So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22 ɴᴋᴊᴠ The Son of God begins His public ministry by teaching the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. One example is in Nazareth. When He preaches there, the people are at first amazed at His wisdom and the words of grace He speaks to them. But it only takes a few minutes before the mood changes and they start to get angry with Him. Why? Because His words are not only pleasant but also seasoned with salt. That is why they suddenly say, “‘Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ So they were offended at Him” (Mk. 6:3). How does He deal with the fact that people think so disdainfully of Him and see in Him nothing more than a common carpenter? Is He upset by their behavior? Not at all. Instead, He calmly presents to them a sad but true principle: it is written that Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Mk. 6:4). He does not threaten them with judgment or rebuke them harshly. Instead, He accepts with meekness from the hand of God the rejection He experiences from these people, before whose eyes He had lived for so long. With this attitude of heart, He simply moves on through the surrounding villages and continues His ministry. Even today, it is not uncommon for a servant of the Lord to be more appreciated in another place and country than at home, where they have been known from an early age and where they may be misjudged or met with envy and jealousy. Philip Svetlik Mighty King, with glory crowned, Rightful Heir and Lord of all:Once rejected, scorned, disowned, E’en by those Thou cam’st to call. Richard Holden https://gbv-online.org/calendar/773/date/2026-08-19

I can't imagine how does Mother Mary felt when she saw his beloved son endure pain and eventually died. Seing my son like that, I can't.

Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive” A Story of Fear, Forgiveness, and Resurrection There is something almost haunting about the beginning of Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive.” It doesn’t begin with celebration. It begins in the dark. Peter is hiding. The doors are shut. The windows are fastened. Outside is the world that has just killed Jesus, and inside is a frightened group of men who don’t know what will happen next. Peter cannot sleep. Every sound must seem dangerous. Every shadow beyond the door could mean soldiers. But Peter is carrying something heavier than fear. He is carrying shame. Only days before, he had stood beside Jesus and promised that he would never leave Him. Yet when the pressure came, Peter denied knowing Him. Not once. Three times. And now Jesus is dead. Peter has to live with the knowledge that the last thing he did while Jesus was alive was fail Him. Then, before sunrise, Mary comes. She brings news that sounds impossible. The stone has been moved. The tomb is empty. Jesus’ body is gone. Peter and John run. They reach the tomb and find the evidence for themselves, the stone rolled away, the burial cloths lying there, but no Jesus. John begins to understand. Peter doesn’t. And that is one of the most beautiful things about Francisco’s song. Peter doesn’t instantly become a man of triumphant faith. He is confused. He has seen Jesus die. He knows what death looks like. An empty tomb is astonishing, but Peter’s heart is still trying to catch up with what his eyes have seen. So he returns. And there, alone with his thoughts, the resurrection becomes something far more frightening. Because if Jesus really is alive… Peter is going to have to face Him. And what would Jesus say? Would He remind Peter of the promises he had made? Would He ask why Peter had denied Him? Would He turn away? Would He condemn him? Peter has every reason to believe that he deserves it. And then, in the beautiful dramatic imagination of Francisco’s song, something happens that Peter could never have expected. Jesus appears. Alive. Not as a memory. Not as a ghost. Not as someone Peter wishes he could see. Jesus is standing there. And Peter looks at Him. The man Peter thought he had lost forever is alive. But there is something even more astonishing. Jesus isn’t there to punish him. He doesn’t come with anger. He doesn’t come with a list of Peter’s failures. He comes with love. Peter falls before Him, overwhelmed by the impossible reality of it all. The Savior he denied is standing before him. And instead of condemnation, Peter finds forgiveness. Instead of judgment, he finds mercy. Instead of the end of his story, he discovers that God has written another chapter. And suddenly Peter understands. The empty tomb wasn’t simply proof that Jesus had conquered death. It was proof that Peter’s failure wasn’t the end either. Jesus is alive. And because He is alive, Peter can be forgiven. Peter can get up. Peter can breathe again. Peter can live again. And that is what makes Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive” so much more than an Easter song. It is a song about what the resurrection feels like to someone who knows they have failed. It is about the moment when shame tells you that you are finished… and Jesus tells you that you are not. Francisco originally tried to tell the resurrection story through Thomas, but the song came together when he began telling it through Peter. Francisco has explained that Peter’s guilt and shame were something he personally understood. That choice changed everything. Because Peter wasn’t a perfect disciple. He was impulsive. He was courageous one moment and frightened the next. He promised more than he could deliver. He failed Jesus at the very moment he thought he would be strongest. And yet Jesus came back for him. That’s the heart of “He’s Alive.” Not simply that the tomb was empty. Not simply that death had been defeated. But that the same Jesus Peter believed he had betrayed beyond repair was standing before him with forgiveness. The song takes the greatest event in Christianity and tells it through the eyes of a broken man. And perhaps that’s why it has endured. Because somewhere inside Peter, many of us recognize ourselves. We know what it is to make promises we couldn’t keep. We know what it is to look backward and wish we could change something. We know what guilt feels like. We know what it is to wonder whether we have gone too far. And then comes the message of the resurrection: You are not finished. The stone was rolled away. The grave was empty. Jesus was alive. And Peter, the man who thought he had failed beyond forgiveness was given another chance. That is why the final declaration carries so much weight. He’s alive. Not merely alive in history. Not merely alive in doctrine. But alive in such a way that Peter’s story can continue. And perhaps that is the quiet miracle at the center of Don Francisco’s song… Jesus didn’t erase Peter’s past. He redeemed it. And the man who once stood outside a fire denying that he knew Jesus could now stand in the light knowing that Jesus still knew him. He was alive. Peter was forgiven. And the story wasn’t over. #ChristianMusic #CCM #DonFrancisco #HesAlive #JesusMovement #ChristianMusicHistory #GospelMusic #Resurrection #JesusChrist #ChristianSongwriting

God can use dreams for many purposes. Here are four biblical ways He speaks through them. 1 –God Can Impart Through Dreams In 1 Kings 3:5–12, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and invited him to ask for whatever he desired. Solomon asked for an understanding heart so that he could lead God’s people well and distinguish between right and wrong. The Lord was pleased with his request and gave him extraordinary wisdom. Solomon did not merely dream about God—he encountered God in his dream. What happened while he slept resulted in a genuine impartation that affected his waking life. There have been times when I sensed the Holy Spirit’s presence intensely in a dream and then awakened with that same sense of His presence in the room. A dream can become a genuine place of encounter. God can impart wisdom, courage, direction, or spiritual strength through it. 2 –God Can Reveal the Future Through Dreams Genesis 41 records Pharaoh’s troubling dreams and Joseph’s God-given interpretation. The dreams revealed that seven years of prosperity would be followed by seven years of famine. Because God revealed what was coming, Egypt was able to prepare. God can reveal future events through dreams. Sometimes, He may show you something before it happens; at other times, He may confirm what He has already been speaking to your heart. Years ago, at about age ten, I had a dream in which I saw an old man carrying a load in a "Ghana Must Go" bag. I took the load from the old man and walked with him for a distance. At a point , he asked me to put the load down, and when I did, he opened the bag; it was full of Bibles. He gave me one of them and told me to cherish it. He then said he could carry on from that point. He moved a distance away and vanished into thin air. In another dream at a different time, I was given Genesis 17:1–4. In a third dream, a well-built man in a white robe came to me and gave me a briefcase, telling me to guard it well, as everything in it was for me. I opened it and found a Bible and a white handkerchief with a dove drawn at the center, inscribed with the words "Holy Spirit." When I shared these dreams, I was told God would use me. Since then, God has used dreams to show me what lies ahead, what is present, and even what is in the past that needs to be unraveled. 3 –God Can Reveal Important Information After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him it was safe to return to Israel with Mary and Jesus (Matthew 2:19–20). The dream provided the information Joseph needed for a decision in that moment. Daniel also declared, “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future” (Daniel 2:28, NLT). The Holy Spirit may reveal a missing piece of information, bring clarity to something you have been sensing, or expose a matter that needs prayer. But dreams must never make you paranoid or suspicious of everyone around you. Do not make accusations or major decisions based on a dream alone. Remain discerning, levelheaded, prayerful, and submitted to Scripture. 4 –God Can Warn Through Dreams God may use a dream to warn you about physical danger, spiritual attack, a damaging decision, or a difficult season ahead. Sometimes a warning calls you to act; other times, it simply calls you to pray and prepare. In Genesis 15:12–14, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came over him. God warned him that his descendants would be oppressed for 400 years, but He also promised to judge the nation that enslaved them and bring His people out with great wealth. This passage corrects a common misconception: a dream from God will not always feel pleasant. A warning may produce a serious or even troubling emotional response. The presence of a negative emotion does not automatically prove that a dream is not from God. The more important questions are whether the message agrees with Scripture and whether it ultimately leads you toward faith, obedience, prayer, and redemption. God bless you!

