Understanding God's Word: Recent Episodes
Carl Vasta
Welcome to UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WORD – an easier explanation of the THE STORY LINE OF THE BIBLE, and THE QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS. The most recent series is called BIBLE SEEDS, my commentary on bible readings and whats happening to us in our daily lives. Type Carl Vasta into any browser to get to my website and download FREE videos, MP3s, PDFs and music that I wrote and performed.
Bible Seeds: Making Political Arguments From God’s Word - The month of June has become the time of year when the Supreme Court Of The United States, ( SCOTUS ) releases their judgments about important issues concerning the laws of the land and how they fit in with what was written by the founders of the United States.
The first command was personal, just for Adam and Eve. The next command that God gave to his people in the “New World” after the flood, is found atGenesis Chapter 9: verse 5. “If anyone takes human life, he will be punished. I will punish any animal that takes human life with death. Man was made by God, so whoever murders a man will himself be killed by his fellow man.” This was not a personal command, but a command from God to all His creation!
When we think it nothing to take God’s commands and turn them into political arguments that have to be voted on, we make a mockery of God’s judgments and His will! So we argue to vote on “The Death Penalty”, and whether or not God made more than two genders.
Bible Seeds: There is a poem from Robert Burns, the poet, that inspired a book by John Steinbeck titled “Of Mice and Men.” The quote goes like this “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” This does not only apply to people but to spiritual entities like Satan and his demons.
For example, Satan thought he was successful at killing Jesus on the cross and seeing him put in a tomb! But Jesus came back at His resurrection, and was victorious over death.
This next verse may tell us what Satan felt like when it was over! “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known ( God’s Plan ) , they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Bible Seeds: A while ago, Paul Simon, the songwriter-singer wrote a song titled ‘Slip-Slidin’ Away.’ One of the verses start out, ‘And God only knows, And God makes his plan. The information is unavailable for the mortal man’
As we look at the stories about the relationships between God and His creation, we see that God has a way of letting us know what is going to happen without telling us how He is going to accomplish it! God likes to surprise us.
*I think that anyone who has been helped by God has often been surprised by the way He helped them. They may have expected that God would help them in a certain way, but were totally surprised how God accomplished helping them by twist and turns that often made His believers think that God might be working against them. A good example of what I’m talking about is this story from the bible!
THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND THE PHARAOH*
Bible Seeds: A while ago, Paul Simon, the songwriter-singer wrote a song titled ‘Slip-Slidin’ Away.’ One of the verses start out, ‘And God only knows, And God makes his plan. The information is unavailable for the mortal man’
As we look at the stories about the relationships between God and His creation, we see that God has a way of letting us know what is going to happen without telling us how He is going to accomplish it! God likes to surprise us.
*I think that anyone who has been helped by God has often been surprised by the way He helped them. They may have expected that God would help them in a certain way, but were totally surprised how God accomplished helping them by twist and turns that often made His believers think that God might be working against them. A good example of what I’m talking about is this story from the bible!
THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND THE PHARAOH*
Bible Seeds: Joseph of Arimathea was given permission by Pilate to take the body of Jesus’ and give it a burial in a new tomb he had just prepared for himself.
In the book of John, Chapter 19, verse 39, “Joseph and another disciple named Nicodemus, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.” The Jews prepared a body for burial like they were taught when they lived in Egypt, and now it was their custom to use a mixture of myrrh and aloes to bind the body with strips of linen, and it would be wet until it solidified. . . . or like a mummy!
This is probably what the apostles saw in the tomb, an empty shell without a body! And they believed! What happened to Jesus during the three days before the tomb was opened is not immediately told in a story form but is discovered in other readings.
From these readings, we find out where the real Paradise is. It's not up there, but down below the Earth!
Bible Seeds: This podcast shows three examples that Jesus is God"s Word made flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. The first example is that Jesus proved He has the authority fo forgive only what God can forgive. Your sins!
The second example shows that Jesus has the power with God the Father to raise people back to life! So when He says, "I am the ressurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die!" He is telling you the truth.
The third example shows that; first of all, Jesus was raised back to life and is victorious over death! And even though you claim to believe in Jesus, if you are stubborn in your unbelief of all that Jesus has said and done, you will not be raised to life and live with Him in Heaven! But
your spirit will live in torment ever after!
Remember what Jesus said to Thomas, "You became a believer because you saw me. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed!"
Bible Seeds: Many nations and kingdoms have come and gone, and people have mistakenly thought that political leaders or kings of their culture were responsible for establishing the foundations of righteousness.Unfortunately, the foundations of righteousness do not exist in any mortal culture, but only God’s Kingdom.
Bible Seeds" God made this world a heavenly paradise, but it sure has turned into a strange place. God made our forefathers invent an interesting Courtroom called Congress to test the hearts and the strength of men and women, who sell themselves like hookers and “LIE” straight to your face, smiling at you!
The sweet women who used to tell us “Don’t worry, it will be okay”, have been forced to become “Mama Bears” at Congress, Courts and School Boards to protect their children and themselves from these morally bankrupt leaders who would take all our money and think nothing of TAXING OUR HUMAN DIGNITY!
And those are the people we have to lead this nation into the future? Tell me, would we believe it if they sent us a Valentine’s card saying how much they love us?
So Who Can You Trust?
Bible Seed: I have often heard a person say, “How can we believe the words in the bible when it has been written by so many people? Because basically it was all written by God! Jesus explained it at the Last Supper; how God’s word was given to mankind by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Bible Seeds: This Sunday is Christmas Eve. A day for celebration not only by the children of the world, but by God's children of FAITH! Remembering when our Father in Heaven reached down to us ordinary people and delivered a newborn baby named Jesus, His Son, and asked us to belive what He would say to us. "I am the resurrection and the life . Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies; and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die."
Bible Seeds: The celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas is coming up this month. Hanukkah starts on December 07th and ends the 15th. Jerusalem was delivered from the cruel king, Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), by Maccabees in the month of Chislev (our month of December in 165 B.C.) This time of deliverance has been celebrated by the Jews as Hanukkah, or the Feast of Lights.The story is told in this podcast.
Christmas starts four weeks before the 25th of December. It is referred to as The Christmas Advent and is recognized by many Christians as the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December, which is Christmas day. His story is told in this podcast.
And finally, here is my song for both Hanukkah and Christmas. It’s called Invitation, the Hanukkah – Christmas song. It shows that both those of the Jewish faith and the Christian faith are waiting for the coming of the Messiah!
Bible Seeds: For thousands of years, shepherds who live In Israel or the Eastern part of that world, have brought their flocks of sheep into one centralized sheepfold, which is an enclosure made of stone, wood, or a combination of both. It has sturdy walls or fences that prevent the sheep from wandering off or being attacked by predators and keep the sheep safe at night or during bad weather. There are usually five or six dozen flocks of sheep from different shepherds gathered together in this one place and guarded by a gatekeeper who oversees the sheep behind locked doors or fences. In the morning the shepherds return and each calls his own sheep. Although the flocks have been mingled together, each flock knows its own shepherd's voice, and follows its own shepherd and will not follow any other.
What about the statement Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice?” Why don’t we take that seriously? Keep in mind that God spoke to His people directly, even though there was some written scripture. And even through Revelation in our standard bibles! Those people heard God! The bible makes the point that God has not changed!
Does that mean God talks to His people today?* Yes! Those who put their faith in Him and listen will hear His voice. Jesus backs it up by saying at the last supper: John, Chapter 14: verse 26 & Chapter 16: verses 13-15***
Bible Seeds: Prejudice can be described as a preconceived opinion that has no reason, facts or actual experience behind it. The term “prejudice” comes from the Latin meaning for “injustice” or “prior judgment.” When you even look at the word pre-jud-ice, it almost sounds like pre -judge or pre- justice.
You may often hear people that are discussing religion say, “That may be your truth, but that’s not my truth!” as if facts were debatable! They just explain it away as “My truth is what I believe to be true”.
Bible Seeds: This podcast was one that was broadcast a year ago, but I think it needs to be rebroadcast again because of all the traumatic events that have taken place recently and the combination of wars, the devastating effects of a “no borders policy”, inflation and and cities not defending the rights of it’s residents over criminal lawlessness. Add to that the loss of parents rights to determine what their children are being taught in public education and a complete view of CHAOS happening World Wide! Is there any way to bring ORDER to all the Chaos in our lives?
Bible Seeds: After the death of King Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms: The 10 tribes of Israel, ( the Northern Kingdom) and The 2 tribes of Judah, ( the Southern Kingdom. ) God sent many great prophets ( Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Obadiah, and Ezekiel ), to warn the kings and people of each nation not to worship idols and not to disobey God! But the people didn’t take the warnings seriously and were removed from the promise land and lived in exile in Babylon for at least seventy years.
The prophet Ezekiel lived in exile in Babylon during the period before and after the fall of Jerusalem. His prophecy is for the people of Israel in the last days. Some believe that there are two different prophecies of war in the “last days”, besides the last “Armageddon” war. T*hat is Psalm 83, and *Ezekiel 38!
Bible Seeds: Many people have experienced rain, lightning and thunder. And we have ofen counted the seconds between the lightning flash and sound of thunder, although they are not always the same amount of time but thunder consistently follows the flash of lightning.
So Jesus Christ's, lightning victory, was real over death! Satan lost control of this world because many of the Christians became "the great opposition" to those who did the deeds of the Devil. "The good news of the gospel" was presented and "salvation offered" to those who would believe in God the Father, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit!
We are now living in the seconds between Jesus' lightning victory and God's Thunder, the time Jesus will return with His Saints to take possession of the world from Satan and throw him into the great abyss for a thousand years and destroy all his works!
Bible Seeds: There is a beginning gift that God has given to all of his human creation. It is the gift of "Compassion". It is given to every person living on this planet. Some of us have decided to ignore it for our own selfish reasons, but everyone has it It's given to the athesist and every sect of religion ever invented. To all people!
Bible Seeds: Human beings have often been facinated by scary things; stories and movies; even celebrations like Halloween. Ancient civilizations have long feared dragons and demons. But there is another evil that is being practiced today by governments, politicians, judges, schools, military, businesses and people in the general population. These are the people who practice some of the threats stated in the book of Revelation in the bible. That story is about the end of all evil perpetrated by the devil, his demons and all who are possessed by those who follow in the devil's footsteps!
Bible Seeds: Living in these days and time, we think of people in terms of nations and countries. Because of political ideas and the world of the media, we might thinik that people living in these places agree with those who rule their nation. But that is not true!
Just because a ruler is a communist doesn't mean the people suffering under his leadership believe in socialism or communism. Many times they are forced to replace a picture or a cross of Jesus with a picture of the "Great Leader" of that country!
But there are people living under government rules that have a strong faith in God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They exist in many places all over the world. And as one body, we Christians are a relatively new ethnicity! We are like the description that John spoke of what he saw in heaven. 'A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne of God, the head of this body, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit'. But we are still on the Earth waiting for the government of Jesus - the thousand year reign and the coming of GOD's New Heaven!
Bible Seeds: The way i understood the first words God said to Job was, "Does God Have A Valid Critic?" And God asks Job for his answers to questions like "Where were you when I created the Earth?" God asks Job questions for the next three chapters that cannot be answered by anyone. And Job says "In the past I knew only what others had told me, but now I have seen you with my own eyes, so I am ashamed of all I said and repent in dust and ashes. God restored Job's losses and gave him twice as much as he had before. But the question of WHY was not answered in the book!
God blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning and he lived one hundred and forty years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So he diied, "old and full of days."
But what Job didn't hear that was explained to the generations beyond Moses and by Paul, the Apostle of Jesus, in the book of Romans, chapter 8: verse 28, was "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan."and
*the book of Jeremiah, Chapter 29: verse 11 - God says, "For I know the plans I have for you - plans to prosper you and not to harm you . . . plans to give you hope and a future."
But the most important thing we have to realize about our Creator is when He tells us, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts. Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts then your thoughts." [ found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8-9 ]***
Bible Seeds: Does God Have A Valid Critic ( Part 1 ) What makes criticism valid? Is it when people criticise someone but they don't have the knowledge or the experience to qualify the point they are trying to make. I started by relating what happened to me on a job. It reminded of a story in the bible from one of the oldest books, but I got off on a tanget to where these books came from and then told the story of a book called JOB. It's not about a computer guy but its a story where a person is a target of evil, but doesn't know why God allowed to happen. God doesn't really give him an answer for that but asks Job "Does God have a critic? How many people are wondering "Why" about many things. At this point, we look at other Gods and then at Paul in Athens, Greece and his speech on Mars Hill.
Next Podcast: ( Part 2 ) The Answer That Job Didn't Get From God
Bible Seeds: I was wondering the other day, What makes people's faith stronger? No matter if it's faith in God, your doctor, your parents, your husband, your wife , your children, your neighbor, a friend, your pastor. The very thing that makes your faith stronger in each other has to be THE TRUTH!
In the fur gospels, Jesus did not waste His words. Many times the point He makes only takes a paragraph or two. And even though the disciples would ask Him what He meant, about a parable or story He told, Jesus asked them why they didin't understand! Then he would explain it differently so they would get it.
