Podcasts about Pastoral

Today I have a recommendation for you! You do not want to miss it. Engage in it this weekend at some point, and GET BETTER because of it.Here's my unusual recommendation, and my usual affirmations! :-)Support the showFor more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Dr. Tyler Arnold of Doxology Pastoral Visitation: For the Care of Souls Doxology: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel

Synopsis In 1933, Aaron Copland introduced Roy Harris to Serge Koussevitzky, the famous conductor of the Boston Symphony in those days. Now, Koussevitzky was one of the great patrons of American music and was always looking for new American music and new American composers. Roy Harris had been described to him as an "American Mussorgsky," which probably intrigued the Russian-born conductor. When Koussevitzky learned that Harris had been born in a log cabin in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, no less – well, perhaps he hoped the 41-year old Harris might produce music equally all-American in origin. "Write me a big symphony from the West," asked Koussevitzky, and Harris responded with a three-movement orchestral work titled: "Symphony, 1933," which had its premiere performance on today's date in 1934 with the Boston Symphony under Koussevitzky's direction. Koussevitzky loved it. "I think that nobody has captured in music the essence of American life -- its vitality, its greatness, its strength -- so well as Roy Harris," enthused the famous conductor, who recorded the piece at Carnegie Hall in New York just one week after its premiere. And it was Koussevitzky's Boston Symphony that would subsequently premiere Harris's Second, Third, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies as well. Music Played in Today's Program Roy Harris (1898 – 1979) Symphony 1933 (No. 1) Louisville Orchestra; Jorge Mester, conductor Albany 012 On This Day Births 1924 - American composer Warren Benson, in Detroit, Michigan; Deaths 1795 - German composer Johann Christioph Friedrich Bach, age 62, in Bückeburg 1993 - American composer and teacher Kenneth Gaburo, age 66, in Iowa City; Premieres 1732 - Handel: opera "Ezio" (Julian date: Jan.15); 1790 - Mozart: opera, "Così fan tutte," in Vienna at the Burgtheater; 1873 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1882 - Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1905 - Schoenberg: symphonic poem "Pelleas und Melisande," in Vienna, with the composer conducting; 1908 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); 1911 - Richard Strauss: opera, “Der Rosenkavalier,” in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch, with vocal soloists Margarethe Siems (Marschallin), Eva von der Osten (Octavian), Minnie Nast (Sophie), Karl Perron (Baron Ochs), and Karl Scheidemantel (Faninal); 1920 - Prokofiev: "Overture on Hebrew Themes," in New York by the Zimro Ensemble, with the composer at the piano; 1922 - Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3 "Pastoral," by the Royal Philharmonic, London, Sir Adrian Boult conducting; 1934 - Roy Harris: Symphony No. 1, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1952 - Ernst von Dohnányi: Violin Concerto No. 2, in San Antonio, Texas; 1957 - Bernstein: "Candide" Overture (concert version), by New York Philharmonic conducted by the composer; The musical "Candide" had opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City on December 1, 1956; 1957 - Poulenc: opera, "Les dialogues des carmélites" (The Dialogues of the Carmelites) in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala, Nino Sanzogno conducting; 1962 - Diamond: Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1966 - Dominick Argento: Variations for Orchestra and Soprano (The Masque of Night"), at the St. Paul Campus Student Center of the University of Minnesota, by the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra, Thomas Nee conducting, with soprano Carolyn Bailey; A second performance took place on Jan. 27th at Coffmann Memorial Union on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota; 1967 - Frank Martin: Cello Concerto, in Basel, Switzerland; 1994 - Elisabetta Brusa: “La Triade” for large orchestra, by the Tirana (Albania) Radio and Television Orchestra, Gilberto Serembe conducting; 1994 - Christopher Rouse: Cello Concerto, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by David Zinman, with Yo-Yo Ma the soloist; 1995 - Joan Tower: "Duets for Orchestra," by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Christoph Perick conducting. Links and Resources On Roy Harris

In a wide-ranging interview, Tim Keller talks about the decline of the mainline and evangelical church, how forgiveness and justice get mishandled during pastoral moral failures, the threat to liberal democracy, civil dialogue, and how nominal Christianity created consensus. Read the Show Notes Subscribe to the On The Rise Newsletter

PASTOR ALAN RICK KNAPP discusses the topic of "HEBREWS" in his series entitled Hebrews 2020: We See Jesus (The Pastoral Point) This is lesson number 252 and it focuses with a view to Hebrews 8:6-9.

As we celebrate WOPCC's 18th anniversary and Pastor Joe's 7th Pastoral anniversary, Pastor Joe presents part 3 of the sermon series "Transition".

Nobody in the church today has the breadth and depth of experience as Sean Morgan does when creating successful pastoral succession plans. Sean and Carey discuss pro tips for incoming and outgoing leaders, what makes pastoral succession successful, critical mistakes outgoing leaders make, and the way forward in the pending succession crisis in the church. Get more on this episode by going to https://careynieuwhof.com/episode547 Subscribe to On The Rise (newsletter): http://ontherisenewsletter.com/  

Your life is meant to change when you begin to follow Jesus. But for so many of us, that doesn't happen. Why the disconnect? This series is all about unlocking the good life in Christ, and what it really means to be changed by him. Secrets of the Good Life Series: Week 1: The First Secret of the Good Life: Consider GodWeek 2: Confess and Receive: The Second Secret of the Good Life (Psalm 51)Week 3: How to Fight Fear: The Third Secret of the Good Life This week (week 4), we're looking at what it means to really choose joy. WHAT DOES IT SAY? Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. If you want to know how to start your day out with God, here it is! “Always” – rejoicing is not limited to when everything is going well in our lives. Joy is not a feeling you have but a choice you make. “Gentleness” – the fruit of our time with God is a gentle spirit, our gentleness should be evident to other people. “Every situation” – nothing is too small “The peace of God… will guard your heart” – his peace will keep you from spiraling into anxiety, or stop you from trying to control everything WHAT'S THE BACKSTORY? Pastoral letters like Philippians give us a view of what's happening in the church as more people believe and as Christianity is spreading. Pastoral letters set a direction for us. We do not need to be confused about who we are meant to become – the Word shows us. If you're feeling down, or anxious, this is a great letter for you. The theme of joy echoes throughout Philippians, where Paul is making it clear that joy is based on trusting the sovereignty of God and is always available. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? What does it mean to choose joy? It is about rejoicing not in the circumstances but in who God is within the circumstances. Principle for the week: Joy comes from unshakable promises. Psalm 16:8: I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME? We must separate happiness and joy. Joy comes from things that can never be taken away. Joy is a practice. Make a list! Who does God want you to become? From these verses, we would say “always rejoicing” and “gentle” – is that the intention of your lives? Year after year, are you growing in these things? Make another list – what promises of God can you rejoice in each day? What attributes of God can you rejoice in today? RESOURCES: Nicole's Book: Help My Bible Is Alive! Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com FOLLOW NICOLE:Website: https://nicoleunice.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleuniceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Pastoral Word About Serving — Pastor Trevor McMaken by

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En este episodio Andy Quesada expone 1 Tesalonicenses 2:5-12.

En este episodio nos acompañan Andy Quesada, Ivan Vasquez, y Jesús Ferro para conversar con nosotros sobre el carácter pastoral.

En este episodio Andy Quesada expone 1 Tesalonicenses 2:3-4.

En este episodio conversamos con Andy Quesada, Ivan Vasquez, y Jesús Ferro sobre 1 Tesalonicenses 2 y lo que significa tener un corazón pastoral.

“It wasn't until maybe four years into me leading the church that I really felt like, “Okay, now I have a good sense as to what it means to lead the congregation from here to there from a vision perspective.” Meet Rich Villodas, lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church in Elmhurst, Queens. In this episode, Rich shares his own leadership transition story, as he was called to lead New Life at 28 years old, succeeding the great Pete Scazzero. He gives listeners an inside look at the intimate details of his transition—both the things that went well and the areas that were most challenging for him as a young leader. This is an episode packed with wisdom and honesty on the topic of pastoral succession, you won't want to miss it. Welcome to Episode 073 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.

Jeff uses a quote from Max Du Pree about the first responsibility of a leader, then speaks to pastors about adopting the posture of, of all things... a tax collector!Don't be too hard on yourself pastor, God will have mercy on you, a SINNER!Support the showFor more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

En este episodio Andy Quesada expone 1 Tesalonicenses 2:1-2.

George & Scott Reall talk in this gathering about transformation in our lives for a new year and this season of Epiphany. An epiphany is a moment of sudden insight, discovery, or realization of the essential nature or meaning of something. A one-word summary of the gospel might be “BELOVED.” It's the realization that you are dearly loved, a much-loved person. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the beloved. Being the beloved expresses the core truth of our existence. BOOKS George READ FROM in this gathering... -The Power of Neuroplasticity for Pastoral & Spiritual Care, Kirk Bingham -How God Changes The Brain, Andrew Newberg, M.D.

The Pastoral staff of Christian Ministries Church discuss the Vision for 2023, “Live by Faith”.  The post Panel Sunday appeared first on Christian Ministries Church.

Año XVII. Núm. 21. Comprendamos el tiempo litúrgico más largo del año, qué se celebra y cuáles son sus normas.-Mauricio I. PérezSeminans ad Seminandum#catolico #liturgia

Pastor Larry brings a Wednesday night message to Great Falls.

