Podcast appearances and mentions of paul saul

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 8th of January 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a Thought for Today. We start in 2 Corinthians 5:17, out of the Amplified Version today: ”Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Saviour], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” Wow, what a beautiful scripture! As we start this new year, which is still the first month of a brand-new year, I can hear somebody sitting there and saying, “Angus, I have messed up. I am done and dusted. There is no hope for me - I have let the Lord down, I have let my family down, I have let my husband down, I have let my parents down. There is no hope for me.” Oh yes, there is, according to this scripture! If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. Old things have passed away. Look at Mary Magdalene. Jesus cast seven demons out of that woman. She was an immoral woman, according to the word of God, and yet the Lord used her. I want to tell you that if you get to Heaven before me, the woman who will be sitting closest to the Lord, the most beautiful woman in Heaven, will be Mary Magdalene. Why? Because God takes broken things, He renews them and makes them new again. What about Peter, the big fisherman? “I will die for You, Lord.” He denied the Lord three times. He was absolutely disgusted with his life, but he repented. He said sorry, and God gave him a new beginning. What about Paul (Saul), the Pharisee? Paul, who thought he was doing a good thing by killing Christians? He was an evil man, but the Lord gave him a second chance, a new beginning, and Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament.I want to pray for you this morning. Put the past behind you. You know, the Lord has got a bad memory. What do I mean? When He forgives, He forgets. So let's say, “Lord, please give us another chance; give us a new beginning.” Pray this prayer after me:Dear Lord Jesus,This morning, on the 8th of January 2025, I give my life to You afresh. Lord, I want to make a new start.I want to put the past behind me.I see that big blackboard duster rubbing out all that chalk,all those sins paid for, done.And Lord, I want to serve You this year with all of my heart. I ask it in Jesus' name, amen.God bless you, and have a wonderful year,Goodbye.

We finish the mini-series on the Command to Oppose False Teachers as we study the first chapter of First Timothy. We talk about Paul (Saul), how he dealt with false teachers and teachings, his recommendations. Also a few other topics to bring to a conclusion our study of this chapter. This sermon was given by Messianic Rabbi Frank Davis during our Saturday Shabbat Service on August 17, 2024.

Ici C'est la fin de cet serie sur l'inportance de L'Arche de L' Alliance. L'histoire d 'Israel fait souvent mention de L'Arche de L' Alliance ,ou du Temoignage Qu'est-elle exactement ? Alors , L'Arche ? N'est-elle pas au milieu du peuple , la presence meme de Dieu ?, Aussi La Conversion de Paul ( Saul) est aussi expliquez . Tout cela est valable pour Israel , Mais pour tous. D' apres une etude de Jacques Blandenier ( Certitutes Magazines). "' Rencontrer le Dieu qui ne se laisse pas emprisonner par un rituel religieux. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/adner-delhomme/message

Ben Orth leads us in a study of Acts to understand what was happening between the Church and Judaism before we meet Paul (Saul).

Leadership in the Lord's Church“A Spiritual Father Writing to His Sons” – I Timothy 1:1-2 / Feb. 4th, 2024(Setting the Example for God's Flock)I. The BIG IDEA of I Timothy – 3:14-161. The Character in God's House / Church – vv. 1-132. The Conduct in God's House / Church – vv. 14-153. The Content in God's House / Church – v. 16II. The MAIN CHARACTERS of I Timothy – 1:11. Paul/Saul 2. Timothy – 1:2 (Acts 16:1-3; 3. Christ Jesus (God the Son) – 1:1-2 – OUR Hope; OUR Lord!4. God OUR Savior (God the Father) –III. The PASSING of the Baton to Timothy – 1:2a1. My TRUE SON in the Faith2. The Strengths & Weaknesses of Timothy (We all have both)a. His Strengths – I Corinthians 4:14-17; Philippians 2:19-24b. His Weaknesses – He was relatively young (I Tim. 4:12); He was physically sick (I Tim. 5:23); he would become spiritually timid (II Tim. 1:7)IV. The REALITY of God's Redemption (It is ongoing) – 1:2b1. The Grace of God –2. The Mercy of God –3. The Peace of God – All come “FROM GOD” not from Paul!

Join Pastor Bruce as he continues with Living principles this week and teaches us on how to change our perspective and to stay in God's presence. We live in a community and we are a part of each other's lives, so with that, it's our responsibility to be influential and push for change. We need to breathe lives into each other. Life can be unpredictable and We can all get shaken by it. We often become so shook in our emotions and in our being so much so that we get deflated. We can get shaken by so many things in our lives including our surroundings. The thing is as much as we are a community, we get heavily influenced by our surroundings, our childhood, the people around us and even our location. Depending on our traditions and ethnicity and so much more, we get used to certain things our entire life and these somewhat shape our lives. These also have an impact on our dreams but when we are born again, we change - we become transformed. The nature of who we are changes because we draw from Christ and not our past. We become a new creation. We become citizens of heaven and therefore it becomes our influence. When Jesus transforms our lives then our viewpoint also changes. How we see life and obstacles changes. We stop focusing on our problems and start focusing on God. For example, in the case of Simon Peter: Peter asked to join Jesus on the water but sank when he stopped focusing on Jesus and Jesus grabbed him up. The same Peter later denied Jesus the night of His crucifixion due to fear but scripture tells us in Acts that when Peter was in jail he was sleeping. That's because his position had changed- he was not focusing on himself but he was resting in the shadow of the Almighty. Another story is of Paul (Saul).Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, He went blind and God gave him an instruction to meet a man named Ananias. Saul then met Ananias, and Ananias prayed for Saul, and his eyesight is returned ... .and then later on post-baptism, the Bible says that he was then filled with the HOLY SPIRIT. So, God dealt with his sight (Vantage point) and then dealt with his heart. That is what God does, He deals with our hearts, and only He can do that. In Matthew 4, Jesus calls us to follow Him and He will make us fishers of men. He calls us to follow Him first, to come into proximity with Him. He will transform us but first we need to follow Him. We need to make an active choice to follow and grow our relationship with Him. We are not called to have an encounter with Jesus on Sunday at church but we are to have a relationship with Him everyday. A relationship with Him will lead to change in our lives. If we don't change after encountering Jesus then instead of repenting, we will keep repeating the same mistakes and sins over and over again. Jesus transforms our lives. He changes who we are, He changes our vantage point and our hearts, like He did with Peter and Paul.Therefore, in order to change and encounter Him we need to be in His presence. 

Yes!  You are in!  This play of the day is unique.  We don't always go to the preachers.  Here is an intriguing conversation between an atheist and a believer, here you go...Very intriguing!  Thank you Adam Carolla, the controversial atheist...well perhaps agnostic that isn't afraid to have Christians, Jews, Muslims, others on his program.  You may not agree with him.  Yet you can't accuse him of censoring.  In fact, ironically, it has been the censoring and control of the left that has pushed him toward believing or at least envying believers and faith in a God.Next, kudos to Neil McDonough.  You may need to web search to recognize him.  When you see him, you'll probably say, oh yeah, that guy.  Now, I definitely want to check out this movie called The Shift...and I will.  Props to you Neil for speaking up.  Most of Hollywood wants to cancel you...yet that has Rom 8:28, created a new opportunity.  Studios like Angel and the Robertsons are pumping out great movies and content.  This year alone I saw Jesus Revolution and The Stand...amazingly well done and brought tears to my eyes.  If you would like to hear more of that Neil McDonough interview, check out the Adam Carolla podcast, "Rob Schneider, Intimacy Coordinators and Movie Accents" published on the 13 of December 2023.  And yes, Neil is on that one, roughly about the last hour of that podcast.So some of you are asking, why do you listen to an atheist/agnostic?  Let alone promoting?  Call me a hopeless romantic, I believe in people.  Yes, they are flawed.   Adam is flawed just like Pastor Rick Warren or the Pope or ____________.  We are all flawed Rom 3:23.  We all need Jesus, Rom 8:1.  Rom 10: 9-10.  That's a fact Jack!Okay versed ones, when you read the Bible.  Who is out of line?  Who rises up?  I tell you all the time.  Think of the least likely in your group.  That could be your Paul or Mary Magdalene.  I truly believe Adam could be a Paul (Saul to Paul).  It's interesting to see him shift to Agnostic.  What does Jesus say about a mustard seed fo faith?  Check Matt 17: 20-21As for that clip, that is Matt 5:16.  Neil is shining Light big time and Adam is letting him.  As for the environment, avid listener knows my comments.  God created this earth.  If you believe in God, we best take care of this earth.  No debate.  Yet keep God our God.  Jesus Christ as our saviour.  The Holy Spirit as our guide.  I hear and see what Adam is saying.  Many make movements their religion.  Ending on a prayer note...

I recently reviewed the resumes of several accomplished individuals and was impressed by their education and experience. That's the point of a resume, isn't it? To highlight our qualifications and pique the interest of a possible employer. In Philippians 3, Paul encourages the church to live with a joy found only in the Lord and to guard against the Judaizers. Paul doesn't pull any punches here. His warning is harsh as he called those pious legalists “dogs” and “evil” and “mutilators of the flesh” (v. 2). Their confidence was in their own merit. Paul offered his own resume in comparison (vv. 4–6). He was the ultimate Benjamite, Hebrew, Pharisee, and so forth. But when Christ appeared to Paul (Saul) on the Damascus Road (Acts 9) and called him to apostleship, Paul's perspective on his credentials drastically changed. What follows in verses 7–14 is a very personal testimony of Christ's transformative work. Everything Paul used to take pride in, he now saw as fallible and fallen human offerings that should only be considered as “loss” when compared to the greatness of “knowing” Jesus. Not limited to intellectual understanding, this knowing is an acknowledgment of and submission to Jesus as Lord. This sort of knowing resulted in a new righteousness from God and a fellowship in Christ's suffering during this lifetime, as well as a future glorification in eternity. In verses 12–14 Paul repeatedly emphasizes his own humble position and reiterates the ultimate goal, “the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (v. 14). The rich theological significance of this call is undeniable, not only in the present but also in the future. It is a heavenly call which Paul persistently pursued with all his might, and to which we are welcome. >> God's call on our lives changes our present condition and our eternal destiny! For this reason, we press onward. Take encouragement from Paul's words today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Eternal Life, the for-everyone and free podcast series that objectively explores the historical, logical, and academic evidence of the life of Jesus Christ. Today, we are continuing with part two of question five: What evidence is there that Jesus rose from the dead? Our previous episode explored the first three reasons why we cannot deny Jesus' resurrection, and today we thoroughly unpack reason number four.   There are four astonishing conversions that prove to me that Jesus rose from the dead. These are men who denied Jesus as divine and even launched crusades against Christians, before witnessing a miraculous resurrection that forced them to believe. So, let's take a closer look at why Thomas, Paul (Saul), James, and the Roman officer chose to denounce their beliefs and assume the Christian faith instead. What the conversion of four skeptics tells us about Jesus rising from the dead. How God doesn't need us to believe in him for us to start our relationship with Him. Why you should put your faith in God and not in Christians. The true definition of repentance. How adequate Biblical research is the only thing separating believers from nonbelievers.   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Eternal Life Podcast Resource The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for JesusRory Vaden Rory Vaden on X

Life of Paul: Saul visits Jerusalem. Acts 26-31, 22:17-20, Galatians 1:18-19, 21-23. Eric Rumble

Life of Paul: Saul's Baptism and Early Ministry. Acts 9:10-22. Mike Hawkins

Life of Paul: Saul's Conversion. Acts 9:1-9, 22:1-16, 26:1-20. Gene Cole

Blinded By The Truth - Apostle Paul - St. Paul - Saul of Tarsus - The Road to Damascus - Damascus Road Conversion

Our next hidden figure is Ananias: not the husband of Sapphira from Acts 5 or the high priest from Acts 23. In Acts 9, we find a devout Jew who was used by the Lord to welcome Paul (Saul) into the fellowship of the disciples. But this was no routine discipleship process. The context in which Ananias ministered was a dangerous and difficult context. From a short reflection on his obedience to the Lord, we'll learn something about the difficulty of discipleship.

The way of the Lord was initially prepared by John the Baptist who identified Jesus and the anointing of the spirit. After the death of Jesus, it was needful that someone would prepare the way of the church and lead them into developing the powers and uses of the Holy Spirit... Paul (Saul) did theat. This talk expands those thoughts and reveals that this is your job now.

Week OneDecember 2, 2022Legacy of LoveActs 13:16–25…God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised… Acts 13:23In Antioch of Pisidia, Paul (Saul's newly-mentioned Gentile moniker) and Barnabas sit down in the synagogue on the sabbath day. After the Torah and the Prophets are read, Paul is asked to share a word of exhortation. He outlines the history of God's covenantal actions: from the exodus to the wilderness to the Promise Land to the judges and the prophets to the kings. Paul recounts how God has provided for God's people up to and including John and Jesus.This is not supersessionism, but it foreshadows his image as a leader in the Gentile integration movement. Paul extends the faith tradition in light of “The Way” which John proclaimed through baptisms and Jesus modeled through his life and death. God extends continuity of care from Israel to Jesus through the Pauline church and eventually to the ends of the earth. Even to us on this day and in this place. By remembering our history as God's people, we recognize God's investment in us and acknowledge those who remain enslaved and displaced. The traditions of Torah and Gospel draw our attention to God's ever-expanding love for humankind and our responsibility to help bring about the good that God intends.We are, after all, part of the same covenantal system in which God proclaimed “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3). During the Advent season of watching and waiting, let us not only have hope that this legacy will carry us forward, let us act in ways that make it so.Traci GardnerStudent Senate Member, MA(SJ) Student Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this epidode we’ll hear the remainder of Pastor Jeff’s message about being truly converted to faith in Christ and Him alone. Pastor Jeff is looking at the conversion of Saul, who later became Paul - Saul was a religious and dedicated servant of God’s law, or so he thought? and became one of Christ’s most dedicated servants. And writer of much of the new testament Bible.Support the show: https://www.oneandall.church/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

