We here at KCMI want to join you in celebrating pastors during Pastor Appreciation Month. You’re invited to leave a message about how much you appreciate the head of your church on our pastor appreciation hotline at (308) 633-0969. Every pastor who recieves a message of appreciation will be entered into a drawing for a wonderful prize package, and the messages we receive will also be aired on Hope Radio throughout Pastor Appreciation Month.
Looking for more ways to express your appreciation? Here are 50 ways you can bless your pastor, courtesy of BlessYourPastor.org.
Can We Trust the Bible? - Debunking Seven Myths about the Bible, Genesis, and Noah's Flood
Genesis Apologetics has created a series of videos discussing and debunking seven myths you often hear about the Bible, Genesis, and Noah’s flood. Watch the next part of this series below, and come back to the Hope Radio blog every Thursday for the next 7 weeks as we learn more about these myths and the truth of God’s Word!
Does the Bible really say that Jesus is God?
Some people will claim Jesus was simply a good guy, a man who should be looked up to, or even a prophet. However, Christians believe that Jesus is far more than those things; we believe that Jesus is God. So, the question is, why do Christians believe Jesus is God? Does the Bible even claim that Jesus is God?
Well, the only way to accurately answer a question about what the Bible says is to read the Bible. So here are a few verses to take a look at:
Matthew 1:23 (NKJV) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
If you look at the context of this verse you will see it is talking about Mary and her baby, Jesus. Even Jesus’ name, “Immanuel”, is stating that Jesus is God who has come to earth.
Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This verse is very straightforward. Another one of the names/titles of Jesus is “Mighty God”.
Titus 2:13-14 (NKJV) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
This verse clearly calls Jesus both: our Savior and our God
John 20:26-29 (NIV) A week later his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
These verses take place after Jesus died on the cross. He has just risen from the dead. In these verses Thomas calls Jesus God and Jesus doesn’t deny the claim, instead He confirms that it is good for Thomas to believe Jesus is God, and goes on to say, it is even good for people who haven’t seen Jesus to believe He is God.
2 Peter 1:1 (NIV) Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
In this verse, Jesus is once again referred to as, not only our Savior, but also our God.
These are just a few examples of places where the Bible confirms that Jesus is God, but there are many many more.
There is no doubt that the Bible claims Jesus is God.
This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”
New Music Monday - Jamie Kimmett, Jordan Feliz and New Countdown Hits
This week we’ve added Burdens, the second single from Jamie Kimmett and his debut EP Prize Worth Fighting For, along with the latest single from Jordan Feliz called Faith. We’ve also got a great batch of songs debuting on our Saturday night countdowns, including I Am They’s new song Not Impossible With You and the latest pop and hip hop singles from KB, Koryn Hawthorne and new artist Madaline Garcia. Take a listen to all of the latest music on Hope Radio KCMI!
New To Our Rotation
“It's light for the shadows, for all your tomorrows
It's knowing He's there through the sun and the rain
It's when you believe it, before you can see it
And you can walk on 'cause He's making the way
Just gotta have some faith”
“Come and lay your burdens down
To the place where freedom is found
At the feet, at the feet of Jesus
Come and lay your burdens down”
The Top 25 Contemporary Christian Countdown
“There's no heart You can't rescue
No war You can't win
No story so over, it can't start again
No pain You won't use
No wall You won't break through
It might be too much for me
But there is no impossible with You”
The 180remix Countdown
“You're making me a fighter, a fighter
You're taking me higher, higher
You're giving me the strength I need to believe
Life is worth living 'cause You love me
And that’s enough”
“You make me a warrior, warrior
You make me victorious, victorious
All things are possible
With You I’m unstoppable
You make me, yeah, a warrior”
“And if I get to spitting and never pack out the venues
The Father packed out my vision no matter where my fans go
And I just get to speaking about the way my faith goes
I'm thinking about, I'm dreaming about the way my faith flows”
Debunking Seven Myths about the Bible, Genesis, and Noah's Flood (Intro)
Genesis Apologetics has created a series of videos discussing and debunking seven myths you often hear about the Bible, Genesis, and Noah’s flood. Watch the first part of this series below, and come back to the Hope Radio blog every Thursday for the next 8 weeks as we learn more about these myths and the truth of God’s Word!