Luke Jernagan, an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church and Director of Family Learning at the Matter Family Office, passionately shares the value of counseling for wealthy multigenerational business owners and their families. The problems facing any family are complicated; however, the issues can escalate when wealth is added to the equation. The Matter Family Office provides tools that enable families to work through problems while focusing on identity, values, vision, and purpose. Tune in to hear how this type of counseling creates a foundation for families to thrive over generations.     IN THIS EPISODE    [01:33] Luke Jernagan explains the purpose of The Matter Family Office  [04:04] The benefits of communication  [06:27] Luke describes the differences between secular counseling and the counseling done at The Matter Family Office  [11:04] How successful families navigate the wealth they have by listening, identifying purpose and intent  [15:33] Bringing in-laws into a family business seamlessly  [17:54] Encouraging parishioners to seek outside counseling and the rules regarding that situation in the Episcopal Church  [21:09] Luke leaves us with a takeaway about himself and his passion    KEY TAKEAWAYS    Multi-generational families with businesses have obstacles that other families do not. It takes effort to manage wealth and teach children how to manage money successfully..   Extended family within the business can bring another set of problems. The best way to handle those joining the existing family is to have a plan before the situation arises.   It is essential to begin training children early about the mechanics of running a business and the pitfalls they may face.  Business owners need to realize that all the tools and knowledge they have that create a  successful business are different from the tools that make a healthy, thriving family.    RESOURCES:    Beyond the Balance Sheet Website    The Matter Family Office Website    Luke Jernagan LinkedIn    Luke Jernagan Facebook    BIO:    Luke joined Matter in 2022 after 15 years as a parish priest in the Episcopal Church. He was drawn to the Family Matter Office for many of the same reasons he is drawn to ministry – his love of helping people celebrate the joys of life – and has deep experience guiding families as they navigate complexities, transitions, and opportunities.  As Matter's Director of Family Learning, Luke works with families to strengthen their relationships, communicate effectively, and identify what matters most to them, so they can thrive as individuals and together. He also leads Philanthropic Strategic Planning and Next-Gen Education at Matter and enjoys supporting family members of all ages and financial acumens on their wealth journeys.  A graduate of the University of Alabama with master's degrees in divinity and sacred theology from the General Theological Seminary, Luke is also a trustee of American Friends of the Anglican Centre, a Rome-based organization working to promote reconciliation across denominations. He serves on the board of the Episcopal Parish Network, which encourages innovation and collaboration across the church. He is a board member of the Cricket Island Foundation, which funds organizations that support youth-led social change.  Luke is a lifelong learner and is drawn to hobbies and activities that lend themselves to continuous improvement. Nothing makes him happier than skiing with his kids and pushing himself to tackle harder runs and techniques. Golf is another passion (he picked it up during the pandemic, and now he's hooked), though Luke notes that woodworking with his children is more satisfying and produces better results…time together and a hand-made item that will last forever.

A new MP3 sermon from Grace Reformed Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Pastoral Priorities (An Elder Installation Sermon) Speaker: Adam Jones Broadcaster: Grace Reformed Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 1/1/2023 Bible: Acts 20:17-38 Length: 52 min.

What does it look like to be a Christian? How are we saved? When we are saved, what does the Christian life look like? Is there a difference? Can we talk only about justification without talking about sanctification? Is there such a thing as a Christian ethic? Pastor Clint K. Poppe, Pastor Adam Moline, and Vicar Noah Kerstein begin to answer these questions with a new study on death and dying. This episode discusses pastoral visitation; when it is appropriate and what to expect. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/knna-broadcasting/message

Dollee Thompson shares stories of growing up in church, mental health and becoming an art therapist. Join us for an interactive art therapy session with the boys on air!

Contact us if we can serve you in any wayFollow us on social media on facebook, twitter, or YoutubeHelp Pastors thrive through a financial donation Watch a short video about the ministry on sponsorapastor.org(02:45) Biblical foundations for God's sovereignty over our plans for 2023(07:37) Planning when you're weary and caring for your body, soul, family in 2023(10:55) Essential elements of planning your sermon series in 2023 while providing margin to pivot(16:49) Helpful tips for planning your events in 2023(21:58) Embracing your own humanity and building in margin (22:55) Planning to care for your family and yourself in 2023(28:19) Final word and prayerIf we can serve you contact Brian, Jim, or the ministry in general

Contact us if we can serve you in any wayFollow us on social media on facebook, twitter, or YoutubeHelp Pastors thrive through a financial donation Watch a short video about the ministry on sponsorapastor.org(02:45) Biblical foundations for God's sovereignty over our plans for 2023(07:37) Planning when you're weary and caring for your body, soul, family in 2023(10:55) Essential elements of planning your sermon series in 2023 while providing margin to pivot(16:49) Helpful tips for planning your events in 2023(21:58) Embracing your own humanity and building in margin (22:55) Planning to care for your family and yourself in 2023(28:19) Final word and prayerIf we can serve you contact Brian, Jim, or the ministry in general

As Catholics and the rest of the world mourn the passing of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, we have assembled some of the most important scholars of Catholic intellectual tradition and experts on the theology of Pope Benedict XVI to discuss his legacy both as a theologian and pastor. Listen to the engaging and insightful theological analysis and tributes of Notre Dame University scholars, Prof Cyril O'Regan, Prof John Cavadini, and Prof Paulinus Odozor in conversation with Prof Stan Chu Ilo of DePaul University on the life and times of Benedict XVI and how he will be remembered.

Clergy Meeting @ St. Kyrillos Coptic Orthodox Church, Nashville - TN ~ December 30, 2022

Steven is in town for the Christmas Break.   Over the break he spoke at the local Holy Name Society and shared in a Bible class on Hebrews.    The teacher of his class authored a book of Catholic Commentary on Hebrews. It was great that Steven could share what he had learned, but it brought up a bigger question for Dad, "How does the Bible fit it with seminary?"Steven mentioned the Four Pillars of the Program of Priestly Formation which are Spiritual, Intellectual, Pastoral and Human Formation.    For each one of these, the Bible is uniquely incorporated.By design, the Priestly formation of seminary includes the whole Bible.   And the focus is not just on the words, but on taking those words to heart.Also, scriptural studies should not end once a priest leaves seminary.     Steven reflects on the challenges of being a parish priest and how he will need to make time for scriptural studies.Here is a link to the Catholic Commentary on Hebrews.

