Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters

Rob Conti | Be StrongIn this session, Rob will fix our attention on Christ as our apostle and high priest, seeing how He enters into our weakness, fully sympathizes, and supplies grace right when we need it most. He will trace the thread from Moses to Christ, showing how Jesus doesn’t just deliver His people from temporary bondage but leads them into lasting glory. Along the way, he will confront the pull of spiritual drift and the call to hold fast, encouraging one another daily as we press on in faith.Be Strong Men's ConferencePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Brody Holloway | Be StrongIn this session, Brody will explore what it means to actually die well, not with a highlight reel, but with steady, nameable faithfulness. He'll get practical about daily discipline, conflict, gratitude, hard work, and commitment to the local church, laying out a vision of discipleship that holds up when life gets loud.Be Strong Men's ConferencePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Rob Conti | Winter SWOIn this session, Rob will dig into 1 John 5 to uncover what our speech reveals about our understanding of grace, sin, and God’s work in us.He will explore the powerful assurance believers are given: you can know you have eternal life. This isn’t based on feelings, but on the steady evidence of the Holy Spirit shaping us through repentance, obedience, and love.Winter SWOPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Rob Conti | Winter SWOIn this session, Rob will explore 1 John 4 and what it truly means to know you belong to Christ, not by fleeting feelings but through God’s Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit.He'll unpack how the Spirit works in everyday life, revealing truth about Jesus, bringing peace in chaos, guiding, convicting (not condemning), and producing lasting joy.Winter SWOPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Spencer Davis | Winter SWOIn this session, Spencer will explore 1 John 4 and the quiet danger of distraction in a world filled with constant input. Your phone isn’t the enemy, but unfiltered messages can slowly pull your attention and affection away from Christ if you’re not discerning.He'll break down what it really means to “test the spirits” and offer three practical ways to do it: examine what’s being said about Jesus, look for real evidence of life change, and notice whether someone submits to Scripture or resists it. Along the way, he'll unpack why the truth that Jesus came in the flesh is central to the gospel, not just a phrase, but a foundation.Winter SWONSR BookPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Brody Holloway | Winter SWOIn this session, Brody shows how 1 John offers real assurance of eternal life, even in the face of doubt, grief, and uncertainty, by pointing us back to Jesus instead of our own performance.Looking at 1 John 2:15–17, He will explore the tension of not loving the world, how our desires are exposed under pressure, and how to fight temptation without living in fear.Winter SWONSR bookPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Brody Holloway | Winter SWOIn this session, Brody will take a look at 1 John 2 as he moves past vague answers to a clear picture of the gospel. We see that we face the tension of fighting sin while still failing, and learn how the gospel gives both confidence and motivation for obedience.Jesus stands as our Advocate, our atoning sacrifice, our Lord, and our example, giving us a faith that’s secure, honest, and able to withstand doubt.Winter SWOPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

JB Kidd | Pure and HolyIn this Pure and Holy Breakout, JB opens 1 Peter to show how the gospel gives a secure, unshakable identity. She’ll explore what it means to be “born again to a living hope,” the imperishable inheritance God promises, and how that truth shapes holiness, purity, and real freedom in daily life.Pure and Holy Retreat Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Rob Conti | Pure and HolyIn the session, Rob will look at Esau in Genesis 25 and the warning in Hebrews 12. This session challenges us not to trade God’s lasting promises for temporary satisfaction. He will talk honestly about temptation, God’s design for purity, and how His boundaries protect us.Pure and Holy Retreat Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Zach Mabry | Pure and HolyIn this Pure and Holy Breakout, Zach will take an honest look at sexual sin, pornography, and hidden compromises while pointing to the hope of the gospel: in Christ, sin is not your master. Grounded in Scripture, Zach will explore a practical path to freedom through identity in Christ, strong guardrails, real accountability, and renewed minds. With warnings from Numbers 25 and the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13, this teaching calls us to a higher standard and to the lasting joy of living God’s design.Pure and Holy Retreat Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Brody Holloway | Pure and HolyIn this Pure and Holy Breakout, Brody will dive into Psalm 51 and see David’s honest confession, true repentance, and God’s unfailing mercy. David’s prayer reminds us that we can’t clean our own hearts; only God can create something new within us. Discover how confession anchored in God’s compassion leads to freedom, renewed worship, and the strength that comes from returning to Him.Be sure to listen to the end for a short panel with JB Kidd, where we share a few final insights on living with a restored heart.Pure and Holy Retreat Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Brody Holloway | Pure and HolyIn this Pure and Holy breakout, Brody will explain why Psalm 51 is the most honest guide to lasting strength. Brody will confront the reality of sin, the power of true repentance, and the mercy of God that restores real joy, not temporary highs. Discover how a clean heart, a steadfast spirit, and daily practices of Scripture, confession, and obedience form biblical manhood rooted in loyalty to God, not self.Pure and Holy Retreat Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Spencer Davis | Pure and HolyIn this session, Spencer looks at Proverbs 6 and challenges the idea that every desire should be acted on to be “real.” He explains how temptation usually works: slow compromises, smooth talk, secrecy, and the lie that “no one will know.” He also makes it clear that lust isn’t just noticing someone is attractive; it’s dwelling on and imagining intimacy outside of God’s design. Most importantly, he points listeners toward practical steps and real hope for walking in freedom.Pure and Holy Retreat Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Rob Conti | College RetreatIn this session, Rob will dive into Paul’s message that the “word of the cross” may look foolish to the world, but it’s the very power of God. From ancient demands for signs and wisdom to modern skepticism, He will explore why the Gospel confronts human pride and reveals true strength through Christ crucified.Discover the freedom of being forgiven, chosen, and covered in Christ’s righteousness and the courage to share Jesus plainly, trusting the Spirit to move.College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Zach Mabry | College RetreatIn this session, Zach will expose the quiet war for your attention, identity, and purpose, and offer a biblical path back to focus, depth, and joy.He will name the subtle cultural forces pulling you off course and lay out practical, grounded rhythms to fight back, anchoring your life in Scripture, committing to a local church, practicing real accountability, and choosing covenant faithfulness over distraction. If you’re tired of drifting, this is a call to be formed on purpose and to live sturdy and unashamed of the Gospel.College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Jake Schwarting | College RetreatThis session unpacks a clearer way to discern God’s will through daily obedience, prayer, gratitude, and wise counsel. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians, we’re reminded that God’s will isn’t hidden; it’s your sanctification and steady faithfulness. With six practical filters for big decisions, you’ll learn to move forward with clarity and trust, not fear.College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Hank Parker Jr. | College RetreatIn this session, Hank will explore why Scripture calls the local church essential to maturity, perseverance, and joy. He will explain the biblical vision for community and offer practical help for choosing a church, overcoming past discomfort, and trading consumer habits for faithful presence.Ephesians 4Acts 2College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Harry McSween | College RetreatIn this session, Harry will unpack why Scripture must shape our desires, habits, and lives. Walking through Ephesians 4, we explore sanctification as God’s ongoing work and why lasting faith is built through simple, daily practices. You’ll hear practical frameworks for Bible reading, memorization, and community, along with a hopeful vision for steady, lifelong faithfulness rooted in God’s Word.College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Spencer Davis | College RetreatIn this session, Spencer will look at Mark 14, where Jesus stands firm before a corrupt council, declaring His Lordship and embracing the cost, while Peter crumbles by a courtyard fire out of fear of being seen. This session contrasts courage and collapse, exposes the quiet ways we deny Christ today, and points to