Podcasts about read john

Today we have reporter John Sharp on to talk about freedom of information and how Alabama agencies continue to drag up the rear among states in getting information out that you and I have a right to see. Read John's reporting on public information here. First, we have evolving vape sales rules, a historic library's reopening, and a contraband air-drop into a prison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

44CD 1718 Happy Mother's Day 2025 AM Service May 11, 2025In a story about some of the worst Mother's Day gifts ever given, the Houston Chronicle reported a story about Jerry Maltz giving his wife an iron. He got the message when she gave him an ironing board for Father's Day.Source: Houston Chronicle, May 7, 2013 - By Alyson Ward,Staff WriterFor some this is a very hard time, so let's be comforted by the Word of the Lord: *Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.In the New Heaven and New Earth the Lord has prepared for us there will be full satisfaction, peace with rest! Now for our opening text please:*Text: Luke 2:21-24 & 41-52 -We're going to look it 3 simple things today:#1 Mother's Responsibility to Children #2 Children's Responsibility to Mothers, Parents#3 Being a Spiritual Mother *Read John 2:1-11 -*Read John 19:25-27 -*Read Titus 2:1 & 3-5 -Closing Illustration: She Gave Her Life for Her SonWhen the California gold fever broke out, a man went there, leaving his wife in New England with his boy. As soon as he got on and was successful he was to send for them. It was a long time before he succeeded, but at last he got money enough to send for them. The wife's heart leaped for joy. She took her boy to New York, got on board a Pacific steamer, and sailed away to San Francisco.They had not been long at sea before the cry of “Fire! fire!” rang through the ship, and rapidly it gained on them. There was a powder magazine on board, and the captain knew the moment the fire reached the powder, every man, woman, and child must perish.They got out the life-boats, but they were too small! In a minute they were overcrowded. The last one was just pushing away, when the mother pled with them to take her and her boy. “No,” they said, “we have got as many as we can hold.” She entreated them so earnestly, that at last they said they would take one more. Do you think she leaped into that boat and left her boy to die? No! She seized her boy, gave him one last hug, kissed him, and dropped him over into the boat. “My boy,” she said, “if you live to see your father, tell him that I died in your place.”That is a faint picture of what Christ has done for us. He laid down his life for us. He died that we might live. Now will you not love Him? What would you say of that young man if he should speak contemptuously of such a mother! She went down to a watery grave to save her son. Well, shall we speak contemptuously of such a Saviour? May God make us loyal to Christ!Source: Anecdotes and Illustrations of D. L. Moody, D. L. MoodySupport the show

On this Memorial Day, we pause to reflect on the true meaning of this solemn holiday—not just a day of rest and recreation, but a time to remember and honor the men and women who laid down their lives in service to our country. Lynette Kittle takes us back to the origins of Memorial Day, offering historical perspective and spiritual comfort for those grieving their loss. Through Scripture and prayer, we are reminded that while their sacrifice brings sorrow, it also points to the ultimate hope we have in Christ. Themes Explored: The history and purpose of Memorial Day Honoring military sacrifice with reverence and gratitude The eternal hope for those who die in Christ Comfort for grieving families The call to remember freedom's cost Scripture Reference John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Mark kicks off our new series, Moment with Jesus, by a series of stories detailing the power of a glance. In these stories we explore the power of God's face, Peter's denials, and Jesus' mercy. John 21:3-9, 15-19 www.thevineaustin.org DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What images or stories have formed your view of the "face of God?" 2. When you survey the stories in this sermon, how would you describe Peter's personality? 3. Read John 21:15-19. Why do you think Jesus created that conversation with Peter on the beach? What was he seeking to do and to undo? 4. What have you taken with you from the sermon- what do you find encouraging or curious? 5. Why is the most important thing about us not "what comes to mind when we think of God" but "what comes to God's mind when God thinks of us?"

Discussion Questions:Sermon Overview Everyone who believes in Jesus has been born of the Spirit and has eternal life.Digging Deeper    Read John 3:1-15 1. Ezekiel 36:25-27 reads as follows: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”How does this passage help us understand what Jesus is saying in John 3? 2. What is spiritual birth according to this passage? 3. Jesus calls Nicodemus (as well as you and me) to believe in him. What are some of the reasons we should trust Jesus (from this passage)?  4. In John 3:14-15, Jesus points us back to Numbers 21:4-9. How does the story in Numbers help us better grasp the gospel?  5. How is it better that a relationship with God and eternal life are based on God's initiating new birth rather than something else, like living a good life or being religious, etc?6. If you follow Jesus, when you reflect on the fact that you didn't cause your own spiritual birth, how does that affect your gratitude or humility before God?7. How might we grow in awe, wonder, and gratitude for this unmerited gift of God's grace?  8. What fears or hesitations do you have about sharing your faith? How does this passage challenge or encourage you?9. Pastor Brett reminded us that because new birth is something God does, he can save even those who seem hard and far from him! The salvation of others does not depend on our persuasiveness or others' perceived openness. Does this encourage you? Does this spur you in your witness to unbelieving family members, neighbors, or co-workers? Why or why not? Please share.10. This passage calls those who have not yet placed their trust in Christ to see their need for what he has done, and trust him alone for entry into God's kingdom. How might you use this story as you interact with those who don't know Jesus?11. If someone were to say, “I'm trying to live a good life to get into heaven,” how would you use this passage to respond?Prayer

Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor | May 25, 2025 Referenced Scripture: Mark 10:45, John 13:1-17, Luke 18:40-41, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 Reflection Questions: 1. What does serving someone communicate about them? What does it communicate about the one who serves? What makes a lifestyle of serving and focusing on the needs of others difficult? What keeps us from serving others? 2. Why is serving important to the mission of helping people come to know and follow Jesus? 3. Read John 13:1-17. What observations do you make about serving from this example of Jesus? 4. Why do you think Jesus chose to wash His disciples' feet the night before His crucifixion? How would you have felt if you had been there? 5. Why is it significant that God himself took on the task of the lowest slave? 6. Jesus modeled that he is willing to serve people that would betray him, deny him, and desert him. What does this teach us about who we are called to serve? Why can this be difficult? Do you think this is realistic? 7. Jesus served in proximity → those that he had personal contact with. Who are the people in your sphere of influence that you could intentionally serve? Why do you think it might be important to know HOW they need to be served? How can we learn what their real needs are? 8. Jesus served with the POWER of God. How can we access the power of God as we seek to love and serve people? How can praying for people be a tangible way to serve them? How can you know how to pray for people? 9. Jesus promises that we will be blessed if we follow his example. How have you been blessed by serving others? How have you been blessed by others serving you? 10. Who from your sphere of influence do you think God wants you to serve this week? What's your next step? * Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard * Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children * Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students * Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give * Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman * Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app * Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman 

Message by Kerrie Bauer, recorded live May 18, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham. Scripture read by Greg Hart.Living Water FlowsJesus is our living water and in powerful ways he shows us how it flows between us to bring new life. Note that John points out that Jesus was “tired out” from the journey. Imagine yourself in a hot and dry climate, coming upon a lone man sitting beside a well, visibly tired. How does it speak to you to consider Jesus as tired?What does it mean to hear Jesus ask for a drink?Read John 4:1-42. Notice the questions asked. Who asks questions and who is afraid to ask questions? What do the questions reveal about the asker? What does the silence reveal about those who do not ask questions?How does the Samaritan woman experience Jesus' insight into her life? How does she respond?How does living water flow between people in this text?John 4:1-101 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” 2 (although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized), 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”John 4:13-1513 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

This week we consider the Christian's relationship to revolution. In the first reading, we ask how the Christian is to relate to the 'spirit of Revolution' embodied in the French Revolution (a movement that is still with us, bearing fruit in our own politics and society). Towards the end of the episode we consider Francis Schaeffer and Samuel Rutherford in their arguments for civil resistance to ungodly authority. Is it right to oppose the humanistic revolutionary spirit, if necessary, by force? These and other questions are given attention in this episode of the Magazine Podcast.   Featured Resources: – Jan Freeke, 'The Life and Work of Groen van Prinsterer', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 430 (July 1999). – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 'The Christian and the State in Revolutionary Times', The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1987, 2024), pages 393–396. – John Legg, 'The Christian and Revolution', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 247 (April 1984).   Further Reading: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Christian and the State in Revolutionary Times A helpful, sustained treatment of issues around Church and State, the Christian and the State, civil disobedience, and other related subjects (including capital punishment, revolution, and pacifism) can be found in Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones' treatment of Romans 13:1–7. This is published by the Trust in the Lloyd-Jones series as Volume 13: Life in Two Kingdoms and is also available freely in audio format from MLJ Trust.   About the Contributors: Jan Freeke is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland congregation in Glasgow. D. M. Lloyd-Jones was the minister of Westminster Chapel, London, for 25 years and a noted evangelist and teacher. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones author page. John David Legg (1936–2023) ministered in North Yorkshire (Reeth Congregational Church and Northallerton Evangelical Church) and in Shropshire (Shrewsbury Evangelical Church). Read John's obituary here.     Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Few people are as keyed in on ESG’s “war on food” as former Nebraska State Treasurer John Murante. In Ep. 107, Murante sits down with Jerry to discuss how corporate activism is leaning heavily into anti-agriculture sentiment, how utopian visions of animal welfare create dystopia in reality, and how fiduciary duty gets applied to everything from carbon emissions to crypto investments. Read John’s piece at NRO here: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/11/esg-investing-hurts-the-poor-and-empowers-tyrants/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Message by Doug Bunnell, recorded live May 11, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham.Gospel AweJohn's Prologue is a stunningly beautiful synopsis of the gospel, stand in awe and welcome the grace of this amazing passage.Read John 1:1-18. What strikes you about this incredible text?What is the connection between life and light in these verses?How do these two elements—life and light—manifest in the life of a believer?How does this "true Light" differ from other sources of light? What does this light represent for humanity?What do you think it means when it says, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him"?How does this verse highlight the mystery and significance of the incarnation of Christ?What impact does the Word becoming flesh have on our relationship with God?How does the fullness of grace and truth in Jesus compare to the law given through Moses?How does the understanding of Jesus as the Word becoming flesh shape your personal faith?John 1:1-181 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' ”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

TOGETHER GROUP QUESTIONS***GODLY CHARACTERISTICS EDITION Read 2 Peter 1:3-9. Share one thing that stands out in this passage that shapes your view of how a Godly person grows in their discipleship. What does “walking with God” practically look like in your daily life? How do we cultivate a close relationship with Jesus? Read John 13:34-35. Jesus told us that people would know His disciples be their love. How can you go out of your way this week, and intentionally show genuine love and care for people in our lives... especially those who are difficult to love? Two of the hardest fruits of the Spirit for us to implement in our relationships these days are patience and kindness. Where in life do you specifically struggle with these 2 things, and what steps can you take to grow in these areas? Read Prov. 10:9. What does it mean to walk in integrity? What areas of your life are you tempted to compromise on truth and integrity? How can you safeguard your actions and words with better honesty and transparency? A Godly person is also characterized by self-control. In what areas of your life do you need to exercise more self-control? (i.e. Time management, spending habits, phone usage, idleness, purity, eating habits, anger, complaining, attitude, thought life, etc) Pray for these things for each other!

Today, Urmi interviews co-host John about his new report and video, The Great Sell Off: How Our Homes Became Someone Else's Business, which explains just how we have arrived at our current Canadian housing affordability crisis and what we can do to emerge from it. Read John's full report and watch video: www.movesmartly.com/thegreatselloff Contact Us John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: askjohn@movesmartly.com | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: editor@movesmartly.com | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly About This Show The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and John Pasalis, President and Broker of Realosophy Realty. MoveSmartly.com and its media channels on YouTube and various podcast platforms are powered by Realosophy Realty in Toronto, Canada. You can also watch this episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please like, subscribe, share, review and comment on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from - we appreciate your support!

In this episode, John Pasalis unpacks his new report, The Great Sell Off, which explores how Canada's housing market has undergone a fundamental shift. He explains how homes have evolved from places to live into powerful financial assets, how this shift has driven a wedge between prices and incomes, and why today's housing crisis can't be solved with yesterday's assumptions.    Read John's full report and watch video: www.movesmartly.com/thegreatselloff Contact Us John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: askjohn@movesmartly.com | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: editor@movesmartly.com | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly About This Show The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and John Pasalis, President and Broker of Realosophy Realty. MoveSmartly.com and its media channels on YouTube and various podcast platforms are powered by Realosophy Realty in Toronto, Canada. You can also watch this episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please like, subscribe, share, review and comment on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from - we appreciate your support!

What is 'grand strategy' and how does it differ from strategy? What does grand strategy mean to a nation, its leaders and people? How is such a thing developed and revised over time? And why is it so difficult for America to create and settle on such a thing?Business and military strategy authority Dr. John Hillen discusses these topics with Jeff today, digging into what challenges America faces in the world, and the challenges we face at home as we work to determine our own national grand strategy.Read John's book on Strategic Management - https://a.co/d/cmBwY5LHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

What happens when we pass from this earth? We are nervous about the moment of death, but what about afterwards? This weekend will paint a brief picture of heaven, what Jesus said about eternal life, and what happens when we pass on. The call for the morning will be salvation in Christ, choosing eternal life, and praying for our loved ones to join us there. Life Group Questions1. Begin your time by praying one-sentence prayers of praise to God.  2. What have been your previous thoughts about heaven based on what you have heard in church and from reading the Bible?3. Read John 14:1-4, Colossians 3:1-4, & Revelation 21. Discuss some of what the Bible says about heaven.4. Write down the names of loved ones we long to see in eternity one day.  

Easter Sunday may be over, but the Resurrection story is just beginning. In this episode of Candid Conversations, Jonathan Youssef reflects on John 21 and what Jesus' post-Resurrection moments reveal about how we are meant to live today. If you've ever felt spiritually stuck, disqualified from ministry, or unsure of what to do now that the Easter celebration has faded, this message is for you.Jesus didn't leave us without direction. He gave three clear calls that still shape every believer's life today:

Ready? 1,2,3! Let's walk this out together…. One Big Truth from Karen and Susan to find our footing: Antidotes to Pride and Self-reliance    Read John 15:4-5 & Philippians 2:5-11 2.   Two Resources to keep learning: ·      TGC Article-Pride in the Name of Love ·      Book- The Freedom of Self-forgetfulness by Tim Keller 3.     Three Questions to discuss together: 1.     Share one or two ways you see the culture fanning the flame of self-love or pride. 2.     In what place (abilities, gifts, past success) or person (seeking the approval of others) are you placing your reliance or confidence? 3.     Pride is the exaltation of self. “Gospel humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” Share one area where you would ask for prayer to grow in humility and self-forgetfulness.   To listen to the rest of this series go to: https://women.pcacdm.org/stumbling-forward-together/    

He is Risen! Having finished our Lenten time in Job, we turn to the Gospel of John for his account of the Resurrection, both an end and a beginning. Read John 20 and thanks for listening! 

Happy Easter! Mark finishes this sermon series, Monk Habits for the Rest of Us, with a message from John 20:11-18. As we consider how the Resurrected Jesus met with Mary, we find a story of healing and commission. thevineaustin.org DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. As we conclude the series on prayer, what practice has made the most impact in your life? What is one lesson you continue to carry? 2. Reflect on the imagery of a tidal island. How does the symbolism speak to rhythms in the Christian life and the dual calling of prayer/mission? 3. Read John 20:11-18. What questions emerge when you consider this story? Why do you think Mary went to the tomb that day? 4. What has stayed with you from the sermon- either as encouraging, curious, or confusing? 5. What are the similarities between Mary's tomb experience and MLK's table moment? 6. If in fact Easter is both a time of personal healing and sending, where do you feel Christ is sending you this week?

Thomas is known for being a doubter, but he should be honored for his honesty! In the midst of his struggle between faith and experience, Jesus appears to him and the disciples and invites Thomas into an experience with him. Thomas said, "Unless I can see the nail marks in your hands, I will not believe." We want to meet Jesu,s and sometimes that meeting happens in the 'unless' moments of our life.  Life Group Questions1. Begin your time by discussing how your rule of life is going. How can you be praying for one another this week?2. Read John 20:24-29. Can you identify with Thomas? If so, how? Where has Jesus met you in the 'unless' moments of life?3. Can we get too caught up in the experience side of faith? What does that look like?4. End your time together praying through the 5 steps of the examen: A) What brought you joy today? B) What challenged you today? C) What did you need to confess to God today? D) What did God teach you today? E) How can I serve others better?

When was a time you were exceptionally thirsty? What did it feel like? How did you go about quenching your thirst? Read John 19:28-29 and join us for our Easter Sunday Service, as we continue our series, When Love Speaks: Last Words from the Cross, with Part 5: Thirst.

Life Group Questions this week: Read John 11:25-26 CSBHow has Jesus' resurrection impacted my life? Not just surface level, but deep in my heart.