INTRODUCTION: Dr. Vernon T. Scott is from the state of Georgia. He is currently pursuing a Sex Coaching certification from Sex Coaching University and earning a second masters in Marriage and Family Therapy with a Systemic Sex Therapy specialization.Vernon has years of experience in life coaching and sexual health research and education. He is also an advocate for trans rights and fighting against rape culture and its systemic impact within society. Vernon plans to use his platform to provide healthy conversations related to the nuances of sexual expression and amplify the voices of those often forgotten by society.He is the host of the Heauxliloquy Podcast and the owner of Slaytor's Playhouse, LLC. The podcast focuses on bringing people outside the compressed box of sexual expression. Vernon and his guests have conversations that range from kinks to personal sexual experiences to mental health. As for Slaytor's Playhouse, it is a publishing company that currently provides journals, artwork, and books.Social Media, Website, and MerchVernon's IG and Twitter: @UrFavHeauxstPodcast Twitter: @HeauxliloquyBook link: https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-How-Hoe/dp/173663190Xhttps://www.heauxliloquy.comhttps://slaytorsplayhouse.com INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to): ·      How To Be A Hoe!·      Present Day Racism ·      Sex Positivity Breakdown·      A Discussion On Personal Autonomy  ·      Why Are You Promiscuous?·      How Long Could You Be Celibate For?·      Female & Bottom Shaming·      Should Tops Be Cancelled?·      Random Ho Definitions #WTF·      Rape Culture Defined  CONNECT WITH VERNON: Website 1: https://www.heauxliloquy.comWebsite 2: https://slaytorsplayhouse.comHow To Be A Hoe: https://amzn.to/3n86RIRPoetry Book: https://amzn.to/3AavxrxYouTube: https://bit.ly/3nicLXDInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/urfavheauxst/Twitter (Vernon): https://twitter.com/UrFavHeauxstTwitter (Podcast): https://twitter.com/HeauxliloquyTikTok: https://bit.ly/3xOIjcPLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernontscott/  CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comWebsite: https://www.DownUnderApparel.comYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonPinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/SexDrugsAndJesus/_saved/Email: DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com  DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      OverviewBible (Jeffrey Kranz)o  https://overviewbible.como  https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible ·      Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Documentary)o  https://press.discoveryplus.com/lifestyle/discovery-announces-key-participants-featured-in-upcoming-expose-of-the-hillsong-church-controversy-hillsong-a-megachurch-exposed/ ·      Leaving Hillsong Podcast With Tanya Levino  https://leavinghillsong.podbean.com  ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net VETERAN'S SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org ·      What The World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg  INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: Hey, Hey. Hey, y'all I love you so much. Thank you for listening and welcome back again to another week dr. Vernon T Scott is back to drop some serious base on us. Y'all this time around we're discussing his book, the essential guide on how to be a ho.So in this episode, we're gonna get into a really deep breakdown on what exactly sex positivity is.We talk a little bit about present day racism. We discuss personal autonomy.[00:01:00] We challenge you on why you are promiscuous. If you are,and we ponder the question, should tops be canceled? Please enjoy. Hello, are you beautiful bitches out there? My lovely supporters, my lifelong lovers. All of you helped to keep this podcast afloat. Welcome back to the sex drugs in Jesus podcast. I have with you today, your favorite ho the host of the ho lyricy podcast and also the author of a book called the essential guide on how to be a.Yes, his name is Vernon T Scott. There is a doctor ahead of that, but he don't like to talk about that too much, but he went to school and got his edification. And so we gonna give credit where credit is motherfucking do, how you doing the day Dr. Scott Vernon: you know, as the old folks say, I am blessed in highly favor, but , [00:02:00] it's a beautiful day.It's been a rainy ass weekend, but I'm dry as hell today. Thank the Lord, but , I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. It's been a great weekend. I feel re-energized and I also can use a nap. So life is good.De'Vannon: Well, amen and amen. On a Tuesday afternoon as we're recording this So we had Vernon on before y'all as we discussed in the previous episode, and if you didn't catch it, I hope you go back and catch it. We talk about his podcast, the Hoy podcast in depth, we talked about how he's a sexual. He is a sexual experience coach.He gave us some deep insight to how he was sexually harassed by his cousins when he was younger, which is kind of how we closed out the last episode. And so I appreciated that vulnerable story, which can also be found in [00:03:00] his book. And so on today's show, we're going to be talking more about the book before we get into telling people exactly how to be Ahoe.I wanted to just take a moment to get your thoughts on the 4th of July. From my perspective, I feel like the 4th of July has been canceled until we get a Supreme court that has a soul, a holiday that's supposed to revolve around freedom. Doesn't sound very free to me when women can no longer do what their bodies, what they're supposed to.Then we're gonna talk about the shootings that happened on this free day. So what do you think about the first? Vernon: not, not you bringing me in on some tough shit. I was not prepared. I'm prepared. So prepared. Let me start off with the 4th of July. I am definitely with you. Like what the fuck is that? What it's a day.It's a day that I'm off and I'm happy to be off that. Thank the Lord. I get my rest. But I [00:04:00] I'm with you on cancel the day. Like one, like you said, there's no freedoms to be celebrating because we were just restricting those on a regular basis. Like one day we wake up, guess what? Black people are gonna be enslaved again, as though like the current employment system is in the way, like that's doing that or the prison system.So there's that. So for me, I'm not celebrating the fourth until one. We abolish the prison system. Two, we get reparations for black and indigenous people across the fucking globe. I'm not celebrating until women have their autonomy over their bodies because we need that. I'm not celebrating until sex workers are respected for the things that they do.I'm not celebrating till victims of sex trafficking have the resources that they need to heal for whatever traumas that they've experienced. And they are also respected in the society. So fuck the holiday we ain't free.De'Vannon: well, I get what, what he [00:05:00] said. I couldn't say it no better than that, but exactly there. And I served in the military, which is what the whole thing is kind of supposed to be about. People are like, thank you veterans for your service and keeping our borders free. But as an, as an honorably discharged veteran of the United States air force, Fuck independence daySo now on independence day in, in in the Highland area of Chicago, which is supposed to be a really rich area, six people died and like 20 something people got shot the hell up. One of, one of the people who died was like, I think a 76 year old man in a wheelchair because this 21 year old white boy decided to go, you know, do what crazy ass white boys do, which is shoot.Exercise is Vernon: privilege. Exercise is privilege. De'Vannon: exercise is what is it? Second amendment, write the bear arms or whatever the fuck mm-hmm . And so. and then also in [00:06:00] Philadelphia, a shooting broke out and I know two cops got grazed. I haven't heard of any deaths from that yet. So since we're talking about fuck the 4th of July and fucking depends day, what do you think about these shootings that happened?And, and from the perspective in particularly of the fact that. They went and detained this white boy, I think had he been black? He would've been shot on site. Okay. Gun or no gun. And then once they detained him, they said we are not officially charging him yet, you know, in all of this . So what do you think Vernon: so I can't speak too much on the Philadelphia one, but the Illinois one I'm just like, what the hell?Like we have what Dylan roof who got like fucking was it, McDonald's our burger king athlete. He shot up a whole church of people. We have Kyle written house who, what murdered two people and still have [00:07:00] the right to DAPP up police officers and do where the hell he wants to do. And now we have this one who just decides, oh, you know what, I'm stressed out.And I want to go exercise my freedom to the second amendment and shoot up some people who are just there to have a celebration of what the holiday that you're supposedly in support of, because you're such a, such a Patriot. You're such a Patriot that you feel as though that you need to gun down innocent people without a weapon.You're that brave. You're that much of a Patriot. I'll get the fuck outta here. uh, And then we have. You know, the officers who, officers who decide, okay, we're gonna chase this person down. We're going to one, not try to shame any of his history. We're going we have the media, that's bringing up all the positive images of this person, nothing dealing with the fact that he, and assuming his family were massive Trump supporters as though that is something that fits within his ideology of what he's, what he's done.Let's go with like the [00:08:00] Buffalo shooting also within the same ideology of let's shoot up motherfuckers, even though that one's more racially based in this one, but what it's all about terrorism anyway. So what terrorism doesn't have a true race to it other than cisgender white men, but that's different, but like yet still.With this situation, we have officers who, you know, did chase him down, ensure that he lived, but we also have a system of, you know, justice officers, as they're not, who couldn't even stand up for children and you already. So I was like, if you, if you're going, you're going to chase down to protect a white life, but you can, but you can easily gun down any black life that you see.It doesn't make sense. And most of those black lives just don't have weapons on them. So it's easier to [00:09:00] shoot them down in fame that you were what afraid of your life, if you're so afraid of your life, why are you a police officer? Aren't you supposed to be the bravest of the society, but you cannot go in and save children.But you cannot go in and disarm someone who is an active active shooter though. You have the training to do so you cannot go in and do anything to actually support and make our communities better. You cannot even solve rape cases when you have DNA of victims, but you can kill black people and people without weapons sounds about white.De'Vannon: the Cassity of it all.Vernon: but yeah, that's my stance. Sorry.De'Vannon: Well, what's again. Well, once again, what the fuck can I say after that? [00:10:00] What can I say? What can I say? But I have been thinking about, since all of these white people have been shooting up people. You know, black people, you know, there's shootings everywhere, but I, I can't think, has it ever happened where a black person or anybody who's not white has killed like 20, 30 people in a public setting.Vernon: Well, I can't say 2030, but there was that situation in New York New York subway where it was a black man who was going around. I think it was either a bomb threat. And I think he did shoot some people, I think about six. But you know, that's being blasted. Well, it, within that media media cycle, it was blasted everywhere, even on Fox news as though that's not racist as hell.And then you have I think about five, six years ago, there was that one that I don't know if, if he [00:11:00] was law enforcement or a part of the military who was gunning down police officers and they were extremely scared and I think he killed two or three, but other than that, not too many if anything, it will be shrouded as gang violence as though.You know, we don't have a lot of white militia gangs out here. That's murdering people left and right without that title. So I don't know too many gang members who are just out here having mass shootings at the mass shooting at the mass De'Vannon: shooting. Right. And like I heard someone say I was listening to the morning, Joe podcast earlier.One of the guests that they had on there was talking about how all of these, like basically white mass shooters, they put on this persona of being like loan, sheep and everything like that. But basically they are all connected. Mm-hmm , you know, like you're saying it it's like a, [00:12:00] it's like a long distance relationship sort of gang.They all have the same motives, the same motivation, the same, same motives opera, Andy, the same end result. You have like a long white boy who had access to weapons, who you can just walk in the store and get, and, and he had an agenda against. People for whatever reason he was angry. He was bitter. It's like, they're isolated, but not really.It's not real, not really. Vernon: The other misnomer is that they have some type of mental health disorder. I know plenty of people who have mental health disorder, who's not out here shooting up people. Shit. We've talked about this on the last episode, I have like five, I'm not out here. Mass killing people.I'm not masking motherfuckers because I don't, I don't have that in my heart to do so. Like mental health has nothing to do with these decisions that these people are making consciously, they thought about this, they planned it and they enacted it. That's nothing dealing with mental health. That's a conscious decision, [00:13:00] even though, even if they might not be in the right state of mind, as some people might try to put it, but within their reality, within their perspective, they are doing this willingly and they're pursuing that.De'Vannon: Right. So, so what you're saying is they didn't just flash out one day and have a panic attack or a nervous breakdown. You know, you saw the social media posts leading up to the date. You have all the receipts. As they slowly planned, bought the weapons, got the ammunition, staked out the plates. This wasn't like a mental break.This wasn't a mental snap. You saying this was premeditated manslaughter. Mm-hmm Vernon: just as premeditated as January 6th. That's all I could say. we all saw it. we're just like, so y'all, y'all not gonna do anything. Y'all not gonna do anything. Oh, is December 21st. So y'all motherfuckers. Ain't going do anything.You're not gonna, okay. You're not gonna do anything. Okay. It's January 1st. Y'all it's new. Year's are we, we still not doing [00:14:00] anything. They already said they're meeting. They're meeting in five days. They said what they're doing. So we're not, we're letting this happen. Okay. Us in Georgia. Okay. Let's go ahead and make sure we get these votes in.Okay. Georgia ballot have been recounting and everything. Everything's good. Mind you. Tomorrow's the big show.Oh God. De'Vannon: And so black and brown and indigenous people don't have the luxury of setting around trying to plan massacres and slaughters. You're always gonna have your exceptions with buying large. We spend our energy trying to figure out how to get food every day, how to not get shot in the back every day, how to run through our neighborhood safely every day, how to feel accepted and try to go places where we're not gonna be rejected and kicked out.Every race has its issues with white people, predominantly perpetuate this mass shooting violence. Even me when I planned [00:15:00] on to go on trips and stuff like that, I have to look at, okay, where am I going to travel? Am I going to be accepted as being black? There there's places here in Louisiana. We know Thelan the KU Klux.Klan is still around. So I can't pull off at every rest stop or at every city, even today in the year 2022. So I have to say, do I really want to go to this iron belt state or this Midwestern state? Is there anything, is there anyone there who might try to pull a Matthew Shepherd on me, you know, and tie me to a fence and kill me.So I can't just like, I don't feel free enough to just go anywhere in the globe. I have to stop and get pause and say, will I be safe there? You know, this is not, you know, I got all this to think about. I don't have time to be going to shoot up people. You have to be comfortable enough and, and pleasant enough in life to have time to exert energy into violence.And I just don't have it. Vernon: Look, I I'm glad that you mentioned Aras. That's Alabama. I, [00:16:00] I call it by his name, Aras and in order to like, whenever I know I have to travel through there, I have to make sure, okay. Am I going to be going through Montgomery or Birmingham to make it through, through this damn state?Those are the only two places I am comfortable with gassing up my vehicle if I am not going okay, Huntsville too. If I'm not going to go through any of those. Oh, I'm guessing up before I even entered into that state. And if I'm going to Florida, oh, I'm I, my gas tank is is running on the Lord's energy because I'm not trying to stop in Florida until I get to my damn destination.And I'm not trying to travel at night because I don't know those cities like that. Oh, no Lord. Mm-hmm like, these are the, these are the things that we have to think about quite frequently because it's too much crazy shit out here. Everybody's against you everywhere you go. Like I'm just trying to have a good time.I'm trying to torch some ass on a beach somewhere, but no, just because I'm trying to have fun is scary to you. My, my current [00:17:00] kink is making white people sick with my happiness because, oh my God, I will be in in my vehicle driving around, minding my own business with my songs, playing very loud and happy as a motherfucker and loving that.They're disappointed that I'm not sad. De'Vannon: It's a kink. I know that's right. get off, hit off on it. Motherfuckers, get off on it. Vernon: Look does my happiness offend you? MmDe'Vannon: Deal with it, bitch. And so so, so the book is called an essential guide on how to be a ho. So you, you, I read through this book and thank you so much for sending it over Vernon. And I'm very happy that you wrote it for you because I could see that you've got a lot of rage out in this, in, in these pages and everything like that.And authorship is very cathartic. And so whether it's writing poetry or writing a blog or writing a journal or writing a book, [00:18:00] writing is therapy. You know, in writing therapy is something that is often prescribed in mental health settings. And I'm so happy that you are able to have this experience for your own mental health.So at the top of the book, you really get into a lot of what the book is not. And so I want you to give us. Like your take on that, you know, you were telling us how it's not, how to be a fuckboy or a fuck girl, and definitely not slut SHA. And so what is the book? Not Vernon: so all those things, it's not a space for you to think that, oh, this book is going to give me the guide of how I can play the game.This, this book is going to tell me how I can toy what other people's emotions, toy their feelings for me to trick them into thinking that I'm, I'm the best man or woman that they ever want to be with. And then I can just dog, whoever I want to want to dog is not a place of saying that.Oh, just because you're going by the title of ho you are a [00:19:00] degradation to society. No it's a space of learning that it's okay to be sexual it's okay for you to be proud of who you are. It's also it's not. A space to justify a lot of the miseducation that we've received as we've aged about how we should be in relationships rather than who we are within our relationships.Because that is something that varies per person and per couple per throuple per however, poly. You want to be something that varies because we don't all live the same life. So why try to force people to be something that they're. De'Vannon: Mm, tell a friend and then, then I want you to talk about, you know, you, you mentioned how some people like to use religion to come for people who want to be sex positive.So speak to me your mind about how, how religion can be used to try to. Same people. Vernon: So within a lot of [00:20:00] religious circles, especially when you have Southern Baptist Christians, or even just Christianity in general, how sexuality is taboo. You're not supposed to talk talk about that with your family, your friends, your lovers, which is also something that's very concerning.There would always been concerning to me. Like, how am I supposed to have sex with the person? And I can have the conversation about sex with the person. It doesn't make sense. But it's always been used as a way a tool to restrict people in how they express themselves sexually. I remember growing up hearing that, oh, a Christian should never, you know, participate in mutual masturbation or oral sex or anything that's considered sodomy cuz you know, sodomy and Gamora or Sodom and Gamora like.Totally fucked up that, but you know how that is a lesson from the Bible of how you should not [00:21:00] be out here having sex and being wild with other people. And I'm just like, But I don't get that message when I read those verses I did not get that in anything as I grew older and revisit those chapters.I'm like, okay, is it possible that within, you know, Sodom Andora that they were raping a lot of people. And that was a the offenses that the Lord found extremely unhealthy within that society. And it was like, you know what? Let's destroy some shit. Is that, is that not a possibility because all this stuff that you're that a lot of the preachers were bringing to me to educate me on what that message is.I'm like, I'm not finding the evidence in this text. I'm not finding anything. That's really talking about homosexuality other than lay with men or but it's okay. Like, this is the going on the double standards. It's not okay for men to lay with men, but [00:22:00] it's okay for women to lay with women. Both of those are homosexual relationships.That's not that doesn't make sense. Like just all of those things have been taught within a lot of religious circles and it is just trying to unpack those to just see exactly. Okay, who am I within this sexual space or outside of religion? Where do I find myself when it comes to, you know, sexual expression?Yeah. In terms De'Vannon: of like the whole Sodo, the more thing I did, like a whole three part series that dissected those CLO passages. And I recommend people to go back and find them cuz we broke it down. I agree with what you're saying. And I did that with a Dr. Mar Mar Marcia Ledford, who was a You know, a pastor and everything like that in a, within a gay affirming religion.And [00:23:00] and I agree, you know, people have got to learn how to read these scriptures for themselves and, and understand this how subjective the interpretation is. And everybody can read the same text and come out of, come out of it with whatever it is that they want. Air go. We have all of these different interpretations of one text.There's so many different interpretations of the Bible because everybody has a different take on it. What's not okay is for one person to feel like the way they think is the way everyone else should think. And then that's how we get into this whole anti-abortion anti every damn thing, because somebody's trying to say my view of ethics and morality should be everyone else's view.And then that, which is complete bullshit. And it's also arrogant. And it's also how people. A hypocrite and falling through the sin of hypocrisy because the Lord never told you to straighten everybody else out, which is why he stopped Paul Saul on the road to Damascus. You know, everybody always marvels about the road of dam road to Damascus conversion, but I look at it as God stopping somebody from trying to go control of the people, you know, which is what he was [00:24:00] going to go do.He was gonna go be a typical fucking evangelical Republican, and the Lord told, set his ass down somewhere. So we, how can we be, can we be sex positive and still have a relationship with God? Vernon: Oh, definitely. Like there's even something called spiritual sexuality. If somebody wanted to go dabble into that, it's it's most, it is mostly on how your sexual being relates to your spiritual being, which can also relate to your religious being but it's in.In my perspective because I'm not really a religious person not anymore. It is figuring out where does your sexual expression meet your religion based off of your perspective and how your religion then can enhance your spirituality and just finding that type of balance. [00:25:00] So yeah, let's go with that.De'Vannon: I mean, you're right. And I would just, I was, I would just like to remind everybody that it was God that invented sex, you know, not humans, not the Catholic church, not any church or denomination and what man has a tendency to do. You know, to try to take ownership of something and try to package it and rebrand it and sell it to you.Like they're the experts on it when really that's not the case. And, and the same thing goes for the whole Bible. And the same thing goes for so many things in this earth that people, you know, try to, to just to just try to take over. So just remember God created sex. And so when you have questions about it, I suggest you pray and go to him.Mm. You know, throw and ask a damn preacher. You know, don't go and ask nobody, you know, if you're gonna ask them, be sure you ask God too, because the person who gave you a sex drive who crafted your body so that your Dick can get hard and your pussy can swell [00:26:00] and get wet was God, it was not people. I like to go to the head of the organization.And so if I want to find out about this body, I'm gonna go to God. The one who made it first before I go to anybody else, don't you let people tell you what to do with your body Vernon: mm-hmm and, you know I, I forget which friend this was, it might have been high school, but they were I think it was high school.This person, they were referring to the Bible cuz they read the Bible on a regular basis and they were like, Hey, did you ever realize that the story of Adam and Eve can really be A sex tale is just a, a discussion about how people have sex. And after they brought that to my attention, I actually sat back and thought about that even when it comes to the snake and the apple and all that, how those in themselves can be any windows four, the [00:27:00] penis and the the vulva.And when, you know, you commit some things up and a person and the female, or the woman gives birth, there's always going to be some kind of cramp, some contractions. And that's the thing, rather than it being about sin. It's about, okay, we have sex. Here's your sex lesson?De'Vannon: Who am I to say otherwise, , I'm open to all kinds of perspectives on things and stuff like that. And, and that, and that may work for some people, if they don't wanna take a literal interpretation of it, go with it. You know, the important thing is to open your mind. To possibilities of what may be. Right.And then, and for whatever you do not to think against other folks. Now, I might not agree with that. I might choose to say, you know, that the story might be more literal, but that I'm not gonna tell your friend that he's wrong, you know, or I'm not gonna say that I [00:28:00] disagree. You know, I think he's gonna go to hell for thinking that or anything like that.I might be like, okay, that's cute. But you know, everybody has to decide what they think about everything. You can't be one things you have to make a fucking choice. And the beauty of it that we don't have to agree. I love how beautiful that is. I've never heard of that before. So I need time to meditate on that.you knowSo tell me what the. Is we talk about what it ain't, you you've kind of touched on it, but is there anything more else you wanna say about what the book Vernon: is? I will say the book in general is about understanding who you are as a sexual being and owning that and appreciating who you are and understanding and knowing the importance of personal autonomy and consent.When it does come to your daily lives, cuz consent is not something that only sticks to sex. You have to consent to things every single day. One of the things like most one, I was life [00:29:00] coaching. One of the things I will ask some of my clients is have you consented to yourself? And as, and some people don't, they just allow other people to dictate whatever they do with their lives, or they allow others influences to hinder their decisions on what's best for them.And consenting to yourself is allowing yourself to take control of what you do in your life. And you'd be surprised at how, how many people just said no to that De'Vannon: child. If you can't love yourself. Cause mama would say, how the hell you gonna love anybody else? Vernon: Mm-hmm De'Vannon: so many of our issues in this life revert back to a lack of self love and self acceptance.And so in the book, you really, really. Talked a lot about whether or not a, person's gonna find the content offensive and, and something like that. And you, and you said very often, you know, if it's not for [00:30:00] you, it's not for you, you know, move on to the next chapter, you know, and stuff like that. And this is just, I mean, in there you say you hope the person that the reader doesn't find it offensive, but if they do, you have like a lot of warnings and stuff like that, , you know, as you , as I read through it, but what I found to be curious and very interesting and very warming and heartening and endearing is that, you know, you said if the person does find something offensive, you challenge him to find out why they find it offensive.You know, you're not saying you find that offensive, go fuck off, but you challenge people who have opposing views from you. Where are you getting that from? So speak to me about why you challenge the reader to do a gut check and find out why they're offended. Vernon: I, I will say it's because we often don't know other, other people's stories.We make them ourselves. And sometimes you do have to look at situations at face value. And if there's nothing to [00:31:00] really indicate like, oh, this person's completely transphobic or something like that. Where does it say that? Where does it show that? Why are you getting that message? Is there something that you received from other people that said that, oh, based on this phrasing, this person's transphobic.One of the things that I did within the book to ensure that people are, they feel accepted when reading it, because some people might fall into that space of, okay, this person is being very gender specific in their writing. But this is supposed to be something about all people, technically speaking.As I mentioned in the book, I wrote it for African American masculine presenting people as like the target audience. I wrote it so that it's something that other people can read it and still, you know [00:32:00] connect with like even the sex scene between think Jordan and Aubrey I think that's their name.I forgot. But even with that, I purposely chose not to utilize any Like gender specific or sex specific sex organs, because why what's the person purpose of doing that? If you cannot put yourself in that scene. And let's say even if someone coats into that consent chapter and they find out, oh my God, how dare he say that?Why is this conversation about consent? Something that you are pushing against? Because all I'm providing is the facts of, of the matter based off of my actual research on it. Now of course, things within consent can vary. It truly can. Most definitely you come Frank. Personal autonomy, but what is that pushback coming from?Because I remember multiple times [00:33:00] whenever I even held a consent workshop. Right. Some of the people there, most definitely it comes to like, you, you don't have ownership over your wife. They're like, oh no, we're in this marriage together. I own all of her actions. And I'm like, no, your wife is a whole nother person.Like they have personal autonomy. Mm-hmm , you should not be trying to control them. So that's why I tell people to challenge themselves, to figure out. Why do you believe that? Why do you feel as though you have ownership over your spouse? Soly? Because y'all are, y'all signed a contract with each other, rather than seeing them as a whole nother individual.De'Vannon: I like for that same thinking to be extended into all areas of our lives. You know, I challenge everyone. Any belief you have, why do you believe what you believe? Mm. You know, if you can't answer that question, well, then you running off of [00:34:00] somebody else's playbook for your life. Mm. And sometimes it feels good to do that because it gives you power and control over other people.But in trying to gain power and control over other people, you lose power and control over yourself. It's a, it's a tricky thing, but the Lord said it like this in the Hebrew Bible, he said that it's possible for a man to take a whole city and not have control over themselves. You see? So it's easy to go and conquest somebody else, but you have no control over yourself.Vernon: You see, try that sounds like government. De'Vannon: Oh, it is the Lord is speaking to many, many, many, many, many people, any sort of person or entity that wants to rule another person, be it one person in a relationship wanting to dominate another, the government overreaching or whatever. All that energy could be turned internally.And then you could improve yourself rather than trying to fuck with other people. Mm-hmm . [00:35:00] Now you said in the book that being sex positive does not necessarily equate to promiscuity. I want you to preach about that because there's certain somebody in my life and I'm not, they shall remain nameless. You know?The other nameVernon: joking, I'm joking, you De'Vannon: know, there're a certain, somebody, you know, say the name. So Vernon: say their name, say the name De'Vannon: mm-hmm you know who Their interpretation. They were like I'm sex positive. And this person was sleeping with four to five different people per week. And there was a whole argument thing that happened.And they were like, you know, I'm sex positive. I can have as much sex as I want. And I was like, I don't think that being a, you know, sleeping with 20 different people a month. It's the same thing as sex positivity. And so when I saw this in your book, you know, [00:36:00] it triggered that old anger that I had towards him.and so I'd like you to just preach on that. Vernon: so the thing is, if you wanna be a promiscuous person, be a PROMIS promiscuous person and own that, and just, just be like, look, I love having sex and that's fine, but that does not necessarily mean that your sex positive, because sex positivity means that regardless of how any person chooses to express their sex, as long as it has consent involved, you don't care.You are just like, I'm here for you. I'm not shaming your kinks. I'm not doing anything like that. I want you to be successful in how you out here fucking or not fucking or whatever the case is. Like, you can be out here doing osmosis for all I care. I, if you are, I want to know how the fuck that thing is going on.Like, teach me how to osmosis bitch. I want to know but like. If in terms of promiscuity, you have to ask yourself, am I promiscuous [00:37:00] because I'm hurt and I'm trying to escape from that in other bodies. Am I finding love in other bodies? Because I don't love myself. Like what is going on? Like if you're not, if a person's not necessarily digging deep to figure out why they're sleeping with multiple people outside of, I just love the pleasure of it.Then there's something that is going on with you that you might need to, you know, check on. Like, I don't know that person, I can't write their story, but if, if you have to, here's my thing. Whenever I have meetings with like past clients and they say I'm the type of person that, okay, this is you scripting who you are.Rather than showing who you are. I don't, you don't have to preface. I'm the type of person that does this all the time. Now, if you choose to do that, I get it. You just wanna make sure people know that this is who you identify as whatever. That's cool, whatever, but are you really, that person [00:38:00] is your actions meeting up to these words that you're actually providing to other people.If you have to start off. Speaking about your sexuality by saying I'm sex positive all the time. You could, you might not be sex positive as you think you are. You probably might be out here shaming, every single person who's having less sex than you, or more sex than you, or just the same amount. And you just don't realize it because, Hey, I'm going to use that sets positive.So I can say something completely shady and off the hinges. And I don't want anybody to shame me against that or correct me or respond to my personal actions. So it's like multiple lenses to look at that. But yeah, it's, it's definitely not the same thing. One is allowing others to be themselves and the, and the latter is I'm just fucking, be it through trauma, be it through love for self or healing.[00:39:00]De'Vannon: I challenge everyone to, to search for why. Why they have sex? Like what do you view it as, you know, anybody who, who wants to like, try to have sex with me? I wanna know. Okay. What are your views on sex? What do you get out of it? How, you know, we have to have a conversation in my, when I, my late teens. And it was just like, you have a hard Dick at work, stick it in, you know, but I don't go back and try to hide behind the norm of sex positivity.No, I wasn't being sex positive. I know I was trying to patch up a hurt heart by jumping in the beds of as many men as I could get each week, far more than five sometimes per week. But I never tried to act like it was cute or it was a positive thing. I knew I was damaged, you know, and I was, you know, had a bad relationship with my dad and everything.And I wanted to find this in the hands of as many masculine men as I could. So I ain't, I'm never gonna be like, oh, that I was being sex positive. No, I was being, I was taking unnecessary risk because I [00:40:00] didn't know how to heal. And so. I just wanted to bring that up because I do think that term sex positive gets tossed around at times as an excuse mm-hmm , you know, and it hasn't been very deeply.You know, really rung out the way that you just did. And I'm just gonna leave it at your words. Cause I can't say it no better. Vernon: See even on top of that, I, I don't know if I put this in the book or not. If I did, I forgot I put it in there, but about it's it's related to celibacy I know I mentioned, you know, people should be celibate.Well, try that and you know, experience how they are. If you are a person who's out here being promiscuous or whatever. Try being celibate and see if you see what advances are, what changes in your life and set the rules of what your celibacy looks like and what some people wanna use abstinence. I don't care.It's interchangeable at this point. I don't give a damn, but set the rules on what that looks like for you. [00:41:00] But take a break from sex for real and figure out if you really are sex positive or you're, or you are going through damage. Cause in my, like I lost my Virginia at age 19. Well willingly lost my Virginia at age 19.And with. With that my body count went from zero to like eight. And this is within like a six month timeframe and I was reflecting and I was like, hold up, I'm out here, wilding. What the fuck is going on with me? That I'm over here just accepting sex from anybody. Who's actually going to agree to have sex with me.And by taking that break, it was two and a half years. I learned that. Okay. Yeah, you do have a little bit of sex trauma that you have not dealt with. So you gotta deal with that. You are allowing other people's what their, their slight embrace of you show [00:42:00] that they do have true affection for you, even though they don't, you are just, you are out here lowering your standards just for that quick hookup.You're better than this. And just taking that time away from sex after having sex allowed me to see myself in a better light and also find a stronger sense of self worth so that when I do go out, go back in these streets, these streets, these days is a mess. So I, I, I, I for Yelp review zero outta zero, I do not recommend these streets are bad.They need to close down business. Fuck those, fuck the streets. But no, don't fuck the streets.streets needs to be celibate y'all, but like, I, I learned so much about myself from taking that break. And even for that friend, take a break, like figure out who you are, figure out what's really going on, go to therapy and see, and fill that hole that you're [00:43:00] trying to fill with dicks and come that's all I'm saying De'Vannon: you better preach fetch.And so. So I wanted to talk about the book, name, you and sent you God on how to be ho I'm always interested in why people title the books as such and in the book, you know, as such they do in the book, you give us a breakdown on the, on the etymology of the word who and why you choose the spell. Ho as H O E not H O.Vernon: so I, I had to do that because one that, the word ho in general has a special place in my heart because I've been caught a hole so many times throughout my life. And this is before I was even sexual y'all like out here ho and hoing. But I, I always was fixated on the fact that, okay, why is it just spelled H O and it, within the black community, we utilize that word in so many different ways.And even when you [00:44:00] have the horror side, the w H O R E, that has different conjugations that are very grammatically correct. And whenever you look at ho O and you, yeah, you can add, I N G you can add all this other things to it, but it's, it doesn't look right. It never looked to be like a correct term.However, I try to put it places, but whenever you put the E on there, It looks like a word that can be con it can be conjugated. It can be changed. It can be you can use it in different sets of your lives. You know, I am hoing. I was hoing. I hold all of these because you added that extra length of, you know, grammar to it.So that's one of the reasons why I decided to, you know, let's go ahead and use this with the E because one, I I'm, I'm always. Tired by the fact that [00:45:00] in this country, we look at AAV E Ebonics, whatever you wanna call it as though it's a lesser language as but people don't realize that a V E is the cornerstone of what's making American literature in language great.Like the, the, in like the slang that a lot of people use these days come from what a V E it comes from African American vernacular English. It comes from our interactions with our own people. It comes from our conversations. Like motherfuckers was not out here saying twerk like that. And then, you know, of course, ying yang, TWIs whistle while it's twerking shit, because yes.But it's like we are making the language. So put some respect on our names and make sure that our words that we use in, however we choose to interchange them are grammatical in every single way. De'Vannon: Mm, I hope I hope so off the work I go Vernon: [00:46:00] yes, yes. I about to put on some like some NEHI heels or some shit.Cause now, now you got me wonder ho mm. Yes, Lord. So De'Vannon: I'm gonna read a quote, which I have a flight amendment to, which I will just point out. So you said from the book, you said for those of you who say that Ahoe is someone especially a woman and I'm gonna add, or a bottom with low morals, jump off your high ass pedestal.I hope you land in your own business because that is what you need Vernon: to mind. Yes. Tell meDe'Vannon: no, tell me why you Vernon: said that because everybody who it's the judgment of it all like you out here calling women holes because they're having sex with multiple people. Why cuz men are praised for doing the same thing. [00:47:00] So you're obviously putting yourself on a higher standard or a higher pedestal than other people who are doing the exact same thing.As you jump off. If this person is considered a low standard, because they're doing what you're doing, get the fuck off you don't deserve to be up there. Jump into your own fucking business. Mind your business, mind your motherfucking business. Cause Hey, I look, this is how well I tell people I did not give you a dime quarter or penny, so I'm not paying for you to be over here.So mind the business that pays youDe'Vannon: yes. You know, this reminds me of like from the Hebrew Bible when Jesus was going through the village and there was the town who, whatever everyone was gonna stone, because in their opinion, she had had too much, Dick slept with too many married. Men had too much sex or whatever. Vernon: Jesus found me. I know.Yeah. He De'Vannon: found two girls and he also loose you and said, he who is without [00:48:00] saying Casa for his stone and they couldn't say anything. You know, my whole thing is this. She didn't become the town whore by masturbating. You know, the man in the, somebody had to help her along this journey to, to reach the status to reach this level in her life.And so in society, you know, if a woman is shame or a bottom is shame, you know, it's like, so even me, you know, when I used to run around Baton Rouge, high on meth, trying to get Dick from all these different guys, you know, I developed a bad reputation, but my whole thing was this. I wasn't doing the drugs by myself.I wasn't the only one in the damn room and whatever sex I did have. I didn't reach my own Dick around and stick it into my own asshole. So, Imean, Vernon: I'm fucking somebody. De'Vannon: So I, I am fucking somebody I'm doing the drugs with somebody, you know, or seven guys could fuck the [00:49:00] same girl at the same time, which is totally cool if that's what eight people wanna do, but why is she the slut? But the seven dicks that was just in her are not.Vernon: you came here and you came, like, I'm the ALU because I'm the one who wanted to have all this pleasure. Do you just fuck the most of, for those who are who love breeding kinks? Were you just fucking six other niggas? I don't know if I can say it on your, I'm sorry. You can say anything you want.Dar my God, were you the one that was coming back and fucking six other motherfuckers come out, out, out out of this pussy, this asshole, whatever you, this mouth where, where you were your children, your could have been the board of children swimming all up in this, over here. but I'm the whore. I'm the who aren't you?The [00:50:00] one. Fuck the, who, what does that make you, if you think I'm bad. And you're fucking the whore. So does that mean you're less than the whore? Are you upset about that? Come on, let's talk about it. You can lay your hand on this Dick. Okay. Lay your head on the Dick. That's all you need to do. Yes, please. The whore, continue to please the whoDe'Vannon: and enough said on that. So, and I guess, no, it's not cuz you know, people. You mentioned this in your book in several places that basically the nega, when people spew negativity towards other people, it's reflecting a fracture and brokenness within that person, who's keeping the negativity. I heard it said this way.You can't give away what you don't have. So when you are broken, you go about the business of trying to find fault other people, another version of this seven guys to go and fuck the same girl or bottom or whatever. And just be like, you know what? That was a good experience. The end. You don't have to have the negative [00:51:00] adjectives thrown in there to try to, to try to make yourself.You shouldn't have to step on somebody else to make yourself feel better. You know, you have a damn problem. Why can't you just be a really fun girl and y'all have a bunch of fun guys. And it was a thing. It was great. And you hope to do it again. Why do you have to go and drag her through the mud? Vernon: Like why , you know, we came here for sex and we had sex.And was, did you enjoy yourself? If the answer's yes. Great. If the answer's no. Okay. Then we don't have to meet up again. Right. De'Vannon: Because what would, what would the guys do if all the women and all the bottoms closed, we closed our legs up and decided not to let you in anymore because we, we get tired of you talking about us.Y'all not gonna to fuck each other because y'all were so like anti having your assholes entered some of y'all, you know, then what would you do? You know, when we were, if we're no longer available, if we're no longer an option, Vernon: all I gotta say. If you were bottom out here [00:52:00] on these streets, find you another bottom because the sex is better and ask that on that start a relationship and everything.And then if you feel as though you need a top and open up your relationship, use that motherfucker don't make it P. They can't get right. They don't deserve you for the women out here. Get you some girlfriends. Those who like who are into women, of course get you some girlfriends, enjoy your time. If you need to get the fleshy Dick every now and again, open up your relationship, invite that motherfucker in and then let 'em go and see and see how long it takes until these motherfuckers get their lives straight.What, what did they say in that made movie clickthat'd De'Vannon: they might be right. They may not be, it is no longer our concern. Well, what did people say? So in your book, you said you poll your friends, your [00:53:00] family, and you even said passers by how they define. A ho and your results were ultimately kind of like inconclusive. What did you find that people were saying?The two that stood out to me was people to find a ho as somebody who's had sex with more than five people, I thought that was a random ass number for someone to come up with. And then the other one was somebody oh, it was a, a bitch. You would lose pussy . Vernon: So , I had a whole Google doc of people's responses.And even on these apps, looking at what people say are what they called other people holes for almost definitely back back in the day on Jack reading people's profiles and talking about, oh, I don't fuck with holes. And then they have a description of what the hole is supposed to be. All of that provided a lot of good details on where people think now the numbers people, that's the thing that really got me now.I just use [00:54:00] five as like a well, whatever number I use as just a, a relative sample, but people would have some random as numbers. Oh. If they had sex with six people. Okay. How many people have you had sex with? Like, how's that a person that's a whole that's. The more bodies you have, the more experienced points, just make sure you being safe out here.That's all, that's all get your experience, points up, be level 99. I don't give a damn but it's like, why, why do you have a set number? Like, is it, and it's rarely even one person, like, it's not like if they have sex with one person they're automatically a whole. And I think the reason why it was never one is because the person who's providing that definition had sex at least once.And they don't want to see themselves as being, you know, a whore just because they had a failed relationship with somebody or because they had a hookup with [00:55:00] somebody and it didn't work out. And I, and I think some of it also stems from the thought that some guys just don't want to date a version to.So having that. Window of having at least your first sexual experience, you know, that they've been out there a little bit. So just having that one person means that, okay, they've had it before now. They have some idea. I hope it was bad. So whenever I'm with them, I can give them the good Dick and they can stay with me or whatever.And then there were also those people cuz over the years I learned that men tend to go this was also another research thing that I looked into, but men tend to overestimate their sexual partners and women underestimate their [00:56:00] sexual partners solely to make men more comfortable when they do talk about their sexuality or, or their sexual histories.So I think that's where, why, you know, you get those. Random ass numbers, because they're either trying tonot project that they view themselves as a whole, because they've had so many bodies. So they trying to put project the responsibility of not being a whole onto the woman or it's whatever. Now, in terms of what was the other part? Oh loose as pussies.That one always bothered me because that tells me that this person doesn't even know the basis of anatomy and how the VO the vaginal canal or the anus works. Cause it's no such thing as a loose pussy. It's just, your Dick might not be as [00:57:00] big as you thought it was. You got open space. You're not comfortable with that.Now there is , somebody's triggered. There is a such thing as, you know, it being is lacking elasticity and that can be due to tearing that can be caused by somebody not respecting the other person's body enough to let them relax properly so that they keep the tightness of whatever sex order you're using.Or it can just be them having multiple sex, but within the day it should usually. Is right back normal. Now if you have sex with someone with like a girthy penis, then it might take a couple days, but it usually doesn't take SU such a long time for the anal canal or even the vaginal canal to just, you know, restrict [00:58:00] back to its normal size.So loose, vaginas and loose anus is, is not really a thing.De'Vannon: WP WP w that's some wet ass pussy. That'sSo you mentioned the word consent earlier, but y'all in his book. He actually, I felt like preached a whole sermon about consent. It's like, it is really a soapbox, you know, a hill that you're willing to die on. So I want you to dig deeper into why the fuck consent is such a big deal and spin in what rape culture is.Oh, child. You, Vernon: you asking me to do all my research in this podcast, Lord. Geez. Okay. so yeah, consent. That is definitely the soapbox. I will definitely dial on and be proud. And y'all not going to take me down because that legacy's going live on it. Just like try if you want to. But like the importance [00:59:00] of consent is that many people don't even know how complex consent is.It's a very simple, yet complex thing. So of course, yes. Means yes, no means no, and maybe does not exist, but that's not all like there's a legal side of consent and then there's a personal side of consent. Legally, if you decide to have drunk sex with the partner, like. You're conscious, conscious, and you're able to articulate yourself and be responsible at the same time.Legally just because you had a sip of alcohol and you had sex with that person, or that person had sex with you, they broke the law. But in terms of personal autonomy, you have not done anything wrong. You did what you were wanting to do with somebody that you trusted. So that's another discussion.And on top of that because we are not taught what consent is, we often do things that are violations to other people's [01:00:00] Bodies for instance, those people who think that just because my partner said yes they cannot end sex at any time or just because they said yes to sex. That means I can take the condom off.That's not consent. That is not they do not know that you're doing that. And even using that excuse which some people have used on me before. You didn't feel that I wasn't. No condoms are made thin as fuck. You have bare skin condoms for that reason to, so that the person who is penetrating it feels essentially as though they there's no barrier there for the most part.So. Most people don't feel it. If you do not have a condom on or not. Now, if it's a thick as Magnum condom, more than likely a person might feel it, but there's no guarantee. So expecting them to be responsible with telling you not to have sex with them without a [01:01:00] condom, because you took it off is inappropriate because you're the one who has the condom on already.You have to communicate with communicate that with your sexual partner, if not, you violated their bodies. And even having that discussion may trigger a person because now they think of themselves as being a rapist which is also something within rape culture that I'm probably gonna get into. Well, I'm definitely gonna get into rape culture a lot deeper, but now this person think that they're a rapist.They definitely sexually assaulted a person when it comes to rape there's power, that has to be present there's What else you need power. You also have to have a higher level of aggression rate, myth, acceptance. And you also, there's a lot of factors to it. Dominance authority within that situation, there's a lot [01:02:00] and not all rates are violent.Let's put it that way, but there's a lot of factors that do go into making a rape. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are a rapist if you do that, but you did sexual assault. Somebody, there we go deal with the consequences of those actions. I'm not here. I'm not your lawyer. I can't tell you exactly what that's gonna be now.In terms of rape culture that is just a culture that minimizes and accept. Rape or any kind of sexual assaults. Most definitely those that go come against women and rape culture has different factors to it that can be victim blaming. That can be SLU, shaming, that can be sexualized jokes.It can be who's been a while. It can be alcohol usage and drug usage to intoxicated person so that you can [01:03:00] have sex with the, with them without the intent of having their consent, their their express consent. It can be the violent side of rape. It's so much shit rape culture in general has over, oh, hyper masculinity is part of rape culture, but it has more than like 14 or so factors to it. And part of my research, just to put that out there is I learned after I completed my dissertation that I wrote on systemic rape culture.And that is how rape culture presents itself in different systems that can be within the workplace policy creation, government entities, our businesses, our police officers, all of that. So, yeah, it's, rape culture, but we, we see it in our everyday lives. You might see. Through [01:04:00] a court case where a victim is sexually assaulted and the perpetrator only gets like two months because rape is seen as a less serious a less serious offense than murder or shoot.It's a less serious offense than like carrying marijuana. So, yeah. De'Vannon: Okay. Thank you for the breakdown. And look, don't be worried about if you can't couldn't remember all the points, you know, like they say in church, you just tell on it, you can't tell at all tell Vernon: true, true De'Vannon: people wanna know more, you know, they can reach out to you and stuff like that.Cuz we not trying to give away the whole M you know, just a little teaser, people need to go buy the thing child you're right. So and so. Talk to me from the book about the game. Now I had never heard this shit broken down like this before. And I think I may have played this game before and certainly have been involved in it.[01:05:00]Now you described the game as a childish behavior for supposed adults. And another quote, you said the term scoring game of fun sexuality and sexual encounters. It provides a point value that does not fully equate to the full value of a person and their self worth preach about the game. Vernon: So the game, the game, the game, it's all like, like you said, it's all about scoring.It's how many bodies can I catch? How many people can I have sex with essentially is about how can I influence this person to think that, oh, look, I love you. I want to be with you. I'll be your world. I can bring this to you. I can make you feel satisfied. I just wanna be your man to ease a person.And I know somebody was just like, hold up burden. Yeah, I can get that but but they can [01:06:00]they F tend to fall for the person and have that expectation that they want something more than just the sex and then they have sex with that person and just leave them. And that's, that's the why I say you have a point system that does not equate to a person's self worth, because they're more than just that sexual act.This is a whole person you're emotionally manipulating this person, just so that you can have sex with them and then to leave them high and dry, just because you can just because you felt as though your sexual desires was so strong, that it doesn't matter how. What you, what wreck you leave that person in?And the game is played by men and women. So let's, let's be clear about that. Cuz I know some some women who literally said, oh, you know what, I'm gonna doubt dog, these NIS out. Like they be dogging us out and I get, I get where that hurt comes [01:07:00] from. I get why you need to do that. But figure. Why you're hurt and figure out how you can avoid that nigga that you're referring to.That hurt you back in the past, that making you wanna do this so that you can do better. And for the men who's been thoughted by women deal with your hurt. So you can figure out why exactly you were hurt and then do better with your lives. Because this is something I had to tell a student of mine in the past.You're going to be out here focusing on dogging these people out, just because this one girl hurt, hurt you so bad that when you meet that one person who challenges you, who bring so much worth to you, you're so focused on trying to find the trick to find the, oh, when is she going to, you know, like dog me out like that old girl did 20 or so years ago that she's gonna leave you.And within months, within weeks within days, you're gonna [01:08:00] realize that you fucked up something good. You will never get that back. All because you wanted to play these damn games. De'Vannon: So what he's saying y'all is to stop perpetuating the negativity and to find out why and, and, and to stop being willing to be so damn childish.I agree with you on that. The games people play just to be about what you're about, you know, or if it says in the Hebrew Bible that the Lord is not mocked whatsoever, man. So that also will he reap, so you can't play these games and twist these people's hearts and just make people a number at another body count.Oh, that was just meaningless sex. I just fuck them. It was whatever that person didn't mean. Anything to me. And then you think one day is gonna come where you're gonna settle down and have you a nice, happy relationship. No bitch. Your dirt coming back to you at some damn point mm-hmm Vernon: now for some De'Vannon: reason, it's hard.It's coming fast and hard. And so within this Breakdown [01:09:00] of the game. You separated the roster though, and you wanted the roster to be different. You gave it his own chapter. And I found it. I don't let me see, I don't know if I quite curious, interesting and titillating and I don't really have the exact word for it, but you used a basketball game.The way basketball players are positioned to, to reference this. I don't know this fucking much

