Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
1,571 episodes - English - Latest episode: 23 days ago -Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
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Episodes
Marveling At The MARVELOUS Jn3:7 s4e64
August 10, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.02 MBSend us a Text Message. Is it not appropriate to MARVEL at something MARVELOUS? Let me make an argument for something Jesus says Nicodemus shouldn't marvel at. (I think it's because Nicodemus should have ALREADY marveled at this previously. Come explore this with me tomorrow.) God is at work. God is at work with ME right now. The Spirit is volitional, and directional and sourced in the heavens. I and all people hear and see His effects, more or less God has a big purpose There is this f...
Wait, You Want Me To RE-UTERUS? Jn3:4 s4e63
August 09, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.25 MBSend us a Text Message. The poor guy's mind is blown when Jesus tells him he must be born again. He was confused and asks questions appropriate with his understanding. Birth is the most OTHER-WORLDLY thing that happens on this planet. If you've ever witnessed one as a mother or a father or a spectator, then you know what I mean. If you don't have ultimate AWE at this event, then you need to pay better attention. Jesus starts with this event that is as close to heaven and the divine as...
Patron Saint Of SCARDY-CATS Jn3:1 s4e62
August 08, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.52 MBSend us a Text Message. We will meet the patron saint of Scardy-cats today. He is a man who comes to Jesus AT NIGHT. In fact, YEARS LATER he is referred to as "the one who came to Jesus at night" to clarify that it is this guy we are referring to. Jesus knows a real inquiry when He sees one. Jesus is so very generous with this man. He will give him His attention, and His gospel. No one else ever ever ever ever had it before. He is the first. It is given "to the world" first throug...
Believe In YOURSELF…Or Not Jn2:25 s4e61
August 07, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.82 MBSend us a Text Message. 1. Man is basically_____________ 2. I got the first question right. T. or F. We get the concept wrong...CONFIDENTLY. Do you think that Jesus doesn't know the correct answers to the heart of man? the Bible has the answer right dozens of times. The heart of man is ...Go ahead, say it: evil, desperately wicked. The problem isn't that God doesn't know it. He does. The bulk of the problem is that we don't know it and can barely eek it out because it is ...
What SIGN Authorizes You? A: R_s_u_e_t_o_! Jn2:19 s4e60
August 06, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.98 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus goes postal at the temple. They ask a fantastic question: What gives you the authority to do so? Who authorizes you to decide to paint the place yellow, or whatever you want? The answer is in the future. Of note, Jesus' ministry is just starting, and He points to its' endpoint: THE RESURRECTION. It is the ultimate sign. All roads to the real Jesus will go through the resurrection. This of course means the suffering and the crucifixion too. If a theol...
Jesus Goes POSTAL Jn2:17 s4e59
August 05, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.32 MBSend us a Text Message. The nice word for it is ZEAL. But frankly, Jesus goes POSTAL for His Father's House. What is the big deal? He lets so much evil slide during His 3 year ministry. Why get Your divine undies in a crumple over this particular thing? Why pull out the WHIP for this? Remember He is in the most important country in the world; in the midst of the most important people in the world; in the most important city in the world; and just outside the most important building in ...
Who Doesn’t Like A Box Of Wine? Jn2:9 s4e58
August 04, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.28 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus starts 'His public ministry', that is the progressive revelation of Himself with WINE at a WEDDING. Of note, Jesus has showed up at every legitimate wedding in the history of humanity. It is His invention. He is the ultimate marry-er throughout history. It is a gift he gives Christians and non-christians. God does the joining. Only He can. Jesus makes 800 bottles of wine at this wedding. If marketed today, they'd be divine. A taste of Jesus, if you w...
Revelation=Loathing=relationship Lk5:8 s4e57
August 03, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.5 MBSend us a Text Message. Exposure to the Lord is not a pretty thing. Oh, I know that He is all shiny and bright and perfect and wonderful. But I am not. I am a killer, coveter, luster, stealer, irritated and gossip. When I realize all of that, I want to PULL BACK. It is not so much as I don't WANT to be in relationship with God, it is that I CANNOT be in relationship with God with this great chasm. I say, "DEPART from me. I am a sinful man and I live with a bunch of sinful men and ...
Most Disciples Just Need…LUNCH! Jn1:41 s4e56
August 02, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. Andrew, who has been a disciple for about 5 minutes, makes another disciple of his brother Peter. Spiritual reproduction happens immediately in the gospels. It is a good thing too, because NO ONE is born a Christian. Every single Christian today got there through believing and being made a disciple, usually with the helping hand of ANOTHER PERSON. We complicate spiritual MENTORSHIP and spiritual ACCOUNTABILITY in the body of Christ today to the point that it scar...
Wait A Second,I Am KNOWN Jn1:48 s4e55
August 01, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.85 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus KNOWS US first. However, this is always a SURPRISE to us. We think that our first thoughts of Him coincide with His first thoughts of us. Yes we are that narcissistic. Nathaniel gets this revelation today as Jesus says, "I already saw you. I heard you under the fig tree as you were talking to me earlier in prayer." Nathaniel has this meta-moment in realization. Perhaps he was praying that the Lord would reveal Himself, or make Himself known. Jesus kno...
Looking At Jesus Looking At Me Jn1:42 s4e54
July 31, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.96 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus "sees Peter for the first time." That is, at a certain moment in history, Jesus' physical eyes physically laid eyes upon Peter for the first time. It was a big moment. Figuaratively, Jesus' eyes never left Peter from that day forward. However it was a BUMPY ROAD going forward. Similarly, I think Jesus will lay his physical eyes upon me. I think I will have a resurrected body somehow with some eyes, so I will SEE HIM SEE ME. I can't wait. It should be ...
Jesus,What Is Your ADDRESS? Jn1:38 s4e53
July 30, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.99 MBSend us a Text Message. Andrew gets his first question from Jesus and it is a doozy: "What are you seeking?" Andrew's answer knocked me today. He did NOT say, eternal life, or happiness, or a million dollars, or relational peace, or a savior that knocks out the Romans. What he did say was: "Where are you staying?" What is your location today, tonight and tomorrow? Where will you be? Where are you now? Andrew then strings together a long series of those NOWS and to this day, he still...
"I Did Not Know" Jn1:33 s4e52
July 29, 2021 04:00 - 7 minutes - 5.22 MBSend us a Text Message. Like us, John the Baptist had limited knowledge. He says twice today, "I did not know." Yet, he was faithful, and brave, and worked with the knowledge he had. He was expectant, literally waiting for the Lord Jesus to SHOW UP. There is a lot we can learn from him. Jesus says that among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater. Wow. He's right up there tied with David and Moses and Isaiah and Hanna and Mary Magdalene, etc. He lived a life worthy of ...
Behold The Rhinoceros Of God Jn1:29 s4e51
July 28, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.45 MBSend us a Text Message. John says, "BEHOLD the RHINOCEROS of God." No, he does not. It makes no sense. How then does, "Behold the LAMB of God" make any more sense than Rhino? Well, absent what the Bible tells us about the history and future of the lamb/Lamb, it makes no more sense than a rhino. Lambs are in the Bible from almost the first page. God provides a lamb for Abraham rather than sacrificing his son Isaac. Lambs are the symbol and the blood provider for the Passover (the rea...
What Then Shall We Do? Lk3:9 s4e50
July 27, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.85 MBSend us a Text Message. A great response to exposure to the truth could be and should be, "What then shall I do?" It indicates eagerness, willingness, humility and intent. It is a marker that the listener has been stirred and that there is a willingness to change. John the Baptist calls for "bearing fruit in keeping with repentance." Soldiers and crowd members and tax collectors each ask about what that might specifically mean for them individually. Of note, the answers are all differe...
Jesus Has GIGANTIC SHOES! Jn1:27 s4e49
July 26, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.76 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus has GIGANTIC SHOES! At least if you read the Bible's account of them. Amazingly, all four gospels comment about how fantastic Jesus' shoe wear is. Think about that. Of all the things to put in the Bible, God made space in a sense to have room to talk about Jesus' shoes! We find out about the style of the shoe-wear. We find out about the straps. We find out about their VALUE, particularly in comparison. In comparison to what? No. In comparison to WHO. ...
The ESSENTIAL ELEMENT To Living Mt4:4 s4e48
July 25, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.34 MBSend us a Text Message. Do you ever feel that there is a Word from God, from His Scripture, that isn't quite DONE WITH YOU? That is just what He does sometimes. Jesus tells Satan, because he obviously forgot, that there is more to life than bread. The essential elements includes His Word if one wants to live an abundant, supplied life. Be With Me is just that, an effort daily to place ourselves by a discipline in the path of a discovery. Every word is worth considering. I wonder how m...
