Podcasts about test me

Test Me!

Heart: “KARDIA”—the CENTER of your life. Where you are devoted physically, emotionally and spiritually.WHO/WHAT has 1ST place in your life.Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your HEART.I Samuel 12:24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your HEART.Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your HEART.Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your HEART…”Does God have ALL my HEART?Proverbs 21:2 Every person's way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord EXAMINES the HEART.Matthew 6:21 For where your TREASURE is, there your HEART will be also.The PORTION God has of your heart is determined by the POSITION he has in your finances.For God to be first in your HEART he must be first in your FINANCES.Biblical Principle: The TITHEWHAT is a tithe?Hebrew word “ms'aser” simply means 1/10th or 10%Matthew 23:23 You SHOULD TITHE, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. PAID TITHE$1,000 $100$10,000 $1,000$100,000 $10,000$1,000,000 $100,000$100 Billion $10 BillionWHEN do you tithe?Tithing isn't just the AMOUNT (10%) it's the ORDER (1st) in which we give.Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the FIRSTFRUITS of all your crops. Genesis 4:3 IN THE COURSE OF TIME Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.Genesis 4:4-5 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the FIRSTBORN of his flock. The Lord looked with FAVOR on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he DID NOT LOOK WITH FAVOR.WHY should you tithe?Promise of Tithing: 90% with God's blessing always goes further than 100% on your own.$7,200 (with God) > $8,000 (on your own)Malachi 3:10 “Bring the WHOLE TITHE into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. TEST ME in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much BLESSING that there will not be room enough to store it.”Leviticus 27:30 “A tithe of everything…BELONGS to the Lord; it is HOLY to the Lord.Malachi 3:8-11 MSG “Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you ROB me day after day. “You ask, ‘HOW have we robbed you?' “The TITHE and the offering—that's HOW! WHERE do you tithe?Leviticus 27:30 “A tithe of everything…BELONGS to the Lord; it is HOLY to the LordHOW do you start?TEST God with TITHING.Does God have ALL of your HEART?

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and lovethe other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serveboth God and mammon.I Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, butagainst evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers inthis dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.Matthew 6:24 You CANNOT serve both God and MAMMON.Mammon: that in which one TRUSTSMammon is a FALSE god that promises that: You can trust MONEY to giveyou what only GOD can.We changed our LIFE'S FOCUS from consuming to GIVING.Acts 20:35 It is more blessed to give than receive.GIVING is kryptonite to the power and spirit of MAMMON in your life.1. You don't own jack squat.Deuteronomy 8:17-18 You can say to yourself, “MY power and the strength ofMY hands have produced this wealth for ME.” But remember the Lord your God,for it is he who GIVES YOU THE ABILITY to produce wealth…Every SINGLE spending decision is a SPIRITUAL decision.2. We started living off a budget.3. We learned to be content.4. Debt is slavery.GENEROSITY is kryptonite to the power of MAMMON in your life.Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole TITHE into the storehouse, that there may be foodin my house. TEST ME in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will notthrow open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much BLESSING that therewill not be room enough to store it.”Who are you trusting, God or mammon?

Leigh Ann Horton grew up in a Christian home where open conversations about money and stewardship shaped her perspective on finances and faith. Her natural talent for numbers guided her career as a CPA and entrepreneur, while also influencing her early approach to generosity. Initially meticulous in tracking her giving, Leigh Ann's journey has since evolved into one of holding resources with open hands and following the Spirit's leading in both her businesses and giving. A turning point came when Leigh Ann and her husband connected with a community of like-minded givers, leading to a transformative shift toward heartfelt, Spirit-led generosity. Today, Leigh Ann is passionate about empowering women to engage in meaningful conversations about money and giving. Her inspiring stories radiate the joy and fulfillment that come from embracing a generous life. Major Topics Include: From “tickled-tithing” to joyful generosity The transformative power of community in generosity Finding freedom from comparison and cultivating joy Growing as a couple in Spirit-led giving Equipping and inspiring women in financial conversations Understanding and measuring impact investing Quotes to Remember “When I realized that I was being legalistic in my giving, I quit trying to measure everything and tried to become more freehanded in it.” “It doesn't matter what I have because it's not mine; I'm just a steward.” “As you know what your purpose is, then you can figure out where your passions align.” “Start where you are, even if you've only given a tiny bit before. You can start anytime to be generous with your time, your treasure, or your talent. It all matters.” “If you want to start being more generous, you have to start with acts of generosity.” Links from the Show J4 Leaders Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here) Talanton  Faith Driven Investor Solving the World's Greatest Problems Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman) National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills) The Finish Line Community Facebook Group The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group Bible References from the Show Malachi 3:10 | “Test Me in This…” Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. We Want to Hear from You! If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

They Don't Believe in Me & Test Me

They Don't Believe in Me & Test Me

We are now in Pesukei Bitachon, starting with a Vav , Vayikra 25,18 וַעֲשִׂיתֶם֙ אֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֔י וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם אֹתָ֑ם וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח׃ You will keep My statutes. My laws you'll observe and do. And in reward for that, you will dwell in the land with security. Rashi says this is referring to keeping the laws of Shemittah . Keep My statutes and laws refers to the laws of the sabbatical year. Measure for measure, if you keep the laws of the sabbatical years, you'll stay on the land and have success in the land. But if you don't keep the laws of the sabbatical years, you'll get sent out. The commentaries ask a question about this: There is a rule that there is no reward in this world for Mitzvot. So how can we say that if you keep the statutes, then you'll end up getting all of these wonderful things, if there's no guaranteed reward in this world? On answer, based on the sefer Bat Ayin on Parashat Behar , says that the secret for success in the land is bitachon . That's why Hashem put us in Eretz Yisrael- so that we would stay there and keep the mitzvot. But it only works if you rely on Him. He has a novel way of reading the pasuk. He says, וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח ׃ Doesn't mean simply You will dwell on the land with security , but rather, ‘ When will you dwell the land? Labetach / when you have the Middah of Bitachon .' Through the trait of relying on Hashem and having faith in Hashem, you realize that everything comes from His will, and that is what brings us success. He continues with another novel explanation of the well-known pasuk that we say three times a day in Ashrei , “ Pote'ach Et Yadecha U'Masbia L'Kol Chai Ratzon/You open your hands and You satiate every living thing with Your will,” which means His will is what causes us to be satiated. We don't do anything. It's our reliance on Hashem that opens up the gates of bounty, and it's His will, not our worthiness, but His will, that gives it to us. That attitude and approach brings us success in Eretz Yisrael. The sefer Ahavat Shalom on Parashat Behar shares a similar concept and he reads it into this pasuk- וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח׃ You'll dwell in the land with security עלידי הבטחון החזק והאמיתי ישבכוחי נו להמשיך חסד הטוב ממקורוהצפון והגנוז / Through strong, solid bitachon, we have the ability to bring down God's good and kindness from the upper hidden places. We have the ability to bring down God's bounty through our bitachon . That answers our original question. How could it say that if you do something in this world, you'll be guaranteed reward? The answer is, it's the bitachon that brings the reward of the success. As we've said in the past, the Hovot Halevavot says that one of the sources for bitachon, is Test Me with this, which talks about keeping the laws of Ma'aser . Test Me, God says. And the question is , I thought we're not allowed to test God . It says, Don't test God. But one of the answers the rabbis give is that you don't get rewarded for Mitzvot.That's true. But you get rewarded in this world for bitachon because it's not a payback. Hashem is reliable. If I rely on Him, He's going to give me what I need, because He is reliable. So, I'm not getting it because I did mitzvot. When you keep Shemitta, for example, and you leave your land fallow for a year and let the poor take and do nothing, that's an expression of bitachon. The reward is not because you kept the Mitzvah of shemittah , but because you exercised your bitachon, and when you exercise your bitachon, all the wonderful things happen. That's what this pasuk is telling us. Keep My laws and keep My statutes - but with bitachon , and the bitachon that you exercise will bring down all of the bounty. This is another important bitachon pasuk to keep in mind always. As we keep Ma'aser or Shemitta or close our stores on Shabbat or do any one of the myriads of things that we are doing and exercising our bitachon on, the merit of the bitachon will open the bounties of Above and bring down all of that wonderful goodness upon us.

We continue in Pesukei Bitachon starting with a Vav . We're now in Yeshaya 32, וְהָיָ֛ה מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה הַצְּדָקָ֖ה שָׁל֑וֹם וַֽעֲבֹדַת֙ הַצְּדָקָ֔ה הַשְׁקֵ֥ט וָבֶ֖טַח עַד־עוֹלָֽם / The activity of charity brings peace, and the work of Sedaka brings serenity and reliance and security forever . This pasuk talks about Sedaka and mentions the word bitachon . The first point is that there are two kinds of charity. One, the Malbim says, is the Ma'aseh/ the action and, the other, Avodat Hasedaka means harder work . The simple action of charity brings shalom , and when it takes a little bit more effort, which requires bitachon on your part, it brings with it serenity and bitachon. One has to believe when you give Sedaka. The Rambam, in Yad Hazaka , in the laws of charity, chapter 10, says, No one ever gets poor from charity, and nothing bad can come from Sedaka, and he quotes our pasuk . This doesn't only apply to giving, but the Rambam quotes, based on the Gemara, that making others give Sedaka is even bigger than you yourself giving Sedaka! That's what Ma'aseh me ans- you cause others to give. We have to understand that when it comes to giving Sedaka, you have to believe . The Ramban says that one of the Lo Ta'asehs is that when a person gives charity, he shouldn't feel bad about giving charity and he shouldn't think he's going to lose out. He should look at it like he's making an investment, and making money on his investment. Because God is going to pay him back multiple times, and that's what it means- Give charity, and don't feel bad when you do it, for God will bless you in all your actions. Regarding the need for bitachon when it comes to charity, the Hovot Halevavot (chapter seven), says something fascinating. He says that the reason people don't rely on Hashem is that they don't know that Hashem commanded them to rely on Him. Where did Hashem command us to rely on him in the Torah? The first source he cites is the Navi Malachi, 3,10 where he says, “ Give charity, and test Me. ” We know that you can't test God when it comes to other Mitzvot, but when it comes to giving charity, Ma'aser , we can test God. and the Hovot Halevavot learns that this “Test Me,” means rely on Me, and believe that when you give Sedaka you're going to see success. Therefore, the beracha that comes from the charity, according to the Hovot Halevavot, comes from the bitachon of relying on Hashem, and believing that the charity is going to bring you beracha. This is especially true, says Rav Chaim Pilaggi in the introduction to his sefer Me'od L'Kol Chai , when it comes to holiday times. There's an extra inyan to give charity to the poor at holiday times. He quotes the Rashi in Chumash that says “ Be happy in the holiday, you, your son, your servant, and your maid servant.” That's four. And he lists another four- the Levi (which is the clergy today) the convert , the orphan , and the widow . And God says, My four correspond to your four. If you make My four happy, I'll make your four happy.” Rav Chaim Pilaggi says this is a segula that a person is happy in the holiday season. When he gives to and makes other people happy, his children will be happy. He says, that's what our pasuk means. וְהָיָ֛ה מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה הַצְּ דָקָ֖ה שָׁל֑וֹ ם / Sedaka brings shalom. That means shalom in your own household. Shalom bayit. You're going to get along with each other. There won't be fights or arguments in your household. Rav Pilaggi says, “I witnessed many successful people that had houses full of everything and had a miserable holiday.” And he said, “I showed them this Rashi, I showed them that in order to be blessed, you have to make sure that you make other people happy.” That's what it means וְהָיָ֛ה מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה הַצְּדָקָ֖ה שָׁל֑וֹם But it takes bitachon. You have to believe it. I believe it. I've seen it work. Therefore, every holiday season I make my Lev Chana appeal, because I believe that not only does the one that gives get beracha , but the one who asks others to give gets blessed as well. So I believe and rely that it's going to bring peace, and that no one will get upset at me for asking a second time. Not everyone has responded yet. I am trying to reach my budget to be able to clothe many families in our community. Before the holiday season, we give clothing cards to many families. We have a list of 60 widows with many orphans under them, lo alenu, besides another 200 families. So, we are asking you to please give generously. You can- -click this link, https://www.rayze.it/levchana/ -Send an email to rabbisutton@gmail.com and request to be billed, -QuickPay or Zelle to rabbisutton@gmail.com -mail a check to: 1059 East 10th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11230. Please give generously and believe that it will bring peace to your home.

“Digital Banking in 2024” “How Tara Serves her Country” “Generational Curse of Gen Z” “Don't Test Me”

We continue in the Bet Halevi where he tells us that one who relies on Hashem gets a double benefit. The first benefit is in this world, as we discussed yesterday, that he will definitely get what he's lacking. But beside that, his reward in the next world is immense, because of the rule that there is no reward in this world for Mitzvot . All the benefits that we get in this world are just dividends, just the fruits of our Mitzvot . The true benefit is in the next world . This is an important point, because sometimes people are bothered, “ I relied on Hashem and I didn't get what wanted. Is that a wasted bitachon?” Of course not, because bitachon is a mitzvah like any other mitzvah, and whether you get what you want or not is irrelevant. Of course, it's nice to get what you want, but if for some reason you did not have enough bitachon, if you're not on the Vadai program so you didn't get what you wanted, it's not a waste because your efforts in bitachon will be rewarded like any other mitzvah. Furthermore, Rabbenu Yonah writes in Mishleh that the reward for the bitachon is greater than the item that you wanted to get through the bitachon . For example, it's hard to find parking in Brooklyn. So you're driving on Coney Island Avenue and you need a spot. And sure enough, you rely on Hashem, “ Please Hashem, get me a spot, ” and a spot opens up. Beautiful! You got the spot. But what happens if you didn't get the spot? What's the value of a spot? You could have parked at a pump. Those are not always available either, but let's say the pump was available but you didn't park at the pump because you didn't want to get a $200 ticket. So what's the parking spot worth to you? $200. Well, the reward that you're going to get for relying on Hashem for that spot is definitely worth more than the $200 value of the spot. You're definitely going to end up getting more by relying on Hashem than you would've gotten for actually getting what you want. So, it's a win-win situation. Whether you get what you want or not, you're ahead of the game, because the reward for bitachon is immense. There's another point, which is that if there's no reward in this world for Mitzvot, then why do I get what I want when I rely on Hashem? The answer is, you're not getting what you want as a reward for your bitachon. You're getting what you want because Hashem is kind, and if you rely on somebody, that person is going to come through for you. That's the way the world works. If you rely on somebody, he's going to come through for you. There's a famous question about Maaser. When it comes to giving Maaser, God says, “ Test Me with this. I'll open up the windows of the heavens and I'll bless you and I'll give you all kinds of blessing.” How does that work, if there's no reward in this world for Mitzvot? Why is maaser an exception? There are different answers. The Sefer HaChinuch answers that when you give maaser , there are two things going on. There's the Mitzvah of maaser , and for that you don't get rewarded in this world. But there's also a financial deal. God needs money, so to say. He says, I'm short on cash. Could you give that poor man money and I'll pay you back? So, there's a financial deal here. That's why with maaser , you can test Hashem. The Hovot Halevavot gives a different answer. He says that the whole concept of maaser is an act of bitachon. I'm giving 10% of my wealth, or 20% of my wealth, and I'm relying on Hashem that I'm not going to lose out. That reliance in Hashem, that Bitachon is what gives you the blessing. And a bitachon blessing is not cashing in to your bank account, you're not emptying out your Schar Hamitzvot/reward for Mitzvot, because it has nothing to do with the mitzvah. Bitachon in itself gets you what you want, and that's one of the reasons why that it has nothing to do with how many merits you have. It's just a natural concept. To the point that the Chafetz Chaim said, as we mentioned recently, that Lot told the people of Sedom not to hurt the guests because, “ They came to my house. They're relying on me.” If someone's relying on you, you come through. That is just plain old reliability. It has nothing to do with a reward for a mitzvah. It's just common decency. If you rely on Hashem, He's going to come through for you. And that is the concept of bitachon being rewarded both in this world and in the next. Have a wonderful day.

Woo ha do we have a hootnanny of an episode for you! Matt and RJ are breakin' down that recent article by The Hard Times about the best ska bands in each state. Do they agree with the picks, do they think they can do better? Listen up to find out! Also, if you're not from the US, and you're thinking this is a little too "America-centric" well... we sure hope you can find some smidgin of joy in it. Additionally this episode is blessed to have the return of Gary Mastriano, telling us about Tri-State Conspiracy in his "Here Today, Ska Tomorrow" segment. Lastly, Matt and RJ give you their ska picks of the week, so pay attention, they're rad choices! On The Upbeat:⁠ontheupbeatska.com⁠ Ska News… -Suburban Legends - On Friday September 22, Suburban Legends released a new Disney cover. This time they cover I2I from 1995's A Goofy Movie. This ska punk cover is streaming everywhere now.  ⁠https://spotify.link/FAcOcuY8pDb⁠ -The Phensic - On September 19th, The Phensic released a new album called "Don't Test Me".  ⁠https://spotify.link/zXvyNkX8pDb⁠ -Abraskadabra - Also on September 22, Brazil's own Abraskadabra dropped their new single, Why So Serious? The new song from Abraskadabra is streaming everywhere now.  ⁠https://spotify.link/Ws9Evz08pDb⁠ Spotify playlist Ska Favorites:  ⁠https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2DikTsRPk4dspXejk9bFko?si=vaPlX9V7QVW9JsTRSUdqCg⁠  Ska News Theme by Dang!t: ⁠https://dangitband.bandcamp.com/music⁠  Main Theme by Millington: ⁠https://millingtonband.bandcamp.com/music⁠

GIVING by JOHN SCOTT Share real hope with your family, friends, and community!  - Hope 103.2 (hope1032.com.au) ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test Me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'MALACHI 3:10 (NIV) Send the Real Hope team a messageListen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2's app, Facebook or Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fish's 53 Man Roster Projection 08-28-2023, Test Me!

Fish's 53 Man Roster Projection 08-28-2023, Test Me!

Malachi 3:10 reads, “Test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.'” If we really believed that, might it encourage us to pray for some things that might seem a bit crazy?   ***   Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world. How's your prayer life? Maybe you only pray when your back is against the wall and you have nowhere else to turn. Or maybe, like me, you know the importance of communicating with God, but struggle to do it in a way that doesn't feel rote, rehearsed or maybe even sleep-inducing. By His grace, God is in the process of revitalizing my prayer life and has recently led me to pray what in the past, I could've only considered crazy prayers. I'm not sure that anyone taught me this, but growing up in church, I kind of had this notion that prayers should be prioritized according to importance. At the top of the list is anyone who's facing some kind of life and death crisis, followed by other, serious concerns, and finally, after the important stuff was covered, I might address my personal desires. From age 9 to 14, I dared to pray for a horse. I was totally obsessed with horses and dreamed of having my own.  We lived in the country, had plenty of acreage and a barn, so it was feasible, but I almost felt guilty for asking for such a thing. While people I knew were seriously ill, or battling addiction or struggling financially, was it wrong of me to bother God with a horse? In spite of my doubt, God moved my parents to say, “yes, I could have a horse…if I could afford to buy it and feed it myself.” I began saving money for it, but by the time I had come reasonably close to having enough, I was in high school and came to the realization that I didn't really want the responsibility of caring for a horse. It seemed I had matured beyond the desire for what I now deemed a childish thing and subconsciously I began to equate praying for such trivial things as a mark of immaturity. In my mind, God had enough major issues on His plate to deal with and my silly little desires didn't merit taking His attention away from them. He challenged that notion a couple of years later when I was on a summer missions' trip. After 3 torturous years of wearing braces, I had finally gotten them off and was only required to wear a retainer. But it was critical that I wear it anytime I wasn't eating in order to ensure my teeth didn't shift back to their former positions. About 10 days into the trip, I came to the horrifying discovery that I had accidentally scraped my retainer into the garbage after dinner. I realized it within 30 minutes, but dozens of massive garbage bags had already been tied off and taken to the dumpster. There was no way to know which garbage bag held my retainer which was nothing more than clear plastic and a metal wire in the midst of fried chicken bones, corn on the cob and other food waste. I was due at the evening meeting in less than 5 minutes and to be late would lead to “special blessings,” which were never nearly as nice as they sounded. Usually, it meant digging a ditch while everyone else enjoyed some free time. I considered just throwing up my hands in defeat, but my parents would be furious at having to pay for another retainer and I wouldn't be able to get it for more than 8 weeks.  During that time, my recently perfected teeth might be beyond straightening with just a retainer. I shared my dilemma with some friends who suggested we begin by checking the site where we'd eaten in case it had just fallen on the ground. When our search turned up nothing, I realized I was going to have to bite the bullet, risk special blessings and begin the most disgusting treasure hunt I could imagine. In the spirit of unsurpassed kindness and teamwork, several of my teammates offered to join me. In addition to being thoroughly grossed out at the prospect before us, I had serious doubts that we could ever hope to locate such a small, nearly invisible thing in the midst of so much garbage. God had already used difficult experiences here to show me that I could cry out to Him in brutal honesty and that He would be with me through every trial. In desperation I prayed, “God, it's just a stupid retainer, but it's really important to me right now and I have no hope of finding it unless you intervene.” We went through bags and bags of slimy chicken bones with no success before one of my friends pulled out the long- lost retainer.  Our faith soared and I couldn't wait to write my parents a letter about the incredible miracle God had worked for me. I was not so eager to put it back in my mouth, but after repeated cleanings, it was a constant reminder of a verse I had memorized years earlier.  Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  A retainer wasn't something I would've ever considered a “desire of my heart,” but in this moment it was and I believe that God delighted to give it to me. My faith definitely grew that summer, but it was easy to slip back into old ways of thinking.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who struggles to remember that God really does care about everything that concerns us. Jesus addressed it in His Sermon on the Mount. He points out that we are quick to worry about things such as what to eat and what to wear even though we observe that God feeds the sparrows that we barely notice and clothes the lilies of the field in splendor greater than Solomon's.  He says, “the Father knows that you need these things,” and wraps it up in Chapter 6, verse 33 by directing us to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus was specifically addressing our tendency to worry rather than pray and He brought that to my attention in an unusual way a few years ago.  The swimming pool that seemed like an absolute necessity when we purchased our home as parents of four young children had now become an albatross around my neck. One day as I was adding muriatic acid and shock, I noticed some black spots scattered around the bottom. I grabbed the brush and tried to scrub them away, but it didn't seem to have much impact. As time passed, I began to notice more and more of these black spots, and it concerned me enough to do some online research.  What I learned was troubling to say the least. It seemed to match the description of something called black mold which, from all accounts, was a pool owner's nightmare. Those who had dealt with it described using various treatments only to have it reappear time and time again. Short of having the pool resurfaced, most people began a lengthy process of daily scrubbing of every single spot along with a special chemical regimen. Eradicating it was expensive, difficult and very time consuming. I lived in denial for a while, but when the pool pump needed to be serviced, I asked the technician to give me her professional opinion about the black spots. She confirmed my fears. The next morning as I attempted to have my daily quiet time on the patio overlooking the pool, my thoughts were consumed with how I was going to deal with this problem. I was apologizing to God for my lack of focus when He reminded me of James 4:2, “You have not, because you ask not.” For the first time, it became crystal clear. Why was I worrying about this situation and trying to deal with it on my own? Did God actually care about my swimming pool? Could I do something as crazy as pray that He would heal my swimming pool? I must admit, it did seem a little crazy, but I asked anyway, saying, “God, You say nothing is too hard for you. Well, this is too hard for me. I don't know what to do about it and You have better things for me to do than scrub this pool every day and we have better things to spend our money on too. Would you just make this mold disappear?” I instantly felt better and was able to set those concerns aside.  I got distracted by other things and didn't really even think about the pool for a while. I couldn't see the mold from a distance, so it wasn't really on my mind until I saw hints of mustard algae beginning to appear.  When I went to treat the algae, my heart soared as I looked from one end to the other and saw not a single black spot. God had healed my pool! Now I'm almost reluctant to say that, not because I have any doubt that He did, but because it may hurt someone who's been praying for healing of a far more serious nature.  I don't pretend to know why God chooses not to heal some serious physical illnesses or conditions and then heals something as trivial as my swimming pool. I only know that His ways are not our ways and, as Job learned, He really doesn't have to answer to us. The fact is, He did heal my pool and I give Him all the glory for it. I've had opportunities to share this story on multiple occasions and I see it as further confirmation that He really does care about everything that concerns us and is even eager to not only meet our needs, but give us the desires of our hearts. He is such a good Father Who delights to give His children more than we could even ask or think. Most of my prayers are of a more serious nature, but the swimming pool lesson was not lost on me. My current “crazy prayer” is that God would provide me with a lake in my backyard. Yeah, I know it's a little unorthadox, but I had prayed for many years that at some point God would lead us to a home on a lake, river or pond. God speaks to me through nature and I feel especially close to Him when I'm looking at a large body of water. He led us to a new home a little over a year ago and I love it, however, it does not have the water feature I was hoping for. What it does have is a dry lakebed just beyond our property line.  As recently as 4 years ago, there was a lake there, but now it's nothing but tall grass and a big puddle. Our new home has so many other features that I love, I can't complain. But one day when I was reading Mark 11:23 a new thought sprouted. Jesus said, “I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.” I immediately saw a parallel. I prayed, “Lord, I don't need You to put a mountain in my back yard, though I know You could and that would be really awesome since we're in Florida which doesn't have mountains. But what I am asking You to do is pick up some lake, there are hundreds all around me that no one even notices and put it in that dry lakebed behind our house.”   It may take years or God's answer may be no this time, but I know He can do it and I know He loves giving me good gifts.  So I'll continue to pray and wait. My husband is a great dad and he is quick to pick up on what our kids are passionate about.  If there's something they want or need and he can provide it, he rarely hesitates. He didn't generally spoil them or give them everything they wanted, but he took great joy in those times when he could give them something special. Our heavenly father is no different. He loves you.  He delights in you. Don't ever hesitate to ask Him not just for what you need, but for the desires of your heart. And then, sit back and watch for the crazy miracle He may bring, just to show you how much He loves you. Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast!  Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose.  Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders .  All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Our souls always need cleansing. Go before the Lord today and pray for him to give your soul a good scrubbing!

Don't Test Me! I Test You! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/letshaveabeer/message

It's Wednesday, September 7th,  A.D. 2022. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. By Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com) Chinese church seeking asylum in America A 60-member entire Chinese church, Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, left China between late 2019 and early 2020 due to religious persecution to seek asylum in South Korea, reports International Christian Concern. However, when they did not receive refugee status in South Korea, they began to seek resettlement in the United States as another option.  On September 5th, they submitted their United Nations refugee applications in Bangkok. They left South Korea last week and traveled to Thailand on 15-day tourist visas, hoping that their applications could be processed quickly. If their visas run out, they could be deported back to China. The church's pastor, Pan Yongguang, emphasized the gravity of their plight.  He said, “This is dangerous but it is an opportunity.” ICC's Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, Gina Goh, who is currently with the congregation in Bangkok assisting with logistics, witnessed the submission of their applications. Disturbingly, the church is under constant surveillance in Bangkok by Chinese operatives. Please pray that their application is approved. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  This Chinese church is in urgent need right now. 58% of Americans disapprove of President Biden A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that 58% of Americans disapprove of President Joe Biden while 38% approve.  These numbers echo a poll done by Gallup. In addition, Reuters found that the top issue on American minds is the economy.  In the survey, completed on Aug. 30, Biden's approval rating of only 38% was down from 41% the week previous. "[I]t has been mostly below 40% since mid-June despite a string of Democratic legislative victories that Biden's allies hope will help them defend their narrow congressional majorities in November," reports Reuters.  "Democrats are expected to lose control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November and possibly the Senate as well," reported Reuters. "Even with control only of the House, Republicans would be able to bring Biden's legislative agenda to a halt and launch potentially politically damaging investigations.” 10,100 pounds of Fentanyl seized at U.S.-Mexico border U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 10,100 pounds of Fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border between October and July. It takes only two milligrams to kill a person. Appearing on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Montgomery County, Texas Sheriff Rand Henderson said all Americans should be very concerned. HENDERSON:  “It's a poison that's been introduced to our country. I mean, the illicit manufacture of this stuff has just gotten crazy with the potency of it. “The deception by the drug dealers to mix it into the pressed pills, trying to sell it as a legal drug that's a prescription medication. It only takes two milligrams of this stuff to kill you. We're finding twice, sometimes three times, the amount of fentanyl in a pill that's not supposed to contain any fentanyl. Believe it or not, drug dealers will lie to you. “It is truly a weapon of mass destruction. It's killing our population.” Biden to allow abortions at V.A. hospitals despite state bans The Biden administration has announced its intention to kill babies by  abortion at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities for eligible veterans and beneficiaries, reports the Christian Post. That includes offering abortions in states where the procedure has recently become illegal. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough has perfected his Orwellian Newspeak. He said, "Pregnant veterans deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. That's what our nation owes them.” Apparently, McDonough believes tax-funded abortion is some kind of patriotic duty on the part of the taxpayers. Christian film invites believers to re-examine the tithe And finally, in Malachi 3:10, God urges believers to tithe. The LORD Almighty says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test Me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” In a new Christian documentary, entitled The Tithe Project, a single mother of two accepts the challenge to tithe for 90 days. NARRATOR: “I'm going to follow someone around, who has never tithed, for 90 days. We're going to keep track of her finances and literally put God to the test.” In the film, Christian author Bill Federer explains quite clearly that prior to LBJ and FDR, it was the church which provided for the social needs of the downtrodden through the tithe. FEDERER: “Prior to the welfare state started with Lyndon Johnson and Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal programs, it was the church that did all the social programs. “So, in the 1840s, there was a person named Charles Finney, and he was involved in the Second Great Awakening revival. He ended up inspiring George Williams to start the YMCA and his preaching inspired William Booth to start the Salvation Army. “You saw all these groups that actually had together in America, they had a budget larger than the federal government. They started hospitals and orphanages and took care of the homeless and the wounded veterans and all this was being done through the church.” Go to TitheMovie.com to watch the trailer and to check out the accompanying Tithe Project Bible study and 6-week sermon series. Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, September 7th, in the year of our Lord 2022. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

As a hard-working hip hop and ballet dancer, Tony Tucker is thriving in both music videos on his YouTube channels and for other recording artists! Today, he shares about his experience in a couple of them, "Test Me" by John Doss, and "Sugar My" by Jann Klose, and how those opportunities came about. Links to videos are available in the song title, and for Tony's YouTube channel here.

This week the Queens reward creativity as they review three up-and-coming groups. First, Emily and Charity review P1Harmony's new EP, "Harmony: Zero In." Listen as they break down the single, "Du Doom Doom," music video, styling, choreography, album picks, and discuss biases. Next, the Queens give a full review of "Geekyland," the latest EP from Purple Kiss, including the single "Nerdy." Emily and Charity also review the long-awaited comeback EP from Xdinary Heroes. Are they feeling "Test Me?" Listen to find out!Plus, Stray Kids 2 Kids Room, SKZful in Jeju, poll results, K-pop news, Queendom shoutouts, a fun quiz, and more! Quiz - https://www.soompi.com/article/1535954wpp/quiz-answer-these-random-questions-and-well-put-you-in-bts-blackpink-or-bigbangPlaylist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sKWtD0HZYXAG2VbJIcHmu?si=1e514968ea714ad1

This week on the Streetwise podcast we talk about complicated Cursive, listen to Andrew Morgan & LYON's track "Satanic Red," enjoy a reading of Nick Spacek's "Quilt by Association," and rock out to Sister Zo's "Don't Test Me." Big day for celebrating Nick around these parts.Streetwise is hosted by Brock Wilbur, Editor-in-Chief of The Pitch. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. Subscribe to the Streetwise newsletter, a weekly meditation on Kansas City news and events.Jason Klamm read our magazine story. Thanks to Jason Beers for our theme song, “One Kicker.” Our editor is Terence Wiggins.

Intro Song – Eddie 9V, “Little Black Flies”, Little Black Flies First Set –Eddie 9V, “Don't Test Me”, Left My Soul In MemphisJohnny Tucker (featuring Kid Ramos), “All Night Long, All Night Wrong”, 75 And AliveJohnny Tucker (featuring Kid Ramos), “Snowplow”, 75 And Alive Second Set –The Hungry Williams, “Brand New Thing”, Brand New Thing The Hungry Williams, “Hook Line and Sinker”, Brand New ThingRodd Bland & The Members Only Band, “Up And Down World”, Live On Beale StreetRodd Bland & The Members Only Band, “Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time”, Live On Beale Street ( A Tribute To Bobby “blue” Bland Third Set – Dexter Allen, “Love Talk”, Keep Moving On Dexter Allen, “I Like The Way”, Keep Moving On Hound Dog Taylor, “Give Me Back My Wig”, Hound Taylor & The Houserockers Hound Dog Taylor, “55th Street Boogie”, Hound Taylor & The Houserockers Fourth Set –Steve Guyger, “No No No”, Past Life Blues Steve Guyger, “My New Car”, Past Life Blues

*35.6 Makkos Daf 23 B (14 lines after spreads)**Summary**Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:* The upper court agreed to three decisions of the earthly court. 1. The institution of *Megillah reading.* 2. Greeting one’s fellow *with Hashem’s Name.* 3. *Bringing maaser* to the Beis Hamikdash rather than giving it to an individual _levi._1. Regarding _megillah_ reading it is written: “They corroborated and accepted the law”. It means; *In Heaven they corroborated what was accepted below.*2. Regarding greeting one’s fellow with Hashem’s Name, the _possuk_ records that Boaz _(who acted with ruach hakodesh and is considered an authority)_ *greeted his reapers with Hashem’s name.* Another _possuk_ records that *a _malach_ spoke this way to Gideon.**Challenge:* Why is a second _possuk_ necessary?*Resolution:* In case Boaz can be thought to be acting of his own volition, we bring a case of a _malach_ who does only what Hashem wants of him.3. Regarding bringing maaser, and giving _maaser_ to the kohanim [an enactment of Ezra], as it states *“Bring the _maaser_ to the treasure house, and let there be provisions in my house.* Test Me with this, says Hashem _(we see here that it is the word of Hashem),_ if this won’t cause me to open for you the windows of the heavens, and I will pour out upon you blessings _‘ad bli dai’,_ without any end” _(it means, it will rain, and you’ll have abundant crops from which to give maaser)._*Question:* Why does the _possuk_ use the words _bli dai_ which literally mean that it will *not* be enough?*Rami bar Rav:* _Bli_ is similar to _balah – to wear out._ It means *until your lips wear out from saying “ _dai_ – it’s enough”.*_(We learn from here that tzedakah is one of the mitzvos for which we can expect reward in this world. Although generally one may not test Hashem, with regard to tzedakah, it is permitted). (We also learn from here that a man must wear out his lips in thanking Hashem, until his last day on this world)._ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

*35.6 Makkos Daf 23 B (14 lines after spreads)* *Summary* *Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:* The upper court agreed to three decisions of the earthly court. 1. The institution of *Megillah reading.* 2. Greeting one’s fellow *with Hashem’s Name.* 3. *Bringing maaser* to the Beis Hamikdash rather than giving it to an individual _levi._ 1. Regarding _megillah_ reading it is written: “They corroborated and accepted the law”. It means; *In Heaven they corroborated what was accepted below.*2. Regarding greeting one’s fellow with Hashem’s Name, the _possuk_ records that Boaz _(who acted with ruach hakodesh and is considered an authority)_ *greeted his reapers with Hashem’s name.* Another _possuk_ records that *a _malach_ spoke this way to Gideon.* *Challenge:* Why is a second _possuk_ necessary? *Resolution:* In case Boaz can be thought to be acting of his own volition, we bring a case of a _malach_ who does only what Hashem wants of him.3. Regarding bringing maaser, and giving _maaser_ to the kohanim [an enactment of Ezra], as it states *“Bring the _maaser_ to the treasure house, and let there be provisions in my house.* Test Me with this, says Hashem _(we see here that it is the word of Hashem),_ if this won’t cause me to open for you the windows of the heavens, and I will pour out upon you blessings _‘ad bli dai’,_ without any end” _(it means, it will rain, and you’ll have abundant crops from which to give maaser)._ *Question:* Why does the _possuk_ use the words _bli dai_ which literally mean that it will *not* be enough? *Rami bar Rav:* _Bli_ is similar to _balah – to wear out._ It means *until your lips wear out from saying “ _dai_ – it’s enough”.*_(We learn from here that tzedakah is one of the mitzvos for which we can expect reward in this world. Although generally one may not test Hashem, with regard to tzedakah, it is permitted). (We also learn from here that a man must wear out his lips in thanking Hashem, until his last day on this world)._ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pastor Kevin Donoho brings us the second sermon in our Bold Prayers sermon series. This week's message: Test Me.

Electropical Record Podcast #26 - Laurent N. TRACKLIST: 1 - Noissier "Signals“ (Sincopat Been Touched 048) 2 - Dino Lenny “Deep & Dark“ (Fine Human Records 019) 3 - Olivier Giacomotto “Barbak“ (Eleatics Records 039) 4 - Paride Saraceni “Empty Soul“ (Unrilis 061) 5 - Andre Crom "1989“ (Off 207) 6 - Lucas Morris, Mozzy "Farfalla Stroboscopica" (Electropical Record 033) 7 - SRVD “Black On Black“ (Rekids 152) 8 - Kike Pravda “Curved Force“ (Clergy 020) 9 - Eduardo De La Calle "Aitareya" (Electropical Record 032) 10- Raxon "Loop Machine" (Ellum Audio 058) 11- Hollen & David Granha "Alliance" (Unrilis 060) 12- Mediane "Fraction“ (Affute 003) 13- Midnight Behaviour "Ionic Bonding" (Awen Tales 033) 14- Magna Pia "Narcissist" (Soma 574D) 15- Oscar Escapa & Lander B "Backroom" (Terminal M 181) 16- Mark Michael, Carl Haze "Hologram" (Off 216) 17- Rafael Cerato "Ouragan“ (Systematic Recordings 140) 18- Raxon "Loop Machine" (Ellum Audio 058) 19- Davide Nigro "Anarchy Sound System" (Motech Records 133) 20- Lerio Corrado "Test Me" (Filth on Acid 074) 21- Lucas Morris, Mozzy Rekorder "Paper Charms" (Electropical Record 033) 22- Vince Weyn "In Die Nacht“ (Operandi 001) 23- FBK "Headless" /Len Faki Hardspace Mix/ (Rekids 151) 24- Alex Bau "Bounce" (Off 202) 25- Insical "Rift" /Stephen Disario Rmx/ (Minimal Sessions 096) 26- Josh Wink "Chrysalis" (Afterlife Records 037) 27- Eduardo De La Calle "Kena" (Electropical Record 032) 28- Revoltek "Zykhium" (Cdr) 29- Yves Deruyter "Acid For The Mind" (Filth on Acid 076) 30- Luigi Madonna "Dark Yellow" (Redimension 010) 31- Andres Campo "Therapy" (Tronic 354) 32- PWCCA "Mode B“ (INNSIGNN 013) 33- Slam vs Obscure Shape & SHDW "Strategy 3" (Soma 576) 34- Lucas Morris, Mozzy Rekorder "Photo of Ghost" (Electropical Record 033) 35- Mark Broom "Insta" (Rekids 153) 36 - Fabio Florido "Surge" (Runa 002) 37 - Jori Hulkkonen "Planetary Alert" (My Favorite Robot Records 183) 38- Spike Jones "Skyfall" (Electropical V/A 001)

RIPPLE What if you held the power to change the world? What if you had the resources to simply make a choice that could impact destinies, prevent suffering and guide the generations of tomorrow? Would you use your power? While many people are waiting for the spectacular fantasies of some far away power, Jesus talked about something as small as everyday choices. Through right choices humans possess the power to drop a pebble, to start a wave, and to make an eternal ripple. Doing good, serving well, giving generously and inviting radically are all within our atomic choices; and when combined with other’s atomic choices we create a massive tidal wave of change. Come learn with us Jesus’ vision for a quantum ripple!   TODAY’S EPISODE BIG IDEA LIFE IS MADE UP OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL CHOICES WITH EACH CHOICE CREATING A CERTAIN RIPPLE.   MATTHEW 16:24-27 NKJV Then Jesus said to His disciples,… 26 "For what profit is it to a man if he GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD, and LOSES HIS OWN SOUL? Or what will a man GIVE IN EXCHANGE for his soul?   GAINS & LOSSES GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD, BUT LOSES _________ !   LUKE 4:43 NKJV [Jesus said] I MUST preach the KINGDOM of God to the other cities also, because FOR THIS PURPOSE I have been sent.   CONTEMPLATE WHAT IS YOUR “I MUST _________ !”   MALACHI 3:6-16 NIV "I the LORD do not change… 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. RETURN TO ME, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 8 "Will a mere mortal ROB GOD? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'HOW are we robbing you?’” IN TITHES AND OFFERINGS. 9 You are UNDER A CURSE - your whole nation--because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the WHOLE TITHE into the STOREHOUSE, that there may be FOOD IN MY HOUSE. TEST ME in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN and POUR OUT SO MUCH BLESSING that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I WILL PREVENT pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then ALL THE NATIONS WILL CALL YOU BLESSED, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. 13 "You have SPOKEN ARROGANTLY AGAINST ME," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'WHAT have we said against you?' 14 "You have said, 'It is FUTILE TO SERVE GOD. WHAT DO WE GAIN by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly EVILDOERS PROSPER, and even when they put God to the test, THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.' " 16 Then THOSE WHO FEARED THE LORD talked with each other, and the LORD LISTENED and HEARD. A SCROLL OF REMEMBRANCE was written in his presence concerning those who FEARED the LORD and HONORED his name.   TITHE TRIPPLE RIPPLE RIPPLE INWARD RIPPLE OUTWARD RIPPLE UPWARD   TITHE FACTS Tithe MEANS “10%” [“tithes AND offerings”] There are 3 TITHES in the Old Testament (10-23%) TITHE was NEVER a form of government TAXATION The TITHE was to be brought to God’s HOUSE (the PRIESTS or the TEMPLE), which is parallel to the local church in the New Testament The TITHE was never to APPEASE God’s anger, or buy Him off The TITHE is still a spiritual law ENACTED TODAY, designed to resource TRANSFORMATION, KINGDOM MISSION and WORSHIP DEVOTION The TITHE was an Old Testament form of SPIRITUAL EXERCISE for the heart, by putting GOD’S KINGDOM FIRST The WHOLE TITHE is ALREADY God’s; when we don’t return it we are “robbing God” The TITHE is from our FIRST and BEST portions Even the PRIESTS/TEMPLE were to TITHE   DEUTERONOMY 8:18 NKJV And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you POWER TO GET WEALTH, that HE MAY ESTABLISH HIS COVENANT which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. LEVITICUS 27:30, 32 NIV A TITHE of EVERYTHING from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, BELONGS to the LORD; it is HOLY to the LORD. ... 32 Every TITHE of the herd and flock--every TENTH animal that passes under the shepherd's rod--will be HOLY to the LORD.   WHY WE DON’T TITHE We didn’t know TITHING was a such a powerful deal We had misinformed doctrinal conflict around TITHING We had thought giving elsewhere is TITHING We had thought that giving incrementally was TITHING We considered TITHING a luxury, rather than a priority We don’t have enough money at my house to TITHE We don’t know why   MAMMON IS DECIETFUL WHICH OF THESE STATEMENTS CREATES MORE ANXIETY IN YOU? “You have no access to God for a year” “You have no access to money for a year” WHY?   WHAT IF WE DON’T TITHE?  We become completely disempowered Christians Our hearts become increasingly hardened The mission of God is unrealized, the gospel is under resourced What we take for granted today, will be gone tomorrow Our legacy is stolen    ACTIVATION OUT OF EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, WHAT IS YOUR ONE NEXT STEP THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE? ASSESS THE “PURPOSE” OF YOUR PRESENT CHOICES RE-SURRENDER TO GOD’S PURPOSE TAKE A COURAGEOUS STEP TO TITHE

Test Me in This: James 1 (Owen Batstone)

Today we're studying Malachi 3 and how God says “TEST ME!” Ever wondered how to process the topic of financial resources and your giving habits? What does the Bible say about these things? Jesus spent lots of time talking about our stewardship...

Today we're studying Malachi 3 and how God says “TEST ME!” Ever wondered how to process the topic of financial resources and your giving habits? What does the Bible say about these things? Jesus spent lots of time talking about our stewardship...

Were going to get into our topic this morning as we talk about, God, Are You There? Were talking about the existence of God, a little two-part, three-part miniseries in our series as a whole. Last year I went to go see a documentary by a comedian/talk show host, Bill Maher. I dont know if youve ever watched his program on television, but the documentary was called, Religulous. Did anybody see it? I felt I needed to see it because there might be some questions that would be raised. I knew he was going to come down hard on faith, so in case anybody saw it and it caused some doubts or concerns, I wanted to see it so I could address those. He really was looking for answers. He did the best he could sometimes. His lack of theological training really showed up; it was really apparent in some of the things he didnt know or the way he would ask questions. Sometimes he asked the wrong people the answers to the questions or came to the wrong conclusions that contradicted what Christianity really teaches; so it was a little frustrating at times to watch it. One of the things that he was saying was: Why is faith even important? Why even have faith? Why doesnt God just stomp out the devil? Why doesnt He just show Himself, manifest Himself and be done with it? Really, how relevant is faith? How important is faith? Really, he was belittling faith or people of faith, and we want to talk about that today. We want to talk about faith; what are obstacles to faith; why its important; what is not and what it is in our time together today. We talked a little bit about it. For these first few Scriptures, were going to kind of go through them rather quickly. In others, well linger. Remember we talked about faith. We talked about Jeremiah 29:13. Remember He said to Jeremiah that if you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, when you seek Me. As we read through these, I want you to just reflect on what are some of the commonalities that we see in these Scriptures. We talked also about the Book of Acts 17:27. The Apostle Paul talks about God creating man and putting him in a certain place at a certain time. It said He did this that man might reach out and seek Him, grow for Him and find Him. He says, Though He is not far from every one of us. God wants us to seek, but He will show Himself to us. Then one I think we didnt look at last week, but I think its very important is Hebrews 11:6. It says, …without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. So what do we see are the commonalities? We see number one that faith is active. Faith is a verb; its something we do. Some of you passively sit back and say, Well, when the circumstances are right, everything is provided for me and all the doors are open, Ill step forward. Thats not faith. Thats now how it works, friends. God has chosen to use the virtue of faith to teach us of Himself, to help us to learn to trust like a child. This life is training for the next, and faith is a very important component of that training-building Christ-likeness in our lives and what He is trying to do in our hearts and lives. Yet, some people resist faith. They have obstacles for their faith. Some would say, Well, if God would just come down and show Himself to me, do a miracle or something, then Ill believe. Well, you know, Jesus did. Christianity teaches that God became a man, and He did incredible works-incredible miracles: raising people from the dead; feeding of thousands with a few fish; calming storms; and healing the blind. All of these miracles, and yet there were still so many that refused to believe. Why is that? The Book of John 12 gives us some clues. In John 12, Jesus is speaking about those to whom Christ gave convincing proofs, but they refused to follow. John writes in Verse 39 of Chapter 12 (page 1066 of pew Bibles) that even after Jesus had done all of these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe Him. He did so many things in their presence, so sometimes I even wonder if God did manifest Himself in that way, would that skeptic still hold on to their skepticism? Verse 39 says, For this reason they could not believe… For this reason. Because they would not believe? They could not believe. The evidence was there. There are some people that no matter how many arguments we present, weve talked about Creation. Well continue to talk about Creation in this series of order and design as a proof of the Creator. Well talk about Biblical prophecy. Well talk about the trustworthiness of the Biblical account of the Resurrection and the deity of Christ. Well address all these concerns, but no matter how many convinces and arguments you give, there are still people who will refuse to believe and do that for many reasons. The number one reason might be, It will change and impact my lifestyle in a way that I dont want. I like the way I live, and if theres a God who is going to hold me accountable-if Im going to be judged some day, then that means Im going to have to stop doing what Im doing; so Ill refuse to believe because its going to mess up my way of life if I have to have a Lord that I answer to. I want to be my own boss. I want to be in charge of my own life. If there are others who coming to Christ would be something that would cause them the possibility of being rejected by family or peers… Maybe you grew up in a Christian home, and so your decision to follow Christ was regarded as something to be celebrated. Others of us were not so fortunate. Maybe you grew up in a home where for you to commit your life to Christ, youd be seen as a crazy person. You know there are some families or even some cultures in the world where you commit your life to Christianity. In Islam they will hold a funeral for you because youre considered dead to that family. Maybe its a family where atheism or agnosticism is celebrated. For you to become a person of faith, it might cause you a chance that your family members will reject you or your peers. When I was 17 years old, I put my faith and trust in Christ, and many of my friends said, I dont want to be Williams friend anymore. I want nothing to do with that guy. Hes one of those ‘Christians now. I dont want anything to do with that guy. What does it say in Verse 42? It says, Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. Another reason might be pride. Anyone here ever defended yourself when you know youre wrong? Youve been in an argument, and theyre making points that are really good. You know youre wrong and youre still defending yourself? We dont like to admit were wrong, do we? If somebody said, Well, the Bible is not the Word of God or Christ is not Lord. He was just a man or the Resurrection did not take place. God does not exist. To then turn and say, Well, I was wrong, is a difficult thing to do. Sometimes pride gets in the way. There is a speaker, author, pastor by the name of Lee Stroble. He was once at Willow Creek, and is now I believe with Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in California. He was an atheist-die hard atheist at the Chicago Tribune. His job was to be a reporter and expose-get to the truth at the bottom of scandals and expose fraud; so he had a very skeptical mind. His wife became a Christian. That caused a little tension in the home. He decided that he was going to approach Christianity with the same tenacity as he went after a story for the Tribune. He was going to disprove the claims of Christ and dispute Christianity. He began to objectively-and in an unbiased-well, it was not unbiased because he was biased against Christianity. He began to investigate the claims of Christ, the truth of the Bible, the existence of God-all those things, and began to record evidence. One time, he was investigating a story for the Tribune about this man who was a criminal who supposedly had become a Christian. He interviewed police officers in Chicago who said, Hes scum. Hes garbage. Hes ‘this. Hes ‘that. Hes just a piece of trash. Then he started a new life in another area of the country, and he interviewed the pastor, people of the church, people that knew him; and they said he was the most wonderful guy they ever met. So he said, Well, this guy cant be the same guy. Somethings going on. He is pulling a con move here. He said, Im going to get to the bottom of it. Im going to expose this guy. His wife said, The reason you want to come after him-is it because it couldnt happen or because you dont want it to happen? Because you dont think Christianity is true? He got all defensive, but she was right. Later on, by the way, he did meet the man; and they eventually became friends. This guy is still working with inner city kids in his local church 20 years later. Hes the real deal. But this is a documentary Lee Strobel made that Id like to see sometime. Maybe we can show it at our church, but here are the conclusions he came to while having to examine the evidence of Christianity. Lets watch that clip right now as Lee Stroble talks about his journey to faith. (Heres a link to view it: http://www.wingclips.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16464&substring=Lee+Strobel) Do you think when Lee Stroble made that decision that he still had some questions and doubts in his heart? Did he have all the questions answered? All doubts resolved? All mysteries solved when he took that step of faith? No. The fourth reason that people will refuse to cross the line of faith is they have a misperception that faith is the absence of all doubt. I cant believe in the Lord because I have these questions. Sometimes Ill have dialogue with somebody, and theyll start throwing things at me that really in the scheme of things are not important at all. Theyre little rabbit trails were chasing and kind of bringing it back. Well, wait a second now, I can answer that question or that concern, but lets really talk about the core issue here. Who was Jesus? Was He raised from the dead? What did He accomplish when He was here? Is He God or is He just a philosopher and teacher, a prophet? Lets deal with the really core. So Im thinking well, I have to answer all these questions first. Friends, doubt is not the absence of faith. In fact, doubt is an important part of coming to faith. The things that I hold to be true, the convictions that I have are because I once struggled with certain doubts in those areas and became convinced in my spirit that this was truth. I dont have all questions answered. I have a friend who is right now dying of cancer, and he has two little girls. Hes a little bit younger than I. The last three, four times Ive set up a meeting to go and see him-a friend of mine and I were going to go see him-hes had to cancel because Hospice was there, he was feeling sick or had to go to the doctor. It just seems like its not working out. I get frustrated by that. This is a good guy, and he has children to raise. How can this be happening? I have questions and concerns, but they do not negate my faith. It is possible that faith and doubt can coexist. In fact, turn in your Bibles to Marks Gospel, Chapter 9. In Mark 9, we find the story of a father bringing his son to Jesus. The son has a demonic presence in his life. It is causing him to get thrown into convulsions. It tries to destroy him by throwing him in fire and water. He brings him to Jesus, and Jesus asks him how long this has been going on. He said, Since he was a child, this has happened. Its been tormenting him since childhood. So heres this father, and he loves his boy. He loves his boy more than his own life-as any father would. He says, Can you help my son? If You can, will You have pity and have mercy on him? If You can… Jesus says, If I can? If I can? Do you know who youre talking to here? It would be like going to Michael Jordan in his prime and saying, Now if you can dunk a basketball… What do you mean if I can dunk. Matt Kenseth won the Daytona, right? Hey, if you can drive a car, could you run this… What do you mean if I could drive a car? Go to Martha Stewart, Now if you could cook, could you make this recipe? What do you mean if I could cook? Im Martha Stewart. Dont you know who I am? Youre coming to Jesus, and you are saying, If you can. Jesus says, If I can? All things are possible to him who believes. Listen to the fathers response. Its very real, and its very authentic in Verse 24 (of Chapter 9, page 1000 of pew Bibles), Immediately, the boys father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! He said, I believe. With all my heart, I believe. Help me overcome my doubts. Jesus rebuked him and said, Shame on you for having doubts! If youre going to have any kind of doubts at all, we cannot do business. Im sorry! I cant help you today! No, Jesus understood. Im going to talk to you and give you a little illustration this morning about what faith is and faith is not. Im going to reach in my pocket, and Im going to pull out a piece of candy. I have a guy in our church who gives me candy every weekend. It kind of gives me energy boosts, right, or keeps the throat from getting too dry. Im not going to give you one of my favorites because I like those, but Ill give this away to somebody who wants it at the conclusion. These are hard candies wrapped in cellophane. Its good; its never been used. I didnt put it back in or anything like that. You have to open it for the first time, but there is a piece of candy in my… You cant see it, but Im telling you its in there. Im not lying to you. Im not trying to trick you. I really do have a piece of candy in my hand. Ill open my hand in just a little while and show you whats inside my hand; but how many of you today believe that I have a piece of candy in my hand? Let me see your hands. Okay. How many of you think I might be pulling the rug over your eyes? Okay, all right. Some of the hands surprise me; some dont. All right, now, thats faith because you didnt see for sure whats in my hand, but youre trusting me. You say, You know me. I trust you. Youre going to tell me the truth. If you say theres candy there, theres candy there. Thats faith and trust. You have some evidences because you have a history with me, but faith is like that. Were taking God at His word. Were trusting in something that we dont see with our eyes but we believe to be true because of who said it. Now for those of you who raised your hands, and you said, I believe. I have faith that you have candy in your hands, I am going to destroy your faith right now. This is what Im going to do. Im going to destroy your faith by opening my hand. See that candy? Its great. You say, Well, you didnt destroy my faith. You confirmed my faith. Yes, but I also destroyed your faith. You no longer have faith the candys in my hand. You now know the candys in my hand. You know it because you can see it. Anybody want it? Anybody like grape? Nobody? Who was first? (Pastor threw it and the congregation is laughing.) Can you…? I dont always throw that bad. At 8 oclock, I nailed Kayla Powers in the back row. Im feeling a little attacked here. I was just trying to be gentle. You dont have faith that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. You know it will. You dont have faith that spring will come. You know spring will come, and you know that empirically. You know that from your experience-that seasons come and go. This morning you exhibited faith when you got in your car. You started your car; you put it in drive. You exhibited faith that that car would take you to the 11 oclock service at Faith Community Church. When you stepped on the brakes, you exhibited faith that the brakes would stop your car-that 3,000 pound, or however much our cars weigh, machine was going to stop at that intersection. Where if hadnt stopped, your life was in jeopardy because you would have gone headlong into that intersection with oncoming traffic. So you showed faith. Once you got here-arrived here-put your car in park, turned off the keys and got out of your car, did you still have faith that the car was going to bring you to the 11 oclock service, or did you have knowledge? You had knowledge. Faith is not necessary where there is knowledge. What people like that are saying, Well, if God would just come down and show me… What youre in essence saying is if God would just come down and destroy my faith… If God would just come down and wipe out my faith, then Id believe. Well, thats not really faith, is it? That's knowledge. Did Peter have a faith-after Christ appeared to him-that Christ rose from the dead? No, he had a knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead. Did John have a faith that Christ rose from the dead after seeing him and walking and talking with Him for a period of 40 days about the Kingdom? No, John had knowledge. That's why those men said, Beat me! Imprison me! Even kill me, but I will not stop talking about what Ive seen and heard. They had heard the risen Christs voice. They had touched Him. They had seen Him with their eyes. They had spoken with Him. They had been with him. They knew it was true, so therefore, they said, Take the body if you want to. I know its true, and God has commanded me to preach and teach, so I will not be silent. Thats an apologetic that well look at down the road. Now theres another Disciple who was not a man of faith, and his name was Thomas. I know its not Easter yet, and this might be illegal; but were going to look at John 20 anyway. In John 20:24, Thomas is present. It says now Thomas-one of the Twelve-was not with Disciples when Jesus came; so the other Disciples told him, We have seen the Lord! Peter, James, John-theyre excited. These are men of integrity. These are his friends, his peers. He has spent time with them for three years. He knows them, and they are saying to him, all of them, Its true. Jesus rose from the dead. Theyre not saying it as a joke. You dont joke around about your friends death. They are saying it with sincerity. Whats more, Jesus prophesied and said He would rise from the dead. There were times it was a little veiled, but He had said it on more than one occasion. Thomas refuses to acknowledge any of that and said these words (page 1075 of pew Bible), ‘But unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. I will not believe. I refuse. A week later, His Disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you! The first thing He did was calm them down. What would you do if you were in a room with a closed door and the door was locked, and all the sudden somebodys in the room that wasnt there before? Ahhh! Calm down. Be at peace. Its okay. Its Me. What does He do? He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe. Isnt it interesting that Jesus still bares the marks of the cross in His glorified, resurrected body? Thats another sermon for another time. Theres a reason for that. Then Thomas says, ‘My Lord and my God! My Lord and my God and worships Jesus. Then Jesus says, Stop worshipping Me. Im just a man like you! Im just a really good Prophet, moral teacher and religious leader, but Im not divine; so dont say that! No, Jesus receives the title of Lord and God, both of which are divine titles. He receives the worship of Thomas, and He uses it to teach him. He says, ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. That's you and me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Thomas did not have faith any more that Christ was raised from the dead. He now had knowledge. What Thomas in essence was saying was I refuse to have faith! The only thing that will work for me is knowledge. But faith for the one who has faith is real. Because we have learned through our experience, God has shown Himself real to us. Jesus made that promise. In John 7, the same book, verse 17 (page 1058), Jesus is speaking about people who had questioned His words-whether or not they were divine. We all know theyre good, but are they divine? He says in Verse 17, ‘If anyone chooses to do Gods will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own. Jesus says, You wonder whether or not My words are true? Live them. Do them. Follow them. Taste and see the Lord is good. Youll see that theyre real. Faith is a verb. Do you want God to show Himself to you? Seek Him. Do you want to find out if His Word is true? Obey it! Do it! Live it! How many of you like to receive presents? You like gifts, birthdays and Christmases? You like presents? As fun as it is to receive presents, Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than receive. The word blessed means happy. He says, You will be a happier person being a giver than you are being a receiver. Is that true? Try it! Start giving away stuff. Start giving to people. That teaching will either be confirmed or denied in your experience. Jesus says, Just do what Ive said, and youll see whether or not My words are from God. Test Me here. When we begin our faith journey, we are a little bit faith and a little bit knowledge; but as our faith grows, our knowledge grows. Because as we experience God, as we experience His presence, as we experience answered prayer-maybe not always in the way we want it-but it comes to confirm what God has said in His Word and what He has said to be true. Then our knowledge begins to increase as well until our faith becomes something that is just precious to us. In the Book of Peter, 1 Peter 1 (page 1200), Peter writes to those who are not as privileged as he to see Jesus personally or hear His words personally. He says in Verse 8, Though you have not yet seen him; you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. He talks about the realness of faith-if thats a word. He talks about the benefits of faith. He talks about the fact that we are receiving the goal of our faith-not having just received because salvation is and it is to come. It is now and it is not yet. Certain aspects of our salvation weve received; others are yet to come. I want to talk as we close to two groups of people. I want to first of all talk to those who are here who are seekers or skeptics. Youre coming to this service, and youre going to come to this series. You have questions and you have some doubts. The truth of the matter is you have enough evidence to make a decision. Dont wait until you have every question answered, every mystery solved. That day will never come. As long as we live, there will always be an element of faith that we have to live by; and that's how God has made it. The just shall live by faith. But you have enough-this morning-to make that decision to be a Christ-follower. God has revealed enough of His Truth to you. I want to encourage you to take that step of faith today in just a few moments. Secondly, I want to talk to those who are already believers, already followers of Christ. Maybe there are some things in your life where youre waiting on God-a step He wants you to take, a step of obedience for your ministry, in a relationship, a vocation or whatever it is; and youre saying, Oh you know when circumstances are just perfect-when God opens the door… When God provides this or that, then Ill believe. No, that's knowledge; thats not faith. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened to you. Its active. You go forth. Some of you are waiting for the door to open, so you can say, Well then Ill go through. Well good for you. Moses, when he was going to cross the Red Sea, when he starts to cross the Red Sea, the waters are still full. Its as he crosses that they open. As he takes the step of faith, they open. Remember the people who had leprosy? The lepers, Jesus says, they come and say, Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus says, Go, and show yourselves to the priests. The Bible says, As they were going, they were cleansed. That means when they started their journey to the priests, they were still lepers; but as they took that step of faith, God met them there and brought the answer they were looking for. Some of you are being too tentative, too laid back-youre waiting for too much. God wants you to take a step of faith right now. Though you dont know how the door is going to be opened, take that step of faith. That's how He made the world. That's how He wants us to live. He wants us to learn to trust. He wants us to trust His Word, even though we dont hear Him or see Him, Hes given us clues. Hes given us proof of evidence, but ultimately God wants us to have faith. As you extend that faith and use that faith, He will confirm Himself to you. He will open those doors of opportunity. Would you bow your heads with me as we pray? First of all if youre here this morning and youve not made a decision to follow Christ but youd like to today, I want to lead you in prayer. Just pray this prayer with me. Say: Heavenly Father, I come to You today in Jesus name. Lord, I use what little faith I have to receive You into my heart and life. Lord, I recognize that Im a sinner-that Ive missed the mark, that Ive fallen short. I ask for Your forgiveness. I ask for Your cleansing. I pray for a new start today. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would come and live in my heart, that Youd make me a new person who might follow You all the days of my life and one day live in Your Heaven in Your presence. By faith, I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and as my Lord. Father, if they prayed that prayer, You have answered that prayer, and God, you will meet them right there. Even in the midst of some of their doubts, Lord, we dont have all the answers. We dont have all doubts settled, but we know enough that we can follow the evidence where its leading to make that decision to receive You as our Lord and Savior. Lord, I thank You for each and every person who has made that decision today. Father, I pray secondly for those who are believers. What they have sought for is not faith; its knowledge. Theyve waited for everything to align, every provision to be met, every circumstance to be right and have said, Then Ill be obedient. That's not what Youve called us to. Youve called us to a life of faith. Abraham was sent to go to the land that You would show him. As he was going, You showed him where You wanted him to be. All he knew at the time was to follow. He didnt have all the answers. He still had doubts, and yet he acted on what he knew. We would act on what we know and trust You to provide the answers that we seek. Know, Lord, that if we will follow Your Word and obey Your Word, You will show Yourself to be true, show Yourself to be real. I pray for those who are still holding on-for whatever reason or obstacle theyre facing right now-they still have not crossed that line of faith, I pray that they would keep coming. I pray that they keep listening, and one day they too would receive You as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

How does God do financial miracles

How does God do financial miracles

How does God do financial miracles

How does God do financial miracles

This week's playlist: • I Feel It Too by The Hipnotics, from their album Plannin' An Accident, available on CD from TheHipnotics.net. • Serial Lover by Joe Hutchinson, from his extended EP Hutch (1999), available from CD Baby. With his brother Jimmy, Joe put out The Hutchinsons EP in 1996 and Plastic Fruit & Popcorn in 1997. Joe's MySpace page serves as his official site. • The Last To Know by Alejandro Escovedo, from a sanctioned bootleg, Live at The Palms (1995). The studio version of The Last To Know is from the album Gravity (2002), available the store at his site and Lone Star Records. Most of Alejandro's albums are available also from the iTunes Music Store and Amazon.com. • I Believe by Detroit Women, from Rattle Your Cage (2005), available from CD Baby, Silk City Records, the iTMS and Amazon.com. The song Old Weakness by Detroit Women is included in a compilation called iTunes Essentials: Detroit. • Test Me by The Phantom Freeway Rhythm & Blues Revue, featuring The Badass Horns. The band's page at the Podsafe Music network is here (where you can hear several more tracks). Poke Chop, their lead guitarist, moved recently to Portland, ME, and at Poke-Chop.com, you can learn more about his new band, Poke Chop and the Other White Meats, and see pictures of a Phantom Freeway reunion held May 5, 2006, at Ziggie's in Denver. • Red Room Romp by Pat mAcdonald, from his 2004 CD In the Red Room, available from CD Baby and the iTMS. And, of course, Pat has a MySpace page. Pat is a musician's musician in many ways; he and his wife Barbara K. Macdonald are best known as two-thirds of Timbuk 3 (the other third of the band was sometimes a boombox, sometimes a drum machine), who had a surprise hit with their low-fi 1986 single, The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades. • Sing My Way Out Of These Blues by Hal Newman and The Mystics Of Time, from an album called America's Party Band. For more information, contact Hal's son Cody, whose power pop trio has their own Web site at Codaphonic.com and a MySpace page. • Angeline by George Fletcher and the Handsome Men (now known as George Fletcher's Bourbon Renewal), from Ain't The Worst That You Could Find (2000), available from CD Baby; also available: Dangerous Things - Live (2005). For more information and to see George's extensive photo gallery (nice hair in some of the older pics, George), visit GeorgeFletcher.com. Also mentioned during this show: WiredParish.com. Excellent online resources for more information about the blues: The Blues Foundation and the Delta Blues Museum; and be sure to download and listen to the DBM's top-notch (and free) podcast, the Uncensored History of the Blues. (Music on Murphy's Saloon #43 courtesy of the artists and the Podsafe Music Network, where I obtained many of these tracks)

This week's music: • Test Me by Phantom Freeway. • Think Of You by Ernie Van Veen. • Silent Treatment by P.W. Fenton & The Second Ward. • Death Letter Blues by The Hipnotics. • The Lovin' I Miss by Tommy Z. Tonight's Murphy's Saloon intro is from Just Got To Boogie by Matt Thorpe. You can see where other Murphy's Saloon listeners live if you check out the Murphy's Friends Frappr map. Also mentioned on tonight's show: The Chicagoist and The Menu Pages. (Music on this week's episode of Murphy's Saloon is courtesy of the artists and the Podsafe Music Network)

This is the latest episode of the syndicated Reggae Lover podcast produced for promotional purposes by Kahlil Wonda of Highlanda Sound featuring classic reggae music in a DJ mixed format. Shabba Ranks The only dancehall artist to win the Grammy award in consecutive years, Shabba Ranks paved the way for all who came after him. I omitted overly violent or slack slack lyrics here. This mix was requested by the Brooklyn, New York based, AGARD, a fellow DJ and reggae lover. TRACKLIST 1 Heart Of A Lion 2 Respect 3 Flag Flow High featuring Cocoa Tea 4 Just Reality 5 Time Is Red featuring Cocoa Tea 6 Love Me Truly featuring Cocoa Tea 7 Don’t Follow Rumors featuring Carlton Livingston 8 Live Blanket 9 Housecall featuring Maxi Priest 10 Peanie Peanie 11 No Bother Dis Soundboy 12 Girls Wine 13 Golden Touch featuring Kadian Dixon 14 Roots and Culture 15 Kushungpeng featuring Mikey Spice 16 Champion Lover featuring Deborahe Glasgow 17 Don’t Test Me featuring Deborahe Glasgow 18 God Bless 19 Real Real featuring Thriller U 20 Best Baby Father 21 Caan Dun 22 Gal Yuh Good 23 Can’t Do The Work 24 Ting A Ling 25 Trailer LoadSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reggae-lover/donationsWant to advertise on this podcast? Go to https://redcircle.com/brands and sign up.