Podcasts about Topsfield

1-833-TLC-MAMAWhat if one call could change everything for a struggling mom?In this episode, Sarah is joined by Jamie Belsito, fierce advocate and founder of the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance. Together, they talk about the journey that led to the creation of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, why maternal mental health is a policy issue, and how we can finally stop failing mothers one text or call at a time.More about Jamie BelsitoJamie founded MMHLA in 2019 to prioritize national policy on maternal mental health and currently serves as Director of Policy and Partnerships.A key advocate for maternal mental health, she has helped: pass three federal laws, establish the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, secure funding for state programs, and create the first maternal mental health program for the U.S. military.Jamie represented the 4th Essex District in the Massachusetts general court and is currently the Town Moderator for the Town of Topsfield. She served as: a Trustee of Salem State University, a Commissioner on the Ellen Story Special Commission on Postpartum Depression, and a Board member of the Massachusetts March of Dimes. She is also a former U.S. Congressional candidate, advocating for mothers and families.24/7 Call or text the Maternal Mental Health hotline @ 1-833-TLC-MAMAMaternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance: MMHLA National Maternal Mental Health Hotline | MCHB Fact Sheets — Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance: MMHLA

What does it take to successfully transition an OTTB from the track to a second career? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Ashley Taylor, an equine sports medicine veterinarian, owner of Twin Ponds Farm and co-owner of Sports Medicine Associates of Chester County. With a passion for rehabilitation, injury prevention, and optimizing equine performance, Dr. Taylor has built a career focused on keeping sport horses sound and helping OTTBs recover, strengthen, and excel in new disciplines.Her journey began in Topsfield, MA, where she grew up competing in eventing and participating in United States Pony Club activities before earning her veterinary degree from Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. After an intensive equine internship, she relocated to Pennsylvania and eventually became co-owner of Sports Medicine Associates of Chester County, a leading equine sports medicine practice. In 2019, she founded Twin Ponds Farm, a state-of-the-art equine rehabilitation and fitness center designed to provide top-tier care for sport horses and OTTBs alike.At Twin Ponds Farm, horses benefit from advanced therapies like:Cold saltwater treadmill therapy for conditioning, strength, and post-injury rehab Cold saltwater spa treatments to reduce inflammation and aid tendon and ligament recovery

Few men were as highly esteemed and just a decade later despised beyond measure as Timothy Ruggles.  Ruggles was a hero of the French & Indian War, a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress from Massachusetts, a land owner, legislator and  community leader who had a large and prosperous family.  His daughter Bathsheba married a Boston man, Joshua Spooner, and their marriage was once described as "inharmonious." Imagine then the country gossip when Joshua was found in March 1778 beaten and murdered and stuffed into his own well, and that two British prisoners of war and a young man from Topsfield were found in possession of his personal property.  Join Professor Robert Allison in conversation with Andrew Noone, author of ‘Bathsheba Spooner, A Revolutionary Murder Conspiracy.'Tell us what you think! Send us a text message!

Closing out this series on overcoming disappointments in youth ministry, Danny talks with Kerry Trunfio, the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Life Ministry at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, MA. Listen in as Kerry shares why she believes intergenerational integration to be an essential part of youth ministry, as well as some practical ideas for youth ministers who want to incorporate their students into the greater life of the church. Most especially, Kerry reminds us of how the gospel provides encouragement even in the midst of disappointing seasons where intergenerational integration doesn't seem to be producing fruit. Links:Check out more Rooted resources on intergenerational integration here. Join us for our 2024 Conference in Dallas, TX! Listen to more episodes of the Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast.Rooted Youth Ministry Archives - Rooted MinistryFollow @therootedministry on Instagram!

Mike Wendt and Andy Ferg are LIVE from Twisted Fate Brewing! Joe from Ben Franklin Print Co. joins us to recount the controversy surrounding the Topsfield Fair Hot Dog Eating Contest. Joe was the rightful winner, but robbed but the corrupt judges. Plus, Mike and Andy run down their Top 5 Movie Villains and other nonsense. This ain't your average food show... this is the food show you deserve. It's F-BUDDIES! Special THANKS to The Gary Girolamo Group, Ben Franklin Print Co., Twisted Fate Brewing, Anthony's Roast Beef, Cabaret Lounge, Nick's Place & Jamie's Roast Beef! Thanks to the very talented Mark DiChiara for the original F-Buddies theme music.

In this episode of Slate It Till You Make It, host Catherine Donnelly sits down with John Fulton, a multi-talented comedian, musician, and actor, to discuss his unique journey through the entertainment industry. From his early days as a non-basketball team captain in Topsfield, MA, to DJing a jazz show at the University of Rhode Island, and eventually hosting Must Love Cats on Animal Planet, John's career has seen plenty of twists and turns. Now, he's thriving in the world of commercials and is a member of the comedy band Camp Friends, who just released their new album Real/Mature. Tune in as John shares hilarious anecdotes about being humbled in Hollywood, reveals the secrets to booking commercial gigs, and talks about embracing the unexpected path to success.https://www.thejohnfulton.com/ SEASON 3 IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE COMMERCIAL CLUB, USE SLATE49 PROMO CODE FOR A DISCOUNTED ONE ON ONE COACHING SESSION. https://www.slateitpod.com/donate 

Thrill-seeking bike riders have a new home in Topsfield. WBZ's James Rojas reports.

A 37 year old man is dead after lighting himself on fire yesterday in New York. The Brandies Womens Basketball team is demanding a new leader of their program. The town of Topsfield, best known for hosting the nation's oldest agricultural fair, is trying a very new fangled way to keep its parks and fields trim. Stay in "The Loop" from iHeartRadio. Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on iHeartMedia.

Listen to me gab with on one of MY fave history podcasts, Salem the Podcast! I was honored to join them for an episode and I know many of you will find their work fascinating. On their show, Salem tour guides and historians Jeffrey and Sarah take deep dives into the oft-dark, always-intriguing history of their town, its mythology and its obsessions. We have much in common in terms of how we approach research and how we unpack strange and beautiful stories. In this crossover episode, we speak about Elizabeth Lines and her daughter Mary, survivors who went on to spend much of their lives in Topsfield, not too far from Salem. Find their pod here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/salem-the-podcast/id1612165471Support the showSupport Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepodOr buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadlesBuy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepodFind me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/Website: https://www.unsinkablepod.com

As a leading journalist with The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, there's not a lot that Jewel Topsfield hasn't written about. Social affairs, politics, immigration, education, and global affairs are just a few of her specialty areas. Beyond journalism, Jewel is a sought-after speaker, lecturer at universities and schools, and has led a team that won a Walkley Award and served as a Walkley Awards judge.   I'm talking to Jewel today about her life as a journalist and how her writing life has changed over the years in response to the changing media landscape, in response to the ways that we consume media, and in response to the way in which the success or otherwise of a story is measured and much more. If you'd like a masterclass in how to research a topic quickly, and come up with world class content quickly that you know is going to be read by thousands of people, that has the potential to spark Senate enquiries – as her story on people smuggling did - you could take a leaf out of Jewel's writing life.   Read the show notes This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre. WritersCentre.com.au Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue our Year In Review series with GBH reporter Bob Seay, who discusses the biggest stories of 2023 surrounding the MBTA with host Jeremy Siegel. Plus Jeremy hits the road and heads to Topsfield, where one of the most impressive Christmas light displays in the country is located.

Would you like to feel more empowered? Listen in as transracial adoptee Julia shares her insights into empowerment and connection. She also talks about identity and being comfortable in her own skin.Julia Small is a transracial adoptee from Hunan, China who was raised in Topsfield, Massachusetts. One of her greatest passions is fighting for equity and social justice through grassroots advocacy, public policy and education reform. She has a particular interest in minority affairs and child and elderly welfare. She aspires to bring to light the experiences and challenges faced by adopted patients in the healthcare setting.https://twitter.com/julialsmall12https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliasmall/Here's a link to Julia's interview with Elaine and Ramyahttps://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/advocating-for-our-health-with-elaine-schulte-ramya-gruneisen-and-julia-kingHere's the link to the author I mention whose book is about the left and right brainshttps://chrisniebauerphd.com/

America's oldest fair kicks off in Topsfield, House Republicans continue to fight amongst themselves, and there's no bones about an expansion in Everett. Five minutes of news to keep you in "The Loop."

On today's episode, Marissa joins me as we talk about loss, miscarriage and what pregnancy and postpartum can be like after experiencing these things.Marissa also offers a variety of monthly support groups for pregnancy and parenthood after infertility. These groups are hosted at her office in Topsfield, MA and more information on them can be found by following her social media that is listed below.Marissa HathawayWebsite: www.lemonsandlabor.careSocial Media: @lemonsandlaborllc Ready to curate your perfect postpartum plan? Head over to my etsy shop to download my Postpartum Plan Workbook! Don't forget to use the code 'PODCAST' for 15% off!Shop Here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SereneMomentsLLCWant input and support from me? Join my membership! For just $30/mo you get access to messaging with me, a members only zoom call & a specialized newsletter with lots of tips & tricks made just for my members! Join by heading over to my website (www.SereneMomentsDoula.com) to sign up!As always if you have input, topic ideas or questions please reach out anytime!-Madison Fugere (Serene Moments LLC)IG & FB: @SereneMoments.Doula

For adopted individuals to be empowered to advocate for their healthcare needs, medical providers must know how to interact in an adoption identity affirming manner and create an environment where patients feel safe discussing their biological history. This episode brings together pediatrician Elaine and 2 transracial adoptees Ramya and Julia to discuss advocating for our own health.Julia Small, MS III is a transracial adoptee from Hunan, China who was raised in Topsfield, Massachusetts. She is also a third year medical student at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. Julia is enrolled in the Population-based Urban and Rural Community Health (PURCH) track, a pathway that focuses on healthcare disparities, underserved populations and social determinants of health. One of her greatest passions is fighting for equity and social justice through grassroots advocacy, public policy and education reform. She has a particular interest in minority affairs and child and elderly welfare. She aspires to bring to light the experiences and challenges faced by adopted patients in the healthcare setting.https://twitter.com/julialsmall12https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliasmall/Ramya Gruneisen, MS is a transracial adoptee living in St. Louis, Missouri. She has a found a passion in sharing her story and educating adoption agencies and adoptive/prospective families on adoption. She works in Public Health for the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). She works in the Refugee Medical Screening and Refugee Health Promotion programs where she educates service providers on culturally informed and trauma informed care to refugees and immigrants, as well as monitors and reports on public health data for new arrivals. She has found it to be the most lifegiving and humbling work. She also works as an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University in the Health Sciences Department. One of her greatest passions is teaching and sharing her love for health and wellness with others. She loves spending time with her friends and family, climbing mountains and watching the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues play.https://www.ramyagruneisen.com/Elaine Schulte, MD, MPH is one of the leading adoption medical experts in the country, having founded one of the earliest, comprehensive adoption programs in the early 1990's.  She is the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore and Professor of Pediatrics. She directs the Adoption Program and provides pre-adoption consultation, post-adoption evaluations and ongoing medical care for adopted children and their families. Dr. Schulte is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship Care. She is the author of “Caring for Your Adopted Child; An Essential Guide for Parents” published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  She has created clinical guidelines and educational programs for pediatricians and adoption agencies and has given numerous national presentations. She has two daughters adopted from China.https://twitter.com/drelaineschulteHere's the report that they wrote together:https://adoptioncouncil.org/publications/family-history-unknown-understanding-adopted-individuals-needs-in-the-healthcare-environment/Here's the survey to complete if you're an adoptee in the US and share on social media if you'd like to support your fellow adoptees: https://arcsapps.umassmed.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=RY9EM9NCCT

Welcome to Season 8 of the GP Soccer Podcast! Host Giovanni Pacini goes on a rant about the state of the game here in the US based upon a recent article written by Eric Wynalda. Today's interview guest is Jared Scarpaci, Boys Soccer Coach at Masconomet High School in Topsfield, MA and in the third block is Rob Ellis' EPL and Euro Report. The GP Soccer Podcast will continue to feature expert guests, outstanding commentary, and high-quality information for all those involved in the game. Listeners are encouraged to be GP Soccer Podcast super spreaders by sharing the show among those within their social media network! Those interested in advertising on the GP Soccer Podcast and / or Direct Kick can contact host Giovanni Pacini at gp4soccer@yahoo.com.The GP Soccer Podcast will feature new shows every Wednesday and can be found anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Direct Kick on WMEX AM 1510 and wmexboston.com airs every Tuesday from 6-7 PM. Follow both shows on Facebook , Twitter (@gpacini155), LinkedIn, Instagram and Linktree. Check out the show website at www. gpsoccerpodcast.com as well!Next week's show will feature an interview with author Tim Schum. Don't miss it!Enjoy the show!

In her workshop at the 2022 Rooted Conference, youth minister Kerry Trunfio talked about how we as youth leaders and parents can help our children and teens not only how to pray but more importantly who Scripture says they are praying to. Episode NotesKerry Trunfio is the Director of Youth and Family Life Ministries at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, Massachusetts. Join us for the next Rooted Conference. 

The Dumb Birthday Game-a-palooza continues this week with a recording from May 22nd, 1993. I have titled this one: “Two’s Company but Eight’s a Crowd” because we have amassed a panel of EIGHT Players: How many bdays will we be able to get to with that many people? Just you want and see. We have Roy, who’s working construction in Bedford but is from Lawrence and taking an unauthorized break to play the game. Andy from Topsfield ‘Calendar’ Bill in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Evelyn in London, Ont Hazel from Hamilton, Ont I’m producing and playing in-studio and had been recently vetted by Ch. 4’s investigative Eye Team Jack Harte the WBZ Traffic Person And Keith Shields, (no relation to Brooke) whom I’m training, playing in-studio and is revealed to be a management spy. We all have a good laugh about the windfall we receive every week in our paychecks from Westinghouse. Norm possibly can’t afford the job because it costs him too much! But the lure or reaching 38 states and parts of Canada with the 50,000w clear channel signal of the nation’s first commercial radio station…well, that should be payment enough. Bdays: Charles Aznavour Peter Nero Richard Benjamin Paul Winfield Judith Crist We have time for some dates in history as well: Mr. Rogers Neighborhood premiered on PBS in what year? And in what year was the first life insurance policy issued in the U.S.? We are informed that Norm’s 26 year-old horse, Sunflower, was entered into a horse show that weekend. A caller seems very interested in her so Norm tries to do some matchmaking. We learn that there were some mystery players participating in the game from a remote location: Saul, Brett, Bartholomew, Sidney, Gladys, and Shirley. I open up and you get a glimpse in to my tv-less world. We get a brand-new phrase to embroider on our doilies A learned quote from Norm’s HGPG and a pun from Norm that, while putting this show together, had me laughing hard here at the Norch Studio and FuzzyWuzzyProductions. And we close with a commercial for Marezine. Episode 87, “Two’s Company but Eight’s a Crowd,” begins in 3, 2 annnnnnd 1. normnathanvos@gmail.com

Ahoy faithful listeners! We are holding at 95 subscribers on YT. Wouldn’t it be just so darn great to get to 100 by the 100th episode? If you haven’t already, please subscribe. Let’s get to 100 together! Today’s episode features Norm in caller free-form mode. Coming to us from April 6th, 1996 it is titled: ‘Yo-ho-ho and a Bottle of Fun.’ Tom Howie was the producer. We begin our journey with Norm and I talking everything from guest and scheduling issues to bumper stickers and job dedication. Norm’s Hungarian Gypsy Princess Grandmother (HGPG) offers up more sage advice that has me on the edge of my seat, only to fall right off the chair in disappointment. There was a guest problem as Carol Gardner, author of ‘Bumper Sticker Wisdom: America’s Pulpit Above the Tailpipe’ was attending a function that conflicted with our interview time but that doesn’t stop us from having a lively discussion about bumper stickers that Helene from Belmont join in on later. Marge from Indiana calls in to talk about pirate radio stations.Norm had mentioned that our guest the next night would be Andrew Yoder who wrote ‘Pirate Radio: The Saga of America’s Underground Illegal Broadcasters.’ It was also going to be Game Night on Sunday with Linda Romero and the game ‘Perspectives’ then John J. Moran with ‘Daring Passages: The Boardgame in a Bottle.’ Uncle Norm talks about being the interviewee when he was speaking to Jeff Kaufman of WFAD in Middlebury, VT where Norm and I were going to do our little Old Time Radio Show. This leads to a list of the upcoming event dates on the Old Time Radio Show World Tour. Peabody, Topsfield, Medford! If any of you had a chance to see us do this or just want to say hi, I’d love to hear from you. There’s a double date brewing for the Prom with Monica and her daughter Veronica from Nahant. We learn that one or both of Norms’ daughters were overwhelmed by Boston at Christmastime when their grandmother took them to see Santa at Jordan Marsh. Peter with a sweet call and Norm is just so grateful he’s sending him quite the gift. We are now graced with the presence of the lovely and talented Linda Chase. She’s accompanied by the lovely and talented Dick Paris. They promote some upcoming shows and talk to callers including: The one and only, Robert from Everett. This is another classic Norm and Robert call. The tape skips to an inquisitive caller asking about Linda’s looks and wishing she would cut an album. Moving to side B we continue with Linda as we hear from Carrie. She’s a high school student who, at the time, was ranked #2 in the State for drumming. Lawrence from PA tells us more than you’d ever want to know about Windber, PA. Mary from PA adds a very important detail Lawrence left out. Bernie asks about Guy Mainella and Norm lets him know what his own personal goals are. There’s another very sweet call. This time from Dottie. She sums up how, I believe, we all felt about Norm. Episode 81, ‘Yo-ho-ho and a Bottle of Fun’ set’s sail in 3, 2, annnd 1. Email: normnathanvos@gmail.com

At-home COVID 19 test kits are in high demand, more details emerge from yesterday's freak accident in Danvers, and a Topsfield business is being sought-after in the athlete world.Five minutes of news that will keep you in The Loop.

WBZ's Kendall Buhl spoke with Danielle Bradley, the creative mind behind Spahkld, a clothing company that creates custom sports apparel.

Born in Houston, Texas in 1984, Serhant was raised in Topsfield, Massachusetts, on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where he attended the Pingree School. He spent most of his summers with his family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where he pursued his interest in theatre and arts, attending Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp. Ryan Serhant moved to New York City when he was 22, hoping to launch a career on Broadway. When that dream didn't pan out, he found a different route into show business—as a real estate agent.Serhant has appeared on CNN, CNBC, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS. He has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal China and Forbes. Since his debut on Million Dollar Listing, Serhant has also appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, and in 2014, Serhant made his film debut, co-starring in Noah Baumbach's 2014 film, While We're Young. In 2017, Serhant produced and launched the Bravo television show “Sell It Like Serhant”, a spin-off of MDLNY in which he coaches under-performing salespeople, helping them improve their sales skills. He eventually started his own real estate firm on September 15, 2020, SERHANT!The Serhant Team consists of more than 60 experienced agents and marketing support staff and has sold over $1.6B worth of real estate in the last two years alone. The Serhant Team New Development group is also a prominent force in new construction sales, with more than $16B and 50 projects across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island City, Miami, and Los Angeles to its name. In 2018, Ryan started his own entertainment and media company, Serhant Media Group (SMG), as an in-house marketing arm to both his real estate and television endeavours. Their first project was the launch of Ryan's VLOG on YouTube, which now has over 300,000 subscribers and has become an integral marketing tool for Ryan's listings. The firm has quickly grown into one of the most active real estate companies in the United States, using its large social media exposure of over 3.6 million followers to sell properties such as the $33 million Penthouse at ARTE Surfside in Miami and 809 Madison Avenue in New York for $69 million.  Links:  Follow True Underdog on IG: www.instagram.com/true_underdogReach out to Jayson directly at jayson@trueunderdog.comFollow Jayson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayson-waller-/Follow Jayson on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaysonwallerbamCheck out our website to meet the team, view show notes and transcripts: www.trueunderdog.com  Mentioned In The Episode:  Website : https://ryanserhant.com/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanserhantInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/ryanserhant/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/RyanSerhant?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG98giOsUxIlXV0rNUhxLewFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanSerhantOfficialPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/million-dollar-listing-star-ryan-serhant/id1205997729?i=1000416234595Books: How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine Big Money Energy: How to rule at work, dominate at life, and make millionsTransform People Into Clients: Sales Hooks from Sell It Like Serhant with Exclusive Audio ContentLet Your Inner Freak Flag Fly: Sales Hooks from Sell It Like Serhant.Product Knowledge = Power: Sales Hooks from Sell It Like Serhant.   Timestamps  01:41 - Ryan's Journey to success. 06:40 - Mindset of an Entrepreneur. 08:26 - Mindset of Winning over Money. 09:48 - Ryan's Work Ethic. 13:05 - Ryan's Core Values. 17:30 - Ryan's Sales Coaching. 20:35 - Balancing Work Life and Personal Life. 

