2 Samuel 18:1-19:10a, John 20:1-31, Psalms 119:153-176, Proverbs 16:14-15
Today is the 1st day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you. We have completed five full months, every day, as we’re making our way through the Bible this year, which brings us into a brand-new, shiny, sparkly month to walk into. Today is the 152nd day of the year. So, well done. We are well on our way. But make sure you stay tuned to the end today, on this first day of this brand-new month. I have something to tell you, something that’s coming up in a couple months, but I need to you tell you the story. So, I will do that a little bit at the end. And even though we have crossed into a new month we’ll pick up right where we left off yesterday and that would take us back into the book of Second Samuel where there is an incredible amount of strife happening in David’s family. David’s son Absalom is trying to take his throne. It’s looking like a battle is going to happen and we will move further and through that story. Second Samuel chapter 18 verse 1 through 19 verse 10. And we’re reading from the Common English Bible this week.
Commentary:
Okay. So, as we begin this the sixth the month of the year. Yes, yes, we’re getting into the middle of the year already. And as we begin the first day of this new month we come to the culmination of two different stories that we’ve been following for a while, the story of David and the turmoil in his family that began with his adultery with Bathsheba that eventually produced hatred in his son Absalom who tried to overthrow his father. And that’s the story we’ve been walking through. And today, Absalom is killed in battle.
Then in the book of John we’ve walked through the last days of Jesus life and we’ve made an attempt to be very mindful and pay attention to what’s happening since we won’t be coming through this story again this year. And, so, we went all the way through Jesus last meal, all of the things that He had to say to His friends, His prayer in the garden, His arrest, His trial, His execution on a cross. And today we come to the tomb and find it empty. And tomorrow we will conclude the book of John, which means we will have concluded the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And then the day after tomorrow we will launch ourselves into the story of what came next as we begin the book of Acts.
Prayer:
Father, as we move into this new month we are finishing up some of the stories that we’ve been following and we are preparing to move into different territory and we invite Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide us through Your word as You’ve promised to do. We invite Your Holy Spirit to plant the Scriptures in our lives, allowing them to be available to us for counsel in any situation. We invite Your Holy Spirit to come and lead us into all truth. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Announcements:
Okay. So, at the beginning I said that I had to tell you story to tell you about something that’s coming up in a few months. And that few months is exactly 3 months from today, September 1st. Wow can you believe that? In three months it will be September 1, but, I mean, that’s how it works. So, this story, it’s not a super long story. It goes back to 2012. Daily Audio Bible was in its 7th year and the community was growing up, growing up around it, staying vibrant, but it was all kind of in this virtual domain unless we were out on the road, but we had slowed that down to invest in local community. And things had gotten kinda backlogged. There was a lot of travel, a lot of requests. And we launched into something that we had kind of prototyped. I mean the Daily Audio Bible…I know that’s all confusing by the way…it all make sense in a minute. The Daily Audio Bible is one of these things that pulled me from a completely different life of behind the scenes creativity into a much more public thing. I’m still not sure exactly what to call it but something different than what I was doing and I had to grow into that. So, often when we would travel we would come to gather together somewhere. We’d just say, hey, after this event we’re gonna go here or hey, the day before we do this thing we’re gonna meet here. And, so, we’d just have these little meetings. And it didn’t have any format or anything like that. It was just, you know, Jill and I would to come into a room of people and then we’d spend the next several hours just trying to get to know everybody but those things kept growing and growing till it was like impossible. So, in 2012 we decided to go back out on the road, spend the next year doing everything that we could to draw community together in as many cities as we could so that, you know, we could all see each other. And we would go to several cities a month and then we were ahead of the curve because there was no such thing as like Facebook Live or Periscope or any of these kind of instant live broadcasting streaming things. We wanted to stream it live so that there could be a community experience. No matter what city that we were in, we could all come together as a community. And, so, we live streamed before that was really an instant thing, right? You couldn’t do it on your cell phone or anything like that. We had to travel with a little mini like TV production studio just to pull this off and set up cameras all over the place. And yeah, it was a lot of work from these events. And, so, an event would be happening in a location but people from all over the world would come together and chat with each other while this is all going on and hear each other’s voices, hear each other’s testimonies of what the Scriptures had been doing in their lives. And, so, it