Why is Jesus compared to a snake in the book of John?
John 3:14-15 (NIV) says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
When trying to understand the Bible it is important to read the stories in context. Context simply means you should know what happens before and after the story and what is happening during that time in history to the people who are writing the story and the people who the story is being written to.
Or, as Rob Green from biblicalcounselingcoalition.org says “’Scripture interprets Scripture.’ That means that reading the Bible helps you read the Bible. The Bible is such an interconnected story that reading one part will make you think of another part. When you see how the parts fit, the story becomes even more amazing.”
This verse is specifically talking about a time Moses lifted up a snake in the wilderness, so to understand what it is comparing Jesus to, you will have to read that story.
Numbers 21:4-9 (NIV) They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
When I first heard this story I remember thinking, can’t people just look at the snake and see if it works? What’s the big deal? Why is it hard to look at a snake?
But, the reality is that there were about six hundred thousand men in the Israelite camp plus women and children. So, if we guess that there was at least one women and child for every man, that puts us at 1 million 8 hundred thousand people!
To give you an idea of how big of a space that many people would take up, the cities of Scottsbluff and Gering combined only have a total of 45,330 people. So, the Israelite camp would have taken up around 40 times more space than Scottsbluff and Gering does, combined.
Phoenix, Arizona has about 1 million 600 hundred people and it takes up about 517.6 square miles.
While these numbers aren’t exact we can know that the Israelite camp was HUGE and that’s without combining all the space their cattle would have needed as well.
So, if you were bitten by a snake, chances are you had to travel pretty far in order to be able to look at the snake which Moses had lifted up on a pole.
Now, if you’ve ever been taught about what to do when bitten by a venomous snake, you know that you aren’t supposed to move very much because you want to keep your blood pressure slow until you can get cured. And back in Moses’ day, most of those people probably traveled primarily by walking, even if they had a horse to ride, anyone who has ridden a horse can tell you that takes energy and muscle strength also.
What I’m trying to point out is that when an Israelite got bitten by a venomous snake, they had a choice. They could do what the world says is best medically and move as little as possible while one of their doctors did their best to save them, or they could take off running on foot or on a horse to try to get to the snake Moses lifted up. It would definitely take a strong faith in God and a belief that God always keeps his promises in order for a person to take off running after getting bitten by a venomous snake.
Now, just a quick reminder that John 3:14-15 (NIV) says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Just like how the Israelites had a choice to do what the world told them to do or to have faith in God and do what God told them to do; people have a choice to try to get to Heaven the way the world tells them, by being a good enough person, or they can trust that God keeps his promises and know that everyone who believes Jesus paid for their sins on the cross will go to Heaven to be with God.
Okay, so we can see that the snake is just being used as an example of what it means to have faith in something to save you. Israelites who had been poisoned had to have faith that God would keep His promise to heal them if they looked at the snake Moses had lifted up. And we have to have faith that God will keep His promise that we will have eternal life if we believe that Jesus is the cure for the consequences of our sins.
Now, what does this mean for us today?
Is it okay for us to get medical help if we are bitten by a venomous snake? Yes you should go to the emergency room if you get bitten by a venomous snake.
The situation where looking at Moses’ snake on a staff to be healed, was only meant for the Israelites in that camp at that time, it does not apply to us now. All this story does for us now is to remind us that God always keeps His promises and that it is by faith that we receive forgiveness for our sins and get to go to Heaven.
After all, if you read the context around John 3:14-15 you get John 3:16-18 next, and all together they say the following:
John 3:14-18 (NIV) Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Just like Moses and the Israelites in the desert we can know for sure that if God says something will happen, it will happen, no matter what. Because God is not a liar and He always keeps His promises.
This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”
New Music Monday - For King and Country, Laura Story, and more!
