bar. Now it wasn't quite that bad, but you usually do pay noticeably more for things in a convenience store. See, that's the profit factor in being open at times and on days when other stores are closed. Our store owner friends were quick to defend those prices. They reminded us of a simple fact of life - convenience costs more. They're right. I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The High Cost Of Convenience." Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Matthew 7:13-14. Notice the price tag on what's convenient and what's easy. Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Take the easy road - destruction. Take the narrow road - life. Convenience costs. That's a life principle...it's a law of the universe. We instinctively want to do what's the easiest, the fastest. Right now you may be facing some important choices about a relationship, about your future, about your marriage, your financial situation maybe, or your business. My guess is that one road you could take is the easy one...the other road looks harder. You're tempted to give up - that's the easy choice. There's a temptation really pulling on you - it would be so easy just to give in and go for it. You need money, and it would be easy to go for quick money, dishonest money, or money that would load you up with debt. But remember - convenience costs more! What Jesus describes with the easy road and the hard road is very revealing. They are sort of like a funnel. Take the easy choice and it's wide up front, but the farther you go on that road, the narrower it gets, squeezing you, restricting you, scarring you, and ultimately destroying you. Or you could choose the road that will take longer, that will require more discipline and sacrifice, and maybe even cost you something you value. But it's like an inverted funnel. It's narrow up front but it ultimately opens up into long-range happiness and long-range peace. So, in reality, the seemingly hard road is really the least expensive choice in the long run. But it's almost surely the road that will take longer, require more risks, more sacrifice, and yes more faith. But the reward and the payoff is so much greater! Remember, it's the narrow road that leads to life. So, look at the temptation to take the easy road right now and don't fall for the lure of what's easy. I know it may be pulling hard - but you can't afford the price tag. The narrow road leads to life. And, after all, it's the destination that counts, not the road. Maybe God sent this program into your life right now, knowing the choice you face, to warn you away from the easier - but ultimately far more expensive - road. Remember - in all the things that really matter in life - convenience costs more!

Act 2 Podcast This week, Act 2 spends time Martha Wilson as she talks about how God prepared her for a calling she didn't realize was coming. Maybe God is calling you for a purpose! Martha talks with us about what it looks like to follow your heart when God places a purpose within you! Want to connect with Martha? https://aburstofhope.buzzsprout.com/

Don't Maybe God - Episode 191 - At the Table WIth Darlene by Women Around the World

This week is just a quick check-in with our A Gay And A NonGay community as James Barr has an announcement about down under (not like that!), James and Dan reveal the results of a poll about sexual preferences and we chat about negative comments from TikTok! Think of this as a brisk affair lasting just over 8 minutes... you feel light and giddy at the end, and can't wait to come back for more. Follow A Gay & A NonGay TikTok: @gaynongay Instagram: @gaynongay YouTube: @gaynongay Facebook: @gaynongay Website: gaynongay.com Email Us: us@gaynongay.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:Genesis 1-2:Luke 1 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible podcast! I'm your host, Hunter, and today is January 1st, 2025. As we kick off this new year, we're embarking on a transformative journey through the Bible, reading the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. Together, we'll immerse ourselves in scripture, reflect, and pray, as we draw closer to Jesus and His boundless love. In today's episode, we dive into the foundational chapters of Genesis, exploring the creation story, and begin the Gospel of Luke, witnessing the miraculous announcements of John the Baptist and Jesus' births. We'll discuss living a shame-free life through Christ and encourage you to say "yes" to His presence and forgiveness. Join us for a time of prayer and reflection, and let's start this year by focusing our hearts on the one who offers us true, abundant life. Remember, dear ones, you are loved. Let's get started! TODAY'S DEVOTION: Shame free living. That's how the story begins. God created man and woman, and they were without shame. But in the chapters ahead, we are going to see that they have been robbed of a life without shame. We'll soon read all about it. We'll also read about the devastation that ensues. But as we read through the whole story of God, we're going to find that it doesn't end there. No. That would be bad news. But this is good news. And the good news is that God has sent his one and only son, the second Adam. And he's going to do everything necessary for us to get back to a life without shame. A life lived with God. That's the whole point of this amazing story of the Bible. That this has been given to us. God has come to us at our lowest, the most shame filled places of our lives. Christ has come to meet us there, and he offers us there a real abundant shame free life. Some of you went through this last year carrying a lot of shame, but this year can be different. This year, you can come to him, not just pages in a book, but to Christ himself who is present with you and in you. And you can begin to open up your heart to him so that he might set you free from all the ways that shame has crippled your life. The prayer that I have for my own soul today is that you and I would have the same spirit and heart that Mary had when she heard the good news. She said yes to it. She said yes. May it be unto me as you have just said. Maybe she didn't understand all of it. No doubt she didn't. But she was ready to say yes to God. And maybe that's something that you can do today. Even though you don't understand all things, you can say yes to him who does. You can say yes If you've heard like I heard today in the reading that God intends for us to live without shame, then say yes to that. If you have heard as I have heard today that Jesus has come to take that shame away, To take away any barrier that would keep us from a life with him? Then maybe you and I can both say yes to that. Let me encourage you to say it, even in your unbelief. Go ahead and say it now. Yes, God. I believe. Help me in my unbelief. I say yes to your presence in my life. I say yes to your forgiveness. I say yes to the hope that I can live without shame and in your strength. Maybe you just need to whisper it to yourself. Maybe you need to shout it out loud. It's important that we begin wherever we can. And maybe today, that beginning is simply a whisper of faint hope that maybe it's true. That maybe we can be free. Maybe God really is with us. Maybe Christ really doesn't live in you. Maybe you really are loved by God. Maybe there's a way to live without shame. And to that, I say, yes. That's a prayer that I have for my own soul. That's a prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Have you ever been sitting back and waiting for God to move in a situation so that you can step into it? Maybe God is waiting for you to take a step out in faith so that he can move in that situation. Maybe 2025 is going to be really hard for you, or maybe it will be the greatest year of your life; either way, we see from Joshua 3 that most of the time... God wants us to take a step of faith to see him move. Website: https://breakinggrowthbarriers.com⁠ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakinggrowthbarriers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breakinggrowthbarriers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakinggrowthbarriers

Pause in JoyNehemiah 8:9-10I wonder what would happen if we set aside a day—stopped for a moment —paused to take a few cleansing breaths today to rest in the joy of the Lord? What if we lingered for a while to enjoy the moment, to eat good food, to sip our favorite drink, to take some time to take care of each other?What if that is the strength we need to get beyond this present moment? To be fulfilled, to be watered, to be nourished and refreshed together? To be buoyed, to be uplifted, to be sustained for the journey ahead? What if we tarried for a little while longer and clung to the words of Qoheleth that there is a time for everything under the sun? Nehemiah didn't say that there wasn't anything to mourn about. He didn't say don't ever mourn or grieve. He didn't scold them or gaslight them into believing there was not good reason to weep and grieve for many things that they had lost. There was probably much that they heard in the words of the Law that they didn't see in their community, their world, or within themselves. But that was not the day to mourn or weep. There may be some that are in despair with the results of recent elections. Some may be disappointed that life's circumstances didn't turn out as you had hoped. Some are disheartened because the world continues to be divided, disparate, despondent, and in seemingly utter disrepair.There will certainly come a time to mourn for all that we have lost. But that's not today. What brings you joy today? Pursue it. Cultivate it today. Maybe God is calling us today to pause for a moment of joy and celebration as we remember where our strength really comes from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The original hot-rod kid is still playing with V-8s; but now he's taking them off-road. Tim Ryan, owner of the V8 Swap Shop is revving up as your go-to guy. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.3;36 – I got knives pulled on me daily because they knew I had a nickel for milk money 12:08 – they organized the high school drags and all the high schools were invited to participate; me and my friends rand the show because we all had hot rods             21:52 – A buddy of mine had a CJ5, it was an eye catcher; we'd meet girls like crazy when in his Jeep, I was the same guy as the one in the old car, but girls liked Jeeps.28:48 – My wife says she only wanted a guy with a normal nose and a small truck. Maybe God had a reason to make me buy that truck so I could meet her.38:49 – So, I ended up ultimately back in the automotive world which is where my heart always was. 43:35 – When is it going to be your Independence Day?51:22 – Each build is difference, we're not a cookie-cutter shop.Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app. Support the show

This Advent, we are talking about three main aspects of Jesus' hidden life (all the life He lived before going into His ministry on earth), and trying to bring those things into our lives this Advent. The second of these is family life. Jesus spent 30 years of His life living with His parents. This was not just about being practical or doing His duty. Jesus modeled to us that family life is SACRED and that He works all things in love. This generation of moms has a temptation to think that work outside of the home is more important than the life that happens inside the home. Do you feel that pull to work on projects outside of the home that will get you more kudos, achievements, or recognition? Is it easy to rush through daily tasks with the family so that you can serve others outside of the family? Maybe God is calling you to lean deeper into family life and reclaim normal moments as extraordinary opportunities to love your family more. Listen in to hear some ideas on how!

Pause in JoyNehemiah 8:9-10I wonder what would happen if we set aside a day—stopped for a moment —paused to take a few cleansing breaths today to rest in the joy of the Lord? What if we lingered for a while to enjoy the moment, to eat good food, to sip our favorite drink, to take some time to take care of each other?What if that is the strength we need to get beyond this present moment? To be fulfilled, to be watered, to be nourished and refreshed together? To be buoyed, to be uplifted, to be sustained for the journey ahead? What if we tarried for a little while longer and clung to the words of Qoheleth that there is a time for everything under the sun? Nehemiah didn't say that there wasn't anything to mourn about. He didn't say don't ever mourn or grieve. He didn't scold them or gaslight them into believing there was not good reason to weep and grieve for many things that they had lost. There was probably much that they heard in the words of the Law that they didn't see in their community, their world, or within themselves. But that was not the day to mourn or weep. There may be some that are in despair with the results of recent elections. Some may be disappointed that life's circumstances didn't turn out as you had hoped. Some are disheartened because the world continues to be divided, disparate, despondent, and in seemingly utter disrepair.There will certainly come a time to mourn for all that we have lost. But that's not today. What brings you joy today? Pursue it. Cultivate it today. Maybe God is calling us today to pause for a moment of joy and celebration as we remember where our strength really comes from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I grew up around Lake Michigan. And when I was little, I used to go in it. Now I mostly just look at it when I'm in Chicago or in the Great Lakes area. Part of that is because of what happened to me when I was ten years old. My memories of that lake are memories of a struggle I will never forget. I was out with my friends. I didn't know how to swim and I was too proud to tell them. Well, I started to go under. No one took me seriously. I mean, I'm yelling. I'm trying to get some help. I'm drinking the lake! I'm in a panic, flailing around, and my friends are going, "Oh, Ron, you know him. He's such a clown!" Great! Finally, just in the nick of time, someone came. They grabbed me and they literally saved my life. Let me tell you what I contributed to my rescue. That's right, absolutely nothing. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Not Good Enough for Heaven." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ephesians 2:8-9. "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Okay, fasten your seat belt, because these statements out of God's Word are so radical they basically challenge every religious system in the world, whether it's Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, you name it. Because every system says, "Here are some good things you can do that will commend you to God, and He'll forgive the bad based on the good you do." But this says, "No good you can do will pay off the bad." "Not by works." Could it be any plainer? Those are radical words! Nothing you can do to contribute to your rescue. No amount of religion. No amount of being a good boy or girl. This word "saved" here indicates that there's a rescue needed. We're dying spiritually because we have broken God's laws. We're away from God. We're powerless to get back to Him. It's like me in Lake Michigan that day. You can't rescue yourself. Maybe you've been depending somehow on your own goodness to get you to heaven, or your family connections, or the money you give, or the fact that you agree with all the Jesus stuff. You've got Christ in your head but maybe not in your heart. It is, the Bible says, "the gift of God" paid for. Not by you, but by Jesus Christ. You don't pay for your gifts. Gifts are paid for by someone else. Your gift of eternal life was paid for by Jesus because you and I couldn't pay for it. He took your hell and mine. He took your payment for your sin dying on the cross. How do you get it? It says, "through faith." Faith is what happened that day I grabbed that lifeguard. I just pinned all my hopes on him. For us to be saved - to be rescued - through faith, it means that we recognize that we are drowning spiritually, powerless to rescue ourselves. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to surrender your self-efforts in order to finally get the peace of really knowing God personally? You quit depending on your religion. It's not Jesus plus anything else. It's just Jesus. So you grab heaven's lifeguard like a drowning person would grab the person coming to rescue them. When did you do this? Have you ever had that moment with Jesus? You say, "I don't know I have." Well, then, you probably haven't. Maybe God is coming to you through this conversation today because He's courting you. He's after you. He's reaching out His hand to save you. This is life-or-death stuff - forever life or death. If you haven't pinned all your hopes on Jesus, do it now. If you're not sure you belong to Jesus, let me invite you to go to our website. It's there so I can help you nail down your own relationship with Jesus and know for sure that you belong to Him. Not just believe in Him, but that you belong to Him. Let's get together at ANewStory.com. Jesus plunged into your world to rescue you from sin. You can't rescue yourself from it. Today, as He comes to you, grab hold of your Rescuer.