the hope found in Christ.College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Brody Holloway | College RetreatThis session, Brody dives into the heart of the Gospel through the eyes of the apostle Paul. This message unpacks how Jesus completely reshaped Paul’s life and theology and why that still matters for us today. Drawing from Scripture, we see four powerful truths: Jesus is our Mediator, our Propitiation, our Lord, and our ultimate and supreme example.This session challenges listeners to move beyond surface-level belief and embrace a life transformed by the Gospel. College RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:1-14And the Hits Keep on ComingFirst off, Merry Christmas! We’re here, it’s Christmas day. We have been looking forward to this day all year and counting down to it all month. Today is when we get to see everything come together perfectly.Remember all those prophecies about whose family the Messiah would come through? Well, it’s happening. If you have any doubts you can see all their names in Matthew 1 where he traces the genealogy all the way down from Abraham to Jesus (or can listen to Andrew Peterson’s song “Matthew’s Begats”).Today we get to see all the promises coming together in one glorious birth. We get to see God keeping his word to his people: to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, Ruth, David, Joseph, Mary, and others. But how does God do it?You and I both remember that Gabriel appeared to Joseph and Mary telling them about Jesus, right? And we know that way before that he promised that the baby would be born in Bethlehem. But did you ever stop and realize that Joseph didn’t even live in Bethlehem? Sure, it’s where his great, great, great grandfather David lived but that was 1,000 years earlier. It looks like Joseph actually lived about 100 miles from Bethlehem. So how and why did he get to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus?You Just Can’t Make This Stuff UpOn the one side, you have a pregnant virgin with an elderly cousin who is also pregnant, both of which have been announced by angels from heaven. On the other hand, you have a pagan ruler who wants to get as much tax money as he can from those he is ruling over. What do they have in common? God is God over them all. Somehow God put it on the heart of this Caesar that he needed to tax the people of Israel and the best way to do this is to get everyone back to their ancestral hometowns so that they can be properly registered. And it just so happens that this is the exact time that Mary Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.  Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Luke 1:5-17A Little Deja VuWe are one day out from Christmas so it only makes sense that we would talk about John the Baptist today. After all, he is the one who prepares us for the coming of Jesus. When we take a minute to step back from this story and look at it in light of the rest of the Bible we are struck with some really interesting similarities regarding the way God works in history. Have you noticed that God seems to prefer working in similar ways at different times? Take this situation for example. You have an older couple that God has decided to work through who are beyond their childbearing years. Then, all of a sudden, you have a messenger from heaven tell them that they are going to have a baby boy. Sound familiar? Yeah, this is very similar to what happened with Abraham and Sarah. The difference in this situation is that it’s the dad who didn’t believe. The Mute PriestHere we have Zechariah. He is taking his turn offering up prayers and incense in the temple. Then out of nowhere the angel Gabriel appears to him and Zechariah freaks out. Of course he did! I couldn’t imagine the shock that he experienced. I’m picturing him closing his eyes in prayer and then opening them to move on to the next candle he’s supposed to light and BOOM! there’s an angelic warrior right there with him in this sacred space. No wonder Gabriel has to tell him to not be afraid. Now I understand that he’s old and his wife Elizabeth is old but you would think that sending Gabriel to tell someone something would be enough to convince them of just about anything. I mean, we’re talking about an angel that just came from standing before God. But he didn’t believe… and Gabriel knew it. So, since he didn’t believe it, Gabriel tells him that he won’t be able to speak until his wife has her baby boy. It’s All Starting to ClickI’m assuming that as soon as Zechariah gets stuck with silence it all started coming together. Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.  The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known."John 1:1-18Intentional EchoIf you were going to summarize the book of John in one phrase it would be “Jesus is God”. It seems like everywhere you turn in the book of John either Jesus is saying that he is God, one of the supporting characters is saying it, or, like we have right here, John himself is making it clear.Even those who aren’t very familiar with the Bible can realize that John is intentionally using the same language as the creation account in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created”. But why would he do this? He is letting us know that the God who created the whole world by the word of his mouth at the beginning is none other than Jesus Christ.The Grand ArrivalRemember that we call this season that we are celebrating, “advent”. We explained at the beginning that it comes from a word that means arrival. So what we are doing this month is celebrating the arrival of Jesus into the world. Today we need to pause and think about the fact that when someone “arrives” somewhere it means that they were somewhere else first. Does that make sense? What I mean by this is very important. Jesus did not come into existence at his birth. In fact, Jesus never came into existence at all. Jesus has always existed. This month we are celebrating the time when the eternal God arrived in our world as a baby boy.This Has Always Been the PlanWhen Jesus created mankind in the garden we had fellowship with him. This is what God intended. God made mankind in his own image for a relationship with him. Unfortunately, you know what happened, man sinned and our relationship with God was damaged. But this isn’t the end of the story. God already had a plan to restore our relationship with him. And the rest of the Bible tells us thePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,who will prepare your way,the voice of one crying in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,make his paths straight,’”  John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:1-8Intersecting RoadsIf you have ever read through the gospel of Mark you will realize that he moves quickly through everything. In fact, the word most connected with Mark is “immediately”. It’s like he doesn’t have any time to slow down, he’s got to get to it right now. In light of this, when we see him quoting Scripture like this we shouldn’t be surprised. In this one quotation he’s actually quoting from 2 different books of the Old Testament. He doesn’t have time to stop and tell you how they’re connected, but thankfully we do.The first part of this is from Malachi 3:1 “behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me”. In this context, God’s people have been crying out for justice, asking God where he is. God replies by telling them that he will come and he will bring justice with him. And, so that they can be certain, he lets them know that he will send his messenger first. What we have to remember when we read this is that God is sending this messenger to prepare for his actual coming. Mark is telling us that God is personally coming to his people and John the Baptist is going to prepare the way for him.Next is a quotation from Isaiah 40. We should notice that Mark strings both of these together as if it was one coherent quotation. He is telling us that Malachi and Isaiah were talking about the same thing. So what’s happening in Isaiah?In Isaiah, the context is pretty similar. God’s people were crying out to him for relief. Don’t forget, this word is coming to a group of people that were constantly under oppression. They wanted deliverance. They wanted to finally feel like God’s people again.Isaiah 40 is a word from God to his people. He tells Isaiah to speak gently to them to give them comfort. But why should they be comforted? They should be comforted because they are God’s chosen people, loved by God. The next couple of chapters spell out the blessings that God has for them. He reminds them that he is the God who is there for them. You cannot compare him to false gods and idols who are nothing. He is the great God over all the earth and he is going to save them.First Things, FirstGod wanted his people to know that he is coming to be with them, but first he was going to send someone to prepare the way. Look and see what Mark is saying here. He is telling us that JesusPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:   “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus." Matthew 1:18-25The Time of FulfillmentIt is finally happening. In our journey through the Bible looking forward to Jesus, we are finally stepping over into the New Testament. These last 5 days we are going to be looking at the beginning of each gospel account in preparation for Christmas.When you read through Matthew’s version of the story you can’t help but be impressed by how much of the Old Testament he quotes when referring to the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Remember, Matthew