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Ministry Encouragement Podcast – Episode #48 – Rev. Jim W. Hollis
Sponsored by Proactive Ministries / www.proactive-ministries.org
Hello and welcome to each of you who share in our weekly episodes of the Ministry Encouragement Podcast. Your taking time to be part of this community we are building is a true inspiration and encouragement to me. I appreciate each of you. And if you are here for the first time, I trust it won’t be your last.
I’m Rev. Jim W. Hollis and I serve as the creator of this podcast and the Executive Director of Proactive Ministries. Our shared purpose is to encourage each other in ministry and serving Christ in daily life. In order to do that we use a number of Biblical accounts which help us learn more about how God walks with us, for us and has the very best future for us.
In this episode we will go back to the Old Testament and pick up one of the prominent stories in the book of Genesis – the story of the family of Jacob. We will begin focusing in on Chapter 37 of Genesis and the story of Joseph, Jacob’s youngest and unfortunately – his well known, youngest and favored son.
We will discover the reality of conflict in families through the unfolding of this story. Joseph is a very bright, gifted young man of seventeen who doesn’t know much about handling his knowledge and gifts – managing in a short time to cause his brothers to literally hate the sight of him. They are caught up in a deadly web of sibling rivalry which accelerates into an incident which comes within an inch of murder.
Joseph becomes the object of their collective resentment and jealousy. Their Father, Jacob, also referred to as Israel, lets everyone know that he loves Joseph better than any of the other children and step children in the family – a serious mistake with deadly consequences for a parent with power to make. We learn from this that all parents are called to love each of the children and youth in their family as equally as possible, demonstrating Divine Love and Grace.
As we follow the journey of Joseph’s life unfolding, we learn how jealousy can lead to horrific consequences which can never be “undone” once they are set in motion.
Above all else as we set out on this journey in the reality of human and family relationships – let’s remember that God loves us and is with us even in the worst of times and circumstances beyond our control.
As parents, if we see our family relationships disintegrating and violence accelerating, we KNOW it is time to seek outside help and support – something very available and accessible in our day. To ignore it and let it go can be to choose divisions and strife that can lead even to death and murder.
In coming episodes of the Podcast to follow, we will see in Joseph’s journey how God walked with him and was able to use even the worst circumstances he ended up in to the good for his life and family’s future. When we are going through a dark, lonely valley we often feel there is no hope. May we always know and claim the promise – there is God and God’s love with us!
It is my prayer that you will not only enjoy these podcasts but that you will choose to share them with your friends, co-workers and others who may need to be encouraged in their lives and ministries. May God bless you in all that you do. I will continue to ask you to pray for me, our ministry at Proactive Ministries and the growth of this Ministry Encouragement Podcast.
As always I love hearing from each of you. Your thoughts, sharing and input to how we can make this ministry podcast even better are most appreciated. Maybe you are living in a hard family relationship right now. You can recall how it began to be hurtful and now it may be spinning out of control. You may have few people to talk with or share your struggle with. I’m always glad to hear from you. I would be honored to listen and pray with you over your struggle. We have ALL had them in our years along the journey of life.
You can contact me by:
Email: jim@ministryencouragementpodcast.com
Facebook: Jim W Hollis OR Proactive Ministries Page
Ministry offices: (770) 803-9988
Voicemail on the blog page (right hand side)
Twitter: @jhriskforchrist
Until next time, God bless you and keep you!
Jim
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