But there was a phrase Jesus used commonly and He said it in differents ways. Jesus said "I tell you the truth" seventy eight times in the new Testament gospels of the King James Bible.There are nineteen bible verses Jesus said, that start with or contain the words, Truly truly, I say to you". There may have been a time that the Apostles thought they lost Jesus to the cross, but they were filled with joy at His resurrection and they knew that all Jesus told them was true and they would join Jesus in heaven and their bodies would be like His and they would live wonderfully forever! And they remembered what Jesus had tol them: "I am the way, The Truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Bible Seeds: How can we pray for corrupted nation? We certainly cannot deny that we are in the midst of experiencing the effect of a corrupted nation! if you have lived for a long time as I have, you remember a different America. A people more proud of their inheritance; a land where laws were taken seriously and peopl enjoyed a happier life. Parents took pride in their families, their mates and their children.
Teachers were happy to educate the young ones to reading and writing skills, and how to work with numbers: add, subtract, multiply and divide; how to work with fractions and percentages. They took care in telling us about the history and the geography of our nation. We were taught about the simple things of science: air, water, light, gravity, magnetism, and electricity. There was more reverence for God and not the mockery we experience in today's world. The United States planted a flag on the moon and the 200th aniversary of our nation was coming up. I had been writing songs and i wrote one to celebrate "America" This was and is a new song didicated to: the power the American peeople have when they exercise their right to VOTE.
They are choosing a moral direction for America, a land where they want to live and raise their children. The framers o the Constitution planned it so that the people would be able to decide what direction America should travel. We have found that if you elect liars, thugs, robbers, and thieves as your leaders you will be lied to, robbed, and have your lives stolen from you! Let us pray: that God will give us the wisdom to elect leaders who have a strong faith, like our Founding Fathers, and who are willing to promote moral well being among our people and teach the value of the FREEDOMS given to us in our Bill Of Rights and our Constitution.
Bible Seeds: The twenty third Psalm in the Bible contains a sentence that states: "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou (meaning God) art with me"
Did anyone ever ask where this 'valley of the shadow of death' exist? It exist right here on Earth!
In fact, it is The Earth! We all live in the shadow of death! it happens to everone and most peopl are scared of dying. But this is where the meaning is separated according to what each person believes. The next line in this Psalm is "for God is with me!". Now this can present a problem. The bible speaks of a great judgment at the end of our lives where everone will be held accountable for all the good or bad things they did while they were here, on the Earth.
Bible Seeds: From the book of Proverbs, Chapter 29: verse 2; "Show me a righteous ruler and I'll show you a happy people. Show me a wicked ruler and I will show you a miserable people" ( quote from the Good News Bible )
I wonder if the people who are crossing borders illegially realize the Bibden administration is transforming this country into the place they just left to come here!
People who live here and are depressed about the lack of morality, justice and accountability of those people who commit crimes. You've heard people who are guilty saying, "no one is above the law" and I must remind them that no one living on this Earth is above God's laws and God said "Revenge is mine, I will repay to the evil ones".
Bible Seeds: Living in today's world has many misrepresentations that people are expected to live with. We are expected to believe that there are more than two genders; that living in a borderless country is a good thing; that justice in courts all over the world is dealt out honestly and that criminals are being fairly punished and people who have not committed criminal acts are not being politically punished.
Holding on to your faith is really difficult, living in a sinful world that broadcasts it's evil twenty four hours a day and yet; Jesus tells us, "not to worry!"
Bible Seeds: How can we un-see, un-hear, un-speak and un-do all the evil that is presented to us 24 hours a day without it affecting our lives. We must take notice of how we are influenced by this constant barage of evil that is targeting our lives and the lives of our children. First we must notice what is comming our way and be prepared to off set it.
Bible Seeds: On this Easter or Resurrection Sunday, we hope you having a meaningful day. I would like to put forward two new songs to celebrate our salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first song is Into God's Hands Our Spirit Will Go. This song is Jesus' words put to music telling us not to be afraid of thoses who kill our bodies and cannot kill our souls. Your souls are the very beings who will live everlasting lives with God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the Kingdom of Heaven. The second song is titled Mary, Mary Mary and what the mother of our Lord Jesus might have said to the people who lived in her village, . . . about the crucifixion of her son and the empty tomb, three days later.
Bible Seeds: Does God owe us anything? NO . . . Wait; we didn't ask to come here. How are we supposed to live? We don't know from one day to the next . . . what's going to happen to us?
At least we could ask our parents, "Why did you bring us here?" Anad they might say, "We didn't know you were coming along. We were just celebrating our love and being romantic!"
And if we ask God, He might say, "I was celebrating My new creation, YOU, and I was giving you life and a new place to live!"
Bible Seeds: Did you ever wonder why, when we say a prayer to God the Father like a table blessing? "Bless us Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen" Or when we pray, why we end our prayer with "We pray this in your son Jesus' name."? Some people don't think this is necessary since we are already praying to God! But if we look what Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me! ( found in the book of John, Chapter 14: verse 6 )
Bible Seeds: We are bombarded every day with Life's distractions. Not only the things we have to do around the house but going to work, getting there and then making sure we can even do the job we were hired for seems to be filled with unending distractions. If we slow down a bit at the beginning of the day by asking God to help us with it. Keep in mind we can't re-do yesterday, we don't know whats comming tomarrow. The only day we have any control of is today. That small prayer is amazing! To see God help us and know where your help is really comming from. Distractions pulls everything apart. But when you see how blessings from God makes you day flow, you will soon believe God is with you, helping you and you will pray before you do anything again!
Bible Seeds: Last week, a website identified as https://iqfy.com/unvaccinated-silence/ appeared on the internet and had a big question for the people who opened this page. They asked: "They knew: why didn't the unvaccinated do more to warn us about the potential dangers of being injected?"
They also added to the bottom of their webbsite this sentence! "The unvaccinated should by any moral measuring stick have done more to warn about the potential risks - to help us make informed decisions about our health. And they must now ask us for our forgiveness. And hand to heart, we may just give it to them. Because we are good people. We took those injections because it was the right thing to do - until it wasn't."
Bible Seeds: Near the end of 2022, an upgrade in AI: artificial intelligence computers made it's debut under the name of GPT Chat. Scientist say it will create solutions for many people and after all the upgrades are finished, it will be smarter thatn any human. It may be considered by some as an Agnostic replacement for God! An Agnostic is a person who is not sure whether God exists or not: and neither believes nor disbelieves in religious doctrine.
The father and founder of AI was a man by the name of John McCarthy. He was a professor and an inventor and graduated from MIT in California in 1948. He dominated the field of AI for over five decades and followed his quest to build machines that could mimic human logical thinking. He died in 2011 at the age of 84. There have been many people who have added to the advancement of AI, but now there are governments or people in power who would use it to probe the human minds of their citizens in a effort to control their thoughts and actions.
