Podcasts about stooping

Stooping

The following is an AI-generated rough transcript of the Equipping Hour. It may contain inaccuracies.  Opening and Introduction Smedly Yates: Well, good morning. Happy Sunday. Welcome to Grace Bible Church this morning and to Equipping Hour. This morning, we’re going to be doing a follow-up from an equipping hour that Jake taught on January 11th on dementia. And that was, Jake, that was riveting and encouraging. And I thought you taught us everything we needed to know, but apparently you didn’t. Because the numbers of follow-up questions from that equipping hour broke all records. So we’ve sort of accumulated those questions. And let me just encourage you, if you didn’t get a chance to listen to that equipping hour from January 11th, pull it up on the website, go back and listen to that. And this morning, what we’re going to do is just put the questions that many of you asked in person and submitted. Or just get to ask those of Jake in front of all of us. And so Jake really is going to give most of the answers here. I don’t know if I have a whole lot to say. Other than these are the questions we got, Jake, help us. So with that, let me open us in a word of prayer and we’ll get started. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your kindness to us. We don’t deserve to have physical ability endure in this life. We don’t deserve to have mental capacity sustained in this life. We truly only deserve condemnation under your wrath for our sins. And so anything that you give to us, we pray to use as a gift, as a stewardship, to use well and for your glory, and to be content and to trust you as things diminish. And we thank you for the preparation, for mental decline. You’ve already given us from principles from your word. We pray even now as we discuss caring for one another and seeking to glorify you in personal worship in our physical existence that you would be honored as we listen and apply and are strengthened and sharpened to help others. We ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen. I’m going to start with kind of a personal question that came in, Jake, and it goes like this. If I try not to get dementia, you gave us a lot of helps, dietary exercise, sleep, some of those things that were really helpful, practical things. So if I’m doing those things, if I’m trying not to get dementia, am I expressing distrust and dissatisfaction in God and his sovereignty? Stewardship, Planning, and God’s Sovereignty Jacob Hantla: Maybe. So, yeah, we spend a lot of time talking about the practical ways that you might want to steward this life and this body that God’s given you. The big hitters were exercise, right? We said if there’s one that you can do, it’s that. But there’s a lot more. There’s a, but if you’re doing those things, is that sinful? It might be. There’s a way to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Planning, though, is not unbelief. Planning like God doesn’t exist is unbelief. or planning like God’s way isn’t best in your selfishly, arrogantly grabbing after your own desires. That’s unbelief. That’s sin. So the issue isn’t whether you should steward, but it’s whether an action that you’re saying is stewardship is actually a mask for control, pride, and fear. Proverbs 27:12 says the prudent sees danger and hides himself. There’s a way to see that. Where you see danger, you hide yourself from it. You take planned steps in order to avoid it that actually roots itself from fear of the Lord. And that would be right. And in contrast, it says the simple go on as if that danger isn’t there and they suffer for it. So there’s nothing inherently righteous or right and just saying, I’m going to trust the Lord and use that as a mask for just lazy thoughtlessness. Similarly, there’s nothing righteous at all in saying, I don’t want what I fear is coming and I’m going to grasp after what I want. But James 4, you guys might want to open there. This is, a really, really helpful section of scripture for planning. And it reveals why we actually have to, at the heart of all of this, guard our hearts, not merely do the right thing. James Chapter 4. And this is in the context of the warning, or the command to humble yourself from verse 10, humble yourselves before the Lord because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. And now, he says, come now, verse 13, you who say today or tomorrow, we’re going to go into such and such a town, spend a year there trade, and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You’re a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will do this or that. So the take home from that is not don’t plan, don’t run a business, but rather as you run it, run it as one who actually embraces and recognizes your temporalness, your weakness, your dependence, and God’s sovereignty. Smedly Yates: If we zoom out from the topic of dementia, and we just think about the principle underlying that, we’re dealing with the realities of God using human means in his sovereign plans. If we rephrase the question, we might say, is it sin and distrust of the Lord to study for your chemistry exam? No, of course not. Can you sin by studying for your chemistry exam without thought toward God and exalt your own pride and intellect and your hard work? Yeah, that’d be wrong. A godless, practical, atheistic approach to effort would be sin. But a laziness that says, well, I’m just trusting in the Lord, but I’m not going to go apply for a job, study from my exam, practice for the athletic endeavor, or whatever is sin the other way. And I love the example of evangelism. We know that God will save people, but we know that God uses means to do it. So is it a failure to trust God when I go out and share the gospel with people? No, it’s actually the obedience that God uses as a means to accomplish his ends. Now, I can’t control the results. So you can be faithful, worshiping the Lord, telling others how great Jesus is all day long and nobody gets saved and God is honored and we trust him. Jacob Hantla: Yeah. There’s two biblical, I love the illustration. It’s throughout the Bible of horses and chariots. You can write down Proverbs 21:31 and Psalm 20:7. In Proverbs 21:31, it says, the horse is made ready for the day of battle. Who does that? We do that. The people do that, and they go, battle, but it says, but victory belongs to Yahweh. And similarly, in Psalm 20:7, this, this was actually one of my favorite passages in fighting cancer. I stole it from Piper in his book, Don’t Waste Your Cancer. He says, some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of Yahweh our God, which doesn’t mean go to battle with slow horses and broken down chariots, it’s wise to get the best you can. If you know that you might be facing a future with dementia or anything else you might face, chemistry test or other health problem, be diligent to plan, but do it in a way that when you don’t get dementia, it wasn’t your effort that gets the glory. It was Yahweh’s. And if you get dementia anyway, you say, it was the Lord’s will. It’s best, I trust. Reverse Sanctification and Dementia Smedly Yates: A question came through, and really there were several facets that sort of get at the same kind of question. But people wondered, and this comes obviously from people who have worked hard to care for people with various forms of dementia. But it seems like Christians at times can experience what looks like reverse sanctification. Is that what’s going on there? Have people been abandoned by the Holy Spirit when behaviors change in mental decline. Jacob Hantla: Yeah, I think probably about five, six of you asked that question with very particular circumstances in mind. And the question doesn’t overstate the reality of what occurs. So reverse sanctification. Sanctification is the process of progressively being conformed to the image of Christ from the point of salvation, usually, and normally for a Christian, until the point when they finish well, die, and are taken home, and then glory. But that doesn’t always happen for Christians. The reality is sometimes in dementia, some Christians become more childlike in their faith. It’s not inevitable that your sanctification will reverse. And I don’t think that’s the right term. It’s the observed reality that we see. But sometimes their faith becomes more simple, but not less godly. They might tell the same stories over and over again. Or if you imagine sometimes what happens in dementia, your existence in the moment is separated from what’s gone before it. So you’re always disoriented. That’s terrifying. And so you see the Christian in those moments having a childlike trust questions that you feel bad for them, but they are trusting the Lord in a real way. But sometimes, and this is the words of Dr. John Dunlop, wrote a book on the Christian and dementia. He goes, dementia can indeed change personalities. It has transformed wonderful, loving, godly people into tyrants. And that happens. I’ve seen, you see somebody who was self-controlled loving. and as they progress into dementia, they curse. They use language that’s not befitting a Christian at all. There’s inappropriateness in all kinds of ways. And so what’s going on there? I think it’s helpful. I’m going to do another physiology lesson. Bear with me, I promise it’s worth it. It helps me. So there’s some types of dementia, especially that there’s one we talked about called frontotemporal. What does that mean? It’s the area of the brain in which it happens. And it changes the way that your brain physically works. So there’s an, I’m going to oversimplify a little bit. So, but this is, this is helpful. If you think of your prefrontal cortex, you might have heard that word because we joke. Teenagers, their prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed. And that’s true. It’s why you don’t trust your kids to make life-altering decisions. But the prefrontal cortex is, you could think of it as the executive control center of your brain. It houses the part of your brain for abstract thought, concentration, working memory, and most critically, inhibition of inappropriate thoughts and actions. You and I do it all the time you think it’s like the breaks. There’s a filter on, thank God there’s a filter, right? Something comes to your mind and it doesn’t come out your mouth. Because of the prefrontal cortex, it overrides automatic impulsive thoughts. It helps you consider the consequences in the future before acting. It connects your current behaviors to the past experiences and your goals. And when that area is damaged, somebody has a really hard time choosing the appropriate behavior for the situation. The damage, it sort of removes the filter. There’s another thing, orbital frontal cortex. It’s just another area of your brain. You don’t need to know the big word. But what that is is that’s particularly critical for regulating social behavior. When that area of the brain gets damaged, like if you get a cancer to that area or a surgery that affects, that area instantly, that person can explain what appropriate social behavior is, but they don’t recognize when their behavior violates that. So it’s manifested by like just a list from a textbook that I looked up on this. It’s greeting strangers in an overly familiar manner, standing too close to others, inappropriate touching, being aware of social norms, like I said, but unaware that your behavior violates that, and that can go to extremes, sexual inappropriateness, language inappropriateness, and they’re just unaware. You and I, if we were to be saying that, it would be sin. In this case, it actually may represent a physical inability. So what’s going on there? I want to think about the brain and the believer. When the Holy Spirit expresses self-control in a believer. So, right, the fruit of the spirit is self-control. And I just said, well, self-control comes from the prefrontal cortex. So are we just our brains? No. When the Holy Spirit makes a believer new. And when the Holy Spirit controls that believer, he does it in a way through the working of our physiologic brain that enables us to submit to him, which means that he’s actually using our prefrontal cortex in a renewed way. I think it’s helpful. Open your Bible’s to Ephesians 5:18. I think this is really helpful. And there is an inner working between the way our brains and our most inner us, your soul, your mind, you’re who you are. There’s a working there that we, don’t truly understand, but that we can get glimpses into here. And I think that that, if we think of the way our brains in the working of the Holy Spirit to accomplish things like self-control, I think this is a helpful verse. Ephesians 5:18, do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. And what’s that contrasted with? But be filled with the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit. So what does alcohol physically do? Alcohol in a person, it actually, you’re going to now see why I did this physiology lesson, it actually dramatically reduces prefrontal cortex activity. It takes the break off. It takes the filter off. You may still have the Holy Spirit, but the physiologic means that he uses to exercise control of, you would use to minimize your expressions of sin while in this body that’s falling apart, you’ve now chemically altered that. And so you have a lack of self-control, an impaired moral reasoning, increased risk-taking. Similarly, your orbital frontal cortex goes dysfunctional. That’s why I mentioned those two things. That happens with alcohol and anything that stimulates GABA receptors. That would be like benzodiazepines, some sleeping pills, some anti-enactylase, some anti-enactylase. anxiety meds, it can lead to social inappropriateness for those same reasons. Opioids. Research shows that chronic amphetamine and opioid use alters decision-making by ways that are very similar to focal damage to that orbital frontal cortex. You can see now chemicals interacting with your brain in a way that we’re used to seeing those people don’t act right. THC from marijuana, same thing, decreased brain volumes in chronic use, especially in the orbital frontal cortex. Sleep deprivation. Tons of breakdown, temporary, and the connection between amygdala, which is like your fighter flight, your stress area, and your prefrontal cortex connectivity. So sleep deprivation triggers this. You basically don’t have a brain. on your emotional regulation. So why am I going through all that? If we have the ability, it’s right for us to keep ourselves from breaking our brain intentionally. Don’t be drunk. Avoid chemicals that would alter those areas and make the expression of self-control more difficult or less likely. and you can actually, you see it in your kids when they’re unslept, more prone to sin. You see it in yourself. So imagine yourself with 48 hours without sleep, then drink a little bit of alcohol. You will become disinhibited, irritable, and be much more prone to sin. Don’t do that to yourself. But now what happens if that’s actually happening physically because areas of your brain are dying, they’re tangled up with proteins, or they’re otherwise that they can’t access the energy stores to function? That’s effectively what they’re, but they can’t sleep it off or sober up. It helps you be probably a little more understanding and maybe see that it’s not actually a reversing of sanctification, but rather, I think it’s a, well, let’s just turn to 2 Corinthians 4, and I think we’ll see what it is. You see that dementia can change behavior by damaging the brain’s physiologic instruments of restraint and judgment, but it’s not the same thing as the Holy Spirit moving out. sanctification isn’t stored in a lobe of the brain. You are more than your brain. It’s actually our brain is that part of us that’s wasting away. It’s not our inner man. So 2nd Corinthians 4:16, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. day. This is helpful to remember in somebody whose outer self is falling apart, not just physically their body doesn’t work anymore, but their brain’s not working. This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. As we look not to the things that are seen, but the things that are unseen, the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. It’s really helpful. when we look at somebody with dementia and it looks like they’re becoming less and less Christian. I love the way John Piper says it. He has a helpful ask Pastor John on dementia. And he says, Paul’s telling us that weak, in glorious, demented shadow of a once strong Christian in front of us is on the brink of glory and power. You need to go into nursing homes and think that way. These people are on the brink of glory and power. We must keep this continuity in mind between diminished powers of human beings here and the spectacular powers that they’re going to have in the resurrection. It’s so important if we lose a sense of that continuity for the Christian, will assume that we are becoming less human rather than being on the brink of gloriously superhuman. So it’s helpful to see that your brain is the outer person that’s wasting away. And that isn’t necessarily connected to the what God has done in the most inner you. Confrontation, Rebuke, and Care for the Weak Smedly Yates: Given that reality, Jake, we think about somebody whose inhibitions are broken down. The manifest ability for self-control allows things in the heart to make their way out. Is there ever a place for confrontation, rebuke, encouragement, help for somebody who’s still living the Christian life, still susceptible to sin? At what level is it appropriate? How should we think about, you know, helping behavior and rotten speech and things like that? Jacob Hantla: Yeah, absolutely. There is. You have to recognize that the purpose of rebuke would be repentance, right? And just like with children and with all Christians, it’s really wise and necessary to discern when possible between sin and inability. The reality is that we can’t always do that. But before I go there, I want to get back to this question. Let’s think about ourselves and what we’re going to be prone to do with what I just said. I’m going to be prone, you might be prone, to say, well, I didn’t sin. It’s just my physiology that made me do it. You don’t get off the hook ever in the Bible because your physiology had a weakness. God uses our weakness and our physiology as the platform in which he demonstrates his power, and particularly his power over sin. Our brains, actually a significant part of why they’re weak and why they break like this, is because it’s a part of God’s judgment for us. Romans 1, right? We became futile in our thinking, and our minds were darkened as a result of our unwillingness to acknowledge God as God. We are not merely our brains, and yet the dysfunction of our brains is actually a significant part of the fall. God renews that. He changes that in the believer. And if you as a Christian say, I know where I am particularly vulnerable, maybe I’m heading down a path towards dementia, or maybe I have some particular weaknesses where I haven’t slept much this week. I just had back surgery. I know I’m going to be on an opioid for pain, and I know that I’m going to have a particular—even if you can’t say the area of your brain that’s going to not function right—you're going to say, all right, Jake taught me that I’m going to tend to act inappropriately towards people. I’m not going to view myself rightly. I’m going to have a lack of self-control. I better ask for help. I’m not going to justify sin, but I’m actually going to be more vigilant for it. Fight it more diligently and get people around me to help me fight it. So now let’s go to the question of, is it ever appropriate to rebuke a dementia patient? Let’s assume that person is a Christian. Go to 1 Thessalonians 5:14. If that person is a Christian and they are sinning, even if they’re not even aware of it, they’re going to say, will you please come to me and help me? I’m going to need help. We need to, as best we can, use the right tool for the situation. Discern weakness, faint-heartedness, and still don’t hesitate to admonish unruliness or idleness. So 1 Thessalonians 5:14: “We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle or the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak.” Do you see those three different instructions? Somebody might be expressing sin. All three of these might be evidences of—in all of these three cases—there might be somebody evidencing unbelief or something that needs turning, changing. And in one case, the tool is admonishment. In another, it’s actually help. And in the other, it’s encouragement. Now consider the person with dementia. Their brain is not functioning the way that yours is. They can’t connect their actions to what’s socially appropriate. They can’t connect their actions with the goals they’re aiming at. They might be unclear as to even the situation that they find themselves in, the context of their life. That’s a pitiable—in all the right ways—pitiable circumstance. That would tend to make that person fainthearted, very weak. What they probably need more than admonishment is help and encouragement. I love Poithress. This is from Piper and Grudem’s book, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. He says, “Our privilege as Christ’s children altogether should stimulate rather than destroy our concern to treat each person in the church with the sensitivity and respect due to that person by reason of his age, gift, sex, leadership status, personality,” and I would add mental status. So how should you do this? With mild impairment, let’s just go down a category. If you had somebody with mild impairment—not all dementias, it’s not this catch-all where everybody’s all the same—you can have a mild impairment. Probably normal accountability. They’re going to tend to need more admonishment and help and encouragement, but be slower, be gentle, be more concrete. You’re probably not going to be able to string together three or four if-then statements to logically get them there. Make it simple. Sort of like when you’re admonishing your three-year-old, maybe your five-year-old, your seven-year-old. You still do it, but not in the same way that you would a 25-year-old or a 35-year-old. But then with moderate impairment, your correction probably becomes more redirection. Just simple statements of, “That’s not okay. Let’s go over here.” Change the environment. And then severe impairment, probably treat it more as symptom management, prioritizing safety, comfort. Simple statements still: “That’s not okay.” Like you would use for your one-year-old: “Use your hands for gentleness. We don’t speak like that. That doesn’t honor the Lord.” Normal Aging, Forgetfulness, and Dementia Smedly Yates: Statements like that. This is so helpful, Jake. I think partly because we don’t want to be in a position where we’re shocked and our black-and-white categories of sanctification, justification, get in the way of compassionate care and love for someone who is in a weakened state that needs help. It’s not dismissing sin, but just really helpful, compassionate care. I have a more personal question for you. Last evening, we had a number of friends in our home, and I got confused and thought that a dear sweet friend was somebody else altogether. And it occurred to me later, I asked a really strange question that didn’t make any sense to her at all. Do I have dementia? Jacob Hantla: I don’t think so. But you are getting older. There’s a forgetfulness that’s just a part of being human. And there is a forgetfulness that’s increasingly normal with age. Smedly Yates: You’re right behind me. You’re catching up. No, you’re not catching up, but you’re behind me. Jacob Hantla: Percentage-wise, I’m catching up, and I will never in an absolute, absolute way. So there’s normal aging, and some normal cognitive decline with aging is very different than actual dementia. So if you do have questions about that, it’s helpful. Regardless, if you just say, hey, I’m getting old. I’m not sleeping as well. Just as a result of not sleeping as well, as a result of just being weaker, maybe having more history behind you, some more stuff to forget, or whatever, you realize, hey, I don’t have dementia, but I’m not who I once was. That’s not a bad place to be. There’s a weakness there that’s helpful to get people around you to augment your weaknesses. How much more, if you were heading toward dementia. I promise I’ll tell you if I see it. You do the same for me. But regardless, you might or you might not. I don’t think you do. But let’s say that you’re saying, I forget stuff, do I have dementia? The second that you start thinking that, you’re probably not the right person to be making that call. It’s wise to get family members, elders, even medical professionals, doctors to assess: is this dementia? Is it a reversible cause? What’s the probability it’s going to accelerate? And then as you start seeing more and more likelihood that, yeah, this is progressing, start getting people around you to start relinquishing intentionally controls that you might have on your life. Can you double-check me on any purchases greater than X amount of money? Let’s go update the will. Let’s get you on a power of attorney. Invite them to take away the keys at the appropriate time. Even if you say that’s a long way from now, that’s a really humble way to invite, in a godly way, people who love you to be enabled to help you. Forgetting the Gospel and Childlike Faith Smedly Yates: Jake, can a believer forget the gospel in a mentally diminished state or not have the ability to articulate the gospel? Jacob Hantla: Yeah. They can. Memories are stored in our brain. And you might not have access to those memories even while you are saved. Right? That unbreakable chain of salvation will end in glorification from Romans chapter 8: all those whom he foreknew, and it gets all the way to glorification. And in the midst of that may be a trial like your memories are disconnected from you in a way that you can’t explain concepts like substitutionary atonement, you might not even remember that Jesus is your Savior, though he is. And so if somebody has forgotten those things, don’t tire of reminding them of those things. Because even if that memory can only stay with them for that one moment, it’s real. And it might help them endure that moment. It’s a really complex, I can’t say that we understand it at all. But God does. There’s a complex relationship between our thoughts, our memories, how those connect to our actions, and what our ultimate status before God that’s normally expressed through faith. And you can’t have faith without trusting in Jesus. So how can somebody who doesn’t even know who Jesus is trust in him? I’m just going to say I’m not God. God knows. And when you are in your right mind, if you do, that’s evidence of God’s work in you. Because nobody can say Jesus is Lord apart from, in me, and being it, apart from God changing them, saving them, making them new. And so if their brain breaks, and they no longer are able to say that in the same way, I don’t think that’s going to be devastating because they weren’t saved on the merit of faith, but they were saved by grace through the exercise of faith. That faith may look different now. But it’s helpful to think of what kind of people go into the kingdom. Like the disciples, when the children were coming, and they said, no, don’t let them near. And Jesus says, no, it’s, it’s that kind of person who gets into the kingdom. Don’t think that those, faith doesn’t have to be complex. Faith doesn’t have to be well reasoned out. That doesn’t mean that you have an excuse not to think. Peter says, add to your faith knowledge, right? We are expected to grow in faith. I’d love to hear you expound on this, Smed. But there’s a childlikeness of faith that actually in your dementia, you might be able to express that. In your arrogance, maybe in your self-trusting when your faculties are working, it may actually be God’s means of separating you from your strength, because when we’re weak, we’re strong in him, that we don’t get to see all the interplay of that, but we may be a means moment by moment of reminding the Christian who forgot who Jesus was of who he is. Smedly Yates: I think that’s so helpful. The weakest place you will ever be in life are at your last moments on the earth. No matter how it is you go out of this life. Just last night I was working through the details of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. And listen to this, Paul is comparing the resurrection to a seed sown into the ground and then what comes out afterwards. And there are different levels of glory from sun, moon to stars, different kinds of bodies, fish, and other things. But not everybody’s the same. But every human being who faces physical mortality ends life here and then experiences resurrection, every one of us will experience the most profound weaknesses in the last moments. And here’s how Paul describes it. The body is sown, placed into the ground like a seed, corruptible. Subject to absolute humiliating corruption, raised incorruptible. No longer ever subject to corruption. And when we think about brain deterioration, that word corruption is weighty. Sown in dishonor. The last moments of anyone’s physicality are the most dishonorable. Stripped of power, stripped of strength, stripped of dignity, but raised in glory. And Jake, what you shared earlier about somebody being on the brink of the kind of glory that C.S. Lewis described—if we were to see a resurrected saint now we’d be tempted to fall down and worship them or run away in abject terror. We just have no idea what this glory is like on this side of it. But we go from the lowest, most undignified, most powerless spot in our earthly existence in those last moments. And he goes on and says, put in the ground in weakness, raised in power, put in the ground natural, raised supernatural. And so the earthy is first and then the spiritual. And so it’s just helpful to think about not being surprised when someone is at their most profoundly weak, not just physically but mentally, end-of-life scenarios. Jacob Hantla: Yeah, it’s profoundly humbling. And it makes us want to say, I don’t want to be there. Can I avoid that? Okay. I mean, do your best. And ultimately God may bring us there in a way that all of us, sometimes our last moments are momentary, sometimes our last moments of that corruptible humiliation last a really long time. In this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on, we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, this physical body that’s falling apart, we groan, being burdened. Not that we would be unclothed. It’s not merely saying, hey, let’s take this thing off, but that we would be further clothed so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. It’s not even worth comparing. And so if that’s the way that God has to be glorified in us—to go back to that first question—okay, I’ll do that. It’s light and momentary, even if it lasts a long time. And even if I’m not even able in the moment to contemplate what time is, it’s humiliating. And you know what? I’m going to ask the Lord to take that from me. I’m going to say, God, please don’t. That’s an okay prayer. That’s similar to what Paul prayed and said in 2 Corinthians 12. And Jesus says, no, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. And if Jesus says that to you, Christian, you can say, okay, I’m going to be content with weaknesses. And man, if you get to care for somebody in their weak moments there, it’s helpful to have these things in mind to know they’re on the brink of glory. Marriage, Roles, and Dementia Smedly Yates: I want to move to a practical and theological question related to roles, thinking particularly about husbands and wives honoring biblical roles in marriage, particularly when a husband is experiencing mental decline and dementia. How does a wife caring for a husband honor those roles with a diminished ability? Jacob Hantla: Yeah, that’s a really helpful question. I loved thinking through this. Smedly Yates: I came up with it myself. No. Several people asked. I just wrote it down. Jacob Hantla: You did. I think we want to avoid two opposite errors. One is a view of submission and leadership as a rigid subservience. If a husband can’t lead, the wife can’t act. Or on the other side, a role evaporation. That illness or inability cancels biblical patterns. Both of those would be absolutely wrong. Did you get that? One would be if the husband can’t lead, then the wife shouldn’t be able to act. And if the husband can’t lead because of inability, role distinction, that God set out that is grounded in creation order, not in ability, right? Men aren’t pastors because we’re better at it or smarter at all or better teachers. That’s not where God grounds it. But in his purposes. And so it’s helpful. If we think about what femininity is, so we’re helping a wife whose husband is just incapable of leading in the ways that she wishes he could, a heart that longs to follow. You think of 1 Peter 3:4. The adorning for the woman is in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. Normally, that’s going to be expressed through submitting to husbands, to their leadership, even in ways, as long as their leadership—for unbelievers, as long as their leadership doesn’t lead them to go against the Lord—even submitting to that with a gentle and quiet spirit. That’s going to play itself out differently for a husband who can’t lead through inability or poor decision-making due to brain decline. You go to Proverbs 31. This breaks the category of a submissive wife as one who’s subservient and just says, “Tell me exactly what to do, so I only do that thing.” No, an excellent wife who can find, she’s far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her. He will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life. You see right there a husband who can trust his wife, whose wife is working for his good and not harm, that’s a wife who’s embraced godly roles. It’s not a wife, it’s not neediness that she expresses, but productivity and care. Jump forward to verse 15 of Proverbs 31. She rises while it is yet night, provides food for her household, portions for her maidens, she considers a field and buys it, the fruit of her hand, she plants a vineyard, she dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable, her lamp does not go out at night. This is a woman who can work, who can work hard, but very different from that which feminists would say, hey, a woman who doesn’t need a man, a woman who functions for her own good, depart from him, but this is a woman who’s functioning strong for the good of her husband. And her husband trusts, she, verse 27, looks to the ways of her household. She doesn’t eat the bread of idleness. Children and her husband call her blessed and praise her. Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. This biblical femininity is rooted in fear of the Lord, love of her husband, not a desire to dominate over the husband, but to come alongside as a God-given helper to build him up, that can be demonstrated in very unique, very God-glorifying ways with a husband whose mind is increasingly not working. It’s fundamentally a disposition to honor and support the husband voluntarily and gladly. Leadership often involves delegation. So, husbands: if you’re heading that way, plan in advance for the kinds of ways so that your wife, even when you can no longer give your preferences, she knows, and it seems like in the moment, she’s actually working against it when you no longer understand what’s going on. She’s actually able to follow. So it’s good and right for the wife to be productive, capable, in a way that might look independent, but with a hard attitude that supports. So anticipate that. I want to give a personal example. This is actually hard and a little bit embarrassing. So dementia is different than delirium. Delirium is something that’s short-term, usually from a cause. You see it in elderly when they get like UTIs. You can see it from medications. Post-surgery, I see it all the time with anesthesia. As many of you guys know, I spent a long time in the hospital with Burkitt lymphoma. I was getting a lot of chemo. They stick a needle in my spine, give me chemo directly into my cerebral spinal fluid around my brain. I was on tons of pain medication and all kinds of other medications that did weird things to my brain. I don’t remember this time, but there was apparently a few days—I remember bits and pieces of it—where I was out of my mind. I at one point apparently tried to hit Kiki. I took all my clothes off and tried to go in the hall at the hospital. Kiki was a loving, submissive, supportive wife by helping me not do that. I am very grateful for her tearfully persevering, guarding me from myself as my brain was failing me. At that point, thankfully, in a reversible way. But she was not stepping out of her God-ordained role by saying, “No, Jake, you cannot go in the hall naked. No, Jake, you cannot hit me. Jake, get in bed,” and even physically and chemically restraining me for a time. That was a gracious expression of role differentiation that I think honored the Lord and honored me. I remember also, just husbands to wives, me at the—I was reading my vows this morning from almost 25 years ago. I wrote in those vows. And I’d encourage you guys to think through that now. And singles, as you’re thinking through marriage, think through what it might mean in all the different stages. I said, “I pray that as we grow old together, our love will grow stronger because we are together growing as one closer to Christ. I commit myself to loving you, even when your beautiful body is gone, even when your mind is not sharp, even when you do not recognize who I am. No matter what the cost to me, I will be married to you until God takes you.” And that’s what it means. That love isn’t in it for what the other one can give. It’s not self-seeking. It actually seeks the good of the other. So have this mind in you, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped after, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being found in human form. He did that all the way to the point of death, death on the cross. That’s what husbands are called to. That’s what all of us are called to. So thinking, I am above changing this diaper or correcting my spouse for the thousand and seventy-second time this week. Stooping that low is nothing compared to our Savior’s humble condescension to us. And so you actually are embracing God-given roles as a Christian when we help and endure and love our spouse to the very end. Honoring Parents and End-of-Life Care Smedly Yates: And that’s a great segue, Jake. When I think about what you just described, our parents did those very things for us when we were helpless. There may come a time where those roles are reversed and we’re helping our parents in their end-of-life situations. I’m going to ask you a series of questions that came in and you can answer whichever ones you want. I’ll try to go faster so we get through them. Maybe. Maybe we do a part 17 of this series, whatever. But I’m thinking about the command, the prohibition, do not sharply rebuke an older man. And the positive commands honor your father and mother. Those commands don’t expire. And when I think about don’t sharply rebuke an older man, there ought to be an elevated view of those who have walked this life longer than we have. We’ve lost that in an American culture, right? Tribal cultures have kept that in some ways. Other places, other cultures have kept that. We just sort of disregard the elderly as a new cultural phenomenon. And, you know, the word euthanasia, the beginning of the word is, is eu or good and thanasia, thanos, death. Good death. It’s not good. And we don’t discard people when they’re no longer of utilitarian purpose. But that is where our culture is going. And Christians must look very different. So when we think about how do we gently, compassionately, lovingly honor God, honor our parents, loving them through end-of-life scenarios. Here’s a series of questions. How do I honor those relationships when compassionate care, sometimes correction, help the 1,077th time. Dad, use your words. Don’t use your hand. You know, whatever it is. Give me the keys. How do we do that and honor them in our disposition? Number two, is it sin to employ the resources of home health care or a live-in situation, a retirement community, etc.? And then what do we need to think about with end-of-life scenarios? Yeah. That’s a lot of questions. Let’s go. Jacob Hantla: Let’s go. So I think honoring your parents means, first off, it’s a disposition of the heart, but it’s a disposition of the heart that is connected to meeting their physical needs. You went to 1 Timothy 5. Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but encourage him as you would a father. And then dot that dot, second, verse 2, older women as mothers. And then it rolls into, let’s think of widows who are truly widows. Open to 1 Timothy 5. This is maybe a section that you’re like, you might not read this honor widows who are truly widows section, thinking it applies to you. It does. And I think in it is the answer to this question, or at least a significant part of it. Verse four, the thought here is the church needs to take care of widows, but don’t do so in a way that robs a family of the responsibility and need to take care of their own parents. So look at verse four. If a widow has children or even grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household. And now look at this three part: make some return to their parents. So rooted in just a mom, dad, thank you for however many years of my life. You changed my diapers and fed me and looked after every need. It’s okay if my career is messed up because I have to have you in my home and I have to go take care of you. That is, do you see what it says? That is actual showing of godliness. I love what you just said. It’s so different than the culture. The culture might do this in a way that Christians have to be sharply different than. It is godliness to make return for the way that your parents cared for you. Number two, this is pleasing in the sight of God. You don’t do it out of social obligation—well, who else is going to do it? They don’t have enough insurance. Or even if they do have insurance and you do get the privilege of having live-in help. No, you are seeking to please the Lord as you make return to them. This is pleasing. Yeah, and then the third was, yeah, so godliness, make return to their parents. It’s please the Lord. Take care of your parents. Meet the needs. And if you don’t, verse 8, do you see what it says? If anyone does not provide for relatives, especially members of his household, do you see what you’re saying? You have denied the faith and you are worse than an unbeliever. This is what James is referring to in chapter 2. That’s a faith that’s dead being by itself. The religion, end of James 1, the true religion, takes care of orphans and widows in their distress. How much more are your parents? So, yes, take care of your parents. You have to. It’s a great privilege. It’s actually God’s ordained means of living out godliness. So can you send your parents to a care home? Does that mean you have to maximally sacrifice? Not necessarily. It doesn’t mean that you have to perform every task. Neglect is sin, but using help may be wisdom. The reality is dementia needs are often 24-7. They involve skilled needs at times. They may wander, fall, be incontinent, unsafe swallowing. Care at home at all costs—that may be rooted in love. It may also be rooted in pride or even foolishness. Honor can actually look like choosing a good facility, visiting often, advocating, overseeing care. Encourage the church to be involved, but don’t demand the church do the work at you avoiding it. I don’t remember what the other questions were. Smedly Yates: That’s all right. We got one minute left, Jake. Would you close our time in prayer? Closing Prayer Jacob Hantla: God, thank you for your word and just how replete it is with wisdom and principles and instruction and most of all revelation of who you are and what pleases you. God, I pray from this and just from this lesson and all the trials that you bring us through related to dementia and so many others that you would increasingly form us each individually and then corporately as your body. Form us into your image. Increase our godliness and then, God, bring us safely home. We love you. Be glorified in our lives and in our church. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. The post Equipping Hour: Dementia and the Christian Q&A appeared first on Grace Bible Church.

Merry Christmas from Media Gratiae. In this special episode, Jordan and John conclude their series on meditating on the incarnation of Jesus. They explore what it means that Christ took on our flesh without sin, how the incarnation shapes our reconciliation with the Father, and much more. Of particular focus is a practical application that has been especially meaningful to Jordan: how the incarnation of Jesus equips us to wage war against and mortify our own sin. Christ is the only human to fully experience the weight of temptation, yet He never yielded. He endured to the very end, glorifying the Father fully. We pray that this episode, along with the linked Scriptural meditations and the series as a whole, nourishes your soul this Christmas season and strengthens you in the year to come 25 Meditations on the Incarnation: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/ Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional: https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf Christ Our Treasure: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming 00:00 – Welcome & Overview 01:00 – Incarnation in Life 03:30 – Fighting Sin Through Christ 06:00 – Christ Our Example 10:00 – Beholding and Being Transformed 13:30 – God's Humility 17:00 – Identifying with Sinners 20:30 – God Takes Our Name 24:00 – Stooping to Save 27:30 – Historical Hope 30:00 – Emmanuel: God With Us

Christmas draws our focus to the manger—the baby, the shepherds, the wise men. But have you ever looked deeper, past Bethlehem to see the whole story? The eternal Lord of glory didn’t cling to His rights or status; instead, He laid aside His privilege and became a servant, subjecting himself to mockery, torture, and eventually […]

“Stooping Low”

The Opera Next Door began in 2020 as jam sessions with musician friends when they could only gather outdoors. In 2021 they produced their first opera, Mozart's Così fan tutte. Many stoop concerts have followed and this month they'll stage Don G, an adaptation of Don Giovanni, on a stoop in Bed Stuy (on Sept. 13) and at Shapeshifter Lab in Park Slope (Sept. 17). Co-founders Sasha Gutiérrez and Zack O'Farrill join us to talk about the project.

An Italian vase from the 15th century claims unsuspecting victims, and a chair that makes a man mad and obsessive enough to kill over, and before his execution puts a curse on the chair - anyone who sits in will die quickly afterwards. PS: be sure to check out Thursday's episode, the annual 9/11 episode  CREDITS & LINKS MUSIC COURTESY OF:

Luke 24:1-12 NLT1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” 8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. • • •1. Resurrection: Is it true? • • •a. Testimony of historical documents • • •Luke 24:1-7 NLT1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” • • •b. Testimony of women • • •Luke 24:8-12 NLT8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. • • •c. Testimony of multiple eyewitnesses • • •1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. • • •d. Testimony of angels • • •Luke 24:4-7 NLT4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” • • •2. Resurrection: What does it mean for us? • • •a. Jesus is with us now • • •2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! • • •Romans 8:11 NLT11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. • • •Matthew 28:18-20 ESV18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” • • •b. We will be with Jesus for eternity • • •Luke 23:43 ESV43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” • • •John 14:1-3 ESV1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. • • •John 14:6 ESV6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. • • •John 11:25-26 ESV25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” • • •Application:Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

Luke 24:1-12But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb taking the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb, but when they went inside they didn't find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.The women were terrified and they bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day, rise again.” Then the women remembered what he had said and, returning from the tomb, they told all of this to the eleven and to all the rest.Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles, but their words seemed to them and idle tale, and they didn't believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking inside he saw the linen cloths by themselves, and he went home, amazed at what had happened. We've been telling stories around here throughout the season of Lent, leading up to this morning and Easter's great story of gospel good news. I'm so grateful for the brave, faithful Cross of Gracers who shared brief, true, very personal stories about their lives in this world – and about the many ways their lives and their faith came together at a variety of crossroads, for them. We heard stories about miraculous healings, surprising encounters with the divine; family, friendship, and falling in love. And more on top of that.On Good Friday, to wrap up that storytelling extravaganza, we heard one more story and then we listened to the story of Jesus' crucifixion, suffering, and death on the cross. And then we left in darkness and silence, with only the microphone we'd been using all season, left standing at the foot of the cross, all by its self. Alone. Off. Unplugged. Silent.I'm not sure who got the symbolism of that or knew how deliberate that was, but it made me think of this picture I remember seeing somewhere, some time, several ago. "Speechless" by Darrell Van Citters Mel Blanc, of course, was the voice actor for all of those distinct and memorable Loony Tunes characters: Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales, Pepe LePew, and Daffy Duck. (Those were the days when cartoons were socially unaware and culturally insensitive in ways that kids like me probably shouldn't have been watching them for hours on end every Saturday morning. But we didn't know what we didn't know!)Anyway, these lonely microphones – the one in that picture and the one we left here on Friday – are a powerful symbol for me – and a connection and inflexion point – between Good Friday's silence and the invitation I hope compels us on the other side of Easter's empty tomb.The women show up to do their thing for the body of Jesus – to grieve his death, to anoint his body, maybe to confirm that what they had seen and heard really was true: that their friend, teacher, messiah … that their savior … really was dead and gone. And when they get there, the stone has moved – and so has Jesus – and they have this terrifying encounter with some sharp-dressed men, who remind them about what they woulda, coulda, shoulda remembered: that Jesus was alive and well, just as he said he would be.So the women leave with a new story of their own to tell: that Jesus was the real deal after all – just like he'd told them all along. The men, of course, aren't buying it. They don't believe it, because … women. So Peter hoofs it to the tomb to see for himself. And what do you know? The women – and Jesus, himself – were right after all. Men.But it's that question from ZZ Top (the Sharp Dressed Men) that gets me today. It's the question from the angels at the grave side that I can't ignore: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” It seems like a rhetorical question, but it sticks with me because, I think, it's how and where each of us is invited to figure out what kind of story we're going to tell about all of this, in the end.“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”While it seems like the angels imply the women shouldn't be looking for Jesus at the tomb – again, had they been paying attention and believed what he'd been telling them all along. But, I'd actually like for us to “look for the living among the dead” not because we don't understand or believe what has happened here, but precisely because we do understand and believe it. I mean, I want us to “look for the living among the dead” because it's the invitation of Easter, it's the joy of faith, and it's the call of our discipleship, if we want to follow Jesus.I think we look for the living among the dead because Easter's good news is meant precisely for the dead and the dying; for the lost and forgotten; for the oppressed and the outcast. It's for the sick and the suffering; the poor and the marginalized. This good news is for those without a microphone and for those with stories to tell that no one seems to be listening to.Of course, Easter's story is about the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Those we've lost around here lately – our friends, family, and Partners in Mission – Jerry, Carol, Joan, Bob, Steve, and Dick – and all those who've gone before, know about life in the face of death in ways we can only imagine on this side of heaven. The story of Easter's good news is certainly theirs.But Jesus' death and resurrection wasn't all or only about the other side of heaven. He died and was raised so that we might bring life and love; grace and mercy, peace and hope to bear upon the world as we know it, here and now. Jesus died – and was raised – to prove that what got him killed in the first place … God's ways of justice and equity, peace and inclusion, humility and generosity, sacrifice and suffering … that God's Way was and is THE WAY to life everlasting – not just then and there, but on earth as it is in heaven, too.So I say we go, not just looking for the living among the dead, but that we go looking to bring life to the dying – the suffering – the struggling – the oppressed – the outcast, the sinner, and all the rest. That's the call, the command, and the story of Easter. We are meant to leave the tomb with such good news to share that it changes everything for anyone and everyone who needs to hear it most.Easter's story calls us to stand up to violence and injustice – and the death, destruction and dehumanization they foster – at every turn.Easter's story is one meant to make us care for creation in ways that prevents it from dying faster than it can restore and repair itself.Easter's story is one that makes room for all people – and their stories – rather than removing them from the narrative.Easter's story is one that should give Christian people enough faith in the God we worship to trust that that God is big enough to love people who believe differently than we do – if they even believe at all.I think Easter's good news of resurrection was and is the cosmic mic-drop moment of our faith. And our call is to pick up the mic again – maybe even to take it from those who would do otherwise – and to tell a story more loudly and more clearly full of grace, mercy, love, and hope for all people.Why do we look for the living among the dead? Because the world needs people who have the faith, grace and courage to bring good news to the poor, now; release to the captive, now; recovery of sight to the blind, now; and to let the oppressed go free, now.If we're not doing any of that with Easter's good news, we might as well leave it in the tomb and unplug the mic.It seems too good to be true, but Google says that Mel Blanc's last words were “That's all folks!” Whether that's the case or not, I can't say for sure. It IS true that his family had his most famous one-liner etched into the headstone at his grave.Easter's good news is that death wasn't and isn't ever ALL there is, when God has a God's way with it. Easter means, not just that there is life after death, but that because of that, we have life to proclaim and to practice in the face of all the death, dying, and destruction we face and facilitate too much of the time in this world. “Why do we look for the living among the dead?” Because Easter gives us a better story of life and blessing and joy, of promise, good news, and hope to proclaim and practice in its place.Amen. Alleluia. Happy Easter.

[Luke 24:1] But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.The women came to ____________, but God came to ____________.[Luke 24:2-5] They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. [3] So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. [5] The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?The stone wasn't rolled away to let Jesus ___________, it was moved so we could ____________ in.[Luke 24:11-12] But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. [12] However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.The resurrection is God's declaration that your ________________ is not the ____________.[John 20:19] That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! "Peace be with you," he said.Your ____________ isn't stronger than Jesus' ____________.What happened in the ____________ didn't stay in ____________.[Matthew 28:2] Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.Jesus didn't ____________ death, He ____________ it.[Colossians 2:15] In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.If Jesus could defeat ____________ he could also defeat ____________.

Fr. Patrick preached this homily on January 5, 2025. The readings are from Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13, Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 & Matthew 2:1-12. — Connect with us! Website: https://slakingthirsts.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCytcnEsuKXBI-xN8mv9mkfw

How low will you stoop to help others? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-john-van-gorkom/support

Many are acquainted with the phrase "He couldn't see the handwriting on the wall," often unaware of its origins in Daniel chapter 5. Here, during King Belshazzar's extravagant feast, his arrogance invites God's judgment, marked by a mysterious inscription on the palace wall.   As the soiree persists, the Persians encircle Babylon. Did Belshazzar grasp the imminent danger? It seems likely, given the formidable size of the amassed army. So why indulge in revelry while the enemy lurks at the gates? Perhaps he deemed Babylon impregnable—a notion well reasoned considering its colossal walls. The remnants are still visible today in modern Iraq. Some historians doubted the city could fall in a single night, yet the ancitent historian Herodotus recounts the Persians' ingenious tactic: diverting the Euphrates to infiltrate Babylon through its waterways, swiftly seizing the city. At Belshazzar's feast, the glow of the lampstand dims as he retreats into the darkness of his final night. Belshazzar met his end, and Darius the Mede ascended to power. (Daniel 5:30-31) God's mode of communication reveals a recurring pattern. Some 550 years later, Jesus faces a similar test of power. Confronted by accusers wielding the law against a woman caught in adultery, Jesus challenges the judgmental hearts of those present. Stooping to write in the dirt, his message brings conviction, driving away the self-righteous. Similarly, God's hand continues to write upon our hearts today, calling us to faith, exposing our sins, and urging repentance. Most profoundly, those very hands were later extended on a cross, offering forgiveness and eternal life. Belshazzar's tale serves as a stark reminder: arrogance invites downfall and disobedience leads to ruin.   As Christians, we carry the light of God's Son within us. Let us therefore represent him faithfully, interpreting rather than receiving the handwriting on the wall, just as Daniel did.

In his parable The Wise Woman, George MacDonald tells the story of two girls, whose selfishness brings misery to all, including themselves, until a Wise Woman puts them through a series of tests to help them become “lovely” again. After the girls fail each test and suffer shame and isolation, one of them, Rosamond, finally realizes she can’t change herself. “Couldn’t you help me?” she asks the Wise Woman. “Perhaps I could,” the woman replied, “now that you ask me.” And with the divine help symbolized by the Wise Woman, Rosamond begins to change. She then asks if the woman would forgive all the trouble she’s caused. “If I had not forgiven you,” the woman says, “I would never have taken the trouble to punish you.” There are times when God disciplines us. It’s important to understand why. His correction isn’t driven by retribution but by a fatherly concern for our welfare (Hebrews 12:6). He also desires that we may “share in his holiness,” enjoying a harvest of “righteousness and peace” (vv. 10–11). Selfishness brings misery, but holiness makes us whole, joyful, and “lovely” like Him. Rosamond asks the Wise Woman how she can love a selfish girl like her. Stooping to kiss her, the woman replies, “I saw what you were going to be.” God’s correction too comes with love and a desire to make us who we’re meant to be.

The Son was Gone..The Death, Burial and Resurrection     “By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words, he breathed his last.    The light was gone from the sun, Nature and Creation mourned This shows us that Jesus is the true light and the Son of Man.  Darkness preceded his death showing us that without Jesus there would be no light The torn curtain shows allow us access to the throne room of God. Only the Holy Priest could enter once a year to atone for the sins of the people at the death of Christ the barrier was split so Christ gave us access to Jesus Jesus had trusted God's plan for us and now he released his spirit into the hands of His Father and breathed his last breath   How is this significant to us? Without Jesus, there is a darkness that hovers over our lives. There is not Light. There is no Son. There is no access to the throne room without him.  Christ's dead tore the veil to grant us access to God's presence. His obedience to the point of death is an example of following God and taking up our cross daily   The Sorrow was present  When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus' friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.   Here we see the death was execution  The Roman officer knew Jesus was innocent.  He began to worship God. Could this have been salvation at the cross the scales were removed from his eyes  The crowd saw the crucifixion –when is it ever comfortable to watch someone die  But the people who loved him and followed him they stood back at a distance    It took the death of Jesus to remove the scales from the Roman officer's eyes. What is it going to take for yours? I wonder if he was saved after this. He gave worship to God but I wonder if he gave his heart to him. We would want to stand around the execution chair of our best friend for a crime they didn't do. So his friends stood at a distance. This had to be hard to experience and watch.    The Secret Disciple who buried Jesus   Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he did not agree with the decisions and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Then he took the body down from the cross wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin. As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭44‬-‭56‬ ‭NLT‬‬   Joseph was not in agreement with the death of Jesus. He was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come  He took care of Jesus' burial body  Here we see the wrapping in the linen cloth like we saw in the cloths at birth  It was the women who went to the tomb  It was the women who went to prepare ointments and spices to anoint his body  He had got Jesus a new tomb. So we see there was o fishy stuff.They might have tried to say the stone was a little used and loose. Joseph was waiting on the Kingdom are you waiting on the Kingdom?    The Sunday that changes everything   “But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬   Sunday morning. The women took the spices but the stone had been rolled away  They didn't find the body  Two men in dazzling robes appeared and terrified them  The men question them. Why are you looking among the dead for someone alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Jesus had already told them he would be betrayed, crucified and risen  The women rushed to tell the disciples and everyone else  It was women who told about the resurrection  But the men thought it sounded like nonsense and didn't believe  Peter jumped to see and he went home wondering what had happened  Are you looking among the dead for the living? What dead thing, place, or circumstance are you still looking to?   Who are you going to for help? Remember in the Old Testament how the Lord told them in Jeremiah their idols can't help them nor harm them. Why because they are dead!   The fact that Jesus told them and they didn't believe the plan after it was played out right in their face.  When Jesus returns, there will be some people who still don't believe what is happening even though through his Word He tells us just like he told them    The women have a role and relationship in the resurrection  It was the women who stayed at the cross  It was the women who prepared the spices It was the women who followed to the tomb  It was the women who first entered the tomb  It was the woman that the angel first told about the Risen Lord It was the women who rushed to tell the others about the Resurrection    The man thought it sounded like nonsense and didn't believe. Peter ran to see and still didn't believe  Will you be like these women?   Without the Resurrection, we have no faith and no hope, no eternal. Jesus had to rise so we can live forever.  Christian faith is the only faith that has a LIVING GOD and LIVING WORD  The Chew   Women have a role and responsibility to prepare our souls for Jesus to follow him, testify about him, and share the gospel.   

Series: Christmas ‘23Title: “In crisis, what are you trusting in?”Scripture: Isaiah 7:1-17; Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25Bottom line: God uses the crises of life to expose our true faith: If we do not stand firm in our faith in Christ, we will not stand at all.Question: When you and your family are in crisis, what are you trusting in to get through it?INTRODUCTION Does anyone remember the bicentennial train? For a year, a red, white and blue train traveled around the country as a mobile museum celebrating the first 200 years of America as a nation. That's been 47 years ago now. I vaguely remember stepping onto that train as a twelve year old. The train is firmly in my mind because for Christmas that year I got an HO scale replica of that train engine. As we consider the historical context of Isaiah 7, it's about 200 years since Israel divided into two kingdoms: 10 to the north, called Israel, and 2 stayed loyal in Jerusalem in the south, called Judah. 40 years before that Solomon was crowned king. 40 years before that David. 40 years before that Saul. Here we're 200 years into the divided kingdom where Judah represents the remnant—the faithful, though they weren't much more faithful than the northern tribes. It's during this time that Isaiah is called to be a prophet. The year is about 740 BC then, and here in chapter 7 it's 735. Remember that BC counts down to 0 before AD starts back up.Start with Luke 1:26-38v. 37: “For no word from God will ever fail.”What word did Mary just ask about? Matthew 19:26, “Nothing is impossible with God,” is surely appropriate. But I think in light of the fact that she is a virgin and yet about to have a baby leads me to Isaiah 7:14 where 730ish years earlier the Lord prophesied through Isaiah that the sign will be, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” We know that Immanuel means God with us. And he surely was through Jesus, the Son of God.So we travel back 700+ years from the birth of Christ, 2700 years back from today, and see how God was preparing his people for a Savior way before his physical arrival.OUTLINE I. Crisis reveals true faith (7:1-2)A. The crisis: a scary allianceB. Fluttering like a leafII. The Sovereign Lord Intervenes, Promises, and Warns (7:3-9)A. God's command: Don't be afraid, only believe.B. God's promise: The plans of man will fail.C. God's warning: There is grave danger for unbelief.III. The Sovereign Lord Gives a Sign: Immanuel (7:10-17)A. Stooping to our weakness: The Lord gives a sign.B. Three issues with the sign “Immanuel.”CONCLUSIONBottom line: God uses the crises of life to expose our true faith: If we do not stand firm in our faith in Christ, we will not stand at all.This crisis was for King Ahvaz and was personal. What about you? What are you trusting in in your crisis?This crisis was for the nation of Judah (southern kingdom of Israel). What about us? What is our nation trusting in in our crisis? What about your family?This crisis was for the here and now. The crisis of whether or not the Syrian-Ephraimite alliance would defeat them in Judah. What were they trusting in in the here and now? What are we trusting in in our crisis right here and now?There's another crisis coming when Jesus Christ returns as King. Will you be standing firm in your faith in him at his return? Or will you fall?Question: When you and your family are in crisis, what are you trusting in to get through it?Turn to Christ the King today as your savior and lord. He is worthy and he is able to save you!Let me invite you to do 3 things:Accept Christ.Join a group.Give something.Ask for help.Text me at 843-830-2464 as needed.-Pastor Darien Lord's SupperExplainReadConfessGo out into the mission fieldLord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.11.23-26.NIVPray.Other notesPreach the Word Commentary on Isaiah, Ray Orland, Jr. The triumph of grace over failure: Judah (7:1-8:8)Decision: Will we trust God or ourselves? (7:1-17)A1 The people of God intimidated by attack (7:1-2)B1 A symbolic son and the attackers plan (7:3-6)C1 The Lord's overruling word of promise (7:7-9)D The response of distrust (7:10-12)C2 The Lord's overruling sign of salvation (7:13-15)B2 A symbolic son and the attackers' defeat (7:16)A1 The people of God destined for attack (7:17)Judgment: (following verses for another time)SECTION OUTLINE FOUR (ISAIAH 6-8) from the Outline Bible, WillmingtonIsaiah records his vision and new commission, (6) his ministry of comfort to King Ahaz, (7) and his message of destruction to the northern kingdom. (8)1. THE CALL OF THE PROPHET (6: 1-13)A. Isaiah and the heaven of God (6:1-7)1. Isaiah's vision (6:1-4)a. What he sees (6:1): The Lord seated upon his exalted throne in gloryb. What he hears (6:2-4): The mighty seraphim (angelic beings) praising God for his holiness2. Isaiah's vexation (6:5): This awesome sight causes Isaiah to cry out, acknowledging his own sin and that of his people.3. Isaiah's visitation (6:6-7): One of the angelic seraphim touches Isaiah's tongue with a burning coal from heaven's altar, purifying the prophet.B. Isaiah and the God of heaven (6:8-13)1. Isaiah hears God's voice (6:8a): God wants to know whom he should send as his messenger to his people.2. Isaiah heeds God's voice (6:8b-13): Isaiah volunteers.II. THE CHRIST OF THE PROPHET (7:1-25) (Our focus this week)A. Isaiah's first prophecy (7:1-12): God sends the prophet to reassure young Ahaz, the terrified king of Judah.1. The need for this reassurance (7:1-2): The southern tribe of Judah is threatened with invasion by the northern ten tribes and Aram.2. The nature of this reassurance (7:3-9): God instructs Isaiah to assure Ahaz that this simply will not happen, for the enemy armies will soon be crushed and broken.3. The negative response to this reassurance (7:10-12)a. The Lord's sign (7:10-11): God invites Ahaz to ask for any sign he might desire to validate Isaiah's promise.b. The king's scorn (7:12): Wicked Ahaz refuses, not allowing God to show his mighty power.B. Isaiah's second prophecy (7:13-16): Many believe these verses predict the births of two babies, one to be born supernaturally in the distant future, the other to be born naturally in the immediate future.1. The first baby (7:13-14): This will be the Messiah, born centuries later to the Virgin Mary.2. The second baby (7:15-16): This will be Maher-shalal-hash-baz, born less than a year later to Isaiah and his wife. Ahaz is told that even before this baby is weaned, the enemy kings of both the northern kingdom and Aram will be dead.C. Isaiah's third prophecy (7:17-25): He warns of a terrible Assyrian attack on Judah.MAIN COMMENTARY HELP: Exalting Jesus in Isaiah by Andrew DavisPreaching the Word: Isaiah commentary by Ray Ortland, Jr. ESV Global Study Bible Bible in One Year by Nicky Gumbel Bible Knowledge CommentaryThe Outline Bible, WilmingtonGospel Transformation BibleNIV Study BibleJesus Through Middle-eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey`

主播：梅莉| Wendi歌曲 ：Thrift Shop*更多节目配乐，请在“网易云音乐”搜索“一席英语-老外来了歌单”。今天，我们了一个比较环保的话题——二手商品以及二手店。1. 在国外二手店很流行二手店（thrift stores或者second hand stores）在国外have become quite popular（正变得流行）。国外很多人们会经常在二手店买东西，thrifting and buying second hand things is quite common.有的城市有很多的二手店，比如说Paris（巴黎），Tokyo（东京），Melbourne（墨尔本）等城市，街上就有很多的二手店。在这些二手店里，会卖clothes, bags, shoes等等。这些小商店就像一个集市，他们在a certain day of the week（一周的一个固定日子开），通常都是open air（在户外）。2. 为什么大家会喜欢二手店？最直接的一个原因是：it is cheaper（二手东西都很便宜）。而且，买二手的商品是more environmentally friendly（更加对环境友好）。People are more and more conscious about this（人们的环保意识越来越强），所以关注环保也变得越来越重要。还有人会觉得，in thrift you can find things that are rare and different（在二手店，你可以找到一些罕见和不同的东西），特别是对于那些追求时尚的人来说，因为有很多的物品是rare finds（稀有发现）。有很多人会去二手店“淘宝”，他们能在这些店里找到“hidden gems”（“隐藏的宝藏”），比如说something valuable, special, or unique（一些有价值的、特别的、或独特的东西），这些东西可能都是不太常见的，not widely known or recognized by most people。3. 二手货交易平台中国有一些比较火的线上交易APP，比如咸鱼、转转，还有一些二手车交易APP。欧洲比较受欢迎的二手货交易平台有vinted，以及facebook marketplace。还有一些微信闲置群，比如说同一栋楼里或者小区里大家有什么不用了的东西就发在群里。这种闲置群可以是swap and sell，或者是second hand or stooping groups。• swap v.交换（东西）4. 当下流行的“拾荒”文化现在stooping（“拾荒”）文化变得非常流行。Stoop这个词作名词讲有台阶的意思，作动词有俯身弯腰的意思，所以这个stooping意思就是说在门口的台阶上弯腰捡东西，后来慢慢引申为弯腰捡二手物品回。Stooping就是一个发现好物的很好的方式，你可以不用付full price（全额）就买到好物。对于一些物品，你可以clean out things to get rid of things you don't need（清理掉你不需要的东西），然后就可以give it a second life（给它第二次生命）。还有另一种stooping的方式，是在街边进行。比如说在Barcelona（巴塞罗那），有人就会在Instagram上post pictures of things they didn't need anymore（发一些不要的东西的照片），并且会附上地址，对这些物品感兴趣的人就会pick it up for free（免费领取它）。中国从去年开始也兴起了stooping热，起初是上海的一个女生在留学的时候看到有人也是免费处理自己家的椅子，所以她回国之后就创立了很多stooping社群，然后现在不仅在上海，北京广州深圳一些一线城市也有了这种stooping group，大家的闲置物品都可以在上面交换。这种stooping行为是environmentally friendly（很环保的）。同时，它也会在一定程度上avoid over consumption（避免过度消费）。人们正在finding value in things that have been used（从已经使用过的东西中寻找价值），还有一些人正在makingDIYs using old things to give them a new look（将这些旧物进行改造，让它们有全新的面貌）。现在，社交网站上就有很多人在社交媒体上，展示他们改造后的new furniture or even clothes。从另一个角度来看，这也说明现在人们的环保意识在不断提高，which is a very positive trend（是一种正向的潮流）。欢迎大家在评论区给我们留言，分享你的想法和感受。

TIMESTAMPS:00:00:01 - Intro00:00:31 - HATE WEEK00:02:44 - Happy Thanksgiving!00:04:00 - On this Episode00:05:10 - Row Sixty: After Dark00:07:05 - Trip to Tennessee00:09:11 - Gameday Atmosphere00:14:56 - Peach State Pride00:15:45 - NEW Patrons!00:17:41 - Weekly Concession Stands Report00:22:33 - Fan Rant00:28:31 - Clark's Fun Facts00:34:24 - UGA Offense vs Tennessee00:44:56 - UGA Defense vs Tennessee00:51:50 - UGA Special Teams vs Tennessee00:54:14 - Go Papa John's!00:54:42 - Chilly Win00:56:01 - Stooping to a New Low00:57:55 - So Close!00:58:38 - HAHAHAHAHA01:02:27 - Oregon State @ Oregon01:04:12 - Ohio State @ Michigan01:07:14 - Kentucky @ Louisville01:09:21 - Alabama @ Auburn01:11:18 - Florida State @ Florida01:13:32 - Clemson @ South Carolina01:14:40 - UGA/gt Trivia01:20:48 - UGA vs tech Preview01:31:18 - BEAT THE NERDS! SUPPORT OUR PODCAST: For just $5/month, you can support our podcast & unlock exclusive perks. Visit https://www.patreon.com/rowsixty & join today! CONNECT WITH US:Patreon: patreon.com/rowsixtyFacebook: facebook.com/rowsixtyInstagram: instagram.com/rowsixty/TikTok: tiktok.com/@rowsixtyYouTube: youtube.com/rowsixtyWebsite: rowsixty.comStore: rowsixty.com/storeVisit: peachstatepride.com

Bo Noonan teaches from John 13:1-20 as we kick off our new series: The Upper Room - Words of Life from Jesus. This series will take us through the last meal Jesus had with his disciples and his farewell discourse to them. The depth of teaching, significance, and love that is displayed in this scene is magnificent. In part one, we see Jesus show what it means to be a part of, and to lead in, his kingdom, as he stoops to the lowest place of indignity to serve his friends by washing their feet.

The Cat joins us from Atlanta to discuss the Cardinals as well as Tucker stooping pretty low with his latest interview

Martina Toby is an expert healthcare professional specialising in Women's health across diverse backgrounds and age groups. She started her career as a Genitourinary physician before pivoting to a General Medical Practitioner and then stepping into entrepreneurship, with her soon to be launched menopause care business.  As she moves into the next phase of her professional journey, her focus has shifted toward education and advocacy. She is actively working to dispel the stigmas surrounding menopause, while also developing new, specialised care products. Central to her practice is a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that individuals encounter during menopause. Martina's impressive professional shifts were not seamless and involved what she refers to as ‘'stooping to conquer''. One standout throughout this process is she made these career moves whilst being a mother of two young boys under the age of 3.  Key Takeaways: Her strategies for crafting and navigating a career pivot The mindset and competencies necessary for a career pivot How she attempts to balance motherhood with all the other hats she wears The realities of entrepreneurship Her three strategic career plays You can follow Martina on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/dr-martina-toby-ab905812a/⁠ and join the Shades of Menopause community: www.instagram.com/shadesofmenopause/ Her menopause care business can be found at: https://esme.co.uk/  and www.instagram.com/esmehealth/ Join the Pursuit community and sign up to the newsletter at ⁠www.meetpursuit.com⁠ and don't forget to follow us on IG at @meetpursuit ⁠www.instagram.com/meetpursuit/⁠ This is an AiAi Studios Production - ⁠www.aiaistudios.com⁠ IG: @aiai.studios  

Cash-strapped young Chinese have developed a sudden passion for furnishing their homes with discarded items found on the street. Their parents are horrified.Click here to read the article by Fan Yiying.Narrated by Cliff Larsen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stooping to their level, Paul goes toe-to-toe with the "qualifications" the false teachers are celebrating.

Original content creator: The Rideshare GuyOriginally published 5/31/23 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jfzDoZtwmQDESCRIPTION:Welcome to the Money Hungry live show with Kim and Zach Wednesdays 8pm est/5pm pst.On today's show, Kim and Zach Welcome @UDMDELIVERS as their guest today to the show! Also Doordash drivers who cherry pick vs Drivers who take every order, Delivery Drivers ask for MORE money, What do you do when you deliver to a hotel room, Restaurant Server uses delivery apps to gain 7K in fake tips, Can you make Gig Work a Full-time job?, Did This Instacart shopper give good service or just very detailed?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-gigtube-podcast/donations

En Por fin no es lunes hablamos con Sandra, la Indiana Jones del "Stooping", una práctica que consiste en recuperar muebles de la basura para darles una segunda vida. Su perfil de Instagram @estoyenlabasura ya cuenta con 33.000 seguidores.

The True Story of the Resurrection Luke 24:1-12 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didnt find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isnt here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day. Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciplesand everyone elsewhat had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didnt believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. Introduction 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17-20 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless... And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. The Women's Testimony Luke 24:1-7 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day." Luke 24:5-6 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee..." John 20:18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord!" The Disciple's Testimony Luke 24:9-12 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples-and everyone else-what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. Luke 24:13-16 That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along, they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. Luke 24:36-40 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. "Peace be with you," he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! "Why are you frightened?" he asked. "Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do." As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. John 20:26-29 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. "Peace be with you," he said. Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." Conclusion Revelation 3:20 Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

In this episode of Research Radio, we have with us Dr. Radhika Kumar, who will be discussing the changing political landscape in the ‘Jatland' of Haryana. This discussion is based on her papers titled ‘Saffronising 'Jatland': Mapping Shifts in the Electoral Landscape in Haryana', ‘Stooping to Conquer: Jats and Reservations in Haryana', ‘Why a Nationalist Rhetoric Failed the BJP in Haryana'. Dr. Radhika Kumar is with the Department of Political Science, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi. For more episodes and to listen to EPW's other podcast Research Radio head to https://www.epw.in/podcasts Subscribe to EPW to access all our content including the archives of The Economic and Political Weekly and The Economic Weekly dating back to 1949. https://www.epw.in/subscribe.html

'Stooping' (from NYC's stoops) -- Torontonian sold on the many advantages of bringing home curbside discards; "The first time -- it was horrible!": winter camping fan learns from his mistakes.

Listen along as we continue through the story of Scripture. Notes/Quotes: 1 John 1:1-10 - Christine Reading Title: Reductions, Redundancies, Reassurances In our unredeemed state we are “of the devil,” who has sinned and lied and murdered “from the beginning” (1 John 3:8 / John 8:44); we are “from the world” (2:16; 4:5 / 8:23; 15:19). We therefore “sin” (3:4 / 8:34) and “have” sin (1:8 / 9:41), “walk in the darkness” (1:6; 2:11 / 8:12; 12:35) and are “dead” (3:14 / 5:25). God loved and sent His Son to be “the Savior of the World” (4:14 / 4:42) so that “we might live” (4:9 / 3:16). Believing in him or in his “name” (5:13 / 1:12), we pass from death to life (3:14 / 5:24). We “have life” (5:11, 12 / 3:15, 36; 20:31), for life is in the Son of God (5:11–12 / 1:4; 14:6). This is what it means to be “born of God” (2:29; 3:9; 5:4, 18 / 1:13). - The New American Commentary “There, the people gathered earnestly to hear the aging apostle speak about his experiences with Jesus. As John's strength diminished and his ability even to speak declined, Jerome tells us that “He usually said nothing but, ‘Little children, love one another.'” The listeners reportedly grew weary of hearing the old man repeat the same line over and over. “Teacher,” they asked, “why do you always say this?” According to Jerome, the aged apostle replied, “Because it is the Lord's commandment, and if it alone is kept, it is sufficient.” - Michael LeFebvre 1 John 4:7-21 “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”  “Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us” (I John 4:10). We must not begin with mysticism, with the creature's love for God, or with the wonderful foretastes of the fruition of God vouchsafed to some in their earthly life. We begin at the real beginning, with love as the Divine energy. This Primal love is Gift-love. In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give." - C.S. Lewis 1 John 3:1-3 “1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” Questions: 1. John was simmering in the gospel—in the love of God. What am I simmering in? 2. John's mantra (the song he sang) was “love one another” What's mine? Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love's
sake became poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender, Sapphire-paved
courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love's
sake became poor. Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love's sake
becamest man; 
Stooping so low, but sinners raising Heavenwards 
by thine eternal plan. 
Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love's sake
Becamest Man. Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King,
we worship thee. 
Emmanuel, within us dwelling, Make us what thou 
wouldst have us be. 
Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King,
we worship thee. —Frank Houghton, 1934

Big Idea: If this is possible, then _____ ! John 20:1-10 If this is possible, then _____ ! 1. You can courageously face your future. John 20: 1-2 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him!” 2. You get the ultimate do-over. John 20: 3-7 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 3. You get hope that's stronger than death. John 20: 8-10 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying. Next Steps: I need Jesus to raise me from my grave of sin today. I will rely on his resurrection power this week.

New moms and dads are always experimenting with new styles of parenting. One of them is “Reverse Parenting”, which involves parents acting in ways that prompt the child to choose what is best for them. How well does it work (01:11)? / Stooping, or curb mining, as it is alternatively called, is the practice of taking someone's unwanted goods right off from their front lawns and making them your treasures. We're going to look at the pros and cons of this practice (25:06). Heart to Heart - please send your audio questions to ezfmroundtable@foxmail.com (43:20)! On the show: Ningjing, Fei Fei & Josh Cotterill

On this weeks podcast I talk about Stooping, Andrew Tate and my new business idea. 

Anyone have a petty ex? I mean like Petty LaBelle? Join the club! I know all too well what that's like. In this episode, I quickly list my top 3 tips on how to keep your sanity when it comes to dealing with the EX. Y'all… it will get better. If you're in the heat of it all; just know -> keep moving forward. Stooping to their level won't solve a thing. I do hope that we ALL can get on the same page and raise our children to be the best humans possible. Because truly: our children should always be our top priority. Feel free to follow me on https://www.instagram.com/veemindful_coach. If you need coach-sulting to get thru your divorce or to find a new love… by all means, please visit me on IG or my website at www.veemindful.com.

Anyone have a petty ex? I mean like Petty LaBelle? Join the club! I know all too well what that's like. In this episode, I quickly list my top 3 tips on how to keep your sanity when it comes to dealing with the EX. Y'all… it will get better. If you're in the heat of it all; just know -> keep moving forward. Stooping to their level won't solve a thing. I do hope that we ALL can get on the same page and raise our children to be the best humans possible. Because truly: our children should always be our top priority. Feel free to follow me on https://www.instagram.com/veemindful_coach. If you need coach-sulting to get thru your divorce or to find a new love… by all means, please visit me on IG or my website at www.veemindful.com.

One thing is for sure - the whole world is confused. The US walks the talk. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip has been riven with controversy - POTUS did not want it and said so. This video decodes the real reason... #PelosiTaiwanVisit #NancyPelosi #Taiwan #China #UnitedStates

The Bishop calls us to remembrance that in times when our values are tested we must decide to STAND for what is right and not STOOP under pressure... Grace and Peace

Crouching. Bending. Stooping. The magical, ninja-like way you lay a baby down in the crib without waking her up; the feeling of wet, sloppy gums on your knuckles as he teethes. In Episode 363, Sarah and Meagan reflect on the muscle memories associated with the repetitive motions of early motherhood. Some bring back all the warm fuzzies and others make us shudder (looking at you, nipple-biting babes), but we promise, this episode will bring the memories flooding back. The post The Muscle Memory Of Motherhood: Episode 363 appeared first on The Mom Hour.

Stooping and Stunned by St. Simons Presbyterian Podcast

Luke 24:1-12But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb taking the spices they prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, but they didn't find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.The women were terrified and they bowed their faces to the ground. The men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He's not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, crucified, and on the third day, rise again. Then they remembered these words and, returning to Jerusalem, told all of this to the eleven and all the rest.Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles but these words seemed to them an idle tale and they didn't believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking inside, he saw the linen cloths and went away, amazed at what had happened. I heard an interesting story on the This American Life podcast recently about a guy from Queensland, Australia, who calls himself “The Coffin Confessor.” His name is Bill, and he was actually a private investigator by trade, before he picked up a side-gig some time ago that led to this new, much more interesting job title. What's cooler than being a private investigator, you wonder?Well, this guy was investigating some financial matters for a client who, unbeknownst to Bill, was dying of a terminal disease. As they became friendlier and talked more, his client made an off-hand comment about how he had some things he'd wish he could say at his funeral – for everyone to hear. He explained that he had thought about making a video of himself saying everything he wanted to say to whoever showed up at his funeral, but that he suspected his family wouldn't actually play it. Bill, just trying to be funny, suggested that he could crash his client's funeral and say whatever it was he wanted to be said – and “The Coffin Confessor” was born.So, when his client – now friend – died, Bill showed up at the funeral, not knowing a soul in the church. When the dead guy's best friend got up to give the eulogy, Bill stood up from his pew to interrupt him – as he was instructed, contracted, and paid to do.And, because he's from Australia, it's more interesting and fun to hear Bill tell it… “It was a blur to start with. I mean, I was sweating, profusely. And I've got to say, it was -- you've got your time on your phone. And I'm looking at the clock, and I'm thinking, OK, his mate's about to do the eulogy. And I knew I had to get up within one minute, two minutes at most, to interrupt the eulogy.“And his best mate stands up, and he starts blubbering and telling everybody how much he loves his best mate and starts talking about a certain particular time that they shared. And it was that moment, I looked at my clock, and I went, oh, it's nearly two minutes in.“And in that church, there were long pews. And they were timber. So when you stood up or you even moved, they made a sound. And yeah, when I stood up, it made a sound. And obviously, everyone just looked straight at you, you know? I froze, to say honestly. I stood up, and I just stood there and went, OK.”Well, since we're in church I have to stop it there, because what Bill had to say, and the words he had to use to say it, are a little much for some people on Easter Sunday. The short of the long is that the man Bill interrupted – the dead man's best friend? – had tried to sleep with his friend's wife, while his friend was dying. And Bill's job – the Coffin Confessor – was to call him out for it, in front of God and everyone. Bill was also asked tell the dead man's brother to “take a hike” that day, in much more colorful language, for not being around or available to him and to his family for the previous thirty years.So “The Coffin Confessor” did his job, said his peace on behalf of the deceased, folded up the letter from which he'd been reading, laid it on the casket at the front of the church, and walked out.The dead man's wife and daughter appreciated what he'd done and thanked him for it later. A relative of the dead man, who was also terminally ill, found it so meaningful, she hired him to do something similar at her own funeral when the time came. And so did others. And so, a star – or at least a new career – was born.See, Bill has found himself crashing funerals ever since, for anywhere between $2 to $10,000, and for all kinds of reasons – some big, some small – some petty and some profound – “some good, some bad, some funny, some sad,” as Bill tells it. At another funeral Bill was hired to air some dirty laundry about an affair between neighbors. Another time, an atheist asked Bill to let everyone know that the religious funeral they were participating in – that he just knew his parents would concoct on his behalf – was nothing he ever would have wanted. Another time, Bill helped a dead, muscled, tattooed biker come out of the closet as bi-sexual to a room full of other muscled, tattooed – very surprised – bikers just like him. Once, a dying man asked Bill to apologize to his ex-wife and let her know how much she meant to him. More than once, Bill has surprised a dead person's family with a surprise windfall of money they never knew was coming.So, “the Coffin Confessor” made me think about Easter and what brings us here today, not because of what this Good News might inspire us to have said on our behalf at our respective funerals … after we're dead and gone. But because of how our faith in what brings us here today – even if that's small – might inspire all that we say and do on this side of the grave differently … so that it matters for us and for the world, here and now, right where we're still living.What I mean is, God doesn't want us to wait to start telling the truth – TO START LIVING OUR TRUTH – to start living into the fullness of who we are. Yes, the Good News of Easter is about life after death and resurrection on the other side of eternity – whatever in the world that means for you, for me, for all of us as believers.But, precisely because of that promised eternity, this Good News, this Gospel of new life, matters just as much here and now, if we really let the truth of it have its way with us.Because of God's overwhelming grace, I mean, we don't have to wait until after we die to be generous with our time or our talents or our treasures …Because of God's abundant mercy, I mean, we don't have to wait until we're dead to seek justice – for ourselves or others in this world …Because of God's promised love, you don't wait to come out of the coffin as it were. Come out of the closet now, for crying out loud, and live and love as God created you to live and love…Because of Easter's good news we are called to apologize now… offer forgiveness now… extend mercy now…. share grace now…. on this side of the grave…with the people for whom it can still matter and make a difference in this world.Bill Edgar, “The Coffin Confessor,” provides a valuable service, it seems, for which there is a growing market apparently – he's written a book; he's in conversation about a movie; there's talk of a reality TV show, as you might imagine. And the appeal for it, as he describes is, is that “mic drop” moment he gets to deliver on behalf of the deceased: when the dead have their say, when the deceased get the last word, when he walks out of a funeral, leaving all sorts of emotions – “good, bad, happy or sad” – in his wake.But Easter reminds us that God always gets the last word when it comes to life and death in this world and the next. And because God's last word is always something about grace, mercy, forgiveness, peace, new life and second chances …Because God's last word proclaims victory over death, forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting …Because our “Coffin Confessor” is Jesus of Nazareth – crucified and risen for the sake of the world – our lives on this side of it all – right here and now – can be more honest and truthful, more fulfilled and life-giving, more holy and hopeful, and much more like the paradise we long for, the eternity that belongs to those who've gone before us, and the heaven that will be ours whenever the time comes.Amen. Alleluia. Happy Easter.

Intersections with Phil Allen, Jr.     Episode: 025 “To Want to Be Black: People of the Resurrection Pt. 2” Airdate: March 29, 2021 Length: 34:25 Guests: Dr. Roslyn Satchel Dr. Roslyn Satchel brings passion and energy like no other to conversation around race, culture, and theology. In this episode with Dr. Satchel she invites us into her story which began in Jacksonville, FL and is still being written today in Malibu, CA as a professor of communications at Pepperdine University. She shares the influences that are foundational in her life: her parents, with her father being her first educator—laying the foundation for the educator she would later become, Ms. Jones-Spaulding, her elementary school teacher that saw greatness in her and believed in her, and her experience at Howard University, one of the most prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dr. Satchel is a scholar, an activist, a lawyer, a minister, a professor, a mother, and author. She serves as the Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Communications at Pepperdine University. She is also a Berkman Klein Center Fellow at Harvard Law School. In this episode, part two of a two-part conversation, shares about the purpose and hopefulness of the Black Lives Matter Movement from her involvement in BLM LA. She discusses how the movement builds upon all the Black movements that have come before it. She flows effortlessly from BLM to “stooping.” Stooping is a part of the Black community's tradition of sitting out front on the stoop (or porch in some areas) and being the community. It is a sacred space of joy and laughter, sharing of wisdom, and love. Dr. Satchel is in lecture-mode as she teaches on topics from BLM to “stooping” to the impact of the “white gaze” upon people of color and the distortions that color codes have had on our collective understanding of identity, ethnicity, and traditions. You can follow Dr. Satchel on Twitter @rsatchel, on Instagram @docrazzledazzle, on Facebook at Roslyn M. Satchel. Her website is www.rsatchel.com or www.whatmoviesteach.com. ____________ Phil Allen, Jr. is a Los Angeles-based pastor, social justice activist, filmmaker and author. Allen's book Open Wounds explores the murder of Nate Allen—Phil Allen's grandfather—in the Jim Crow era of South Carolina and how that traumatic event resonated through generations of his family. Open Wounds – which is based on the Allen-produced documentary of the same name – was published on February 9, 2021. Allen is a Ph.D. student studying Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.

The Bible announces God's good news. However, what do we do with the disturbing parts of Scripture, like the passages that depict God as promoting violence, animal sacrifice, or treating women as property?

IN THIS EPISODE: "Great High Priest We View Thee Stooping" by Joseph HartA reflection on how some hymns of old can draw us into deeper love for and devotion to our Lord. Homepage: www.hymnstories.usFacebook: www.facebook.com/storiesofhymnsHymn Stories is a part of the Media Gratiae Podcast Network.