Joe White Drive Time Podcast

"You think about the Mardi Gras parade and the Rose bowl parade and the Macy's Christmas parade and all these millions of dollars of floats and millions of dollars of cars and all this fanfare, but there wasn't a parade like this one. There's never been a parade like this one nor will there ever be."

Family Discussions:

1. Why do we call that day, Palm Sunday?
2. What was really going on in Jerusalem that day?
3. How can you lay your blanket before Jesus as he comes riding into your life, into your home?
4. How does Jesus' life of exemplary humility speak to you today?

Transcription:

"I was in seventh grade, I believe, maybe sixth grade. I was in junior high and I'd lied to my mom. My daddy and mom came home from a two day trip and it was Friday night when I lied to my mom. And my daddy simply said to me on Sunday, "bring me my belt.""

Family Discussion:

1. What does that do to encourage you in your trials?
2. How can you help somebody that's in your life who's going through a trial right now?

Transcription:

"One of my heroes has a funny name. His real name is Aaron, but all of his friends call him Greece. Greece has my next door neighbor. And uh, I love Greece. And you know what people love so much about Greece."

Family Discussion:

1. Why do you think God loves humble people?
2. Why do you think God gives grace to the humble?
3. Why do you think God opposes the proud?
4. What is it about pride that it makes it an abomination to God?
5. What can you do as scripture says, to humble yourself before the presence of the God?
6. What can you do today to humble yourself to your parents, to your spouse, to your kids?
7. What do you need to do today to humble yourself before God so that he may exalt you at the proper time?

Transcription:

"To my grandsons and I, snowboarding for them and for me, blazing speed, a top, freshly packed powder on a beautiful Colorado mountain slope, with, you know, Burton boots and, and snowboards under our feet is truly the ultimate father, son, father, grandson, grand dad, grandson, experience."

Family Discussion:

1. Would you describe for me what emotions and thoughts this amazing word from God's word brings to your heart today? 
2. This love was described today, what response does it bring about in you?

Transcription:

00:14 You know, the book of Hebrews is just amazing. Every page is just awesome. But if you're like me, you have to just pour yourself into this book. Sometimes over and over again to pull out all the golden nuggets that are in the pages. Today we're looking at Hebrews two, verses eight and nine, and it says this, "You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus because of the suffering and death crowned with glory and honor. So that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone." You know, to my grandsons and I, snowboarding for them and for me, blazing speed, a top, freshly packed powder on a beautiful Colorado mountain slope, with, you know, Burton boots and, and snowboards under our feet is truly the ultimate father, son, father, grandson, grand dad, grandson, experience.

01:30 And then, you know, what a joining a team of players who played way over our head, sometimes upsetting a nationally ranked football team and in a postseason bowl game. You know, one time on national television, you know, a midst a dome packed with screaming fans certainly was one of the greatest sports experiences, you know, in my memory. It was the ultimate in football for us at least. And but then even more so walking my daughter in beautiful white lace down a forest green wedding carpet with roses and candles, glistening and then placing her hand in the trustworthy grasp of her dear knight in shining armor who cherishes her more than he does his own life. It was the ultimate relationship experience. And then even more than that, for me, gazing into my dear wife's sparkling brown eyes. A glow from the reflection of the, of the candles on our 37th anniversary cake.

02:31 And seeing in those eyes more than a quarter of a century of respect, of admiration, of mountains climbed together, of dreams dreamed together. Heartbeats melded together is definitely the ultimate marriage experience for me. But of all the ultimate's, of all the greats, of all the amazings, ever realized or imagine on this earth, none can even begin to compare to the ultimate humility displayed by when he, the one to whom belongs all things. The one in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, the one who literally holds all things together by the word of his power, the one to whom God subjected everything in all creation, the one to whom every knee one day will bow. This man Jesus, Lord . Humbled himself. Sacrificed himself for one reason and one reason only because God would rather die for you than the live for eternity without you. Folks, this is ultimate love. That is ultimate selflessness. That my friends is ultimate humility. And here's the questions today. Would you describe for me what emotions and thoughts this amazing word from God's word brings to your heart today? And the second question is, this love was described today. What response does it bring about in you.

"Examine your imperfections and honestly thank God for those imperfections."

Family Discussion:

• How is his power of made perfect in our weakness?
• How did the C's and the D's and the F's of our life buffet us?
• And then why does God show greater love when we're buffeted by him than if he allowed everything on our report card to be straight A's?

Transcription:

00:06 Everybody has their favorite Bible verses, but the Bible verse today surely is one of my very favorites. It was a bible verse that comforted my heart when I was stricken with leukemia a few summers ago. It's Second Corinthians chapter 12, verse 7-9. This one is great. I hope it'll become your favorite, too. It says, "to keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take this thorn away from me, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." And then this verse, which took it home to me when leukemia was at its worst in my life, he said, "therefore I will all the more gladly boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ might rest in me."

01:13 I'll never forget the semester when my daughter Courtney was taking 22 hours in one of her last college semesters, and then working 15 hours a week trying to get out of college and get onto graduate school where she could get her degree in counseling. I remember she, she, she wanted to make all A's but doggone it, at the end of the semester there was a C on her report card. And I remember just taking her into my arms and encouraging her and saying, "you know what, Courtney, I'm so proud of you. I don't care if you made a C or whatever, because I have made so many C's and D's and F's in my life."

01:53 I can't count them. I keep making bad grades. The afflictions just seem to be more abundant all the time. I'm not proud when I fail. I'm sure not thrilled when I make a D on my report card, but I believe there's a reason for the C's and D's and F's on my report card, because those C's and D's and F's, they buffet you, don't they? They humble you. They take you to your knees. But more importantly, as this verse describes in Second Corinthians, it's our afflictions and it's our failures that take us more closely to the heart of Christ. So the questions today, and I know this verse relates to everybody because we all suffer with afflictions, we all make C's and D's and F's, but here's what's cool: How is his power of made perfect in our weakness? And how did the C's and the D's and the F's of our life buffet us? And then why does God show greater love when we're buffeted by him than if he allowed everything on our report card to be straight A's? And then the lifeline for today is this: examine your imperfections and honestly thank God for those imperfections. Because in those imperfections, you received the gift of humility.

"God is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble."

Family Discussion:

• What is it that makes people so arrogant towards God and yet so proud towards ourselves?
• Why does God humble the proud and give grace to the humble?
• What does it mean to be approved by God?

Transcription:

00:04 Today I want to tell you about the funniest magazine article I ever read in my life; it's unbelievable. Second Corinthians chapter 10, verse 17 and 18 has a lot to say about that magazine article and it says this: "but let him who boasts, boast in the Lord for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved with the one whom the Lord commends."

00:38 When Newsweek magazine, in this survey, asked thousands of Americans who would be most likely to get to heaven, the person who came in second was Mother Teresa with 78%. Not a surprise. Billy Graham came in third, and a great athlete came in close to the top. The president of the United States and the first lady were not far behind, but the winner, with a whopping 87% of those surveyed agreed that the person who most deserved to get to heaven was ole number one; that's right, self won the prize. Most people thought themselves to be the most likely to be approved and to get to heaven than any other person of faith in the entire century. That's unbelievable. Does that sound funny to you? Yet, the majority of us across the country don't think there's anything wrong with a leader in our country who cheats on his wife. Most people don't even think there's anything wrong with attending R rated movies or other movies where God's name is profaned repeatedly throughout the movie and sexual pornographic scenes are abundant.

01:59 According to Newsweek magazine, they're saying about 66% of our high school friends are having sex before their 18th birthday. And according to the New York Times, over 50% of married men will have sex after they're married with someone other than their wife. Yet alas, in our smugness, we still feel that good ole number one is the most likely person to go to heaven. Well, as the expression goes among my native Ozark hillbilly friends, they say, "don't count your chickens before they're hatched." It's God who approves or disapproves and scripture is clear that only through a sincere commitment to Christ through faith in His crucifixion and his resurrection, does anyone received that majestic divine utterance, "Well done now, good and faithful servant." Man, it's true. God is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. James Chapter 4 says, "humble yourself in the presence of the Lord and he will exalt you." A true believer in Christ will find himself on his knees more than he'll find himself on top of the victory block going, "I'm number one. I'm number one. I'm number one."

03:20 So here's the questions today. What is it that makes people so arrogant towards God and yet so proud towards ourselves? And then secondly, why does God humble the proud and give grace to the humble? And then, and then thirdly, what does it mean to be approved by God? And then just a little lifeline to take it home. You know, think about this today; in the home, we can echo that same approval that God gives us to our family members around our dining room table.

"Why build an empire for yourself when it's so much more fun to give it away?"

Family Discussion:

• Why is it so hard to model Christ's example of giving and why is it so important to be a giver more than you are a taker?
• Which one are you, which do you tend to be a giver or taker?
• How can you specifically improve your skills at giving your time and your treasures and your talent away to people in need?

Transcription:

00:13 As a little kid, I always had a fascination with treasure hunting. I think it was because my mom used to celebrate our birthdays often by putting our gifts in a treasure chest. And then she'd hide the treasure chests and she'd make a map and we'd go out and we'd searched for a treasure. Well, today's scripture has got an awesome treasure hunt. It's in Second Corinthians chapter 8, verse 7-9, and Paul says this, "but just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in the grace of giving. I'm not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich yet for your sake, he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich."

01:13 I'll never forget an airplane ride, I believe it was from Dallas to San Antonio, and I sat down in a sort of a two seat spot. The seat next to me was taken up by a man who actually took up a whole seat and a half. Um, but I sorta wedged myself in there beside him. And you know what I'll tell you, I wasn't uncomfortable at all because this guy had the greatest story to tell; as I listened to his story, he was a wealthy man and he was actually heading down to San Antonio to assemble his 10 best old friends. And he was going to give his treasures away to them. It was awesome. And, and you know, as I complimented this guy on his generosity, he said, "oh, it's nothing." He said, "I never saw a hearse followed by u haul trailer." You know, my friend was right, man, you can't take it with you. My daddy always said, you can only sleep in one bed at a time. And he said, "why build an empire for yourself when it's so much more fun to give it away." So you know what man, after the overwhelming example that Jesus provided for us by giving up heaven, his ownership of literally everything, and voluntarily becoming a condemned criminal to the cruel Roman execution team, He rightly exhorts us from the sermon on the mount. Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

02:46 Jim Elliot, another one of my heroes says this: give away what you have to those who have not. And the way he said it was, he said, a man is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in exchange for what he cannot lose. And, and here's the questions for today: why is it so hard to model Christ's example of giving and, and then, and then why is it so important to be a giver more than you are a taker? And then which one are you, which do you tend to be a giver or taker? And then how can you specifically improve your skills at giving your time and your treasures and your talent away to people in need? And here's the family lifeline today: If all family members set out to give and to serve each other, can you imagine what a wonderful home and family you would have?

"Cast out a few crumbs and you'll get back the whole world every time."

Family Discussion:

• How can you and your family clean out the closet, clean out the savings, clean out the cupboard for the poor of this world?
• What would be the response to Christians who gave like that, and why is giving some deeply satisfying?
• Why are the people with blue arm bands like the boy at that table, the happiest people on Earth?

Transcription:

00:04 Today I want to tell you about a boy with a blue arm band, I know I'll never forget as long as I live. We're in Second Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1-5. Check this out, this is awesome. "And now brothers," Paul writes, "we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy in their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity, for I testified that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability entirely on their own. They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in the service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord. And then to us in keeping with God's will."

01:03 It was at our summer sports camp, our teenage summer sports camp, that we wanted to put an imprint on the guys' minds that they would never forget. And so as the teenage boys enter the dining hall, and we'd been training in athletics all morning long, we were starving to death we thought, but we gave a 12 boys blue arm bands and then we gave the other half of the kids black arm bands and the last half a white armband. When we came into the dining hall, the blue arm bands represented America. And it was a table that was just lavished with food. The black arm bands represented many countries in the world that are not starving to death, but are starving. And they had beans and rice on the tables. And then the white arm bands where the third world countries, they had nothing on their tables. No instructions were given. Everybody was free to do as they pleased.

01:54 Well, the American table had steaks and fried chicken and vegetables and mashed potatoes and gravy and dessert. It was just heaping over with food. You know, I remember watching a lot of the athletes just eat all they could, the whole meal on the American table. Then I remember a few athletes on the American table filling their plate full and then sharing the leftovers with some of the third world people. But then I remember one guy in a blue arm band, and as soon as he saw all that he had and how little everybody else had, he took everything he had and he began to share it with kids all over the dining hall. That night at supper I think that boy had the greatest meal of his life.

02:43 Just off the coast of Florida, there's a little island that I love. It's called Haiti, and 2 million kids are over there starving to death. Can you imagine what would happen if the United States of America, if every person in the United States had the attitude of the boy with the Blue Armband, those kids in Haiti would be lavished every single meal. And here is the question today. How can you and your family clean out the closet, clean out the savings, clean out the cupboard for the poor of this world? And then check this out. What would be the response to Christians who gave like that, and why is giving some deeply satisfying? Why are the people with blue arm bands like the boy at that table, the happiest people on Earth? And the lifeline for the day is this: cast out a few crumbs and you'll get back the whole world every time.

"Forgiveness is God's greatest gift to you."

Family Discussion:

• Why does God demand that we forgive others, just as he forgives us?
• If there's any speck of bitterness hidden in your heart, what do you need to do to deal with that bitterness today?

Transcription:

00:06 You ever wake up in the morning with a great big suitcase, tied to your back that's full of barbells and you just can't seem to get through your day? Man, I've got a Bible verse for you today that I think is going to help immensely and helping get the backpack off your back. You'll feel just as free as the spring wind when you get the backpack off your back. Listen to this. Second Corinthians chapter 2, verse 9-10. It says this, "the reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven, if there was anything to forgive, I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake."

01:03 I'll never forget the chairlift ride in Park Cities, Utah with a counselor from our summer camp. Her name was Emily. She was a beautiful, bright eyed athlete from West Virginia. But beneath those beautiful bright eyes and that beautiful smile that just made the Utah Rocky mountains glow like a sunrise, was this heart of bitterness, this heart of just hatred and anger. And, but I'm so glad it was a long chairlift because something happened on that chairlift that I'm sure will change Emily's life forever. You see, Emily's mom had taken off with the choir leader from the school and it left Emily and her dad broken and in shambles. Emily was so bitter at her mom and the backpack she carried on her back was heavy because bitterness is probably the greatest burden that anybody can ever carry in their life. But, somewhere on that chairlift, Emily forgave her mom. And you know what, when she went skiing off that chairlift and I went snowboarding with my kids in the other direction, that little girl was finally free; free of a backpack of weights that she'd been carrying for years.

02:23 I remember another young man who came to our campus, his name was JD, and he was so bitter. He was so mad. His mom had died of cancer and he was bitter at God. He was doing just all kinds of drugs. But, somewhere during the term of that camp, he and I became friends and JD forgave. JD cleaned his backpack. JD looked at the God that he was mad and bitter at, and he saw the love of God who had come to this earth to die for his mom so his mom could go to heaven. You know, today JD is the most happily married man you've ever seen your life. He's actually living in the slums of Cairo, Egypt, intentionally giving his life to lead people in the Muslim world to Christ.

03:15 Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give, not just to somebody that you're bitter at, but it's the greatest gift you can give to yourself. Here's the questions for today. You know, Emily's sparkling eyes and contagious smile was the result of an unbridled, bitter-free heart. Why was her trip up the mountain, forgiveness, the most important trip up the mountain in her life? And then, here's a great question. Why does God demand that we forgive others, just as he forgives us? And then, men, get honest with this question. If there's any speck of bitterness hidden in your heart, what do you need to do to deal with that bitterness today? And the thought for the day is this. Forgiveness is God's greatest gift to you and it's your greatest gift to him and your greatest gift to your family.

"Are you the type who reaches for the last pancake or do you have the love of Christ in you that puts others first?"

Family Discussion:

• Our appetite reveals our hearts. Besides food, what other appetites reveal someone's heart?
• And how are you handling your appetite today, and what is your appetite today?

Transcription:

00:13 Hey, what's your favorite drink? I got to confess, my favorite drink is Starbucks hot chocolate. What's your favorite meal? Well, I'm going to tell you now about my favorite meal. It's in Verse 23 of First Corinthians chapter 11, and scripture says this, "for I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, the Lord Jesus Christ. On the night he was betrayed, He took bread." This familiar passage is great. "He took bread and when he'd given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper, he took the cup saying, this Cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it, and do it in remembrance of me for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

01:10 You know what? It's been said that the key to a man's heart is his stomach and could be true a lot of times. But there's another one that says, you know what? The best way to look at a man's heart is to see how he handles things that go into his stomach. It was years ago at our sports camp and I love watching these great big athletes who come work at our camp who cares so much for kids. And I remember this athlete, I think he played for Texas Tech, his biceps were like 17 and a half, 18 and a half inches. And he was with Kevin, one the little guys, and we'll just call the Guy Alex. But, Alex was just shoveling in the food, meal after meal, he had to, he had to report huge or he would lose his position on the team.

01:56 But one breakfast, it was pancakes and Alex made a deal with a little guy in his cabin and he said, we'll play spin the spoon and if the spoon lands on you, you get the last pancake. If the spoon lands on me, I get the last pancake. And so Alex thumped the spoon and the spoon landed on Alex and Alex took the last pancake. And then he saw the little kid with a tear in his eye because the little guy wanted that pancake. And you know what Alex did? He did what? I've seen 2,500 counselors a summer do, he gave the little kid the last pancake. And, and you know what was interesting about that story, and this is the reason that Alex is still an all-American in my heart. Um, Alex had been down in the infirmary, taking care of a little sick camper and that last pancake also was going to be Alex's first pancake, but he gave it to the kid.

02:48 How about you? Are you the type who reaches for the last pancake or do you have the love of Christ in you that puts others first? You know, a person's stomach tells a lot about his heart. What kind of heart do you have? And when somebody says to you, man, what's your favorite meal that you've ever had? Don't you know, that when you say the Lord's supper is my favorite meal, even though it's just a little bitty piece of bread and a little bitty drink of juice, that meal is the meal that reminds you that it was on that day that Christ gave his broken body and gave his blood to say to you and to me, the last shall be first, the first shall be last; my life for you, my death for your eternity. Here's the question. Our appetite reveals our hearts. Besides food, what other appetites reveal someone's heart? And how are you handling your appetite today, and what is your appetite today? Is it for the bread and the juice representing your love for Christ? Or is it the meals of this earth?