Podcasts about methodist

(This podcast was previously published on April 27, 2021)   Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...    After we are born again, the Holy Spirit will remind us of things of God, and as we speak those things we are witnesses to Jesus.   Many times, throughout the years of our lives, the Holy Spirit reminds us of things and that is when the power of God is there.   Jesus says:   Acts 1:8   But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto ME.   Years ago, I was at a copy store.  An elderly man came up to me and said, "Little lady.  You didn't happen to park behind that green and gold car did you?"   "No sir," I replied.   Then he said, "That's a Baylor car."  (Green & gold are the colors of Baylor University, a Baptist college in Texas.)   "OK."  I replied.   Then he said, "You don't happen to be a Christian do you?"   I excitedly replied, "OH YES, I am!"   He said, "Oh, heck.  I just joined the witnessing class at First Baptist Church and you are the first person I have chosen to witness to."   The power to be a witness is very different from trying to witness.   This will be discussed on this Podcast.   *****   Examples of the Holy Spirit coming upon me through the past years:   * The Holy Spirit says to me, "Be baptized."   * Court trial:  Holy Spirit says to me, "Don't testify."   * I saw man I was dating walking up sidewalk toward my business.  I heard this from the Holy Spirit:  "You can have all the money you want, but you're not going to have this."  I thought Holy Spirit was showing me I would not marry Bob.  But Holy Spirit was showing me I would not marry.   * Decision to go to court without human legal counsel because of Isaiah 54:17.  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of ME, saith the LORD.   * Angel of God speaks 3 words to me, "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS", and I say to God, "Are YOU telling me to go on radio?  I wouldn't know how to do that."  Holy Spirit says, "Call the radio station manager.   *  When I am searching for a quarter & nickel in my coin purse, the Holy Spirit says to me, "Three dimes will work."   * Methodist woman speaking about people who were judging.  Holy Spirit said, "If you're judging that people are judging, aren't you judging?"   * When radio station manager in Seattle said they might have to put me off the air if I continued to speak judgment messages, God said through me to him, "If I don't speak the message that I believe to be from God, then I don't have a message, and I may as well be off the air."   * Deuteronomy 18:9-12 spoken to my mother. My mother said, "Well ... I guess we'd better not do that anymore."  When she agreed with those scriptures, she was born again.   * Seeing a truck loaded with firewood.  Holy Spirit says:  "You can have that."   * When woman at grocery store check-out line was rebuking cashier for working on a Sunday, Holy Spirit said through me: "If you want to live by the letter of the Old Testament law, then what are you doing shopping on a Sunday?  By the Old Testament law, you just rest all day in your tent."   * While trying to tune a defective TV by using my remote control, Holy Spirit says:  "You don't have to put up with that."   * After fall at my house, trying to crawl to phone with broken hip and wrist.  Holy Spirit says:  "You can do this."   * Ambulance workers rolling me past my front door after accident.  Holy Spirit says:  "You'll never see this house again."   *  House in Texas for sale in the midst of Coronavirus pandemic.  Holy Spirit says:  "Put the house on a special sale for one week with price lowered."  (House sold in 2 days.)   * As I considered putting new upholstery on my 25-year-old car, the Holy Spirit says to me, "Or you could just buy a new car."   (The above examples happened from 1975 through 2020.)   We receive power after the Holy Spirit speaks to us by bringing a thought from God to our mind and when we speak that word or do that instruction, we are witnesses to God and Jesus.  

In this episode, Alen Brcic, Chief Human Resources Officer at Methodist Health System, shares how a focus on engagement, retention, and culture has driven top percentile performance in turnover and employee engagement. He discusses leveraging AI in talent strategy, strengthening leadership accountability, and upskilling the workforce to elevate patient experience and prepare for the next century of care.

In this episode you will hear: (03:34) In Our Question from a Listener-Hilary joins Mark to answer a question from an anonymous mom who wants to know how can I tell if a college has a commuter school culture. (24:01) Mark interviews Stephen Burd, senior writer and researcher about his latest article that appears at newamerica.org on the topic of 41 colleges that are saddling a high percentage of low- income students with Parent PLUS loans-Part 2 of 3 Part 2 v Stephen elaborates on the Parent Plus loans v Stephen discusses if non-need best aid or merit money is appropriate for schools to give out v Stephen explains how the Wall Street Journal inspired him to do more research v Stephen and I discuss how the vicious cycle and how things have changed a lot (40:57) College Spotlight-Susan Tree joins Mark Stucker to interview Kelly Walter, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions at Boston University Ø Kelly and Susan share how they met Ø Kelly shares the various roles in admissions she has had and she shares why she has done admissions for 5 decades Ø Kelly shares how Boston University's Methodist roots and its history as a Bible institute originally impacts BU to this day Ø Kelly explains many areas where BU was the first university in the country to accomplish something Ø Kelly explains how BU is different from the other 40 universities in the country Ø Kelly tells us how a student applies to BU if they do not know what they want to major in? Ø Kelly tells us what the BU Hub is and what the BU cross-college challenge is? Recommended Resource Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- Application guide for first-year students Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search for and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation, text Mark at 404-664-4340, or email us at yourcollegeboundkid@yahoo.com All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

Rebecca Auman is a witch. That's not an insult — it literally says “head witch” on her LinkedIn profile. Rebecca has been able to read people and pick up on energy and vibrations for as long as she can remember. But as the daughter of a Methodist minister growing up in the South, she was encouraged to turn away from that intuition for a long time. She tells Anita about the long and winding road to reclaim her magic and how she has turned her gift into a service for others.Meet the guest:- Rebecca Auman runs her own witchy business offering tarot readings and intuition training, and she hosts the podcast “Voices in the River”Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

In Part 1 of this new series, The Path to Perfection, Pastor Kong Hee reminds us that spiritual maturity doesn't happen by accident—it is a path, a process, a journey with God. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, taught that the path to spiritual perfection is ultimately the path of love. The goal of the Christian life is not performance, but growing ever deeper in God's love.

Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists famously described the First Amendment as building a "wall of separation between church and State." This line has been the gold standard for those who point to the secular origins of America and the threat of funding any sort of religious activity. But this idea of America as a secular republic built on Enlightenment ideals misses a critical truth: Christianity has been at the center of American public life since European colonization began 500 years ago. The Constitution didn't create a wall between church and state—it inadvertently created a "free market" for religion that allowed Christian activists to expand their influence in unexpected ways. Today's guest is Matthew Avery Sutton, author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity. We see the different versions of Christianity imported during European colonization and how the absence of state control unleashed wildly eccentric religious movements that couldn't have happened in Europe. From revivalist preachers like Jonathan Edwards and Peter Cartwright to Billy Graham, and from liberal Congregationalists to twentieth-century mainline denominations, American Christianity constantly evolved. We see this in the story of Abraham Lincoln, whose skepticism toward traditional Christianity in his twenties nearly derailed his political career. In his 1846 race against Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright, Lincoln faced accusations of being an infidel after openly rejecting his family's Christian faith. This episode reveals how, contrary to popular belief, America's founding generation allowed religious liberty not out of principle, but pragmatism—they needed to keep a fractious coalition together. To understand what makes America unique, we must account for how Christianity shaped—and was shaped by—every major historical development in U.S. history. From tent revivals to megachurches, from abolition to segregation, Christianity's "free-market" evolution in America created something unlike anywhere else in the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send a textPastor Johnnie preaches a message on Matthew chapter 4. Support the show#sermons #motivation #inspirationhttps://www.instagram.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://x.com/pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.facebook.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://pastorjohnnie.blogspot.com/https://www.threads.com/@pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.tiktok.com/@pastorjohnnie

