Joe White Drive Time Podcast

In the Eye of the Needle - Mark 10:24-27

"About 10 or 12 years ago, my wife and I in our sports camps were able to adopt 19 schools in Haiti. And so every day we have the privilege of loving and feeding and educating these 5,800 kids down there in Haiti. Men, of all the things that have ever happened around Kanakuk Kamps, you know, the Kamps that, I mean, the schools in Haiti bring smiles to our faces like none other."

Family Discussions:

1. What is your interpretation of Jesus' metaphor of the camel in the eye of the needle?
2. Why does our excesses keep us from really enjoying a full enrich relationship with God?
3. What action can you or your family take to comply with Jesus' command here?

Transcription:

00:13          This devotional today that I get to share with you really puts a smile on my face because it's about some of the most beautiful kids in the world. About, Oh gosh, 10 or 12 years ago, my wife and I in our sports camps were able to adopt 19 schools in Haiti. And so every day we have the privilege of loving and feeding and educating these 5,800 kids down there in Haiti. Men, of all the things that have ever happened around Kanakuk Kamps, you know, the Kamps that, I mean, the schools in Haiti bring smiles to our faces like none other. Every Christmas we get to take Christmas gifts to every single child. We've been doing this for years and years and to see these kids, you know, like take a pack of Lifesavers and eat the first Lifesaver they've ever eaten and get their first Christmas gift from Papa Noel. You know, what they call Santa Claus down there in Haiti. And then to get to share. You know what Christmas is really about with those kids, not Santa Claus, but you know Jesus Christ born on earth. It's the joy of our lives.

 

01:21          You know what Jesus has something to say about you and about me and about our kids in Haiti and around the world. Listen to Mark chapter 10 verse 24 through 27. Here's what scripture says. "The disciples were amazed at his words, but Jesus answered it again and said to them, children, how hard is it to enter the kingdom of God? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. They were even more astonished and said to him then, who can be saved? Looking at them, Jesus said with people, it's impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God."

 

02:08          You know, being really transparent, honest with you, I don't need a bite of food. I mean, I hardly take a bite that I don't think about our kids in Haiti. They are so happy with a bowl of beans and a bowl of rice every day. It just breaks my heart to see the circumstances that they're in and not just our kids that are little schools in Haiti because really they're doing pretty good compared to most starving kids in the world. But God has a word to us and I believe his word is, and you know what? Everybody in America's rich, by the way, if you think you're very, very poor, I will tell you that the kids that we get to work with here at Kids Across American and Kanakuk, many of our kids, 7,000 of our kids come from inner cities and they will tell you because they have a chance to know Jesus. They have meals every day. That even though they are the poorest in our country, they're rich compared to the kids of Haiti whose parents live on about 11 bucks a week.

 

03:02          But he says, for all of us in America that are rich, he said, you've got to be willing, like a camel who would walk up to the city Gates over the wall villages of that day, and there would be a little opening just to the side of the city gate that a camel couldn't get through with anything on his bag. In fact, the camel would have to get down on his knees and they would have to unload the camel and then he could go through the eye, the needle, what they call this little hole in the gate, on his knees without anything on his back. And then they could reload him. Once he got through the gate.

 

03:35          The word picture is clear. You know, a rich man. Here we are in our country and in the Western world. Jesus said, we must be willing to give it all to give everything we've got. The heart has got to be willing to let go. And you know what? The more you let go, the more the kids of Haiti and the rest of this world are going to be blessed. And through our gifts, those kids are going to get to know Jesus because they're going to know it was the hand of Christ that unloaded our baggage off our camel and gave it away to them in the name of Jesus.

 

04:09          Here's the questions today in this perplexing, thoughtful gospel. What is your interpretation of Jesus' metaphor of the camel in the eye of the needle? And the second question is, why does our excesses keep us from really enjoying a full enrich relationship with God? And then the third one, what action can you or your family take to comply with Jesus' command here? And here is the lifeline. You know, families that give together, stay together. People that give generously are the happiest people in the world.

You Got Questions, He's Got Answers - Mark 10:5-8

"How did marriage get here and what's married supposed to look like? Well, Jesus makes it clear in this passage that God invented marriage and he invented it to be with one man and one woman who would live together forever. One man, one woman together forever."

Family Discussions:

1. What does 'from the beginning of creation' mean in terms of Genesis 1?
2. Why is it so important to our understanding of the Christian faith and the institution of marriage?
3. If you're putting a price tag on that name that's written on your heart, or if you're married to the name that's already there, what would it be?
4. What would the price tag of your marriage be and what would it be worth to you to protect it?

Transcription:

00:13          Do you know that just a few years ago, NASA sent up a satellite called the WMAP satellite and it begin to film the creation. They took this incredible hundred billion galaxy cosmos of ours and they put it in their computers and they ran it back and they saw that it all came from zero. Imagine 100 billion galaxies coming from absolute nothing. We believe that God spoke and a hundred billion galaxies came flying out of their mouth. And you know what? NASA has proved it in that same computer rendition of the creation. They saw that as 100 billion galaxy cosmos traveled, get this, over a billion light years. I mean defying every known law of physics and science by light years. It said that we traveled as a cosmos over a billion light years in the first trillionth of a second. Listen to what Jesus says in Mark chapter 10:6. I mean, scripture is so scientifically on target, "but Jesus said to them, because of the hardness of your heart, he wrote you this commandment that from the beginning of creation, God made Adam and Eve, male and female from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." There are no longer two but one flesh.

 

01:46          A few years ago, RadioShack had this commercial that says, "You've got questions. We got answers." And you know what? RadioShack has a lot of answers, but I think scripture pretty much claims that truth. When you have questions, they're here. How did we get here? When did man originate? How long have we been around? Where did it all come from? What is marriage and what's marriage supposed to look like? You got questions, he's got answers. How long has man been here? Well, according to Jesus, man has been on the earth since the beginning of creation. That's Genesis chapter one. How did man get here? Well, if you look as Darwin did at the human eye, even Darwin himself in his book, 'The Origin of Species', he said to suppose that the eye, with all of its inevitable contrivances for adjusting focus at various distances for admitting various amounts of life and for the correction of sphere and chromatic aberrations is the product of evolution. Seems I freely confessed absurd in the highest degree. Even Darwin himself admitted that evolution in terms of human vision is absolutely absurd.

 

02:59          And how did marriage get here and what's married supposed to look like? Well, Jesus makes it clear in this passage that God invented marriage and he invented it to be with one man and one woman who would live together forever. One man, one woman together forever. You know, people say, well, if you're in love, sex is okay or if you, you know, if you think you're going to get married sex is okay, or in any, you know, orientations, sex is okay. When scripture is clear that God wants that that very special relationship between a man and a woman to be designed for marriage and for marriage alone. To last, I watched my daddy and my mama love each other for 66 years and I saw him literally die. My daddy died in my mother's arms and at the end of my daddy's life he was still honoring the wedding ring and even wearing for all those years. So, if you've got questions, he's got answers.

 

03:56          Here's a couple of questions to think about today. What does 'from the beginning of creation' mean in terms of Genesis 1. In the creation account, when Jesus said for the beginning of creation, God made Adam and Eve, male and female. And question two is why is Genesis 1, the creation account of Genesis, why is it so important to our understanding of the Christian faith and the institution of marriage? And then the third question, if you're putting a price tag on your marriage, either one you already have or your future marriage, as I told my sons they had a girl's name written on their heart and someday that name of that incredible woman would show up. But if you're putting a price tag on that name that's written on your heart, or if you're married to the name that's already there, what would it be? What was the, what would the price tag of your marriage be and what would it be worth to you to protect it? And here's the thought for the day. Only a creative God could build something as valuable and worth protecting as a godly marriage relationship. Be careful!

Who are you going to listen to? - Mark 9:2-3; 7

"People say, you know what? There's no objective morals, just differing opinions. There's no absolute truth. It's whatever you think is true. One person will say to you, you know what? Come on. It's just a little drink. A little drink won't hurt you, a little alcohol. Or a guy may say to you, if you're a girl or girl may say to a guy, you know what? Hey, don't be so frigid. Sex is okay if it's safe. Voices. They're everywhere, aren't they? They, they give you so many mixed messages these days. It's so easy to get confused and to begin to question your own beliefs. The question is who are you gonna listen to?"

Family Discussions:

1. How can your family help each other listen to the right voices and not to some of the other voices who tell you what's right and wrong?
2. Compare and contrast Jesus' words to the words of the world around you. A
3. Whose voice makes more sense to you and whose voice you're going to listen to today?

Transcription:

00:14          You know, I've entitled this devotion today, "Who are you going to listen to?" And it is a biggy as my friend Neil Jeffrey says. We're in Mark chapter nine. We're starting with verse two, and here is what scripture says. "Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. And his garments became radiant and exceedingly white as no longer on earth can whiten them." And then we'll skip down to verse seven. It says, "then a cloud formed and overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the cloud and said, this is my beloved son. Listen to him."

