Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and the reading.

Jesus leads out the New Community from the place of the Last Supper to a future fraught with suffering, yet glory. Think of Exodus. Enemies are all about. Jesus prepares his disciples for the world’s hatred of them, just as it hates Jesus, a hatred which is about to move to fever pitch.

Why the hatred? Jesus refuses to let his power be used against those from Rome who were occupying the sacred lands. Instead, Jesus unleashes his spiritual power against the religious system from within, announcing a new and deeper spiritual freedom from it. The hatred against Jesus was not from Rome, but from Jerusalem.

Fear not. The Holy Spirit is promised to be with us during any persecution, for strength, for comfort, for wisdom. “When the going gets rough, the rough gets smooth”—by the Holy Spirit!

John 15:18–27

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Loving a world that’s hating v. 18

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In the Seasons of Lent and Easter we read the Gospel of John.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and Acts 15:1-11.

The first council of the Church takes place in Jerusalem. With joy, Paul and Barnabas announce the miracles and wonders that took place while on their recent missionary journey. It is time now for the church to establish guidelines for the expansion to come. They decide that Gentiles are to be welcomed into the life of God in Christ without having to be circumcised. However, the new Christians must adhere to some basic habits of Jews, such as not eating the blood of animals.

The Holy Spirit inspires these decisions. In every verse of Acts, the Holy Spirit is present and active. At every turn of life, the early Christians seek and find this divine presence and power. May it ever be the same for you.

Acts 15

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Those who turn to God bring joy. v. 3

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the Winter Season of Advent to Epiphany this year we read the Letters of John and Jude.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these Firestarters with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and the Psalm.

For a video meditation on today’s Psalm created three years ago, Tap here.

As you pray this psalm, list the number of God’s actions of which David is aware. On land and sea, the Lord is at work. David describes the actions of God’s bounty in the abundant fields and herds.

Your God is a God at work in your own life. If you were to make a list of the favors that the Lord has granted to you, the list would be very long. Even the things that at first glance hardly seem as blessings can become so. Nothing negative can happen to you, but that the Lord is seeking to bring about an even greater blessing for you. Will you let God do this?

Prayer is powerful. It unleashes the loving blessings of God into our lives. You need not complain. You are not a victim, but a victor in Jesus’s resurrection. The resurrection has carpeted your life! Praise the Lord for who God is and for what God does.

Psalm 65

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example: Joy to live within Your courts v. 4

We continue to read the Psalms in numerical order.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information