Waiting can be so long. Rosemary and Emma chat about our attitude and perspective when we are waiting for God to answer us. Maybe God has answered but it’s not the answer we want?

Well hello to ya today, so glad you're listening to this episode of the podcast. Let's jump right in and look at a few verses from the New Testament that hold tremendous promises for us. Luke chapter one, verse 37 from the NLT and then Hebrews 13, verses 5 and 6. God's promises are true. Whether or not you believe those promises, well, that's kind of up to you. A Christmas Blessing from Mary's Song Episode Link A Merry and Bright ADVENTure book  You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, playing now via the Edifi app. Today's episode is sponsored by the Christmas book for families titled A Merry and Bright ADVENTure - A Christmas Devotional for Family, Faith, Food and Fun by Katie J. Trent. Sure, my children are all grown adults…but my grandbabies are the ones I will be using this book with. It's divided into sections, by topic, by theme, and the advent readings consist of like a family devotional, a prayer, family discussion questions, some specific advent activities and of course, a recipe which is very family friendly. There are 25 of these really well thought out daily sections, which is of course perfect for advent. And there is a list of grocery items and craft items already compiled for you, to make it as easy as possible to implement the recipes and activities. Link is right here in the show notes, and a big thank you to Katie Trent for creating this Christmas season resource. I absolutely love it. And now, on with the show.  This is episode number 199.    Right there nestled among the first few verses in the book of Luke, almost too easy to read and go right on past, is the promise of verse 37. In the NLT it says, “For the word of God will never fail.”    And after that absolutely mind-blowingly huge promise, this chapter continues into Mary's Song, the Magnificat. Which, by the way, is really a beautiful passage of Scripture to read aloud as a family during the Thanksgiving or Christmas season. Amazing, that's what Mary's Song is. Worship - you might call it that. Beautiful worship.   For the word of God WILL NEVER FAIL.   Hang your hat on this verse today. I mean that, seriously. Bank on it. Depend on it. Lean the full weight of all your troubles and concerns onto it. It will hold up, no matter how heavy the load is that you've been carrying around. This verse can handle it. All of it. Perhaps this promise is one of the most powerful promises in the entire Bible. I don't want you to take my word for it. I want you to take God at His word. Then do it again tomorrow. And never stop taking Him at His word, every single day of your life.   Hebrews 13, 5-6 - also from the NLT -   5 Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,“I will never fail you.     I will never abandon you.”[a 6 So we can say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper,     so I will have no fear.     What can mere people do to me?”[b] What could possibly be missing from your life when God has said this? Combine these words from Hebrews with the words from Luke and I am thinking you have something unstoppable, ya know? Your God, whom you love and whom you serve, the One who secured your eternal salvation, He will never fail you or abandon you. What matters more than that? And what are we to say in response to these great and precious promises?  With confidence, we say, The Lord is my helper and I will have no fear. Because what can mere people, human beings, those who are created by the One making me these promises, what can they do to me?    The hope you have in knowing, believing, and living in the reality of these promises…well, I'm not really sure it gets much better than that. God won't leave you. God won't abandon you. God won't fail you. He will help you. You can live with no fear. And people? What can they really do to you? For the word of God will never fail. The word of  will never fail for Jan, or for Sara, or for Rachel, or for Mike, or for Betty, or for Stuart, or for Terry, or for Gail, or for Linda or for Jon or for any of His people.    What promises in the Bible do you most need to know won't fail right now? Is it something from Psalm 91? Psalm 103? Psalm 1? Something God promised in the book of Genesis? Acts or Joel? Isaiah? Hebrews or Matthew or Revelation?   What promises have you wanted to believe were for you, God's to you, but maybe are afraid to go all in with that belief? About what Bible promises can you say, “Lord, I believe…help me with my unbelief?”   I want to issue this challenge to you today: write down that promise, or promises if there are multiple, and on that page where you write them down, get a pen in a different color, maybe bright red, and over the top right Luke 1:37 - For the word of God will never fail.   I don't want you to think about this, and say eh maybe I'll do that some day. No. Please do it this day.    For the word of God will never fail. Those promises from the word of God? They will never fail. So says Luke 1:37. This is a big deal, isn't it?  Because when we begin to really know the word of God will never fail, we start praying that way, we start thinking that way, we gain victory in areas that we once thought would end up taking us out. This is important because God wants us to know that His word will never fail…and the enemy wants us to believe his lie that the word of God will always fail. Which will ya have today? Five pounds of Jesus in a brown paper sack, or more than that? Maybe God isn't going to be controllable if you go all in and believe. Maybe you will have to do battle with your fears and doubts. Maybe some of your Christian friends will try and talk you out of such radical belief, because let's just be honest, so many of our female small groups turn into gripe and gossip sessions, or stay so superficial that things like clothes and make up dominate the conversation…like, maybe that could change. And you might be the odd man (odd woman) out. Spoiler alert: if you are longing for those kinds of conversations to never be part of a women's small group or Bible study ever again, then you already are the odd woman out…you just don't want to rock the boat by mentioning it or by leaving…cuz we all know that when you leave, everybody wants to know why (like, more gossip, perhaps?) when they ought to know why just by reading the room, right?  What's the hardest place to leave gracefully, graciously, and without gossiping? A Christian community that isn't truly honoring the Lord. You are already the odd one out perhaps. That's okay. I'm thinking Moses, David, Elijah, Abraham, the entire early Church in the first century…odd man out over and over again. It's hard, but it's not the end of the world.  What will you need to face honestly if you choose to trust the entire weight of your life, and all those things and people you've been praying about, all of it on the promise that the word of God will never fail?  A whole lot could change, starting with your heart and mind. Maybe we can't really, fully love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as yourself until we really believe that the word of God will never fail.    Maybe, just maybe, this is the moment the Lord has been waiting for. The moment when you no longer let fear, worry, other people's opinions, doubts, all that kind of stuff, no longer let that hold you back, tie you up in knots inside and outside, and keep you from believing all God's promises. Maybe today is a big deal for you. Maybe tomorrow hinges on today.   Maybe, just maybe, this is your time.  What will you do now? I hope you choose to believe. Because you will never regret it, and God will never abandon you.   Until next time, keep on believing. Bye bye. 