We now live in an age where people can be arrested for praying silently! Did you know that? It not only happens in the UK, but other parts of the world , including the USA. Fox ews presented stories from the UK in December of 2022 that told of 'A woman was arrested for praying outside, across the street from an abortion clinic. Police walked up to her and asked her "What were you thinking?' She said, "I was just praying silently". They told her they would have to arrest her because she was in a "safe zone!"' also 'Another incident where a man was praying silently for his "deceased son" across the street from an abortion clinic and police arrested and fined him for praying in a 'safe zone!" How would you answer if you are asked by police "Were you praying?"
Listen to my podcast to find out what kind of answer should be given to them and reasons why AI will make a poor replacement for God!
Bible Seeds: Sometimes it seems like we are traveling down a road that has too many potholes, some small and some bigger. And depending on its size and depth, it can cause much damage to our transportation. I have seen people who have experienced "life's potholes" and they have stopped living because of the damage. They in turn may have caused hard times for their mates, their children, their loved ones and friends. There are many situations that happen to us that we don't have answers for; like why someone died! Instead of trying to give an answer to someone feeling grief, the best answer I ever found was "I don't know". And the problem is, that is the truth! None of us know, only God knows
Other situations that have brought us pain in our lives have come from our own making. Do we create our own "hell"? Yes! When we decide we can handle a little sin, we become slaves of those things.
Bible Seeds: I hope you notice that the title says to start "A New Year", not the new year. Not just another year but A NEW YEAR! One that opens your eyes, your ears, your mind, and your heaart to God, the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!
We are facing a year of near depression and oppression. A year, where 'Evil' is trying to force itself on us daily, through political administration, through re-education, under financial hardships, and even pushing the abandonment of our moral and religious values. Even the people who we thought would help us have turned out to be a disappointment! And we ourselves, may have abandoned the only help we have in this life on the Earth.
And those of us who say they have faith in God and claim "We are not ashamed of the gospel" find this only a starting point, and not an answer! And what does God have to say about us?
Bible Seeds: The celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas is coming up this month. Hanukkah starts on December 18th and ends the 26th. Christmas starts four weeks before the 25 of December. It is referred to as the "The Christmas Advent" and is recognized by many Christians as the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December, which is Christmas Day.
I will play for you three verses of a song I wrote titled "Invitation - The Hanukkah - Christmas Song which is on my "It's Christmas CD" and can be downloaded free on my website: carlvasta.com. Each verse comes with an explanation of the Jewish, Christian celebrations and something that is common to both religions.
Bible Seeds: At this Christmas Season, 2022, we must remember that God is perfect and He made you as perfect as you are going to be. The so-called scientist, who are pretty much sponsored by your taxes and your governments are trying to convince you they are making improvements on God's creation. That is You!
God has already taken care of bringing you into perfection through His Son Jesus, His Holy Word! No amount of money could do this. No world congress of agreeable nations could bring forth a state of Heaven like the one that has already been created for you by God!
In one of my Christmas songs titled "Christmas Is For Children", it has a last line that says Christmas is for Children, it will always be that way. Let me tell you that Christmas will always be celebrated here on Earth because IT IS THE BELL God uses to let people know that a Savior was born to take our sins by dying on a cross and defeating death when He rose to life three days later.
Bible Seeds: When we think about education, our thoughts usually go to schools; public and private, city and state colleges, and well- known universities, but there is one that has been around from the beginning of time. It's often been referred to as the School of Hard Knocks or Education by trial. God the Father and the Lord Jesus have given us the wisdom that would help us to avoid bringing our own form of "hell" into our lives. You will find this advice in the many books of the Old Testament and in the gospels of the New Testament. But I wonder why, when we are given such good advice, do we choose to learn by going through the trial?
Bible Seeds: Believe it or not! Are we here to make the world better? Can we ask, did any of these wonderful inventions that made our lives easier, [ electricity, light bulbs, kitchen appliances, cars, atomic energy, all sorts of aircraft, televisions, computers, phones, medical equipment, heaters and air conditioners. . . ] Again, did any of these wonderful inventions that made our lives easier stop us from destroying of our lives with drugs and alcohol? Did it stop the wars, hate, murders, divorce, child abuse, sexual depravity, or any of the negative things that are in our lives today? All through the bible, God, the Father and the Lord Jesus told us we are here to make a decision. We are born naked and we take nothing with us from this world when we die. The only thing we can take with us is what we believe!
Bible Seeds: Satan is not ashamed to bring evil into our lives through willing teachers, lawyers, judges, politicians, the media, big businesses and even from a U.S. president, his advisors, and the leaders of other nations. So why should we be ashamed of being morally strong and LOUD! There is a poem from Rudyard Kipling that starts, "If you can keep your head when everyone around you is losing theirs and blaming it on you . . . " and I'll finish with my second line: They may see that during their pain and loss, God helped you bring some order to their chaos!
Bible Seeds: The tenth commandment is the reasoning of all of the previous commandments. It says in essence; 'You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's.' When we look at the word covet, the dictionary defines this word as, long for; yearn for and wish for. But I think that the reason people covet is because of jealousy! They think that person doesn't deserve the things they have, and that they are more deserving to have those things. It's a matter of power. Who has the power? Who has the money? That is the reason they put Jesus to death. It's the reason people cheat, and it doesn't matter if it involves a board game, a video game, and election, a job, a love relationship or fame.
It even makes people think that they would do a better job of being God saying, "If I were God, I would stop this or I would do that!" When they realize they don't have any power to control weather, earthquakes, and disasters; or people, politics and death, they say "there really is no God".
Bible Seeds: When the disciples of Jesus asked Him, 'what will be the sign of His coming back and the end of the age? The very first sentence from the mouth of Jesus was, "See to it that no one misleads you."
Imagine waking up one morning and hearing, "Breaking News" - God has changed the 10 commandments He gave to Moses to 'The Ten Suggestions "! None of these suggestions will incur punishments from God and will be treated as misdemeanors."
Bible Seeds: This is a Special Labor Day Re-podcast for the title Divide and Conquer.
Jesus warns us in the book of Matthew, Chapter 12, Verse 25
"Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will be brought to desolation.
And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will bring ruin to the town or to the family; they shall not stand.
Bible Seeds: People still make God or gods out of the sun, the stars, the planets, the moon! They will propose the idea that the position of these celestial objects can control the destiny of our lives. They will tell you that Astrology is science! But they have not proof.
They will tell you because of Gravity, which they do not understand, controls the tides and the sea. And when the moon is in a certain position, the gravity causes the tide to rise on the oceans. And then they say because the oceans are salt water and our bodies are a great portion of water with salt, the tide rises in us and makes us crazy. So who do we pray to? The moon or the sea? Is that our God?
Bible Seeds: All life reflects God's glory without even willing it. But humans have trouble giving glory to God even though deep inside they know there is a Creator. Even a small child can reflect God's glory by the look of innocence on their face and in their actions. Even though we can come to the conclusion that God is our real creator and not some great explosion which generally brings chaos or strange chemicals under pressure that can create the start of life, the real reflection of God's glory is found in the scripture of the bible.
Bible Seeds: On my website, at the bottom of every page of all the songs I've written and performed, I give God credit by writing; 'The inspiration and the author of all the music we compose is the LORD GOD. He just allows us to put our name on it.'
I find that all the music that has ever been written is not evil. It's not the music that promotes sin or suggest sinful actions. It's the lyrics to the songs and the way people dance to them.
Bible Seeds: The title of this podcast may sound questionable, but coming to the reality that the Holy Spirit of God lives in you after you're born again is more than earth shaking. Since that time, me and my family have experienced the help of the Holy Spirit and even determined the birth of my 4th child. That is found in my 39th podcast at www.carlvasta.com/seeds titled "How Do You Know You're Saved".
Bible Seeds: Have you ever seen the "Tension" on a sign, maybe on someone's wall that seemed unclear but it sizzled when you looked at it. It used to be popular art a number of years ag o and it certainly gave that feeling. The trouble is that today "Tension" is with us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There seems to be no way to get away from it.
Jesus said in John, chapter 14: verse 27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
Bible Seeds: Have you ever seen articles about the children born to people who are famous? Many famous people claim that their children did not realize they were well known or famous until they were a little older. Then, at some point, they come to the realization that their parents are well known by many people and it Un settles them.
The children may wonder what is expected of them and if you compare the children of GOD; Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and what is expected of them! Born again?
Bible Seeds: If you have ever read an obituary in a newspaper or walked through a cemetery and read the names of the people who have died and the dates on the gravestones, you may have noticed when they were born and when they died. We usually don't give much thought about the dash between their first breath and the last breath they took. That dash represents everything that happened to them in their life and whatever they did. The dash tells us nothing! Their visiting relatives may be able to relate stories about their lives, but after they're gone, the dash still tells us nothing. Only God knows!
Bible Seeds: If we look at these four parables closely, we see that Jesus is trying to warn us, what to watch out for, in the church. Jesus' victory over death at the cross made Satan use another tactic to try to defeat Christians in the church. The old saying, "If you can't beat them, join them! Watch out for the 'weeds among the wheat' and the wolves in sheep's clothing.'
Bible Seeds: Over the 55 years I spent singing and playing keyboard in many clubs, restaurants and events, there are many songs that remain with me because they speak of the human emotions that evolve from time of trouble. One of these songs is You've Got A Friend. Whenever I performed this song, I could not help think of these lyrics as being sung to anybody but the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.... my GOD.
Abraham was considered by God to be more than a worshiper. He was considered by God to be a friend!
Bible Seeds: When my wife died, she was buried in a family plot but we had already moved about two hour away in another county. We went to the cemetery a few times but it was really hard when we wanted to remember mom. We had four boys 13, 11, 9 and 5 years old. A friend of Mary's had gold leafed a short bust; a statue of a woman holding a baby close to her chest. We put it on a cabinet in the living room and we remembered mom on special days by decorating the bust with flowers on her birthday and Christmas decorations for the season. We reminded each other of memeories and funny things mom did. Things changed for the better because mom had a true resting place in our hearts at our home!
Bible Seeds: what I find so amazing about people's faith and scripture is that the people living with the early writings had more faith with less proof than the people living today. We have more evidence today, because of geological findings, that the cities, people and events that were written about in the bible and were considered doubtful, actually did exist! And a scripture from Jesus gives weight to this assumption when He asked in the book of Luke, Chapter 18, verse 8 . . . "when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the Earth?"
Bible Seeds: Let us not curse ourselves by taking the advice of Satan. For when we do that, we have abandoned our God and we are praying to wood and stone idols who only mock us in our stubbornness and our ignorance.
Bible Seeds:: In our lives today, we live with an un-ending bombardment of stress. How much stress do you think could be taken away from our lives if we really didn't have to worry about DEATH? Satan doesn't want you to stop worrying about death! It's the constant pressure that dis-orients your pursuit of happiness in this life.
Bible Seeds: I remember when the first "Star Wars" movie came out. But that was Chapter Four! Alot of sequels came out after that but people always wondered how it started. They finally had to make movies of how it got to Chapter Four. It's not so different with the Bible. Why start at Chapter four? It makes more sense the first time when you start at the beginning.
Bible Seeds: Do You See It Coming? The bad news is that regardless of the New Year, SIN is coming to full bloom and into the Tribulation. It will get worse before it gets better, according to the bible. The good news is that Jesus loves you and wants you to be raptured before the tribulation. He doesn't want to leave you here for God's punishment of those who won't turn away from their sins and turn back to God. It's a sad day when your Creator will not hear or act upon your cries for help. He will not strive with you anymore but will turn you over to the world and the devil and demons that exist here.
Bible Seeds: The best Christmas, Birthday, Hanukkah, or Easter present you can give your children is learning how to make the right decision during the early years. And you will have to show them by your actions that you believe those are the right decisions too.
Bible Seeds: Do you believe in God and believe in His Son Jesus and that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one God.. In the book of James 2:19 he says, If you believe that, you do well; the demons also believe, and tremble. So what is the difference between the 'knowledge of God and 'knowing God'? Listen to an answer on this perspective.
Bible Seeds: From the 23rd Psalm, David who was a shepherd gives the sheep a voice and even though we are like sheep, God considers us His children, His sons and daughters who trusts Him and will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever!
Bible Seeds: When you pray and ask God to help you, be specific!
As an example, what if your wife asks you to go to the store and get the favorite food she likes because it is easy for her to cook. And while you’re there, pick up her favorite dessert!
The guys would probably say, “I don’t know what your favorite food is. You like so many different foods and I don’t know what is easy for you to cook! You have a favorite dessert? I thought you liked them all!”
Bible Seeds: The Mark Of The Beast - Is it mark on the right hand or forehead from the Antichrist, or are the governments of world are trying to program it's people to accept whatever they tell them. Today, what we have is an exercise to see if people will actually do what they are told: about elections, about science, about who really cares about your life, your children and your loved ones! And the only one who cares is your God, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Bible Seeds: Jesus knew that just because a person had Leprosy didn't mean that the cause of their Leprosy was because of their sin, but compared sin to the way leprosy works on the human body. Sin which progressively, or over time, rots it's victims and leads to their death!
