Podcasts about though john

Maundy Thursday Homily by Pastor Erin Bovendam Calvary Lutheran Church Perham MN USPastor Erin reflected on how Jesus' act of washing the disciples' feet is a vivid, living example of what it means to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) in real life.Though John's Gospel doesn't list the fruit of the Spirit explicitly, Pastor Erin showed how Jesus models each of those qualities through His humble, loving service:Love – Jesus loves His disciples “to the end,” even knowing their flaws and betrayals.Gentleness – He kneels to wash their feet, gently caring for them like a servant.Patience & Kindness – He doesn't scold or shame; He serves, even those like Judas and Peter.Faithfulness – Jesus stays true to His mission and His love, even in His final hours.Self-Control – Though He is Teacher and Lord, He restrains power to uplift others.Pastor Erin encouraged the congregation to see that living out the fruit of the Spirit means taking on the posture of a servant, just like Jesus. It's not about status, pride, or comfort—it's about love expressed through action, especially when it's inconvenient or undeserved.She invited everyone to ask: “Whose feet is Jesus calling me to wash?” In other words, where can I show love, humility, and Spirit-led kindness in my everyday life?

Sermon series: Trusting the Saviour: Luke 7-9 In this passage, we see that the kingdom of God is already here, though not quite according to the expectations of John the Baptist and his messengers. Though John was the greatest of the prophets, yet the least in God's kingdom would be greater than he because of its momentous significance. As significant as this is, there are those who would reject the message of the kingdom because its nature goes against our natural, sinful selves. Preacher: Aaron Akins Date: 19 January 2025

John Carpay discusses his new book, Corrupted by Fear: How the Charter was betrayed, and what Canadians can do about it. The eBook is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Though John has been publishing opinion pieces and columns for decades, this is his first book. He gives us some insight into what inspired him to write it. He then reads the Introduction, which describes the plan and purpose of the work. And finally, we talk about the book's last section, entitled, "Defeating Modern Fascism."Amazon.ca: Corrupted by Fear: How the Charter was betrayed, and what Canadians can do about it by John CarpayEpoch Times, Dec 11, 2024: 1 in 3 Canadians Say Government Overreacted to COVID Pandemic: SurveyToronto CityNews, Dec 2, 2024: Scouts Canada survey reveals concerns about social skills of COVID-era kids"In 2023-24, the government is expecting to record expenses to the tune of about C$16.4 billion related to Indigenous contingent liabilities and C$4.7 billion related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed its deficit figures higher, the fiscal update said."Reuters via MSN, Dec 16, 2024: Canada overshoots deficit target by C$20 billion as finance minister resignsCTV News, Jan 24, 2023: 'We were looked upon as monsters': COVID-19 vaccine policies at Ont. hospitals keep health workers from filling staff shortagesTheme Music "Carpay Diem" by Dave StevensSupport the show

When Zechariah’s voice was restored, he overflowed with praise: “Blessed be the Lord!” His words celebrated God's faithfulness in bringing salvation and redemption to His people. Zechariah declared the mercy and light of Christ, who rescues us from darkness and leads us into peace. Though John would prepare the way, this moment was all about […] The post Blessed Be The Lord! first appeared on Redeemer Church of South Hills. The post Blessed Be The Lord! appeared first on Redeemer Church of South Hills.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, show the ones you love just how much they mean to you, and share your appreciation and gratitude for the gift of life, the gift of love, and the gift of energy that we all share. Thank you ALL for the gift of YOUR love and our collective friendship.Nobody embodies the mindset of gratitude more so than my friend, John Macario. Though John and I have yet to meet in person, we recently connected via a communal, music-centric group that we both belong to on social media. I was struck by John's story. Specifically, I was struck by the story of his true and his unconditional love for his wife, Meg, who at the time was fighting for her life following an organ transplant. John bravely shared Meg's journey with the group throughout the months, weeks, and days leading up to her untimely passing in late July 2024. In turn, the community was not shy to show their boundless support and compassion for John, Meg, their daughter, Gloria, and the extended Macario family.Initially our friendship began with a series of DM's and texts, followed by a conversation, then with the interview here on Grateful Dad & Friends.  John brings us back to the day he first laid eyes on Meg in a VIP suite at Madison Square Garden in 2010, and he opens up about how their love grew in the weeks and months that followed, culminating with their wedding on New Year's Eve the following year. The rest, as they say, is history...John shares insights into how he and Gloria (now 12) are living their “new normal” without Meg and how music helps them heal. Keep an ear out for the story of Gloria's attachment to Jerry Garcia Band's 1980 rendition of After Midnight and how one of John's lullabies happens to be one of my own all-time favorites, Keep on Growing.Finally, here are two takeaways from my newfound friendship with John that I'm proud to share.The first: BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR. As Phil Lesh said hundreds of times, all you need to do is say to someone you love, “Hey, if anything should ever happen to me, I want to be an organ donor.” And check that box on your license. That's it.The second: LOVE IS REAL. And well… you know the rest.Join us, and let's see where the energy takes us! #IFE #NFA

Finally, in chapter 18, an angel declares with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon (a figurative name for Rome) the great!” Though John's audience would not live to see Rome fall, they needed to know that day was coming. The city who lived like a queen, would someday experience torment and mourning. The compromisers in John's audience […]