Born and raised in Revere, Massachusetts Joe enlisted into the Marine corps in 1981. During his service he deployed to Lebanon as a result of the terrorist attack on the BLT Headquaters. Discharging in 1986, Joe joined the police in 1991 and attended academy training in Topsfield, Massachusetts where he served as a patrol officer for a Community Policing Program. Upon being promoted to Sergeant, he assumed command of the narcotics unit and was assigned to firearms training.  When he was promoted to Lieutenant, he was tasked with forming the SWAT Team and in 2012 he was promoted to Chief of Police and SWAT Team Commander. In 2013 Joe was involved in the manhunt for the Boston Bombers in which he was the arrest team for the bombing suspect.  Let's Go!

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)19 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay explains how POLYGAMY saved the Church! Part 2 of  "The Passport to Heaven" 1839-1841.INTERESTING RESEARCH QUESTIONS IN THIS EPISODE:1 - What did Joseph Smith avoid at the peril of his life?2 - What interesting invention did a man named Royalty tell Joseph Smith about?3 - What made the Church "perfectly organized" on March 17, 1842? 4 - What other influential institution was organized in Nauvoo (1842) that has been a source of confusion for some people through the Church's History?5 - What was "The Wasp?"6 - Who was referred to as the "immoral leper?"7 - What was prophesied about Porter Rockwell?8 - What was the "Kinderhood hoax?"~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of 5.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)15 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 2 of "The Silver-Lined Clouds of War" 1838.~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children.  Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)18 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 1 of "The Passport to Heaven" 1839-1841.INTERESTING SEARCH QUESTIONS THIS EPISODE:1 - What epidemic hit the Saints in Nauvoo in 1839?2 - What does Kay think was the greatest exercise of Priesthood Healing Power in the History       of the Church?3 - Where were some Saints living in Military Barracks and why?4 - Why did 7 of the 12 Apostles in New York in 1839?  Where did they go after N.Y.?5 - How many coverts joined the Church with Wilford Woodruff's efforts?6 - Which apostle sailed the furthest in their Missionary Efforts?7 - Which President rejected helping the Saints when Joseph Smith wrote to him?8 - How much did the claims total from the Saints that were sent to the U.S. Congress?9 - Who was Joseph's greatest mentor and supporter through all challenges, and what       blessing did he leave to Joseph when he passed away?10 - Who was elected the 1st Mayor of Nauvoo, and was he loyal to Joseph and the Church?11 - Who were the greatest con-men who betrayed Joseph and the Saints?12 - What did a reporter from New York observe that caused him to write about Joseph Smith and Nauvoo;  things he said "may change the destiny of the race?" ~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of 5.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

17 Come Follow Me 2021 - Adam-ondi-Ahman (Special Episode) Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.comPlease SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)~~~~~~~~~~Interesting Facts answered in this Podcast: ~ What does Adam-Ondi-Ahman mean?~What 4 places will the Savior Jesus Christ return to?~Where was the Garden of Eden (trick question)?~What was fashioned much like Adam's Altar?~When was Adam-Ondi-Ahman purchased?~What is the hill there called?~Will the world or most of the Church be aware of the grand council that will meet? What prophet clarifies that?What blessing will Adam receive in this valley, and what Section in the D&C tell us about that blessing? ~~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children.  Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. Support the show (http://www.comefollowme2021.com)Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

To contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 1 of "The Silver-Lined Clouds of War" 1838.Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children.  Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. Support the show (http://www.comefollowme2021.com)Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

INTERACTIVE MINI ASSIGNMENT for this week below. Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)14 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 1 of "The Silver-Lined Clouds of War" 1838.INTERACTIVE MINI ACTIVITY while listening to this Podcast:Create a list on a paper with 3 categories:The GOOD, The BAD, and the UGLYPut the names of those who fit under each category who were leaders, who defected, who apostatized, who repented, and who turned against the Saints and the Prophet Joseph.~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children.  Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

NEW QUESTIONS for this week below. Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)11 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 5 of "The Echo of a Beating Heart" 1836-1838.Interesting questions from this episode:~ What ordinance was performed in the upper rooms of the Kirtland Temple 3rd floor in Jan. 1836?~ What happened over 40 times in the Kirtland Temple with many people?~ Who showed up at Hebrew classes in 1836, who became the 5th President of the Church?~  What was "The Feast for the Poor, and why was it done? ~ What was constantly under guard to protect workers from mob violence?~ What was seen above the Kirtland Temple at the dedication? There were several things.~ What were the 5 reasons a Governor refused protection to the members of the Church when mobs were trying to force them to leave?~ What was the "stock industrial company" called that was established in Kirtland? What was one of the hardest tests about it and why?~ Who proposed to the Legislature to create 2 counties in Missouri, one for the Mormons?~ What happened across America that threatened financial ruin for many in the U.S.?~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children.  Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

NEW QUESTIONS for this week below. Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS!  :)11 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 3 of "The Echo of a Beating Heart" 1830-1832.QUESTIONS answered in this episode:~What cool artifacts does Kay bring today from his archaeological acquirements?~What renovation project is currently underway in Kirtland?~Which 8 men were first recruited to go to Zion's Camp? ~How many men in total did the Lord want to go to Zion's Camp (D&C 103:30)?~Where did Joseph go to fish and visit some friends?~What was the "Lame Horse Plague" and what happened to Sylvester Smith in 1834?~How many homes were burned in Independence, Missouri?~What self-fulfilling prophecy occurred to James Campbell after he threatened to kill "Joe Smith?" What did he say would happen to "Joe?"~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith.   He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years.  He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.  He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith.  This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”.  Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990.  He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations.  He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs.  His wife, Debra speaks French.  He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths.  Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA.  He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.  He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children.  Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS! :)11 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 3 of "The Echo of a Beating Heart" 1830-1832.QUESTIONS answered in this episode:~What was the school of the prophets and why was it formed?~Who was the most special visitor to that school?~What was published in 1933 in it's completion?~What did Emma want a revelation on when they would gather?~What did Joseph make a matter of prayer and why in Feb. 1833?~What is John Murdock most known for? ~What is still housed in the library of Oberlin College?~What were the greatest fears of the mobs in Independence, MO. ~Who did more to save the Church and build the Kirkland Temple, than anyone else?~What were 3 Publications done in Kirkland?~What happened in Nov. 1833, and what prophecy was fulfilled by Joseph Smith?~Who was called as the 1st Church Patriarch in Dec. 1933, and how did the year end in Liberty, Mo.?~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho.Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS! :)09 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 2 of "The Echo of a Beating Heart" 1830-1832.QUESTIONS answered in this episode:~Who said that Independence, Missouri was "a land of beauty beyond description...?"~What is another name for Independence, according to Joseph Smith's and the Lord's description?~Which D&C Section talks about the Lamanites blossoming as a rose? What was the Lord's answer? What are 4 things that revelation says about Independence, Missouri?~Who are the 4 main property owners near the Temple Lot in Independence?~ Who started the "Hedrickites, and why?~What were on the stones found on the Temple Lot?~How many Restoration Churches are there?~Who did Joseph heal instantly in this episode?~What did Joseph say he could reveal 100 fold if the people were prepared to receive them?~What happened to the PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH and Joseph Smith?~What did Joseph ask Emma 3 times in a row, and what was it about?~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have aSupport the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS! :)09 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 1 of "The Echo of a Beating Heart" 1830-1832.QUESTIONS answered in this episode:~Who was the 1st Convert Baptism and one of the 1st Missionaries and 1 of 8 Witnesses?~Who was one of Joseph's greatest advocates?~What was Parley P. Pratt's wife's name?~Who was first called to serve a mission to the Native Americans? What was one of the 1st tribes?~Who founded the Cambelites?~What is the Adamic name for Kirtland?~Who prayed Joseph Smith to visit him, even though he had never met him before? ~~~~~~~~Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay isSupport the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS! :)07 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 2 of "The Misunderstood Years 1825-1828"Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com) Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS! :)07 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 2 of "The Misunderstood Years 1825-1828"Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Please SUPPORT THESE FREE PODCASTS by donating at our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/latterdaymedia?fan_landing=trueEVERY BIT HELPS! :)06 Come Follow Me with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's Part 1 of "The Misunderstood Years 1825-1828"Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Podcast 4: "One Man's Search for the Perfect Stone" with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyIn the beginning was Junius Wells…and what followed was 137 days of miracle after miracles.To contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsIn this Episode it's story time! This is the little known story of many miracles with a man who wanted to honor the birth of a modern-day prince of a man: Joseph Smith. As a servant of our Savior, Joseph also was born of a lowly place, but what stands there now, pierces towards the heavens, as did a young prophet, seeking to know from God what his path should be. Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Podcast 3: "Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial" with Joseph Smith Historian Kay Godfrey“A Virtual Tour of the Joseph Smith Birthplace Visitors Center”“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother, and then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. Then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are babies.”To contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.comCome Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Podcast 2: "Vermont, The Cradle of Leadership" with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyThe “Saints” book begins with the Smith Family leaving New England and settling in New York. What about the five generation of Smith’s who lived in Topsfield, Massachusetts prior to Joseph’s birth? To contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Podcast 5: "The Early Years" with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyTo contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.com~~~~~~~~~~Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsKay takes us through Joseph Smith's early family and life.Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Support the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

Podcast 1: Come Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & Covenants 1The Prequel to "The Saints" with Joseph Smith Historian Kay GodfreyThe “Saints” book begins with the Smith Family leaving New England and settling in New York. What about the five generation of Smith’s who lived in Topsfield, Massachusetts prior to Joseph’s birth? To contact Kay, email: FootstepsOfJoseph@gmail.comCome Follow Me 2021 - Doctrine & CovenantsOfficial Website: www.ComeFollowMe2021.comKay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for over 45 years. He has done extensive “on-site” research in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He has spoken to the issue of the “Trials of the Prophet Joseph” at numerous symposiums in Nauvoo, Il. and Independence, Mo. He has edited books and videos for various authors on the historical accuracy of materials pertaining to Joseph Smith. Kay serves on numerous boards and foundations such as: Ancient American Archaeology, Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism and the Nauvoo, Illinois and Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Societies.Kay lectures regularly to missionaries on the topic of modern-day restoration, most recently speaking to the missionaries and investigators of the New Hampshire Manchester, Oklahoma Tulsa and Portland Oregon Missions. He has conducted firesides from Calgary, Canada to Fort Smith, Arkansas.He has authored a comprehensive four-part presentation detailing the life of Joseph Smith. This history is entitled: “Following the Footsteps of Joseph”. Kay’s material has been requested by such institutions as Oberlin College Archives, (Oberlin, Ohio) to be filed with the Spaulding Manuscript documents, Brigham Young University, in celebration of the bi-centennial celebration of Joseph Smith’s birth, the Joseph Smith Memorial Site, (Sharon, Vermont) as a teaching tool for new missionary couples and the archives department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kay has been conducting domestic Church History tours for Morris Murdock and Legacy Travel since 1990. He also takes groups to Israel and European (Apostle) destinations. He speaks Hebrew and can read Egyptian hieroglyphs. His wife, Debra speaks French. He has served in numerous ward and stake callings including the High Council of the Meridian South Stake, Meridian, Idaho. Kay and his wife Debra recently served a mission to Sharon, Vermont, where they were involved in numerous historical preservation endeavors including having secured permission from Topsfield, MA, to have a monument erected in Pine Grove Cemetery as a tribute to five generations of the Topsfield Smiths. Kay retired in 2012 after serving 35 years with the BSA. He retired as Director of Development/Finance, Support Services and Public Relations for the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Debra, live in Kaysville, Utah and are the parents of five children. Kay is dedicated to sharing his knowledge, research and testimony to groups of all ages. If you would like to schedule Kay as a speaker or have questions regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith please contact him at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.Produced by Latter-Day MediaSupport the show (http://www.bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com)

The Boston Planners Dining Club, founded by Tammy Golson and Sarah Glick, is a private group of Boston's best wedding planners. The mission of The Boston Planners Dining Club is to foster community and camaraderie amongst wedding and event planners in Boston, while experiencing venues and vendors' talents and services first hand.  Sarah and Tammy design each event and collaborate with creative partners to bring each vision to life.  Tammy Golson Fallon combines her Midwest values with an East Coast edge to bring sincerity and style to every event. Tammy specializes in planning weddings for jet-setting urbanites that are excited to celebrate their story. Tammy is known for her track record of providing a high level of personalized service for clients who appreciate her practical values, and her skillful way of sensibly managing their investments. Tammy Golson Events was founded in 2008 and has been featured in New York Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, The Knot, 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty,  Boston Magazine and more. Sarah Glick is the Co-Owner and Creative Director of Brilliant Event Planning, an award-winning wedding and event planning studio with locations in Boston and New York City. She is based in the Boston office and plans and designs weddings across New England, as well as around the US and internationally. Sarah specializes in tented affairs and weddings on private estates. Founded in 2008, Brilliant Event Planning has been featured in Brides, The Knot, Style Me Pretty, The New York Times, Over the Moon, Carats and Cake, Boston Magazine, and more.  You will hear all about how The Boston Planners Dining Club came to fruition and Tammy & Sarah will be chatting with us about their 'Community vs Competition' mindset when it comes to running the private group. We will finish up with 'What They Wish Other Vendors Knew' and their 'Confetti Hour Confessions'!  Featured Guests: Tammy Golson and Sarah Glick of The Boston Planners Dining Club  Websites: bostonplannersdiningclub.com, brillianteventplanning.com, tammygolson.com Instagram: @bostonplannersdiningclub, @brillianteventplanning, @tammygolson - Thank you to our Sponsors! The Wedding Client Experience Academy is the newest educational offering for wedding creatives designed by Lynne of Lynne Reznick Photography.  This is the last weekend to take advantage of joining! Doors are open until October 19th and Lesson 1 will be delivered to participant inboxes on October 20th! In addition to the ten lessons, Lynne is also leading private group coaching for the five weeks the Academy is in session, adding incredible value to the already content-packed course. Lynne is also offering a special savings of 15% off the course to all Confetti Hour fans with the code "CHEERS15"! To learn more and join the Wedding Client Experience Academy visit LynneReznickPhotography.com and click “academy”. Happily Ever Expo | Happily Ever Expo is offering a virtual expo where you can pre-record your pitch and will connect you with potential clients! Happily Ever Expo is also hosting an outdoor wedding expo on October 25th at Connemara House Farm in Topsfield, MA! Reach out today to get featured virtually or in person! Space is limited!! Visit their website for more information at happilyeverexpo.com or email info@happilyeverexpo.com!  

This past summer, Tim Johnson went on his first bikepacking trip. As trips go, this one was big: seven days, roughly 700 km on the Trans-Taiga, which is roughly 1,300 km north of Montreal. Johnson knew Quebec pretty well beforehand. Sure, he’s a six time U.S. cyclocross champion and currently a director of development at USA Cycling. His Strava profile puts him in Topsfield, Mass., but he spends much of the year in Sutton, Que. Remember, he’s married to a member of the Canadian parliament. His wife of almost 16 years is Lyne Bessette. She’s a Canadian cycling champion and the Liberal MP for Brome-Missisquoi. So, yes, Tim Johnson knows Quebec. And as of this past summer, he’s been to a part of the province that few Quebeckers even see.In his episode, Johnson speaks about bear encounters, riding gravel, bugs, fishing and his new perspectives on his adopted province.

Kylie Carlson is the owner of The Wedding Academy, a globally-known education organization for industry professionals. Since its start in 2007, the Academy has launched the careers of over 4,000 wedding planners with their certification courses, and Kylie has devoted her time to empowering other CEOs and entrepreneurs to build a meaningful, powerful career. She's also the founder of Wedding CEO Club and the Wedding CEO Podcast. You will hear all about Kylie's impressive journey and she will be sharing her 'Effective Strategies to Help Your Business Gain Momentum During a Downturn'! We will finish up with 'What She Creatives Other Vendors Knew' and her 'Confetti Hour Confession'.  Featured Guest: Kylie Carlson of The Wedding Academy Website: www.weddingacademyglobal.com    https://weddingindustryspeakers.com/speaker/kylie-carlson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingCEOClub/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeddingAcademyLive/  https://www.instagram.com/kyliecarlson.co FREEBIE - The Ultimate Lead Magnet Guide for Wedding Pros https://weddingceoclub.com/lead-magnets-for-wedding-pros-bak/    Wedding CEO Club - https://weddingceoclub.com/ceo-club-waitlist/  Wedding CEO Podcast - https://weddingceoclub.com/podcast/  - Thank you to our Sponsors!   The Wedding Client Experience Academy is the newest educational offering for wedding creatives designed by Lynne of Lynne Reznick Photography. Doors are open until October 19th and Lesson 1 will be delivered to participant inboxes on October 20th! In addition to the ten lessons, Lynne is also leading private group coaching for the five weeks the Academy is in session, adding incredible value to the already content-packed course. Lynne is also offering a special savings of 15% off the course to all Confetti Hour fans with the code "CHEERS15"! To learn more and join the Wedding Client Experience Academy visit LynneReznickPhotography.com and click “academy”. Happily Ever Expo | Happily Ever Expo is offering a virtual expo where you can pre-record your pitch and will connect you with potential clients! Happily Ever Expo is also hosting an outdoor wedding expo on October 25th at Connemara House Farm in Topsfield, MA! Reach out today to get featured virtually or in person! Space is limited!! Visit their website for more information at happilyeverexpo.com or email info@happilyeverexpo.com!