Heroes of the Faith continues the story of John Wesley, tracing the remarkable spread of his ministry across England and beyond. From open air preaching to the rise of Methodist societies, this episode explores how one man's relentless devotion to Christ helped awaken a nation and shape a movement that would endure for generations. It follows his tireless travels, his passion for holiness and social reform, and concludes with his peaceful final moments, when even in death his confidence rested firmly in the faith he had proclaimed all his life. Become a supporter at: www.patreon.com/theologyandapologetics Visit: www.ezrafoundation.org/ www.theologyandapologetics.com/ Listen to the Theology & Apologetics Podcast on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2lviMYP... Instagram: www.instagram.com/ezra_foundation/ www.instagram.com/theology.apologetics/

It's Monday, March 2, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus United States and Israel bombed Iran The long-simmering threat of conflict between Washington, Jerusalem and Tehran erupted Saturday morning as the United States and Israel launched sweeping airstrikes against Iran, reports NBC News. The launch of “Operation Epic Fury” followed months of heated rhetoric and repeated warnings from President Trump about military intervention in Iran. U.S. and partner forces struck multiple targets, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. Not only was Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed, but so was his top security adviser, his chief military secretary, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, the Defense Minister, the Head of Iranian military intelligence, and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reports Axios and Israel National News. Trump: We will destroy Iran's “wicked, radical dictatorship” In an 8-minute address to America, President Donald Trump explained why he believed the attack on Iran was necessary. TRUMP: “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America' and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.” The president laid out the litany of Iranian attacks from the 1979 U.S. Embassy Hostage Crisis in which dozens of Americans were taken hostage for 444 days and the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 soldiers to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, the killing of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and the Iranian-funded attack on Israel through Hamas on October 7, 2023. TRUMP: “For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally obliterated. We're going to annihilate their navy. We're going to ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world.” Isaiah 10:1-2 says, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.” President Trump expressed concern for the safety of U.S. soldiers. TRUMP: “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans, and our children, will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm's way. And we trust that with His help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail.” Sadly, three U.S. service members have been killed in action, as part of the Trump administration's “Operation Epic Fury,” reports NewsNation.com. Iranians celebrating in the streets Anti-regime protesters in southern Iran tore down a statue of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in celebration of his death on Saturday, reports The Telegraph. In Tehran, loud cheers echoed from rooftops and through the streets.   Listen. (audio of Iranians celebrating) Celebratory music played, car horns honked and fireworks were set off in parts of the capital at around 11pm local time. They were joined by Iranians across the world who celebrated the Supreme Leader's downfall after he was killed in a barrage of US and Israeli missile strikes early on Saturday morning. Senator Ted Cruz: Bombing Iran is “single most important decision of [Trump's] presidency” Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas applauded President Trump's decision to bomb Iran. CRUZ: “President Trump's decision to launch this decisive action against Iran is the single most important decision of his presidency. He is taking this action because the government of Iran is a profound and malign influence. “They have been the leading state sponsor of terrorism for 47 years. They have, over that time, killed nearly 1,000 Americans. They provide more than 90% of the funding for Hamas. They provide more than 90% of the funding for Hezbollah, the Iranian Ayatollah, was, until yesterday, actively trying to murder the President of the United States, Donald J Trump.” Senator Lindsey Graham: “The mothership of terrorism is about to go down!” Appearing on Fox & Friends, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was grateful the American people re-elected President Trump in 2024. GRAHAM: “My feeling today is that I'm very glad that President Trump won and Kamala Harris lost. Unfortunately, the modern Democratic Party is pathetic in the face of evil. “The difference between Donald Trump and our Democratic colleagues, he's common sense. He understands the world. He's of the mindset that the Ayatollah is Hitler in a robe, wearing a turban; that he's not capable of changing his ways. “Donald Trump does not get us entangled in forever wars, but he sure stands up to the bad guys, and he makes us safer. This is the most consequential decision any President has made since 1979.” Senator Graham predicted a major re-set in the Middle East because of “Operation Epic Fury.” GRAHAM: “If the regime falls, I think Saudi Arabia, the keeper of the holy mosque and Mecca and Medina, the center of Islam, will go back to the table to try to do peace with Israel. We were close before, before October the seventh. October the seventh was designed to stop normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. “I think when this regime collapses, we'll be back at the table of normalization. If Saudi Arabia recognizes Israel it will be the biggest change in 1,000 years in the history of the MidEast. If this regime falls -- Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis terrorist network supported by Iran -- will collapse, slowly but surely. “The mothership of terrorism is about to go down. There's a new dawn coming in the Mideast.” Mass shooting in Austin leaves 3 dead and 14 wounded Three people are dead and 14 have been injured after a mass shooting at a popular bar along West Sixth Street in downtown Austin, Texas during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 1, reports the San Antonio Express-News. The shooting took place at Buford's, a popular bar along the West Sixth Street entertainment strip. Anniversary of John Wesley's death And finally, John Wesley, the English evangelist, who was a principal leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism, died at the age of 87 on this day, March 2nd in 1791. Wesley placed his faith in Christ on May 24, 1738. Referring to our Savior Jesus Christ, Luke wrote in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” In his early ministry years, Wesley was barred from preaching in many parish churches and the Methodists were persecuted. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the abolition of slavery. He became known for the Wesley Covenant Prayer. It says, “I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what Thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for Thee or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on Earth, let it be ratified in Heaven. Amen.” Wesley wrote hymns including “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing.” “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace! My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread thro' all the Earth abroad the honors of Thy name.” John Wesley became widely respected, and by the end of his life, was described as "the best-loved man in England.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, March 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

“If you disestablish Christianity, then Christian leaders need to make Christianity a consumer product. They need to give the American people something they want.” — Matthew Avery SuttonOver the years, Keen On has done many shows on the relationship between the United States and organized religion. Daniel Williams argued that smart people still believe in God. Jim Wallis warned that a false white gospel is threatening America. But we've never quite done a show on Christianity as “the thing in itself”—the force that made America what it is, for better and for worse. That's what this conversation is about.Historian Matthew Avery Sutton's new book, Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity, is a sweeping argument that Christianity is not just part of the American story—it is the American story. The founders created a godless Constitution not out of principle but pragmatism: they couldn't pick a winning denomination. The unintended consequence was to open the floodgates. Powerful Protestant groups seized even more power, building an unofficial establishment that shaped everything from westward expansion to the Civil War to the rise of the religious right.Sutton's most provocative insight is that disestablishment turned Christianity into a consumer product. Forced to compete for adherents against entertainment, sports, and media, American churches became entrepreneurial, technologically savvy, and relentlessly current—reinventing themselves every generation. That's what sets American Christianity apart from the rest of the Western world. It also helps explain Trump: a president who uses Christianity in a “crass, overt, and hypocritical” way, but who is doing something that generations before him built the infrastructure to enable. Whether this is Christianity's last gasp or the prelude to another great revival, Sutton says, nobody knows. But the air we breathe in America is Christian air, and this book explains how it got that way. Five Takeaways•       The Godless Constitution Backfired: The founders couldn't pick a winning denomination, so they disestablished religion. It was pragmatic, not ideological. But this opened the floodgates. The Christians who already had the most power—Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians—seized even more, creating an unofficial Protestant establishment that determined who was in and who was out.•       Christianity Became a Consumer Product: Disestablishment forced churches to compete for adherents. They had to be aggressive, entrepreneurial, current—competing with entertainment, sports, and media. They became masters of new technologies and communication, reinventing Christianity every generation. That's what sets American Christianity apart from the rest of the world: an unintended consequence of the First Amendment.•       The Civil War Was Christians Killing Christians: Presbyterians killing Presbyterians, Methodists killing Methodists. It exposed the fragility of the effort to build a Christian utopia when you can't settle the question of slavery. The Confederates actually wrote God and Jesus Christ into their constitution—they believed the Union had gone off the rails because its Constitution was too godless.•       The Liberationists Are the Heroes: Indigenous preachers who saw Jesus as liberator, Black Christians, gay rights activists in the 1960s and 1970s, Barack Obama. There have always been alternative visions of Christianity in America. Sutton's heroes are those who see Jesus as a radical figure who wants to overturn hierarchies and bring equality.•       This May Be Christianity's Last Gasp—Or Not: Just under two-thirds of Americans now identify as Christian—a historic low. Trump's hypocrisy is driving young people away. In anointing Trump as their savior, the religious right may have hammered the final nail into their coffin. But every time scholars predict secularization, America has a revival. Nobody knows what's next. About the GuestMatthew Avery Sutton is the Claudius O. and Mary Johnson Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of History at Washington State University. He is the author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity as well as American Apocalypse and Double Crossed, and a recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship.ReferencesPrevious Keen On episodes mentioned:•       Daniel Williams on why smart people still believe in God•       Jim Wallis on the false white gospel and faith and justice•       Margaret Atwood on The Handmaid's TaleAbout Keen On AmericaNobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States—hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters:(00:00) - Introduction: Christianity as "the thing in itself" (02:11) - Is this really a surprise? (04:05) - Which Christianity? Questions of power (06:36) - The founders and the godless Constitution (08:55) - Was it a coup? (11:15) - Jacksonian democracy and revivalism (12:56) - Colonizing the West and Native Americans (16:03) - What does evangelical actually mean? (17:31) - The Civil War as a religious war (21:05) - Max Weber and Christianity as consumer product (28:02) - Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid's Tale (30:17) - Peter Thiel and the Antichrist (36:31) - Is this Christianity's last gasp?

