it DOES matter

"The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD." {Proverbs 16:1}
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." {Ephesians 6:1-3}

We are quickly approaching Mother’s Day and in the next couple of episodes you, our listeners, will have the opportunity to hear amazing stories of how moms have influenced their families.  Previously in episode 12, we interviewed Amy who shared with us about some tough choices that were presented in her path of life, and yet she made right choices which made a huge impact on the lives of her children.   I’m super excited for today’s episode as we are joined by Amy’s son Austin who has been on an incredible journey in his short time on earth.  May you also catch Austin's enthusiasm for studying the Bible and for honoring God even while following after business entrepreneurs!   

Hear our interview with Austin's mother, Amy:  
https://1051165.buzzsprout.com/1051165/4609841-choices-with-amy-lostroh

Today you all are in for a treat as we have another interview for you.  Deborah Locke is the daughter of a pastor and is now a pastor’s wife along with many other roles in her life.  Her journey of childhood and motherhood has had some tough and wonderful events, so we are excited to have her share with us today. 
"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them."  {Psalm 145:18,19} 
Books mentioned:
More Precious Than Gold 
https://www.amazon.com/More-Precious-Than-Gold-Familys/dp/0800755197
No Greater Love
https://www.amazon.com/No-Greater-Love-Becky-Vaughn-ebook/dp/B07NLG54CB

Connect with Debbie:  [email protected]

Debbie's Famous Punch Recipe!
one 16-year old     2 quarts tea       1 pot of hot dog water     1 funny story    

Usually when we have an interview with a guest on our show, we ask them “How are you doing?”  But today, we want to ask that question of you, our listeners.  “How are you doing?”  You can answer that in your mind or even out loud if you want.  When someone asks that question of us, we may respond with “Fine”, or “Good”, or I have a friend who usually answers “I’m pretty OK”.  But those answers can all give an indication that everything is going smooth and there are no troubles going on in life.  Yet deep down there are struggles.  You may be in a situation at work, or home, or at school where you do not see any way out of the darkness.  You may be feeling pretty scared, lonely, or even despairing about a situation in life.  You may even be having suicidal thoughts because you feel that is your only “OUT”.  But stay with us, because today we will not only talk about signs and symptoms of stress factors, but we will offer guidance from personal experiences as well as the most needed help from God’s Word, the Bible.  

Today the three of us friends would like to talk about things related to stress, worry, fear, depression.  And it is our prayerful desire that by the end of this episode you will allow the Prince of Peace to give you a peace that passes all understanding.   

 "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."  (1 Peter 5:5-7)

How can we effectively be a witness for Jesus around the world if we ourselves are not able to  travel around the world?  Listen as John shares his amazing testimony of open doors of opportunity that God has given him and encourages all believers with ways they can still be a witness no matter their location. 
1--pray 2--host immigrants or exchange students in your home 3--tap into missionary family legacies 4--use the 30 day prayer method 5--be a short term or furlough replacement if able. 
"For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."
1 Corinthians 16:9
"And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 1 Peter 5:4

Connect with John Wood and Give toward Bibles for Village Pastors
https://GloryHonor.africa/donate

Checks can be sent to:
Glory Honor Africa
3370 N Hayden Rd, Suite 123/909
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
mention Bibles for Village Pastors

Previous episode with John’s brother Don Wood:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1051165/7437754-from-parents-to-grandparents-with-don-wood

A scarlet theme runs throughout the entire Bible.  From Genesis to Revelation, we can see how God made possible redemption from our sins through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.  “it DOES  matter” whether you believe that Jesus is alive or not.  He is alive and wants to live in your heart. Because Jesus lives, we can also live with Him in heaven for all eternity. Do you know Jesus as your Savior? This Easter weekend would be a wonderful time to put your faith and trust in Jesus alone. 🙏🏽

Genesis 1:1, 31; 3:15; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:21-23; Mark 11:22; John 3:16; Romans 5:12

Timeline of Passion Week of Jesus explained:
https://vimeo.com/channels/lbcsprings1547856/527051149
Resurrection Eggs story:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lndxs7aj5gA
Research more about the Crimson Worm!

There are no language barriers with God.  He is worthy to be praised in every tongue as the verse Isaiah 12:5 reminds us, “Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.”
The Bible talks about the importance of good music.  In the book of Ephesians from the Bible, we can read about how Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, can mature in their walk with the Lord.  Verse 19 says, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” 
 Colossians 3:16 & 17 from the Bible says,  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.    And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Psalm 147:1 say,“Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (or fitting).”

Being vulnerable is hard. Putting your life story out there sometimes is hard too. Yet God can grow others in similar ways that He grows you if you allow your story to be told through the eyes of “His~story” for your life.  "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." 
(1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Shelley shares how God’s faithfulness has carried her through years of “wandering” across America and around the world.   "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

Many changes are going on around the world, and especially in America, so how can we respond with godliness?  "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;" (Colossians 1:23)

In this episode with our guest Pastor Keith Carnahan, terminology will be defined such as progressive, progressive Christianity, critical theory, critical race theory, intersectionality, WOKE Christianity.  "it DOES matter" what we the Bible has to say about each of these ideas.
 
PRAY for our leaders to make wise choices and choose integrity over majority. 
Do you want to be saved  from your sin?  Admit you are a sinner.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Call upon Him to save you.  https://www.fellowshiptractleague.org/tract_pdf/english/167.pdf

Bible References: "But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." (Matthew 12:25)
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Links mentioned:
The Heritage Foundation  https://www.heritage.org/gender/report/11-myths-about-hr-5-the-equality-act-2021
Contact Senators:  https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

https://1051165.buzzsprout.com/1051165/5505055-does-god-really-care-about-people-with-pastor-keith-carnahan
https://1051165.buzzsprout.com/1051165/3940949-we-are-troubled-but-not-perplexed-with-pastor-carnahan

How in the world can we pray for our world?  Today we are going to talk about ways to pray for our world.  It’s a great big wonderful place.  We can pray generally, but we can also pray specifically.  Pray alphabetically.  If you look on the internet, there are about 200 independent countries, and many territories and sovereign nations.  If you prayed for one country per day, you would be able to pray for all of them in a year.  On an average you would be praying for 18 countries per month.  So maybe on the weekends you could review the ones you prayed for earlier in the week. Pray when you hear the news. You can also pray for people around the world as you hear about their situations that come up in the news.  Pray the 60 seconds it takes to brush your teeth.  Pray for hearts to be responsive to the Holy Spirit who wants to convict them of sin.  Pray for eyes to be opened to the truth of God as Creator of the world.  Pray for hearts to receive Jesus as their Savior.
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26, 27
Ephesians 6:1,2; Romans 10:13; 2 Corinthians 2:15;1 Timothy 2:1-4; James 5:16.  

“And David was greatly distressed....but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”  1 Samuel 30:6

Our topic of discussion today is not an easy one but definitely necessary if we are going to have complete victory in our Christian lives.  Can you think of someone in your life who has wronged you?  Maybe to the point that you hope you never see them again because they have hurt you so terribly.  More than one person may have wronged us, too.  

2 Timothy 4:14; Micah 7:18; Matthew 6:15; Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:21,22; Matthew 12:45; Ephesians 1:7; Micah 6:8

“it DOES matter” that we choose to forGIVE.