Sermon Transcript: We’re gonna talk about something this morning, something that Joe talked about last week with the conversion of Saul in acts chapter nine, and it’s something where Paul or Saul, and I know I’m gonna say Paul Saul, cuz he’s right in the midst of changing his name soon. There’s something that happens […]

Continuing through the Book of Acts Chapter 26, part 6. Starting in verse 19. Here we see Paul making the statement that he (Paul/Saul) was not saying anything beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen. Also discussed is Luke 24 where Yeshua explains on the road to Emmaus to his disciples from the scriptures all that the Messiah (Himself) would fulfill. From there we give an list of scriptures by topic that possibly Yeshua would use in that teaching. It must have been an amazing experience. We apologize that we cannot give you a list of the scriptures used in this sermon however we recommend you do your own research on the internet. Here is an example: https://www.gotquestions.org/prophecies-of-Jesus.html This sermon was given during our Saturday Shabbat service on July 16, 2022 by Messianic Rabbi Frank Davis.

Homily for the Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time God chose you for a purpose just like He chose Peter, Paul (Saul), and Matthew. His choice alone, His plan, His purpose. It may not seem to make sense at the time, but God does not judge as you do. He does not look at the outward appearance, but at the heart and He is never wrong. Today, ask yourself... do you trust God in His choice? God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. It is the One who called that is important not the one who is called. Understanding and remembering this is the key to our every step in faith.