was a beautiful time. We called this the family gathering tour and what we planned to take about a year stretched out into 18 months and we did well over 100 events. I can’t remember exactly. I have to go back through the calendar. I’ve actually…I was going through my calendar the other day just to try to figure out when it was we began this. And, so, I to kind of scroll back all the way to 2012. And I was going back, kind of, through my life over the last few years. And back then I was like, oh my gosh, just looking at this calendar makes me exhausted. I remember, I remember cause there was so much going on. It was at was a glorious and exhausting time. So, by the time we finished that 18 months I was like…I don’t want to drive another mile. I want to be on another plane. I don’t want to wait in another security line, like, I need to go home. But I have such fond memories, fond memories of my kids when they were little and little baby Ezekiel spending a lot of is babyhood on the road with his family. I remember we did two different family gatherings in two different years in London. And I remember that very well, Edinboro, Glasgow. I remember when we went to Australia - Brisbane and Melbourne and all over the United States. I mean all over the United States - north, south, east, west - Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver, Colorado Springs. I mean, if I say here I could go on and on. I can’t even remember. And we would get together on a Saturday night and just come together as a community. And a lot of times a church would host it. I was gonna be speaking there the next morning or something. And these things just grew and grew and grew and until sometimes they were larger than the service was going to be the next day. And we just spent a couple hours together and it was glorious and beautiful, just unbelievable to hear the stories, unbelievable to be standing on stage and someone share their testimony and be like I have, I’ve never met you but I have known your voice for a long time. And I know your story. So, I have a lot of memories of a lot of fatigue and exhaustion but also a lot of memories of faces and stories and people and interactions and just the grace and kindness of God for us and in this community, but that was long time ago. A lot has happened since then. Lots and lots of travel miles to lots and lots of cities since then just speaking in support of something that I had written and such, but we’ve never forgotten those days. And, so, my wife Jill and one of the one of the men who work here with us Mike, they got together and cooked up this idea and then came with this idea and I was like brought back so much of that tired time that I was, at first, like, sort of a minor participant saying, okay, let’s step into this, let’s take steps forward, let’s flesh this out. And over the next few months that happened and I began to get more and more excited until I’m super excited about what we’re going to try to do. This coming September 1st and 2nd , which happens to be a holiday weekend in the United States that we know as Labor Day. So, it’s a long weekend. We want to circle back. So, September 1st isn’t the first date of a brand-new family gathering tour that were going to do. Rather, we want to invite you to the rolling hills of Tennessee for a Daily Audio Bible family reunion. And this will take place on September 1st and September 2nd of this year beginning three months from today. So, we just started thinking about family reunions and what do those look like and what would be campy and communal and fun and allow for great family experiences, immediate family experiences in community. How would this look? And we realized, well, you know, family reunions, they just kind of form. People come together. There’s not necessarily a lot of programming. the idea is that the family comes together and plays together needs together and has as a good time. So, we started looking for places that we could do something like that. We found this one place, kind of settled on it, locked it in then later we’re like, nah, this isn’t really going to do it. And then we looked for more places because want to get you into the heart of the rolling hills and just kind of be around the environment that we spend most of our time in. And we think we found it. We think we found the perfect spot called Deer Run. And it’s a retreat facility not to…only about 15 minutes from Spring Hill. So, we found a location and then we start fleshing it out a little bit more. Like, what will everyone want to do. And, you know, here’s the thing. Nashville, Tennessee, is like one of the hottest destinations in the United States right now. And there’s a lot to do. So, we don’t want to bring everybody to one place and then no one to be able to kind of experience the rolling hills or all of the little hidden treasures that this area has or, for that matter, all that there is to do and see in Nashville itself. So, what we thought is, okay. We will have a September 1st evening together. We will have a meal together as a community, bring the best of the South to the plate, and then spend some time together, and go into the evening a little bit, have a campfire and just allow for community, but to give you your days to explore. So, we went through the process of like, well, there’s a lot to explore. This is a large enough city with a lot going on. So, people won’t know exactly where to find things are what to do. So, we came up with some ideas, some of our favorite things, some things that you will want to see depending on what your interests are. And, so, we made little adventures, little things that you can do, locating them where they are in