Dr. Jessica Peck We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection and the majority of the time she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28 to donate, dial pound250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com/AFR $28 may not sound like much, but to a scared mother considering abortion, it can help provide something incredibly important. A real opportunity to pause and see her baby for the first time. Today, a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy can reach for her phone, search for abortion pills, connect with a provider online and have the pills delivered directly to her home. She can move from fear toward abortion incredibly quickly. But your gift can help create another opportunity. For just $28, you can help provide a free ultrasound through a PreBorn Network clinic. There a woman can see her baby talk with people who will listen to what she's facing, receive compassionate support and consider another choice before abortion becomes her answer. And when women see their babies through an ultrasound at a PreBorn Network Clinic, 80% choose life. $28 can help provide one ultrasound. $280 can help provide 10. Reach her before the pill does with your strongest gift. Today dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby or visit preborn.com/AFR that's preborn.com/AFR all gifts are tax- deductible and PreBorn is a five star rated charity. If you're a business owner, would you consider a larger donation to claim a write- off? Your best gift would be appreciated. $15,000 will sponsor an ultrasound machine for a needy clinic helping to save countless babies lives for years to come. All gifts are tax- deductible and will reach eternity. Get involved today. preborn.com/AFR
hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy families here on American Family Rad. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day. Now listen, I know you may be hearing my voice and thinking she sounds pretty upbeat because there has been a lot of chaos in the world this week and I know that many of you are feeling so heavy hearted but let me encourage you to be of good cheer. God told us in his word that in this world we will have trouble, but we can be of good heart we can be of a good cheer and we can know that Christ has already overcome all of the. The battles that we are fighting now. He knows the outcome and we can trust Him. He is a good, good father. And one of the things that has really lifted my spirits this week is I know this is going to make some of you maybe not so happy, but that you. After Thanksgiving, people. But we are already talking about Christmas, and I'm not even going to apologize for it. If you're watching on the video here, I've got a box, my shoe box from Operation Christmas Child. We need to start working on those now. It's not too early. Even if you don't put up your decorations till after Thanksgiving, you can fill your box. And I will tell you that my producer, Stephanie and I have a party plan. She is hosting a packing party on Sunday. We're going to get together with a big group of our friends. We're all bringing a bunch of stuff that we're going to pull together, and we're going to have a packing party. Now. What is Operation Christmas Child? It is a Samaritan's purse project called Operation Christmas Child. I've participated in it for many years, and we've talked to some recipients with some really miraculous stories. This organization collects shoebox gifts filled with toys and school supplies and personal care items and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God's love in a very tangible way. And I'm telling you, every time I interview somebody, it makes me tear up because I, I remember last year we talked to a woman who got a best friend's necklace. You know, that kind of necklace that has two parts on it, and one best friend gets one half and the other best friend gets another half. And she ended up keeping that necklace and going back to find the woman who had given her the box. And that woman adopted her, and she gave her the other half of that best friend's necklace. Oh, it makes me. It cry. Just beautiful, beautiful things to lift spirit. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, it is the world's largest Christmas project of its kind, has delivered and collected and delivered more than 244 million shoeboxes. Shoebox gifts to children in more than 175 countries and territories. You can be a part of this, and I encourage you, get your kids to be a part of it, to the national Collection week is November 16th through 23rd. So you can see while we're talking about it now, before Thanksgiving, just go, go to samaritanspurse.org/occ that's samaritanspurse.org/occ now these boxes are going overseas so there's some things that are not good to put in there like candy or some other soap or toothpaste or things that might melt or things like that. So you can look at all of the rules of everything to put on there. You can give even go to Amazon. They have a storefront that Operation Christmas Child has put there with all the proved items that you can do and you can go to again. you can go to samaritanspurse.org/occ find a drop off spot. I've dropped off at local churches before with American Heritage girls who have volunteered. That was also a miraculous thing they said when I dropped that off. In short, they said, oh, you forgot the most important thing. And I said no, I paid online because as an adult I thought the most important thing is to pay $10 per shoebox because that helps you to pay for the shipping and you can also track it most of the time. Sometimes it doesn't always work, you can imagine with the security and things like that. But most the time you can see where it goes to. But they said, no, that's not the most important thing. We have to pray for the box. And I was humbled by those precious little girls and I love it. So I want you to be a part of that. Go to samaritanspurse.org/occ we'll be talking about that a lot more as the season continues. But I am so grateful today to be joined by a very familiar voice to many of you. I'm joined today by Dr. Ray Pritchard. Now he serves as president of Keep Believing Ministries and ministers across the United States and around the world. Just like these shoeboxes are going, he's written 31 books and you all may know him very well as the co host of today's issues on American Family Radio that comes on in the morning. He and his wife Marlene have been married for 52 years. They have 11 grandchildren. And he has also recently reached a very impressive milestone riding 50,000 miles on his bicycle. That is really impressive stuff. Ray, I am so grateful to have you on here this afternoon in this hour. Thank you so much for joining us.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Thank you, Jessica. Great to be with you today. And wow. You know, I just want to say, I want to hop on what you said about Operation Christmas Child,
Dr. Jessica Peck please do.
Dr. Ray Pritchard You know, you said it's, you know, there's really nothing like it. There's. If you said what Is the category. I don't know what the category is, but there is nothing like Operation Christmas, child, in all the world and all the millions and millions and millions of children who've been reached around the world. So, Jessica, thank you for leading the way and reminding us. Oh, I got a question for you, Jessica. Do you know how many. Do you know how many days there are until Christmas?
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, my goodness, Dr. Pritchard, you're putting me on the spot. I should know
Dr. Ray Pritchard because
Dr. Jessica Peck I have a little counter, but I can't tell you. It's too many. That's how many. I'll say.
Dr. Ray Pritchard First of all, I didn't know, but I asked my new best friend, ChatGPT, and the answer came 50 days today.
Dr. Jessica Peck 50 days?
Dr. Ray Pritchard 50 days. Christmas is coming. And, you know, I'm on the side of you can never put up your. I know. It's a big debate. I'm on the side of you can never. I'm with the Hobby Lobby people. You know. You go to Hobby Lobby? Yeah, in July. It's never too early to start with. I've got a whole. Got a playlist of Christmas music, and I. On my. You know, my iPhone, and I listen to it all year long. So I'm excited to be on with you. And, it's. It's a tremendous ministry you've got. Thank you for the opportunity.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, Dr. Pritchard, you are my kind of people. I. I am right in the hobby lobby. After July 4th, I know Christmas comes out, and I know you're right. This is an issue that is probably, you know, my most controversial stance to my listeners, because I, I love getting Christmas out early. But I'll tell you really quickly because I tell my listeners, you know, I. I used to start a tradition of putting my. My Christmas tree up on Halloween. Actually, that's what I started doing because my. I have four children. My second daughter had a lot of immune. She had immune deficiency when she was young, and she could not go out and be around anyone. And, And so when our kids had gone to a church event on a Halloween night, she was just devastated, and I was devastated. I wanted to do anything to make her feel better. And she said, can we put up the tree? I said, absolutely, we can put up the tree. And it kind of stuck. And so 15 years later, that's what we do. But, you know, that is okay, because Jesus is the light of the world. And when I put the lights on my tree and see the evergreen, the reminder of the new life in Christ, I Mean, I could go on and on and on, but, Dr. Pritchard, you've given us a really beautiful reminder of Christmas and the real meaning for the season. I am so excited to tell my listeners about this Advent resource. If you go to keepbelieving.com that's keepbelieving.com you can get this beautiful Advent book that you have written for free. It's actually completely free. The king is coming. So tell us about this Advent resource that you have and help us get into the hands as many people as possible.
Dr. Ray Pritchard okay, let's start here. We'll just back up and ask ourselves with this. This idea of Advent. Pastor Ray, what are you talking about? Well, Jessica, this is one of the oldest traditions in the Christian movement. This is one that. It's not a hundred years old. It's not 500 years old.
Advent probably goes back maybe 1800 years to the earliest days of the Christian movement
Advent probably goes back maybe 1800 years to the earliest days of the Christian movement and the idea of Advent. The word Advent means coming, coming. He is coming. He is coming. He is coming. The Old Testament. One day the Messiah will appear. And over the centuries, certain parts of the Christian movement developed the idea of the days of Advent and the weeks of Advent. I got to tell you, honestly, I was raised in a part of the Christian world where I never even heard that growing up. I didn't know about the Advent candle or the Advent tree. I mean, I knew about Christmas. I knew about the Christmas tree and the gifts and all that. It wasn't until much later in my life that I found out that. That for a long time, Christians have been taking the weeks of December leading up to the 25th to focus our hearts in the right place. And, you know, here we are, it's early November. Maybe there is, You began talking about the week we've had, what a week we've had here in America. And, so much, so much fear, so much gloom, so much, uncertainty about what the future holds. Politics is exciting. You know, on today's issues. That's what we talk about, you know, all the time. But it helps sometimes to step back from that which you've been doing. You've been helping your listeners do this, that there. There's a truth above the ballot box. There's a, there's a God who is supreme above the Supreme Court, right? And Advent is the truth. The time of the season when we go, okay, there is a truth that's beyond the headlines, and that is that God has invaded the world. He has come. The Lord has come out of the light of heaven. He came to the darkness of this earth. Born in a manger. Born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. You know, if I think about people say, good news, I can't think of any better news than that, that at long last, Jesus has come. Now, one of the great Advent hymns. and I realize this is Jessica. This is what happens when you talk to a preacher. I'm just this, like, Sunday morning. I'm starting here, and I'm going all the way around. I love it.
