Ordained minister, Dr. Dennis Hall, discusses the origins of the season of Lent. Lent is intended to be 40 days of fasting, prayer and penance. He reviews the symbolism of the 40 days and points out that it is much more than explained by pointing to the time Jesus spent in the desert for 40 days of fasting praying and being tempted by the devil. Dr. Hall also explains why ashes are used to make a cross on the foreheads of believers during Ash Wednesday services. What Lent has become today is very different than what was planned by early church leaders. Many Protestant churches refuse to recognize the season of Lent and Dr. Hall reviews the beginnings of that rejection by the Protestant reformists. The Protestant reformists point to the lack of any scriptural basis for the observance of Lent, among other things. Dr. Hall concludes by reminding the listeners that whether Christians observe Lent or not, what really matters is our embrace of Christ crucified in the empty tomb. Can be heard on all podcast search engines and viewed on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/XamOsjWiCRI

Ordained minister, Dr. Dennis Hall, provides commentary on Pres. Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress. He points out that many felt we were watching a presidential figure who has been transformed by the events of his life over the last eight or nine years. Dr. Hall acknowledges that he had a sense that he was observing a believer in God exhibiting what theologians call sanctification. He pointed to Mr. Trump’s comments that his escape from assassination with only an injury to his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania caused him to feel that God had spared his life to give him an opportunity to make America great again. Mr. Trump appears to be a changed man. Dr. Hall goes on to explain God’s sanctification of his followers. He notes that sanctification is not easy and there are no silver bullets to sanctification. He notes that sanctification is a different process for every individual and can be slow. He concludes the podcast by challenging those who profess to be followers of Christ to realize that continuing to live sinfully is not an option.

Ordained minister, Dr. Dennis Hall, uses the shocking story of a young Israeli family who were taken hostage in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel launched by the extremist group of Palestinians, Hamas to discuss hate. The father and mother and their two redheaded sons, four years old and nine months old were held captive with the father being released on February 1 and the bodies of the mother and the two children returned recently. Forensic analysis showed that the children had been killed at the hands of their captors. Dr. Hall discusses the destructive nature of hate and points out that the Scripture warns hate not only prevents a person from loving God but also from having eternal life. He uses the story of Cain killing his brother Abel to demonstrate the origin of hate. Dr. Hall points out that the apostle John tells us that Cain murdered his brother because he belonged to the evil one. Dr. Hall notes that Jesus taught to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. He ends the podcast warning that we must resist being pulled toward demonizing Palestinians. Christians must have a willingness to call out bigotry when we see it while at the same time accepting the fact that those who are guilty of atrocities need to be held responsible. Can also be seen on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/apRzVfoaSIE.