Podcasts about take jesus

Send us a textIn this episode of the Movement Series, the hosts delve into Chapter 3, 'Starting to Take Jesus at His Word,' exploring the cultural biases that hinder the church's mission. They discuss the distinction between the church's function and form, emphasizing the need for a minimalist approach to church leadership and structure. The conversation highlights the financial unsustainability of traditional church models and calls for a significant shift in thinking to foster genuine disciple-making movements.This chapter promises to really push us.Our common approach might be prioritizing the structure.The church is a movement of people, not an organization.A church is defined simply as a group of people.Jesus intended a different kind of leadership.Clergyfication creates a divide.It's easier to give birth than perform resurrection.The system is financially broken.A major shift in thinking is needed.What would it take to truly see a movement?

Many Christians unwittingly say unbiblical things when sharing the gospel. But if this is the most important message from God to mankind, shouldn't we be most accurate giving it to others? This Sunday at Quentin Road, Pastor Jim Scudder will kickoff the weeks leading up to the Grace Conference with a message about keeping the gospel clear.

Immanuel Baptist Youth Choir sings "I'll Take Jesus" during a worship service at Immanuel Baptist Church, Florence, Ky. Please visit us at 7183 Pleasant Valley Road Florence KY 41042, or call us at (859) 586-6829. Church links: Website: https://www.ibcflorence.com Daily Devotions: https://www.ibcflorence.com/devotions Free App: http://www.ibcflorence.com/ibc-app Our entire list of recent sermons: https://www.ibcflorence.com/recent-sermons Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ibcflorence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ibcflorenceky Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibcflorence/ Podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/user-658781358 Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/ibcflorence/live We would love to know how to pray for you! Romans 10:9

Pastor Steve discusses Luke 6 and Jesus redefinition of the Sabbath.

Message by Doug Bunnell, recorded live March 30, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham. Scripture read by Diane Tate.New Skins for New WineJesus is the new wine that challenges norms and is not welcomed by the old guard. Take Jesus seriously and nothing else.Why do you think Jesus chose Levi (a tax collector) to be one of His disciples?Why do the Pharisees and teachers of the law criticize Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners?How does the idea of Jesus being a "physician" for sinners challenge our understanding of who can come to Jesus?How does the imagery of a wedding feast help us understand the nature of Jesus' ministry and His presence with His followers?What does the statement, "No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, 'The old is better,'" reveal about human resistance to change?In what ways do you, or might you, identify with the Pharisees' attitudes toward sinners and outcasts?How can you move past this mindset?Are there areas of your life that feel like “old wineskins” that might need to be transformed to receive something new from God?Luke 5:27-3927 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he got up, left everything, and followed him.29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”33 Then they said to him, “John's disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” 34 Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding attendants fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise, not only will one tear the new garment, but the piece from the new will not match the old garment. 37 Similarly, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine but says, ‘The old is good.' ”

Immanuel Baptist Youth Choir sings "I'll Take Jesus Every Time" during a worship service at Immanuel Baptist Church, Florence, Ky. Please visit us at 7183 Pleasant Valley Road Florence KY 41042, or call us at (859) 586-6829. Church links: Website: https://www.ibcflorence.com Daily Devotions: https://www.ibcflorence.com/devotions Free App: http://www.ibcflorence.com/ibc-app Our entire list of recent sermons: https://www.ibcflorence.com/recent-sermons Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ibcflorence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ibcflorenceky Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibcflorence/ Podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/user-658781358 Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/ibcflorence/live We would love to know how to pray for you! Romans 10:9 #ibcflorence #florenceky #kjvBible #church #Godisgood #northernkentucky #baptistchurch #savedbygrace #video

Pastor Kenneth focused on the concept that Jesus gave more than he took, urging the church to echo this heart through acts of generosity while addressing the struggles many face with finances. Finally, Pastor Kenneth encouraged everyone to step into a life of obedience and generosity, promising that God would provide abundantly in response to their faithfulness.

Bible Reading: Romans 8:35-39Eva zigzagged around mud puddles as she walked home in the rain, but her feet were still getting wet. I know Mom and Dad both had to work late today, but I wish they'd asked someone to give me a ride, she thought gloomily. And they know I don't like being home alone! But when Eva reached the back porch, she was surprised to see her older sister there. "Hi!" said Kate. "I'm home from college for the weekend." She grinned. "What a beautiful, sunshiny day, don't you think?" "No, I don't!" said Eva, wiping water off her face."Oh, but it is!" insisted Kate. "Even if it doesn't look like it.""I think you've been studying too hard, Kate. Your brain must be taking the weekend off too.""So you're saying the sun isn't there anymore?" Kate asked, peering up at the heavy clouds. "That it totally disappeared?""Of course not," Eva answered. "But it's sure hidden. I haven't seen it for days!""Well, just because we can't see the sun doesn't mean it's not there. Behind those dark clouds, the sun still shines! It just goes to show that we can't always trust what we see--we need to trust the truth." When Eva didn't reply, Kate smiled and added, "Take Jesus, for example.""Jesus?" asked Eva. "What do you mean?""Well, when bad things happen, we might feel like we're all alone, but we're not," Kate explained. "Jesus is always with us. The truth is that He's there, whether we feel like He is or not.""So the clouds are like our problems," said Eva. "The clouds keep us from seeing the sunshine, but the sun is still there--and dealing with hard stuff may keep us from feeling like Jesus is with us, but He really is there.""Right!" said Kate. "Because Jesus died and rose again to defeat sin and death, nothing can separate us from God and His love. That's His promise in the Bible, and we should trust Him. The sun is always shining, and God's love is always shining too."Eva grinned. "Okay. So how about going for a walk?" She laughed when her sister made a face. "Come on, Kate. Don't let a little rain stop you on this beautiful, sunny day!" –Diane StrawbridgeHow About You?Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior? If you have, He promises that He will always be with you and never leave you. You may not always feel like He's there, but don't depend on your feelings. Trust the truth of God's Word, which says He will always be with His children. There is nothing that can separate you from God and His love.Today's Key Verse:[God] himself has said, "I will never leave you or abandon you." (CSB) (Hebrews 13:5)Today's Key Thought:Trust God, not feelings

Faith is an essential part of the Christian's life. It's the first choice we must make, in following Jesus, "Do you Believe?" When we pray and when we read the word of God, each moment is another opportunity to ask ourselves will we believe what God has spoken.  IN this third message of the Signs of the King series, Pastor Fikre Prince share's that signs and miracles are a part of how God reveals himself, but God is still moving even when we don't see it, and we can just trust his words.Text: John 4:46-54 Big Idea: You don't need a sign! 1.  Will you believe without conditions? (vv. 46-48) 2.  Will you ask without doubt? (vv. 49-50) 3.  Will you trust without wavering? (vv. 51-54)

Stress comes in all different shapes and sizes, but whatever its cause, none of us was made to be under constant stress and yet, that's how many people are living. In a constant state of stress.  Well, it's time to do something about it.   A Stress Free Life? Stress. For most of us, that word sends a shiver down our spine, and why wouldn't it? Who wants to be under stress all the time? And that's what it feels like for a lot of us, so what is it? Well, it's a state of mental or emotional strain or tension, and my dictionary adds, "Resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances", although I'm not sure that's always the case. We'll explore some of the main causes of stress in this series, but first, what sort of impact is stress having on our world? Well, a recent study conducted in Australia by the Psychological Institute (and by the way, I'm sure you'd probably find the same results no matter where you live) ... Well, the study found some interesting things about the reach and impact of stress. Here are the headline findings: 12% of people reported experiencing levels of stress in the severe range, with young adults experiencing significantly higher levels of stress and significantly lower levels of wellbeing than the general population. One in three reported experiencing depressive symptoms, with ten percent of these being in the severe range. One in four reported experiencing anxiety, with nine percent of these in the severe range. Young adults, 18-25, reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. Although women reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress than did men, this didn't lead to differences reported in their levels of anxiety, depression, or wellbeing. Those people experiencing family or recent relationship-breakdown and those separated reported much higher levels of stress and distress, on all measures. If the relationship-breakdown had occurred more than one year earlier, reported stress levels were about the same as the general population. In the US, things appear to be more extreme. Seventy-three percent of people regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress. Almost half say that stress has a negative impact on their personal or professional lives, and the cost to employers in stress-related healthcare and missed work is estimated, in the US, to be about three hundred billion dollars a year. No wonder we want a stress free life! That idyllic life by the beach is looking pretty good to a few of us at this point. Right? But that's just not realistic and in fact, the reality is that a bit of stress in our lives isn't a bad thing. We enjoy a challenge, for instance, and working under a bit of pressure sometimes produces really good results. It's like a guitar or a violin. If the strings aren't under the right amount of tension and stress, it just doesn't work the way it was meant to. I know for instance after a longish holiday, say three weeks off over Christmas, I'm really looking forward to getting back into the cut and thrust of work. If we had no pressure, no deadlines, life would be missing something; and in any case, sometimes we're hit by circumstances that put us under a lot of stress, whether we like it or not. Take Jesus. He experienced huge stress. Luke 22:39-46: He came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives and the disciples followed Him. When He reached that place, He said to them, ‘Pray, that you may not come into a time of trial.' Then He withdrew from them, about a stone's throw away, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.' Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and gave Him strength. In His anguish He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling down on the ground. When He got up from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray, that you may not come into a time of trial.' The fact that Jesus' sweat was like drops of blood tells us just how severe His suffering was. This was stress, and it only got worse from here, as He was beaten and nailed to a cross. No, that completely stress free life isn't a reality for any of us. Even the rich and famous, in fact sometimes especially those people, suffer enormous amounts of stress. How many superstars have died from drug overdoses? What were they doing there in the first place? What drove them to drugs? The pressure and the stress of fame. So, sometimes stress is desirable; sometimes it's unavoidable, and sometimes we experience it because of our reaction to a particular person or set of circumstances, and yet the Bible says don't be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). So what sort of stress are you under right now? Is it the normal cut and thrust of life which, at the end of the day, you kind of enjoy anyhow? Then that's probably not such a bad thing, is it? It's manageable, and you know that with a few adjustments to your life, you could easily get things right under control. Then you're probably in a good balance, but if the stresses that you're under feel like a huge burden, like a heavy load that you're carrying around twenty-four by seven ... well ... that's not such a good thing. We're not made to be under that sort of constant pressure and stress, and yet many people live their lives like that. That's why we're kicking the year off with this series called, "Stress Busters" because God has a lot of things to say about how to alleviate the stress that you're under; lots of practical, powerful things to say. Hey, why should that be a surprise to any of us? God cares so deeply about you; what you're going through; what stress you're under, and the stepping off point for that is what Jesus said. We see it in Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus said: Come to Me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke of easy, and My burden is light. Jesus wants to lighten your load, so over these coming weeks, we're going to discover what He has to say about your stress, because Jesus didn't say this lightly. Jesus didn't say this flippantly. Jesus meant it – come to Me, all you who are weary and who are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Come on! Take My yoke upon you. Learn from Me. I'm gentle. I'm humble of heart, and with Me, you're going to find rest for your souls. Hey, that's a powerful thing, and that's why we're doing a series over these next few weeks called, "Stress Busters" because God wants to deal with the stress in your life.   Stress we Put Ourselves Under You and I have this habit of putting ourselves under pressure and stress needlessly. Don't believe me? Well, right now, we're going to chat about how we do that exactly, and what we can do about changing our habits, because there are more than enough things out there that are going to cause you and me stress, whether we like it or not. There are going to be situations and circumstances completely beyond our control that cause us stress: The loss of a loved one; a difficult boss at work; financial problems; health issues ... There are plenty of things out there that are going to come our way, whether we like it or not, that are going to cause us stress. So, why would we possibly want to needlessly cause ourselves stress? Well, right now, we're going to chat about the main three reasons that we cause ourselves stress. I'd be surprised if you don't recognise at least one of them in your life. The first one is physical. Sometimes we think of stress as an emotional thing, even a spiritual thing; and of course, it is those things, but the physical reality is that God has given you and me a body, and there are three main things that we do to abuse this amazing body that God has gifted us. We eat too much of the wrong stuff, we don't get enough sleep, and we don't get enough exercise. How many times have you heard someone (including me) banging on about our diet and exercise and sleep? And yet still the first and most obvious thing that we can get wrong when it comes to managing our stress is how we treat our body, so come on. If the hat fits, wear it. Are you sick of feeling tired? Are you sick of feeling bloated and stressed and exhausted? Then do something about it. Last year, we had a whole series on the programme called, "Healthy living to a Ripe Old Age" and all of those messages in that series are available in the Resources section of the ChristianityWorks.com website, under the heading of Health. Grab them, listen to them, read the transcripts and please, if you're struggling because you're not treating your body properly, do something about it. 1 Corinthians 6:19: For don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? God expects you and He expects me to look after this amazing body that He's given us, and when we do, let me tell you, our stress levels drop dramatically. The second thing that we do to put ourselves under stress needlessly is constantly second-guessing ourselves: Constantly telling ourselves, "I'm not good enough. I'm not fast enough. I'm not smart enough." You know what that's called? Low self-esteem, and it might surprise you to know that this is a trap that I too find quite easy to fall into. Shocked? Here's how it works for me. I'm something of an achiever. I drive hard at things; I work hard; I try to deliver on-time ... It's just who I am, and when you're that kind of person, you can see not only all the things that you have achieved, but all the things that you haven't yet achieved, and so you start telling yourself, "Come on! You're not working hard enough for God. You should be doing better for God. You should be getting up earlier and working longer and delivering sooner. You need to get more done. Look at all the things you haven't done yet! Oh, Berni, you're failing God." You see how easy it is to do? Or at the other end of the scale, perhaps you only ever see your inadequacies, because you're constantly comparing yourself to other people. Anyone recognise that? It's like that song by Casey Chambers. "Am I not pretty enough or smart enough or liked enough or strong enough or articulate enough or" ... so we find all these ways to put ourselves under enormous pressure, and cause ourselves huge stress by believing this nonsense that we're just not good enough. Have you been there? Then I have a word from God for you today. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are a variety of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each one, He has given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Did you get that? Each one of us has been given a particular set of gifts and abilities. They're all different, but they're given by the one God; and the gifts He's given you, He's given you by His sovereign will and choice. You are who you are because He made you that way. He didn't make a mistake. You're exactly who God purposed you and made you to be. Get your heart around that, and you're set free from this nonsense of, "Am I not pretty enough? Am I not good enough for God?" Hello? Is anyone listening to this? I for one need constant reminding of this stuff, because I can end up stressing out by having a wrong view of who I am. It's about trading in your self-image for a faith-image from God, and this God says that you're beautiful, and that you're just who you're meant to be. So you've been given gifts by God now to be that person, and to use those gifts. Hallelujah! And finally, the third thing that causes us needlessly to put ourselves under stress is not letting go of the past. So many people are still holding onto the failures and the hurts and the regrets of the past. How many people are living under the reproach of the past? Come on, the past is the past. You and I can't change it, and God is in the business of setting us free from it. Mark this. Before Israel was able to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the promised land, God dealt with their past. Joshua 5:9: The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away from you the reproach of the past, the disgrace of Egypt.' And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. You've heard that saying, "Don't cry over spilt milk." Right? Yes, wipe it up. Yes, clean up the mess. Yes, learn from your mistakes so that you won't spill the milk again, but don't just stand there and wish you hadn't spilt the milk, and spend the rest of your life living in that one moment of failure, because you can't un-spill the milk. That just doesn't make sense. This Jesus came to set you free from the past, to bind up your broken heart, to give you a vision for the future, a new set of eyes to see, a new set of ears to hear, and a new life to live. Jesus came to lift the reproach of the past off your shoulders, so that it won't cause you any more stress. Come on. There are enough things out there for you to stress out over without your health, without these false feelings of inadequacy, and without your hurts from the past doing it all for you. Do you think?   The Stress of not Enough It seems to me that there are three basic resources that you and I need to get by each day: Time, money, and expertise; and when we're short of any of those three basic resources – time, money, or expertise, that can cause us enormous amounts of stress. Let's start by looking at time. I don't know when the term time-poor started to fall into common usage, but these days, you hear it a lot. People are time-poor. In fact, once you have enough money to cover the basics in your life, time becomes an even more valuable commodity than money, and for many people, time is way too short. ‘If only I had a few extra hours in every day!' I've heard people say. Really? The more affluent we become, the more options we have for spending our time. Take social media. Right at the moment, eleven percent of the world's population are active Facebook-users. Just think about that for a minute, and they are collectively spending seven hundred billion minutes on Facebook each month. That's 1.33 million person-years every month on Facebook, and that doesn't count watching TV and all the other entertainment options available to us. No wonder we're time-poor! So what's changed? Why have we, all of a sudden, become time-poor? ‘Cos we're trying to cram too much into our day. We're always connected. We're always working and chatting, and we've forgotten how to have disconnected, quiet down-time. If that's you, if you're burning the candle at both ends, something has to give, otherwise the stress is going to kill you. Really, and in case you're one of these workaholics, who just has to work eighteen hours a day otherwise civilisation as we know it is going to come to an end, here's a different perspective – God's perspective. Psalm 127:1-2: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guards keep watch in vain. It's in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for God gives sleep to His beloved. It's simply not God's plan for you to live like that, and I've recorded a whole series of messages on that called "It's Time to Stop Labouring in Vain". You'll find it in the Resources section of our website, ChristianityWorks.com. Now the second thing that causes us stress is a lack of money. Sometimes that's because people simply don't have enough money to get by, but sometimes, it's because we squander the money that we do have on impulse buys or on things we don't need; on food that we bought, and then because of our bad management, it goes off in the fridge, so we throw it out. I want to deal with wastage first because that's criminal. With people starving in the world, wasting money on stuff that we just don't need is criminal, but the problem is that advertisers have it down to a fine art. They seem to be able to get us to part with our money like nothing else, so the question you have to ask yourself, the thing that's going to get you to change your mind, is whether the stress of this is worth it; whether having all those things makes you happy or, at the end of the day, makes you stressed. 1 Timothy 6:9-10: Those who want to be rich end up falling into temptation, and they're trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered away from their faith and pierced themselves with many pains. So ask yourself, "Is it really worth it for me? Really?" Or is it time to get your house in order? Is it time to get money-wise? And again, I've recorded a whole series called, "How to be Money-Wise" that you'll find in the Living in Victory section of the Resources library at ChristianityWorks.com. Sort that out, and the stress goes away. Believe you me, it's worth it. And for those who are poor, desperately poor, let me say this to you: In fact not me, but Jesus. Matthew 6:31-33: Don't worry, saying, ‘What am I going to eat?' or, ‘What am I going to drink?' or, ‘What am I going to wear?' For it's the Gentiles who strive after all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father already knows that you need them all. But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. God knows what you need, and He will provide it for you. So, Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Your God will surely provide for you, and once you learn to trust Him to do the things you can't do and provide the things that you need that you can't acquire for yourself, the stress will be replaced by the most amazing peace and assurance. Finally, the other thing that causes us stress when we're without it is expertise. When I look at the ministry of ChristianityWorks that produces these radio-programmes, ok, I'm the front guy; you hear my voice, but without Max on the opposite side of the glass here in the studio and our dedicated team around the world, there simply wouldn't be any radio-programmes. One of the biggest things that you and I can do to cause ourselves stress is not to value and recognise the different abilities and capabilities of the people around us because when we don't cherish them, they desert us. I see this all the time: Leaders who think everybody should be exactly like them, so they drive their people hard and all of a sudden, there's no one left to lead. A true leader recognises other people's gifts and abilities. A true leader encourages and empowers people to be all that they can be, and whether we're leaders or not, we need other people around us who will co-operate in getting things done; because without them, we are going to be under stress with a capital S; because without them, we have to do the things that they're good at, and those things are invariably stuff that we're not good at. There's something incredibly stressful about being a square peg in a round hole. If I had to do Max's job here in the studio, I couldn't do it, and I've tried to get Max on the other side of the glass in front of the microphone, and he's not real keen on that either; because that's not his gig, just as much as what he does is not my gig. It's easy to be stressed by not having enough: Enough time, enough money, or enough expertise. But when we lean on God – hey; when we really trust in Him (come on, really), the stress starts to go away because what we discover is that God provides richly for those whom He loves. He just does. So if you're struggling under the stress of not enough, listen again, please, to this passage from Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In other words, don't look at the problem and keep turning the problem over in your mind, and just seeing the problem which then appears to be bigger than God. Instead, trust in the LORD with all your heart! Don't lean on your own understanding. And in all your ways acknowledge Him, and God will straighten out your paths. God will make it happen. God loves you. Do you get that? God absolutely loves you, and often we are going to be confronted with things that are much bigger than us. Pressure is different from stress. Pressure is out there; stress is our reaction to it, and God doesn't want you stressing out.

In this episode, Pastor Brandon kicks the new year off with a new series about diving deeper into God's Word, and how we know His Word is trustworthy.

Goddesses line up to enjoy Dan's bed.Based on a post by DustinMidnight, in 9 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.In front of him were three beautiful women, each of them gorgeous in their own way. Annabelle went to give each of the girls a hug.She started with the blonde, who was wearing a pink tank top and a baseball cap, Plus a pair of short shorts that barely covered her ass. The woman smiled and hugged back.“Annabelle! It's so great to see you!” cooed the blonde “It's been what, 50 years?” After Annabelle broke the hug, the blonde gave her a kiss on the cheek.“Come on, Aphrodite. It's only been a few years. How had Hephaestus been?”“Oh, the usual. Working nonstop and hanging out in his forge. Though Aries always manages to take care of my needs. Right, honey buns?” She giggled, looking back at the man. He grunted and nodded with a thumbs-up.Annabelle moved on to hug the dark-skinned, dark-haired woman in the center who was wearing traditional-looking Indian garb.“Kali, how's it going?” she asked. “Been destroying anything?”“Not for a while. No one has given me a reason to truly destroy. Though I suppose it's good for the world. You know, I've heard you were married.” The woman looked past Annabelle, towards Dan, who gave a wave. It was then he noticed the woman who went by the name Kali had six arms, no, maybe it was ten. All he could tell was that she was very handy. He thought she was quite beautiful, although then he noticed she was wearing a necklace of small skulls. He gulped at that.The woman sneered. “He doesn't seem like much. Too skinny. And Shiva is more handsome.” She shrugged shoulders and patted Annabelle's back with one of her lower arms.The third woman looked Japanese and wore a pink silk robe with red trim.Annabelle moved to hug her and said, “Amaterasu, you're looking good. How's raising the sun going?”The woman kept her eyes down. “It has been fine. Though it's been quite a trip here today. Can we please begin our meeting? The day is young, just as I am.” She bowed her head.“Sure, come in,” said Annabelle, waving them in from the hallway. “We have a lot to talk about. Oh, and let me formally introduce my husband. His name is Dan.” Annabelle smiled as she gestured toward him, showing him off like he was a brand-new pet. Dan wondered if any of the visitors were going to pat him on the head.“He seems nice,” said Aphrodite, “But why go all the way and get married instead of just having a fling? I remember the last time I was married to a mortal.” The beautiful woman shuddered as she looked off into the distance.Dan couldn't help but ask,“What happened?”“It was horrible! I had to cook, I had to clean, no one paid attention to me, I was treated like a wench. He wasn't even great in bed!”Dan might have felt bad for her if she hadn't been sounding like a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. He assumed she was overexaggerating.“So what did you do?” he asked.“Oh, I started the Trojan War and had him killed as soon as he went out into battle. Just like that, I was free, and I could get back with my handsome lug of a boyfriend.” Although she was wearing wedge sandals with tall platforms, she still had to get up on tiptoes to give the man behind her a kiss. He didn't show much expression, just nodded and grunted again.“Well, that's… nice.” Dan felt his head drop. He wasn't sure how to react to that. This was really a situation of utter weirdness, but he figured he'd just go with the flow.“Aphrodite, please don't scare my husband. I don't want him to run away from me just ‘cause you put crazy thoughts in his head.” Annabelle leaned over and kissed his neck. Dan's cheeks turned to a deep red in utter surprise as he smiled at his wife/goddess.Aphrodite smirked. “Oh, fine, heh. Besides, I'm just teasing the cutie. Hey, we better get down to business. I have a manicure appointment in Thessaloniki around six, and I don't want to be late. Then me and Aries-baby are gonna go out to get a drink. He wants to get in a bar fight tonight. He has to let out his anger since wars aren't happening as much as they used to.”Aries nodded as a small smirk crossed his stoic face, as though he couldn't wait to bust heads.“Well, okay,” said Annabelle, raising one eyebrow. “Yes, let's get started. Dan, can I ask you to head to another room? Not that I don't want you here, but this is a discussion between gods. And I don't think you'd enjoy hearing us speak in Celestial.” Annabelle smiled and lightly kissed his forehead. Dan was briefly annoyed, but thinking it over for a second, he decided going elsewhere would be the best option.He nodded and said, “Sure I'll just hang out with Gizzy or something, if I can find her.” He rubbed the back of his head. He was curious about what the Celestial language was, but he had a feeling if he heard it, something bad might happen. He imagined being driven to the point of madness, like maybe no mortal was supposed to truly hear the voice of gods.But then it made him wonder… Did Annabelle actually look like this, or was it just that his mind perceived her as a beautiful woman who looked very much human?. He sighed.“Thanks, sweetheart. I'll call you when we're finished.” Annabelle leaned over and kissed his cheek, and he nodded, heading off down the hallway toward the bedroom.Vanessa stumbled into her room. Her body was hurting. She wasn't sure what was going on. She felt as though she was dying. She couldn't eat and had barely slept. She felt like she was being dragged through a pasture filled with cow shit, and hitting every stinking load those cattle made. She was regretting life. She hated that she had ever met Joe Liesmith. She wished she could just flat-out die.But she was sure that if she tried killing herself, Liesmith would just bring her back. He wasn't human, he was a being, more like a demon in human flesh. But he was strange. He forced her to save people's lives, preventing their deaths, keeping them among the living. She was doing all sorts of good. Yet at the same time, it felt as though she was actually doing harm, like she wasn't supposed to be doing this. Every instinct told her to run, to hide, to get away from that man. But she couldn't, no matter where she went. No matter where Vanessa hid, Liesmith would find her. It was like they were bonded.Vanessa got down on her knees next to her bed. She hadn't done this for a long time, not since her mother died. She cried and began praying to God.“Please, God, help me, I'm in danger, I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I'm being attacked by a demon… or an angel. I don't know, but I feel like he's killing me. Please protect me. I'm begging you. H-He's scaring me, but I don't know why. Send help. Protect me. Just get this monster out of my life. I beg you, I'm begging you! I'll follow you. I'll go to church for you. Fuck, I'll become a nun if I have to! But please save me from this demon, this Joe Liesmith!”“Oh, come on now, I'm not that much of a demon, now, am I, darling?” Joe Liesmith purred. He was suddenly lying on the bed, an apple in one hand and a knife in the other. He slowly began peeling the skin off the fruit.Vanessa recoiled and weakly sank closer to the floor. “What are you?” she asked.“Hmm, I'm me. I'm Joe Liesmith. But if you must know what I am, well, it's clear you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. But how about this. I'll tell you, I'm not some insignificant demon, I'm not a monster, But I am a god.” He stood up on the bed as his body glowed. Vanessa felt herself stumbling backward, scooting a couple feet across the floor, coughing hard as she looked up to him, her body trembling in utter fear.“You're not a god. Gods are supposed to be good, not hurt people. Protectors.” She trembled even more. She wanted to run away, try and get away from this beast. But Liesmith smirked as he looked down at her. Oh, how he loved looking down at mortals; how small, how insignificant they are, only ready to be used when he wanted to use them.“But I am what I am,” he said. “The fact is, you're in my world. I'm just letting you live here.” He chuckled as he leaned down and reached to Cares her chin with his fingers.Vanessa backed away again. “What is it you want?”“Oh, nothing much, just to get your former boyfriend to leave his wife, my ex-wife. He took something that belongs to me, and as I've said once, and I'll say again, I don't like to share.”He growled as though something was pulsing in his head. It was almost as if anything that went wrong would drive this creature, this god off the rails, and nothing would sate him until he felt everything was restored.“Then why are you hurting me? Why am I in pain?” Her breathing was getting heavy as she felt her legs trembling underneath her.Liesmith chuckled more as he leaned down.“Because life is pain, it's chaos, it's unruly madness. My alignment is for creating and building, but at the same time, letting that creation destroy and run around like a pure monster.” He gave a sinister smile, his crooked smirk growing wider.“So I have something I need you to do, nothing too crazy. Just go to a bar. Drink till you throw up for all I care, but be there. Maybe seduce your old boyfriend. Dan Fremont, seriously, who names their kid that? It sounds like a name for a parody anchorman. Whatever. Just be there, and try to do what you can to get him to leave Annabelle.” He chuckled as he reached to cares her cheeks with the backs of his hands.“If you do this, I'll reward you. You can live forever and retain eternal youth. I can do that, let you live forever.” He reached down, kissing her forehead. Vanessa looked up at him and felt nothing but fear. Fear that If she didn't do this, he'd keep her alive anyway, live and suffering till the end of days, if that would ever arrive.“O-okay.” She reached to take the god's hand. She felt as if she was shaking the hand of the very devil himself. It made her sick to her stomach that she was even doing something like this, but what choice did she have?“Kick him in the balls! Kick him!” Gizzy the gremlin screamed as she raised her fist in the air, watching the television in one of the new rooms Annabelle had created in the apartment, this one done up like a man cave, complete with a bar and a pinball machine.“Gizzy, this is boxing. They don't do that. You're thinking of MMA fighting,” Dan explained as he sipped a beer. Aries was in the room, too, quietly sitting and nodding as he drank his own beer.The war god finally spoke up. “I miss the old fighting the Greeks did. No rules, no holding back. A fight till you were either knocked out or dead. Sometimes both. I remember watching Drákos báles fight the champion. The man lost an eye but won the battle. I mean, you should have seen it! The man's eye was hanging out of his skull!” Aries raised his beer in excitement. The two opponents on TV were beating the hell out of each other in the ring, with such power behind each of them. Dan and the others didn't know who was fighting, or where the fight was taking place. It had just appeared with the TV turned on.Mercifully, a bell rang and the boxers stopped and returned to their corners. While he had a chance, Dan asked, “So, since you are having an affair with Aphrodite. any advice I should have about being married to a goddess of lust?”“You need advice from me on being married to a goddess?” Aries grunted and took a swig of his beer. “Okay, one piece of advice I can give you is very important, ever stick it in the wrong hole. Did that once by accident with Pumpkin in there, and next thing, I knew she clawed my eyes out. I had to ask Hephaestus to replace them. The motherfucker started laughing his ass off. I ended up blind for a week while that fucker built new eyes for me. Though I will admit, they look cool as fuck.” As if Aries knew what Dan was about to ask, he pulled his sunglasses down, revealing two balls of flame that glowed like a pair of red suns, appearing to stare down deep into Dan's soul.“Well, that's something I never expected to deal with,” Dan muttered, taking another drink.Aries nodded and agreed,“Yep, though, hey, shit like being able to get new eyes is one of the few benefits of being a god But, fuck, it can suck at times. You mortals think it's so easy being a god. Going, ‘Oh, how I wish to be a god, how much fun It would be to have all that power doing so much, nothing could stop me.' Trust me, being a god is the most annoying thing out there. Gotta follow all the rules. And when we help out mortals, you get all pissy when one of your fellow humans fucks up our plans. I mean, yeesh. Then you run after the next new god who comes along. Take Jesus, for example. The guy walks on water and makes water into wine, and next thing I know, my temples and everyone else's get toppled by his nutty followers. I swear, if the wine the guy makes wasn't the best I've ever had, I'd kick his ass.”“Wait, so Jesus was real? Sorry, I was an atheist before all this.” Dan responded.Aries nodded and said, “Oh, yeah, he's basically a demigod, and he's still around. The guy's not as impressive as you think. I used to raise armies of the dead to fight my enemies. Aphrodite could make thousands fall under her spell. But a man from the Middle East just makes water into wine, walks on water, and heals the sick a few times, and suddenly he's super-hot. It's insane! I mean, I wasn't Mr. Popular, but come on!”Dan looked over towards Gizzy, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to the conversation. She was just watching the boxing match, throwing the old one-two with her little arms. Dan chuckled in spite of himself at the sight of the small female figure imitating the fighters. Aries continued, “Well, anyway, I'm still able to get some worshippers. Just some clever work needs to be done. But I'm more relaxed than some of the newer gods. Those guys can be assholes.”“How so?” Dan asked. He had his eyes on the fight, but his ears on the war god.“Well, basically, a bunch of them are like teenagers. Take this one guy I know. He's basically a god of the Internet. Super douchebag. Feels like he needs to be in control. Super control issues with wanting to bring on madness. It's like the worst aspects of Loki and Zeus rolled into one.”“Really? Any examples?”“Well, I can't get into too much detail, but the guy had a thing for a goddess, and she rejected him at first, before he went ahead and pulled a Zeus and tricked her into marrying him. Though unlike Zeus, this guy isn't even top shit. Just a side god. So they ended up separated, and the fucker has been bitter ever since. Hell, he was humiliated and laughed at.”“Damn. Well, guess the guy deserves it.”“Oh, yeah, but fuck, can the newer gods be a pain in the ass, especially the ones that don't need prayers. Honestly, you're lucky with Annabelle. She's the type that has a level head on her shoulders. Even Aphrodite wasn't as calm. She's really mellowed out over the years. But trust me, on a good Saturday night, the girl can be wild. I can put money on that.” He chuckled.“Yeah, yeah. Though it's been an interesting time. I mean, if anyone told me a month ago, I'd be married to a goddess today, I'd have called them crazy, or something like that.”Aries lowered his sunglasses. “Yeah, I guess so. Though, hey, it's a crazy world out there, even for us gods.”“Yep,” Dan agreed. “Hey, are you ready for another beer?” He realized his bottle was nearly finished.“Sure, sounds good. I can use a few before going off on my date with Aphrodite.” Dan got up to cross the room to the bar, and realized Gizzy was building something. He could see she had an assortment of scrap metal on the floor in front of her.“Gizzy, what are you doing?” he asked.Gizzy looked up as she tightened a screw.“Dilzooka…” was her response. Dan raised an eyebrow and said, “Okay, I have to ask. What's a dilzooka?” Aries crossed his arms and leaned forward, a scowl on his face. Gizzy rolled her eyes, rummaged briefly through the scrap metal and came up with a suction-cup-backed dildo in one hand, a long metal tube in the other. She put the dildo in one end of the tube and quickly counted down: “1; 2; 3; Fire!”A loud blast came from the dilzooka. Dan jumped for cover. The long rubber object bounced all over the place until it finally stopped. Dan raised his head to try to assess the damage. There didn't seem to be any major holes in the wall or ceiling. Gizzy looked triumphant, as if it had been a successful test of her device. Aries, though, was standing in the middle of the room with the dildo's suction cup attached right in the center of his forehead.Dan fought off the urge to laugh. The war god looked almost like a dick-headed unicorn, or maybe the word should be dildicorn. Aries just groaned as he reached up and ripped the dildo off. Gizzy was now giggling up a storm.“I'm going to see if they're done talking,” Aries muttered, stomping out of the room.Eventually, Aries came back to give Dan the all-clear. He went back to the living room to see the women sitting on the couches and smiling. Kali looked a bit bedraggled, her colorful garb torn in a few places. Dan couldn't help but ask,“Okay, what happened?”The Hindu goddess crossed her arms and looked away, clearly annoyed.Annabelle answered, “Oh, nothing much. She and Bast got into a disagreement. One thing led to another, and… well, Kali owes us a new dining room.”“I do not! It was the Egyptian pussy who was running in there while I was trying to destroy her!” Kali screamed in anger, her face turning darker, as if she was about to lose her temper.“Kali, you were throwing the fireballs. You don't want to be hit with karma, now, do you? Should I tell Shiva exactly what happened?” Annabelle lowered her glasses as she glared at the other goddess. Kali growled in annoyance, then just sighed and shook her head.“Fine, I'll have Shiva transfer the rubies and have them converted into American dollars to have your dining room repaired.”The gods soon began leaving. On their way out, Aphrodite couldn't help but ask Aries,“Sweetie pie, why is there a red circle on your head?”Aries responded with only a quiet grunt and groan. The goddess of love nodded as they began walking out the door. From the hallway, she turned around and smiled at Annabelle and Dan.“It was nice to meet you, Dan,” she said. “From what Annabelle says, you're pretty nice for a mortal. I'm sure she won't start a war and get you killed.” She giggled, and Dan wasn't sure whether or not she was joking.The front door shut, and Annabelle said, “I think Aphrodite likes you, Dan. Maybe I should keep a special eye on you.” She giggled and rested her head on his shoulder.“Heh, no need to worry. Aries can keep her. One goddess is enough for me.” Dan chuckled, but then a hand grabbed his shoulder.“Don't you mean two goddesses, boy? This kitty needs attention also.” He turned to see Bast, in her mostly-human form. She wore clothes that were in tatters, and she looked as though she had a black eye. Dan gulped.

The 23rd message from the Gospel of John John 18:38-40, Matthew 27: 15-22 Watch Our Sermons Online! Freedom Baptist - Facebook Freedom Baptist - YouTube Freedom Baptist - LinkedIn

Read OnlineWhile some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Luke 21:5–6In a literal way, this prophecy of our Lord came true. In 70 A.D., the Temple upon which they were commenting was destroyed. After prophesying this, Jesus then goes on to warn the disciples that there will be many confusions that will come. There will be false prophets, wars and insurrections, powerful earthquakes, famines, plagues, “and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” Why does Jesus prophesy all of these things?The answer was simple. He was not trying to scare them. He was not simply trying to satisfy their curiosity. Instead, He was warning them and preparing us all so that we do not become misled or terrified when they come. He says, “See that you not be deceived” and “do not be terrified.”As the old saying goes, “Life is not a bowl of cherries.” While we live in this fallen world, chaos, confusion, deception, abuse, scandal, conflict and the like will be all around us. And when we do come face-to-face with any such difficulty, there is a temptation to fear, anger and despair. Be it family conflicts, civil unrest or even divisions within the Church itself, God wants us to remain at peace and to trust Him always.Take Jesus' own life as an example. He was arrested, falsely accused, sentenced to death and crucified. And through it all, He remained at peace, knowing that His suffering would become the very source of new life. God can use all things for good for those who love and serve Him.Reflect, today, upon the undeniable fact that your life will involve difficulty. Sometimes that difficulty is self-imposed as a result of your sin, and sometimes it is unjustly imposed on account of the sin of another. Truth be told, we should only be concerned about our own sin. If other challenges come your way that are out of your control, then use those challenges as opportunities to trust. Entrust all things to God, every suffering, every persecution, every tragedy, every struggle, everything. If God the Father could bring about the greatest good ever known through the brutal murder of His own divine Son, then He can certainly do the same with all that you offer to Him in trust. Trust at all times and in all circumstances, and our all-powerful Lord will bring good from everything.My most powerful Lord, You warned us of the many hardships that would come our way before Your glorious return. You did so to help prepare us and to strengthen us in those moments of testing. Please give me the grace I need to always trust in You and to surrender over to You every cross I carry. I do believe, dear Lord, that You can bring good from everything, even those things that are most difficult in life. Jesus, I trust in You.  Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Jesus teaches in the Temple by Jan van Orley, via Wikimedia Commons

Do You Take Jesus Just As He Is?Pastor Brian Keith

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: 7 Biblical Principles for Resolving Conflict at WorkDevotional: 3 of 7A person's insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense. (Proverbs 19:11)We're in a series exploring seven biblical principles for resolving conflict at work. Here's the third…Principle #3: Resolve to Overlook or Address the offense that has caused a lack of peace between you and someone else.You may be surprised to learn that Scripture commends overlooking certain offenses, but it's there in black and white (see Proverbs 19:11). And I think we see evidence of this in the life of Christ. Take Jesus's exchange with the “rich young ruler.” After Jesus pointed to God's commands such as the ones to “not murder,” and “not commit adultery,” the young man said, “All these things I have kept from my youth” (see Matthew 19:16-22). To which Jesus must have thought, “Really?”While this man may not have technically murdered or cheated on his wife, Jesus's Sermon on the Mount made clear that no human (save Christ himself) is capable of keeping those commandments perfectly. Jesus undoubtedly saw pride and spiritual blindness in this young man's heart. But he chose “to overlook [the] offense” in this particular interaction.So yes, sometimes we'd be wise to overlook an offense. But other times, we'd be wise to address an offense that is leading to a lack of peace (see Proverbs 27:5). How can we discern when to overlook and when to address an offense that is causing conflict? Here are three steps.#1: Write down the offense as clearly as you can. Because as Charles Kettering once said, “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” Go back to the note I encouraged you to start last week and complete this sentence: “I feel a lack of peace with [Name] because…” And be as detailed as you can about why you feel a lack of peace towards this person.#2: Pray for wisdom on whether to address or overlook the offense. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”#3: Ask yourself these diagnostic questions.Does the offense dishonor God?Has the offense damaged my relationship with the person?Has this person's actions hurt themselves or others?Was the offending action done intentionally?Is the offending action a recurring issue?If I overlook the offense, will I continue to dwell on it?If the answer to all of these questions is “no,” then it's probably wise to overlook the issue which, according to Ken Sande, “involves a deliberate decision not to talk about it, dwell on it, or let it grow into pent-up bitterness or anger.”If you can do that, praise God! If not, we've got some more work to do together next week.

Silver Quintette - "Sinner's Crossroads" [0:00:00] Cross-Road Singers - "Sing Till the Power of the Lord Comes Down" [0:03:32] Ozark Mountain Gospel Singers - "If You Want to Get Heaven" [0:07:34] CBS Trumpeteers - "I Want to Know" [0:15:09] Flying Clouds of Detroit - "Jez E Bell" [sinner and Brother Ray to the right, live in the studio.] [0:17:36] Fireside Gospel Singers - "Get Your Soul Right" [0:20:53] Holmes Sisters - "Son of Man" [0:23:54] Sons of Jehovah - "The Holy Bible" [0:27:58] Bevins Specials - "Everybody Ought to Pray" [0:30:19] Brother TS Small and the Sunrising Four of Summerville, S.C. - "Sweet Jesus" [0:36:13] Leo Richburg and the Gospel Four - "Lord You Been So Good to Me" [0:40:26] Gospel Skylifters - "Lord I'm Holding On" [0:47:12] Flossie and the Active Gibson Singers - "Repent and Be Baptized" [0:49:24] Linen Singers - "I've Got to Take Jesus" [0:49:36] Shepherds of Joy - "There Will Be Peace" [0:53:14] Madame Edna Gallmon Cooke - "At the Gate" [0:58:18] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/145176

⁠⁠⁠⁠Season 7 Episode 19 - Daily Devotional Podcast from Burnside Presbyterian Church, Portstewart. ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.BurnsidePCI.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Season 7 Episode 16 - Daily Devotional Podcast from Burnside Presbyterian Church, Portstewart. ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.BurnsidePCI.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Season 7 Episode 17 - Daily Devotional Podcast from Burnside Presbyterian Church, Portstewart. ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.BurnsidePCI.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Season 7 Episode 18 - Daily Devotional Podcast from Burnside Presbyterian Church, Portstewart. ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.BurnsidePCI.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jesus didn't do things by half measures. His compassion wasn't ordinary, everyday compassion. It was radical compassion. His power wasn't religious power. It was God's awesome power.   Radical Compassion I have a confession to make. I'm not naturally a compassionate person. How about you? Now that doesn't mean that I don't care about people deeply. I do, but I'm not naturally compassionate. So, what's compassion? My dictionary tells me that compassion is a sympathetic pity and concern for the suffering or misfortunes of others. It's derived from an old middle-English word, that comes from an even older French word, that's derived from an even older Ecclesiastical Latin word, that means ‘to suffer with'. In other words, to feel someone else's pain, and then to act on that, and to do something about it. I'm pretty good at the second part – acting on it and doing something about it. I'm not always that good at the first part – actually feeling someone else's pain. Why? Because of the way I'm wired on the inside; because of my motivations and my personality-type. Read Romans chapter 12 in the New Testament, and you'll find several motivational giftings. Some of them involve a lot of compassion, and others don't. A leader who's too compassionate just won't get anything done. On the other hand, people involved in caring for others – well, they're naturally good at feeling someone else's pain, which is why we absolutely love people like that. So, why am I telling you this? Because today we're continuing our look at what it means to lead an extraordinary life by looking at how Jesus lived His life, and one of the things He had in His makeup (we see it quite clearly on a number of occasions) is compassion. And I guess, as we take a look at this side of Jesus, I just wanted to make the point that just because we don't all have compassion naturally wired into our DNA doesn't mean that we shouldn't show it from time to time. Have a listen to one of the compassionate things that Jesus did. Matthew 8:1: When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him. And there was a leper who came and knelt before Him, saying: ‘Lord, if You choose, You can make me clean. He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying: ‘I do choose. Be clean.' Immediately the leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him: ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go. Show yourself to the priests, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.' Great crowds followed Jesus. He was a celebrity, a megastar, doing what I do, preaching the gospel. Often I'm dealing with crowds, whether here through the radio, or when I'm speaking at a church or an event, and as someone who's naturally wired with not a huge amount of compassion, can I tell you how safe and how easy that is? Speaking in front of people, you're detached. You rely on the fact that as the guy upfront, you are separated from the crowd, and that could easily have been the attitude that Jesus took. "I'll stick away from the messy individuals with all those problems and pains that are going to inconvenience Me, and I'll just preach to the big crowds." We all have our ways of isolating ourselves from the pains and the problems of difficult people. Some live in gated communities. Some have stopped attending churches. We withdraw and we try to make ourselves comfortable, but Jesus met the leper – the leper who was smelly with open, pussy wounds; the leper whom others reviled, and whom God's own Law segregated from mainstream society. And when the leper said to Jesus: "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean", Jesus did the one thing that no one had done since this man started exhibiting the signs of leprosy. Jesus reached out, and touched him. Touching the leper – now that's compassion. That speaks of the value that Jesus placed on this one man in his isolation and pain and suffering. In fact, Mark's gospel account tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion, and that that's what caused Him to reach out and touch this outcast. And the sense of the original Greek word translated into the English word compassion was that it was a deep, gut-reaction. It was something that Jesus felt in the core of His very being, and it was that feeling (literally the feeling of suffering with that leper in His heart, in His belly, in His gut) that caused Jesus to reach out, to touch him, and to heal him. One of the reasons often we don't suffer with people is that we're too busy. When I think about who I am – because I'm a driven, outcome-focused, delivery-oriented kind of guy – time is at a premium for me. Now don't get me wrong. In the mix of things, we need people like that, just as we need people who are nowhere near as time-focused, but who have buckets of compassion in their hearts. And what I've noticed is that when I slow down and just focus on the individual at hand, when I take the time to understand them and what they're going through, I too can experience that sense of compassion, just like the next person. It's the speed at which we move sometimes that stops us from feeling and showing compassion. See, I want to skip right over the feeling bit, and the showing bit, to the doing bit. "What can I do to help this person?" That's my natural desire, and there's a 50-50 chance that you're like that too, but often that's not what they need. The biggest thing that someone who's suffering needs is someone to stop and to be moved and impacted by their suffering. Sometimes just to understand them – to listen to them – to be with them. I remember at a time in my life when I was suffering the biggest thing I've ever suffered in my 50-something years on this earth, there were some people who wept with me. That's in fact the most powerful thing anyone's ever done with me or for me. A truly extraordinary person is someone who shows compassion, whether or not it comes naturally. Truth is, if we'll just slow down a bit, take the foot off the accelerator a bit, we're all capable of suffering with someone. We're all capable of feeling their pain. We're all capable of showing them that we feel their pain, and that will be one of the most transformative experiences of their lives. I can tell you that because I've had to learn it – because it doesn't come naturally to me. I'm still learning it, and I'll be learning it until the day I breathe my last breath. That leper – I mean, I'm sure that he was absolutely over-the-moon at being healed. In fact, we know he was. Mark tells us he went racing round showing people what Jesus had done, even though Jesus had expressly asked him not to. This guy was completely, totally over-the-moon, and why wouldn't you be? I would be; you would be. But I'm absolutely certain that in the days, weeks, months, and even years that followed, as he sat quietly by the fire in the evening at home, remembering that day in his life when Jesus reached out and touched him, that it's the love and compassion that Jesus showed him that would bring tears to his eyes. What do you think? Compassion is one of the things that sets a person apart. Compassion is one of the things that enables an ordinary person like you and me to live an extraordinary life. Compassion, in this day and age, truly is extraordinary.   Radical Power I wonder what the word power means to you. There's electrical power, there's political power, and then – then there's another type of power. It's a power that's completely set apart from any other power that you and I know about, think about, or have ever experienced, and that power is the power of God. Why is it different? Because it's greater than any power that you and I can ever experience anywhere else. Think of the immense power in a lightning bolt. It's so powerful, it's seriously scary. Well, all the power in every lightning bolt that has ever bolted down since the dawn of time is just a drop in the ocean compared to the power of God. And we're going to talk about that power right now, because it's that very power that is the key to leading an extraordinary life. When I was young, I learned the harder you work, the longer you work, the faster you work, the more you'll get done, the more items you'll be able to tick off your to-do list, and the more impact you'll be able to have in the lives of other people. But quite a few years ago, God convicted me to in fact pray more and do less. Let me say that again. Pray more and do less. Recently on the programme, I mentioned a young woman at my church – Lucy, who was convicted through one of the posts on my blog to do just that. And do you know what she reported? She said, "Wow! The things I do just have so much more impact now." After just a month, she said: "I'm having all these conversations with my friends about Jesus and one by one, they're coming to faith." I just smile to myself, because that's exactly what I found when I decided to pray more and to do less. And do you know why it is that when we pray more and do less, we get more done? It's because prayer unleashes the power of God, and it's the power of God that makes for an extraordinary life on this earth because the power of God is so much greater than anything we can ever begin to imagine. Now, engaging that power is something that Jesus didn't seem to have a problem doing; He just did it. You and I, of course, will say: "Yeah, sure, right. What do you expect? He's the Son of God, of course He had all the power. That's Him; I'm just me." But let's take a look at how Jesus tapped into that power – the power of God to do extraordinary things. Matthew 8:5: When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, appealing to Him, saying: ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed in terrible distress.' And Jesus said to him: ‘Look, I'll come and cure him.' But the centurion answered: ‘Lord, I'm not worthy to have You come in under my roof, but just speak the word, and I know that my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go' and he goes. I say to the other, ‘Come' and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this' and the slave does it.' When Jesus heard him, He was amazed, and He said to those following Him: ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from the east and west, and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' And to the centurion, Jesus said: ‘Go. Let it be done for you according to your faith', and the servant was healed that very hour. Let me ask you something. Was there any uncertainty in Jesus' mind about the power that God had given to Him? Apparently not. He just did what came before Him, and what came before Him that day was a man of faith. Importantly not one of God's chosen people – not a Jew, but a Roman officer – one of those whose job it was to occupy and to oppress God's chosen people, but he was a man with faith. In fact, it was faith so great that Jesus marvelled at it: I tell you, many will come from the east and west, and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And it was this faith that caused the power of God to flow through Jesus and on into this centurion's servant who, by the way, was nowhere to be seen! Remote-control distance healing. Pretty amazing stuff! No wonder Jesus marvelled at this man's faith. By way of sharp contrast, when Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, He was able to perform very few miracles indeed. Why? Well, let's have a look. Mark 6:3: Because they took offence at Jesus and didn't believe in Him, He did hardly any deeds of power there. In fact, Mark 6:6 says He was amazed at their unbelief. I love that. With the centurion, Jesus marvelled at his faith. But here, with God's own people, He was amazed at their unbelief! In His own hometown. It seems to me that one of the keys to an extraordinary life is extraordinary faith. Let me say that again. One of the keys to an extraordinary life is extraordinary faith – faith that goes against reason, in the miracle-working power of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus never turned anyone away who came to ask Him to perform them a miracle – to pour the power of God out upon their lives. Not one. Why do we walk around in the miry clay – feet heavy, shoulders hunched, when we have access to the indescribable power of God to get His will done on this earth? Question for you today: Would you rather that Jesus marvelled at your extraordinary faith in Him, or at your extraordinary unbelief in Him? Well, would you rather He walked away pinching Himself to make sure that the faith He'd just seen in you was for real, or that He walked away shaking His head, wondering: "How could you display such manifest unbelief in this Jesus you confess to believe?" There are so many things in this life that we can't do – so many mountains we can't move. There are so many things Jesus calls us to do in His name that, for some reason, we think we have to do in our power. Sure, life's full of mundane; full of challenges; full of hardships, but life is also full of the power of God, and it seems to me that the difference between the extraordinary and the ordinary is a bit like the difference between the centurion and one of those locals in Nazareth.   It's Time to Go We are such masters of self-delusion, you and I. Come on, we are – well at least I am, and I know for a fact that so often the church is too. Take Jesus' great commission to His disciples. 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me,' says Jesus. ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And remember, I'll be with you wherever you go, even unto the end of the age'. Matthew 28 – the very last thing Jesus said to His disciples. Notice what He told them to do. He told them to go – "Go on, get out there, get amongst them, this is what I've called you to do." And here we are, two thousand years on, building massive cathedrals – still sitting in our pews, expecting them to come to us. Now that's a little unfair. So many of God's people and God's ministries and God's churches are out there amongst it – going, just like Jesus told them to. Jesus didn't invite us to build a country club. He called us to go out into the world and be His hands and His feet, scarred as they are, and His voice and His heart of compassion to a lost and hurting world – to the parents of that little boy in the soccer club whose marriage is on the brink; to the guy who sits on the bench in the mall alone each day, a bit on the nose, in need of a good wash. When I was at Bible-college, I was required to go and spend two semesters with a ministry, doing practical field training. The ministry I went to as a raw, wet-behind-the-ears seminary student was Christianityworks – the very same ministry I'm involved in today. It makes me speechless to think, at a time when I knew so little, I was already writing and producing radio-programmes that would be heard by rather a lot of people. What was the principal of the college thinking? What were my lecturers thinking and come on, what was Jesus thinking, unleashing me in my ignorance to preach the gospel? Scary thought. Surely I needed to graduate first. Surely I needed to become a much deeper theologian first. Surely, there had to be something more – well, I wonder. Not long into His public ministry, Jesus sent His disciples out to do some field ministry training. He sent them off completely without Him, and without anything much else either, it would seem. These guys were just fishermen and tax-collectors – seriously uneducated, unqualified, unreligious dudes, with absolutely no qualifications to do what Jesus was calling them to do. I seriously wonder sometimes if Jesus really knows what He's up to. I mean, come on! Really! Have a listen to this. Matthew 6:6: Then He went out among the villages teaching. He called the Twelve and began to send them two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff – no bread; no bag; no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them: ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you or they refuse to hear you, as you leave shake the dust off your sandals as a testimony against them.' So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, anointed people with oil who were sick, and cured them. Now just stop and imagine that that had been you that Jesus sent out like a sheep to slaughter. He gives you the authority to cast out demons. You've known Him for ... mmm ... 5 minutes at this point. Are you feeling confident? ‘Oh and by the way, don't take any food or money or a change of clothes, ‘cos you won't need them.' What, is He dead-set crazy – this Jesus? Maybe He's on the same stuff as John the Baptist, that lunatic in the wilderness, was on not so long ago. Do you see how easy it is for us to think in conventional terms? Do you see how easy it is for us to sit in comfortable pews, in a comfortable church-building, and complain about the air-conditioning that's not working properly? See, to us, conventional equals comfortable. Conventional equals convenient. Conventional is all about enjoying the experience. In any case, we're not that qualified yet. We need to sit in those safe, comfortable pews just a little bit longer, before we get our hands too dirty. Let me tell you something, friend (and this is for me as much as it is for you) if we're someone who believes in Jesus, then Jesus has given us the authority to cast out demons. He has given us the authority to minister in His love, in His compassion, in His power, to those around us. And not only has He commissioned us, He's commanded us to go! Conventional wisdom says that I should never have been allowed to go out back then when I was so green, and tell people about Jesus, but that's what led me on to doing what I'm involved in now, that reaches far wider – to many more people than I ever, ever could have imagined back then. ‘Cos when God calls us, when God commissions us, His power flows around us and through us to achieve what He always planned to achieve. It was the same with those early disciples. Conventional wisdom says they should never have been sent out there on their own, but they weren't on their own. The power and the presence of Christ was with them and around them, and ahead of them and behind them, through the presence of the Holy Spirit. And as a result, they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, they anointed many with oil who were sick, and cured them. You know what I get out of this? Greatness is just about going. Just get up and go – go where Jesus calls you to go. Go where Jesus leads you to go. Just take the first few steps, as whacky and as weird as it may seem to you, because when He gives us the authority to do what He's called us to do, watch out! His authority gives us the power to prevail in what He's called us to do. There are many comfortable, suburban, pew-sitting Christians, who will live out their very ordinary existence in that church. Then, there are those crazy disciples who dare to go – who dare to accept the authority given to them; who dare to live out a truly extraordinary life.

/> ### MESSAGE NOTESWalking The Way | Solitude | Week 4 | June 2, 2024Teacher: Dave Brown/>  Sacrament is from the Latin word sacramentum which originally referred to a soldier's sacred oath of allegiance. /> Two sacramentsBaptismCommunion/> 3 Names to CommunionThe Lord's SupperCommunionEucharist/> And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”—Luke 22:19-20/> Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.—Luke 9:16-17/> 4 Verbs of the Lord's Supper1. Take:  Jesus takes what we bring him. This offering that Jesus take from us is the first movement of the Eucharist; it sets salvation in the ambience of sheer acceptance.  God receives us and what we bring to him, just as we are.2. Bless:  What we offer to Jesus, Jesus offers to God with thanksgiving.  He doesn't examine it for flaws, doesn't evaluate and appraise it, criticize or reject our offerings. He prays these offerings and the lives that back them up, offering what we offer to the Father. This prayer of blessing gathers all of us and everything we are into everything that Christ is and does for us.3. Break:  Our gifts don't remain what we bring.  At the Table we are not permitted to be self-sufficient.  The breaking of our pride and self-approval is not a bad thing; it opens us to new life, to saving action.  We soon discover that God is working deep within us, beneath our surface lies and poses, to bring new life.4. Give:  Jesus gives back what we bring to him, who we are; and we receive what he gives.  But it is no longer what we brought.  It has been changed into what God gives, what we sing of as “amazing grace.”  Everything we bring to Jesus is given back, but lavishly…Everything on the Table and everyone around the Table becomes gospel and is distributed to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness.—Eugene Peterson

There’s a time and place to push back and fight for what you think is right. But figuring that out can be tricky. Take Jesus, for example. He leaned in and pushed back on important things because some things are worth fighting for—but not everything. So, how do you prioritize your pushback? If you push back on everything, you lessen your influence on anything.

There’s a time and place to push back and fight for what you think is right. But figuring that out can be tricky. Take Jesus, for example. He leaned in and pushed back on important things because some things are worth fighting for—but not everything. So, how do you prioritize your pushback? If you push back on everything, you lessen your influence on anything.

This is a weekly listing of live sermons from First Baptist Church in Fort Walton Beach, Florida where Dr. Wade Humphries is Senior Pastor.

Sinferno Cabaret Maestro, Ivizia Dakini talks about the chocolate and peanut butter that is stripping and playing with fire on rollerskates. Should Paul get that back piece he's been talking about plus other tattoos? Where does one rent a pool for orgies and other kinds of parties? Scoop mail goes #1. Jock Vs Nerd Trivia Scoopardy. ALSO: Please vote for us at LasVegasWeekly.com/bestofvegas2024

Still not sure about Christianity? Take Jesus' words and put them into practice to see for yourself.Check out our other podcasts! Search for these on your favorite podcast app.– The Nonmicrowaved Truth with C.L. Whiteside– Little Things, with Amber Albee Swenson– Bible Breath, with Pastor Jeremy– Bible Threads, with Dr. Bruce Becker– Evening Encouragements With Pastor Jeremy– Time of Grace With Pastor Mike NovotnyIf you have questions and want to know more about God, like what does he think of you, what exactly was Jesus all about, how do you get “saved” and just what exactly does it mean to “get saved,” and what you should do next, we want you to download this free resource Pastor Mike wrote called, The Basics: God. You. Jesus. Faith. Get your free download at timeofgrace.org/thebasics.OR, you can listen to the audio version of The Basics! Just search "The Basics With Pastor Mike Novotny" wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Luke 21:5–6In a literal way, this prophecy of our Lord came true. In 70 A.D., the Temple upon which they were commenting was destroyed. After prophesying this, Jesus then goes on to warn the disciples that there will be many confusions that will come. There will be false prophets, wars and insurrections, powerful earthquakes, famines, plagues, “and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” Why does Jesus prophesy all of these things?The answer was simple. He was not trying to scare them. He was not simply trying to satisfy their curiosity. Instead, He was warning them and preparing us all so that we do not become misled or terrified when they come. He says, “See that you not be deceived” and “do not be terrified.”As the old saying goes, “Life is not a bowl of cherries.” While we live in this fallen world, chaos, confusion, deception, abuse, scandal, conflict and the like will be all around us. And when we do come face-to-face with any such difficulty, there is a temptation to fear, anger and despair. Be it family conflicts, civil unrest or even divisions within the Church itself, God wants us to remain at peace and to trust Him always.Take Jesus' own life as an example. He was arrested, falsely accused, sentenced to death and crucified. And through it all, He remained at peace, knowing that His suffering would become the very source of new life. God can use all things for good for those who love and serve Him. Reflect, today, upon the undeniable fact that your life will involve difficulty. Sometimes that difficulty is self-imposed as a result of your sin, and sometimes it is unjustly imposed on account of the sin of another. Truth be told, we should only be concerned about our own sin. If other challenges come your way that are out of your control, then use those challenges as opportunities to trust. Entrust all things to God, every suffering, every persecution, every tragedy, every struggle, everything. If God the Father could bring about the greatest good ever known through the brutal murder of His own divine Son, then He can certainly do the same with all that you offer to Him in trust. Trust at all times and in all circumstances, and our all-powerful Lord will bring good from everything. My most powerful Lord, You warned us of the many hardships that would come our way before Your glorious return. You did so to help prepare us and to strengthen us in those moments of testing. Please give me the grace I need to always trust in You and to surrender over to You every cross I carry. I do believe, dear Lord, that You can bring good from everything, even those things that are most difficult in life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Mark 4:36

In this captivating video, we delve into the fascinating story of Jephthah, a man whose faith and commitment are brought to life in the pages of the Bible. Though Jephthah is a somewhat lesser-known figure, his journey holds valuable lessons for all of us, especially young people stepping out into the world. Join us as we uncover the wisdom and insights hidden in the pages of Judges 11, exploring the significance of faith, commitment, and trusting in God's plan. Highlights Choose Your Company Wisely: Last time, we emphasized the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. Your company can shape who you become, so be selective in your friendships. Understanding Your Purpose: Before leaving home, it's crucial to know why you're going and what you aim to achieve. Purpose gives direction to your journey. Beware of the Wrong Path: Leaving home to join a harmful or negative influence, like a gang, is never a good choice. Seek companionship that aligns with your values. The Prodigal Son's Story: Learn from the biblical parable of the prodigal son. His decision to leave home without guidance led to hardship and regret. The Test of Leaving Home: Young people are often tested when they leave the comfort of home. How you handle these tests will define your character and choices. Take Jesus with You: Leaving home without Jesus can spell trouble. When you have the Lord with you, fear diminishes, and you gain strength to face challenges. Promotion Awaits When It's Your Time: Jephthah's story teaches us that when God is ready to promote you, nothing and no one can stand in your way. Trust in His timing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gnbc/message

Take Jesus HomeFor more information, visit pastorvlad.org

Take Jesus with you

Have you ever experienced the frustration and confusion of unanswered prayers? I've had to walk through situations I desperately wanted God to change, and He didn't—at least not in the way I had hoped. If that's happened to you, you're not alone in wondering…Does God even care? In Matthew 7, Jesus answers this question, saying… You parents—if your children ask you for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? …Of course not! … how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. What a great promise! God does care and wants to give us good gifts. His plan is so much better than ours! Jesus gives us this encouragement: Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. God will answer your prayer in His best way and in His best timing. Take Jesus' advice and keep on asking! radio.hopewithgod.com

In this episode Caroline talks about how we can create prisons of our own devises or shall we say “vices”.  If we have confessed our sins and accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior nobody can separate us from Him. This doesn't mean we can't place things or other people in our lives as more important than God and become bound by them.  When we begin to create space for our sins, obsessions and anxieties making excuses for them we begin to sink into the crashing waves just like Peter did that day on when Jesus called Him out on the water. The good news is there is hope and God gives us all we need to daily surrender to Him and walk in freedom embracing His Yoke or way of doing things. Are you ready to be free?! You can find the show notes on my website along with all the links to what we talked about in the show: ⁠⁠⁠marriedrogersneighborhood.com⁠⁠⁠ Follow and interact with Caroline on social platforms at: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@RealHouseWivesoftheKingdom⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Real House Wives of the Kingdom Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can subscribe ⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠ to receive updates on coming content  (We promise not to spam you) You can find Angelia on Instagram ⁠@sincerelyangelia⁠ You can sign up ⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠ to enroll in our online Pre Marital Guidance course for more marriage Biblical Marriage Encouragement you can FOLLOW: Instagram:⁠⁠⁠@marriedrogersneighborhood⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠@Married Rogers Neighborhood⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@marriedrogers⁠⁠⁠ Clubhouse: @marriedrogers YouTube Channel: ⁠⁠⁠Married Rogers Neighborhood⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Music Composed and performed by Jamie Miller If you would like more information on Jamie's Song Writing and performing services you can ask Caroline on any of the above platforms listed for her official contact info. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/housewivesofthekingdom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/housewivesofthekingdom/support

Brent Beshore is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Permanent Equity, a Midwestern-based private equity firm. One part of his Twitter bio intrigued me: "Former atheist who now follows Jesus." And in this conversation, we explored why he initially rejected God, his turning point, and where to start with the Bible. Brent's challenge: Take Jesus seriously. 0:00 Intro 1:14 Meeting With Pastor At 14 7:26 Who Are You More Concerned With? 10:55 Turning Point 17:35 Prodigal Son 22:00 Why Does Brent Talk About Jesus? 25:05 2 Types of Love 27:41 “My Life Was Hell Before God” 31:21 Money, Fame, And Power 34:21 What Happens After Death? 38:45 What Does God Look Like? 39:32 Growing Up With Faith? 44:39 Why Study Jesus? 49:03 The Bible Is Real 51:41 Where To Start With Bible? 59:04 Endowment Effect 1:03:21 Slavery 1:06:02 Teachers 1:11:11 Challenge  Leaf by Niggle – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_by_Niggle Brett's Twitter: @BrentBeshore My Links  ✉️ Newsletter: https://dannymiranda.substack.com

We're continuing our journey through Genesis. Noah is asked to build a boat.

When writing his letters throughout the New Testament, Paul always identifies himself as an Apostle, called by God. This is found throughout the New Testament with James, Peter and Jude, as well. Everything they write about from there on out is based upon their identity of Christ. You can build your identity around any number of things today. But, there is real power in a God given identity. Take Jesus, for instance. All throughout the New Testament we find that Jesus is the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the gate for the sheep, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life, and the true vine. Who are you? What is your identity? Take time to pray, read the Bible and discover your identity in Christ today. You ARE a child of God. You ARE forgiven. Let God give you your identity and let that guide you. If you would like to know more about who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

Are the Packers hampered by Aaron Rodgers' pursuit of perfection as it relates to young WRs? Jen and Gabe are on opposite sides. Chewy continues to make an absurd claim about Christmas in his personal Holiday Power Rankings. What do you do when the cashier ringing you up leaves? Jen had that scenario play out in front of her eyes.

Today, let's not just settle to see Jesus today; let's receive him and take Jesus home. That's our role today. And let's be Jesus to others: Kind, gentle, understanding, forgiving. We take Jesus home.Here is my homily for the Thirty First Sunday of Ordinary Time . I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)

“Then Jesus said, ‘Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk.' And immediately the man was well; he picked up his...

This week, Allison Gingras and Danielle Bean discuss ways to keep practicing (and maybe even enhancing!) your faith while on vacation. They share ideas for praying on the go, finding and attending Mass in a new location, and modeling for our kids the importance of prayer wherever we go. Mentioned in this episode: Allison's upcoming book from Ave Maria Press, Encountering Signs of Faith: My Unexpected Journey With Sacramentals, the Saints, and the Abundant Grace of God. Allison's recent Catholic Mom Hangout about bringing Jesus on vacation MassTimes.org, a handy resource for finding Mass, confession and adoration when you are away from home My Queen, My Mother: A Living Novena, written by Catholic Mom contributor Marge Fenelon  

This life contains many walks from Cana to Capernaum, journeys between prayer offered and prayer answered. Jesus promised the boy's...