We know that both good and evil exist... they exist at the same time, in the same place, among the same people and places. It seems with one hand, God is pouring out blessing on those who are faithful and with His other hand, exacting judgement on those who engage in sin and perversion. Consider Lot and his family.... what a mess. Abraham goes to bat for folks that, in all reality, God wanted to destroy. How did Abraham's pleas to the LORD change the outcome? Did it really? Maybe God knew something that Abraham did not...

Hey there! Hello to ya today.  Here we are, for episode number 198 of the podcast, where we focus on God's promises and make the decision to simply believe that what God has said is exactly what He meant. If He promised it, He means to honor His promise. Remember, God is not a man, that He should lie, and He always finishes what He begins. Knowing those two things leaves us no choice but to either believe Him for His every promise or to live as if He were lying to us. Which will you choose today?  Psalm 91 Audio Bible Study Course You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. And this is episode number 198.   Ya know how there are times in life, like seasons if you will, periods of time, when the same kind of thing keeps coming up, over and over again. Maybe God has been speaking to you about hope, or loving others well, or accepting His grace, and everywhere you turn, that subject is right in front of you, staring you down, you might feel like. Can't really get away from it. Boom, there it is. And wowza, there it is again. Ever experience that?    That's been the case for me recently. Over the last few months, for sure one aspect of life as a follower of Jesus has been prominent. And I didn't think it was a topic I'd cover on the podcast, at least not right now, fall of 2024. But I don't get to pick and choose when and how I obey what the Lord says. I mean, I could, and I have of course, but it's really wrong, and flat out sin. And this issue has been in the forefront of my life as of late, like I said, and the Holy Spirit led me to discuss it today.    In John 15 and 16 and 17, Jesus had so much to say to His disciples and for all who would follow Him later on, down the road, in the years and centuries to come. That includes us, of course. Jesus spoke about the importance of unity.  John 15 from the Amplified - 12 “This is My commandment, that you [c]love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. The header just before verse 12 says: Disciples' Relation to Each Other And the next section header says: Disciples' Relation to the World 18 “If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.   Does Jesus say that the world will treat His disciples well? Uh, duh. No. He told His disciples how to treat one another, and what to expect from the world. So people in the world are not the same as our fellow disciples and will not treat us the same way.    You may be thinking, “Uh, yeah… I know that, Jan. What is your point?” Chapter 16, verse 1: “I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away.   So that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away. It's a very real possibility that we will be caught off guard, surprised and thrown for a loop and stumble and even fall away because of it. But what is the “it” exactly? The terrible treatment of Jesus' followers by those who don't follow Him. When have you been treated really terribly for choosing the Jesus way? If it was from those who don't know Him personally and are not His disciples, were you super shocked? It may hurt and be just a terrible experience. But you aren't shocked by that nearly as much as you are when it happens within the church, by someone who claims to follow Jesus but perhaps, oh I am gonna get some hate mail for this, but Ima say it anyway…perhaps they don't actually know Him, because the fruit of their life reveals that they don't. We're called by Jesus Himself to look at the fruit of people's lives, and to know them by their fruit. That's Scripture, my friend. That's words in red. And we don't likely stumble and fall away when someone who is not walking with Jesus, would never open a Bible or go to church or sing a worship song, when that person lamblasts you for your faith in Jesus, it probably isn't going to push you to fall away. Because you know who they are, it's evident by looking at the fruit of their life. Right? But when it's within the church (and hey, please remember Jesus Himself warned us that there would be wolves who come to devour the sheep, so this should not come as a shocker, what I'm saying here today)... when it's quote one of our own, man, then it hits hard, it can cause a stumble, often we're blindsided by it, and it can lead to falling away. My friend, I am boldly telling you today that this happens all the time in the church, and people will be held accountable by God Almighty for their actions against His people, the sheep of His flock. If it has happened to you, I am so very sorry. And if it happened at the hands of those in church leadership, I am grieved for you and for their abuse and misuse of the authority that really only ought to be about leading people to Jesus, if you boil it down, but is often not used for that purpose.    Control and manipulation are basically witchcraft. I mean, think about it. If you are twisting words, manipulating people, circumstances, using guilt and shame, turning Scripture this way and that in order to control people in any facet, it really is an evil thing to do. And it's like being under a spell, and if you've experienced it, you know what I mean.  Do you think, and I am actually asking you to think about this and make up your own mind, but do you personally believe that Jesus' call to unity in His church was intended for His true disciples to be unified with those who are in the church but are not truly following Him as disciples? And at what point do you think Jesus would want His true disciples to deal with this “sticky situation”?    I know this can be a heavy topic, and it is controversial (but maybe it needs to be more normalized and less controversial to talk about the reality of, for lack of a better description, church abuse). And perhaps because there are so many people dealing with and reeling from this exact issue, I suppose this is the time and season to take a look at it through the lens of the Word of God. And as always, don't just take my word for it - but take God's Word for it, and read it for yourself. John chapters 15 and 16 are what I've been reading from, so dive in and check it out. Pray about what you read, listen for the Holy Spirit to do what He does perfectly as the Counselor that Jesus promised in John 16 verses 5-15.   Over the last several months, several people have talked with me, reached out to me, connected with me, and so on, about real problems among church leadership and what in the world to do when you come face to face with some terrible stuff, and are treated terribly, even abusively, manipulated, guilted, controlled, shamed, slandered, oh boy some of the things that have been going on are truly terrible and there is no place for this stuff in God's Kingdom, let alone among those who call themselves leaders in the Church that bears His name! It's like we've stepped into the wonky zone, and things are all sorts of off kilter.    If I were to do one of those hard hitting expose pieces from the late 1980s, I would have ample material. This isn't so much an expose as it is a CTA.  If you are being abused spiritually, can I challenge you to this CTA, this call to action? First, read the Gospels. Read what Jesus said, how He lived, what He did for people, what He didn't do, what He approved of and what He disapproved of. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Do you see yourself as Jesus sees you? Are you being treated the way that He treated people when He walked the earth? Are those in authority over you in the Church living like Jesus, loving like Jesus, shepherding like Jesus? Pray on this! God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you. And He wants to be Lord in His church. The letters to the churches in Revelation tell us so very much about how seriously He takes this kind of thing.  Next, I want to boldly, strongly encourage you to do what the Bible says, and to follow where the Spirit leads. Remember what Jesus said in John 16, verses 5 through 15:  Let me read it from the NLT.  5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I've told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Advocate[a] won't come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. 12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.' Verse 7 amplified - 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]   What is the Holy Spirit, your Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strenghtener, and your Standby saying to you? Leading you? Directing you? Counseling you? Strengthening you?   Church hurt is one thing, and it is a real thing and it is a terrible thing because it is so painful. Church abuse from leadership is another thing. Both can dwell together, for sure, but leadership abuse is the main focus of this episode. If you are dealing with this, can you look at it objectively and say yes or no to this question: is this behavior biblical or unbiblical? And are those in leadership telling me to keep enduring what is unbiblical, even though the very words of Jesus say it is wrong? Is it time to flee, like Joseph did when Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him? He just left his cloak and fled. Could it be time to flee? What is your Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who is God dwelling within you, saying to you about the leadership abuse that's going on?    And do you know that you know that you know that Jesus is absolutely never going to be spiritually abusive to you? And His true sheep, His chosen shepherds for His sheep, won't either?  John 15:1 says “[a]I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;    He takes away. Follow the fruit. Might be far more important than the call to follow the money, for the Christian community.   6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.    Those are Jesus' words.  This is an individual calling. We each have to follow Him, remain in Him, let His words remain in us, proving we are His true disciples by our fruit. I'm going to try and tread lightly as I say this next bit (and I am issuing this caveat - these words I am about to utter, they ARE NOT AT ALL related to 1919 S. Rock… ) If you need to leave a local church body because there is abuse happening, and you have looked and seen what the fruit or lack thereof is (or isn't), if the Spirit of the Living God says, “go”... then I say to you, obey the Lord. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Those who love Jesus will obey Him. And when we get the sense that the Holy Spirit is leading us out of someplace, it seems to be that He is already moving along, ready to go, ready to lead us onward. By the time we sense Him moving, He is already moving… So don't over question when He is leading. And don't let a bully pulpit or abusive leadership or manipulation or guilt and shame or twisting Scripture talk you out of following the Holy Spirit as He leads.    When He says it's time to go, then go. Because delayed obedience is disobedience, and you don't want any part of that.    Heavy topic today, and I'll just say that I've prayed for everyone who listens because it is so heavy. Lord bless you, keep seeking hard after Jesus, and next episode we'll be back to some of God's promises and how important it is to know that those promises are for you. See you next time. Oh, and please share this episode with anyone you know who might be facing this issue. It's hard, and sometimes we need a bit of encouragement, support, and understanding as we navigate it. You're not alone, but there is so much hope, freedom, joy, peace and love in the Church on the other side of spiritual abuse. Jesus sees you, He feels your pain, and He has good for you and a path out of this and into His light and His love. So please share this, because it's too important not to share.  I'll be back for episode number 199 next time. Bye bye. 

If you feel like you are in a season of waiting, maybe it is really a season of preparation. And that preparation is part of God's plan. Listen in to Episode 137 of Just One Simple Thing to learn how to navigate the preparation so you can get to the other side.We have the most amazing group of ladies who join us monthly for our Saturday morning Plan & Pray sessions. One of our most faithful members is a mom of 12 kids (yes, 12!!) who, with her husband, is building a ministry to support families with Bible study and parenting resources. In one of our sessions several months ago, Emmie said she hadn't done much in the past month to actively build their ministry, but she had spent a lot of time decluttering their home. They thought maybe God was calling them to go on the road in some way to serve people where they are. They were waiting on direction from the Lord, but in the meantime, were preparing for what may come. As I've watched this unfold over the weeks since then, a couple of things have struck me about our conversation that day.First, a season of waiting becomes productive when you see it as season of preparation.Sometimes, we view a season of waiting as just sitting on our hands and doing nothing. But I think most times, the season of waiting includes some type of preparation, and it may not make any sense.Second, preparation makes God's preposterous plans possible. A family with 12 kids loading up in an RV to do ministry on the road sounds crazy!But God knows exactly how it can be done, and only a season of preparation could make it possible. That's not something you can just wake up one morning and do. It takes months of planning and preparing.Maybe God has given you a huge dream... one you can't even picture. It's big and it's overwhelming and you don't know how you'll ever get there. I promise you that if God has given you that dream, he is also going to prepare you for it. You may not even realize that the hardships you are enduring and the pain you are processing are part of the preparation for His preposterous plan for you.ACTION STEP Look at the unexpected things happening in your life right now... especially the ones that may feel like distractions and interruptions that may be putting you in a season of waiting. How could God be using those to prepare you for what's next?Emmie's family is getting a little closer each day to heading off in that RV. I'm excited to see what God does with all of the preparation they've been through. If you'd like to follow along on their journey, connect with them at their website.And if you'd like to be part of our monthly Plan & Pray sessions, join my free Facebook group Plan & Pray with Do A New Thing. That's where you'll find all the info and the zoom link the last Saturday of each month.RESOURCESPlan & Pray Facebook GroupJim & Emmie Manor WebsiteBe sure to subscribe to the NewLetter to receive free resources and podcast updates in your email every Monday. Sign up here. ++++++++++Are you tired from trying to share your God-inspired message while working your full time job? Do you wonder if it's worth it, or even possible, to build a ministry or business on the side?I have good news for you. It is possible. It is worth it. You can do it. Download the Honor System Guide, to help you honor all the work God has given you to do.

