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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Well, hey, they're friends. I'm Jody Nisnick, and

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Speaker 1: we're entering Holy Week to help us prepare for Easter.

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Speaker 1: In addition to this meditation, I will release meditations for

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Speaker 1: Mandy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. My

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Speaker 1: prayer is that these quiet moments will help you slow

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Speaker 1: down to contemplate the Cross and what it means for

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Speaker 1: your life. We'll begin this meditation after a brief word

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Speaker 1: from our sponsors. Before we begin our meditation, I want

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Speaker 1: to invite you to head into the show notes, where

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Speaker 1: you will find a link to download the free I

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Speaker 1: Am Companion journal that I've made for this series. It

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Speaker 1: has each scripture that we are meditating on, all of

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Speaker 1: the reflection prompts, and it gives you space to take

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Speaker 1: notes on your prayers and meditation time. I do hope

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Speaker 1: you'll take advantage of this free resource. Also, for the

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Speaker 1: season of lynd I will release a brief guided prayer

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Speaker 1: every Wednesday to help us prayer fleet reset our focus

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Speaker 1: on Jesus. You'll find that right here in this feed

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Speaker 1: each Wednesday. Well, with that, let's get started. I want

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Speaker 1: to invite you to begin with some deep in and

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Speaker 1: out breaths as a way to just settle you in,

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Speaker 1: to remind your heart, in your body and your soul,

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Speaker 1: this is exactly where you want to be right now.

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Speaker 1: So take a deep breath in and slowly exhale. Let's

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Speaker 1: do that again. And as you breathe deeply in, notice

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Speaker 1: God is present with you right now. And as you exhale,

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Speaker 1: just notice what is weighing on your heart. Ask him

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Speaker 1: to hold it. You will continue with those deep in

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Speaker 1: and out breaths, and let me pray for this time. Lord,

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Speaker 1: thank you that you are God, that you are the

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Speaker 1: I Am, the one who is and who was and

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Speaker 1: who is to come. Lord. We ask that in this

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Speaker 1: meditation you would help us reflect on who you are,

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Speaker 1: and that you would help us prepare our heart for

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Speaker 1: this week, this holy week, reflecting on what you did

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Speaker 1: in this last week of your life. Lord, Thank you

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Speaker 1: for your faithfulness, thank you for your love, guide and

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Speaker 1: lee this time. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Well,

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Speaker 1: today we are meditating on a less traditional I Am

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Speaker 1: statement of Jesus. Throughout this series, we've been contemplating the

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Speaker 1: seven familiar I Am statements. I'm the Bread of life,

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Speaker 1: i am the light of the world, I'm the good Shepherd, etc.

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Speaker 1: But there are other moments when Jesus uses the words

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Speaker 1: I am to reveal who he is. And in this

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Speaker 1: passage Jesus says before Abraham was I am. Now this

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Speaker 1: is not a metaphor, it is a clear declaration of

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Speaker 1: his divinity, and the people listening understood exactly what he

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Speaker 1: was saying. In fact, they picked up stones to stone

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Speaker 1: him because this was the severe punishment for blasphemy, which

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Speaker 1: they believed Jesus had just done by claiming to be God.

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Speaker 1: This moment is a turning point. Many people want to

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Speaker 1: say Jesus was simply a good teacher or a wise prophet,

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Speaker 1: but this is not who Jesus claimed to be. He

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Speaker 1: was very clearly claiming I am God. So today, as

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Speaker 1: we enter Holy Week, we will consider Jesus's declaration of divinity.

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Speaker 1: For this Meditation passage, we're joining the conversation. Midway through,

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Speaker 1: the religious leaders have challenged Jesus, asking if he thinks

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Speaker 1: he's greater than Abraham. Jesus responds by saying what really

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Speaker 1: matters is not what he says about himself, but what

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Speaker 1: God says. And then he makes this astonishing claim that

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Speaker 1: Abraham saw his coming and rejoiced. As you listen the

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Speaker 1: first time, simply listen so you know where the passage

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Speaker 1: is heading. Our passage is John eight, verses fifty six

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Speaker 1: through fifty nine in the New Living Translation. Your father

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Speaker 1: Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He

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Speaker 1: saw it and was glad. The people said, you aren't

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Speaker 1: even fifty years old. How can you say you have

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Speaker 1: seen Abraham? Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, before

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Speaker 1: Abraham was even born, I am. At that point, they

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Speaker 1: picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was

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Speaker 1: hidden from them and left the temple. As you listen

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Speaker 1: a second time, allow this scene to unfold in your imagination,

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Speaker 1: imagining it from the perspective of a bystander. Pay special

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Speaker 1: attention to any emotions that you see or that you sense

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Speaker 1: in yourself or others. Your father Abraham rejoiced as he

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Speaker 1: looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.

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Speaker 1: The people said, you aren't even fifty years old. How

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Speaker 1: can you say you have seen Abraham? Jesus answered, I

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Speaker 1: tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am.

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Speaker 1: At that point, they picked up stones to throw at him,

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Speaker 1: but Jesus was hidden from them and left the temple.

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Speaker 1: Take a moment to reflect on what you noticed, asking God,

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Speaker 1: how does this apply to my life? Right now? As

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Speaker 1: I read a third time, allow the scene to play

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Speaker 1: again in your imagination. At the end of the reading,

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Speaker 1: Notice that the passage states Jesus was hidden from them

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Speaker 1: and left the temple. Imagine you are able to follow

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Speaker 1: Jesus and talk to him privately after the reading all

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Speaker 1: give you space to have this conversation with Jesus. Your

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Speaker 1: father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming.

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Speaker 1: He saw it and was glad. The people said, you

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Speaker 1: aren't even fifty years old. How can you say you

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Speaker 1: have seen Abraham? Jesus answered, I tell you the truth,

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Speaker 1: before Abraham was even born. I am that point. They

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Speaker 1: picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was

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Speaker 1: hidden from them and left the temple. Remain in this

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Speaker 1: imagined scene and take some time to have a conversation

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Speaker 1: with Jesus. Talk to him openly and honestly about whatever

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Speaker 1: is on your heart, and allow Jesus to speak back

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Speaker 1: to you in love. And now, as we move to

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Speaker 1: the final reading, rest in the truth that Jesus is God.

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Speaker 1: Allow this truth to fill your heart and soul with hope,

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Speaker 1: knowing that it is because of who Jesus is, fully

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Speaker 1: God and fully man, that his death and resurrection brought

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Speaker 1: salvation to you and all who believe. Your father Abraham

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Speaker 1: rejol as he looked forward to my coming. He saw

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Speaker 1: it and was glad that. People said, you aren't even

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Speaker 1: fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?

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Speaker 1: Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, before Abraham was

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Speaker 1: even born. I am At that point they picked up

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Speaker 1: stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden from

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Speaker 1: them and left the temple before I close us in prayer.

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Speaker 1: Take a moment to pray for those you love who

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Speaker 1: do not yet know Jesus as God. Lord, Thank you

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Speaker 1: that you are God, Triune, father, Son, Holy Spirit. So

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Speaker 1: many people want to justify to themselves that you were

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Speaker 1: not God, just a great teacher, just a wise prophet,

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Speaker 1: And yet you were clear. You declared in a way

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Speaker 1: that this community could hear it. I am God. Otherwise

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Speaker 1: they would not have come after you in the way

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Speaker 1: that they did. They wouldn't have felt threatened by you.

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Speaker 1: So Lord, we believe that you are God, and we

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Speaker 1: pray especially for those we love who do not know

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Speaker 1: this truth yet. Would you open their hearts and minds

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Speaker 1: to who you are? Would you help us know how

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Speaker 1: you want us to play a role in that. Gracious Lord,

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Speaker 1: as we enter into this Holy week, we pray that

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Speaker 1: you would lead and guide our footsteps, that you would

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Speaker 1: lead and guide our heart. Help us prepare our hearts

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Speaker 1: for Easter so that when we show up Easter morning

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Speaker 1: we can rejoice in the truth that you have defeated

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Speaker 1: death and sin. Thank you, Lord for this week and

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Speaker 1: all it means. Help us continue to create space for

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Speaker 1: you this week that we may contemplate the Cross. We

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Speaker 1: asked that you would do this because you are God.

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Speaker 1: We pray this in the name of Jesus The I

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Speaker 1: Am Well. Friends. If you are new to the So

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Speaker 1: Much More podcast, or if you're new to the season

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Speaker 1: of Lent, I want to invite you head into the

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Speaker 1: show notes and grab the free I AM Meditation Journal.

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Speaker 1: I unpack a little bit more about what lent is

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Speaker 1: and why Christians have been practicing it for a very

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Speaker 1: long time. You'll also see in the notes my partner

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Speaker 1: Life Audio and I encourage you to check them out

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Speaker 1: at lifeaudio dot com. Finally, if you are enjoying these meditations,

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Speaker 1: one of the greatest things you can do for me

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Speaker 1: is either share these with a friend or follow on

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Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and if you're able, leave a review.

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Speaker 1: All of those things, they just go a really long

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Speaker 1: way and spreading the word and helping get these meditations

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Speaker 1: into the hands of those who might need them. As always,

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Speaker 1: my friend, thanks for joining me on so much more

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Speaker 1: because we really do believe Jesus has so much more

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Speaker 1: to say to us, and this is one way we

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Speaker 1: are creating space to listen