In today's Episode: The Christmas Story Welcome to the final day of the Have More Fun Advent series. I hope the past few weeks have been as meaningful for you as it has for me, as we’ve explored how Jesus shows up in all sorts of unexpected ways. For our last day together, I thought we’d read the most important words I can think to share, from Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:8-21, the story of Jesus coming to earth straight from the source... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs    

In today's Episode: A Bush in the Desert There's a plant mentioned in the Bible that is worth looking a little closer at. Here is what it says in Jeremiah 17:  This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the desert; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives - Jeremiah 17:5-6 Today, we are going to talk about a plant in the desert that most modern English translations simply call a bush, but in Hebrew, it is understood to be a specific plant called an arara bush and is found in the Negev Desert of Israel. The area is barren, dry, and lifeless, but occasionally, travelers will come upon what looks to be a lush green plant that grows fruit the size of a softball. It's an arara bush. And if you happen to see it in the wilderness, you'll see that its fruit looks ripe and full of juice and like a welcome refreshment, but when you open it, it lets out a puff of hot air and dust because it's hollow and dry inside. The inside is only filled with stringy inedible webs. Opening the arara fruit would be a huge disappointment and frustration for thirsty travelers or desert dwellers. Something that looks so promising turns out to be a huge disappointment...  Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In today's Episode: Three Gifts Do you ever struggle with the idea of giving gifts at Christmas? Maybe it feels too consumeristic, or like you are missing the real reason for the season? If so, then let’s look at two instances of gift-giving in the Bible.   The most famous account we all know about is the presents the Magi brought to Jesus. They brought frankincense, myrrh, and gold (Matthew 2:11), which each held symbolic meaning. Frankincense was used as incense for worship in the Temple; it symbolized that Jesus is the new High Priest. Myrrh, was a fragrant oil, used to anoint dead bodies and symbolized what Jesus came here to do. And gold represents his kingship and was an extremely valuable asset. The Magi were acknowledging that God had arrived and was present with us.  Not only that, but an interesting side note is that soon after the magi visit Mary and Joseph, Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt because Herod is going to try to kill Jesus. How fortunate they have the money to relocate in the dead of night and build a home in Egypt for at least two years. Convenient? Yes. Coincidence? Likely not.  Now, while the gifts of the Magi are incredibly relevant to Christmas, they aren’t the only time three significant gifts were given in the Bible...  Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In today's Episode: Say Yes to Great Joy       Today, we are going to talk about two central themes of the Christmas story that we don't talk about very often and then explore a challenge that might impact how we enjoy the next few days of celebration.    One undeniable thing is that even before His birth, Jesus brought earth-shaking changes to everyone included in His story.   Ten months before his birth, an angel appears to his mom, Mary, and says, "Greetings, highly favored one! The Lord is with you." The angel proposes a holy scheme to her, and she agrees to a plan that will cost her everything. With her yes, Mary loses her reputation, and her pregnancy wounds the people she loves most. Her whole life goes up in smoke, and she is the one who lit the match. It often takes courage to say yes to God.  But it isn't just Mary. There are a lot of people in the Christmas story that were asked to say yes to something that took courage...  Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In today's Episode: You are Chosen In 1st century Israel there was a lengthy and very specific process kids would go through to determine their eligibility to study Scripture and be a disciple. It started with Torah school, known as Bet Sefer where boys between 6 and 10 years old started their education. On the first day of class, a rabbi would take honey and put it on the student's fingers where they were encouraged to lick it off as their teacher reminded them to 'taste and see that the Lord is good' and that the words of God are sweet like honey and the most pleasurable thing they could comprehend (Psalm 119:103). Then, for the next few years, the students, under the guidance of a Rabbi, learned to read, write, and memorize the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Remarkably, by age 10, they would have memorized 187 chapters and over 5800 scripture verses. At the end of Bet Shefer, if the kids weren't among the "best of the best” students, they would be sent home to learn the family trade.  However, the most promising students, usually ages 10 to 14, had an opportunity to advance to Bet Midrash, where they would memorize the rest of the Old Testament. Now, the Rabbis in Bet Midrash used a unique teaching method where they helped students learn to think well by asking them questions and having them students respond with questions, similar to the Socratic method. This is why we see Jesus at age 12 in the Temple in Mark 2:46, Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In today's episode... The Great Reversal What was it like for God to have His relationship with us cut off?  We focus a lot on what sin meant for us, but what about God? He created us and wanted – probably even more than we do – to be in a relationship. But things got messed up in the Garden, and while God tried to maintain connection after Eden, it was never quite the same. Years later, in the wilderness of Sinai, God decided to take a new approach. He commanded Moses to construct a place where God would dwell on Earth. It was to be patterned exactly after Heaven (Hebrews 8:5), and God promised that He would be tangibly present there– it was called the Ark of the Covenant and was God’s attempt at bringing a bit of intimacy back to the relationship. However, it still wasn’t the same as Eden. God was present in the Arc, but humanity was only allowed to enter the Tabernacle once per year and come before God’s presence. It was better than nothing, but not even close to the original access we had with God. Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... The Scapegoat There is one reference that I know of in the Bible to underwear, and today we are going to talk about it. It's in the book of Leviticus chapter 16 and it’s in reference to what the High Priest should wear into the Holy of Holies.  It says, "This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body, tie the linen sash around him, and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on." What happens in the Most Holy Place is so important that God outlines exactly what should be worn, right down to the underwear... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... What do you want? Today we’ll talk about one simple concept and then wrap up with an opportunity to contemplate and pray about an important question from Jesus that might make us a little uncomfortable. The question is, ‘What do you want?’ Wanting is a tricky thing isn’t it? Sometimes we’re afraid of wanting the wrong thing. Or we’ve become convinced that wanting is bad or selfish. But what if instead of ignoring our needs or desires, Jesus offers us a better way- inviting us to know and understand them? Because seven times in the Bible Jesus asks, “What do you want?”... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... Nothing New Under the Sun There is a verse in Ecclesiastes 1:9 that says: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." In some ways, there is comfort in knowing that when the world feels crazy, we can be assured that what we are navigating has been experienced before. A great example of this is to look at first-century Israel. It was extremely volatile politically, culturally, and religiously. Even if we just look at the Jewish sects, the only thing the various religious groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots had in common was their love for the Torah and their hatred of the Romans. Let’s look at each of these groups because it might provide some perspective for how we navigate our own differences. Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... The Other Side Jesus, in two accounts, miraculously feeds large crowds of people. The first time happens in the “land of the twelve.” It was where devout Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel lived and worshiped God. At the end of this account of feeding thousands, we read that there were twelve baskets full of leftovers, representing that there is enough food to feed all God’s people (Matthew 14:13-21).  The second time Jesus fed a large crowd occurred in the Decapolis area east of Galilee, called the “land of the seven.” It was called this because there were seven pagan nations driven from Israel by Joshua, who lived there. At the end of this miracle, we read there were seven baskets full of leftovers this time, representing that there is enough food to feed the pagans too (Matthew 15:29-39) All of this matters because, In Matthew 14:22, Luke 8, and Mark 5, Jesus takes His disciples to the “other side.” This concept of the “other side” is important because it means the “land of the seven”. Not only did the pagans live in the land of the seven, but it was believed it was also where the devil lived, and the sea that they had to cross to get there was where evil spirits dwelled. No wonder the disciples were terrified and called Jesus a ghost when they saw Him walking on the sea toward them... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs