EP 164: When Your Friends Call You A Sinner: Job Part Five

Diana WinklerDomestic Violence

We’re talking about Bildad, Job’s rotten friend #2 on this week’s episode. Bildad isn’t much better as a friend than Eliphaz is. We have Job’s agony and roller-coaster ride of emotions from the abuse from his friend and God’s silence. Hear Job’s response to his accuser friend who is demanding repentance in the midst of a blameless life. At the end of the podcast, Diana includes a favorite Christmas carol that she recorded two years ago. Join us!

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Bildad

[00:00:00] So you have not one, but two rotten friends that are not supporting you in your time of need. Have you been there? You just need to repent and then everything will be fine. That is Job’s friend, Bildad. That’s who we’re going to talk about this week,

[00:00:20] and what Job’s response to his second friend. So that’s next on the Winds of the Faithful podcast.

[00:00:29] Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer, songwriter, speaker, and domestic violence advocate, Diana Winkler. She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help.

[00:00:55] Now, here is Diana.[00:01:00] [00:01:03] Hi, everybody. Welcome to the podcast once again. Here we are, middle of December.

[00:01:10] Thanks for listening to the show in the middle of the holidays. I haven’t really talked about Christmas up to this point. I know this is not a happy time for many of you. For me, it’s a mixed bag. I just wanted to acknowledge that.

[00:01:27] This can be a hard time. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my oldest brother’s death. Will be three years he’s been gone. And so Christmas is a really difficult time for our family because of those memories. We try and make them happy memories. But maybe you have a hard time with Christmas for other reasons.

[00:01:47] You’re lonely or the trauma of being around abusive family members. That’s a very real thing. You’re forced to be around people that don’t treat you very well, or they have been [00:02:00] abusive towards you. And our society seems to think that you have to do these things. You have to have dinner with this person.

[00:02:08] You have to exchange gifts. You have to decorate, you have to bake cookies. You have to do all this stuff. I assure you that’s not the case. You need to decide. What is best for your family, what’s best for your peace of mind, for your mental health, for your safety. And don’t be afraid to change those traditions.

[00:02:29] And you don’t have to apologize for that. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on presents.

[00:02:35] Maybe just spend time with somebody. Gift of your presence. Gift of time. I am not one that enjoys Christmas very much. I don’t like the commercialism. I am already Overwhelmingly busy, especially this past year.

[00:02:51] I just, I can’t do anymore. So, I’m not decorating this year. I said to Brian, my husband, I said, if you want [00:03:00] Christmas decorations, you’re going to have to put them up, and you’re going to have to take them down afterwards.

[00:03:05] I don’t have the energy or the time to do that. Not trying to be grinchy, or scroogey, you know, but I participate in the holidays. The way that I want to participate. Our church had a women’s Christmas luncheon yesterday, which was wonderful. I went in red Christmasy sweatpants, and everybody thought it was great.

[00:03:27] Our church has a Christmas Eve service. I always go, our church has this huge light display, and the whole community comes out for that.

[00:03:36] And it’s fun. We can pick and choose what we want to take part of.

[00:03:41] You don’t have to be around that toxic family member. You’re not obligated, so here’s your permission slip I’m writing for you right now.

[00:03:50] You want to stay at home and watch Christmas movies and, eat popcorn and junk food? Then do it! Okay, so this holiday for us Christians [00:04:00] is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and there’s lots of ways to celebrate, with your friends, your family, by yourself, with just your kids.

[00:04:09] So think about intentionally what you want to do this holiday season. Set boundaries. Set new traditions. And I promise you the world is not going to come to an end if you don’t do what everybody wants you to do. So that’s what I’m, uh, going to say about that.

[00:04:25] We have part five of our study on Job today. And we’re going to talk about his second friend, Bildad. And who he is and what he had to say to Jobe. I’d also like to thank those of you who have been giving me feedback on the series on the podcast. I really appreciate it. It encourages me to know that I’m providing the content that you need, that you want.

[00:04:52] People have said that the series has been easy to understand, and that you’ve been learning things, [00:05:00] and that you like the 30 minute increments. They’re easy to digest. I’m just gonna keep going this format. And I’m always available to answer your questions.

[00:05:10] Okay, so I have a lot of ground to cover today, as always, and I’m going to try to get all through it. in 30 minutes.

[00:05:20] So, we are in chapter 8 today, so, who is this Bildad character? Some believe that he’s a descendant of Shewa, Abraham’s son, by his wife, Keturah. This was after Sarah died. His first wife. He was married more than once. So you can do the research on your own about that. That’s in Genesis 25, 1 and 2.

[00:05:47] Bildad is from the city of Choo Choo, I think I’m pronouncing that right, located on the Middle Euphrates near the modern border of Iraq and Syria. It is an important trade [00:06:00] route and summer pasturage for Arabian nomadic tribes. Remember back when we were talking about how the word got out about Job’s huge loss?

[00:06:11] Well, this is an example of how the word got out. Bildad lived near a lot of nomadic tribes. So, they would pass the word along to people that they would see, and bad news, it goes around like wildfire.

[00:06:31] But get this, Bildad gets mad at Job for getting mad at Eliphaz. They call each other strong wind, again, that’s how they would insult people in the Bible times. Strong wind. we would call that a, um, windbag, or worse.

[00:06:48] You know, you like to hear yourself talk. You’re talking out of your butt. Uh, I won’t say any of the more offensive equivalents of that.

[00:06:56] You know, Eliphaz, of course, is the oldest of the four [00:07:00] friends. In the etiquette of the day, the oldest person spoke first, and then it would cascade down from there. The youngest person speaks last. Most scholars believe that Job was in his 70s at the time. The friends are older than Job, to be speaking to him in this manner.

[00:07:21] So, Bildad just comes right out of the gate insulting him. There are no comforting words. Now, sorry about my friend here who was overly harsh, Job Here, let me give you a hug, bro. Nothing of that sort. He comes across as very black and white in his perspective. Have you ever met anybody like that? I’m sure you have.

[00:07:44] The whole world is black and white. There’s no grace or gray area in anything. No flexibility. I will have to confess to you that I used to be that way. Until God knocked me down a peg or two, uh, that [00:08:00] was when I was divorced. I used to be very judgmental about people that were divorced, but I have repented of that since because divorce is never black or white.

[00:08:13] It’s never simple. It’s usually a very complex situation. So that’s the kind of person that Bil Straight, no chaser.

[00:08:23] So, we are going to start reading here. Verse one.

[00:08:28] Then Bildad, the Shuite, answered and said, How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? Does God pervert justice, or does the Almighty pervert the right? Bildad holds to the belief that God could only be punishing Job for some sin. He’s all about God’s justice, but not for Job.

[00:08:50] Let’s see what else here. He says, verse 4, If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression. If you will seek God and [00:09:00] plead with the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, surely then he will arouse himself for you and restore your rightful habitation.

[00:09:08] And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great. He attacks Job using his sons and daughters. He just sells them down the river with no proof, no evidence. Hey Job, your kids are rotten and they got what they deserved. Has anyone ever said that about your kids? Yup. As you know, I don’t have any children.

[00:09:32] They don’t say my kids are rotten. And God is punishing us, whatever. Um, They have told me that I don’t have any kids as a result of God’s punishment or that I’m being punished because I chose not to have kids. You know, people judge us either way, don’t they? I didn’t have kids because I didn’t want to raise children with my abusive ex [00:10:00] husband.

[00:10:00] Simple as that. But that isn’t Job’s situation. The children were following the Lord, as far as we can tell by the text,

[00:10:09] Saying that Job’s children must have sinned. This is really hitting below the belt, where Job has been concerned about this very point, this very thing, because he had sacrificed. Animals,

[00:10:24] for even their hidden sins.

[00:10:26] So let’s continue. Verse 8. For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you in utter words out of their understanding? So he’s saying, listen to traditional wisdom, Job.

[00:10:52] The evil get punished and the good get rewarded. And that’s a common perspective. It’s a common thing that [00:11:00] we think is true. These are general principles in life. They’re not spiritual laws. Proverbs has a lot of those. We read through Proverbs and we think. Well, that didn’t happen for me. I followed that.

[00:11:14] I followed that my whole life and that never happened for me. For example, how many of you have been told the verse Turn up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Now, we all know of godly parents whose children go rogue and get into a heap of trouble. We all do.

[00:11:36] Brian’s kids. are not living for God. That verse is not a guarantee that our children will choose the right way. Why? Because they have free will. They can choose. So for the most part, most of the time, that principle is true. If you are raising your kids to love God and you’re giving them love and discipline and [00:12:00] boundaries, For the most part, yeah, they will turn out pretty good, but you have some kids who don’t want anything to do with God, no matter how godly we are as parents.

[00:12:12] No matter how hard we try, they still don’t choose God. Well, we can’t force God on our kids. Is that painful? Yes. Very. And we can pray for them, but ultimately, I mean, they’re adults. It’s their choice. How about another verse, and it says, the way of the transgressor is hard. I always had that verse in the back of my brain when I’m deciding if I want to do something. I think about, hmm, is this going to make my life easier or harder if I go this direction? And we know that drug addiction is hard, prison is hard, paying a heavy fine on a speeding ticket is hard.

[00:12:57] Yes, that keeps me on the straight and [00:13:00] narrow. There are natural consequences built in to discourage us from a sinful life. But we all see evil people out there living it up, without a care in the world, hurting others. God, why aren’t they punished? Job understands this.

[00:13:18] When, Bildad says, or we were born yesterday and know nothing, That’s an insult. Another insult. Hey, we weren’t born under a rock. We have wisdom. We’ve earned through living. So I don’t know if you’re familiar with Warren I really like his commentaries and I like what he says about this subject.

[00:13:43] The fact that something was said years ago is no guarantee that it’s right. The past contains just as much folly as wisdom.

[00:13:53] You know, the good old days. We all wish for the good old days when everything was great. You know the [00:14:00] Billy Joel song? Well, the good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow is not as bad as it seems. I like Billy Joel, and I like that particular song. There’s some truth to that. So, Bildad uses powerful and vivid pictures from the natural world, but he’s misapplying them to Job.

[00:14:21] As if he were a sinning, shallow hypocrite.

[00:14:24] He’s being accused of being secretly wicked, and Bildad is forcing him to repent. He is laying it on hard. You have to repent. I know you’re doing something wrong. And I noticed this, maybe you noticed it too. Bildad and the other friends of Job talk a lot, but what they do not do is pray. And Even prayer as a sinner would be better than nothing, but you will not find any prayers by his friends with him to strengthen [00:15:00] him.

[00:15:00] Let’s talk about that a little more, shall we? We want to blame God for the pain that is allowed right now. But what about his friend’s responsibility? He is described as starving and emancipated throughout the book of Job. Did anyone bring him a meal? Hey, Job, here’s a casserole my wife made for you.

[00:15:21] There’s no mention of anything like that. Hospitality was a big deal back in biblical times. How about we help you rebuild your house? Here’s a cow so you can have some milk or lamb for meat. Do you have a blanket to keep warm? Job’s friends had the capacity to ease his suffering, but they chose not to.

[00:15:44] They were too busy pontificating, and preaching at him. If they were able to travel to meet him, then they were well enough to give him some sort of practical help. Don’t you think?

[00:15:57] I’m going to skip to the end of [00:16:00] Bil A little speech here in verse 20. Behold, God will not reject a blameless man or take the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting.

[00:16:13] Those who hate you will be clothed with shame and the tent of the wicked will be no more. Well, as we said, there’s not always an easy answer to everything.

[00:16:25] Let’s talk about Job chapter 9. This is Job’s reply. There’s no mediator. He’s going to talk about his frustration with God, because there needs to be a mediator. There needs to be some sort of third party here. So here we go. Verse 1. Then Job answered and said,

[00:16:44] Truly I know that this is so, but how can a man be in the right before God?

[00:16:50] If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has [00:17:00] hardened himself against him and succeeded? Who? He who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger. Who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble?

[00:17:14] Who commands the sun, and it does not rise? Who seals up the stars? Who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea? Who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the Chambers of the South? Who does great things beyond searching out and marvelous things beyond number? Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not.

[00:17:41] He moves on, but I do not perceive him. Behold, he snatches away. Who can turn him back? Who will say to him, what are you doing?

[00:17:51] I’m going to pause a little bit here. Job is more humble than Bildad in his assessment of himself. Yeah, how can [00:18:00] man be righteous before God? Job could not make demands of God. If you really had to come out and point to Something that could possibly be a sin with Job is that he’s making demands of God.

[00:18:15] But he repents of that in the end.

[00:18:17] So the word contend means a lawsuit. We can’t go in front of God in a courthouse and represent ourselves. It’s not gonna turn out. Very good. We can’t come up with a defense on our opening statement.

[00:18:32] We need a mediator.

[00:18:34] So the Baron Orion Pleiades and, those are constellations in the sky, all of you stargazers already know that. Job looked at the stars in the sky. He knew the constellations, but he did not feel very close to God at this point. God seemed very far away. It’s hard to figure out, God. You hear men say, why are women so hard to [00:19:00] figure out?

[00:19:00] Why are they so mysterious? Well, being a woman, I don’t think that I’m mysterious. I am pretty much an open book. If you ask me a question, you’re going to get an answer. Straight up. I don’t play games. I never have. Try figuring out God, though. No one can really say, I’ve got God all figured out. We can know a lot from studying scripture.

[00:19:25] Until we reach the other side of eternity, we will never have a full understanding of God.

[00:19:33] So we will have a mediator coming. That mediator is Jesus.

[00:19:38] We read that no one can say to God, what are you doing? in the book of Mark,

[00:19:44] Jesus, Jesus would ask, answer questions of the religious leaders and his critics, but at some point, no one dared ask him any more questions.

[00:19:55] Uh, God will not withdraw his anger. Jesus sometimes [00:20:00] showed anger. Remember him turning the tables on the money changers at the temple. They were crooks. They were taking advantage of the people that would come to worship and bring their, their sacrifice. They would take advantage.

[00:20:15] when we read the allies of the proud lay prostrate beneath him, all of the devils in the New Testament, all the evil spirits that possessed people, uh, they submitted to Jesus. Jesus would just say, come out of him and they had to obey. The evil spirits would be prostrate in front of him. So

[00:20:37] Job, without even knowing it, he is talking about Jesus coming,

[00:20:41] but Job does wonder, hey, how can you answer to God?

[00:20:45] Here we go.

[00:20:46] So verse 13, so verse 14,

[00:20:49] let’s read that. How then can I answer him and choose my words to reason with him?

[00:20:55] Right now, God seems distant and impersonal. And, maybe [00:21:00] to many of you who are suffering, he can relate, for though I were righteous I could not answer him, I would beg mercy of my judge. If I called and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice, for he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause.

[00:21:18] And we’ve said this before, this is a perspective that Job has from where he is. This is scripture, but just because Job says it doesn’t mean that that is the truth. this is his experience. This is his perspective. Job felt at that time that God was against him.

[00:21:38] God’s power seemed to be against him right now. When Job says he is guiltless, he’s not saying that he’s sinless. He’s just saying, hey, I didn’t deserve this, God. I’ve been trying to follow you the best that I can.

[00:21:52] Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me.

[00:21:55] If Job were to proclaim his own righteousness, it would not [00:22:00] be true.

[00:22:01] Even if we think we’re perfect in what we’re doing, we are never 100 percent perfect.

[00:22:07] So, that would be considered pride and arrogance to think that we are perfect. We are sinless when we’re not. God says that we are all sinners.

[00:22:16] We’re all in the same playing field. We all are on the same level. We are all sinners. There’s no one that is perfect. No one’s better than the other person next to you.

[00:22:29] So I love the book of Romans. Romans 8 33 and 34 Tells us that if God justifies a man, then none can condemn him.

[00:22:39] None can condemn him. Though I were righteous, though I were blameless, It would prove me perverse. I

[00:22:46] mean, Job already knows in verse 20, if a man justifies himself, his own mouth will condemn him. So, he already knows God has to justify him. Though I were righteous, though I were blameless, it would prove me [00:23:00] perverse. He knows that there’s nothing he could do. Well, this is his perspective. is frustrated.

[00:23:09] He feels like there’s nothing he can do to please God or get back and do his good graces again. Again, he’s, he cannot see behind the scenes as we can. He is frustrated and you and I would be frustrated. What more do you want from me, God? Let’s be honest.

[00:23:26] So, in verses 21 through 24, he longs for this mediator, who we know to be Jesus in the future.

[00:23:35] I am blameless, yet I do not know myself. I despise my life. It is all one thing. Therefore, I say, he destroys the blameless and the wicked. If the scourge slays suddenly, he laughs at the plight of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not he, who else can it be?

[00:23:58] This is a [00:24:00] this is a trauma response. Mentioned that before. This is how he feels. Where he’s sitting, he has, he has no chance.

[00:24:08] Maybe Maybe I’m not blameless. Maybe I don’t have a clear conscience.

[00:24:13] Job felt that God was, silent. Which, silence does not mean that he isn’t listening or that he is not there. He is letting things play out to the end because he wants to prove a point. And that’s something we don’t want to hear.

[00:24:29] He thinks that God’s using him as sport. And I’ve heard that from more than one survivor. It is Satan is the one that’s creating sport against Job. It isn’t God who’s doing this, but Job doesn’t see that. Job does not know that the devil wants to sift you like wheat.

[00:24:49] Job is describing the world as how it looks to him,

[00:24:53] yeah, your imagination runs away with you when you are in despair, when you’re depressed, when you’re [00:25:00] isolated from everybody else. Your imagination runs away with you. I have seen that happen with family members. You have to get out and be amongst people.

[00:25:13] You need to be among God’s people. You need a support system.

[00:25:18] Who else could it be? Could only be God that’s doing this to me. That sounds like good logic, doesn’t it?

[00:25:24] But prosperity and adversity and this life are no marks of God’s approval or disapproval. So we have to get past that. we got a ways to go.

[00:25:36] So I’m, not reading all of the verses because of time, but be sure to read the rest of this chapter. I’m going to, verse 32 in chapter 9. For he is not a man as I am that I might answer him. That we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us who might lay his hand on us both.

[00:25:57] You can’t ever [00:26:00] understand God completely in this life, in our human frailty, in our sinful state, we can’t understand everything about God. And The mistake that we make is that we think that God is like us, that he does everything the way that a human being would do.

[00:26:18] He is the creator of the universe, he is all powerful, he’s all knowing,

[00:26:23] and he sees things long term. He sees the future, he knows how things work together, like a puzzle. And so, treating God like a man, or even worse God’s a genie that’s supposed to do my bidding. That’s where we make a big mistake. That’s why our,

[00:26:43] Expectations were disappointed because our expectations are not valid. They’re not realistic. They are wrong. We don’t get three wishes. We don’t tell God what to do. That is not how it works. He is more [00:27:00] wise than we are. He is not sinful. He is sinless, and people will argue with me about that.

[00:27:06] He is the creator. He is the judge, jury, and executioner, and the atheists don’t want to hear that. The critics of Christianity don’t want to hear that.

[00:27:16] Well, if that’s who you are, this is not the podcast for you. This podcast is for those who are searching God, searching for answers. Yes, you’ve been harmed by, by the church, by spiritual leaders, by Christians, but you realize you need God, but you’re searching for answers. Hey, I, I’m struggling here and I have questions, but

[00:27:39] I really need help in understanding and processing what I went through. How do I get back in relationship with God? That’s what this podcast is about. There are plenty of atheist podcasts out there for abuse survivors. You want to message me, I’ll give you names of them. I’m not going to put them here, but just want to make that [00:28:00] very clear.

[00:28:01] again, Job is acknowledging I need a mediator. Just when you go into a courtroom, you don’t want to represent yourself.

[00:28:09] He’s crying out to God for help. He is experiencing grief.

[00:28:14] He desperately needs help to talk to God.

[00:28:18] I am thankful that we have a mediator. First Timothy 2. 5, For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

[00:28:30] We don’t need a priest. We don’t need a preacher. We don’t need our friends. We can go to the throne room directly to God and bring our request to Him. Job did not have knowledge of that just yet.

[00:28:45] The end of Job’s dispute will not come until later, but we have a mediator right now. God is available now in Jesus.

[00:28:55] So Job ends. with,

[00:28:58] Let him take his ride [00:29:00] away from me. Then I would speak and not fear him, but it is not so with me. So because he lacked a mediator, Job felt that he could not speak with God.

[00:29:10] He will get his chance.

[00:29:11] Just very quickly going to point out some verses in chapter 10 because we are out of time. It’s gonna read a couple things that I’ve highlighted in my Bible. Verse 1. I loathe my life. I will give free utterance to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, do not condemn me.

[00:29:32] Let me know why you contend against me.

[00:29:35] Verse 4. Have you eyes of flesh? Do you see as man sees? Or your days as the days of man, or your years as the man’s years? He’s pretty much asking if he’s human and if he has a body like we have, which he does not. God is a spirit. Verse 7. Although you know that I am not guilty and there is none to deliver out of your hand.

[00:29:57] [00:29:57] Verse 8. Your hands fashioned [00:30:00] and made me. Remember that you have made me like clay and you will return me to the dust. Do not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese. You clothed me with skin and flesh knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love and your care has preserved.

[00:30:18] My spirit.

[00:30:19] So he’s acknowledging God is the creator here He uses interesting language here and it knitted me together with bones and sinews Doesn’t tell me what a sinew is

[00:30:34] A lot of things in here about, bringing me out of the womb. He’s talked about that before, that he was sorry that he was born.

[00:30:43] He’s asking God now in verse 20, Are not my days few? Then cease and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer. Before I go and shall not return to the land of darkness and deep shadow. Um, [00:31:00] so it’s pretty much saying, God, if you’re not going to help me, then just leave me alone to die or wallow here in my self pity and in my dark state.

[00:31:10] So just pointing out again that the rollercoaster of emotions that he’s experiencing here, you see different degrees. He’s acknowledging the power of God, the knowledge of God, the creation of God, but he’s also complaining, complaining to God, and God can handle that.

[00:31:30] You can be straight with God. He’s, there listening.

[00:31:33] And we’re going to stop here. I know this was a lot of information for you guys, but try and go back and read the rest of, the, verses to have a complete picture. Again, these, this is an overview. I can’t go verse to verse because of the time. Next week, we’re going to talk about Zophar, his third friend, that gives [00:32:00] terrible advice.

[00:32:02] It’s like, how can we take much more of this, right? We’re going to find out who Zophar is, and what his message is, and then what Job’s response is.

[00:32:12] So I have a little treat for you guys this week. At least I hope it’s a treat. I haven’t done any music on the podcast in a while, and so since it’s Christmas week, I was going to end with one of the Christmas carols that I sing. It is called Candlelight Carol from, composed by the magnificent John Rutter, and I’ve recorded this Think two years ago.

[00:32:44] It’s one of my favorite Christmas carols. I hope that you enjoy it They also have other music on my website DSW Ministries org some are Christmas songs and others are other kinds of songs[00:33:00] That I’ve recorded. So if you don’t want to listen to the music you can say goodbye here. We’ll see you next week.

[00:33:06] Enjoy

[00:33:07] Enjoying the candlelight carol Merry Christmas to you all and we will see you next week. God bless you

Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful podcast. If this episode has been helpful to [00:37:00] you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You can connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org, where you’ll find our blog along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week!