Dr. Jessica Peck I'm just along for the ride. I'm just hearing your voice and hearing that hope, that optimism, honestly passed away. My blood pressure is coming down. I'm sitting pretty. You just keep on going on. I am following,
Dr. Ray Pritchard you know, one of our great Advent hymns, and it's old. It's hundreds of years old. Come, thou long expected Jesus. Ooh, I like that. Come, thou long expected Jesus Born to set thy people free. Boy, that's. If there's ever a moment when we need this, this is the moment when we need it. Lord Jesus, come. Come with your power. Come with your mercy. Come with your grace. Advent is a season of the year when we maybe. Maybe we can put aside some of our wor. Look, okay, friends, just, take your burdens and worries and set them aside. Let's think about Jesus for a while. They'll be there waiting for you. They're not going anywhere. Right. The problems of life are always going to be there, but it's good to set them aside, lift our eyes and say, oh, wow, it's true. Jesus has come. And,
I wrote this Advent devotional called The King is Near: Advent from the Gospel of Mark
I wrote this Advent devotional called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. So anyway you can, you can find [email protected] you can download it as an ebook now if you want a print version. There is a print version which is not available from us. It's on Amazon. As you know, they don't give it away on Amazon, so you can order it. You can order the print copy on Amazon. But I've got. Listen, don't tell anybody. I haven't this. I've not said this part on today's issue, so worldwide announcement right here.
Dr. Jessica Peck I feel like we need a drum roll.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Right, right, right. Okay, I'm
Dr. Jessica Peck ready.
Dr. Ray Pritchard If you want to download the ebook from Amazon, it's free for five days. Just November, 29th, 30th, December 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd. You can get it free right now from keepbelieving.com if you want to download the E book from Amazon. Some people, you know, they. It's easier for them to do that. They can get it during those five days. we hope. Yeah, there it is. And we hope you will join us. okay, that's the lot. That's the long end to your first question.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, that's okay. I've got plenty more questions to come. But you know, Pastor Ray, I love hymns.
My favorite hymn is actually Hark The Herald Angels Sing because it's so rich theologically
My favorite hymn is actually Hark the Herald Angels Sing because it's so rich theologically. It tells all of the truths. And you were quoting the words from Come thou long expected Jesus, which I love. And you stopped at the lyric that I think is so relative relevant for today from our sins and fears, release us. Let us find our hope in you, our rest in you. That is a beautiful truth and that can really lift our spirits. I already find myself feeling encouraged and we are just getting started. The resource is called the King is Near. Advent from the gospel of Mark will continue with my delightful conversation with Dr. Ray Pritchard right on the other side of this break. Don't go away. There's going to be Christmas music. I think we'll see. Hello, I'm Jessica peck, host of Dr. Nurse Mama. Did you know that this content is listener supported? Without people like you, this podcast would not exist. And that's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio and specifically this podcast. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net/give that's afr.net/give.
Born on That Day by Matt Maher Into the chaos you came. Born in our likeness Held in the, hands that you made. For our deliverance. Your, your promise was given a name. Emmanuel, the God, who saves. I hear a voice from heaven declare Prepare the way Emmanuel oh, praise the name I hear the sound Heaven cried out and love made away. Christmas was born on that day oh, what a day oh, what a day Christmas was born on that day oh, what a day.
Dr. Jessica Peck Welcome back, friends. That is Born on that Day by Matt Maher. And yes, it's a Christmas song. And no, I don't even apologize for it even a little bit. Today we're talking about Operation Christmas Child. You can go to samaritanspurse.org/occ you can pack your box. I've got mine right here. I'm going to pack several, actually, to send out into the world. I encourage you to be a part of that. And into the chaos indeed God came near. As I was listening to the words of that song. So perfectly timed. We have had a chaotic week in American politics. In our country, it has been chaos. But that is What God did, into the chaos he came. He came near. And today I am near to Dr. Ray Pritchard. We may not be near geographically, but he is joining me in this spirit and here online as we talk about his resource that he has. It's an Advent devotional called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. This is a completely free resource. If you feel led, I would encourage you, there's an opportunity for you to donate there so they can continue to develop the resources they need to give this to as many people as possible for free. But you can get it for [email protected] it is a 25 day devotional. It gives you 25 readings from December 1st through 25th by Dr. Ray Pritchard. Many of you know him from today's issues. It's got a scripture, a devotion, a prayer, and it also has a song. And so I want to ask you some questions, Pastor Ray, about the Book of Mark. But before that, I do want to point out, because I love music, and in this book, you give a song to go along with each devotional. There's a website you can go to. There's a QR code code. You can look it up on your own. But I think music is such an important part. It's a gift that the Lord has given us to really, we can use it as discipleship. And every Friday on this show, we talk about healthy habits for healthy families. And our fourth habit in the four core spiritual disciplines are praying, reading your Bible, going to church, and really using music thoughtfully as a discipleship tool. So can you tell us a little bit about the songs that you picked and that go along with each day's reading?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Jessica? let me start by giving credit where credit is due. Let me go back about 60 years. Talk about something that if you're under 50, you will have no idea what. I'm talking about something called a record player, which the young people, they have no idea what a record player is. No IDEA what a 33 and a third RPM. You know, you had 78s and 45s and 30, you know, the big albums. Well, my mom was a. She was a Christmas girl. That's. I got my love of Christmas from my mother and every year. And I grew up in a small town in northwest Alabama, Russellville, Alabama. And, every year about Thanksgiving or a day or two thereafter, you know how, Jessica, you can see certain things in your mind when you're talking about them? Actually can see. I can see this in my mind m. The living room of the Holy home where I grew up. And there was a. There were some cabinets there, and there was stuff stored there that 11 months out of the year, you never looked at. But mom would go there, right around Thanksgiving, and there was a whole shelf of albums. Again, young people have no idea what an album, an actual physical album is, right? And there were. These were Christmas songs from Christmas albums from the 60s. And there was, the Raycon of singers. There was something called the Norman Luboff Choir. And there was the. What, in my opinion, the greatest Christmas album ever made. I don't think it's been. I don't think it's been surpassed even today, but that's just my personal opinion. The Many Moods of Christmas by the Robert Shaw Chorale, which you can. The music for all these albums now you can download from itunes, right? But mom would get the albums out and dust them off, put them on the record player. And that's where. Not just in church, but that's where I learned, oh, Little Town of Bethlehem, Enjoy to the world. And because these were. These were these kind of albums, you Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman. Not a heavy theology it in Frosty the Snowman, but. But a fun song. So I learned. I learned the Christmas carols, learned the fun songs of Christmas. And you know what, Jessica, this is just to go along with your point about the. The. The influence that your parents can have. Here we are, Mom. Mom's been gone for decades. My dad, 50, died 52 years ago, but from. My dad was a, My dad enjoyed these, but my mom was the one who brought Christmas music into our family. And so, half century later, I want to give her all the credit. So when I sat down, I've been doing these Advent devotionals for about 13 years now, I guess, or 14 years. Honestly, I've kind of lost count. But it was only in recent years that we started adding Christmas songs, Christmas carols to it. And, you know, I'd go through YouTube, I'd ask friends, I'd go on Facebook and say, give me some ideas for. For songs. We started this in 2015, and I think we've done several. Several hundred different Christmas songs. Well, this year. This year, again, people do. Do whatever you want with what I'm about to say. This is how I found. This is how I found my Christmas music for this year. because I spent a lot of hours in earlier years going through YouTube and stuff, and there's so much good Christmas music. I asked my new Best friend chat. GPT. But no, I did. I asked Claude, I asked Gro. I said, I told them what I'm doing. I'm writing Bible based. And so. And I gave them the list of the music that we've all already used. I said, I don't want any repeats. And so all of them together, found these songs. And I would go and listen to me. It's one of the fun parts of putting this devotional together. And I, found. Okay, just what I did. I found Dolly Parton doing. Mary's
Dr. Jessica Peck going to bring it up. Did you know I
Dr. Ray Pritchard Come on. Dolly Parton. Come
Dr. Jessica Peck on. I mean, really? Yeah, you had my attention for sure.
Dr. Ray Pritchard You know, and it's a beautiful. Just beautiful job of it. And I always end, on December 25th, last few years. Always. It's always Go Tell it on the Mountain. Seems like a good way to end the series. Well, I found a group, a bluegrass group called the Petersons, and they just do. You know, I love bluegrass music and I don't hear it very often, but the last song is the Petersons doing Go Tell it on the Mountain. Got some Phil Wickham in there, got King's Kaleidoscope, got Chris Tomlin in there. And I intentionally try to get as many different genres of Christmas music in there. if you said to me, okay, this is Ken, you asked me one question. I'm going around. I'm going,
Dr. Jessica Peck that's okay. We're just chasing rabbits all day long. And I am loving it.
Dr. Ray Pritchard I'm just going around the corner here. But if you say, what's your favorite Christmas carol?