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Fr. Roger J. Landry Retreat for the Priests of the Capuchin Friars of the Renewal St. Francis Retreat Center, Monticello, New York The Word Became Flesh and Dwelled Among Us: Priests as Catalysts for the Eucharistic Revival of the Church in the United States December 26-31, 2022 https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/12.30.22_Eucharistic_Pastoral_Plan_to_Make_Eucharistic_Families_and_Parishes_1.mp3   The post A Eucharistic Pastoral Plan to Make Eucharistic Families and Parishes, Retreat for the Capuchin Friars of the Renewal, December 30, 2022 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

As we close out another year, we enter the cage to take some listener questions. Join us as we talk about being apt to teach, the need for clarity, Bible translations, and how the Tennessee Synod lives on. ----more---- Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Episode: 186 Visit our website for more information.

The pastors' wives discuss their favorite thing about the Christmas season annnnd the hardest thing. Plus they share their resolutions and what every pastor's wife should be adding to their resolutions this year. To shop the new line of merch, head here: https://pastorswivestellall.com/shop Want to support the Pastors' Wives Tell All podcast ministry? Become a patron! For more information head to our page on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastorswivestellall SUBSCRIBE: Sign up for our email list and receive updates on new episodes, free gifts, and all the fun! Email sign up HERE! CONTACT US: pastorswivestellall@gmail.com FOLLOW US! Website IG: @pastorswivestellall Facebook: @pastorswivestellall JESSICA: @jessica_taylor_83   IG: @come_away_missions || FB: Come Away Missions IG: @copomarket || FB: COPO Market Websites: COPO Market, Come Away Missions JENNA: @jennaallen FB: @JennaAllenDesign Website: Jenna Allen Design STEPHANIE: @msstephaniegilbert FB: I Literally LOL Website: Stephanie Gilbert - I Literally LOL

Deacon Rich Bender, a permanent Deacon at the Church of Saint Mary in Tulsa, will soon retire from his role as Director of Faith Formation and Pastoral care. Deacon Rich joined the staff at the Church of Saint Mary after working for American Airlines in telecommunications - data and voice networks, for 35 years. He was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma in 1998. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati. Originally from Cincinnati, Dcn. Rich was drafted and served in the air force during the Vietnam war. He married his wife Jane shortly after his return and they moved to Tulsa for a promotion with American Airlines. He and Jane have been married for 46 years. They have three daughters and 10 grandchildren.

Karel Müller a Jakub Helebrant jsou evangeličtí faráři, kteří už čtyři roky vystupují na internetu jako Pastoral Brothers. Nad vírou, křesťanstvím a Biblí se mimo jiné zamýšlejí ve své Boží knize a připravují další knihu, tentokrát Biblické bizáry. „Vánoční poslání je to, že se Bůh narodil do nejobyčejnějšího místa na zemi,“ připomíná Jakub Helebrant. Co je podle nich smyslem Vánoc? A jak najít balanc mezi vánočním požitkářstvím a časem k rozjímání? Poslechněte si rozhovor.Všechny díly podcastu Host Lucie Výborné můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

It's that time of year when people partake in the annual ritual of making well-intended promises. Josh and Sam discuss these ten pastoral resolutions:I will pray for church members daily.I will share my faith at least once a week.I will read my Bible devotionally.I will listen more to my congregation.I will have an attitude of gratefulness.I will practice forgiveness.I will be the chief encourager in my church.I will be an example of discipline.I will laugh more.I will take injustice seriously. Episode Sponsor:Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling?Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features.Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free here: https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers

Nontando Hadebe preaches for Christmas, offering a reflection on being "Christmas People": "So Christmas is not a once-off event that happens on the 25th of December, but it is a calling at the very core of our identity to be a Christmas people...Christmas cannot be celebrated without people experiencing the mercy and the love of God in tangible ways. And the only way they can do that is through us. We are Christmas. Christmas is waiting to happen through us." Dr. Nontando Hadebe is a lay woman theologian and International Coordinator for Side by Side, a faith movement for gender justice. She was previously senior lecturer at St. Augustine College in South Africa, specializing in African Theology, Pastoral & Contextual Theology, Feminist & Womanist Theology, Liberation Theology and Pastoral Psychology. She is a member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians as well as the TCCRSA Women's Caucus comprising Catholic women theologians in Africa. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12252022 to learn more about Dr. Hadebe, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Greg Mills joins Abongile from Poland to reflect on his recent journey to the Ukraine  whereby he accompanied Archbishop Thabo Makgoba to Kyiv on a pastoral visit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes the Second Vatican Council gets a weak defense: “Well, it was just a pastoral council, so why worry about it?” Michael Lofton, from Reason and Theology, asks whether this defense is true? Is Vatican II really “just pastoral”? …

¿Cuáles son los líderes espirituales de la iglesia?¿Quiénes son aptos para ser pastores?¿Cuál es el papel de los pastores? 

Content Altars as Catholic hangovers In the NT church. men prayed; today it's just the pastor Prayer priorities in the NT Become a CTC Partner for access to hours of NCST course videos: https://crosstocrown.org/partners/ Free John Reisinger resources: http://crosstocrown.org/books/ crosstocrown.org newcovenantschooloftheology.org @DougGoodin @CrossToCrown

Slideshow for this message is available Introduction Luke 1-2 So we are in advent and last week we talked about a command in the Christmas story issued three times, “Do not fear.” In our lives, there are all sorts of reasons to fear. Financial reasons, health reasons, relational reasons. Fear of losing something we love….The applications are numerous. We applied that to where we are as a church right now. Pastoral transitions can be hard and fear-inducing. What does the future hold? But God gives us this command: Do not fear. But he doesn't just command away the emotion. He gives us a reason not to fear. It's a command with reasons attached to it. But here's the thing. In order for those reasons to change the way you actually feel, you have to believe them. You have to have faith that those things are true. For example, you could be fearing the loss of your hard earned retirement savings due to some uncertainty in the market. That could be causing all sorts of great fear. And I could give you a reason not to fear, “Don't worry, Joe Bidden won't let that happen.” I have given you a reason to not fear, but it is only as effective as your belief that the reason I've given you is true. So today we are going to build on last week's message. God has given us these three reasons to not fear. But those reasons to not fear are only as effective as your faith that those things are true. So today we are going to talk about faith. There is a very tight relationship between Faith in the promises of God and Fearless living. If you've been with us in the book of James, we've seen that faith ought to have visible results in the way we live. True saving faith works. That is the main concern of James all throughout his writings. James says, the only faith that you should care about is a faith that works. Let me give you an example of what we mean by a faith that works. Let's say someone comes to your door selling a cleaning product. It's a brand new cleaning product just released into the market. It's got a shiny bottle. The words on the packaging are really professionally typeset. The spray handle is ergonomically designed. How much do you care about these features? And this guy goes on and on and on about how cutting edge the packaging of the product is. It's laser engraved. How much do you care about that? None. The only thing you care about is if the product works. If I spray it on this grease stain, I want it to lift the stain. That's all I care about. I just want it to work. I want an effective product. Now in a similar way, James is not interested in flowery words and beautiful buildings. He's not interested in platitudes and Christianeze. He doesn't want a pretty religious presentation with ergonomically designed ministries. He's interested in one thing and one thing only: life change. He's interested in a faith that is transformational. What powerful, transformational faith does is it believes the promises of God. And when those things are truly believed, guess what happens. Transformation. It changes how you feel. Fear is exchanged for peace. It changes how you live. Living for self is exchanged for living for others. So how do we get this great faith that is so transformational? We are going to look to the example of Mary. Last week we briefly touched on Mary and her great faith. It really is remarkable. Here's a woman, who had great faith, tremendous faith that God would work in her, through her to produce a great future apart from any of her doing. She would be acted on. She would be the passive receiver of God's great blessing. The most remarkable aspect of any great faith - and it's certainly true here with Mary - is the ability to distrust your eyes and to trust what you cannot see but are told is true. So our goal today is to get into Mary's head. We want to get into the psychology of Mary? How did she approach the world? If we were to somehow record her inner thought life and play it back, what would we hear? What we are going to see today is three characteristics of great faith. Now we peeked at this last week, but there's just loads here so let's dive into the text. So here Mary is, MINDING her own business and this angel of the Lord, the angel Gabriel comes and visits here. In other words, God inserts his blender. - Everything comfortable about her life - gone. - Everything stable and knowable and predictable about her life - gone. - Everything secure, firm, anchored, solid - gone. Gabriel who stands in the presence of God is here with with a cosmic Kitchen Aid blender ready to make a mess of her organized, orderly, neat and tidy existence. Yeah, no kidding. Talk about being disoriented. What would you think if the archangel Gabriel knocked on your door, “Hello, my name is the angel Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God." What do you say to an angelic being, "How can I help you?” That doesn't seem right. I doubt an archangel needs much help. Maybe I should say, “How can you help me?” Before she has time to formulate an intelligent response, Gabriel continues. Now there's the promise. That's the thing that must be believed. There's the the thing that requires faith. So, I'm quite sure Mary is hearing this exactly the way the angel Gabriel intends it. You have been selected to be the mother of the Messiah, the promised deliverer that the nation of Israel has awaited. But instantly the “how” question begins to descend upon her. How will this be? Now interestingly, the way the grammar is constructed here, there's ambiguity. Is he saying, “You are already pregnant” or is he saying, “you will become pregnant." The Greek grammar here could go either way. In English it's like saying, "You are going to have a baby.” Does that mean you are already pregnant and are going to have a baby. Or you will become pregnant and then have a baby. It could go either way. Mary knows she has been sexually pure with her betrothed. BUT Mary is kind of picking up from this angel that she's perhaps already pregnant. So how can this be? And so she ventures to ask the question. Maybe he's referencing a future day after I get married with Joseph? Let me just clarify. So what the angel is saying here is that something will happen to you that has not happened to any human being since the beginning of time. There has literally been billions of women who have gotten pregnant since the beginning of time and not one of them ever got pregnant the way that is being predicted here. And I want you to believe that. It's one thing to believe something that is statistically very unlikely. It's another thing entirely to believe something that is actually impossible. This is impossible. This has never happened. This is ACTUALLY impossible. And the angel says, "Yeah, I know that's impossible, but don't worry, because nothing is impossible with God." That's faith my friend. That's faith. This is not possible. Faith is believing whatever God says, not because of it's statistical likelihood but because of the power and trustworthiness of the one who said it. Faith is all about the character of the promise GIVER. And this is true for you and I as well. If God says it, no matter how impossible it seems, he wants you to believe it. Now it's really important to get sharply in our minds what exactly is meant by ‘believing the impossible.' Some people take this concept and they do violence to the text in this regard. They just absolutely murder God's intent. They say something like this, “Well, God can do all things. All things are possible with God. My beloved family member is sick with cancer.” I just need to have faith that God can heal them. All things are possible. Nothing is impossible with God. And then their beloved friend dies. What? Was it my lack of faith? That is a horrible application. Why? Well, let's think about it. Half of what they are saying is true. It's very true that God COULD heal your beloved. That is definitely possible. All things are possible with God. So it's perfectly okay to acknowledge that. But here's the difference: God never told you that he has plans to do that. **Did the angel Gabriel come to you and say, “I will heal your beloved family member.** I know they are in stage 4 cancer, but all things are possible with God.” No. You see, faith is all about believing the promises of God. There's no promise to believe. God simply asks us to pray and wait for his will to be revealed. Saying I have faith that God will do this great thing for me when God has not promised it is like saying, "I have great faith that the IRS will give me a 100,000 tax return. They certainly could do that, but why do you think they would? You have no REASON to believe that. You have no promise. Faith is belief in the PROMISES of God. So let me ask you, are there promises from God that apply to our hard circumstances? Are there promises of God we are asked to believe in the midst of our trials? Absolutely. For example, Romans 8:28. Romans 8 All things. God may be asking you to believe that some horrible thing in your life is actually for your good. And it seems impossible. How? How can this possibly be for my good? How? Trust. Believe. That's faith. That's what God has told you and I to believe. Not because it is statistically likely. No. But because it is divinely decreed. That's what Mary did. That's why her faith is so commendable. Mary said, “Even though not a single human being has ever become impregnated this way, I believe. I believe because the Lord has spoken.” So Great faith Believes the impossible. That's the first characteristic of Great faith. Here's the second. In Mary's case there was massive personal implication to what was about to go down. This was not going to be easy. You see, Mary would soon begin to show. Have any of you ever lived in a small town? If Mary is beginning to show she is pregnant, that means to everybody around is going to conclude one of two things: either she has been unfaithful to Joseph or Mary and Joseph have been unfaithful to God. If you've ever been in a small town, you know Mary's life is ruined. It's ruined! Small towns are like megaphones for scandal. They love it. They gobble up that news and then it spreads like wildfire. She will be socially marginalized forever. Her family - ruined; her social standing - destroyed. It doesn't mean they will shun her necessarily, but she will always be on the outs, always on the outside. In a very real sense she will wear around her neck an undeserved scarlet letter. Mary knows it. And here's what her great faith allows her to do. It allows her to accept it. Isn't that amazing! Isn't that great faith. My reputation is destroyed. My standing in the community - gone forever. My dignity and respect, vaporized. Let it be to me according to your word. We know the end of the story so it's so easy for us to fill in pieces Mary did not yet possess. When Mary heard these words, and when she said, let it be to me according to your word, she most certainly without even the slightest doubt, was accepting the inevitable outcome of Joseph divorcing her. She no doubt loved Joseph. She no doubt was so excited for this future phase of her life. But she knew this would change all that. There's no chance in the world that Joseph would believe her story. And that assumption is completely warranted based on what we read in the text. Joseph didn't believe her. He did try to divorce her. So be it. Lord I accept it. Let it be to me according to your word. Even this thing I love most, even this most treasured beautiful relationship that I love more than anything else, if you want me to let it go, “let it be to me according to your word.” How amazing is that?! Oh that we could have great faith like that. What are you going through right now? What is really, really difficult for you? Maybe your marriage seems unbearable. Maybe your job is just a nightmare. Maybe you've been diagnosed with some horrific health condition and there's just no escaping it. Maybe, like Mary, your reputation is getting drug through the mud from something you can't control. Maybe you've run up against a financial crisis that is causing all sorts of troubles in your life. As a church we are in transition. Let it be to me according to your word. **And you might be asking, “Well, that's easy for Mary to say, because she literally has an angel telling her what God's will is for her life.** It's easy for Mary to say,”God let it be to me according to your Word when an angel is revealing the whole deal. She knew that this particular hardship was God's will." I'm not so fortunate. Well, I hate to break it to you but whatever is happening in your life right now - guess what - that's God's will for you. You don't have to wonder. Whatever hard, difficult thing, self-caused, others-caused, nature-caused, fluke random freak caused, no matter what, that is God's will for you. That's the doctrine of the sovereignty of God at work. So just look at your life and say along with Mary, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.” God has a plan dear child of God. Do you believe that? Can you accept that? God has a plan for this church. God has a plan for you! And it's a good plan. It's for your good. Do you believe that? Can you look into that unknown future and just see that. Trust that. Anchor your hope in that. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. Like it or not the implications were coming upon Mary quickly. Here they come. And they were very unpleasant. Very unpleasant. Now it seems, that she leaves quickly/immediately to go visit Elizabeth. That time marker is important, I think for reasons that we will explain in a moment. The text makes the point that she left immediately after hearing the angel's message. Now think about this. At this point, from everyone else's point of view she is just leaving to do what caring cousins do, she is going to help her cousin in pregnancy. She's helping out with the chores. She's making life more comfortable. Nobody knows what has happened to Mary. Nobody that is, except for Elizabeth. So Mary leaves and heads out to visit her cousin and when she arrives we have this very special moment. So there's this joyful greeting. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Elizabeth this blessed immaculate conception and when they meet there's this joyful acknowledgment. Their cheeks touch. They exchanging knowing smiles. Elizabeth exclaims how blessed she is to be able to be visited. But she also pronounces a blessing upon Mary. Here it is. It's astounding: Think about this. Everything from the text indicates that Mary is not showing in any way. She is perhaps just a week or two pregnant at this time. And yet, she believes. She believes the impossible. She's rejoicing as if it has already happened, even though she has no outward visible evidences of it. There's no proof of it. Folks this is faith. To rejoice in a future day you have no proof exists other than God has said it. Are you rejoicing in the future day promised for you. Is that future day, large in your mind? Does it fill your horizon? Mary believes because of who said it. God never lies. God never goes back on his promise. I don't have a shred of physical evidence, but I have a reason to believe that is more compelling than any amount of physical evidence. God said it. So she believes this impossible. But she also accepts the implications. What are those implications? We need to do a little harmonizing of the gospels here to really let this sink in and imagine it. Let's bounce to Matthew just for a second. This is Matthew's telling of the Christmas story. Matthew begins with Joseph. Matthew 1 Now put the chronology of these two narratives together? The text says, before they came together SHE WAS FOUND to be with child…..When do you suppose that “she was found to be with child”? Okay, let's pop back to Luke for a second. At the end of this section of the narrative we can grab another chronological marker. Mary left for Elziabeth's house as she received Word from the angel Gabriel. She's now been at her cousin Elizabeth for three months, she returns from her travels and now she has a lump. She has that undeniable, motherly shape. Now I want you to imagine what it would have felt like for Mary to walk into town. Imagine the anticipation. Half of her is so proud to be carrying the Messiah. The other half of her is just dying. There's nothing she can do. She can't hide it. Everyone runs up to give Mary a hug. Mary, we haven't seen you in three months, and when they give her a hug they notice this little lump. What? Mary? I would have never thought? Mary? News quickly spreads and reaches the ears of Joseph. Joseph, bro, never in a million years would I think I'd have to be telling you this. But listen, Mary's pregnant. Joseph puts two and two together. I know that wasn't me. I haven't seen her for three months. She's pregnant. She hasn't been visiting her cousin. No she wasn't. She has a lover up North. Now here's the point: when Mary left to go visit Elizabeth, she must have known that this future moment was inevitable. And yet she welcomed it. She believed. Elizabeth could say, She accepted the implications. Mary's faith, like all great faith, shares a singular distinct quality - the ability to see the invisible future. Here's a woman who could look past the voices of ridicule, and slander and let it bounce and deflect off her and she could see with perfect clarity God's promised future. What is faith. Faith is looking past what you can see (all the reasons to fear) and looking at what you cannot see, the promise of God and simply resting in that. It doesn't listen to the voices in the room. It listens to the voice of heaven. It doesn't concentrate on the things it will loose. It concentrates on what it will gain. It doesn't focus on the scary things the eye can see. It focuses on what the peace of the promise. And that is exactly what she does. She rests in the promise of God. She rejoices in it. And that's the third evidence of great faith. Listen folks, there is blessing in believing the promises of God. There is blessing. Listen to the voice of faith. I can hardly believe my ears hear when I listen to the faith of Mary. All generations will call me blessed. She can look past the present into the future. She was looking to today, 2022. It is true. We call Mary, the blessed mother of Jesus. She was right. But that is not what her generation thought. Even into adulthood, this scandal, this stigma remained. As an adult Jesus was accused of being born of fornication. She never got rid of that stigma. She had to buy her groceries in the market and absorb the wagging heads. She had to live in the torturous day by day experience of watching her friends avoid eye contact with her. She had to ignore the mocking cat calls, the prejudice, the stigma. That's what she knew was presently experiencing. And yet she could look into that future day and say, “All generations will call me blessed.” Mary believed God's future promise. She was banking on the Mercy of God. And listen, we can do the same. We can look past our present circumstances and even though all the voices in the world might be jeering. Even though nobody understands us, even though our ears hear nothing but reason to despair, we can say along with Mary, “He who is mighty, has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Now here's the point. Yes, there is a future day of blessing. But he's also merciful to me right now. He is rewarding me, right now. Not with temporal blessing. He's not rewarding me with riches and wealth. He's not rewarding me with social comfort or public recognition. He's not rewarding me with the praises of men. Mary doesn't get any of these things. But here's what she does get: God is rewarding her with knowing Jesus Christ. Mary's blessing is to know Jesus in a way no other human being ever will. Mary can say, “I am blessed in a way that is different than any human being.” His mercy is for those who fear him. Folks this is the blessing of faith. The great blessing of faith is knowing Jesus Christ. Mary can say, I see how this is not just a blessing to me, but a blessing to the entire world. She saw that in her own personal blessing, there was salvation for all people. All the nations would be blessed. This promise made long ago to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be realized. She saw that this day was coming. It was a certain as the rising sun. And she just rejoiced in it. She reveled in it. One of the really important concepts of faith is that the object of hope is realized passively. To understand what I mean by that, let's contrast faith with vision. When you think about a great leader that has vision, what he's doing is using his mind to imagine a future that does not yet exist. Maybe he has a seed idea for a new company. And even though that company does not yet exist, he looks into the future and he can see it. He can visualize all the steps necessary from getting from here to there. He sees something in his mind. Vision is the ability to imagine the future that will exist but does not yet exist. Faith is similar. A Christian who has faith also looks into the future and imagines a reality. It's a future that will exist but does not yet exist. A Christian looks a their present circumstance and says this is not what has been promised to me. I see a bright future that is not this. So having vision and having faith are similar but there's one very key difference. Who makes the imagined thing a reality? If someone has great vision for great future, it's his job to make that thing materialize. If someone has great faith for a great future, it's God's job to make that thing materialize. It's the difference between being that active doer vs the passive receiver. Faith is belief that you will be acted upon apart from your doing. That's why Mary says, Behold, I am a servant of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your Word. That's kind of a strange thing to say. What do servants do? Servants work. Servants serve. So you would expect, “I am a servant of the Lord. I will do for you whatever you say.” But that's not what faith says. I am servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word. She was watching this God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob work. She was watching the hero take center stage and destroy the enemy. She was watching him bring salvation for all peoples. And listen, we know how this happened. Communion Today is communion Sunday. We know that Jesus came to die. We know that the reason Messiah was born was to hang upon a cross so that we could be saved. Mary had great faith to believe the impossible. But believe it or not, that was just a warm up for what she would be required to believe later in her life. You think now is tough to believe, Mary. You think what you are going to have to believe now is tough. There's something coming that's a hundred times worse. Do you remember when they dedicated the baby Jesus in the temple. Simeon prophesied that this baby That sword would pierce. Faith believes what is promised by God. Listen, God sent his Son to die a death on a cross to save you from your sins. That's why he came. And the whole point of the gospel is to become a passive recipient of that blessing. It might seem like your sins keep you from God. It might seem like you've done such awful things that you cannot be accepted. Your eyes tell you, “I am ashamed of my life.” I am ashamed of my deeds. God says, that's why I sent my son. I sent him to die for you. If you believe, that, “I will bless you.” And that is our only job. We are to be the passive receivers of God's blessing. Lord, I am your servant. Be to be according to your Word. That is what salvation is. It's receiving of the gift of God. We believe the impossible. We accept the implications. We receive the blessing.

Addiction, redemption, death and Greek gods will inhabit your soul after hearing these poems by one of our Fall Contest Honorable Mention winners, Meggie Royer. After the reading, Meggie reflects upon her struggles and personal journey revealed through these works. She also discusses her passion for helping others and the creation of a literary and arts journal for abuse survivors, Persephone's Daughters. If you'd like to read these poems or learn more about Meggie, head over to Etched Onyx Magazine at www.onyxpublications.com. All audio, poetry, and story material are copyright 2022, all rights reserved.

Reactions to last week's show were strong. The Holy Post crew responds to listener feedback about LGBTQ representation in movies and Al Mohler's defense of conservatism. Former SBC president, Johnny Hunt, was removed from ministry for sexual assault, but last week four ministry colleagues decided it was time to “restore” him. When should disgraced pastors return to ministry, and have congregational and non-denominational churches proven to be incapable of holding toxic leaders accountable? A new Twitter scandal offers more evidence that Christian Nationalism is a mask for racism and misogyny. Then, friend of the podcast Drew Dyck is back to recommend four books covering topics like the formative power of suffering, new medical research about addiction, the best way to read through the Bible, and a novel about Ireland in the 1980s. Plus, Drew's war against fake Christmas trees. Patreon Bonus: Christian Asks...Does God use calamities to discipline us? - https://www.patreon.com/posts/75597211 Holy Post merch store: https://www.holypost.com/shop News Segment 0:00 - Intro 3:36 - Last week debrief 21:22 - Rotten pastoral restoration 31:25 - Christian nationalism and kinism 47:43 - Sponsor: Faithful Counseling Get 10% off your first month at faithfulcounseling.com/holypost Interview with Drew Dyck Drew Dyck - https://www.drewdyck.com 48:49 - Drew's Views intro 49:48 - Christmas trees 52:53 - Book 1: “Beautiful People Don't Just Happen” 58:05 - Book 2: “The Myth of Normal” 1:14:20 - Book 3: “Small Things Like These” 1:18:44 - Book 4: “52 Weeks in the Word” Drew's book recommendations: “Beautiful People Don't Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans” by Scott Sauls - https://amzn.to/3VylJQa “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture” by Gabor Maté - https://amzn.to/3uvclkv “Small Things Like These” (a novel) by Claire Keegan - https://amzn.to/3FwCUfr “52 Weeks in the Word: A Companion for Reading Through the Bible in a Year” by Trillia J. Newbell - https://amzn.to/3usdTf2 Other links mentioned: Last week's Holy Post episode, 537 - https://www.holypost.com/post/537-the-war-over-christmas-movies-gen-z-s-mental-health-with-josh-packard Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/ Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

In part two of this this two-part “Pastoral Reflections” series, Robert shares some thoughts for church members about the best ways to communicate with and encourage their pastor.

In today's episode, I have a great conversation with Todd Rukes of Ruke's Search Group and we really focus on a critical pillar of any worship or tech leader in the church and that is pastoral clarity. This episode is brought to you by Worship Ministry School. Worship Ministry School is an online learning platform for worship leaders and tech leaders and their volunteers to learn the pillars of worship and tech ministry. There are step by step, in depth instructional courses ranging from pastoral skills, to musical training, systems for your ministry's success, and tech training covering audio, visual, and broadcast. These courses are written and developed with your volunteer team in mind, and start from the very beginning.   If you want to learn more, you can check out worshipministryschool.com where you can fill out a form to have a free call with one of our coaches to learn more about how the whole thing works.   Pastoral clarity is number one on our list, because it impacts everything else in the ministry. If you don't understand what your role is and why you're in the role, your ministry won't get very far. Todd and I have some great conversation about developing yourself as a leader, learning how to engage your congregation, and how to have a leg up if you're applying for a job in churches these days. Connect@rukesgroup.com rukesgroup.com Facebook TikTock Linkedin Todd Rukes - Spotify Todd Rukes - Apple Music www.worshipministryschool.com