Podcasts about Your Son

Gratitude is the only thing that has been found to actually increase your baseline happiness, called dispositional happiness. Other things, such as self-medication, will cause a temporary increase in happiness, but then you return to the baseline. But over time gratitude increases dispositional well-being, or happiness, permanently! Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jennifer M; Deborah W; and Maureen G, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary's own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja's method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)  O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) Which of the strategies for practicing gratitude do you feel most drawn to? Can you implement each one? Is it surprising that God made thanksgiving good for us? What do you want to say to Him about that?  V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.) Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin. E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!) Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our families and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, through Whom all blessing from You is possible. Amen. + It's Time for You to Be Healed Connect Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing.  What We Discussed | Show Notes Links to 198 studies on gratitude. Overview: Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  reviewing the difference between gratitude and thanksgiving; understanding dispositional gratitude and dispositional happiness  Minutes 12:01-24:00 – research findings on how and why gratitude affects happiness  Minutes 24:01-36:00 – more studies and their findings; strategies for practicing gratitude: saying "thank you," writing letters, gratitude journal Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Ignatius Examen, counting the steps, smile, reframing, random acts of kindness (love bombs); the meaning of charity; creation thanks God Transcript Click here for a transcript of the show. 

In this our first Clinging to God & Guns episode of 2023, Lloyd and the Padre discuss Pastor Bennett's article in the new book "Duty to Defend: Volume 2," the context of Phillippians 2:6-8, the reason it is poorly applied in the gun debate, and a better example of Jesus for us to follow in defense of our neighbors. Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Thank You to this Week's Members! Jerry and Billye from Deer Lodge, MT John Nielson Luke from Seymour, IN Mike from Hiram, GA Peter from White Bear Lake, MN Robert from Bothell, WA William from Duncanville, TX The Disreputable Bartlett Dan from Enumclaw, WA Donny from White Bear Lake, MN Duty to Defend: Volume 2 is now available! Pick up your copy today in paperback, Kindle, or ePub formats! www.ArmedLutheran.us/books Prayer of the Week Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth Your hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Join the Reformation Gun Club! - http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Shop at GunMagWarehouse* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mags Get Regular Refills Coffee Subscriptions at Dunkin' Donuts* - www.ArmedLutheran.us/Coffee Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

As we kick off our eighth year, the cast of Armed Lutheran Radio share their goals for 2023 and what they hope the New Year brings. Segments [00:00] - Opening and welcome [01:41] - Thanks to our Members [03:32] - Lloyd's Commentary [16:55] - Mia's Motivations [23:39] - Pastor Bennett's Pastoral Pontification [32:44] - Show Close Links of Interest Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission - Colorado public comments on wolves Email - dnr_cpwcommission@state.co.us Website - https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/pages/submit-public-comments.aspx Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us The new book, Duty to Defend: Volume 2, is available in paperback, Kindle, ePub, and Audiobook formats. Get your copy today! Thank You to this Week's Members! George from Hammond, LA Dallas from Severance, CO Dan from Indian Trail, NC Kenneth from Sugar Land, TX Kevin from Marion, IA Kevin from Fairfax, MO Marc from St Paul, MN Matthew from Nixa, MO Paul from Sheridan, WY Robert from Elk River, MN Meet the Cast Lloyd Bailey - http://www.armedlutheran.us/about/ Mia Anstine - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mia/ Sergeant Bill Silvia - http://www.armedlutheran.us/bill/ Pastor John Bennett - http://www.armedlutheran.us/pastor/ Prayer of the Week Almighty and everlasting God, Governor of all things in heaven and earth, mercifully hear the supplications of Your people and grant us Your peace in our time; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Shop at GunMagWarehouse* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mags Get Regular Refills Coffee Subscriptions at Dunkin' Donuts* - www.ArmedLutheran.us/Coffee Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. Original music by the Artist formerly known as METALloyd, copyright 2023. Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

According to the Scriptures, complaining and thanksgiving are both multipliers. Complaining multiplies scarcity, fear, futility, and purposelessness; while thanksgiving multiplies a few loaves and fishes to feed all who are present, with plenty left over.   Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jannifer S, and Carolyn McK, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary's own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja's method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)  O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) Have you thought about how thanksgiving for what "little" you might have could actually be the catalyst for receiving more from God as a gift? What has the Lord said to you about that through this episode?  V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.) Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin. E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!) Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our families and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, through Whom all blessing from You is possible. Amen. + It's Time for You to Be Healed Connect Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing.  What We Discussed | Show Notes Overview: Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  overview of NT prayers of thanksgiving in the Gospels and Paul  Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Jesus' prayers of thanksgiving and what they brought forth Minutes 24:01-36:00 – thanksgiving is not for God; what God desires from us in thanksgiving, and what happens when we are properly thankful, especially in suffering Minutes 36:01-48:00 – an overview of "thanksgiving" in the Catechism Transcript Click here for a transcript of the show. 

In This Episode, We Get Tactical About: The Andrew Tate Phenomenon Why Young Men Are Turning to Charlatans The Importance of Fathers and Father Figures Other People Are Competing for Your Son's Attention What is Being Modeled as Masculinity? The Gap Between Knowledge and Wisdom Iron Sharpens Iron   Resources + Links: Connect with Kristofor on Instagram | @team_healey   How can Kristofor help you become more indispensable? https://linktr.ee/krhealey   Get your copy of Indispensable: A Tactical Plan for the Modern Man    Shoot us a message on Instagram with your biggest takeaway @team_healey   Show Notes:   Andrew Tate has monetized his athletic and reality television fame through his paid video subscription program "Hustler's University," where he has amassed tens of millions of dollars and a legion of largely young male followers.  But nothing that Andrew Tate is selling to these young men is healthy masculinity.  Rather, it is a style of conceited, arrogant, misogynistic, hypermasculinity that can only be described as fatherless.   Fatherless masculinity is masculinity without virtue. It is about aggression without service. It is about attention without honor. It is about reactionary posturing without thought. It is about strength without valor. It is loud and brash and in your face.   Like many emotionally dysregulated individuals, Tate isn't screaming to be heard, rather he is screaming to be seen. His intent is not resolution of the problem of 21st century masculinity, but rather, making others aware that they are "injured" and exploiting their pain for his financial benefit.   Tate, and others like him, inhabit the gap between a young man's knowledge of the world and the wisdom he should be receiving from fathers or father figures. As a father you should be aware of who is competing for your son's attention, and you should know that if you don't bridge that wisdom gap for the young men in your life, someone else will.    Until Monday…Out of role!