 

00:59          You know what? What's right for you may not be right for me. You know what? Truth is relative. If it feels good, do it. If there are any number of ways to get to God. They're saying to you now. People are saying. You know what? It made me pornography to you, but it's art to me. People say that. People say, you may call it profanity, but I call it freedom of speech. People say, you know what? There's no objective morals, just differing opinions. There's no absolute truth. It's whatever you think is true. One person will say to you, you know what? Come on. It's just a little drink. A little drink won't hurt you, a little alcohol. Or a guy may say to you, if you're a girl or girl may say to a guy, you know what? Hey, don't be so frigid. Sex is okay if it's safe. Voices. They're everywhere, aren't they? They, they give you so many mixed messages these days. It's so easy to get confused and to begin to question your own beliefs. The question is who are you gonna listen to?

 

01:59          You know, fortunately God gave all authority to his son. Fortunately, Jesus speaks very clearly in his words. Fortunately, God wrote Jesus' words down in a book, and fortunately you're fortunate enough probably to have one or two or three or maybe five of your own. You know, Jesus' words are so welcoming and so reassuring in days like these. He said, "I am the way, I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to the father, but by me." And you know what? John 6 says, Jesus, you have the words of eternal life. If you love me, you'll keep my commandments. He says in John 14:15. He says, he who overcomes shall inherit these things and I will be his God, and he will be my son, in Revelation 21:7. He said, don't you know that your body's a temple of the Holy spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you're not your own. He says, for you have been bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

 

03:08          Man, God's word comes through today as strong as it did that glorious day up on that mountain when Jesus was transfigured, and he heard the audible voice from the sky. This is my son. This is my beloved son. Listen to him. Listen to him. Here's the questions for today. Isn't this great? He says, how can your family that's around you, How can your family help each other listen to the right voices and not to some of the other voices who tell you what's right and wrong? And then secondly, compare and contrast Jesus' words to the words of the world around you. And then here's the last question. To make it personal, whose voice makes more sense to you and whose voice you're going to listen to today? And here's the thought for the day. As a family, hold each other accountable to keep the ungodly voices out of your home.

 

The Watershed of Christianity - Mark 8:27-29

"We used to ski as a family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. And sometimes we would take all of our young life kids and our young life clubs to Steamboat Springs to ski. And we had more fun and we took lots of Kanakuk kids over the years. But when you go from Missouri to Steamboat Springs, you crossover a pass called Rabbit Ears Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass is 9,400 feet high. And it is the watershed of the United States of America"

Family Discussions:

1. If Jesus asked you that faithful question, "who do you say that I am?" How would you respond?
2. What does it mean when Peter said, you are the Christ? What does the Christ mean?
3. Why did Jesus say, why did he say "I am the way I am the truth and I am the life. No one comes to the father except by me."?

Transcription:

00:14          Today's devotional is absolutely amazing. This is a devotional. In fact, there's one statement of this devotional day that is absolutely gonna patch your hair. It's in Mark chapter eight, and we're going to begin with verse 27. It's a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. And listen to what one of them says in verse 27. Scripture says, "and Jesus went out along with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way, he questioned his disciples and he said, who did the people say that I am? They told him, saying John the Baptist. Others say Elijah, others say one of the prophets. But he continued to question them." And here's the question. "He said, who do you say that I am? And Peter said to him, you are the Christ, the son of the living God."

 

01:12          You know what? We used to ski as a family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. And sometimes we would take all of our young life kids and our young life clubs to Steamboat Springs to ski. And we had more fun and we took lots of Kanakuk kids over the years. But when you go from Missouri to Steamboat Springs, you crossover a pass called Rabbit Ears Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass is 9,400 feet high. And it is the watershed of the United States of America. Every drop of rain that falls on the West of Rabbit Ears Pass goes to the Pacific and every drop that falls on the East goes eventually to the Atlantic. The watershed divides the nation as far as water and moisture's concern. This passage is the watershed of Christianity.

 

01:57          You know, the Muslims say that Mohammed and sufficient works is the way to God. The Mormons say, Joseph Smith's teaching and sufficient works are the way to get to God. The Jehovah's Witnesses say that sacrifice of Christ is only part of the equation. It gets one to God for eternity. You name them, Joseph Smith, Muhammad Charles Tate Russell. They all recognize Jesus as a great historical and religious figure, but their beliefs on Bible doctrine and the saving blood of Jesus are on the opposite side of the watershed from Jesus' own words about himself. On Jesus' side of the watershed are some staggering claims that true Christianity must accept completely. One, He is the fulfillment of all old Testament prophecy about the Messiah. Two, he as he says in John 14:6 is the only way to God. Three, He is fully God, 100% God in the flesh. Four, He is the complete atonement for our sin. His death on the cross was sufficient. And five, the Bible is the Word of God. It is his complete word to mankind. And you know what? Revelation makes it clear. Nobody adds anything to this word.

 

03:21          So who do you say that He is? Well, Peter answered correctly and upon that belief that Jesus was the son of God. Jesus built his church on that belief and on that faith, and that's where his eternal family stands. So here's the questions today. One, if Jesus asked you that faithful question, "who do you say that I am?" How would you respond? And then secondly, this is big. What does it mean when Peter said, you are the Christ? What does the Christ mean? And then thirdly, why did Jesus say, why did he say "I am the way I am the truth and I am the life. No one comes to the father except by me."? It's a big claim. And he lived it and he died it. Here's the lifeline. To believe in him, is to love him. To love him, is to follow him. To follow him is to obey him. And to obey him, is to walk with him forever.

The Heart: Wellspring of Life - Mark 7:21-23

"If this is any age that we live in, it's the age of the computer. I carry a little, you know, computer, so to speak, in my pocket. The first computers that were built, you know, not so many years ago were costing like $3 million to build. Today, you can get one of these things for a couple of hundred bucks if you've got a good shopper - an internet shopper. "

 

Family Discussions:

1. What in the world are you doing to your heart?
2. How can we as a family help each other have pure hearts?
3. What can you do today to change what's coming in here, through here and here to give yourself a pure heart?

 

Transcription:

00:13          Hey, of all the great things that come out of looking at God's word every day, the greatest is reading the words of Jesus himself. And then seeing how his words, you know, here we are, 2000 something years later, and how his words still get you right in the middle of your heart and in your life. That's why we got to have this thing every single day. Mark chapter seven, verse 21 through 23, it literally hits you in the heart because this word today is written for the human heart. Listen to this. This is incredible. Jesus says, "for from within out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts fornications thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness. As well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within. And to follow the man."

 

01:10          You know what? If this is any age that we live in, it's the age of the computer. I carry a little, you know, computer, so to speak, in my pocket. The first computers that were built, you know, not so many years ago were costing like $3 million to build. Today, you can get one of these things for a couple of hundred bucks if you've got a good shopper - an internet shopper. But you know, what's interesting about these computers and they can hold trillions upon trillions upon trillions of bytes of information. These things aren't born with brains of their own. They're born with capabilities to intake from a radio wave or from an electrical current or from a laser current or from a keyboard. They just absorb what's put into them and they get assimilate that information quickly. That's what makes computers so amazing. But they aren't born with a brain. You have to give them their brain by how you program them.

 

02:10          And so it is with the human heart. You know, our heart is literally the Quarterback in the huddle that calls the plays of our life. Our heart is the driver of the bus that's full of schoolchildren. The heart controls everything in your life. I was watching a morning Today Show, I think. This morning as I was getting ready to come to work and I saw two like of the greatest stars that ever lived, one of them was a huge superstar in music, this huge and one of them was a huge Superstore of Broadway and in television. And both of them regretfully in the interview went back to the days in their twenties and thirties when somebody programmed their heart that drinking was okay. This one guy said, I was just having a shot of martini. And then I had two, and then I had three and then I had six and then my life was in trouble. The other guy talked about, even though he's one of the greatest rock stars who ever lived, how he lost his family because somebody convinced him that, you know what? You know, a little marijuana is not going to hurt. Hey, just a little joint here and a little joint there. Well pretty soon he became an addict. Pretty soon he lost literally everything that mattered to him.

 

03:24          The human heart is the wellspring of life Scripture says. You know what? Garbage in, garbage out. You put good thoughts into this little heart of yours and you will think good thoughts and you will act good thoughts and you will live good thoughts. You put garbage into this heart and garbage is what's going to come out of your life. I am so proud of the youth of this nation that I get to work with. I get to work with some of the greatest kids in American and the world because they're kids who've decided that they're going to take God's word and put it in their heart. And my heroes in sports and the teams that I speak to, in politics and in business are men and women who program their heart with the word of God and they don't compromise no matter what.

