Restitutio

Like Job, the book of Ecclesiastes wrestles with anomalies to the general principles of wisdom contained in much of the bible.  Sometimes our world functions in chaotic and unpredictable ways.  Sometimes the race is not won by the swift, nor the battle by the strong, nor bread harvested by the wise, nor riches acquired by the intelligent, nor favor gained by those with knowledge (Ecclesiastes 9.11).  Instead, time and chance happen to them all.  What is a person to do in these confusing and unfair circumstances?  In this message, Pastor Victor Gluckin shares key insights from the book of Ecclesiastes to help you know how to make sense of these situations and what to prioritize when the world seems broken. —— Links —— Check out the other podcasts in this wisdom series Check out these other podcasts with Victor Gluckin Get info about coming to Revive 2020 (Jan 3-5, 2020) This message was from Revive 2019, click here to see other teachings and music from that year Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

The Hebrew Bible contains different kinds of wisdom literature.  For example, wise sayings in Proverbs typically express general principles, providing guidance for what to do when the world is working the way it’s supposed to.  However, Job deals with just the opposite issue.  What happens when you do everything right and still face extraordinary loss and suffering?  In this teaching we’ll work through the major themes in Job to uncover the overall message of the book.  We’ll see how Job refutes the simplistic idea of karma, so commonly assumed by so many today.  In the end we’ll see that our world is complicated, but God is here through it all. Click here to read a short but helpful quote by William Lane Craig on our complicated world. —— Links —— Check out the other podcasts in this wisdom series Go deeper and listen to Podcast 63: Why Does God Allow Suffering? Get info about coming to Revive 2020 (Jan 3-5, 2020) This message was from Revive 2019, click here to see other teachings and music from that year Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

What is the book of Proverbs all about and what can this book teach you about wisdom?  Join Jerry Wierwille as he leads you through Proverbs to gain key insights to be able to read it and benefit from it on your own.  Proverbs are not merely cutesy clever sayings, but helpful insights into how to act in a given situation.  Although you may think of the bible’s proverbs as unconditional promises, they are, in fact, practical principles that generally work. Join Wierwille as he explains how Proverbs can provide us with simple wisdom for a complicated world. Here is the short video played in this episode: —— Links —— Check out the other podcasts in this wisdom series Go deeper and listen to Interview 27: Understanding Proverbs with Jerry Wierwille Get info about coming to Revive 2020 (Jan 3-5, 2020) This message was from Revive 2019, click here to see other teachings and music from that year Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Have you ever heard the saying, “doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results is the definition of insanity?”  It certainly sounds foolish to try the same approach over and over, thinking something different will happen.  So often, what we need is not more education or life hacks, but bona-fide wisdom.  Today we are beginning a series on wisdom.  Stan Chee of the Christian Disciples Church in Toronto, Canada, will give you four key points on getting genuine wisdom so you can lead a meaningful and worthwhile life. Four Steps to Getting Wisdom Have the right attitude; fear God (Proverbs 9.10) Have a heart for people, not just for yourself (2 Chronicles 1.10) Ask for wisdom in faith, not doubting (James 1.5-7) Ask God to number your days (Psalm 90.12) —— Links —— Reach Pastor Stan Chee via email: stanintoronto@gmail.com visit the Christian Disciples Church website Check out the other podcasts in this wisdom series See more Restitutio podcasts and posts about wisdom Get info about coming to Revive 2020 (Jan 3-5, 2020) This message was from Revive 2019, click here to see other teachings and music from that year Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

I’ve got a fascinating interview for you with Becket Cook. Now some of you may recognize his name from the interview I did with him two years ago (Interview 18). In that episode Cook shared his amazing testimony of how he went from a committed gay production set designer in Hollywood to experiencing God in a church service so deeply that it completely changed his life forever. Here’s a description of that moment: All of a sudden, a giant wave of God’s presence came crashing over me. A flood of intense warmth, emotion, and power coursed through me. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I now believe it was the Holy Spirit. I had no prior experience with this, no framework for it, and no way of anticipating it…God revealed himself to me. In that moment, everything became clear: God was real, Jesus was real, the Bible was real, the resurrection was real, heaven was real, hell was real–it was all real…It felt like gallons of love were being poured into me…After my stunning encounters with God, I knew I could no longer pursue romantic relationships with men…Put plainly, I accepted that it was a sin.  -Becket Cook, A Change of Affection, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), pp. 19, 20, 22. Cook’s book, A Change of Affection, is out and it goes way more into detail than our earlier interview. It’s an engaging relatively short read (less than 200 pages), all telling Cook’s history and conversion and how he thinks about same-sex attraction now. And what’s so cool about Becket Cook’s story is that this all happened 10 years ago. He’s not some fly by night testimony-today and fall-away-tomorrow kind of person. He’s stood the test of time. He’s gone to seminary at Talbot and he understand the Christian worldview and he has a seminary-level understanding of the bible. In this interview I ask him about the book, how it’s been received, and about his future. —— Links —— Get the book A Change of Affection Listen to my first interview: God Woo’s Fashion Set Designer from Gay Lifestyle To get in touch with Cook or to book him to speak at your church or event, visit becketcook.com or email him becket@becketcook.com Watch his excellent talk at BIOLA from 2014 on YouTube Check out these other Restitutio posts on Christians who struggle with same sex attraction Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library  

