Let’s imagine a scenario. You and me, together we are standing at the foot of the cross. Jesus is there before us, hanging on the cross and says, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” You realize that he’s talking about you. You let the grace of God wash over you. You feel the forgiveness that you don’t deserve. Suddenly you look around and your worst enemy, the one who has hurt you the most, is standing there in the crowd too.    Now, how does that feel?    Do you remember where you were on 911? We were having our weekly Tuesday morning prayer meeting an hour before the first plane hit the World Trade Center. A lady came to that meeting with the urgent request that we pray for the nation. So we did. But the planes still hit the towers, and thousands of people were still killed. Why would God have us pray for a nation about to endure suffering without the intention to intervene? Why does God let suffering happen at all? What purpose does it serve?    The freedom he has given humanity is a testimony to something deeper than the pleasure or pain of our humanity. There is a oneness in the Spirit we must learn to participate in by being intentional about loving one another and fulfilling the mandate of Christ. 
Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Twitter: @billvanderbush   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490

In the United States, the suicide rate increased 25.4% from 1999 to 2016. In 2018, there were an estimated 1.4 million suicide attempts and more than 48,000 deaths by suicide  If this isn’t alarming to you, check your conscience and realize that there is an evil spirit roaming the earth that doesn’t want any of us to live.    This episode features two stories of redemption. One is a young lady we’ll call Em, who grew up as a Pastor’s daughter, and yet found herself in at the edge of suicide. The other is Lacey Sturm, a rockstar from the band, Flyleaf. At the age of 16, she found herself in the same valley. Their stories, while terrifying on many levels, will encourage your heart and empower your faith to break the spirit of suicide wherever you find it.    If you have young people in your world, this hour could mean the difference between life and death, knowing what to look for, and learning how to respond when the warning sirens go off. I believe God wants to equip you to be an ambassador of grace who can walk someone out of the valley of the shadow of death. Oh, by the way, about the title of this podcast? Grace is a person and his name is Jesus.
Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Twitter: @billvanderbush   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490 Lacey Sturm: "I’m So Sick” from the self-titled Flyleaf debut album. https://music.apple.com/us/artist/flyleaf/27653104   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255  

You might have heard the phrase that seems to be everywhere these days that says, “Facts don’t care about your feelings.” It can make you think that our perspective of facts is the highest form of knowledge available. But if Jeremiah has anything to add it might be the revelation that God’s truth doesn’t care about our facts. So when communicating the heart of God, you will find yourself confronting both human feelings and human facts. We learn this in a growing process that often carries with it, growing pains. In a quest for the Kingdom of God, embracing the process of transformation is a non-negotiable necessity that produces a beautiful understanding of Kingdom reality. That you are loved and known, not for what you’ve done, but for who you are.
Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/ Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill Twitter: @billvanderbush   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490

Did you know that demons hate joy? Did you know that joy is one of the most powerful forms of spiritual warfare? That’s why I like to call it Spiritual Joyfare. This podcast will liberate you to walk free from demonic influence and empower you to bring freedom to others.   - Stop letting the devil wreck your life by learning to walk in victory every day!
- Live free with the authority that is already within you in Christ.
- Break the chains and bondage of ongoing emotional, chemical, sexual, and relational issues.
Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Twitter: @billvanderbush   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490

Have you ever noticed that God doesn’t seem to care about his reputation? To maintain his reputation it would require that God controls the narrative, and yet he has placed a disturbing amount of the story in our hands. This week’s podcast explores the uncomfortable realization that we’ve been given a beautiful and terrifying level of freedom. Does squandering that freedom mean that God hates you? Find out as we continue to explore the story of the reckless grace of God.   Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Twitter: @billvanderbush   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490  

How can you have experiences with God, walk in powerful supernatural gifts, and know the Bible, and yet still deconstruct everything you once believed? In a raw, honest, and edgy interview with my son, who walked away from his Christian faith, I take the posture of a listener to ask questions and explore the journey from a conservative Christian home all the way to the edge of atheism and back. The point of this podcast wasn’t to argue or debate with my son publicly, but to demonstrate that no matter what journey they are on, you can still have a deep and loving relationship with your children without compromising your convictions. Love truly does cover...   Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490

The scandal of grace is that your enemies become innocent and the Father welcomes them to belong to your family. Just how good do we believe Christ is? Whatever you believe, he’s better. God will always prove himself to be better than you think, and you can’t imagine him better than he is.    Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490  

What if Jesus came to you and said, “Who do you say that I am?” Would you just copy Peter’s answer? These days it seems like people are attacking the Bible left and right. This conversation with my good friend, Matt Monk, will give you a chance to sit in on a couple of disciples processing the answer to that question and why it’s such a big deal that we defend the integrity of the Scriptures.    Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Featured music  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490

Have you ever been stuck between dueling prophecies in the same church service? I have, and it’s a pretty funny story. It’s incredibly common these days to play the God card by simply saying, “Thus saith the Lord” and the result is that prophetic confusion has flooded the body of Christ. Can you hear the voice of God? Yes. Can you speak what is on the Father’s heart? Yes. This dynamic Bible study will equip and empower you with absolutely life changing revelation on walking in prophetic power. This broadcast features music by Michael Giffone and Godfrey Birtill (gratefully shared with permission from the artists).   Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill   Featured music  Godfrey Birtill: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/godfrey-birtill/250995076  Michael Giffone: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-giffone/1410403490

From blowing up deacons, breaking an arm on a Sunday morning, or burying youth leaders in a cemetery, the wild lengths we go to in order to preach the Gospel have no end. Thankfully, neither does the grace of God.   Website Link: https://billvanderbush.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billvanderbush/   Instagram: @billosopher59 and @biblestudywithbill