Series: Love That Will Not Let Me GoScripture: Psalm 23First Methodist Church of Opelika is an exciting, historic, and growing Methodist church that is inviting our community to find and follow the Spirit-led life in Jesus. Founded in 1837, First Opelika has a rich history of influencing and impacting families in the Opelika/Auburn and surrounding community. The church is currently in a season of revitalization and is laying the foundation for effective ministry in the next season of her life as an independent Methodist church.For more information, check us out at www.firstopelika.org or www.facebook.com/firstopelika

Date March 1, 2026 Synopsis In our second week of the Reenchanted series, we talk about ditching the intellectual armor that keeps us isolated and stuck in "knowing" all the right answers. Stop trying to think your way to God, and start learning how to feel your way back to the wild, messy, embodied life you were meant to live. It's time to repent of certainty and let your finite, beautiful body be the place where divine grace actually meets you. References Scripture: John 3:1–17 About The Local Church For more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org. To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

. . . and the power of the mite for mission during Lent. "Mite boxes are small, often cardboard, boxes traditionally used by Methodist women's groups to collect spare change and small donations to fund worldwide missionary projects, education, and healthcare. Inspired by the biblical story of the "widow's mite," this tradition encourages consistent, sacrificial giving—where many small, individual contributions (mites) combine to make a significant, large-scale (might) impact." 