Dr. Jessica Peck What's your favorite Christmas carol? Pastor Ray?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Man. Jessica, what a question that is. But you know what? I know what my answer would be. It's the one you've already mentioned. You cannot beat, in my opinion. Hark. The Herald Angels. I don't think you can beat it. For
Dr. Jessica Peck people usually say the first Noel or oh, holy night. But you can't beat the words in Angel.
Dr. Ray Pritchard You cannot beat the
Dr. Jessica Peck words. Angels sing.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Listen, Charles Wesley, he knew his theology. And when Charles Wesley sat down to write that. Okay, again, showing a little bit of my, Because I love the contemporary music. But can I just say this, friends, there's some music that you need a choir for. Thank you,
Dr. Jessica Peck Mr. Ray. We're just becoming best friends right here on the air, live in front of everybody. Look, yes,
Dr. Ray Pritchard there's some Christmas music you need a choir for, and you need a piano. And if you got it, you need a big pipe organ. And to get the. To get the glory of the music. Coming through. Okay, you give me the big choir. Give me. Give me the. You know, give me the piano and the pipe. Or, late in time, behold him come, Offspring of a, virgin's womb. wow. You know, there's.
There's enough theology in Hark the Herald Angels Sing to save the whole world
There's enough theology in Hark the herald angels sing to save the whole world. It's. It's a song that you can sing, and it's a song that preaches. It's a song that lifts the soul. So although, you know, you know, look, okay, And I agree. I agree. If I was the king, I would say every Christmas Eve service must end in darkness with the lighting of the candles. We all got to stand up, and we got to hold them up. We got to sing Silent Night. We got to sing Silent. Right. If I was the king, I'd make that the law of the land. Right. This is the way. This is the way that I approve. Okay, but then. Then you've got, Angels we have Heard on High. That's a glorious one. I would start singing it, but this program would just end too soon if I took m to singing that. But these Christmas songs, songs bring the theology of Christmas to the heart. And, when I am down, everybody's different. And maybe you want to listen to a sermon to lift your spirits, but when I am down in the dumps, and I do get. We all get. Listen, it's been a hard week for us in America, in our little corner of the world spent a hard week. So I put on my. I put on the Christmas music and I sing along. And my heart is lifted up from the troubles of this world. You know, Jesus said, let not your heart be troubled. He said that the night before he was crucified. He said that knowing what happened to Jesus was a total surprise to his disciples and scared them to death and horrified them. It was not a surprise to God the Father. It was not a surprise to God the Son. He came for this. I was born. He said, let not your heart be troubled. God knew on Tuesday morning what was going to happen Tuesday night. Right? He knew that. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Isaiah 6 says, and in the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. Remember, Remember, Uzziah was one of the good kings. He's a good guy. Not perfect, but he was one of the good guys. And it's notable, when Uzziah died, it was in a time of great crisis for the people of God. In Judah. I mean, the Assyrian army was. They were bearing down. There was trouble everywhere. And the people were scared and wondered, and where was God? He's where he's always been seated. It's not as if God was up, walking around. Oh, no. Oh, no. I didn't even know he was sick. He's dead. He's gone. What are we going to do? No. When there's chaos on earth, perfect peace reigns in heaven. I'm really glad to know that. And good Christian music, helps us not just at Christmas time, but at Christmas time, it does help us. So I'm glad we've decided to start early this year.
Dr. Jessica Peck Me too, Pastor Ray. And since you've been sharing a little of your origin story of your love for Christmas, I'll share mine with you. Because mine comes from my granny. She. Now, I may be under 50, and I'm going to claim that loud and proud, because I'm hanging on by a thread, but I'm still there. But I was raised right, Pastor Ray. My. My granny raised me on. I, I did. I know how to do the record player. I even know how to play eight tracks. And she raised me on the Oak Ridge Boys. That's who I
Dr. Ray Pritchard listen
Dr. Jessica Peck to growing up, which might compete for the greatest Christmas album of all time. But we can have that debate on another day. But, you know, she loved Christmas. I mean, just absolutely loved Christmas. And one of the things I remember about her, she has nativities out all year round around. And I carry that. I still do that because people would say, why do you have nativities out? And she would say, it's. There's never a bad day to be grateful that Jesus was born. Like, I want that reminder every single day. And Pastor Ray, I sang with my granny in the church choir for, oh, my goodness, a good 35, 40 years maybe, since, I was, obviously, you know, very, very little. but we. There are some songs that. It's really powerful when you hear a group of voices lifting up those theologically rich lyrics that are proclaiming the whole good news of the gospel, from the creation of the world to the birth and death and resurrection of Jesus, and looking forward to that day where we say, come, thou long expected Jesus.
We're in another season of Advent where we are waiting so eagerly for the return of Christ
We're in another season of Advent where we are waiting so eagerly for the return of Christ. There is something really bad. I got goosebumps right now. You probably can't even see them on camera, but I am. I got goosebumps thinking about that. And when you stand with other believers who proclaim those words that other believers have proclaimed for generations before. You sing those together and you proclaim your faith together. There is a hope in that that cannot be replicated in any song that starts with, last Christmas I gave you my heart, and the very next you gave it away. I mean, there is no comparison here. Pastor Ray and so I want to encourage our listeners once more. I have some more questions because we didn't even get to talk about the Book of Mark because, I don't know, you probably know this as a pastor because I'm certainly not one. But the birth of Jesus is not in the Book of Mark. Pastor Ray so we'll talk about that and why you chose that. What's up with that? That's my question for when we come back. But you can get this book for free. The King is Near Advent from the Gospel of mark by Dr. Ray Pritchard. Go to keepbelieving.com You can get it for free. You can also donate if you want to help them continue to give this resource for free. And I hope that wherever you are on the Christmas decorating celebration spectrum, if you're, you know, if you've already had the Christmas decorations and the pumpkin spice outs in September, since August even, you're my people. And if you're that after Thanksgiving, God bless your heart. And we love you, too. We'll see you all right. On the other side of this break.
Tim Wildmon The American Family Association's mission is to inform, equip and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of our culture. We also support the church. Our goal is to be a leading organization in biblical worldview training or cultural transformation. AFA believes that all men and women, whether in private or public, should be free to exercise their faith without hindrance from the government. Thank you for standing with the American Family Association. When you hear this, this is American Family News. You know, what follows is the truth your news
from a Christian perspective. Hundreds of teachers, are going to have to walk into that school building and they are forced to swallow political ideology that in many cases violates their very faith and conscience.
If you miss it at the top of the hour, American Family News podcasts are available at afn.net and sign up for our daily news brief at afn.net.
This Gift by Point of Grace Was the greatest gift that the world had ever known. God's love in the form of a little child from heaven's throne. Such joy, such hope sent to earth from above. Love. This gift, God's greatest gift wrapped in heaven. What can you give to someone who's hurting? What can you share to come and trouble in this season of hope? Just what can you offer to someone whose life is too love for the dreams of all eternity? We're wrapped in a presence so strong for God m cared enough to give to you the greatest gift of all.
Dr. Jessica Peck Welcome back, friends. That is this gift by point of grace. And my gift to you today is a conversation with none other than Dr. Ray Pritchard. He is co host of Today's Issues. I know many of you know him from there. And he has written an Advent devotional. I have one of his previous ones here, Advent Alphabet. But this is a free resource that you can get online at, keepbelieving.com This year's is called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. You can download it for free. I already went to the website downloaded it is right there. You can purchase a paper copy from Amazon if you want to. They are offering it for free for five days, as he said. And I encourage you to consider doing an Advent devotional. Prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus. And we know that Jesus came to earth as a baby. He died. He rose again, victorious over death and the grave forever. And we wait for him to come now. And so Pastor Ray and I are having a really fun conversation that has really honestly just lifted my spirits in this week that has felt so chaotic and so pressured and so pressed where we're all trying to sort through what had just happened. What does it mean? What is going to happen? As Pastor Ray said, God is not pacing the throne room of heaven saying, oh, no, what next? He is seated and he is sovereign. And that's such a good reminder. This devotional gives you a devotional reading every day from the Book of Mark and then a song. And speaking of songs, Pastor Ray, you have a song in here from Seph Schlueter We have an interview scheduled with him, so we're hoping to bring that to our listeners. Of course, Phil Wickham is at the top of my playlist, but we just played Point of Grace and we talked about playing, records. Now. I had the CDs for point of Grace. But here's a fun fact about me, Pastor Ray, that's actually going to come out in this issue of the Stand. When in January when they talk about all the radio hosts. I actually sang with Point of Grace at Carnegie Hall. Did you know that? Isn't that a fun fact?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Isn't that
Dr. Jessica Peck a
Dr. Ray Pritchard fun fact? Tell us more.
Dr. Jessica Peck I went with a choir because I do love a choir. I don't just say That I really love a choir. And so I joined a choir and traveled with them to New York City to Carnegie hall. And we sang there with Tyranda Greene and with some other Charles, Billingsley and Point of Grace. And that's one of the pictures that I gave them. So if you subscribe to the Stand magazine, you'll get to see that whole behind the scenes story of, of me singing in Carnegie hall, which is just my fun fact everywhere that I go, because it is a fun fact. I love Christmas. I love music, I love a choir. And you have everything from the Gaithers to, you know, modern music to Andrew Peterson. I love his Christmas album. But let's talk about the scripture, because you have this based on the book of Mark. And now I, you know, I didn't want, I tried to say this quietly. like I said, I don't want to tell everybody, you know, but the, the story of the birth of Jesus. So I, I'm pretty, I was pretty sure you knew that. But I was just wondering why, because I know there's got to be a good story and a good reason here.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Oh, okay.
Dr. Jessica Peck okay.
Dr. Ray Pritchard As with everything else, we're now going around the corner a little bit. okay. Two years ago.
Dr. Jessica Peck Don't go too fast though. I'm, I'm enjoying the pace.
Two years ago we did a series, an Advent booklet, which you can download at keepbelieving.com called Great Joy: Advent From the Gospel of Luke
Dr. Ray Pritchard Two years ago, I, we did a series, an Advent booklet, which you can download at keepbelieving.com called Great Joy Advent from the Gospel of Luke. That's easy. And it came to pass, Caesar Augustus, a decree went out that all the world should be taxed. And so you've got the shepherds and you've got the angels, and glory to God in the highest. And. And Mary pondered all the. And there's no room in the inn. I mean, and this will be the sign find the baby. I mean, here I am, I'm giving you wrapped
Dr. Jessica Peck in swaddling clothes and wrapped in a manger.
Dr. Ray Pritchard That's right. That's right. I mean, we all, in every Christmas pageant that's ever been done, that's always there. And you know, now we got the children and this is wonderful. So that's the Gospel, Luke. It's easy to get Advent from the Gospel of Luke. And, and so I thought, well, what about John? So last year I did behold the Lamb Advent from the Gospel of John. And the interesting thing, you don't have Christmas as we understand it. Think about it. It's not there. The manger's not there in Bethlehem. It's not there. And the wise men See, that's Matthew. That's not there. But John goes all the way back. I mean, goes way back. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So, yeah, that was not too hard to do. So this year, Advent from the Gospel of Mark, and just, spoiler alert, come back next year. We're going to. I ended up deciding we're going to take four years and do Luke and then John and this year, Mark, and next year, we're going to wrap it up with. With the Gospel of Matthew, right? The star, the wise men going down to Egypt. But that's next year. So, Marcus, is Mark a problem? Is Mark a problem? Okay, some questions. it's fair. Some questions, Jessica? Yeah, just a few. Now, we're not going to base theology on this, but most scholars think that if you ask which one of the four Gospels was written first, I think a lot of people would say it may have been the Gospel of Mark. Okay. But he doesn't. M. Maybe. So, people think that. I mean, there's a lot of tradition in history that says that Mark was. He was a friend of the Apostle Peter, that he got a lot of his information from Peter. But you don't have what we call the Christmas story in there. Okay, what do you have? If it really was the first gospel, what you have is this very first verse, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, son of God. That's. That's Mark, Chapter one, verse one. It's not that he skips it. It's not that he doesn't know it. Mark is going fast. In fact, okay, here we're going. We're just going. We're going fast.
Dr. Jessica Peck Spoilers left and right.
Dr. Ray Pritchard I mean, in the King James. Okay, okay. In the old King James, there's one word that appears over and over again. In new versions, it says immediately something like that. But straightway. Straightway has the idea Jesus went here, Jesus went there. And Mark is just almost like he's following along, writing down as fast as he could. So Mark is preeminently the Gospel of Jesus, the man of action. He's talking to the Pharisees, and he's instructing his disciples and healing the man born blind. And, he's healing blind Bartimaeus, and he's calming the seas. It's just one thing after another after another. there's so much action in the Gospel of Mark. So here's what Mark is trying to get us to See that the king is near. The King of heaven has come all the way down to the earth. Mark 1 says, the kingdom of God is at hand. Therefore repent and believe the gospel. Here's the good news. The king has come. He's near. He's come for you. He's come for you in your sorrow he's come for you in your pain. He's come for you in your doubt he's come for you in your confusion he's come for you when you are running the other way. He's come for the prodigal. He's come for the child who is scared. He's come for the hurting. He's come for the broken. He has come for you. Good news, good news, good news. The king, he's not just come, Jessica. He's come near. He's at the door. He's ready to meet you. I am. You talked about. I've got the goosebumps on my arms now thinking about that. What? Good news for the world at long last. Oh, come thou long expected Jesus and Marcus shouting from the. He's here. He is here at last. And in your pain and in your doubt and in your confusion he has come for you. Won't you open your eyes? Won't you open your heart? Won't you welcome the king? The king has come. Come for you. And so, I think about this. If. If you got to have the manger, and I understand, read Luke. If you got to have the star. And you know what, Jessica? I want the star. Read. Read Matthew, okay? I want all that. But if you want to know what the coming of Christ means for the hurting world, read the Gospel of Mark. He has come at last. And so I think of it. Breadcrumbs. That's what I think about. I think the coming of Christ is like breadcrumbs throughout the Gospel of Mark. This is who he is. Do you know him? Are you willing and ready to believe in him? So I found it. Was it a hard challenge? It was different. Different than Luke and different than John But it made me so glad that our Savior has come at last. That, you know, the Bible says, calls Jesus the friend of sinners. Okay, I am the sinner. He is the friend. He came for me. Are you a sinner? Are you aware of your weakness? Are you aware of your pain? Just hold your hand up and say, jesus, that's me. Jesus, that's me. He came for you. That's why I wrote this, just to celebrate that the king has not just come, he's come near. He's come near.
Dr. Jessica Peck Pastor Ray, when you speak that, you know, we, we often use the phrase the good news. We're sharing good news that is the best news ever. And I think the words that I was thinking as you were saying that, that, it was a different challenge, but in this year for such a time as this, yes, to deliver that good news. And, you know, I was talking to one of my children, my children are all young adult now and late teenagers, and one of them was talking about hearing, a really well known popular influencer, who was talking on a podcast. And the host was asking her, do you believe in the good news of Christianity? Do you subscribe to the Christian faith? And she said that she had wrestled with it. This is according to my daughter's retelling, to me, that she had wrestled with it. But, but ultimately she came to believe that no, it wasn't true. And when the host asked her why, she said, if people really believed that, if that news that was that good was really true, then I can't believe that people who believe that, who know me, would not share that with me. They must not feel that convicted if they don't share it with me. They'll talk about politics, they'll talk about, you know, their favorite place for lunch. They about talk about the things that they're passionate in life about. They talk about their family. But she said, I know people who are believers who have never personally shared their faith with me, so how can I believe that's true? And Pastor Ray, it just, it, it broke me. It really convicted me. And I thought, yeah, how many people do I know that I have not shared the good news of the hope of Jesus Christ? Pastor Ray, I would love for you to encourage people to share what God has done in their lives, the good news that they have personally received. How would you encourage people to read the truth and the reflections that you have made about the truth of God's word and share that good news with others?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Mark chapter five. The story of the man with the legion of demons. And he cast them out into the pigs. And there's all the interesting parts of that story, but at the end, the man is in his right mind. At last, the demons are gone. Jesus has set him free. And he says, he says, lord, let me go with you. Let me be the. Let me be the testimony for you. Remember what Jesus said. He said, no, stay. Stay where you are. Go back to your family. Go back to your friends. Go back to your loved ones. Go back to your neighbors. Go and tell them what great things, things the Lord has done for you.
If Jesus has touched you, if he's healed you, if he's worked a miracle for you, if he's changed your life, don't keep it to yourself
If Jesus has touched you, if he's healed you, if he's worked a miracle for you, if he's changed your life, don't keep it to yourself. Good news is for sharing. And there are people out there who, Jessica, they are more ready to believe than we are to tell them the good news. I
Dr. Jessica Peck believe that
Dr. Ray Pritchard if only we would just open our mouth. You don't have to be a theologian. You don't have to know Greek. You don't have to know Hebrew. You don't have to be a big scholar.
Just do what Jesus said in Mark 5. Go and tell the great things that the Lord has done for you
Just do what Jesus said in Mark 5. Go and tell what great things the Lord has done for you.