the city so you’re not like driving around aimlessly, trying to figure out how to get to certain places and how long things are going to take and how you’re going to get back for dinner and all that. So, we came up with these little adventures. Like, if you if you want to really, really understand and experience the rolling hills of Tennessee then we’ve created a little adventure on how to do that. Like, if you’re on a bike or something like that you’ll want to do this but maybe you’re a foodie, or maybe you are a boutique shopper or maybe you are a country music fan and you want to immerse yourself in all that or maybe you just like the glitz and glamour of Nash-Vegas and you want to be in the tourist areas or maybe you just want some quiet. We’ve tried to prepare ideas of things that you can do during the days that will give you a taste of the South, a taste of the environment from which all of this happens every day. And then we’ll come back together for dinner and spend our evenings together as a community. And those evenings can go as long as you want them to go. You guys can just sit around campfires or play games or whatever you want and try to have that same experience that I was just talking about being at these family gatherings and being on stage in some city and listening to people talk and knowing that I know that voice. You’ll have the same experience and it will be a chance for all of us to, once again, truly remember, truly see, we are not alone. We are never alone. So, from my family to yours, from our team to you, but we invite you to the rolling hills of Tennessee for the first ever Daily Audio Bible family reunion, September 1st and 2nd 2018 here in the rolling hills of Tennessee. And here a couple of things you’ll need to know. If you want to stay on the grounds at Deer Run, if you want to stay on-site and be right at ground zero, those opportunities are limited. In fact, this is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this, so, registration is limited, but we have a sneaking suspicion…every time I think about it I get more excited now…this suspicion…this is going to be blast because I’ve seen the Daily Audio Bible community in action too many times in too many places and it doesn’t matter where I go, when the Daily Audio Bible community comes together, people come together, and there’s something in common, this daily rhythm of the Scriptures, everyone is moving kind of in the same direction, no matter the diversity of our lives or our life circumstances or even our geography. We kind of come together and we have this in common and there’s this instant fellowship. It’s like you can come to anything that we’re doing as the Daily Audio Bible and you can come alone and not feel alone after like two minutes. It’s like…it’s just a beautiful, unique, rare thing. So, if you want to stay on the grounds, on-site, those opportunities are limited. There is space for 20 campers, tent campers, and there are six cabins that can be used as family cabins. And then we have bunkhouses for men and for women, separate, of course, if you just need a place to crash. So, this retreat grounds that were going to be using, I’ve been there several times over the course of the last years for one reason or another. I did a writing retreat out there one time to finish my very first book, which was called Passages. And it’s truly a magnificent place, a very, very beautiful place with all kinds of stuff to do. You could just stay there and get to know the rolling hills up close. There’s that much to do but it’s normal bread-and-butter function would be summer camps. So, it’s kind of set up that way. These private cabins, and there’s only six of them, there’s two of one kind and four of another that can be used as like, family cabins, or maybe come with a family, friends, or whatever. I mean, there’s bunks in the cabins but there are six of them that we can use privately. So, one grouping of cabins, there’s four of them, they have 10 bunks in them. And you can stay there privately. You’ll have to walk over to the bathroom and showers, which are nearby. And that’ll give you a little bit of privacy. And the other two are lake view cabins. They’re a little bit different. They have 12 bunks in them but they also have bathrooms in the cabins and a little kitchenette. But there’s only two of those. So, all of that, including the tent spots and everything, are on a first come first served basis. We have also partnered with some nearby hotels that will allow you to stay nearby and come out and enjoy the facilities as much as you want. And then we thought, well, there are those RVr’s and campers like that that may need full-service hookups. There are no full-service hookups at Deer Run, but we’ll also point you to where you get the nearest full hookups and get you situated. This is an event you have to register for. The cost is $50 per person. Children three and under are free. And what that will bring you is two down-home country dinners that we’ll have together. So, those meals are included. And then we will hang out in the evening together as a community. Our team will be there. My family will all be there. And we’ll sing and we’ll talk and worship and we’ll fellowship and we’ll have a good time, a family reunion. And you will have access to the grounds. So, that will begin at 2 PM on September 1st and run all the way through the end of the day on September 2nd. And you can use anything that’s going on at Deer Run or you go on these adventures that we’re going to show you. And we’ll come back to be together in the evening. So, there’s the story, there’s the announcement. Registration is now open. And you get there by going to