Get ready for an insightful discussion on the next episode of The Courtenay Turner Podcast! Courtenay welcomes back John Klyczek, author of "School World Order", to delve into his latest investigative article, "TrumpED 2025: School Choice Corporatization, Social Impact Finance, and the Dismantling of the Department of Education". In this eye-opening episode, Courtenay and John will unpack the potential implications of the Trump administration's education policies as they align with Project 2025. Discover how the push for "school choice" might not be what it seems, and how it could lead to an expansion of both government and corporate control of schooling. Tune in as they explore: • The proposed dismantling of the Department of Education and its potential replacement with a system of "school choice". • The role of social impact finance and "Pay for Success" (PFS) initiatives in shaping the future of education. • How "Education Savings Accounts" (ESAs) and tax credits could impact private, religious, and home schools, potentially leading to increased government regulation and corporate influence. • The involvement of organizations like the Heritage Foundation and the State Policy Network (SPN) in driving the school choice agenda. • The influence of ed-tech corporations and the data-mining of student information within this evolving landscape. • The connections between these educational reforms and the broader agenda of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and a "technocratic New World Order". Drawing on his extensive research and understanding of the history of education, John Klyczek will provide a critical analysis of these developments, revealing the potential hidden agendas behind the rhetoric of educational freedom. Don't miss this crucial conversation that sheds light on the future of education in America. Subscribe to The Courtenay Turner Podcast and be sure to listen when this episode drops! ▶ Read John's Referenced Article: TrumpED 2025: School Choice Corporatization, Social Impact Finance, and the Dismantling of the Department of Education ▶ Watch Previous Appearances: Ep 181: Uncovering School World Order with John Klyczek Ep.384: Exposing School World Order w/ John Klyczek Ep.409: Can We Stop The Futurist's Transhumanist School World Order w/ John Klyczek Ep.443: The Hidden Dangers Of The Rainbow w/ Constance Cumbey John Klyczek | C.A.U.S.E Fest Nashville 2023 ▶Get John's book: School World Order: The Technocratic Globalization of Corporatized Education ▶Follow & Connect with John Klyczek: ✩ Website: https://www.schoolworldorder.info ✩ Twitter ▶ See John Klyczek present at Courtenay's Cognitive Liberty Conference https://cognitivelibertyconference.com ----------------------------------------- ▶ Follow & Connect with Courtenay: https://www.courtenayturner.com ✩ Linktree ▶ Support my work & Affiliate links: ✩Buy Me A Coffee! ✩GiveSendGo ✩Venmo ✩Cash App ✩ Richardson Nutritional Center: (B-17!) ✩ Relax Far Infrared Saunas: (Warm Up!) Discount Code: COURTZ ✩ LifeWave Stem Cell Activation Patches​: (Activate your master cells!) ✩ Gold Gate Capital (Secure Your Wealth!) ✩ SatPhone123 (Claim Your Free Satellite Phone!) Promo Code: COURTZ ✩Discover The Magic of MagicDichol: ✩Defy The Grid With Real Currency.....Goldbacks!: Promo Code: COURTZ ✩Honey Colony "Where The Hive Decides What's Healthy": Promo Code: COURTZ ▶ Follow Courtenay on Social Media: ✩Twitter ✩TruthSocial ✩Instagram ✩Telegram ————————————————— ▶ Disclaimer: this is intended to be inspiration & entertainment. We aim to inform, inspire & empower. Guest opinions/ statements are not a reflection of the host or podcast. Please note these are conversational dialogues. All statements and opinions are not necessarily meant to be taken as fact. Please do your own research. Thanks for watching! ————————————————— ©2025 All Rights Reserved Courtenay's Substack Bringing breadth and depth of context to inform, inspire and empower cognitive liberty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Vine is discussing 40 days of prayer and monk habits for the rest of us. On Palm Sunday, Fabs unpacks the importance of worship in our prayer lives to help center our hearts on God, settle our hearts with God and stir our hearts for God. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Discuss your experience of integrating work and prayer last week. What did you notice and encounter? When you think about the sermon, what stood out to you- either as encouraging, curious or confusing? Read John 12:1-19. What stands out to you? Where do you see worship in this passage? What has worship meant to you in your life? Did you resonate more with: worship as a means to center your heart on God, as a means to soothe you by reminding you of what is true about God, or as a means to stir your heat for God?

