Picking up a new series, The Blessed Hope, we are looking at the return of Christ and some of the elements surrounding this glorious event.  From Titus 2 we read:  Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  Titus 2:13  Jesus' return IS the blessed hope.  It is what our hearts long for:  the hope of spending eternity in Heaven with our Savior is a hope nothing in this world can compete with.  This podcast episode looks more specifically at the question of "When?"  When will all of this occur?  The Bible gives us clues while not giving exact dates/times.  We can know through the words of Jesus and the prophets much about the Second Coming.  The main thing is, will we be ready?  It is more important to have our house in order than to make predictions.  We must be living out the Gospel in light of the blessed hope.  

A true profile in courage, Esther is the story of a Jewish girl who became Queen over Persia and was God's instrument to save her people.  If you've read the story, you know the almost "Hollywood-like" sequence of events.  There's good vs. evil in the narrative of Mordecai and Haman.   There's the unlikely rise to queen by Hadassah; who becomes Esther.  And there's God's providence through it all...knowing there was a plan in place and He used simple, obedient people to usher it in.  What about us?  Do we read a story like Esther and then close the book and walk away leaving unchanged?  That same God who used Esther uses people like you and I today.  He is still looking for those who will take stand and rise up "for such a time as this."  This last profile in this series is critical:  will we acknowledge the weight of the times we live in AND will we be obedient to what God is asking us to do?  

As the first martyr of the early church, we see a unique boldness in the character of Stephen.  He is a man full of the Holy Spirit.  He has a wisdom that cannot be argued with since he speaks the truth about Jesus.  Still, he came up against an authority that did not like what he was saying -- true or not.  The Jewish leaders brought him up on false charges, held a sham trial, and hauled him out to execute him by stoning.  We don't like to think much about persecution but it has become a reality for many in our world...and it's only growing across many places.  In the United States, we realize that our freedoms to worship and preach the Gospel may not always be guaranteed.  Are we prepared to stand up and speak out even if it is unpopular with the ruling authorities?  We must make that decision now, long before we are ever in a place where our lives could be asked of us.  

Another profile that is worth consideration is Joseph.  Perhaps the path of Joseph's life would not have been the one he would pick if given the choice.  Most of us would rather not endure the suffering that Joseph went through.  Sold into slavery as a young man and abandoned by his brothers, Joseph started at the lowest place possible.  Still, God's favor was upon him and he was given the opportunity to advance.  When we pick up the story of Joseph in this episode, he is being summoned by Pharaoh to interpret a dream.  Joseph's whole life changes because of this one moment.  He was patient to wait for this opportunity and he did not take any of the glory/credit for himself.  He pointed to the Lord as the one Who interprets dreams and provides the knowledge and understanding needed.  We learn from Joseph the importance of waiting on God's timing and abiding in Him, despite the unknowns we face. As we do, we experience the same type of blessings that Joseph had.  We see God as the source of our strength and hope while we walk through hidden years.  

We are starting a 4 week podcast series on PROFILES IN COURAGE; Bible characters that we can draw strength from as we examine how they lived in a moment of time that challenged their faith.  The opposition we face in this world:  trials, tests, and persecution...none of them are new.  The tried and true stories of the Bible (David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion's den, Noah and the flood, and others) all show us how to conduct ourselves in the midst of a world or culture opposed to the things of God. This week we take a look at David and his encounter with the giant Goliath.  Even though we have heard this story perhaps dozens of times, it is always good to go back and remind ourselves again.  David was confident in his God.  He stood up against the odds even when the rest of his countrymen did not because of fear.  He fought for the sake of the name of his God.  We must stand up today and be bold as well...Christ and the Holy Spirit lead us into boldness.  It is always worth it!

Wrapping up this series, Summer of Psalms, this podcast focuses on Psalm 138.  This is a passage that deals with the notion of being grateful and thankful before God.  An "attitude of gratitude" is not something we naturally have within us.  But when we stop and consider what God has done for us and His very nature, we are drawn into a place where we see Him as good.  That goodness leads us to trust Him and thank Him for who He is.  We also see in this Psalm that God answers our prayers and will act AND He always finishes what He starts.  The promises that lie within this Psalm are life-giving and are worth circling and highlighting in our Bibles.  This is a wonderful place to conclude this month as we consider the goodness and love that we can tap into as we accept Christ and grow in Him!  

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High     will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,     my God, in whom I trust.”  Psalm 91:1,2Psalm 91 is referred to as the "Soldier's Psalm" and for good reason:  it is a Psalm about doing battle.  In a world that projects hate and animosity towards Christians, we sense that the days we live in are full of evil.  The enemy is strong and real, but our God is just as real and so much stronger.  Walking through this Psalm, we see God as our refuge and protector.  We see that we need not fear when we are abiding in Him.  And we see that as we step out in faith, He grants the victory!  This is a passage we must turn to in perilous times.  We have hope!  God is in control and we can trust Him.  

Psalm 51 is a compelling Psalm about broken fellowship with God and the desire to have that fellowship restored.  In context, the Psalm was written by David after his sin with Bathsheba.  We know that the sins of adultery and murder weighed heavily on David's heart.  Although his sin affected others around him, it was ultimately the Lord that he sinned against.  David recognizes all of this and through Psalm 51, he implores God not to take away the presence of His Holy Spirit.  In being restored, he also believes he can be used as someone to teach transgressors the ways of the Lord.  Through reading this passage, we can learn much about our process of redemption...whether we are brand new to accepting Christ OR if we have backslidden in some aspect of our faith.  

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  Psalm 19:1,2In my opinion, some of the most poetic and beautifully written words of Scripture are those found in Psalm 19.  The Psalm starts out pointing us to the nature of the Lord:  His vastness and His soverignty over our lives.  It then takes a turn.  It considers the law of the Lord and the fact that His law is good and perfect.  Because the Lord is a good Creator, we can trust His law is for our good and not harm.  Finally Psalm 19 finishes with applying all that we have learned:  if God's law is good, we should follow and obey Him.  Our lives are kept pure and blameless as we follow the teachings of the Psalmist, the commands of the Lord, and the example of Jesus.  

Starting a new podcast series in conjunction with a blog series that posts at derekcharlesjohnson.com/blog.  Summer of Psalms is the series and all month long, we'll be diving into various Psalms in Scripture and pulling out meanings and themes.  Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known Psalm in the entire Bible.  It is a passage that acknowleges who God is and what our reponse should be to His revealed character.  We find our rest in Him.  We find our hope in our Shepherd.  And that knowledge should lead us into deeper and deeper trust.  At the same time, we proclaim the Gospel to a worn out and weary world.