was Jewish and was writing to a predominantly Jewish audience, so it makes a lot of sense that he would remind them of the Old Testament prophecies. The most exciting part of this being the fact that all of those promises that God made to his people are finally coming true. What an amazing privilege that we have to see it all playing out in front of us.The Righteous FiancéThe first thing we need to remember here is that engagement worked a little differently in the New Testament time period than it does today. When we see that Joseph and Mary are engaged we need to realize that this was a legal agreement that required an actual divorce in order to break up. It was a way more serious commitment back in those days.As the narrative unfolds we find out that Mary is pregnant and that it isn’t Joseph’s baby. If he wanted to, Joseph could have taken her in front of the courts and had her severely punished. However, he is a righteous man. He seems to really love and care for her. Let’s not let it go unnoticed that even before God reveals to him the reality of the situation, when he still thinks that he has been betrayed by Mary, he planned on showing her grace.The Forgotten ProphecyWhile Joseph was thinking about what to do with Mary, God sent an angel to him to give him instructions. Now to be honest we know less about this vision than we do about Mary’s angelic visit in Luke 1. Here, all we know is that an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream telling him about what’s going on with Mary. What he tells him is unbelievable and humanly impossible. He tells him that there is no earthly father for her baby. “That which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”. What?! This is such an unbelievable message that it required an angelic messenger to make it believable.In Luke’s account, we get to see Mary’s side of it. Let’s be honest, Mary’s surprise would have to be 1,000 times more surprPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6 The Ultimate CliffhangerWhen I was growing up there were several TV shows that our family would watch together. You younger readers might not understand this, but it used to be that there were only a couple of TV networks and it seemed like everybody watched them. And there was no recording (unless you somehow figured out how to program your VCR) and no binging. You knew when your show would come on and you were home for it. The best shows were the ones that kept a continuous story going from week to week and they would build up to the end of the season. For weeks they would advertise the “season finale” and you couldn’t miss it. Inevitably at the end of the last show of the season, there would be a huge turn of events and you’d be left in suspense, not knowing how it would turn out. They had you. Now you’d have to wait until the next season before you could finally get the answer.So why are we talking about this? Well, there is a sense in which this is what God did to his people with the Old Testament. When the Old Testament ends you have this amazing promise of God’s restored kingdom. Our passage for today contains the last 2 sentences of the Old Testament, but in order to understand the context let’s look at the verses that come right before this.The Great Day of the LordIt’s important to remember that Malachi is writing to a group of Jews who had recently come back to their homeland. You see God’s people had turned away from him so he sent foreign rulers to take them into captivity. But now they were returning. Look at the amazing message of hope that Malachi gives to them:“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 4:1-3This is a proclamation of victory for God and for his people. Those who do evil will be judged and those who love the Lord will rejoice. It’s a really beautiful picture. I can only imagine the joy and the hope that God’s people would have received from this. It is truly “great and awesome”.But when was it supposed to happen? That’s what’s crazy, they don’t know. God doesn’t tell them when this is going to happen. Instead, he gives them a sign so that will know when it does happen. That’s where our text for today comes in. He tells them that Elijah the prophet is going to come and he will turn the hearts of God’s people back to him.This is confusing for several reasons. First, Elijah has been gone for over 400 years. And secondly, these are the last recorded words of the Old Testament. After this God stops speaking to his people for 400 years. All they know is that they need to be on the lookout for someone like Elijah.Elijah: Take 2If you aren’t super familiar wiPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15So Much MorePeople who really know who Jesus is will respond in one of two ways: anger or adoration. There is no middle ground. We see people try to do this in today’s world but it really isn’t a possibility. I get really frustrated when I hear people say stuff about how Jesus was a “good, moral teacher” because that just isn’t an option. Jesus claimed to be God. Good, moral teachers don’t claim to create and sustain the universe. C.S. Lewis famously said in Mere Christianity: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to…”Now that we are on the same page we can look at this passage. This first comes to us as a prophecy in Jeremiah but then it is quoted in Matthew 1:18, where we are told that it has been fulfilled. But what happened?The StarAs you know, when Jesus was born a star appeared. It’s crazy because it looks like the only people that recognized it was a group of “wise men” from somewhere in the east. They were so impressed by this star’s appearance that they set out to see the one who was born “king of the Jews”. What’s even crazier is that they weren’t even Jewish. They must have had copies of the Old Testament lying around and put it together that God was going to announce the coming of the king with a star.Long story short, they show up in Jerusalem asking about the baby. Of course, they would go to Jerusalem, right? This is where the kings are supposed to live. But when they get there Israel’s king, Herod, has no clue what they are talking about, so he gets his own wise men together to figure it out. They come back and say that according to Micah 5:2, the king must be born in Bethlehem. That’s not bad, these guys traveled potentially 400 miles and made it to within 6 miles of Jesus on their first try. Herod then sends them off while trying to trick them. He tells them that they need to come back and tell him all about it so he can go and worship him too. The good news is that God wasn’t tricked. He knew all that was in Herod’s heart, so he later appears to the wise men to tell them not to stop and see Herod but to keep going.Polarized ResponsesThese wise men saw the star and came to worship Jesus. They knew that the heavenly signs were pointing to a heavenly baby. They knew that he was so much more than a baby born to be king. That is why they dropped everything to go and worship him. Herod understood this too, but it didn’t lead him to woPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ Jeremiah 23:5-6 A Timely MessageWhen you read this passage you can’t help but get excited. This is absolutely filled with hope. There is a king coming from the line of David who is going to bring salvation. The reason why this is encouraging for us is that we are looking back at it through the lens of a stable. We know that this is talking about baby Jesus born from David’s line in David’s town.However, the Jews to whom this was originally written were in a completely different context. Some of them had been taken into captivity and some of them were getting ready to be taken. They have a “king” but he’s just a puppet set up by a conquering army, he has no power. Imagine you were in that situation. How much more meaningful would it be to know that God was going to send a real king? And not just any king either, this king would be like David (one of his actual offspring) and he would really rule and reign. Not only that, but he would bring peace. Remember that at this time God’s people had already been split into 2 nations (Israel and Judah) each with separate kings. The king that Jeremiah was promising would be a king to bring unity and peace. There would be no more wars with Assyria or Babylon. There would be no more deportations to foreign lands. God’s king would be in control.A Godly KingYou don’t have to look too far to realize that there is more going on here. Look at the attention given to “righteousness”. In just these 2 verses we see it mentioned 3 times. First, we see that God is going to raise up from David’s line a “righteous” branch. This is a really big deal for several reasons. It’s important because even before Israel had their first king God laid out how the king was supposed to reign. He wasn’t supposed to get a ton of wealth for himself, he wasn’t supposed to marry a bunch of women, and he wasn’t supposed to make a huge army. Instead, he was supposed to put his trust and confidence in God and his word. Look at what God says through Moses:“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)The Jews knew that their kings were supposed to reign like this. They also knew that very few of them had. When you read through Kings and Chronicles it’s easy to see that both Israel and Judah had a bad track record when it came to godly kings. Knowing this makes this prophecy so much sweeter.Secondly, we see that this king is going to execute “justice and righteousness”. This is really interesting because it looks like he is emphasizing both sides of the