A Place Where God Will Live Ephesians 2:11-22 by William Klock In today's Old Testament lesson we hear King Solomon praying at the dedication of the temple.  The temple was finally completed and Solomon gathered the elders of Israel at the tabernacle, where they offered sacrifices too many to number.  Then with the priests leading them with the ark of the covenant, they processed up the mountain to the temple.  When they'd placed it in the holy of holies, the presence of the Lord, the shekinah, the cloud of his glory descended to fill the temple as it once had the tabernacle.  And Solomon prayed.  He prayed for the new temple and he prayed for his people.  He prayed that they would be faithful.  And then, our lesson today, he prayed for the foreigners, for the gentiles who might come to the Lord's temple having heard of his great name, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm—that coming to the temple, they would know his glory.  Solomon's kingdom was, however imperfectly, a fulfilment of the Lord's promise to Abraham to make Israel a light to the nations.  And the nations came to Israel and to Solomon, because they saw and because they heard of the Lord's reputation.  Not only had he blessed his people, but in him they saw a god unlike their own.  And so they came, and they saw for themselves the goodness of the Lord, the God of Israel.  And Solomon knew, too, that they would come to the temple that he'd built.  So he prayed that when these foreigners came and prayed, that the Lord would answer them, that he would make himself known to them, so that “all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel.”  Again, this wasn't some one-off prayer that Solomon came up with.  Solomon's prayer is rooted in the promises of God and in the story of his people.  Solomon knew that the world is not as it should be; Solomon knew the Lord's promises to set it to rights; and Solomon knew that God had given an integral role to his people to bring the fulfilment of those promises.  And Solomon great desire was for his people to be faithful to that calling, to that vocation—faithful to be a temple people. Now, this imagery and idea of the temple wasn't new with Israel; it goes all the way back to the beginning of the story.  The garden was God's first temple.  And the man and woman he created—he created them—us—to bear his image.  That means to be his representatives in the temple, to serve him, and steward his goodness to the rest of creation.  We rejected that vocation and the story ever since has been about God restoring his temple and his people.  Two weeks ago, when we looked at Ephesians 2:1-10, we saw how Jesus—the one in whom God and humanity have come together—represents God's work to restore his temple, but we also saw there that, as Paul stresses so much, what is true of Jesus is also true of those who are in him.  One day his people will be raised to be like him—heaven and earth people—but in the meantime, God has filled his church—filled us—with his Spirit as a foretaste and a down payment of that hope.  Brothers and Sisters, that means that we, purified by the blood of Jesus and filled with God's Spirit, we're now the temple—not a temple of bricks and mortar, but a temple of people filled with God's presence. Just as Solomon prayed that the nations would know the glorious reputation of the God of Israel through his people and come to meet him at his temple, our prayer, our desire, our commitment ought to be that the world will know God's glorious reputation through us and come to meet him here.  What God promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, to Moses, to the people through the Prophets is now reality in us.  The promise isn't completely fulfilled.  One day the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth.  On that day the new creation that began when Jesus rose from the dead will come to full fruit.  Creation and us with it will be made fully new.  God will wipe every last remaining bit of evil from the world and sin and death will be no more.  But, Brothers and Sisters, here's the really important thing here: The church—you and I and everyone else who is in Jesus the Messiah—we are God's vehicle to get the world to that point.  The church is God's means of making his glory known until it fills the earth.  And that ought to get us reflecting on how faithful we are to our mission.  When the world looks at the Church, when it looks at Christians, does what we say and do and live declare the glory of God: his great name, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm?  (To put it as Solomon did.)  Does what we say and do and live give the world a desire to come to the church to meet God?  Do we at least make the world constructively curious?  If not, we need to reflect on our priorities and on what we're doing. And this is true of everyone who is in Jesus the Messiah, but Paul, writing to the Ephesians who were mostly gentile believers, wants to stress to them just how significant it is that through Jesus and the Spirit they have been made a part of this temple people.  Brothers and Sisters, this is something that we don't spend enough time talking about and reflecting on.  For Paul, the unification of Jews and gentiles in the Messiah was at the heart of the gospel.  It was the proof that God was fulfilling his promises.  This church, made up of Jews and gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, slave and free, all together, unified, one body was a testimony to the glory of God.  In fact, for Paul, it was the testimony of the gospel's power. And I don't think it's even on the radar for many of us today, because we've become so used to and even so complacent about divisions within the church.  Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Mennonites, Romans, and Eastern Orthodox—and those are just some older divisions amongst us before we got really split-happy in the last century or two.  And it's not just theology and polity.  I suspect Paul might have at least a little sympathy for those sorts of divisions, especially over serious, gospel-compromising theological matters.  But Paul would be furious to see how we divide over things like language and ethnicity.  The English are here and the Germans are at that Lutheran church and the Swedes at that other Lutheran church and the Italians and Spanish and Filipinos are at the Roman church and the Greeks at the Greek Orthodox, the Russians at the Russian Orthodox, the Ukrainians at the Ukrainian Orthodox, the Syrians at the Syrian Orthodox.  The Dutch are in their Reformed church and the Scots are in their Reformed church.  And there's a church just for Chinese-speakers and another for Afrikaans and so on and on.  And you've got Messianic Jews forming their own synagogues.  And Paul would be shouting at us and asking, “Haven't you read a single thing I've written to you?  Your divisions are undermining the very gospel you claim to preach!” Paul did not want this to happen in the Ephesian churches, but even more than that, he wanted the people in those churches, especially he wanted them to appreciate just what God had done for them in Jesus and the Spirit, because if we understand what God has done to make us one, we'll hopefully be far less likely to let it be undone.  So, Paul writes in Ephesians 2:11-12 and reminds them of what they used to be: “Therefore, remember this: In human terms—that is, in your ‘flesh'—you are ‘gentiles'.  You are the people whom the so-called circumcision refer to as the so-called uncircumcision—circumcision, of course, being something done by human hands to human flesh.  Well, once upon a time you were separated from the Messiah.  You were alienated from the community of Israel.  You were foreigners to the covenants of promise.  There you were in the world, with no hope and no God.” You were gentiles.  Of course, Gentiles didn't think of themselves that way.  They were just regular people; it was the Jews who were weird.  But the fact that Paul can say this to them, “You were gentiles” means that they've now been brought into the family of Israel.  And just in case they might have forgotten the significance of that, he describes them as having been outsiders with this string of descriptors that work up to a crescendo of alienation. First, they were separated from the Messiah—from the rightful King.  The Messiah was some weird thing the Jews were into.  What would Greeks or Romans—who were oh, so superior—want to have to do with him?  And even if they did, the Messiah wasn't part of their story.  Then second, Paul says that they were alienated from the community—the commonwealth as the King James puts it—of Israel.  They were foreigners.  Israel was not their nation and Israel's God was not their God.  Even if they did see something attractive in Israel and went to the temple in Jerusalem—think of Solomon's prayer for the foreign visitors who would come—there was a wall between the court of the gentiles and the court of the women.  In Paul's day there was an inscription on that wall warning that foreigners passed it on pain of death.  Gentiles could look from a distance, but they were cut off from the living God.  And third, they were foreigners to the covenants of promise.  Most of them had never heard of Abraham or Moses, but if they had, that simply wasn't their story and it certainly wasn't their family.  They didn't belong there.  Whatever promises the God of Israel had made, those promises were not for the gentiles.  And Paul then sums it all up and says: You were in the world without God and without hope. I think Paul intends a bit of irony there.  When he says they were without God he uses a word that essentially means they were atheists.  And “atheist” is exactly what the gentiles called Jews and the first Christians.  Because Jews and Christians worshipped only one God and one God might as well have been no god to them with their vast pantheons.  And Jews and Christians refused to take part in the pagan worship and festivals that ran all through gentile life and society.  And so Paul flips it around.  “No, it was you gentiles, separated from the Messiah, alienated from Israel, foreigners to the covenant promises—it was you who were the atheists.  You were the ones without God.  And because of that you had no hope.  And if being called atheists didn't make an impact, I have to think this would have.  Because it's not that the Greeks and Romans didn't understand the idea of hope; it's that they had no reason, no grounds to live with hope.  No one in their world believed in progress the way people do today.  That idea is rooted in our biblical heritage.  They thought things just went round and round in cycles—forever stuck.  And while their philosophers might talk about life after death, it was all very vague and not hopeful at all.  Hesiod imprisoned hope in the bottom of Pandora's box, lost forever.  Aristotle and others wrote about hope as fickle and treacherous—a foolish thing to trust in.  Things could go wrong just as easily as they could go right.  Hope just wasn't a big deal for the Greeks.  But in stark contrast, hope was at the centre of the whole Jewish and early Christian worldview.  As I said last time, no one in the pagan world would have ever dreamed that the gods loved them or even really cared about them, so why would anyone in the pagan world have reason to hope?  So Paul sums it all up: Without God and without hope, the gentiles were alone and lost in the world.  Paul reminds them just how bleak things were for them before they were captured by the gospel.  I think it's a good thing for us to reflect on this ourselves and if we did, I think we would have a greater appreciation for what God has done for us and for what he has made his church. So after painting this bleak and pitiful picture of where these people were before Jesus, Paul cuts through the hopelessness and despair.  Like he did with that great, “But God!” in verse 3, now in verse 13 he practically shouts out, “But now!” “But now, in Messiah Jesus, you who used to be far away have been brough near by the Messiah's blood.  He is our peace, you see.  He has made the two to be one.  He has pulled down the barrier, the dividing wall, that turns us into enemies of each other.  He has done this in his flesh, by abolishing the law with its commands and instructions.” Paul wrote about the Messiah's blood back in Chapter 1.  Jesus' blood is the means through which God has accomplished redemption and forgiveness.  This was the great, once-and-for-all-time sacrifice that the Old Testament sacrificial system was pointing to all along.  In the Old Testament, sacrificial blood was like a disinfectant.  It cleansed the tabernacle and later the temple; and it cleansed the people of Israel so that the holy God could come to his people and dwell with them.  Pagan sacrifices were all about killing valuable animals to placate the gods.  In Israel, the sacrifices were all about the blood—a symbol of God-given life—and that blood was shed to wash away the stain of sin and death so that God could come and dwell and fellowship with his people.  Brothers and Sisters, the blood of Jesus, shed at the cross, has fully accomplished once and for all and for everyone what the Old Testament sacrifices did partially and temporarily.  And in doing that, God has abolished the law. You see, the law was the thing that set Israel apart from the rest of the world and Paul saw that wall in the court of the gentiles as symbolic of it.  The law, like that wall, kept the gentiles out of God's people, out of his covenant, and out of his promises.  The law marked out the gentiles as idolaters and as unclean—unworthy of God's presence.  But Jesus' blood has washed us clean—Jew and gentile alike—making both the law and the wall that kept the gentiles out irrelevant.  In Jesus, God had brought these Greek believers into the family—fully and no longer aliens and foreigners.  And why?  Paul goes on in the second half of verse 15: “The point of doing all this was to create, in him, one new humanity out of the two, so making peace.  God was reconciling  both of us to himself in a single body, through the cross, by killing the enmity in him.” Do you remember the first thing the risen Jesus said to his disciples when he entered that locked-up house where they were hiding after he'd been crucified?  It was “Peace”.  Shalom.  Peace is what the world looks like set to rights.  And so it makes perfect sense that “Peace” would be the first thing Jesus would say to his disciples after rising from death and inaugurating God's new creation.  He'd just begun the work of setting the world to rights.  And for Paul, this new humanity—Jews and gentiles, once divided by the law, but now brought together—this new humanity, the church, is the first sign of God's peace breaking out into the world.  The church is the sign of the new age.  As I've said before, we are God's working model of his new creation.  Jesus has killed the enmity that was once between us and he has reconciled both to God and, through that, to each other.  Jesus' blood as washed us clean and Paul stresses regularly to his fellow Jews, this means there's no longer any reason to consider gentile believers in Jesus to be unclean.  We gentiles, with hearts renewed by the Holy Spirit, have turned away from our idols to serve the living God and by the blood of Jesus he has washed us clean.  And if there's any doubt, Paul would point to the fact that the same Spirit has come to fill the gentile believers who first filled the Jewish believers.  So he goes on in verse 17: “So the [he Messiah] came and proclaimed peace, to you who were far off and to those who were near.  Through him we both have access to the Father in one Spirit.”  Again, it's all the fulfilment of God's promises.  In Isaiah 57 God had promised that he would heal the broken and humble in spirit and give peace: peace for those far off and peace for those who are near.  He's now done that in Jesus and the unity of the church—these people who were once separated, these people who once hated each other—their unity in the Messiah as one people is the proof, the testimony, the witness of God's faithfulness and the power of the gospel. And Paul, again, wants to drive this home.  Look at verses 19 to 22: “So then [—this is the result—] you are no longer foreigners and aliens.  No, you are fellow citizens with God's holy people.  You are members of God's household.  You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Messiah Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  In him the whole building is fitted together, and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  You, too, are being built up together, in him, into a place where God will live by the Spirit.” The point of all this is that through Jesus and the Spirit, the living God has welcomed us into this amazing story.  We've been adopted into a family that was not ours.  We were poor, dirty refugees without hope, but God has washed us clean in the blood of Jesus, he has made us welcome members of his family, and most importantly, he has come to dwell with us.  He has filled us—aliens, foreigners, strangers, gentiles—with his Spirit—the presence that he had promised to his own people and in doing that he has made us holy.  And just just because.  God has a purpose for us.  He always has. And this is where Paul stops hinting at things with temple language and imagery and comes out and says it: God has done this in order to establish a new temple.  For centuries the Jews had been waiting for God's presence to return to the temple, not that unlike the way so many Jews today go to the Western Wall and pray for a new temple and God's return.  Brother and Sisters, Paul's stressing that God has, in fact, returned, that he has built a new temple, and that he now dwells with his people.  But not in a stone building on the mountain above Jerusalem.  He has built is new temple and returned to live with his people through Jesus and the Spirit. And, again, that means that we—the church—are God's ongoing means of fulfilling his promises to set creation to rights.  God's presence with us is the sign that one day his presence will fill all of creation.  We are the temple, the working model of new creation.  As we proclaim the gospel, we proclaim the glories of God to the world.  As we live the gospel, we put on display the glories of God to the world.  And our unity in Jesus and the Spirit—something we've often forgotten—is one of the most important ways we ought to be living out the gospel.  Just as there was one temple in Israel, there is only one church.  By our divisions and schism and arguments, by our elevating language and race and nation over the gospel, we've often obscured this reality, but Brothers and Sisters, there is but one church and the unity of that one church across our natural divisions of language and race—and class, and status, and every other way the world divides and separates us—that unity is meant to be a witness.  A witness to the power of the gospel.  A witness to the power of Jesus and the cleansing power of his blood.  A witness to the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer.  And most of all, witness to the faithfulness of God, who has been true to his promises.  And through that, our unity becomes a witness to a bleak and hopeless world of God's coming new creation—not just of the world set to rights, but of humanity set to rights within it: one people, renewed and purified, in fellowship forever with the living God. Let's pray: Gracious Father, you have purified us by the blood of your Son and filled us with your Spirit to make us your temple.  Pour out your grace that we might be faithful stewards of the gifts you have given us.  Teach us to guard the unity of your church, so that the nations will see in us a witness to your mighty hand, your outstretched arm, and your great name.  And when they draw near, hear their prayers, we ask, that they might know your great name as we have, through your Son and through your Spirit.  Amen.

Rev Lindsey Hall preaches on Luke 14:26-27 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Are You Serious?” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

This is the March 1st sermon from the First United Methodist Church in Decatur, Texas. This sermon is taken from Isaiah 53:1-3.

On today's program, families who lost children at Camp Mystic last year are suing Texas state officials for licensing the camp despite its lack of an evacuation plan. We'll have details. And, fundraising on commission—it may seem like a win-win scenario, but experts say the ethical issues outweigh any benefits. We'll take a look. Plus, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is closing down one of its central hubs where Methodists have been assembling relief kits since 1996 to send across the country after disasters. But first, more controversy at Bethel Church in Redding, California. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kim Roberts, Stacey Horton, Isaac Wood, David Roach, Diana Chandler, and Makella Knowles. A special thanks to Baptist Press for contributing material for this week's podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

In this episode, we are continuing our series examiningdifferences in beliefs from different churches and groups! Next up for our assessment of churches/groups is to evaluate the Methodist Churches, specifically United Methodists (UMC), and Free Methodists (FMC), against some primary Biblical doctrines.

In this episode you will hear: (02:40) In Our Question from a Listener-Carter joins Mark to respond to a comment from a listener who wants our opinion on why more dads are not involved in learning more and helping their kids with college (17:56) Mark interviews Stephen Burd, senior writer and researcher about his latest article that appears at newamerica.org on the topic of 41 colleges that are saddling a high percentage of low income students with Parent PLUS loans v Stephen gives an overview of his role at New America and his detailed report about some colleges use financial aid leveraging in conjunction with Parent Plus loans to take advantage of under-resourced students v Stephen explains why a statement that EAB, a leading enrollment management company is so offensive to him v Stephen talks about the purpose of financial aid, at least historically v Stephen explains the power of US News and World Report and their rankings v Stephen explains the growth of PLUS loans v Stephen and I explain why PLUS loans are so problematic (43:06) College Spotlight-Susan Tree joins Mark Stucker to interview Kelly Walter, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions at Boston University Ø Kelly and Susan share how they met Ø Kelly shares the various roles in admissions she has had and she shares why she has done admissions for 5 decades Ø Kelly shares how Boston University's Methodist roots and its history as a Bible institute originally impacts BU to this day Ø Kelly explains many areas where BU was the first university in the country to accomplish something Ø Kelly explains how BU is different from the other 40 universities in the country Ø Kelly tells us how a student applies to BU if they do not know what they want to major in? Ø Kelly tells us what the BU Hub is and what the BU cross-college challenge is? Recommended Resource Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- Application guide for first-year students Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search for and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation, text Mark at 404-664-4340, or email us at yourcollegeboundkid@yahoo.com All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

This is the Week 1 grounding practice for Reenchanted: A Series for Lent on Believing Again — a Lenten series from The Local Church. This week's practice is called A List of Mysteries. It's a simple guided meditation designed to help you slow down and practice sitting with what you cannot explain—not as a failure of understanding, but as an act of faith. Take a walk while you listen if you're able. Or find a quiet place to sit and let your imagination do the moving. This practice pairs with Week 1 of the Reenchanted series, where we explore Matthew 4:1–11 and what it means to repent from certainty and believe in simply believing again.

e appreciate you tuning into this episode in the 7th season of the Ray Reynolds Rap podcast. If we can pray for you in anyway please email us at rayreynoldsrap@gmail.com. If you are interested in a deeper, richer study of the Bible please download the FREE study guides available for a limited time. We also encourage you to sign up for a FREE Bible course for a comprehensive study of the entire Bible.The ministry of Reynolds Rap is meant to bring a message of inspiration and encouragement. Our hope it will bless you to find your calling and inspire you to engage in your own distinctive and personal ministry.  Our goal is to help mentor, coach, and motivate you.  We will do this through sharing Scriptures, Bible studies, blogs, podcasts, and LIVE videos.  Our website has many tools to help you in your walk with God to maintain an authentic Christian life (www.rayreynoldsrap.com).This podcast is partially sponsored by Peachtree Press LLC (www.peachtreepress.org), Getting To Know Your Bible (www.gettingtoknowyourbible.com), the Summerdale Church of Christ (www.summerdalechurch.org), and the Reclaiming Hope Ministry (www.reclaiminghopeministry.com).#ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #God #Jesus #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Reddit #Substack #Christianity #ReclaimingHope #RayReynolds #MistyReynolds #counseling #PeachtreePress #inspiration #encourage #positive #rayreynoldsrap #reclaiminghopeministry #summerdale #churchofchrist #methodist #KJV #Anglican #Episcopalian