INTRODUCTION: Anna, pronouns anything respectful, is a Chicago-born social entrepreneur who builds streaming platforms which center & celebrate BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Media has always been her passion and in 2009 she turned that passion into a reality when she founded E3 Radio, an online radio station playing Queer music & reporting on Queer news with an intersectional lens. Most recently, she founded The Qube, a curated app of music & podcasts by BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Anna is determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing digital media streams to tell the stories and play the music that deserves to be heard.  Learn more about her work here. In no particular order I'm also a daughter, wife, sister, and friend who loves cooking and running. Favorite Quote: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” –Gandhi Did you know? Anna has been in love with Robin Roberts all her life. Interviewing her would be the ultimate experience. Media Coverage ABC 7 Pride Coveragehttps://abc7.ws/3BGSAZz  Choose Your Struggle https://open.spotify.com/episode/5VaUCZRfUCxUNzdfmAibuV?si=Wqu7M0knQmWZYyJ_Ahmleg&nd=1 191: Learn How To Do Queer Radio Right with Anna DeShawn, Founder of E3 Radiohttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/191-learn-how-to-do-queer-radio-right-anna-deshawn/id1189319336?i=1000521261587  Trindi Media Podcasthttps://podcasts.bcast.fm/e/mn4wvyq8 Park Careers Podcasthttps://anchor.fm/icparkcareerspodcast/episodes/Episode-9--Anna-DeShawn-IC07-e10l4bp/a-a5haqne   INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to): ·      Exposure To The Qube App·      Celebration Of BIPOC & QTPOC Creatives·      Why It's Good To Be Complete BEFORE You Enter A Relationship·      Why Mental Health Therapy Is SOOO Damn Good For You·      The Variety Of Mental Health Options Available To You·       A Warning Against Being Addicted To Church·      A Warning About Biblical Interpretation·      Politics & Religion = YUCK!·      Why Being Non – Straight Is Not A Damn Choice! CONNECT WITH ANNA: Website & Radio: https://www.AnnaDeShawn.comTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@annadeshawn Facebook: https://facebook.com/annadeshawnInstagram: https://instagram.com/annadeshawn  Twitter: https://twitter.com/annadeshawn  E3 Radio: https://e3radio.fmThe Qube: https://theqube.app   ANNA'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      EyeWear: https://thekayakollection.com·      VDOM: https://thevdom.com/the-vdom/ CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonEmail: DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com  DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org  INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: What's up. What's up. What's up everyone. I'm so happy to have you with me again. One more week. I hope everyone is fucking fantastic. Happy Cinco de Mayo. Today we have a spotlight on black indigenous people of color and queer trans people of color as well. Anna de Shawn has created the cube app, which is a safe space for creative people of color of various ideas.We dish on religion, sex [00:01:00] self-acceptance mental health and so much more. And I throw some shade at Lakewood church over in Houston, Texas, because of the way they dehumanize people behind the scenes. Take a listen to my people.Anna. Good girl, girl. How the fuck is you doing the day? That's what I need to know. Anna: I'm amazing that I'm here with you period. De'Vannon: Looking at you, trying to gain me up, see energy. Like that is the reason why sometimes contemplate letting a lesbian fuck me in the ass because y'all have got that. Yeah. The game was on point.The words on point y'all is I am a survivor. I'm like, oh, almost y'all I'm just like Emile come in there. And I'm like a good low to come in my ass. Okay. Anna: We don't get that. We don't got that. We got a lot of other things, but we got a lot of other. De'Vannon: Although they [00:02:00] have those buildings. Now you can put something like different juices or whatever in them, and then it'll squirt it into whatever hole you want.So Anna: mommy, my homemade is actually creating this really amazing strap. It's her, her business is called V Dom. Y'all should check it out. V D O M she was on television recently for a pitch competition. Like it's like mechanical, so it's not hard all the time. So you hit a button, it gets hard on the, on the whim.It's like from an app. So you don't gotta go. And like, yo it's legit stuff. It's good De'Vannon: stuff. So it's a Dick, a plastic Dick that get, that can give, go from levels of softness to hard, Anna: but the press of a button. De'Vannon: I ain't seen that before. Hmm. Next level I found real. It, it okay. Also Anna de Shawn is a bad bitch.She. It's the [00:03:00] greater of an app called the cube. She hosts the radio station and everything like that. And she considered herself to also be a social entrepreneur as an initial. We're going to be talking about what the cube is, how this benefits the LGBTQ plus community, the alphabet mafia, as I like to call us, because we will fuck a bitch up if we have to, we don't want to, but sometimes y'all just make us pull the will Smith on a bitch and just Anna: necessary.Okay. Sometimes it's necessary.De'Vannon: I don't think he should have done it, but I'm not here to judge him. I feel suck his Dick right now and buy tickets to his movie. But I, we, we, we will not be slapping everybody on Smith. Anna: I don't know what he was thinking. I think actually, I think he thought it was recorded. I think he forgot. It was like. I mean, there's so De'Vannon: many of them things, it's just like he's sitting at his [00:04:00] kitchen table.Anna: I think he forgot it was left. I think he thought they were going to be able to enter that up. De'Vannon: So we'll be talking about what the cube is. It's a new thing specific for our community and people of color and things like that to help help us with podcasts and getting our creative arts and media out there.And then we're going to talk about Anna's history. She has a lot of history with the church and church Bo shit, and there's so much bullshit and the church is unreal. And so what do you got to say about your own history? Tell us about you got the run Anna: down to the quick rundown, quick rundown south side of Chicago, born and raised.I consider myself a social entrepreneur who. Platforms digital platforms that celebrate and center black, brown and queer folks of color. I, I love my [00:05:00] people and I love the power that media has to actually create some change, some meaningful change to humanize people's stories and experiences. And I think that we have the power to shift that, you know, if we tap into it and since 2009, I've been interviewing black queer folks to raise awareness around our stories out of Chicago.And I've always been into media. Let's be clear, Robin Roberts is everything to me. Okay. I want it to grow up and be just like her on ESPN or doing some play by play announcing. But it became very clear that people don't look like me on television. They're not masculine the center. Prokes a report in the 10 o'clock news.Okay. But radio allowed for me to speak to folks without folks having to see me. And that is a very powerful thing. And I realized I really loved it. So I got into radio. Which of course leads you into podcasting. And then I just saw the same things that were happening in traditional media. What's happening in podcasts.I'm like, where are my black people at? Where am I brown people at? Where am I queer [00:06:00]folks of color at? Like, why is it that when I go to apple and Spotify and all these places, like I can't find my people and I wanted to change that. De'Vannon: Well, it is a noteworthy thing you're doing. And I can tell you have sense enough to understand that this is something that's takes time.You know, this is, this is a long-term dedicated process. Does it? Don't take, you know, a long, long time to, to see, come to fruition. Hopefully you see it in your generation, but you know, you know, these things take time. So I appreciate that. You're laying this foundation here, you know, for generations to come, you know, I can see it in a, in a hundred years, you know, you know, when you did that and gone somebody is going to have a very successful.Show you know, public broadcast and everything like that. You gonna be like, we want to thank him to Sean for the work that we did back in 2009 to make this day [00:07:00] possible for me in 3050 or whatever the Anna: case. That's unbelievable. Let me tell you. But I do say this, that I do see the radio station and what we're building with the cube as being far bigger than myself, I feel like, and I think we connect can connect on this on a spiritual level.Like we're here because we're called to do something. And when I think when you tap into your call, it is bigger than you because you're just a vessel for the work and you've been given some gifts and you, and you've been called to use them. And so I feel like I'm called to use these gifts in this way.Everything about me says I'm about systematic changes about changes that can affect masses amount of people. That's what I'm called to do. Some folks is called to be in the streets activating, you know, some folks has called to do one-on-one work and change people's lives one by one by one. And I feel like I've been called to change folks' lives through media and a massive amount of [00:08:00] ways.And so I'm excited about what the cube is going to be to the world of podcasting. I'm excited what it's going to be for discoverability. Today 43% of people listening to podcasts actually identify as people of color and there's no place that is serving those folks. And the discoverability of those folks.There's so many people like you creating amazing content, raw content, authentic content, quality content, and more people need to know, you know what I'm saying about sex drugs and Jesus. Come on. De'Vannon: Okay. We don't want to go down that rabbit hole is a tight, deep hole and trust me may have gotten stuck in it.Anna: I love you. De'Vannon: So I love you too, baby. So one of my favorite things about you. So we're going to talk about Anna for a little bit and get into her personal story, which tells us a lot about why she's doing what she's doing. And then we're going to get very granular and talk very specifically about what the cube [00:09:00] is, where you can find it.Who's who was this for a podcast. As people want to go on shows what sort of content you can find there and all of that. So when I was reading through your bio and everything like that, and researching you as I do, I found that your pronouns, you don't have like, he, she, they. You know, whatever you said, anything respectful.And I admire the open-mindedness of that and the flexibility of that, it reminds me a lot of myself because when people ask me who I am, sometimes I like to refer them to the Torah, you know, to the, to the oh, Hebrew scripture when when Moses was first called by God. And he had his slippers off on the side of the mountain and God was in the burning Bush.And Moses was like, God, who is you? Who are you? He was trying to put God in a box and figure out how shall I, what can, what can, how can I associate you with what I already know? Okay. And God told him, bitch, I am that I am. [00:10:00] And that's all there is to it. Anna: Yes. Is that a quote description? That is, I am what I am and that's really it.Right. Because the point of even. The initiatives around using someone's proper pronouns is about respect. It is about honoring someone's identity, right? And for me, depending on what space I'm in child, ain't no telling what the pronouns is going to be. If I, with my boys, it's just, it is whatever. Right.And then I'm in society and people see me a certain way. And then that's that all I'm saying is with respect to who I am. So anything respectful is what resonates most with me, De'Vannon: right? Because it's in the tone of voice in the spirit behind the words. So you can be like, what a bitch and mean it would love.And you can be like, oh, Hey girl, Amina, what all the painting is and violent as that you could contrive. And when you hate that bitch, and you're like, Hey girl, you [00:11:00] know, that was not really in the word, but isn't the heart behind it. More than anything.Anna: Absolutely cause the shade is real. You can notice the shade.Okay. De'Vannon: At all. Oops. Plaque.Anna: You don't have it, but I see it. Okay. Y'all got it. But I see it. De'Vannon: I keep one in my glove compartment, just in my car, just in case I needed somewhere. And I got several in the house. Anna: So does my wife, Lord, all the De'Vannon: things, speaking of that. Yeah. And your bio, it says you are a daughter, a wife, a sister, and a friend who loves cooking and running.What I wanted to know from you about the wife. How did it feel? I want to know how did it feel to be married? Did you have any struggles and things like that? I don't meet a whole lot of married women. I don't. So talk to me about that whole process. Anna: Yeah, we just celebrated our five-year wedding [00:12:00] anniversary.We've been together for nine years. Just like when I met her, my momma loved there. Okay. And I don't like the ideas of, or the statements around, like someone completes me. I was done and completed, but she just adds so much to my life. She's just such a sweet and kind person. And she just fit right in with my family.It was like she had always been there. Everybody embraced her and, and I love her. So she's my best friend. She is the ultimate diva. Okay. She is the most high film woman I have ever dated in my life. But she balances me out and I just love her to pieces. De'Vannon: Yeah. Opposites attract like that. I learned that when I was in my hitting the therapy class, I was training to be a licensed hypnotist, which I am, you know, there's all kinds of signs [00:13:00]behind why quiet, conservative people attract more outgoing people, you know, and vice versa.If you too much alike, you tend to repel each other, you know, to put it simply my boyfriend's the same way. He's quiet. Fucking there. Okay in there, I'm the ones linking from the poles and the chandelier's and hitting the splits. And even now with all of that, you know, showing up, you know, shutting the shit down and everything, and he couldn't even talk.He would, he's not necessarily the most comfortable talking to people in public. You know, when I walk in the bitch, I own the room. Oh, his y'all's belongs to me until I leave this bitch. Anna: Okay. And let me tell you, so I turn it on when a microphone is in front of me, but other than that, I don't have to say a word to anybody.Okay. Yes, my wife is the same way. She walked into a room, she's a stylist. She just takes up space. Okay. Take some space. You came misled. And she also sells, I wear all right. [00:14:00] So the Kia collection.com. So she sells customer. I wear. And so every time she walked into a room, somebody taken something off her face off her risk, won't something.And she is, she's the life of a party.Oh, yeah. The K a collection.com. K a K a Y a K O L L E C T I O N. So the K a collection.com. De'Vannon: Okay. So then I'm like, Hey, yo, collection.com. All right. I'll drop that shit in the show notes, but show ya. I also heard what you said about how you were complete before you met her. This is something I concur with.None of this. This person completes me. I'm lost without you. I can't. Oh that you better know who you are before you get into a relationship with somebody. And a lot of that has to do with just theory, spirituality and shit like that. I think so many relationships in between. People lose [00:15:00] sight of their own individual identity in the whole process.And if you're not in tune with who you are, you're not going to be able to truly cater to that other person. You know, you gotta be whole firstAnna: a hundred percent and let's also be clear. We all been broken, right? So I ain't coming up here. Like I walked, I woke up like this therapy saved my life. Right.Therapy saved my life. We've all had tough and challenging relationships that have taken you all types of places that you never thought you would go. Then at some point you have to like, do some self reflection. Like, is it me? Maybe it's me. And you got to own that. You have to own that. Otherwise you'll continue to date the same person over and over again in a different body with a different sign and all types of stuff.And that was my reality. I had realized that I was dating the same person over and over again. I'm like, what is wrong? And so quickly checked myself into therapy and it saved my life. And so when my wife came into my [00:16:00] life, I didn't need completing. At that point, I was very clear about who I was and who I am.And she was just like the perfect fit into, into my life. So now we have our life with our puppy and grateful. De'Vannon: So when you say you checked yourself into therapy, are you being general in that saying you started seeing a therapist, did you check into a residential. Anna: I'll say it in general. Like I went to start, I started seeing a therapist and I've seen a few over my life and actually it's just about to start seeing a new one.And I think there'll be, is one of these things where you can choose to be in it for a really long time with the same person, but sometimes you even grow out of your therapist. And so sometimes you have to shift and sometimes you don't need it anymore and sometimes you gotta restart it because life would be doing a lot of living.And we just went through what, two years of an airborne panic. And if you listen into this, that means you survived it too. And [00:17:00] so none of us are the same as we were in 2019. There's no way you're the same person. So I think that there's there's seasons. And so I'm in a season where I got a lot going on.So I'm about to go see another therapist and it's just, if you've never done it, it's just a refreshing opportunity to talk to someone who is not fully engaged in your life, but can offer an outside an outside viewpoint that is often not, it's not critical, it's not judging. Right. You find somebody that works with you that you can vibe with, and you'll find yourself lighter after leaving.They're clearer, maybe about something you're struggling with. And for me, it was, it saved my life. De'Vannon: What kind of therapist? A licensed clinical social worker, a Anna: licensed clinical social worker and a black woman. De'Vannon: I find the LCSW to be [00:18:00] more like down to earth, then send like a psychologist, cause an LCSW is not prescribing medication.So they're actually the only way they can help you is through the words and the talking and the exercises and the practices. They, they, they give you to take home. I see an LCSW. I see a licensed marriage and family therapist together with my boyfriend together for, I don't know, 2, 3, 4 years, some shit I don't keep up with the damn time.You have to ask him I'm bad with birthdays and just general time, because I, I view things more eternal. You know, I don't believe in time constraints. It always has existed and always will in a way. And so And then I see my hypnotherapists individually and I love hypnotherapy because of how focused it is and how it gets into the subconscious and how you rip out what you don't want.You speak back to your open, vulnerable mind, which you do want. And so I particularly use that to help me stay off of [00:19:00] drugs. And so all. So that is our plug for mental health, because we know that it's something that's lacking in both the color community and in the gay community. It is not a straight a strike to your pride.If you want to go talk to somebody about getting help, there's many different types of therapists. That's why I asked her that if you go to one therapist and they're a fucking piece of shit, then fuck that hell you go to somebody else. Maybe you need a different type of therapy. There's all sorts of new age, metaphysical shit out there, getting the therapy Stella constellations all kinds of mind, body, soul meditation, shit.If you don't want to do traditional therapist, you can therapy. You can do the shit off his own. Now there's all kinds of shit. So whatever it is you think mental health is if you have a bad taste in your mouth about it I asked you to revisit it and take a second look at it. Because again, I said, we all had been fucked.You know, and so you need help to get unfucked up and to get an objective perspective. So you [00:20:00] don't keep getting fucked up relationships and sabotaging yourself. So just humble yourself down and go get some help, baby. And look, no one has to know, these therapists are bound by confidentiality, so it's not like they can go put it on social media that you were in treatment, or they would get their license taken and probably go to jail.So it's a secret, nobody. Nobody nobody has to Anna: know that's right. And may is mental health awareness month. So there is so much information out here right now in promoting and making awareness, you know, mental health awareness, I think this month. So you just one Google search. De'Vannon: Just one Google search away.So a quote that you had it says is your favorite pro. You said at first they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you, then you win. And that was by Gandhi. Tell me what this quote means to you.[00:21:00]Anna: And that you can't be waiting for people to validate who you are or validate your idea or validate what you call to do. It is not about that. You know, people gonna go along for the ride, you have to be clear about what you want to do. And I think that along the way, you're going to encounter different people.You know, I'm building a business. I don't come from a whole lot. I come from a whole lot of love. And so, but we got a lot of things and a lot of people, I talked to a lot of asks and the requests, I take a lot of leaps of faith. I have to keep practicing my faith muscle and building up my face muscle and what it means to take risks.And along the way, I'm going to run into people that don't agree with me, who don't believe what I'm in, what I'm doing, who don't see a market for it, who don't see a need for it. And honestly, like when we make it, that's when everybody want to be down. So for me, that quote by Gandhi just resonates a lot with what it means to be on the journey.And not, and for me, it's [00:22:00] not caring so much about the destination because to your point, like, I feel like things just will continue to be, but it's about enjoying the journey. And that quote reminds me that it's a journey that is not just going to be one thing or another thing. It's all of things, De'Vannon: all of them each and every last one of them.I love the friction that comes along. When w when people would try to repel us, though, I believe it helps to meet tourists. And it helps to refine us like when a moth or a butterfly. It's trying to crawl a lot of that Chrysalis after they'd been a caterpillar, you know, that struggle helps to release the, you know, the blood flow in whatever juices are in their little furry bodies to expand their wings.You know, that that struggle is needed. They can not become what they are to be without the problems. And, you know, and so I'm thankful for all the Karens for all the church, people who told us we had to get out, you know, and, and everything like that. For [00:23:00] the people who told us since we were black, we can't, we can't stay there.And stuff like that. When I read that, I thought about how I got kicked out of Lakewood church in Houston, Texas for not being straight, you know, but eventually I'm going to get the victory over them. Cause you know, I've been there when they kicked me out. This was like 2008, 2009. And I just finished my book and I went into great detail about how I felt about all of that.It took me over 10 years, but I finally clapped. I finally clapped the back. And so I will win. Yes, Anna: you are winning. You are winning. You've already won. The victory is yours. You're already, De'Vannon: they may in an amen. Okay. So then I'm just curious about, what do you think some of the top issues are facing just the lesbian community today?Hmm. [00:24:00] And why are you thinking about that? I noticed some of your top lives being moments when I was researching you. I would agree with queen Latifa from set it off. Anna: Yes, honey. That is number one of all time. You know what? I would argue anybody down and say that ain't the number one black lesbian moment in film, because.She was studied out in and go, okay, let dances. It was everything. Okay. It's a freaking classic acquaint. Lindsey foot is number one and she ain't even have to be out she out now, but she ain't going to have to be out. She is out to us anyway. So that was actually a really fun video to do. And I'll probably do another one because so many people rode in some of their favorite black lesbian moments that I had not even thought about again, or that people didn't tell me about because I asked my friends.So for example Lena commented, Lena [00:25:00] wave comments. And then she was like, what about when Tasha was on, came out on the L word? And I was like, dang, that was a pivotal moment because L where had been so white up until that point and it Tasha show up and just wreck the crew. And I was just like, Hey you.Right. So I'll probably do another video. But I think, I think for lesbians, some of the major challenges is still representation. And I think there is a lot of invisibility happening with lesbians. So there's a, there's a podcast called cruising, which on this podcast and but there's a podcast called cruising and they have like three lesbians going across the country and they are going to all of the last lesbian bars.And so there's 60,000 bars across the country and there's only 25 lesbian bars, 25 lesbian owned bars across the whole country. And so they did a whole podcast traveling around the country and visiting these bars. [00:26:00] So I think that there is a great need for visibility of lesbians. Not only in media, but just in life in general, you know?And I think lesbians often can kind of get lost in the south. So similar to how people feel like there's some invincibility with, by bisexuals in the community right now, I think, you know, a lot of trans folks get a lot of press because there is a political onslaught happening from right wing conservatives politically.And it doesn't mention, you know, gay folks or lesbian folks or bisexual folks it's specifically mentioned trans folks, you know, and I think that there's some, there's a definitely a sector of lesbians who feel like they have been left behind often also because we use the word queer these days and no one really uses the word lesbian.So I know that there's some lesbians out there that just feel like they've been left [00:27:00]somewhere in the eighties and. I think it's a, I think it's a challenge for them in that respect with all that being said, if one of our alphabet mafia is as you put it, okay, it's being attacked. Then we all being attacked.If we all don't have freedom, then none of us have freedom. So I think that some of what I hear as lesbian concerns, you know, aren't really concerns at all. I think it is fear. And I think that when our trans fam is experiencing right now, what they are experiencing right now affects every single last one of us.De'Vannon: So when you say someone says there's a lesbian concern and it's not really a concern, it sounds like you're speaking about hate and ignorance. Anna: Well, it might be a problem for them. It's not a problem for me. I think [00:28:00] that. I think it's just people being who they are.And I think that there, I think that people evolve and I think that terms evolve. And so I think there are people who are lesbians, who identify with a very strict definition of what it means to be a lesbian. I think there's people who identify with the very strict definition of what it means to be, get men who love men and women who love women.Like these are various particular definitions like that is it. And that is all right. That we're coming upon a time. I felt like we were living in a time where there is sexual fluidity and so forth, and I can speak for myself and I statements are so helpful in these moments. It's like I came out as a lesbian, but at the end of the day today, I identify as queer because child, I love a lot of things.Okay. And it's not just, it's not just women or assists women. Okay. It's just not. And so I needed an expansive word. I needed an expansive definition outside of [00:29:00] lesbian to identify with. So I think that I think oftentimes people get. And what they always known or anything like or stuff like that.But at the end of the day, things evolve, people evolve terms, evolve, communities evolve. And I also think that if there is one major issue affecting lesbians today, it is just continues to be a lack of representation and visibility, especially for masculine scent and lesbians. I mean, fam lesbians, they, their level of Ms.Visibility is a whole nother story, right? I've I've had films. Tell me, like, I intentionally date, you know, masculine of center women. So people know that I am a lesbian. I don't want you to think I'm straight, you know? And for masculine of center women, there is a, there is an appearance that out you, when you walk out the house.So you know, [00:30:00] visibility on a grander scale is still not there, even though there's a different level of acceptance. I believe four lesbians than there are even for gay men. I think gay men have a whole other struggle that around masculinity, especially in this country, that it's just really different than the lesbian experience.I've talked about. A friend I grew up with a gay guy who was very flamboyant, right? We was cool. He had to come to school with a knife right in his shoe. He never left home without a knife. And underneath the sole of his shoe, that was not my story. I never felt unsafe. He always felt unsafe. And I think at the core of it, I mean, there's so much to be said around the differences between a male identified experience and a woman identified experience within the LGBTQ community.De'Vannon: Let's talk about these experiences in the church. So in researching you, there is some Lutheran Baptist. History [00:31:00] here. Talk to us about how you grew up in cherish. Anna: Ah, man, my mama and my daddy met at church. So my dad has been a teacher for 40 years and he was teaching at teaching at a private Lutheran school where my mom had enrolled my sister.So my sister is 17 years older than me. And so my mom rolled my sister there and then they started a love affair in which they had to keep on, on the low, because the teachers weren't supposed to be thanking the parents, the parents were supposed to be dating the teacher's child, but in a way,and let me tell you, 40 years later, they still at the same church. Okay. So. They landed at a black Lutheran church on the south side of Chicago. And so that's where I grew up, but my dad's side of the family started a missionary Baptist church also on the south side of Chicago. So I would often have two Easter speeches.Okay. I, we would often end up going to two different churches on Sundays. Cause my family was at that church, [00:32:00] my uncles, my aunts, my grandma. I mean, everybody was that Christian Love missionary Baptist church. Right. And so we would, you know, time's always different to, with black church. So Lutherans start at a bright and early 10:00 AM.Okay. And we was done in 60 minutes, strong, maybe 75 on communion. Sunday Baptist church was just getting started about 11 and praise and worship. 30 minutes. And so by the time we get that, we still at the beginning of the service, so it would a lot more shouting to go. So it was definitely two very different religious experiences growing up too, which I think just kinda tells a lot about my life in general.The dichotomies. I'll be one place at one moment and be in total different place in the moment. Another moment, you know, I could be at some highfalutin place one moment, and then I could be in the projects the next moment. All of it [00:33:00] made sense to me for where I was in my life. But church church was a good time.De'Vannon: So you're a preacher's kid. You, you, you say that would explain why you are freaking, you call yourself queer into all things. You have them PKS. I'm pretty freaky deaky. Anna: We get into some things, we get into some things and they'll see it. My dad. So he's a deacon, but at the end of the day, he could preach anywhere and he does preach all the time.And. He just for Lutherans, you got a lot of rules, regulations. And so he never went back to get that final piece, but he has his master's in divinity and all this stuff. So, yeah. Child, Sundays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and church. De'Vannon: Yeah, that's awesome. That's how I was growing up. Pentecostal Wednesday, you know, Bible ban this night, delivering service this night and the other service [00:34:00] that night when I was at Lakewood, I was there four nights a week, choir practice, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, kids worship leading and teaching Saturday night kids, life choir, Sunday choir.I think, I think we get like addicted to church before we realized we are Anna: Church is a big part, right? If you grew up in the church, it's a big part of your identity. It's your community, it's your family and my home church where my parents still go is home. They have always loved me, always embracing me.I've never been anything that I'm not there, but I have my own thoughts around religion and religious organization. So joining the Missouri Senate is not an option for me because they don't see me as a whole person. So for me, it goes beyond the church. It's about the religious organization, right. [00:35:00] But it defined so much.And that's why when queer folks get rejected from church, It is incredibly impactful and can really damage and cause harm because the first couple of places you learn how to love is at home and at church. And that's often times the two places you spend the most time. And so when one, or both turn their back on you as a human being, you are not the same person you were before.It can, it, it leads you down a path that it, it destroys you period. Point blank. It destroys you, you know, and a lot of my work over the years has been around dismantling that and telling the truth about it. That Jesus never said one thing about gay people, not one, Jesus never said it. Now. I just, these clapper scriptures and everything else, I mean, The Bible is meant to be interpreted.It's meant to be [00:36:00] understood. It's meant to be put into context and the way folks have picked and chosen what they want to and who they want to damn to Hale is, is the most unlocked ungodlike thing they can absolutely ever do. And back in the day, I did this project with this organization called church, was in a church where we did a video 30 day release them to do video every 30 days called my God is not a bully to just emphasize that point that God is not bullying anybody.It's the people in the pulpit that are, and their lack of interpretation of scripture and in context of strip scripture. So The church means a lot to me actually is part of the Q we are releasing our own content as part of the queue and to, and one of our podcasts first podcast is called second Sunday.And I cannot wait for y'all to hear this podcast [00:37:00] because it's talking about the intersections of being black queer and in the church. And we had the opportunity to interview a lot of black queer theologians, lay people musicians for this podcast and the things that they share a child, it's just, it humanizes an experience that gets polarized a lot.And I hope I hope folks can get seen through this work. De'Vannon: Yeah. I was at a graduate at the Houston graduate school of theology and he of course, Euston, Texas, but I was going to get a master's of divinity as well. When you said that it, it popped out my ears, but I, I left that bitch. I broke up, I broke up and that bitch, when the, when the law professor said that, that they like to control people in church.And so that was like, well, I didn't come here to dominate motherfuckers, so I'll be going now. And so let me get more, I want to get more granular [00:38:00] with your per perspective. Cause I watched that video. One of the, one of the God is not a bully and I agree with what you're saying and it's at the epicenter of my message to people.I preach spiritual independence and people getting close to God on their own without a church or with one. But if you're going to have a church, remember that it's second to God. And so You bring up. Okay. So you're talking about like how the people are using the scripture to throw shade at people who are unlike them.It, how. Scriptural interpretation is very subjective and it is, everybody can read the Bible and come out of it with what they want. It's clearly not an easy to understand book because if it was simple to interpret, then you wouldn't need a thousand different translations of it. And so, I mean, And so since people are indoctrinated in such a young age, you know, at churches, you, you understand you go there to learn, but critical thinking about what the preacher is saying is not what's taught to you.And [00:39:00] so you're accepting whatever is being said. And by the time you're old enough to know any difference, you've got all of these issues to sort out, and then you feel conflicted about it because you've been told never to disagree with a preacher or a church, but now you like the shit don't make sense though.And so, so we add an out here to tell you that you will not burn up and go to hell for not being straight and to all the straight people. And I mean that loosely, because you never know what the hell people not doing behind closed doors. I didn't fuck so many straight married men and my day is unreal.And so you know, just, just know that while they're trying to use these scriptures over here to condemn you to hell since they want to be so strict about that. The, the Bible and everything. You know, the Bible speaks against getting divorced for any reason, other than infidelity. It speaks against interracial couples and stuff like that, stuff that we're all totally cool with.Now, them people in church got 50,000 divorces. [00:40:00] It all kinds of reasons and all kinds of mixed, mixed racial shit's going on. And I'm cool with all of it. But my whole point is this. If you're going to be such a hard ass about one part, you need to be a hard ass about the whole fucking thing. I don't want to see you eating nothing that divided the hoof.I don't want you getting down with the pig or nothing like that. If you going to be that much of a, of a bitch about it, then follow the whole fucking thing from end to end and not just a P a few slices of. Anna: And that's what they do, right? Those Christians like them, so-called Christians cause they not Christian some so called Christians.You know, they use, they use it for whatever they feel like they want to use it for. And they cause a lot of freaking harm and they're causing harm right now. And now it's entered the political round, you know? And we need more folks like you, we need more projects. I tell queer folks and LGBTQ young people that you'll still love that God still loves you.That your relationship with God is far more important [00:41:00] than whatever this preacher is saying from a pulpit. I also think critical thought is so incredibly important when you understand that there are books missing from the Bible, right? When you understand that, that what you're reading is not the entire Canon, like what are we doing here?People, what are we doing here? And also think it's easy to make God this very angry damning person and being. That was not what God taught at all. That's not what God taught at all. De'Vannon: He's not, he's a God of mercy and grace forgiveness, long suffering, slow to anger, quick, the mercy, quick, the compassion.That's what the scripture say. He's not like man, you know, quick to judge and clobber you and what you speak of about getting kicked out from churches and how it changes you. It's it's, it's what I call being dehumanized. It makes you feel like you're less than a person. And when a church tells you, you have to go.Not because of [00:42:00] something you've done with church has never supposed to tell anyone to go, no matter what, you know, Jesus accepted murderers and everybody. So for a terrace would be like, you can't go because of who you love, which is what Lakewood church did to me. You know, you can't. There, you know, you, that, that, that, that sent me on a downward spiral that ultimately led me into drugs and to drug dealing and to getting hepatitis B and HIV, my choice to do what I do, do what I did, but they certainly would've sparked the set that shit in motion and fuck them.Fuck you wake with church in on repeat, if we can dub stuff, that shit, then the video you also said. You, you made a comparison about how, okay. Say like procreation, one of the arguments people use against the non straight community is that God hates what you're doing because when you have sex, you can't, and there's no kid that's gonna come of it.[00:43:00]And then you were like, okay, well they're straight couples that God has prevented them from having children's. It was that because he hates them too. You know, it's not a, you can't apply that sort of a rubric evenly. You can't do it. And then you were also saying, you said something very interesting to me.You said that you wouldn't choose another burden and you were like, I'm already blessed. That's hard enough as it is. Do I really want. Add queer to it and all the problems that come along in this life, in that statement, you're rebutting the stupid shit. Like I heard Joyce Meyer and whoever the fuck else say that, where they think it's a choice, you know, like, like we just, oh, well we'll think we'll be gay today, you know, or some or some stupid shit like that as that is the most overly simplistic, dumb ass shit.These supposedly educated people Anna: say 100%. And I think that that's at the core of it. And I was talking to somebody recently whose child just came out to [00:44:00] them a year or so ago. And I was just like, you know, We have to start the conversation at choice with choice, because if you believe what I'm doing is a choice, then we're not going to get very far because at the heart of homophobia, is this idea that you can change.Hence why conversion therapy, right. Has been such a popular way for Christians to change people because you don't think it's a choice because you think it's a choice. But in fact, it's not. In fact, I grew up when my mama put me in bowls and matching ruffle socks. Okay. And doing everything in her power to make, to, to raise a feminine girl.And in fact, I was who I was from the moment I had any say over it. It's just not who I was. And I was very clear about that from a very young age. I was very clear that I was [00:45:00] athletic. Does that make me gay? No, but I was also very clear. I liked wearing my dad's shirts and my dad and I had the same initials and he gets his shirts embroidered with his initials on them.And I wanted to wear his shirts. I was not going to wear my mother's dresses. I didn't want nothing to do with heels. I didn't want to do a pantyhose. It's just, it just wasn't who I was and it's not who I am. And so I think all of these conversations around homophobia and transphobia and hate come around, the idea that who we are is a choice and who we are is not a choice in the same ways who they are, you know innately is not a choice.De'Vannon: That do be facts though, because if there was, they're going to apply that logic, the us, and it has to go in reverse. And I like you when I was two, three years old, I was already playing with Kendall. I was trying to see what was up under his shorts and shit like that. So, but if, but if there's a choice, then when did they kick to be straight?And [00:46:00] then if that's the case, are they confessing that they had homosexual desire at some point, you know, the way they tell it, they'd been straight from the beginning. So if that's the case, you know, it's uneven, but it's like anything else from your favorite food to your favorite color? Life is a thing of discovery.We do not get to put ourselves together like a doll or a made out of Play-Doh. You don't get to go. My favorite color is going to be green. My favorite dish is going to be lobster. My favorite state, I think I'll go with Kentucky. My favorite shoes, I think van sounds nice. You know, you, you get exposed to shit and then you pay attention to what keeps standing out to you.And what keeps drawing you in and then you go, oh, it seems like I'm into the color green or, oh, I think I really, really liked these fucking vans. They represent me. Well, you discover who you are, the beginnings of who you are, is shaped. And when you're in your mother's womb everywhere, she goes, the things she says, the people she talks to, the thing she thinks read, exposes [00:47:00] that child to everything, you cannot separate the two.So you're predisposed to so much before you're even born. So for them fuckers to be like, well, you chose to be gay. I goes again, signs and all logic. And they're just stupid as hell. Anna: Pretty much, pretty much. And what's really unfortunate is, is that I, I see that there can be a differentiation. So let me give you an example.Like you can believe that being queer is wrong, right? You can believe. But that should not equate to me not having the rights as a citizen, within a country that I pay taxes in, if that makes sense. So for me, politics shapes society. So you can think being gay is wrong, but that doesn't mean you have the right to limit my rights, [00:48:00] to control who I love control.If I can get married control, if I can get medical care control with books, I read you not have that type of control in my life. Just because you don't agree with who I am. I don't agree with you being a white, racist, homophobic transphobic person. Right. Right. But I ain't trying to write legislation to kill off your human existence.Right. Because that is exactly the fact of the matter is that what's happening across the country right now is killing. Trans youth, the numbers the suicide hotlines, like the Trevor project, they are outrageous right now, right? People are trying to leave states where they have had homes and families and a legacy because their children can't get the medical care they need.Because now politicians are saying that parents don't know what's best for their own children. How dare you? Just because you don't believe in who I am. [00:49:00] And I think it's just so incredibly contradictory because they don't want anyone telling them who they are or what they should be doing. You know,De'Vannon: if it's any consolation, these people are the hypocrites of our day. You had them in Jesus's time. I agree with what you said earlier, how the Bible is not complete. Some people will say everything you need to know about life it's in the Bible. That's bullshit. It's a general. It's a general guide to help get you close enough to God.So you can talk to him for yourself and then he can fix you and instruct you the rest of the way. But everything is not in there, but these, these Republicans and evangelicals and everything, these are today's hypocrites. Every generation has to have them. There's not going to come a time in this earth until probably the millennial kingdom when Jesus Christ reigns here again, but even, well, I'm not going to say that because even then there's going to be people who don't believe in him in the earth.And so there's always going to be those people who are contradictory, these people [00:50:00] are like how solid the apostle is before you became Paul. The thing is if God doesn't open somebody's eyes to their hypocrisy, then they won't see if you don't up in their ears to hear truth. They won't hear, they won't believe and be converted.Every generation has to have the people who are going to be citizens of hell bound to go to hell. Because if they have humility and love in their heart, they would go to heaven and they would be rugged. You people not going to accidentally end up in hell, you have to be like Pharaoh or somebody and just hardheaded ignoring the signs, not hearing what the people under you are trying to say, not hearing the voice of the people.That's how far was he just would not hear logic and reason because he was so set in his ways and what he wanted to want other people to do. Now, Paul Saul took his ass to the Sanhedrin saying Hedron was a religious council of the day. I think it's like 70 something. My fathers who control shit. It's no [00:51:00] different than legislation.The day, a whole group of motherfuckers who control. You say, I look this Jesus person and come here with his bullshit and these people trying to act like him and we can't be having none of this. So give me some power, some letters and shit. So then go arrest. They asses and beat them and fuck with them and shit beat this Jesus out of the acids.Cause this ain't right. It's on rip up our moral fabric. And this is going to tear our society down because of how they believe. And the Sanhedrin was like, go on, play a gong. Now his way to Damascus Jesus intercepted his bitch ass. And it was like, ah, ah, ah, ah, what you doing? You need to stop this shit because I did not send you scripturally speaking.He said, Saul saw, why, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the pricks. And so what do we have here? Somebody who said those people over there, I don't like what they doing. So let me in and enact laws to change them. And the Lord said, I don't want [00:52:00] you to do that. That, that is the what the whole beginning of that, that part of the book of acts is about Jesus Christ.Being against using the law to co Eris people to behave differently. It was right there yet. When those people, the people of our day, the hypocrites, the Republicans, evangelicals, if they even read they dusty ass Bibles, I don't see how they can. And when they read the Bible, they, they read it to find not what's wrong with other people.They are right there. But when they killed Steve and I'm going to say this and shut the hell up, but this is a hot button for both of us when they killed even the one who said to me, the first martyr, he read the religious people for Phil, and he told them, you motherfuckers are the same people who kill the prophets and everything like that.While you sitting up here trying to judge me that he, it was a whole long chapter in acts. And then they stoned him to death and everything like that. So these things must be so, Anna: and I think so, [00:53:00] Chad, you just said so much, there's so much to say. I think, I think at the heart of it also is that the theology, like your own spiritual connection to God is, can be so expansive.So the, to your point, right, the Bible is one thing. But then, right. Christians will tell you that all these, you shouldn't even explore these other religions. They can't give you nothing. Like, no, you can't get nothing out of nothing out of these, none of these other spaces. And I think to myself, like I thought God created everything.I thought God created everything. And if God created everything and God is in everything. And and I find myself having a very expansive worldview about God and my beliefs, like, so. Growing up. You're taught that if someone commits suicide, they go into hell. [00:54:00] And then now I was thinking, and then as I grew up, I was like, why would God send anybody to hell for committing suicide?And where does it say that in the Bible? And it doesn't right. We're just fed these. We fed these things out of fear to control you to not commit suicide, but who in the world told you that? When I think about the, the, the, the preachers and spiritual teachings that like folks around the world, anyone who doesn't call Jesus by name as their Lord and savior is going to go to hell, how is that possible?When there's people in the other countries, in the world who don't even know who Jesus is. So you're telling me that this God of love is going to send somebody who had an opportunity to get to know who, who Jesus was. That doesn't make any sense to me. And I think that. When for me, because of my sexual identity, it caused me to have to question a whole hell of a lot of stuff.Definitions of [00:55:00] what heaven heaven is, definitions of what hail is, definitions of who's going, and who's not, you begin to question all of it. And for me, when it boils down, I love it. When my mom says this to people about me. When she would tell me this all the time, she'd be like, have you read your 10 commandments recently?I don't see nothing in there about God, about gay people, you know? But I see a whole lot of other stuff that applies to you. Hello. So my mom, you know, she got to the point where she was empowered enough to, you know, stand up and say something and speak out about that. And I think that we need more people to do just that.Cause they ain't gonna say it to me. They gonna say it to their friend who they think agreed with them, you know? So. I just think we have a long way to go to the, understand what it means to, to embody and to embody a godlike existence, because it has so much [00:56:00] more to do with love and choice than anything else.De'Vannon: I was like you a very well said girl. I was like you very confused and conflicted about myself because of what the church said. They only gave me peace with learning, how to read the scripture for myself. I went back to the original Greek Hebrew and Aramaic the original, the Bible and discovered it for myself, what I want people to do, because any translation you read king James, a message or whatever, the living Bible, those are all other people's translations.That's not the actual original language. Instead, if you want the true truth, then you got to go back to the source. You got to go back to the original languages of the net and you get. Somebody else's version Anna: that end. You have to I think you gotta find your own practice. So you have to find what that practice looks like for you.Especially when you feel disconnected from church, because church was a practice Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday, however many times a [00:57:00] week, that was a practice. So as if you feel yourself pulling away from that, that you have to figure out what your practice look like. And so today, like my practice looks like me being in my prayer corner in the mornings, but my affirmation books with my journals, with my candle, with my music, with pictures of my family, like for me growing up, like it is being grounded in quiet and close to God in those moments.And that's my, that's my practice today. And I feel closer to God than I ever have. I see signs all the time. I think numerology is real. Like if something profound happens, I'm like, what time is it? I think, I think there's so many ways to connect with God. And when you choose to close yourself off to all the possibilities and all the possibilities of who God is, you will miss her.You going to miss, you're going to miss her. You gonna miss her. That's it.[00:58:00]De'Vannon: Let me see here. So we wanted to talk about the cube. As we begin to wrap it up, I'm going to read your favorite quote by Shirley Chisholm believes you better than she was the first black woman to put in a bid to be a presidential nominated back in the seventies and her eyeglass, a tiny her frame game was on point yes and date match for the gods date.And she said, if they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. You go on to say in your it says in your, in your, in your website, you know, we bought our folding chairs and there hasn't been any equity to be found at those tables. It's time for us to build our own tables and our own chairs to this space and model the change we want to see in the world of podcasting.Anna: Yes. All of that. So I love Shirley chill. I love [00:59:00] everything. She's still fought. She she's made a lot of things possible and she had to bring her folding chair. Okay. She had to, they weren't inviting her to no tables. She had to bring a folding chair, but because of the work that she did and in fact that we can stand on the shoulders of so many other incredible, incredible people of history from Ella baker to Angela Davis, to Coretta Scott King, Utah, I mean, Elaine brown, I can go on and on.We can build our own tables. We don't have to wait on anyone to do anything for us. Should apple be more inclusive? Yes. Should Spotify be more inclusive? Yes, they should. But it is not about what they should do because capitalism rules this country. So if it's not, if it doesn't make money, it doesn't make sense in so many ways in that world, but we have an opportunity to do something different.[01:00:00]And I think we have an opportunity to shape, especially the podcasting space, because I feel like it's still very much so a new medium, I believe it's coming into its own after 20 years. And that's why I like new it's like, so it's such a funny thing to say because it's been 20 years, but for so many people, they are just really getting into what it could mean to listen to a podcast.And we can shape what we want this world to see. And I wanted to see more diverse. I want to see more people like me and I wasn't finding them. And so the cube will be that there'll be the one and only curated destination of music and podcasts by BiPAP and QT POC folks. And the music is powered by our radio station.Ethan. Which plays queer music and reports on queer news and high rotation specifically at the intersections of race and sexuality. So there's so many queer artists out here doing their thing, and you don't hear about them. [01:01:00] There's so many of them making good music. I got one of my favorite inspirational artists is a black queer woman who was on Sunday.Best Maya be you know, her, you know, like they deserve a space to be. And then there's like, dope podcasts is like, you whole deserve to be seen who to serve more visibility, more amplification of your work. And I think we can do it. And matter of fact, I know we can do it. We are doing it. And I think we can do it really, really well.So it's going to be an app or in development. My goal. My hope is that we are dropping beta in July and totally out to the public. By September of this year, we've accepted 94 podcasts into the app. We've got a team of folks listening to every single piece of podcast content, because we want the best pod-casters inside of our app.I want the best because there's a lot of poor Lee produced podcasts in the market. People who [01:02:00] sound like they got the iPhone on top of the roof on a fourth bottle of wine. Okay. And you know, that's okay. That's okay. You can do that. You got something to say and you better go say it. Okay. But they don't have to be what's in my ears.It doesn't have to be what's inside this app. I want it to have to be where the best reside and that's what resonates with me. And that's what we're building. De'Vannon: Yeah. I was listening to somebody, his podcasts earlier, who's trying to come on my show and be a guest. And I was like, God, I can't hear what you're saying.You sound muffled. Yes. Out there. So I thank you for your compliments. Just all the sex, drugs and jingles podcast has been accepted into the cube. So our clients, our quality is on point enough for these standards. And so. I'm going to read it a little bit further. So it says the cube is majority owned by a black queer woman and co-founded by three black LGBTQ persons.The cube will be a centralized [01:03:00] destination for discovery of BiPAP and QT pop music and podcasts. Tell us what the BiPAP and QT pox Anna: fans. Absolutely BiPAP is black indigenous people of color. And I choose to say BiPAP because I leave with my blackness. And so I choose to say black indigenous people of color.And then I choose to identify queer trans people of color specifically, even though we inside the BiPAP, we in there. But I think it's important for queer folks to know that I'm talking about that, that this platform is also for them, that I want to be able to center and amplify their work as well. And so that's why I, I include QT POC into the narrative now is my marketing team happy about that?No. Okay. It's a lot of words. It's a lot of acronyms people don't know what the heck I'm talking about, but the people, the people who know know. Right. And so, you know, at the end of the day I'm in this accelerator right now with Google, which is [01:04:00] really dope. It's the Google for startups like founders academy.And one of the mentors was like, I need five words, five words to describe your business. You should be able to describe your business in five words. And I was like, God, dang it. And so I came up with discover, discover the best bi-pod podcast. Right. If I had to describe it in five words, discover the best BiPAP podcast is what I came up with.And so that's what it all means. At the end of the day. It's about discovery. You will, will be able to listen to these podcasts inside of the app. And I hope people would choose to do that as well. There's an opportunity for Uproxx to tip their creators from within the app and that money would go straight to those creators.And I'm excited about that. The moment we get enough users, we'll be able to roll out an ad revenue sharing program, right? So we could put more money into creatives pockets who do want to make money from advertising. And, you know, I think we just continue to build this platform in this [01:05:00] space for folks to discover some of the amazing ways that black, brown, and queer folks of color show up in the world.And I think podcasting is a space that people are choosing to share their experiences with the world the same way you share yours. You know? I think there's a, there's a, I know there's a lot of people doing that and you just can't find them. De'Vannon: Up until now, because now Anna: you got the keyDe'Vannon: cue, baby. Yeah.All right. So just any last words you have for the world, any community, whatever you want to say, you can say, what the fuck you feel? Anna: I love it. I love, I can say whatever the fuck I feel.I feel like we're in. I feel like we're in a moment right now. So I, I feel like we've survived a pandemic and it feels like the world is restarting in some ways. [01:06:00] And I feel like we've got an opportunity here to change the way. We do media and podcasting has a way, has an opportunity to show folks how to do media collaboration.Right? I think we can show what it means to be a community inside of a media industry. I think podcasting has an opportunity to do it differently than what and how things have been done in the past. And so I hope that I, I hope that I can be part of that change. There are so many amazing people in this space doing amazing work, our partners.And my hope is that I can amplify them as well. So when we talk about the black podcast association, when I think about the women of color association, when I think about the

…Beyond the sacred page, I seek you Lord; my spirit waits for you, O living Word.  ELW 515    I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19   A Way in the Wilderness   It is hard to get out of my mind the pictures of crushed and burned out apartment buildings in Mariupol, Ukraine ...or the bodies, both Ukrainian and Russian, lying in the streets or on the roads of that war-torn country.   In this fifth week of the Russian invasion, it is hard for me to see how this beleaguered nation could soon, if ever, be restored….so many people dying, so many hungry and thirsty and cold and homeless.      All I have, all we have, is faith in a faithful God who will abandon neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian people, whether in life or death, whether in victory or defeat.  Only faith in a faithful God can see God, can see Jesus, can see the Holy Spirit at work in the trouble minds, frightened souls, bitter and hardened hearts of the people and the leaders of both countries.   All we have, all we are given is trust in a God who suffers and dies and rises again for all the nations of the world, for all, humans and animals alike: I will make a way in the wilderness.  The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise…   A way in the wilderness, created anew in us each day, enables us to see beyond the present darkness both in our country and abroad, enables us to give generously of ourselves, of our time, of our financial resources to alleviate some of the spiritual, emotional, and physical suffering in our own homes and communities and in countries like Ukraine and Russia.   I am about to do a new thing… Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, has been resuscitated and in overwhelming gratitude this family puts on a dinner for Jesus.  God in Jesus has brought a dead person back to life, made a way through the wilderness and the barrenness of death.    I am about to do a new thing   Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly nard valued at 300 denarii, equivalent to a year's wages.  Mary wipes his feet with her hair. an extravagant, “over the top,” expression of love.  But, as we often find in John's gospel, acts like this have a double, deeper meaning:  nard was used in the preparation of a body for burial.  Mary's radical act of love is not only in gratitude for bringing her brother back to life but also given in anticipation of Jesus' death.   In Mary's heart God is surely doing a new thing.   Thus Mary's act of love is a sign of what Jesus would do not only for Lazarus but for the whole world.  Jesus would soon suffer and die for the people of Ukraine and Russia.  Jesus would suffer and die for us in this room and for those worshiping with us online.  And on the third day Jesus would rise from death so that all people, all of creation, could also rise from death, all could be delivered from all the fearsome forces and faults of life that would separate us from joy and peace with God and with each other.  In and through Jesus' suffering and death and resurrection God was doing a new thing, a new thing that would transform the wilderness of our earthly journey,  the dangerous but necessary journey for all who would come to know and trust in the life-giving power of this ever gracious, ever watchful, ever forgiving God.        I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert…   St. Paul was forever changed by his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. [Acts 9]  Before this encounter, Paul (Saul) lived an exemplary life of scrupulous adherence to the law of Moses.  In his own words, he was “as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”  He prided himself on his zeal for keeping the letter of the law, which also meant harsh judgment and persecution of those who broke the law as he understood it.  In his understanding the Christian movement, the church, was clearly heretical, false, and blasphemous.  Clearly it needed to be purged from society, violently if necessary… [cf. Acts 7-8:1]   But when Jesus appeared to him, asking “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” his life was changed forever.  In the Second Reading for today Paul writes, “Whatever gains I had [in my former life], these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ...I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”    What happened to Paul was a whole new understanding of the new thing God was doing in Christ Jesus.  In Jesus' life and suffering and death and resurrection, God's law had been fulfilled.  Now what mattered above all was to believe in, to trust in what the Lord Jesus had done for him and for the whole world.  His righteousness was not his own by striving to keep the law but rather the righteousness of God imparted to him and experienced by him through trust, through faith in Christ.  Now what mattered, all that mattered, is that he, a daily forgiven sinner, strove to live by the law of love and compassion, love for God, love and kindness for all, all for whom Jesus had died.  For Paul that meant in every way possible, with as many people as possible, to declare the new thing God had done for them in Christ.     Once, many hundreds of years ago, God had set free God's children from slavery in Egypt through what we call the exodus.  Many years later, when God's children had been forcefully taken from their homeland, living for some 70 years as exiles in Babylon, Isaiah declared that the Lord would again deliver them, would make a way for them through the wilderness.  They would be chosen anew to be bearers of praise for God's faithfulness and blessings and promises of deliverance for the whole world.  This would be a new thing, a new exodus.   And now in Christ, yet another exodus has been given to us. Through faith in Christ, through the faithfulness of Christ, all of can be set free from our bondage to sin and death and the power of the Evil One.  Now, in the wilderness of our lives, in our damaged and broken world, in the devastation of warfare in Ukraine, in the destruction caused by cyclones and years-long droughts in nations like Madagascar, in the worldwide spread of diseases like the Omicron BA-2 variant, the Lord is about to do a new thing.  Through acts of extravagant generosity like Mary did in gratitude for what Jesus had done for her brother and for her family, and for what Jesus would do for all people through his death on the cross, we too can, with thankful hearts, show the world that God is about to do a new thing, making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, giving the water of life for all God's children.

Is your faith so strong that you would go through the brutality of being stoned? Paul (Saul) approved of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:14). While being stoned, Stephen said he saw the heavens open and the Son of God standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:56).Even in 2022, 12 countries see stoning as legal as part of their nation's law. Christians and women are suffering from this brutal punishment to this day.

2 (15m 20s): Thank you God. For your power to save, to protect, to redeem, to heal your power, to sanctify, to make holy those things that desperately needs sanctification and holiness. Thank you that you've got the power to work in our lives and profound in wonderful ways. Thank you God, that you've got the power to teach us, to instruct us God, the power to live within us and live through us. Lord God, we invite your power in Jesus name. We invite you to do profound and wonderful things today. God, God, we invite you to surprise us by your power to surprise us by your presence. 2 (16m 4s): Lord God, that we'd be overwhelmed in Jesus name by your goodness and grace, God, that we would be touched like we've met. Maybe never been touched before, or maybe like we haven't been touched in a long time. God, that we would be touched by your spirit, by your word, by your power, Lord God, that we would be transformed by your grace and power in Jesus name. Lord, help us to know that there's power in your name. Jesus, there's real, real power in the name of Jesus. Lord God. I pray for our endurances today, Lord, that we would stand firm and stand strong in Jesus name God, where we're tempted to give up or throw in the towel or be frustrated or be anxious. 2 (16m 50s): I pray in Jesus name that we would grab, hold, grab, hold of you. Grab hold of your truth that we would determine by your grace to stand strong as a follower of the Lord, Jesus Christ, God that we would take this love and this message of the gospel to our friends and family, to our community and that wonderful and profound things would happen as results. God, we invite you to work in this community. Jesus, we invite you to work among your people, God, to bring revival to this community, to point people to you in Jesus name, God, work through us to accomplish those things. We pray be glorified. We ask in Jesus name in Jesus name. 2 (17m 31s): Amen. You may be seated there. You may be seated. So speaking about the power, look at this girl lifting. This is a heavy, heavy pulpit, and Amanda just picks it up. Like I can barely move it, but she's just it like the said that she is, and she's getting married in six days. Where, where does she go? There's you know? Yeah, go ahead and stand up. Go on. Both of you guys stand up, Steven and Amanda, Stephen YouTube getting married. They've they've only known each other for about two weeks or so, but they're so excited to get married and move forward. 2 (18m 17s): It's going to be really, really good. No, I'm just kidding. But they, the truth is they on their wedding day on February 19th is the one-year anniversary of them actually meeting for the first time. So they just kind of knew, you know, you know, when you know, and you just go and that's what they're doing, they know, and they're going so congratulations you guys. And you know, speaking about the power of God before we get into Hebrews chapter 10 today, I got this email from this prayer ministry and they were sending it out just kind of an email blast to, I guess, Christians everywhere. And it was an encouragement to pray because there are these Satanist gatherings springing up all over the country and there's one happening in Arizona. 2 (19m 0s): There's in Washington state and they're just beginning to spring up all over the place. And what has happened is that when Christians have prayed, it's essentially nullified a lot of what they've, what they're attempting to do by gathering. They, they host these on, it's like an unholy nights where they bring people in and it's just this dark, demonic night of activity. I'll let you imagine what that's all about. And it's just, it's it's darkness and people show up to these meetings because they're intrigued, they hear about it. And so it's like a little hook, so they show up and then they're just overwhelmed by the demonic activity in there. 2 (19m 41s): It's so, so we've been challenged to just pray for our, for that, against that, and pray for against just the demonic activity in our world, but also to pray and press in for our communities and our civic leaders and that sort of thing. So I was doing that on a Wednesday and I was just really, really pressing it. Oh, it was Thursday. I'm sorry. I was really pressing and just praying like crazy. And, and I just feel like it's effective for us to just get like an assignment like that and pray, like we need to pray over our homes. We need to pray over our businesses over our church. And I've walked every building in this facility from front to back and anointed every door and prayed over every building over the years, over and over again. 2 (20m 25s): And I've done the same thing in my house. I think I need to do it again. There's just, we just need to pray. I was talking to a buddy of mine after first service and he was talking about, he lives up on the Mason. He was just talking about one night. He went out to go start his generator. It had gone off and he needed to add gas to it. And he got out there to the generator. He just felt this dark heaviness around him. He just, he just felt like this oppressive force was around him. And so once he got the generator started, he just yelled out. Jay's he just yelled out like in all four directions, you know? And it just felt like it just dissipated. And he went in the house and hung out with his family, but there's power in the name of Jesus. 2 (21m 5s): We have to remember that in realize that and walk in it and we will get victory over darkness. We will get victory over temptation. We will get victory over all kinds of things. When we recognize that the person of the Lord, Jesus Christ, his spirit lives within us, he has saved us that he might know us, that he might sanctify us, that he might deliver us, that he might set us free in Jesus name. And so we're not talking about much of that stuff today, but we are, we are talking about endure and sin. A lot of what we've been talking about is about in, during, through the difficult seasons of life in doing pressing in and pressing on and never ever giving up. 2 (21m 56s): I just learned this about, you know, the Monarch butterflies over here in Pismo beach. They gather in those eucalyptus trees, their migration begins in the Colorado Rocky mountains. And when it starting to get cold in the winter time, they migrate from Colorado to Pismo beach because it's nice here. I mean, if you look outside, right, it's so nice. Even the butterflies want to be here, right? So they come here so they can survive the winter. But imagine the work and the effort, I mean, it takes about 16, 18 hours to drive the distance. Imagine these little butterfly they're they're, you know, they're just going with everything they got. 2 (22m 38s): And I don't know if it takes weeks or what, but they get here with just sure. Endurance because they want to live. Right. And they want to procreate. They've got purpose. And so we, we have to learn something from these butterflies about endurance and when the difficulties come and we just determine I'm not quitting, man, I'm not giving up. I'm standing firm in Jesus on Jesus. I'm going to allow the spirit of God to fill me to minister through me, to live through me. And we're just going to press on in Jesus name. Amen. So let's talk about in Dewar and today, how do Christians, how do we as Christians endure persevere? 2 (23m 24s): That's the word actually? Sorry. How do we persevere as Christians endurance, same word. We have the power to persevere in Jesus name. We're going to see examples of those in the early church, they were going through exceedingly difficult times. This is why this letter to the Hebrews was written because of the persecution of this first century Jews who had made the decision to trust Jesus as their savior, going against culture, going against their synagogue, going against their rabbis, going against the leaders of their day, being ostracized from friends and family and community things that would happen because they decided to choose Jesus. 2 (24m 13s): And so in Hebrews, we're learning about how they are struggling with that decision. And maybe you're here today as well, struggling with that decision. What do I do with Jesus? I, I know him. I love him. I think I want to follow him, but I'm not sure how to do that. I, and we wrestle and vacillate in our faith. So I want to give us three principles from scripture. Things that we'll get right from Hebrews chapter 10, that help us to endure, to stand firm, to move forward as followers of the joy of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to persevere as believers as kind of a foundation before we get to those points. 2 (24m 55s): And before we really unpack it, I want to read through Hebrews chapter 10 verses one through 18, because it can, those that passage of scripture continues to talk about the new covenant, the new covenant versus the old covenant talks about our great high priest who has made a way for us. And so we've been talking about that for a number of weeks now, as we've been teaching through Hebrews. And so as just a refresher, before we move on to this new topic, I just want to reread Hebrews chapter 10 verses one through 18, just read through it, not comment on it much, but read it. And then we'll get into chapter chapter 10 verse 19 through the end of the chapter. 2 (25m 38s): And then we'll be in chapter 11 next week, next week, the heroes of the faith, the next couple of weeks, we'll be talking about the heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11. We get to read about and kind of witness the lives of those who have gone before us who have persevered, who have endured in Jesus name. And so it's going to be an application really to what we teach on today, to what I'm going to be teaching on today. So how do we persevere as Christians before we get there? And it's kind of a foundation let's read Hebrews 10, one through 18. It says the old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves, the sacrifice, the sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 (26m 33s): If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time. And their feelings of would have disappeared, but instead they're sack, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year after year for it's not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That's why when Christ came into the world, he said to God, you did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings, but you have given me a body to offer you are not pleased with burnt offerings where other offerings for sin. 2 (27m 16s): Then I said, look, I have come to do your will. Oh God. As it is written about me in the scriptures, first Christ said, we're in verse eight. First Christ said you did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. No, nor were you pleased with them though. They are required by the law of Moses. Then he said, look, I have come to do your will. He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect for God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. Once for all time, under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 2 (28m 12s): But our high priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins. Good for all time. Then he sat down in a place of honor at God's right hand there, he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet for by that one offering he forever made perfect. Those who are being made holy and the holy spirit also testifies that this is so for, he says, this is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds. 2 (28m 54s): Then he says, I will never again, remember their sins and lawless deeds. And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. This is the message of the new covenant. This is the message of Hebrews. This is the challenge to the church to believe in the sacrificial toning work of price that it makes us holy, that now we become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, that the righteousness of God has been imputed to us. We have been made righteous and holy because of the sacrifice and the offering of Jesus on the cross. 2 (29m 35s): So how do we persevere as Christians, as we press into this truth? And as we try to figure out how to live life in a broken world, a fallen world, a corrupt world, how do we live as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ in a world that is filled with compromise and temptation and difficulty. There are actually things that we can do that those who have gone before us have done that have allowed them to remain strong, to persevere all the way until the answer. We're going to read about those guys, those guys and gals in Hebrews chapter 11. But we're also going to unpack and look at some of those people as we get toward the end of this message today, how do we persevere as Christians? 2 (30m 21s): Number one, we go boldly into the presence of God. We hear that we go boldly. Some of us are very timid. When we go into the presence of God, we're like, Hey God, are you home? Is this all right? Is this good timing, right? Can I talk to you now? And we go, we go kind of timidly into the presence of God when God has given us an invitation and invitation to his presence so that we can walk in anytime and boldly go into the presence of the living. God it's like when my kids come by the office and my grandkids and I'm upstairs in the office, they don't have to ask anybody. They don't have to stop thinking, run in head right upstairs and meet with me. 2 (31m 7s): No invitation needed because it's implied. They are my kids and my grandkids. So they're welcome any time when we're going to our family's house, we just, we just walk right in. We just, we're just we're we're we're together. We're family. It's not always the case that when I would go visit my dad in Colorado, I, we had kind of a different relationship. So I'd go to his door and knock, right. Is this a good time for me to come in? It's totally different with our heavenly father. It's totally, we got these imitations. Come on over, spend as much time as you want. In fact, I go with you. I feel you I'm with you all the time. So we go boldly into the presence of God. 2 (31m 50s): It says here in Hebrews 10, 19. And so dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly. Why? Because Jesus has made a way we can boldly answer. Heaven's most holy place because of the blood of Jesus by his death, Jesus opened a new and life giving way through the curtain, into the most holy place. We have significant privilege. Imagine having access to a president or a king, a great leader because of relationship. You just got access. Other people have to make an appointment, have to ask permission, but we who are connected to the king. 2 (32m 30s): We can just walk right in. We have significant privilege associated with our new life in Christ, under the old covenant, only the high priest, and only once a year. Could they go into the most holy place once a year and only the high priest, they would go in to offer sacrifices and they would tie a rope or something, a cord around his ankle. So that if he went in with sin, unconfessed sin, and he was judged and died in the presence of God, they could, they could pull him out. Otherwise he's got to stay in there for the next year. Then, you know, it could get kind of stinky in there. 2 (33m 10s): So they pull him out and cause nobody is allowed to go under the old covenant, into the presence of God, except for the high priest. And only once a year because of Christ's work on our behalf. We have access and we should access God with confidence, not in who we are, but in the all sufficiency of Jesus, it gives us confidence that we can go right into the presence of God. Our sins, if we are in Christ have been forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, they've been removed from us. 2 (33m 52s): We are completely cleansed from those things. We are the holiness of God, the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, we have access and we should be boldly with confidence, not in us, but because he is good. Not because we are good. We have access and confidence to go into the presence of God for whatever the need is. 24 7. In fact, we're told in scripture to pray without ceasing, how do we pray without ceasing? If we don't have access, if we don't go boldly with confidence. But the reality is is that we have that access as believers, blood covered, spirit filled followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We have access and we can boldly go in. And so we pray about everything and anything, Lord, I don't know what I should do this morning. 2 (34m 36s): I'm driving to church and I'm tempted to speed, right? Because it's what I like to do. And so I'm about to pull out from this guy in the slow lane and go around him. And I felt like the Lord said, stay right there. I'm like, all right. So I stayed right there within a half a mile. We're coming up this hill and there's this CHP officer on a motorcycle with his, with his, his gay, you know, his, his, whatever, that thing is speed, whatever it is. And I'm like, I just told Jolie. I said, I was just about to pass this guy. And I would have been nailed right there. But the Lord told me, just stay still. Where's the Lord telling you to stay still. 2 (35m 17s): Maybe you're attempted to move tempted to run tempted, to react, tempted, to decide maybe the Lord just saying, Hey wait, it's the hardest thing to do. Right? Cause it's by faith, Lord. I don't know why you're asking me to wait. God knows why I don't see the future. I don't see what's coming. But God asks us, asks us to wait and just to trust and just to rest and just to relax, to believe that he is in control. So we have access 24 7 to pray without ceasing. We don't, we don't have to go into a certain place. I mean, it's wonderful for us to gather as the believers. 2 (35m 57s): And we'll talk about that as we get to Hebrews 10 25, it's wonderful, but we don't have to gather or go through a human a person to get to God as believers in the Lord. Jesus Christ. Our mediator is Jesus. And he gives us access to the father. And so we through Jesus because we've been forgiven, we go right into the presence of God. So no matter, no matter where you are, you go right into the presence of God. If you're fearful, you go right into the presence of God. You bring that fear to the Lord. If you're anxious, feeling tempted, discouraged, angry, just take it right into the presence of the Lord. If you're happy, just take it right into the presence of the Lord. And you say, thank you, God, thank you God, for provision, for your kindness, for your goodness, whatever's going on. 2 (36m 42s): You just go right into the presence of the Lord and give him praise or offer up your petitions with faith, believing that God hears us. And he responds to us and he's faithful to minister to our needs. Just pray with Diego this morning. You've been praying about a job for weeks or months or whatever it's been. And he just found out he got the job. And so we got a chance to pray for him and celebrate with him. He, he starts tomorrow on Valentine's day. So it was like this gift from the Lord, this Valentine's gift to Diego, he got his job and we're celebrating with him and he's been waiting and serving faithfully, just asking the Lord for this thing in his life. So whatever it is that God wants to do, just bring it to the Lord. 2 (37m 23s): Go boldly into the presence of God first 21. And since we have a great high priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God. This is how we do it with sincere hearts, fully trusting him, sincere heart. So we get to check our hearts. Lord, am I fully trusting you? And my sincere in my pursuit of you, am I really going to do what you ask me to do? Or am I just wanting your 2 cents and my wanting your wisdom and direction? Or am I just wanting your input? So a sincere heart says, God, no matter what you tell me, I'm in the answer is yes. Before I hear the instruction, a sincere heart wants to do the will of God, no matter what the will of God is. 2 (38m 9s): And so we just surrender ourselves before we even go into his presence and we say, God, I don't know what's going on with my life right now, but I'm going into your presence. Sincerely wanting your wisdom, your counsel, your instruction, the next steps for my life. And we fully trust him that he is good and that he is faithful and that he will give us the desires of his heart, of our heart and that he will walk with us through every season of life. So let us go into the presence of God was sincere hearts fully, fully trusting him for our guilty conscience is have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean. And our bodies have been washed with pure water. So the essence, the truth there is that the cleansing is thorough. 2 (38m 55s): We have been thoroughly cleansed by God's grace. We have been washed by his goodness by the, by the pure water of his grace. We have been washed inside and outside by his goodness. And so, because that is true, not because we're good or because we've earned it or we've had a good stretch of, you know, victory. It's not, it has nothing. It has everything to do with his sufficiency and nothing to do with our insufficiency. Do you believe that? Oh, we got to believe it. We have to believe it. We have to drill deep into this truth and build our foundation on this reality because it is the reality for believers in the Lord. 2 (39m 38s): Jesus Christ. So number one, how do we persevere as Christians? We go boldly. I want you to practice that this week boldly not, not arrogantly because that's God opposes the proud his grace to the humble is to go in with a sincere heart, fully trusting God. I think it's going to be a hurdle for some of us and maybe for all of us, depending on the circumstance, sincerely, fully trusting God. And I, I, I bet you're going to be blown away and surprised by God's goodness and his response to you. So go, go boldly into the presence of God. Number one, and number two, we hold tightly to our hope. We see that right here in the text, Hebrews 10 23, let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 2 (40m 31s): So when things are difficult, what do we do? We hold on, right? It's like, you're hanging from a cliff to a rope. That is the difference between life and death. That's the seriousness, the intensity of holding on to the hope that we have. So when things are good, we're holding on when things or when things are bad, when things are good, what are we doing? Or still holding on, right? Sometimes when things are going good, we're like, ah, you know, bills are big. Relationships are good, I've got to cruising through life. And so we kind of let you know our, our passion, our intensity about Jesus kind of wane a little bit because after all everything's going good. 2 (41m 14s): And so we begin to let loose. And it's just a matter of time where things begin to drift our relationships, drift our relationship with the Lord. And then all of a sudden we realized we're not holding on at all. And then we're easy picking. Temptation comes, difficulty comes and we're swept away with all kinds of stuff. And so it's imperative that in the good times and in the bad times that we hold on equally, what are we holding on to hope? It's not some kind of a thing that's, that's hard to grasp or hard to get her mind. The hope that we're talking about is the person and finished work of the Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 (41m 58s): We're holding on to him and for, and for, and holding onto what he has accomplished for us. So our, our hope isn't fragile and unstable it's Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He's the solid foundation, the rock on which we build our lives, the unshakeable foundation that is ours in Christ. So he's not fragile unstable. It's not change our hope doesn't change no matter what circumstances, good, bad or ugly, our hope is always in Jesus. It's not elusive or vague or imagined. 2 (42m 42s): It's the person of Jesus Christ. Our hope is in the finished work of Christ. So party part of holding on tightly is, you know, about our own lives, thinking about our own struggles and circumstances. And so we're holding firm, but also being aware of what others are going through, thinking about others struggles and their needs and their troubles and their temptations, and, and then throwing a life vest to them, a lifesaver to them so that you might help them hold on for dear life, to the hope who is Christ the Lord. This is why we gather this is why it's imperative that we gather. 2 (43m 22s): We'll talk about that some more in a moment, but we gather so that we can be built up in our most holy faith so that we can pray together so that we can be encourage, but so that we might be able to encourage others so that we might step out of our own circumstances and recognize the struggles of others that we might encourage them to. Don't give up, don't quit, hold on in Jesus' name. And so people come all the time and they need prayer. And so we're praying for people. We're encouraging people, we're speaking life and truth over people. 2 (44m 5s): And that is every one of our job and responsibility. Every one of us have this responsibility to do that. If he's in four 11, says that we are called the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, our job, we are called to equip the saints. What are the saints? Anybody's in Christ, right? If you're in Christ, you're a Saint. So it's my job, our job to equip you to do the work of the ministry. So when people up you're up, you'll be able to pray for somebody so much more effectively than I can pray. Maybe because of your experience, your life has taken you down a certain path that is prepared. 2 (44m 45s): You equipped you to minister effectively to somebody who is going maybe through a similar circumstance. So you can pray with greater understanding, greater empathy and compassion, greater love. You can press in and, and just go walk the path with the person that you're this you're praying for and encourage them over the long haul. This is part of our job. And so we show up to church and we go to home groups and we do all that kind of stuff because we love each other and we've got great coffee. And on the fourth, Sunday of the month, we got great donuts and we're taking community. We're doing all this stuff, but at the end of the day, we're gathering to get equipped and released into the work of the ministry. 2 (45m 30s): So your job is to minister love on one another. Somebody asked me recently, they said, Hey, I want to go visit this person and minister to them. Do I have your permission? I'm like, you don't need my permission. Just go for it. You know, go have fun minister and do what God has called and equipped you specifically to do first 24, let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works so we can encourage, pray and speak life and truth and grace and let people know I'm with you. 2 (46m 12s): I'm for you. And God is with you and God has for you. And when we need to speak hard truth and challenge, sin or destructive decisions in lifestyles, we can do that with the grace and the truth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. As we're filled with the holy spirit, we can say, we can speak the truth in love and challenge a person say, amen, that the choices that you're making are destroying you. They're filling you with anxiety and fear, and they're wrecking your ability to have faith in Jesus. And so you say, man, can I, can I walk with you and show you a better way? Can I pray with you? And nine times out of 10, maybe you've been there and you're saying, man, I have been where you are. 2 (46m 54s): And God walked with me and sent somebody else to walk with me to minister through to me through that season of life. So let's think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. How do we persevere as Christians? Number one, we go boldly, say that with me, we go boldly into the presence of God. Then we hold tightly to our hope. And then number three, we consistently assemble. We consistently assemble. We consistently can assemble, gathered together in one place for a common purpose to be built up in our most holy faith to worship in a corporate gathering, lifting up holy hands to the Lord, declaring his greatness, his power, his majesty to come alongside like-minded people to, to move forward as believers in the Lord, Jesus Christ verse 25, Hebrews 10 says, and let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another. 2 (48m 0s): Especially now that the day of his return is drawing near every day. We're a day closer to the return of Christ. My father-in-law likes to say every day, I'm closer to death because I'm closer today than I was yesterday, right? We are closer today than we were yesterday to the return of Christ to the coming of his kingdom. And we have this wonderful opportunity to know Jesus now, and to point people to Jesus, to be disciples and to be disciple makers, to point people to the goodness and the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 (48m 42s): So let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another. Especially now that the day of his return is drawing near, we will persevere. If we remember and practice these things outlined in this chapter, if we fail to practice these things, our ability to persevere will greatly be hindered. The result of not persevering is actually back sliding and maybe even a pasta. See the actual denial of the faith. I, I can't tell you how many people, sadly, how many people that I grew up with in this area. 2 (49m 25s): People that I went to Bible college with seminary, people that I've known, people who have been teachers of the word leaders in the church, people who have known Jesus, and I've watched them because not practicing this person, these perseverance things, just watch them, let go little by little, get more and more distant walk away from the church, walk away from the Lord, walk away from God's purposes. And before you know, it they've completely walked away from all that God has for them. This is it's, it's, it's important that we persevere the result of not persevering is backsliding moving away from God. 2 (50m 11s): And I, again, I've just known too many people who have abandoned their faith. First 26 and Hebrews 10 says, dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after, after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. So imagine the context, historical context in the first century, these Jewish messianic believers, these Jewish people who had decided that Jesus is the Lord, that he is their savior. As they begin to question that and begin to deny that and begin to walk away from that, the writer of Hebrews is saying, listen, there is no sacrifice beyond Jesus that can cleanse you from your sins. 2 (51m 0s): You can not go back to the old way of living. It's it's an old covenant. It's an old way of relating to God. Jesus is the new covenant, the right way, the new way of relating to God. So you can't actually move away from Jesus and hope to have any eternal life. Any relationship with God Christ is the only all sufficient sacrifice that can cleanse people of their sins. If we reject Christ, we reject any opportunity to be saved from God's judgment. What is God's judgment? We don't often talk about God's judgment, but every time the Bible talks about God's judgment, we are talking about God's judgment. 2 (51m 40s): This is what it says as a warning to those who are vacillating beginning to backslide, beginning to wonder, beginning to question their faith. This is what it says in verse 27. There's only the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies for anyone who refuse to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled, listen to the language, trampled on the son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy as if it were common and unholy and have insulted and disdained. 2 (52m 33s): The holy spirit who brings God's mercy to us, the language does not get any more clear. It is crystal clear communication that the writer of Hebrews is, is as put into ink for us communicating this truth to us so that we are fully aware that if we choose to backslide, if we choose to minimize what God has done, essentially insulting the finished work of price. Disdaining the holy spirit who brings God's mercy to us. If we walk away, there is no salvation available for, we know the one who said, I will take revenge. 2 (53m 15s): Verse 30 says I will pay them back. He also said, the Lord will judge his own people. It's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living. God, unless you are hidden in Christ, think back. And so there's a challenge to think back on your early days when you were a follower and believer in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Think back on those early days, when you first learned about Christ, we can all do this, right? Remembering, remember how you remained faithful, even though it meant terrible suffering. So culturally in the day, if these Jewish men and women decided to follow Jesus, they were ex-communicated from fellowship in the synagogue. 2 (53m 58s): They were ex-communicated from their families. They were criticized and ridiculed. They were, they were, they were sentenced to separation from the rest of the Jews. Think back on those days, when you first learned about Christ, remember how you remain faithful, even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten. And sometimes you helped others who are suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who are thrown into jail. And when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. 2 (54m 38s): You knew, you knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. Jesus warned in his earthly life and ministry. He warned his followers of, of this type of persecution. It happened to Jesus and it would happen to his followers. Jesus spoken Matthew 10, 16 through 18. He says, look, I'm sending you out. As she among wolves. This is the reality of what we are. We are sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd, as snakes and harmless as doves, but be aware for you will be handed over to the courts. 2 (55m 21s): And w we'll be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and Kings because you are my followers, but this will be your opportunity to tell others, to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. So persecution is an opportunity to be salt and light so that others might hear the reason that you're being persecuted in acts chapter five. After the high council flogged the apostles, they ordered the never again to speak in the name of Jesus. They were. So the people were so threatened. 2 (56m 2s): The religious leaders were so threatened by that powerful name of Jesus, that they did everything in their power to stop the apostles from teaching in that name of Jesus acts 5 41 says the apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer for that name of Jesus. In acts chapter seven, Stephen addresses the council, telling them of their own history and their rebelliousness and their hard-hearted. Hardheartedness toward a God in the spirit. As he communicates this truth to the religious leaders in acts 7 54 through 60, it says the Jewish leaders were infuriated by Steven's accusations. 2 (56m 50s): And they shook their fits their fists at him in a rage. But Stephen full of the holy spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God. And he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hands. I mean like the heavens must have opened up for Steve and as he's getting ready to give his life for his faith and he sees the glory that is awaiting him, he knows that all of this is coming to fruition. It's all coming to an end. He will give his life for his faith and he will stand before the Lord very soon. And he told them, look, I, I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand, then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. 2 (57m 38s): They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. And in acts chapter nine, Saul would encounter the living Jesus and in acts chapter nine, Saul would give his life to Jesus. And I bet you, God used this stoning situation. This incident in Steven's life to begin to awaken Saul of Tarsus, to the reality of the gospel. So even in our suffering, we have the privilege and the opportunity to point people to Jesus. 2 (58m 23s): First 59, as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. He fell to his knees, shouting Lord. Don't charge them with this sin. And with that, he died and Hebrews 10 35, as we get back to our main text, it says, so do not throw away this confidence trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward. It brings you patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God's will then you will receive all that he is promised for in just a little while the coming one will come and not delay. 2 (59m 9s): And my righteous ones will live by faith, but I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away, but we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones. The writer reminds his audience. We are the faithful ones whose souls will be saved. We need to persevere and never give up. We need to not be ashamed of who we are, but bold in our faith. Declare with confidence in humility, the gospel of grace till the end, Saul became Paul Saul of Tarsus became Paul, the apostle, and he wrote two thirds of the new Testament. 2 (59m 58s): And in Romans chapter one verses 16 and 17, he wrote for, I am not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of this good news about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes that you first and also the Gentile, this good news tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the scripture say it is through faith that a righteous righteous person has life. So we live by faith. We're saved by faith and we endure and persevere. As we put into practice, these principles that we see throughout the scripture, we could go throughout the old Testament and the new Testament and find principles that will help us to persevere. 2 (1h 0m 46s): But we have to be people who put into practice those principles in order to endure, maybe you're here today and you've never given your life to Jesus. The gospel is the good news that saves us. That redeems us, that rescues us from the judgment of God and ushers us into the family of God. If you're here today, you've never accepted the grace of the Lord. Jesus Christ. You can do that in the quietness of your own heart, or you can come forward after the service and get some help praying. But this is what you do. You just simply say, God, I, I need your grace. 2 (1h 1m 27s): And maybe in your heart and mind, you're saying that even now I need your grace. Lord, I need your forgiveness. Lord. I need you to come into my life. I need you to forgive my sin and fill my life with your power and your presence and your spirits. I've tried it my way for way too long. I'm tired of stumbling. I'm tired of tripping along Lord. I'm tired of missing, missing you and not understanding life. God, I invite you into my life and I invite your power and your grace and your love and your presence in Jesus' name. Or maybe you're here. And you've been considering backsliding with everybody's eyes closed. Let's just, maybe you're here. 2 (1h 2m 7s): And you've been considering just kind of slipping away, slipping out the back door, slip it up, just kind of slowly, just kind of drifting away. God wants to challenge you in Jesus name, to hold firm, to purse SERVIR to put into practice. These things that we see in the scripture, he will strengthen you in the power of his might. He will fill you with his, his eternal spirit. He will give you a new hearts, a new strength, a new ability to press on in Jesus. But you've got to ask him, you got to boldly, enter into the presence of God and invite him in and then a whole lawn for the ride and see what God will do. And then get around believers. 2 (1h 2m 47s): Others who are like-minded in the faith and get around and, and, and encourage and be encouraged by the body of believers who are after the same thing as your after Is everybody stands. Lord, I just want to thank you for the challenge. Go ahead and stand up. Is it Lord, thank you for the challenge from your word. It speaks clearly pointedly specifically to us, to the challenges that we face to the challenges that were faced from the first century on Lord God, we invite you to continue to speak to us. We need you Lord. As we worship now in song, I pray that we would got, make some decisions today to stand firm, to persevere in Jesus name, help us to do so in the power of your minds in Jesus name. 2 (1h 3m 36s): Amen. Let's worship 3 (1h 8m 22s): We praise you. Lord. We praise you that you are the king of Kings. We come boldly before you today. We thank you for your word. We thank you that we get to worship you in spirit and in truth in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Today we look at this history of Paul (Saul) in Scripture. We see how he became the biggest persecutor of the Christian faith and followers of Christ to becoming one of the most influential apostles that was graced by God. As we see how his hatred of heart changed to love and kindness in this beautiful story in scripture; lets also see if we as Christians can put away our pride and come together instead of hating each other... This world is messed up enough and we need to be there for our brothers and sisters in Christ and pray for each other and the others who got lost in conforming to this world.

 Paul (Saul) believed he was doing the right thing by rounding up Christians and executing them out on the streets. They were blasphemers and idolaters. They dishonored God and needed to be destroyed. Then one day Jesus appeared and literally knocked him off his high horse, blinding him and rendering him powerless. Paul had two questions for this Being who spoke to him: “Who are you, Sir?” and then, finally, “What shall I do, Sir?” These two questions should be the guidelines for our lives in imitation of St. Paul.

Join Gabe Rutledge and the rest of DMF as we look at and study through Acts chapter 9 together. We look at the early life and conversion of this new character, Paul/Saul and answer some key questions regarding his life and mission. We hope this teaching is a blessing to you in your walk with Messiah. 

Join us as Pastor Phil walks us through the story of Paul/Saul and how God calls him out. Jesus calls a plan and a purpose out of his life. Which begs the thought…. If Jesus can do that in the life of Saul. What can he do in my life? What is there for him to call out that I am not even aware of? "What is inside of you that Jesus sees but you don't?" Scripture: Acts 9

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...  II Samuel 6     1 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. 3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. 5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. 6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. 7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. 8 And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? 10 So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.  

When your greatest weakness becomes your greatest strength. instagram:/faithandcommonsense --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/faithandcommonsense/message

Is it possible Paul/Saul needed a timeout before he was really ready to be God's apostle? That's one of the questions we'll ask in this episode.

Continuing through the Book of Acts, Chapter 22 Part 2. Paul (Saul) is standing before the Sanhedrin. On trial for his life. Before we discuss that, Rabbi Frank first reads quickly through Acts 6:1-8:1, the trial and stoning of Stephen as background. At that time Paul (Saul) is not a follower of Yeshua but a persecutor and executioner of Yeshua's followers. Now a few decades later the tables are turned and Paul, a long-time servant of Yeshua and leader in the world-wide congregation of Yeshua's followers, is the one on trial. This sermon was given during our Saturday Shabbat Service on October 16, 2021.

What is the world into which Paul/ Saul was born? What did the world that he grew up in look like and how did it impact his life? Scripture: Acts 9:1-9

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36-42 She was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36 The fruit of goodness arises from the amazing grace of God. It seeks to help and to right wrongs where it can, providing benefits to others and leading them to give thanks and praise to God (Matthew 5:16). As we have read in our text for today, Tabitha (Dorcas) “was always doing good and helping the poor.” And when she suddenly became sick and died, the apostle Peter asked God to bring her back to life. And God did that! Tabitha could then continue with her acts of goodness, and because of this miracle “many people believed in the Lord.” Barnabas, who gave generously to the church and helped Paul (Saul) when he needed a friend, “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24; see also Acts 4:36-37; 9:27-28). Cornelius, one of the first Gentiles (non-Jews) to believe in Jesus, was already “devout and God-fearing,” and “he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (Acts 10:2). God sent him a vision, telling him to invite Peter to his house. God also sent Peter a vision, telling him to go and visit Cornelius. So Peter did that, and he shared the good news of Jesus with Cornelius and with a crowd of people who had gathered at his house. And all the people there received the gift of the Holy Spirit that day and were baptized (Acts 10)! Lord Jesus, thank you for the good people in this world. Holy Spirit, breathe your goodness into all your people so that others may see and give praise to the Father in heaven. Amen.

"But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” -Exodus 4:13 NIV"From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands." -Acts 17:26 NIV Oftentimes, we judge based off our our experience of things. God wants to provide for you an experience that makes you say, "wow!" When Jesus says “follow me,“ we find out firsthand. "When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen." -Luke 19:37 NIV..."and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick… From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." -John 6:2, 66 NIVIs there a purpose for your life? Are you finding all the things you're searching for? The christian life is split into two parts - BC & AD. We shared of the life of Paul (Saul) and the life he lived. His salvation came as soon as he responded to his experience. In his lifetime, Paul experienced highs and all the lows, trials and suffering. Yet, in all he experienced, he concluded that Jesus was enough and everything he needed.1.) God is all you need. "As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:20 NIV "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:6-9 NIV God gave us FAITH because He knew we would face desperate times.2.) God is all you want. Repentance is a key part in following Jesus. Repentance is not turning away from the good stuff, it's turning towards the good stuff.Our seasons of desperation will lead us to realize God is all we need and all we want. The obstacles we face become opportunities we experience.

Resources Used: Hey guys this is Megan Rawlings and you are listening to the Talk Bible to Me podcast presented by The Bold Movement.Hey there, and welcome back to season 3 of the Talk Bible to Me podcast. I am so pumped that you are here to study the book of Philippians with me. If you are new to our podcast, YAY!!! I am glad you found us. Go ahead and grab a Bible and we can study together. If you're driving or something else, don't worry about it, I will read it to you. Real quick, I want to let you know that this podcast is an extension of The Bold Movement which is a ministry that trains women to boldly step into their role in the kingdom of God. There are tons of free resources on the website as well as Bible studies that not only teach you Scripture but also how to study it, and podcasts episodes just like this one. This is all designed to help you grow in your faith and find your role and purpose. You can visit our website at www.theboldmovement.com. Today's episode is presented by listeners like you who have committed to supporting The Bold Movement through our Patreon page. Those supporters are mentioned later on and you can be too, just visit www.patreon.com/theboldmovement. Okay sis, Here's how we work. We will read a verse or two of Scripture and then we will pause to work through it and discuss what it means. I will name the resources we are using as well as post them on our website so you can familiarize yourself with them too. With that being said -- let's study Philippians chapter 1 verses 1 through 11.Today, I am going to be reading from the New Living Translation, often referred to as the NLT.1 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.Okay, I am going to stop here because there are a few things I want to talk about with this first part of verse 1. You may know that Paul was Saul. Some have preached that there was a name change when he converted to Christianity. There is actually not a lot of evidence of this theory. In reality, most scholars agree that Paul and Saul were the same, just said differently based on region and language. For example, George and Jorge. Same name, just different region, and language. So, according to Peter O'Brien, Παῦλος (‘Paul') in Greek is the name used by the apostle in the Hellenistic-Roman world in place of the Jewish name ‘Saul'. Does that make sense? Email us or contact us on social media and let us know what you think about Paul/Saul and show us how you came to the conclusion. Now, let's talk about Timothy. God ole' Timmy traveled with Paul and was mentioned in quite a few of his letters; 2 Corinthians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians. Later in this letter, we learn that the Philippians have a “special attachment” with Timothy and we address this and learn about it in chapter 2. Finally, I want to talk about the last part of this sentence when Paul calls himself and Timothy “slaves of Christ Jesus.” In his commentary on Philippians, Gordon Fee said, “To be sure, the institution of slavery in antiquity was a far cry from the racial slavery that blighted American society—and the English society that made it possible by the slave trade. Even so, the slave in the Roman Empire was not a free person, but “belonged to” another.” So what I want to do is dive into this a little deeper because the word doulos, or slave, holds a lot of weight. This phrase is lost on us in translation and I want it to be more clear what Paul is saying. Translations in the English language sometimes refer to this word as a servant. However, this seems to take the significance out of the word. In Paul's day, a slave was owned legally by someone and had no freedom outside of what their owner allowed. This concept was understood among the church in Philippi as some of the members were slaves, and some could have owned slaves. So, Paul uses this idea as a metaphor for his allegiance and sacrifice to Jesus. I do want to give a better understanding of slavery during this time though! As stated earlier, slavery was very different than what was happening in America during the nineteenth century. In her commentary on Philippians, Lynn Cohick said, “Ancient Israel practiced slavery, and the Old Testament includes numerous stories about it. One of the most famous slaves is Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, Abraham's first son (Gen 16:1–15). Recall too Israel's enslavement in Egypt, the defining moment in their history when God delivered them out of Egypt, “the land of slavery,” and brought them to the land he had promised (Exod 12:40–13:3). Thus at key points in Israel's history, slavery played a role. But later Israelites owned other Israelites or Gentiles, who were enslaved through wars or to pay debts. Laws established appropriate treatment of slaves and restricted abuse (21:1–27). God's people were to release fellow slaves in the seventh year of their enslavement (Lev 25:39–43).In addition, in the Old Testament the terms “slavery” and “slave” are used metaphorically, often translated as “the servant of the Lord” (ʿebed YHWH). Such a person had divine authority from God to speak and act on his behalf. For example, Numbers 12:7 speaks of his servant/slave Moses, who was faithful in God's house and to whom God spoke face to face (see also Jer 25:4; Ezek 38:17). Drawing on the Exodus narrative, Israel understood itself as God's slave, based on the exclusive covenant that Israel's God had established at Mount Sinai. Like a slave, Israel was to obey their God in all things, especially by rejecting idolatry.”Okay, now that we have dissected the first part of verse one, let's continue with the second part. I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.Holy people can also be translated as saints. Cohick said, “Our modern understanding of the term carries a sense of human perfection preserved in stained glass windows -- a dar cry from our average existence.” The Old Testament tells us that a holy nation (or holy people) are those who keep God's commandments. In the second century, the church started a process of how to become a saint for both the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. Cohick says, “They define a sain as one who has demonstrated extraordinary piety, such as Mother Teresa, or attribute to him or her miracles based o the intercession before God.” Do not confuse second-century sainthood with the way Paul terms the members of the church in Philippi.Notice that at the end of the verse, Paul includes church leaders and deacons. Church leaders here come from the Greek word episkopos. Because I want you to really understand this, I am going to quote Peter O'Brien. He says, “ἐπίσκοπος in classical and Septuagint Greek (from Homer on) meant an ‘overseer', and was used to describe a deity (cf. Job 20:29) as the one who keeps watch over a country or people. The title was also given to men who held responsible positions in the state, including those with judicial functions, councillors, treasurers, and military strategists, or who were overseers of religious communities, such as temple officials (cf. Nu. 4:16; 31:14; Jdg. 9:28, etc.). This one word described a variety of offices and functions, although the notion of ‘oversight' appears to have been common to all of them. At Qumran, the ‘overseer' or ‘supervisor' (meḇaqqēr) was regarded as the shepherd and spiritual father of the community. Although not a priest, he knew the law and was responsible for all decisions about ‘the camp' and the full members. He also controlled the community's welfare funds (CD 13:7–9; 1QS 6:12, 20). Some writers have argued that the title corresponds literally to the Greek ἐπίσκοπος and might have been the model for the NT ‘overseer'.The word group was less common in the NT than in the LXX, with ἐπίσκοπος occurring five times, ἐπισκοπή on four occasions, ἐπισκέπτομαι eleven times, and ἐπισκοπέω once. The Ephesian elders (πρεσβύτεροι) who meet Paul at Miletus are called ἐπίσκοποι (Acts 20:28), and according to H. W. Beyer they are a definite circle of members from this settled congregation who are its regular leaders. The qualifications required for this office are spelled out in the Pastorals at 1 Tim. 3:2 and Tit. 1:7. Although the exact nature of the work performed by ἐπίσκοποι is not mentioned, at the heart of it lies the ministry of oversight, supervision, or protective care. The climactic use of this title occurs at 1 Pet. 2:25, where Jesus is described as ‘the shepherd and guardian (ἐπίσκοπος) of your souls'.” The word deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos. This is often associated with someone who serves. In the early church, these were the folks who ministered to the sick and shut-in. They helped take care of the day-to-day stuff so that the elders (or teacher/preachers) could study and prepare their messages. These two positions are addressed with the rest of the members of the church of Philippi.So, now we have verse one complete, let's move on to the next. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.If you will remember, Philippi is under Roman authority. Paul is declaring Jesus as Lord which is probably in response to the culture of this day claiming that the Roman Emporer, probably Nero. was lord. This is a pretty big deal at this time.Alright, ladies, I know we are only on verse 2 -- but we are going to make a lot of headway in these next 9 verses, I promise. However, before we move on to the rest of our passage today, we have a quick message from our sponsors.We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a message from our sponsors. We are able to continue podcast episodes like this because of our Patreon supporters, Jerri Lewis, Kelsey Graf, Soyon Barber, Julie Carter, Amy Mathis, Jill Walters, and Dave Hanzel. If you like what you hear, would you consider becoming a partner of The Bold Movement? Our plans range from $5 a month to $50 a month with exciting incentives for growing Christian women. Just visit www.patreon.com/theboldmovement.Listen, sis, you can get your name read off too if you join our Patreon supporters and become financial supporters of this podcast and ministry. We hope you will consider supporting our ministry with your prayers we would love for you to become a patreon supporter. Now let's get back to the Philippians.3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.This part of Philippians is the thanksgiving paragraph. Remember that Paul and the members of the Church in Philippi have a close relationship for years at this point. Notice he says he thanks God every time he thinks of them. I recently heard a clinical psychologist say that your brain is incapable of experiencing fear or anxiety when it is experiencing gratitude. We will talk more in-depth about this later on in Philippians, but I want you to keep that nugget of truth in your back pocket. When we are grateful and give our thanks to God even over simple things like knowing special people in our lives, we are not allowing room for things that are not of God. Name your blessings out loud. Let your head hear your heart. Let me say that again… let your head hear your heart. This is literally the way God wired us.Okay ladies, time for a fun fact… but if you get confused easily… don't pay attention to this part. According to D.A. Carson, “The NIV reads, “I thank my God every time I remember you” (1:3). But others suggest “I thank my God every time you remember me,” or something similar. The original is ambiguous. Lynn Cohick mentions this very thing in her commentary on Philippians too! Nonetheless, as stated here, the original language is ambiguous. But something that is not is the word used for thanks in Philippians.Peter O'Brien says, “Certainly the English word ‘thanksgiving' is rather more limited in its range of meanings since it normally denotes the expression of gratitude for personal benefits received and is to that extent rather man-centered. But this sort of notion does not fit Paul's language, for, as here, he regularly gives thanks for graces wrought in the lives of others by God, particularly those within the churches of the Gentile mission.” The final part of this section says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” This passage is very popular and used on thank you cards. I love this passage because Paul has such an extreme confidence in these Christians; however, his confidence is not reliant on them, but rather what God is doing and will continue to do with them. Pauls's assurance is found in His knowledge that God works all things out for the good of those who love Him -- and the Philippians have proven they love Him.7 So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. Cohick says, “Paul also underscores his own strong affections toward them. The Greek text literally reads that Paul's “affection” lies deep in the bowels—not the place most moderns locate their affections! But even if we use a different body part to locate our intense emotions, we can appreciate Paul's sentiment. He wants the Philippians to know that he is sincerely thankful for and appreciative of their unending generosity. This “affection” is the love “of Christ Jesus”; no deeper love can a person express than that demonstrated in and through Christ. Such affection creates in Paul a deep yearning for this church, and he is likely alluding to his hope to be reunited with them.” The bowel thing is true -- have you ever had a nervous stomach? Have you ever had “butterflies in your tunny” this is the reason Paul (and most in that culture) associate emotions with the stomach because that is where we feel things. Funny, right?8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.Most other translations will say something to the tune of “God as my witness.” Something I find interesting is that some scholars say that Paul claims God as his witness because people during this time were careful to watch for flatterers. Again, Cohick says, “In the ancient world, orators told you what you wanted to hear in order to get what they wanted from you: food, recommendations, and social advancement. But no one in Paul's day would have been as cavalier with God's name as to bring it forward as a witness if they were lying. Chrysostom asks: “Now had he been flattering them, he would not have called God to witness, for this cannot be done without peril.”9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.So up to this point, Paul has addressed that he is constantly praying for the Philippians. This is the part where he tells us what he's praying about. Let's bullet these:He prays thatTheir love will overflow more and moreThey will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding - because he wants them to see what actually matters so they can live pure and blameless lives.Let me ask you a question… have you ever thought about praying these things over your closest Christian friends? What would the Church, as a whole, look like if we actually did this?Finally, let's break down verse 11:Okay, what I am about to share with you hurt me a little, so if it hurts you too -- I am sorry, but I am not actually sorry.D.A. Carson dropped this truth bomb on me, “For Paul, this is not an idolatrous prayer. For some people, of course, it could become just that. For perfectionists, perfection, at least in some arenas where they excel, becomes a kind of fetish, even a large idol. But this is not the case with Paul. The excellence for which he prays, for himself and for others, is further defined in verse 11: being “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. . . .” Moreover, none of this will be allowed simply to enhance our reputations—for sad to say, some people are more interested in a reputation for holiness and excellence than in holiness and excellence. But all such petty alternatives are swept aside in Paul's final constraint: his prayer is offered up “to the glory and praise of God” (1:11).”Now it's time for the what now portion of Talk Bible to Me:I want to ask you a question. What do your prayers look like? Are you only praying a rehearsed mantra before you eat? Are you praying for matters that are mostly removed from gospel interests? Those who pray, in themselves, are not bad, but if we are only praying about our health, comfort, job, kids, etc. I think we start to miss the entire point.I want you to truly grasp the weight of prayers and the force behind them. D.A. Carson asks, “But where is our gospel focus? Read through the letters of Paul and copy out his prayers. Ask yourself what it is he asks for. Observe how consistently most of his petitions are gospel-related. Are we being faithful to Scripture if most of our petitions are not? Put the gospel first. And that means you must put the priorities of the gospel at the center of your prayer life.”Okay, sis, that's all I got for you this time. Be sure to tune in next week to study Philippians 1:12-18.The Bold Movement is a ministry that helps Christian women gain confidence in their Biblical literacy, faith, and evangelism through customizable content strategically created to work with our community support to enhance and expand the kingdom of God. I'll be back next week and I hope you join me. This is a quick reminder that you can partner with us through our patreon at patreon.com/theboldmovement. Okay ladies next time, go out and be bold.

Sermon Manuscript IntroductionOne of my college math professors was an expert in fractals. Fractals are these geometric patterns that are really amazing. If you do an internet image search on fractals, you will see several examples - some look like snowflakes, some like paisley patters, others like the stars in the galaxy – each intermixing patterns in a magnificent array of colors. The beauty of fractals is in their simplicity – You take a simple formula and keep re-applying the results to the same simple formula. When you do that over and over and over again, you are creating a fractal – an exquisite, almost mesmerizing pattern.Fractals came to mind as I was studying this passage.The beauty here is the pattern that God is developing – a pattern for the church. And it's a pattern, that has been applied over and over and over. Not just in the book of Acts, but throughout the centuries as Jesus has furthered his church. And the simple formula here in these verse… when they've been worked out in the church, through out the ages… has created an amazing fractal-like design to behold. And we don't even know the half of it! Actually, we don't even know a fraction of a percent, but what we do see is breathtaking! God's glory, worked out in his church with his priorities… over and over and over. Perhaps in eternity, God will show us just how magnificent his work has been through his church.And this pattern for the church – this simple formula… it began here in these verses we read. Up to this point, God has been laying the foundations for the church:• Many many people had come to faith in Christ and these believers in Christ were scattered – Luke, the author, reminds us of that in verse 19 of chapter 11• Furthermore, God has established several leaders in the church – and through them, He's clarified what the Gospel is – the good news of salvation in Christ alone, and who it's for - everyoneAnd now, God is beginning to develop roots for his church in Christ – he's showing us the broader categories upon which to focus. As we move on in Acts, we'll see more details worked out.To give a little background, It's been about 10-12 years now since Jesus ascension. The Holy Spirit has been at work all over the eastern Mediterranean region… Jerusalem was initially the center hub, but as the Gospel went out, that would shift to the city of Antioch. If you can picture in your mind the southern coast of modern-day Turkey… just south of Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea is the island of Cyprus. And from Cyprus if you travel northeast on the sea, you would run in to Syria. Well, Antioch is a few miles inland in Syria. It's about 300 miles north from Joppa and Cesarea. And Antioch was very influential. It was the third largest city in the Roman empire and on the trade route between Asia and Egypt. They called Antioch “the queen of the east” Her population at the time is estimated in the hundreds of thousands… and Antioch was very diverse… with large populations of Jews, and Greeks and Romans and Persians and northern Africans.And do you know what was happening in Antioch? God was at work! We read that the scattered church was preaching Christ to the Jews first, and then the Hellenists – which were the Greeks. The hand of the Lord was with them and they were growing.Well, word came back to the church in Jerusalem – and given the prominence of Antioch, they wanted to check things out. Verse 21. So they sent Barnabas. We met Barnabas back in chapters 4 and 9 – He was a faithful Godly man, full of joy and encouragement. And when Barnabas arrived at Antioch, he was greatly encouraged! In verse 23, he exhorted them – which means he encouraged them in Christ “to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” Those words are at the end of 23. And they really encapsulates our Scripture text this morning. Barnabas was affirming their faithfulness in what they were believing and doing! And so he tells them to remain faithful to Christ in this steadfast purpose. In other words, keep doing what you are doing, and believing what you are believing, don't waver, for this is the purpose to which you are called.And that's our focus this morning. Considering their faithfulness because it's an example and pattern for the church. It's the same faithfulness and purpose to which we are called.If you look on the back of your bulletin at the top, you'll read the summary sentence… the pattern… and where each statement comes from in the text.Here it is:A church faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose and a Christ-centered identity (Acts 11:23,26) teaches and preaches Christ and His Word (Acts 11:20,26,27; 13:1,5,7,10,12); dedicates itself to worship and prayer (Acts 11:24; Acts 13:2); supports the ‘ends of the earth' ministry of Christ (Acts 11:29-30; Acts 13:2,4); sends out committed witnesses for Christ (Acts 11:20,22,25,26;Acts 13:3,4); defends true faith in Christ (Acts 13:6-11); and experiences the grace of God (Acts 11:21-22) through the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:24; 13:2,4,9) and growth in Him (Acts 11:21,24; 13:12).That last part highlights the blessing in Christ that we receive when we are being a faithful church.And so, let's walk through this… and as we do, let's ask the question – are we individually and corporately being faithful to God's call?A church faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose and a Christ-centered identity (Acts 11:23,26)And let me note, besides verse 23 about their faithfulness to the Lord … They also had a clear identity in Christ. Jump down to verse 26 and look at the very last sentence. “In Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians.” We use that word, Christian, all the time today, but in the new Testament, there are only 3 places where the word Christian is used. This is the first. Christians had been called “believers,” “disciples,” “brothers,” “saints,” and “those according to the way.” But now they've been given this new label. It's most likely, in fast, the word “Christian” was given them by outsiders in a derogatory way. “Who are those people?” “Oh, they're Jesus freaks, you know, Christ followers – Christians.” Well, that's exactly who they were. At the very core of their identity was their faith in Christ.That's what we need to have. The word Christian today is so watered down. It doesn't mean a faithful obedience, a hoping in Christ alone for Salvation, no, if you believe in God, that will do. Or if you are in the Middle East and you're not Muslim, you're identified as a Christian. So being labelled a Christian today doesn't mean you believe in Jesus as your savior.But the true meaning of being a Christian and what it showed here, is fully embracing Christ. The believers in Antioch were all about Jesus. He was their Savior. Their identity was in Christ - his forgiveness, salvation in him, his Word, his mission. And for us, the center of our identity as individuals and a church needs to be in Christ alone.That's who they were – faithful and steadfast believers in Christ – and they are a model for us.(1) teaches and preaches Christ and His Word (Acts 11:20,26,27; 13:1,5,7,10,12);Ok, let's now get to the things that they were faithful in…. First they taught and preached Christ and his Word. You can see the various verses referenced. All throughout this text Christ and the Gospel is being taught and preached. When the believers first arrived in Antioch and when other Christians came, it says in verse 21, they preached the Lord Jesus Christ. Barnabas witnessed that. And after seeing what was happening, he went to Tarsus to find the apostle Paul – Saul, as he was known. And they both came back to Antioch – and for a whole year, verse 25, they “taught a great many people.”And the fruit of their teaching ministry was evident. If you jump ahead to chapter 13 verse 1 – you'll see a list of prophets and teachers. Besides Saul and Barnabas there's Simeon - many believe that Simeon was from north Africa who likely had dark skin. Then Lucious of Cyrene – he was from Syria. And then Manaen – likely a Roman – he held high status in the Roman system…. having been close friends with Herod. They were all teaching or prophesying. Prophesying could mean God giving them specifics words or visions for the church, or it could mean here more of what we would call preaching today. Either way, the church in Antioch had a strong foundation of preaching and teaching.Now, it's easy for a church to over-emphasize any one of these areas. In our circles – we tend to overemphasize teaching. What I mean is this - we are limited as individuals and as a specific church. And if we dedicate all our time to teaching and studying, then we can miss the other areas of focus. It can turn into a legalism – or a religion without a heart devotion to Christ and mission for the lost. Those things should all be connected.(2) dedicates itself to worship and prayer (Acts 11:24; Acts 13:2);Which brings us to the next area of faithfulness. A dedication to worship and prayer. Notice that in the church in Antioch, they weren't just teaching. No, they had a deep sense of dedication to Christ. First of all, Barnabas modelled a life of faith. It says, “he was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”Have you every met a Barnabas? When you're in that person's presence, you can sense the depth of their devotion to God in Christ… their prayer and piety. And when they speak, there's this humble faith that is infectious. They don't just know the Word, they live the Word – they are filled with the Holy Spirit.And besides Barnabas, in chapter 13 verse 2 – we're given insight into the devotional life of the church in Antioch. It says, “while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting” It's like this little parenthetical comment, but it speaks volumes to the depth of faith. It doesn't say “One time they fasted” rather “they were worshipping and fasting” They were worshipping – of course - praising the Lord. Exalting His name, together. And they were fasting. Fasting means you take a pre-determined break from meals – and instead of eating, you pray. This was part of their identity. Verse 3 repeats their dedication to prayer and fasting. Part of what Barnabas was encouraging them in… was to remain faithful in their worship and prayer. We worship and we pray – both are areas that we can and should grow in. But one area that is weak or non-existent in our lives and church is fasting. Would you consider taking 1 day between now and Easter to fast? Commit… that from the time you wake up until sundown, just drink water. Dedicate the times when you would usually eat to prayer. When you feel the hunger pains, don't get hangry – you know hungry and therefore angry, instead, pray. Do that by yourself, or if you're part of a family, maybe fast together.(3) supports the ‘ends of the earth' ministry of Christ (Acts 11:29-30; Acts 13:2,4); (4) sends out committed witnesses for Christ (Acts 11:20,22,25,26;Acts 13:3,4);Ok, let's take these next two together because they are related. A faithful church supports the ‘ends of the earth' ministry of Christ… and sends out committed witnesses for Christ. We're talking outward ministry and mission - Supporting the broader ministry of the church and sending workers into the harvest.This sending and supporting is the greatest emphasis in this text. It's all over the place.In chapter 11, it's the Christians from Jerusalem who came to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch. Then even within those areas, believers were sent back and forth, preaching the Lord Jesus. Barnabas was sent to Antioch. He found and brought Paul. So, it starts out and Antioch is at first the receiver of the sending and supporting by believers from Jerusalem and surrounding areas.But then, the church in Antioch begins to itself send and support. First, Agabus, the prophet, came from Jerusalem to Antioch. He told of a great famine that would arise. And so what did the church in Antioch do? They sent relief to the believers in Judea.And next we get to the beginning of chapter 13… The Holy Spirit was at work in Antioch! He led them to send off Paul and Barnabas to the mission of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. By the way, this is the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey – and it's the church in Antioch that commissioned Paul and Barnabas.It's easy for an individual church to act as islands unto itself. But this is not God's will for His church – rather, His call is for his church to be working together with other churches, caring for their needs as God has enabled, bearing one another's burdens, and sending out – to either support the work of Christ or to plant new churches in Christ.Earlier this week I was reading Jim Boice's commentary on Acts. Boice was the pastor of Tenth Pres in Philadelphia for many years. He put it this way and I think it's helpful:“A church that is floundering is inadequate even for it's own needs, and it certainly is not alert to the needs of others. A church that does not know where it is coming from, why it is here, or where it is going is not likely to be of use in the missionary enterprise. [Antioch] was a church that in a very short time had become very sound indeed.” And the Lord used that soundnessYou see, the church in Antioch had a clear steadfast purpose… they had a heart for Christ, which was displayed in their worship and devotion… and they had a passion to teach and preach the Word of God - clearly proclaiming the Gospel. And out of that heart for God and mind for truth, God gave them the vision and ability to send and support the work of Christ outside of their city. I know we're only a few months into our ministry here in Tucker, but I have been praying that we would be like the church Antioch – supporting the work of Christ here in Tucker… and sending our own out for the work of Christ to the ends of the earth.(5) defends true faith in Christ (Acts 13:6-11); Before we jump to the blessings that a faithful church receives, there's one final characteristic. A faithful church defends true faith in Christ.In chapter 13 starting in verse 4, Paul and Barnabas had just been sent out by Antioch, in the power of the Holy Spirit. They didn't get far before they were confronted by a false prophet.This man, Elymas, was vehemently opposed the Gospel. His own influence and power was on the line. He had the ear of the proconsul of the region – the proconsul was a governor of sorts. And when Barnabas and Paul arrived, their very presence threatened Elymas. Elymas did whatever he could to dissuade the proconsul – but Paul and Barnabas would have none of it. And look how Paul responded. Verse 10: “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?” Elymas was also known by the name bar-Jesus – or son of Jesus – but he was not follower of Christ. No, Paul called him son of the devil! He called him out for his deceit. And Paul, through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit – blinded the man. And this testimony… this display of the work of God led the proconsul to believe.There are so many false truths… and false Gospels… and false prophecy out there. And our call – the call of the church is to stand firm – to defend true faith in Christ. It's tempting to not want to offend anyone… or to try to be so relevant that we lose the clarity of the Gospel. Friends, the Gospel itself is offensive. 1 Corinthians 1:23 – “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.”May we stand firm as Paul and Barnabas did in the face of opposition… defending true faith in Christ.and experiences the grace of God (Acts 11:21-22) through the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:24; 13:2,4,9) and growth in Him (Acts 11:21,24; 13:12).Ok, here's where we are: A church faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose and a Christ-centered identity (1) teaches and preaches Christ and His Word; (2) dedicates itself to worship and prayer; (3) supports the ‘ends of the earth' ministry of Christ; (4) sends out committed witnesses for Christ; and (5) defends true faith in Christ…And what did their faithful steadfastness in Christ lead to? Well, God's grace abounded in them – his sustaining grace. Going back to chapter 11 verses 21-22. There it says, “the hand of the Lord was with them” and then Barnabas witnessed “the grace of God.” And all throughout, it's the Holy Spirit that has been working in them and through them. So part of the grace of God is the Holy Spirit at work. He draws people closer to Jesus. He calls people to faith, and he gives confidence and help to teach and preach the Word.In Antioch, they were growing• verse 21, again – a great number turned to the Lord. • Verse 24 – a great many people were added to the Lord. • And in chapter 13 – the proconsul himself came to faith in Christ.Let me say it this way – growth is something we should expect – Gospel growth. It's not always necessarily numbers – some contexts and situations are harder than others. But we should be striving for Gospel conversion growth – testifying to and being witnesses for Christ. When that's not happening, we need to be evaluating our faithfulness to God's call… but trusting in the Holy Spirit to be working in His timing, not ours. However, one thing we can certainly expect is growth in righteousness and grace and wisdom. When we are faithful as a church in all of these areas – he will bless us in maturity and deeper faith and obedience to His Word.ConclusionOne of the most remarkable things about fractals is that their beauty comes out of their details. Fractals are not formed from the top-down. No, rather, their very elegant patterns are formed one point at a time – from the bottom up. Each point building on the one before – and working together to form the wonder of each design.In the same way, starting with the church in Jerusalem and Antioch – God has been forming an amazing array and network of his church and his people throughout the world. And God's design continues that with you, with me, with all the believers in Christ throughout history. What God has been doing through His Holy Spirit is first applying His salvation in each of our lives. Applying the work of Christ on the cross and the hope of the resurrection to each of us. And he's using each believer to build his church – using the gifts He's given us. And each step of the way is like a beautiful fractal coming together as his church is formed through us… each one of us contributing to the overall display of splendor and wonder.And when we as individuals and a church seek to be faithful, embracing our identity in Christ, it's then that we will begin to see and realize the amazing work that God is accomplishing to the ends of the earth.May we at Tucker Pres be a church faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose and a Christ-centered identity that teaches and preaches Christ and His Word; that dedicates ourselves to worship and prayer; that supports the ‘ends of the earth' ministry of Christ; that sends out committed witnesses for Christ; and that defends true faith in Christ… so that we may experience the grace of God through His Spirit and grow in HimAmen.

March 03 2021 Wednesday  Paul(Saul) Was A Religious Perecutor / Share This Podcast On Your Social Media  Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Acts 9:1-2  Paul(Saul) Seeking To Persecute The Lord's Followers… Acts 7:58-60  Paul Watches Stephen Be Stoned… Acts 9:10-14  Ananias Was Afraid To Lay Hands On Paul… 1 John 1:9  Repent Confess Your Sins Unto God… John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Acts 10:34  God Is No Respecter Of Person… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney ... When did the New Testament church begin?  How did the church become established?   There was no New Testament church when Jesus walked on this earth in the form of a man.  There was only the synagogue of the Jews.   As HE lived on this earth, Jesus appointed 12 apostles to be His disciples, including Judas who betrayed HIM.   After Jesus was resurrected, the 11 apostles selected 2 men over which they drew lots to see who would replace Judas.     Acts 1:26   And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.   (So Matthias became the 12th apostle.)   As this was happening, Paul (Saul) was busy persecuting the followers of Jesus.  From heaven Jesus called Paul and spoke to Paul making Paul an apostle.   Paul tells us this story in Acts 26 as he testified before king Agrippa.   Acts 26:9-19   I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.  And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. 12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in ME. 19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:   So where does Paul fit in the church?  They already have 12 apostles.     Here is the story of the New Testament church and our calling today as "saints".   ( Click here for podcast and to see scriptures )

In this episode, Arnie and Fred continue their discussion of the persecution of Christians in the first century. We note that this persecution resulted from riots, false charges, brutal assaults and even murders on numerous occasions. We talk about the riot that occurred in Ephesus, as well as the murder of Antipas at Pergamos and the persecution of the members of the church at Smyrna. There were false brethren who engaged in persecution and even relatives who persecuted their own family members. Saints in the first century risked their lives to teach and preach the gospel and to protect other brethren at the risk of their own lives. Finally, we talk about Jesus' death on the cross which resulted from persecution by a criminal conspiracy at the highest levels of the Jewish government. Take about 30 minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your bible available to verify what we are saying. Be aware that there is a transcript provided as well that you can follow along on.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.IntroductionIn these NT character podcasts, we have already heard a lesson on the apostles Paul and Andrew. We continue our study with the balance of the better known apostles; the lesser known ones we will cover all together in the final podcast on the apostles.For Catholics he is the majestic prince of the apostles, as a visit to the Vatican will quickly remind one. The Orthodox view is nearer that of the Protestants: although he is a major apostle, he is no pope. Yet Protestants further downgrade Peter, perhaps in overreaction to papal claims. What is the truth about this man?Peter is mentioned nearly 180x in the NT (compared to nearly 300 mentions of Paul/Saul). Yet, though there isn't as much biblical material on him as there is in Paul's case, still Peter is a monumental character, and it would be impossible to sum up his life in a single podcast.He is often mentioned in the Gospels and in Acts 1-12. Then he appears in Acts 15. Paul refers to him in Galatians 2. Peter identifies himself in the salutations of 1 and 2 Peter. Further (speculative) information about Peter, lacking in the Bible, was more than made up for in later tradition!His letters reflect many of Jesus' teachings in the gospels. In addition, one historic event is alluded to -- the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16-18).Personal The name Petros (English Peter) comes from the Greek word for rock. In Aramaic he was Cephas, pronounced kay-pah (John 1:42; 1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:22, 9:5, 15:5; Galatians 1:18, 2:9,11,14). We might call him "Rocky." Since he's the son of Jonah (bar Jonah), a modernized equivalent for his full name would be "Rocky Johnson."Peter hailed from Bethsaida, which was also the home of Philip (John 1:44). This town has been excavated from 1987 on, and was soon afterwards identified as the biblical Bethsaida. What then about his "house" in Capernaum?Peter was a simple fisherman (Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16; Acts 4:13).He was married; in Mark 1:29 his mother-in-law was healed, and in 1 Corinthians 9:5.As for 1-2 Peter, like most ancient writers, Peter employed the services of a scribe. The man who helped him write 1 Peter was Silvanus (1 Peter 5:12), also called Silas. Who assisted Peter with his second letter, we do not know. MinistryIntroduction to Jesus"We have found the Messiah" -- recruited by his brother Andrew (John 1:41).He was first called of the apostles, and this appointment is recorded in Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:14.Phase I: Training with the Twelve (Matthew 4-Acts 1), 27-30 ADPhase II: Twelve Years of Church Ministry (Acts 2-12), 30-42 ADPhase III: Later ministry (Acts 15, 1-2 Peter, later traditions), 49-64 ADConnection with Mark. 1 Peter 5:13 -- He is now in Rome (represented by the code-word "Babylon"), and close to Mark, who Papias says recorded Peter's words: "Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took special care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements. -- Eusebius, Church HistoryPreeminence?"For they say that Peter and James and John after the ascension of our Savior, as if also preferred by our Lord, strove not after honor, but chose James the Just as overseer of Jerusalem." -- Clement of Alexandria, c.190 AD.Papacy -- Orthodox do not recognize Peter as having been over the church at Jerusalem.Evidence of Acts 15.Spheres of influence -- see 2 Corinthians 10:16, Galatians 2:8.Snapshots Matthew 16:21-24 -- misunderstanding the call to follow Christ.Matthew 26:51-54 (see John 18:10, and hear the podcast on Malchus) -- Peter is rebuked for using force to prevent harm coming to Jesus.John 21:15-22 -- challenged to love Jesus above all, and without comparing his situation to those of other disciples.Acts 10:1-11:18 -- challenged to rethink the old law, in full acceptance of Gentiles as fellow believers.Galatians 2:11-14 -- challenged by Paul not to vacillate on this important principle. (2 Peter 3:15-16 -- continued respect for Paul.)1 Peter 5:1 -- a fellow elder and witness of Christ's sufferings. Peter had walked with the Lord a long time, received many corrections, and learned a lot about leadership by the time he was in his 60s.Martyrdom "Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:18-19). Crucified upside-down in Rome (Acts of Peter). Josephus comments that Roman soldiers used to amuse themselves by crucifying persons in various positions.Passages and sources mentionedMatthew-John; Acts 1:14, 10:1-11:18; Galatians 2:8, 1 Peter 1:1, 5:1,13; 2 Peter 1:1, 3:15-16.Apocryphal works: Acts of Peter, Gospel of Peter, Preaching of Peter, Apocalypse of Peter, Judgment of PeterEusebius, Church History, Book 3, Chapter 39.15-16.You might also want to read the 9 lessons on 1-2 Peter in the NT Studies series (this website).Lessons for usMoral lesson 1: Think before you speak.Moral lesson 2: Be humble. God isn't limited to doing great things in your life only when you are "top dog."Life observation 1: People change, especially when they follow Jesus long enough.Life observation 2: The Christian journey is full of corrections. We need get good at accepting criticism from others (in humility).Life observation 3: Better step out in faith and be corrected than hold back in timidity. Growth comes through daring to act.

This episode looks at Acts 7 and I Timothy 1 and shows us the life Paul lived before He encountered Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul (Saul) told his son in the faith, Timothy, that because of all he had done before surrendering his life to Jesus, he considered himself the chiefest of sinners. In reality, we should all see ourselves the same way. We learn from this lesson that we have all sinned and need God's grace and mercy.For those who use Word Aflame Curriculum, the Bible passage focused on in this episode comes from Lesson 5 of The Living Word, Fall 2020, entitled, "Chiefest of Sinners" (October 4, 2020). This episode is produced by the Pentecostal Publishing House and is hosted by Jonathan McClintock. Visit us at www.pentecostalpublishing.com

Join us as we follow Paul (Saul) out on his first missionary journey. A careful reading of the text will shed considerable context of what is happening with Paul and Barnabas.

In this weeks study of Matthew chapter 2 we hit on the Magi and their gifts as well as Jesus and his young family as they follow God's instructions to travel down to Egypt. We further look at God talking with people throughout the Bible including Moses (through the burning bush) and Jesus talking to the apostle Paul (Saul at that time). The main point of this week's study is looking at the ways that God speaks to us today.

The Holy Spirit is a game changer. When the Holy Spirit come into your life, it changes everything. It fills you with a spirit of power and life and love.In the Old testament the Holy Spirit would come on people but it would not come on everyone.The first person mentioned in the Bible that became full of the Spirit was Bezalel. He was an artist and built the first temple. He was a construction worker.Then there was Joshua. Then Gideon. Then Samson. Then Saul. They were all filled with the Spirit and when the Spirit came in, it was a game changer. Everything changed.The early church exploded when the Holy Spirit came. Look what happened to Paul/Saul. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 Paul accredited his message and preaching with a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” That is good news. It isn’t resting on you if you have the game changer with you.Your faith should be based on God’s power through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to come on us. He wants to move through us. We can’t be content with just having the Spirit fill us. He wants to move through us to fill others.Jesus wants us to partner with the Holy Spirit. In John 14:12 Jesus says “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing. And they will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father.”When the Holy Spirit fills us, He changes the game. He changes the situation. He changes our schools, our jobs, our families and the way that we think. God is love. There is nothing more powerful than God’s love.

Christos Tsiolkas' stunning new novel Damascus is a work of soaring ambition and achievement, of immense power and epic scope, taking as its subject nothing less than events surrounding the birth and establishment of the Christian church. Based around the gospels and letters of St Paul, and focusing on characters one and two generations on from the death of Christ, as well as Paul (Saul) himself, Damascus nevertheless explores the themes that have always obsessed Tsiolkas as a writer: class, religion, masculinity, patriarchy, colonisation, exile; the ways in which nations, societies, communities, families and individuals are united and divided - it's all here, the contemporary and urgent questions, perennial concerns made vivid and visceral. In Damascus, Tsiolkas has written a masterpiece of imagination and transformation: an historical novel of immense power and an unflinching dissection of doubt and faith, tyranny and revolution, and cruelty and sacrifice. Join Christos as he speaks candidly with fellow author and long-time friend Malcolm Knox about his own winding path to Damascus.

  If you've grown up in church - and maybe even if you haven't - you've probably heard of the conversion of Paul the apostle. Initially, as the story goes, Saul was an enemy of Christians and had them arrested. He was even at the murder/martyrdom of the deacon Stephen, and was apparently the government official there that signed off on his impromptu (and likely illegal) execution. So far, so good - all accurate. Then, later on the Damascus Road, as Acts 9 tells it, Saul meets Jesus, and becomes a Christian. For the rest of his life after meeting Jesus, Saul is now known as Paul because Jesus has not only changed his heart, but changed his name! Great story, bro, but... is that what really happened? Actually, it isn't. But - before we discuss Saul/Paul and biblical names, let's read Acts 9 together! Fantastic testimony! Saul is such a notorious enemy of Christians that when God directly tells the prophet Ananias to go pray for him, Ananias has the temerity (or perhaps, the foolishness) to try and tell God that He was mistaken about sending Ananias to go and pray healing for Saul. God convinces Him that He's right, and Ananias is wrong - duh - and then Saul is healed and delivered. And then, Ananias gives him his new name - right? Actually, no. Saul is still Saul. In fact, in Acts 9:19-20, we see that Saul has become an evangelistic dynamo: "Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.” But...his name is still Saul! Later, Saul goes to Jerusalem to try and join the church there, but they are still afraid of him, so he decides to change his name to something more Jewish sounding, right? Actually, no - he remains Saul...and Saul is a Hebrew name! Then we take a Saul break for a couple of chapters to let Peter eat some goats and pigs and such. At the end of chapter 11, the focus turns back to Saul, who has been sort of exiled to his hometown of Tarsus partially because Christians are afraid of him, but mostly because people that aren't Christians are after him. But - praise God! - good old Barnabas, the son of encouragement, comes along, and takes Saul (that's still his name) to the church in Antioch, which is a Greek/Gentile city that would be in modern day Turkey. At Antioch, Saul becomes a valued member of the church AND IS STILL CALLED SAUL. Finally, we get to Acts 13. The Gentile church at Antioch is flourishing, and filled with seasoned prophets and teachers from many different nations, including at least two Africans: Lucius of Cyrene and a guy named Simeon the Black (which is a pretty cool name, if you ask me). The Holy Spirit sets apart two of those prophet/teachers for an evangelism mission, and calls them out by name: Barnabas and SAUL. Yes, God Himself calls him Saul years after His conversion. And then we get to the changeover - blink and you miss it! 9 But Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit Acts 13:9 And after that its Paul, the whole Paul and nothing but the Paul. Following that verse, the only time we hear the name "Saul" in the Bible is when Paul is recounting His testimony on the Damascus road. In every other instance, he is simply called 'Paul.' So - our big question: Why did Saul become Paul? And the answer is - HE DIDN'T! Saul is both a Roman citizen and a Hebrew citizen, and as such, he would have two names - a very common practice in the first century. I have a good friend with Mexican origins who is called Johnny by most people here in Salinas, California, but his real name is Juan. Something very similar is happening here with Saul/Paul. (Read more about dual names here) Some dual names came about because a person had an encounter with God, and God changes their name. Abram becomes Abraham, and Jacob the deceiver becomes Israel the overcomer. But in Saul's case - Saul was his Hebrew name, and Paul his Greek/Gentile name, and that is what he went by once God called him to take the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles. I have no doubt that if one of Paul's old Hebrew friends had seen him, that he would have hailed him as 'Saul.' and Paul/Saul would have answered without batting an eye. One last little rabbit trail about names. Let's say that you and I encounter a certain dashing British fellow (or lady, as is the case at the moment) who is a Doctor, but not the medical kind. And this Doctor has a an interesting blue police box that is larger on the inside than on the outside and - HOLY COW! it can go back in time. If our Doctor friend asks me where to go - I'd immediately ask to go back to first century Jerusalem - I want to see Jesus! Here's the sort of interesting thing. If I could speak Aramaic - which was the dominant Jewish spoken language at the time - I would have a very hard time finding Jesus, no matter how many people I asked. They would probably look at me like I was crazy, and tell me they had never heard of a 'Jesus!' What if I asked for Saul, or Paul or Luke, or Matthew, or Peter? I'd get the same response! Why - because those people are myths that only appear in the Bible? NO!! Because Jesus wasn't called Jesus when He was here, and neither was Saul/Paul called Saul/Paul, or Luke called Luke or Matthew called Matthew or Peter called Peter! Confused yet? Well - don't be. Those names are ENGLISH - and English was not a language in the first century A.D. Saul's name would be pronounced more like "Shaul." (with an SH!) His Greek name would have been Paulos. How about Peter - you mean Petros (Greek) or Shimon Ben Yonah (Hebrew) or Keephah - the apparent Aramaic transliteration of the word 'stone.') Luke would be Loukas, and Matthew would be Levi or Matthean. What about Jesus? Well, most likely, he would have been Yehoshua Ben Yosef, which was later shortened to Yeshua Ben Yosef. Both are shortened forms of Joshua, son of Joseph, and the Hebrew name means "YHVH is salvation." Jesus name in Greek is apparently a transliteration of the Hebrew, and is " Iesous" which is pronounced sort of like Ee-ay-soos. Our English word 'Jesus' comes from that via a complicated bit of etymology that would be somewhat boring to non word-geeks. Here's a bit of a stunner if you haven't realized it yet: the name 'Jesus' and the name 'Joshua' are the same names in terms of meaning and origin. Joshua is an anglicized version of Yeshua and Jesus is an anglicized version of the Greek Iesous. (note: anglicized means " make English in form or character. ") We will talk at length about the name Jesus/Iesous at some point in an upcoming pod, but for now it is good to simply remember that Jesus/Peter/Paul/Luke/Mark, etc. are Anglicized versions of Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic names.

  If you've grown up in church - and maybe even if you haven't - you've probably heard of the conversion of Paul the apostle. Initially, as the story goes, Saul was an enemy of Christians and had them arrested. He was even at the murder/martyrdom of the deacon Stephen, and was apparently the government official there that signed off on his impromptu (and likely illegal) execution. So far, so good - all accurate. Then, later on the Damascus Road, as Acts 9 tells it, Saul meets Jesus, and becomes a Christian. For the rest of his life after meeting Jesus, Saul is now known as Paul because Jesus has not only changed his heart, but changed his name! Great story, bro, but... is that what really happened? Actually, it isn't. But - before we discuss Saul/Paul and biblical names, let's read Acts 9 together! Fantastic testimony! Saul is such a notorious enemy of Christians that when God directly tells the prophet Ananias to go pray for him, Ananias has the temerity (or perhaps, the foolishness) to try and tell God that He was mistaken about sending Ananias to go and pray healing for Saul. God convinces Him that He's right, and Ananias is wrong - duh - and then Saul is healed and delivered. And then, Ananias gives him his new name - right? Actually, no. Saul is still Saul. In fact, in Acts 9:19-20, we see that Saul has become an evangelistic dynamo: "Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.” But...his name is still Saul! Later, Saul goes to Jerusalem to try and join the church there, but they are still afraid of him, so he decides to change his name to something more Jewish sounding, right? Actually, no - he remains Saul...and Saul is a Hebrew name! Then we take a Saul break for a couple of chapters to let Peter eat some goats and pigs and such. At the end of chapter 11, the focus turns back to Saul, who has been sort of exiled to his hometown of Tarsus partially because Christians are afraid of him, but mostly because people that aren't Christians are after him. But - praise God! - good old Barnabas, the son of encouragement, comes along, and takes Saul (that's still his name) to the church in Antioch, which is a Greek/Gentile city that would be in modern day Turkey. At Antioch, Saul becomes a valued member of the church AND IS STILL CALLED SAUL. Finally, we get to Acts 13. The Gentile church at Antioch is flourishing, and filled with seasoned prophets and teachers from many different nations, including at least two Africans: Lucius of Cyrene and a guy named Simeon the Black (which is a pretty cool name, if you ask me). The Holy Spirit sets apart two of those prophet/teachers for an evangelism mission, and calls them out by name: Barnabas and SAUL. Yes, God Himself calls him Saul years after His conversion. And then we get to the changeover - blink and you miss it! 9 But Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit Acts 13:9 And after that its Paul, the whole Paul and nothing but the Paul. Following that verse, the only time we hear the name "Saul" in the Bible is when Paul is recounting His testimony on the Damascus road. In every other instance, he is simply called 'Paul.' So - our big question: Why did Saul become Paul? And the answer is - HE DIDN'T! Saul is both a Roman citizen and a Hebrew citizen, and as such, he would have two names - a very common practice in the first century. I have a good friend with Mexican origins who is called Johnny by most people here in Salinas, California, but his real name is Juan. Something very similar is happening here with Saul/Paul. (Read more about dual names here) Some dual names came about because a person had an encounter with God, and God changes their name. Abram becomes Abraham, and Jacob the deceiver becomes Israel the overcomer. But in Saul's case - Saul was his Hebrew name, and Paul his Greek/Gentile name, and that is what he went by once God called him to take the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles. I have no doubt that if one of Paul's old Hebrew friends had seen him, that he would have hailed him as 'Saul.' and Paul/Saul would have answered without batting an eye. One last little rabbit trail about names. Let's say that you and I encounter a certain dashing British fellow (or lady, as is the case at the moment) who is a Doctor, but not the medical kind. And this Doctor has a an interesting blue police box that is larger on the inside than on the outside and - HOLY COW! it can go back in time. If our Doctor friend asks me where to go - I'd immediately ask to go back to first century Jerusalem - I want to see Jesus! Here's the sort of interesting thing. If I could speak Aramaic - which was the dominant Jewish spoken language at the time - I would have a very hard time finding Jesus, no matter how many people I asked. They would probably look at me like I was crazy, and tell me they had never heard of a 'Jesus!' What if I asked for Saul, or Paul or Luke, or Matthew, or Peter? I'd get the same response! Why - because those people are myths that only appear in the Bible? NO!! Because Jesus wasn't called Jesus when He was here, and neither was Saul/Paul called Saul/Paul, or Luke called Luke or Matthew called Matthew or Peter called Peter! Confused yet? Well - don't be. Those names are ENGLISH - and English was not a language in the first century A.D. Saul's name would be pronounced more like "Shaul." (with an SH!) His Greek name would have been Paulos. How about Peter - you mean Petros (Greek) or Shimon Ben Yonah (Hebrew) or Keephah - the apparent Aramaic transliteration of the word 'stone.') Luke would be Loukas, and Matthew would be Levi or Matthean. What about Jesus? Well, most likely, he would have been Yehoshua Ben Yosef, which was later shortened to Yeshua Ben Yosef. Both are shortened forms of Joshua, son of Joseph, and the Hebrew name means "YHVH is salvation." Jesus name in Greek is apparently a transliteration of the Hebrew, and is " Iesous" which is pronounced sort of like Ee-ay-soos. Our English word 'Jesus' comes from that via a complicated bit of etymology that would be somewhat boring to non word-geeks. Here's a bit of a stunner if you haven't realized it yet: the name 'Jesus' and the name 'Joshua' are the same names in terms of meaning and origin. Joshua is an anglicized version of Yeshua and Jesus is an anglicized version of the Greek Iesous. (note: anglicized means " make English in form or character. ") We will talk at length about the name Jesus/Iesous at some point in an upcoming pod, but for now it is good to simply remember that Jesus/Peter/Paul/Luke/Mark, etc. are Anglicized versions of Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic names.

We are despised, yet we grow. We are tortured and crucified and yet we flourish. We are hated and still we multiply. Why is that? You must wonder, how is it we survive?' Christos Tsiolkas' stunning new novel Damascus is a work of soaring ambition and achievement, of immense power and epic scope, taking as its subject nothing less than events surrounding the birth and establishment of the Christian church. Based around the gospels and letters of St Paul, and focusing on characters one and two generations on from the death of Christ, as well as Paul (Saul) himself, Damascus nevertheless explores the themes that have always obsessed Tsiolkas as a writer: class, religion, masculinity, patriarchy, colonisation, refugees; the ways in which nations, societies, communities, families and individuals are united and divided - it's all here, the contemporary and urgent questions, perennial concerns made vivid and visceral. In Damascus, Tsiolkas has written a masterpiece of imagination and transformation: an historical novel of immense power and an unflinching dissection of doubt and faith, tyranny and revolution, and cruelty and sacrifice.

The Life Of Paul Saul Week 4 by Adore Church

The Life Of Paul Saul Week 3 by Adore Church

The Life Of Paul Saul Week 2 by Adore Church

The Life Of Paul / Saul 1 by Adore Church

In chapters 14 and 15, the apostle Paul/Saul directly addresses the conflict between factions in the house churches of Rome. Namely, he points out that there is division among them along cultural and ethnic lines after the Jewish disciples who were expelled from Rome begin returning only to find a gentile-dominated church that no longer…

This is the first message in a new teaching series, exploring the letter to the church at Rome, written by the apostle Paul/Saul. In this message, Pastor T. C. introduces the series and explains why reading Romans “backwards” helps keep the theology of the letter in its social and ecclesial contexts, as well as making…

In the Book of Acts chapter nine we see how one man, named Saul, set out to destroy Christians. In his anger, he was determined to stop the first century church from growing, and then, he was asked one question...

In the Book of Acts chapter nine we see how one man, named Saul, set out to destroy Christians. In his anger, he was determined to stop the first century church from growing, and then, he was asked one question...

In the Book of Acts chapter nine we see how one man, named Saul, set out to destroy Christians. In his anger, he was determined to stop the first century church from growing, and then, he was asked one question...

Today there are many people who are realizing that Christianity is not the "Religion of the Messiah Jesus (PBUH)". Whether you realize it or not Paul (Saul, the 13th self-appointed apostle) is the one you are following,Jesus vs Paul - TRUE Christianity vs FALSE Paulianity

Are you being called to be on mission? As you go out to proclaim the Gospel and be involved with church plants around the world, be mindful of the following: that the enemy has no desire to see you reveal Christ to others but that you have the armor of God with you (Ephesians 6:10-20). This week, we'll continue in the book of Acts as Paul (Saul) and Barnabus demonstrate how we can all don that armor and be strategic on mission.

Are you being called to be on mission? As you go out to proclaim the Gospel and be involved with church plants around the world, be mindful of the following: that the enemy has no desire to see you reveal Christ to others but that you have the armor of God with you (Ephesians 6:10-20). This week, we'll continue in the book of Acts as Paul (Saul) and Barnabus demonstrate how we can all don that armor and be strategic on mission.

Acts chapter 9

Finally Matt and DJ are back in the studio! Questions: During the Thessalonians discussion Matt mentioned how the book was one of Paul early letters (I think he said Galatians might have been first). That got me pondering Paul’s spiritual growth (stay with me here). We are encouraged and exhorted to keep growing and revising our views ("if it’s alive it grows" I think MJ says). I know my views and opinions have changed enormously over my Christian journey. Things that took up a lot of my time (and caused unnecessary anxiety) when I was a young Christian seem irrelevant now. So did Paul’s views change as he matured? Is there clues of this in his letters? If not – why not? PAUL S. Reading 1 Thess 2:17-3:13 - just wondering about Paul - her persecution/trials - and he speaks of being destined for them in 3:3. My bible had a cross reference to Acts 9:16 - it got me thinking - and my question is - Is Paul’s persecution - “how he must suffer for my name” ... is it Gods justice - the scales being balanced - Paul (Saul) persecuted the christians and therefore persecuted God (acts 9:4). And then God selects him to be his chosen instrument and therefore suffers for his name. It almost seems like a kind of sowing and reaping,(Gal 6:7) he sows persecution and therefore reaps persecution. And I can see that he also is tremendously blessed after his transformation from Saul to Paul, but it just made me wonder because God is a just God. CHERYNE my question was related to 1 Timothy 1:5 - I was just wondering about what the significance of “heart” is in the bible - why do christians/the bible speak of “pure heart”, matters of the heart etc - some religions talk about 3rd eyes, etc why to do we speak about the heart, I’m assuming it’s not the actual organ in our body. Why is love related to the heart? I’d like to know a bit of background about the word heart as used in the bible please. ANON I’d like some explanation of 1Tim 4:10 “we put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those who believe”. This seems to imply that everyone will be saved, especially those who believe! Is this the basis of the (errant) doctrine of Christian Universalism? What does it mean? PAUL S. 1 Timothy 5 - does anyone know what vs 23 is all about? It just seems rather random. “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” Is this a metaphor or is Paul speaking literally? C. BIRD. Matthew mentions: The Nicene Creed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed and The Athanasian Creed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasian_Creed

Listen as the SoL-Mates kick of Halloween month by plumbing the depths of their fears AND their Southern accents with Squirm! Also, be sure to look for literature regarding our burgeoning Cult of Coily! ALL HAIL THE SPRING!Host segments: sex and sketti; The Birds, but worms; Devori has beef with Mick; mostly water and goo; Gil's Paul/Saul moment; Jeff's worm academy; masturbation trunk. (CW: attempted rape)Be sure to like, rate, share, and subscribe! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and e-mail us at solmatespodcast@gmail.com

Bozeman, MT- Steven Rinella talks with historian and religious scholar Bracy V. Hill, along with Michelle Jorgensen and Janis Putelis of the MeatEater crew.   Subjects Discussed: The intersection of religion and the history of hunting in America; the evolution of America's hunting culture; a two-part history of Paul/Saul; the connection between the creation story and blue laws; radical religious groups; masculinity and the symbol of life and death; the saga of Jacob and Esau; hunters walking the edge; feast and famine; what's up with Nimrod?; God is a hunter; a religious critique of hunting; rock concerts and religious experiences; and more. To learn more about the studies, books, and ideas referenced in this episode, check out the show notes here.

Could you talk a bit about 1. Logical problems with Christian theology 2. The morality of Christian theology 3. How diverse Christian theology is with its liberal churches (universalism) to its exclusive churches(fundamental) and are they reconcilable? What do you think of Rob Bellâ??s idea when bad things happen, people try to control the balance, by making sacrifices to the gods. The codification of these sacrifices in Leviticus stops the bigger-and-bigger effect, and finally Jesus is there to provide a way for humans to stop their self destruction in an attempt to appease God. He goes on to argue that the only acceptable sacrifice is to give up one's time and money to help others. Do you know why the question of who the Historical Jesus really was always mirrors the person asking the question? Does 1 John 4 refer to the OT prophets when it says, "many false prophets have gone out into the world", and "Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God"? In Acts 13:2-3, Paul (Saul) and Barnabas are designated by the Spirit to go on a missionary journey. It says nothing about John Mark, who we later hear did accompany them, after which Paul refused to work with him again. Does this imply the Spirit did not choose Mark? And does John Mark stand for Marcion? Doe the passage imply an attempt to distance Marcion from his favorite apostle, Paul? Acts 12:20-23 reports that Herod was struck down by the angel of God and eaten by worms and died. Is there any reliable record about how this Herod died? Does Luke 7:28 ("I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.") imply John has no free will and has to follow a narrowly scripted fate given to him by God, and that, not having acted by free choice, John would be last in the Kingdom of God? â??Holy Mackerel:â?? was it derived from Holy Immaculate? Suppose there is, as you often jokingly suggest, a "fourth person of the Trinity." I nominate Melchizedek.  I'm really interested to hear your take on the disparity between archaeological evidence for scribal activity in Jerusalem during the Persian period, vs the fact that so many scriptures are conventionally dated to that period. What are we doing in saying grace?  And when we say a â??blessing,â?? just who is blessing whom, or blessing what?  My question is whether or not the OT idea of the firstborn sacrifice may have plausibly played into the actual conception and reason for creating this archangel, Jesus, who would become the ultimate sacrifice. Before I commit to the effort of reading "Did Jesus Live 100 years BC?" could you please briefly outline the hypothesis, in terms of what the best evidence for and against it is? Was Yahweh circumcised? I noticed that Methuselah died in the same year that the Great Flood began. Did YHWH postpone the flood until Methuselahâ??s death, or did Methuselah actually drown in the flood? I find the idea that 'the birth of Christianity could have been a hoax to help create a better world' fascinating. Is that plausible? Might Paul (or one of the other first Christians) have derived the belief that Jesus was the first fruits of the general resurrection at the end of days, so the end times were imminent, from a hallucination of Jesus whom they inferred had risen? And, Mark could have learned this apocalyptic stuff from Paul, and simply invented the apocalyptic material in his gospel. Therefore, there is no reason to suppose, as Ehrman does, that the historical Jesus, if there was one, was an apocalyptic prophet. How about this? The first Christians invented a story of an atoning Christ, keeping the philosophy of love paramount, but substituting the temple cult with, to use Paulâ??s words, a simple and pure (2 Cor 11:3-5) faith in Christ? Do you think that the whole idea of Paulâ??s inability to physically write might have been a rationalization for all the letters from Paul coming in with different handwriting?

Mark begins his initial interview of Paul in this 2nd chapter of Paul: a legal case study where Mark is reviewing the life of Paul as a potential new client. In this first part of Mark's interview we obtain Paul’s background including origin of his names, appearance, and family history. We learn Paul/Saul was born a Roman citizen in Tarsus of Clicia. He was not an only child, multilingual, and as a Pharisee could trace his lineage back to the tribe of Benjamin. Listen to Mark talk more about Paul and what his role as a Pharisee meant.

This was the sermon for the 2016 commissioning service for Royal Family Kids Camp. Taken from the book of Acts (mostly from the area between Acts 11:27 and Acts 15:41), this sermon recounts the story of the relationship between Paul and John Mark and poi

Ever wonder what someone would say if they risen to notoriety and was an expert in Judaism as well as in Christianity? Look no further. See what Paul/Saul has to say in today's message.