Bible Seeds: They called him the "Healer", but he preferred to be called "The Requester". He added that he could not heal anybody or anything, but all healing was done by God through His son Jesus and the Holy Spirit! Many people came to the "Requester" and many were healed but he found that not everyone could be healed and he remembered what Jesus had said to some that were being healed - "According to your faith let it be done to you" ( Matthew 9:29 )
Bible Seeds: Have you ever been abandoned by a person you thought was your friend? By your husband? By your wife? By your Father or your Mother? By your children? By members of your own family? If you live long enough, the chances are you will face that situation!
Bible Seeds: Although my wife Mary wasn't here long enough to see the successful results of her gifts, she was like the lyric of an old song that went, "How few were her pleasures, she never cared for fashion's styles. Her jewels and her treasures, She found them in her baby's smiles".
And to all the MOMS around the world: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! You are God's gift to this Earth: Don't give what is Holy; that is what God gave you, "your children", to the dogs.
Bible Seeds" Today, we may not see many people in our society bowing before wood and stone idols but we see people praising the corrupt morals of the gods people worshiped in ancient times.
Bible Seeds: To those who consider themselves saved by our Lord Jesus Christ, do you remember exactly when that happened? My salvation was encouraged by many experiences but the one that sticks to me the most sounds silly to anyone I have ever told it to!
Bible Seeds: After thousands of years of the Earth, humans have proved they cannot govern the people that they live with on this planet. It's not a problem of ethnicity or gender. It's something that exist in all human beings. The problem is SIN or falling short of being perfect.
Bible Seeds: When one of our loved ones dies today, do we say, "Why Lord"?
If you had been here, my loved one wouldn't have died. She would have been cured of the cancer that took her life! Or He wouldn't have died in the auto accident from a drunk driver! Or
They wouldn't have been the victims of a senseless shooting!
And what might Jesus say if he answered your question today 'I have been here for you and your loved ones all of your lives! Where have you been?
Bible Seeds: The words 'Hate Speech' have a different meaning when we look in the bible at what God is saying, "There are six things which the Lord hates. Yes seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, A lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers." Proverbs 6: verses 16-19.
Bible Seeds: On the day I finished moving into my son’s house, I was depressed because I had puzzled as much stuff in the garage as I could but there was still boxes and plastic tubs of stuff.
I prayed to the Lord to help to know what to do and as I was sitting there in my depression, the Lord spoke to my mind and said,
“Did you ever see a woman walking around town with a little dog or pet in her purse? You are the pet in the purse!”
“What do you mean?” I said.
Then he explained it to me……..
Bible Seeds: The are songs that were only known in Ireland and new songs that came out of Irish American writers. The was a commonality of all of them. They were some what like the bible: songs and stories of people with good judgement and people with bad judgement. The bible contains the same honesty. It tell of people with good judgement and people with bad judgement and it tells of good people who have days of bad judgement! This is also the story of how the song Danny Boy came to be and a added recording of my version of it.
Bible Seeds: We know and have been told in scripture that, those who have loved ones should also protect them from harm and danger, otherwise if the people who love us ignore the harm that comes to us, they are no better than those who bring the harm to us.
One of the things my grandfather said to my Dad at that time was: “Isn’t it strange one man can provide for 15 children, but 15 children cannot provide for one man?”
Bible Seeds: God is all knowing of His creation, their thoughts, and their direction. So He does not need the devil to know if a person's love is genuine, but . . . because a lot of the time people don't believe what he tells them, He uses the devil to prove his word is valid.
Bible Seeds: How can anyone fear an all-knowing, all loving God? Well, we shouldn't! What we should fear is the consequences of no God.
Bible Seeds: There was once was a great Emperor who confided to his friend that he discovered that "he was god!". His friend asked him how he came to know that he was god and the Emperor said, "I find that every time I pray to god, I end up talking to myself!" Now I don't know if that Emperor had a conscience, which is defined a a sense of right and wrong, or he had a super ego.
Bible Seeds: As we start the New Year, we must think of the words Jesus told his apostles when they asked him about the signs of the end. His first words were, "Don't be deceived . . . or don't let anyone fool you!
Bible Seeds: I will have a Happy New Year because those who love me support my hope in God and they see that my faith brings me a lasting peace. May your faith in God bring you a lasting peace in this new Year.
Bible Seeds: In many different religions around the world we see ordinary people going to extreme actions. The outstretched arms reaching up and pleading to be held and accepted by their deity or God, like a newborn baby crying to be picked up and hugged by their parents!
Meanwhile, our Father in heaven reaches down to us ordinary people, delivering a newborn baby named Jesus His Son, and asks us to believe what he will say to us.
Bible Seeds: My Santa is very different than the Christmas Santa everyone sees, because He is here with me every day, not just once a year. And He has given me many blessings that I don’t deserve and withheld the punishment for the disobedience I have earned. here are a few songs from my “It’s Christmas” CD or Video that you can download free from my website carlvasta.com.
Christmas Is For Children written and played for back ground on narration by Carl Vasta
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow / John Baptiste Calkin
If The Little Baby Jesus Hadn’t Been Born - written and performed by Carl Vasta
The Lord’s Prayer - written and performed by Carl Vasta / words by Jesus
Bible Seeds: We must remember that our savior Jesus Christ was a Jew. Every Christian was born from the Jewish religion and we hold true the many things that were revealed to us by GOD in the Old Testament. So celebrate Christmas in a way that brings you closer to GOD, your Creator.
In the Jimmy Stewart movie "It's A Wonderful Life", we are told,
"Every time you hear a bell ring, an angel gets his wings".
Christmas is the bell God uses to remind us a savior was born,
and by our faith in Jesus, we have been redeemed to live forever - Carl Vasta
Bible Seeds: The Skittish Cat - There are some people who can stand up to the meanest jerks and be willing to fight, yet you mention God's name or his son Jesus and they run like scared cats! God wants a relationship with HIS CREATION; that is YOU!
Bible Seeds: Some people who don't know God or Jesus when they hear their name often picture them as a "small baby God in a manger" or a helpless dying man being crucified on a cross. But even though 'no one has ever seen God', as Jesus says, let's take a look at God from another direction and really see how big and powerful God, our creator is.
Bible Seeds: Three inspirational readings from Psalms 144;1-2, Joshua 2: 1-9, and Ephesians 6: 10- 20. Then from carlvasta.com, "A Song For The Fallen Hero" is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives so we could continue to live in freedom.
Bible Seeds: "America The Free" is a new song dedicated to the power of the American people. That power is The VOTE!
The framers of the Constitution planned it so that the people would be able to decide what direction America should travel.
We have found that, if you elect thugs, robbers, and thieves as leaders of a country, you will be held up, robbed and have your lives stolen from you.
We the people have the power to choose what kind of a nation we want to live in!
