The Paranormal and The Sacred Radio Show

Ephesians Chapter 2~Once Dead to God, Now Alive

Okay, so these Christians are good now, but it wasn't so long ago that they were living pretty sin-filled lives. As far as anyone knew, they were dead to God because they didn't know about him or his laws or promises. Basically, these folks just followed everyone else in the world and did whatever it was they wanted. They ate what they wanted. They had sex with who they wanted. And they didn't even feel guilty about it the next morning. Okay, so they were dead to God, but he's apparently a forgiving guy, because he went and made them come to life again. It's a miracle! By sin they had died (metaphorically), but through Jesus they started living again. Now these believers have risen up to hang with Jesus. He does have that pretty sweet seat up there in Heaven. God saved them. These Christians didn't "earn" salvation by being good people or something, it is a gift. They also didn't know anything about all the promises that God made to his people way back in the Hebrew Bible. Gentiles weren't part of that stuff, so they clearly weren't going to be saved. But now, because Jesus lived and died. There aren't two groups anymore—Gentiles and Jews. There's just one group. Everyone believes in Jesus, so everyone gets to benefit from God's promises. Back in the Hebrew Bible, God also gave his people all kinds of laws to follow. Gentiles aren't on the outside looking in anymore. They're citizens of Heaven. They've got the keys to God's house. And this is the house that Jesus built…along with some help from the apostles and prophets. Sure, Jesus is the most important brick in the wall, but all believers—whether they're Gentiles or Jews—are there too. Thanks to www.shmoop.co

John Draper

John Draper was born and raised in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington and earned a bachelor's degree in editorial journalism and went to work in newspapers north of Seattle. Draper had known he wanted to be an author since he was 9, but life got in the way. College. Mental Illness. Divorce. Raising his kids. Finally, when his kids went off to college, Draper had the time to devote to writing his novel. He began reading everything he could about Mormonism and began iniviting in the Mormon missionaries who would knock on his door. He also attended a local Mormon church "under cover." He decided to write a book about a Mormon missionary who goes insane on his mission—schizophrenia. He started the novel six years ago with the intent of skewering Mormonism through it. In fact, he says he felt led by God to write the book. The book does skewer religious certainty, but in the process of writing it, Draper's religious certainty suffered a protracted, though not entirely unpleasant, death. Draper still believes that God exists but denies the possiblity of having a relationship with God or being "empowered" by God. Religion, he says, is a human construct.  "A Danger to God Himself is a crazy, mind-blowing, dialectical journey

in search of ultimate truth that ends with the discovery of love". Draper's book, A Danger to God Himself, is available in ebook and paperback on Amazon. He can be reached at [email protected]

Hi, My Name is Paul

Paul here, writing to some folks in the Christian church in Ephesus (which was part of modern-day Turkey). What up, y'all? So what should we talk about? Butterflies? Trees? Nope. Let's talk about God.The Almighty is pretty awesome, says Paul. For starters, he gave the world Jesus. He also handpicked Christians to be faithful followers of J.C. and adopted them as his kids. God also passed on his grace and goodness. And because Jesus died, God opened the door for everyone in the world to be redeemed and forgiven for all kinds of bad stuff. The Big Guy has also let Christians in on all kinds of cool divine secrets. Jesus is the key to most of them. But he's also got some pretty nifty ideas for the future (spoiler alert: it's going to involve some sweet rewards). And just who will reap these rewards? Why, the followers of Jesus, of course. They were the first ones to hear Jesus' message and believe in the truth. Nice job, early Christians. Okay, God is totally great, right? But the folks in Ephesus are pretty neat, too. Paul's heard about all the amazing things they've done, and he hasn't stopped thanking God for putting such nice folks on Earth since. Not even for one second. Not even to take a quick pee. Yup. Paul's dedicated like that.Paul's also been praying that the Christians in Ephesus keep expanding their horizons and getting to know God a little better every day.  After all, God raised Jesus from the dead and then set all kinds of amazing things in motion. Right now, Jesus is hanging up in Heaven with God and sitting at God's right hand (hmm… wonder what's wrong with the left-hand chair?). He also gets to rule over everyone and everything. Don't worry, though. Jesus would never let all that power go to his head.

Merry Christmas 2015!

Tonight is a special night to just remember what Christams is about! It's Christmas Night on The Paranormal and The Sacred. We will be discussing Christmas Stories from around the world.  Let's remember the magic of Christmas and spend a little time with us as we review the year past and welcome in the new! The call in number tonight is 619-924-9744. A special thank you for all my friends and listeners from around the world who support this show. I love you all very much and I am thinking of you as the night closes. Enjoy your Christmas! With your host, Char McCain

Galatians Chapter 6-Slaves No More

What's the gist of all this? Don't be slaves to the law. You've been given your freedom, so take it and run with it, Galatians! Paul tells them if they go ahead and get circumcised, things are not gonna work out well. Besides the fact that it's gonna hurt a ton, if they get snipped, they'll be forced to obey all the other 612 Jewish laws on the books. Good luck with that, guys. Also, they'll be cutting themselves off from God's grace since they'll be trying to find a relationship with God through the law. That path is a dead end. Literally. But if they want to follow Christ, they should just do that. No law-abiding required. The only thing that matters is having faith. Come on, Galatians! You guys were doing good until someone pushed you off the straight and narrow. God will see to that. Paul is pretty angry by this point and says that he wishes "those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!" Watch the potty mouth, Paul.  Paul hopes that the Galatians will stay on the path to freedom, but this doesn't mean they can do anything they want. In fact, true freedom comes in following God's will. If they truly love God, they'll devote their lives to loving each other. Hugs all around. Paul reminds them to keep their focus on spiritual things instead of material things. In other words, no Rolexes. This also means no "fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these."  On the other hand, a person who lives in the Spirit will be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle, and in control of themselves.  If a person truly lives in Christ, they'll follow the Spirit's lead and do all these good things. Thanks to www.shmoop.com

Joni Mayhan

Joni Mayhan is a paranormal investigator and the author of 14 books that revolve around the paranormal world. She lives in Central Massachusetts and also teaches a weekly Paranormal 101 class in the town of Gardner, Massachusetts. For more information about her, please visit her website Jonimayhan.com

From Joni, "I’m the mother of two now-grown children, Laura and Trevor. I live in Central Massachusetts with a house full of fur babies who keep me company and continually vie for my attention.  I’m also a paranormal investigator, spending my free time in dark places with my friends, and I  teach a weekly Paranormal 101 class in nearby Gardner. My biggest dream is to see Lightning Strikes on the big screen, a goal I’m currently working on with an agent.  One thing is for certain though: I’ll never stop writing. My new book, Dark and Scary Things, is now available. This book is an accumulation of my paranormal experiences, along with the research I’ve done on various paranormal subjects. While it is dark and chilling, it is also a resource for anyone who dabbles in the paranormal world".

So Long, Farewell Galatians!

Paul starts to wrap up his charming and happy little letter with some shout-outs.Euodia and Syntyche: you ladies need to start getting along. Paul's kind of big into that. He asks someone else (who's not named) to step in and help mend fences here if need be. Paul also doesn't want the Philippians to worry. Instead, they should be happy and joyful when they think of God. He'll put them at peace no matter what's going on. In fact, they should think of good things—that'll help them keep those peaceful, easy feelings coming.Oh, and Paul forgot to mention: thanks for the gift, guys!Seriously, Paul totally appreciates it. He's learned to go without in situations like this, but he's so touched that they thought of him and sent him some goodies in prison. Hey, everyone loves a care package. Really, the Philippians have always been like this. No other church has helped Paul out as much as them. Even when he was in Thessalonica, they supported him on more than one occasion. Sorry, other churches, but these guys in Philippi are the bomb.Peace, love, and lots of greetings to everyone there! Paul out. thanks to www.shmoop.com

David H. Lowery

The Paranormal Highwayman He's a loner, preferring to meet ghosts head-on, experimenting with ways of strengthening them and seeking out the places they hide. David H. Lowery, a.k.a “The Paranormal Highwayman” has developed a life-long interest in the paranormal into a passion that takes him to the four corners of our great country and beyond. Forever seeking the holy grail of paranormal researchers: indisputable proof of existence. His methods and equipment are cutting-edge in a rapidly changing field of research and investigation. Numerous popular television shows have fostered an explosion of interest in ghosts and many people are taking digital cameras, digital voice recorders and flashlights in hand to hunt spirits in all manner of places. When not pursuing spirits, David speaks to all kinds of groups and events, sharing his frightening experiences and teaching how ghosts are not the occult or fantasies, but are just energy and science. He explains theory and equipment used.  Investigating alone, David explains how he copes with the natural human emotion of fear and uses it to an advantage. He also tells of his special transportation, a highly modified motor home that he affectionately calls “Blackbird.,” a fully self-contained rolling paranormal laboratory with all the comforts of home.  David has just this past summer taken on a new role as the volunteer in residence and paranormal investigation host of the infamous and very haunted Ashmore Estates in east central Illinois. He, like many others are drawn to this mysterious place with a long history of death and spirit activity.  “The road will have to wait for awhile, this is more important at this moment in time” he explains, knowing that the spirits, cryptids and UFO's of America will be there when he is back on the hunt, and back on the Highways.

Paul Fought the Law

Paul is getting madder by the minute. He calls the Galatians "foolish" and starts in on a rhetorical tantrum. Haven't these guys seen that Jesus has been crucified? How do they think they got the Holy Spirit? Did they painstakingly read and follow the Torah or did they accept the truth of the gospel that Paul told them about? (Hint: it's the gospel.) The Galatians started out as people in the Spirit, but now they're worried about their physical bodies.  This makes no sense. Why would God pour his Spirit on them in the first place just to have them go back and start following the law? In Genisis, Abraham simply put his faith in God. God was cool with that and promised that everyone who believed in him would be blessed. This was way before the law, so obviously this proves that people don't need the law to get on God's good side. Basically, Paul is saying that the law is like a curse hanging over our heads. When Jesus died, he took that curse away. Now, we can just live for God and not worry about what we eat or if we're sacrificing a lamb the right way. It's kind of like when someone finalizes their will. That means it's set in stone and can't be changed. Same thing goes for God. God promised that Abraham's offspring would be cool with him if they had faith. The law came way after this: 430 years later to be exact. And the law can't change God's initial promise. And the Law Lost. Okay, so then what is the point of the law? Seriously, those Torah books are thick. Was God just wasting our time with all those laws about sacrificing goats and stuff? Here's Paul's answer: No, the law was kind of a placeholder until Jesus could come. And now he's here, so bacon bars for everyone! -Thanks to www.shmoop.com

Terry Johnson Weber

Terry was a pediatric nurse for twenty years and then a parish nurse for five years. She transitioned into churchwork and spent the last eleven years as a church office worker. She has written two books: A Healthy Church Office and Tug of War: Trusting God through the Unexplained. She has had numerous encounters with the paranormal and supernatural throughout her life. Tug of War shares about 35 of those stories. (Ghosts, demons, angels, and precognitive dreams.) Terry has many interesting stories to tell!  In Tug of War: Trusting God through the Unexplained she shares experiences with the paranormal and supernatural. In the Monroe Ghost (After Dark: A Collection of Haunting Tales) she shares the tale of a haunted house from her childhood. Terry has learned to cling to God through all of the unexplained events in her life. In addition, she writes devotions for Hope - Full Living for Seniors (Creative Communications for the Parish). She is married, has three grown sons and three small grandchildren. She lives with her husband Don and their yellow Labrador Roxy in Williamsburg, Virginia. She retired two years ago and spends her time writing, reading and crafting.