Recorded on the fly during art fair week, live at NADA, this conversation with Dan Attoe moves from metal-kid origin stories to Zen meditation, daily practice, tattooing, landscape painting, and the unexpected turn toward writing a horror novel. Duncan opens with a personal note: a Dan Attoe painting has been hanging in his home for 22 years, a wedding gift that quietly embedded itself into the fabric of his life, which frames the conversation, and traces Attoe's arc from rural Idaho and northern Minnesota outsider to one of the most recognizable painters of his generation. Attoe talks about the seven-year run of making a painting every weekday, a discipline that functioned less as a productivity hack and more as a survival strategy. What began as wild, sex-and-drugs-and-rowdy-party imagery rooted in imagined social worlds gradually shifted toward the meditative landscapes he's now known for. These aren't observed sites but constructed psychic spaces, built from memory, attention, and what he calls a process of "composting" experience. Zen practice, daily drawing, and tattooing form a three-part studio structure that keeps the work in motion. Learning to tattoo on his own body sharpened his attention to contrast, permanence, and empathy, feeding directly back into the paintings. Along the way we get patches, skate culture, Methodist guilt, Barry McGee installations, Walker Art Center bookstore theory dives, and the long road from being told to abandon heavy-metal imagery to fully embracing it as the engine of a mature practice. The conversation closes on writing: how Stephen King, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and decades of accumulated art-world experience led Attoe to channel theory, narrative, and lived history into a horror novel. It's a talk about attention, energy, and letting the work tell you what it needs to become. Images courtesy of Western Exhibitions -  A party for children, 2019 India ink and graphite on paper 7h x 7w in   Fingertip Mountain, 2020 Oil on Canvas on Panel 24h x 24w in   Forest Path with Glowing Orb, 2021 Oil on Canvas on Panel 36h x 24w in   Dual Falls with Painted Arches, 2021 Oil on Canvas on Panel 36h x 24w in Names Dropped: Dan Attoe — https://www.danattoe.com Dan Attoe at Western Exhibitions — https://westernexhibitions.com/artists/dan-attoe Dan Attoe at PPOW — https://ppowgallery.com/artists/dan-attoe/ Clouds Tattoo (Attoe's shop) — https://www.cloudstattoo.com A Talking Tree — https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Tree-Dan-Attoe/dp/B0D4JGYR2F Barry McGee — https://www.ratio3.org/artists/barry-mcgee Chris Johanson — https://altman-siegel.com/artists/chris-johanson Jean-Michel Basquiat — https://gagosian.com/artists/jean-michel-basquiat/ Titian — https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/titian Giorgione — https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/giorgione Arthur Danto — https://www.columbia.edu/cu/philosophy/faculty/danto.html Dr. Woo — https://drwoo.com Natalie Goldberg — https://nataliegoldberg.com Stephen King — https://stephenking.com George Saunders — https://georgesaundersbooks.com Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance — https://www.harpercollins.com/products/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-robert-m-pirsig Jean-François Lyotard — https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lyotard/ Jean Baudrillard — https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/baudrillard/ Walker Art Center — https://walkerart.org Iowa Writers' Workshop — https://writersworkshop.uiowa.edu Iron Maiden — https://www.ironmaiden.com Danzig — https://www.danzig-verotik.com Twin Peaks — https://www.sho.com/twin-peaks Dragonlance / Larry Elmore — https://larryelmore.com New Art Dealers Alliance –– https://www.newartdealers.org/

Send a textPastor Johnnie preaches a message from 2nd Peter chapter 1. Support the show#sermons #motivation #inspirationhttps://www.instagram.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://x.com/pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.facebook.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://pastorjohnnie.blogspot.com/https://www.threads.com/@pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.tiktok.com/@pastorjohnnie

Series: Love That Will Not Let Me GoScripture: Psalm 136First Methodist Church of Opelika is an exciting, historic, and growing Methodist church that is inviting our community to find and follow the Spirit-led life in Jesus. Founded in 1837, First Opelika has a rich history of influencing and impacting families in the Opelika/Auburn and surrounding community. The church is currently in a season of revitalization and is laying the foundation for effective ministry in the next season of her life as an independent Methodist church.For more information, check us out at www.firstopelika.org or www.facebook.com/firstopelika

Date February 22, 2026 Synopsis In this sermon, we explore the tension between our modern obsession with certainty and the ancient invitation to walk by faith. Using the story of Jesus in the wilderness, we see how the tempter's demand for proof is a trap designed to replace intimacy with control. True reenchantment isn't found in five-star guarantees or "crystal stairs," but in the dark corners where we finally stop demanding data and start reaching for a hand to hold. If you've been waiting for a sign before you're willing to believe, this is an invitation to loosen your grip, embrace the mystery, and find the new life that only begins in the dark. References Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 About The Local Church For more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org. To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

Rev Jon Reynolds preaches on Mark 10:17-27 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Sell What You Own” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

"Bwaidogan kadede": a dance song performed by Biliko, Kwaiago and Wakalubu, a trio from the Bwaidoka district of Goodenough Island.From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of wax cylinder recordings of songs and spoken language (principally Bwaidoka) made by anthropologist Diamond Jenness and Methodist missionary Reverend Andrew Ballantyne on Goodenough Island (D'Entrecasteaux Islands) in Papua New Guinea in 1912.Recorded by Diamond Jenness and Rev. Andrew Ballantyne.Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.———Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 years from the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford. Explore the full project at citiesandmemory.com/century-sounds

This is the February 22nd sermon from the First United Methodist Church in Decatur, Texas. This sermon is taken from Isaiah 52:13-15.

Rev Jon Reynolds and Rev Lindsey Hall lead Ash Wednesday Service  with readings from Psalm 51;1-17 The post “Ash Wednesday” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

pWotD Episode 3214: Ash Wednesday Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 311,650 views on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 our article of the day is Ash Wednesday.Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of prayer, fasting and almsgiving before the arrival of Easter. Ash Wednesday is observed by Christians of the Catholic, Lutheran, Moravian, Anglican (Episcopalian), and United Protestant denominations, as well as by some churches in the Reformed (including certain Congregationalist, Continental Reformed, and Presbyterian churches), Baptist, Methodist and Nazarene traditions.Ash Wednesday is traditionally observed with fasting and abstinence from meat in several Christian denominations. As it is the first day of Lent, many Christians begin Ash Wednesday by marking a Lenten calendar, praying a Lenten daily devotional, and making a Lenten sacrifice that they will not partake of until the arrival of Eastertide.Many Christians attend special Ash Wednesday church services at which churchgoers receive ash on their foreheads or the top of their heads, as the wearing of ashes has been a sign of repentance since biblical times. The imposition of ashes is typically done with the sign of the cross, signifying that the recipient is a follower of Jesus. Ash Wednesday derives its name from this practice, in which the words accompany the placement (imposition) of ashes, "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" or the dictum "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebrations.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 14:32 UTC on Thursday, 19 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Ash Wednesday on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Salli.

