Nerve Pain On the Cross & Saving A Starfish

Jesus, Fanny Crosby, Mud & Mustard

Jesus healed a man born blind by putting mud on his eyes and then telling him to go wash. His disciples asked who had sinned, the blind man or his parents. That attitude still exists today as people assume that folks in bad situations must have done something to deserve it. As we see in this story, Jesus set them straight. The mud in the eyes healing miracle happened so that God's greatness could be revealed. In another innocent life, this time an infant born with sight was blinded by a very wrong medical procedure. Fanny Crosby was an infant and had a fever. The regular doctor was out of town and the replacement that showed up may not have been a doctor. He prescribed a mustard poultice to be applied to the baby's face covering the eyes. Fanny spent the rest of her life in blindness. Unbelievably, Fanny believed the blindness to be a gift from God. She wrote almost 9,000 hymns and played several musical instruments. She met 20 US Presidents. Her life gave God glory through her blindness. People would often say they wanted to pray for her to receive her sight. Fanny said she wanted to stay blind so that the first face she would ever see was her Savior Jesus Christ when she got to heaven. Fanny even went so far as to say that if she ever met the man who caused her blindness, she would thank him for the gift. Often, we think of disabilities as disabling, but when we surrender them to God. He helps us create unimaginable capabilities. Fanny may have appeared as disabled and weak, but God saw her as capable and strong. So be it! Our target Bible verse for this episode is John 9:1-9 A Man Born Blind Receives Sight 1Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

Being Offended With Doubting Thomas

Hiking to the top of Thomas Point in Sedona was a journey in solitude. The only ones on the trail were me and Jesus! The trail is rated as moderate mostly due to the constant upward hike. The first mile is through the pine forest until you hit the exposed upper part of the trail. The top is about 6,300' with beautiful views of the surrounding canyons, red rock cliffs and even a glimpse of Mt. Humphreys (12,663') over 60 miles away. My goal for this episode is to take a look at being offended in times of doubt. Our life experience with people can set us up to doubt that they will follow through. That may have been the case with a guy we call "Doubting Thomas.' The target Bible verses for this episode are: Proverbs 18:19 NLT "An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars." John 20:24-29 NKJV Seeing and Believing 24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." James 1:19 NLT "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." Thanks for your time. Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry - that will help you be unoffendable! Jesus loves you and so do we.

Harriet Tubman One of the World's Greatest Heroes

"Tubman was beaten and whipped by slave owners as a child. Around 13 yrs of age, she suffered a fractured skull when an overseer threw a metal weight at another slave, but missed and hit Harriet. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which lasted throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman received visions and messages from God." During the Civil War, she served as a scout and spy, and became the first woman to lead an armed military assault—the Combahee River Raid—which freed over 700 slaves. Final Words: When Tubman passed away on March 10, 1913, her final words reflected the deep comfort she found in her savior. She quoted Jesus's promise of salvation from the Gospel of John, affirming: "I go away to prepare a place for you." Harriet lived her life as a sacrifice for other people. Behind every hardship is a blessing. Behind every trouble is a blessing. Behind every red light of hardship is the green light of God's Passover. HBU? Are you using your life as an offering to free people from the slavery of hell? Sin is the slavery of hell. You as an offering can help people avoid hell's chain gang. Will you be an offering and a sanctuary? Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary.

The First Memorial Day

You may never have heard about the origin of the very first Memorial Day. It's a pretty moving story. Near the end of the Civil War, Union prisoners were held by the Confederate Army near Charleston, South Carolina. The prisoners were held in an outdoor containment area. Disease and exposure claimed the lives of 257 men. As the Confederate Army was evacuating Charleston, they threw the bodies of the dead men into a mass grave and took off. A group of liberated slaves were so grateful for their freedom, they unearthed the bodies and gave them a proper burial in a cemetery. On May 1st, 1865, a crowd of 10,000 of mostly freed slaves gathered for a parade in their honor. Over 3,000 Black school children marched with bouquets of flowers. Members of the 54th Massachusetts and other Black Union regiments marched as Black Ministers recited Bible verses. that was the very first Memorial Day.

Falling With A Rooster

Falling With A Rooster "Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away [and be ashamed and be afraid to be associated with Me as disciples], because it is written, 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I have been raised [from the dead], I will go ahead of you to Galilee." But Peter said to Him, "Even if they all fall away [and desert You, ashamed and afraid of being associated with You], yet I will not [do so]!" Jesus said to him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny and [that you even know] Me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing as well. Then all of His disciples abandoned Him and fled. While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, "You were with Jesus the Nazarene, too." But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." Then he went out [of the courtyard] to the porch, [and a rooster crowed.] The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to tell the bystanders, "This [man] is one of them." But again he denied it. After a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, "You are in fact one of them, for [it is clear from your accent, that] you are a Galilean, too." But he began to invoke a curse [on himself] and to swear [an oath], "I do not know this man you are talking about!" Immediately a rooster crowed the second time. And Peter remembered what Jesus said to him: "Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And thinking of this, he began weeping [in anguish]." Mark 14:27-31, 50, 66-72 AMP Sometimes we speak before we think. Under pressure, we blurt out words without thinking. It's like acting like we don't have brains. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy asks the Scarecrow how he can talk without a brain, he replies: "I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?" That's a way of saying our words don't match our beliefs. I had lunch yesterday with Elijah, a young man who graduated from this school last year. He mentioned that his basketball team (from a public school) played against a few Christian schools. The players whom you'd believe were Christians did not exhibit a particularly noticeable Christ-like behavior. For some of them it was quite the opposite. HBU? Is your behavior noticeably Christ-like? Will you fall away and hear the rooster crow? Roosters I used to think roosters only crowed in the morning as a wakeup call. The shrill cry of an early rising rooster has pierced many a sleeping ear. Roosters crow when there's danger or as a wakeup call. Truth be told folks, as it always should, roosters crow any time they just feel like crowing! Most humans who mimic roosters usually do so through a "cock-a-doodle-doo!" Methinks that's a pretty far cry from what a crowing rooster actually sounds like. Funny thing about roosters, they're deaf to the loudness of their crowing. God designed roosters in a way that protects their ears from the 100 to 140 decibels blaring from their beaks. If you're right next to the rooster, the noise level is like being at a rock concert or listening to jet engine taking off. That's loud folks, but the rooster is immune to the impact of its own voice. When the rooster opens its mouth, part of the ear canal closes, and soft tissue covers a portion of the ear drum. Simon Peter heard the rooster crow. It was like an alarm going off as an alert to an enemy. The enemy that was allowed to enter was pride and extreme confidence in the flesh. Jesus allowed Peter to fall to strengthen him through failure so Peter could strengthen others. Wisdom and compassion in their highest forms come through suffering and struggle. The boldness and confidence in Peter's flesh was no match for Satan's request to "sift Peter like wheat." The sound of the roosters crowing was a spiritual pecking at the pride of Peter. A man was broken by the sound of a crowing rooster. Simon Peter had his conscience seared by the sound of a screaming bird. The rooster might as well have been screaming, "Shame on you! You denied your best friend and Savior three times in His hour of greatest need!" Some churches have a rooster on their steeples. It's a symbol of our likelihood of falling and the guarantee we have In Christ that through repentance at the cross we receive forgiveness, mercy and grace. Peter fell, but that wasn't the end of the story. God's grace and mercy is always louder than a rooster crowing. He restores humiliated and embarrassed people whose extreme confidence became shame mired in extreme pride. Arrogant confidence is self-centered pride that ultimately leads to destruction. Humble confidence is Christ-centered thoughtfulness that values others above ourselves. Today's Assignment Take a few moments to write about what you will do to avoid becoming someone who will fall away. Be prepared to stand and give your advice to help your friends avoid becoming someone who falls away into arrogant confidence and self-centered pride. Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. How To Subscribe To Our Podcast and YouTube Videos | [https://biblebob.org/how-to-subscribe-to-our-podcast-and-youtube-videos] Biblebob.org [http://Biblebob.org] https://youtu.be/LS_aVLsbwes [https://youtu.be/LS_aVLsbwes]