We’ve got some great new music this week from KCMI favorites and some new artists you might be hearing for the first time! Check out what we’ve added below, and don’t forget you hear these new songs by clicking on the titles or the album artwork.
new to our rotation
“Step into a new day
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon the heartache, yeah
So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships
And don't you look back”
“You lift me up through Your words so I can see You
You call me out to follow Your will
Lord get my heart through this world so I can seek You
Father use me in this life
I surrender”
“You are sweet, sweet flowing water
I’m satisfied as I drink the life
In Your deep, deep Holy river
I’m purified as I come alive”
The top 25 contemporary christian countdown
“Mover of mountains
Breaker of chains
Jesus has triumphed over the grave
Sing hallelujah
The battle is won
Nothing can stand against our God”
the 180remix countdown
“So when it all goes wrong
I wrote this song
You could just say
I'ma have a good, I'ma a have good, have a good day
If it don't make sense
You're just so stressed
You can still be blessed
I'ma have a good, have a good day”
Does the Bible say if dinosaurs are real?
The first thing you should understand is that the Bible was written for a very specific purpose. God gave us the Bible because He wanted us to know who He is, what He is like, and how to have a relationship with Him. So, the Bible does not include everything about the world, just the stuff that is important for us to know in order to have a relationship with God. This means it does not have a list of every animal which has ever lived. So, even if the Bible didn’t mention dinosaurs, it doesn’t necessarily mean they never existed.
With that said, there are two places in the book of Job which talk about creatures that sound a lot like what we would think of as dinosaurs.
Job 40:15-24 talks about a Behemoth which “feeds on grass like an ox,” “its tale sways like a cedar”, and “its bones are like tubes of bronze”.
Job 41:1-34 talks about a Leviathan who’s skin is “like a double coat of armor,” “flames stream from its mouth,” “smoke pours from its nostrils,” and “it makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment”.
The Leviathan is also mentioned again in Psalm 104:24-26 (ESV):
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
These verses are fun to read because the images they portray of these creatures are awe-inspiring and they confirm the existence of dinosaur-like creatures which are no longer on the earth today. However, when we are trying to understand the Bible it is important to read the stories in context. Context simply means we should know what happens before and after the part we are reading and what is happening in the world at the time that part of the Bible was written. This will help us understand why God wrote those verses and what God wants us to learn from those verses. If we don’t pay attention to the context, we will miss out on amazing lessons which God wants us to learn.
God did not put these verses into the Bible just to tell us dinosaurs existed. During the verses in Job, God is upset at Job for lacking faith and is trying to explain to Job just how powerful God really is. God is saying the Leviathan and the Behemoth are massive and fearsome to human beings and yet God is not afraid of them because He is the one who created them. Humans cannot tame them or subdue them, but even these creatures, like everything else, belong to God.
Job 41:9-11 (ESV):
9 Any hope of subduing it (Leviathan) is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
So, yes, the Bible does mention dinosaurs and those dinosaurs give us a small taste of how magnificent and powerful our God must be.
This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”
New Music Monday - New Singles from Matthew West, Citizen Way, We Are Messengers and more
It’s been a few weeks, so let’s dive in to the latest songs we’ve added here on 97.1FM Hope Radio!
New to Our Rotation
“You're the God who stays
You're the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You're the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Can separate my heart
From the God who stays”
“You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause
I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord
I will fear no more”
The top 25 contemporary Christian Countdown
“Just keep moving on
Just keep pushing ahead
Yeah, the new has come
All the old is dead
Just keep moving on
Keep your eyes on the prize
And that Word in your heart
Yeah, we'll be alright
We got that power, power”
“Singing holy, holy, God Almighty
Who was and is to come
You are worthy of every glory forever
Amen”
“When my mind says I'm not good enough
God, You're enough for me
I've decided I'm not giving up
'Cause You won't give up on me
You won't give up on me
Your love is holding on and it won't let go
I feel it breaking out like an echo”
“I got a peace past understanding
When my worries overwhelm me
I got a joy down deep in my soul
Cause you wont let me go
I know, I know, I know
I got a lighthouse on the horizon
When my fears like a flood are rising
I got a joy down deep in my soul
Cause you wont let me go
I know, I know, I know I got You”
The 180remix Countdown
“All of a sudden
I came up from nothing
And life flipped around, it's sideways
I never think about it
All I know that God is sovereign
He's in control
I'm letting go, I went from pit to palace”
The Stronghold
“My radiation went down
I'm losing all of my friends
Waging my salvation just to make a statement
I'm not okay with this
I'm fighting with my head
It's like I just can't win
Will I swallow my pride or drown in my denial?
