Though illness among co-hosts seems to have run its course, there’s still some logistical trouble in returning to the studio to record. Instead we have a special guest.

A telephone interview with Tony Rangel, pastor of Crosspoint Southern Baptist Church, takes us on a dialog of topics that glide through the politics of the recent inaugeration, political failings of both parties, the problem of abortion, and contradictions on that matter as seen by the public eye.

Transitioning into our main topic, keith presents the top Bible searches, as tallied by the folks at Biblegateway.com. After a snapshot look at what the end times study means, we discuss what a prophet is.

What do you think of when you hear the word prophet? What do you think others might call to mind when they hear the word? A fortune teller, a mind reader, a healer, a old man with a flowing beard and robes? Something else?

Tony suggests it’s simply someone who tells others a message from God. Keith shares from the Miriam Webster dictionary definition, and a review of Jewish teachings on how a prophet is defined.

First, a prophet, in some way receives a word from God. Whether a dream, omen, oracle, or a face to face conversation with a burning bush, or similar encounter with God. Then he takes that message to the people to tell them. A supernatural sign often accompanies the message, but only to prove to the audience that the word is truth. The supernatural sign may not be needed, since the targeted people may already be of a heart and mind to receive it. But if the sign, or prediction comes true, there can be no doubt. If that sign fails to come true, the prophet is a false one.

Where does revelation come from for modern day prophets? In times of old, God spoke a word, those prophets were told to write it down. Therefore, event if a prophet today never experiences a supernatural even, we have the revealed word of God available in the words of scripture.

Prophetic ability is a learned gift. Anybody can attain it, and everybody has the potential to be a prophet, if only on a small scale. All it takes is being able to receive God’s word, and telling someone what has been revealed? Does your audience need a sign, a proof that your word is true? The bible is full of self fulfilling prophecies, life truths, and promises of God that can be relied upon for assurance. Nature points to an intelligent creator, and scripture is the words he uses to communicate in very specific ways.

Remember to let us know what you think of the shows, your favorite episode, topic, segment, interviews, guests, or what we can do to keep bringing you a podcast to bless your friends with.

Find out more about Tony’s ministry at Crosspoint Southern Baptist Church, cpconnect.com. Be sure to click the links there to also follow the church on Facebook, and their new live stream on Youtube.

We finally reached the milestone of the 100th episode, but due to lingering illnesses, Keith falls back on a solo episode. It’s still the topic that was going to be presented, but he has to go it alone… sort of.

To make things more interesting than just having one voice to bore listeners to tears, there are a few guest voices to appear, and mix things up. One involves a new update to a bible app that Keith has been using. If you would like more details on it, drop a line to say so and we’ll be sure to share a link, and mention it in another show. For now just enjoy the contribution it makes.

Besides some Retrobots to do some reading, mostly from some input that Nathan shared about our bible passage, other voices from Keith’s other podcast make guest appearances.

The original title for this stop in the Bible survey was: Saul Fails and is Rejected: It says it all, as far as who is in it, and what’s happening at this moment in history. Nathan’s outline puts the title as: Who Had the Better Plan? And is maybe the better title, since it tags the happenings in a way that is relevant through the ages, and the perspective in how people ought to relate to God. But since it’s Keith’s site, and podcast, the title got hacked to pieces once again to reflect the relation of actions, and consequences. It’s still a good way to look at the principle of what’s happening, and why.

The focus is on 1 Samuel 15:17-23, but in the podcast Keith backs it up to the beginning of the chapter, so we can get a little more context of the clear instructions that needed no interpretation, or the need to put spin on a clearly defined mission.

1Sam 15 Review

1,2. God sends Samuel with a command for Saul.

3.

* Strike Amalek.

* Destroy all they have.

* Spare none.

* Kill Man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey

Note: Ouch. I know that’s harsh. It’s graphic. We are in no way encouraging, or condoning behavior like that. We’ve discussed the evil nature of this ancient tribe on the podcast before. Don’t get bogged down by the historic detail. Rather, consider what the principle behind it means. A clearly defined mission that has been presented to you to do.

4-7. Saul gathered the army. He warned the Kenites (non Amalekites) to flee. He defeated them.

Where it goes wrong.

8,9. Saul took king Agog alive, killed the rest. Saul and the people kept the best of livestock, killing only the worthless animals.

More

decline for Saul

10-12. God tells Samuel what happened. Samuel is angry, and grieves all night. Samuel learns of a monument Saul set up for himself. A matter that seems to cause neither anger or grieff.

The confrontation.

13,16. Seeing Samuel, Saul greets him with blessings. Saul claims, “I have performed the command of the lord.” Samuel asked, why all the animal sounds in his ears? Saul becomes defensive of his actions, claiming the people did it. To sacrifice the animals to God. The worthless ones were killed.

Samuel told him, stop. Here’s what the lord already told me.

Focus

I. Saul was nobody. God had raised him up!

17 And Samuel said,

“Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.

II. Saul disobeyed God.

A. God told him specifically to do something. He had other ideas.

18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and said,

‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’

19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”

B. Saul had his excuses,

Featuring a few moments in the world of old time radio, with the Cowboy Church of the Air. Yes! Where else could you hear a western swing band with both a tuba and bannjo?

Setting out to do a solo episode, since sickness has taken its toll this cold and flu season, Keith first presents a song that Steewart Hamblin was well known for, and the story behind how he came t write it. The version presented is one from Rosemary Clooney, as recorded in 1954.

Long time radio announcer, song writer, singer,and at the time, fairly new Christian, Stewart Hamblin sang over the airwaves. Joined by his wife, Suzy, and their back up group. the Brush Arbor Boys, the Cowboy Church brought a slice of good old camp meeting time, and good, down home music with a blend of country and christian flair.

The show was a commercial venture, where a sponsor helped to bring the gospel message to listeners. Since this podcast isn’t commercial, the in show ads have been snipped.

Playlist:

* Stewart sings, Lend Your Hand.

* The gang discuss past camp meetings.

* Suzy and the brush arbor boys sing, he bought my sol at calvary

* The gang has more discussion of camp meetings, and song inspirations.

* Stewart sings, Partnered with the Lord.

* A musical interlude for inserting a sponsor message. Followed by…

* A discussion of medicine and poison oak gets Suzy wound up about taking the lord into people’s hearts.

* The Brush Arbor Boys sing, A Lot More Laying Down, Than There Is Up Walking Around.

* The Blue Bonnets sing, Yours Only.

* Stewart tells about a song inspiration on a lion hunt, seeing an atomic bomb explosion, and a word about his faith in a creator.

* Stewart sings, Known Only to God.

* Time is out be fore Suzy can launch very far into the tune, , Where Would You Be Tomorrow, If You Had to Die Tonight.

Drop us a line, or check out our Facebook Group to let us know what you thought about the show today.

A solo episode where Keith reviews the shows we posted through the year. We start out with the gospel message, and end up with Christmas. Along the way we cover a range of things including hell and witches.

Episode 48 SPEAKING OF THE GOSPEL, featured the gospel as presented in Galatians 1. We touch base with an ongoing Bible survey in episode 49 BIBLE SURVEY 4: SIN, FORGIVENESS, AND REPENTANCE. It took until close to the end of the month to reach episode 50, OUR FIRST YEAR IN REVIEW, a compilation of clips from shows in the preceding year.

February brought a mixed bag where we spent episode 51, DECISIONS, dealing with our most important decision in life. Then we set the pendulum swinging to explore the reality of the occult in episode 52 WITCHES, THE OCCULT, AND PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Swinging back to a more timely holiday topic, we get to episode 53 FIRST LOOK AT PASSOVER TRADITIONS. A show to examine how the Jewish passover is celebrated, and what the parts of it mean for Christians. Finally, the month is rounded up in a solo episode where Keith revisits the drama that unfolds with a dragon, and a woman clothed in light. Episode 54 REVELATION 12:5-8.

More solo episodes, and shows without the full group were the theme for March. We get back to a look at the Easter holiday with episode 55 EXTREMELY EASTER56 BIBLE SURVEY 5: SIN UNDER THE LAW. For the first time as a regular host, Chris joins with a selection of difficult, but common questions people have about God and religious things. Episode 57 CHRIS ASKS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS. It’s down to business as we look at episode 58, FOR THE LOVE OF WORK. Is it a blessing, or a curse from God? A solo episode, and a pre-recorded talk Keith gave a few months earlier is presented with episode 59, CALL TO PURITY.

We took a week off for April, but we still responded to crazy things going down in our world with episode 60 THE TRUTH ABOUT A WORLD GONE WRONG. Rather than getting caught up in a mentality of us and them, episode 61 PRAYER OF MEDIATION, is about the benefit we can gain in praying for others. Returning to our Bible survey, episode 62 BIBLE SURVEY 6: OBEDIENCE FROM LOVE, talks about the attitude we should have in obeying what God commands.

In May, we bring back a guest to interview in episode 63, MICHAEL PRINCE: WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKET? We talk about his latest book, and parents keeping their kids safe on line. We take another look at people doing things badly with episode 64, BIBLE SURVEY 7: HUMANITIES DISOBEDIENCE. Don’t you wish

God would just come right out and speak to you? In episode 65 GOD SPEAKS: IT’S A GOOD THING, RIGHT? We look at why that might not be a good idea for most of us.

Even if God played it on you to speak his message to you, the truth isn’t always happy and uplifting. In episode 66 GREAT RESPONSIBILITY, GREAT SORROW, we explore that concept. Time for another solo episode, but this time we share something from the world of old time radio. Episode 67 THE CEMENT OF DEMOCRACY, was a short series to explore what democracy looked like during our nations earliest days. This installment deals with how our young democracy felt about religious matters.

With the

Summer months rolling through in the month of June, we fell back on solo episodes. First, we do a movie review, and examine the topic of how laughter and humor fits into the Bible in episode 68, RISEN LAUGHTER

It was in response to a question from a listener, which is how we came to talk about the topics of episode 69, UNCLEAN ANIMALS PLUS ONE. The pause one part is a brief look at numbers and how they are used in bible writings. In this solo episode, Keith presents a talk he gave a few weeks earlier, episode 70, TREASURE IN HEAVEN.

In July we ranged from the serious to the fun. A solo episode gets the month going with a return to a double feature of old radio shows. Episode 72 INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL,

Or, Nathan’s Solo Christmas Gift, Plus.

An unrecognized Christmas gift? What does that mean? Nathan presents a sermon from Message from John 1:1-18.

You’ll learn how Jesus is eternal, and though he entered the creation that he made, he wasn’t recognized. He became flesh, he came to his own, and was rejected. He is the word, the truth, and the light. But when light entered the darkness, he wasn’t recognized. Still, he was God in the flesh, who came to pay the price, and take the burden of our sin upon himself, so we could be at peace with God.

Continuing with the theme of our previous show, nathan shares a few bits of Bible based trivia. Get the word on some facts, and myths surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Meet the Host. With a little flip flop in the usual order of segments, Nathan catches up on some of his holiday celebration with family, and a cool, high tech digital gadget.

-Enjoy this small bit of fun as our Retrobots phone in a special Christmas greeting. They may be confused, but they mean well.

A crossover episode with Team Jadeth Live.

We substitute a co-host for a special guest host, and have an hour of casual fun. Not that fun wouldn’t be had any way.

To open up we welcome our guest, a different Nathan, from a different state. We have a short segment of Meeting the hosts, and talk about Christmas plans, and a guy named Charlie Brown.

There are a couple …

Random Internet Topics

The first one is a little more serious than intended for a light hearted show, but our guest weighs in on how to approach the Bible as either being literal, or afigurative book. Should we apply it as being alogorical, or parable? If we count it as literal, there are some considerations to remember in its literary styles. If we count it as figurative, the problem to face is in accurately, and consistently interpreting the accounts in it. The key to remember is that it’s God’s book, and it doesn’t contradict itself. If it seems to be contradictary, the intrpretation applied may be taking matters out of context.

Keith brightens the tone a little with a tidbit from Facebook. Don’t worry, he won’t sing it, but he presents… the 12 Gifts of Facebook. j

Main Topic.

Everybody was given the assignment to bring some trivia questions to the table. Chris applies his exprtise in history to bring tidbits on Christmas tradition. Our guest, Nathan brings items of pop culture. Keith has a mixed bag of general trivia, and if Nathan Caldwell could have made it, he would carry the Bible related questions. He somehow manages to get a small voice in, but only because Retrobot Nathan crashed the party.

In this solo episode, Keith presents a few moments from the world of old time radio.

First, due to a few closing comments at the end of our last episode on free will, a sermon from an old time radio show called the Catholic Hour is presented. It’s not the whole show, just the sermon from it. The title may seem to imply that war represents a cost to God, or that he is somehow at a loss over it. Instead, it’s one of those attention grabbers that loosely fits the topic, which is about free will.

God would rather that we live at peace, harmony, and in obedience to him. Because he doesn’t want mindless robots, he grants free will to choose, and he respects our free will to choose to do good, or do evil. When men choose evil, he is disappointed, but he allows us to have our way. We just need to be aware that evil in the world may be allowed by God, but it is men who unleash it.

Next up is something a lot more fun.

Command Performance – Bob Hope 1 Hour Christmas Special. 421224.

In order to take a little bit of home to the troops overseas in World War 2, Command Performance was produced in Hollywood, and featured top stars of the day. It was never aired to the general public, except for the Christmas episode. It was a time for those on the home front to see what their loved ones heard for entertainment, and it let the servicemembers know they were well supported back home. This episode would have aired just a few short weeks after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, and the entrance of America into the war.

Many of the performers might be known by today’s audience, but many may not. Here’s a brief summary.

* Elmer Davis. Top news anchor introduces the show to the audience at home.

* Bob Hope. Comedian, movie star, and supporter of the troops right into the Gulf War time frame. Known for his many TV specials, and rapid fire jokes. Opens with a few jokes, and peppers the show with more as he introduces each performer.

* Red Skelton. Comedian of radio and TV, performs his signature character from radio, Junior the mean luittle kid. The mischeivious kid causes all sorts of trouble on Christmas Day, with mom, Harriot hilliard.

* Harriot Hilliard. Actually the wife of big band leader Ozzie Nelson, who starred together in their own TV show in the 1950’s with their real life sons. Ricky Nelson would go on to be a rock star of the 1960’s.

* Spike Jones. The band performs Jingle Bells. You will easily recognize the musical style from countless Warner Brothers cartoons.

* Ginnie Simms. Top singer of the day. She even enlisted, and entertained the troops all through the war in USO shows.

* Bing Crosby. Star of movies, and ssinger who still holds a record in record sales with his hit, White Christmas. He doesn’t sing it, but cracks jokes with his partner from movies, Bob Hope.

* The Charioteers. Bing’s back up quartet from his radio show. They were top notch performers in their own right and with their own hit songs.

* Ethel Waters. Blues legend with a career spanning back into the 1920’s.

* Charles Laughton. Leading man in movie roles. He plays along with a comedy bit with…

* Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. A ventroliquist, and his doll who made it big on radio and movies. Charlie was an unruly boyish character who gives Edgar and Charles a hard time on Christmas day.

* Kaye Kaiser. Big band leader who launched plenty of top songs, including patriotic wartime tunes like the one he performs today. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition.

* Dinah Shore. Singer, star of movies and TV. She was a golfer, and very active in entertaining well into the 1970’s. A favorite of the troops, and namesake for a Pro Golf Tour.

* Jack Benny. Comedian, and star of radio, movies, and TV. He enfluenced countless comedians through the years including Jerry ...

Due to the need to get an early start, there was no chat room. Sorry.

Meet the hosts. Chris is absent today, but Nathan has exciting news about leading his first communion for his new church family. Get ready for the mysterious shower story from Keith, complete with a twist ending. It ends better than it might sound at first.

To continue a feature from an earlier installment, we take another look at universal Truths that apply in all situations. This time it’s about the reliability in asking God for wisdom. Prosperity fails, and other truth and promises are wrapped in specific context, but wisdom is something God will always grant to the heart that seeks it. What kind of heart? One that is open, sincere,, andobedient.

Main Topic. It’s still a couple weeks before Christmas, and there’s more to look at with Joseph. We return to the events in Matthew 1:19-25. We already fixated on verse 18 pretty closely.

Joseph. had to Make sense of a problem on his own.

19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Joseph was:

* A husband, even though still in a status of being engaged, the couple wwas still a husband and wife.

* Just. What does that include?

* he was equitable, or fair.

* He was innocent, of being the father of this special baby.

* He was righteous.

* not willing,

*

He was not of a desire…

* It was not his choice…

* It was not his preference…

* or his intend,

* To publically expose, or shame her

It is clear that Joseph loved Mary , and he didn’t want to lose her, or to shame her, or to have her be a public spectacle.

Joseph did some deep mental searching, and the only thing that seemed right to do was a quiet divorce. It wasn’t God’s plan though, and intervention was to come.

Joseph. Finds help outside himself.

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph son of David. The angel called him by name.

Commands were given: Fear not. Take., or receive, or hold close, Mary.

Joseph was assured of a few things: The child is conceived of the Holy Spirit, Mary was a virgin, and the child would be a son. In the days before modern medicine, and ultra sounds, predicting a son was not possible, and even a guess was only 50% accurate. A name was given, and the promise this was the messiah who would save people from their sin.

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Bottom line, Joseph had a problem he couldn’t solve on his own, or using conventional wisdom. An angel, or messenger, was sent with the answer, assurances, and commands. Joseph listened, and did it.

Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

We don’t have a lot of structure in our discussion today. A forgotten concept from an earlier episode gets us started. Are there universal truths in the bible? Meaning a truth that applies in all situations, all the time? Most truths we learn about depend on the context of when they are given, the people who they were given to, or the situation at hand. One universal truth, and probably the most important one, is that of salvation. We all need it, without it, our future can only lead to destruction, and we can’t achieve it by ourselves.

We take something of a bunny trail, as we wonder at the latest developments in the world of those with confused or uncertain feelings about there sexuality. It’s a good thing, because it transitions us into talking about what sin is. Whether you hold to a Christian outlook, holding the bible to be the final authority on ethics, everybody knows that we fall short in obeying the rules, and that evil exists. We all may not agree exactly where those lines should be drawn, but everyone can honestly agree that we are far from perfect.

What do we do about those uh-oh moments in life? How do we come to grips with them? As much as we might like to give the benefit of the doubt to people, or that humanity is basically good, we fail so badly on so many levels.

Main Topic. From before the beginning of time, and from the earliest pages of scripture, a plan was in place. The focal point to rescue all humanity took place with a special birth.

Taking a close look at this moment in time, we look at Matthew 1:18, and various supporting passages. The bible is unique in that instead of being a single book, it is made of separate, supportive writings, written by diverse authors from a timespan of centuries. Many writing independently of each other, and often coming to the same conclusions and principles. Writers

Matthew 1:18 contains a couple key points. The birth of Jesus, and the special situation surrounding Mary and Joseph.

The birth of Jesus might be a simple, common thing, except he had to be born as a clean thing, out of unclean people. Comparing this passage to the account in Luke 1:27-38, we find that both Mary and Joseph had independent encounters with angels who made it plain that the Holy

Spirit was behind this birth. It was important to know that Joseph was not the father. Scandalous, but there was to be no doubt of the divine intervention that made Jesus special.

The promised of this savior, and the salvation he offers from sin, goes all the way to the moments after the fall of man, as we read in Genesis 3:15. The special kind of a man who would rise above being impure, and could claim being righteous in his own right.

God could have chosen anytime or place, but the focal point is this moment where Jesus came into the world.

Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV)

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Jesus fell under all the same laws we all do. He lived up to them, and conquered them. It’s why he alone can claim total righteousness, and he alone is qualified to pay the price of sin for all of us. In the book of Hebrews it claims he is the high priest who offers the perfect sacrifice for our sin.

The name Jesus actually means God Saves. Think of this, Jesus was born into the world to save us from sin. “God Saves” was born at a special time, in a special place, to a special purpose, and is the focal point for all humanity to be reclaimed to be with him in eternity.

Sin is the problem, but with what we call Christmas, the birth of God’s salvation, is what it takes to justify us, and reconcile us to him

On a parting note, we spend a few moments considering why people say they hate Christmas. Our bottom line?