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Ed Wrather
Ed Wrather (N/A – N/A) is an American preacher, pastor, and author known for his long ministry career and the widely circulated Burning Bush Devotional. Born in Oklahoma, details about his early life, including his parents and upbringing, are not widely documented, though his roots in the Sooner State shaped his down-to-earth preaching style. Before entering full-time ministry, he served as a Senior Probation and Parole Officer for over 20 years, during which he was ordained as a deacon and held various church leadership roles, preparing him for his later pastoral calling. Wrather’s preaching career began in 1990 when he became a pastor, serving congregations in Oklahoma, including Sweetwater First Baptist Church and, since March 2018, Fairview Baptist Church in Elk City. His sermons emphasize practical faith, prayer, and kingdom-building, reflecting his belief that “everyone can do something” for God’s work, as seen in messages like “Do What You Can Do.” Since 1998, he has written the Burning Bush Devotional, an email ministry reaching thousands globally, and authored books such as The New Pastor’s Training Manual and Biblical Help for Overcoming Substance Abuse. Married with a son, Clark, who pastors First Baptist Church of Yukon, Oklahoma, Wrather continues to minister, leaving a legacy of steadfast service and encouragement through the spoken and written word.
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Ed Wrather preaches about the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, emphasizing Joseph's obedience to God's plan despite the challenges he faced, and highlighting the fulfillment of prophecy in the birth of Immanuel, meaning 'God with us'. Drawing a parallel to the Mars rover Opportunity, he illustrates how God is with us in our daily lives, experiencing everything we go through as believers, and guiding us through challenges just as He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the book of Daniel.
Immanuel
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. (Matthew 1:18-15) We human beings have visited the Planet Mars by sending robot explorers known as “rovers”. Currently there are two active rovers on Mars with the names of “Spirit” and “Opportunity”. There is an interesting phenomenon that is occurring with the rover Opportunity. When the rovers first landed on the planet, their solar cells provided 900 watt-hours of power for each robot explorer. However, Spirit’s electrical output declined to around 400 watt-hours in part because of the Martian dust covering the solar panels. At first, the electrical output of Opportunity also declined down to about 500 watt-hours. Opportunities’ output inexplicably has increased to just over 900 watt-hours of power. Rover team leader Jim Erickson at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told New Scientist (newscientist.com) that "A process still not understood has repeatedly removed dust from the solar panels. These exciting and unexplained cleaning events have kept Opportunity in really great shape," Apparently, something is with the Opportunity rover on the Planet Mars assisting it in the performance of the needed exploration functions. SomeOne is with us. That SomeOne is Immanuel, God with us. God did not send a robot explorer to visit our planet. Instead, God came Himself to walk among us as one of us to experience all that we experience. God came as a tiny baby born destined to suffer and die for our sins. For those of us who know Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit, God Himself has come into our lives. We have been “born again” and “sealed until the day of redemption”. God lives within us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) and experiences all that we experience. Each step of every day God is with the Christian walking with them. No, God may not spare us from the problems and difficulties of this imperfect/corrupt world in which we live. But as with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3), He will go with us through them. “All things” do “work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” If, we love God, and walk with Him according to His will and purpose for our lives. Immanuel, God is with us! Let us rejoice!
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Ed Wrather (N/A – N/A) is an American preacher, pastor, and author known for his long ministry career and the widely circulated Burning Bush Devotional. Born in Oklahoma, details about his early life, including his parents and upbringing, are not widely documented, though his roots in the Sooner State shaped his down-to-earth preaching style. Before entering full-time ministry, he served as a Senior Probation and Parole Officer for over 20 years, during which he was ordained as a deacon and held various church leadership roles, preparing him for his later pastoral calling. Wrather’s preaching career began in 1990 when he became a pastor, serving congregations in Oklahoma, including Sweetwater First Baptist Church and, since March 2018, Fairview Baptist Church in Elk City. His sermons emphasize practical faith, prayer, and kingdom-building, reflecting his belief that “everyone can do something” for God’s work, as seen in messages like “Do What You Can Do.” Since 1998, he has written the Burning Bush Devotional, an email ministry reaching thousands globally, and authored books such as The New Pastor’s Training Manual and Biblical Help for Overcoming Substance Abuse. Married with a son, Clark, who pastors First Baptist Church of Yukon, Oklahoma, Wrather continues to minister, leaving a legacy of steadfast service and encouragement through the spoken and written word.