To what do we give our attention? The mind is a powerful place of command. What is in our mind determines the actions and results of our life. Using our mind to connect with our Divine Source is the subject of this Lesson #232. Be in my mind, my Father, when I wake, and shine on me throughout the day today. Let every minute be a time in which I dwell with You. And let me not forget my hourly thanksgiving that You have remained with me, and always will be there to hear my call to You and answer me. As evening comes, let all my thoughts be still of You and of Your Love. And let me sleep sure of my safety, certain of Your care, and happily aware I am Your Son. Can we give our "hourly thanksgiving" for this Divine Connection? It is the easiest thing when we have the willingness to do it. Sondra and I will set the timer on our iPhone to go off every 55 minutes. We find that keeps us on track. Get in the habit of periodically "disengaging" from activity. Then when you return to what you are doing, you are in a more Peaceful state.

Once, when wallowing in suffering and complaining to God, "Why me?", He answered me with, "Why not you?" It was a sobering question that re-ordered my negative thinking toward thankfulness for all the terrible things I didn't have that I could. That was when I realized it can always be worse, a reality I remind myself of every time something "bad" happens.  The Jewish practice of praying the Eighteen Benedictions, or The Amidah, taught them that everything in life is ultimately a gift - undeserved and unmerited - from the great Benefactor, Who is gift Himself. Such a practice of constant thanksgiving centers one's life on eternity and prevents the faith-killing entitlement that leads to futility, purposelessness, negativity, and finally hell. Because the truth is, everything is gift, and we don't deserve any gift whatsoever.  Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Ashley L; Tina S; Holly A; Amanda S; Beth W; Peggy H; Glora C; G&H E; Mary S*, Mary P; Jennifer A*; Anita C; Elizabeth P*; Diana R*; Debby F; Dawn M; Maria H; Theresa H; Stella V; Kerry K; and Christina S, for loving and lifting me! *A special "thank you" for your generosity! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: Our Bible study on the Book of Romans meets January 9! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary's own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja's method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.) O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) The familiar Mass prayer, "Blessed are You, Lord God of all creation, through Your goodness we have received this bread to offer..." is a traditional prayer of blessing over a meal. Do you say a blessing over your meals? Always? In public? What is the Holy Spirit saying to you about that? V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.) Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin. E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!) Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our families and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, through Whom all blessing from You is possible. Amen. + It's Time for You to Be Healed Connect Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing.  What We Discussed | Show Notes Previous episode on the Our Father Overview: Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  Jewish prayers of thanksgiving, or blessing; The Amidah, or Eighteen Benedictions Minutes 12:01-24:00 – life is all blessing Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the biblical connections between gratitude and humility, ingratitude and futility and purposelessness Minutes 36:01-48:00 – the biblical connection between gratitude and wisdom and rest Transcript Click here for a transcript of the show. 

Live in the Light Lesson Text: John 1:1-5; Ephesians 5:1-2,6-14 Believers must embrace the slogan - children of the light. Click here to read the blog for this lesson entitled An Unexpected Discovery - https://www.beyondtheotherside.me/blo... Thought to Remember: Walk in the Light Lessons learned: Jesus is the light of the World; therefore, believers must reflect Him the same way as the moon reflects the sun. We cannot become crescent-moon believers (half-believers) but full-moon believers. So, I must remember that I cannot reflect Jesus' light unless I am in the light. My Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to earth as the greatest gift we could ever receive. Please help us to live our lives following our Savior. In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen.

Gratitude is a worldview, but is it a secular worldview or a sacred one? If gratitude is so obviously good for us, emotionally and physically, why are we so ungrateful? And why are Christians who have so much to be grateful for as negative and as physically unhealthy as the godless? Biblical gratitude helps us return our hearts to the eternal. Living in the midst of so many evils, temptations, and sins, the problem becomes losing sight of the eternal, of becoming distracted. Gratitude helps us focus properly, and that's why it heals. In this episode, we look at the etymology of the word gratitude, "the three benes," the differences between the secular and sacred views of gratitude, and the number one reason why we should be grateful.  Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Cheri M, Sheila H, and Frances P, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: Our Bible study on the Book of Romans meets January 9! LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary's own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja's method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)   O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) Do you seek the Lord "diligently"? Do God's words to Abram, "I am your exceedingly great reward" fall flat for you in the face of your suffering? What do you want to say to Him about that? V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.) Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin. E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!) Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior. Amen. + It's Time for You to Be Healed Connect Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing.  What We Discussed | Show Notes Overview: Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  secular and sacred views of gratitude; the problem with Cain's offering Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Old Testament and New Testament evolution of the concept of thanksgiving; the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin language roots of the term "gratitude" Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the three benes Minutes 36:01-48:00 – God's "goodness" to Abram; the number one reason to be grateful Transcript Click here for a transcript of the show. 

Sunday, 1 January 2023   “And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. Acts 13:21   In the previous verse, Paul mentioned the giving of judges to Israel for about four hundred and fifty years. With the time of the judges ending, the time of the kings began. Paul explains that beginning with the words, “And afterward.”   Samuel was the final judge of Israel. Israel was a theocracy with the Lord as their King at this time. The judge was appointed to lead the people under the authority of the Lord. However, Israel desired a change in this arrangement, and so after this time of judges “they asked for a king.”   To anyone who knew the recorded account of this act, it would be a reminder of the people's rejection of the Lord. For Paul to bring this up is not a lesson in the right attitude of the people. Rather, it is a reminder of exactly the opposite –   “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.' 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.' So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.'” 1 Samuel 8:4-9   After this, Samuel instructed the people on the additional burdens they would face with a king over them, warning them. And yet, the record says –   “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, ‘No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.' 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed their voice, and make them a king.'” 1 Samuel 8:19-22   With that remembered, Paul next says, “so God gave them Saul the son of Kish.” The name Saul means “Asked for.” It is thus a biblical pun. The people asked for a king and the Lord gave them a king as they had asked for. His father was Kish. The name comes from qosh, a snare. Hence, his name means Snaring. This very well may be a pun as well. Israel had ensnared itself in asking for a king.   After Saul's initial conquests, Samuel called to renew the kingship (1 Samuel 11:14), and so the people were called together at Gilgal. During this coronation, Samuel reminded them of their wickedness in asking for a king. This was acknowledged by the people –   “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes: 17 Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.” 18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.” 1 Samuel 12:16-19   This is what Paul is implicitly reminding those gathered in the synagogue. Though not apparent yet, he will tie all of this in with the people's rejection of Jesus. For now, he continues this verse with, “a man of the tribe of Benjamin.”   This is to be implicitly understood as a mark of the Lord's disfavor if for no other reason than that the Messiah was promised to come through Judah, not Benjamin (Genesis 49:10). Benjamin's blessing by Jacob was that he was a ravenous wolf that devours the prey and divides the spoil. It is not at all unlike the reign of Saul. But more, Benjamin was the smallest tribe, having been almost utterly wiped out by the other tribes for its defense of the horrifying actions of the people of Gibeah as is recorded in Judges 19 and 20. With that, Paul finishes the verse with “for forty years.”   This is not recorded in the Old Testament, although Paul's stating it means that it was understood to be so. Various chronologies have been provided and explanations have been made to justify Paul's words. One explanation is that the times of Samuel and Saul have been combined. Hence the words of the previous verse “until Samuel the prophet” mean that the reigns of Samuel and Saul are combined into forty years. Others have developed timelines showing how Saul could have reigned forty years. In the end, Paul has stated a literal time that was accepted within the synagogue as factual.   Life application: The Bible records actual events from Israel's past to reveal God's purposes and intent for the time of the New Covenant. The time of the judges was one of constant apostasy and then turning back to the Lord. The people's asking for a king that would rule over them was to be taken as a rejection of the Lord as well.   And yet, some judges and kings directed the people to the Lord, exalting Him above their own reigns. Others turned from the Lord in varying degrees. Each of these stories is given as a lesson for us to see something about Israel's need for the Messiah to come and rule. Without knowing what is recorded there, we have a void in our understanding of why we need the Lord as our Head. The proclivities of man necessitate it and the biblical stories of the Old Testament highlight this fact.   Be sure to read the Old Testament as well as the New. In it, you will find the state of man in need of God's Messiah. In His coming, we see how Jesus fulfills each and every need.   Lord God, thank You for the giving of Your Son so that we can have an eternal Leader who can reveal to us the extent of Your greatness for all ages to come. In Him, we have all of who You are in a form that we can see and understand. Yes, thank You for the sending of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

This last reflection is dedicated to the Queen of Mercy, the Most Glorious Mother of God.  She, more than any other, was and continues to be a perfect instrument of the Mercy of God.  She brought forth Mercy Himself into this world by her fiat, her “Yes,” at the Annunciation.  She suffered greatly as she watched her Son suffer such brutality, and offered her motherly love to console His Heart and to win much grace in the world through her sacrifice.  She was taken body and soul into Heaven and given the Crown of Glory by her Son, so that from her glorious throne in Heaven, she may continue to lavish Mercy on the world.  Seek her prayers, trust in her intercession, consecrate yourself to her motherly care, and know of her perfect love for you.  She will never abandon her children and, therefore, she will never abandon you. Dearest Mother, my Queen, I love you with a profound love and I desire to consecrate myself to your Immaculate Heart.  Your heart, dear Mother, is a heart overflowing with the Mercy of Your Son.  He has given you all grace and entrusted you with the dispensation of this grace upon the world.  May I never doubt your maternal care and intercession.  I love you, dear Mother.  I give myself entirely to you so that you may bring me to Your Son, Jesus.  Mother Mary, my Queen, pray for me.  Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Peace be to me, the holy Son of God. Peace to my brother, who is one with me. Let all the world be blessed with peace through us. Father, it is Your peace that I would give, receiving it of You. I am Your Son, forever just as You created me, for the Great Rays remain forever still and undisturbed within me. I would reach to them in silence and in certainty, for nowhere else can certainty be found. Peace be to me, and peace to all the world. In holiness were we created, and in holiness do we remain. Your Son is like to You in perfect sinlessness. And with this thought we gladly say "Amen."- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 360

Today's Reading: Luke 2:1-20Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 49:1-18; Matthew 1:1-17And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. At just the right time, Jesus was born.  At just the right time, God sent His son to be born of a woman.  At just the right time God sent His son to be born under the law.  Our savior Jesus Christ came into this world at just the right time.  God chose the time and the place where His son would be born.  On Christmas Day we rejoice and celebrate the gift of salvation that came into this world.  The day that the Word made His dwelling amongst us.  As we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, we engage in numerous activities that help reinforce the magnificent gift of salvation through Jesus.  We go to church and sing the familiar hymns of Christmas.  We receive His body and blood for the strengthening of faith and the forgiveness of sins.  We hear the message of the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.  We sit around the family dinner table and reminisce of years gone by and reflect on loved ones who are no longer with us.  We open gifts and extend gratitude towards family and friends who have taken time to remember us in their Christmas giving.  All these activities give us the remembrance that our savior Jesus Christ came into this world for the salvation of the world; certainly, some activities more than others.  When it comes to Jesus, He is the gift.  Christ brings to us exactly what we need.  In the manger is the Son of God that has come to redeem the world.  In the manger is forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.  In the manger is the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king for the people of God.   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen-Pastor Timothy Paul Davis is Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church  in Athens Georgia.Audio Reflections Speaker: Patrick Sturdivant, Development and Marketing Executive at Higher Things.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

A Christmas message based on the account of author Henry Williamson of the Christmas Truce on the Ypres salient in 1914. That account, published in the London Daily Express in 1937, reminds us that even during that deadly and bitter conflict, we are all God's children. Pray that we remember that fact in the midst of our modern day divisions. Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Thank You to this Week's Members! Kalroy from Boronn, CA Stephen B Mike from Hiram, GA Robert from Bothell, WA John Nielson Luke from Seymour, IN William from Duncanville, TX Jerry and Billye from Deer Lodge, MT Peter from White Bear Lake, MN The Disreputable Bartlett Prayer of the Week Lord God, gracious Father, who in the fullness of time sent Your Son to become man, assume our flesh, and become our Brother, we implore You to keep us in true knowledge of our Redeemer, by whose birth we are delivered from sin, death, Satan, and hell, that with all the holy angels we may rejoice at His Nativity and behold Him who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Shop at GunMagWarehouse* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mags Get Regular Refills Coffee Subscriptions at Dunkin' Donuts* - www.ArmedLutheran.us/Coffee Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. Original music by the Artist formerly known as METALloyd, copyright 2022. Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

No call to God can be unheard nor left unanswered. And of this I can be sure;His answer is the one I really want. You Who remember what I really am alone remember what I really want. You speak for God, and so You speak for me. And what You give me comes from God Himself. Your Voice, my Father, then is mine as well, and all I want is what You offer me, in just the form You choose that it be mine. Let me remember all I do not know, and let my voice be still, remembering. But let me not forget Your Love and care, keeping Your promise to Your Son in my awareness always. Let me not forget myself is nothing, but my Self is all.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 358

Truth answers every call we make to God, Responding first with miracles,and then returning unto us to be itself. Forgiveness, truth's reflection, tells me how to offer miracles, and thus escape the prison house in which I think I live. Your holy Son is pointed out to me, first in my brother; then in me. Your Voice instructs me patiently to hear Your Word, and give as I receive. And as I look upon Your Son today, I hear Your Voice instructing me to find the way to You, as You appointed that the way shall be: "Behold his sinlessness, and be you healed."- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 358

Sickness is but another name for sin. Healing is but another name for God. The miracle is thus a call to Him. Father, You promised You would never fail to answer any call Your Son might make to You. It does not matter where he is, what seems to be his problem, nor what he believes he has become. He is Your Son, and You will answer him. The miracle reflects Your Love, and thus it answers him. Your Name replaces every thought of sin, and who is sinless cannot suffer pain. Your Name gives answer to Your Son, because to call Your Name is but to call his own.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 356

There is no end to all the peace and joy, and all the miracles that I will give, when I accept God's Word. Why not today? Why should I wait, my Father, for the joy You promised me? For You will keep Your Word You gave Your Son in exile. I am sure my treasure waits for me, and I need but reach out my hand to find it. Even now my fingers touch it. It is very close. I need not wait an instant more to be at peace forever. It is You I choose, and my Identity along with You. Your Son would be Himself, and know You as his Father and Creator, and his Love.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 355

Today's Reading: John 20:24-29Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 42:1-25; Revelation 9:1-12“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The title of the reflection says it all: St. Thomas, Apostle.  That's how we should remember Thomas.  But we've loved to give him another nickname, haven't we?  But Thomas isn't a doubter at all, at least not any more than anyone else.  When Jesus announced to his disciples that He was going to Judea, some of his disciples tried to stop him (John 11:8). Thomas was not dissuaded; instead He boldly proclaimed: “Let us also go, that we may die with him”Thomas is an Apostle; one sent out by Jesus Himself to teach and to preach, to heal wounds, perform miracles and proclaim the mysteries of the Gospel.  That's precisely what Thomas did on that first Easter Sunday and eight days later.  I know, it sounds like Thomas is balking at the idea that someone could be raised from the dead. It's more profound than that. He disbelieved the Resurrection, but let's face facts, all of us balk at the Resurrection too.  So Thomas demands to see the One with holes in hands and side, meaning that if this resurrection thing is true, then I only wish to see Jesus; the One who said He'd be crucified. And if you guys aren't going to show me that One, well then, I'll never believe.  Show me Christ Crucified. That IS a good confession!!! Indeed, it's the greatest and only Confession; that Christ Crucified is the One who came to earth as the Son of David, the Son of God, bore our sinful flesh to death, and died with nails in His hands and feet and a pierced side, for Thomas and for you.St. Thomas Apostle; the sent-out guy.  That's the good and right way to see Thomas and to commemorate the day that marks his death in the year 72 AD.  Thomas, the Apostle, the one who refused to believe in anything but the Crucified Christ.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and ever-living God, You strengthened Your Apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in the resurrection of Your Son.  Grant us such faith in Jesus Christ the Crucified One that we may never be found wanting in Your sight; through the same Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.-Pastor Adam DeGroot is Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane BamschStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

We stand together, Christ and I, in peace And certainty of purpose. And in Him Is His Creator, as He is in me. My oneness with the Christ establishes me as Your Son, beyond the reach of time, and wholly free of every law but Yours. I have no self except the Christ in me. I have no purpose but His Own. And He is like His Father. Thus must I be one with You as well as Him. For who is Christ except Your Son as You created Him? And what am I except the Christ in me?

John 17: 1-4 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Today the peace of God envelops me, And I forget all things except His Love. Father, I wake today with miracles correcting my perception of all things. And so begins the day I share with You as I will share eternity, for time has stepped aside today. I do not seek the things of time, and so I will not look upon them. What I seek today transcends all laws of time and things perceived in time. I would forget all things except Your Love. I would abide in You, and know no laws except Your law of love. And I would find the peace which You created for Your Son, forgetting all the foolish toys I made as I behold Your glory and my own. And when the evening comes today, we will remember nothing but the peace of God. For we will learn today what peace is ours, when we forget all things except God's Love.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 346

I offer only miracles today, For I would have them be returned to me. Father, a miracle reflects Your gifts to me, Your Son. And every one I give returns to me, reminding me the law of love is universal. Even here, it takes a form which can be recognized and seen to work. The miracles I give are given back in just the form I need to help me with the problems I perceive. Father, in Heaven it is different, for there, there are no needs. But here on earth, the miracle is closer to Your gifts than any other gift that I can give. Then let me give this gift alone today, which, born of true forgiveness, lights the way that I must travel to remember You. Peace to all seeking hearts today. The light has come to offer miracles to bless the tired world. It will find rest today, for we will offer what we have received.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 345

Today I learn the law of love; that what I give my brother is my gift to me. This is Your law, my Father, not my own. I have not understood what giving means, and thought to save what I desired for myself alone. And as I looked upon the treasure that I thought I had, I found an empty place where nothing ever was or is or will be. Who can share a dream? And what can an illusion offer me? Yet he whom I forgive will give me gifts beyond the worth of anything on earth. Let my forgiven brothers fill my store with Heaven's treasures, which alone are real. Thus is the law of love fulfilled. And thus Your Son arises and returns to You. How near we are to one another, as we go to God. How near is He to us. How close the ending of the dream of sin, and the redemption of the Son of God.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 344

I am not asked to make a sacrifice To find the mercy and the peace of God. The end of suffering can not be loss. The gift of everything can be but gain. You only give. You never take away. And You created me to be like You, so sacrifice becomes impossible for me as well as You. I, too, must give. And so all things are given unto me forever and forever. As I was created I remain. Your Son can make no sacrifice, for he must be complete, having the function of completing You. I am complete because I am Your Son. I cannot lose, for I can only give, and everything is mine eternally. The mercy and the peace of God are free. Salvation has no cost. It is a gift that must be freely given and received. And it is this that we would learn today.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 343

I let forgiveness rest upon all things, For thus forgiveness will be given me. I thank You, Father, for Your plan to save me from the hell I made. It is not real. And You have given me the means to prove its unreality to me. The key is in my hand, and I have reached the door beyond which lies the end of dreams. I stand before the gate of Heaven, wondering if I should enter in and be at home. Let me not wait again today. Let me forgive all things, and let creation be as You would have it be and as it is. Let me remember that I am Your Son, and opening the door at last, forget illusions in the blazing light of truth, as memory of You returns to me. Brother, forgive me now. I come to you to take you home with me. And as we go, the world goes with us on our way to God.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 342

Today's Reading: Romans 15:4-13Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12; 1 John 2:15-29“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Apostle Paul wrote 13 letters in the New Testament, directed mainly to churches. One such letter was to the Church at Rome. This church was in a rather unique situation. Rome was a great city of commerce. This brought with it a large amount of foot traffic. While this could be an advantage to the Church, this also proved to be a disadvantage as well, for this brought with it an influx of pagan non-believers. With this pagan influence, it was very easy for the Romans to forget who they were, blood-bought and redeemed children of God. They needed a gentle reminder of who they were, much like we need the same reminder today. And so Paul reminds them to return to their roots, that is, return to God's Word and what it means for them. There in God's Word, they would be reminded of the promise God made to them and what it meant for their daily life, for there they would find their hope.What was written in former days was God's promise of salvation, not just for His people in the Old Testament, not just for the Church at Rome, but for all people everywhere. God's instruction was for them to remain faithful to Him, just as He promised He would remain faithful to them. Ultimately, what was written in former days was the promise of the Messiah. This is what God intended for His people, then and now. He intended to be with them forever. Due to sin, that was no longer a possibility. That is why He made the promise of a Savior so that the relationship between God and man would be restored to what it should be. It is through that Word of God, the promise He made so long ago and recorded in Holy Scripture, that we find our hope. Our hope isn't found in ourselves or in the things of this world but in Jesus. At times, the Romans forgot where their hope was to be found. We too can forget that as well. That is why this season of Advent is so important for us, to help us prepare to receive Jesus as our salvation, for it is in Jesus do we have our hope, both now and forevermore. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Word)- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer's Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane BamschStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

What is a Miracle? A miracle is a correction. It does not create, nor really change at all. It merely looks on devastation, and reminds the mind that what it sees is false. It undoes error, but does not attempt to go beyond perception, nor exceed the function of forgiveness. Thus it stays within time's limits. Yet it paves the way for the return of timelessness and love's awakening, for fear must slip away under the gentle remedy it brings. A miracle contains the gift of grace, for it is given and received as one. And thus it illustrates the law of truth the world does not obey, because it fails entirely to understand its ways. A miracle inverts perception which was upside down before, and thus it ends the strange distortions that were manifest. Now is perception open to the truth. Now is forgiveness seen as justified. Forgiveness is the home of miracles. The eyes of Christ deliver them to all they look upon in mercy and in love. Perception stands corrected in His sight, and what was meant to curse has come to bless. Each lily of forgiveness offers all the world the silent miracle of love. And each is laid before the Word of God, upon the universal altar to Creator and creation in the light of perfect purity and endless joy. The miracle is taken first on faith, because to ask for it implies the mind has been made ready to conceive of what it cannot see and does not understand. Yet faith will bring its witnesses to show that what it rested on is really there. And thus the miracle will justify your faith in it, and show it rested on a world more real than what you saw before; a world redeemed from what you thought was there. Miracles fall like drops of healing rain from Heaven on a dry and dusty world, where starved and thirsty creatures come to die. Now they have water. Now the world is green. And everywhere the signs of life spring up, to show that what is born can never die, for what has life has immortality. I can attack but my own sinlessness, And it is only that which keeps me safe. Father, Your Son is holy. I am he on whom You smile in love and tenderness so dear and deep and still the universe smiles back on You, and shares Your Holiness. How pure, how safe, how holy, then, are we, abiding in Your Smile, with all Your Love bestowed upon us, living one with You, in brotherhood and Fatherhood complete; in sinlessness so perfect that the Lord of Sinlessness conceives us as His Son, a universe of Thought completing Him. Let us not, then, attack our sinlessness, for it contains the Word of God to us. And in its kind reflection we are saved.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles- Workbook Part II, What is a miracle? - Lesson 341

Order of Service: - Prelude - Opening prayer for Tuesday morning: Ever faithful God and Father! To You be praise and thanks for all Your goodness. Teach me that I may desire nothing except Your love; no gain but the riches of Your grace; no honor except that of being Your child. Grant that faith, and Christ through faith, may dwell in my heart, that He may bring forth the fruits of faith within me. I commend myself to You anew that you would cleanse and reign over me. Do not leave me or forsake me. I ask all of this through the merits of Your Son, my Lord, Emmanuel. Amen. - Hymn 110 - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: vv. 1, 2 & 4 - Revelation 22: 12-17 : Look, I am coming soon and my reward is with me, to repay each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and so that they may enter through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, that is, the sorcerers, the adulterers, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears this say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wants the water of life take it as a gift. - Devotion - Prayer - Hymn 110 - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: vv. 5 & 6 - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Jake Marzinske (Organist)

I can be free of suffering today. Father, I thank You for today, and for the freedom I am certain it will bring. This day is holy, for today Your Son will be redeemed. His suffering is done. For he will hear Your Voice directing him to find Christ's vision through forgiveness, and be free forever from all suffering. Thanks for today, my Father. I was born into this world but to achieve this day, and what it holds in joy and freedom for Your holy Son and for the world he made, which is released along with him today. Be glad today! Be glad! There is no room for anything but joy and thanks today. Our Father has redeemed His Son this day. Not one of us but will be saved today. Not one who will remain in fear, and none the Father will not gather to Himself, awake in Heaven in the Heart of Love.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 340

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 14:1-23; 2 Peter 3:1-18In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Lean your ear this way!” What we know as a fun and light Christmas song has some truth behind it. Saint Nicholas was an early Christian bishop in the city of Myra. Nicholas is considered by some traditions the patron saint of numerous types of people, including children. This gave way to a reputation for secretly giving and leaving gifts for children. His actions led to the modern-day model of Santa Claus.Some believe that Christmas is all about Santa Claus and giving, or more importantly, receiving gifts. While leaving gifts for children is great, there are greater gifts. The thought that Christmas is all about gifts is indeed true, but no greater gift has ever been given than that of Jesus. He comes to bring the greatest gift that one could ever want or need, that of forgiveness and eternal life. The gifts that Jesus comes to bring are not gifts that come just once a year as Saint Nicholas gave. No, these gifts are given to us daily as we receive our daily bread. These gifts are given to us in our Baptism where we have been made God's child. These gifts come in our Lord's Supper as we feast upon His body and blood in the bread and wine. These are gifts that God desires for you and graciously gives to you. It's hard to believe that God has wrapped up all He desires to give in a simple gift of a baby born to unsuspecting parents. While the angel had told them what Jesus was destined to do, they would not be able to fully understand it until our Lord began His ministry, and even then, they could not grasp the full weight of His ministry on our behalf.These gifts which God gives, He gives to us freely. He gives them to us for our benefit. He gives them to us that we may be His beloved children. Very soon, God's gift of Jesus will be laid in the manger, but we do not have to wait until Christmas to receive that gift, for it is yours now in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You bestowed upon Your servant Nicholas of Myra the perpetual gift of charity. Grant Your Church the grace to deal in generosity and love with children and with all who are poor and distressed and to plead the cause of those who have no helper, especially those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief. We ask this for the sake of Him who gave His life for us, Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Nicholas of Myra)- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer's Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane BamschStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

Lloyd and Sgt. Bill hang out with Reformation Gun Club members Scott Van Dorsten, Rev. Paul Cain, Stuart Burt, Dan Rushing, Curtis Heidel, William Swenson, Mike Soost, Dan Veldt, Donnie Ross, and Rev. Robert McCanless who talk about Thanksgiving, training, and guns. Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment that we provide and would like to be a part of future hangouts, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Thank You to this Week's Members! Steve from Grovetown, GA Daniel from Chehalis, WA Gregg from Holly, MI Robert from Monroe, GA Infamous Johnny B Scott Dan from South Lyon, MI Richard from Wichita, KS William from Bentonville, AR Paul J from McKinney, TX Duty to Defend: Volume 2 is now available! Does the Bible tell us that we must turn the other cheek to the home invader? To lie down and die rather than defend our lives or those of our loved ones? Does it command us to own a gun? Here you will find the most common (and occasionally uncommon) Bible verses that are used in the gun debate. Each one has been carefully reviewed by an ordained Lutheran pastor who then puts the verse in the proper context to help you respond when you see these verses misused in the arguments over the Second Amendment. This second edition includes over new content, with 15 new articles from 11 pastors, including seven who are new to the series. Plus an exhaustive index, more footnotes and definitions, and three new articles by the editor. Order your copy today! Prayer of the Week Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son that by His coming we may be given to serve You with cleansed minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Shop at GunMagWarehouse* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mags Get Regular Refills Coffee Subscriptions at Dunkin' Donuts* - www.ArmedLutheran.us/Coffee Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube And search for us on Instagram - http://www.armedlutheran.us/instagram Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

I am affected only by my thoughts. It needs but this to let salvation come to all the world. For in this single thought is everyone released at last from fear. Now has he learned that no one frightens him, and nothing can endanger him. He has no enemies, and he is safe from all external things. His thoughts can frighten him, but since these thoughts belong to him alone, he has the power to change them and exchange each fear thought for a happy thought of love. He crucified himself. Yet God has planned that His beloved Son will be redeemed. Your plan is sure, my Father, - only Yours. All other plans will fail. And I will have thoughts that will frighten me, until I learn that You have given me the only Thought that leads me to salvation. Mine alone will fail, and lead me nowhere. But the Thought You gave me promises to lead me home, because it holds Your promise to Your Son.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 338

Today's Reading: John 1:35-42aDaily Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-7:9; 1 Peter 2:13-25“[Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).” (John 1:41)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John has an early encounter with two of his disciples and Jesus. John confesses, not only to the disciples but to all, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” With such a great confession of who Jesus is, how could anyone miss it? Sadly, many missed not only John's announcement of Jesus but also Jesus Himself! However, one of John's disciples heard that pronouncement and sought Jesus - the apostle Andrew. The first apostle of Jesus, he found his brother Peter and declared to him, “We have found the Messiah.”Andrew's declaration to Peter is just as important today as it was then, if not more important. Today, our focus grows ever more increasing on God's promise of a Savior coming to fruition. It's not a matter of wanting a Savior (because we don't due to sin), but needing a Savior. We need Jesus to be who John says He is - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Our sinfulness keeps us from God. Our sinfulness makes us an enemy of God and being an enemy of God only ends with death. God is not content with death and makes the promise of Jesus. As time passes by, more and more of God's promise is revealed until John makes the startling revelation that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Andrew takes that revelation and expands on the fact that He is the Messiah.The Messiah has come and we await His glorious return on the Last Day where He will take all believers to be with Him in heaven forever. Until that Day comes, we continue to look forward to the day of our Lord's Nativity where He comes to us in the most unlikely of ways - a baby born to unsuspecting parents.What Andrew proclaims to Peter continues to resonate with us today, that we have found God's promised Savior, Jesus, the Messiah. We have found Him in the manger. We have found Him in His Word and in the bread and the wine and the water. We have found Him on the cross and we find Him as He is risen from the dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, by Your grace the apostle Andrew obeyed the call of Your Son to be a disciple. Grant us also to follow the same Lord Jesus Christ in heart and life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen, (Collect for St. Andrew)- Pastor Jared Tucher serves the dual-parish of St. John – Farmer's Retreat in Dillsboro and St. Paul, Cross Plains, Indiana.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Harrison GoodmanStudy Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

Give us eyes to see Your Son as our Lord and Savior!

What is the Ego? The ego is idolatry; the sign of limited and separated self, born in a body, doomed to suffer and to end its life in death. It is the "will" that sees the Will of God as enemy, and takes a form in which it is denied. The ego is the "proof" that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, and what opposes God alone is true. The ego is insane. In fear it stands beyond the Everywhere, apart from All, in separation from the Infinite. In its insanity it thinks it has become a victor over God Himself. And in its terrible autonomy it "sees" the Will of God has been destroyed. It dreams of punishment, and trembles at the figures in its dreams; its enemies, who seek to murder it before it can ensure its safety by attacking them. The Son of God is egoless. What can he know of madness and the death of God, when he abides in Him? What can he know of sorrow and of suffering, when he lives in eternal joy? What can he know of fear and punishment, of sin and guilt, of hatred and attack, when all there is surrounding him is everlasting peace, forever conflict-free and undisturbed, in deepest silence and tranquility? To know reality is not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and its beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the cost belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so immense that crucifixion of the Son of God is offered daily at its darkened shrine, and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers prepare to die. Yet will one lily of forgiveness change the darkness into light; the altar to illusions to the shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy minds which God created as His Son, His dwelling place, His joy, His love, completely His, completely one with Him. There is no conflict, for my will is Yours. How foolish, Father, to believe Your Son could cause himself to suffer! Could he make a plan for his damnation, and be left without a certain way to his release? You love me, Father. You could never leave me desolate, to die within a world of pain and cruelty. How could I think that Love has left Itself? There is no will except the Will of Love. Fear is a dream, and has no will that can conflict with Yours. Conflict is sleep, and peace awakening. Death is illusion; life, eternal truth. There is no opposition to Your Will. There is no conflict, for my will is Yours. Forgiveness shows us that God's Will is one, and that we share it. Let us look upon the holy sights forgiveness shows today, that we may find the peace of God. Amen.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles- Workbook Part II, What is the Ego?- Lesson 331