Kevin has a deep love and respect for education and seeks to develop a hub of information and opportunities for the industry as he embarks on his latest endeavor at WeddingIQ. As an event industry veteran and owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services, Kevin takes pride in his leadership of and involvement in industry associations. He is the national president for WIPA. Recognizing a need for networking in his own region, Kevin founded the Tri Valley Wedding Professionals in 2010 and the association has now grown to a membership of nearly 700 pros. A respected thought leader and national speaker, Kevin was recently ranked as one of the top 3 speakers at NACE Experience. He is an ongoing contributor to Catersource and SpecialEvents.com and has been featured in BRIDES, Martha Stewart Weddings and the Travel Channel, among others. He recently received the Certified Professional in Catering and Events (CPCE) designation from NACE. Featured Guest: Kevin Dennis of Fantasy Sound Event Services & Wedding IQ  Websites: http://weddingiq.com/ https://weddingindustryspeakers.com/speaker/kevin-dennis/ https://fantasysound.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeddingIQ Instagram: @wedding_iq & @fsesevents Thank you to our Sponsor! Happily Ever Expo | Happily Ever Expo is offering a virtual expo where you can pre-record your pitch and will connect you with potential clients! Happily Ever Expo is also hosting an outdoor wedding expo on October 25th at Connemara House Farm in Topsfield, MA! Reach out today to get featured virtually or in person! Space is limited!! Visit their website for more information at happilyeverexpo.com or email info@happilyeverexpo.com! The Wedding Client Experience Academy is the newest educational offering for wedding creatives designed by Lynne of Lynne Reznick Photography. Inside the Academy, Lynne will break down the four pillars of an exceptional client experience so that you can elevate your business by transforming how you attract, serve, and delight your ideal couples. The Wedding Client Experience Academy doors open on October 6th! To learn more about the four pillars, find out your learning style, and sign up to save 30% - visit LynneReznickPhotography.com and click “academy”.

With over 25 years of experience, Eddie's creativity and passion is evident in every aspect of his work, and his ability to imagine and actualize events is unparalleled. Named as one of the top five international florists by the London Financial Times, Zaratsian has built a reputation as a visionary artist, and his work has been celebrated and featured by Martha Stewart, Harper's Bazaar, Grace Ormonde, E! News and Glamour, among others. Now, through guest lectures and classes globally, as well as private workshops in his spectacular LA Design Studio, Eddie generously shares his extensive business, design and floral expertise. You will hear all about Eddie's journey and career and he will also be chatting with us about 'Adding Design to Your Wedding Services'! We will finish up with 'What He Wishes Other Vendors Knew'.  Featured Guest: Eddie Zaratsian of Eddie Zaratsian Lifestyle and Design Website: www.eddiezaratsian.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EddieZaratsian Instagram: @eddiezaratsian Thank you to our Sponsor! Happily Ever Expo | Happily Ever Expo is offering a virtual expo where you can pre-record your pitch and will connect you with potential clients! Happily Ever Expo is also hosting an outdoor wedding expo on October 25th at Connemara House Farm in Topsfield, MA! Reach out today to get featured virtually or in person! Space is limited!! Visit their website for more information at happilyeverexpo.com or email info@happilyeverexpo.com!

With a degree in accounting, it seemed like Michelle had her career laid out for her when she began working in the corporate world at companies like Deloitte and Coach. It wasn't until she started a stationery business in 2004 that she discovered what many already knew at the time: The events industry was chock full of incredibly talented creatives, but few had the business experience to truly understand the strategy behind running a sustainable company. After spending a few years immersed in the industry, Michelle started a blog in 2009 aimed at educating fellow event professionals in the business of weddings.   Sage Wedding Pros quickly took off as it was one of the first B2B resources specifically tailored to creatives who wanted to become better entrepreneurs. Since then, her business has developed into a consultancy and she now works one-on-one with event pros to adjust and redefine their business strategies.   Sage Wedding Pros also hosts an annual Be Sage Conference, which welcomes creative entrepreneurs from around the world for a weeklong mastermind on all things business. Michelle was named one of the Top 1000 Event Professionals by BizBash Magazine in 2019. Her thought leadership has carried over to her professional speaking circuit, where she has been asked to speak at numerous national conferences including The Special Event, WeddingWire World, NACE Experience, POSH Retreat, ABC, and BizBash Live, as well as local chapter meetings for WIPA and ILEA. She is also a regular contributor to Wedding Business Magazine and has been featured on Planners Lounge, WeddingIQ, Aisle Planner, and countless other industry publications.   You will hear all about Michelle's incredible career journey and she will also be sharing her expert advice on 'The Amazon Effect –  How to Shift Your Event Business to the Demands of Today's Consumer.' We will finish up with 'What She Wishes Other Creatives Knew' and her 'Confetti Hour Confession.'   Featured Guest: Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros   Website: www.sageweddingpros.com   Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SageWeddingPros   Instagram: @SageWeddingPros     Courses & Tools: https://sageweddingpros.com/small-business-online-courses-tools/     Free Cashflow Worksheet: https://sageweddingpros.com/2020/04/free-cashflow-plan-worksheet-for-event-businesses/     Hire Michelle to speak on The Amazon Effect: https://sageweddingpros.com/wedding-industry-speaker/     -   Thank you to our Sponsor!     Happily Ever Expo | Happily Ever Expo is offering a virtual expo where you can pre-record your pitch and will connect you with potential clients! Happily Ever Expo is also hosting an outdoor wedding expo on October 25th at Connemara House Farm in Topsfield, MA! Reach out today to get featured virtually or in person! Space is limited!! Visit their website happilyeverexpo.com for more information and email info@happilyeverexpo.com

I am so happy to introduce my fabulous guest, Melissa Thunberg, CEO of Bramble Hospitality Group which comprises Willowdale Estate in Topsfield, MA and Briar Barn Inn & Spa & Grove Restaurant in Rowley, MA - on episode 12 of my podcast "GOING VIRAL: Staying Sane, Healthy & Connected during the Coronavirus Outbreak of 2020." As a wedding and events planner for over 15 years in the Greater Boston area, Melissa and her team are weathering this new, challenging time for the hospitality, wedding and events industry with grace under pressure. Melissa has been working with her understandably emotional clients to postpone and reschedule important life events, such as weddings, baby showers and rehearsal dinners. Located in Boston's North Shore, the Willowdale Estate typically hosts 130-145 weddings per year, and she hopes her clients will soon be able to celebrate their events once again.She discusses how the entire events industry is having to change the way they do business, by rethinking and reimagining events. Melissa shares her successes at home, spending time homeschooling her children, baking homemade bread and delicious meals with her culinar- trained husband, and doing her best to make this time in quarantine a positive one for her family. Her other property, The Briar Barn Inn is set against the picturesque backdrop of historic Rowley, MA. Currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Inn offers 30 guest rooms for a relaxing retreat or romantic weekend getaway. A blend of refined and rustic charm reimagines the New England country inn with contemporary finishes. Grove at Briar Barn Inn offers a relaxed dining experience where guests and locals alike can enjoy inventive cuisine and casual favorites. Their award-winning chef focuses on farm-fresh ingredients, inspired flavors, and classics with a twist.The Spa at Briar Barn Inn offers restorative and invigorating treatments for guests. **Please Note: The opinions expressed in this podcast are my own and my guest's own. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please call 911 or consult your doctor.** Find Melissa Thunberg, CEO of Bramble Hospitality Group https://www.briarbarninn.com/bramble-hospitality/ https://www.briarbarninn.com/ https://www.willowdaleestate.com/ -->FB: https://www.facebook.com/WillowdaleEstate/ https://www.facebook.com/BriarBarnInn/ -->Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowdaletoday/ https://www.instagram.com/briarbarninn/ Find Melissa Rush at: www.techsavvycoach.com -->Email: melissa@techsavvycoach.com -->FB: www.Facebook.com/hustleandheartpodcast -->Instagram: @hustleandheartpodcast Follow, Connect and DM us on if you would like to be our guest and Zoom in! ............................ #coronavirus #covid19 #newnormal #quarantine #socialdistancing #podcast #podcastlife #hustleandheart #hustleandheartpodcast #goingviral #stayhome #willowdaleestate #thebriarbarninn #northshore #boston #antiques #quarantinelife #weddings #specialevents #eventsplanning #farmtotable #restauranteurs #bramblehospitality #curatorship #topsfield #rowley #bridetobe #bleisure #magnoliahome #joannagaines #newengland

The owner of a Topsfield roofing company has a big goal for this month and it has nothing to do with roofs and everything to do with the program called to Feed the Heroes. WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens reports.

The owner of a Topsfield roofing company has a big goal for this month and it has nothing to do with roofs and everything to do with the program called to Feed the Heroes. WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens reports.

  The last of the June witch trials, Sarah Wildes from Topsfield walks in front of the magistrates with a lot of enemies.  The family of her husband’s late wife despise her because she married him within months of her death.  Others are seeking vengeance for getting arrested by her constable son, Ephraim. The four […]

  In this episode of the podcast we look at the fourth trial to take place on June 19-30, 1692 – the trial of Elizabeth Howe. Elizabeth Howe was around 57 years old at the time of her arrest in Topsfield, MA.  She asked her brother-in-law to accompany her to Salem after arrest in lieu […]

Just a couple of days after the last podcast and an entire new crop of people are accused of witchcraft by the afflicted girls in Salem. While Ipswich is acquitting people accused of witchcraft, Salem has sent our warrants and arrested: William and Deliverance Hobbs (of Topsfield) – the parents of confessed with Abigail Hobbs. […]

Listen to the spirited debate that took place at Topsfield Town Meeting about the proposed ban on the use of elephants, big cats, and other exotic animals for entertainment. Arguments for and against were presented.

The odds of surviving a heart attack outside a hospital are very low, but a group of first responders in Topsfield were able to bring one man back from cardiac arrest -- three times. 