dailyaudiobible.com. And you can scroll down to the Initiatives section and find the family reunion or just use the navigation at the top and look for Initiatives and find the family reunion. It’s easy. And all of the details are on that page. So, you can look and see what it is that I am describing and register there. When you do register, we will send you an email confirmation with all kinds of details, including these little adventures that you might want to go on. Some of these I think are very fun, stuff that we do for fun. For example, we’ll show you Leapers Fork, which is this little nook out in the rolling hills. This is where Jill and I were going to galleries and just trying to find some time and it’s where I stumbled upon the black wing pencils. You can go see that too. Or we did the Global Campfire initiative last year with the Hatch Print posters. You can go to Hatch Print if you want to. We’ve come up with some things that we think are a lot of fun. Of course, you can make your own adventure, but we know where everything is. So, we’re just kind of showing you and grouping things together, where they are in the city. Anyway, registration is now open. The Daily Audio Bible first ever family reunion in 2018, which is September 1st and 2nd second. And you can get all of the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section. And we are stoked. We’re excited. This is going to be a lot of fun. So, hope to see you there. It’s going to be great to do that again, to hear voices that I know coming from faces that I haven’t seen. And the same will happen for you. So, make plans. There’s time. Make plans. Labor Day weekend, September 1st and 2nd, Daily Audio Bible Family Reunion where the global campfire comes together in the rolling hills of Tennessee.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Good morning Daily Bible family. This is Anne from North Georgia and I need your help. When I was eight years old my dad angrily looked at me and said this is all your fault and didn’t interact with me again and didn’t speak to me again. I’ve carried that inside all my life and when anything comes up it’s just automatically all my fault, whether it is or not. I know it’s an inside thing but I need those words broken off of me and I need freedom for those words. Thank you very much. I covet your prayers. Have a good day. Bye-bye.
Hi. I’m a first-time caller. My name is Cheyenne. I’m from Bakersfield California. I’m calling for prayer request for my son JJ. He’ll be 28 pretty soon. He’s been addicted to spice for the last seven years. Now he has brain damage. And he talks to demons all day. And they’re his only friends. And I just, as a mother, it’s just so hard to watch. I have asked for prayer for him and myself for strength to live through this. He can’t go anywhere because people make fun of him. And he’s afraid of people. So, anyway, I’m just asking for prayer and support. Thank you. God-bless.
Hi everyone. This is Nikki from Vancouver and I just love everyone so much and I listen and pray along with a prayer requests every day. And I think this is just my second time calling. And I’m calling because of a dear dear aunt, aunty, and her husband are in such dire straits. She has had a severe concussion a few years ago and had never really recovered from that as well as has many other health issues. And her husband has fairly advanced dementia. And they are trying to manage on their own. And she’s been the one, more or less, in charge because of his dementia but because of her concussion, she doesn’t do that well herself. And her children still have severe problems on their own. So, although their hearts want to be helpful, they just aren’t able to give the amount of help that’s needed. And, so, family would you please pray with me that the Lord will intervene? And I don’t even know what I wanted to do other than to provide a way of help for this family because they really are in desperate need. And they live on one part of the country and we live on the West Coast. So, although, I am very wanting to help them, there’s obviously nothing that I can do because the distance. So, thank you so much family and thank you for helping to join me in prayer for my very sweet aunty and her husband. Thank you. Bye-bye.
Hello. My name is Cecilia and I’m from __ Texas. Just wanted to, first of all, thank Brian and his family for this community. I don’t call very much but I appreciate so much the agreement in prayer that I get to participate in, especially the ones that are in my heart this past couple of days __ just pray that God will make a way where there is no way. He is our shelter and our hiding place. And for Cherry Chase Cherry Pie, I just want to pray for her situation, Lord God that you would intervene and turn the tide Lord God, that she would see Your mighty hand in her life. I also have some personal prayer issues. My son and his wife, Michael and McKenzie are separated. They have four children and I would just, I just want to believe God and trust Him that He will restore them. Also, another relationship, my friend Elda and her daughter have been estranged for three years, maybe more, I’m not sure, that God would restore that, would heal that tear that’s occurred in their life. And also, for my friend Julie and her son Eric who is her adult son, her adult son that was in a car accident with traumatic brain injury. He’s living in her home now. She’s struggling financially, struggling emotionally, struggling with stress. I just ask for God intervene and help her with that situation. In the name of Jesus. Thank you all. I also want to just bless Viola and Blind Tony and all of you all, just amazing to participate with you all.