coin. This new king that God was sending woulPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel,whose coming forth is from of old,from ancient days." - Micah 5:2Some Prophecies are Harder than OthersDepending on who you ask, it is possible that Jesus fulfilled a couple hundred prophecies from the Old Testament. That is absolutely incredible. Some people will go on and on trying to figure out the odds of this happening so that they can show that no mere human being could possibly accomplish this and therefore Jesus must be God. I couldn’t agree more. In fact, one of my favorite illustrations comes from a book published by a guy named Stoner in 1957 called Science Speaks. He said that the odds of Jesus fulfilling just 8 of these prophecies would be the same as if you covered the state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep, marked one with a checkmark, and blindfolded someone. Then they walked around and picked the marked silver dollar on their first try. Do you see what he’s saying? That’s just not possible.When we look at the text for today in light of this we are faced with some really interesting questions. In the above scenario we are talking about an adult attempting to fulfill these prophecies, but what about the prophecies about stuff that had to happen before the Messiah was born? What about where you’re born? Or where you move as an infant? What about your ancestors? See what we are getting at here? No one has ever been able to plan the city in which they were born… no one that is, except Jesus. And the reason he was able to do this is because he was, and is, God.The Not-So-Expected ProphetJust like with many of these prophecies, this one looks really clear to us as we look back but, what did the Jews of Jesus’ time think about this? Did they know that it was a prediction of the Messiah? This is a difficult question to answer because it looks like it’s a mixture of yes and no.First, let’s look at the “no”. During the time of Jesus, the Jews could be separated into 2 basic groups of people: those who were looking for the coming Messiah, and those who weren’t. It might sound weird to say this, but from the New Testament’s witness it looks like the religious leaders of the day fell into the category of the ones who weren’t. They had built up their own power and influence and they were not ready to hand that over to anybody—not even the Messiah.On the other hand, we see faithful Jews who were raised on the Old Testament and longed for the Messiah to come. This makes sense too. These were the common Jews who didn’t have any of the power of the leaders. They were the ones who felt the most of the oppression by the Romans. Of course, they were looking for the Deliverer.We see these people showing up as real seekers in the gospels. In John, there is an interesting interaction between these 2 groups of people. Jesus has gotten up and told them that he is God and that there is hope only in him. Some of them say, yes, “he is the prophet” or “he is the Messiah” but some say it’s not possible because Jesus is from Galilee (remember he moved a couple of times as a kid). Look at verse 42, “has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”Read the full article here:Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

“1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,the Spirit of counsel and might,the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.He shall not judge by what his eyes see,or decide disputes by what his ears hear,4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,and faithfulness the belt of his loins.6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;and a little child shall lead them.7 The cow and the bear shall graze;their young shall lie down together;and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.9 They shall not hurt or destroyin all my holy mountain;for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORDas the waters cover the sea.10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” – Isaiah 11:1-10The Heart of the KingFirst off, let’s pay attention to how God is narrowing the path to the Messiah. Twice in this little passage, Isaiah tells us that this hero is going to come through Jesse’s family. And you remember the story, right? Jesse was a faithful Israelite looking forward to a Messiah when out of nowhere a prophet comes to tell him that one of his boys is going to be the king. This is when Jesse parades each of his sons out in front of Samuel but then finds out that none of them are gonna work. He has to actually go out to the field to get David from watching the sheep so that he can be anointed as the king! How crazy this that?! Don’t forget: man looks at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.Like the Best Petting Zoo EverAs we have seen over and over this is just another example of God narrowing and expanding the vision for his kingdom. He is narrowing it by telling us that it is going to come through Jesse’s family, but he is expanding it to include the whole world, “far as the curse it found”. We know that there is something wrong in the world. When we look around us there is so much violence. Not only do we see wars and fighting among men and nations, but we see it in the animal kingdom as well. When God created the whole world and said that it was “very good” there was no violence, just peace.The vision that Isaiah is giving us is of that same kind of peace. Have you ever watched Planet Earth or the Discovery Channel? How do animals typically treat each other? More like food than friends, right? WePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light;those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,on them has light shone.You have multiplied the nation;you have increased its joy;they rejoice before youas with joy at the harvest,as they are glad when they divide the spoil.For the yoke of his burden,and the staff for his shoulder,the rod of his oppressor,you have broken as on the day of Midian.For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumultand every garment rolled in bloodwill be burned as fuel for the fire.For to us a child is born,to us a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and of peacethere will be no end,on the throne of David and over his kingdom,to establish it and to uphold itwith justice and with righteousnessfrom this time forth and forevermore.The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." - Isaiah 9:2-7The Light of HopeThis is such an exciting and beautiful prophecy. And it makes it even more meaningful when we realize that this was given 700 years (give or take) before Jesus. Yet when you read over this you just can’t help but think of him. This is another one of those passages that we read every year at this time and it gives us hope, but think about the hope that it gave the Jews all those years ago before Christ.As you look at this passage you can see that God is sending a rescuer, a deliverer. It’s easy to see how the Jews would have been so surprised by the way Jesus lived on earth. It would be hard for them to see him as their Messiah since he didn’t fit the picture of a conquering warrior. The history of the Jews had been very dark. Even after they came back to their land it seemed like they couldn’t catch a break. One nation after another seemed to oppress them. They needed someone to set them free.No Mere Human Would DoWhen we look at this passage there is so much going on. First off, the focus is on a child. Isn’t that interesting? This should let us know that something really unique is going to happen. The answer that they are looking for is going to come in the form of a baby boy.Next look at these titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. These aren’t titles that you would give to just any military leader. The Jews stood apart from the rest of the world in their time because they believed that there was only one true God, the God who created the universe. It was blasphemy to worship any other God.If we tie both of these ideas together we can realize that even in their own holy scriptures God has given serious hints pointing to the incarnation. This is a prophecy that is talking about a child to be born who would be called God...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.cPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14Double RainbowWe have all have read the verse above and we know, for certain, that this is about Jesus. But did you know it’s also about someone else? Wait, what? Yeah, this is one of those situations where God makes a prophecy that has an immediate fulfillment and then a later fulfillment. This is another amazing example of God’s specific sovereignty over all of human history. The people of Israel needed something to give them hope and God gave it to them. What they didn’t know at the time was that this was also going to give hope to the whole world.Signs of DeliveranceHere is what is happening in the context of Isaiah 7. The king of Israel, Ahaz, is freaking out because there are 2 other kings threatening war with him. So, God sends Isaiah to comfort him. That is where this prophecy comes into play. Let’s read it again but this time let’s go just a little bit farther."Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”" - Isaiah 7:14-17What is Isaiah saying to Ahaz, and why is it important? God is foretelling the birth of a little boy. When this boy is really young the threat will be over. The whole point of this is to calm Ahaz down and let him know that he doesn’t need to be afraid. This is going to happen in his lifetime, and this is a sign for him that God is going to keep his word.So Is This About Jesus or Not?Yes. This is about Jesus, but first, it’s about Maher-shalal-hash-baz. You see the whole point of this sign is that it provides something tangible for Ahaz to see. That’s why we get the first fulfillment one page over in chapter 8. To understand this we need to know a little something about the Hebrew language (because the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew). You see the word translated as “virgin” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “virgin” and could just mean “young woman”. This little boy is actually born to Isaiah and his wife. God confirms this when he tells Isaiah that before his son is even old enough to say his parents’ names the threat will be over.But you might be thinking, how then do we know that it’s about Jesus? Great question and there are 2 clear ways that we see this...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-14-maher-shalal-hash-baz/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audio recordings on the Snowbird App, Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." - 2 Samuel 7:12-13"and Jesse the father of David the king.  And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah," - Matthew 1:6The Un-named GrandmaWhen you read through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew you’ll notice that there are 5 women who show up in the line of Jesus but only 4 of them are mentioned by name. This one is simply called, “the wife of Uriah”. Isn’t that interesting? Why wouldn’t Matthew mention the name of this woman? I think it’s because this isn’t a particularly bright spot in Israel’s history. This episode in King David’s life is not something that they were proud of. It gets even more interesting when you realize that Matthew was writing to a mostly Jewish audience who would have known all about who this lady was. The bottom line is that I think the reason Matthew didn’t mention her name is probably the same reason you don’t know many ladies named Bathsheba.Wrong Place, Wrong TimeThere are 2 things that everybody remembers about King David. The first is that he killed Goliath and the second is his relationship to Bathsheba. We hear all about this in 2 Samuel 11. At the beginning of the chapter, there is some not-so-subtle foreshadowing that should tip us off that something bad is going to happen. It says “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle … but David remained at Jerusalem.” There you have it. David is the king of whom they used to say had “slain ten thousands”. He should be out there with his men, leading them in battle, but instead, he’s lounging around the palace in the middle of the afternoon. It’s pretty embarrassing.A Man of HonorThe rest of the story is even worse. David sees a beautiful woman and asks about her. Even though he knows that she is married to one of his most valiant soldiers it doesn’t stop him from pursuing her. Soon afterward he finds out that she’s pregnant and tries to get her husband to come home to be with her so that everyone will think that he is the one who got her pregnant. This plan might have worked except for the fact that her husband was way more honorable than David. Uriah would not come home and enjoy the comfort of his normal life while the army was out in battle. How ironic is that? The king didn’t care that they were at war, but the soldier did.After all of this, when David couldn’t think of anything else to do, he sends Uriah to the front line of battle and orders everyone around them to retreat. Who knows how many people David ordered to their death just to cover up his sin...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-13-grace-from-disgrace-the-wife-of-uriah/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audio recordings on the Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman." - Ruth 4:11-2 "Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king." - Matt 1:5-6 A Widowed Daughter-in-lawIf you haven’t picked up on this yet, our journey through the Old Testament on our way to Jesus often reads more like the plot to a soap opera than a religious text. This goes to show us that God uses all kinds of people from every type of background to bring about his plan for the world.This episode in the drama of Scripture starts out very dark. I mean no sooner do we get introduced to the main characters than they start dying off. There’s a man named Elimelech from Judah who moves to Moab because of a famine and there he and his two sons die, leaving his wife Naomi with two daughters-in-law. One of them goes back to her family and our story follows Naomi and Ruth as they go to live in the little town of Bethlehem.Gleanings and SandalsAs soon as they get settled in Bethlehem, Ruth gets to work. You see God had already made a way for faithful Jews to take care of the poor and Boaz was a faithful Jew. It just so happened that this takes place in the time of the harvest and Ruth just so happened to stumble across Boaz’s field. As was their custom Boaz’s workmen would harvest the fields but would leave anything that fell to the ground for the poor to pick up for themselves. This is where Ruth comes in. She was busy all day picking up the leftovers when Boaz noticed her. He had already heard of the kindness she had shown to Naomi and he wanted to help reward her so he told his men to leave out even more for her. When Naomi hears about this she realizes that Boaz is in a unique position to help because he is a close relative of theirs and could be their redeemer.I realize that some of this might be confusing because it is talking about ancient Jewish traditions and customs, but the really crazy part is that these practices had been a part of the Jewish culture for generations and now God is using them to bring about his plan of salvation through Jesus. Then we come to the climax of the story. Boaz decides that is going to redeem them but he has to get past another relative who is first in line. This guy doesn’t want to ruin his own inheritance so Boaz redeems them and hands over his sandal, which is kinda like a handshake. The deal is done...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-12-davids-moabite-grandma/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audio recordings on the Snowbird App, Apple Podcasts, and Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"… and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab," - Matthew 1:5Don’t Forget the LandFor the people of Israel, the most tangible part of God’s covenant with them was that he would give them the promised land. It’s really cool for us to look back on how all of this played out because we usually don’t think much of the land. After all, we don’t live in Israel and most of us don’t ever plan to. But for the Jewish people this meant everything to them. And in reality, if we don’t keep the promise of the land in mind we will miss out on a lot of what the Old Testament is about.Today we will talk about the events that take place in the book of Joshua. Let’s do a quick summary to get us up to this point in history. Remember that when God made his promise to Abraham he told him that his people would be slaves in a land not their own for 400 years and that afterward, God would bring them back to possess their own land. This is exactly what happened. They went down as sojourners to Egypt and then when a new Pharaoh came on the scene he put them in slavery. Moses then rises up as their deliverer and God brings them out with great possessions to wander the wilderness for 40 years. During this time God gives them victory over everyone that opposes them, which will bring us up to the book of Joshua.The Faith of a PaganThe first city of the promised land that they face is Jericho. This is a city surrounded by walls that seem impenetrable to the people of Israel. So Joshua sends in two men to spy out the land. This is where we first meet up with Rahab. Now Rahab is not a godly woman. Not only is she living in a sinful environment but she has a very sinful profession. She makes her living sinning against God’s design for marriage. In other words, she is an unlikely convert. But look at what she does. She risks her neck to save these foreigners. Why would she do that? It’s because she has heard all about the God of the Jews.Let’s look at God’s Word in Joshua chapter 2.Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” (Joshua 2:8-13)Rahab is confessing in Yahweh and putting her faith in him...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-11-the-savior-of-the-world-and-rahab/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also accesPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him." -  Deut. 18:15-18  Ready, Set…First off, the book of Deuteronomy is one of the most enjoyable books to read. It’s so good because in it we get to see God’s heart for his people. It is constantly talking about how special these people are to God and how special God should be to these people. It’s really good.Anyway, it is basically a series of sermons that Moses is giving to prepare the people for the promised land. One of the biggest reasons why Moses is doing this is because he, himself is not going to get to go in (that and he is recording the Word of God for God’s people). And part of preparing the people for their next chapter is the passing on of the leadership from Moses to Joshua.Joshua, but Not JoshuaIf you are reading through the Old Testament and you come across this passage, it seems pretty cut and dry Moses is transferring the authority to lead over to Joshua but there is more going on here. This is another one of those situations where we see God is giving a promise that will have more than one fulfillment. Spoiler alert: it’s also about Jesus.First, let’s look at Joshua. Is it fair to say that he is a prophet like Moses? Absolutely. Let’s look at a few examples. In Joshua chapter 1, God has a conversation with Joshua where he appoints him to lead the people of Israel. Several times in this conversation God tells him to “be strong and courageous” and to back it up he tells him, “Just like I was with Moses, so I will be with you”. God actually makes the comparison between Joshua and Moses.In addition to that in 4:14, the people seem to acknowledge that he is like Moses. Scripture says, “On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life”.If you needed any more confirmation that Joshua is the guy, look at 5:13-15:When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-10-a-prophet-like-moses/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,..." – Matthew 1:2"And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'" – Revelation 5:5It’s Not a Love StoryIf you think your family is crazy then you really need to pay attention to Jesus’ family. Today we are going to be looking at Genesis 38. This chapter is really confusing and pretty dark. For the sake of those who might be using this to read to your children we are going to handle this in a very sensitive way. The truth of the matter that shines through is that our world is full of sin and sinful people, but that will never stop God from keeping his promises. In the lineage of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 1 there are 5 women mentioned in Jesus’ family line. During this season we are going to take a day to think through each one their parts in God’s plan for our salvation. Now we will turn our attention to the unlikely couple of Judah and Tamar.Skipping BranchesAs you remember God planned to have Judah be the tribe that would produce the kings. And since Jesus was going to be born the King of Kings, that means that Judah is going to be his great, great, great, great grandfather. So when we see that Judah has a son named Er, we automatically assume that he is going to be in the line also. However, the Bible just has one sentence about him, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.” Whuh oh, now what? Well in Jewish culture they had a custom where if the oldest son died without having a baby then the wife would marry her dead husband’s brother so that they could continue the family line. This might sound really weird to us, but that is the way they did it back then. The second son’s name was Onan. However, Onan didn’t like this setup. He didn’t want his brother to get credit for his son so he wouldn’t keep up this custom. And you guessed it, God put him to death too. This is where Judah got really concerned. He only had 3 sons and his first 2 died after being married to Tamar, so he wouldn’t let his third son get married to her. He told Tamar that she needed to just stay single.This is where our story gets really crazy. Tamar was not content to just stay single, she wanted to have a child to carry on the family name, so she tricked Judah into having a baby with her by disguising herself as someone else. Then 3 months later Judah found out that she was pregnant. He was so angry and was going to have her put to death until she let him know that he, himself was actually the father. Whoa, talk about a surprise. He then realized that he had sinned before God and didn’t try to have her punished at all.We Shouldn’t Be SurprisedIsn’t it just like God to accomplish his plans in a way that we would have never guessed? As God makes it clear in Isaiah 55, his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth so are his thoughts higher than our thoughts. He is thinking on a different plane altogether and he sees all of time from the beginning to the end. Whenever we find ourselves thinking that this isn’t what we would have done we shouldPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"'Judah, your brothers shall praise you;your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;your father’s sons shall bow down before you.Judah is a lion’s cub;from the prey, my son, you have gone up.He stooped down; he crouched as a lionand as a lioness; who dares rouse him?The scepter shall not depart from Judah,nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,until tribute comes to him;and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." – Gen. 49:8-10It’s Good to Be KingEvery year at this time we read over this passage and rejoice in the fact that Jesus is born as “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” and he is. He is the promised king from Judah’s line who will have an everlasting kingdom. And if you have studied the Old Testament you know that the kings were always supposed to come from the line of Judah. The above passage is the first place where we get to see this. This is where Jacob basically lines up all of his children and speaks blessings over them.Fourth time’s the charmHere’s an honest question: did you know that Judah wasn’t the firstborn son of Jacob? If you are anything like me, you just assumed Judah had to be the firstborn because he was supposed to be the line of the kings. I thought that for a long time. It just makes sense. However, he is actually the fourth born son of Jacob. So then, what happened to the other three? The short answer is that they disqualified themselves. And what’s crazy is that even in this “blessing” passage in chapter 49 Jacob tells us the reasons.First is Reuben. He is the firstborn and should rightfully be the heir, but because he had an inappropriate relationship with one of his father’s wives he got crossed him off the list. Then we see Simeon and Levi, the next two in line. Their story is crazy, they slaughtered a whole nation of men because of how they had treated their sister. So then we are left with Judah.Grace upon graceLet’s look even closer into this. God had made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would bless the whole world through them. As we look over this Old Testament history we can see the way that God both narrows and expands his promises and he is doing this according to his own will. It is not because of any good that anyone is doing, it is only by his grace. Judah did not do anything to be chosen by God to be the tribe of the kings, he is just the next in line. In the next section, we will even get to see that he wasn’t even doing anything to try and preserve his own line. This should get us to focus on the real main character in all of this, which is God. When we are looking at human history we can see that God is the one who is working out his perfect will through sinful human beings.ReflectionWhat do we need to learn from this in our preparation to celebrate Christ’s birth? We need to realize that we cannot put God in a box. What I mean by that is that God does not work the way that we think he should. Isn’t it always supposed to be the firstborn son that inherits? In our human reasoning that makes sense, but that’s just not the way that God works and we can’t try to impose what we think should happen onto him. We probably would have just picked Ishmael, Esau, or Reuben to be the ones set to inherit, but God had other plans...Read the full article at Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"And he took up his discourse and said,'The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,the oracle of him who hears the words of God,and knows the knowledge of the Most High,who sees the vision of the Almighty,falling down with his eyes uncovered:I see him, but not now;I behold him, but not near:a star shall come out of Jacob,and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;it shall crush the forehead of Moaband break down all the sons of Sheth.Edom shall be dispossessed;Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.Israel is doing valiantly.And one from Jacob shall exercise dominionand destroy the survivors of cities!'" – Numbers 24:15-19Double PropheciesThis passage comes to us out of the book of Numbers and is really fascinating because it is a prophecy with two meanings. God does this all the time in the Old Testament. He will give a prophecy that will apply first to the people of Israel but then has a fuller meaning that will be accomplished later on in the future.First, let’s look at the immediate context of this passage. To make a long story short there is a king of Moab, his name is Balak and he is afraid of the Israelites because God had given them victory over their enemies. So to protect himself he hires a prophet to put a curse on them. But here’s the catch: even though Balaam is not a godly guy, he will not prophesy something unless God allows it. This totally frustrates Balak, because every time Balaam gets up to prophesy against the people of Israel, he winds up prophesying for them. That’s what happens here. Balak is trying to get him to say that Moab is going to defeat them, but instead he says that God is going to send someone from the line of Jacob to crush the forehead of Moab. That’s his own country!This is an amazing story because again it draws our attention to God’s complete sovereignty over all peoples and nations. He predicts the Israelites' victory over Moab, which happens later on in Old Testament history (in the Judges, really). But he is also pointing to the rule and reign of Jesus as the star who came from Jacob’s line. When God prophesies something it is going to come to pass—no matter how long it takes to happen.Jacob, the TricksterFor a better overall picture of this, we need to go back and look at Jacob. This is also confusing because when we think of the Old Testament patriarchs we want to look at them as heroes that we should imitate, right? I mean when we look at Abraham we see someone who has such a solid faith in God that the New Testament will use him as an example for us to follow. Although, even with Abraham we see moments where he doesn’t seem to be acting consistently in his faith...