YOU Podcast

People like rescue stories. Perhaps that’s why we flock to theaters to watch movies like Harriet based on the life of Harriet Tubman, a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, and Black Panther, a Marvel Comics movie featuring the fictitious nation, Wakanda. In films like these, we have seen slaves freed and kingdoms rescued.

However, not every testimony of rescue is as dramatic as those depicted on the silver screen. Maybe you cried for rescue when you came to the stark realization that math now included letters as you started algebra. You may have needed advice while raising your children or grandchildren. Some of us have volunteered to host a family holiday dinner for the first time but needed the help of a seasoned cook—and an aunt provided the rescue you needed: a shoebox containing Grandma’s handwritten recipes.

We often cry out to various sources when trouble comes our way. But in Psalm 30, when David needed rescue, he cried out to God and trusted Him to meet his needs.”

We often cry out to various sources when trouble comes our way. But in Psalm 30, when David needed rescue, he cried out to God and trusted Him to meet his needs. True to His character, God heard David’s cry and came to his aid. God can rescue us too! When He does, our response should be one of thanksgiving and praise, just like David’s.

The post THE GOD WHO RESCUES (YOU-Fall’24, Special Focus Study, Session SF) appeared first on YOU.

One of the key points from a recent Psychology Today article about revenge says, “Revengeful thoughts and behavior are a temporary distraction from underlying suffering.” Ironically, it seems that many of us want to exact revenge because we believe it will make things right, or it will make us feel better about what we’ve lost. When we experience loss at the hands of others, we may assume that our anger is about injustice, but that is just the label. The true issue is internal pain that we have limited solutions for.

Revengeful thoughts and behavior are a temporary distraction from underlying suffering.”

In Joseph’s case, his brothers were deserving of all the wrath he could have dealt. They had to be convinced to sell him into slavery as a substitute for murder (Gen. 37:18-28). But instead of dealing out punishment, he pulled them closer. Once he revealed his identity and told them of his plans to care for them and Jacob, he “. . . kissed each of his brothers as he wept . . .” (Gen. 45:15). He focused on his brothers and thought of his father, fixing the internal rejection he experienced prior to being sold (Gen. 37:4-11). Joseph was betrayed, imprisoned, and elevated to prominence but he never sought revenge. Why?

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Joseph and His Brothers – Family Reconciliation (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 6) appeared first on YOU.

Jealousy thrives in the world of artists and musicians. One Sun Sentinel article details the heated rivalry between R&B supergroups New Edition and Guy at the 1989 Superfest in Greensboro, NC. New Edition was the headliner of the tour, but Guy—the newer group with the fresher look and sound—was becoming an audience favorite. As Guy performed and felt the support of the crowd, they continued in their performance over the allotted time. This “angered members of New Edition, who brazenly took the stage while Guy was performing.” Eventually a brawl broke out on stage, causing the whole show to be suspended for an hour. A crew member from New Edition ended up dead. All of the senseless violence was a direct result of jealousy. It is pervasive, and not just in the art world. Families often stew in that sort of emotional unhealthiness. The story of Joseph offers a clear example.

Jealousy is pervasive. Families often stew in that sort of emotional unhealthiness. The story of Joseph offers a clear example.”

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The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, once said, “Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.” That statement rings true for Jacob. He lived much of his life as a swindling, con man. Nearly all of Jacob’s relationships involved conflict. No conflict was more profound than the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau.

The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, once said, “Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.”

These brothers hated one another in differing ways. Jacob expressed his pride and rivalry against Esau with mental warfare, needling him for his birthright and scheming with his mother to steal his blessing. Esau responded to his betrayal with boisterous hatred and threats. Esau appeared to show no regard for the prophecy that he would, one day, serve his younger brother. To make matters worse, their parents, Isaac and Rebekah, fed the fire of their rivalry.

As grown men, they met in what could have resulted in the death of rivals. Both brothers, twins, desired to dominate the other. One felt entitled by birth; the other felt entitled because he bartered, swindled, and outwitted the other. Betrayal and treachery nearly collided with death because of the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau. Nearly.

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Jerome is a 28-year-old guy who’s a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan. He’s been that way since he was five, not because Miami is his hometown, but because when he was five, he loved dolphins and when he saw the helmet, he was all in for life. He wouldn’t be a Jets fan. He hates the Jets. That’s just how our favorites work. Favorites make us human. We make binary choices as we get older. We might start out in neutral, but we never stay that way. Chocolate or Vanilla, Cadillacs or Lincolns, Macs or PCs, boxers, or briefs—favorites define who we are. But in families, favorites devastate.

Favoritism weaves through the story of Jacob and Esau. The stage is set from the start. Mom and Dad (Isaac and Rebekah) both choose their pick of the litter. Isaac preferred Esau. Rebekah preferred Jacob. They promised, doted, conspired, and deceived to give their favorite son the upper hand.

Favoritism weaves through the story of Jacob and Esau. The stage is set from the start. Mom and Dad (Isaac and Rebekah) both choose their pick of the litter. Isaac preferred Esau. Rebekah preferred Jacob. They promised, doted, conspired, and deceived to give their favorite son the upper hand.”

Your family of origin may have been like the family of Isaac and Rebekah, it may not have instilled positive practices, but families teach us some of our greatest lessons and reveal some of our greatest shortcomings. It is through our families we should learn how to love one another.

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Isaac and Rebekah – Family Favorites (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 3) appeared first on YOU.

Open almost any source of social media, new media or traditional media and you’ll find a platform awash in conflict, debate, and one-upmanship, especially during an election year like this one. It seems that civil discourse and listening have become a lost art.

The saga of Abram and Lot proves that some things about human nature never change. We’ve often heard people say, “If you don’t defend yourself, who will?” It’s the bent of self-preservation that often rules the day in relationships. As a family counselor might put it, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married?” Sometimes being right, being favored, or winning the property line battle is just not worth it.

We learn from Scripture that we are to be makers of peace in our personal relationships and families. Often this requires sacrifice. This takes a Christlike faith and a charitable trust in God that He will work things out in His way and in His time.”

We learn from Scripture that we are to be makers of peace in our personal relationships and families. Often this requires sacrifice. This takes a Christlike faith and a charitable trust in God that He will work things out in His way and in His time.

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Abram and Lot – Family Rights (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 2) appeared first on YOU.

Most parents can speak of how different their children are from one another. One may be an outdoorsman, a hunter, and a fisherman. Another child reared in the same family, may grow to become a musician, preferring the arts and all things indoors. One’s idea of a vacation is camping and sleeping on the ground. The other might protest, “If the outside is so great, how come all the bugs try to get inside?”

I am the third-born child of five. I have an older brother and sister. We were each born two years apart. For six years, I was the baby of the family. My brother was wired for fun, my sister was wired for friends, and I was wired to get my way. Whether through tears, fears, friendliness, or fury, I convinced others to do things my way–same family and genetics, different kids.

It’s amazing that children from the same gene pool, raised in the same environment, can be so different from each other. The same is true of the first siblings mentioned in the Bible: Cain and Abel. Even though they lived ages ago, their story carries a certain familiarity. We must navigate the often treacherous waters of conflict in our families. How we handle the responsibility we have to look after our family members.”

It’s amazing that children from the same gene pool, raised in the same environment, can be so different from each other. The same is true of the first siblings mentioned in the Bible: Cain and Abel. Even though they lived ages ago, their story carries a certain familiarity. So how do we navigate the often treacherous waters of conflict in our families? How do we respond to the responsibility we have to look after our family members?

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Cain and Abel – Family Responsibility (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 1) appeared first on YOU.

There are two types of artists:

No one would pay for a painting from me, not even at a garage sale. There are others, however, who have a reputation for their art. People seek them out and pay them to paint something specific. Michelangelo was one such artist. He was commissioned in 1508 to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He saw himself as a sculptor, not a painter. Michelangelo’s reputation was such that, even though he had never painted a single fresco, others were confident he could do it. Five hundred years later, we are still in awe of what he painted.

We are to put on display the beautiful work of Christ in our lives. God took our sin-filled lives and made us His masterpiece. The commission we’ve received is to tell others what God has done in our lives and invite them to experience the same transformation. We bring glory to Him when we live out this purpose.”

We have a commission too, and it’s related to a work of art. We are to put on display the beautiful work of Christ in our lives. God took our sin-filled lives and made us His masterpiece. The commission we’ve received is to tell others what God has done in our lives and invite them to experience the same transformation. We bring glory to Him when we live out this purpose.

The post THRIVE: LIVING ON PURPOSE- Purpose Exemplified (YOU-Fall’24, Study 1, Session 6) appeared first on YOU.

If you’re a Baby Boomer, you are a part of what was called “the Me generation.” Boomers were considered narcissistic and self-focused. However, a while back, Time magazine labeled Millennials as the ME ME ME generation.

This self-centered focus Millennials inherited from the earlier generations is prevalent throughout our society. It’s not limited to one generation. We’re seeing this all around us, and what we’re losing in this shift is a focus on the community. We don’t think about others. In the past twenty-five years:

This self-centered focus Millennials inherited from the earlier generations is prevalent throughout our society. It’s not limited to one generation. We’re seeing this all around us, and what we’re losing in this shift is a focus on the community. There’s a greater way to live. When we stop looking to ourselves to make us happy and look to Jesus, life becomes more than about self. It leads us to see others, to love others, and to be involved in their lives.”

There’s a greater way to live. When we stop looking to ourselves to make us happy and look to Jesus, life becomes more than about self. It leads us to see others, to love others, and to be involved in their lives.

The post THRIVE: LIVING ON PURPOSE- Purpose Expressed (YOU-Fall’24, Study 1, Session 5) appeared first on YOU.

In 1901, oil was discovered in Texas, right at the time America would begin craving oil. Prior to this, oil was used chiefly for kerosene lamps. The dawn of the 20th century brought with it the invention of the internal combustion engine. Cars, airplanes, and the neighbor’s kid’s noisy little motorbike soon followed. Suddenly, we had a great need for lots of oil.

A lot of Texans were just seeking out an existence until oil was discovered. Great wealth lay under people’s land in Beaumont, but it wasn’t doing them any good. It wasn’t until a mining engineer named Anthony Lucas drilled a well that sent oil gushing up 1,000 feet in the air. With the oil, came prosperity for so many.

Most of us live our lives like it’s 1900 in Beaumont, Texas. In 1901, oil was discovered in there, but we’re getting by without ever realizing the great potential that resides within us. If you are a follower of Christ, He has placed His Holy Spirit in you. The same God who brought this universe into existence and raised Jesus from the dead is living in You!”

Most of us live our lives like it’s 1900 in Beaumont, Texas. We’re getting by without ever realizing the great potential that resides within us. If you are a follower of Christ, He has placed His Holy Spirit in you. The same God who brought this universe into existence and raised Jesus from the dead is living in You!

The post THRIVE: LIVING ON PURPOSE- Purpose Lived (YOU-Fall’24, Study 1, Session 4) appeared first on YOU.