The Perfect Holiness of God So turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. We continue in our study in this incredible epistle. This morning as I was having my quiet time, I'm in the section and Deuteronomy where Moses begged to have the sentence that God had put on him, that he would not cross over the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land, because he had sinned in the matter of the rock and the water flowing from the rock, and God would not remove his sentence that he would not be permitted to cross the Jordan River. But how He had promised and at the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, He would give him the final and majestic vision of all the many, many visions that He showed Moses. He would allow him to see that good land from the top of Mount Pisgah. It was the final of a series of really astonishing visions, sights, if you could put it that way, that God showed Moses. Think of the life of Moses, think of all the things He showed him, think of Mount Sinai where God descended in fire on that mountain. And Moses saw it and actually was invited up into the mountain and to see manifestations of Almighty God. What an incredible vision that was. Or before that, the Red Sea crossing. What a spectacular vision or sight of the power of God. Think about the ten plagues culminating in the plague on the first born and the things that Moses saw with his own eyes and displays of God's power over nature, the way he turned the water of Egypt into blood and the way all those plagues came. And Moses saw it. Supernatural displays are the power of God. But what really hit me this morning as I was thinking about the text I'm about to preach on was the first supernatural sign that Moses saw. And that was when he was an 80-year-old man and he was tending his father-in-law Jethro's sheep on the back side of the desert and he suddenly saw something he couldn't explain. And that was a bush that was consumed by fire, but not consumed. It was not burned up. And he thought this was remarkable. This is something he can't explain. And I think the spiritual reality behind the burning bush may be the most significant of all of the amazing things Moses ever saw. Because it represents how Almighty God, this perfect, holy God can dwell in the midst of sinners like us. As it says in Isaiah 33:14, the sinners in Zion are gripped with trembling saying who of us can dwell with everlasting burning? Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? And so as we have learned who we are, how sinful we are, how corrupt and how holy God is... And that education has only begun. It's going to go on for all eternity. We will understand just how holy and pure God is and how God said in Habakkuk, his eyes are too pure to look on evil. He cannot tolerate wrong. This is a Holy God and we are corrupting our sin, and how can this fire dwell in the midst of such a combustible people as us? But He will. He'll spend all eternity in our midst. We're going to see Him face-to-face. What we have only heard about now with our ears, we will see with our eyes. We will see the glory of God and we will not be consumed by it. We will look on it. With our resurrection eyes, we will look on perfect glory, the glory of God. We will see it for all eternity and we will not be burned up. We will be in the midst of the consuming fire, and we will bask in it and delight in it. And we have now a foretaste of that future through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. In the end of 1 Corinthians 6, there are these remarkable words. Look again at what we looked at last week. 1 Corinthian 6:19, it says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God?" Now, I tell you, there's not a person in this room that does not underestimate that statement. The Holy Spirit of God... If you're a Christian, the Holy Spirit of God is dwelling in you like the burning bush. And if you've been at sanctification any length of time, you know how combustible you are. You know how much it is true, like it says in Romans 7, the very thing I hate, I do and the thing that I want to do and that I love, I do not do. That's combustible. And yet this holy God dwells in our midst. The Holy Spirit is in you and that is the consummation of the promise of God. Christ in you, the hope of glory. So what that means is someday, we will be done with sin. Amen, hallelujah. We'll be done with it. Not just sexual sin, we'll be done with all sin. And what that means is that all of the commands of God and all of His... The intentions of God will be consummated in us, the holy people of God. And so as we go over now into 1 Corinthians 7, we need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is in us as a deposit guaranteeing our future inheritance, but He's also in us as a power source to make us holy. And there may be no topic in which we feel the need for that as much as sexuality, as much as the attractions of the heart, the relationships of love. We know that not just from scripture, but just from culture, from love songs, from anything, what a powerful force love is, sexual attraction is. It's a powerful force. And so we need to hear from God today. We need God to speak to us and to talk to us some more in 1 Corinthian 7. I. God’s Beautiful Provision of Marriage And so we begin as we transition now from chapter 6 into chapter 7 with a whole chapter on the practicalities of marriage, God's provision for marriage. And this beautiful provision of marriage Jesus Christ said was established at the beginning. When he was asked in Matthew 19 about divorce, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" Jesus brought his inquisitors to scripture and said, "Haven't you read…at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female, [quoting Genesis 1] and said, 'For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate." So we answer the question about divorce by talking about marriage. And so God established in Adam and Eve a lasting pattern of provision for marriage. And it's a marvelous provision, it's a marvelous pattern for marriage. God’s Delightful Purposes in Marriage And I want to just begin this message here as we begin this whole chapter on looking at marriage and singleness, we're seeing what a beautiful provision this is, how God... What God intended in marriage. And so I've got seven concepts. They all happen to begin with the letter P. I don't know how that happened, just one after the other... Just happened that way. If you believe that, talk to me afterwards. We'll discuss homiletics. But seven purposes, God's purpose in marriage. 1) Partnership First, partnership. God said in Genesis 2:18, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Adam was alone in a way no human being since that time has been alone, completely alone. There was no other human being on Earth, he was completely alone. And it was not good for the man to continue alone, it certainly was good for him to be alone for a while because that's what God did. And He did it, I think, to establish the primacy of the husband in the marriage relationship, but also to make him feel acutely the desire for a helper suitable for him. And so God said, I will craft a helper suitable for him. It's a beautiful word, the word helper. And the word suitable means perfectly aligned to him, corresponding to him equally in the image of God, able to share in conversations, dreams, goals in relationship, a partnership, a friendship patterned after the trinity. The Father, the Son, the Spirit in some mysterious way, separate persons perfectly one. Something we will never fully comprehend. But all human relationships are in some sense patterned after the trinity, the oneness. And so the two shall become one. One means individuals but thinking the same thoughts, having the same goals, having the same love, having the same purpose. Oneness, partnership, friendship. 2) Pleasure Secondly, pleasure. God created marriage for pleasure. Going to the text that Jesus quoted, Genesis 2:24-25. It says, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." One flesh. And then the next verse, "The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame." So I think we all know what that's talking about, marital relations, or sex. The Song of Songs celebrates the pleasure that comes from a holy sexual relationship between a husband and wife, something that God created, something that God intended. It is one of the greatest pleasures there is in this world and God made marriage in part for that pleasure. The pleasure is so great that it seems, in terms of language, only poetry can really capture it and so there's this whole book of poetry, Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, that is dedicated to the delights of married love. Some of you are sweating a little bit here as I'm about to quote, but I've selected proper quotes here from Song of Songs. You can read the whole book on your own. But Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs 8:6-7 it says this, "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is as strong as death and it's jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away." So that's the intensity and, if we could just say, pleasure that comes in a healthy marriage, even physically. 3) Procreation Thirdly, procreation. God intended marriage for the sake of procreation, that there would be a multitude greater than anyone could count from every tribe, language, people, and nation, standing around the throne worshipping God for salvation. Where would all that come from? God intended that Adam not stay alone, that Adam and Eve not be childless, but he intended that they be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. And so He commanded them to do it and He blessed them. It's a blessing that He's given them. Malachi 2:15 says, "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit, they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring, children. So guard yourself and your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth." So someday, Heaven will be filled with the redeemed from all over the world as they just quoted in Revelation 7, a multitude of people. And God ordained marriage as the holy means by which children are born. Now, we're aware that children are born just as a result of sex and it's not always in a holy way and so some of God's elect came into the world that way. But I'm just saying the pattern that God intended from the beginning was Holy marriage and the overwhelming majority of the redeemed that will be spending eternity in Heaven will have been blessed by godly parents who brought them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The overwhelming majority, maybe as high as two-thirds. And so it's the ordinary means by which God has provided for the elect to be saved. 4) Purity Fourth, purity. The context, as we shall see here in Corinth, was a swirling pot of sexual temptation and degradation. A constant allure towards sexual immorality of many types. God's one and only provision for pure sexual activity is covenant marriage. It's is the only one. And we'll say more about this purity, since it's clearly on Paul's mind throughout 1 Corinthians 7, as it was in chapter 6 as well. 5) Protection Fifth, protection. Protection. Strongly connected with purity is the sense of protection. The husband's body exists in part for the protection of his wife, physically, sexually, in many regards. So he presents his body to his wife to protect her in many ways, lest she stray sexually, true. But also in terms of food, clothing, and shelter. And that's especially needful in the processes of childbearing where the woman is particularly vulnerable and then the infant that's born is extremely vulnerable and God's ordinary provision is for a husband and father to meet the physical needs in that situation, to provide for his family, to protect them from dangers. But similarly also, the wife is there for the sexual protection of her husband. By her willing presentation of her body to him, she protects him from the harlots of Corinth. So also by her industriousness, as we see in Proverbs 31. The Proverbs 31 wife, the wife of noble character, is a busy woman who, by her skills, is able to protect her family in a similar way, food, clothing, and shelter. By making clothing for them, by cooking food, by doing a variety of things, by making a home. And there's a psychological protection that comes there. Especially in protection, we should imagine and know... I'm going to talk more about this in a moment. That the family is other under satanic assault constantly. It is primarily the husband's job to protect his family from that, from every threat. Certainly physical, but also spiritual. But also the wife by her prayers and her godly example, and her sexual willingness, and her labors, as I just mentioned, as a homemaker and industrious and profitable work, she protects him and her children from satanic assaults as well. We see some of the idea of protection and strength from joining together in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, often quoted at weddings. I think it's a wonderful quote. It says, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up, but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? The one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." So there is strength in partnering together. An aspect of this protection of marriage is that individuals are protected in the security of a lifelong covenant relationship which we promise to work things out if there are disagreements. And you're not going to get jettisoned the first time there's some difficulty, but you're in a secure relationship in which you know this person is committed to the relationship and committed to working it through. So this forces us sinners to get in the room, close the door, and work it out. And those of you that are married couples, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Work it out by the power of the Spirit. This is protection. 6) Productivity Six, productivity. God commanded the man and woman to take dominion over planet Earth, to subdue it and rule over it. This involves countless works of creativity and productivity. They were called on to do it together, each with differing roles corresponding to their abilities and to their calling, beginning with raising children to join with them in that world-wide work. So God gave marriage for that productivity. Now, this chapter is the central chapter in the Bible on the blessedness of godly singleness. So you don't have to be married to be productive, not at all. Paul would say that he's more spiritually productive in his own way because he's single. And we'll talk about all that in due time. But there is productivity that comes together in a married couple. Statistics bear out that two are better than one financially, especially if there are children involved. It is a very difficult thing for a married couple to raise children, no offense to any that are here. But it's a challenge to raise children as a couple in total agreement through prayer. It's a challenge. How much more difficult is it to try to do it alone? And so a single-parent home is a challenged home. It's challenged economically, and I think statistics show also that one of the single greatest factors and guarantors of a cycle, a multi-generational cycle of poverty, is a denigration of marriage or single-parent homes. And so there is a desire that any involved in urban ministry would have, or in any kind of ministry, in producing stable nuclear families. Productivity. 7) Portrayal And then finally, portrayal, or picture. Marriage is the greatest portrayal or a picture of the holy and perfect relationship between God and His people, between Christ and His church. Paul says in Ephesians 5, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery, but I'm talking about Christ and the church." Every Christian marriage is the portrayal or a picture of the perfect, beautiful unity that there will be in Heaven between Christ and His people. So those seven reasons or purposes of marriage, there may be others, but these are the ones God laid on my heart. Partnership, pleasure, procreation, purity, protection, productivity, and portrayal. So we should see marriage as a beautiful gift from God. Like the fragrant and beautiful garden of Eden with lots of different fragrant trees in it, and this image of a walled garden is used in Song of Solomon, chapter 4, 12-16, in which the bridegroom says to the bride, "You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride. You're a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Your plants are like an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon. With every kind of incense tree with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices. You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon. Awake north wind and come Southland. Blow on my garden that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits." So it's a multi-faceted fruitful garden, marriage is. II. This Garden of Eden is Besieged But we should also see it as a besieged city. It's under constant assault, marriage is, by the world, the flesh and the devil. Adam was commanded in his original command in Genesis 2-15. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden, to literally, serve it and protect it. The second verb "protect", it's like to guard or stand watch over the garden and the idea is like a watchman on the walls, it inevitably involves danger, encroaching danger. We see what danger when the serpent came in the next chapter. And so Adam failed to protect the garden and look what's happened. So there's need for constant vigilance because there is constant danger when it comes to marriage. Satan knows better than we do, the terrifying power of a Godly marriage. Just like he knows better than we do the terrifying power of a healthy church, and so he wants to assault both the family and the church continually. He knows how dangerous it is if you have a Christlike Godly loving husband serving and caring for his wife and the Godly church-like wife submitting to her husband's leadership, and them together raising their children in the nurture and admonition the Lord. He knows how terrifyingly damaging that is to his dark kingdom. And so he's going to assault marriage, and so he was assaulting it there in Corinth, the unholy Corinthian mess. We've been seeing it. The Greco-Roman world was a mess when it came to sex and marriage. We've already seen, and we're going to talk more about the details of that, I'm not going into it right now, but we see it right in the book that we're studying, 1 Corinthians, Chapter 5, remember? A man has his father's wife. Chapter 6 talks about various categories of sinners, that people were saved out of, and a number of them are sexual. You remember in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, "Do you not know, the unrighteous, the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, [that's people that have sex outside of marriage,] nor idolaters, nor adulterers, [that's a married person having sex with someone who's not his or her spouse] nor effeminate, nor homosexuals [we've talked about those as well, and then other categories of sinners] thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the power of the Spirit of God." So that's what they were saved out of only recently. And so, there's still corruption, and still struggles in their minds and hearts and practices. And so at the end of chapter six, we saw that a number of them were frequenting temple prostitutes, and He has to directly address that. Look again at verses 15-20. "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never. Do you not know that he who unites himself with the prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said that two will become one flesh, but he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, you are not your own. You were bought at a price, therefore glorify God with your body." So that's the call of sanctification, to take our bodies and use them for the glory of God. So that's the context now. 1 Corinthian 7, the Corinthian church was in danger, constant danger sexually, and God was calling on them to perfect holiness. Calling them to perfect holiness in sexual matters, either holy celibacy in the gift of singleness, or holy marriage, gift of marriage. These are God's provisions for sexual purity. So that's the Corinthian mass. What about our unholy mess? Well, I don't have to go on and on. I've given statistics, things we've talked about it, we talked about abortion, we talked about fornication, talked about adultery, sexual immorality, internet pornography, we understand the word of God is timeless and relevant. We are essentially the same people as the Corinthians were. We're not essentially different, more technologically advanced, that's true, but our spirits are just as corrupted in this area of sex and so we need help. We need help, we're in trouble and the Word of God will come to us. God had through the Apostle Paul, planted that Corinthian church as a holy colony of heaven right in the middle of that seething mass of immorality. That's what the church is. We're in enemy territory. When He disciplined the guy in 1 Corinthians 5, he said, "Hand this man over to Satan." Satan's territory is out there. The church is a holy colony of heaven. And so, it is today in 21st century America, we are called on to be holy people surrounded by this unholy sexual sin and mess. So, God's two great provisions we are going to discuss, not in great detail, on celibacy, we'll get to it but holy celibacy and singleness, and holy marriage. Both of them in this chapter are presented positively as a gift from Almighty God. Look at verse seven, "Each person has his own gift from God. One has this gift and another has that." III. God’s Gift of Celibate Singleness So God has not left us as orphans here, He has given us gifts to provide for us. So, let's talk here at the beginning in verse one, of God's gift of celibate singleness, celibate singleness, look at verse 1. "Now, concerning the matters about which you wrote," and then in most translations, there's a quotation around it. In other words, as you said or as you wrote to me, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." That's a literal translation, King James version, as is good for a man not to touch a woman. Most translations just help us out with what that means. "It is good for a man not to touch a woman," means sexually. Doesn't mean bumping into her in a crowded marketplace, like she has cooties or something like that. It's not that, but it's just like in Proverbs 6, talks about the man who goes after his neighbor's wife, "No one who touches her will go unpunished." It's pretty clear what that's talking about and so it is here. Now, Paul is transitioning and in these first six chapters he's been addressing topics he chose to address one after the other, like their factions and divisions in chapters 1-3, and their worldliness in chapter 4, and their lack of church discipline with this individual in Chapter 5, and lawsuit among believers. He's addressing all of these, and the issue of sexual purity with the temple prostitutes, he's bringing all these are his topics of his choice. Now he's addressing things they asked him about. And so for the next number of chapters he's going to say "Now about, now about, now about." And these are topics they brought up with him and so he's quoting this they're saying this to him, it's good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman, so he's bringing up that topic. Alright, now it seems that some Corinthians aware of the depravity of human nature, and especially in this area, advocated a position of absolute celibacy for every Christian. Anybody and everybody. Let's just stay away from sexual relations, all together. Let's just leave it alone. We are now people of the Spirit, not of the body. So you've got that Greek philosophical dualism where they're celebrating the spirit and the mind, the elevated lofty regions of the spirit of the mind and denigrating the physical carnal aspect. Well, the Bible never does that in the fact that Jesus was incarnate by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and how He was, He took on an actual human resurrection body after His resurrection. So the biblical view is not denigrating body, elevating spirit. But they were like that and say, "Well we're now people of the Spirit, so we're done with sex. Everybody should be like that." Now look, Paul doesn't disagree up-front saying wrong, he doesn't do that. He actually in this chapter, as I've already mentioned, is going to advocate most eloquently the value and benefit of singleness in the Lord. Even in our own section here, look at verse 7, he says, "I wish that all people were as I am." In other words, single. "But each person has his own gift from God. One has this gift and another has that." So he's not refuting it absolutely, like singleness is not a good idea, holy celibacy is a gift from God. And he's going to unfold that later in great detail verses 32-35, especially. So we'll get to that in time. So yes, holy celibacy is a gift from God, but he has some caveats right away. And so, we moved quickly from Holy celibacy to the issue of marriage. He says that if you don't have the gift of holy celibacy in singleness, you are in danger sexually. So look at verse 2, "Since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband." So the this is similar to the moment you remember in Matthew 19 when Jesus is teaching on marriage and answers the question, "Is it lawful to get a divorce for any and every reason?" He gives a beautiful articulation of the theology of marriage from the beginning and then simply says no, it is not lawful to get a divorce for any and every reason. That is not lawful. Well, the disciples heard this, in like, "Okay, so if that's the case, if it's one man, one woman in covenant relationship for life, and the only way you can get out of that is through sin, it's better not to get married." That's what they said. And so, they're addressing it, it's better for all of us to be single. Jesus then answers, totally in harmony with the theology that Paul is giving here. "Not everyone can accept that, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way, others were made that way by men and still others have made themselves eunuchs or renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. The one who can accept this, should accept it." That's a clear theology of singleness, given to a limited number of people who are capable of accepting it. Paul just elaborates on who it is that can accept celibate singleness. There are a number of Godly people, heroes and heroines that have felt no compulsion to get married. They're not under any sexual pressure, and so they can live their whole single lives like Paul did, in service to the Lord. We think about Lottie Moon, for example, who turned away from a relationship to go overseas and serve in China and was never married. And she lived out some of the words that Paul is going to talk about later, in undivided devotion to the Lord. The same thing with Rachel Singh who did the same among the Hourani people. And she just lived her whole life as a single woman. Now, there are many of our sisters in Christ that are serving over the seas, overseas with the INB that have the gift of singleness, and are fruitful in that. And also, there are brothers that are called just like Paul to celibate singleness, holy singleness. For example, Charles Simeon and John Stott and others that just never felt the need to get married and gave their whole lives in service to the Lord. And so here, Paul says that's a good thing if you can do it, but look at verses 8 and 9, "Now to the unmarried and the widows, I say it is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am, but if they cannot control themselves, they should marry. For its better to marry than to burn." It usually helped with translation, burn with passion. Now some of the Corinthians were saying with a faulty theology that marriage itself, sexual relating with a marriage itself, is corrupt. There's an an inherent wickedness to it. Now, there is a terrible history of this in the Roman Catholic church, sadly. Augustin, one of the key leaders of the Catholic Church, theologically before he was converted, he was constantly burning with sexual immoral passion, fornication. He was a corrupt individual and it was really being delivered from that sin in particular, that brought him over into new life in Christ. He knew when that had been dealt with, that he had been converted. And he wrote incredible theology but wrote practically and strongly advocated, perhaps beyond boundaries, the gift of celibate singleness. And it became a tradition in the Roman Catholic church, and even a command in their canon law, that if you're going to be a priest, you had to be single. They mandated singleness. And the same thing for Godly women, who we generally called nuns, and it was a hierarchy of holiness, and the highest level of holiness, were given to single people. And then if you're just your average Christian married couple, you're way down on the list in terms of a hierarchy of holiness. And we can see some of the devastating consequences of basically implying that marriage is corrupt. As a matter of fact, Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1-3 calls the forbidding of marriage the doctrine of demons. There are actually some strange cults, and I've mentioned them before, the Shakers. Christi and I went to a Shaker village when we were in Kentucky, and they make great furniture, and they have a really laudable simple life. But they taught that men and women should literally not touch each other. So there are these weird kind of ritualistic dances in which the men and women just would circle around but not touch each other and they forbid marriage. And as I've said about the Shakers before, you better be good at evangelism because you're going to be gone in one generation. Alright, just figure that out, you'll know what I'm talking about. They just forbad marriage, it was a doctrine of demons. Now, we're going to talk more about singleness in later sermons at the present, just let me say a few things practically. First of all, we should esteem single people as complete people in Christ. There's nothing incomplete about a single a man or a woman. It's not like there's something wrong with them. I'm not saying it's wrong for a church to try to help them find spouses, but sometimes some people can go overboard. I've seen it happen. Let's move on, alright. We should see the church as a large family, including singleness. In Psalms 68, 6, it says, "God sets the solitary and families." I mean the family of God. And so practically we should be thinking about singles at holiday times and other times in terms of whole fellowship, home fellowship, that there would be a warm welcoming of people who are single. And we know very well that they might be married later, but this is the time of singleness, for them. And so there should be a flourishing young professionals ministry in every healthy church singles ministry, that ministers well, with and to singles. IV. God’s Gift of Holy Marriage Let's talk now about, for the rest of the time, about God's gift of holy marriage. Not everyone is able to maintain sexual purity. So Paul turns to God's gift of marriage verse 2, "Since there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband." Now, again, I gave seven reasons why marriage is beautiful and wonderful. Paul isn't giving a comprehensive list of reasons why you should get married. "I want to marry you because I can't control myself and it's better to marry you than burn with passion." Don't say that, that's not a good proposal. There are a wide range of good reasons. Look at my list, give the whole list not just this one. But Paul's just zeroing in on this issue of sexual purity. And he says, "Each man should have his own wife and each woman should have her own husband." This is God's gracious provision, and a loving gift to each other. Therefore, Paul is saying, celibacy within marriage is not good. No, it's not. So you can't take that idea and extend it now into the boundaries of marriage. Look at verses 3-5, "The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone, but also to her husband in the same way the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent. And for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." So Paul's strongly urging against that spirit vision that we're done with those kinds of physical things. But I want you to note how He refutes this with remarkably egalitarian language, this is actually one of the most egalitarian passages in the Bible. The husband and wife in this passage are sexual equals when it comes to each other's bodies. He goes so far as to say the husband's body doesn't belong to him alone but also to his wife. He is given to her rights and privileges over his own body. That's the theological implication of being one flesh. In the same way the wife's body doesn't belong to her alone, but to her husband. She has given to him rights and privileges in covenant marriage, that belong to him alone. And he has that freedom, he has that authority, even uses authority language. The wife has authority over her husband's body sexually. The husband has authority over the wife's body sexually. That's the language that he uses here. The husband therefore is under a moral obligation to fulfill his wife sexual needs and similarly the wife is under moral obligation to fulfill her husband's sexual needs. That's the language that Paul's giving here. So whenever I have something difficult to say, I quote another pastor. So now I'm going to quote John McArthur at length. "There are so many people who use the sexual aspect of marriage to manipulate what they want. If the husband doesn't do everything the wife wants, that's it, he's on the couch. Or if the wife doesn't do everything the husband wants, he doesn't even bother with her. And the husband knows, just exactly what he has to do to get the right response, so he does it. Like some kind of poor little puppy dog who has to do what he has to do in order to get what he has to get.Listen, when you withhold from your partner for any reason, you put that partner in a place where Satan can tempt them toward their lack of self-control. The first thing that happens is not only the bitterness, anguish and anxiety that comes between the two, but then the evil thoughts that come into the mind, and then the entertainment of the evil thoughts. And very often it can lead to an adulterous situation. Any time you withhold from your partner that which is rightfully theirs, you become the agent of Satan." I think that's all true. Paul says, "Occasional times of prayer maybe." Now, this would be an interesting couple alright, to me. But it's just what the text says. "From time to time, tell you what hon, let's abstain, so that we can pray." "That's fine," says the other, "Just as long as it's not too long so that we can come back together after prayer, after the time of prayer." But that's exactly what it's saying. It should be also know how egalitarian it is, by mutual consent. They will abstain from sexual relating within marriage by mutual consent. If one of them says, "No I don't think that this is a good time for that." Then it's not happening. I mean you can pray without abstaining, but it would just be something that you could do. And if you do abstain, for the sake of prayer, he is saying the time should be brief and should end with the couple's coming together sexually, "so that Satan will not have the opportunity to tempt you because of your lack of self-control." This gives you a sense of how regular and ongoing relation, relating should be within marriage should be a regular ongoing part. Now, Paul says, "Look, I'm not commanding you to do that." So he's going to keep open the singleness theme he's going to go, he said, "I'm not commanding you to get married." "I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." V. Applications Alright, let's take some applications, now and we'll be done. First of all, we should see both singleness and marriage as a gift from God. God is good, he's not left us as orphans in this area. So FBC, should be a place where single people feel welcome and esteemed as complete and full members of the body of Christ. So also as I've said, single people should see their time of singleness as a unique time of serving the Lord and a special time, which God may extend for the rest of their lives. They don't know that, but they may realize, "Look, I have the gift of singleness. Didn't know that at the beginning, but I can see how fruitful my life is as a single person." On the other hand, married people should see marriage as a gift from God. And here, you have to get very specific. My spouse is a gift of God to me. And the more you think that and the more you express that to each other, the happier each of you will be, in marriage. Think, men, think of your wife as a gift of God to you. That God chose her out for you, and she is the helper suitable for you. And in the same way, wives, you should think of that, of your husbands as a specific, intelligent gift from God. That God is showing His wisdom, His intelligence in choosing, He has made this selection for you. He's brought the two of you together and you should express this to each other frequently. How thankful you are for this person and for the things that she does for you or the things that he does for you. Of course you're dealing with a sinner. Of course they're imperfect. Of course there's going to be aspects that are not right or not the way they should be. I understand that. But the more you can express thankfulness, the sweeter your union will be. Some time ago, I came across the poem written by a woman in the New England Puritan, Ann Bradstreet. Her anthology of poems was the first book of poetry ever published in the new world. She was a Puritan woman lived in the 17th century in New England, actually, not far from where I pastored in Topsfield. She was married to a man, Simon, who eventually became governor, of Massachusetts. She wrote this poem to her husband and it just speaks to me. It's just powerful. Listen to what she says to her husband Simon. "If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever a man were loved by a wife, then thee. If ever wife were happy in a man compare with me, women, if you can. I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold or all the riches that the east doth hold." "My love is such that rivers cannot quench nor ought, but love from thee give recompense. My love is such, I can no way repay. Thy love is such, I can in no way repay. The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. Then while we live in love, let's so persevere, that when we live no more, we may live ever." It's a beautiful poem. And I remember reading and I thought, "I want to be the kind of husband that my wife could say these kinds of things to." I want all of you husbands, you're like, "I would love to be this kind of a man who would be celebrated that way." And a wife would say, "I would love to say these kinds of things to my husband." As I finish the message today, I prayed this morning that God would bring non-Christians here to hear the Gospel. This scripture is predominantly written to the church about the gift of marriage and the gift of singleness. And they are each of them gifts, but there's a far greater gift and that is the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. It could be that you're invited here today by a friend or someone brought you here, maybe you just walked in here and you've heard this sermon on marriage and singleness. And maybe you realize that there's some corruption in your own heart in this area, maybe even sexually. But understand that's a subset of a larger problem of the sin, and the only provision there is for sin is Jesus Christ the Savior. God sent him to die for sinners like you and me. We're all corrupt. Not just in this area but in every area. And so, I plead with you don't leave this place without talking to somebody about how you can come to faith in Christ. God sent Jesus, His only begotten son to die on the cross as a substitute for sinners like you and me, so that we can spend eternity holy and blameless in heaven looking at God face-to-face. Close with me in prayer.

Artist Meg Black doesn’t wait for things to happen, she makes them happen. She has recently installed a major commission in the new edition of the town hall in Topsfield, MA, and is here to tell us all about the process from vision to reality. Meg shares with us how she got involved in the project, the research that went into it, and the hurdles she had to overcome in able to get it done both perfectly and on schedule. She now is a local celebrity due to her talent, and care for the community.   Meg’s commissioned pieces are wins for the community, as they employ local vendors, and simultaneously showcase the beauty and romance of Topsfield.   In this interview, you will hear Meg talk about:   The pivotal experience 20 years back where Meg was commissioned to do a painting for the Topsfield town library. The story behind the special preserved and protected road that was recommended by locals to Meg as a great subject to paint. Meg called upon her “galaxy of artists” and decided to leave some of the windy road landscape to the viewer’s imagination. How Meg’s idea of the Topsfield Town Hall addition project presented a challenge with no patron and no donor, and how she enlisted the perfect patron for this project. The “10 Million Dollar” problem of the town hall project, and the feeling that Meg had of not wanting the beauty of the piece to become tainted by community politics. The homework Meg did to fully understand and articulate the process of tax exemption when writing a letter to her potential donor. The interesting release schedule Meg activated for her installation, which kept the town aware of the work but not completely in the know about who the donor was. Meg’s dedication to seeing that the entirety of this project was kept local, including the printer, photographer, and the framer. How the sales of the prints are divided up both in labor and earnings. Why networking on LinkedIn is important for any artist looking for the next commercial opportunity. What we can expect next from Meg, and a peek into the new commission she is very excited about.     Resources: ArtBizSuccess.com Meg Black   Quotes: “I was afraid someone else would beat me to making the art. That’s what did it and got myself out there.” - Meg “We need to speak the language of lay people, especially when we ask them for big sums of money.” - Meg “When you find a donor for your artwork, the entity has to take care of that work and agree to take it on.” - Alyson “I probably put about 500 hours for that painting. I was waking up at 3:30am every day.” - Meg “Everything was in town.” - Meg       *** This episode is brought to you by the Art Biz Inner Circle. This is a group of unapologetically ambitious artists that my team and I work with for a year. We help our members with goals, mindset, business strategies, and focus. See ArtBizInnerCircle.com ***

During Topsfield Veterans Day ceremonies, Veterans Agent Dick Cullinan looks back on the Great War, now known as World War I, how it changed the nature of war, and also how the world still waits for an enduring peace.

Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai and the Shiva 4 Senate campaign team are at Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, MA. Everyone loves the Shiva 4 Senate campaign and everyone hates the Fake Indian, Elizabeth Warren and the Dirty Diehl! The people on MA want to see change! **..

Author Sheldon Lee Compton joins Daniel Ford for Friday Morning Coffee to discuss his novel Brown Bottle.  Caitlin Malcuit also talks about the 2018 Topsfield Fair, which is being held Sept. 28 through Oct. 8 in Topsfield, Mass., Coolidge Corner Theater and Mount Auburn’s “Cemetery Cinema” screenings this fall, and more Halloween-themed events in the area. (We think someone’s excited for next month’s holiday!)  To learn more about Sheldon Lee Compton, visit his official website or follow him on Twitter @bentcountry. Today’s episode is sponsored by Libro.fm, OneRoom, and Pop Literacy.

Massachusetts Representative Brad Hill was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008 during the election.During an otherwise routine physical, his doctor ordered some blood tests that led to the initial diagnosis.Representative Hill came to Dana-Farber for his care and his treatment has included participation in a clinical trial that mixed biological therapy, a stem cell transplant, and high-dose chemotherapy. He cites maintaining a positive attitude as key to his treatment.Since 1999, Representative Hill has served as the representative for the Fourth Essex District, which covers Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham. He also is the assistant minority leader in the House.Representative Hill has been a patient of Dr. Paul Richardson for the past 10 years.

sermon transcript Introduction I was raised in a Roman Catholic family in eastern Massachusetts. I attended church faithfully and enjoyed it. I was an altar boy, and I learned accurately about Jesus — that he was the son of God, son of Mary, and part of the Trinity. One thing I did not learn in the Catholic church is how a sinner like me could be made right with God, and so I was lost. I went to church every Sunday, but I lived a lost life throughout the week. When I went off to college, I stopped going to church. I was too busy on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings to go to church, and it was not in my heart. I joined the Sigma Chi fraternity at MIT. One of our summer responsibilities was fraternity evangelism. That has nothing to do with the Gospel. We had to recruit incoming freshmen to join the fraternity, just as I had been the year before, who would agree to live in the house on Beacon Street in Boston to replace those who had graduated. If we did not, our rent would increase. I had to make five recruitment phone calls that summer to incoming freshmen in eastern Massachusetts, to invite them to summer parties hosted by the fraternity. I hated making those phone calls because the freshman were so cynical — they received calls from many fraternities besides ours. I made my five calls and then crumpled up the list and threw it in the trash. I was done. Then I felt guilty, thinking, “What kind of attitude is that? I will make six phone calls. I will go above and beyond the call of duty.” The sixth guy, Steve Chamberlain, led me to Christ. Just as I took the list out of the trash can, to some degree God took me up out of Hell and into Heaven. (Steve lived in Topsfield, where I would later become a pastor; he was mentored by Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and the founder of the 9Marks ministry, whom I first met when he came to see me the week I was converted.) It took a year of evangelistic effort on Steve’s part. I treated him very badly. I was rude to him. At first, when he started talking to me about the Gospel, I was interested, and then little by little, I became offended. I did not like how I felt when he was around, so I did not want to eat with him or spend time with him. Eventually, God broke through. I did not come to faith in Christ the first time I heard the Gospel; it took a year or so, but eventually the Lord by His sovereign grace brought me. I think often of Steve Chamberlain’s faithfulness. In the 36 or so years since that time, only a handful of people have evangelized me — not counting the Jehovah’s Witnesses that knock on our door — with the true Gospel. I was always thankful for those few, but I realize evangelism is hard for Christians. I have struggled with this my entire Christian life. I am not naturally outgoing; I do not naturally enjoy meeting strangers. It is a challenge. Satan has put up obstacles in our culture that hinder us from meeting strangers, talking comfortably to people that we do not know. This morning we will talk about evangelism and the responsibility that we have to share the Gospel with people around us here in the area. We will focus on Revelation 22:17: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.” We will immerse ourselves in the mysterious calling of the Gospel, the responsibility we have to be involved in the Gospel ministry. We will learn more about evangelism, of calling thirsty sinners to faith in Christ. Every day, we are surrounded in this Triangle region by unchurched, unsaved people. This area is exploding with people pouring in from all over the country, and from many places all over the world. People find the area a desirable place to live. There are jobs in the high tech industry, in pharmaceutical research, excellent hospitals, excellent universities. There is a pleasant, comfortable style and level of life that people find attractive. The climate is better here than in Boston, Massachusetts, I assure you — I do not miss the winters at all. This is one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the country. Most of those who come to the area are unchurched, unsaved. We have a responsibility to share the Gospel and we are strategically located in downtown Durham to do precisely that. The folks who are pouring in here that are lost, outside of Christ, are desperately seeking something. They are thirsty for meaning and purpose in life, and they are drinking from, in a sense, the cup of the great whore of Babylon from Revelation 17, enjoying material pleasures and advantages of life. From Revelation 18, we know that is what is going on, but they do not know. Drinking from that cup only makes them more thirsty. It is an addictive cycle, like quenching thirst with salt water. They are never satisfied, trying to find joy and pleasure and satisfaction and meaning in life, but we know they will never find it from this world system. If they are to find it, they will find it in Christ and his Gospel. It is our privilege, our responsibility, to call on them to come and drink from Christ. I tend to combine today’s text with Isaiah 55:1-2: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” We are strategically poised to invite thirsty people to come and drink, to find deep, rich, full satisfaction without money, without cost, to reach hundreds and even thousands with the Gospel, and to see dozens and dozens more baptized here in this church than we have ever seen before. That is my desire and the desire of all the elders. We want to see the Lord open doors all around us, and we need to walk through those doors. Jesus said in Revelation 3 to the church in Philadelphia, “See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.” When He opens a door, no one can shut it. When he shuts it, no one can open it. He has that kind of sovereign power. This sermon is specifically about our cooperation with the Holy Spirit of God in evangelism. We are called on to be partners in a mysterious way with the Holy Spirit in this work of Gospel outreach. God’s Final Invitation Final Invitation to Find Salvation This is God’s final invitation in Scripture to sinners to find salvation in Christ. We come to the end of the Bible — the final book, the final chapter, the final section, and whether we have God’s final invitation to sinners to come and find salvation in Christ. This invitation is like the parable that Jesus told of a king who wanted to put on a wedding banquet for his son. Matthew 22:2-5 says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they paid no attention and went off — one to his field, another to his business.” God has been beckoning to lost people throughout the generations to come to the wedding banquet, but people do not come; they turn away in disinterest. A number of years ago at Christmas time, I encountered Hans Christian Andersen’s short story called The Little Match Girl, a story of a very poor girl whose harsh domineering father sends her out in the freezing cold weather on Christmas Eve to sell matches. No one is out because of the cold, so she cannot get anyone to buy her matches. Outside a rich home, she looks through the window and sees a banquet laid out. The window is steamed with aromas of the roast goose and lavish food on the banquet table, but she is on the outside looking in. No one sees her or invites her in. Instead, she lights one of her matches. As she looks at the glow, she imagines herself sitting at the banquet table until that match burns out. One by one, she lights all of her matches until they are all gone. She is found the next morning frozen to death. The parable of the wedding banquet has a different bent. Here, the happy King spreads a feast and yearns for people to come in and eat freely without money, without cost, to find their souls richly satisfied with the richest of fare. But he cannot get anyone to pay attention. Luke 14:18-20 is a parallel account: “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.’” They are jut making excuses, unlike the little match girl, who is desperate that someone would invite her so that she can come in and get warm and be fed, but no one will invite her or open the door and welcome her. In this case, the tragic figure is the king. He wants people to come and celebrate with his son who is getting married but no one will come. In that parable, the king sends more and more messengers to compel people. Luke 14:23 says, “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.’” Day after day, God beckons to sinners, inviting them to a banquet. Romans 10:21 says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” That is the picture that I have of evangelism. While There Is Time The people who have moved to this area drive by churches daily. Perhaps they believe that life will continue on and on, that they have limitless time. Maybe they have some attraction to church, having had good experiences in the past or at least curiosity, but they do not stop. They drive by these churches as they go to work, or to shop, or on their way to the golf course. They see the steadiness of God’s gracious invitation day after day, week after week, year after year. The church seems solid, as though it will be there forever, giving the consistent message of salvation in Jesus. But I tell you that there will come a time when it will all come to an end. No book teaches that so plainly as the book of Revelation. It will come to an end. Every individual who is not in the final generation will die. It is appointed to us to die once and after that to face judgment. So as they goes through life surrounded like they are in America with many opportunities to hear the Gospel, there will come a last chance to hear the Gospel, to hear of the grace of God and Christ Jesus. Centuries ago, the Baptist preacher John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, preached a sermon based on two texts in the New Testament: the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and the parable of the rich fool. In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells of the rich fool whose land produced an abundant harvest such that he could not store it. “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’” He also talked about how the rich man languished in Hell, asking for an act of mercy from Lazarus. The sermon was titled “A Few Sighs from Hell.” Bunyan said, “The man, instead of thinking of death, thought how he might make his barns bigger. But, in the midst of his business in the world, he lost his soul before he was aware, supposing that death had been many years off. But God said unto him, ‘You fool, you trouble yourself about things of this life, you put off the thoughts of departing this world, when this night your soul shall be taken from you.’ ... And hence it is again, that you have some in your towns and cities that are so suddenly taken away, some from visiting the ale-houses, others from frequenting the whore-houses, others from playing and gaming, others from the cares and covetous desires after this world, unlooked for as by themselves or their companions. Suddenly it is all over! It all comes to an end! And we can well imagine one of the groans, and sighs and laments that will come from many damned people: ‘I always thought I would have more time! I always thought I would have one more chance! I always figured I would be able to time it, that when I had my last chance to hear the invitation to free grace in Christ, that I would seize it.’” That is true of every individual. Life will come to an end. This is also true of the human race — the world is moving ahead to the end. There was an Alpha day and there will be an Omega day, a final day. This is God’s last invitation in Scripture: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.”This is a call to redeem the time. For anyone here today in an unconverted state, this is an opportunity for you to cross over from death to life. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” Whoever Is Thirsty “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” It is an invitation to come drink the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:1-2 tells us what that is: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” It is an invitation to come and drink the water of eternal life, to come and drink and live forever. Are you thirsty? Has sin left you parched and empty? Come and drink the waters of the river of life flowing from Christ. This is specifically an invitation to come to Jesus Christ as your Savior. John 6:35 says, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’” That is a typical Jewish parallelism, Jewish poetry, to say the same thing twice in slightly different ways. Jesus did the same. To come to Jesus is to believe in him. If you do, you will never be hungry. You will never be thirsty. To come to the waters is to believe in Jesus, to trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins. The Spirit and the Bride Cooperation and Collaboration The Spirit and the bride are both saying, “Come, come to Jesus!” This is a marvelous verse on the cooperation between the Spirit and the Bride, who, we learned in Revelation 21, is the church of Jesus Christ, the people of God in this world. The Spirit and the Bride — the church — are together inviting lost sinners to come and drink from Christ and find life. Both the Spirit and the church, therefore, are instrumental in bringing lost sinners to faith in Christ. They both have a role to play. The Spirit calls sinners to come, and the bride calls sinners to come, and even those who are thirsty and who are coming and drinking are inviting other thirsty people to come and drink. The Spirit’s General Invitation The Spirit invites, generally, universally, the human race to come. He does this by means of Scripture, the Bible that he has inspired. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Son and the Spirit inspired the Scriptures, the written Word of God, which has the power to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15). In the Scripture, we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:16-17 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” That is a summary of the whole book of Romans. The Holy Spirit was in the Apostle Paul when he wrote those words. Through the Book of Romans, the Holy Spirit is saying to the human race, “Come, come to Christ and find forgiveness.” Later in that same book, we have the glowing heart of the gospel, in Romans 3:21-24: “…a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify [the law and the prophets together talk about this salvation in the Old Testament]. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified [forgiven of their sins, made right in the sight of God] freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Jesus shed His blood on the cross in our place that we might have forgiveness of sins. As Paul wrote, the law and the prophets testify to this gospel, even though they lived centuries before Jesus. The Holy Spirit was in the prophets, and he was showing them things about the future, things they would have no other way of knowing. 1 Peter 1:10-12 says, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. [The Spirit told Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel that centuries later, a savior would come to suffer and die, and be raised on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. They did not understand, but Peter says:] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.” The Holy Spirit was in the prophets and the apostles in the writing of the Word. Through the Scriptures, the Spirit says “Come” generally to the human race. The Holy Spirit wrote the Old Testament through the prophets. He also wrote the New Testament through the apostles. After the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came into them, and then they wrote the New Testament. They were the eyewitnesses, which is the basis of the New Testament. Jesus told them it would happen in John 14:26: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you [apostles] all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit reminded Peter, John, James, Andrew, and all of the apostles who were eyewitnesses, of all that he said and did. On the basis of that, we have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the entire New Testament. The Father and the Son together sent the Spirit in the world to complete the redemptive work of God. This is amazing teaching. Without the powerful working of the Spirit, not a single sinner would ever have been saved. Jesus’ atoning work on the cross would have saved no one were it not for the work of the Holy Spirit. I am not speaking blasphemy or heresy; it is true. The blood of Christ was shed, but it had to be applied, just as the Jews of old had to paint the blood on the doorpost so that when the angel of death saw the blood, he passed over that house. It is the Holy Spirit’s glory to apply the blood of Christ to sinners like you and me. He moves and works, and so I owe my salvation as much to the work of the Holy Spirit as I do to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and to the Father for the plan. It is a cooperative effort. By the Spirit, the Gospel goes out into all the world; by the Spirit, Jesus becomes famous in every generation. When I was growing up, almost everybody had heard of the Beatles, an English rock group. Some of you younger ones have never heard of them, making my point. As every generation passes, they become less and less famous. One member of the group, John Lennon, once said, “We are more famous than Jesus.” Perhaps at that moment they were as close as anyone has ever been. But it is not true now — a new generation of babies has been born that never heard of John Lennon. There is no zealous, powerful, omnipotent God ensuring in every generation that John Lennon and the Beatles will be famous. All flesh is grass, and all their glories fade like the flower of the field. They become less and less famous with every passing year. But Jesus somehow is famous in every generation. How is that? It is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is making Jesus famous all over the world by moving the bride to say, “Come.” By the Spirit, the church is moved to preach the Gospel. Jesus said to the apostles and through them to the whole church, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.” The Spirit compels witness, and that is the very thing I am counting on now for you. All of us feel inadequate as evangelists. We need to remind ourselves that it is only when the power of the Spirit comes on us that we can overcome our weaknesses and our selfishness and actually share the Gospel with people. This is a point of application: Rely on the Holy Spirit. I know you know what I am calling you to do, and I understand — it is hard for me too. Ask God to give you power through the Holy Spirit to be His witness today. Ask for the opportunity, and when that moment comes, ask Him to make you alert to it. Then ask Him to help you get over your sinful weakness, to enable you to speak for Jesus. He will, by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit compels witness. He has been doing this in every generation. One of my great missionary heroes is Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China. When he had finished his first tour of duty on the coast, as all the missionaries were, he returned to England and Scotland for some furlough, for recuperation and recruitment of new missionaries. While there, he had a vision. He saw a map of the inner provinces, the inland regions of China, and he knew that there were teeming hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of Jesus in those inner regions, while all of the western missionaries were on the coastline. He called it the accusing map. He wrote this about his experience attending a service in England: “On Sunday, June 25, 1865, unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual agony, and there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service. I told Him that all the responsibility as to issues and consequences must rest with Him; that as His servant, it was mine to obey and follow Him— His to direct, to care for, and to guide those who might labor with me. Need I say that peace at once flowed into my burdened heart.” Where did the burden come from? Where did the unutterable agony come from as he was wandering on the sand? Does that not come from the Holy Spirit of God? The Spirit puts a burden, a compulsion, on our hearts. Ask God to give you a burden, a burning compulsion to reach individuals or a group of people that you are equipped to reach. The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:22-24, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” Consider the beginning of that passage: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem…” The compulsion, the burden, from the Spirit of God, where little by little you consider your life worth nothing to you if only you can do the work He has given you to do — do you yearn for that to happen in our church? Do you yearn that more and more church members would have a compulsion by the Spirit toward some aspect of outreach? It does not have to be the same for everybody. We get different callings. The Spirit says, “Come.” The Bride’s General Invitation The Bride says, “Come,” as well. The bride is the church. There is a collaborative, joint effort between the Spirit and the church. John 15:26-27 teaches this: “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth [the Holy Spirit] who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also [this is a partnership] must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” The Spirit and the bride together say, “Come.” We are to preach the Gospel to anyone and everyone, indiscriminately, because we cannot tell who are the elect, chosen before the foundation of the world. It is true and biblical, but we do not know who they are. Our task is to be willing to suffer for unconverted elect people, to see them cross over from darkness to light, from death to life. Adoniram Judson was called to be a missionary to Burma. He went to one locality where he and his partner gave out 500 missionary tracts, and as a result, they saw one Burmese person baptized. That is so convicting. I yearn for the 500 tracts. I want the one, but I want us to be the kind of church that will give out 499 and see the 500th person converted. I would love to be that persistent in evangelism where I am faithful, leaving the results to God, willing to have 499 failures to see somebody come to Christ. Our job is to continue to share Christ with as many people as we can, no matter how many or few respond. George Whitefield was one of the most powerful open-air preachers in all of church history, probably the most effective ever. He preached to tens and tens of thousands of people and saw hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands and thousands, converted. He traveled by horse-drawn carriage from place to place to place in England and Scotland and in the colonies before the American Revolution. He said something that stuck with me. He said, “God forbid that I should travel with anyone one-quarter of an hour and not share the Gospel with them.” On our way back from a conference in Louisville, Joel Harford and I flew from Louisville to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to RDU. In both cases, I had seat A and Joel had seat C. On the first leg, the guy in seat B, named Isaiah, was a 19-year-old baseball player from a college in the Louisville area, from a mild Baptist background, who had not been to church in years. On the second leg, our seatmate, named Joe, lived in Wake Forest. He was a nominal Roman Catholic and also had not been to church in years. Joel and I did not pound on them. We gave them a break. One asked if he could get by to use the restroom, and I wondered if that was to get away. But Joel and I agreed that we had done what we needed to do. We had a great time. Isaiah asked good questions. He was taking a World Religions class, and was reading whether the Gospel of Thomas should be included in the Bible. God put us there to have that conversation. At the end, Joe thanked us for the things we talked about. He asked questions and kept the conversation going until we landed. God gives opportunities along the way. The Spirit’s Effective Calling The Spirit alone has the power to cause a person to come. No sinner has or will ever resist the Holy Spirit’s mysterious, effective call, his effectual calling, or irresistible grace. When the Spirit moves, Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” This includes the command to repent and believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit alone can do that. We cannot. In John 3:3-8, “Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.’” When the Spirit says, “Come,” he gives you supernatural power, like Jesus when He raised Lazarus from the dead. You come alive and see the glory of God in the face of Christ, and you are born again. The Spirit can do that. Whoever Wishes May Come When that happens, the text says, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, whoever wills, let him come.” That looks like free will, right in the Bible. However, without the Holy Spirit calling on your dead heart, you will never be willing to come. When he gives you life and moves in you, you will see at last just how delicious that water of life flowing from Jesus is. You want it, so he comes. John 6:37 says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me.” The Holy Spirit draws. Our job is to share the Gospel. Romans 10:13-15 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Be Fishers of People Understanding Our Responsibility and the Gospel Message We have a partnership responsibility. Let Christ make you a fisher of people. He said to his disciples, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Our job is to learn the skill of fishing. Some of you love fishing, but I will never want to learn real fishing like trout fishing, bass fishing, deep sea fishing. I do not like either the process or the product, so I will not do that. I understand it is very relaxing and peaceful. I have heard you say if the fish do not disturb us, we will have a great time. This fishing is different. We have a responsibility to learn the skill of fishing for people, to learn how to draw them skillfully, to answer their questions, to deal with arguments that Satan puts in their minds. God has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. We are positioned like Esther, “for such a time as this,” to share the gospel. Our first task is to understand the Gospel message and to proclaim it boldly. Will Metzger, in his book To Tell the Truth, begins with this illustration: “Picture this: a runner in ancient Greece arrives exhausted before the emperor. Gasping, he blurts out, ‘My lord, I was given an urgent message, but... I am afraid I have forgotten what it was!’” That is bad. We must remember and understand the message we are sharing. First and foremost, we need to understand what the Gospel is. You have a bulletin insert, a basic four-part outline of the Gospel: God, man, (humanity), Christ and response. It may sound familiar — Campus Crusade for Christ and others have used similar outlines, such as the Four Spiritual Laws, over the years. First, God: He is the creator of everything. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created all things, and because he created all things, He is King and ruler over everything. This is his universe. We are in it. As King, He is the law giver. He has given laws to the human race by which we are to live — the Ten Commandments and the two Great Commandments. As King, He is also judge. He will evaluate us on Judgment Day for how we have lived our lives. Second, man: we are created in the image of God by God the Creator. We were created to have a relationship with and to serve God the King, but we have broken that relationship through our sins. We have violated God’s laws; we are rebellious against God the King, and therefore, we are under condemnation by God the Judge. Physical death is promised. Eternal death in hell is threatened. Third, Christ: Christ is the fourth office — God the Savior. “Jesus” means “Salvation is from the Lord.” God sent his Son into the world. He was fully human, born of a virgin, and also fully God. He had no human father. His was a supernatural birth, He lived a sinless life, and He did miracles — he walked on water, he fed the 5000, he stilled the storm with his words, he raised dead people, he healed sick people. There was nothing he could not do, but he especially came to die a substitutionary death on the cross. His blood shed on the cross pays the death penalty for our sin — for the wages of sin is death — and Jesus paid that penalty in our place. But God did not leave Him in the grave. On the third day, God raised him from the grave, and He is alive and will live forever more. He ascended to Heaven, and sat at God’s right hand. He rules over Heaven and earth, and some day he will return to judge both living and dead people. Fourth, response: Therefore, we ourselves, having heard that, we must repent of our sins and believe the good news, that forgiveness of sins is available in Jesus Christ. You must not try to work for it or earn your salvation, but instead trust in the grace of God, for by grace are you saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one could boast [Ephesians 2]. Do not wait because you do not know if you will be alive tomorrow. Repent and believe the good news today. You do not need to do exactly that every time you evangelize, but it should be your goal to say those things in some form to the lost people around you, a pattern or a form of the Gospel message. A Varied Menu of Evangelistic Opportunities How will we evangelize? On the back of the blue sheet, you will see a menu of ideas in two categories, different ways of looking at your life. First, who can you share the Gospel with? Second, what can you do to engage with them? Who? Who will we evangelize? Here are six levels of concentric circles of people around you: Family: The most effective evangelism in the world is parent-child evangelism. Be faithful to pour the Gospel into your children’s lives. Lead them to an early faith in Christ. Also, extended family — God often uses saved children to lead their parents to Christ. Maybe you have unsaved brothers or sisters or other relatives — cousins, nieces, nephews, other family members. Unsaved friends: Build friendships with non-Christians. Neighbors: When I was growing up, neighbors were out and about most days. The other day, I went on a two-hour bike ride. It was a little hot, but I did not see a single pedestrian the whole time — nobody working in the yard or taking a walk. It was strange. Everybody was inside on electronic entertainment or simply staying cool. Somehow we must meet the people who live near us. Acquaintances: Meet people in your daily routine, at a convenience store, supermarket, on an airplane. Co-workers: Workplace evangelism is one of the most effective strategies. You interact every day with non-Christians — co-workers, your boss, a subordinate — hunt opportunities to share Christian things. Invite people to church, to your home; use hospitality. Total strangers: Go to a park nearby and sit down on a bench, or meet someone walking a dog or watching their kids play or strolling a baby. Have a conversation. How? First, look to develop a long-term loving relationship. Be a human being, get to know people, ask questions. On flights, I always ask questions. Where are you headed? (Ultimately, where are you headed?) Have conversations in the workplace. Be interested in others’ lives, Let it flow naturally from love. Be hospitable. Open your home. Make it a home base. Invite people over. Participate in ministering to felt needs — mercy ministry. The international connections ministry is one such opportunity. ESL is a big felt need. People come from China and other places, as refugees or visiting scholars. Most want to learn English better but it is an opportunity to share the Gospel. Serve at the health fair, the Caring Center, Habitat for Humanity, other places that meet non-Christians’ felt needs. Volunteer for events like VBS, coming soon. We get to interact with dozens of non-Christian parents who send their kids to VBS. That is a big ministry. I urge you to consider serving if you are able. The health fair is an event as well as a felt-need ministry. Plan an event at your home, such as a Christmas party or a 4th of July cookout. Invite people to attend. Engage in shared interests, like running, biking, pottery, kids’ sports or music. That is a basic beginning menu of strategies to help you find ways to interact with people. I urge this church to be involved in a culture of evangelism. Let us develop as a church, caring for each other and getting involved. If you have an event at your home, involve other church members. Do not do it alone. I have two books here, I’ve Got Tell the Truth by Will Metzger, and Evangelism by Mack Stiles — 10 of each. I am offering them free of charge to 20 people. If you take the book, you do not have to pay for it, but promise you will read it and when you are done, pass it off to another church member to read. A Call for Extraordinary Prayer for Durham Praying Together for Our Community We need to give ourselves to prayer for this, to ask God to help us with our evangelistic endeavors. To that end, I offer three options on prayer. First, this is our last home fellowship of the year; we will talk about evangelism in our groups and have chances to pray, but I would urge home fellowships through the summer to get together and pray for evangelistic fruit in each other’s lives and in our church. Second, every week, a small group of us meets at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays to pray. Since you are coming to church anyway, all you need to do is adjust your schedule to arrive a little earlier to join us. We will pray for evangelistic fruitfulness. That might be the most convenient way to pray about this with others. Third, starting this week, for four weeks, I will pray on Wednesday mornings at 6:00 a.m. I have done this in the past. Again, we will pray for our church to be fruitful in evangelism. If you would like to sacrifice a little sleep, we will meet here in the sanctuary to pray for God to bless our evangelistic outreach. Closing Prayer Father, thank you for the time we have had to study. Thank you for the things that we have learned. Father, I pray that you would give us zeal for the glory of God and for the Gospel ministry. Help us to be energetically active as witnesses. Help us not to be afraid or fearful of it, but to be active in the things that you have called on us to do. Thank you for committing to us the ministry of reconciliation, as though God Himself were making His appeal through us. Help us, O Lord, to be faithful. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

With every great person, there’s a great story. Learn more about Andrew Szymanski and the Montgomery Dragonboat Races here! Andrew grew up in the small Northeastern town of Topsfield, Massachusetts. After high school, he moved south to Athens, GA to attend the University of Georgia, where he received a degree in Communications. Upon graduation, he … Continue reading Andrew Szymanski →

"Architecture & Technology: Then & Now" – On Episode 52 of The Edge of Innovation, we are talking with Benjamin Nutter from Benjamin Nutter Architects, an architectural firm based in Topsfield, Massachusetts, about Technology and how it's changing the architectural field. For Full Transcript and Other Helpful Resources Click Here: https://www.saviorlabs.com/architecture-technology-then-now/ Many Thanks Our Sponsor - SaviorLabs – offering Managed IT Services, Application Development and Website Design and Marketing. Call them today at 978-223-2959 or visit https://www.saviorlabs.com

"The Dos and Don'ts of Designing" – On Episode 51 of The Edge of Innovation, we are talking with Benjamin Nutter from Benjamin Nutter Architects, an architectural firm based in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He's sharing the dos and don't of designing as well as some advice for aspiring architects. For Full Transcript and Other Helpful Resources Click Here: https://www.saviorlabs.com/dos-and-donts-of-designing/ Many Thanks Our Sponsor - SaviorLabs – offering Managed IT Services, Application Development and Website Design and Marketing. Call them today at 978-223-2959 or visit https://www.saviorlabs.com

"An Architectural Approach to Design with Ben Nutter" – On Episode 50 of The Edge of Innovation,we are talking with Benjamin Nutter from Benjamin Nutter Architects, an architectural firm based in Topsfield, Massachusetts, about how architects approach design. For Full Transcript and Other Helpful Resources Click Here: https://www.saviorlabs.com/an-architectural-approach-to-design/ Many Thanks Our Sponsor - SaviorLabs – offering Managed IT Services, Application Development and Website Design and Marketing. Call them today at 978-223-2959 or visit https://www.saviorlabs.com

The Lunch Ladies are taking a very brief sabbatical next week, so here is a bonus episode to hold you over! The Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, MA is revered as the best fair in Massachusetts, so obviously it would have some great fair food. The Ladies, with special guests Florence and Steve, tackled a wide variety. Enjoy! Eliza - Deep-fried Pecan Pie Aja - Rice Ball Trio Johnna - Corn Dogs and Fried Dough Steve - Glazed Donut Bacon Grilled Cheese Florence - Mozzarella Sticks

I. Introduction If, at the end of Simon Peter’s life, we could have asked him to look back and identify the hardest moment of his life, he would surely have zeroed in on the night that Jesus was arrested, and specifically that moment when he denied Jesus three times. At the beginning of the night, when Jesus predicted that they would all fall away on account of him, Peter asserted, “Even if all fall away in account of you, I never will.” Clearly he was full of self-trust, self-confidence which carried over to Gethsemane with prayerlessness — he fell asleep, even though Jesus three times exhorted him to watch and pray, that he would not fall into temptation — “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” — but, he did not listen. Soon, he was drawn in through his own ego, his own pride, into a net that was far beyond anything he could handle; thus, three times he denied knowing Jesus, until finally, the rooster crowed. In Luke’s Gospel, we read that right at that moment, Jesus was passing by as he went from one place to another in his series of trials. He looked right at Simon Peter as the rooster was crowing. I cannot imagine what that must have felt like for Peter, seeing that look from Jesus, but I do know what he did. After that look, he ran away from that place of temptation and trial that was far beyond anything he could handle, and he went out and wept bitterly. We do not know fully what was going on in Peter’s mind after he saw the physical evidence of the empty tomb, the resurrection on the third day, or after his encounter with Jesus in the upper room, but we can imagine. He must have been filled with joy at a certain level, but he also must have wondered, “How is it with me and Jesus? Am I still included? Am I forgiven? Is there a future for me? I see that there is great joy here in the resurrection but what about me? Am I out now, now that I have sinned?” Jesus had to do some work on Peter to restore him. In John 21, it says that three times, Jesus looked at Peter with those same eyes with which he looked at him that night and said, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?… Do you love me? … Do you love me?” Three times. It says that Peter was hurt because He asked; he replied, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.” II. Christ’s Constant Vigilance over the Churches As we come this morning to Revelation 2:1-7, the same thing could and should happen for many of us today. To some degree, as we sit under this text, we will sit under the searching gaze of Jesus, whose eyes are like blazing fire. “I am he who searches hearts and minds,” said Jesus. By this text, he will ask each one of us the same question that he asked Peter by the sea of Galilee: “Do you love me?” It is not enough for each one of us to say, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.” We must ask a deeper question: “Do I love Christ more now than I did a year ago? What is the direction of my heart right now? What is the direction of my walk with Christ? Is my love for Christ growing and developing? Or is it stagnating or contracting? Is it shrinking under the constant onslaught of the world, the flesh, and the devil? And if my love for Christ is shrinking, if my love for Christ is dying, what can I do to be renewed to a healthy, vibrant, vigorous walk with Christ again? What can happen?” Beyond that, you might say, “How can I know what’s happening in my heart toward Christ?” In this probing text, we have seven verses from Revelation 2. I have prayed that Christ would search me and know me and know my heart, and see if there’s any wicked way in me; I think you ought to pray, each one of you for yourselves, this same thing. Ask this question, “Have I forsaken my first love or is my love for Christ growing and developing?” Review: Revelation 1 First we must review to understand what is happening in Revelation 2. Last week we saw, in Revelation 1, the unveiling of Jesus Christ, of his majestic, glorious, powerful person, and his active vibrant ministry. We have these words spoken of Christ in Revelation 1:14-16: “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. And his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. And in his right hand, he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. And his face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” That is John’s vision of the resurrected Christ. He is dressed like a priest with a robe down to his feet and a golden sash around his chest. He is walking in the midst of seven golden lampstands, holding seven stars in his right hand. These seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. We have a prophetic vision of the resurrected, glorified sovereign Christ actively ministering in the midst of seven churches — a priestly ministry of his constant vigilance over local churches and indeed, all over the world throughout all of human history, over all of redemptive history. Historical Context Let’s unfold some historical context: Revelation 2 and 3 are beginning this phase of the study of the Book of Revelation. These are Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the province of Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. These were real local churches. Each had its own challenges and issues, strengths and weaknesses. These letters were specific messages for that time but they continue to be timeless lessons for all churches in all areas of church history. Each of the seven letters ends with the same exhortation, “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches [plural].” That means we must carefully study each of these seven letters to draw in the meaning to understand what the Lord would say to us. The composite picture of these seven churches, the strengths and weaknesses and especially of what Christ thinks about them, His attitude toward them, is vital for us as a local church for our ongoing health. Here at First Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina, in the second decade of the 21st century, what is Jesus saying to us? What do we need to hear in all of these seven letters? The timelessness of these lessons comes from a number of aspects of Biblical truth. First is the timeless nature, the unchanging nature of Jesus Christ Himself. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. It never changes. Second, their timelessness comes from the unchanging mission that He has given to every local church — the Great Commission of Matthew 28 where Jesus said, “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” We discern there an internal journey of holiness resulting in an ongoing pattern of obedience to all of His commands — sanctification, discipleship — which flows out in an external journey of evangelism and missions in which we are making disciples in our own Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, even to the ends of the earth. That is timeless; it will not change. Those two tasks, those two journeys are still in front of us, and they are in front of every local church all over the world. Third, the timelessness of these lessons comes from the unchanging nature of Satan’s attacks on local churches. He does the same things, attacking local churches, in every generation, physically, mentally and morally. Satan attacks the church physically through persecution at the hands of vicious, persecuting humans, especially evil governments like Caesar and Rome in John’s day and whatever the persecuting governments are in our day; and not only governments, but individuals can persecute as well. Satan attacks the church mentally, luring it toward false doctrine, false teaching, heresies, human philosophies, and world views. And Satan attacks the church morally by luring individuals into sin, into worldliness through lusts. It is the same in every generation, and it is the same all over the world. Around the world, some brothers and sisters of ours are being viciously persecuted far more than we are, in which they are being incarcerated for their faith, or they are unable to hold down a job because they are Christians, or they are unable to buy and sell in that community, and so on. All over the world, churches must stand firm against false doctrine. That happens no matter where you are. There are always false teachers coming in. And all over the world we are drawn away from holiness to lust and this is going on all the time. Thus, these are timeless lessons. The Book of Revelation, then, is a timeless call to Christians in every generation in every location to live openly and courageously for Jesus Christ. Bowing our knee to Christ as Lord and Savior, putting sin to death by the Spirit, testifying to the lost that Jesus is the only Savior that there is, standing courageously in the face of whatever reactions come to that testimony — that is what we are called to do. The Apostle John who wrote these letters was in exile in Patmos at the end of the first century A.D. The Roman Empire was just approaching the zenith of its power. The Emperor Nero had begun overt persecutions of Christians but they were sporadic and limited to mostly to right around Rome. But his successor Domitian was extending this persecution as a worldwide policy throughout the Roman Empire. The battle between Christ and Caesar was joined by the time Revelation was written. Both Caesar and Christ are jealous kings who yearn for the full affection and loyalty of their subjects; there is no compromise between them. The whole Book of Revelation must be seen in light of that conflict — the escalating, organized persecution of the church. These letters to the seven churches make these very same issues plain to us. All seven of these letters are relevant for us and we need to listen to what the Spirit says to all seven of the churches. We will begin this morning by looking at the message to the church at Ephesus. Christ’s Constant Vigilance is Absolutely Essential Within this, we see Christ’s constant vigilance as a high priest. It is absolutely essential to us. We have the very powerful image of Jesus walking carefully and thoughtfully in the midst of these seven golden lampstands, reaching out his hand, working on trimming the wick or maybe pouring some more oil into the lamp, or doing something, making the fire burn brighter and hotter. At the end of the Book of Revelation, we have a very clear image of the single universal church as the bride of Christ, the new Jerusalem. There is one Church in the end, the universal Church, the Body of Christ. But we have this plural word here, “churches.” “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” We do not interpret that to mean that Jesus has multiple brides. Rather, the churches are local assemblies of Christians that gather together, all the individual members of which, we assume, are part of the universal Church, the spiritual church through faith in Christ. The local churches feed the new Jerusalem. They feed the heavenly Zion, the heavenly Church, as they are healthy and doing the ministries God has called them to do. They are feeder systems. All local churches are temporary because there won’t be any local churches in heaven. But they are vital to the work of the building of the worldwide church of Jesus Christ. Local churches get stronger or weaker depending on how they respond to the Satan’s three-pronged assault: assault on the body, assault on the mind, assault on the heart or the morals. We also learn from this first of the seven letters to the churches that local churches can be removed. The lampstand can be taken out as an act of judgment. Christ ministers constantly to these lampstands and he is working to make them burn brighter and hotter in their locality. He tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the light of the world.” He lights a lamp and puts it up on its stand; He is yearning for these local churches to burn for the glory of God. Individual Christians who are genuinely born again who are justified by faith in Christ can never lose their salvation; that is absolutely, clearly taught. But local churches can be and are removed, and we must understand why that happens. We must be concerned about that and be zealous that it not happen to this church in our generation. I am personally jealous for First Baptist Durham, that we would be as healthy and vibrant and vital a church as we possibly can be. Ephesus Let’s dig in to try to understand this letter to the church of Ephesus. The city of Ephesus was the most prominent in Asia Minor; in effect, it was the capital of that province of Asia Minor since the governor resided there. Its population in New Testament times was between a quarter and a half million people. It was famous throughout the world for the Temple of Artemis of the Ephesians, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Because of its architectural grandeur and all the pagan worship, people came from all over that part of the world to Ephesus to worship Artemis of the Ephesians. John McArthur said this about Ephesus and the temple: “The temple was attended by numerous priests, eunuchs, and slaves. Thousands of priestesses, who were little more than ritual prostitutes, played a major role in the worship of Artemis. The temple grounds were a chaotic cacophony of priests, prostitutes, bankers, criminals, musicians, dancers, frenzied hysterical worshipers.” One ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, was called the weeping philosopher because he declared that no one could live in Ephesus and not weep over its immorality. He was a pagan philosopher — that is how bad that city was. What about the gospel there in Ephesus? Perhaps no Gentile city or Gentile church is as well known or has as much coverage in the pages of the New Testament as this church in Ephesus. Priscilla and Aquila, Jews who were expelled from Rome under an earlier persecution, came to Ephesus and began to share the gospel there. Soon, they were joined by a very zealous man named Apollos, who understood some aspects; but they brought him more in tune with what had happened through Jesus. Through these individuals, a foundation was beginning to be laid, which Paul then completed by his ministry. The apostle Paul had been thwarted in an earlier attempt to minister in that part of Asia Minor. Acts 16 tells us that on his second missionary journey, he could not go there because the Holy Spirit would not permit him to do so. The Spirit wanted him to cross to Philippi to minister in Macedonia, which he did. However, at the end of his second missionary journey, he went by very quickly and saw the strategic value of Ephesus. That was the first place he went on his third missionary journey, and he helped to build the church there. It is quite possible that the other six churches were planted out of the ministry that Paul did for two and a half or more years. It says that everyone throughout the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord from that church in Ephesus.. Paul did amazing miracles there in Ephesus, driving back the power of Satan. One of my favorite stories about this is that of the seven sons of Sceva, Jews who went around trying to drive out evil spirits. They heard about what Paul was doing and they said to a demon-possessed man, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, [we] command you to come out.” … the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus, I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the demon possessed man beat up those seven men and and they ran out naked and bleeding. The name of Jesus was held in great honor and so also the Apostle Paul and his preaching. The effect of the preaching there was so powerful in driving back satanic darkness that people who owned some occultic scrolls that were very costly came and burned them. They were worth 50,000 laborers’ one-day wages — huge amount of money was burned. The gospel took solid root there in Ephesus. Many people came to faith in Christ. So many people were turning away from paganism that some makers of silver shrines, replicas of the temple, were losing business; they became angry and started making charges against Paul and against the Gospel. That started a great riot in Ephesus that went on for two hours. Most of the people did not even know why they were there — they were caught up in the mob mentality — and they chanted for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” In Acts 20, Paul gave a farewell address to the Ephesian elders in a great displays of pastoral ministry. If you are interested in vocational ministry, Acts 20 may be a home base for studying elements of a healthy pastoral ministry. He saw to it that they were thoroughly and well trained. After he left, he never returned there again, but he wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians, which is an incredible statement of Christian doctrine. Timothy, Paul’s protégé, his trainee, his son in the faith went to Ephesus and ministered. 1 and 2 Timothy were written into the context there in Ephesus. As the years went on, the church in Ephesus continued to be the most influential church in that region of the world. According to church tradition, the Apostle John settled there after Timothy to pastor that church. Now, John is in exile in Patmos, off the coast of Asia Minor there for the ministry of the word of God. We Begin with the Letter to the Church at Ephesus The letter to the church at Ephesus begins in verse 1 with Christ’s self-identification. He says, “‘To the angel of the church in Ephesus write, ‘These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.’” We do not know exactly what “To the angel of the church in Ephesus” means. The word “angel” means messenger. It seems unlikely that Jesus would tell John, a human, to write a letter to an angel — that business would be handled in house between God and the angels. Typically, messages go from God to angel to Apostle or prophet to churches. Rather, the messengers are likely the pastors in those churches. Some commentators have said it may be the dominating spirit of the churches that seeks to be a witness to that community — that is difficult to understand — but we could at least say the elders or pastors of those churches. So we could read: “Write to these pastors, write to this pastor of the church in Ephesus.” III. Christ’s Commendation: Labor and Right Doctrine Christ’s Self-Identification Christ identifies himself as the One who holds in His right hand the seven stars, who is walking among the seven golden lampstands. Holding the stars in His right hand represents His ownership of and authority over those seven churches and His protection of them. No one can snatch them out of His hand. His movement among the lampstands shows his active, intelligent, consistent, priestly ministry to the local churches. He says, “These are the words of…” This is how He is ministering to them, by speaking words. It is by the Word of God that Christ continues through the spirit to minister the local churches. Then he commends the church of Ephesus. Look at verse 2-3; it says, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.” In these letters, Christ always begins with these words “I know,” or “I know you”, or most commonly, “I know your deeds.” “By their fruit, you will know them.” He begins with this comprehensive, perfectly detailed knowledge of each of these seven churches. He does not use a different Greek word that means “I am getting to know you” or “I am learning you.” No: “I know you. I know everything about you and I know your deeds, but also... [this will be relevant to this particular letter] I know the heart behind your deeds as well. I know everything about you completely.” That is very comforting to us, isn’t it? But it is also unsettling. For us who are Romans 7 Christians, i.e., with sin nature in us, it is hard to be searched by someone whose eyes are like blazing fire. He says “I know you, I know your deeds.” Christ’s Commendation of the Church at Ephesus Christ first commends the church at Ephesus. He names three categories, three virtues: their deeds, their endurance and their commitment to orthodox, right doctrine. The first commendation is for their deeds; the Greek word indicates labor. They are hard workers. They do not dabble at Christian labor. They are energetic, not lazy — a beehive of activity. We know from the book of James that faith without works is dead. This was the church that was energetically doing good works. We do not know what deeds He is commending, but you can imagine the kinds of deeds that happen in a healthy Church life. The spiritual gift ministries were flowing — preaching and teaching, administration, help and service, evangelism; women making meals for those who were unable to do so for themselves, or articles of clothing for the poor. Second, he commends their endurance, the fact that they didn’t grow weary or give up. Christian life is like a marathon race and they were not becoming tired or growing weary of it. They did not give up in the face of what is implied here, which is persecution. We do not know what kinds of persecutions they endured in Ephesus. We saw the two-hour riot. If Paul had gone into the melee, he likely would have been killed — that is the level of hatred Demetrius and the silver workers and the shrine makers had for Christianity. The Ephesian Christians continued to live in this atmosphere in that community after Paul left. We can imagine the persecution — perhaps socio-economic, maybe they could not buy or sell or hold down jobs. But they did not give up their profession of faith in Christ. They persevered, they endured. Third, Christ commends their orthodox doctrine. This was the Church that received the Book of Ephesians. The depth of doctrine that Paul laid on them and the way he trained them in the doctrines of the faith was powerful. They had some excellent elders whom Paul had trained, as we saw in Acts 20. In Acts 20:29-31, he said this to the Ephesian elders: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. [Listen to this!] Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard.” You see how that fits the very commendation he gives here. They were vigilant. “Even from your own number…” They had the mindset of the Bereans in response to false teaching such as is described here: “Just because you are one of us does not mean will accept what you are saying at face value. We will listen and then search the Scriptures to be sure that what you are saying is Biblical and true.” They were able to test those who claimed to be apostles but were not; they were able to find them false. That takes a great deal of doctrinal knowledge and precision and discernment. They were discerning church, and they were committed to it. In summary, this was a hard-working church. They persevered, and they were committed to solid doctrine. We see later in the letter that they the teaching of the Nicolaitans, who were like Libertarians: they taught, for example, that people could do whatever immoral activity they wanted, that Christ would forgive them. They hated the works of the Nicolaitans. They were hard working, they were persevering, they loved right doctrine and they stood up against false teaching, so what is wrong? IV. Christ’s Judgment: You Have Forsaken Your First Love What is wrong? He tells us in verse four what is wrong: “Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love.” Stop and think of the weightiness of Jesus saying something like that to us. Stop and listen, and imagine what it would be like to hear Jesus say to us as a church or even to us as individuals, “I have this against you.” Feel the weight of that. That should matter to us. “I have this against you. You have forsaken your first love.” They had WILLFULLY and probably GRADUALLY forsaken their first love What does that mean? It means they had willfully — not accidentally — and probably gradually turned away from their first love. We do not know exactly what that means. True Christianity results in heartfelt, Spirit-led obedience to the two great commandments: vertically, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind; and horizontally, to love your neighbor as yourself. Genuine Christianity builds obedience to these two great commandments in us. First and Foremost: Love for Christ I will focus on the vertical aspect, specifically, love for Christ. This is referring to the love they had when they were first converted, their beginning love, rather than to their first priority. “Remember how it was when you were first converted? Remember how excited you were at being a Christian? Remember what that was like at the start? You have forsaken that. You have turned away.” Where there is no love, there is no life. Little by little, through willful choices they had made, they had allowed their hearts to grow hard. They had allowed their love to grow cold. We are not told what caused it to happen. It is reasonable to assume that love for the world, at a certain level, stepped in front of love for Christ. The world is very alluring, singing its siren song all the time to come off the path of fervency in Christ. Perhaps it had to do with persecutions and they were weary in their attitudes. If it were overt immorality, Christ would have called them on that as He does with later churches. Given His commendations, they were carrying out their Christian business but had perhaps become cold and grimly ascetic, determined to do the right things, but not receiving any joy from it, as though little by little their hearts had grown cold. Paul asked the Galatians: “What has happened to all your joy? What happened to that joy you had in Christ?” and perhaps the Ephesian also did not have any heart or joy behind them. We will be seeking something to make us happy. We don’t think, “I am going to be a grim ascetic, miserable and unhappy all the time.” We do not tend to do that. Perhaps they were focusing on amoral pleasures: food, entertainments, worldly things rather than corrupt or perverted or immoral things. In the Old Testament, God again and again used this image of marriage between Him and his people. We have the image of God and His bride Israel. God speaks of His affection, like that of a spouse, for his people. Jeremiah 2:2-3 says something very similar to Israel: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you followed me in the desert.” Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruit of his harvest. “I remember…” God is saying, “I remember what you were like back then.” “I remember the devotion of your youth.” Many of the prophets in The Old Testament picked up on this image of God’s love relationship with His bride Israel and her wandering ways going after other lovers, going after false gods, idols. In the New Testament, that image is brought over to the image of Christ and His bride, the Church. Christ desires to have the sincere and pure, wholehearted devotion of His bride. Paul says to the church at Corinth, “I am afraid that like the serpent tempted Eve, your hearts might be drawn away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” He is calling His bride, the Church, into a love relationship with Him. He desires his bride to delight in him, to love him with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength. But over the years, it seemed that the Ephesians' original ardor for Christ had cooled; their hearts had grown cold and distant. It was not an accident. They had made willful choices. They had forsaken their first love. All the Work and Doctrine Becomes Drudgery Without Love for Christ All the work and the doctrine become drudgery without love for Christ. Remember the story about Jacob and Rachel? Jacob was, in a sense, in the market for a wife — it was time for him to marry. It appears to be a Biblical example of love at first sight. Rachel’s father, Laban, turned out to be quite a scoundrel. He contracted with Jacob for seven years of labour in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Jacob had to work for him for seven years. But, it says in Genesis 29:20, “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” We can guess that the church at Ephesus was not feeling that way about their service to Christ anymore. They don’t seem to be of the mind, “It seems like no time at all. I love Jesus so much, I want only to serve him.” Instead it became a burden; it was difficult. Their attitude and mindset was more in tune with drudgery: “We have to do that again? Another outreach? Another offering? Another prayer meeting?” It felt like a burden because the love was not there any more. Even the worship was stale. Jesus quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain…’” Cold and distant — they were there in body, singing the songs, but not in spirit. Jesus is speaking to us through this. God directed the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer to symbolize Israel’s wandering ways. Hosea 2:14-16 says, “‘Therefore, I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her… There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘you will call me “my husband”… I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.’” That is what Jesus wants to say to his Bride, the Church: “I want bring you out just like it was when I first brought you up out of bondage to sin, and I will make you sing again like you used to.” Insights from Church History Augustine said in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in you.” The saddest part about our Christian lives is we do not stop being restless. Have you noticed that? We just sang Come Thou Fount, which contains these words: “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” It is so true, isn’t it? Do you not feel that proneness that you have to wander? Do you not find yourself asking, “What is wrong with me? Why would it be that I love Jesus less now than I did a year ago? I should love him more since I have learned more about Him.” Jonathan Edwards, in his Treatise on Religious Affections said, “True religion consists very much in the affections… The heart is able to analyze and understand something, plus be attracted to or repulsed from that thing to a greater or less degree.” That is what the heart does. First, we know and understand, then we love or like or dislike or hate. We are made that way. First and foremost, we are made to love God above anything else — to have a heart attracted after God. Love is a heart attraction. We use the simple four-letter word “love” to describe or name a wide range of experiences. We may love a beautiful sunset, snow in March, the Durham Bulls, chocolate ice cream. We men will certainly say “I love my wife.” We all will certainly say “I love Jesus.” The same word is used for all those instances. What is the commonality in using the same word? It is heart attraction. Like a magnet, I am pulled toward those things. “To a greater or less degree,” said Edwards. Maximum attraction must be to God. The point of our faith is to give us a heart of love that we did not have before. We loved God now, whereas we did not before. We used to hate Him. However, it is not static but dynamic. Sometimes we love more, sometimes we love less. V. Christ’s Command: Remember, Repent, Resume Next Christ gives this command to the Ephesian church. He will not leave any local church wandering aimlessly in a desert of lovelessness, churning out works and right doctrine from a cold heart. This is appalling to Him, and He will not allow it to continue. He presses in, like a good physician, and gives this threefold prescription, this threefold command. “Remember, repent and resume.” Look at Verse 5: “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” “Start with this: Remember the height or the place from which you have fallen.” This is the image of backsliding. Our growth in love for Christ is pictured almost like climbing a mountain, going higher and higher. Remember the height (or place) from which you have fallen In my sermons on the book of Ephesians, I preached eagerly on that beautiful section, Ephesians 3:17-19, in which the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and that you would know that love that surpasses knowledge — that you would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Those words, written to this same church at Ephesus, indicate that they must have had some elevating experiences, maybe not caught up to the Third Heaven as John was, but above the cloud cover, the fog level, to see how much Jesus loved them, to see the infinite dimensions of Jesus’ love for them at the cross and the empty tomb. They had seen it, and their hearts were moved by that. Now Christ “Remember? Remember how that was? Now, look at you. You slid back, you are back down below the fog cover now, and you do not seem to know how wide and long and high and deep anymore. You are certainly not filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. So remember.” Remember climbing higher and higher in our knowledge, in our sense and feeling of the love of Christ for us. “Remember the height from which you have fallen. See how it used to be. Remember what it was like when Jesus’ love first pierced through your heart. Remember that. Remember the first time you surveyed the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, and you saw the attributes of God there. You saw the love of God displayed in the cross. It was not an ugly, disgusting picture of a bloody man tortured to death. It was now a picture of God’s love for you. Remember what that was like. Remember when you first felt yourself to be the prodigal son: when your Father embraced you and welcomed you back and forgave all your sins; when He put a ring on your finger and shoes on your feet and a robe around you; when He welcomed you into a feast. Remember what that felt like to have your Father love you like that. That is the height from which you’ve fallen. Remember what that was like.” Repent Second, repent. Feel the pain of the fall. Cry out against yourself. Turn in your mind on your own situation. Turn and become alarmed and become awakened and become zealous about this. The coldness of affections for Christ is a great sin, not a small sin. To become bored with Jesus is a big deal, not a small thing. To become cold and lifeless toward the Bible, to have very little attraction toward the reading of Scripture is a big deal. To be distant from God and from Christ in corporate worship and not really enjoy singing any of the songs is a big deal. Prod yourself with God’s word, provoke your heart, charge yourself with sin, turn from your present course, do a U-turn — that is repentance. Renew your mind by God’s word and see your present spiritual state the way Christ does. Repent; take responsibility for where you are in your walk with Christ. Resume: Do the things you did at first! You do not need to wait. You can do it right away — that is the beauty of sanctification. If at any moment you are convicted of sin, repent and immediately do the right things. You do not have to wait or have a warm-up period. You can go right into the third command, which is renew or resume the things you did at first. There is no waiting. This is a most urgent matter. The Ephesian Christians were a busy, hardworking church. He is not talking about hard work and accounting for their time. Rather, there were some works of love that they used to do, works of affection, works of heart attraction to Christ. What did you do when you wanted to tell Jesus that you loved him early on? How did you express it? I liked to be out in nature, to go for long walks in the woods or other natural settings looking at scenery. At those times I found myself praying, thanking God for the things He has done. Perhaps you liked to go to the ocean. Or maybe you just stayed at home, spending a long evening studying God’s word with like three or four different colored markers, writing notes feverishly, discovering new things in God’s word back then. Or perhaps you would sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs where no one could hear you. Three or four years into my Christian walk, I went to a Christian bookstore and bought my first hymnal. (I held it in my hand this morning in my study. I was going to bring it into the pulpit, but I am not big on show and tell.) By then, I knew many of the hymns in there, and I loved to sing them. One day, I was at a picnic table out in the park; I was alone in the park when I started, but when people started coming, I was tested at that moment. Would I keep singing? But I did not care about them, I was simply enjoying singing. Or, when I was single, I would go out on Sunday afternoons — we did not have any evening service at that small church in Topsfield — and find a tree to sit under and I would eat a sandwich and read Christian books, or the Bible, or memorize Scripture. I would sit for hours. I loved doing that. That is what I used to do; what did you used to do? What are the works you used to do when you wanted to express your love for Christ? Well, resume those actions again, whatever it is. Christless Pleasure Has Such a Deadening Effect on the Soul Remember, repent and resume. The world has a deadening effect on us. You go after some habit, you think it will make you happy, you get increasingly addicted to it, and little by little, you do not want to do anything but that; it dims your joy and delight in everything else, including Jesus. That is what the world does. Ecclesiastes 1:8 says, “All things are wearisome, more than one can say.” That is life apart from Jesus; that is what happens — we get bored. Remember, repent and resume. VI. Christ’s Warning: I Will Remove Your Lampstand But what if we do not? If not, what then? Look at Verse 5 again. “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” This is a grave threat. Christ will not accept a loveless, hardworking orthodoxy. He will not have a religious machine running to no purpose. We must realize as a local church that He does not need us at all — we need Him. He does not need us to build the universal Church. All local churches are temporary. He can and does remove lampstands. If a church has forsaken its first love and is called on in this text to repent but they does not, the lampstand will be removed. Alexander Strauch wrote a book about this; it is one of the most striking titles I have ever read. It is about these verses, Revelation 2:1-7, called Repent or Die. These verses are speaking to a church: “If you don’t, I’m going to take you out and the church will be dead; it will be gone.” I am not talking about individual Christians losing their salvation — that is a different matter. Warnings are given to individual Christians, and we should heed those warnings: if you’re genuinely born again, you will repent and turn and do the things you did at first. But Christ is talking to whole churches in these verses. We have seen, even in this community, churches that used to be flourishing, shut down. They do not exist anymore. Or others that are in that process. They are heading toward extinction. It does happen. VII. Christ’s Promises: The Tree of Life for Those Who Overcome But to the overcomers — verse 7 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Each of these letters ends with the same words:“To him who overcomes…” Sweet promises. “If you listen to what the Spirit says to the churches, if you repent and do what He is telling you to do, if you overcome…” I love that word. We are to be more than conquerors. We have severe challenges. We must overcome. “If you do overcome by faith in Christ, by the Spirit, if you remember, repent, and resume, if you have an ear and you listen to what the Spirit says to the church,” “I will give you the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” Remember, there were two trees in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. When Adam and Eve fell at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the way was blocked or closed to the tree of life. There was a cherub with a flaming sword put in the way, flashing back and forth saying, “You cannot go there. You cannot eat from that tree.” But now, Jesus is saying, “If you remember, repent, resume, if you overcome, I will give you the privilege of eating from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” It is a metaphor for salvation: “You will live forever in heaven.” Revelation 22:2, at the end of this book, says, “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Isn’t that beautiful? Feed on that — you can get the benefits right now. You can feel spiritual nourishment flowing through your soul now if you will remember, repent and resume the works you did at first. You will start getting stronger. But that is not all. In the end, you get to be in the paradise of God, eating. Revelation 22:14 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” VIII. Applications Come to Christ I have been weaving applications all through this sermon, but I have a couple of things to add. First, to non-Christians and then to Christians. To non-Christians, I will say this: You have been overhearing a conversation between Jesus and his Church. We are so glad you’re here. God brought you here to listen to this conversation, but if you are not yet a Christian, He wants you to know you are on the outside. But He is inviting you to come in, saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Open the door, and I will come in, and I’ll eat with you, and you with me.” He is inviting you to come to Him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” If you accept His invitation, you will immediately come into a love relationship with Christ that will last for all eternity. Trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and know the salvation only He can give. Christians: How is Your Love Relationship with Christ? To you who are Christians, we have been looking in the mirror today in Revelation 2:1-7. How is your love relationship with Christ? Do you love Jesus more now than you did a year ago? Is it growing? Is it expanding? Is it developing? Is it warmer? Stronger? Hotter? If not, why? What is going on? Are you in sin? Is there some kind of pattern of sin that is drawing your spiritual strength away? Is there some habit of worldliness, maybe not overt sin, but things you are addicted to in the world that are sapping your strength and causing you not to give as much time to prayer or Bible reading or other things? What is your worship life like? Do you like to pray and sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs anew? Do you like to tell Jesus, “Thank you for dying for me”? Do you have a sense of the ministry of the Spirit poured into your heart, the love of God poured into your heart? If not, then these three steps have been very helpful for me: Remember, repent, resume. Closing Prayer Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the things that we’ve learned today in your word. My desire, O Lord, is that each one of us would love Christ more fervently a year from now than we do now. I pray that those things that are sucking strength out of us, that you would prune them from our lives, O Lord, that we would cut off the right hand, gouge out the right eye, whatever it takes so that we can have a more sincere and pure devotion, a more fervent devotion to Christ. I pray, O Lord, give us power by the spirit to put to death the deeds of the flesh. Help us to love you more and serve you better. Help us to be willing to obey your commands. You said, “ If you love Me, you’ll obey what I command.” Help us to be more obedient by the Spirit, and if we are, you’ll reveal more and more of yourself to us. Lord, we pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.

