The Marben Bland Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In baseball a triple occurs when a batter hits the ball and reaches third base without an error.  Lots of action takes place when a triple is hit the outfielder runs after the ball, the batter races around the bases, the ball is retrieved, a throw to third is made, the batter slides in a cloud of dust with the umpire calling the runner “Safe!” in a close play at third base.   With...

Send us Fan Mail A Red-Letter day is defined as a time of special significance or opportunity.  May 17th, 1954, the day when the United States Supreme Court ruled that laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional is clearly a red-letter day.  However, 70 years later the promise of the red-letter day that Brown symbolizes has not been met.   According to a 2022 report...

Send us Fan Mail Use the Google machine and type in the phase “A roadmap for Godly living” there you will find any number of articles, posts, blogs, and videos on the subject.   I guess this devotional will become my humble addition to the topic.   In Genesis 17 we find Abram a ninety-nine-year-old man who just 13 years before became a father for the first time.  His son Ishmael was born by way of...

Send us Fan Mail On this Mother’s Day we recognize, celebrate, and see mothers.   We see the care in a mother’s smile, we see the specialness of a mother’s touch, and we see the wonderful ways of a mother’s love.  These things and more we see on greeting cards, television shows and in church services honoring mothers.  Yes, this time of year we see mother.  However, there is another mother that go...

Send us Fan Mail This week in many places of worship the ascension of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be celebrated.  The Ascension of the Lord commemorates the fortieth day after the Resurrection when Jesus ascended into Heaven and took His seat at the right hand of His Father. Also, this week in many houses of worship Mothers will be celebrated.  Mother's Day honors motherhood, matern...

Send us Fan Mail It has been almost 40 days since the resurrection of Jesus in a sermon from Acts 1:3-11, Pastor Marben Bland discusses and teaches how the passage calls up to spread the gospel of Jesus.  Key points:  1) Jesus’ resurrection was real, and all are inheritors of his wonderful gift.  (2) Jesus’ atonement was completed, but there would be requirements for us to fully partake of its ble...

Send us Fan Mail   “…..all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” No truer words have been spoken than these uttered in Romans 3:23 by the Apostle Paul.     Knowing the trueness of Paul’s words, the Lord has given us grace, justification, and forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.   Paul reminds us that the redemption that is Christ Jesus is a gift.  A gift that is availabl...

Send us Fan Mail As I write this devotional it has been 29 days four hours and 15 minutes since March 31st of 2024, the day that we celebrated Easter.     The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our Christian faith. Without the resurrection, the belief in God's saving grace through Jesus is destroyed.  The Resurrection was a literal, physical raising of Jesus’ body from the dead...

Send us Fan Mail This week the Augusta Conference of The African Methodist Episcopal Church had its Annual Conference.   Pastors make a report at the annual conference.  As part of our report which is a written document in addition to an oral report, I reported that we had zero conversions, meaning no one under our watch during the 2023-2024 conference year gave their lives to Christ.   At Greater...

Send us Fan Mail Paul in Ephesians 4:12-14 gives Pastors the charge “To equip the saints for the work of ministry, and for building up the body of Christ.   In the African Methodist Episcopal Church Pastors receive a yearly appointment to a church.  The appointment or charge is based on the recommendation of the Presiding Elder and approval of the Bishop. The appointed pastor is in full charge of...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know people got so upset at Jesus for teaching the Gospel that he was nearly stoned?  In John chapter 8 Jesus in teaching in temple attracting a gathering of people including the scribes and the Pharisees.     Always ready to find fault scribes and the Pharisees presented an adulterous woman.    Siting the law of Moses which demanded stoning they asked Jesus to pass judgme...

Send us Fan Mail In a teaching from Luke 5:17-26, Pastor Marben Bland tells the story of how great things happen when people of faith work together.   For More Great Content Go To  Marben Bland.com 

Send us Fan Mail Coached by the incomparable Dawn Staley, the University of South Carolina Women’s basketball team completed an undefeated season beating the University of Iowa and the sensational Caitlin Clark in the title game of the 2024 NCAA Division One women’s baseball tournament.   For many the win was redemption for the Gamecock’s upset loss to Clark’s Hawkeyes in the semifinals of the 202...

Send us Fan Mail This week marks the 50th anniversary, of Henry Aaron hitting home run number 715.  Breaking Babe Ruth’s record and becoming baseball’s all-time home run king a record later broken by Barry Bonds.   Throughout it all, one of the most important factors in Aaron’s career was his consistent greatness. Great players are often consistently great, but nobody in the history of the game is...

Send us Fan Mail It has been said that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.  Well, that is true until someone doesn’t like the imitation.  There has been great push back regarding Beyoncé new album Cowboy Carter.  With many saying that superstar has no right making a country record and others whispering in not so soft terms that black folks have no place in country music.    Just like mo...

Send us Fan Mail The theologian Ray Pritz reminds us that God has a library.  Unlike a normal library, it is not a place where people come to study. It seems to be more of an archive or official record.  Revelation 20 tells us that some of the books in God’s library contain a record of the things we have done.   The story of Mordechai in the book of Esther reminds us that God does not forget our d...

Send us Fan Mail On Palm Sunday, we celebrated the powerful scene of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a little donkey cheered by the common people tossing their coats in his path.     In Luke 19: 45-48, the donkey takes Jesus to the temple where he finds instead of prayer, worship, and teaching there was buying, selling and money exchanging.  Jesus drives the buyers, sellers, and money changers out dec...

Send us Fan Mail Yolanda Adams in her smash hit song Open My Heart cries out to the Lord saying… “So, show me how to do things your way don't let me make the same mistakes  over and over again.”      God through the prophet Jeremiah cries out “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”  In our secular world a co...

Send us Fan Mail The Book of Revelation was written to show the servants of the Lord what must soon take place.   Revelation 7:9-10 chronicles a great multitude, more than anyone could number.  The multitude comprised of every nation, all tribes and people and languages stood before the throne and before Jesus.   Clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, the multitude cried with a...

Send us Fan Mail This has been a traumatic week for the University Of Georgia community, as we mourn the death of two young students.    The devastating news penetrates the soul of the vibrant campus testing our resolve.  As we as ask why and question can we be safe, in the place where we learn and live?  Answers as they always do will come in time however until then let us take solace in the wisd...

Send us Fan Mail Genesis 2:7 tells us that God created man out of the dust of the ground.  When God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, the man became a living creature.  Yesterday, I learned of the passing of a family friend Gloria Johnson, who died of a heart attack while working out at the gym.   Her death is a reminder that at some point each of us will no longer be a living creatur...

Send us Fan Mail In The Sermon on the Mount, beginning in Matthew 5, Jesus both reinterprets the old law and offers a new law. In essence the new law is about worship not rituals.    As Ash Wednesday approaches, let us follow Jesus and beware of practicing our “piety” during these 40 days is not a ritual, it is an act of worship to the honor and glory of the Lord.   For More Great Content Go To  M...

Send us Fan Mail We find a busy Jesus in Mark Chapter 8, he feed thousands from a few loafs and fishes, he healed a blind man at Bethsaida, Peter, declares him the Messiah, Jesus foretells his death on the cross and challenges his disciples saying: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Six days later in Mark Chapter 9, Jesus Peter, James, and...

Send us Fan Mail What are you doing to spread the fame on Jesus?  This is the question asked in a sermon from Mark 1:21-28 entitled, “Fame!” For More Great Content Go To  Marben Bland.com 

Send us Fan Mail Psalm 100 tells us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  For 99 years Sister Annie Mildred Hill made a joyful noise.  Keeping God’s promises of Psalm 100.  Sister Hill answered the call of Psalm 100 to serve the Lord with gladness.  A faithful wife to her late husband James, a cherished mother to her sons Jimmy and Michael and an outstanding grandmother, great-grandmother, and gr...