Willow Journey

About Willow Journey

Reading through scripture every day.

Publisher

Willow Creek Community Church

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Oct 2019

Latest episode

20 Nov 2020

Latest episodes

66 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Nov 2020

   Bonus Feature 4 of Journey Through Daniel | NIVES' STORY

   NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT JOY FROM YOU. There’s a song that says, “If you receive and you believe, testify.” I don’t really like to talk about myself, but I think it’s important to do so when we go through certain things in life and experience certain things, and whenever God’s presence is in someone’s life, it’s encouraging to share with others. My name is Nives, and I grew up in Croatia. I was born in Yugoslavia, and I was a child from a mixed marriage between a Croatian and a Serb. This didn’t really matter when we had Yugoslavia, but when the civil war in Croatia started in 1991, that seemed to be all that mattered. On top of being from a mixed marriage, I had the last name of a Serbian president so I couldn’t hide. I belonged nowhere on either side. I’m from a town that had a lot of military presence and my town was a border town. Those were the unlucky ones in the war because for four years, there was always some kind of a fighting and shooting and bombing until the war ended in 1995. The first year was the worst. I never knew when it was going to happen. I could be playing tennis and suddenly there’s an alarm. I’m running home and there are bombs flying, falling down, and planes are above my head. And I’d think, “All right, I’m almost home, maybe I’ll make it, maybe not.” And that’s where faith comes in, when you have no influence, no power, no control. That’s when we can say, “Okay, God, come on, step in. I just can’t do this on my own. If I make it through, if I survive, just show me the way. What’s my purpose? Why am I doing this? Why am I the lucky one? What do I do with this experience? It can’t be for nothing.” In high school, I was an okay tennis player, and I was invited to play tennis in Germany. I told my parents, “I’m 17. I want to go. I don’t want to be here in the middle of the war. I’m done with this.” I was young and didn’t know how hard it was going to be. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I couldn’t do this. It was just too hard. I was so attached to my mom. My life goal was to get a job in the same building with her, but it just felt like a wind behind my back. Like, you’ve got to go do this, you’ve got to go do this. Have faith that it’s going to be okay. It wasn’t even so much that I was adventurous or brave. Not at all. It was just how the whole thing happened. Even how they invited me out of nowhere, even though they never saw me play. So I went to Germany, and played one year for them. Then I came home to finish high school and while I was preparing to finish and graduate, I got an offer to come to Chicago and play tennis for DePaul University. I was 18. I had taken a little English in school, but you can’t compare that to the college level. I didn’t even know what the SAT exam was. I got a book, studied for a month, and took the exam. Now that I have kids living here in the US, I realize what a process it is and how important it is. I didn’t know then, which was a blessing at the time. I passed the exam by five points to get in. But that’s when the real work began for me. I had to play tennis every day, travel to tournaments every weekend, along with studying and going to school as well. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about what I’m capable of doing and also just the culture here. I didn’t know much about America. I did not have an American Dream. It just happened. When I came here, it was very different from what I was used to, and it took me many years to assimilate. I was very fortunate that I was always around people who were loving and supportive, who didn’t care that my English was broken, that I spoke funny and was missing a lot of words. I was surrounded by student athletes and over time, I got better, and the professors understood and supported me. But of course there are people who assume that if you don’t speak perfect English, that means that you are not smart because the way you speak is a reflection of your intelligence. When we went to tournaments, we were hosted by families in the towns we played in. One time, my teammate, who was also from Croatia, and I were at the dinner table with our host family. In front of us, they discussed how scholarships shouldn’t be given to international students because that takes away from the American taxpayers. I understood her point of view, but to have that discussion at the dinner table, in front of us, that was too much. But there are all kinds of people, and you just have to not let that influence and impact you. You just do your thing and do the best you can. In Europe, we’re surrounded by so many countries and inevitably you will travel to another country. Or if you live in a tourist country like Croatia with the coast, you will be exposed to other languages, cultures, the way they talk and even behave. And in America, even though it’s a melting pot of cultures, it’s still separated and shielded from the rest of the world. For people who are born and raised in small towns, they’re not exposed to that. New things tend to feel scary for a lot of people, but they’re not. If you look at it as exciting, you never know what you’re going to find out and learn. After college, I was planning on going back to Croatia, which was always my plan. But I ended up falling in love, getting married, and staying here. I told my family, “Sorry, guys, I’m going to be living here from now on.” So I got married. I worked for Jewel-Osco for nine years as a procurement manager in the main office. Then, I got pregnant with twins. I lost one baby at 10 weeks and the other one at 30 weeks. It was a very unusual circumstance. But the interesting thing that happened is when I was 30 weeks pregnant, I had a placenta rupture and ended up in the hospital and the baby died. I ended up getting a bad pulmonary embolism. As I laid in my hospital bed, I heard a whisper and had a whole conversation. I believe this so firmly even though my husband and the nurses said that I didn’t say a word. That whispered conversation was God’s blessing to me, proof that I’ve got to keep believing, being faithful, and trusting God. This might sound like a crazy story, but like I said, if it happens, you have to testify. I heard a whisper say to me that this baby was not meant to be, but the one next year would be. That made me very angry. The whisper kept saying, “You don’t need to know why. That’s just how it’s going to be.” But the next year, I had a baby girl. And the voice had told me it would be a girl. I don’t know how to explain it, but when you live through something like that, your faith is unshakeable. I think that prepared me for when, seven years later, my husband passed away. It was very sudden and unexpected. He left for work and never came back. He was 38, and it was just a shock. I was a widow with children ages 5 and 7, with no family to help. When I look back on my life and the tragedies that happened, I think they slowly prepared me. You can’t be fully prepared for this, but I always believe that things will be better. Without that belief and faith, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here. It’s been a long road, and there were a lot of tears and good people around me. A lot of people helped me, even helped me keep my faith. And I would always wonder, why would all these things be happening to me? I’ve realized that all my experiences are really just a way for me to be ready and prepared to help and serve people in my life who are going through similar things. I can reach out to others and say, “Hey, I’m here to hold your hand. I’m here to talk to you. I’m here for you.” When I was in need, others saved me. One time, I was shoveling my driveway. My neighbor was also clearing his driveway. He had a snow blower and I had an old fashioned shovel. He never said a word. The next time I had to shovel, I was so tired. I couldn’t do it anymore and laid the shovel on the ground. I was done. God, Jesus, come on I need something. And as I said that, I was looking at the snow falling and how beautiful it was in the middle of my nervous breakdown, and here comes my neighbor and he says, “Hey, how about I shovel for you today?” I’m like, “Oh my God, thank you so much.” That was a small miracle. I like to think I’m strong and tough, but sometimes I’m not. I always feel that when I surrender, when I’m done controlling and doing things on my own, that’s when God says, “Okay, now you can listen. Now you can hear me.” It’s difficult to be happy or satisfied with everything in your life. And most of the time, if we’re honest, we’re not. But if you can find joy in your life, no matter what’s going on around you, as powerless as you may feel, remember that you are God’s beloved child, no matter what. No one can take that joy from you. There’s always hope. There is God’s grace and God’s love. And sometimes our prayers are unanswered, but it’s not because God is busy or doesn’t care or doesn’t love us. Sometimes we just have to be patient. We might not get the answers to why things are unanswered, but some things are blessings really. We just don’t know it at the time. So always keep the faith and find people in your life who support you and love you and who can be there for you and never give up.

2. 

   20 Nov 2020

   Day 20 of Journey through Daniel | THE RESCUE AND RAISING OF FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS OF GOD

   COMMENTARY Daniel 12 concludes the final vision and brings the book of Daniel to a stunning close. In the first half of the vision, we read about a series of kings who would “arise” to their thrones and oppress the people of God (Daniel 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 16, 20, 21, 31). We were told that each king would meet their just “end” similar to the way previous kings in the book were humbled because of their pride (Daniel 11:27, 35, 40, 45). But somewhat surprisingly, we also read that some people who remained loyal to God would meet a similar fate; they would “fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered” (Daniel 11:33). The death of God’s faithful in Daniel 11 stands out given that in so many previous stories and visions, God rescued and raised His people to victory. God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace and raised them to positions of power. God rescued Daniel from the lions and raised him to the second-highest throne in Persia. God rescued the Son of Man and those He represented, giving them a kingdom that would never be destroyed. But now it seems that the furnace has burned God’s followers. It seems that the lions have devoured them. It seems that the enemies of the people of God have caused their demise. So what does it mean for God to be sovereign and just if this is the end for many innocent people who courageously stayed faithful to Him? Chapter 12 presents the resolution. If God’s justice is to be ultimately realized in the world, the end for the faithful who have died won’t be death but will be one last great work of rescue and raising. Daniel 12:2-3 says, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Here we read the clearest Old Testament reference to bodily resurrection. The promise of the vision is that those who remain loyal to God will be rescued from death and raised to rule and reign with Him, filling the royal role that God gave humans from the very beginning (Genesis 1:26-28). This is what it means to say that the resurrected would “shine” like “stars.” In the Bible, shining stars are symbols of royalty as in Numbers 24:17, which says, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” To be a star is to have a position of power in God’s kingdom. So as we’ve seen throughout the book of Daniel, tyrants may oppress others in their pursuit of power, but in the end, seats of authority in God’s kingdom are reserved for the humble and faithful. This is the promise for us today if we stay faithful to God. In a society that is not so different from Babylon, Persia, and Greece, many things may tempt us to ignore, abandon, or even live in direct contradiction to our faith. Our own cultural idols and comforts may draw us away from the justice that God desires for our communities. Like Daniel, we must have the eyes to see these forces for what they are and the courage to resist them no matter the cost. God has in a sense already rescued and raised those of us who have pledged allegiance to Jesus the King. So with the power He’s invested in us, our mission is to join Him in bringing the good news of the kingdom of God on earth. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 12 THE END TIMES 1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” QUESTIONS Now that you’ve read the book of Daniel, if someone was to ask you what it is all about, how would you summarize it? What is your biggest takeaway from Daniel? How have you been inspired to live differently as a result of reading this book?

3. 

   19 Nov 2020

   Day 19 of Journey through Daniel | KINGS WILL ARISE AND KINGS WILL FALL

   COMMENTARY Yesterday, we read the introduction to the final vision of Daniel. Today’s reading reveals the message of the vision, which was “written in the book of truth” (Daniel 10:21; 11:2). This message reads like a history book. It recounts the rise and fall of various kings and kingdoms in the ancient Near East. These kings are not referred to by their names but are easily identified by the activities attributed to them. For example, the “mighty king” of Greece whose kingdom is “broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven” is undoubtedly Alexander the Great, the Greek emperor whose kingdom was divided between four generals after his sudden and early death in 323 BC (Daniel 11:3-4). Likewise, the “king of the North” who abolishes daily sacrifices, installs “the abomination that causes desolation” in the temple, and murders those who remain faithful to God is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Greek-Syrian tyrant who terrorized Judeans before his death in 164 BC (Daniel 11:28, 31, 33). A good study Bible or commentary will help readers make these connections, but you don’t need to know exactly who each king is in this chapter in order to understand the point. Repetitious words and themes drive home the big idea. King after king will “arise” to power (Daniel 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 16, 20, 21, 31). They will do whatever “pleases” them without concern for others (Daniel 11:3, 16, 36). But no matter how invincible they seem, each will meet their own “end” (Daniel 11:27, 35, 40, 45). These repetitions emphasize the fact that human history tends to follow certain patterns. Just as Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius were all humbled in their own ways after they arrogantly afflicted Daniel and his contemporaries, many other violent kings would arise and fall. For Judeans who faced the prospect of being “burned,” “captured,” or “plundered” by these kings, this survey of history must have served as a source of hope (Daniel 11:33). God saw their suffering, and He would bring down their oppressors at His “appointed time” (Daniel 11:27, 29, 35). This message continues to be “truth” for us today (Daniel 11:2). Those with power might do what pleases them for the time being, but the seemingly unstoppable empires of the world are really just transient to God. He will bring victory to His people, in this life or the next. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 11:2–45 THE KINGS OF THE SOUTH AND THE NORTH 2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. 5 “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her. 7 “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. 11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. 14 “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16 The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him. 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. 20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. 21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time. 25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. 29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. 33 “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. THE KING WHO EXALTS HIMSELF 36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. 40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. QUESTIONS The situation of faithful people in Daniel 11:33-35 parallels the situations of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 1, 3, and 6. All were forced to choose between life or loyalty to God. Unfortunately, some described in Daniel 11 were not immediately rescued by God as their predecessors had been. How do we make sense of God’s seemingly haphazard dealings with the world? Can we? What is the message of Daniel 11 for those who don’t experience immediate earthly rescue? Daniel 11:32 indicates that those “who know their God will firmly resist” evil powers like Antiochus IV Epiphanes. How were people back then supposed to show resistance? What do you suppose godly resistance looks like today?

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