This is the third and final part of our series, God at Work in Kenya with Maurice Chahilu of Kingdom Life Ministries.  We’ve come to see so much about what is going on over there, but there’s still more to learn.  Last time I had asked bishop Maurice about his greatest challenges and what he is doing to overcome them.  He shared about a number of concerns, but the last of them was about raising enough money to do outreach and support himself.  This time, we pick up where we left off to hear about an innovative solution Maurice has proposed to become more financially independent. Additionally, for those of you who are visiting on Restitutio.org, I’ve included a video below of Maurice that Joe Martin did in 2018.  This way you can put a face to the voice. https://restitutio.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Maurice-Chahilu-interviewed-by-Joe-Martin-2018.mp4   —— Links —— Email Maurice Chahilu (mchahilu@yahoo.com) and Joe Martin (jmartin@atlantabiblecollege.com) Lord’s Harvest International missions organization (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Maurice Chahilu and Rebekah Martin This is part two of our series on God at Work in Kenya with a focus on Kingdom Life Ministries and Maurice Chahilu.  In our last episode we saw how Maurice got started in his ministry.  (If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, go back and listen to it first).  Today, we’ll hear about some of his major challenges, his emphasis on the great commission, and a little more about his needs for growth.  What will come through in this episode crystal clear is this man’s utter dedication and commitment to proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom no matter the cost. —— Links —— See part one here: Interview 57 God at Work in Kenya 1 (Maurice Chahilu) Email Maurice Chahilu (mchahilu@yahoo.com) and Joe Martin (jmartin@atlantabiblecollege.com) Lord’s Harvest International missions organization (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

God is doing something in Kenya and churches are forming and growing rapidly.  Today we are beginning a series of shows on the work of Kingdom Life Ministries and the visionary who began the work there, Maurice Chahilu. A few weeks ago I went to Africa to visit Maurice and the churches he oversees.  I was part of a team of missionaries who were going over to support the work that has been going on in western Kenya for the last 8 years, including Joe and Rebekah Martin, Rolin and Linda Carlbom, and Lacey Dunn. On my last day there, I asked the team for their impressions of what it was like and also recorded Maurice sharing his story. —— Links —— Email Maurice Chahilu (mchahilu@yahoo.com) and Joe Martin (jmartin@atlantabiblecollege.com) Lord’s Harvest International missions organization (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Today is the second and final part of my interview with Leah Fronczek on detoxing your brain.  See part one here.  We begin by talking about the importance of free will in effecting change before getting into the specifics of how to combat toxic thinking.  Learn about multitasking, daydreaming, community, forgiveness, and honesty as ways to combat negativity.  This episode will help you in your quest to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12.2). —— Links —— Check out these books by Carolyn Leaf that we mentioned in this podcast. Check out our past young adult event, “Revive“ Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

At the beginning of each year, we have a young adult event called Revive in Connecticut.  This year Leah Fronczek was one of the workshop leaders.  Her topic was detoxing your brain and I asked her to come on Restitutio to share with you what she learned in studying this topic.  This is so important for us as Christians, because God expects us to be able to control our thinking (Romans 12.2).  How do you get rid of toxic thoughts?  Leah is going to help us think through not only how negative thoughts affect us, but how to combat them. Now, before we get into this, I want to make a distinction.  The mind, as we are using it in this discussion, is your mental state, consciousness, memories, feelings etc. , i.e. where you do your thinking, whereas the brain is the physical organ in your head that makes the mind possible.  Obviously, these two are connected, but they aren’t necessarily the same.  We’ll get into this more, but I just wanted to point that out before we get started. —— Links —— Check out these books by Carolyn Leaf that we mentioned in this podcast. Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.