Send a textPastor Johnnie preaches a message on Matthew chapter 5.Support the show#sermons #motivation #inspirationhttps://www.instagram.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://x.com/pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.facebook.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://pastorjohnnie.blogspot.com/https://www.threads.com/@pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.tiktok.com/@pastorjohnnie

In 1819 an itinerant Methodist preacher set off across a brand-new nation to spread the gospel to its people. Over the decades of her unique ministry, Jarena Lee would witness both incredible progress and maddening injustice - and publish the first spiritual autobiography ever written by an African American woman. But what message was her book actually meant to send? Discover the incredible life of this forgotten spiritual powerhouse with our guests, Lisa Gring-Pemble and Martha Watson, authors of the fascinating new book Your Daughters Will Prophesy. Music featured in this episode by: Marian Anderson, Alfred Hamilton, Ed Jones, The Tuskegee Institute Singers, The Georgia Singers and The Heavenly Gate Quartet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scripture: Psalm 50First Methodist Church of Opelika is an exciting, historic, and growing Methodist church that is inviting our community to find and follow the Spirit-led life in Jesus. Founded in 1837, First Opelika has a rich history of influencing and impacting families in the Opelika/Auburn and surrounding community. The church is currently in a season of revitalization and is laying the foundation for effective ministry in the next season of her life as an independent Methodist church.For more information, check us out at www.firstopelika.org or www.facebook.com/firstopelika

Special guest preacher Rev. Gail Song Bantum wraps up our series, "Building the Beloved Community."

Rev Lindsey Hall preaches on Psalm 30:1-5,11-12 The post “Renewed In Trust” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

Genesis 6:11-17 and Noah’s Ark The earth was corrupt and filled with violence. God saw the corruption of all flesh. God told Noah the end of all flesh had come. God would destroy them with the earth. Noah was instructed to build an ark of gopher wood, with rooms, and to pitch it within and without. God would bring a flood to destroy all flesh with the breath of life. God would establish a covenant with Noah, his sons, wife, and sons’ wives to enter the ark. Jesus Christ and Salvation Before the foundation of the earth, Jesus was with God. John 1:1 states the Word was God and with God. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, referring to Jesus Christ. Man was created perfect in God’s image but became corrupt through sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent, leading to sin entering the world. Everyone needs to be saved. Many people build their “ark” on worldly things, which provide temporary happiness but will ultimately fail. Build hopes on eternal things. Nehemiah’s story is an example of opposition when building for God. Sandalot mocked Nehemiah and those building. Like Nehemiah, Christians face mockery for their faith. Noah’s Ark as a Metaphor for Salvation People likely mocked Noah for building an ark, as they had never seen rain. Similarly, people mock those who worship God. God established a covenant with Noah. Noah preached to get on the ark before the flood came. The door of the ark is open now for those who are not saved. Accept the extended hand of mercy to enter the “ark.” Revelation speaks of the river of life and abundant life in heaven. John saw the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Old Testament covenants required animal sacrifices, which were imperfect. God sought one worthy to come to earth and found Jesus. John wept because no one was found worthy to open the seals, but a lamb (Jesus) was found worthy. Jesus ministered to the world, but his own people did not receive him. The door to salvation is open now, but there will come a time when it is too late. Like Noah preaching before the flood, Christians must share the gospel. A fire drill experience served as an analogy. People are looking for a sign to be saved, but when the trumpet sounds, it will be too late. During the fire drill, people were running everywhere, similar to what will happen when the Lord returns. You can’t find grace from family. Put hope and trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus willingly gave his life on the cross for salvation. He could have come off the cross but chose to give his blood. He was placed in a borrowed tomb, signifying his temporary stay. He rose on the third day and appeared in the flesh. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only hope. Without it, preaching would be in vain. Jesus is alive and interceding for us. Testimony of salvation as a 15-year-old boy. Growing up Methodist, the gospel wasn’t heard in the same way as in the Baptist church. Being dunked in the river doesn’t save you, only the blood of Jesus Christ does. The Lord knew the heart and saved the lost soul. The passing of Alvin Davis, a mentor, led to seeking salvation. Alvin Davis was a hero and taught Sunday school for 40 years. It doesn’t matter if you can read the Bible front to back, you must be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. His sudden death was a shock. Crying out to God at Alvin’s grave. Prayed to God for an hour and a half. The Lord saved his soul at the graveyard. All that was needed was to ask the Lord into the heart. If your heart is far from Him, He won’t hear you. If your heart’s intent is to get right with the Lord, He will hear you. Prayed at the altar for any sin to be taken away. Didn’t want to be a hindrance to anyone. Being saved by Alvin’s grave is something that will be carried for the rest of life. It wasn’t the rock or the grave that saved, but God coming into the heart. Noah preached about the coming flood, warning people to get on the ark or perish. The next flood will be with fire, not water. The fiery furnace example. Those who threw others into the furnace were slain by the heat. Faith was strong enough to walk into the furnace, knowing God would take care of them. Judgment and Choice The fiery furnace is where God will throw his enemies. God doesn’t send you to hell; it’s your own choice. The devil tempts, but it’s your own will that decides. The ark (Jesus) has come, and the door is still open. The Lord stands at the door and knocks. There is no hope in anything in this world except Jesus Christ. If you are lost, get saved before it’s too late. Nothing in this life gives hope and joy like Jesus Christ. The covenant with Noah is the covenant through Jesus Christ, who came to be the sacrifice for our sins. Praying for those who are lost to be saved before it’s everlasting too late.

In this episode you will hear: Mark does a two-part series that looks at outside of external scholarships. Mark answers the question, what are the nine reasons why so many students do not apply for external scholarships in part 1. In part 2, on Episode 613, Mark gives tips for how to win outside scholarships. Elena Hicks, the Assistant Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at SMU, helps us to understand Southern Methodist University (SMU) in this three-part series. Mark shares 17 impressions he has of SMU and Elena comments on whether she feels they are correct. Preview of Part 1 ¨ Elena gives her backstory of how she started at TCU as a student and leader of the tour guide program to prep school admissions and other college roles and then back to Texas at SMU ¨ Elena gives us an overview of SMU ¨ Elena answers the question, how would you explain SMU to a stranger ¨ Elena, answers the question, what would you say to a student who says, I am not southern and I am not Methodist, so why should I go to SMU ¨ Elena answers the question, what is it in the SMU mission statement that really reflects who SMU is? ¨ Friends, for the rest of the interview I use a new approach I am using to interviewing senior admissions personnel; I share 17 different impressions I have about SMU, either from my own visits and observations, or from talking to SMU Admissions officers over the years, but mostly from listening to my students who are at SMU now or have graduated from SMU over the years, so for the rest of this interview, this is what I do. I hope you like my new approach to doing these interviews, for the rest of part 1, I share the first 4 of these impressions, and I ask Elena if she disagrees or agrees, and to elaborate on my perceptions of SMU, so listen and enjoy Recommended Resources Colleges that allow self reporting of test scores Colleges that Allow Self-Reporting of SAT and ACT Scores Great source for questions about finances and college Edvisors: Financial Aid, Student Loans, Scholarships and Money Management FAFSA Walkthroughs Mark recommends Complete FAFSA 2026‑2027 Walkthrough | From Start to Submit 2023-2024 FAFSA Walkthrough Video English CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs CSS Profile Walkthrough MEFA Institute: A Deep Dive into the CSS Profile Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

Send a textPastor Johnnie preaches a message on Matthew chapter 5.Support the show#sermons #motivation #inspirationhttps://www.instagram.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://x.com/pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.facebook.com/pastorjsimpjr/https://pastorjohnnie.blogspot.com/https://www.threads.com/@pastorjsimpjrhttps://www.tiktok.com/@pastorjohnnie

Psalm 117First Methodist Church of Opelika is an exciting, historic, and growing Methodist church that is inviting our community to find and follow the Spirit-led life in Jesus. Founded in 1837, First Opelika has a rich history of influencing and impacting families in the Opelika/Auburn and surrounding community. The church is currently in a season of revitalization and is laying the foundation for effective ministry in the next season of her life as an independent Methodist church.For more information, check us out at www.firstopelika.org or www.facebook.com/firstopelika

DateFebruary 8, 2026SynopsisIn this sermon, we continue our series, Building the Beloved Community: A Blueprint from Dream to Reality, by challenging the gap between creed and deed—the painful disconnect between outward piety and lived justice. The 'breach' is the chasm between "what is and how God wants things to be," and our spiritual task isn't to retreat, but to run toward the vulnerability—brick and mortar in hand—and ask, "Where does it hurt?" This is the difficult but life-giving work of becoming Menders of Broken Walls and Restorers of Livable Streets, where God meets us and promises, "I'm here."ReferencesScripture: Isaiah 58:1–12About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

Rev Jon Reynolds preaches on Psalm 40:1-5, 9-10   The post “Renewed In Joy” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 13th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable features John Mallia, Interim Chief Financial Officer at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Here, he discusses how Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is navigating revenue cycle and payer dynamics while adapting financial strategies to meet evolving challenges. He shares insights into managing patient expectations and addressing concerns around data usage to create a more transparent and effective healthcare experience.In collaboration with R1.

Share a commentFires, riots, and a mother praying under an apron—this is the untidy ground where a spiritual movement took root. We step into the world of Susanna Wesley, a pastor's daughter who faced poverty, public hostility, and staggering loss, yet stitched her home together with steady practices and an unshakable trust in God. England sat in a moral fog, pulpits droned without conviction, and even executions sold like theater. In that setting, Susanna's daily choices created a quiet counterculture that outlasted the chaos.We trace her journey from a mud-floor parsonage to the night a neighbor's human ladder pulled six-year-old John from a burning home. We sit with a marriage marked by sharp disagreements and debt, where Samuel Wesley's misjudgments and absences deepened the strain. And we examine Susanna's small, repeatable acts of faith: the “apron over the head” prayer time, the weekly hour of one-on-one counsel for each child, the insistence on Scripture shaping minds and manners. Her story holds both pain and paradox—several children wandering or wounded, others, like John and Charles, carrying a methodical faith into streets and chapels that needed awakening.Rather than a tidy formula, we offer an honest ledger: faithful parenting without guarantees, structure without control, courage without applause. You'll hear how the famed “Methodist” method mirrored habits formed at home, how Charles's hymns trained hearts to sing doctrine, and how John's pulpit design anticipated riots sparked by sermons against slavery. The thread through it all is a woman who chose to “fill a little space” if God would be glorified, trusting that perseverance, not perfection, leaves the deeper imprint.If this story moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your support helps more listeners find these grounded, hope-filled histories.Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentFires, riots, and a mother praying under an apron—this is the untidy ground where a spiritual movement took root. We step into the world of Susanna Wesley, a pastor's daughter who faced poverty, public hostility, and staggering loss, yet stitched her home together with steady practices and an unshakable trust in God. England sat in a moral fog, pulpits droned without conviction, and even executions sold like theater. In that setting, Susanna's daily choices created a quiet counterculture that outlasted the chaos.We trace her journey from a mud-floor parsonage to the night a neighbor's human ladder pulled six-year-old John from a burning home. We sit with a marriage marked by sharp disagreements and debt, where Samuel Wesley's misjudgments and absences deepened the strain. And we examine Susanna's small, repeatable acts of faith: the “apron over the head” prayer time, the weekly hour of one-on-one counsel for each child, the insistence on Scripture shaping minds and manners. Her story holds both pain and paradox—several children wandering or wounded, others, like John and Charles, carrying a methodical faith into streets and chapels that needed awakening.Rather than a tidy formula, we offer an honest ledger: faithful parenting without guarantees, structure without control, courage without applause. You'll hear how the famed “Methodist” method mirrored habits formed at home, how Charles's hymns trained hearts to sing doctrine, and how John's pulpit design anticipated riots sparked by sermons against slavery. The thread through it all is a woman who chose to “fill a little space” if God would be glorified, trusting that perseverance, not perfection, leaves the deeper imprint.If this story moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your support helps more listeners find these grounded, hope-filled histories.Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Vijaya was baptized in a Methodist church and raised Anglican in India, but some painful experiences in her youth led her to mistrust God as Father, and she stopped praying in her teens. She went on to become a scientist, and abandoned religion altogether for years. After 9/11, she and her American husband began to read Bible stories to their children, but didn't know which church to go back to. The denominations she'd left had changed dramatically in the decades she was away, and the only solid rock she and her family could find was the Catholic Church.

How do Methodists decide HOW we should live out our Christian Life? (Hint: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience! AKA the “Methodism Quadrilateral!” More on that in the PODCAST THIS WEEK!)In this 6th episode of the Methodism Podcast we'll hear Senior Pastor Beth LaRocca-Pitts' sermon on how Methodism is All About Jesus.—You can listen, watch, & subscribe to the Podcast on:+ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OGUMC/podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠+ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nGIcxSt5ToGbAcs0dmua2?si=3328d0411f194865+ Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oak-grove-umc-podcast/id1695962000—Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 11am* Traditional Worship and 1045am* Modern Worship.*livestreamed at YouTube.com/ogumc#methodism #umc #ogumc #Jesus #ngumc

DateFebruary 1, 2026SynopsisIn this sermon, we continue our series, Building the Beloved Community: A Blueprint from Dream to Reality, by diving into the structural integrity of the 'frame.' We move past the foundation of 'somebodiness' to see how the prophet Micah's call reveals the essential, non-negotiable components: to do justice, embrace hesed (faithful love), and walk humbly with God. These three elements are the core beams and joists of a life of faith, ensuring that your efforts do not collapse into self-righteousness, cheap charity, or burnout, so the Beloved Community you're building can actually bear weight.ReferencesScripture: Micah 6:1–8About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

In this episode, Monica N. Wharton, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, joins the podcast to discuss the organization's Path Forward initiative and Vision 2030 strategy. She shares how Methodist Le Bonheur is prioritizing growth and access, aligning operations around long-term goals, and launching new initiatives to meet the needs of patients and communities in the year ahead.

Today we have an official challenge filed regarding Tommy Tuberville's residency status as the gubernatorial campaign kicks into gear. Also we have a couple of lawmaking updates and the passing of a Methodist preacher. Plus, the quick story of an Alabama who became Lincoln's pick for a Reconstruction-era governor in Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Practically Pastoring. In this episode, we pull two real questions from Reddit and get painfully practical.Question 1: A rural Methodist pastor has seen real growth, but the “old guard” is wearing him down with constant complaints and unreasonable expectations.Question 2: A bi-vocational pastor/CTO is overloaded and torn between an IT master's (paid for by work) and a doctorate in Bible exposition, while trying to protect his health and family time. Timestamps / Chapters00:00 — Intro + why Reddit questions hit so hard00:29 — Question 1: “The old guard is making me miserable” (rural Methodist church)01:14 — The complaint list (and why some of it is wild)02:42 — Committees, bureaucracy, and the shadow side of church systems05:16 — “They want a chaplain” and resetting expectations for pastoral care07:10 — Perception is reality: communication, tone, and leadership clarity09:32 — The 80/20 rule: it feels like “everyone,” but it's usually not10:49 — Leverage you don't realize you have (and who to call)12:30 — Ad: Practically Pastoring Conference (Feb 9–11, 2026)14:50 — Ad: Church Merch (quality merch people actually want)15:53 — Question 2: Bi-vocational pastor/CTO overwhelmed and choosing degrees18:25 — Stewardship, margin, health, and family: what can you actually carry?19:38 — Prioritizing earning potential and ministry margin21:27 — Andrew's offer: email if you want to talk doctorates at Liberty23:26 — Frank's take: bi-vocational life has limits, and that's okay26:09 — Free learning options (seminary resources, YouTube, Greek tools)28:25 — Closing + subscribe + conference reminderLinks from the show:Listen anywhere: ⁠⁠https://practicallypastoring.com/⁠⁠Join our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/practicallypastoring⁠⁠Follow us in Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/practicallypastoring⁠⁠Church Merch - https://www.promotionsguy.com/churchmerchHosts: