Erica chats with Hope Darst about her new song "Mighty Name of Jesus." Hope shares the inspiration behind the song, emphasizing its roots in her personal experiences as a worship leader and a mother praying for her daughter's healing. The song serves as a prayer and declaration for believers, filled with scripture and the power of Jesus' name. Click PLAY to listen in to their conversation!

Wisdom from the Source (Read Matthew 7:1-12) Reflection on the passage Many of us have someone in our extended family or church who has the gift of the wise one-liners - wisdom for life that you can remember. Sometimes it is an old saying they are passing down like "any job worth doing is worth doing well." Or it is their own original piece of lived wisdom that they gift us with. This week's section of Sermon on the Mount includes some very famous sayings of Jesus. But they are more than just the wise sayings of a teacher - they are challenging words that point us to the way of true life and to the One who can give us what we need to walk in goodness (7:11). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges us to the highest, truest levels of righteousness. But in our pursuit of righteousness, we can run into some pitfalls that Jesus warns us of here. First, is the danger of becoming self-righteous and judgmental of others rather than staying humble in heart. Jesus exhorts us not to judge others (7:1), for if we do we can expect to be judged by those same standards: "...with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (7:2). Along with judgmentalism is the danger of hypocrisy and pride. Jesus famously calls out the absurdity of confronting others for their sins, when we are guilty of even greater ones: "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (7:5). When we come humbly before God each day, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will convict us with love and truth so that we can see the "planks" of sin in our lives that He wants to work on with us. Another pitfall is for us to lack discernment about whom we share the sacred things of God with. To Jesus' original audience "dogs" and "pigs" (7:6) would have been symbols of all that is wild, unclean, and vicious. Jesus warns: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces" (7:6). Though we are to share the radical love and forgiveness of Christ with the world, we still need to be careful and aware of the reality of the evil one and our own vulnerabilities. In the next few verses of this sermon is the antidote to these pitfalls. The problem comes when we try to be righteous in ourselves or save the world in our own strength. In this well-known verse Jesus tells us to seek God and His good gifts: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you..." (7:7). We can trust that God, far more than our earthly parents, knows just what we need to live whole and righteous lives (7:9-10). He wants to bless us with good gifts. Lastly, Jesus addresses our tendency to miss the heart of what righteousness is when we get lost in the details. His famous "golden rule" gives us a simple, go-to summary of living a godly life: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (7:12). May we take Jesus' wisdom to heart and seek Him in everything. Focus verses for prayerful reflection Choose one of the saying of Jesus from this passage that most speaks to you today. Spend a few moments meditating on it and consenting to the Holy Spirit's work within you. Photo: Javon Swaby

The sound of the ocean waves, the crackling of the fire at the end of the day and a heart full from family time together and Christ-centered biblical teaching. You belong at a summer conference this year with Cannon Beach Conference Center. Get more details at https://www.cbcc.net/2025-conferences

My friend Abby's sweet Masters story... ? "It's a tradition like no other. The Masters has been part of our story since before we were even a family. Jason was born on Masters Sunday. In 2011, he spent his birthday watching the final round, calling me from the complimentary phone at Augusta National to make sure I wasn't in labor. Austin was born the next day. For us, April means birthdays and The Masters, but it's been a tradition that Wyatt had never experienced in person. We worried about navigating the course in his wheelchair and how he'd handle the weather. Maybe we were whimping out, but there was always a reason to say, "Next year." Then in 2023, we nearly lost our boy. He almost didn't have a next year. An unexpected respiratory issue made an already complex life more fragile. In 2024, we wanted to bring him, but physically, he wasn't ready. But 2025, this was his year. Thanks to his Permobil SmartDrive powering his wheelchair, Wyatt saw Augusta National with his own eyes. He ate barbecue sandwiches and marveled at the beauty around him. It's only fitting that the winner of the first Masters Tournament Wyatt attended battled adversity through every round. That's what draws us to this game, stories of grit, resilience, and the impossible made real. Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on winning The Masters. He may have taken home the Green Jacket, but the greatest comeback story at Augusta National rolled through the gates on Saturday morning." You are Loved, E Mornings with Erica | SPIRIT 105.3

Matthew 21:14-15a -The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles... . . #verse #dailyverse #hope #bibleverse #bible #biblequotes