I recognize that another event outside this building has the attention and hearts of many of us in this room this morning.Show of hands: How many here know and remember Pastor Kenny and his wife Malaina, who we sent out last year to plant a church in the Orlando area? Well, as we meet here this morning, Horizon City Church, led by Kenny, is having their first public gathering in Winter Garden, Florida.I don't think it's any coincidence that at the very time when we're turning our focus to being welcoming witnesses that we remember, and pray for, a man who embodies what it means to be a welcoming witness. So, if you feel a little distracted this morning, I get it. In fact, you might do well to keep Pastor Kenny in mind during this message, as a living lesson in being a welcoming witness.To be clear, what's going on in Winter Garden, and what's going on this morning at 1524 Summit Avenue, is vastly more important that any marathon or any American football game in London or anywhere else in the world.Growing Up and OutThis is now the fifth in a series of six sermons, called “We Are Cities Church,” on our vision and values. As we're approaching our tenth anniversary as a church (this January), we have found ourselves in a new season of church life. In broad strokes, you might see our first five years, from 2015 until COVID, as a time of being planted. And these last four years have been a time of becoming rooted here on Summit Avenue. Now we sense ourselves coming into a new season — of what? What would you call it? What do you call the next phase after being planted and rooted? What is an acorn planted and rooted for? To grow tall and wide. To stretch up high in worship and spread out in witness to the world. We're in a season of new growth and stretching and spreading our branches — of bearing fruit, we pray, and dropping acorns we hope will become new churches.So, for this new season, we've considered how we might freshly express our unchanging mission: we want to make joyful disciples of Jesus who remember his realness in all of life. And we have a fresh fourfold way of talking about the kind of disciples we hope to be and multiply. Each of the four brings together two realities to clarify with an adjective what kind of nouns we mean.First, we are Jesus worshipers. This is the vertical aspect, the up-reach. We are not just theists, or even monotheists; nor do we simply admire Jesus as a great moral teacher. Rather, we worship Jesus. That's what it means to be Christians. We not only worship God but worship his Son.Second, we are joyful servants. That is, we are not dour servants, doing our duty while biting our lip. Nor are we shallowly happy sluggards sitting around dedicated to self-service. Rather, we aim to have happy hearts behind our helping hands. We gladly provide shade for those scorched by the sun, and strong branches to give safety for those harassed by wolves.Third, we are generous disciplers. What do we say here — providing life-giving sap? We are not miserly mentors, nor generous donors, but generous disciplers — up close, involved, giving of our own time and energy to help others grow in the faith. Last week we saw this vision in Acts 20 of personally speaking God's word and living his word in real life while investing in the lives of a few. “Disciplers” is the big addition to our previous way of talking about a threefold calling as worshipers, servants, and missionaries. We still say worshipers and servants, but now we've added disciplers, and updated missionaries to witnesses.So, fourth and finally, we are welcoming witnesses. Here we're talking outreach in particular. Not just up in worship, and in through service and discipling, but out in Christian witness to an unchristian world.Welcoming witness means we are not okay being cold, off-putting witnesses; nor are we warm, welcoming pushovers. We are welcoming witnesses: those who open wide their arms to others to make Jesus known and enjoyed.So, we give the rest of this message to welcoming witnesses, and here's how we'll proceed. First, let's go to Acts 2, and the string of texts that follow it, and see the welcoming witness of the early church, and how it grew. Then let's consider what it means to be a witness, and then what welcoming adds to witness. You can call these three truths for our welcoming witness.1. The church and the gospel grow together.Acts 2:40 says that Peter “bore witness” to the gospel of Jesus, and verse 21 says that the people “received his word” — we'll come back to this. Then twice we hear about additions, that is, growth:Verse 41: “there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Verse 47: “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”And this is the beginning of this remarkable theme in the book of Acts — the word growing, increasing, multiplying.So we hear in Acts 4:4: “many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” So the (gospel) word is heard and believed, and the number grows.Then Acts 6:7: “the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem . . . .” Number grows, as word grows. Specifically, number multiplies as word increases.Then Acts 12:24, very simply: “the word of God increased and multiplied” — many more heard and believed and joined the church. So too in Acts 19:20: “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”The word, the message of the gospel, grows as people hear and believe in Jesus and are added to the church. Word growth and church growth go together.What If GodNow, I know that some of us hear that — all that adding and increasing and even multiplying — and think, Oh no, I just want a small church. We look around this room and think, There's already enough people here. Already too many! No more increasing, please. Okay, maybe just a little adding here and there, but no multiplying!We might think of it in terms of church size, but perhaps that's really a misplaced diagnosis. I suspect it's not really about church size as much as the rush and pace and complexities and relentless frenzy of city life. Our modern metropolitan lives are so crazy, we just want church small and simple, thank you. But our discomfort with gospel growth may really have more to do with our unrecognized calling to the city.You know what's good about city life? There are so many people nearby. And you know what's so hard about city life? There are so many people nearby.To be honest, just about all of us at Cities Church have small-church preferences. And you know what? It turns out a lot of us have small-church preferences. So many of us, in fact, that after a while, we small-church people find each other, and don't have a small church anymore.What might help us is to do business with the time and place to which God has called us. Brothers and sisters, you live in a very large city. Twin Cities. Depending on who's counting, this is the 12th to 16th largest metro in the United States. And this is where God has put you, whether you own it or not. Maybe God's loosening your roots and means for you to head to the hinterlands, but for now, if you live in the TC metro, you live in a very populated urban and suburban area. My hope for us as a church is that we would recognize our present calling, and embrace it, and persevere in it, and let it inform our expressed desire for small church.I get it. Most of us have some native bucolic longings that in the complexity and stress of city life we might try to pour into church life. Brothers and sisters, there are other ways to channel your rural dreams than into a church on Summit Avenue. Drive out-state to an apple orchard next Saturday, or get an AirBnB for a weekend. Take a trip in Duluth; visit the Brainerd Lakes area or Boundary Waters. Explore MN. Drive across South Dakota. And then come back to the big city, and own that we are a church in the city, and that it is good to have so many people nearby, and so many people to bring close to Jesus and into joyful discipleship.It would be very easy to look around week after week and think we don't have any more space. We don't have room for witness. We don't have room to welcome others in. We don't have space for more baptisms, at least not many.As pastors, we are wrestling in this season, and want you to wrestle with us, Lord, what are you calling us to? We want the gospel to increase and multiply. We want the church to grow and mature. We want to generously disciple many, and send them out like Pastor Kenny, and add to our number those who are being saved. Would you join us in praying for it? And would you join us in praying for Macalester? Amazingly, we've been seeing a new trickle of students from Macalester. What if God would be pleased to turn that into a stream, and into a river? What if God sent us 100 Macalester students? What's your gut response to that? Is it, “Oh no! We don't have room for many more people!” Or does your heart burn, “Yes, yes, do it, Lord, answer our prayers, make us a welcoming witness to Macalester, and Summit Avenue, and in these surrounding neighborhoods”?2. You are never alone when you witness to Jesus.The key verse that sets the program for the whole book of Acts is Acts 1:8: “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Because of Acts 1:8, we often use this word “witness” for “sharing our faith” or “speaking the gospel.” Have you ever stopped to ponder what this word “witness” means for us as Christians?What is a witness? A witness is someone, who, for the good of others, chooses to testify to something they have seen or heard. Usually the witness did not choose to see or hear what they did. They didn't initiate the experience. The event chose them, so to speak. And then, for the good of others, they choose, they agree, to testify in court.So, to