Bible Seeds: Why There Won't Be Liars In Heaven - Because Heaven already had one of those. His name was Satan and convinced a third of the angels that 'He Should Be God!' God judged Satan and the angels that believed his lie. They were thrown to Earth to await their punishment; to be thrown in the lake of fire and sulfur, forever.
Bible Seeds: What does it mean to apply prayer to your life? You will start to experience something new and will start to have a daily meaningful relationship with the Father? Because of your faith in Jesus, you will able to come to God in a personal way! You will wake up in the morning and realize that there is always someone with you to start your day.
Bible Seeds: Who do you want to live with when your body dies on this Earth and your soul goes to one of two places? The CREATOR, your GOD or the Traitor, the angel God created as Lucifer who became Satan; and who convinced a third of the angels that 'he should be God!'
Bible Seeds: Don't let the Devil whip you! Just be glad that God loves you unconditionally and accept his gift that was meant for you.
Bible Seeds: My wife Mary had died of breast cancer and I didn't have anyone that would take care of our children if I died. I set off trying to prepare these children to take care of themselves!
Bible Seeds: A prediction by Paul, in a letter to Timothy, about what people would be like in the 'Last Days' And it starts; 'There will terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers ....'
And Jesus’ advice on what you can expect, if you are a Christian living in those last days.
Bible Seeds: A poem inspired from God and The Sequoia National Park - after the death of a loved one!
Bible Seeds "These are the words of Jesus ! “I am telling you the truth: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves.”
Bible Seeds: This podcast is an overview of King David's life and Psalm 71 by David, when he is old and looking back on his life.
Bible Seeds: Not many Christians think about defining their faith until someone asks them 'what they believe about their own faith and why!'
Bible Seeds: How do I start to have a daily meaningful relationship with God? The first requirement is to believe there is a God!
Bible Seeds: A friend was brought here from Canada when she was 5 years old and both her parents became citizens but sixty years later, she has to apply for citizenship because the laws have changed since she was young!
Bible Seeds: Jesus warns us in the book of Matthew, Chapter 12, Verse 25
"Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will be brought to desolation.
And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will bring ruin to the town or to the family; they shall not stand.
Bible Seeds: Have you ever wondered if there is a God? One who is responsible for the creation of the universe and all living things. I will tell you why I believe there is a God!
Bible Seeds: What can we do to insure that our loved ones will never die when their time on this Earth is finished? We can encourage them to listen to the words of Jesus and help them to know what the bible says about our life in this world and what is waiting for us after we die.
Bible Seeds: Jesus said, "There will be more joy in heaven over one who gives up their life of sin and seeks God's ways than those who have been living faithfully in God." ( Luke: Chapter 15, Verses 11-32 )
Bible Seeds: Jesus asked the Scribes and Pharisees. "Which is easier to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven', or to say, "Get up, pick up your mat and walk'.
Bible Seeds: Easy Salvation - No speaking in tongues, No being baptized with water, Just repent and believe!
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
How To Give and How To Pray ( The Lord's Prayer )
Jesus teaches the people the way God would have us pray, and the way God would have us give to others.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Signs Revealing Christ's Return To Earth
Jesus said, “Be on guard and don’t let anyone fool you. Many men will come attempting to impersonate me, saying ‘I am the Messiah!’, and they will fool many people.
Jesus tells his disciples what signs will reveal his return to Earth to start his 1000 year reign as King of the world.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Lost Sheep & The Lost Son ( rejoicing for those who have given up their life of sin )
There will be more joy in heaven over one who gives up their life of sin and seeks God's ways than those who have been living faithfully in God.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Coming Persecutions For The Believers ( and Jesus’ final words to them at the last supper )
Jesus sends his disciples to towns to preach the good news and tells them what to expect; who to be afraid of; and about the rewards that will be given to them.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Lazarus And The Rich Man ( about death and believing )
A story about a poor beggar named Lazarus, who lived outside a rich man's house hoping to receive scraps of food from the rich man's table.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Meaning Of The Cross ( For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost. )
Jesus relates his cross to the bronze snake Moses made to heal the people bitten and dying from snake bites! More quotes by Jesus and Paul about the cross.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Meaning Of Easter ( Three examples from Jesus )
Three examples from Jesus about the real meaning of Easter: The Paralyzed Man - Jesus Brings Lazarus Back To Life - The Unbelief Of Thomas.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Last Supper - Jesus breaks some break and gives it to his disciples and says, “This is my body which is given for you. Every time you eat bread, think of me.”
The events of preparing a room so Jesus and the Apostles could share a last supper together before his arrest, trial and crucifixion.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS [ Part 3 ]
The Bread Of Life ( Bread nourishes of the body, the Word Of God nourishes of the soul. )
s said, “Man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every word that God speaks.”
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS [ Part 2 ]
Jesus Walks On The Water ( Jesus said to Peter, “Why did you doubt?” )
Jesus appears walking on the water to his disciples who are in a boat; in the midst of a storm. He encourages Peter to walk on the water to him.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS [ Part 1 ]
Jesus Feeds 5000 Men ( Not counting the women and children! )
This is one of two times that Jesus fed large crowds. This story tells how he fed 5000 men, not counting the women or children - with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Jesus Chooses The Apostles ( from the many disciples who followed Him )
How, where and who Jesus chose to be one of the 12 Apostles from the many disciples who followed him.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Jonah And The Whale ( Jesus affirms the story of Jonah and the whale as a historic fact. )
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law ask Jesus for a miracle. He tells them none shall be given to them except the sign of Jonah.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Jesus And The Sabbath ( The day of rest )
Jesus establishes a rule for the Sabbath:
“The Sabbath was made for the good of man; man was not made for the Sabbath”
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Good Samaritan
( Love the LORD, your GOD and love your neighbor )
A teacher of the law asks Jesus to define 'Who Is Your Neighbor' in Jesus' teaching.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Greatest Commandment ( about love )
Jesus tells the people that 'all the laws that have been given to you by Moses and the Prophets are based on these two commands.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Jesus And The Devil, ( Satan )
Jesus tells the teachers of the law, the people, and his disciples the truth about the Devil and evil spirits.
He also tells them that whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven!
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Un-believing Towns
( Jesus said, “God will show more mercy to the people of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom than you!" )
The people who lived in the towns where Jesus performed most of his miracles did not turn away from their sins.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Ten Lepers ( One in ten )
Jesus shows us that only one out of ten people in this world believes and gives thanks to God for anything good in their lives. Where are you on this list?
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
Marriage, Adultery, and Divorce ( Jesus defines Adultery )
Jesus addresses questions about:
Marriage In Heaven,
Marriage In The Last Days,
Divorce, and
Adultery.