Will I seek or swim?
I feel the tension”
What's New at Cross Reference Library - Week of 09/12/19
Come check out these great new titles and much more at Cross Reference Library, 209 East 15th Street in Scottsbluff, NE! We’re open Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm, and you can drop off your return items anytime in the drop box to the left of our front door.
Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, the highest seat of honor, the right to reign and rule. Yet the busyness of our lives and the diversions of this world often distract us from knowing the most important person we could ever know. Perhaps we need some help to see Jesus afresh. In this thoughtful study and worshipful reflection, influential pastors Alistair Begg and Sinclair B. Ferguson draw on decades of pastoral experience in order to guide us through the whole sweep of Scripture and examine seven key qualities of Jesus’s identity and ministry. Name Above All Names helps us see and meditate on the incomparable character of Christ - a spiritual exercise that enables us to readily respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon the King of kings, and to better understand just how great Jesus really is.
Are you missing the Essential to a joyful, purpose-filled life? Are you devoted to your church or your religion but still struggle with its practical relevance to daily life? Anne Graham Lotz has known this struggle, too. As she searched for answers to her heart’s yearning and emptiness, Abraham walked out of the pages of her Bible and into her life. Abraham’s life was full of twists and turns, riches and losses, deceit and redemption, failure and success. Nevertheless, his story held the key to satisfying Anne’s hungry heart. In The Magnificent Obsession, Anne Graham Lotz finds the key: embracing a God-filled life, step by step, choice by choice, day by day. Despite struggling as we all do with compromise, fear, family, quarrels, doubt, and disappointment, in the end Abraham knew God as His friend. Challenged by Abraham’s example, Anne began a lifelong pursuit of knowing God. Through personal anecdotes, unforgettable stories, and inspiring insights, she shares the answers she found as she has embraced the God-filled life.
Max Lucado wants to remind you that You’ll Get Through This, whatever “this” is - financial woes, relationship valleys, or health crises, you fear you won’t make it through. You fear that the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave. Will this gray sky ever brighten, or this load ever lighten? Yes! Deliverance in the Bible is bold, brassy, and everywhere. God is in the business of redeeming the broken - he was then, and He still is. Do you crave some hope for those tough times? Then this is the message you need.
Recording artist, best selling author and acclaimed Women of Faith conference speaker Sheila Walsh knows what it’s like to pray the prayers of the desperate. She has learned firsthand the fallacy of thinking that if she just has enough faith, her life will be easy and trouble free. Looking back on her lifetime journey through both shadow and sunlight, Sheila today defines faith as “my soul’s fixed", unflinching gaze on Christ, wherever it takes me”. Extraordinary Faith is Sheila Walsh’s gift of simple, straightforward, humor-sprinkled encouragement that says wherever you are in life, whatever circumstances you face, God loves you and will faithfully walk with you through it. No matter what shakes up your world, His everlasting arms are underneath it all.
Those who have discovered the secret of praise know how powerfully it deepens their experience of God. They’ve seen firsthand how He often works in our times of praise, releasing freedom and joy that transform struggles into blessings. Yet even when you know the delight of spending time with God daily, you may find yourself distracted by life’s busyness or even reluctant to offer praise in the midst of trials. The key is to choose to cultivate the habit of praise by taking steps to enrich your prayer life. and this inspiring collection of daily encounters will help you do exactly that. Deeply rooted in Scripture and adapted from Ruth’s earlier writings. A Treasury of Praise by Ruth Myers guides you through personalized prayer and praise, invites you to feast on the words of God, and leads you to a deeper understanding of His power and love.
Prayer is absolutely central to the church’s identity, its mission and its ministry. In Praying Together, Martha Rowlett offers inspiring stories, descriptions, and examples of twenty two forms of prayer and practical suggestions for initiating and supporting prayer ministries. Many churches want to be more prayer-centered but fail because of missteps in their efforts to get started; this book provides a rich background of personal and pastoral experience and provides insightful guidance toward becoming a praying congregation.
