Studio Line: 1-877-530-5388 Spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the airwaves of the Central Valley of California and streaming online 24/7 at Spirit889.com. 88.9 FM in Visalia/Fresno and 100.1 FM in Bakersfield #Sharing Spirit
The Bible tells us that on our own, we cannot keep these laws. We need a Savior to forgive our sins. God designed the laws to build a relationship between Himself and us. A relationship that would be built on faith and not the obedience to the law itself. We need Him.Do we really need to be told not to kill, steal or lie?The law reveals that we are sinners.
Galatians 3:24“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be saved through faith.”Four hundred and thirty years after God had given His Covenant Promise to Abraham, the people were so rebellious that He gave to His appointed leader (Moses), the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5) These laws revealed God’s will and were the absolutes for living. But the Law had another purpose. Paul writes,
So what does the Ten Commandments teach us? Basically there are two ideas/instructions from God.
How to Worship the One True God
First: Do not have other gods before Me
Second: Do not make an idol for yourself
Third: Do not misuse the name of the Lord
How to Live in Peach with Humanity
Fourth:
Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day
Fifth:
Honor your father and your mother
Sixth
: Do not murder
Seventh:
Do not commit adultery
Eighth:
Do not steal
Ninth:
Do not give false testimony
Tenth:
Do not covet
Stick with me over the next several months as we dive into what Jesus taught on the Commandments!
He had some very powerful words to describe why he said,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
A Father’s Job Well Done is His Child’s Life Well Lived!
Solomon writes in Proverbs 22:6 to “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Children form a great deal of their understanding of God
by what they see and hear from their earthly fathers.
Deuteronomy 6 is a fundamental chapter for fathers who want to be effective.God has given the father the responsibility of keeping his family anchored in Christ.
Boys see their fathers as examples of what men should be. Sons will relate to their wives the same way they see their fathers relate to their mothers. Daughters see in their fathers the type of man they will look to marry.
The reward for this kind of fathering is found in 3 John 4:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
Wade and Candace Brown are owners of Brown’s Custom Jewelers in Visalia. They’ve been married almost 20 years and Wade has been in the jewelry industry for over 40 years now! He started working for a Jewelry chain store in Fresno, became a manager at 21 years old and went into business for himself at 27 with his first store in Hanford. By 29 he owned and operated 3 stores and had over 50 employees. Due to an economic downturn in the 80’s he consolidated down to one store in Visalia.
At Brown’s Custom Jewelers you will find one of the very last Custom Jewelry stores in America and the only one on the West Coast! 80% of their work is custom made, meaning you can actually sit down with Wade and design your jewelry! On their www.brownscustomjewelry.com you can see pictures of some of these custom pieces! Both Wade and Candace graduated from the Gemological Institute in New York, which uniquely qualifies them to grade diamonds!
Brown’s Custom Jewelers can create large diamond wedding rings as well as engagement and anniversary jewelry with diamonds listed in and sold below the wholesale value in the Rappaport guide (which is the diamond grading bible)! They sell at low margin and can confidently say that their prices fall below Costco’s and are a third of the price of small mom and pop stores. Their quality is far superior to the diamonds that you would find in chain stores, with products coming from overseas.
At Brown’s Custom Jewelers you can obtain a piece of custom made jewelry that will outlive not only her, but her daughter and granddaughter. Who would have thought such a gem would be hidden in our Valley’s own backyard in Visalia! Schedule an appointment with Wade or Candace Today!
Below is a picture of Candace and Wade out front of their shop at Christmas time. They wanted to express their faith in keeping with the true meaning of the season honoring Jesus Christ with a window painting.
Browns Custom Jewelry is Located at 5103 W. Goshen Ave. Ste. E, Visalia 93291 or at 559-625-1133
The Nice Doctrine can be seen and heard almost any time a Christian attempts to take a stance (solicited or not) on a cultural or social issue. Someone will say that Jesus was a nice man that came down from Heaven to preach tolerance and acceptance and would never condemn, denounce, or cause trouble.
I do not recognize this Jesus from my Bible readings.
Remember John 2:15 when He used violence when He could no longer tolerate what was happening with the money changers in the temple? He made a whip and “drove all from the temple”. Or how about in Matthew 23:33 when He called the Pharisees and leaders of the early church, “hypocrites, snakes and vipers”. He verbally insulted them while rebuking them and condemning them for their behavior.
The following is from a blog by Matt Walsh:
“Jesus deliberately did and said things that He knew would upset people. He stirred up division and controversy. He provoked. He didn’t have to break from established customs, but He did. He did not have to heal that man’s hand on the Sabbath, knowing how it would disturb others and cause them immense irritation, but he did, and He did so with ‘anger’ (Mark 3:5). He could have been diplomatic, but He wasn’t.
He could have told everyone to relax, but instead He made them uncomfortable.
He could have put them at ease, but He chose to put them on edge.
He convinced the mob not to stone the adulterer (John 8), and you will notice that He then turned to her and told her to stop sinning. Indeed, never once did He encounter sin and corruption and say: ‘Hey, do your thing! Just have fun! YOLO!’
Now, it is true that He is God and we are not. Jesus can say whatever He wants to say. But we are called to be like Christ, which begs the question: What is Christ like?
Well, He is, among other things, uncompromising. He is intolerant of evil. He is disruptive. He is sometimes harsh. He is sometimes impolite. He is sometimes angry. He is always loving.”
Long time Spirit Business Partner Paul Deathriage and his wife Sue have been married 41 years this June! (Congratulations!) Paul and Sue worked together for over 25 years at their family owned Monarch Ford in Exeter. Paul worked there for over 31 years! He and Sue recently teamed up together in Real Estate at Keller Williams in Visalia. Paul says they both have different strengths and they use those together to better serve their clients.
When Paul left Monarch Ford to venture into Real Estate he wanted to continue working with people and help them achieve their goals and dreams. Real estate seemed like a perfect fit! They are driven by something more than just helping clients buy or sell their property; they are striving to make clients for life by offering and delivering superior customer service. Their goal is to over-deliver on their promises and make sure they help clients achieve their goals and dreams. Paul says, “Seeing the expressions on their faces when they have accomplished a dream is priceless; and really, isn't that what life is all about, helping others? I believe if you treat people with respect and are willing to put them first you will be successful in any business you are in.”
In regards to being a Business Partner of Spirit 88.9 , “We believe in your ministry and wanted to partner with you to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ.”
Our Sticker Stop in Tulare was a success! We got to play so many games of Jenga, one of you won a $50 gift card to Grocery Outlet in Tulare and we got to pray for a bunch of our friends. And thanks to your support we collected a ton of water for the people of Matheny Tract in Tulare who have had their water supply tainted with arsenic.
Lindsay Culligan is more than just a Business Partner of Spirit 88.9! Going back to summer of 2015 they heard about what the station was doing with #waterthevalley (Collecting water for drought stricken residents of Porterville). Out of the blue they pulled up to a Spirit water drive at a Visalia Walmart in their Culligan truck with 100 cases of water!
Their heart for Spirit 88.9 and the Central Valley convinced them that becoming a business partner was the next step in their relationship with the station. Something new with our partnership with Culligan is that they are now providing water to the Spirit 88.9 studio in Visalia.
Feeling and expressing gratitude is in our best interest, for without gratefulness, we can become arrogant and self-centered. We often tend to focus on what we don’t have and then lose focus to remember what we do have. When we begin to start thanking God for the small things, the things we usually take for granted, our perspective begins to change.
“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18
Paul says, “In everything”. We are to be thankful for not only the things we like, but for the circumstances that we do not like as well. That does not mean we thank God for evil or horrible circumstances, but that we thank Him for sustaining us through it. We thank Him for His promise that, “all things work together for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
We can hurt, grieve, be angry or sad and still be thankful toward God because it keeps our hearts in the right place with Him. Being thankful in the hardest of times also saves us from harmful emotions and attitudes that would rob us of the peace that God wants us to experience.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
Knowledge is a great thing to possess. It can help you defend your faith and allow you to teach others as well. But does knowledge signify spiritual maturity? Does knowing ABOUT God equal KNOWING God?
Jesus actually answers this question in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
In this passage Jesus was exposing religious “sounding” people who had no personal relationship with him. Many people think that if they are “good” and say “religious” things, they will be rewarded with eternal life. In reality, faith in Christ is what will count at the judgement.