Some great teachers are digitally literate, some great teachers are not. Does it matter? Follow: @tomwhitby @blairteach @sguditus @bamradionetwork Ed Chat Archive: http://edchat.pbworks.com/ Steve Guditus is the Director of Educational Technology for Tri Town School Union of Middleton, Topsfield and Boxford, Massachusetts. His entire career has been working as a public school educator, including teaching middle school social studies, assistant principal, principal, and now Ed Tech Director. Nancy Blair is a middle school principal in Georgia and previously served as a school improvement consultant. Tom Whitby is a former contributing Editor at SmartBrief, founder of #Edchat, Twitter-Using Educators, and NYSCATE Network.

You’ll learn how a podcast and a pigeon lead Elizabeth Coughlin to return to her great grandfather’s hometown of Terlizzi and fulfill her grandmother’s dream of reconnecting with her family in Italy. Enjoy this interview get inspired to find your roots and your home. Topics we cover: Why Elizabeth’s family said they came from Bari when they actually came from Terlizzi Where the families around this area who left Italy settled in the US, including areas around Boston and Hoboken How Beth found us and how that lead to her finding her long lost family How her grandfather’s draft card lead to her finding Terlizzi Beth’s new tagline for Villa Cappelli “Eating at Villa Cappelli is like eating Sunday lunch every day.” Our signature cocktail made with Villa Cappelli extra virgin olive oil (recipe below) How the Spanish influenza influenced Italian immigrants in the U.S. Specifically how from the Spanish influenza killed Beth’s great grandfather’s first wife and her great grandmother’s first husband as well as how it killed Paul’s grandfather’s first wife The story of Paul’s family and how his grandfather married How Beth’s Nonna was a big influence for her research and trip Beth’s entire story of how to found her family again and how, almost magically, they were in the Terlizzi, the closest town to the villa (see Beth’s full story in her own words below) How a pigeon plays a big role in Beth’s decision to come to Villa Cappelli (from the book: Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small) How strange it is for Italians to understand the need for people to seek out their families in Italy, since for them, their families have always been from the town they grew up in How Beth’s Nonna came along for their trip How Beth’s trip has made her appreciate appreciate each moment and how this is just the beginning of the trip How Beth and Paul might be related   Villa Cappelli Cocktail Recipe (makes one drink): 3 medium basil leaves, torn, plus one small basil leaf for garnish 1.5 ounces fresh grapefruit juice 1.5 ounces vodka .5 ounce Villa Cappelli extra virgin olive oil .25 ounce simple syrup (optional)   Drop torn basil leaves into a cocktail shaker and fill shaker with ice. Add grapefruit juice, vodka, Villa Cappelli extra virgin olive oil and simple syrup. Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with small basil leaf. You can also blend all the ingredients together in a high-powered blender.   Elizabeth’s full story:   Returning to Family by Elizabeth Coughlin Nanas and grandpas are an amazing gift. My Nana, Angela “Angie” Gesmundo, was just that - a beautiful gift from God. To me she was a friend, a teacher, and my hero. When I needed a problem solved, or just wanted to share a story, Nana was the one I talked to. With her ‘say it like it is’ approach, she taught me life lessons: self-respect, the importance of family, and to always keep things honest. Her points were direct. “Don’t spit in the wind or it might come back and hit you in the face” is one example. Or she would say, “Listen, I won’t tell you what to do, but I will tell you what I will put up with!” Besides lessons about life, she taught love of life by example. Nana loved to dance, to sing and she wore bright stylish clothes and make up. A hairdresser by trade, she constantly surprised us with a new hair color. She was so full of youthful fun, most strangers assumed she was my mom. In her fingers, which were adorned with extremely long nails usually painted sparkly white, she often held a Marlboro cigarette, a habit she never was able to kick. Nana often talked about her family. Her mother, she recalled, came from San Giovanni la Punta in Sicily and her father, Giuseppe “Joe” Gesmundo, was from the province of Bari in Italy. Giuseppe came to America with his first wife, Anna, with whom he had three sons. Sadly, Anna died from the flu in the early 1900s. Nana’s now widowed father needed help raising his children, so he married his housekeeper, Maria, whose husband had also just died of the flu. While Maria was raising Giuseppe’s three boys, the couple had two children of their own, my Nana Angela and her brother, Joe. For reasons unknown to me, Nana did not know much about her father’s history, including where he was from. She did recall stories about his having farmed in Italy and about owning some type of land. There were also stories of his possible political ties. This historical gap left me to wonder, who was great grandfather Giuseppe and where did he come from? Nana clearly remembered from her own childhood that Joe Gesmundo had been a strict man who dressed impeccably and grew an enormous garden of row upon row of tomatoes and other vegetables at their home in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He had strict rules for his family and she never crossed them because he demanded they be followed, or else… She also recalled how her dad found his first job in America. He approached a group of Italian construction workers and asked one of them, “How do I ask the boss for a job in English?” Instead of giving him the correct response, the worker told him English swear words. The boss, did not find any humor in the bad language, and asked my great grandfather, “Who told you to say such words?” Giuseppe pointed to the man, who was laughing. The boss turned to my great grandfather and said, “You need a job? Well now you have one--- his!” According to my Nana, her dad worked as a janitor at the local bank for many years. He also started the Italian Credit Union in Haverhill, an accomplishment in which Nana took great pride. Giuseppe Gesmundo, my great grandfather, suffered a fatal heart attack on his 71st birthday on April 18, 1958, in Haverhill. It was Nana’s dream to someday visit Italy and find her relatives. She would talk about it often, looking into the distance as if she somehow knew it would remain just a dream. Sadly, shortly after I turned 18, my best friend, my Nana, my rock, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an aggressive cancer that attacks the bones, and she died on August 20, 1990, before she could go to Italy. We now live in an age of information, when it is almost too easy to find out anything about anyone. So a few years ago I began my search, to fulfill my Nana’s dream to find her family in Italy. I began my research on the website ancestory.com where I discovered bits and pieces about Giuseppe, but nothing concrete. Then one day in my search I found his World War I draft card. On his card he had written that he was from a town in Italy called Terlizzi. As I never knew what town he was from, only that he came from Bari province, it was an important part of the puzzle. A few years went by and life got in the way, and I drifted away from my heritage research. Then in 2014 I began listening to a podcast on health and fitness, ‘The Angriest Trainer’, with Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino. That is when everything changed. The podcast is hilariously entertaining, as well as informative. It was and still is an addictive show to listen to. Their down to earth approach reminded me a lot of myself as well as my Italian relatives. No coincidence, because Vinnie and Anna happen to be Italian. As I continued to listen to my new favorite podcast, I heard their ad for a 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil, called Villa Cappelli. As a longtime foodie, I decided to look up this olive oil and its history. After looking through their website, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Their 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil was made in, of all places, Terlizzi, Italy! Not only could I buy delicious food from this company, but I discovered that they also rent their villa! Wow! As I stared at the screen and imagined going to the villa and finding my family, realistically I thought it would be impossible. I put my dreams aside, little knowing that my Nana from up above would intervene. August 25, 2014 was an oppressively hot day in my hometown of Topsfield, outside of Boston, Massachusetts. As I stepped outside, I noticed a beautiful pigeon sitting in my driveway. I thought that seemed strange but left my house to do some errands. When I came back the pigeon was waiting for me. I decided to feed the visitor some breadcrumbs and water, and he seemed most grateful. For three days my new friend jumped around my yard, sat on my roof and one time even sat at my front door peering in the side window as if to say, “Do you notice me?” After the pigeon left a not so friendly gift on the top of my husband’s car, we decided our visitor needed to be returned to his owner. He had a couple of identity bands around his ankle, but nothing that indicated his home. I decided to look up, via the internet, local racing pigeon clubs and found the contact information for a guy named Ron. After some exchange of correspondence, we agreed to meet and that I would hand over the bird. With great help and effort from my son, Thomas, we managed to get our new friend into a pet carrier, and we went to meet Ron and his wife at an agreed location. Ron and his wife were an older couple, and immediately we knew they were genuine folks. Ron explained that sometimes when racing, pigeons can get lost. He looked over our pigeon friend and determined he was only about four months old and quite thin. He was most grateful we called him because he actually thought he might know who owned the bird. The next day I received this email from Ron:  “Hello Again Beth,  I want to thank you for the trouble you and your son went thru to get this bird. I spoke to the owner and he wanted me to thank you also... If there were more people like you and your family, this world could be a better place for us all...  I wish you nothing but good health and happiness in your Life...”  After reading Ron’s touching email I decided to look up what it meant to have a pigeon come into your life. I grabbed a book off my shelf, Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small by Ted Andrews. He writes, “The Pigeon has a long history associated with the home and with fertility. The real name of Christopher Columbus was “Colombo”, which is the Italian word for “pigeon”…It is because of this that they are often symbols for a time or a need to return to the security of home. Pigeons can teach us how to find our way back when we are lost. They help us to remember and find the love of home and home life that we have either given up or lost…Have we forgotten our basic foundations, the heritage we have had passed on to us through home and family?” Speechless, I closed the book and thought about the villa in Terlizzi and made my decision. We were going. After exchanging some family emails, I found a relative in Michigan who had an address in Terlizzi, as one of my Nana’s brothers did visit family over 25 years ago. I quickly wrote a letter, explained who I was and my interest in meeting my lost relatives. I then emailed the villa, put down a deposit and announced to my parents, we were going to Terlizzi, to finish Nana’s dream to find her dad’s family. Three months went by and we heard nothing. Just when I was about to lose hope, a letter arrived. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I danced around my kitchen, and my kids finally demanded I open it. The letter was from my great-grandfather’s brother’s family. They wrote how happy they were to hear from us and that they would be very excited to meet us in July, 2015. As I sat in my kitchen holding the letter, I thought about all the events that led up to this moment - the World War I draftcard from ancestory.com, Vinnie Tortorich’s podcast, the Villa Cappelli 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil, and my beautiful pigeon “colombo” friend. In my heart, I know each event was carefully orchestrated by my Nana, in her quest to see her families unite, to finish one dream and start another. Never give up just because a loved one has died. I believe our love and dreams for each other live on. We only need to stop, and inhale the small wonders our loved ones leave us each day. Maybe it’s a shiny penny or a small feather, a familiar smile, or a scent that takes us back to a loved one. All of these are signs that their love for us lives on. Now, when I see a pigeon look at me just right, I take a moment and smile and remember, that my Nana will always love me.   One last video, just for fun.  Orso welcoming Thomas to the villa:        

The Salem News Faces of Eastern Mass Pagan Pride Day, a festival held Sept. 19, 2010, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield. Video by Mark Teiwes, The Salem News staff. Music by The Gyps ...

Summary of today's show: On a day for unprecedented news happenings, Scot Landry, Susan Abbott and Fr. Roger Landry are joined by Gregory Tracy, calling in from Rome, to report his experiences so far traveling with Cardinal Sean on Benedict XVI's last days as pope. From the last meeting with the cardinals to Benedict's departure from the Vatican, including Cardinal Seán's press conference with the world's media, we got an insider's view of all the events and what it was like to be in the Eternal City. Also, back in Boston, the first four pastors of Phase 1 pastoral collaboratives were named as part of the Disciples in Mission plan. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Benedict's Last Day; Cardinals' presser; Phase 1 Pastors 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show and welcomed Gregopry Tracy calling in from Rome and Fr. Roger Landry, who is traveling today. Greg related what it is like to be in Rome in these days. Scot read from Benedict's farewell discourse to the cardinals and the final words to all of us at Castel Gandolfo. Susan Abbott reflected on her admiration for the Holy Father and her sadness that we will likely never see him again. Greg related how he went to St. Peter's Square at 8pm and how very moving it was to see everyone there. The bells tolled and the hundreds gathered stood silently before St. Peter's, some holding candles, others praying in groups. After a moment of silence after the bells stopped ringing and then spontaneously the people applauded. Scot noted that most of the churches across the country rang their bells from 1:52 to 2pm, eight minutes for the eight years of Benedict's pontificate. Susan said Cardinal Dolan talked on TV this morning about how the people is our father and we are stunned that he is no longer there for us. Scot said he is know know as Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI. He will wear white cassock, but not the white cape that is a sign of office. He will also trade in the red shoes, for plain brown loafers. /en1-669045) 2nd segment: Scot said to Fr. Roger that Benedict packed in so much in the last few days that we will be unpacking for years to come. Fr. Roger said first of all in importance is that Christ is the Supreme Pastor of the Church, not the pope. Another important message from him is the importance of the Mass and the way we pray must be centered on the Lord, rather than ourselves. Fr. Roger is boarding a flight, but Scot noted that Fr. Roger will be part of EWTN's coverage of the papal conclave starting next week. He will also be hosting a new series on EWTN on living with Alzheimer's disease. Scot said earlier today that Cardinal Seán, Cardinal DiNardo from Houston, and Cardinal George of Chicago had a press conference held at the Pontifical North American College. Greg set the sense of what the press conference like and how many were there. He said all the major international news networks were present and the major US media as well, plus others from South America and elsewhere. Greg said you see around the city, for the media much of what's going on in Rome isn't very public or to fill airtime so the media is voracious for anything they can find to fill the news cycle. Greg said some of the questions were predictable, asking about the change in the Church. A few were good because the cardinals didn't have a rote answer for them. The press conference started with each of the cardinals relating what each of them said to the Holy Father. They were asked the effect of the precedent of the pope resigning. Cardinal George said the Holy Father is a father and a father can't resign, but now a father has resigned. Even though it's been in canon law, it's been so rare that practically speaking the pope was pope for life. Cardinal Sean said maybe someone who is older might be more possible now because if it became overwhelming for him he could resign. Scot said Cardinal Seán was asked what qualities Americans would like in a new pope. Cardinal Seán responded that certainly holiness given that we've had such holy popes for the last century. Also, someone who loves the youth. Asked how he's preparing for the conclave, he's been praying a lot and trying to read up on the other cardinals, spending a lot of time on the Internet. He joked with the reporter John Allen, who prior to the last conclave wrote a book called “Conclave” which described how it worked and who some of the leading candidates were, and said that Allen hadn't written “Conclave II”. Scot said everyone watching could see Cardinal Seán's sense of humor. Susan said Cardinal Seán is so in tune with the popular culture. She noted that every time someone lists the qualities of a potential pope, she sees Cardinal Seán. She asked Greg if he will be able to update his blog. He said his sense is that there will be a blog post this week and each week that he isn't in the conclave. Greg said each of the moments today were very moving, with the cardinals saying goodbye for the last time, the seminarians waving goodbye as the helicopter flew away, the people in the square crying at his leaving, or being with the people applauding for him after he was long gone. Greg also noted that Benedict pledged obedience to the future pope who was present in the audience with the cardinals this morning. Scot also noted Greg's blog posts on The Good Catholic Life and how they have brought us along with him with an insider's view. Susan said the Holy Father's discourse to the cardinals was also a beautiful reflection, modeling for us what we're called to do to work together in harmony. Parish staffs and ministries could meditate on this together. Scot and Susan also talked about yesterday's remarks at the Wednesday General audience, which was very personal. Scot said during the individual greetings of cardinals with Benedict, Cardinal Tagle of Manila whispered something to the Holy Father that caused them to laugh together. Scot wrote in the Pilot this week about the type of coverage we'll be offering on the Pilot, the Good Catholic Life, and online. Scot said anyone who sends a prayer request to , he will bring them to the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican to bring all our listeners to a deeper appreciation and sense of discipleship. in local news, the Disciples in Mission pastoral planning initiative has significant news. The first four pastors of Phase 1 collaboratives have been named. They become effective on June 4. Father Mark Mahoney, to be the Pastor in Beverly (Saint Margaret, Saint Mary Star of the Sea, and Saint John). Father Mahoney will be leaving his current position as Pastor of Saint Rose of Lima Parish in Topsfield to take this new assignment. Monsignor William Fay, to be the Pastor of the Collaborative in Methuen (Saint Lucy and Saint Monica). Monsignor Fay will be leaving his current position as Pastor of Saint Columbkille in Brighton to take this new assignment. He was co-chair of the Pastoral Planning Commission and is a former secretary-general of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Father Shawn Allen, to be the Pastor of the Billerica Collaborative (Saint Theresa, Saint Mary, and Saint Andrew). Father Allen is currently the Pastor of Saint Theresa in Billerica. Father Carlos Flor, to be the Pastor of Saint Mary of the Angels in Roxbury and Saint Thomas Aquinas and Our Lady of Lourdes in Jamaica Plain. Father Flor is currently the Pastor of those three Parishes. Scot expects that many more pastors of the new collaboratives will be named over the next four to six weeks. Susan said she was surprised by the appointments and knows that the review process was very thorough. Scot noted that this transition affects the current pastors, pastoral staff, and parishioners and asked for prayers for them as they go through this change.