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-7-two-accidental-blessings/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audiPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, 'By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.'" – Genesis 22:15-18A Contradicting CommandYou’ll notice that the scripture for today is really encouraging, but the trip from the beginning of the chapter to the end of the chapter is an emotional rollercoaster. During the past couple of sections we have been focused on how God is going to fulfill his promise to Abraham through Isaac. He has been very clear on that. But here we get one of the most confusing commands in all of the Bible. In verse 2 God says to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Doesn’t this contradict what God told him about Isaac? Well, sorta, we are actually really blessed to have more information about what God is doing than what Abraham had in this situation. When we look at the immediate context of this verse we see that verse 1 gives us a huge hint as to what is going on. It says, “after all these things God tested Abraham”. Whew. So we know this is a test, but Abraham doesn’t. After all, what kind of test would it be if he knew he was being tested...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-6-the-lord-will-provide/----------------------Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audio recordings on the Snowbird App, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Zach Mabry | Marriage ConferenceIn this session, Zach will walk through Scripture to see how God calls us to love Him, stay close to His Word, and teach it in the simple moments of everyday life. He’ll talk about why God’s commands are actually good for us, and how easy it is to forget God when life gets comfortable.Deuteronomy 6Marriage ConferencePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

“through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” – Genesis 21:12All Kinds of LaughterThere are all kinds of laughter. We have all been in a situation where you are not supposed to be laughing… but you do… and that makes it worse. How is it that things are so much funnier when you’re not allowed to laugh?When we look at the events surrounding the promise and birth of Isaac we see everyone laughing, but not in the same way. And let’s not forget that Isaac’s name, itself, means “laughter”. So what is going on here? Let’s look at this in detail to see the way that God is working out His plan for our salvation.Abraham LaughsThe first person we see laughing at this is Abraham. As you remember in chapter 17 (verse 17) God told Abraham that he would have a son and his first response was to fall on his face and laugh. But why is he laughing? First, we need to notice that he falls on his face before God in worship. Whatever else he is thinking, he is giving honor to God. Then we see him laugh, but it looks like this is just a good-hearted laugh. After all, he’s nearly 100 years old and his wife is way past the age for women to have kids. He’s laughing… because this is funny, and because he believes that this super old married couple is going to have a baby. You have to laugh at that imagery. Do you know a 90-year-old lady? Can you picture her in the hospital room holding a tiny, newborn baby? It’s a really funny picture.BustedNext, we see that Sarah laughs. In chapter 18, Sarah overhears God telling Abraham that she is going to have a baby in the next year and she laughs. This time it isn’t well received. Why is that? Isn’t this the same thing Abraham did a chapter earlier? Not necessarily. Sure they both laughed, but it was a different kind of laughter. When Abraham laughed, he was laughing out of faith, believing that God would do the impossible. When Sarah laughed it was out of disbelief. Look at the response that her laughter gets from God. When she laughs God asks her a question that exposed her lack of faith saying, “is anything too hard for the Lord?” Sarah was a bitter woman. She had wanted children her whole life and couldn’t have them. When God said this, it sounded like a cruel joke. You can picture her in her tent scoffing, “oh, now you want me to have a baby?…. sure, right…”Joy to the WorldNow that we are caught up, let’s look at what happens here in chapter 21. Sarah indeed becomes pregnant and when Abraham is 100 years old, they have a son named Isaac. Sarah is bursting with joy that she cannot contain. The only way to express it is with laughter. She proclaims, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me” (21:6). This is so exciting. It’s so easy to get drawn into this scene and laugh with her. This is a contagious sort of laughter. She realizes the humor in this and rejoices in it. Everyone who hears about this will laugh alongside her and be filled with joy.Pushed AsideFinally, the last person we see laughing is Hagar. Remember her? She isn’t happy with this situation at all. Up until this point her son, Ishmael, was going to be Abraham’s heir. But now that Sarah has a son of her own neither she nor Ishmael are needed anymore.Abraham had thrown a huge party for Isaac and everyone is rejoicing. Everyone except Hagar...Read the full article at:  Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-4-new-names-and-a-new-son/ "And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?' And Abraham said to God, 'Oh that Ishmael might live before you!' God said, 'No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.'" – Genesis 17:15-21When our solution… isn’tSometimes we can get tired of waiting for God to work and we decide to take matters into our own hands. After all, we might be thinking something like, “maybe God is going to fulfill his promise through my creative problem solving”. But as is often the case this type of solution turns out not to solve anything. That is exactly what we see happening with Abraham and Sarah. God had promised Abraham that God was going to give him a son, but this didn’t seem to be happening and his wife, Sarah, kept getting older and older. This is what happened in chapter 16. We can only imagine the disappointment, frustration, or anger Sarah may have been in. God had promised to give her husband a kid and she just wasn’t getting pregnant. What was she to do? In her case, she took matters into her own hands and told Abraham to have a baby with her servant Hagar. But this didn’t fix it. Sure, God gave Hagar a baby, but that wasn’t what God had in mind. And really, how could it be? Abraham had a wife and God promised him a child, surely He meant the child to come from his wife.Narrowing and ExpandingWhen we get to chapter 17 God renews the covenant He made with Abraham. First, He gives him a new name. His old name, Abram, meant “exalted father”. Let’s pause for a minute and recognize the irony here. Up to this point, Abram had lived 99 years with a name that means father and did not have any children (imagine how much he must have been made fun of). And then to make it worse, God changed his name to something even more ironic and renamed him Abraham which means, “father of a multitude”.God had promised Him a son, and he had gotten one, but not the way God had wanted. God then deals with Abraham so graciously and narrows his promise to let him know that the son that is going to carry on his line will be from his wife Sarah. This is where God brings Sarah into the covenant as well. To make this clear God changes her name too. Before this time she was called Sarai, but God changes it to Sarah. The reason for this is a little unclear since they are just different forms of the same word, but most people think that the distinction has to do with the fact that she is going to princess to a nation and not just to Abraham. So we caPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Spencer Davis | Marriage ConferenceIn this session, Spencer will look at the kinds of challenges couples face, why conflict can feel like a trap, and how empathy, teamwork, and Christ-like love bring real change. With practical examples from personality differences to money habits, we show how patience, compassion, and a shared mindset can turn “me vs. you” into “we’re in this together.”Ephesians 5Marriage ConferencePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land” – Genesis 15:18The Promised SonIf you haven’t done it yet, you should really read this whole chapter. But if not let’s walk through it and show how God is continuing the promise to Abraham. When the chapter starts out Abraham is bummed because he still doesn’t have a child of his own. He tells God that he still doesn’t have an heir to inherit the promises that God is giving him. This is where God takes him out and shows him all the stars in the sky and promises him that he is going to give him that many descendants and that they would come from his own son.The One-Sided PromiseIt’s at this point that God makes the covenant official. To our modern eyes this might look really weird. I mean why would God have Abraham cut these animals in half? For us to understand what is happening we need to have a little knowledge