The Sinner and The Saint

Scripture Hope of all hopes, dream of our dreams,     a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us: a living gift. And even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great.     The power of leadership, and the weight of authority, will rest on His shoulders. His name? His name we’ll know in many ways—     He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Dear Father everlasting, ever-...

Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-5 Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you;     collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom;     set your heart on a life of Understanding. That’s right—if you make Insight your priority,     and won’t take no for an answer, Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold,     like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, Bel...

Scripture: John 14:6–7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from Me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him. You’ve even seen Him!” The Gist: ❤️ 1 Peter 5:7: “Give all your worries to God, for He cares about you.” Don’t assume God doesn’t care about all your worries, big & small, and the above...

Oh, thank God—he’s so good!     His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world!     Tell how he freed you from oppression, Then rounded you up from all over the place,     from the four winds, from the seven seas. Psalm 107:1-3 Wandering: God promises to provide wisdom, direction, and clarity Prisoner: God promises to break the chains of bad habits, addictions, and lies, bring...

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, bu...

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:34 (MSG) Why are times of rest difficult?  Why are these periods of rest important and what are the benefits?

Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord. 12 Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer. Romans 12:11-12 (Voice) Do not slack in your faith, do not stop working hard, do not forget to rejoice! Instead: Let...

Ministry is easier than you think. The world tells us to buy a URL, entice followers, and go viral on TikTok - But Jesus shows us how to be effective in our everyday lives. Honestly, you are probably already "doing ministry" - it's a way of life! God can use you just as you are with what you have to make an impact in someone's life. That precious memory triggers another: your h...

David was thirty years old when he became king, and ruled for forty years. In Hebron he ruled Judah for seven and a half years. In Jerusalem he ruled all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years. 2 Samuel 5:4-5 There is so much waiting in scripture! Joseph, Jesus, Paul, Moses, Noah, Hannah, Nehemiah, Esther, Sarah, Jeremiah, the list goes on and on.  Why does God call us and then make us wait?

Takeaways: Guard your heart Following God brings blessings Pass on your faith Live with God's Word visible in every way Deuteronomy 11:13-21 From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he’ll take charge of sending the rain at the right time, both autumn and spring rains, so that...

Want to live . . . "more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible"? (v. 17) 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 8-9 I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don’t feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I’m glad—not that you were upset, but tha...

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 The Desert, Dark Night of the Soul, the Wilderness or Spiritual Slump . . . no matter what you call it, we all go through times in our lives and faith where God seems to have left us...

What does following Jesus and bootcamp have to do with one another? The parallels may shock you - or at the very least entertain you! In this episode we dive into the weapons and strategies needed for battle and explore our FREDDOM. Freedom in Christ   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 

The power of opening our homes and serving a meal is beyond what we usually consider.  That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Acts 2:41-42 They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a cele...

What does it look like to live with dignity in our daily lives? What are the small actions we can take daily to live with great dignity? “What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully ta...

How do we know if it's Spiritual Warfare or a war of lies? We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV) Consider the Source Test it Against God's Word Consider the Fruit 

Often times obeying God goes against the norm, we get weird looks and are ostracized from even our closest friends. And sometimes - we have to quit something good to make room for something that's even better. Join us this week as we look at Noah's story and take a few glimpses into our own lives. We'll chat about what to do in the waiting and learn how to handle the AWKWARD moments...

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” This is one of the most challenging actions Jesus calls us to take....

3 ways to tell if you healing, 3 ways to tell if you aren't and 3 ways to get started or keep going! He lifted me out of the slimy pit,     out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock     and gave me a firm place to stand.  Psalm 40:2 (MSG)

Lie - God is always angry with me  ~  Truth - 1 John 4:8, Romans 5:8 Lie - God only loves me when I'm good or do the right thing ~ Truth - Eph. 2:8-9, Romans 8:38-39 Lie - God only helps those who help themselves ~ Truth - Isaiah 41:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9 Lie - God is removed and not involved in my life ~ Truth - James 4:8, Matthew 28:20 Lie - God punishes me when I sin ~ Truth - Romans 6:23,...

This episode proves scripture is always teaching us, never grows old or goes out of date, journals are excellent tools and the Spirit opens our eyes to new wisdom if we sit and listen.  I know! I know! We just had a podcast on this scripture a few weeks ago, but there's more. Why am I so surprised? Mark 2:1-5 -   After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was b...

Jesus has two temple clearings in the Gospels.  John 2:13-17 (earlier in His ministry) and  Mark 21:12-14 - Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves. Now there was r...

Jonah 1:15-17 - They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down. The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows. Then God assigned a huge fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish’s belly three days and nights. What happened to Jonah and Asa that weakened their faith? How do we r...

Matthew 10:21-23 “When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be su...

We and scripture often talk about slowing down, listening, and being still. So are there any places in scripture where it tells us to hurry up?! *We should hurry when we are in harm's way (Genesis 19:14-15) *We should hurry to reconcile and forgive (Matthew 5:25) *When should hurry to obey God's commands (Psalm 119:60)