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Worry Of Daily Life ( Do Not Worry! )
Jesus said, “Who of you, by worrying, can add one moment to your life-span?”
PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS
The Things That Make A Person Unclean
Jesus answers the 'teachers of the law' about washing your hands before you eat and what really makes you unclean!
Podcast date: December 22, 2019
Paraphrased Quotes And Stories From Jesus : THE CHRISTMAS STORY
( with Kathy Bird & Carl Vasta )
This is a special podcast with Kathy Bird and Carl Vasta to present the biblical version of the birth of Jesus. Kathy tells the story and Carl performs the music behind her narration. We hope you enjoy our efforts and may “God bless you and your loved ones this Christmas and always!”
Storyline Of The Bible - page 19
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 18th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about
THE BOOK OF REVELATION ( The Last Book Of The Holy Bible )
THE FOUR GREAT VISIONS
The First Vision – Chapter 1: Verse 9 through Chapter 3: Verse 22
The Second Vision – Chapter 4: Verse 1 through Chapter 16: Verse 21
The Third Vision – Chapter 17: Verse 1 through Chapter 17: Verse 8
The Fourth Vision – Chapter 21: Verse 9 through Chapter 22: Verse 5
Storyline Of The Bible - page 18
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 17th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about
PAUL SHIPWRECKED
PAUL IN ROME
THE CLOSING YEARS FOR THE APOSTLES
Storyline Of The Bible - page 17
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 16th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about:
LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW CHURCHES
PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY
PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY
PAUL SENT TO ROME
Storyline Of The Bible - page 16
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 15th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about:
THE CONVERSION OF SAUL ( A Man Also Known As Paul )
PETER CALLS THE GENTILES ( Preaching The Gospel To The Gentiles )
PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY
Storyline Of The Bible - page 15
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 14th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about:
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
THE APOSTLES PREPARED TO START THE CHURCH
THOMAS BELIEVES
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
JUDAS REPLACED
THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE CHURCH STARTS & GROWS
Storyline Of The Bible - page 14
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 13th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about:
THE ARREST OF JESUS
THE TRIAL OF JESUS
THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS
Storyline Of The Bible - page 13
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 12th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about the
THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS
JESUS COMES TO JERUSALEM ( The entry into Jerusalem by Jesus )
JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
THE LAST SUPPER
Storyline Of The Bible - page 12
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 11th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us when
MARY AND JOSEPH LOSE JESUS IN JERUSALEM
JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN
JESUS IS TEMPTED BY SATAN
JESUS STARTS HIS MINISTRY
Storyline Of The Bible - page 11
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 10th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us that
EMPEROR AUGUSTUS ORDERS A CENSUS
MARY GIVES BIRTH TO A SON
THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR
THE ASTROLOGERS ( Wise Men ) COME FROM THE EAST LOOKING FOR THE BABY JESUS.
JOSEPH IS WARNED IN A DREAM TO TAKE THE CHILD AND HIS MOTHER AND FLEE TO EGYPT AND STAY THERE UNTIL I TELL YOU TO RETURN.
HEROD IS DECEIVED AND DECIDES TO KILL ALL MALE BABIES YOUNGER THAN TWO YEARS OLD IN BETHLEHEM AND THE REGIONS SURROUNDING THE CITY
HEROD DIES AND IS SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON ARCHELAUS
JOSEPH IS TOLD BY AN ANGEL IN A DREAM TO TAKE MARY AND THE CHILD AND RETURN TO ISRAEL AND IS GUIDED BY GOD TO SETTLE IN THE CITY OF NAZARETH, IN GALILEE.
Storyline Of The Bible - page 10
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 9th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about
WHAT HAPPENED TO ISRAEL BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENTS
THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
GABRIEL ANNOUNCES TO ZACHARIAH THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
GABRIEL ANNOUNCES TO MARY THE BIRTH OF JESUS
ELIZABETH GIVES BIRTH TO JOHN THE BAPTIST
JOSEPH DECIDES TO BREAK THE ENGAGEMENT TO MARY
Storyline Of The Bible - page 9
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 8th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about
WHAT HAPPENED TO ISRAEL BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENTS
THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
GABRIEL ANNOUNCES TO ZACHARIAH THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
GABRIEL ANNOUNCES TO MARY THE BIRTH OF JESUS
ELIZABETH GIVES BIRTH TO JOHN THE BAPTIST
JOSEPH DECIDES TO BREAK THE ENGAGEMENT TO MARY
Storyline Of The Bible - page 8
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 7th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us that
GOD GIVES MOSES THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
THE GOLD CALF
SPIES GO THE PROMISE LAND
THE ISRAELITES WANDER IN THE DESERT 40 YEARS
MOSES DIES AND JOSHUA IS READY TO LEAD THE ISRAELITES INTO THE PROMISED LAND
Storyline Of The Bible - page 7
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 6th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us about
THE STORY OF JOSEPH, THE ELEVENTH SON OF JACOB
THE STORY OF MOSES ( FROM EGYPT TO THE RED SEA )
Storyline Of The Bible - page 6
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 5th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us
ABOUT THE BIBLE
THE COMMUNICATION GOD HAS WITH HIS PEOPLE
THE REST OF THE STORY
ISAAC AND TWO SONS NAMED JACOB AND ESAU
Storyline Of The Bible - page 5
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 4th page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy tells us
SARAI’S MAIDSERVANT ‘HAGAR’ & HER SON ISHMAEL SENT AWAY
GOD TESTS ABRAHAM TO SACRIFICE HIS SON ISAAC
SARAH’S DEATH
A BRIDE FOR ISAAC
ABRAHAM’S DESCENDANTS
Storyline Of The Bible - page 4
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 3rd page by Carl Vasta
2nd Kathy reveals that
ABRAM HAS A CHILD WITH SARAI’S MAIDSERVANT
GOD CONFIRMS HIS COVENANT WITH ABRAM
GOD’S COMMAND TO BE CIRCUMCISED
GOD REVEALS THAT SARAI ( AGE 90 ) WILL HAVE A SON
Storyline Of The Bible - page 3
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 2nd page by Carl Vasta
2nd - Kathy tells us how
GOD REPOPLULATES THE WORLD
GOD STARTS THE HEBREW NATION WITH ABRAM
Storyline Of The Bible - page 2
1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 1st page by Carl Vasta
2nd - Kathy tells us about
NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD
NOAH AND THE ANIMALS FLOAT FOR OVER A YEAR
GOD STARTS A NEW WORLD
GOD GIVES LAWS FOR HIS PEOPLE WITH A PROMISE
Storyline Of The Bible – page 1
1st Kathy tells us about
BEFORE THE BEGINNING
THE EARTH
THE CREATION OF MANKIND