In this powerful and deeply moving interview, John McGregor shares how his life was radically transformed by the love of Jesus. Growing up in Northern Ireland during a time of intense violence, John was no stranger to fear and trauma. By the age of 7, he had already witnessed gunfire and violence in the streets. At 15, he was drawn into that same cycle of violence, driven by feelings of rejection and a desperate search for power. He thought such power would give him control, but it only brought guilt, shame, and pain. But God had a different plan. Hear how his mother's prayers were answered and how everything began to change when John encountered a young man named Tom, who was unashamed of his faith in Jesus. Though John initially hated Tom's peace and joy, Jesus was using that example to stir something within him. Learn how Jesus met John where he was—with a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other—and showed him that true power comes through surrender. John's story is a testimony of the life-changing grace of Jesus. If you are struggling with rejection, guilt, or feelings of hopelessness, John's journey reminds us that "Jesus never gives up on anyone." He offers healing for the broken, forgiveness for the guilty, and peace for the restless. No matter how deep your wounds, Jesus can set you free. Don't miss this inspiring testimony of redemption, healing, and the transformative power of Jesus' love, and how "decisions have consequences." Take the opportunity today to surrender your burdens at the foot of the Cross and discover the freedom and joy that only Jesus can give.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION Oxyrhynchus Papyrus fragment with text of John 6:8-12. 3rd century. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:POxy1596-III.jpg LINKS Words of Jesus ("All the Red Letter Scriptures"): https://www.jesusbelieverjd.com/all-the-red-letter-scriptures-of-jesus-in-the-bible-kjv/    Parallel Passages in the Gospels: https://www.bible-researcher.com/parallels.html#sect1     Miracles of Jesus reference list: https://sunnyhillschurch.com/3301/the-37-miracles-of-jesus-in-chronological-order/    Venetian folk tale of Saint Peter's mom: https://iamnotmakingthisup.net/5663/saint-peters-mom-bless-her-heart/ Judas Boo: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/boo-6377/ Joke Rimshot: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/rimshot-joke-funny-80325/ TRANSCRIPT   Welcome to the Popeular History Podcast: History through Pope Colored Glasses. My name is Gregg and this is episode 0.21h: Sayings of the Savior Part VIII: The Last Gospel   All of these aught episodes are made to let us build our Pope-colored glasses so we can use the same lenses when we look at history together. If you're lost, start at the beginning!   Today we continue our Sayings of the Savior series with a look at the Gospel according to John, covering everything Jesus said there that we haven't yet discussed–yes, still leaving off things like the miracles we did in 0.20 and the parables and other sayings we did in earlier Sayings of the Savior installments--once again leaving you in suspense right before the concluding few chapters discussing Jesus' death and such, which we'll cover as we finish the remaining mysteries of the rosary in future episodes of our Catholic Worldbuilding series.   Before we get into it, a quick reminder that the Gospel of John is the odd one out of the four canonical gospels, that is, the Gospels that made it into the Bible. There are other Gospels, but not others that the Catholic Church holds as part of Scripture, that is, the inspired word of God.   As you likely remember very well from the other episodes unless you're starting here for some reason, and if you're starting here because you don't know where to find the others you can check out the Catholic Worldbuilding section of my website, Popeularhistory.com, in any case, as you probably do recall the other three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are all known as synoptic gospels, that is, Gospels that should be read together, and clearly have a close relationship, with most of all of them being found in the rest of them. Luke Is the most unique, something like 35% of its material being standalone, much of that parables, some of that is Luke's memorable infancy narrative, while the approximately 20% of Matthew that's only in Matthew is a hodgepodge including Matthew's take on Jesus' infancy, and the 3ish % of material that's unique to Mark is… well Mark is the shortest Gospel so 3% of it isn't much but even so we haven't hit the most memorable bit of that small slice of the synoptics. We'll get there, but of course not yet because like I said today is about John. And I don't mean John Mark, the guy who wrote the Gospel of Mark, which really should be called John because you know, John is his actual first name, Mark's just a second part of it, anyways, uh yes so guy named John wrote half the gospels, don't worry about it, it's fine, one's the Gospel of Mark, one's the Gospel of John. I'm sure that's not confusing anything. Anyways, ignore the fact that I haven't said much about John yet today. I needed to give the Synoptics a bit of a collective farewell before we moved on and it seemed like a bit of statistics might be just the thing to get you all ready for me to change the topic.   Now, though John's Gospel (not John Mark's Gospel) isn't one of the synoptics, there are a few parallel areas I'll flag as we go, so don't think we're leaving the other Gospels behind entirely. Even if we tried, they're a big part of looking at history through Pope Colored glasses overall, which, in case you've forgotten, is the actual main plan for this podcast. Allegedly these worldbuilding episodes are just the background materials for that.   Overall, John stands out as the most theologically sophisticated of the Gospels, which has generally led scholars to argue it's the last-written of the bunch, a stance that actually aligns with tradition that credits the Gospel of John to, well, John, the longest-lived of the Twelve Apostles. Scholars, of course, aren't so sure about that specific attribution, as we've mentioned here and there they often like to think of a school of multiple authors writing the texts attributed to John, not just the Gospel but his three letters and the Book of Revelation.   In any event, that sophisticated theology is on full display right from the beginning of the text, and the opening verses of John, often called the Prologue, are extremely well known and influential within Christianity. Which I know is a given for pretty much every section of the Gospel texts, but I mean like even more so than the average Gospel text. As in, these verses used to be read as an epilogue to nearly every Mass, something that gave it the nickname of “The Last Gospel”.   Let's take it in:   JOHN 1:1-14 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” GREGG First, I'll simply note that it would have been a straightforward enough matter for me to start the podcast here, rather than back in Genesis. In fact, the basics of Christian theology, the trinity I discussed in that first episode before launching into Genesis' actual narrative, all that is more at home in a discussion of these verses than in that creation story, because here is what makes Christian history: the Incarnation. The Word made Flesh. This word and flesh and light and darkness business is also a pretty natural tie-in to the oldest wrong theology in the history of Christianity, and it's fair enough that various commentators have seen hintings at gnosticism in the text of John's gospel. In fact, some have theorized that the Gospel of John was written as a refutation of Gnosticism, but of course I'm treating this as a start-from-scratch beginner friendly kit, so it wouldn't be right of me to just keep saying “gnosticism”, “gnosticism” without spelling out what that means. Oh, and speaking of spelling, it starts with a silent “G”, check out the transcript I'm now consistently creating for the show notes in the episode description if you'd like the full spelling. Gnosticism, in a nutshell, is the idea that the physical world is evil, created by a flawed God. To the gnostics, this evil, broken world is something to be rejected, to escape from. For many of the gnostics, Jesus is the servant of the higher God, and is our ticket out of the icky yucky material, fleshy world. The knowledge of the evil of the world and how to escape from it is the secret that gives gnosticism its name, “gnosis” being Greek for “knowledge”. Gnosticism had a habit of piggybacking off Judaism and Christianity, with Gnostics basically forming secret clubs within the already generally secret Christian communities. We'll talk plenty more about Gnosticism as we go, as it was a sort of theological cancer within the Church for many years, but there's your official high-level overview. Getting back to John 1, the first verse is probably the most famous: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The notion that Jesus has been around since the beginning, as outlined in this chapter, is ultimately what cemented the victory of Catholic theology over Arianism, another wrong belief found among some Christians, aka a heresy, this one teaching that Jesus is not God Himself but is simply a creature-an important creature sure but in the end still one of God's creatures and so not as exalted as God Himself. Like gnosticism, the The Arian refrain of “there was a time when he was not” cannot be be squared with John 1, hence the fundamental importance of The Last Gospel to Nicene Christianity. And yes, we'll talk about what “Nicene” Christianity is in the future, specifically in 0.24. But we'll need to get past the first verse of John to get there. The second verse, “He was with God in the beginning” really solidifies the anti-Arian interpretation, but believe it or not I'm actually not going to repeat the rest of the prologue, because ultimately this section, while very, very,  important to Christian history, isn't one of the sayings of the Savior we're focusing on in this series. So, when does Jesus show up? Well, after a focus on John the Baptist, Jesus appears in verse 36, and speaks in verse 38:  JOHN 1 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” GREGG This particular calling is a favorite of the tv series The Chosen, which I know I've mentioned before but am not expecting to mention again, as we're heading out of their wheelhouse, at last as far as they've gotten up to this point. But it's worth checking out if you've got the time, and let's be honest, if you're listening to this, you probably do. What's next? Andrew and Simon Peter! JOHN 1 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter ). GREGG This section allows us to introduce the split between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, though first off, there's been many splits and resolutions in that relationship over the years, not just the one in 1054, and second, while there's not currently unity there's not as fundamental a split as there has been previously since the mutual excommunications were lifted sixty years ago. Oh, and we've also made some reference to the difference already, when we were talking about the differences in biblical canons back in 0.7. Anyways, that's all years in the future. For now, just know that the tie-in is that eventually St Andrew would be credited with founding the Church in what wouId become Constantinople, the chief see of Orthodoxy, while St Peter would go down as the first Bishop of Rome, the beating heart of Catholicism. Having Saint Andrew as the first-called of the two--and the first-called Apostle overall–is therefore a point of pride for Orthodoxy, and one that I daresay as I look through these pope-colored glasses is a sorely needed one given Peter's elevation on pretty much every count afterwards. Note that he's already picked up his Peter slash Rocky nickname, much earlier in John than in the other Gospels, for example in Matthew that didn't happen until Chapter 16. Before we move on, I want you to know that I tried to look into Peter and Andrew's mother, considering we featured Peter's mother-in-law already and therefore it would seem to be quite the oversight to skip his actual mother, especially since she was apparently also the mother of Saint Andrew. Plus, it happens to be Mother's day when I'm writing this. But it turns out there's surprisingly little tradition on Peter's mother. Google seems to think her name is Joanna, but she's definitely not the better-known Saint Joanna mentioned at a few points in the Gospels. In fact, she's not a saint at all, according to the one story I did find about her, from, and this is the actual name: iamnotmakingthisup.net. Which isn't exactly an authoritative source but it points to a Venetian folk tale that describes Saint Peter's mother as irredeemable to the extent that Saint Peter has no way to let her into heaven based on her deeds. Which to be clear is incorrect theology considering your deeds aren't what get you into heaven, but let's roll with it. Apparently there was a time she gave someone an onion, so she got to try to climb to heaven via a string of onion roots, an effort which failed but got her promoted to taking care of Heaven's used wine barrels, ‘cause Venice. Speaking of promotions, before Chapter 1 is out Jesus promotes two more randos to disciple status, first Philip, who He tells “Follow me”, and then Nathanael, who gets to hear “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” When Nathanael asks Jesus how He knows him, Jesus replies, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you,” to which Nathanael replies “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Which leads us to Jesus's reply in the last couple verses: “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” The next chapter begins with Jesus' first public miracle, the miracle of the wedding at Cana, turning water into wine to keep the party going, which we covered in our miracles roundup in 0.20. The next scene is Jesus driving the moneychangers from the Temple, another one that shows up much earlier in John than it did in the synoptics, and always a crowd pleaser. Here's John's version: JOHN 2 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from  the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” GREGG Considering John is already talking about the resurrection in Chapter 2, I guess my running gag of treating it as a spoiler is done. In John 3, we have the first appearance of Nicodemus, a man unknown to the Synoptics but a recurring figure in John's account. If you've ever heard the phrase “born-again Christian”, you've got this colorful exchange to thank for the imagery: JOHN 3  Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel's teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” GREGG If you're thinking, “gosh that last part sounds like crucifixion imagery”, good job reading ahead; if you're *not* thinking “gosh that last part sounds like crucifixion imagery”, perhaps It would be helpful if I reminded you that the bronze serpent Moses had lifted up in the wilderness was lifted up in a pole, and that anyone who looked at it, according to Numbers 21, was cured and saved from the “firey serpents” that were plaguing the grumbly Israelites at the time. Interestingly, at least to me, the dominant symbol of healthcare worldwide is another serpent on a pole, which more cautious scholars don't necessarily connect with Moses' bronze serpent as it's definitely a symbol of the Greek god Aesculapius so not a Hebrew slash Jewish thing directly, but still, serpents on poles associated with medicine has to be a relatively limited field. And yet, not as limited as you might think, as there is apparently a shocking amount of controversy over whether to use one serpent or two on a pole to symbolize healthcare. But let's get back to John 3, which doesn't assign any speaking lines to Jesus, though the next few verses are, like John's prologue, a reflection that's proven *quite* influential in the history of Christianity, especially John 3:16, which reads: JOHN 3 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. GREGG The next verse hammers the same sort of anti-gnostic point we saw in the prologue: JOHN 3 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. GREGG So yay world! It's not all bad. Though it is pretty bad. Let's hear the rest of John's reflection without further interruption: JOHN 3 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. GREGG The chapter finishes with a heavy emphasis on John the Baptist, during which John says “He must become greater; I must become less.” So we'll take that and run with it, keeping John as a side character and chasing the sayings of the Savior into chapter 4, another classic scene, this time it's the Samaritan woman at the well. The parenthetical thoughts you'll hear early on are part of John's account: JOHN 4 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” GREGG We've spoken about Samaritans before, though it was during my daily show experiment, specifically in the context of Samaritans Deacon Philip baptized in Acts 8. In case you missed that, in a nutshell the Samaritans are traditionally descendents of the ten “lost” tribes left behind when Assyria invaded the Northern Kingdom of Israel, though the fact that they're generally called the “lost” tribes gives an indication of how that tradition is generally received outside the community. The mountain the Samaritan woman is referencing Is Mount Gerizim, in Samaritan tradition the holiest place on earth and the proper site of worship, never mind that Jerusalem Temple business. So, yes, there are some similarities and some differences between Samaritans and Jews. Oh, speaking of Jews, next time you're talking to a Christian antisemite, remind them that here we have Jesus saying, and I quote, “salvation is from the Jews”. Also note that the woman lied to Jesus and also  had five husbands before her current non-husband partner, which is probably not something Jesus approved of. And yet, no reproach is recorded. Because you don't have to be hammering people's faults all day, every day. Of course, we did stop at an odd point, with Jesus telling the woman–who Eastern Churches know as Saint Photine and consider not only a martyr but Equal to the Apostles, a level of veneration I genuinely wasn't expecting-anyways we left with Jesus telling the future Saint Photine He is the Messiah, and then I just cut things off. Why? Well, because my bible considered that the end of the section, but of course that just begs the question still. The reason we don't see her direct reply is the Apostles show up and interrupt things. Let's continue where we left off: JOHN 4 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” GREGG Interesting the specific call out for what they didn't ask, perhaps John wants to draw attention to how Jesus was bucking normal expectations here but the disciples were used to it. Anyways, JOHN 4 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don't you have a saying, ‘It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” GREGG  One aspect of this section is it has confirmation that my Sayings of the Savior series will always be incomplete, which isn't a surprise, presumably Jesus said lots of things that weren't recorded, in fact John basically says as much towards the end of his Gospel. Perhaps he hit the Samaritans with more of his patented harvest metaphors. Whatever it was, he spent two days at it. After that, Jesus went on a healing spree with miracles I covered in 0.20, including one on the Sabbath that got him into trouble with the local Jewish leaders. Here's the aftermath of that starting in Chapter 5 Verse 16: JOHN 5 16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. GREGG Jesus has a very lengthy response to this pushback, and it's another one that helped solidify Christian theology, so brace yourselves: JOHN 5 19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done  what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. 31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” GREGG The next chapter, chapter 6, opens with a couple extra familiar miracles- feeding the five thousand and walking on water- and then gets real. Like, really real. Like, prepping for some Eucharistic mysteries level real. And the Eucharistic theme is touched off by folks from the five thousand looking for more bread. When they pursue him across the lake, he gives them a big old talk about what Catholics are happy to identify as the Eucharist, which we'll obviously be talking more about as we go. JOHN 6 “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” 41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven'?” GREGG It's worth noting how controversially this is landing. Let's continue: JOHN 6 43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” GREGG Controversial for sure, but Jesus certainly shows no indication of a willingness to change analogy–or clarify that he's speaking metaphorically. So believers in the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist are perfectly willing to note that he must indeed be being literal here when he says this next part: JOHN 6 “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum” 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. GREGG After letting many of his followers walk over this whole bread is flesh and you must eat it business, and given passages like this and the Last Supper it's no wonder most Christians are big on the Eucharist, anyways, after that, Jesus turns to the Twelve: JOHN 6 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) GREGG It's always nice to see Peter stepping up, and it's always fun to queue up the boos when Judas Isacriot gets a mention . In the next section, chapter seven now, we see Jesus interacting with folks in the Feast of Booths aka the Festival of Tabernacles aka Sukkot. The scene naturally starts with Jesus declaring that he will do no such thing. JOHN 7 “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 8 You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. GREGG Wait, didn't I promise Jesus at the Festival? What gives? Well, read on! JOHN 7 10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. 14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” 20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man's whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” 25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” 28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” 30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,' and ‘Where I am, you cannot come'?” 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. GREGG The rest of the chapter is devoted to describing various responses to this preaching, from believing Jesus and accepting Him as the Messiah to wanting to execute him. Here Nicodemus pops up, perhaps unsurprisingly recommending the authorities hear Jesus out. Chapter 8 starts out with something of a tense scene, with Jesus effectively being given power of life and death over a woman who had been caught in adultery–no mention of the man. This woman, like many others, is unnamed in the text. The most common tradition in my experience is to associate her with Mary Magdalene, but that seems to miss the mark on several accounts, not least that John seems to like spelling out connections like that like when we saw Nicodemus pop up again last chapter when he was not only called Nicodemus but also described as “Nicodemus who had gone to Jesus earlier”, which is pretty straightforward. Also, Mary Magdalene's reputation as a reformed prostitute–apparently first popularized by none other than Pope Gregory the Great–doesn't have much of a leg to stand on unless you confuse her with the other Mary of Martha and Mary fame. Anyways, Mary Magdalene or not–probably not–but Mary Magdalene or not, the woman's life is in Jesus' hands: JOHN 8 “3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”” GREGG First off, note the presence of a call to repentance here, because my point earlier was not that it should never happen, but that it does not have to happen every time. This is also the only time we see Jesus writing, which I honestly probably wouldn't be pointing out if it weren't for the fact that we have no idea what he wrote. Like none. You tell me if you have ideas, Popeularhistory@gmail.com. One surprising bit about this passage is that apparently most Scripture scholars argue that it's a later addition, not an original part of the Gospel of John. An early addition, mind you, but an addition nonetheless. From the whole Pope-colored glasses perspective it doesn't matter, the canon of Scripture is settled and this passage is part of it. As we've discussed before, from a Catholic perspective the human authorship is theologically irrelevant. Of course, the number one use for this passage in Catholic water-cooler circles is a mariology joke: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone”... *rock whizzes by*- mom! *drum sting* In verse 12, the scene shifts abruptly, possibly due to the later addition scenario I mentioned a minute ago. Let's pick back up without any gap, and see yet another passage of John's Gospel at pains to explain Christology, which just in case I haven't said it already is the mainstream Christian theological understanding of Christ. Anyways: JOHN 8 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” 19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. GREGG It's interesting to see Jesus referencing court here, or at least the temple courts, because I've got to say there's no way the argument He's giving would hold up in court. I probably would be pretty skeptical myself if I were one of the Pharisees here. Then again, I definitely get the sense that He's not primarily talking for *their* benefit here. Anyways, let's continue: JOHN 8  21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” 22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come'?” 23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” 25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” 27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him. 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” GREGG This is the high water mark for this group following Jesus. It goes very far downhill as we continue, and understandably as Jesus has some hard things to say. You might also detect some feelings Jesus has about His own fate: JOHN 8 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham's children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” GREGG Only after being called children of the devil do the Pharisees turn on Jesus here. Some might argue that they were never on his side to begin with, because that's how some similar accounts play out elsewhere in the Gospels, but there's no hint of that here, in fact quite the opposite, remember partway through this section John had noted that some of the Jews were starting to believe in Him and Jesus began speaking to them in particular. This is heavy stuff. Anyways: JOHN 8 48 The Jews answered him, “Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” 49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” 52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. GREGG So in the end, let it never be said that Jesus was unwilling to antagonize. Chapter 9 opens with a miracle, and the entire chapter is devoted to the fallout from that miracle. It was the case of a man who had been blind since birth, and we did cover the miracle itself and its immediate aftermath in our miracles series--now that we're making sure we hit all the sayings of the Savior it's time to cover a later portion of the chapter, after the Pharisees conduct an investigation that does not go well for the healed man. We're picking up in Verse 35: JOHN 9 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. GREGG The next chapter opens with one of the closest things John has to a parable, and it's a big one: The Good Shepherd. JOHN 10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” GREGG The image of the Shepherd is all over Christianity. Priests are called pastors, bishops carry a shepherd's crook, and archbishops' pallia are made from the wool of lambs from Tre Fontane Abbey in Rome. Of course some overtones of the imagery predate Christ's parable, with the blood of the passover lamb marking Jewish door lentils since the Exodus. More on the Lamb of God soon. Later in the chapter, Jesus gets asked a pretty blunt question, and gives a pretty blunt answer: JOHN 10 “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one. GREGG And, like last chapter, this declaration is not well received: JOHN 10 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'? 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus. GREGG All right, I need to address how I can possibly have hope for everyone when Jesus is walking around calling many of the people he interacts with children of the devil, as he did in chapter 7, and specifically not his sheep, as he does here. It's one thing to hope for universal salvation in the face of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John's been hitting different. And yet in John 12:32 we'll hear Jesus say “I will draw all people to myself”. How do we get there from here? Well, ultimately, from a Christian perspective, the same way we get anywhere: by the grace of God. Not only at a higher level–the ”draw all people to myself” business is framed as being part of the Crucifixion–but also at a more intimate and personal level. Yes, I am suggesting that calling folks children of the devil is intimate and personal. When my children mess up, I parent them by clearly pointing out what they've done that's wrong and contrasting it to what they should be doing. It's not the warmest, fuzziest part of parenting, but it's an important part of parenting. I submit to you that Jesus is doing the same here. Of course in the end you may well not agree with me. That's to be expected. As long as you're getting something out of listening to all this, and presumably you are since you're a good chunk of the way through episode whatever, carry on. Let's get back to John's narrative. “If you do not believe me, believe the works”, Jesus said, and the next section, Chapter 11, is dominated by one of Jesus' most famous works, the resurrection of Lazarus. Of course we covered that among the miracles, and the Savior is silent outside of that portion, so on to Chapter 12, the anointing at Bethany. Those of you that listened to the daily show and Cardinal Numbers will recall the use I got out of the Martha/Mary dynamic, and I'm not the only one to use this Gospel scene as a parable. Let's go ahead and take it from the top, where it clearly ties in to the resurrection from the previous chapter: JOHN 12 12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. GREGG Judas, Judas. Get yourself together, man. And so we set the stage for one of the most badly applied sayings of the Savior, see if you can spot it: JOHN 12 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” GREGG The interpretation I'm referring to is the idea that because there will always be poor people we should do nothing to help those in poverty. Thankfully, that's straightforwardly rebutted by the beatitudes and by every parable that shows acts of compassion for the least among us as the way to love Christ. This section is, however, a reminder that the “sell the Vatican, feed the world” position is also wrong, not only economically–you'd feed the world for a day and then what–but spiritually as well. We're a physical people, the more our senses are engaged the more fully we can participate in liturgy. And yet for someone who has an allergy to incense, incense isn't going to help them worship, and for someone who has baggage associated with one style or another, they may be served more effectively by another approach. One of the most controversial things you'll hear me say is that there are multiple right answers as far as liturgy goes. Worship is made to draw people to Christ, and people are coming from different places. As long as it's within bounds according to the Church, God can and will supply what is lacking. And sorry for getting into a “what kind of Mass is best” discussion here, that's decidedly looking into the future,  but this passage features prominently in such discussions, and you all know I like teasing things before they properly emerge, so yes, get hype for 0.31: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. John 12 continues with that standard sign that we're coming towards the end of Jesus' time on earth, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus doesn't say anything in John's account, but it's a significant scene, so let's check out John's version: JOHN 12 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;     see, your king is coming,     seated on a donkey's colt.” 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” GREGG The most particular feature is that last bit, with the frustrated Pharisees still getting a spotlight even among the triumph. John's account is really very interested in that conflict. The next section opens with a surprisingly long message chain: JOHN 12 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” GREGG Jesus is a bit less direct about predicting his death in John than He was in the synoptics, calling it his “glorification”, but it's definitely still there, with the talk of seeds dying to spread growth. You get the sense that it's not really His first choice with His own description of His troubled soul, something that parallels Luke 22:42, Jesus' prayer in the garden at Gethsemane, pretty closely. And, yet while we will discuss that scene and that prayer, we actually haven't gotten to it yet, as Luke has it as part of his overall Passion narrative, a passion narrative being something discussing Jesus' finale of life, patior being a Latin term meaning to suffer, or to endure. By my counting, and folks vary, we're not *quite* to John's passion narrative yet, but the overlap is a sign that we're really very close. Then, God the Father, apparently, speaks, in a first for John's Gospel as John skipped the voice-from-heaven part of Jesus' baptism: JOHN 12 Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. 34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard f

Though John is away, he still carved out time for us this AM -- joining us in our 6:30 half hour, to talk all about his trip to London for Huw Shakeshaft's wedding.

"They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in." -JN20:4-5. Was Peter really the first Pope? This account of the resurrection certainly suggests so. Though John reached the tomb first, he waited for the chief Apostle. Come, see where the Lord was laid in this episode of the #BecomeFire Podcast.

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'[d]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/faith-love-trust--3493635/support.

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the tale of John Joseph Joubert, an airforce radar technician who strangled three young boys to death. Though John's childhood was filled with loneliness and bullying, it was his obsession with old school detective magazines that fueled his fantasies of murder.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Mark 1:1–3These, the opening lines from the Gospel of Saint Mark, present us with Saint John the Baptist. John was the one that Isaiah prophesied would come before the Messiah. John was given the responsibility and privilege of being the one who would be the most immediate preparer for the Savior of the World. Perhaps if most people were given the task of instructing John on how best to prepare the way for the Lord, they would tell him he must go to the leaders of the people, the civil authorities, the influential and those of status in society to win them over first. Many would conclude that the Messiah needed to have the full support of the leaders at that time. But that's obviously not what John did.John the Baptist, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was driven not into the homes of the most prestigious and wealthy, not into the halls of the civil governors, and not into the synagogues or Temple. Instead, John was driven into the desert. And in the desert, that dry and deserted place, he drew many people to himself and to his message of repentance.God continues to call many today to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist. Though John was a real person sent on a real mission at one particular moment in time, the mission he fulfilled is one that still needs fulfilling in various ways today. The “way of the Lord” still needs to be prepared. The Lord still desires to come to many, and He needs prophets to prepare the way for His continual coming by grace. Are you one of those people?Truth be told, every one of us, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, young or old, etc., is called by God to prepare the way for His coming by grace every day. We are called to prepare the way by calling others to sincere repentance and conversion of life. This is done by the witness of our actions, by our words and by numerous other ways that God calls. How is God calling you to do His work? He is certainly calling you. You simply need to be open to that calling and generously respond.Reflect, today, upon that “desert” to which you have been called, so as to prepare yourself and others for the coming of Christ. That desert is any place where there is need and every place where our Lord is not. It might be your family, work environment, community, among friends, or any place that lacks the superabundance of God's grace. Seek to enter those deserts and to be open to be a channel of our Lord's grace to those in need.Lord, You desire to come to me and to all of Your children every day. Please use me to not only prepare my own heart and soul for Your divine coming but to also prepare others to meet You. Give me wisdom and compassion, insight and strength, so that I can imitate Saint John the Baptist and prepare the way for Your most glorious coming by grace. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

The Lion and The Lamb  Rev1:5 #Nightlight #RTTBROS The Lion and the Lamb In the opening of Revelation, John offers a striking portrait of Jesus Christ - the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5 KJV). Though John penned these words while exiled on Patmos, he points to the supremacy and victory of Christ in the midst of suffering. As we study the mysteries of Revelation and gaze at the coming doom, we must never lose sight of the Lion and the Lamb who has already overcome. Let us be reminded of three key truths: His Faithfulness - Christ is the "faithful witness" (v.5), testifying to God's truth with perfect obedience, even unto death. As evil rises, we can trust His steadfast witness. His Resurrection - He is "the first begotten of the dead" (v.5), conquering the grave once for all. No earthly or spiritual power can snatch us from His undefeated hand. His Reign - He is "prince of the kings of the earth" (v.5), sovereign over every earthly authority. No ruler operates apart from His supreme rule. In days of turmoil, fix your eyes on the Lion and the Lamb. He reigns victorious and will bring His people safely through the fire to an eternity with Him. Our gaze is upward, far above the trouble below. Our Podcast, Blog and YouTube Links https://linktr.ee/rttbros Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. RSS feed https://anchor.fm/s/127be410/podcast/rss https://linktr.ee/rttbros

Can you imagine what a surviving copy of Jesus' autograph would be worth today? Or what about a letter to His disciples? The fact is, there is no existing document or copy of anything Jesus ever wrote. We only have this story of Him scribbling something in transient dust on the Temple stones. Though John doesn't tell what Jesus wrote that day, his account does reveal a lot about Jesus Himself and how He interacted with three different kinds of folks.

This morning we study II John. Though John's second letter was only thirteen verses, his message was succinct and clear: walk in the Truth, and watch out for false teachers.

Can you imagine what a surviving copy of Jesus' autograph would be worth today? Or what about a letter to His disciples? The fact is, there is no existing document or copy of anything Jesus ever wrote. We only have this story of Him scribbling something in transient dust on the Temple stones. Though John doesn't tell what Jesus wrote that day, his account does reveal a lot about Jesus Himself and how He interacted with three different kinds of folks.

John 10:22-41 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'? 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” Further Conflict Over Jesus' Claims 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'[d]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

John 10:22-41 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'? 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Landlord John has ventured into the Other Realm for the next few weeks, and as a result we're not releasing regular episodes on a Monday, but we ARE still giving you your weekly does of pub chat in The Week In Pubs. Though John doesn't get to experience the delights of The Moon Under Water for now he does get to experience the delights on offer in Edinburgh, so in this week's episode he shares what he's been up to with Robin, and we hear about a pub crawl from one of our Patreon subscribers! Want to gain access to our bonus podcast ‘Behind The Cellar Door' and support the upkeep of the pub? If so, head to moonunderpod.com and sign up to our Patreon! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Though John and I sit down to discuss the Board of Disinformation formed only 3 weeks ago, it's come out now that it's been put on "pause". Please don't be fooled. The insight that John brings to the table is very valuable and eye opening. There will be a global board of disinformation or ministry of truth during the 7-year tribulation. All things will be reviewed and censored according to the powers that be at that time. The infrastructure is already set. The players are on the stage and the curtains are getting ready to be lifted. Jesus is coming for His bride at any moment...are you ready? Links mentioned in the podcast are listed below. _______________________________________________ If you enjoy the content of these podcasts/interviews, would you prayerfully consider supporting the ministry of Serpents & Doves® with a one time donation or a recurring monthly donation via PayPal... DONATE HERE: https://bit.ly/3IBfZOq _______________________________________________ SHOP/BROWSE THE SERPENTS & DOVES® SITE: https://www.SerpentsNDoves.com _______________________________________________ FELLOWSHIP BIBLE CHAPEL: https://fbchapel.com JOHN HALLER'S FBC PROPHECY UPDATES (YOUTUBE): https://www.youtube.com/user/KoinoniaABF PASTOR BRANDON HOLTHAUS' MESSAGE AT FBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD5ajebVwvY BARACK OBAMA TALKS ABOUT AN IDEAL 3RD TERM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI2Xtqd4Mts BARACK OBAMA HOT MIC SLIP WITH PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNxEDomUlXw RAIR FOUNDATION ARTICLE ON KLAUS SCHWAB: https://bit.ly/39DweyC CISA Disinformation PDF: https://bit.ly/38EM9MZ • SOCIAL MEDIA • INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/31r0QN8 TWITTER: https://bit.ly/34zsLMM FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/2Eqf5cs --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/serpentsndoves/support

Today I'm sharing a special double interview with John David Mann and Ana Gabriel Mann. Though John and Ana are both amazing authors and have been happily married for decades, their most recent book The Go-Giver Marriage is the first one they have written together. We're chatting about the five secrets to lasting love, as well as their relationship-damaging opposites. Plus, how to keep appreciating what your partner brings to your life, even when people around you see their relationships as limiting. Find the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/399

John F@ckn@t Branden was a fraudster - amongst other things. Kate of course, didn't know that when she met him so there's no way she could have known how he would turn her world completely upside down. We'll travel to Gold Beach, Oregon to tell you her story. Though John tried he could never break her spirit for good.  However, the grave events of Saturday May 29th, 1999 would leave her forever changed.  Murderotica Podcast and Cults, Crimes & Cabernet PodcastIf you're enjoying our podcast, please consider leaving a rating & review on Apple Podcasts. It helps get us seen by more creepy people just like you!  Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Patreon,  & more!  If you have any true crime, paranormal, or witchy stories you'd like to share with us & possibly have them read (out loud) on an episode, email us at pnwhauntsandhomicides@gmail.com or use this link.  We're Birdie Ambassadors! Birdie is the modern personal safety alarm made for women, by women.  When threatened, activate Birdie's LOUD siren and flashing light to create a diversion. Use our Ambassador Link and coupon code to receive 10% off your purchase.  Coupon Code: PNWHAUNTSANDHOMICIDESThe National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). There are also TTY & Chat options available on their website.National Dating Abuse Helpline 1-866-331-9474State of Oregon - Contact Call to Safety Crisis Line at 1-888-235-5333 for referrals to local programs.  Find a shelter or local service provider online at the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (OCADSV) website.  VINE can call a phone number automatically to notify when that offender is released or has a change in parole or probation status. Anyone can call the service at 1-877-OR-4-VINE - available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is available in English and Spanish. State of Washington - Washington State Domestic Violence Hotline:  1-800-562-6025 (Voice & TTY) (8am-5pm every day) Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Call 1-800-799-7233Intro/Outro Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/ak/mystic-forestsLicense code: I74RAVIRTFQ4CRXESupport the show

Download John 20-21 Today we complete the Christ Stream reading from the Tree of Life Version. 7streamsmethod.com | @7streamsmethod | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis And with this we triumph. As Christ has risen from the dead, so shall we as we embrace Him fully.  Hallelujah and Amen.   20 -  Mary (Miriam) goes to the tomb for ritualistic reasons - to tend to the body. She isn't prancing down there and thinking, "oh boy oh goodie, I wonder if He's up yet...!" No, she arrives and is surprised to find the stone rolled back, the tomb empty, Jesus not there - not anywhere.  And you do realize that the stone rolled away is for our purposes.  If it wasn't it would lead to eternal ghost stories that skeptics would embrace more than they would Jesus Himself. But back to the original point, we know Jesus doesn't need the stone rolled away to get out.  And He isn't Yosemite Sam in there, alive and trapped and screaming, "let me out! Let me out of here!" When Miriam goes and finds the Disciples, Peter and John bolt for the tomb. Again Peter is bold and stomps into the tomb - reckless as usual. Though John did get there first because he runs faster (and is determined that you know that!)  You gotta love that 'boys will be boys' factor.  When we read that the face cloth was rolled up and in place there's a Jewish culture issue here that westerners don't see right off.  When a Jewish man departs from a dining setting, if he is done and not returning, he throws his personal cloth (napkin) onto the table and you are free to clear his place setting.  However if he is returning, he rolls up his cloth neatly and lays it beside his setting. In the tomb, Jesus' face cloth is set by the stone where He was laid to rest because ... you guessed it, He Is Returning! John saw that and immediately knew Jesus was alive. But notice that the other disciples went home for they did not understand...  And Jesus told them ?how many times? about his death and resurrection in this last three years?! The disciples are like over-grown elementary kids in this regard; they can listen all day and, in certain ways, not hear a thing. It will hit them all eventually. It is rather touching that Jesus appears to Miriam first. She is going to be the most evangelistic about it so may as well tell her first. Does it strike you that she didn't know the angels were angels AND she didn't know Jesus was Jesus? Everyone was so resigned to his death being final. It was that gruesome a few days ago - we would have been the same way too.         Mary realizes that Jesus is Jesus when He calls her name.  btw, When did it hit you? When did you realize that Jesus is Jesus Christ the Savior? When did He call your name? Do you remember?       John records Jesus in two more appearances in this chapter. The Disciples are in a locked room still afraid because of the Judean leaders that would troll, find, and crucify (also!) the followers of the false Messiah that was just crucified the prior Friday. [This is one of the reasons Jesus had to appear to the women first - there was no death threat on them and they were far more free to spread the Resurrection news.   So Jesus appears to most of the Disciples -- they are in a locked room and He did not use a door!  And they are happy as kids at a candy store to see Him. They later found and told Thomas who was resolute in his need for proof. We know what happened and we know what Thomas' reaction was once he saw and touched Jesus' scars. Careful about accusing Thomas as "the doubter". His journey to faith came a little tougher than the others. But he never doubted again. And because he once doubted, and wanted confirmation, we never have to.  Thomas went as far as India in his journeys with the Holy Spirit; evangelizing for Jesus. His spirit and joy and soulish resolve to evangelize to the end had him raise up an army of feverish disciples that completed the task of taking the gospel all the way across Asia to where Shanghai is today! And Jesus did so many more miracles. None who met Him ever doubted anything again. Their faith was bolstered enough to invade and infiltrate and transform the Roman Empire - which they did in time. You can visit Thomas' tomb where he was martyred with spears in Chennai, on the east coast of India. 21 - Later Jesus is found in Galilee.  John mentions seven of the 11 Disciples are up in Galilee (not 12; Judas Iscariot is gone).  They are fishing through the night, catching nothing then get advised to throw nets on the "right side".  Have they heard this before? Have we? They pull in a record haul and this time the nets don't tear.  Three years ago, they tore.  They couldn't handle all the blessing - now they are ready for all the blessing the Lord is going to heap on them.  Keep that in mind: we need to be ready for more blessing before receiving more blessing. God doesn't pour out so that it is simply wasted because we don't know what to do with it.     Then Jesus has a necessary conversation that can be condensed to "Peter, you can't trust yourself - but you can trust me.  You've been committed - you need to be surrendered now."  Jesus tells him, 1] feed my lambs. 2] take care of my sheep. 3] feed my sheep.  Jesus is calling him to comprehensive care of the growing Church.  [1] When young lambs are fed they grow to sheep. [2] When they are full grown they still need to be sheered, taken to pasture/water and kept from wolves. [3] When they are secure in all this and full grown sheep -->they still need to be fed.  Peter is being called to life-long ministry ... which he fulfills wonderfully.  And as John finishes his gospel he tells that Jesus did so much more that would fill the whole world were it all to be told.  However, we now know enough to believe with all our hearts and lives.  We also have His Word, this Word to take to the whole world.  Let's do so.

As first an artist and now an author, Scotsman John Morris has successfully bypassed settling into a creative niche. His painting subject matter varies widely, and when he turned his focus to writing and publishing, he designed a book that's strikingly original in every aspect. The Battles That We All Face not only combines his art and writing, but he approached the design of the book to create a work of art. John's vision was to write a book that would inspire people to grow through their struggles. He had many opportunities to practice his philosophy while self-publishing a book that presented unusual printing challenges. Several times he faced the choice between a timely publication and missing his self-imposed deadline for the sake of a high-quality product and always chose quality. While working on The Battles That We All Face, his vision expanded to include an ongoing relationship with the people he reached through his book. He established a significant social media platform, and its ability to reach people inspired him to develop a series of podcasts which furthers the message of his book. Though John's publishing journey has been unique, the lessons he's learned are universal. Learn from John how setting creativity free can help win the battles that we all face. Highlights of John's journey as shared in Writing to Get Business Podcast: • Why should you never put off bringing an exciting idea to life? • What is the value of expanding one's reach to include podcasts? • Why is quality of the product more important than timeliness? • How does honesty with customers and one's audience deepen an author's relationship with them? • How does listening to the messages that life is trying to tell you enhance your creativity? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John 10:22-42(NIV)Further Conflict Over Jesus' Claims22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[b]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”'[c]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourdailybible)

Pastor Daniel Simmons preaches a Christmas sermon from John 1:1-5. Jesus Christ, the Life and Light of Mankind John 1:1-5 Exegetical Main Point: Jesus is the Word made flesh, the life and light of men, come to overcome the darkness. Anyone who believes in him will become children of God. Main Point of the Sermon: Jesus is the light and life of mankind. Introduction Human history is full of stories of people looking for a savior, some manifestation of the gods who would come and bring light and peace in the dark world. In some of the most popular movies and books, you’ll find the same story – think Harry Potter, the Avengers, Stranger Things, or Star Wars. Since the very beginning, humanity has felt it’s need for someone or something to “dispel the gloomy clouds of night and to put death’s dark shadows to flight.” This advent and Christmas season we sing about a Savior and we light candles, our trees, and our homes, all pointing to the light of Christ that has broken the darkness. But still, a tension is felt by all of us, perhaps this year more than any other. The Savior has come, the light is here, but why is the darkness still so heavy upon us? I feel that deeply in this season. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” But even as this little candle light barely flickers in this room – and is so difficult to light in the first place – it feels so often like the darkness IS winning, the little light that is present IS getting snuffed out. Friends, if you feel that today, you’re not alone. And I’m here to proclaim to you a message of hope. The darkness has not, and will not overcome the light. Today’s text shows us that if you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, no matter what darkness touches your world, you will overcome. Let’s Pray GOD: Context We’ve just read from the prologue of John’s Gospel. The Apostle John had a special friendship with Jesus. He is famously called the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. While John was the only Apostle who didn’t die as a martyr, Church history records that after he survived being boiled alive in oil, he was exiled to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation. John saw Jesus die and was himself well acquainted with suffering. Yet he wrote with confidence that eternal life was found only in this man, Jesus. Later in this book he says, 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Let’s get into the text to see what made John so confident in this message. Text: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 1-3 Christmas: the life story that goes beyond the birth story “In the beginning was the Word…” The great mystery of the Christmas story is that behind the famous manger scene and the little baby Jesus is a much bigger story. We consider a baby born, especially one of noble birth, and we get excited, perhaps hopeful. But nothing compares with this. This baby boy’s beginning was strange because it was not actually his beginning. This baby, John writes, was in fact there at the beginning of beginnings. This phrase “in the beginning” is the same phrase found at the beginning of the creation narrative in Genesis. And it is there, at the beginning of time that we find “the Word”. To avoid in confusion of who “the Word” is, allow me to read ahead a little bit. Verse 14: 14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” John is telling you the story behind the story of the little baby Jesus who took on human flesh. Jesus is the Word who was there at the beginning of all things. Why is John using this language, “the Word”, for Jesus? Though John is very likely drawing from a cultural understanding of this term Logos, most important to him would be what Scripture had taught about “the Word”. Throughout the Old Testament, “the Word” captures the idea of God’s self-expression, or God’s speech. But interestingly, “both psalmists and prophets portray God’s word in close-to-personified terms (Ps. 147:15, 18; Isa. 55:10–11).” For example Psalm 33:6 reads, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” Or again in Psalm 107:20, “He sent out his word and healed them…” You see, “the Word” is who made the heavens. “The Word” was sent to heal. But here John “claims that this word has appeared in space-time history as an actual person, Jesus Christ (1:14, 17).”[1] As you continue in verse 1, you see more clearly what John is trying to show us: 1 In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So, at the very beginning of time, the Word was present. Who else was present at the beginning? Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God…” God was present at the beginning and John says, “the Word was with [him].” So, there is God and there is the Word together, but separate. But then John adds, “and the Word was God.” What?! Is he with God or is he God? Yes! Confusing I know, but this is what John is trying to capture with human language. This Jesus is not just any baby boy, but in fact, God, the one who has no beginning, who existed before time was created, who is himself the source of life and all things. He is distinct from God the Father, but himself divine. This is one of many texts from where theologians draw the doctrine of the trinity, that God is both One being and three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, existing in perfect unity in each of their distinct roles. In verse 2, John reminds us that he is talking about a person. 2 He was in the beginning with God. This divine logos is a person, who had always been with God, described with a personal pronoun. To be clear, John is not teaching here that baby Jesus existed in heaven with God or in human form at all for that matter. No, that’s why verse 14 says that the Word took on flesh. 1) Jesus was not always human 2) but he has always been God, existing long before this birth story, or before any of our birth stories! To show further that this Word made flesh is divine, John describes the divine action of the Word. Verse 3: 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Jesus creates out of nothing. Who can create out of nothing? Only God. Jesus is God and “all things” were made through him. This is includes everything you see and don’t see. The heavens the earth, angelic beings, physical and spiritual thrones… all things. To make sure you understand that he talking about all things, John emphasizes his point, without him was not any thing made that was made. This includes Jesus himself. He is not a created being, but in fact the uncreated God! Though he was born into the world as a human, don’t be deceived. Jesus is not a created being of the Father, but himself the uncreated one by whom and through whom, and for whom all things exist. Everything that exists, exists because of Jesus, and this Jesus is the one we sing about who was held by human hands, who was born in blood, sweat, tears, and dirt, and was laid in a manger. Marvel with me at this mystery. And why would God do this? This is what John shows us in verse 4. 4-5a, 9-11, 14 Jesus has come to shine in the darkness. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness… Why would God do this? Because God saw you in your darkness. He was born in the night in order to bring light to our world. You see, the problem with the world is not lack of education or healthcare, it’s not the coronavirus, it’s not climate change, it’s not political, economic, or race related. Though all of these things are a result of the problem, they are not the problem. The reason we are dying and these things and many other atrocities exist in our world is the simple fact that we have rejected our source of life. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. Where can we find life and light in this dark and fallen world we live in? Only Jesus! Many religions and philosophies will argue that they have the true path of life, but I need you to know today that Jesus alone is life and light. Without him there is no life and light. The same one who created life in the beginning came to the world he made, to the people he fashioned, carrying the power to recreate us. Jesus is our hope. Jesus is the light and life of men. This is John’s main point and the main thing I want you to get out of this sermon. Friends, God is not just our source of life in that he created us – like a one and done-big-bang-have a good life kind of God. No, he is our daily sustainer – like the air we breathe, the bread we eat, the water we drink, like the roots of the tree. When humanity looks for life in things other than God, we are like someone trying to drink from a cup with holes in it. No matter how much we pour in, it leaks out and never satisfies. This is the great deception of human history – that we can exist and flourish without God, that we are better without him. The lie being whispered in the ear of every person in every time in every place is no different than that which was whispered to Adam and Eve in the garden – “Find life and happiness your own way. You will not die… you will be like God.” Every single human since the beginning, at some point has bought it. Many things promise life and happiness: sex, money, power, drugs, food… even good things are twisted to become god things for us in which we search for life and happiness. We’ve ALL eaten the forbidden fruit, and in so doing we’ve rejected God who is life and thus chosen the path of death. So, humanity is perishing because of their sin. But this brings us back to the Good News of the Christmas story! Verse 5: 5 The light shines in the darkness… The Good News of Christmas is that light has come. The same one who created light with a word has come to restore light to the world. Humanity no longer has to wander in darkness and perish apart from God. Verse 9 says: 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. Jesus, the long awaited Messiah, promised by God through the prophets, who came to provide true light for all mankind, that we would not have to perish in our sin, but have the opportunity to be brought back to life in him. Little did anyone know, in the little town of Bethlehem, lying in a manger and surrounded by animals and lowly shepherds, was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the true life and light of the world, the Savior of the world. He stepped down from his throne and entered the dark shadows of night in order to rescue the people he loved from their sickness: sin and death. This is Good News for you and me! But here lies our tension: if the light has come, why do we feel darkness all around us? Is this not just one more empty tale of hope like the stories we watch and read every day? This brings us to the second half of verse 5. YOU 5 12-13 The darkness has not overcome him. 5b “…and the darkness has not overcome it.” These are hope filled words. But also present in these words is the reality of a war. “Overcome”. Do you see the clash of light and dark? There is no question of who wins the war here, but there is a clash nonetheless, and this is exactly what we feel on a daily basis. For Christians, it’s the old man – the old darkness in us – clashing with our new nature in Christ. It’s the daily draw towards the world. It’s the suffering we feel daily, the persecution, the lack, the death all around us. For non-Christians, the clash is still real. Whether the loss of loved ones, the frustrations and disappointments of work, the relational tension, the emotional and mental brokenness, and on and on. Every human feels deeply that something is wrong with the world. We’re looking for a solution as we have for millennia, but the battle rages on. Do you feel it? Pause. (slowly) Jesus entered the thick of it. Verse 10 says, 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. The crowds said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son? We know his parents.” “We know where he came from.” He was driven out of towns. Poor. Homeless. Slandered. Mocked. Spit upon. Ultimately crucified naked before crowds of the people he had spent his life serving, teaching, and healing. Throughout history, Christ has been scorned and hated and rejected… by the very people he created, who lived and had their being in him, who were ultimately owned by him. And why? Why did they reject him? John writes in chapter 3 verse 19: 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. At the center of the war between light and darkness is our own hearts. This is so important. The pain we feel in this dark world is not the root problem. It’s just a symptom of the problem. The problem is our sin and rebellion towards God. The light has come to save us and yet we are prone to reject him. Why? Because we love the darkness more than the light. We prefer our sin. Our hearts have actually become slaves to darkness. Everyone who lives in opposition to God, doing the things he forbids and refusing to do that which he commands, “hates the light”, and refuses to come to the light because it would expose the emptiness and evil of their lives. Some of you might say, “Daniel, I don’t hate Jesus. I just don’t believe that he is the only way to be saved.” Friend, in saying such a thing you’ve chosen to believe a different gospel message. The world says you can have God and the world, Jesus and your idols, you can sleep with your girlfriend and be a Christian. As long as you don’t hurt anyone, believe what you want to believe and you’ll be ok. “Don’t make it so black and white, pastor.” The problem is, I’m not the one making it black and white… God is. When Jesus says that he is “the way, the truth, the life, that no one comes to the Father but through him” (Jn 14:6), he is saying clearly that no other religion, no philosophy, no good works, nothing, can save apart from him. Any message that leads you to believe otherwise is a lie from hell and nothing more than a war tactic of the darkness. The battle between light and dark rages. The devil is defeated but he will bring down as many with him as possible. Who’s side are you on? I’m shooting it strait right now because I love you and want good for you. I’m just as rebellious at heart apart from the mercy of God. And this is where hope is for you and me today. John writes in verse 12, “12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” The truth of the matter is that every one of us at one point hated the light because our works were evil and deserve death as a result. Jesus knew he would be rejected. But he came anyway. He knew he would be crucified, though he was innocent. But he willingly chose that path so that anyone who received him, who believed in him, would be reconciled with God, not as slaves, forced to obey in fear, but as children of God, brought to his house, his table, his arms. Those who believe in the Jesus are in fact, adopted into his family through Jesus. Elsewhere, John describes this great transfer out of darkness into light as rebirth. The believer is born again. How? Not of blood by human parents like at first, but by God’s power. Just as God spoke into the darkness at the beginning of creation, “Let there be light” and there was light. Those who believe in Jesus are made new in an instant, recreated, no longer belonging to darkness, but to light, so that their primary happiness is not found in the works of darkness, but in the works of light. Those who have been born again no longer see Jesus’s light as pathetic, poor, or a kill-joy, but as the glory of God – our very life. This is the miracle of Christmas that takes place every day in millions upon millions of lives presently and throughout history – “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Kingdom of God is advancing in hearts around the world. Satan and his workers seek to stop the light from spreading, but the Word of God cannot be stopped! The darkness has not overcome it. Christmas is a global message of hope, healing, and happiness for all who believe. But what about those who have believed but who feel darkness surrounding them daily as I’ve mentioned? Are you going to tell me, “Just believe and everything will be ok?” No, the message of the Bible is more robust than that. Following Christ does not mean that suffering will come to an end. Just the opposite. Christ promises us that just as he was rejected by men, we too will be rejected – light continues to clash with the dark. But the same truth still applies – “the darkness has not overcome it.” For those who believe in Christ, you have a source of contentment and hope that goes deeper than any suffering or pain you are walking through. When you are united to Jesus through faith, eternity has begun for you. Because you have been reunited to the source of life – you are promised eternal life – and nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can overcome the Light! Nothing can ultimately overcome you. Not even sin. If you are wrestling to overcome sin, God promises not to count your record against you any longer, but to give you Christ’s perfect record. Not even death. If Coronavirus took you, you would step into the presence of our Savior and rule with him. Even as he was raised from death after three days, you will be raised. No suffering in this world will ultimately destroy you because of the life you are connected to. You know the eternal life. Therefore, no loss in this world will ultimately be lost to you. Jesus will restore all to you. He promises eternal life in a new heaven and new earth. The battle has been won. It was finished at the cross. Proven through the resurrection. If Christ has been raised, we will rise with him. The battle still rages, but only because God is patient with those who are yet to hope in him and find refuge from the final destruction coming on the darkness of the world and Satan. If you do not know Jesus and have this hope in him today, now is the time to come to him and receive forgiveness from your sins, deliverance from your darkness, and life in his name. I will be down in the front after the service and I would like to talk with you if you want that, or grab most anyone in this room. WE So this Christmas, if you are trusting Jesus there is reason to REJOICE. The Light and life has come and the darkness has not, will not, overcome. This Christmas, rejoice! Even in your suffering, rejoice. In your grieving, rejoice. Rejoice because Satan is defeated, sin is overcome, and you belong to the Family of God. So Church, come, let us adore him, for all that he is and for all that he has done. He is truly worthy of our praise! Emmanuel! Christ has come and Christ will come again! Let’s Pray Benediction comes from Revelation 21:6-7: 6 And [Jesus said], “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. If you are suffering and you need prayer, come and let us pray with you. Merry Christmas! [1] Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament

Brian and Don welcome a much anticipated guest for this episode, Professor Fernando Perez joins us for an episode of 26.1 AI Podcast. Dr. Perez speaks about his journey, the community, and all the challenges along the way. Fernando shares in his inimitable style, how he journeyed from straight laced physicist in pursuit of an academic career to doggedly ignoring naysayers and creating one of the most important components of the modern PyData stack. One personal challenge during this journey was losing a friend Dr. John Hunter. John also influenced your host Brian Ray. Though John missed collaborating when Fernando set out with IPython because of conflicts from prior commitments, the two joined in later to collaborate on advancing tools data scientists use every day now. Sit back and enjoy Fernando's dexterity on multiple topics as hosts Brian Ray and Don Sheu hold on for the ride for your benefit listener.

In this message, Pastor Steve Heron asks the question what does Jesus look like now? What is he doing? While John is exiled to the island of Patmos, Jesus reveals himself to John in all His glory as the leader and head of His church. Though John is astonished at what he sees, he is commissioned to write specific messages to each of the 7 churches of his day. These messages form the counsel to churches who will face typical temptations in various seasons. As such they provide insight for a church to examine itself in light of Jesus's commands and character.

Join Dave and Wayne for genre television show news, a glimpse into what the hosts are currently watching, commentary and analysis of NBC Peacock’s Brave New World, and our listener feedback.  This week on the SciFi TV Rewatch podcast we discuss Bernard’s attempt to manipulate Lenina and John by asking her out on a date. Though John can intellectualize Lenina’s sexual actions as part of her duties to the social body, his conversation with Helm makes it seem he’s ready to take drastic action. And speaking of drastic action, John sews the seeds of revolution within the Epsilon community. In our What We're Watching segment, Wayne explains his love of the Spanish series Money Heist, and Dave binges the psychological thriller Tabula Rasa and begins season two of Atiye: The Gift.  In Listener Feedback, Fred from the Netherlands focuses on the music of this episode. Remember to join the genre television and film discussion on the SciFi TV Rewatch Facebook group and follow us on Twitter @SciFiTVRewatch for the latest genre television show news and podcast releases. Episode Grade: A-  

John 10:22-42(NIV)Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[b]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[c]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourdailybible)

While stationed at Fort Hood, Captain John Arroyo heard gunshots on base. Before he could react, he was shot in his throat during what became the second mass shooting at Fort Hood in five years. Though John had a long road to recovery, his life would be a constant reminder that his life had a purpose beyond this one defining moment. In this episode, Captain John details the moment of being shot and how his life had prepared him for this moment in which he would hear the Voice of the Lord speak to him to Get Up. 

Revelation 6:9-11 Series: Just Conquer #21 # Introduction We do not know the extent of evil on earth. We do not know how bad it has been in the past, we do not know how bad it is in other parts of the world, we do not know how bad it still could get. We do not know if we can believe how bad things are as reported, we do not know if it's the reports themselves that are bad. Perhaps the most dreadful wickedness is the persecution of God's people, not just those who are mocked and mistreated through legal and/or economic methods, which are real trials, but those who are killed for their confession. Men and women have died, they are dying, and there are more who will give up their lives in order to witness to their love for God. No one cares more about this than God Himself. No human being, no matter how sympathetic, no matter if they themselves are the ones being persecuted, know the extent of the anger and hatred in their persecutor's heart, let alone the scale of persecution throughout history. No one is more offended by, or indignant against, unrighteousness. No one cares for His children more than our heavenly Father, our Father who sent His Son to endure crucifixion in order to redeem and adopt and fellowship with us. And yet, where is He? Why doesn't He do something? Why not intervene and do justice? One of the frequent cries of God's people is “How long?” We might ask it appropriately in the midst of any pain and trial. But it applies especially to the greatest pains of a martyr's cry. In Revelation 6:9-11 we hear that very cry. The Lamb has taken the scroll and has begun to open the seals. In Revelation 6:1-8, as He broke each seal, one of the four living creatures called out for a horse and rider. The rider on the white horse conquered to establish a kind of superficial peace on earth, that was ruined by the red horse rider who took peace from the earth, followed by the black horse and rider of scarcity, and then the pale horse and the Death rider who killed a quarter of the earth's population. The first four seals, however far apart they occurred or overlapping, make major movement on the earth. The fifth seal is so different. There is no horse, and the result of the broken seal is that *nothing* happens on earth, not at least as part of this seal. Though John saw the living creatures in heaven, the horsemen rode out on earth. Now he sees others in heaven, and they are told to *hold on* for a while. The sixth seal has an earthquake and stars falling to earth and mountains on earth removed, but the fifth seal is just a discussion in the heavenly temple. I have been more and more encouraged as I've meditated on this paragraph the last week. I pray you will be further emboldened to just conquer as well by this Word of the Lord. # The Characters (verse 9) As usual John sees: **When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw souls**. This is the original, “I see dead people.” The vision initially begs the question, how do you see souls represented? These souls were **under the alter**. An alter is mentioned multiple times in Revelation, and could be a reference to the sacrificial altar or to the altar of incense in the temple (see later Revelation 8:3-5; 9:13); the prayers as incense seem to be the correct connection (Revelation 5:8). This is the heavenly temple edition of the altar, and it is in the throne room. > The LORD is in his holy temple; > the LORD's throne is in heaven; > his eyes see, his eyelids test > the children of man. > (Psalm 11:4 ESV, see also Isaiah 6:1) The altar represents what is offered to God in worship, which these souls have done with their bodies. They have *not* been given their resurrection bodies yet. They are not asleep, they are conscious and audible. These souls in particular **had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had borne.** They were martyrs, meaning that, from our perspective on earth, their deaths were not at the right time. They did not die from old age, or even from a disease, but by the hands of angry men. They have endured what the Lamb endured (Revelation 5:6), even though their deaths did not purchase anyone's atonement. That they were slain for God's Word does not mean that they were all preaching, though some of them could have been. It meant that they believed, and that believing cost them. They gave up their lives in confession of Christ. Are these martyrs from all time? Are these martyrs from a particular time, in the past or future? Their question in the following verse seems to link the requested vengeance on their persecutors, so it suggests that this is not a representative retribution on any who are available, but a very personal return of justice. In addition, two of the words from the horsemen are repeated, “slay” from verse 4 is repeated in verse 9, and “kill” is repeated from verse 8 in verse 11. Since this paragraph follows, as also the fifth seal follows the first four, a close connection is made. The preterist position sees these souls as the martyrs during Nero's reign and persecution of Christians, with judgment falling on the Romans and Jews who killed many Christians leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The futurist position (for example, MacArthur) believes that it is the first half of the Great Tribulation, but applicable to the time of tribulations that come prior to Christ's return. # The Cry (verse 10) They were not making a bureaucratic appeal, silently pushing papers into the Lamb's inbox for later administrative processing. They are *crying* out. **They cried out with a loud voice: ‘How long, Master, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on earth?'** **Master** or “Sovereign” (ESV), “Lord” (NAS) is the Greek word *despotes*, rarely used of God and, interestingly, only used to address Him directly in prayers. If there is a nuance to this word for master, it may emphasize legal control and authority as an owner (BAGD). The two attributes, **holy and true**, are also appropriate for the situation, not merely to distinguish Him from other masters, but as an appeal to the fact that He must care. Who cares about what is **holy** more? He cannot bear unrighteousness. Who cares about what is **true** more? He knows those who have slain the souls. He is the judge who distinguishes all right from wrong. He avenges, afflicting punishment due to the rebels. The description, **those who dwell on earth**, is used throughout Revelation as the belligerent, beast-worshipping humans whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb (for example, Revelation 13:8). But, **how long??** The question does not imply despair, as if the souls questioned if they would ever be vindicated. It's not a lottery. The question has more to do with urgency. “We believe You will act, so act now! What are You waiting for?” It is a regular cry of believers, one that we are taught to sing in the psalms. > How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? > How long will you hide your face from me? > How long must I take counsel in my soul > and have sorrow in my heart all the day? > How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? > (Psalm 13:1-2, see also 94:3) A comparison can be made, not just with Jesus' prayer on the cross (Luke 23:34), but with Stephen's prayer (Acts 7:60) as he was stoned. Both of them prayed for their killers to be forgiven. But these martyrs have more of the imprecatory psalm sort of prayer in their soul-mouths. > Why should the nations say, > “Where is their God?” > Let the avenging of the outpoured blood > of your servants > be known among the nations before our eyes! > (Psalm 79:10 ESV) There are times to pray for mercy for one's enemies, but there are times to pray for the Lord to do justice against committed enemies. God says, vengeance is *His*, and He will repay (Deuteronomy 32:35, quotes in Romans 12:19). > “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. (Revelation 22:12 ESV) Being in heaven has not softened their perspective. It has not made them just want everyone to get along. They want what is *just*. They also cry for that justice to God. It is His alter on which they are presented and to Him appeal is made to make it right. # The Completion (verse 11) Though they are souls and not bodies, they are given clothes and counsel. Then **they were each given a white robe**, which is usually a symbol of righteousness in Revelation. How would they wear it? That is a question that remains. What the vision affirms is that they not only were heard, but that their prayers were *received* by God with His approval. Those who dwell on earth rejected them to death, God declares His acceptance. It is the counsel that is most interesting: **they were told to rest a little longer, until [the number], both of their fellow servants and also of their brothers who were to be killed as they were, was completed**. Why would they need to **rest**? They are in heaven. They are with the Lamb. What else could they want? And yet they are told to be at peace. The thing they are waiting for is not indefinite. There is no dashboard on the wall of the heavenly temple, and they aren't told the quantity, but they are told, probably by the Lamb Himself, that there is a total, a fullness, chosen and known and ordained by Him, of those who would be killed. Why would this comfort the souls? On one hand this shows the Lord's control, of course. On another hand it shows the limitations of wickedness; it will kill so many, but no more. On the third hand it shows that He avenges when the wickedness of man is *ripe*. He is getting maximum glory. He has already opened the first four seals and initiated the judgement. The story, though, will not peak too soon. His righteousness will not miss a man, either in showing His persevering grace to all those chosen to just conquer as faithful martyrs, or in showing His righteous wrath on all who attack and kill His people. The “fullness” can't be a symbol, otherwise it would be meaningless, or at least a vague comfort to the souls. The souls are not told to be quiet. Nothing is wrong with their cry. The prayers are pleasing to the Lord, as a fragrant incense (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4). None will be hidden behind a leaf, able to escape notice on the branch. The tree will be shaken when the harvest is ready. # Conclusion However you understand the timing of the seals and the identification of the martyrs, the fifth seal opens onto the attention given to the vengeance of the Lord when unrighteousness is ripe. Answers to “how long?” come as early as the sixth seal in 6:12-17. In the meantime, we likewise wait, and our waiting is not in vain, like those at St. Anne's in _That Hideous Strength_. Sometimes waiting *is* the best thing we can do in the Lord's battle. The righteous will be received, by the Lord's grace. The wicked will get what's coming to them, by the Lord's justice. > When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:23 ESV) -------------------- ## Charge Here are some inspired encouragements: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” so “they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:28–29, 31). You may ask, “How long?” And He will say, “The days are numbered.” ## Benediction: > Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7–8, ESV)

Megan Sorrow shares with us the importance of listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  --------------------------------- John 10  The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[d]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

John Pistole’s remarkable life has come full circle. A career FBI special agent who rose through the ranks to become the Deputy Director (the second highest official in the Bureau), John held that crucial and sensitive position longer than anyone in the history of the FBI and, in his case, under iconic Director Robert Mueller. Though John imagined that would be his last job in public service, President Obama tapped him in 2010 to serve as the head of the Transportation Security Administration - an agency John led for almost five years and through significant change. Raised in Anderson, Indiana, on the campus of Anderson University - where his father and sister both taught - John has since returned to his alma mater to serve as the President of Anderson University. Indeed, his life has come full circle. On The Oath, John shares fascinating stories of his work as an FBI special agent, of working with and for Bob Mueller after 9/11, and of reforming the TSA, including the use of intelligence assessments and risk mitigation strategies to drive TSA operations. If you have thoughtful feedback on this episode or others, please email us at theoathpodcast@gmail.com

Joel Radford – Do you speak truly about Jesus? – John 10:40-42 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said […]

In today's readings,  we hear about the role of Elijah and John the Baptist. As we continue to reflect upon St. John the Baptist, we see that his role of being Elijah was missed by the scribes. They failed to see him fulfilling Elijah’s role of preparing the way for the Lord. Though John had a unique and definitive role in preparing for the coming of Christ, so also do each one of us have a role in preparing for His continual coming. Jesus came once many years ago, but He desires to continue coming into our lives. And He can only come if we properly prepare for Him.

John Holmes or Johnny Wadd as he was known to his fans, was one of the most accomplished adult film stars of all time. He is credited in at least 537 films between 1967 and 1987. The limelight didn't last however, and soon John fell into a rabbit hole of drugs, debt, and disease. In the early morning hours of June 29th 1981, four members of the Wonderland gang were found murdered in an LA home where John had been staying. Though John's involvement in the crime is still hotly contested, it certainly has us questioning what was in that tea. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Enjoy another Scary Halloween treat.   A radio show sponsor is to give away as a contest prize, a mechanical man, a robot. XR23 is 6 feet tall, made of metal, yet with human like features. The robot responds to voice requests, even in doing the most petty of tasks. The radio DJ tries to show how gentle the robot can be the robot still needs some tweaks in that department.   Happy Sam, the happy man goes into his on air spiel. Hey, how about those Krylon suits. I wonder if that's where Krylon paint got its name? Michael the Mechanical Man takes center stage. Don't you just love the way that computator made the selection for the winner? Two way TV sets? I wonder if that is supposed to be the Internet?   The story shifts to the couple who won. The wife has some mental insability, and too much excitement might upset the apple cart of her mind. As she gets braced to recieve the prizes her husband goes to get Michael the Mechanical Man. I think her neighbor lady friend is a tiny bit jealous of her winnings. John, the husband is skeptical that the robot will be little more than a child's toy.   Though John is somewhat afraid of the strength and potential of the robot, XR23, Mary seems to take comfort in the robot. She gives him commands and teaches the robot to love. But can a robot truly love? Or is it just responding to commands?   If a robot can love, it might just as easily learn to hate and kill. That lady neighbor better watch out. The worried husband tries to intervene, but should he be worrying? The experts say there's nothing to worry about. What could happen? Robots can't kill. They're just not programmed to do that... right?   Bonus Tracks: None today, just tips about the web page.   http://retro-otr.com   Visit today, and check it out.   

ANSWER to SimplyStu Minute Triathlon Mysteries:Nice job jwm (see comments for dialog)! You're right. If any of you had to look up the rule for this, well then, great. That's the idea. Randy violated Position rule 5.10g, Being Overtaken. "When the leading edge of the front wheel of one cyclist passes beyond the front wheel of another cyclist the second cyclist has been ‘overtaken’ within the meaning of these Rules. A cyclist who has been overtaken bears primary responsibility for avoiding a position foul and must immediately move to the rear and out of the drafting zone of the passing cyclist. The overtaken cyclist shall first move completely out of the drafting zone of the other cyclist before attempting to re-pass the other cyclist. In no case, however, shall a participant move into the path of another participant possession the right of way.” Explanation: It’s clear the draft zone (two meters wide by seven meters long) around each of John and Randy intersected if John was able to reach out and give Randy a friendly pat on his back. As the passing cyclist, John was obligated to exit Randy’s draft zone by continuing to pass Randy, which he actually did. Though John managed to get only a half bike length ahead of Randy he only needed to get the leading edge of his front tire past the leading edge of Randy’s front tire to overtake Randy and thus officially complete the pass. At that point, having been overtaken, Randy was obligated to drop back out of John’s draft zone before attempting to re-pass John. Instead, Randy failed to drop back and instead sped up and re-passed John. jwm gets bonus points for knowing the variable time penalty. Stay tuned for the next 'Minute Triathlon Mystery.'Original Post: Welcome to the SimplyStu Minute Triathlon Mysteries.  This was an idea that I had to try and get rule information into the hands of all my triathlon friends.  With all the hard work that is done during training, it is silly to violate a rule and get penalized.  So what was I to do?  I had to ask my SimplyStu Triathlon friend and USAT certified official Mike Fox to help out.  He gave me the source for the mini-podcast.  I can't thank Mike enough for helping.So, case number one is fairly simple.  It will give you the idea of how these work.  Feel free to leave a comment here, or E-Mail who violated a rule and what rule was violated.  Was it Randy, John, or MaryBeth?  Was there multiple rules violations?  Hmmmmmm.  Have a listen and let me know what your thoughts are.  In a few days, Mike will come back on and give us all the answer!!!  Good luck.Just to make sure we are all clear - Minute Triathlon Mysteries are authored by Mike Fox; a triathlete and USAT certified official.  Minute Triathlon Mysteries is not associated with or sanctioned by USA Triathlon.  The views expressed are solely those of the author. 

During the Easter season, we are reading from the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Though John, Philip, Peter, and James are all featured in Acts, the "star" of the text is clearly Paul, missionary and evangelist. Who was this extraordinarily important figure, the man that many say, after Jesus himself, was most influential on the development of Christianity? For the next three weeks, I will be exploring the life, thought, and work of Paul the Apostle.

Since last week's episode was titled Westward Ho! As we track the expansion of the Faith into the New World with Spain and Portugal's immersion, this week as we turn to the other Europeans we'll title this week's episode, Westward Ho-Ho, because I'm tired of saying Part 2. I know it's lame, but hey, it's my podcast so I'll call it what I want.Before we dive into this week's content, I wanted to say a huge thanks to all those who've left comments on iTunes and the CS FB page.Last week we ended the episode on the expansion of the Faith into the New World by speaking of the Spanish missions on the West Coast. The Spanish were urgent to press north from what would later be called Southern CA because the Russians were advancing south from their base in Alaska. And as any history buff knows, they'd already established a base at San Francisco.Russians weren't the only Old World power feared by Spain. The French had New World possessions in Louisiana and French Jesuits were active in the Mississippi Valley. Some dreamed of a link between French Canada and the South down the Mississippi River. The gifted linguist Father Marquette, sailed south along the Mississippi and attempted a mission among the Illinois Indians. While in Quebec, he'd made himself master of 7 Algonquin languages and gained a mighty reputation as an Indian-style orator. He combined preacher, pastor, explorer and geographer in one. His writings contributed to local knowledge of Indian peoples, culture, and agriculture. As any high school student knows, the French were to lose New Orleans and Western Mississippi to Spain, while Eastern Mississippi went to the British. But French Carmelites, a 16th C branch of the Franciscans known as the Recollects, and the Jesuits accomplished much in French possessions before the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1763. They'd attempted a failed mission to the Sioux. Nevertheless, French Roman Catholic influence remained strong in Canada.As I tell these ultra-bare sketches of mission work among New World Indians, it can easily become just a pedantic recounting of generalized info. A sort of, “Europeans came, Indians were preached to. Churches were planted. Movements happened, some guys died - blah, blah, blah.”Our goal here is to give the history of the Church in short doses. That means, if we're to make any headway against the flow of it all, we have to summarize a LOT. But that works against real interest in the history and what makes the story exciting.It's the individual stories of specific people that make the tale come alive. à Jesuit, Franciscan, and Protestant missionaries; and just ordinary colonists who weren't set on a specific mission but were real-deal born again followers of Jesus who came to the New World to make a new life for themselves and their descendants, and just happened to share their faith with the Native Americans and they got saved and started a whole new chapter in the Jesus story. è THAT'S where the good stuff is.So, let me mention one of these Jesuit missionaries we've been talking about who brought the Gospel to Canadian Indians.Jean de Brébeuf was born to a family of the French nobility and entered the Jesuit order in 1617. He reached Canada 8 yrs later. He learned Algonquin and lived among the Huron for 3 yrs. After being captured by the British, he returned to France but renewed his mission in 1633. He founded an outpost called St Marie Among the Hurons in 1639. The Mission was destroyed by the Iroquois a decade later.Because De Brébeuf was tall and strongly built, he became known as the Gentle Giant. Like the Jesuits in Paraguay we looked at in the last episode, he could see ahead into how European colonists would bring an unstoppable challenge to the Indian way of life and advocated the Hurons withdraw into a secluded missionary settlement in order to preserve their culture. He's an example of the heroic pioneer Jesuit, of which there were many, whose missionary life ended in martyrdom in the field.De Brébeuf stands as a little known, but ought to be lauded, example of the fact that not all Europeans who came to the New World, especially not all missionaries, conflated following Christ with European culture and lifestyle. That's an assumption many moderns have; that it wasn't until the modern era that missionaries figured out people could remain IN their culture and follow Jesus, that they didn't have to become converts to Western Civilization BEFORE they could become Christians. While it has certainly been true that some missions and eras equated the Faith with a particular cultural milieu, throughout history, MOST believers have understood that the True Gospel is trans-cultural, even super-cultural.Many Jesuit missionaries in the New World like De Brébeuf tried to preserve the native American cultures – while filling them with the Gospel. They saw the emerging European colonies as a THREAT to the Indians and wanted to protect them.With the end of the 7 Years War, or as it's known in the US, the French and Indian War, French Canada became a British possession. The Jesuits, on the verge of their being banned from the New World, expanded their work among the Indians to include the Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas, and Senecas, as well as those Algonquins yet unreached in Quebec. While converts were made among the Iroquois tribes, the majority remained hostile. Among the converts, there was a huge problem with disease introduced by the missionaries themselves, and the influence of alcohol brought by Europeans. Indian physiological tolerance to hard alcohol was low and addiction quick. Jesuit missionaries reached the Hudson Bay area and baptized thousands. Even after the British won Canada and the Jesuit order was suppressed, some remained in Canada as late as 1789.In the far NW, Russians entered Alaska in 1741. Russian Orthodox Christianity had begun on Kodiak Island, just off Alaska, in 1794. By ‘96 thousands of Kodiaks and the population of the Aleutian Islands had been baptized. They met hostility from the Russian American Company but the mission received fresh invigoration by the arrival an Orthodox priest from Siberia named Innocent Veniaminoff.  He reached the Aleutians in the 1820s and mastered the local dialect well enough to translate the Gospel of Matthew and write a devotional tract that became a classic, titled = An Indication of the Pathway into the Kingdom of Heaven. After working among the Aleutians for some years, Veniaminoff served among the Tlingit people. After his wife died, he was appointed bishop of a vast region stretching from Alaska to CA. Between 1840 and 68 he carried out a massive work. Although 40 yrs of missionary service, often in conditions of tremendous physical hardship, left him exhausted and longing to retire, he was appointed Metropolitan of Moscow, a position he used to found the Russian Missionary Society as a means of support for Orthodox missions. His outstanding service was recognized in 1977 by the Orthodox Church of America conferring on him the title of ‘Evangelizer of the Aleuts and Apostle to America.'Alaska was sold to the United States in the 1870s but the Orthodox Synod created an independent bishopric to include Alaska in 1872. By 1900 there were some 10,000 Orthodox Christians in the diocese. Of the 65,000 Alaskan and Aleutian people today, some 70% claim to be Christian and many of these belong to the Orthodox community.The Roman Catholic orders had a great advantage in missions due to their central organizing body called The Sacred Propaganda for the Faith. Today this structure is called the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Nations.In contrast to Roman monastic orders and their missionary zeal, Protestant churches had little missionary vision in the 16th C. When they engaged in missions in the 17th they had no organizing center.French Protestants, led by the Huguenot Admiral Coligny, attempted a short-lived experiment off Rio de Janeiro when Admiral Villegagnon established a Calvinist settlement in 1555. It folded when the French were expelled by the Portuguese. A more permanent Calvinist settlement was made by the Dutch when they captured Pernambuco, a region at the eastern tip of Brazil. This settlement remained a Calvinist enclave for 40 years.North America presented a very different scene for missions than Central and South America. The voyage of the Mayflower with its ‘Pilgrims' in 1620 was a historical pointer to the strong influence of Calvinism in what would become New England. The states of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire were strongly Congregationalist or Presbyterian in church life and heavily influenced by English Puritanism. At least some of these pioneers felt a responsibility for spreading the Christian faith to the native Americans.John Eliot is regarded as the driving force behind the early evangelization of the Indians. He was the Presbyterian pastor at Roxby, a village near Boston in 1632. He learned the Iroquois language, and like the Jesuits in Paraguay, though surely with no knowledge of their methodology, founded ‘praying towns' for the Indians. These were communities that, over a period of 40 yrs, came to include some 3,000 Christian Indians in Natick and other settlements. Eliot translated the entire Bible into Iroquois by 1663 and trained 24 native American pastors by the time of his death.A remarkable family called The Mayhews were pioneers in missionary work in Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands off Cape Cod. Thomas Mayhew bought the islands in 1641 with an Indian population of around 5,000. His son, Thomas Jr., began a mission and by 1651 200 Indians had come to faith. After the death of Thomas Sr. and Jr., John, youngest son of  Thomas Jr., along with his son Experience Mayhew continued the mission.  Experience had the advantage of fluency in the Indian language with the ability to write it. Zechariah, his son, carried on a tradition that lasted all the way to 1806 and produced many Indian clergy and a Harvard graduate. The ministry of the Mayhews spanned almost 2 centuries.Another New England figure who became a missionary icon to such great spreaders of the faith as William Carey and David Livingstone, was David Brainerd. Brainerd was born in the farming country of Haddam, Connecticut, and studied for the ministry at Yale College, from which he was wrongly expelled in 1741. He impressed the local leadership of the Scottish Society for the Propagation of the Gospel enough for them to employ him for missionary service in 1742. He worked among the Indians of Stockbridge and then, after ordination as a Presbyterian, he worked in western Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. There he experienced genuine religious revival among the Delaware Indians, which he recounted in detail in his journals.Brainerd died young but his diary and the account of his life by the great preacher, theologian, and philosopher, Jonathan Edwards, became immensely influential in the Protestant world. Edwards, also a student at Yale, was himself a missionary at Stockbridge among the Indians from 1750–58.While it's risky to do a diagnosis on someone 270 years later, we glean from David Brainerd's logs that he suffered from at least a mild case of a depression-disorder, and maybe not so mild. It's his honesty in sharing with his journals his emotions that proved to be a tonic to mission-luminaries like Carey and Livingstone.New England Presbyterians and Congregationalists were matched by other Protestants in their efforts among Indians. Episcopalians and the missionary society of the Church of England achieved some success in evangelizing them.Work among the Iroquois of New York was initiated by Governor Lord Bellomont, and a converted Mohawk chief, Joseph Brant, who helped establish a Mohawk church. Queen Anne of England even presented silver communion implements to 4 Mohawk Christians in London in 1704 for use in one of their chapels.In Virginia, the royal charter declared one of the aims of the colony was the conversion of Indians. The first minister of the village of Henrico, Alexander Whitaker, did significant missionary work and introduced the Indian princess, Pocahontas, to the faith.BTW: Pocahontas was her nickname – which translates roughly to “Little Hellion.” Her real name was Matoaka, but she was so precocious as a child her nickname became her favored label.Whitaker established a college at Henrico for the education of Indians and there were appeals for funding for Indian missions back in England by King James I and his archbishops so that 1 of 6 professorships at the College of William and Mary was set apart for teaching Indians.Methodists had the example of John and Charles Wesley when they were Anglican priests and missionaries for the Society of the Proclamation of the Gospel in Georgia from 1735. Though John's primary assignment was a chaplain for the English settlers, he tried to reach out to the Choctaw and Chickasaw. He had little response from the Native Americans. No wonder, since he'd later say he was most likely unconverted at that point.After his break with the Church of England, Wesley's chief lieutenant in the New World was Thomas Coke who became a driving force for Methodist missionary work, attempting a mission in Nova Scotia in 1786 before being re-directed to the West Indies by a storm. Methodist missions came into their own in the 19th C after Coke's death and took the form of frontier preachers and ‘circuit riders' under the direction of Francis Asbury, who traveled some 300,000 miles on horseback in the cause of the Gospel and whose vision included both Indians and black slaves for Methodist outreach. By the time of Asbury's death in 1816 Methodist membership had risen from just 13 to 200,000 over a 30-yr period.The 19th C in North America saw the far north reached by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists.The 19th C was a time of extraordinary development in North America, despite the ravages of the Civil War in the 1860's. Great numbers of immigrants flooded into the country from Europe, estimated at 33 million between 1820 and 1950. Of British emigrants between 1815 and 1900, 65% found their way to the US. Of African-Americans, whereas only some 12% belonged to a church in 1860, by 1910 that number was 44%. Many joined the Baptist and Methodist congregations of the southern states after the abolition of slavery. In the Nation at large, the extraordinary achievement to any non-American was the blending into one nation of so many different peoples, so that their American citizenship was more prominent than their roots as Italian, Irish, Jewish, German, Scandinavian or English. This influx posed great challenges to the churches but Americans largely became a church-going people. And while differences over Religion had become the cause of so much misery and bloodshed in Post-Reformation Europe, Americans learned to live in civil harmony with people of other denominations.