#mary #theotokos #virginmary

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5nnlq2pwpo Europe's tallest Virgin Mary statue unveiled in rural Poland

VISION FOR CHRIST WORLD https://visionforchristworld.com/programs/ We now have a listener report from Russia! This is the very first from Russia. ---------------------------------------------------------- Hello, Tuned in to the Vision for Christ World broadcast on Saturday, Aug 08, on the shortwave via WRMI in Florida. The signal was poor to fair, but still audible here in Eastern Europe. I would be happy if you confirm my reception in a reply email! Thanks in advance. = = = = = CONTACT DATA AND EQUIPMENT Listener: Dmitry Mezin Email: dm65dx@gmail.com Addr: Blyuhera 6-59, Kazan, 420095, Russia Receiver: Airspy HF+ Discovery Antenna: K-180WLA active loop RECEPTION REPORT -- VISION FOR CHRIST WORLD Date: August 08, 2026 Time: 19:00-19:15 UTC Frequency: 15770 kHz Signal quality: SINPO 25432, varying in strength from poor to fair, but without any interference from other stations. Program details: Overview of history of God dealing with people. God was there before the world and stars. In the beginning He created the Heavens and the Earth. Sin of Adam. Flood: only Noah and his family were saved. Faithfulness of God never failed. Young virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind. Jesus willingly went to the cross. 3 days later he rose from the dead and returned to heavens. One day he will return! = = = = = I hope this report is useful for you. Good luck broadcasting! Kind regards and stay safe, Dmitry Mezin Kazan, Russia

ONE THING NECESSARY LUKE 10:42 (WEYMOUTH) 42 and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it." This is the word of Jesus. Someone who knows more than we do -- and loves us more than we love ourselves. So, we need to listen and take heed. (After all, we should realize that Jesus did not say things for His own benefit, but to help us.) It is easy to get busy in life and let ourselves be distracted from what we know is important. That was the case with Martha, the sister of Mary, in the scripture quoted from above. Martha knew she needed to hear what Jesus had to say -- but she also knew that she was responsible for preparing something to eat. What could she do? We all face such problems -- which are actually choices. WE choose what our priorities are. WE decide what we will spend our time and energy on. And we should choose wisely. (Here's a tip: if it won't be important one hundred years from now, it's not that important now, either.) In this situation, Jesus brought a calming -- not a condemning -- word to Martha. (Jesus is still not interested in condemning people, but in helping them.) In effect, Jesus said to not worry, but to put hearing what God has to say first, and then somehow things will work out with God's help. Jesus is saying the same message to you, today. The most important and productive way we can spend time is in getting God's wisdom, guidance, and help. Hearing and heeding His Word will pay rich dividends in this time, as well as for eternity. Never forget that God can do more for you in one minute, than you could accomplish in a lifetime by yourself. Don't make the wrong choices. SAY THIS: I will listen to God's Word. Then, with God's help, I will make it. God bless you!

St. Stephen of Hungary St. Stephen was from a very noble family and was born in the year 997 to father Prince Geza and mother Sarolt of Hungary. He married Giselle, the daughter of Duke Henry-Ii of Bavaria. He took very sincere efforts to spread Christianity and extended patronage to Church leaders. St. Stephen was anointed as king of Hungary by Pope Sylvester-II on the Christmas day in the year 1001, with the consent of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto-III. St. Stephen dedicated his crown to Holy Mary, during the coronation. His only son Emeric died after being wounded in a hunting expedition in the year 1031. Therefore St. Stephen was having no son left to rule his Kingdom. So in his death bed he raised the Holy Crown by his right hand and prayed to the Holy Mary to take the Hungarians as Her subjects and to become the Queen of Hungarians. He died on August 15, 1038, on the commemoration day of the Assumption of Mary. St. Stephen's right hand is kept as a relic and is called as the "Holy Right" by Hungarians. His right hand remains uncorrupted due to the reason that with this hand he raised the Holy Crown towards heaven and prayed to the Virgin Mary. The right hand is now in the Basilica of King Saint Stephen in Budapest. He is venerated as the patron saint of masons, stone cutters and brick layers. He was canonized by Pope Gregory-VII on August 20, 1083. #crown #king #mason #stone #stonecutter #brick #bricklayers #faith #Catholic #loveformary #catholic #faith #respectmothermary #budapest #holyhand #righthand #hand #right #uncorrupt #king #

Happy Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary.