Have you ever been given a ‘second chance’?  I mean a really big ‘second chance’ to redeem yourself; or do or be a part of something significant? Come with me back to the seaside town of Joppa, Israel, about the year 759bc. You’ll remember we’ve been traveling with Jonah and thus far it’s been one of those unrealistic, unimaginable journeys!  It’s described for us in a short book Jonah himself wrote, recounting his experience of hearing God’s clear assignment to go to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, and warn them that God’s judgment was soon coming if they did not repent of their wickedness.  But Jonah did not want God to show the Assyrians ANY mercy, not even a shred of mercy, for their army was famous for brutality and viciousness beyond description. Besides, Jonah was a good Hebrew, and good Jews had nothing to do with wicked Gentiles, right?

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   Today’s Scripture: Jonah 3:1-6. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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July is officially hurricane season and already hurricane Beryl has been a category 4 storm roaring across the warm waters of the lower Caribbean. I grew up in that part of the world so I have many memories of great storms thrusting palm trees through the sky like toothpicks or small mountain streams turned into flash floods tearing down the mountain side taking everything in its path.  For that reason it’s not difficult for me to imagine the great storms described in the Bible, like the one we’re looking at these days in about the year 759bc as it raged on the Mediterranean Sea. Or at least it did, until sailors from a nearly destroyed ship finally threw one of their passengers, Jonah, overboard, at his insistence, into the crashing waves. Why would they do that? Because Jonah admitted he was the cause of the storm and their near demise! He was running away from God and God was chasing after him! 

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     Today’s Scripture: Jonah 2:1-3:1. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Have you ever found yourself in a situation where it was determined that your choices, your words or behavior, caused some serious problems for other people? I wonder how you dealt with that? Join me again in about 759bc on board a ship in the middle of a huge storm that is threatening the ship either with capsize or breaking apart. The crew has jettisoned the cargo and they are crying out to their gods, while they hold on for dear life.  One person on this storm ravaged ship is not crew, he’s a paying passenger and his name is Jonah. The crew gather round and through a process of casting lots they discern Jonah might be responsible for what they feel is their imminent death, thus they shout at Jonah over the noise of the storm: “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from?  What is your country? What kind of people are you?” 

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      Today’s Scripture: Jonah 1:8-2:2 & Psalm 139. Choose below to read or listen.Jonah 1:8-2:2​​Psalm 139​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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You and I live in a world where so much is happening SIMULTANEOUSLY that even 24 hour news networks can’t keep us adequately informed. And if you have a large extended family, scattered far and wide, do you find it hard to keep up with all that is happening SIMULTANEOUSLY with their new jobs or babies or dating relationships or who is in what grade involved in what sport etc.?

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   Today’s Scripture: Jonah 1:1-6. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Usually with weekends comes relief from the burdens of the work week, right? So words like “RESPONSIBILITY” and “ACCOUNTABILITY” are words which normally aren’t an important part of ‘weekends’, but this weekend is different. This weekend I’m calling all of us, all over the world, to consider how important it is for all humanity, but especially those in significant leadership roles, to honor those two words with their lives. The news headlines EVERY day, from all around the world, call us to consider the actions and words of world leaders and evaluate how they are handling their responsibilities, and how accountable they are, and to whom?! 

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  Today’s Scripture: 2 Chron. 26:16-23. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Have you discovered the danger of PRIDE? There’s a huge difference between confidence or confident courage and pride isn’t there? All of us can sense pride in other people. We can hear it in their choice of words or their tone of voice. We can see it in the look on their face or their body language. We can watch it in their choices and we sense it in their attitudes. So may I ask you… what is your normal response when you sense pride in someone else? Are you attracted to them or repulsed by their pride? Here’s a more important question: are you as quick to detect PRIDE in yourself as you are detecting it in others? If your honest answer is NO, can you probe more deeply to discern WHY you sense pride in others more easily than you sense pride in yourself?   

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   Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 26:16-18. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this important date in America & the world, July 4th; As we discussed yesterday, the nation of the USA has played very significant roles in the world for a very long time and THIS summer, as you perhaps know, candidates for President will be selected by the major American political parties. Because the ultimate decision for America’s next president lies in the hands of the American voters, these next months will be filled with aggressive and sometimes combative political maneuvering with efforts to rally votes.

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    Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 25:27-26:15. Choose below to read or listen.​​2 Chronicles 25:27-26:15                                  2 Chronicles 25​​2 Chronicles 26

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Sometimes I am amazed at the unplanned alignment of special global events with our journey through the pages of the Bible. Today is another of those situations which, quite frankly, has left me astounded as I consider the historical significance of this date in both American history and the history of our world. Regardless of your age, your nationality, where you are today in the world or even your political affiliation, this date has been significant for every person in the world for nearly 250 years!!

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    Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 12:17,18; 2 Chron. 24:23-25. Choose below to read or listen.​​2 Kings 12:17,18​​2 Chron. 24:23-25

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Occasionally we hear reports of a disastrous train wreck, and we see the horrifying pictures of train cars piled up as they went off the tracks. Can we apply that picture to life and ask this question: what does it look like when a PERSON ‘goes off the tracks’ and crashes? Do you know anyone who has?  Come with me again back to Jerusalem in about 800bc. We’ve been following the life story of the child prodigy Joash who was thrust onto the throne of the southern Israel kingdom of Judah at age 7 and reigned as king for 4 decades! (2 Chron. 24:1) You’ll recall the chief priest Jehoiada raised Joash as his own son and mentored him both before and during his kingship, all the way till Jehoiada died at the age of 130. (2 Chron. 24:2,15)

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  Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 24:17-22. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

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Today I’m preparing this edition of “Walking with Jesus” in a remote place, far up on the northern edge of one of the US States which borders Canada. I’m here having the privilege of opening God’s Word with a group of adults who are on a spiritual retreat and they’ve chosen this remote place because of its quietness, its serenity and the power of the word RESTORE! 

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    Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 24:4-16. Choose below to read or listen.​​

Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here