The Eagle's Eye Podcast

After a few months away, I was finally inspired to recreate a podcast that really spoke to some folks recently. Climbing mountains is never easy, but the climb, no matter how tough, is worth it, when you get to the peak and see the amazing views. Life, health, and faith are often like that mountain climb. But can we really face the questions everyone wants to ask, but feel they can't? And will we find any answers?

All over the world in 2022, there are many people who do not enjoy freedom. All over the Middle East, and other areas of the world, Christians in particular, suffer great persecution because of their faith in Jesus (Yeshua). And all over the world the Jewish people too have suffered much persecution – just look at the Holocaust as one example – and today, we are living in an age when antisemitism is as high as it was in the 1930s.

The Human Rights Watch have produced a 42-page guide regarding the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022. But with Qatar having such bad human rights issue, should Qatar be even hosting the Fifa World Cup? With Iran's threats of nuclear war and thousands of Iranian's interrogated, unfairly prosecuted solely for peacefully exercising their human rights, and hundreds remained unjustly imprisoned, should England be playing Iran in the World Cup? In this 50th episode of The Eagle's Eye Podcast, I invite our son Matthew to discuss these issues.

What is the Hebrew month of Cheshvan? What can we learn from this month that will help stop burnout? When we examine the horrendous state of of world, how can we gain peace? And what has any of this got to do with Noah?

Noah’s absolute faith in God, which resulted in uncompromising obedience, was the reason he was able to truly enter a place of blessed rest. In fact, the name Noah, or Noach in Hebrew, means rest. He was not a man who “leaned on his own understanding” of a situation but trusted wholeheartedly in the Word of the Lord and obeyed.

In today's world, it must get to a point when one has to simply “stop”… and stand still before man’s Creator… just for a moment, just to bask in the light and the depth of that connection… and in many ways, I feel we miss that. I guess that is why God ordered us a Shabbat rest.

Over the High Holy Days (September/October) Israel has been celebrating the three Biblical Feasts - Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). All these are Torah-commanded holidays. However, as I was reading sections of the book of Genesis, I really felt the Lord lay an issue on my heart regarding the promises of God to Israel, and how they respond to His calling.

The passages I'm concentrating on (along with others) are Genesis 28:10-17; Genesis 31:43-54; John 1:43-51, and Genesis 32:4-31.

Hope you get something from this.

Shavuot 2023 (Pentecost in Greek), or the Feast of Weeks, is a Jewish holiday. In 2023, Shavuot begins at sunset on Thursday May 25, and concludes at nightfall on Shabbat, May 27, 2023. As you listen to this podcast -The Shavuot Wind Revisited, please cry out to the LORD God that Israel would experience a mighty move of the power of the Holy Spirit throughout her Land over this period and pray that both Israel and the Church would desire a move of the Lord God in these days.

For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. (Psalm 132:13-16)

On Wednesday May 4, 2022 Israel remembered her fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks. On Thursday, we remember Yom Ha'atzma’ut (Independence Day) - which celebrates the Declaration of Independence of Israel which was first read on 14th May 1948 by David Ben Gurion. Pray that the nation would have a clear vision of what God has called them to be, and that the strong resolute spirit of the Jewish people would enable them to see the Lord God at work within them.

What was the bush that Moses saw burning and why did it attract such curiosity from Moses? And can we learn anything from this ancient Biblical story? This is the theme of this Eagle’s Eye podcast, episode 45. Hope you enjoy this, and that it speaks to you.

One of the Hebrew words that is translated “to refresh” or “to be refreshed” is naphash. It means to breathe or to be breathed upon.

So… why not ‘take a breath… maybe this Shabbat, put away your projects, your worries, and cares, even your mobile phones, laptops, and breathe... enjoy!

We all remember where we were and what we were doing on 11 September 2001. The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington marked a turning point in world politics and shook NATO to its core.

Less than two hours after being hit by the planes, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York collapsed, one after the other - leaving massive clouds of dust and debris. But what impact does this have on today's youth? And what of people born post 9/11? Twenty years later, these are my thoughts and this is my story of how I will never forget this day.

In this podcast, I try to look at some of the tough questions you have asked me to cover. According to the Bible, we are all selfish and fail God every day because ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23) – so we mess up daily and in which case there appears to be little hope for anyone... or is there?

Why should God hold out the hand of grace to one and not the other? Are we really so self-centred that while we see horror stories unfolding in volumes that we never expected; and we see earthquakes, tsunamis, massive floods, terrorist attacks, wars and more… we can still eat our evening meals whilst watching all this on TV? Have we really become desensitised? And if so, what hope is there for any of us? There are many questions we face every day, and you have emailed me many. So let's hope we might find some answers.

[All music licensed to David P Soakell]