Many of us know lots of facts about Christ’s life, commit Bible verses to memory and perhaps even attend church regularly. We hold knowledge in our heads without allowing the truth to penetrate our hearts. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 15:8-9, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”
There is something far more important than biblical knowledge; and that is a personal relationship with its author. That is not to say that you should not read your Bible and have study time. In fact, outside of prayer, I believe that is one of the best ways to become more intimate with Him. The greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength”. Matthew 22:37 It would be hard to love someone you do not know. Loving Him starts with surrendering to His plan for your life and continually seeking Him.
Peter concludes his brief letter in 2 Peter by saying, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” No matter where we are in our faith, we have a lot of room for growth. If we draw closer to Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances.
At Spirit we have been making an effort to spend more time in the community! We started Sticker Stops a few months ago for this purpose. These stops were originally intended to be a time to hang out in the community and hand out a few bumper stickers. While this is still the case, they are growing more near and dear to our hearts!
With each stop we make, we create connections and memories that the entire Spirit team will likely never forget. God has given us the opportunity to be out in the community not only to hang out and play giant Jenga, but as an extension of our ministry; spreading hope and encouragement. We have had countless opportunities to pray with others, fellowship with them and just give some words of encouragement! While it may seem we are offering hope and encouragement to others, each contact and relationship we create is also a moment when a Spirit staff member is being ministered to. We just wanted to take a quick moment to thank each and every person who has taken the time to stop at one of our Sticker Stops, it is truly a blessing! We are excited to see what God has in store for future Sticker Stops! If you would like to come out and see what these Sticker Stops are all about:
During our recent Spring Pledge Drive we received a call from Misha Brooks Salmeron wanting to jump on board as a Spirit Business Partner! Misha owns Beauty Bar 613 and they recently had their Grand Opening over the weekend in Tulare. The salon is located next to the Smart & Final at 1005 E. Prosperity and their services include hair and nails, waxing and tanning as well as a boutique where they sell junior and plus size women's clothing.
Misha plans to use her salon as her ministry and the story behind the name Beauty Bar 613 is inspired from Isaiah 61:3 and personal tragedy in her life. Her husband and son passed away in 2007 in a diesel truck accident and her sons name was Isaiah. She used the money that she received from his death to purchase the salon. In praying for guidance for the name she was directed to Isaiah 61:3 where the verse says, “He gives you beauty for ashes, strength for fear, joy for mourning and peace for despair”; hence beauty bar 613.
Spirit 88.9 is proud to team up with Misha and Beauty Bar 613 as together we seek to encourage through Christ those we come into contact with, no matter what they may be going through.
Beauty Bar 613 can be reached at 559 685 8116 and is found on Facebook and Instagram.
Spring is in the air! The weather is warming, the flowers are blooming and wedding invitations are going out for couples to make their relationships public, official and permanent. It is those weddings that remind me of the Purpose of the Church. It is to be the Bride of Christ! (Ephesians 5:23)
So many times we hear of the world trying to make the bride suitable and pleasing to everyone. To make her attractive, loving, tolerant and accepting to every single person.
But the Bride is NOT to be pleasing to the world, but to her GROOM!
Church therefore, is not about us and what pleases us, but what pleases Him. It is about what He likes to see in and among us, His bride. He longs to see us serving His church whom He loves unconditionally. Our ministry must form from this understanding.
When we see the world trying to mold the church into what they need and not what God wants; we must not approach God’s people with anger & criticism, but with the love He has for the church.
Acts 2:42 gives an excellent example of how we, as the bride, should model ourselves.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
That is our purpose. We were not meant to live the Christian life alone. It is through the church that God takes all of us and our unique personalities and gifts, unifies them as a single body, and equips us to care for each other and reach the world.
The Higher Learning Tour is coming April 2nd from 7-10pm to Bakersfield College.
Lecrae remains true to his beliefs and continues to be an artist that redefines mainstream popular culture.
SHINE is for women of all ages to connect to our great God and to others through worship, prayer, fellowship, and life-changing truths from God. This year’s event features award-winning singer, songwriter, speaker and author, Kathy Troccoli.
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