 

04:10          Question number one, why are we kidding ourselves when we say, you know what? When I listened to music, I just kind of listened to the notes. But you know, I don't really pay attention to the words or when we go to a movie and go, you know, it's PG 13. Yeah, it's R rated movie. It's got a great story. But you know what? When you check in on it, it's got sex, it's got nudity, it's got profanity. You know, what in the world are you doing to your heart? How can we as a family help each other have pure hearts? And forth, what can you do today to change what's coming in here, through here and here to give yourself a pure heart? It is so important. And here's the thought for the day, as a potter molds the clay into a work of art, so a home molds the heart of each other into a masterpiece of God.

 

Tradition or Truth - Mark 7:6-8

"I am a Patriot and I feel blessed to live in Branson, Missouri in the United States of America. But you know what? There's a whole lot of traditions in this country that have grown up, especially in the last 60 years that are traditions of men that I don't agree with. "

Family Discussions:

1. What is the difference between tradition and truth?
2. What politically correct idioms bother you?
3. How has this devotional from Mark chapter seven help you see your values more clearly and live by truth and not traditions?

Transcription:

00:14          Today's devotion will hit home probably as good as any devotional I've ever read in scripture. It's chapter seven in the book of Mark, and we're starting at verse six. It was a great day for Jesus as all of his days were great. He always won in every conversation. Verse six says this, "and he said to them rightly, did Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites? As it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. But in vain, do they worship me? Teaching as doctrines, the precepts or the traditions of men neglecting the commandment of God. You hold to the traditions of men."

 

00:59          I am a Patriot and I feel blessed to live in Branson, Missouri in the United States of America. But you know what? There's a whole lot of traditions in this country that have grown up, especially in the last 60 years that are traditions of men that I don't agree with. I have a dear friend and he's one of the nicest young men and one of the successful guys I've ever met in my life in terms of doing what he believes God wants him to do, but he was supposed to be an abortion. And it was the desire of everybody in the family above him to abort him because he was an unwanted child. Fortunately, his mom had the courage to say no, and his mom had him. And now he's doing amazing things with his life. But the tradition says that abortions are good, fine, legal. 55-60 million babies in America have been killed by abortion in the last 30 or 40 years. But I'm glad that some people follow the teachings of God rather than the traditions of men.

 

02:01          I'll never forget, we've had like 50,000 summer staff at these camps in the last 86 years that I get to be a part of. And boy, the greatest folks. I remember one guy who was a sinner on the university of Southern California football team, Tom Debitscisus is one of the finest looking athletes you ever met. And he fell in love with one of the kampers who grew up and then was a counselor named Tori and she was like a daughter to me. And they fell in love. Well, the tradition is that when you fall in love on a college campus, then you go ahead and live together and have sex. But Tom wasn't a man who followed the tradition of man. He followed the Word of God. And then Tom got engaged at the fraternity house and the guys were like, okay, Tom, you're engaged now. Now it's okay to move in with Tori. But Tom goes, you know what, I'm not about their traditions of men. I'm about the word of God and I'm saving my sex for marriage. And he honored that girl till now they became married and now they're, you know, married happily ever after.

 

02:58          I have a little friend in our Kamp named Jordan Sparks and Jordin years ago was the American idol and it was so much fun watching Jordan carry that title. On one hand was her Kanakuk Kamp ring on the other hand was her purity ring. And wherever she went, she would be teased and challenged about their commitment to purity in sex and purity and you know, in her life and her body. And boy, did God honored Jordin Sparks for not following the traditions of men, but following the word of God.

 

03:30          You know, in a science class, anybody who takes biology, I was a premed major and studied biology for four and a half years in college. Well, the tradition is that you evolved from slime. The tradition is that you're nothing more than an evolutionary leak in the succession of apes. But the word of God says that you were made, you were designed, you were created in the image of God, which is the only scientific fact really that's plausible of how somebody got here. But the tradition says you were evolved, that you don't have a God. Well, I'll tell you one thing about the traditions of men. They won't get you to Heaven. And I'll tell you another thing about the tradition of men. They won't give you life. True life and true joy on this earth. Tradition or truth. It's a question that you and I have got to ask every single day. What am I going to do? What am I going to live by tradition or truth?

 

04:23          And here's some questions that I want to ask you. What is the difference between tradition and truth? And the second question today is what politically correct idioms bother you? And the third one is how has this devotional from Mark chapter seven help you see your values more clearly and live by truth and not traditions? Here's the lifeline for today of at home in a godly home. The truth never changes.

Witnessing to Your Family - Mark 6:1-4

"One of the many reasons I just admire my wife and every cell in her body is the witness that she has to her family. Her family were not believers but one by one because of the life of that girl that grew up in a home that just didn't know God."

Family Discussions:

1. Why was it the most difficult for Jesus to be effective right there in his own hometown?
2. Why is it the most difficult for you to be a true witness for Christ in your home?
3. How can your family support you and how can you support your family as you try to be an effective witness in your home?

Transcription:

00:13          You know, the reason I love this book so much is because it's Word of God obviously. And because the new Testament of course is a whole lot about Jesus. In fact, it's all about Jesus. And the Old Testament points toward the coming of Jesus. And the New Testament, points back at the life of Jesus. But he was just so incredibly wise. And the things that he says, man, they hit you right in the heart. This is this a great statement to anybody who is in any member of a family. This is about being a Christian at home. We're in Mark chapter six and we're in verse one and it says this. "Jesus went out from there and came in to his hometown and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, it goes on. He began to teach in the synagogue there in his hometown. And many listeners were astonished saying, where did this man get his wisdom? It's been given to him. And the miracles performed by his hands. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters with him here with us? And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household."

 

01:32          Hey, it's easy to be a witness out there, he's saying. But what about in your home? Man, I opened my heart and let Jesus come in when I was 17. I was a high school kid. My world was football. There were a lot of inconsistencies in my life. And you know what my greatest desire was to witness to my brother. My big brother, Bill, has always been my hero. But I wanted to share Christ with him. He wasn't a believer. He might've believed here, but didn't believe here. I don't think any of us knew that you could open your heart, let Jesus literally come into your heart. But I just did the best I could to be a friend to Bill. And you know what? I will never forget the night, probably five years later that I got to pray with bill and I saw my brother except Christ into his heart. It was definitely one of the greatest years of my life. You know, home may be the most difficult place in the world to witness, but it is always, and it will always be the best place on earth to let your light shine for God.

 

02:49          One of the many reasons I just admire my wife and every cell in her body is the witness that she has to her family. Her family were not believers but one by one because of the life of that girl that grew up in a home that just didn't know God. With a home without a dad. It was just a mess in a lot of ways. But Debbie Jo was a witness and she still remains a witness and we see her family members, like several of those folks in her family come to Christ. And live completely different lives. So, it happens everywhere and I know it can happen in your home.

 

03:28          So let me ask you these questions. Why was it the most difficult for Jesus to be effective right there in his own hometown? That was Jesus. And then secondly, why is it the most difficult for you to be a true witness for Christ in your home? And then thirdly, how can your family support you and how can you support your family as you try to be an effective witness in your home? And here's the thought for the day. You know, a family that is quick to forgive, a family that is quick to forgive and slow to judge is the home where witnessing is easy.

Faith in the Storm - Mark 4:35-40

"I have a little friend, her name is Jenna and she's a hero. This precious girl for decades has suffered from deteriorating sinuses. She has probably not had a healthy day in her life for 20 years. In fact, on a regular basis maybe annually they have to come in and peel her skin down off her face and go into her sinuses and do work on her sinus cavities. And then to make matters worse, she has a horrible two year battle with hepatitis. And then she had a terrible personal, but terrible tragedy happened in her life. It was so hideous and so wrong. But every time I talked to Jenna, she's filled with joy."

Family Discussions:

1. Can you recall a recent storm in your life and how do you normally act to the wind and the waves?
2. Call attention to a fellow family member or to a friend who was faithful to God in a recent stormy period and compliment that family member or that friend for how they handled it.
3. Why is faith in the storm so important for us to live and to learn?

Transcription:

00:13          Hey, this is an awesome devotional today from an awesome passage in scripture. This is just fantastic. This is a day when Jesus took his 12 followers, his disciples, on a little boat ride that they'll never ever forget. And as my friend and my mentor, Dr. Howard Hendrick says, "it's one thing to have the boat in the water, but it's something else to have water in the boat.' This was the day the boat was filled with water. We're looking at Mark chapter four verse 35. On the memorable date. He said, "when evening came, Jesus said to them, his disciples let us go over to the other side of the lake. So leaving the crowd, they took him along with them in the boat just as he was, and other boats were with him. And there arose a fierce Gale of wind and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus himself was in the stern asleep on the cushion, and they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we're perishing? And he got up and he did something amazing. He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, hush, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And Jesus said to them, why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

 

01:37          You know, I have a little friend, her name is Jenna and she's a hero. This precious girl for decades has suffered from deteriorating sinuses. She has probably not had a healthy day in her life for 20 years. In fact, on a regular basis maybe annually they have to come in and peel her skin down off her face and go into her sinuses and do work on her sinus cavities. And then to make matters worse, she has a horrible two year battle with hepatitis. And then she had a terrible personal, but terrible tragedy happened in her life. It was so hideous and so wrong. But every time I talked to Jenna, she's filled with joy. She's filled with peace. She's filled with happiness. I mean, what a blessing that girl is. And she's gone through more pain and more suffering than I think almost anybody that I know.

 

02:34          And so I called Jenna, said, Jenna, you know, how can you stay? How does your faith stay so strong? Why aren't you complaining? And she said this to me. She said, I have reckon my life is a fight. I can either fight God or I can fight to make good out of it. She said, I have chosen the latter. I consider the pain I face very small in comparison to the great things God is doing with my life. She says, my emotions make me mad or sad or depressed, but I've got to override my emotions and stop and think what is true. The truth is that my life is his and he is a faithful father no matter what. And I can always say every day, I love God. You know what? Jenna had one step up on the disciples the day they stepped into the boat with Jesus. You know, storms don't destroy a Christian's faith. They test it. They strengthen it. Thank you Jenna, for passing the test and showing us that no matter how big the storm is, that we find ourselves in, Jesus is always in the boat.

 

03:49          And here's the questions for today. Can you recall a recent storm in your life and how do you normally act to the wind and the waves? And the second question is this. Everyone, if you're in a family right now or your business location, wherever you are, call attention to a fellow family member or to a friend. If you're studying this together, a friend who was faithful to God in a recent stormy period and compliment that family member or that friend for how they handled it. And then here's the third one. Why is faith in the storm so important for us to live and to learn? And the thought for today is this. The family, the home is the place that if it's done, like Jenna, can calm the mini storms on this earth.

The Power of Mustard Seed Faith - Mark 4:30-32

"I've got a really good friend that I admire a lot. His name is Neal Jeffrey, and when Neal was born, he had a speech impediment that made him stutter profusely. He also was a great athlete. In fact, he was the quarterback of a great team in Kansas city, but Neal couldn't call the plays."

Family Discussions:

1. Why are you such a tiny seed of faith, such a powerful thing?
2. Describe the most received faith that you possess in your heart. What's it like in you?
3. How can you take that mustard seed that is in you and fertilize it with the Word of God?
4. How can you fertilize it until it becomes a giant tree for God?

Transcription:

00:14          This is a great parable today. Jesus was so incredibly brilliant without a doubt the most brilliant man that ever lived. But he would tell these stories that would confound the wise. In fact, they do confound the wise even today. But they were so simple that even the youngest even the least can understand them. Today's parable, you've probably heard it's a great one. It's in Mark chapter four and it starts in verse 30 and here it goes. "And he said, how should we picture the kingdom of God or by what parable should we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which when sown upon the soil, the way it is smaller than all the other seeds in the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade."

 

01:11          I've got a really good friend that I admire a lot. His name is Neal Jeffrey, and when Neal was born, he had a speech impediment that made him stutter profusely. He also was a great athlete. In fact, he was the quarterback of a great team in Kansas city, but Neal couldn't call the plays. He would step up to the line and the running back would actually have to call the plays 'cause Neil could not say, "down, set, hut hut." He couldn't even call the plays in the huddle. The receiver would run on the field with a new play from the coach. He would step in the huddle and he would call the plays. And so Neil would just look around the huddle and smile at everybody. Walk up the line. He would take the snap, he would look at the nose guard in front of him, the nose tackle him and he would just grin at him and then all of a sudden that center would hiked the ball.

 

01:58          Well, you would think that that man would have never become successful. I mean, if you can't even get the words out of your mouth, guess what? Stirring a tiny seed of faith, stirring a little bitty mustard seed of faith in Neal Jeffrey's life. And I will tell you, he's one of the most magnificent teachers I've ever heard in my life. He ain't only played college football. He won the conference championship in college football. He went on to play professional football as a quarterback. Don't ever underestimate what faith can do.

 

02:28          I'm married to my hero. You know, Debbie Jo grew up without a dad. Her dad was killed when she was four years old. He was a test pilot for the Navy. A fabulous man. In their home, honestly, her brothers will tell you today was chaotic. There were drugs. Literally marijuana growing in their yard. Her Brothers had trouble with the law and they're magnificent guys today. But back then, drugs and alcohol were everywhere. And so picture this young, beautiful girl growing up in that house and you would probably say, you know what? That girl didn't have a chance. I mean, imagine what that girl would probably do with her life. Well, don't go too far because at age 15 that precious little girl in that home went to a Christian camp and she saw the crucifixion of Jesus and he came into her heart and he turned her life upside down. And that little girl has become one of the greatest spiritual heroes to me in the world. Teaches Bible studies to our staff. Teaches Bible studies to women in the neighborhood. They just come out by the dozens to hear her teach the word of God. Don't ever underestimate. Don't ever underestimate what a tiny speck of faith can do in your life or in the life of your home.

 

03:43          So here's the questions for today. Why are you such a tiny seed of faith, such a powerful thing? And the second question is this. Describe the most received faith that you possess in your heart. What's it like in you? And the third question will take it home. Listen to this. How can you take that mustard seed that is in you and fertilize it with the Word of God? How can you fertilize it until it becomes a giant tree for God? And here's the lifeline of this encouraging devotional. Home, family is the place were mustard seeds are planted and grown the best.

Little Bitty Seeds - Mark 4:3-8

" Have you seen them? They are everywhere. There's enough of them in the air to eclipse the light of the sun. If they were all packed together. There are more of them than there are people that count them. There as many as snowflakes in a blizzard. What are those things? Seeds."

Family Discussions:

1. Why does God compare his word to a little tiny seeds?
2. How can a heart be a garden?
3. How can your heart be a garden that produces the fruit of God?
4. How can you make your home a garden just like that?

Transcription:

00:14          I call today's Bible study, "Little Bitty Seeds." And this is probably the most famous of all of Jesus' parables. Man, what a storyteller he was. And every time he told a story, it had some incredible heavenly meeting. This is the parable of the seeds and it's in Mark chapter four. And we're going to start with verse three. Jesus was speaking, he said this, listen to this. "Behold the sower went out into the field to sow. And as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road and the birds came in and ate it up. Others seeds fell on rocky soil and the ground around it did not have much soil. And immediately it spring up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scarce. And because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns and the thorns came up and choked it and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell into the good soil. And as it grew up and as it increased, it yielded a crop and it produced 30, 60, and a hundred fold."

 

01:21          Have you seen them? They are everywhere. There's enough of them in the air to eclipse the light of the sun. If they were all packed together. There are more of them than there are people that count them. There as many as snowflakes in a blizzard. What are those things? Seeds. Little tiny seeds and man, our nation is blessed with more seeds than any nation that ever lived. Almost every motel and hotel room in America has a book full of seeds. There's a Bible in a drawer. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thousands upon thousands of TV stations and radio stations across this country and literally around the world. They spread the seeds on invisible radio and television currents.

 

02:07          Man, the internet is proliferated with seeds. There's churches on almost every street corner in the country, like 453 denominations to be exact. If you can imagine that. But where are the gardens for the seeds to grow in? They don't seem to grow too well in Hollywood these days. Although I've got some friends out there in Hollywood who are very godly people and they give their career away not to appear in certain movies, but generally speaking, what comes out of Hollywood is not very good seeds. You know, there's many, many, many more R rated movies out today than there are G rated movies. There's more PG 13 movies that PG movies by far.

 

03:00          And then in the schools, man, the courts have kicked out the seeds in the schools. They kicked out prayer. The courts kicked out the 10 commandments. They kicked out and God, they've kicked the Bible out of schools. And then prime time television. Man, Oh man. Seeds don't grow well on prime time television anymore. The only mention of God you'll probably hear on most prime time television is when someone gets mad or someone gets scared and they scream out and God's name in vain. So, where did the seeds grow anymore? Where do you find God's seeds growing? And the answer is phenomenal. They grow in hearts like yours and they grow in homes like the home you're living in today. They grow when you push the world away and you say God, you are my God. You're the God of my home. You are welcome in this house and you're welcome in the house in which we live. You're in charge here, God. Grow here so that others can come and eat out of our garden.

 

04:01          Here's the questions for today. Why does God compare his word to a little tiny seeds? And second question is this. How can a heart be a garden? How can your heart be a garden that produces the fruit of God? And the third question is this. How can you make your home a garden just like that? And here's the thought for the day. Let's make this home that we live in the most fruitful garden in all creation.