Dr. Jessica Peck Pastor Ray, you have been such a ray of sunshine today. You have really lifted my spirits. I thank you so much for your obedience and your calling to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not only just good news, it is the best news ever. And I think there's a song about that too, as well. But the resource you can find at, keepbelieving.com so easy. keepbelieving.com completely free. It's called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. It's a beautiful Download. Gives you 25 devotionals, 25 songs, 2025 opportunities to reset your mind toward Christ. The real reason for the season in a world full of chaos. Don't let that get you down. Know that the King is near. Thank you so much, Pastor Ray, for joining us. And wherever you are and the whole Christmas thing, I pray over all of you, as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you. I'll see you right back. here tomorrow. We'd like to thank our sponsors, including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion and has seen over 100,000 commitments to Christ. Will you join PreBorn in continuing this good work? supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com/AFR
Jeff Chamblee the views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Dr. Jessica Peck We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection and the majority of the time she will choose life. But they can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside them. One ultrasound is just $28 to donate, dial pound250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com/AFR $28 may not sound like much, but to a scared mother considering abortion, it can help provide something incredibly important. A real opportunity to pause and see her baby for the first time. Today, a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy can reach for her phone, search for abortion pills, connect with a provider online and have the pills delivered directly to her home. She can move from fear toward abortion incredibly quickly. But your gift can help create another opportunity. For just $28, you can help provide a free ultrasound through a PreBorn Network clinic. There a woman can see her baby talk with people who will listen to what she's facing, receive compassionate support and consider another choice before abortion becomes her answer. And when women see their babies through an ultrasound at a PreBorn Network Clinic, 80% choose life. $28 can help provide one ultrasound. $280 can help provide 10. Reach her before the pill does with your strongest gift. Today dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby or visit preborn.com/AFR that's preborn.com/AFR all gifts are tax- deductible and PreBorn is a five star rated charity. If you're a business owner, would you consider a larger donation to claim a write- off? Your best gift would be appreciated. $15,000 will sponsor an ultrasound machine for a needy clinic helping to save countless babies lives for years to come. All gifts are tax- deductible and will reach eternity. Get involved today. preborn.com/AFR
hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy families here on American Family Rad. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day. Now listen, I know you may be hearing my voice and thinking she sounds pretty upbeat because there has been a lot of chaos in the world this week and I know that many of you are feeling so heavy hearted but let me encourage you to be of good cheer. God told us in his word that in this world we will have trouble, but we can be of good heart we can be of a good cheer and we can know that Christ has already overcome all of the. The battles that we are fighting now. He knows the outcome and we can trust Him. He is a good, good father. And one of the things that has really lifted my spirits this week is I know this is going to make some of you maybe not so happy, but that you. After Thanksgiving, people. But we are already talking about Christmas, and I'm not even going to apologize for it. If you're watching on the video here, I've got a box, my shoe box from Operation Christmas Child. We need to start working on those now. It's not too early. Even if you don't put up your decorations till after Thanksgiving, you can fill your box. And I will tell you that my producer, Stephanie and I have a party plan. She is hosting a packing party on Sunday. We're going to get together with a big group of our friends. We're all bringing a bunch of stuff that we're going to pull together, and we're going to have a packing party. Now. What is Operation Christmas Child? It is a Samaritan's purse project called Operation Christmas Child. I've participated in it for many years, and we've talked to some recipients with some really miraculous stories. This organization collects shoebox gifts filled with toys and school supplies and personal care items and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God's love in a very tangible way. And I'm telling you, every time I interview somebody, it makes me tear up because I, I remember last year we talked to a woman who got a best friend's necklace. You know, that kind of necklace that has two parts on it, and one best friend gets one half and the other best friend gets another half. And she ended up keeping that necklace and going back to find the woman who had given her the box. And that woman adopted her, and she gave her the other half of that best friend's necklace. Oh, it makes me. It cry. Just beautiful, beautiful things to lift spirit. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, it is the world's largest Christmas project of its kind, has delivered and collected and delivered more than 244 million shoeboxes. Shoebox gifts to children in more than 175 countries and territories. You can be a part of this, and I encourage you, get your kids to be a part of it, to the national Collection week is November 16th through 23rd. So you can see while we're talking about it now, before Thanksgiving, just go, go to samaritanspurse.org/occ that's samaritanspurse.org/occ now these boxes are going overseas so there's some things that are not good to put in there like candy or some other soap or toothpaste or things that might melt or things like that. So you can look at all of the rules of everything to put on there. You can give even go to Amazon. They have a storefront that Operation Christmas Child has put there with all the proved items that you can do and you can go to again. you can go to samaritanspurse.org/occ find a drop off spot. I've dropped off at local churches before with American Heritage girls who have volunteered. That was also a miraculous thing they said when I dropped that off. In short, they said, oh, you forgot the most important thing. And I said no, I paid online because as an adult I thought the most important thing is to pay $10 per shoebox because that helps you to pay for the shipping and you can also track it most of the time. Sometimes it doesn't always work, you can imagine with the security and things like that. But most the time you can see where it goes to. But they said, no, that's not the most important thing. We have to pray for the box. And I was humbled by those precious little girls and I love it. So I want you to be a part of that. Go to samaritanspurse.org/occ we'll be talking about that a lot more as the season continues. But I am so grateful today to be joined by a very familiar voice to many of you. I'm joined today by Dr. Ray Pritchard. Now he serves as president of Keep Believing Ministries and ministers across the United States and around the world. Just like these shoeboxes are going, he's written 31 books and you all may know him very well as the co host of today's issues on American Family Radio that comes on in the morning. He and his wife Marlene have been married for 52 years. They have 11 grandchildren. And he has also recently reached a very impressive milestone riding 50,000 miles on his bicycle. That is really impressive stuff. Ray, I am so grateful to have you on here this afternoon in this hour. Thank you so much for joining us.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Thank you, Jessica. Great to be with you today. And wow. You know, I just want to say, I want to hop on what you said about Operation Christmas Child,
Dr. Jessica Peck please do.
Dr. Ray Pritchard You know, you said it's, you know, there's really nothing like it. There's. If you said what Is the category. I don't know what the category is, but there is nothing like Operation Christmas, child, in all the world and all the millions and millions and millions of children who've been reached around the world. So, Jessica, thank you for leading the way and reminding us. Oh, I got a question for you, Jessica. Do you know how many. Do you know how many days there are until Christmas?
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, my goodness, Dr. Pritchard, you're putting me on the spot. I should know
Dr. Ray Pritchard because
Dr. Jessica Peck I have a little counter, but I can't tell you. It's too many. That's how many. I'll say.
Dr. Ray Pritchard First of all, I didn't know, but I asked my new best friend, ChatGPT, and the answer came 50 days today.
Dr. Jessica Peck 50 days?
Dr. Ray Pritchard 50 days. Christmas is coming. And, you know, I'm on the side of you can never put up your. I know. It's a big debate. I'm on the side of you can never. I'm with the Hobby Lobby people. You know. You go to Hobby Lobby? Yeah, in July. It's never too early to start with. I've got a whole. Got a playlist of Christmas music, and I. On my. You know, my iPhone, and I listen to it all year long. So I'm excited to be on with you. And, it's. It's a tremendous ministry you've got. Thank you for the opportunity.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, Dr. Pritchard, you are my kind of people. I. I am right in the hobby lobby. After July 4th, I know Christmas comes out, and I know you're right. This is an issue that is probably, you know, my most controversial stance to my listeners, because I, I love getting Christmas out early. But I'll tell you really quickly because I tell my listeners, you know, I. I used to start a tradition of putting my. My Christmas tree up on Halloween. Actually, that's what I started doing because my. I have four children. My second daughter had a lot of immune. She had immune deficiency when she was young, and she could not go out and be around anyone. And, And so when our kids had gone to a church event on a Halloween night, she was just devastated, and I was devastated. I wanted to do anything to make her feel better. And she said, can we put up the tree? I said, absolutely, we can put up the tree. And it kind of stuck. And so 15 years later, that's what we do. But, you know, that is okay, because Jesus is the light of the world. And when I put the lights on my tree and see the evergreen, the reminder of the new life in Christ, I Mean, I could go on and on and on, but, Dr. Pritchard, you've given us a really beautiful reminder of Christmas and the real meaning for the season. I am so excited to tell my listeners about this Advent resource. If you go to keepbelieving.com that's keepbelieving.com you can get this beautiful Advent book that you have written for free. It's actually completely free. The king is coming. So tell us about this Advent resource that you have and help us get into the hands as many people as possible.
Dr. Ray Pritchard okay, let's start here. We'll just back up and ask ourselves with this. This idea of Advent. Pastor Ray, what are you talking about? Well, Jessica, this is one of the oldest traditions in the Christian movement. This is one that. It's not a hundred years old. It's not 500 years old.
Advent probably goes back maybe 1800 years to the earliest days of the Christian movement
Advent probably goes back maybe 1800 years to the earliest days of the Christian movement and the idea of Advent. The word Advent means coming, coming. He is coming. He is coming. He is coming. The Old Testament. One day the Messiah will appear. And over the centuries, certain parts of the Christian movement developed the idea of the days of Advent and the weeks of Advent. I got to tell you, honestly, I was raised in a part of the Christian world where I never even heard that growing up. I didn't know about the Advent candle or the Advent tree. I mean, I knew about Christmas. I knew about the Christmas tree and the gifts and all that. It wasn't until much later in my life that I found out that. That for a long time, Christians have been taking the weeks of December leading up to the 25th to focus our hearts in the right place. And, you know, here we are, it's early November. Maybe there is, You began talking about the week we've had, what a week we've had here in America. And, so much, so much fear, so much gloom, so much, uncertainty about what the future holds. Politics is exciting. You know, on today's issues. That's what we talk about, you know, all the time. But it helps sometimes to step back from that which you've been doing. You've been helping your listeners do this, that there. There's a truth above the ballot box. There's a, there's a God who is supreme above the Supreme Court, right? And Advent is the truth. The time of the season when we go, okay, there is a truth that's beyond the headlines, and that is that God has invaded the world. He has come. The Lord has come out of the light of heaven. He came to the darkness of this earth. Born in a manger. Born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. You know, if I think about people say, good news, I can't think of any better news than that, that at long last, Jesus has come. Now, one of the great Advent hymns. and I realize this is Jessica. This is what happens when you talk to a preacher. I'm just this, like, Sunday morning. I'm starting here, and I'm going all the way around. I love it.