Can Satan “Give The World”? Mt4:8 s4e47
July 24, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.91 MBSend us a Text Message. Listen 7 minutes today while Satan promises something he doesn't own; he offers something that is not his to give. He pretends to command the topic of authority, that he has already messed up fatally in. Certainly there are kingdoms. Certainly those kingdoms have some glory. Every city's airport signs say so. But who made the kingdoms? Who made authority and charged the delegation of that authority? Who made the accountability that follows the receipt of godly...
Who Gets TESTED God Or Me? Mt4:7 s4e46
July 23, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5 MBSend us a Text Message. IF God makes this cancer go away, THEN I'll believe. IF my son survives this war, THEN I'll follow. These are ways we put God to the test. Jesus says NO. It is not supposed to be like that. After all, God has already passed the tests of faithfulness. It is called HESED in the Old Testament. Unfortunately, people keep getting a D- in the testing of our faithfulness. Satan makes the mistake of thinking that it is GOD who should be tested, rather than us. Essenti...
HUNGER Is In God’s Toolbox Mt4:3 s4e45
July 22, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.24 MBSend us a Text Message. Hunger is in God's toolbox. Jesus has put Himself in the wilderness to show us how it is done. He is hungry. He is at the limit of human endurance in this particular area, but other areas of temptation/stress are analogous: relational, sexual, honesty, diligence... Satan tries to shortcut the ways of God. Hunger is is a tool that God frequently uses to get us to trust Him more and see His provision. It was the hunger in the desert that allows the Jews to see the...
Jesus Vacations In The Wilderness Mt4:1 s4e44
July 21, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.21 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus goes on vacation to the wilderness. Just kidding. It is anything but a vacation. He goes for a purpose: to be TEMPTED.He puts on His HUMANITY HAT to be tempted. Why go through all the trouble? Because it will be worth it. The trouble will be of great value for you and me, mostly. The difficulty helps the process. The travail helps us to the endpoint. He goes NOT alone. He's not lost in the wilderness, He's LED in the wilderness; not forsaken but fille...
Pool Party Of The Trinity mt3:16 s4e43
July 20, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.91 MBSend us a Text Message. Amidst the waters of John's baptism, the Father and the Spirit SHOW UP. They are delivered into our world by the renting of the separation between the physical world and the spiritual world. There is a TEAR between the worlds. That is a cool start to the moment! Then Jesus is endorsed, affirmed, encouraged, confirmed and commissioned by the rest of the trinity. The Spirit comes PHYSICALLY, bodily "like" a dove with descending and resting. The Father comes A...
John Fights With Jesus Mt3:14 s4e42
July 19, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.37 MBSend us a Text Message. John the B has a fight with Jesus. He disagrees with Jesus. He refuses Jesus with his actions and his words. So what exactly were they fighting about? What causes a really holy, spiritually in-tune guy like John to protest against Jesus? It is about righteousness. John says that "Jesus you are perfectly righteous, and you don't need my baptism of repentance. In fact, I should be the one being baptized by You!" Jesus tells him to take a chill pill and for us to...
Fire Filled vs. Fire Unquenched Mt3:11 s4e41
July 18, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.59 MBSend us a Text Message. There is some really good news in today's passage about hell. Yes it says that it is an unquenchable fire. That doesn't sound good. But it is preventable. God knows His own. He will gather them into His barn. Jesus lays out a dichotomy of HIS fire: the intimacy of the holy spirit, real, ongoing relationship vs. the fire of judgment. What if you don't like it? I am pretty sure that is exactly the point. My snarky question for the day: If you were in charg...
Am I a REPENTFUL person? S4e40 Mt 3:7-10
July 17, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.95 MBSend us a Text Message. Am I a REPENTFUL person? Does Repentance CHARACTERIZE my life? John the Baptist encourages such a heart in the strongest possible terms. He is confronting a group of people known for their actions; their behaviors. He lets them have it: YOU VIPERS!. He calls the a bunch of snakes. Why the wrath of John? Because John is afraid of the Wrath of GOD for them. He's not afraid OF them, he is afraid FOR them.This is serious stuff. The irony is that he is calling t...
John Eats LOCAL! (but it's LOCUSTS) Mt3:4 s4e39
July 16, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.23 MBSend us a Text Message. John would fit in contemporary diet emphasis. He ate Local. But, it was LOCUSTS. We find out some startling details about our friend John. We find out what he wears. It is based on where he lives. Specifically CAMEL hair. Have you ever been to a location where camels natively live? It is usually quite harsh. We find out his insect diet. There are some societies that still eat bugs . It is a thing. We find out his job. He is a herald with mostly bad news....
Kingdom is "at HAND" Mt3:2 s4e38
July 15, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.2 MBSend us a Text Message. So the gospel starts with a call to repentance via John the Baptist. It is a message that has been prepared for a long time externally, but we all have some activity to do to prepare ourselves. The good news is that it is not impossible. The term used is "at hand", within reach, you can do it, it is very near. The bad news is that it is the ever-unpalatable REPENTANCE. It is the pesky agreeing with God about our short comings. Every single believer has stood ...
Follow Jesus in Favor Lk2:52 s4e37
July 14, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.18 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus grew in the favor of God. Jesus increased in the favor of God. It is a godly thing to increase in the favor of God. It is something you cannot buy or earn. But it is something that can be done. We CAN please God in our obedience, listening, agreeing, relating responding and in our reveling a bit. I wish from today for me and you that we would live under the favor of God and increase in the favor of God. Jesus did it, and so can I. Jesus exampled it. ...
Jesus was SUBMISSIVE to a man, to a woman Lk2:51 s4e36
July 13, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.98 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus was SUBMISSIVE to a human woman and to a human man. This blew my mind today. First, he INVENTED authority and submission. Then, he chose to subject Himself to that structure. He could have done it another way. He could have never made Himself submissive. Yet, Jesus chose to submit. And here, specifically mentions, and I think, TEACHES it. Why? Well, it is a difficult, and for many THE MOST difficult part of being human. Here, Jesus shows us that it is ...
childhood of Growth, Strength, Wisdom and Favor s4e34 Luke 2:40
July 12, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.19 MBSend us a Text Message. Childhood of Growth, Strength, Wisdom and Favor Jesus’ entire childhood up to age 12 is described in four words: Growth, Strength, Wisdom and Favor.The irony is that He invented all that stuff. For example, growth is the #1 characteristic of a thing that has LIFE. How do you know something is ALIVE? It grows in some way. It is a big deal. NASA’s whole budget seeks out this one thing: life (on other planets). So here we have the maker of LIFE becoming s...
Mary and Joe are TERRIBLE parents...OR...Lk2:41 s4e35
July 12, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.99 MBSend us a Text Message. Mary and Joe are TERRIBLE parents...or... there is another explanation. This is the story of the ultimate parental TERROR. They are faithful Jews who regularly traveled the 80 miles to Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus had been to passover, maybe in Jerusalem, many many many times before the Great Week. Jesus is an independent 12 year old. He had likely earned it. After all, he was a perfect 11 year old, and 7 year old, and 4 year old. He was a unique child. ...
I Thought You Were Jesus. So I Killed You. Mt2:16 s4e33
July 10, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MBSend us a Text Message. Herod killed a bunch of little boys who he thought were Jesus. Or at least he suspected them of possibly being Jesus. Either way, he kills them in a foretelling of the sacrificial death of Jesus 31 years later. And our good friend Joseph gets his third and fourth dream. One says go back to Israel, Herod is dead. Unfortunately his monster son has taken his place. Joseph is afraid. The fourth dream says don't settle in Judah, likely Jerusalem, where your family i...
Refugee, Immigrant, Foreigner Jesus Mt2:13 s4e32
July 09, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.15 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus was an immigrant, a refugee, a foreigner. This is in addition to being poor, estranged, thought of as illegitimate, and His start is just plain strange. Imagine being Joseph as provider and protector of this treasure. Joseph gets his second angelic visitation telling him to get up and take the child to Egypt of all places. Joe obeys immediately. In the middle of the night. He sets an incredible example for all of us who hear God in His word, telling us to d...
I’ve Got A STAR sitting in my Driveway Mt2:2 s4e31
July 08, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.34 MBSend us a Text Message. So Herod is sitting in his office one day when some guys come in looking for the “King of the Jews.” Technically, that is Herod, as he was appointed so by the Romans. But these guys want the real thing. They want the REAL King of the Jews who was appointed by GOD. And who IS GOD. This is the beginning of a VERY bad day for Herod. We learn that these men have gathered together to learn and to travel. They have “treasured-up” with valuables for tribute to th...
