The Marben Bland Podcast

Send us Fan Mail American exceptionalism is the idea that the United States is inherently different and hence better than other nations.   As we approach the 4th of July holiday our celebrations will take many forms as we rejoice in the birth of our nation.    “LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power” are the words of Jeremiah.  Let us remember the excepti...

Send us Fan Mail On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War, General Gordon Granger, arrives in Galveston, Texas.  Informing the slaves of their freedom, making effective the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued two and a half years earlier.  At last Slavery in the U.S. had ended.  Or has it?  Human trafficking is still happening.  Justice Department data confirms 400,...

Send us Fan Mail Yes, its Father’s Day, a time when celebrating fathers.   However, for too many children a father is a fraud and a fantasy.  Having a father is a concept that does not exist and in the rare case that it does the father-child relationship is fraught with disfunction, disruption, dishonesty, and pain.    But let’s be clear the notation that Black men are not being fathers to the chi...

Send us Fan Mail Deep in the despair of their exile in Babylon the profit Jeremiah tells the Israelites that God has plans for their good, plans that will give them a future and a hope.   On the eve of this Father’s Day as we celebrate the first Federal Juneteenth holiday, we all want hope, happiness, and harmony as a future for our children.  However, for too many children a father is a fraud and...

Send us Fan Mail According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent among African Americans than among whites with estimates ranging from 14% to almost 100% higher.  Patrick McPhail Martin, Ph. D., the interim director of the Center for Outreach in Alzheimer's, Aging and Community Health (COAACH), and an associate professor of biology in the College of Science and...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s devotional It’s All About Love Thirty-two years ago, today my son Chandler was born bringing a wave of relief, responsibility, and reverence.  Chandler’s birth is near Father’s Day, an opportunity to reflect on double milestones.  Reflecting on being a father and a grandfather, I think I finally know the meaning of the sacred roles that I now get to live out, it’s all abou...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus traveled through Galilee teaching in the Jewish synagogues, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven wherever he went.  Enormous crowds followed him but instead of saying pleasing things to keep the people on his side, Jesus laid out a simple truth. Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate and that the highway to hell is broad.  In essence, Jesus was say...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus traveled through Galilee teaching in the Jewish synagogues, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven wherever he went.  Enormous crowds followed him but instead of saying pleasing things to keep the people on his side, Jesus laid out a simple truth. Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate and that the highway to hell is broad.  In essence, Jesus was say...

Send us Fan Mail As controversy swirls over the comprehensive new voting law that drastically alters Georgia’s election system, another battle with equally profound implications looms on the horizon: redistricting. In the coming months, state lawmakers will begin redrawing the lines of Georgia’s legislative and congressional districts, a process that will help determine control of the state govern...

Send us Fan Mail In less than 60 days Nehemiah and the people of Israel had completed the monumental task of building the wall.  Finally, after years of vulnerability the city of Jerusalem was safe.   After months of lockdowns, masks, and social distancing, the vaccine has given us our lives back.  People are gathering again; the months of vulnerability are finally over.  The ordeal of Covid 19 is...

Send us Fan Mail Sermon and tribute to the Class of 2021 I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me” This simple yet powerful verse from Philippians 4:13 reminds us that with God on our side nothing is impossible.  And that the square root of impossible is possible in you. For More Great Content Go To  Marben Bland.com 

Send us Fan Mail This is graduation season, a time when the possibilities of education meet the realities of life.  For More Great Content Go To  Marben Bland.com 

Send us Fan Mail One hundred years ago Today, the Greenwood section of Tulsa Oklahoma.  was burned to the ground by a white mob.  10,000 people were left homeless, more than 800 injured and 39 dead, it was a massacre.  The truth about the Greenwood massacre was covered up for years until  75 years later a commission concluded that the white mob was incited by lies about an alleged  rape  It's...

Send us Fan Mail In this sermon from Romans 8:12-17, Pastor Marben poses the question if Superman were your friend and he offered to fight your battles for you would you let him?  He then answered God our friend and God is our Superman, and he will fight our battles if we let him.   For More Great Content Go To  Marben Bland.com 

Send us Fan Mail In the midst of his pain and suffering on the cross, Jesus cried out Abba Father as he looked to the Lord for comfort and strength.  God is inviting us to cry out Abba Father in moments big and small.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost will empower us to overcome any problem that comes in our way.   To us the answer typically never obvious but it is to God.  So l...

Send us Fan Mail The Reverend LaKesha Womack an ordained Deacon in African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the CEO of Rethinking Church Strategies LLC believes that when we think about Church Growth we need to think beyond the numbers, we need to focus on the resources and programs that can attract people to our church.  Reverend Womack, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the Campaign Sch...

Send us Fan Mail Has anyone said to you Christians don’t act that way?  Well, I have breaking news for you Christians do act that way and in many other ways both good and yes bad.   Paul in Romans 8 says that even though Christ has freed us from sin, the powers of the flesh still rage within us.   We can win this battle when we realize that it is not our battle to win, instead, it is the Lord’s. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this Pentecost Sermon from May 23, 2021, Pastor Marben reveals how the Holy Spirit can equip, empower and inspire.   In a teaching from Acts 2:1-21   For More Great Content Go To  Marben Bland.com 

Send us Fan Mail The UPS slogan “What can brown do for you" is a demonstration of the capabilities of the world's largest package delivery service.    The Day of Pentecost depicted in Acts 2:1-21 showcases the capabilities of the Holy Spirit.   It shows the Holy Spirit as a mighty wind capable of filling an entire house with power and grace.  It shows the Holy Spirit as a uniter allowing...

Send us Fan Mail So what is the role of faith and spirituality in medicine?  Dr. Veita Bland a board-certified family medicine physician and hypertension specialist is joined by The Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, the Bandy Professor of Preaching at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, for a lively discussion about faith and health.  Listen to the podcast now at www.drblandradio.com For More...

Send us Fan Mail Nearly 50 days after the crucifixion the disciples were gathered together in Jerusalem. Suddenly from heaven, there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind.   At that moment the Holy Spirit, the Advocate promised by Jesus arrived.  This moment that we know as the Day of Pentecost changed everything.   For with the prophecy of the passion and the resurrection of Jesus complete...

Send us Fan Mail With the good news, this week from the CDC about mask waring the end of the pandemic is within reach.  When the history of the pandemic is written we can all say that we were witnesses.  Being a witness means that we have a story to tell, an accounting for what has happened.   Jesus in Luke 25: 51-52 led his disciples out to Bethany. Then he lifted his hands over them and blessed...

Send us Fan Mail In late March Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a law overhauling the way our state runs its elections.  The effect of the new law on Georgia's 7.4 million voters will be mixed.  But one thing is certain the law has stirred a nationwide debate over voting rights.   Today on The Podcast, Pastor Marben is joined by Adrick Ingram, The Corner in Hancock County Georgia, Janice Da...

Send us Fan Mail On April 21stformer Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all charges in the death of George Floyd.   Today on The Podcast, Marben Bland is joined for a discussion of the verdict and law enforcement by State Representative Derrick Jackson, candidate for Lt. Governor of Georgia, Charlie Bailey, candidate for Attorney General of Georgia and Governor Henderson, Au...

Send us Fan Mail It’s A Matter Of Your Health The Podcast @ www.drblandradio.com Hi this is Marben Bland, and if you are like me, I am always concerned about my health and ways to get healthier.  Well, let me tell you about a new podcast that you might like.  It is called It’s A Matter Of Your Health.   My sister Dr. Veita Bland has been a primary care physician for over 40 years, and for nearly 2...