Istrouma Ascension Podcast

When I was in graduate school in Memphis many moons ago, a friend of mine and I decided to take a spring break trip. We planned to travel to the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee to do a multi-day hiking and camping trek in the "backcountry."  For weeks in advance we planned our trail itinerary—how many miles we would cover in a day and where we would camp each evening.  Our schedule was aggressiv...

Dwane Pitre

Christian Anders

Major Brent Taylor was a remarkable man and is an American hero.  The father of seven and mayor of North Ogden, Utah was on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan with the National Guard when he was killed on November 3, 2018.  Part of what made his death so painful was that it was an "insider attack."    An insider attack refers to an incident where the shooter is wearing an Allied uniform.  He is...

On January 5, 1975 Frank and Sylvia Manley were traveling along a broad highway in the state of Tasmania in Australia.  Darkness began to fall and fog blanketed the area.  But the highway was smooth and they were at ease assuming that the road that they were on would ultimately lead them to their desired destination.    Their route brought them to the Derwent River.  A high bridge spanned it.  As...

Mount Everest is the world's tallest peak.  It is remote, rugged and foreboding.  Over three hundred climbers have died in pursuit of its peak and many of their bodies still lie frozen where they fell.  Given these facts, something quite surprising happened this summer.  There was a traffic jam on Everest!   Due to weather, typically only a few weeks in May are suitable for the ascent.  This year,...

Two weeks ago Hurricane Barry threatened South Louisiana with the potential for historic floods.  The waters in the Gulf of Mexico were unusually warm which typically energizes a storm.  The tropical storm was inching northward slowly which meant that any rains would likely be prolonged and drenching.  The Mississippi River was already above flood stage even before Barry's landfall.    Everything...

There is a Bible verse that our culture at-large loves!  Even folks that may not be committed to Jesus as Lord are likely to embrace it.  They may not know a lot of the Bible, but it's likely that they'll know this verse and can probably even quote it.   Intrigued?    Here it is: "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1).   Why, do you suppose, it's such a favorite?  What about us, what ab...

 Put on Your Life Preserver     Isaiah 43:1-2 and 21   We will suffer " When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you" (43:2).   We will survive "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm y...

Jeff Williams   Stop Worrying Start Living Matthew 6:25-34 Worry means to be TORN in two What does worry do to us?     CONSUMES     ISOLATES     Makes us INEFFECTIVE It's not about the WHAT and the WHY...it's about the WHO   Is Jesus enough? Will He do it for me?   Isaiah 49:16 Romans 8:32 Philippians 4:6 Live today. Don't live in regret of past or fear of the future

Long ago Egypt was a world power.  The rulers of that ancient land had immense wealth.  At their deaths, every effort was made to take their possessions with them into eternity.  Huge pyramids and mausoleums were built and stocked with riches and supplies.   But as the centuries slipped by, grave robbers desecrated these sites.  Some 60 years before the time of Christ, a Greek author named Diodoru...

One of the greatest atrocities of World War II occurred in the Russian metropolis of Leningrad.  The Nazi army besieged the massive city cutting off supply routes.  "Leningrad must die of starvation," Hitler declared in a speech at Munich on November 8, 1941.  Estimates are that more than 1.5 million people starved to death across the 900 days of the siege for lack of adequate food.   One group of...

In August of 2013, a zoo in China temporarily closed because of an unusual complaint. Visitors discovered that the zoo's "lion" was, in reality, a dog posing as a lion. According to a report in a Beijing newspaper, the fraud came to light when a mother and her young son visited the zoo and the animal, labeled as an "African lion," starting barking.   Zoo keepers later admitted that the so-called l...

Baseball is a game of statistics.  Baseball fans love them.  They chart everything—batting percentage, home runs, strike outs, and the list goes on.    From this mountain of statistics, we learn that certain achievements are rare.  For example, it is rare when a team executes a triple play (718).  It is rare when a batter hits for the cycle in a game (325).  Those feats are roundly celebrated.  Bu...

Melissa Brunning was on a multi-day cruise off the coast of western Australia.  One day several participants on the cruise decided to hand-feed some sharks that were spotted in the waters near their boat.    Video footage shows her offering bait to a passing tawny nurse shark (which looks to be about 7 feet long).  The shark ends up taking the bait--and her hand with it.  It actually pulls her in...

A lawyer was talking with a woman who had just lost her husband. He said to her, "Your husband did not leave a will, so we need to know the last words he ever said to you."   She replied, "I don't want to tell you."   The attorney said, "I am sorry for your loss, but he did not leave a will. We need to know his final words."   But the woman refused.  "I don't want to tell you," she said. "It was s...

Harvard is the oldest and, arguably, the most prestigious university in America.  Not surprisingly, the competition for admission is stiff.  Only about 5% of those who apply are actually accepted.  Listen to these academic credentials for incoming freshmen: the average ACT score is 35 (36 is the highest score possible) the average SAT score is 1250 (1260 is the highest score possible) the average...

Culture Flip Week 2

Every year the Gallup organization releases a "World Happiness Report."  It ranks the countries of the world as to their happiness.  Happiness is measured, in part, with survey questions such as, "Are [you] very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?"  "Very happy" responses are worth three points.  "Pretty happy" is worth two points and "not too happy" is worth one point. You might be interested...

In 2018 the average American spent $150 on Easter gifts. That adds up to a national total of $18.2 billion spent! Somewhere along the way the practice of giving gifts at Easter has grown. I don't remember getting gifts at Easter beyond the boiled eggs that we colored and hid. But I'm not bitter, really;-). Just because my generation didn't get gifts, doesn't mean that kids today shouldn't get them...

Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest golfer of all time.  He had a meteoric rise to fame, success, and wealth.  For 683 weeks he was the number one golfer in the world.    Then life crashed in around him.  He was caught in scandal.  His wife left him.  He suffered a string of injuries that necessitated multiple surgeries including four on his back.  Some wondered if he would ever walk again, much...

The Death of Jesus Sermon Series: Easter at Istrouma Luke 23:32-46 Istrouma Baptist Church – Jeff Ginn, Lead Pastor  10:45 AM Sermon April 14, 2019 https://www.facebook.com/istrouma.org/videos/2368027016760807/ https://vimeo.com/330572354       Outline:   The cross of the rebel        39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" (23...

7.6 billion.  That's the reported population of the world.  It's a big number.  We are called by Christ to reach the all the nations with the gospel.  The task can seem overwhelming.  Just in the United States alone there are some 328 million people, 246 million of whom do not claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord.   How can we reach them with the good news?    We must reach the...

SERMON TRANSCRIPT BELOW: You're probably familiar with the tragedy of "friendly fire," but have you thought about the potential of "friendly faith"? Let me unpack the difference. Friendly fire refers to incidents when, in the fog of war, a soldier will accidentally fire upon his own forces. The history of warfare is replete with examples. Perhaps the best known is the case of Pat Tillman. He was a...