Episode 9 - Brad and Teresa McLemore

Hi, Oak Ridge friends and family. This is David

here and I'm with Brad and Teresa Macklemore

today We're gonna share some scripture readings

today But before that I would like for them to

share a little element that points to Christ

during this season Hi, this is Brad and when

I think of this season it used to be all about

Jesus birth but now that we're more into the

Advent season and a done devotionals and stuff

it's really to me more about the return of Christ

and the restitution of all things that's what

it means to me now and as far as something from

Christmas of course with me it's all about food

right so when I was a kid my mother used to make

cinnamon rolls in a ring she called it a t -ring

and one year and maybe a couple of years she

made one of those for every single teacher that

I might brother and my sister had at the school

like 17 or 18 of these things and we gave everyone

that's why we got such good grades and the other

recipe that that's traditional is on the Christmas

morning I get up early and make a it's really

a muffin but it's almost a doughnut it's called

french breakfast puffs they're basically muffins

rolled in butter and cinnamon and sugar which

anything's good your tennis shoe is good if it's

rolled in butter and cinnamon and sugar so They're

really good, but I've done that for 20 years,

made those in the morning. So those are, those

are some things that I think about. And I guess

mine is a memory that I had with my extended

family with all of my cousins. We were a pretty

large family. My mom had four siblings and we

had 13 grandkids and it was singing. We would

either go Christmas caroling. Well, we always

did that. But then we also would just get around

together in the head of guitars. We just had

a good time singing all those Christmas songs.

This is Isaiah 24, verse 16 verses I'll be reading

Isaiah 24:16

from the easy to read version. slaves and masters

will be the same. Women slaves and their women

masters will be the same. Those who buy and those

who sell will all be the same. Those who borrow

and those who lend will be the same. Bankers

and those who owe the bank will be the same.

Everyone will be forced out of the land. All

the wealth will be taken. This will happen because

the Lord commanded it. The country will be empty

and sad. The world will be empty and weak. The

great leaders of the people in this land will

become weak. The people have ruined the land.

They did what God said is wrong. They did not

obey God's laws. They made an agreement with

God a long time ago, but they broke their agreement

with God. The people living in this land are

guilty of doing wrong. So God has vowed to destroy

the land. The people will be punished and only

a few of them will survive. The grapevines are

dying and the new wine is bad. People who are

happy are now sad. They have stopped showing

their joy. The happy music from the drums and

harps has ended. They no longer sing as they

drink their wine. The beer now tastes bitter

to those who drink it. Total confusion is a good

name for this city. The city has been destroyed.

People cannot enter the houses. The doors are

blocked. People still ask for wine in the marketplaces.

But all the joy is gone. It was carried off with

everything else. All that is left is destruction.

Even the gates are crushed. All over the earth,

in every nation, only a few people will be left

alive. Like the few olives left in a tree or

the grapes left on a vine after harvest. Those

still living will shout and sing for joy. In

the West they praise the Lord's greatness. So

the people in the East should praise the Lord.

People in lands beyond the sea should honor the

name of the Lord, the God of Israel. We hear

songs from everywhere on earth praising God who

does what is right. But I say enough! I've had

enough. What I see is terrible. Traitors are

turning against people and hurting them. First

Thessalonians 4 starting with verse 1. Brothers

and sisters, now I have some other things to

tell you. We taught you how to live in a way

that will please God and you are living that

way. Now we ask and encourage you and the Lord

Jesus to live that way more and more. You know

all that we told you to do by the authority of

the Lord Jesus. God wants you to be holy. He

wants you to stay away from sexual sins. God

wants each one of you to learn to control your

own body. Use your body in a way that is holy

and that gives honor to God. Don't let your sexual

desires control you like the people who don't

know God. Never wrong any of your fellow believers

or cheat them in this way. The Lord will punish

those who do that. We have already told you this

and warned you about it. God shows us to be holy.

He does not want us to live in sin. So anyone

who refuses to obey this teaching is refusing

to obey God, not us. And God is the one who gives

you His Holy Spirit. We don't need to write to

you about having love for your brothers and sisters

in Christ. God has already taught you to love

each other. In fact, you love all the believers

in Macedonia. We encourage you now, brothers

and sisters, to show your love more and more.

Do all you can to live a peaceful life Mind your

own business and earn your own living as we told

you before if you do these things Then those

who are not believers will respect the way you

live and you will not have to depend on others

for what you need