Single & Purposeful

Join us as we study the story of the Prodigal Son while using tools that cover that story in the Bible. We are using the book: The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen. We are also using the podcast: Abiding Together Podcast (link below) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/abiding-together/id1206416686?i=1000467857406

Welcome back to the Single and Purposeful podcast where our mission is to live a life that edifies the peace and love of God in everything that we do. I have been MIA for a bit and if you want to know why follow me on IG @jassia7 and give our page a follow @single.and.purposeful. A lot has been going on in the life of Jassia, but excited to be back and learn/grow together as a community and as individuals. I ma so excited to dissect the character of the prodigal son and the character of Mary but especially the character of who God is. Follow along with me, bring your thoughts and revelations as we break it all down. Prodigal son - Luke 15 Mary and Martha- Luke 10 & John 12

Tune in to check out Val's story of her Faith and relationship with God, and learn a new meaning to ministry. Val breaks down how ministry is not just working in a church, but so much more in so many different areas of your life! Follow Val in her journey and find out how to partner up with her through insta: @valerie.gonzalez

Join us as Hector shares his testimony around grieving, mourning, growth, spiritual endurance, and ultimately Faith! Follow him on instagram: @hecthorda "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Join us as Dorian talks about leading and worshipping and being intimate with the Lord! You do not want to miss this episode as he shares how to go deeper and more intimate with our Father. Follow Dorian on his journey @dorianspeights

1-2 Listen while I build my case, God, the most honest prayer you’ll ever hear. Show the world I’m innocent— in your heart you know I am. 3 Go ahead, examine me from inside out, surprise me in the middle of the night— You’ll find I’m just what I say I am. My words don’t run loose. 4-5 I’m not trying to get my way in the world’s way. I’m trying to get your way, your Word’s way. I’m staying on your trail; I’m putting one foot In front of the other. I’m not giving up. 6-7 I call to you, God, because I’m sure of an answer. So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp! Paint grace-graffiti on the fences; take in your frightened children who Are running from the neighborhood bullies straight to you. 8-9 Keep your eye on me; hide me under your cool wing feathers From the wicked who are out to get me, from mortal enemies closing in. 10-14 Their hearts are hard as nails, their mouths blast hot air. They are after me, nipping my heels, determined to bring me down, Lions ready to rip me apart, young lions poised to pounce. Up, God: beard them! break them! By your sword, free me from their clutches; Barehanded, God, break these mortals, these flat-earth people who can’t think beyond today. I’d like to see their bellies swollen with famine food, The weeds they’ve sown harvested and baked into famine bread, With second helpings for their children and crusts for their babies to chew on. 15 And me? I plan on looking you full in the face. When I get up, I’ll see your full stature and live heaven on earth.

A miktam[a] of David. 1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. 5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 15 A psalm of David. 1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? 2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. 3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. 4 Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. 5 Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

Psalm 14For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race;he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.3 But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt.[a]No one does good, not a single one! 4 Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.5 Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him.6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the Lord will protect his people. 7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When the Lord restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice

Psalm 13For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Psalm 12For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.[a] 1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! 2 Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. 3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues. 4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?” 5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.” 6 The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. 7 Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, 8 even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.

Psalm 11For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety! 2 The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right. 3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?” 4 But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. 5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. 6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. 7 For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.

Psalms 10 1 O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble?2 The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.3 For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the LORD .4 The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead.5 Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies.6 They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!”7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.8 They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless victims.9 Like lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets.10 Their helpless victims are crushed; they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.11 The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us! He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”12 Arise, O LORD ! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless!13 Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, “God will never call us to account.”14 But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans.15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed.16 The LORD is king forever and ever! The godless nations will vanish from the land.17 LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s Justice.To the Chief Musician; on [a]Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. 1. I will give thanks and praise the Lord, with all my heart; I will tell aloud all Your wonders and marvelous deeds. 2 I will rejoice and exult in you; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish before You. 4 For You have maintained my right and my cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously. 5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked and unrepentant; You have wiped out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has been cut off and has vanished in everlasting ruins, You have uprooted their cities; The very memory of them has perished. 7 But the Lord will remain and sit enthroned forever; He has prepared and established His throne for judgment. 8 And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the nations with fairness (equity). 9 The Lord also will be a refuge and a stronghold for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble; 10 And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You. 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His [great and wondrous] deeds. 12 For He who avenges blood [unjustly shed] remembers them (His people); He does not forget the cry of the afflicted and abused. 13 Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O Lord; See how I am afflicted by those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell aloud all Your praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) I may rejoice in Your salvation and Your help. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The Lord has made Himself known; He executes judgment; The wicked are trapped by the work of their own hands. Higgaion (meditation) Selah. 17 The wicked will turn to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Even all the nations who forget God. 18 For the poor will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the burdened perish forever. 19 Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before You. 20 Put them in [reverent] [b]fear of You, O Lord, So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men.

Psalm 8 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.[a] 1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. 2 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength,[b] silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. 3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— 4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?[c] 5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God[d] and crowned them[e] with glory and honor. 6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— 7 the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, 8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. 9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

1 I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me! 2 If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice, 4 if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause, 5 then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude 6 Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice! 7 Gather the nations before you. Rule over them from on high. 8 The Lord judges the nations. Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High! 9 End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God. 10 God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. 11 God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day. 12 If a person does not repent, God[b] will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. 13 He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows. 14 The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. 15 They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. 16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads. 17 I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.[a] 1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. 2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. 3 I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me? 4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love. 5 For the dead do not remember you. Who can praise you from the grave?[b] 6 I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. 7 My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies. 8 Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer. 10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Join our hostess Jassia as she shares the different things she has learned as we go through th ebook of Psalms. Psalm 4For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. 1 Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. 2 How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? Interlude 3 You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him. 4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude 5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord. 6 Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. 7 You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. 8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Join us as Jassia shares about Psalm 3. Share with us your thoughts and revelations! Psalm 3A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom. 1 O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” Interlude[a] 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. 4 I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude 5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. 6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. 7 Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! 8 Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people. Interlude

Join our hostess, Jassia, as she shares the different revelations and insights she has gathered while reading the book of Psalms. Psalm 2 1 Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? 2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. 3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.” 4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. 6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem,[a] on my holy mountain.” 7 The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.[b] Today I have become your Father.[c] 8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. 9 You will break[d] them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’” 10 Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! 11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Submit to God’s royal son,[e] or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!