of ancient covenants. It was common in their culture to perform ceremonies like this where two people would come together and make a promise to each other. Then they would cut open an animal and walk together in between them. In doing this they were saying that they were so serious about keeping their end of the bargain that if they didn’t keep their word then they should get cut in half just like these animals. Crazy, right?! You had to be really sure you could keep your promise before you would commit to something like this.What gets really interesting is that Abraham didn’t walk through the animals, only God did. You see God put Abraham into a deep sleep and went through the covenant promise by himself. This means that God is taking full responsibility to keep the covenant on himself. This is awesome, because if it was going to be up to Abraham to fulfill it, then he would fail. He couldn’t even have a kid on his own. But thankfully God will always keep his word.The CurveballNow we get to the hardest part of the covenant to understand. Let’s look a little closer at the words that God says to Abraham when he makes this promise. God says, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” What?! Did God just promise Abraham that his descendants will be slaves? Yep, you read it correctly. That is fascinating. What in the world are we to make of this? We need to realize that God is sovereign over all of the things that happen in the world and even when it looks like he might be out of control or that his people aren’t experiencing the good things we think they should be experiencing, God is still keeping his word. And with the people of Israel, part of the promise was to make them great. You and I might have just showered dollar bills on them but God did it by taking them into slavery and then sending them out with “great possessions”. (See also Acts 13:17)ReflectionAs we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let’s pause and think through what we know so far. We know that God has promised that he is going to send a Messiah. We know that a man, born of woman, is going to be born to crush the head of the serpent. And we know that he is going to come through Abraham’s line and be a blessing to the world...Read the full article at: Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." – Genesis 12:1-3Cosmic Gospel“Joy to the world the Lord is come, let earth receive her king!”I love the song “Joy to the World”. It’s so good because in it we get to sing about a salvation that God has for the whole world. Not only that but in the third verse, Isaac Watts tells us that what Jesus is doing has enormous, cosmic implications. He is reversing the curse! This is awesome!It started with one manIf you are not on a Bible plan where you read through the whole Bible every year then you need to be. And when you read through the Bible you need to not allow yourself to become numb to some of your favorite Bible stories like Father Abraham. Sure we know that, “many sons had father Abraham” but it is really important that we pause and reflect on what a crazy turn of events this is because the Creator of the universe singles out one man with whom to have this covenant relationship.Covenants, Testaments, and PromisesWhen we say that God is establishing a covenant relationship with Abraham (He’s actually still called Abram at this point, but you know who we’re talking about) what we mean is that God is making a promise to him that He is going to fulfill. This moment provides a hinge in all of human history. The immaterial, all-powerful, Creator God is initiating a personal relationship with a sinful human being. So what exactly is God promising Abraham at this point? Make a great nation from youBless youMake your name greatYou will be a blessingBless those who bless youCurse those who curse youBless all the families of the earth through youGod is narrowing the means by which He is fulfilling the promise He made to Eve way back in the garden. The serpent crusher that God told Adam and Eve about is going to come through the family of Abraham. This is the only way that the whole world is going to be blessed through him. ReflectionSo what do we need to be thinking about as we look forward to Christmas? We need to remember that God is good and that he keeps his promises. Jesus coming to earth as a baby was not just some sort of isolated, haphazard event but was the fulfillment of his promise.God chose Abraham out of all the people on the earth and made a covenant with him. This is the beginning of the Jewish nation. But notice that from the beginning God did not just intend to bring salvation to the Jews, but also through the Jewish people. What an amazing promise. Not only do we see the promise that God made to Adam and Eve narrowing through Abraham and his descendants but also expanding to include the Gentiles. Praise God that in giving this blessing to Abraham, he also promised to bless us too.Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can alsoPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

"The LORD God said to the serpent,'Because you have done this,cursed are you above all livestockand above all beasts of the field;on your belly you shall go,and dust you shall eatall the days of your life.I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring;he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.'" – Genesis 3:14-15Let’s Get StartedIn the words of Maria from The Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…”It’s December 1 and we are starting our journey through the Old Testament which will culminate in the birth of Jesus, so why shouldn’t we start in the first book of the Bible? You might have read the above passage and thought, “that seems weird, why would we start a season that focuses on the coming of Jesus with God cursing the serpent in the garden?”Great question. The answer is because this is where we see the very first glimpse into God’s rescue plan for humanity.The First GospelTheologians have dubbed this passage the proto-evangelion, which is a fancy, Latiny way of saying, “the first Gospel” the reason they have done this is because it contains a promise that God is going to send someone to crush the head of the serpent (which we all know is Satan). As you know God gave Adam and Eve one command to follow, they could eat from any tree of the garden except for the one in the middle called, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. However, when they failed to keep this command God disciplined them. We see several consequences of this for mankind, like increased difficulty in working the land and increased pain in bearing children. Then we see that God cursed the serpent (Satan’s instrument in the garden) and then Satan himself. But even in this just punishment, we can see the grace of God. There are several ways we see this. First, God didn’t kill them immediately. They were told that they would “surely die” if they disobeyed, but God didn’t execute them on the spot. Instead, we see that they (and we) became mortal. Instead of living forever with God on earth we now have a ticking clock that will lead to our physical death. But secondly, God promised to provide a remedy for our sin. He promised that He was going to send someone that was going to crush Satan’s head.ReflectionSo what should we be thinking about this first day of December as we are anticipating Christmas? We should marvel at God’s plan for our salvation. We need to step back and reflect on the fact that even though we have an all-powerful, just God, who will not let sins go unpunished he also takes it upon himself to deal eternally with our sin. At the very moment of our first sin we can see that God had a plan to save us. From the beginning, we can see that God is not only wholly just, He is also wholly gracious. And not only that but we also see his grace in letting us know (even just a little bit) about what He is up to in His plan to bring us back to a relationship with Himself.Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Get your Advent Book here!EverPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Here we are again, it’s wintertime and the Christmas season is upon us. For Christians, this is one of the 2 most important seasons of the year shared only with Easter in its significance. It is in this season that we intentionally focus on the moment when Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came into the earth as a baby. In the history of the Church, we have called this period leading up to Christmas Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival."Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Get the Advent Book Here!Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audio recordings on the Snowbird App, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

In this session, two couples will discuss the daily habits that strengthen marriage, how gentleness reshapes conflict, and what biblical leadership and submission actually mean. We follow that with a clear, grounded look at walking through loss, navigating family decisions, and staying present amid real-life pressures.Marriage ConferencePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

Rob Conti | Marriage ConferenceIn this episode, Rob explores how to handle conflict in marriage with grace and dignity. Learn when to let things go, when to lovingly confront one another, and how prayer, humility, and listening can strengthen your relationship, remembering that only God can change the heart.Marriage ConferencePlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.