I will not hurt myself again today. Let us this day accept forgiveness as our only function. Why should we attack our minds, and give them images of pain? Why should we teach them they are powerless, when God holds out His power and His Love, and bids them take what is already theirs? The mind that is made willing to accept God's gifts has been restored to spirit, and extends its freedom and its joy, as is the Will of God united with its own. The Self Which God created cannot sin, and therefore cannot suffer. Let us choose today that He be our Identity, and thus escape forever from all things the dream of fear appears to offer us. Father, Your Son can not be hurt. And if we think we suffer, we but fail to know our one Identity we share with You. We would return to It today, to be made free forever from all our mistakes, and to be saved from what we thought we were.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 330

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Psalm 2:1-3 and verse 12. They say, “Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One: ‘Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints.' Kiss the Son or He will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion for His anger may ignite at any moment. All those who take refuge in Him are happy.” There's a lot here. And of course with our limited time together we'll never plumb the depths. But so it is with any scripture. A thousand lifetimes wouldn't be sufficient to fully grasp all God seeks to communicate to us. That's not even the goal. We're not here to understand, but rather to behold and worship. And so we press on. There is the Lord, and there is His Anointed One. This One is special and in charge. This one receives worship. This One is the Son of God. This One is king. And there are many, particularly those who are important rulers, and in charge, that don't like the idea of having anyone tell them what to do. And so they rebel. “Let us free ourselves” they say. It's not so much that they want to do bad stuff. But rather that they don't want to submit to anyone. Not to God, and certainly not to His Son. But God and the Anointed One will have none of that. They are not passive, inattentive, or ignorant. They do not overlook the rebellion. Ultimately all rebellion will be crushed. And so there are only two paths forward: the first is to vainly seek to throw off the restraints of the Creator. An impossible and foolish task which will inevitably be met with God's ire. The second is to pay homage - to literally kiss the Son. To worship. To adore. We do not have a listless God but rather an energetic one. It is interesting that to kiss Him is not to be subservient, or to become enslaved. Rather it is to take refuge in Him, to be protected. And most amazing is the last line of this psalm. Those who do so, are happy. Do you want to be happy? “God, I love You. And I love Your Son. I kiss you with my words, my thoughts, and my actions. I take refuge in You. And I adore You. I go to You now to be happy.”

Its our 7th annual Christmas gift/wish list show. Lloyd, Mia, Bill, and the Padre share their gift and wish list ideas just in time for the start of the holiday season. Segments [00:00] - Blooper [00:43] - Opening and welcome [01:15] - Thanks to our Members [04:10] - Introduction [04:36] - Lloyd's Wish List [13:50] - Mia's Wish List [21:58] - Sgt. Bill's Wish List [24:05] - Pastor Bennett's Wish List [27:56] - Show Close Gift Ideas* Mia's Amazon Shop - https://www.amazon.com/shop/miaanstine Pre-Order Duty to Defend volume 2 - www.armedlutheran.us/duty The Executioner's Tale: A Gothic Horror Story - https://amzn.to/3U13S2Y Capital Treason by Rev. Richard Bolland - https://amzn.to/3GyJMd8 And Take they Our Life by Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller - https://amzn.to/3XhSCSs Come and See: Devotions for Advent by Rev. Joshua Scheer - https://amzn.to/3ErYS1z Persecution by Raymond Keating - https://amzn.to/3ENaSfn Warrior Monk by Raymond Keating - https://amzn.to/3i2DVCQ Cathedral by Raymond Keating - https://amzn.to/3i0g3zq Dry-Fire Training: For the Practical Pistol Shooter by Ben Stoeger - https://amzn.to/3UWFrF8 DryFire Reloaded by Ben Stoeger - https://amzn.to/3EnskFK Get to Work by Steven Anderson - https://amzn.to/3EKzgOG Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Thank You to this Week's Members! Vincent from Tulare, CA John from Spokane, WA Tony from Little Elm, TX Eric from Buckeye, OH Frank from Lake City, MI Katherine from Casper, WY Melvin from Holt, MO Guillaume from Osage Beach, MO Donny from White Bear Lake, MN Steven from New Bern, NC Meet the Cast Lloyd Bailey - http://www.armedlutheran.us/about/ Mia Anstine - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mia/ Sergeant Bill Silvia - http://www.armedlutheran.us/bill/ Pastor John Bennett - http://www.armedlutheran.us/pastor/ Prayer of the Week Absolve, we implore You, O Lord, Your people from their offenses, that from the bonds of our sins which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon us we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit , one God, now and forever. Amen. Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Shop at GunMagWarehouse* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mags Get Regular Refills Coffee Subscriptions at Dunkin' Donuts* - www.ArmedLutheran.us/Coffee Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. Original music by the Artist formerly known as METALloyd, copyright 2022. Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

My Father gives all power unto me. The Son of God is limitless. There are no limits on his strength, his peace, his joy, nor any attributes his Father gave in his creation. What he wills with his Creator and Redeemer must be done. His holy will can never be denied, because his Father shines upon his mind, and lays before it all the strength and love in earth and Heaven. I am he to whom all this is given. I am he in whom the power of my Father's Will abides. Your Will can do all things in me, and then extend to all the world as well through me. There is no limit on Your Will. And so all power has been given to Your Son.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 320

I follow in the way appointed me. I have a special place to fill; a role for me alone. Salvation waits until I take this part as what I choose to do. Until I make this choice, I am the slave of time and human destiny. But when I willingly and gladly go the way my Father's plan appointed me to go, then will I recognize salvation is already here, already given all my brothers and already mine as well. Father, Your way is what I choose today. Where it would lead me do I choose to go; what it would have me do I choose to do. Your way is certain, and the end secure. The memory of You awaits me there. And all my sorrows end in Your embrace, which You have promised to Your Son, who thought mistakenly that he had wandered from the sure protection of Your loving Arms.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 317

Have you ever seen the film, “Saving Private Ryan?” If not, it's about a group of American soldiers sent into enemy territory during World War 2 to find one lost soldier. The order comes from top leadership.   This small group has single focus the whole mission. Eventually—at great cost—they locate him and return him to his loved ones. Much of it is difficult to watch, as we see the incredible sacrifice the many make to find the one.   Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”   Long ago, Jesus did the same thing for all of us. God sent His Only Son to find those that are lost.   If you feel totally lost, call on the Lord. Just tell Jesus you really need Him. Then you'll have your own memorable story to share! Jesus loves you and will find you if you call on Him.   Let's pray.    Lord, thank you forever for the sacrifice Your Son made for us, to take our sin. We love you for it. Amen.

What is the Last Judgment? Christ's Second Coming gives the Son of God this gift: To hear the Voice for God proclaim that what is false is false, and what is true has never changed. And this the judgment is in which perception ends. At first you see a world that has accepted this as true, projected from a now corrected mind. And with this holy sight, perception gives a silent blessing and then disappears, its goal accomplished and its mission done. The Final Judgment on the world contains no condemnation. For it sees the world as totally forgiven, without sin and wholly purposeless. Without a cause, and now without a function in Christ's sight, it merely slips away to nothingness. There it was born, and there it ends as well. And all the figures in the dream in which the world began go with it. Bodies now are useless, and will therefore fade away, because the Son of God is limitless. You who believed that God's Last Judgment would condemn the world to hell along with you, accept this holy truth: God's Judgment is the gift of the Correction He bestowed on all your errors, freeing you from them, and all effects they ever seemed to have. To fear God's saving grace is but to fear complete release from suffering, return to peace, security and happiness, and union with your own Identity. God's Final Judgment is as merciful as every step in His appointed plan to bless His Son, and call him to return to the eternal peace He shares with him. Be not afraid of love. For it alone can heal all sorrow, wipe away all tears, and gently waken from his dream of pain the Son whom God acknowledges as His. Be not afraid of this. Salvation asks you give it welcome. And the world awaits your glad acceptance, which will set it free. This is God's Final Judgment: "You are still My holy Son, forever innocent, forever loving and forever loved, as limitless as your Creator, and completely changeless and forever pure. Therefore awaken and return to Me. I am your Father and you are My Son."I judge all things as I would have them be. Judgment was made to be a weapon used against the truth. It separates what it is being used against, and sets it off as if it were a thing apart. And then it makes of it what you would have it be. It judges what it cannot understand, because it cannot see totality and therefore judges falsely. Let us not use it today, but make a gift of it to Him Who has a different use for it. He will relieve us of the agony of all the judgments we have made against ourselves, and re-establish peace of mind by giving us God's Judgment of His Son. Father, we wait with open mind today, to hear Your Judgment of the Son You love. We do not know him, and we cannot judge. And so we let Your Love decide what he whom You created as Your Son must be.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles- Workbook Part II, What is the last judgment? - Lesson 311

In fearlessness and love I spend today. This day, my Father, would I spend with You, as You have chosen all my days should be. And what I will experience is not of time at all. The joy that comes to me is not of days nor hours, for it comes from Heaven to Your Son. This day will be Your sweet reminder to remember You, Your gracious calling to Your holy Son, the sign Your grace has come to me, and that it is Your Will I be set free today. We spend this day together, you and I. And all the world joins with us in our song of thankfulness and joy to Him Who gave salvation to us, and Who set us free. We are restored to peace and holiness. There is no room in us for fear today, for we have welcomed love into our hearts.- Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles, Lesson 310

Crime is on the ballot in the 2022 mid-terms. The Left doesn't know how to deal with it because they don't understand the nature of evil. As proof, Lloyd points to recent media examples, including Amazon's bastardization of the dark lord Sauron in the "Rings of Power." Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Thank You to this Week's Members! Stuart from Spanaway, WA The Disreputable Bartlett Steve from Vernon, TX Austin from Dysart, IA Scott from Granville, OH Michael from Janesville, MN David from Kennesaw, GA George from Hammond, LA Bryan from Riverton, WY And our newest member Scott from Sheridan, WY Our New Book is now Available for Pre-Order! Duty to Defend - 2nd Edition Prayer of the Week O almighty God, who has knit together Your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us grace so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joys that you have prepared for those who unfeignedly love You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Shop at GunMagWarehouse* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/mags Get Regular Refills Coffee Subscriptions at Dunkin' Donuts* - www.ArmedLutheran.us/Coffee Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. New Music, "A Mighty Fortress," by the Artist formerly known as METALloyd, copyright 2022. Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

Friday, 4 November 2022   When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” Acts 11:18   Peter just noted that the Gentiles had been given the same gift as the Jews by simple belief. Because of this, he asked how he could withstand God by not accepting them. The obvious but unstated answer was that he could not. As such, it now says, “When they heard these things, they became silent.”   The clause in the Greek begins with an aorist participle and a conjunction, “And they, having heard these things, became silent.” In other words, they held their tongues in accusation against Peter. They had accused him of wrongdoing in verse 11:3, saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” That is what they now are silent over. Because of how Peter described the events, and especially with the note concerning the coming of the Spirit upon the Gentiles, there could no longer be any accusation against Peter. He stood innocent of any transgression. As such, and in this state of understanding, it next says, “and they glorified God.”   The verb is now aorist. Once they ceased their accusation, they next broke forth in acknowledgment of the works of God. What else could they do? The Gentiles had received the Spirit in the middle of Peter's words, cutting off the need for anything else to be said. The simplicity of the gospel had been conveyed, the Gentiles believed what they heard, and the Spirit came upon them. The work of Jesus Christ was proven to be all-sufficient for the conversion of a person who had never spent a moment of his existence living out the Law of Moses. The fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah had come to pass –   “Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'” Isaiah 49:6   This is openly noted by them in their next words, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” It must be remembered what transpired at the house of Cornelius. Peter spoke, the Gentiles heard, the Gentiles believed (with no record of them saying a single word), and the Holy Spirit came down upon them. That is all that Luke recorded, and that is all that God, therefore, wants us to know.   It also needs to be remembered what the word “repentance” means. It signifies “to change the mind.” As such, the words “repentance to life” mean a changing of the mind leading to salvation (eternal life as noted in John 3:16). The speaking forth of the gospel, when accepted, leads to a changing of the mind about God. If these believers thought that they needed to do good stuff in order to be saved, they no longer needed to believe that. If they believed that praying to Artemis was what was needed, they changed their mind about that. And so on.   The word “repentance” here does not mean “stopping sinning and making oneself right.” It means “to change the mind” and nothing more. Until these now-saved people are instructed on what it means to be pleasing to God, they cannot change in the right direction. One must first come to believe in the finished work of Jesus and be saved. He is what we change our minds to accept. He is God's provision for restoration. This is what Peter conveyed to the house of Cornelius in Acts 10:43, saying, “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”   These Gentiles changed their mind about God and what He expects, they believed in Jesus as the One to provide restoration, and they were saved. Deal done.   Life application: The gospel is an amazingly simple thing that God has laid out for us. And yet, it is one of the most mis-explained or totally ignored things imaginable. Paul details in 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 –   “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”   How can we add to that and not cause damage to the message? We cannot. Let us present this life-changing news in the simple form in which it is presented in Scripture. We can talk around it as Peter did in Acts 10 by providing other truths about Jesus, but we must clearly provide the substance of the gospel without addition or deletion. It is by faith in this provision of God that man is saved. Let us thank God for the simplicity of this glorious message!   Yes, Lord God, how thankful we are to You for what You have done for us. You have saved us through the giving of Your Son. He died to pay our sin debt, He was buried, and He rose again. All glory to You for this wonderful word of restoration. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.