S9E01 - First King - Then Kingdom - Then Church
Release Date: 06/10/2025
S9E03 - Finding Hope Podcasts
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
A number of years ago we were thinking through Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "Now these three powerful things: faith, hope, and love exist among us; but the greatest of these is love." This makes sense in that God IS love and we are made in His image. It would be great if we always loved the way He does - but we do not. We are surrounded by turbulence - from the inside-out. Even evil itself. Yet love is the most robust capital available to humanity, and those who live in true love draw close to our Creator. This "greater" means the most abundant. Deep inside we are motivated to...
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S9E02 - What Is The Kingdom To You
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
The levels of turbulence around us are massive. In every corner of our American and world culture we see division and twisted wisdom. There are three great gifts from God: Faith, Hope, and Love (1 Corinthians 13). Each of these may be found by those who choose to enter through the Door of the sheep (John 10). In faith we find a different and substantive present and future. Through love we make our lives count for ourselves and others. And in hope we find the fuel to live each day for something more. Once you have found a compass for your life the ability to reset your trajectory is open to...
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S9E01 - First King - Then Kingdom - Then Church
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
There is a basic understanding Jesus tried to communicate to humanity when He came to the earth. When we get this right there is fruitfulness in our lives - when we don't varying degrees of misinformation prevail. Both John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) and Jesus proclaimed the same thing: "Turn away and turn toward, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:7) The world had been languishing for centuries since the Garden episode. Genesis 1-11, the Law and prophets, and the Psalms are the story of the Jews - and all the nations. Not only is our condition...
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S8E13 - Jesus and Turbulence
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
I just finished Jordan Peterson's latest book "We Who Wrestle With God." I like how he reasons, and even though I am not ready to place him in the upper echelon of my spiritual teachers, he is a genuine, thoughtful soul. One premise of his book relates to the relationship between chaos and order, something many philosophers, scientists, and faith reflectors see as key for arriving at a satisfied mind. How do we align with incredible design and order while at the same time dealing with the often hurtful fruits of chaos? If you are like me this can be a quagmire of sorting through the...
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S8E12 - Jesus As Healer
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Jesus is our Savior, Healer, and Friend. He alone can restore the access of honor we need to reconnect with Creator God. Let's follow part of this thread! “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you,...
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S8E11 - Jesus As Healer
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Healing is a curious concept with many opinions on the what, how, and why. A survey of known history makes it quite clear that no one healed like Jesus did. Even within all of the other religions of antiquity there is no one like Him, and some religious healer's miracles were pretty lame. Jesus, however, did nothing in a corner. He was transparent and prolific. And those who witnessed what He did were not all His fans. In fact, the most zealous religionists of history do not measure up to the scribes and pharisees who were capable and willing to go to great lengths to discredit or stop Jesus....
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S8E10 - God's Home Base is our homebase
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Everyone operates from a home base. Our upbringing. Our experiences. Our choices. Even factors made on our behalf by others. Through all of this we build our home base. Scientifically we apply what we see and learn. Philosophical we land on what we have wrestled with in our lives - positively and negatively. And to the degree we have encountered and contemplated faith we solidify our beliefs. Or not. We have pondered this through the years, and often with each turning of a new year we have reset ourselves to sift through what has unfolded and what we hope - and the things we are committed...
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S8E09 - Shelter of Connection
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
One deep question for life seekers: "what does connection with God look like?" For years authors have pondered this, scientifically, philosophically, and through the optics of faith. For Moses it was all about shelter. Check out Psalm 90. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. You turn man back into dust and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes...
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S8E08 - Shelter of The Spirit
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
As mentioned before, the trinity is in many ways a mystery to us. It is not to our Creator. In Genesis 1 "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." The Father created and the Spirit moved. From His mind to His hands. And where was the Son while this unfolded? Apparently creating right along with Him. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for...
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S8E07 - Shelter of the Father
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
God is a sheltering being. He provides shelter. But even more than this - He IS shelter. In fact, He is building the ultimate shelter family through the work of His Son. Jesus is the connector to our Creator. God wants to mentor us. We know this because He mentored Jesus. The Son’s best friend while He was on the earth was His Dad. He learned from Him. He was dedicated to His will. He gave up all things God and all things human for His friendship with His Father. You can find Mentored by God under books in the Fourthstream navbar. It investigates the ins and outs of how Jesus connected with...
info_outlineThere is a basic understanding Jesus tried to communicate to humanity when He came to the earth. When we get this right there is fruitfulness in our lives - when we don't varying degrees of misinformation prevail. Both John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) and Jesus proclaimed the same thing: "Turn away and turn toward, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:7)
The world had been languishing for centuries since the Garden episode. Genesis 1-11, the Law and prophets, and the Psalms are the story of the Jews - and all the nations. Not only is our condition exposed over and over through the imperfect Jewish story, God extends invitation for them (and us) to reverse course. Sadly, even the "chosen" Jewish nation does not listen to our Creator. God's chosen people wasted and rejected His words over and over again. This is made plain through story after story - life after life - decade after decade. So while the earth had rejected her King, the Father (who is slow to anger - filled with lovingkindness) makes away for men and women from every nation and every story to be brought into the acceptance of our Lord Creator - through His selfless sacrifice of His Son. Now there is a way back to God. He is the Door of the sheep.
So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:7-9
If you are new to the God Story check out this big picture overview - literally the Bible story in 8 minutes! And if you want the next level of where all 66 books fit in - here you go!
And here are several links to the foundational information of God's Story!
Quickstart/Big Picture (2 teaching videos)
A Book of Renewal
King David (the clearest "type" of Christ in the God Story) tells us about this prophetically in Psalm 2. We like to call this Psalm "Kiss the Son."
Let's take a look:
"Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising worthless things?The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers scheme together - against the One True God and against His Anointed (smeared), saying, "Let us tear their limitations of us apart and cast away their ties away from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs: the One True God scoffs at them. Soon He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His righteous fury, saying, "But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion My holy mountain.”
“I will surely tell of what is eternally inscribed from the One Great God. He said to Me, ‘You are My Son and today I have brought You forth. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and you shall shatter them like clay pots.’”
Therefore, O kings, show discernment and take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the One True God with reverence and honor, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way. For His wrath will soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!"
√ Refuge IS shelter: this is why we have created StoriesofShelter.com. It is Who our great God IS.
√ No one is exempt from His righteous hand of justice. (a thread: Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30)
√ The King of the earth brings us the Kingdom of God - and the Church brings refuge authority for us and our neighbors.
Dear Lord Jesus, we come to you to be restored in You, to receive all the grace and mercy we so desperately need this day. You are our Great I Am/God-of-the angel-armies. We surrender every aspect of our lives and selves completely to You. I offer You my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind, my conscience, and my will. We stand in grace completely covered with Your precious, redeeming blood. As we pray we ask Your Good Spirit to restore and renew us in You. We stand in absolute agreement with Your Spirit and our intercessors and allies.
You are the One true King over all the earth!
Music: Insight
Peace upon your soul,
Dave and Burnadette