Chicken Soup for the Soul has inspired millions with stories of hope, triumph, and the resiliency of the human spirit. Now co-creators Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen have teamed with noted women’s expert Stephanie Martson for Life Lessons for Women, a compilation of heart-warming stories with tools to help every woman live the life she was meant to live. This will inspire you to make every day - every minute - more fulfilling.
A fiercehearted woman looks life in the face and says, "You can't beat me." She knows love is a risk but reaches out anyway. She chases Jesus with a tender, world-changing wildness. She never gives in, never gives up, and never lets go. Best of all, the potential to be a fiercehearted woman is inside each and every woman on earth. In Fiercehearted, her most powerful book yet, bestselling author Holley Gerth inspires her readers to become the stronger, braver, truer women they long to be by sharing personal stories of her own struggles and victories. As readers join Holley on this journey, they'll discover a freedom they never imagined could be theirs: the freedom to experience life, love, and faith to the fullest because fear can no longer hold them back. For the woman who is restless or longing for more, this is an invitation to the life God has always meant for her to embrace.
In Falling in Love with Jesus, authors Bee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli introduce readers to the ultimate love relationship of all time - a relationship with Jesus Christ. Using humor, contemporary love songs, real life stories, and solid Biblical teaching. Dee and Kathy help women discover a life-changing intimacy with Jesus. No matter your age or marital status, you are His bride, the object of His affection. The secret to an abundant life lies in the development a deep love relationship with Jesus, abandoning yourself to the greatest romance of your life.
In Savannah, Eugenia Price blends historical observation with masterful storytelling in a novel that sweeps readers into the splendor of nineteenth century Georgia. From the deck of the schooner, a young man of privilege watched Savannah emerge on the horizon that fateful day in the spring of 1812, never imagining it held secrets to both his past and future. That the burgeoning Southern port would be so intricately tried to his own expanding fortune. That there he would become involved in the intrigue of war… and torn between his love for two women. That in Savannah he would ultimately learn the measure of his own courage and worth.
In A Song of Joy by Lauraine Snelling, Nilda Carlson is torn between life in the city of Blackduck and spending time with her family back home on the farm. Her employer, Mrs. Schoenleber, gives her more and more responsibility, including leading an exciting new philathropy project to help the area’s immigrant community. Nilda tries to focus on raising money to build affordable homes for Blackduck’s newcomers, but a private detective in town keeps stirring up trouble. Nilda also finds herself distracted by her piano lessons with the handsome schoolteacher, Fritz Larsson, and the more she learns bout him, the more she admires him. Except the man who wants to court her isn’t Fritz, but a young man from Minneapolis whose wealthy background feels like a foreign world to her. With a detective digging into her past and a rich dandy vying for her hand, Milda must decide what future she will choose for herself.
We may love God, but we chase earthly things that makes us feel better. If God is real, and we are going to live with him forever, shouldn’t He be everything? Caught up in a busy life filled with daily obligations and empty pursuits, Jennie Allen and her husband Zac prayed a courageous prayer of abandonment that took them on the adventure God had written for them. “God, we will do anything. Anything.” Anything is a prayer of surrender that will spark something - a prayer that will move us to stop chasing what makes us feel good and instead begin to live a life that matters. In this newly revised edition she shares what’s happened since the initial release of the book, and includes a Bible study experience for personal reflection or group discussion to help you discover your own “anything”. It’s time to trade your safe and comfortable life for one that is surrendered, reckless, and courageous. Because if we truly know a God worth giving anything for, everything changes.
How do we walk boldly when our world seems to be crumbling beneath our feet? Join celebrated author and speaker Linda Dillow on the journey to contentment in A Deeper Kind of Calm. Learn how to positively handle the disappointments of life and discern the comforting truth found in God’s Word. Be encouraged and learn to deal with the waves of trails, depression, and discouragement that threaten to flood our souls. Hidden in the psalms are portraits of what faith looks like in times of trial. Through them, the author will help you discover how to remember what God has done, hide in His presence, cling to Him, and praise Him for all we cannot see.