be a witness is both humble and brave. Something happened that you didn't do, but you saw it or heard it. And now, for the benefit of others, you testify to what you saw or heard or know.John the Baptist is a classic example of the witness: He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. (John 1:7-8)Brothers and sisters, pressure's off! You're not the light; you're just the witness. Jesus is the light, not you. It's his work, not yours. It's his grace, not yours. But this I know: I once was blind, but now I see. I'm not the light; he's the light. Look at the light!And not only do we witness like John but we never witness alone, but as we witness to Jesus, and what we have seen and heard and experience, we simply add our voice to the company of witnesses: to the witness of nature (Acts 14:17), and the witness of conscience (Romans 2:15), and the witness of Scripture (Acts 10:43), and to the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us (Hebrews 12:1).But the one I find most encouraging of all is that the Holy Spirit witnesses. Acts 5:32: “we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”The Spirit is the divine Person who works through and with the word to give it life and growth and increase and expansion. And God has given him to us; he dwells in us. You never witness alone when you bear witness to Jesus.Over and over again in Acts, the Holy Spirit fills Christians and empowers them for witness (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 13:9), just as Jesus promised in Acts 1:8: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses...”3. We adorn our witness with hearts and hands that welcome.Witness is the noun. Welcome is the adjective. Welcoming witness means that we adorn our gospel witness with the warmth and deeds of Christian love. Word is central in witness, and welcome adorns word.Biblically, a related concept to “welcoming witness” is hospitality, which is literally “love of strangers.” There is usual human kindness, where we welcome and love those who love us, and there is the unusual kindness of Rahab welcoming the Israelite spies (Hebrews 11:31) or the natives of Malta showing hospitality to the shipwrecked apostle Paul (Acts 28:2, 7). Love for strangers is so important to Christianity that hospitable is a requirement for office in the church (1 Tim 3:2; 5:10; Titus 1:8).For Christians, love for strangers means both that we welcome fellow believers in uncomfortable ways (Romans 12:13; 14:1; 1 Peter 4:9) as well as that we welcome strangers and unbelievers (Heb 13:2; Matt 25:35, 38, 43).Why would we do this? I remember I had a book as a kid called Never Talk to Strangers. It was not a Christian book. So, why would we do this? Why would we talk to strangers? And have a heart for strangers to know Jesus? And take action that we might welcome strangers to Jesus and witness to him?Because this is what Jesus has done for us. We were hungry and he fed us with the bread of life. We were thirsty and he gave us to drink from the well of living water. We were strangers, sinners, rebels, estranged from God, and he welcomed us.Christians learn to love strangers, and learn to be welcoming witnesses to those strange to us and estranged from God, because God himself loved us when we were yet strangers. His love for strangers compels us to be welcoming witnesses, rather than fearful of and suspicious of the strange and God-estranged.Three Spheres for WitnessSo, I end with three spheres of our welcoming witness, perhaps in increasing importance:1) We are a welcoming witness at 1524 Summit Ave. Each Sunday, we have a welcome team. You can participate in that. And let's not leave all the welcoming of each other, and strangers, to the welcome team. So, some welcoming happens on the way into this room, but mainly, after we worship, oh what amazing ministry, what welcoming witness happens on these grounds. Please don't run as a pattern. Linger and be welcoming witnesses.Then all week, as we meet people nearby, and represent our church, as we frequent businesses nearby, as we repair the steeple, and keep the lawn, we want to be together a welcoming witness to Jesus on Summit Ave and to these surrounding neighborhoods.2) We are a welcoming witness as we go out into other spaces during the week. So, your work, your school, coffee shops, gyms, ballfields. Just Thursday, I was given a new book called You Will Be My Witnesses (by Brian DeVries). I got it from someone in another city who had no idea I was preaching on “witnesses” this Sunday. It's very good. Chapter 5 summarizes the pattern of Christian witness in Acts like this, which is very applicable to our relationships with unbelievers across the metro: Christian witness is (1) usually preceded by prayer, (2) often explicitly Spirit-directed, (3) generally spontaneous, (4) with the church community itself as the dominant form of witness (DeVries talks about “contagious Christian living within an attracting church community,” 120), and all that, as we've seen, (5) with gospel communication central (and “authenticated by . . . faithful living,” 121).3) We are a welcoming witness in our homes.Sometimes we talk about someone having “the gift” of hospitality. It may be true that some are more naturally inclined toward good hosting, but hospitality is not something that falls from the sky (or not). It is first God-given love for strangers in the heart, and that love is either cultivated and grown (whatever your natural inclinations), or neglected and suppressed; and if it's cultivated, then that love overflows into practical, tangible outward deeds and welcome.I close with five practical, nitty-gritty ideas for welcoming witness in our homes.1) Pray about being hospitable and budget for it. Pray over who you'd like to invite into your home, and don't let the very minimal costs keep you from the very maximal rewards.2) Think in concentric circles of “strangers”: first, those who are not strangers at all: friends and family. Okay, that's very normal hosting. Then think of those who are strangers in that they don't live in your house but are fellow believers. Then don't forget those who are strangers according to faith. In other words, Christian hospitality incorporates both fellow believers and nonbelievers. Make use of it for both, for hosting Community Group and hosting unbelieving neighbors.3) A word for dads. I wish this lesson didn't take me so long to learn, and that I didn't still have room for growth. But it did, and I do. I'd love to save some younger husbands some grief if you'll hear an old man's counsel: dad's energy is key for hospitality. Husbands, fathers, we don't wave a wand and expect wife and kids to start singing, “Be Our Guest” — not for long. Dad, your masculine heart and hands and arms are critical; and so is her feminine heart and touch — and everyone knows her part is vital, but yours can get forgotten, especially by you. Don't forget it. Brothers, lead the way in prayer, planning, preparation, service, and cleanup. Put your male body to some use. Many marriages (not saying all) would be helped if dad sweated hospitality prep for more, and mom sweated it less.4) So, a word to the ladies: some of you may have to lower your expectations for domestic and culinary excellence. I promise, it is worth being hospitable, even if a perfect pic doesn't wind up on IG. You don't need to impress; just love. Use paper plates, and the house doesn't have to be perfect.5) A next-level consideration might be having a guest room, or plan for overnight hosting.Making a practice of welcoming others into our homes can be good for your marriage, in having shared mission and ministry together. It can be good for our kids, in the people they'll meet and interact with and learn from. And it's good for us to have open homes, open doors, open lives. An open home brings accountability with it that does us all good. Satan loves isolation and closed doors. And welcoming others into our homes might be not just an important way, but the key way in our times to witness to our faith in Jesus.Housekey?I remember the moment in evangelism class in seminary. The professor's name was Steve Childers. He asked the class, “You know what will be the key to evangelism in the 21st century, don't you?”I'm sure he could see on our faces how eager we were for his answer. Wow, the key, we were thinking. This is huge. He knew he had us. So he paused and smiled and waited. And he waited. And just when I was almost ready to burst with, “Just c'mon already!” finally he lifted the curtain: “Hospitality.”In an increasingly post-Christian society, he said, the importance of hospitality as an evangelistic asset is quickly growing. Increasingly, the most strategic turf on which to engage the unbelieving with the good news of Jesus is the turf of our own yards and homes.When people don't gather in droves for stadium crusades, or tarry long enough on the sidewalk to hear a gospel presentation, or look up from their phones, or take out their earbuds, what will you do? How will we be welcoming witnesses? Where will we testify to the unbelieving about what matters most?Invite them to dinner. Witness and Welcome at the TableEach Sunday, this Table forms us to be welcoming witnesses. First, this Table witnesses. It speaks a visible word to us about Jesus, his sacrifice of his body for our sins, and his new covenant inaugurated in the shedding of his blood. This Table witnesses to him, and as we partake we proclaim his death until he comes.And this Table welcomes — not without spiritual conditions but indiscriminately within the conditions of confession this Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Treasure and having had his name put on you publicly through baptism.

In the "From the Chapel" segment, Nate Danser talks about the power of testimony. Sin gives us a dark testimony that causes us to say things like, "I'm hopeless," or "Maybe God has abandoned me." But when we choose to surrender and obey God, He gives us a testimony that will overcome every lie of the enemy.

Who are you when no one is looking? Maybe God has a calling on you and you're afraid. You don't know how God is going to show up. Today Pastor Ruben continues the story of Gideon. If you are fearful of the next step, this message is for you.

Discontentment. Is it something you brought on yourself, or is it something which God has brought into your life? Maybe God is using discontentment to help you bring about change in your life. What do you need to change? Sign up for Dr. Randy’s INTENTIONAL ONE THING CHALLENGE. Here’s an Intentional Living BLOG for inspiration! […]

In our latest episode, Yonathan Moya and Julie Mirlicourtois tackle tough questions about immigration, faith, and the role of Christians on the front lines of the border crisis. Julie Mirlicourtois, producer of Maybe God podcast & The Cross documentary series, shares her powerful journey from a secular upbringing to a life transformed by faith. Hear how storytelling across borders opened her heart, and how God is working in unexpected places. Resources: Listen to Maybe God Podcast here. Learn more ACROSS DOCUMENTARY SERIES here.

TO REGISTER FOR THE EMM PROMISE LAND LIVING GROUP SIGN UP AT: https://promisedlandliving.com/emm/ When things are not going well materially in a man's life he tends to believe that things aren't going well spiritually. The thought is: "Maybe God isn't pleased with how I am living my life?" The translation or thinking behind that thought is that God is less present in financial adversity and more present in financial prosperity. WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! We all know poor people who live lives rich in love and God and rich people who live lives bankrupt in the same. So that can't be right and, according to the Bible, isn't! So how should we think about material prosperity? What should our attitude be about our financial condition? How do we get our heads right about this all consuming emphasis of life so that our peace is not robbed and we live joyfully and gratefully in God? Hit PLAY on session 5 of The Secret Life with Kenny Luck and find out.

Is there a bible verse that keeps coming to mind? Are you unable to get it out of your head? Maybe God is putting it there for good reason. Pray and ask Him what He wants you to know. Here are 3 ways to know when God is talking to you. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: 3 Ways to Recognize When God is Talking to You By Kelly Balarie “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1 NIV I walked with a friend. Struggling with a sickness that was incredibly hard, I sought just the right words to encourage her.  No words would suffice. What do you say when there is nothing to say? I've learned, listening is always more powerful than speaking when one is going through the wringer of life.  So, I asked her questions and then let her speak. I actively repeated what she spoke to let her know that I was hearing her heart. Eventually, the moment of awkward silence arrived where I had nothing left to ask. I needed to say something. God, help me?!! I looked towards my feet, pondering what to say. A leaf caught my attention. Amazingly, it was shaped like a heart.  I knew God wanted me to share His love for her. He gave me an answer to my inner unsaid pleading for just the right words!! “God loves you so much.” I told her.  A well-spoken word at just the right moment has the ability to break through to a person's heart like nothing else. God reminded me of His heart for my friend through nature. This is one of the many ways that God speaks to us.  Scripture says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1 NIV How else does God speak? The second way that God speaks is through the Word of God. To store His Words in our heart is to hear them sound in our mind when the going gets tough.  When my kids act up, sometimes I feel afraid. When fear comes at me a mile a minute because I have stored God's Word in my mind, I often hear a bible verse pop in my head. His Word kills my fear. The third way God speaks to us is through people. Have you ever experienced a repeat situation time and time again? Maybe it feels like people are always telling you the same thing. Once, I had a women's minister at a church tell me that I was intense. Again, a friend, I prayed with told me I also was intense. I started to feel a little upset about that. People don't want to be around intense people. However, the more I considered their words, the more I realized that Jesus was intense too.  God was communicating to me, through people's words that what people noted about me, was something He loved and created. How might God be trying to reach you? Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a bible verse that keeps coming to mind? Are you unable to get it out of your head? Maybe God is putting it there for good reason. Pray and ask Him what He wants you to know. Do you keep running into a similar situation with people? What might God be trying to say to you through this? Do you ever sit and look at God's creation? What can you surmise about God's character and nature based on how He has created the world?  Kelly uplifts believers with boosts of faith; find encouragement by getting Kelly's blog posts by email. Kelly, creator of the “Hear God's Voice” podcast, is also a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly, a real cheerleader of faith, loves seeing the power of prayer in live action. She loves seeing the look on people's faces when they realize –God is faithful! Kelly's work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN's 700 Club, Relevant and Today's Christian Woman.  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.