Dr. Jessica Peck I'm just along for the ride. I'm just hearing your voice and hearing that hope, that optimism, honestly passed away. My blood pressure is coming down. I'm sitting pretty. You just keep on going on. I am following,
Dr. Ray Pritchard you know, one of our great Advent hymns, and it's old. It's hundreds of years old. Come, thou long expected Jesus. Ooh, I like that. Come, thou long expected Jesus Born to set thy people free. Boy, that's. If there's ever a moment when we need this, this is the moment when we need it. Lord Jesus, come. Come with your power. Come with your mercy. Come with your grace. Advent is a season of the year when we maybe. Maybe we can put aside some of our wor. Look, okay, friends, just, take your burdens and worries and set them aside. Let's think about Jesus for a while. They'll be there waiting for you. They're not going anywhere. Right. The problems of life are always going to be there, but it's good to set them aside, lift our eyes and say, oh, wow, it's true. Jesus has come. And,
I wrote this Advent devotional called The King is Near: Advent from the Gospel of Mark
I wrote this Advent devotional called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. So anyway you can, you can find [email protected] you can download it as an ebook now if you want a print version. There is a print version which is not available from us. It's on Amazon. As you know, they don't give it away on Amazon, so you can order it. You can order the print copy on Amazon. But I've got. Listen, don't tell anybody. I haven't this. I've not said this part on today's issue, so worldwide announcement right here.
Dr. Jessica Peck I feel like we need a drum roll.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Right, right, right. Okay, I'm
Dr. Jessica Peck ready.
Dr. Ray Pritchard If you want to download the ebook from Amazon, it's free for five days. Just November, 29th, 30th, December 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd. You can get it free right now from keepbelieving.com if you want to download the E book from Amazon. Some people, you know, they. It's easier for them to do that. They can get it during those five days. we hope. Yeah, there it is. And we hope you will join us. okay, that's the lot. That's the long end to your first question.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, that's okay. I've got plenty more questions to come. But you know, Pastor Ray, I love hymns.
My favorite hymn is actually Hark The Herald Angels Sing because it's so rich theologically
My favorite hymn is actually Hark the Herald Angels Sing because it's so rich theologically. It tells all of the truths. And you were quoting the words from Come thou long expected Jesus, which I love. And you stopped at the lyric that I think is so relative relevant for today from our sins and fears, release us. Let us find our hope in you, our rest in you. That is a beautiful truth and that can really lift our spirits. I already find myself feeling encouraged and we are just getting started. The resource is called the King is Near. Advent from the gospel of Mark will continue with my delightful conversation with Dr. Ray Pritchard right on the other side of this break. Don't go away. There's going to be Christmas music. I think we'll see. Hello, I'm Jessica peck, host of Dr. Nurse Mama. Did you know that this content is listener supported? Without people like you, this podcast would not exist. And that's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio and specifically this podcast. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net/give that's afr.net/give.
Born on That Day by Matt Maher Into the chaos you came. Born in our likeness Held in the, hands that you made. For our deliverance. Your, your promise was given a name. Emmanuel, the God, who saves. I hear a voice from heaven declare Prepare the way Emmanuel oh, praise the name I hear the sound Heaven cried out and love made away. Christmas was born on that day oh, what a day oh, what a day Christmas was born on that day oh, what a day.
Dr. Jessica Peck Welcome back, friends. That is Born on that Day by Matt Maher. And yes, it's a Christmas song. And no, I don't even apologize for it even a little bit. Today we're talking about Operation Christmas Child. You can go to samaritanspurse.org/occ you can pack your box. I've got mine right here. I'm going to pack several, actually, to send out into the world. I encourage you to be a part of that. And into the chaos indeed God came near. As I was listening to the words of that song. So perfectly timed. We have had a chaotic week in American politics. In our country, it has been chaos. But that is What God did, into the chaos he came. He came near. And today I am near to Dr. Ray Pritchard. We may not be near geographically, but he is joining me in this spirit and here online as we talk about his resource that he has. It's an Advent devotional called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. This is a completely free resource. If you feel led, I would encourage you, there's an opportunity for you to donate there so they can continue to develop the resources they need to give this to as many people as possible for free. But you can get it for [email protected] it is a 25 day devotional. It gives you 25 readings from December 1st through 25th by Dr. Ray Pritchard. Many of you know him from today's issues. It's got a scripture, a devotion, a prayer, and it also has a song. And so I want to ask you some questions, Pastor Ray, about the Book of Mark. But before that, I do want to point out, because I love music, and in this book, you give a song to go along with each devotional. There's a website you can go to. There's a QR code code. You can look it up on your own. But I think music is such an important part. It's a gift that the Lord has given us to really, we can use it as discipleship. And every Friday on this show, we talk about healthy habits for healthy families. And our fourth habit in the four core spiritual disciplines are praying, reading your Bible, going to church, and really using music thoughtfully as a discipleship tool. So can you tell us a little bit about the songs that you picked and that go along with each day's reading?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Jessica? let me start by giving credit where credit is due. Let me go back about 60 years. Talk about something that if you're under 50, you will have no idea what. I'm talking about something called a record player, which the young people, they have no idea what a record player is. No IDEA what a 33 and a third RPM. You know, you had 78s and 45s and 30, you know, the big albums. Well, my mom was a. She was a Christmas girl. That's. I got my love of Christmas from my mother and every year. And I grew up in a small town in northwest Alabama, Russellville, Alabama. And, every year about Thanksgiving or a day or two thereafter, you know how, Jessica, you can see certain things in your mind when you're talking about them? Actually can see. I can see this in my mind m. The living room of the Holy home where I grew up. And there was a. There were some cabinets there, and there was stuff stored there that 11 months out of the year, you never looked at. But mom would go there, right around Thanksgiving, and there was a whole shelf of albums. Again, young people have no idea what an album, an actual physical album is, right? And there were. These were Christmas songs from Christmas albums from the 60s. And there was, the Raycon of singers. There was something called the Norman Luboff Choir. And there was the. What, in my opinion, the greatest Christmas album ever made. I don't think it's been. I don't think it's been surpassed even today, but that's just my personal opinion. The Many Moods of Christmas by the Robert Shaw Chorale, which you can. The music for all these albums now you can download from itunes, right? But mom would get the albums out and dust them off, put them on the record player. And that's where. Not just in church, but that's where I learned, oh, Little Town of Bethlehem, Enjoy to the world. And because these were. These were these kind of albums, you Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman. Not a heavy theology it in Frosty the Snowman, but. But a fun song. So I learned. I learned the Christmas carols, learned the fun songs of Christmas. And you know what, Jessica, this is just to go along with your point about the. The. The influence that your parents can have. Here we are, Mom. Mom's been gone for decades. My dad, 50, died 52 years ago, but from. My dad was a, My dad enjoyed these, but my mom was the one who brought Christmas music into our family. And so, half century later, I want to give her all the credit. So when I sat down, I've been doing these Advent devotionals for about 13 years now, I guess, or 14 years. Honestly, I've kind of lost count. But it was only in recent years that we started adding Christmas songs, Christmas carols to it. And, you know, I'd go through YouTube, I'd ask friends, I'd go on Facebook and say, give me some ideas for. For songs. We started this in 2015, and I think we've done several. Several hundred different Christmas songs. Well, this year. This year, again, people do. Do whatever you want with what I'm about to say. This is how I found. This is how I found my Christmas music for this year. because I spent a lot of hours in earlier years going through YouTube and stuff, and there's so much good Christmas music. I asked my new Best friend chat. GPT. But no, I did. I asked Claude, I asked Gro. I said, I told them what I'm doing. I'm writing Bible based. And so. And I gave them the list of the music that we've all already used. I said, I don't want any repeats. And so all of them together, found these songs. And I would go and listen to me. It's one of the fun parts of putting this devotional together. And I, found. Okay, just what I did. I found Dolly Parton doing. Mary's
Dr. Jessica Peck going to bring it up. Did you know I
Dr. Ray Pritchard Come on. Dolly Parton. Come
Dr. Jessica Peck on. I mean, really? Yeah, you had my attention for sure.
Dr. Ray Pritchard You know, and it's a beautiful. Just beautiful job of it. And I always end, on December 25th, last few years. Always. It's always Go Tell it on the Mountain. Seems like a good way to end the series. Well, I found a group, a bluegrass group called the Petersons, and they just do. You know, I love bluegrass music and I don't hear it very often, but the last song is the Petersons doing Go Tell it on the Mountain. Got some Phil Wickham in there, got King's Kaleidoscope, got Chris Tomlin in there. And I intentionally try to get as many different genres of Christmas music in there. if you said to me, okay, this is Ken, you asked me one question. I'm going around. I'm going,
Dr. Jessica Peck that's okay. We're just chasing rabbits all day long. And I am loving it.
Dr. Ray Pritchard I'm just going around the corner here. But if you say, what's your favorite Christmas carol?
Dr. Jessica Peck What's your favorite Christmas carol? Pastor Ray?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Man. Jessica, what a question that is. But you know what? I know what my answer would be. It's the one you've already mentioned. You cannot beat, in my opinion. Hark. The Herald Angels. I don't think you can beat it. For
Dr. Jessica Peck people usually say the first Noel or oh, holy night. But you can't beat the words in Angel.