Introduction: John 19:28-30 - After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. What the Cross Proves About God's Love for You. (Romans 5:6-11) God's Love for You is an Unconditional Love. (Romans 5:6-8) God's Love for You is a Rescuing Love. (Romans 5:9) God's Love for You is a Committed Love. (Romans 5:10) John 1:12 – But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript Open up your Bibles with me, please, to the book of Romans in chapter 5.You know, there's that old saying, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish," right?I was thinking a lot about that concept this week, and I realized that's really true, like,in everything, isn't it?Like, have you ever taken an airplane flight?What determines if it's a good flight?How you land, right?And I was thinking about that also.Have you ever watched a movie that you're like, "Oh, this movie is so good," and thenit has this completely idiotic ending?Have you ever seen a movie like that?Do you walk away saying that was a good movie?No.Do you say, "Oh, that movie was terrible," because it didn't finish well?And I don't think we ever feel this as deeply as we do being Pittsburgh sports fans.Heavens to Mercutroy, how many pirate games have I sat through?I'm like, "Oh, this is awesome," and then we blow it into night thinning, and we say,"Oh, that game was terrible," or all penguin fans, how many times?Oh, this is such a good game, and then we lose it over time.Like, oh.But you know, the Son of God came to do some work, and He finished perfectly.John 19, Jesus on the cross, says after this, "Jesus knowing that all was now finished,said," to fulfill the Scripture, "I thirst."A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a Hissabranch and held it to His mouth.When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished," and He bowed Hishead and gave up His Spirit.And in this four-week series, we're going to be answering the question, "What is finished?"Jesus cried out, "It is finished!""What is?"Well, today, today we are going to be looking at the glorious reality that the work of reconciliationis finished.The relationship with God is restored.Would you bow your heads, please?And I'm going to ask you, just take a moment and pray for me.I was telling Pastor Taylor in my office before we came in here, "Man, I can't possiblycommunicate the gravity of this passage."You always feel that, but sometimes you feel it a lot more.And today we're going to be looking at the love of God.And I feel so inadequate to communicate it the way it needs to, but we're going to takea swing at it.All right?I may, I'll pray for you.Father in heaven, we're about to go after a topic that hits us in the heart, probablymore than anything.So we talk about your great love.So once again, we just pray against any preconceived notions any of us might have going into this.And we would honestly just take a look at what your word actually says.Father, transform us as only you can.We pray in Jesus' name.And all of God's people said, "Amen, amen.It is finished.The relationship with God is restored."We started this last week that the Bible says in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God wasdemonstrating some things.He was showing us some things.He was, a better word, proving some things.And in Romans 3.25, we saw that God demonstrated His righteousness.Jesus died to fulfill the demands of God's law.The guilt is gone.So here, in this passage, just look at verse 8.It says, "But God shows," again, better word, "proves," but God shows His love for us.And that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.You see, it's this love of God He tells us in verses 10 and 11 that reconciled us.The relationship is restored.Look, this is one of the greatest doctrines in all of God's Word, because God is not somecold-detached judge.And you would wrongly take that away from Romans chapter 3 to say, "Well, God's justthis judge, and we're guilty."Okay, and He did this judicial thing, and He pardoned us, but He's not this cold judgein the sense of now God's looking down from heaven saying, "Turn or burn, I don't care."Right?Get right or get left.Look, I made provision, accept Jesus or don't, makes no difference to me whatsoever.The glorious truth of God's Word, it's that He loves you.I mean He actually, really, infinitely loves you.And last week we talked about one of the greatest struggles we have as people is strugglingwith guilt.Am I really forgiven?But you know, there's another question that we struggle with as people, and it's thisone.Does God really love me?Does God really love me?Oh yeah, I know John 3.16.Everybody knows John 3.16.For God so loved the world.But maybe that's just like a general statement about God's disposition towards people asa whole.But does He love me?You know, there are two things that make people question God's love.And one is the awareness of my sin.Some people question God's love because you're like, "You know what, I just feel unworthy."The other thing that makes you question God's love is going through hardship.You're like, "If God really loved me, why would He let this allow this cause this horribletrial in my life to happen?"But this is the question on the table today.Am I loved by God?In other words, am I accepted by God?Is God on my side?Will that ever change?Well, I got some great news for you.God settled all of this with the death of Jesus Christ.So on your outline, the relationship is restored and we're focusing on the cross as we headinto resurrection day next Sunday.And good Friday this Friday, we're focused on the cross.Today what the cross proves about God's love for you.Does God love me?Look at the cross.That answers all of it.Let's unpack that a little bit.Number one, the Bible tells us that God's love for you is an unconditional love.It's an unconditional love.You know, I get a pause here.People say, especially in circles like ours, they're like, "Well, you know, it's not aboutreligion.It's about what?Relationship."Oh, you travel in those circles.It's not about religion.It's about relationship.And okay, that's true.But you know, technically, technically.God has a relationship with Jesus.The question is, do you have a good relationship with Him?Or do you have a bad relationship with Him?Because biblically, there's no neutral.It's not like there's these on fire, born-again, Bible-believing Christians,and these evil, wicked, nasty, violent, hurtful people who hate God,and somewhere in the middle is just that really nice person.Not a Christian, but not...There's no neutral.And in this passage, you're going to see that unsaved people, people alienated from God,are described in four ways.They're described as weak in verse 6, as ungodly in verse 6,as sinners in verse 8, and as enemies in verse 10.And we have to understand that going in.Looking at these four, weak means you're powerless to save yourself.There is not a thing you can do to get right with God on your own.You're weak.You're ungodly.You are nothing like God intended you to be by birth.You're a sinner.That means in the eyes of God, you are rebellious.And in verse 10, as I said, He uses the word "enemy."And that means you're hostile towards God.But really, this enemy concept, it's really a two-way street.As you see, by nature, we resent God's authority.I don't want somebody telling me what to do.I don't want somebody telling me the things that I want to do are wrong, so that's hostilitytowards God.But you know, it goes the other way, too.God has a holy hatred of sin.So we could say that we have a wicked opposition towards God, and God has a holy oppositiontowards us.It's a dual opposition.So something major has to happen if there's going to be any kind of reconciliation betweenthese two parties that have such hostility towards one another.Something huge has to happen.Look at verse 6.It says, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."Let's not fly through this too quickly, shall we?Can we just pause for a moment and as much as we can try to get the weight of God's lovein this statement?He said, "Christ died for the ungodly."Who does that?Who dies for rebellious, wicked, evil people?Who does that?It's a shocking statement.But Paul illustrates, look at verses 7 and 8, how he illustrates this incredible truth.He says, "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, that perhaps for a good person onewould dare even to die."But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.I love Paul's illustration.Look at verse 7 again.He says, "One will scarcely die for a righteous person."What does he mean by a righteous person?Well, a righteous person is just like somebody who's upright and a good, holy person, butmaybe you sort of have a detached relationship from them.Like for example, your favorite preacher that you listen to on a podcast.Maybe there's somebody that you follow their podcast, you listen to them and they're preachingreally blesses you, but you don't know that guy, right?That's Paul's point here, is like your favorite podcast preacher, besides me, but your favoritepodcast preacher, I had to clarify that, but you're like, "Jeff, you're not even in thetop 15."Moving on.That favorite podcast preacher of yours, if you had an opportunity to die so that hecould live, would you do that?Probably not.That's why he says scarcely.There might be one or two of you, like, "Yeah, I would do it."But Paul's like, "That's pretty scarce that somebody would die for a good person."You don't really know.But then he dials it up a notch, he goes, "Perhaps for a good person one would dare even todie."And now he's talking about maybe that holy, upright, good Christian person that we knowand love.All right?So if I were to ask, "Okay, forget about your podcast guy, would you die for Pastor Taylor?"You're like, "Wow, that really ups the ante.I would really strongly consider that one."And now we get the weight of verse 8 when he says, "But God, but God on the other handshows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."See Paul says maybe somebody would die for a good man, but no one would die for an evilman.But that's exactly how God showed His love for you.God loved you when you were a wuze.You're like a what?A wuze.I just made that word up.W-S-E, a weak, ungodly, sinful enemy.That's just in the text.I just paraphrased it.God loved you as a wuze.And God didn't say, "Look, when you get your act together, then we'll talk about salvation."God didn't say, "When you start living a certain way, then I'm going to love you."It says, "While we were still sinners, what God says is, 'Look, I love you.I sent my son to die for you.'You come to me and then we'll get your act together."See God knows you better than you know yourself.And He loves you at your worst.So that's where Paul starts.God's love for you is unconditional.Secondly, what does the cross prove about God's love for you?God's love for you is a rescuing love.It's a rescuing love.Look at verse 9.He says, "Since therefore we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall webe saved by Him from the wrath of God."I love this.You're going to see this a couple of times in this passage.Much more.Much more.What he's saying is, "If Jesus' death could do this, then much more Jesus' life can dothis."So here, Jesus' blood justified has made us righteous before God, which is...I tried so hard to think of a way to describe that and I wrote down, "Infinitely enormous."I don't know.If Jesus' blood could make us righteous before God, which is infinitely enormous, even waybigger, He says, "We will be saved from the wrath of God."And that is a profound thing in the cross of Jesus Christ that God was saving you fromHimself.He was saving you from His own wrath.But you know as a pastor, bless you as a pastor, oftentimes I hear people say, in wanting toargue, certain doctrines people will say, "You know, you're talking about God's wrath.A loving God wouldn't send someone to hell."Look, I believe that God is love and a loving God wouldn't send somebody to hell.Have you ever heard that?Pastor Taylor, I'm sure you've heard that a lot.A loving God wouldn't send someone to hell?Well, there's a lot of problems with that statement.One, it ignores what the Bible actually says about hell.You know, Jesus talked about hell more than anybody.Something like twice as much as He talked about heaven.So not only does it ignore what the Bible actually says about hell, it also ignores God's holiness.A holy God can't tolerate sin.So help me understand, if you're somebody that doesn't believe in hell, if you're somebodythat still subscribes to the loving God wouldn't send somebody to hell, are you saying thatsomebody can live their entire life rejecting their Creator, living in flagrant sin and rebellion,they want nothing to do with God, and they want nothing to do with God's gifts, and somedaywhen they die, God's going to be like, "Hey, that's okay.Come on into heaven.Let me show you around."Like, how does that work?By the way, an unsaved person would be miserable in heaven.Do you know that?An unsaved person would be absolutely miserable in heaven.You're like, "Why?"Now, that unsaved person has spent their life saying, "I don't want anything to do withGod, God's truth, God's people, worship.I don't want anything to do with that."You know what heaven is?God, His truth, His people, and worship, that would be absolutely miserable to spend ineternity.What the God you want nothing to do with.So you're ignoring God's holiness when you're selecting which doctrine you want to adhereto.Oh, and here's one.A loving God would send someone to hell.I like to quickly remind people that God's love is not in question.What more could God have possibly done to save you?The Bible says, Romans chapter 8, "God spared not his own son.God was willing to kill his son so that you could be saved."I wouldn't do that.If your salvation meant that I had to kill my son, you'd all be gone to hell.And I wouldn't think twice about it.What more could God have possibly done to demonstrate His love than by giving the most precious thingthat exists, the life of His Son.So don't please, don't come at me with this, a loving God wouldn't send someone to hell.God's love is not in question here.But church, if we brush off God's wrath, we're also brushing off the impact of the cross.We're brushing off the impact of the cross as minimizing the greatest act of God's love.But let's get real personal.Like I said at the beginning, one of the biggest reasons we doubt God's love is because weendure hardship.And I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand.But I imagine it would be high 90% of you.If I said raise your hand if you've ever questioned God's love because of a trial that you'regoing through.I bet most of those hands would go up.And I just want to lovingly encourage you.When we get in that mindset where we're doubting God's love and a hardship, what we're assumingis the way that God shows love is keeping me from trials.We've already attached that love language to God when His Word does not.And we think, okay, so God shows me love by making my life easy and trouble free.So if God doesn't do that, then He must not love me.Well, we studied the book of Job last fall.If we learned anything, it's that God loves me through hardship.No, no, no, no.God loves me with hardships.God shows the greatness of His love by meeting our greatest need, which is to be rescuedfrom sin and hell.And if that's all God's love ever did for you, is to rescue you from hell.If that was all He ever did, you should be eternally grateful.Like the goofy guy in the infomercial.But wait, there's more.And number three, write this down.God's love for you is a committed love.What does the cross prove about God's love?Well, it proves it's unconditional and it proves it's rescuing.And thirdly, it proves that God's love for you is a committed love.Look at verse 10.For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much morenow that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.Very similar to verse 9 with the much more thing, but there's a different emphasis here.In verse 9, He says we will be saved from His coming wrath.And here He's saying God will keep us saved in the meantime.In other words, He's saying if God could reconcile us by the death of His Son, much more He cankeep us saved by the life of His Son.Remember to put it another way, if God loved you when you were His enemy, how do you thinkHe's going to love you now that you're His child?That's why He uses that word here.That's the word of the day.Reconciled.This in verse 10, telling us this, God is committed to a restored relationship withyou.How committed?How committed is God?How committed?He adopted you as His child.Talk to somebody here that's adopted someone and ask that parent of the adopted kid, "Howcommitted are you?"They're committed.John 1.12 says, "But to all who did receive Jesus, who believed in His name, He gave theright to become children of God."In Christ, we are God's children and He is our heavenly Father.And as you parents know, your kids will always be your kids and nothing can ever change that.No matter how bad your kids are, no matter what bad thing they've done, nothing will everchange that kid from being your kid.When we planted this church back in 2011, we were meeting at Marshall Middle School,which is right beside Covenant Community Church.I was friends with Pastor John Price, who was a pastor there.He invited our church over to, they had a church picnic on their property.He said, "Hey, why don't you guys come over and invite your church, come over, we'regoing to get the bouncy houses and have a big thing, have a bunch of kids.And why don't you bring your family over and like to introduce you, kind of like welcometo the neighborhood kind of thing."I'm like, "Oh, that sounds like a great time."Well, so our family went and Aaron and I were in the pavilion talking to some of these wonderfulpeople at this church.And our kids were much littler at the time.And all of a sudden, I hear Cade's voice.He says, "Hey, Dad!Dad!Dad!"I look over.Cade and Owen are standing in the yard in the green space in Covenant Community withtheir pants around their ankles, urinating on the lawn.And I look over and Cade hollers, "Look, Dad!We made a P-cross!"And these dear sweet people we were talking to said, "Are those your children?"I said, "I've never seen those kids!"Somebody really needs to rein them in, you know what I'm saying?You know, as badly as I wanted to put them on eBay that day.I didn't.And Cade will tell you, grab him, he'll tell you something I've told him over and overthroughout his life.He says, "Look, I love you on your best day and on your worst.And I've told him nothing will ever change that because you're my son."And it's the same with God's kids.You've been adopted.And you know, I've been reading the Bible for a long time.There is zero Biblical language about being unadopted.We touched on this last week, you know, people often ask, "Can I lose my salvation?"And the answer to that question is, "Well, you know, if I could lose my salvation, thenI definitely would.But thankfully, it's not up to me.Because what Paul's teaching here is it's not really about how tightly I'm holdingon to Jesus.It's how tightly he's holding on to me.So if you've ever struggled with, "Can I lose my salvation?"Here's a great verse.You're going to help me out here.Philippians 1-6, can we get that on the screen?Let's do a little Bible study here, shall we?Paul says, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring itto completion at the day of Jesus Christ."That means to the very end.All right, so help me out here.Did God begin a good work in you?Well, if you're a follower of Jesus, then the answer to that is, "Yes."Okay, next question."If God began a good work in you, is he going to finish it?"Yeah, he is.Oh, one more question.Are you sure?Paul said he was.I am sure of this.That when Jesus starts something, he finishes it.True of the cross and the atonement.True of his death.Yes, true of that, but also true of adopting you and raising you and getting you to thefinish line of heaven.If God didn't save you and say, "You know what, kid, good luck, you're on your own,don't mess this up, I hope to see you in heaven."Paul makes it very clear here that God's love for you is a committed love.We have the worship team.Join us back up here.Church, God loves you.As we said and can't emphasize enough, that is not in question.He showed us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.We are rescued from His wrath.He is committed to keeping us all the way to heaven.The real question that we have to ask is not does God love us, but do you love God?God demonstrated His love for you.Are you willing to demonstrate your love for Him?You're like, "How do I do that?"Well, let's look at what the passage says.Look at verse 11.He says more than that.Which is a hilarious statement.More than all of this.He says, "We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have nowreceived reconciliation."I just want to ask you, church, will you rejoice?Rejoicing is the natural emotional result of being reconciled.And your worship should be an overflow of love and joy and gratitude for Jesus Christ,for all He is, and for all He's done, and for all He's promised that He will do.Let your worship be an expression of love.Would you stand and lift up your voices and demonstrate love for Jesus Christ? Small Group DiscussionRead Romans 5:6-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Have you ever questioned God's love for you? Why? What is God's response, based on this passage?What 4 words are used to describe lost people in this passage? How does this speak to the idea that “deep down, man is basically good”?Read John 1:12 and Philippians 1:6. What do these verses teach us about God's love being a committed love?BreakoutPray for one another.

Read John 3:16

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Pontius Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, yet he chose to placate the people rather than release Him. But the courage he lacked, you can show today. Notes: Focus verses - John 18, 19 By definition, a coward is someone who lacks the courage to face difficult or painful things. Pontius Pilate saw an angry crowd that threatened his position.He was more afraid of the consequences than he was of God. #1 The Prefect Meets the PerfectJohn 18:28-38 Jesus, the PERFECT Son of God stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman appointed PREFECT Governor of Judea. Prefect Governor means he was a military focused governor. The religious leaders knew exactly what they were doing when they brought Jesus to Pilate. The man known for using power harshly becomes hesitant and weak when confronted by Jesus. “What is truth?” Jesus was the incarnation of truth. Read verse 37.Jesus came to bring truth. Truth divides. Like Pilate, we all must make a decision regarding Jesus. Neutrality is not an option. Pilate attempts to appeal to the crowd logically, in an attempt to get Jesus released. #2 Pilate BlinksJohn 18:39-19:6 Just like Neville Chamberlain blinked in the face of tyranny, Pilate blinks in the face of Truth. He knows Jesus is innocent.But instead of releasing Jesus, he tries to placate the people. Pilate offers the crowd a choice: Jesus or Barabbas. No better picture of the gospel than this right here. The cross Barabbas was to die on was already constructed, the arrangements were made, and he had hours left to live. Barabbas was guilty, but Jesus was innocent. This is what Jesus has done for us.We’ve committed a crime by violating God’s commands, we’re guilty, and the penalty is death. But God made a way for us to be delivered out of death, out of our guilt, and that’s what Jesus ultimately did on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Jesus took Barabbas’ place on that cross. The crowd chooses Barabbas. Pilate didn’t need any Passover custom to release an innocent man, he just needed to do what was right. When the crowd decided against Jesus, he thought he might have one more trick up his sleeve. He released Barabbas, and scourged Jesus in hopes it'd satisfy the angry crowd. Pilate brought Jesus out one final time. He thought that if he give the crowd a little bit of what they want they’ll be happy, they’ll change their minds, they’ll reverse course.Pilate blinked. He thought he could use diplomacy and compromise to get himself out of a difficult position. Compromise doesn’t calm the mob, it fuels it. Compromise is part of life.But when it comes to THE Truth, when it comes to Christ, compromise should not be part of the equation. To compromise on who Jesus is, is to invent another Jesus. Only the real Jesus saves. Pilate’s appeasement of the crowd is not just a political failure—it’s a picture of what happens when leaders, Christians, and even churches try to compromise truth to satisfy the demands of culture. If you play both sides, offering a little truth, softened by a lot of concession and mix in some human empathy, and you end up with the crucifixion. A complete and utter rejection of everything Jesus is and was. We cannot untether EMPATHY from TRUTH. Just because someone feels a certain way does not mean we abandon truth. As Christians we are called to offer COMPASSION not COMPROMISE. Let’s bring this message to a close now. Read John 19:12–16 #3 Pilate judged the Judge. Pilate crucifies Him.The fear of man outweighed the fear of God. Jesus threatened to disrupt Pilate’s cushy role, and so he gave in to peer pressure and he judged the Judge. In Revelation 20 at the Great White Throne judgement, the judged will face the Judge. Pilate symbolically washed his hands of Jesus.But you cannot wash yourself of your sins. You either receive Him or reject Him. “You are either for me or against me.” Have you trusted Jesus as Savior and made Him the Lord of your life? The courage that Pilate lacked, you can show today. Jesus said "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32 NLT) We are just like Barabbas.Guilty and headed for judgement.But Jesus came in, not accidentally, but intentionally and took that punishment we deserved and He died on a cross for our sin. Like those soldiers around Jack Lucas, he dove on those grenades and absorbed their destruction, that’s what Jesus did for us!He absorbed God’s righteous judgement and drank the cup of His wrath that was going to be poured out on us because of our spiritual rebellion against God. --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pontius Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, yet he chose to placate the people rather than release Him. But the courage he lacked, you can show today. Notes: Focus verses - John 18, 19 By definition, a coward is someone who lacks the courage to face difficult or painful things. Pontius Pilate saw an angry crowd that threatened his position.He was more afraid of the consequences than he was of God. #1 The Prefect Meets the PerfectJohn 18:28-38 Jesus, the PERFECT Son of God stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman appointed PREFECT Governor of Judea. Prefect Governor means he was a military focused governor. The religious leaders knew exactly what they were doing when they brought Jesus to Pilate. The man known for using power harshly becomes hesitant and weak when confronted by Jesus. “What is truth?” Jesus was the incarnation of truth. Read verse 37.Jesus came to bring truth. Truth divides. Like Pilate, we all must make a decision regarding Jesus. Neutrality is not an option. Pilate attempts to appeal to the crowd logically, in an attempt to get Jesus released. #2 Pilate BlinksJohn 18:39-19:6 Just like Neville Chamberlain blinked in the face of tyranny, Pilate blinks in the face of Truth. He knows Jesus is innocent.But instead of releasing Jesus, he tries to placate the people. Pilate offers the crowd a choice: Jesus or Barabbas. No better picture of the gospel than this right here. The cross Barabbas was to die on was already constructed, the arrangements were made, and he had hours left to live. Barabbas was guilty, but Jesus was innocent. This is what Jesus has done for us.We’ve committed a crime by violating God’s commands, we’re guilty, and the penalty is death. But God made a way for us to be delivered out of death, out of our guilt, and that’s what Jesus ultimately did on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Jesus took Barabbas’ place on that cross. The crowd chooses Barabbas. Pilate didn’t need any Passover custom to release an innocent man, he just needed to do what was right. When the crowd decided against Jesus, he thought he might have one more trick up his sleeve. He released Barabbas, and scourged Jesus in hopes it'd satisfy the angry crowd. Pilate brought Jesus out one final time. He thought that if he give the crowd a little bit of what they want they’ll be happy, they’ll change their minds, they’ll reverse course.Pilate blinked. He thought he could use diplomacy and compromise to get himself out of a difficult position. Compromise doesn’t calm the mob, it fuels it. Compromise is part of life.But when it comes to THE Truth, when it comes to Christ, compromise should not be part of the equation. To compromise on who Jesus is, is to invent another Jesus. Only the real Jesus saves. Pilate’s appeasement of the crowd is not just a political failure—it’s a picture of what happens when leaders, Christians, and even churches try to compromise truth to satisfy the demands of culture. If you play both sides, offering a little truth, softened by a lot of concession and mix in some human empathy, and you end up with the crucifixion. A complete and utter rejection of everything Jesus is and was. We cannot untether EMPATHY from TRUTH. Just because someone feels a certain way does not mean we abandon truth. As Christians we are called to offer COMPASSION not COMPROMISE. Let’s bring this message to a close now. Read John 19:12–16 #3 Pilate judged the Judge. Pilate crucifies Him.The fear of man outweighed the fear of God. Jesus threatened to disrupt Pilate’s cushy role, and so he gave in to peer pressure and he judged the Judge. In Revelation 20 at the Great White Throne judgement, the judged will face the Judge. Pilate symbolically washed his hands of Jesus.But you cannot wash yourself of your sins. You either receive Him or reject Him. “You are either for me or against me.” Have you trusted Jesus as Savior and made Him the Lord of your life? The courage that Pilate lacked, you can show today. Jesus said "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32 NLT) We are just like Barabbas.Guilty and headed for judgement.But Jesus came in, not accidentally, but intentionally and took that punishment we deserved and He died on a cross for our sin. Like those soldiers around Jack Lucas, he dove on those grenades and absorbed their destruction, that’s what Jesus did for us!He absorbed God’s righteous judgement and drank the cup of His wrath that was going to be poured out on us because of our spiritual rebellion against God. --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discussion QuestionsSermon Overview True "hearing" produces real fruit.Digging Deeper    Read Luke 8:4-21  1. Verse 10 seems odd at first, but it was meant to shock the crowds into truly hearing. How does verse 9 help us understand how to truly hear? 2. What are four different soils? How are they similar? How are they different? 3. What might it look like when “the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (verse 12)?   4. What is the problem with the rocky soil (v. 6 & 13)? What is the result?  What is a takeaway for us here? 5. The thorny soil represents “those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life.” (v. 14). Are there “cares and riches and pleasures of life” that are (to one degree or another) choking out the rightful place of the word of God in your life? Please share.   6. What would it look like to be a member of CrossWay, while also being: (a) path-like ground(b) rocky ground(c) thorny ground7. Which type would you be most likely to become without even noticing?8. Of the application points in the sermon, which did you find the most helpful?9. How do you see others in our group holding fast to the word in honest and good hearts and bearing fruit with patience? (v. 15) 10. What determines nearness to God in the last parable? (see verse 21).11. What do you think it means to “bear fruit with patience?” Read John 15:5-6 and James 5:7-8 for more insight. 12. Who is one person who faithfully shared the word of God with you so you could hear it? What would you say to them if they were sitting here today?  13. There are still many people who need to hear the word of God. As you think about sharing the gospel with others, how does this passage challenge or encourage you?   Prayer

Today's slide deck.    - Today we look at a historic, very bad day for US markets in the wake of Trump's Liberation Day tariffs as the market positions for disruption and widening recession risks. On that note, Europe is certainly at risk, especially relative to recent enthusiasm. Elsewhere, we talk through the FX market and how risk off may see some shifts in recent patterns, look at precious metals after the plunge in silver, discuss what OPEC+ just did that added to the downdraft in crude oil prices, and much more. On today's pod were Ole Hansen on commodities and John J. Hardy hosting. Read John's FX Update from this morning, April 4. Read daily in-depth market updates from the Saxo Market Call and SaxoStrats Market Strategy Team here. Please reach out to us at marketcall@saxobank.com for feedback and questions. Click here to open an account with Saxo.

Continuing our series through the season of Lent, this episode returns to John 15 and Jesus' final teachings to his disciples before he goes to the cross. He tells them that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends, and that they are his friends if they do this one thing that he commands: love each other. It's a simple command, but not so simple a task. Join us today as we contemplate Jesus' words to us through his words to the disciples.Read John 15 Questions from today's episode: Is there a particular individual in your life, or a group of individuals that you find it difficult to love? Is the Spirit gently whispering to your heart, “yes, even them”? What first step might he be nudging you to take in that direction? What “laying down” of yourself is He calling you to? How will you respond?Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Lead Pastor Kris McDaniel introduces our third section of the SPIRE model – intellectual. All of us are intellectual beings, even if we don't identify as an “intellectual.” We are meant to aim our minds in a direction that leads to life, so how do we think deep life-giving thoughts? Where are we intellectually?Read John 3:1-21 to hear more about Nicodemus.To find out more about Lent at Trinity and download our podcast companion guide, visit ​​atltrinity.org/lent.

There are “signs of the times” all around, yet we don’t talk about prophecy enough. In this message, Pastor Greg Laurie and Bible prophecy expert, Joel Rosenberg, give some needed insight. Notes: Focuse verses - John 14, Matthew 24 All around us are signs of the times telling us Jesus is coming. Read John 14:1–3 Jesus has prepared a place for us, and He is coming for us. Jesus said, “When you see these things begin to happen, look up!”Luke 21:28 The teaching of the Rapture was given almost 2,000 years ago by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. The disciples asked Jesus,“What will be the sign of your coming?”Matthew 24:3 The signs of the times mentioned in Matthew 24 are to alert us to His coming. Read Matthew 24:3–15 Jesus wants us to understand this and other passages about prophecy.It’s not God’s desire to conceal, but to reveal. #1 The Tribulation period begins with the emergence of Antichrist.Matthew 24:5 Christians will not be present for the Great Tribulation. The Church is the restraining force in the world today. #2 The Tribulation period ends with the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.Matthew 24:30 The emergence of Antichrist is close, but the coming of Christ for His Church is even closer. Read Matthew 24:36–44 Jesus is talking about the Rapture, not the Second Coming. There are differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming. At the Rapture, Jesus comes for His people.At the Second Coming, He returns with His people. The Rapture is before the Tribulation.The Second Coming is at the end of it. #3 What is the Rapture? Rapture is the English translation of Harpazo which was translated as Raptus in the Latin translation. It means to take forcibly, to snatch, or to be caught up. #4 Why is there a Rapture? 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Christians do not grieve hopelessly but hopefully. Jesus said, “And behold, I am coming quickly,”Revelation 22:12 (NKJV) When Jesus comes again, it will be fast and without warning. The return of Jesus is imminent. --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are “signs of the times” all around, yet we don’t talk about prophecy enough. In this message, Pastor Greg Laurie and Bible prophecy expert, Joel Rosenberg, give some needed insight. Notes: Focuse verses - John 14, Matthew 24 All around us are signs of the times telling us Jesus is coming. Read John 14:1–3 Jesus has prepared a place for us, and He is coming for us. Jesus said, “When you see these things begin to happen, look up!”Luke 21:28 The teaching of the Rapture was given almost 2,000 years ago by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. The disciples asked Jesus,“What will be the sign of your coming?”Matthew 24:3 The signs of the times mentioned in Matthew 24 are to alert us to His coming. Read Matthew 24:3–15 Jesus wants us to understand this and other passages about prophecy.It’s not God’s desire to conceal, but to reveal. #1 The Tribulation period begins with the emergence of Antichrist.Matthew 24:5 Christians will not be present for the Great Tribulation. The Church is the restraining force in the world today. #2 The Tribulation period ends with the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.Matthew 24:30 The emergence of Antichrist is close, but the coming of Christ for His Church is even closer. Read Matthew 24:36–44 Jesus is talking about the Rapture, not the Second Coming. There are differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming. At the Rapture, Jesus comes for His people.At the Second Coming, He returns with His people. The Rapture is before the Tribulation.The Second Coming is at the end of it. #3 What is the Rapture? Rapture is the English translation of Harpazo which was translated as Raptus in the Latin translation. It means to take forcibly, to snatch, or to be caught up. #4 Why is there a Rapture? 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Christians do not grieve hopelessly but hopefully. Jesus said, “And behold, I am coming quickly,”Revelation 22:12 (NKJV) When Jesus comes again, it will be fast and without warning. The return of Jesus is imminent. --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textIn this episode of Coffee and Divination, I'm joined by John Beckett—Druid, author, and respected voice in the modern Pagan and polytheist communities. We explore the nature of divination and spirit communication within a polytheistic framework, discussing how we can cultivate meaningful relationships with deities and spirits through ritual, offerings, and sacred listening.Links and Resources:The Path of Paganism: An Experience-Based Guide to Modern Pagan Practice: The Path of Paganism | Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.Paganism In Depth: A Polytheist Approach: Paganism In Depth | Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.Read John's Blog: Under the Ancient OaksAnnouncements & Ways to Support the Show:Find us on YouTube and join for exclusive content: The Coffee and Divination Podcast - YouTubeJoin Denise and I at the Sacred Space Conference later this month (March 2025): Sacred Space Conference – Metaphysics, Mysticism, MagickReach out to us via Instagram: Divination Podcast | Hosted by JoAnna Farrer (@coffeeanddivination) • Instagram photos and videosCoffee and Divination Website: http://www.coffeeanddivination.comNorth Wyldewood Coven and Tradition Website: https://www.northwyldewoodtradition.orgLearn from the North Wyldewood Coven: Enter the Wyldewood - The Birch PathTheme music: "Come with Me" by JoAnna Farrer, featuring Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, and Yann Falquet.Ending music: "Pollen Path" by Elana Low.

Losing a loved one comes with grief, questions, longing… it can be overwhelming. But Jesus is with us through it all. Pastor Greg Laurie shares the powerful story of Jesus bringing comfort to Mary and Martha after the loss of Lazarus. Notes: Focus verse: John 11 Death interrupts our plans, our dreams, and our everyday lives.Death is harsh and final and real. ​“And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.”1Corinthians 15:26 (NLT) Mary and Martha were devastated by the unexpected death of their brother, Lazarus. ​Read John 11:1–3 ​#1 Life is filled with pain, sorrow, and the death of loved ones. The unexpected death of a friend or co-worker often reminds us of our own mortality. ​#2 God loves us even when we suffer. Mary and Martha provide us with an excellent example of what to do in a crisis. We should always bring our troubles to Jesus. #1 When the Israelites turned against Moses,“…he cried out to the Lord,…”Exodus 15:25 #2 When Hezekiah received a threatening letter,“…[he] went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.”Isaiah 37:14 #3 When John the Baptist was beheaded, his disciples,“…went and told Jesus.”Matthew 14:12 “God is our refuge and strength,A very present help in trouble.”Psalm 46:1 Read John 11:4–7 When hardship, tragedy, and even death hit in our lives, we might ask the same thing,“If Jesus really loved me, why did He let this happen?” Jesus was looking at the big picture. ​Jesus waited. Read John 11:20–26 ​Death is not the end. It is a transition from this life to the afterlife.Death does not have the final word, Christ does. “Where were you, Lord?” Mary and Martha brought their doubts to Jesus. There is nothing wrong with asking God, “Why?” We live on promises not explanations. ​"And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"John 11:26 Read John 11:32–36 #3 Jesus weeps with us in our times of pain. Jesus was God and man. As a man He felt our pain and sorrows.Isaiah 53:3–4 ​Hebrews 2:17–18 ​Read John 11:33, 38 Jesus was angry with death itself. Jesus thanked his Father for hearing His prayer and then raised Lazarus from the dead.John 11:43–44 #4 God can be glorified through human suffering and bring good out of bad. Sometimes God will be glorified through the removal of the affliction.Other times He will be glorified through the enduring of the affliction. We develop hope through hardship.Romans 5:3–4 Our faith is real, and it will sustain us in our hour of need. The tomb is not the entrance to death, but to life. ​Jesus defeated death at the cross of Calvary.Death died when Christ rose.--- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Losing a loved one comes with grief, questions, longing… it can be overwhelming. But Jesus is with us through it all. Pastor Greg Laurie shares the powerful story of Jesus bringing comfort to Mary and Martha after the loss of Lazarus. Notes: Focus verse: John 11 Death interrupts our plans, our dreams, and our everyday lives.Death is harsh and final and real. ​“And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.”1Corinthians 15:26 (NLT) Mary and Martha were devastated by the unexpected death of their brother, Lazarus. ​Read John 11:1–3 ​#1 Life is filled with pain, sorrow, and the death of loved ones. The unexpected death of a friend or co-worker often reminds us of our own mortality. ​#2 God loves us even when we suffer. Mary and Martha provide us with an excellent example of what to do in a crisis. We should always bring our troubles to Jesus. #1 When the Israelites turned against Moses,“…he cried out to the Lord,…”Exodus 15:25 #2 When Hezekiah received a threatening letter,“…[he] went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.”Isaiah 37:14 #3 When John the Baptist was beheaded, his disciples,“…went and told Jesus.”Matthew 14:12 “God is our refuge and strength,A very present help in trouble.”Psalm 46:1 Read John 11:4–7 When hardship, tragedy, and even death hit in our lives, we might ask the same thing,“If Jesus really loved me, why did He let this happen?” Jesus was looking at the big picture. ​Jesus waited. Read John 11:20–26 ​Death is not the end. It is a transition from this life to the afterlife.Death does not have the final word, Christ does. “Where were you, Lord?” Mary and Martha brought their doubts to Jesus. There is nothing wrong with asking God, “Why?” We live on promises not explanations. ​"And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"John 11:26 Read John 11:32–36 #3 Jesus weeps with us in our times of pain. Jesus was God and man. As a man He felt our pain and sorrows.Isaiah 53:3–4 ​Hebrews 2:17–18 ​Read John 11:33, 38 Jesus was angry with death itself. Jesus thanked his Father for hearing His prayer and then raised Lazarus from the dead.John 11:43–44 #4 God can be glorified through human suffering and bring good out of bad. Sometimes God will be glorified through the removal of the affliction.Other times He will be glorified through the enduring of the affliction. We develop hope through hardship.Romans 5:3–4 Our faith is real, and it will sustain us in our hour of need. The tomb is not the entrance to death, but to life. ​Jesus defeated death at the cross of Calvary.Death died when Christ rose.--- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Ransom, contributing writer to The Lion newsletter and a national political writer and editor, joins us to discuss the St. Joseph, Missouri school district being fined by the Missouri Ethics Commission for electioneering to get a ballot issue passed. Read John's column in The Lion newsletter here: https://readlion.com/missouri-ethics-commission-fines-school-district-for-electioneering-in-2024-bond-campaign-as-district-now-asks-voters-to-approve-huge-tax-hike/ More columns from John here: https://readlion.com/authors/john-ransom/ Get your free subscription to The Lion newsletter here: https://readlion.com/ The Lion on X: @ReadTheLion Download the NewsTalkSTL app from your app store and listen anytime, anywhere! NewsTalkSTL website: https://newstalkstl.com/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsTalkSTL Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NewstalkSTL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalkSTL Livestream 24/7: bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(8:05am) MORNING NEWS DUMP Federal agents arrested an illegal alien on Monday here in the STL metro area after he was indicted on sex crimes involving children. The plan to put St. Louis City Police back under state oversight is another step closer to the Governor's desk. President Trump made no comments about the rough-and-tumble stock market on Monday. Leo Terrell comments on the pro-Hamas student protester who was arrested at Columbia University in NYC. Sen. Josh Hawley comments on the dark money from the Left that's funding protests. The Missouri Association of Veterans Organizations (MAVO) is calling for the Missouri Veterans Commission to be fully funded, changes to state tax law to exempt 100% disabled veterans from real and personal property taxes, and for changes to how gambling revenues are spent, in order to fund veterans' projects more. Labor unions get a big win as the U.S. Senate confirmed Trump's pro-union, left-of-center pick for Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Budget cuts hit UMSL's sports department as they will eliminate men's and women's track and field teams after this season. In spring training action, the NY Mets beat the Cardinals 8-0. Up next: the Miami Marlins this afternoon at 12:05pm. (8:20am) A New York judge blocked the removal of a Palestinian student at Columbia University following his arrest by ICE agents. He has now been moved to Louisiana. Story here: https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/03/09/pro-hamas-activist-and-former-columbia-university-student-arrested-by-ice-facing-repatriation-n2186465 More on the story here: https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/03/10/senate-dems-others-agitate-for-release-of-hamas-supporter-mahmoud-khalil-trump-fires-back-n2186505 And more here: https://redstate.com/bonchie/2025/03/10/judge-blocks-deportation-of-pro-hamas-leader-but-the-trump-administration-may-have-outfoxed-him-n2186506 And more here: https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2025/03/11/sen-kennedy-schools-cnns-jake-tapper-with-the-facts-on-the-mahmoud-khalil-case-n2186521 (8:35am) John Ransom, contributing writer to The Lion newsletter and a national political writer and editor, joins us to discuss the St. Joseph, Missouri school district being fined by the Missouri Ethics Commission for electioneering to get a ballot issue passed. Read John's column in The Lion newsletter here: https://readlion.com/missouri-ethics-commission-fines-school-district-for-electioneering-in-2024-bond-campaign-as-district-now-asks-voters-to-approve-huge-tax-hike/ More columns from John here: https://readlion.com/authors/john-ransom/ Get your free subscription to The Lion newsletter here: https://readlion.com/ The Lion on X: @ReadTheLion (8:50am) We continue the discussion from 8:35am on electioneering to get a ballot issue passed.Download the NewsTalkSTL app from your app store and listen anytime, anywhere! NewsTalkSTL website: https://newstalkstl.com/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsTalkSTL Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NewstalkSTL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalkSTL Livestream 24/7: bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self-Worth Is It Safe to Question Your Faith? Have you ever wrestled with doubt but felt like you couldn't ask the hard questions? Doubt isn't the enemy of faith—it's often the path to deeper belief. John the Baptist and Thomas both struggled with uncertainty, yet their questions led to revelation, not rejection. This week, we'll explore how to move from questioning our faith to questioning our doubts—and how God meets us in both. If you've ever felt uncertain, you're not alone, and your doubts might be leading you to a greater understanding of your worth. Romans 8:14-17   Discussion topics Starting off the conversation on the deep end… Have you ever had a question about faith that you felt like you couldn't ask? What was it, and why did it feel hard to bring up?  Read Matthew 11:2-5 – John the Baptist, the one who announced Jesus, later questioned if He was truly the Messiah.  Why do you think John had doubts?  How did Jesus respond to John's doubts?  What does this passage teach us about handling our own doubts?  Read John 20:24-27 – Thomas wasn't with the disciples when they first saw Jesus and refused to believe without proof.   Do you think Thomas was wrong for wanting to see for himself?  How did Jesus respond to his doubt?  What does this show us about God's approach to our questions?  If doubt is part of faith, how can we make church a safe place for people to ask hard questions?  How do you find your self-worth in Jesus? Check out our other audio series and video playlists that can help you find Jesus in every moment and then discover what's next

In this episode, John Henry Soto shares his inspiring journey from a challenging childhood in New York City to a life of purpose in Nashville. He opens up about experiencing homelessness as a teenager and how it shaped his passion for volunteer work and community engagement. John also discusses his artistic evolution from music to film, emphasizing the importance of creating for joy rather than commercial success.Through powerful insights on validation, the impact of kindness, and the lessons learned from giving back, John reminds us that "it's not about you"—it's about the difference we can make in others' lives. Join us as we explore his thoughts on human connection, the power of hope, and how small acts of kindness can create lasting change.Read John's blog post at www.doinggood.tv/blog.View John's podcast by visiting Doing Good on YouTube.This podcast is brought to you by Doing Good, a 501c3 nonprofit. www.doingggood.tv. 

Jon talks about how he used to read John Piper enthusiastically and what changed. To Support the Podcast: https://www.worldviewconversation.com/support/Become a Patronhttps://www.patreon.com/jonharrispodcastFollow Jon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonharris1989Follow Jon on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonharris1989/Our Sponsors:* Check out NordVPN: https://nordvpn.com/matter* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code HARRIS for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Send us a textFocus Scripture: John 6:53-69Kinds of commitment we find in the Gospels:The Deserters - People who start following Jesus, but they drop out along the way.The Deceivers - People who seem to be following Jesus, but their hearts are never changed.The Disciplined - True disciples persevere to the end.They not like us! We commit...beyond conditionsfor communionto completionwith convictionBig so what:It's a small thing to make a BIG commitment to a BIG God.This week's challenge:READ John 6 (2x)MEMORIZE John 6:68-69Ask God how you can go "bigger" in your commitmentTake a 7 minute praise & thanksgiving break each day 

What do true faith and forgiveness look like in the face of wrongful conviction?  Host Curtis Chang is joined by award-winning journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty and Ben Spencer, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 34 years. They share Ben's powerful story of faith, resilience, and redemption in the face of wrongful incarceration. Curtis and Barbara explore the systemic failures of the American justice system and reveal how the innocence movement and investigative journalism were crucial in securing Ben's exoneration. Ben reflects on how his belief in truth and forgiveness transformed his life, offering hope to others facing adversity. Send written questions or voice memos for “Ask Curtis” episodes to: askcurtis@redeemingbabel.org   Send Campfire Stories to: info@redeemingbabel.org   Resources from this episode: Barbara Bradley Hagerty's Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, a Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice Jim McCloskey and Centurion Ministries Read about Ben at The National registry of Exonerations Read the news of Ben's exoneration Listen to Barbara's early reporting on Ben's case Read about Judge Rick Magnis' belief in Ben's innocence Read about Ross Perot's secret witness payout Read John 16:33 More From Barbara Bradley Hagerty: Read Barbara's work in The Atlantic Check out Barb's website Buy Babara's books Contact Ben Spencer & Barbara Bradley Hagerty about speaking engagements: https://www.barbarabradleyhagerty.com/contact Learn more about Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission's Advocacy Day   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter

Send us a textGod is not finished with you yet. No matter where you find yourself in life—whether questioning your purpose, wrestling with failures, or feeling unseen—Philippians 1:6 reminds us that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." In this episode, we dive into the truth that our story isn't over, and we are not defined by our failures.We'll explore key scriptures like Ephesians 2:10, Hebrews 10:24-25, and Romans 12:18, reflecting on God's masterpiece in us, the power of community, and the wisdom of seeking help. Through honest conversation, we'll ask: How do we stay connected to God and bear good fruit? How do we mend relationships with humility and grace?Join us as we unpack these truths, challenge limiting beliefs, and encourage one another to move forward in faith—because God's not done yet.Discussion Questions:

Send us a textLife is like a mirror—designed to magnify and reveal who is at the center of our lives. God calls us to live with a faith in Him that demonstrates we are fully content and confident that our greatest life is only possible when it is more about Him and less about us. Every day, we must discipline ourselves to do whatever it takes to make our lives a big deal about a big God!Scripture: John 1:18-23; 3:22-30Big God, little me; is to be clear about my:TestimonyIdentityAuthorityPriorityBig So What:God will be as BIG & do as BIG in my life as I'm willing to go & stay small in my life!This week's challenge:Read John chapter 1 - 3Memorize John 1:26-27Journal on how I can become "smaller" in my lifeDo one thing to make a "BIG" deal about God

Here's a hypothetical scenario I'm sure many of us have faced in our lives: Imagine you were a football player good enough to make the NFL. Imagine you are also a mathematician good enough to get a doctorate from MIT. Which path would you choose? OK, so maybe that's not that common a discernment. But it was the decision our guest today faced: John Urschel first started playing football at Canisius High School, the Jesuit high school in Buffalo, New York. He got good pretty quickly, and he's a big dude. John ended up getting a scholarship to play football at Penn State, where he could also pursue studies in math, which was his first love. He ended up with a bachelor's and master's degree while starring on the offensive line at Penn State. And after his time there finished, he was drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens. As he embarked on his NFL career, he also enrolled as a doctoral student in mathematics at MIT. After three years in the league, he retired from football to start a career as a math professor, also at MIT. Host Mike Jordan Laskey remembers hearing about John a few years ago when he made the decision to switch career paths. And when we found out he was Jesuit educated, we thought a conversation with him for Super Bowl week would be perfect for the show. John was an incredible guest, speaking so clearly and compellingly about his life journey and the big discernment he made to leave NFL fame and fortune on the table. He's a great representative of Canisius High School and the type of thoughtful, well-rounded, compassionate person Jesuit education aspires to form. Learn more about John's math (good luck): https://math.mit.edu/~urschel/ Read John's book, “Mind and Matter”: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Matter-Life-Math-Football/dp/0735224862 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Brian Priebe | Executive Pastor Referenced Scripture: Mark 10:17-23, John 17:3, Ephesians 1:17, Jeremiah 9:23-24a, Mark 12:41-44 Reflection Questions: 1. Read Mark 10:17-23 - What observations do you have of Jesus' interaction with the Rich Young Ruler? Why did Jesus "look on him and love him"? What are the possible reasons the young man walked away from Jesus sad? 2. Read John 17:3, Ephesians 1:17 and Jeremiah 9:23-34. - What is the common thread of these three passages? How does that thread connect to the Rich Young Ruler? 3. Discuss the following statements:Jesus knows what my heart values most.Jesus wants to be what my heart values most.Jesus invites me to give more than I want to give.Jesus invites me to live sacrificially. 4. Read Mark 12:41-44 - Why do you think Jesus wanted to highlight this scene for his disciples? What is the lesson he wanted them to learn from this widow? 5. Have you prayed over your finances? Do you have any insights to share from that time of prayer? 6. Have you evaluated your earning, spending and giving in light of that time of prayer? What changes in your earning, spending or giving do you feel led to make? What's your next step? Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman