Podcasts about this john

In this episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, data storyteller Sam Knowles is joined by John Hibbs, the Co-Founder of CoEfficient, a company that helps organisations grow from the human perspective. It does this by gathering genuinely useful feedback from those who work for an organisation and then deploying this intelligence in the most productive way possible, to drive both individual and organisational growth.   Founded on the principle that businesses are simply groups of people, CoEfficient gives hearts and minds that make up a business a voice, ensuring that they feel heard and are valued. This – John believes – is what enables businesses to serve as creators of positive change within society. CoEfficient serves all sorts of different clients right around the world, and today John is based on his native island of Guernsey.   But his journey to becoming a pioneer in using data smarter to help companies grow is neither traditional nor expected. 25 years ago, he was running a personal training business that he was struggling to scale. A chance meeting with a business mentor first opened his eyes to the power of data, measurement, and evaluation. This set him on course to develop both his Monergy Flow model of growth and a thriving, scalable business that few – least of all John himself – would ever have predicted.   EXTERNAL LINKS Make friends with John on LinkedIn, his preferred social media platform https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hibbs-coefficient/ There's more about CoEfficient at https://www.coefficient-solutions.com John explains his Monergy Flow model – including the hand-drawn, periodic table version – at https://www.maddyness.com/uk/2023/08/09/the-monergy-flow-by-john-hibbs/     To find out what kind of data storyteller you are, complete our data storytelling scorecard at https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com. It takes just two minutes, and we'll send you your own personalised scorecard which tells you what kind of data storyteller you are.  

Though not much is known about the city of Thyatira, it contains the most words from Jesus of the Seven Churches. Though they were faithful, the had tolerated false teaching. This John used the term sexual immorality to describe their idolatry. Even though it can alienate some people to really define your church's doctrine, it will be critical when the winds of adversity come against the church. Jesus' warning to the church is to watch your doctrine. The church that survives will be strangers in this world but faithful to the end.

We hear John 3:16 as the core verse of Christianity, but rarely is it expressed in the context of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. This John 3:16 section is an explanation of the previous verses about the salvation of the Israelites in the wilderness with Moses and the bronze snake lifted up. Check out this insightful episode of our bible study in the Gospel of John! -Jenni and Amy

The sinless Savior placed Himself, willingly, in the hands of men who would punish Him as though He were a criminal. This John 19:1-3 devotional explains.

This John 15:4 audio devotional explains why our Christian life cannot be successful without abiding in the vine. Jesus describes himself as the true vine.

Jesus fulfilled the promise to Abraham that, in his lineage, all nations of the earth would be blessed. This John 8:56-58 audio devotional has more.

This John 3:36 audio devotional speaks of Jesus. Those who believe on Him are promised life everlasting, but those who believe not, only wrath.

Today's podcast is a meditation on Luke 2:36-38, just after Jesus' birth.    Intro     We know very little about Anna: just three verses encompass her entire life. She was married seven years, and then widowed for eighty-four; probably the youngest she could have been married would have been fourteen, which would make her at least one hundred and five by the time she sees Jesus.     The Old Testament makes provisions for widows. If they are widowed young, as Anna would have been, a kinsman redeemer is to marry her and provide for her. Perhaps she had none, or perhaps he refused.     Anna may have had children who had grown by now; maybe she chose to live at the temple only after they had grown. But the verses seem to imply that she had lived at the temple from the time of her widowhood, for eighty-four years. This to me suggests that in seven years of marriage, she never had any children. So either she or her husband were likely barren (and in those days, the woman was usually blamed). Would that be why she never remarried, because she was assumed to be barren? There are promises for the faithful of Israel that none shall be barren or miscarry, though the Word must always be mixed with faith to receive it (Hebrews 4:2). It’s pure speculation to imagine what might have happened in Anna’s case.     In my retelling, though, I imagine that her decision to remain a widow and live at the temple all her life started out as what she thought was her only choice. As a widow with presumably no family to care for her, she was dependent upon offerings to sustain her anyway (Deut 26:12-13), so it makes sense that she would live at the temple. But as she grew closer to the Lord and invested all her attention on pleasing Him rather than on pleasing a husband, she realized that this was actually better, as did the later Apostle Paul (1 Cor 7:32-40). The Lord is the husband to the widow (Isaiah 54:4-5) just as the Church is the Bride of Christ.     What did she do during those long years, though? How do you fast and pray for eighty-four years?     Paul writes that we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). This does not mean constantly petitioning the Lord for the same things like a broken record, though. Most prayer is not petition at all. Like Adam and Eve strolling with God in the cool of the day, it is simply being aware of Him, spending time with Him. Like David in the Psalms, it is praising Him for who He is, for His goodness, for what He has done. For us today (though not yet for Anna), it is the Holy Spirit showing us things to come and leading us into all truth (John 16), and praying the hidden mysteries of God in tongues (1 Cor 14) to build us up in our faith (Jude 1:20). It’s meditating on and renewing our minds with the Word (Romans 12:2). I imagine that Anna also had plenty of time to pour over the prophecies of the Messiah. She did not yet have the Holy Spirit upon the HS was probably upon her but not w/in her her (or maybe she did, since Simeon did, Luke 2:26, and He came upon Old Testament heroes from time to time!). Regardless, like God’s friends of old such as Abraham and Daniel, He must have revealed to Anna what he was about to do on the earth. That’s why she knew to come in to the temple “that instant,” when Mary and Joseph were presenting the sacrifices for Jesus according to the law. God probably wanted to share with those attuned to Him enough to listen, just like we want to share good news with the people closest to us. He wanted his friends to celebrate with Him!   Fictionalized Retelling     I could have attempted to remarry when I was widowed at the young age of twenty-one. But it would not have been easy, for several reasons.     First, my husband had no unmarried brothers. There were distant cousins to whom I could turn as kinsman-redeemers, but I knew they would not want me. In the seven years of our marriage, I had not produced a child, so it was to be assumed that I was barren.     I had a brother and a kindly sister-in-law who would have taken me in, but this would have been a great burden upon them. They were poor, and had three children at the time to provide for already. Also, given my barrenness, it was unlikely that I would ever be taken off their hands.     So it was clear that I should choose a life of pure devotion to the Lord. I was already predisposed to do so anyway, as I had learned to read at a young age, and during my husband’s long illness, I had poured over the scriptures for comfort.     At first the stories of old were just stories to me. But in time I began to see the broken heart of God as the theme interwoven through them all: His deep love for His people who time and time again betrayed Him. His love for Israel was like the jealous love of a husband for his unfaithful bride, Israel. The first time I read through Hosea, I wept and wept for the Lord. I was only one woman, but I longed to make it up to Him on behalf of my people, to the best of my poor abilities. He would be my husband, and I would be his bride, spending every moment and every year and every last bit of my strength in loving and worshiping Him. In return, He filled me up with His love so completely that I often felt I could burst with the joy of it. No earthly wife was ever so satisfied as I was with my groom.     I dwelt in the temple night and day, fasting and praying before the Lord. I slept in the Chamber of the Hearth. I joined in as those who came to the temple presented their little ones for dedication and sacrifice, thanking God for them with as much fervor as if they had been my own. Many times the Lord would give me a specific word for their lives, and I would lay hands on them and prophesy to their parents what they would become. He often led me to join with those who wept and mourned, and lend them the strength and comfort He had given me. I didn’t resent it or feel like I was just being used as an instrument to bless others—it was more like I was partnering with my Husband in His work. It made me feel closer to Him.     I had been there for almost fifteen years, the first time the Lord let me see Him. Whether it was in the body or in the spirit, I do not know, the Lord knows. But for the first time, I understood what the prophet Ezekiel had described. His language of the Throne Room had been so fantastical that I could not grasp it until I saw it myself. Then I realized that our language falls pitifully short, and Ezekiel had done the best he could! The throne shone a vibrant, clear, shining blue—like a sapphire, though it was not a sapphire. The One who sat on the throne—oh! I have never before beheld anything so beautiful! He burned like fire, except he was not fire itself. It was his glory that shone, radiating an amber color from the waist up, like the vibrant orange of a flame; from the waist down, beholding Him was like looking at the sun, or a star. But the light He produced split into all its component colors, a shimmering rainbow so bright I could scarcely look at it. I, too, fell on my face before Him.     “Stand, Daughter,” said the voice of the One on the throne, and though it sounded like many waters, in it was also infinite tenderness. “And approach. She who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”     I recognized the passage as the first verse of Psalm 91. I had spent many years now meditating upon the meaning of the secret place. Here it was! The Lord granted me the desire of my heart—to behold it. To dwell in it! The only way to get into the shadow of the throne was to do as He bid me, to approach very close indeed. It was the one thing I wanted so badly I could hardly stand it, and yet I was so terrified that I dared not move without invitation.     But He Himself had invited me! I rose, quivering. Somehow my legs obeyed me, and the next thing I knew, I was running to Him. He laughed, and the sound of His laughter filled the throne room with almost palpable joy. Then He stood up, opening His arms to receive me. I had intended to dive behind the throne and hide in its shadow, but to run past His waiting arms would be to reject Him—and that was the one thing in the world I could never, never do. Though I hardly knew how I dared, both terrified and yet bursting with His joy, I ran straight into them. And oh, the bliss of that moment—it is almost indecent to describe it!     I have not left that embrace these almost seventy years since. Not once.     As the years went on, the Lord took me more and more to the scriptures that prophesied the coming Messiah, from the prophecy of Eve’s Seed who would bruise the head of the serpent to the Rod of the stem of Jesse prophesied in Isaiah. This meant we would know His lineage, I realized. He would have to come as a baby, not as a conquerer from the ends of the earth! As I realized this, I had a vision of a child, ordinary looking in every way.     Oh, how I longed for that Child, far more than I had ever desired a child of my own!     Then one day, the priest named Zacharias emerged from his duties at the temple. There was a commotion around him. Curious, I joined the small crowd of onlookers as he emerged into the outer courts.     “What took you so long, Zacharias?” the other priests pressed him. “You were in there for ages! We thought we would have to pull you out by the rope!” There was a smattering of laughter at this, but it died away quickly as Zacharias gestured at the Holy of Holies, then up at the ceiling and down, then with his fingers splayed out again and again.     “What’s he saying?” a few murmured.     Another said to him, “Can’t you speak?”     “I think he’s seen a vision! Did you see a vision, Zacharias?” When the priest nodded vigorously, there was a ripple of shock. The questions came faster and all at once after that, but the priest pushed past them, apparently done trying to communicate. It was clear he was eager to leave.      He saw an angel, I realized. I swallowed, and asked the Lord, Does this have to do with the coming of the Christ?     He did not answer me, but I felt that it did somehow. Yet why couldn’t the old priest speak about what he had seen? Why would the Lord reveal something to him in a vision if he could not communicate it to us? That must mean that the vision was just for him…     Nine months later, I had my answer. I was not there when the elderly priest’s newborn son was circumcised, but the temple was abuzz with the stories.     “His tongue was loosed as soon as he proclaimed the child’s name was John, and then he prophesied that he would be the forerunner of the Christ, the one Malachi spoke of!”     My pulse quickened, and again, I had a flash of the baby: the Lord’s anointed. This John was not Him, but He would come soon, I realized. He would come to this very temple for His dedication and sacrifice. I would see Him!     Will I see Him, Lord? I begged silently. Will I live that long? I was an old woman, over one hundred years old—but surely the Lord could let me live just a little longer. As I had remained in the Father’s embrace all these years, might I also hold Him with my natural arms, before I fell asleep for the last time?     I petitioned the Lord for this honor daily for the next six months.     Then one day, I saw devout old Simeon hurrying through the outer courts of the temple. He did not live in the temple as I did, but he was there very often. Usually he was friendly to me—but today, he was on a mission. I followed close behind him, my heart burning with anticipation. Then suddenly, he froze.     A young couple stood before him. The girl mother held a small bundle, and her husband stood beside her. Both were simply dressed. My eyes fell to the babe in her arms even as I saw Simeon approach them, and my heart leapt to my throat. Simeon reached out for the babe, and the surprised mother yielded him to the old man’s arms.     “Lord,” Simeon said, his voice loud and clear, yet trembling with emotion, “now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”     The man and his wife exchanged a look of wonder. Still cradling the child, Simeon looked up at the girl and proclaimed, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against—yes, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”     He then relinquished the child into the mother’s arms again, and turned to look at me with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Trembling, I walked forward for my turn, and beseeched the girl with a question in my eyes. I hoped—oh, so desperately!—that she would offer to let me hold him too. I reached out my withered old hands, and then retracted them again, suddenly fearing that I might be too frail. What if I could not support Him? But just as I pulled away again, the girl gave me an encouraging nod and reached out, placing the bundle in my arms.     My eyes swam with tears as I held my Lord, as He had held me my whole life long. I looked into the innocent little face. He looked back up at me with His wide dark eyes that seemed just like those of any other infant, and yet—did He know me? I fancied He did. Then He smiled, giggled and cooed. I giggled back like a schoolgirl, the tears running freely down my face. I dared not spare a hand to wipe them away while I held such precious cargo.       I thought my heart would burst. But if it did so now, if I died right here, that would be all right.     “Thank you, Lord,” I managed, “for granting my petition, for granting that I might see and hold the redemption of Your people, here in the land of the living! This is the Child who was foretold in the beginning, the Seed of Eve, the root of Jesse, the Lion of Judah, and the Lamb of God!”     I lifted up my eyes in thanksgiving, as the mother whispered, looking from me to where Simeon had been, “How do you both know this?”     “The same way the shepherds knew,” her husband murmured to her. “Everyone close to the Lord seems to know…”     “It’s an open secret,” I agreed, grinning at the man. “He’s only been talking about it since the dawn of time.”     

(Mal.3:1-4,23-24;   Ps.25:4-5,8-10,14,Lk.21:28;   Lk.1:57-66)   “His name is John.”   Yes, “the hand of the Lord [was] upon him,” whose name signifies the grace of God, who comes at the end of the age to turn men's hearts back to God, who prepares the way we must walk to find the instruction and purgation of the Lord. We must be purified by “the refiner's fire.”  We must be purged of all dross “like gold or like silver that [we] may offer due sacrifice to the Lord,” that we might be called children of the One God.  The Day is coming; the Lord is returning to the temple, and we must be prepared to welcome Him – and so John is born, sent in the spirit of Elijah the prophet to cry out the way in the wilderness of this world.  By the Spirit of the Lord, he “shows sinners the way; he guides the humble to justice,” leading them to the Son who stands ready in Truth to teach and to save.  Well do the people do to wonder at the birth of this holy child, for well will they do to follow his exhortation, and come to praise of the living God. This John leads us to something new, as even the originality of his name among his relatives signifies; he assists us in making the turn, the conversion to the New Covenant in the blood of Christ.  From the Old and as a prophet of old, he leads us to the dawn of new light in this world.  Jesus he comes to proclaim.  Without this grace of God to be washed in the river of our sins, how could we stand on “the great and terrible day” of the Lord's coming?  How could we bear His light, His fire? “All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy toward those who keep His covenant and His decrees.”  Praise God we have the instruction of the Lord with us now to guide us to life everlasting; and thank God we have been made ready by “the messenger of the covenant” to stand in the light of that wisdom.  The Lord teaches us now, brothers and sisters; the Lord is with us to instruct us in His way and, “like the fuller's lye,” to make us white.  Let us not make the grace of forgiveness John has wrought by the hand of God among us come to naught – let us listen closely now to the Word of God to which his voice has led us.   P.S.  Re the Bible, the Word of God – a quote by St. Hippolytus from today's Office: “Sacred Scripture is God's gift to us and it should be understood in the way He intends: we should not do violence to it by interpreting it according to our own preconceived ideas.”   *******  O LORD, you brought John to birth to prepare the way of your only Son – let us walk that path to you.  YHWH, your hand was upon John for our good, to prepare the way for your Son, that we might be prepared to receive the glory of His presence among us.  This day may our hearts be ready for His coming. Sinners you show the way, O LORD; you mark out the path we all should tread if we wish to be cleansed of all evil and turn our hearts to you.  You are our Father, and all we should desire is to love you – O LORD, lead us in the way to you. Your Son is the way, dear LORD.  It is by Him on His terrible Day that we are purged of all dross in the fire of the Holy Spirit and so made pure to stand before you.  O holy God, let us be refined like silver or gold that we might shine so brightly in your presence.  By your grace only is this accomplished; let all be made new by your hands.

(Mal.3:1-4,23-24;   Ps.25:4-5,8-10,14,Lk.21:28;   Lk.1:57-66)   “His name is John.”   Yes, “the hand of the Lord [was] upon him,” whose name signifies the grace of God, who comes at the end of the age to turn men's hearts back to God, who prepares the way we must walk to find the instruction and purgation of the Lord. We must be purified by “the refiner's fire.”  We must be purged of all dross “like gold or like silver that [we] may offer due sacrifice to the Lord,” that we might be called children of the One God.  The Day is coming; the Lord is returning to the temple, and we must be prepared to welcome Him – and so John is born, sent in the spirit of Elijah the prophet to cry out the way in the wilderness of this world.  By the Spirit of the Lord, he “shows sinners the way; he guides the humble to justice,” leading them to the Son who stands ready in Truth to teach and to save.  Well do the people do to wonder at the birth of this holy child, for well will they do to follow his exhortation, and come to praise of the living God. This John leads us to something new, as even the originality of his name among his relatives signifies; he assists us in making the turn, the conversion to the New Covenant in the blood of Christ.  From the Old and as a prophet of old, he leads us to the dawn of new light in this world.  Jesus he comes to proclaim.  Without this grace of God to be washed in the river of our sins, how could we stand on “the great and terrible day” of the Lord's coming?  How could we bear His light, His fire? “All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy toward those who keep His covenant and His decrees.”  Praise God we have the instruction of the Lord with us now to guide us to life everlasting; and thank God we have been made ready by “the messenger of the covenant” to stand in the light of that wisdom.  The Lord teaches us now, brothers and sisters; the Lord is with us to instruct us in His way and, “like the fuller's lye,” to make us white.  Let us not make the grace of forgiveness John has wrought by the hand of God among us come to naught – let us listen closely now to the Word of God to which his voice has led us.   P.S.  Re the Bible, the Word of God – a quote by St. Hippolytus from today's Office: “Sacred Scripture is God's gift to us and it should be understood in the way He intends: we should not do violence to it by interpreting it according to our own preconceived ideas.”   *******  O LORD, you brought John to birth to prepare the way of your only Son – let us walk that path to you.  YHWH, your hand was upon John for our good, to prepare the way for your Son, that we might be prepared to receive the glory of His presence among us.  This day may our hearts be ready for His coming. Sinners you show the way, O LORD; you mark out the path we all should tread if we wish to be cleansed of all evil and turn our hearts to you.  You are our Father, and all we should desire is to love you – O LORD, lead us in the way to you. Your Son is the way, dear LORD.  It is by Him on His terrible Day that we are purged of all dross in the fire of the Holy Spirit and so made pure to stand before you.  O holy God, let us be refined like silver or gold that we might shine so brightly in your presence.  By your grace only is this accomplished; let all be made new by your hands.

What is good everyone! This John and Vince coming to you talking about all things NBA. From Lebron to Tatum to the Bulls and the Celtics, we cover all news and headlines leading up to the preseason games and the regular season tip-off starting Christmas week! If you like our content, check us out on social media @jvshowofficial! We are on everything - Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, we have it all! We would love for you to connect with us! Peace!

Well we are here, the season 1 finale and it has been awesome. I thank you all for listening to my inaugural season and look forward to many more to come. Today we head to deep American South down into Florida for another Ol' John tale. This John is known to be a conjuring man a man that knows magic. As for what he will do with this ability we will have to see. Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/afrotalespodcast Twitter (@afrotalescast): https://twitter.com/afrotalescast?s=09 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afrotalespodcast/ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/afrotalespodcast Teespring: teespring.com/stores/afrotalespodcast --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/afrotales/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/afrotales/support

Today we head to the deep American South down into Florida for another Ol' John tale. This John is known to be a conjuring man a man that knows magic. As for what he will do with this ability we will have to see. Book: African American Folktales Compiled by Roger D, Abrahams Season 1 has been awesome. I thank you all for listening to my inaugural season and look forward to many more to come. To Support Afro Tales Podcast: Website: https://www.podpage.com/afrotalescast/ Email: afrotalespodcast@yahoo.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/afrotalescast Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/afrotalespodcast TeePublic: https://www.teepublic.com/user/afro-tales Twitter (@afrotalescast): https://twitter.com/afrotalescast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afrotalescast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Afrotalescast

We are diving into John's gospel and I am going to pull some information and background from 3 sources, which are my typical stomping grounds for information - the videos put out by The Bible Project, my ESV Study Bible, and Logos Bible Study Software. To start, it appears there has been a little debate over which John is specifically the author here, whether it is John the Elder or John Son of Zebedee. Evidence seems to be much more in favor of John Son of Zebedee, so that's what we will assume. This John was one of the 12 disciples, which is important to remember because that places him in Jesus' midst...right there in the middle of the daily action with Jesus. Even a casual reader will notice the differences between Matthew, Luke, and John - with John being much more of a theological presentation, Luke an historical presentation, and Matthew a little of both. Whereas Luke clearly identified his audience in his opening verse, we can figure Matthew's was mostly Jewish Christians from his writing, and we can see that John is trying to present the story and the ethos of Jesus to everyone and then go on to prove his point. As we start John's Gospel, we will see its divergence from Matthew and Luke immediately, where John sets Jesus up as a the Word, the Son of God...he doesn't bury the lead. He is telling us who the main character is and then he goes on in his letter the describe why he feels that is the case, and more importantly, why you should agree with him. Let's talk about John really quickly though...who was he? John is traditionally regarded as the author of five books of the Bible: the Gospel of John, the epistles 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, and the Book of Revelation, although some Bible scholars dispute which of these he actually wrote. He is also believed to be the only disciple who died of old age (the others were allegedly martyred). He is generally thought to have been referred to as several other names including John of Patmos (because he was banished to the island of Patmos), John the Evangelist, John the Elder, John the Presbyter, and the Beloved Disciple; to be clear though, it is unclear if all of these names do in fact refer to this John. It's also worth noting: John the disciple of Jesus is not the same person as John the Baptist, who was Jesus' cousin. So, tomorrow we will dive in, and the way John starts is much the same as the way the entire Bible starts...in the beginning. It is pretty cool.

John Wilson IV has played tennis for pretty much his whole life. So did his dad John. So did his grandpa John. This John learned early on that the path these male athletes in his family chose was an uncommon one. Growing up in Dallas and then going on to play collegiately at an HBCU, his experiences in tennis helped to reveal his passion in speaking up to remedy deeply harmful status quos -- both on the court and off. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

The hope of the cross makes all things new. Join us for the Good Friday service of All Nations Church Luxembourg. Program: -Welcome -Lead me to the cross -John 18:1-14 -Instrumental -John 18:15-27 -What Wondrous Love is This? -John 18:28-19:16 -Instrumental -John 19:17-30 -Instrumental -John 19:31-42 -Agnus Dei -Reflection -When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Reading: Logan Dunn Francisca Rojas Music: Stefania Salvato Edwin Aldin van Veen

This is an intro! This John here, this is your podcast I’m doing this for you so I welcomed you. First subscribe, listen, and share. LET’S GOOO! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-erly-taylor/support

John 10: True Shepherd, True Gate, and Jesus’ True Sheep A Word Picture Introduced: A Sheepfold (1-6) The Picture Unpacked: Jesus Is the Door and the Good Shepherd (7-18) Jesus the Door (7-10) Jesus the Good Shepherd (11-18) Jesus’ Words Divide the People (19-21) Jesus the Christ, Heard by His Flock (22-30) Jesus the Son, With Works from the Father (31-39) Jesus Departs and Some Follow (40-42) (This John 10 teaching audio was recorded by Amy even though we did not have class this week due to severe weather. The levels in the recording vary, and some technical challenges caused some static periodically.)

Darkness. What images does this word conjure in your mind? What feelings does it stir in your heart? We might recall being afraid of the dark as a child – or as an adult. In the Bible, darkness pictures danger, ignorance of God and His ways, of sin, of death, and even the “outer darkness” of God’s eternal judgment where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth!” No wonder darkness can bring fear! Then, one day Jesus announced, “I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Isn’t that good news? This (John 8:12-30) is what we’ll be looking at together this week!

"The year was about AD 90, around two decades before the temple that stood in Jerusalem had been absolutely leveled.  Emperor Titus, along with his Roman army, came in and absolutely leveled the central spot of worship in Judaism.  In doing so, they started to remove even the very soul and heart of that religion.  They've never worshipped the same since that building was destroyed.  The Apostle John, at this point in time, is a friend of Jesus.  He's one of the only disciples still alive.  In fact, most people would say he's the ONLY disciple still alive, and he finds himself in exile.  He finds himself on this little island off the coast of what's now modern-day Turkey.  It's about 24 miles from the shore.  He's there as a prisoner of the empire of Rome.  Rome, in AD 90, is ruled by a man by the name of Domitian.  Domitian was the very first emperor that required that he was worshipped as both god and savior.  John refused to bow his knee.  Can you imagine standing before the emperor and being required to bow down to worship him as god?  John, this friend of Jesus, the one who cared for Jesus's mom after Jesus was crucified, risen . . . the one who leaned up against Jesus during the last supper meal he celebrated with his disciples. . . .this John.  This John refused to bow his knee.  Tradition says that Domitian got a pot of boiling oil and dumped it on the Apostle John to try to kill him.  It sort of backfired on him though.  The people there that were witnessing this 'murder' actually turned and started to follow Jesus because they saw that it didn't affect John in the way it should have.  Since he couldn't kill him, Domitian thought he'd put John on an island with other criminals....."

Meet my good friend John. This John is a different John than the John you met last week. A quick warning: this episode is NSFW more than any other so far. If you’re listening at work or around children or small dogs, use caution. John wastes no time telling me how well-endowed he is and later tells me that he has “about 9 bitches.” He is a pretty serious pool player who claims to have not lost a game in over 5 years. Learn his secrets including “practice” and “geometry.” John is also a Harley motorcycle rider who takes pride in the fact that his bike is loud enough to ruin your picnic. He also wears all leather (to be safe) but no helmet. Go figure! Listen as he calls out LeBron James! John claims that LeBron can’t beat him on the pool table OR on the basketball court. As of this posting, LeBron has yet to issue a statement. The absolute best part of this interview happened after I had stopped recording. I packed up my gear and was heading out when I saw John playing pool in the back. I went to say “bye” and when I did I saw him scratch while going for the 8 ball.