The Continual Is The Soil Of The Moment Lk2:38 s4e30
July 07, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.17 MBSend us a Text Message. The CONTINUAL is the Soil of the MOMENT. The CONSTANT is the soul of the INSTANT. At a funeral, one hears of the actions and attitudes that characterize a person. Then, one hears in various stories how they are manifested in a particular instant. I just went to a memorial service of a friend and it was a real JOY to hear of those moments. So it is today with the old, female, widowed, bad-tribed, faithful, prayerful, worshipful, fasting prophetess Anna. She is con...
1st Bad News About Jesus Lk2:34 s4e29
July 06, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.1 MBSend us a Text Message. Up to this moment, all the contemporary news about Jesus has been rainbows and puppies. Then Simeon gives the 1st BAD NEWS about Jesus: He will be opposed and will be revealing the thoughts of everybody. It won't be pretty. (that's why a rescue mission was called for in the first place). Here's the super bad news for today: One of those people who's heart and soul is exposed is YOU. And that is where the trouble starts. You too can oppose him in your soul, ev...
First Eyes To See! Lk2:28 s4e27
July 05, 2021 03:00 - 7 minutes - 5.23 MBSend us a Text Message. The good news for Simeon is that he gets to say, "My eyes have seen your salvation!" The bad news for Simeon is that he does NOT get to DIE IN FAITH. Faith is assurance of things you have NOT YET SEEN. So when Simeon sees Jesus, and knows Him as savior to the Jews and Gentiles, he "loses his faith", because it is now seen. I'm sure it was a very happy moment for him. The first thing out of his mouth is, "Yea, I get to die!" All his faithful showing up, which i...
Expecting God To Show Up Lk2:27 s4e27
July 04, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.47 MBSend us a Text Message. We have a faithful, not perfect, guy who stays in the game with God day after day. He's been given a little TREASURE: he's not gonna die until he sees Jesus. I hope he was 20 when he got the promise and then lasted until he was 80. That would be 60 years of daily anticipation. "Is today the day that the Lord shows up? No? Then I can't wait for tomorrow." Your being here with me today is very similar. This might be the best podcast in your world and may speak ...
All Purple Skittles Are Mine. Lk2:22 s4e26
July 03, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.24 MBSend us a Text Message. Growing up, at my house, if I provided a bag of Skittles,there was a bit of a tax. After opening them, all the PURPLE SKITTLES had to be given back to Dad. Similarly, Jesus is given back to God by his presentation at the temple. It was sooooooo important to Mary and Joseph that they went all the way back to Jerusalem, 80 miles! by foot! with a one month old! to do this rite. They waited until Mary was ritually clean to be able to participate. That is, 40 days a...
Mary Is A Sinner. So Are You. Lk2:22 s4e25
July 02, 2021 05:00 - 8 minutes - 5.68 MBSend us a Text Message. Mary and Joseph have to take yet another trip to Jerusalem to be there at day 40 of Jesus' life. He needs to attend a ritual in the temple. Problem: Mary is a sinner and is impure and cannot participate before a holy God. Solution: God has made a way. God loves Mary and all of us enough, VALUES us enough to make a way. Cue the pigeons. If you are too poor to afford a LAMB (Mary and Joseph were so poor that this wasn't even MENTIONED in the gospel of Luke as a...
Women Have Heart Foreskins Lk2:21 s4e24
July 01, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.1 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus submits Himself to circumcision on the eighth day. Why? Why on day 8 of the rescue mission does Jesus submit to a minor surgery? As your podcaster, by the time I get to dictating the 7 minutes, it may sound like I have a few ANSWERS. That may be true, but an hour or so before that, I start with a QUESTION. A WONDER. Today's was: Why is Jesus circumcised. He's of the Line of Abraham. That's big. We talked about that in the Genealogy of Mt 1:2. You defin...
Wondering (not Wandering) Shepherds Lk2:18 s4e23
June 30, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.34 MBSend us a Text Message. I'm still traveling. These podcasts may not drop at our regularly scheduled time. What should I do when God shows me something? Let's look today at the wondering shepherds. What do you do after 'the angel has left?' and you are sitting there with a unit of revelation? Wonder= Pondering with your HEART Pondering=Wondering with your HEAD Wondering + Pondering = TREASURING. This podcast even in its' title highlights part of this process. When we notice somethi...
Angels Arrive With Cat Hair On Their Socks Lk2:9 s4e22
June 29, 2021 04:00 - 7 minutes - 5.14 MBSend us a Text Message. I'm traveling so episode drops might be delayed. Keep listening. Angel arrive today with cat hair on their socks. That is, they bring something with them that tells us where they have been. They bring...wait for it...glory. Glory is: the character or characteristics of GOD emanating. So these ANGELS come with glory. Not with angel glory, but with God Glory. It tells us something. it tells us where they have just been. That is, in the presence of God. They ...
Bravery Of Joseph! Lk2:7 s4e21
June 28, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes - 5.3 MBSend us a Text Message. We are dropped today into the original CRISIS PREGNANCY. Joseph responds BRAVELY. political crisis and compelling geographic stress/travel with pregnant woman distance from Mary's family geographic proximity/relational distance from Joseph's family immanent delivery of full term baby with out help sexual intimacy naiveté, childbirth inexperience In all of this God chooses to come down to us IN THIS WAY, with these people in attendance. Joseph responds bra...
Why Buy Joseph Lunch In Heaven? Matt1:19 s4e20
June 27, 2021 01:00 - 7 minutes - 5.32 MBSend us a Text Message. So Mary shows up 4 months pregnant after a trip to visit her aunt Elizabeth. Joseph has a major decision node of his life: a. Have Mary publicly stoned to death b. quietly divorce her c. marry her but don't have sex with her for another 5 months, knowing you will be bearing 50+% of her shame; knowing you might not be invited to Thanksgiving dinner ever again; and for sure knowing the neighbor across the driveway isn't going to understand much less believe any non-s...
Virgin Birth Not That Miraculous? Matt1:23 s4e19
June 26, 2021 02:00 - 7 minutes - 4.99 MBSend us a Text Message. Some folks don't believe the Bible because of the Virgin Birth. They make fun of it. They specifically don't believe because of it. Hilarious, says I! In just 8 verses today, the Virgin Birth is the FOURTH most miraculous thing in the passage! That's right, there are much bigger things NOT to believe in if you are so inclined. It serves notice that there is a lot of miracle going on at this moment in history. If you want bigger miracles, to believe or not to be...
Sex & Virginity Matt1:19 s4e18.
June 25, 2021 02:00 - 7 minutes - 5.51 MBSend us a Text Message. 1. Sex is important 2. God invented it 3. God is pretty jazzed about it 4. You should be too 5. When is the WHEN to sex? 6. WHO should I have sex with? We have sexual agency to do not ANYthing, but to do the RIGHT thing. Today's passage emphasizes the WHEN question big time. When is the right time for sex? If you have got 7 minutes... Maybe you haven't done this area of life perfectly. In fact, I am sure of it. What then? You will have to listen now. Who ...
I Thought You Were The SUN Lk1:78 s4e17
June 24, 2021 02:00 - 7 minutes - 5.07 MBSend us a Text Message. Someday, God will call His last pastor on earth. Why? Because we won't need them anymore. Their jobs will be done. He Himself will be our full-time shepherd after the second coming. Today, God calls His last prophet. It is John the Baptist. There are no more after him. The job of all who held that office is accomplished. The way had been prepared. The image that the Lord gives today is one of a SUN rise. The world sits in darkness and then everything cha...
I’m With Fumanchu The Bull Lk1:69 s4e16
June 23, 2021 03:00 - 7 minutes - 5.2 MBSend us a Text Message. Sometimes you need the strength of a bull. Sometimes you need to knock a few things down. Sometimes you need to defend with power. Sometimes you need to destroy with violence Sometimes you need to celebrate that you are on the BULL'S Team Lord you are the HORN OF MY SALVATION. We will celebrate the BULLS, not the riders of the PBR: Professional Bull Riders. In fact I couldn't even think of a single human rider. I could however, think of a bull! Fu Man Chu, who...
278 Days To Reconsider Lk1:64 s4e15
June 22, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.53 MBSend us a Text Message. Has the Lord ever given you 278 days to reconsider your position? What if He sent you into a sort-of self isolation for that time when you couldn't speak and couldn't hear. What if you had all that time between your own ears and only your own ears to think about something that you got wrong the first time. This is what we see with Zechariah, who is deaf and mute for 278 days before he is tested with the fruit of his retreat. What pours forth from his tongue that h...