Dr. Ray Pritchard You cannot beat the
Dr. Jessica Peck words. Angels sing.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Listen, Charles Wesley, he knew his theology. And when Charles Wesley sat down to write that. Okay, again, showing a little bit of my, Because I love the contemporary music. But can I just say this, friends, there's some music that you need a choir for. Thank you,
Dr. Jessica Peck Mr. Ray. We're just becoming best friends right here on the air, live in front of everybody. Look, yes,
Dr. Ray Pritchard there's some Christmas music you need a choir for, and you need a piano. And if you got it, you need a big pipe organ. And to get the. To get the glory of the music. Coming through. Okay, you give me the big choir. Give me. Give me the. You know, give me the piano and the pipe. Or, late in time, behold him come, Offspring of a, virgin's womb. wow. You know, there's.
There's enough theology in Hark the Herald Angels Sing to save the whole world
There's enough theology in Hark the herald angels sing to save the whole world. It's. It's a song that you can sing, and it's a song that preaches. It's a song that lifts the soul. So although, you know, you know, look, okay, And I agree. I agree. If I was the king, I would say every Christmas Eve service must end in darkness with the lighting of the candles. We all got to stand up, and we got to hold them up. We got to sing Silent Night. We got to sing Silent. Right. If I was the king, I'd make that the law of the land. Right. This is the way. This is the way that I approve. Okay, but then. Then you've got, Angels we have Heard on High. That's a glorious one. I would start singing it, but this program would just end too soon if I took m to singing that. But these Christmas songs, songs bring the theology of Christmas to the heart. And, when I am down, everybody's different. And maybe you want to listen to a sermon to lift your spirits, but when I am down in the dumps, and I do get. We all get. Listen, it's been a hard week for us in America, in our little corner of the world spent a hard week. So I put on my. I put on the Christmas music and I sing along. And my heart is lifted up from the troubles of this world. You know, Jesus said, let not your heart be troubled. He said that the night before he was crucified. He said that knowing what happened to Jesus was a total surprise to his disciples and scared them to death and horrified them. It was not a surprise to God the Father. It was not a surprise to God the Son. He came for this. I was born. He said, let not your heart be troubled. God knew on Tuesday morning what was going to happen Tuesday night. Right? He knew that. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Isaiah 6 says, and in the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. Remember, Remember, Uzziah was one of the good kings. He's a good guy. Not perfect, but he was one of the good guys. And it's notable, when Uzziah died, it was in a time of great crisis for the people of God. In Judah. I mean, the Assyrian army was. They were bearing down. There was trouble everywhere. And the people were scared and wondered, and where was God? He's where he's always been seated. It's not as if God was up, walking around. Oh, no. Oh, no. I didn't even know he was sick. He's dead. He's gone. What are we going to do? No. When there's chaos on earth, perfect peace reigns in heaven. I'm really glad to know that. And good Christian music, helps us not just at Christmas time, but at Christmas time, it does help us. So I'm glad we've decided to start early this year.
Dr. Jessica Peck Me too, Pastor Ray. And since you've been sharing a little of your origin story of your love for Christmas, I'll share mine with you. Because mine comes from my granny. She. Now, I may be under 50, and I'm going to claim that loud and proud, because I'm hanging on by a thread, but I'm still there. But I was raised right, Pastor Ray. My. My granny raised me on. I, I did. I know how to do the record player. I even know how to play eight tracks. And she raised me on the Oak Ridge Boys. That's who I
Dr. Ray Pritchard listen
Dr. Jessica Peck to growing up, which might compete for the greatest Christmas album of all time. But we can have that debate on another day. But, you know, she loved Christmas. I mean, just absolutely loved Christmas. And one of the things I remember about her, she has nativities out all year round around. And I carry that. I still do that because people would say, why do you have nativities out? And she would say, it's. There's never a bad day to be grateful that Jesus was born. Like, I want that reminder every single day. And Pastor Ray, I sang with my granny in the church choir for, oh, my goodness, a good 35, 40 years maybe, since, I was, obviously, you know, very, very little. but we. There are some songs that. It's really powerful when you hear a group of voices lifting up those theologically rich lyrics that are proclaiming the whole good news of the gospel, from the creation of the world to the birth and death and resurrection of Jesus, and looking forward to that day where we say, come, thou long expected Jesus.
We're in another season of Advent where we are waiting so eagerly for the return of Christ
We're in another season of Advent where we are waiting so eagerly for the return of Christ. There is something really bad. I got goosebumps right now. You probably can't even see them on camera, but I am. I got goosebumps thinking about that. And when you stand with other believers who proclaim those words that other believers have proclaimed for generations before. You sing those together and you proclaim your faith together. There is a hope in that that cannot be replicated in any song that starts with, last Christmas I gave you my heart, and the very next you gave it away. I mean, there is no comparison here. Pastor Ray and so I want to encourage our listeners once more. I have some more questions because we didn't even get to talk about the Book of Mark because, I don't know, you probably know this as a pastor because I'm certainly not one. But the birth of Jesus is not in the Book of Mark. Pastor Ray so we'll talk about that and why you chose that. What's up with that? That's my question for when we come back. But you can get this book for free. The King is Near Advent from the Gospel of mark by Dr. Ray Pritchard. Go to keepbelieving.com You can get it for free. You can also donate if you want to help them continue to give this resource for free. And I hope that wherever you are on the Christmas decorating celebration spectrum, if you're, you know, if you've already had the Christmas decorations and the pumpkin spice outs in September, since August even, you're my people. And if you're that after Thanksgiving, God bless your heart. And we love you, too. We'll see you all right. On the other side of this break.
Tim Wildmon The American Family Association's mission is to inform, equip and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of our culture. We also support the church. Our goal is to be a leading organization in biblical worldview training or cultural transformation. AFA believes that all men and women, whether in private or public, should be free to exercise their faith without hindrance from the government. Thank you for standing with the American Family Association. When you hear this, this is American Family News. You know, what follows is the truth your news
from a Christian perspective. Hundreds of teachers, are going to have to walk into that school building and they are forced to swallow political ideology that in many cases violates their very faith and conscience.
If you miss it at the top of the hour, American Family News podcasts are available at afn.net and sign up for our daily news brief at afn.net.
This Gift by Point of Grace Was the greatest gift that the world had ever known. God's love in the form of a little child from heaven's throne. Such joy, such hope sent to earth from above. Love. This gift, God's greatest gift wrapped in heaven. What can you give to someone who's hurting? What can you share to come and trouble in this season of hope? Just what can you offer to someone whose life is too love for the dreams of all eternity? We're wrapped in a presence so strong for God m cared enough to give to you the greatest gift of all.
Dr. Jessica Peck Welcome back, friends. That is this gift by point of grace. And my gift to you today is a conversation with none other than Dr. Ray Pritchard. He is co host of Today's Issues. I know many of you know him from there. And he has written an Advent devotional. I have one of his previous ones here, Advent Alphabet. But this is a free resource that you can get online at, keepbelieving.com This year's is called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. You can download it for free. I already went to the website downloaded it is right there. You can purchase a paper copy from Amazon if you want to. They are offering it for free for five days, as he said. And I encourage you to consider doing an Advent devotional. Prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus. And we know that Jesus came to earth as a baby. He died. He rose again, victorious over death and the grave forever. And we wait for him to come now. And so Pastor Ray and I are having a really fun conversation that has really honestly just lifted my spirits in this week that has felt so chaotic and so pressured and so pressed where we're all trying to sort through what had just happened. What does it mean? What is going to happen? As Pastor Ray said, God is not pacing the throne room of heaven saying, oh, no, what next? He is seated and he is sovereign. And that's such a good reminder. This devotional gives you a devotional reading every day from the Book of Mark and then a song. And speaking of songs, Pastor Ray, you have a song in here from Seph Schlueter We have an interview scheduled with him, so we're hoping to bring that to our listeners. Of course, Phil Wickham is at the top of my playlist, but we just played Point of Grace and we talked about playing, records. Now. I had the CDs for point of Grace. But here's a fun fact about me, Pastor Ray, that's actually going to come out in this issue of the Stand. When in January when they talk about all the radio hosts. I actually sang with Point of Grace at Carnegie Hall. Did you know that? Isn't that a fun fact?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Isn't that
Dr. Jessica Peck a
Dr. Ray Pritchard fun fact? Tell us more.
Dr. Jessica Peck I went with a choir because I do love a choir. I don't just say That I really love a choir. And so I joined a choir and traveled with them to New York City to Carnegie hall. And we sang there with Tyranda Greene and with some other Charles, Billingsley and Point of Grace. And that's one of the pictures that I gave them. So if you subscribe to the Stand magazine, you'll get to see that whole behind the scenes story of, of me singing in Carnegie hall, which is just my fun fact everywhere that I go, because it is a fun fact. I love Christmas. I love music, I love a choir. And you have everything from the Gaithers to, you know, modern music to Andrew Peterson. I love his Christmas album. But let's talk about the scripture, because you have this based on the book of Mark. And now I, you know, I didn't want, I tried to say this quietly. like I said, I don't want to tell everybody, you know, but the, the story of the birth of Jesus. So I, I'm pretty, I was pretty sure you knew that. But I was just wondering why, because I know there's got to be a good story and a good reason here.
Dr. Ray Pritchard Oh, okay.
Dr. Jessica Peck okay.
Dr. Ray Pritchard As with everything else, we're now going around the corner a little bit. okay. Two years ago.
Dr. Jessica Peck Don't go too fast though. I'm, I'm enjoying the pace.
Two years ago we did a series, an Advent booklet, which you can download at keepbelieving.com called Great Joy: Advent From the Gospel of Luke
Dr. Ray Pritchard Two years ago, I, we did a series, an Advent booklet, which you can download at keepbelieving.com called Great Joy Advent from the Gospel of Luke. That's easy. And it came to pass, Caesar Augustus, a decree went out that all the world should be taxed. And so you've got the shepherds and you've got the angels, and glory to God in the highest. And. And Mary pondered all the. And there's no room in the inn. I mean, and this will be the sign find the baby. I mean, here I am, I'm giving you wrapped
Dr. Jessica Peck in swaddling clothes and wrapped in a manger.
Dr. Ray Pritchard That's right. That's right. I mean, we all, in every Christmas pageant that's ever been done, that's always there. And you know, now we got the children and this is wonderful. So that's the Gospel, Luke. It's easy to get Advent from the Gospel of Luke. And, and so I thought, well, what about John? So last year I did behold the Lamb Advent from the Gospel of John. And the interesting thing, you don't have Christmas as we understand it. Think about it. It's not there. The manger's not there in Bethlehem. It's not there. And the wise men See, that's Matthew. That's not there. But John goes all the way back. I mean, goes way back. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So, yeah, that was not too hard to do. So this year, Advent from the Gospel of Mark, and just, spoiler alert, come back next year. We're going to. I ended up deciding we're going to take four years and do Luke and then John and this year, Mark, and next year, we're going to wrap it up with. With the Gospel of Matthew, right? The star, the wise men going down to Egypt. But that's next year. So, Marcus, is Mark a problem? Is Mark a problem? Okay, some questions. it's fair. Some questions, Jessica? Yeah, just a few. Now, we're not going to base theology on this, but most scholars think that if you ask which one of the four Gospels was written first, I think a lot of people would say it may have been the Gospel of Mark. Okay. But he doesn't. M. Maybe. So, people think that. I mean, there's a lot of tradition in history that says that Mark was. He was a friend of the Apostle Peter, that he got a lot of his information from Peter. But you don't have what we call the Christmas story in there. Okay, what do you have? If it really was the first gospel, what you have is this very first verse, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, son of God. That's. That's Mark, Chapter one, verse one. It's not that he skips it. It's not that he doesn't know it. Mark is going fast. In fact, okay, here we're going. We're just going. We're going fast.
Dr. Jessica Peck Spoilers left and right.
Dr. Ray Pritchard I mean, in the King James. Okay, okay. In the old King James, there's one word that appears over and over again. In new versions, it says immediately something like that. But straightway. Straightway has the idea Jesus went here, Jesus went there. And Mark is just almost like he's following along, writing down as fast as he could. So Mark is preeminently the Gospel of Jesus, the man of action. He's talking to the Pharisees, and he's instructing his disciples and healing the man born blind. And, he's healing blind Bartimaeus, and he's calming the seas. It's just one thing after another after another. there's so much action in the Gospel of Mark. So here's what Mark is trying to get us to See that the king is near. The King of heaven has come all the way down to the earth. Mark 1 says, the kingdom of God is at hand. Therefore repent and believe the gospel. Here's the good news. The king has come. He's near. He's come for you. He's come for you in your sorrow he's come for you in your pain. He's come for you in your doubt he's come for you in your confusion he's come for you when you are running the other way. He's come for the prodigal. He's come for the child who is scared. He's come for the hurting. He's come for the broken. He has come for you. Good news, good news, good news. The king, he's not just come, Jessica. He's come near. He's at the door. He's ready to meet you. I am. You talked about. I've got the goosebumps on my arms now thinking about that. What? Good news for the world at long last. Oh, come thou long expected Jesus and Marcus shouting from the. He's here. He is here at last. And in your pain and in your doubt and in your confusion he has come for you. Won't you open your eyes? Won't you open your heart? Won't you welcome the king? The king has come. Come for you. And so, I think about this. If. If you got to have the manger, and I understand, read Luke. If you got to have the star. And you know what, Jessica? I want the star. Read. Read Matthew, okay? I want all that. But if you want to know what the coming of Christ means for the hurting world, read the Gospel of Mark. He has come at last. And so I think of it. Breadcrumbs. That's what I think about. I think the coming of Christ is like breadcrumbs throughout the Gospel of Mark. This is who he is. Do you know him? Are you willing and ready to believe in him? So I found it. Was it a hard challenge? It was different. Different than Luke and different than John But it made me so glad that our Savior has come at last. That, you know, the Bible says, calls Jesus the friend of sinners. Okay, I am the sinner. He is the friend. He came for me. Are you a sinner? Are you aware of your weakness? Are you aware of your pain? Just hold your hand up and say, jesus, that's me. Jesus, that's me. He came for you. That's why I wrote this, just to celebrate that the king has not just come, he's come near. He's come near.
Dr. Jessica Peck Pastor Ray, when you speak that, you know, we, we often use the phrase the good news. We're sharing good news that is the best news ever. And I think the words that I was thinking as you were saying that, that, it was a different challenge, but in this year for such a time as this, yes, to deliver that good news. And, you know, I was talking to one of my children, my children are all young adult now and late teenagers, and one of them was talking about hearing, a really well known popular influencer, who was talking on a podcast. And the host was asking her, do you believe in the good news of Christianity? Do you subscribe to the Christian faith? And she said that she had wrestled with it. This is according to my daughter's retelling, to me, that she had wrestled with it. But, but ultimately she came to believe that no, it wasn't true. And when the host asked her why, she said, if people really believed that, if that news that was that good was really true, then I can't believe that people who believe that, who know me, would not share that with me. They must not feel that convicted if they don't share it with me. They'll talk about politics, they'll talk about, you know, their favorite place for lunch. They about talk about the things that they're passionate in life about. They talk about their family. But she said, I know people who are believers who have never personally shared their faith with me, so how can I believe that's true? And Pastor Ray, it just, it, it broke me. It really convicted me. And I thought, yeah, how many people do I know that I have not shared the good news of the hope of Jesus Christ? Pastor Ray, I would love for you to encourage people to share what God has done in their lives, the good news that they have personally received. How would you encourage people to read the truth and the reflections that you have made about the truth of God's word and share that good news with others?
Dr. Ray Pritchard Mark chapter five. The story of the man with the legion of demons. And he cast them out into the pigs. And there's all the interesting parts of that story, but at the end, the man is in his right mind. At last, the demons are gone. Jesus has set him free. And he says, he says, lord, let me go with you. Let me be the. Let me be the testimony for you. Remember what Jesus said. He said, no, stay. Stay where you are. Go back to your family. Go back to your friends. Go back to your loved ones. Go back to your neighbors. Go and tell them what great things, things the Lord has done for you.
If Jesus has touched you, if he's healed you, if he's worked a miracle for you, if he's changed your life, don't keep it to yourself
If Jesus has touched you, if he's healed you, if he's worked a miracle for you, if he's changed your life, don't keep it to yourself. Good news is for sharing. And there are people out there who, Jessica, they are more ready to believe than we are to tell them the good news. I
Dr. Jessica Peck believe that
Dr. Ray Pritchard if only we would just open our mouth. You don't have to be a theologian. You don't have to know Greek. You don't have to know Hebrew. You don't have to be a big scholar.
Just do what Jesus said in Mark 5. Go and tell the great things that the Lord has done for you
Just do what Jesus said in Mark 5. Go and tell what great things the Lord has done for you.
Dr. Jessica Peck Pastor Ray, you have been such a ray of sunshine today. You have really lifted my spirits. I thank you so much for your obedience and your calling to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not only just good news, it is the best news ever. And I think there's a song about that too, as well. But the resource you can find at, keepbelieving.com so easy. keepbelieving.com completely free. It's called the King is Near Advent from the Gospel of Mark. It's a beautiful Download. Gives you 25 devotionals, 25 songs, 2025 opportunities to reset your mind toward Christ. The real reason for the season in a world full of chaos. Don't let that get you down. Know that the King is near. Thank you so much, Pastor Ray, for joining us. And wherever you are and the whole Christmas thing, I pray over all of you, as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you. I'll see you right back. here tomorrow. We'd like to thank our sponsors, including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion and has seen over 100,000 commitments to Christ. Will you join PreBorn in continuing this good work? supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com/AFR
Jeff Chamblee the views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Dr. Ray Pritchard talks with Jessica about preparing for the celebration of Christ's birth through an Advent study with your family.
Live
Did you know American Family Radio is listener-supported? Your monthly financial support will allow us to continue upholding Godly values through our numerous channels, like American Family Radio, One Million Moms, The Stand magazine, and many more.
Become a Great Commission Partner TODAY to help AFR transform culture by rebuilding the family. When you donate today, you’ll get access to:
