Podcasts about affirm

In The Faithfulness of A Spiritual Father Part 2, we explore the characteristics of a spiritual father from Paul's legacy in 2 Timothy. As the Apostle Paul faced the end of his earthly life, his focus remained firmly on the next generation of leadership for the church. Through expository preaching on 2 Timothy 1, we observe how Paul responded to God given remembrances. His deep gratitude highlights the profound impact of passing on a legacy of faith. True biblical discipleship requires more than just sharing knowledge; it demands genuine affection and constant prayer. A faithful mentor recognizes that our lives belong to a greater heritage of grace stretching across the ages. Corrupt lives do not belong to this lineage, which is why a clear conscience and sincere devotion are vital for faithful service. Pastor Richard Caldwell demonstrates how Paul invested deeply in Timothy with eternity in mind. Godly mentors express unceasing loyalty and actively look for the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of those they lead. We are challenged to examine our own relationships and purposefully encourage others in their sincere faith. Key Biblical Takeaways: - Recognize your place in the legacy of faith by viewing your life as part of an ongoing, unchanging gospel heritage. - Cultivate a clear conscience and sincere devotion, knowing that personal holiness is essential for effective service to the church. - Pray unceasingly for the next generation of believers, demonstrating a loyal love that goes far beyond superficial relationships. - Affirm the genuine work of God in others by purposefully and sincerely encouraging them in their walk with Christ.

In The Faithfulness of A Spiritual Father Part 2, we explore the characteristics of a spiritual father from Paul's legacy in 2 Timothy. As the Apostle Paul faced the end of his earthly life, his focus remained firmly on the next generation of leadership for the church. Through expository preaching on 2 Timothy 1, we observe how Paul responded to God given remembrances. His deep gratitude highlights the profound impact of passing on a legacy of faith. True biblical discipleship requires more than just sharing knowledge; it demands genuine affection and constant prayer. A faithful mentor recognizes that our lives belong to a greater heritage of grace stretching across the ages. Corrupt lives do not belong to this lineage, which is why a clear conscience and sincere devotion are vital for faithful service. Pastor Richard Caldwell demonstrates how Paul invested deeply in Timothy with eternity in mind. Godly mentors express unceasing loyalty and actively look for the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of those they lead. We are challenged to examine our own relationships and purposefully encourage others in their sincere faith. Key Biblical Takeaways: - Recognize your place in the legacy of faith by viewing your life as part of an ongoing, unchanging gospel heritage. - Cultivate a clear conscience and sincere devotion, knowing that personal holiness is essential for effective service to the church. - Pray unceasingly for the next generation of believers, demonstrating a loyal love that goes far beyond superficial relationships. - Affirm the genuine work of God in others by purposefully and sincerely encouraging them in their walk with Christ.

Federal law is clear that teachers cannot be required to lie against their religious beliefs. Constitutional expert, lawyer, author, pastor, and founder of Liberty Counsel Mat Staver discusses the important topics of the day with co-hosts and guests that impact life, liberty, and family. To stay informed and get involved, visit LC.org.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, affirmed bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including security, during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday.

Most Christians know they're supposed to renew their minds.But very few have ever been shown how.In this powerful guided episode of the Freedom Foundations Series, Shawn walks through the practical process of leading the wounded places of your heart out of what feels true and into the truth of the Gospel.This isn't positive thinking.This isn't behavior management.This is Christ-centered inner leadership.You'll discover why so many men stay stuck in cycles of shame and relapse, why simply knowing Bible verses often isn't enough, and how God's truth becomes transformational when it's spoken directly into the wounds that first believed a lie.Through the teaching and bonus guided exercise, you'll learn how to:• Lead your heart with empathy instead of condemnation• Affirm your God-given identity instead of your failures• Apply the Gospel to specific wounds and lies• Cast a vision for the man God is calling you to become• Separate what feels true from what is eternally trueIf you've ever thought:"I know the truth... but I don't feel it,"this episode is for you.My passion is helping Christian men move beyond managing porn and into a life of clarity, confidence, maturity, and real freedom.Because lasting transformation doesn't happen by trying harder.It happens when the truth of Christ takes root in a heart that has learned to receive it.

Introduction: Tongues and Prophecy: Remember Their Purposes. (1 Corinthians 14:20-25) The Purpose of Tongues: Sign of JUDGMENT for ISRAEL. (1 Cor 14:20-23) Deuteronomy 28:49 - The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand... Jeremiah 5:15 - Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. The Purpose of Prophecy: MANIFEST God's PRESENCE. (1 Cor 14:24-25) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What About Speaking In Tongues? - Part 2 Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36Open up those Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Do you remember when we got all that snow a few months ago? You remember that? How cold it was? You remember that? Think about that when we feel a little stuffy this morning. Stuffy, that's the counterpart of chili, right?01:0614. Please take a moment and pray for me to clearly communicate God's Word accurately and clearly. And I will pray for you to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us in His Word today. Let's pray. Father, I pray that Your Word, as our Lord taught, it's like that seed, Father. I just pray that it takes root in our hearts and reproduces in a way that glorifies your name and a way that advances your kingdom. Father, keep us from any distractions, especially over these next few minutes. Father, let our hearts and minds be laser-focused on you and your word. We pray in Jesus' name.02:06And all of God's people said, Amen. 1 Corinthians 14. Recently, at youth group, we had our breakout time with the kids and we were praying. And one young man in our group, in his prayer, was praying for Pastor Taylor and Pastor Chris. Let's stop there for a second.02:360% bothered by that at all. Right? Because there is nobody that mixes up names more than I do. And I thought, I don't know who Pastor Chris is, but maybe he needs prayer more than I do right now. I don't know. But great kid, just wrong name, right? So he's praying. I want to pray for Pastor Taylor and Pastor Chris. And right then in that moment, another young man in the youth group, hollers, it's not his name!03:11I laughed about that for three days.03:13It was like the ultimate shot block, right?03:17It was like, Pastor Chris, it's not his name!03:20Knocked into my house, right?03:26Like, I could have just let it slide.03:32But there was somebody in our group that absolutely was not going to let that slide. Why am I telling you that story? Because when we approach the subject of speaking in tongues, it is easy for us and it is easy for me to sort of adopt the attitude that I had during that youth group prayer. To be like, well, you know what? People believe different things about speaking in tongues and some people may Maybe have this private gibberish prayer language. Whatever. I can just let it slide. And I've got to tell you, through the study of God's Word, especially the last month, God's Word has sort of been like that other kid that was shot blocking to say, that's not what it's for. Speaking in tongues, right? Gibberish before God, right? That's not what it's for. So truth does matter.04:33And let's let the word of God block the shot on any lies. Right? People are all over the board. We talk about speaking in tongues. People are all over the board on the topic. One of the biggest churches in the area. It is a regular practice. Speaking in tongues.05:03What does the Bible say about it? Well, we've been talking about it a lot as we've been going through these chapters in 1 Corinthians. Speaking in tongues, there's a biblical gift. There's a spiritual gift. And speaking in tongues is speaking in a real language that you never learned. Right? We learned that from Acts chapter 2, Pentecost. People were speaking in languages they never learned. People were hearing in their own language.05:35It would be as if I got up this morning, I never studied Mandarin, but I got up and I just started supernaturally. I had the ability to speak Mandarin. That's what speaking in tongues was for, speaking a known language. We're going to cover that today. But the question, before we get to the purpose of the spiritual gift, I think we have to ask, well, you know, this, gibberish thing where people, you know, either in church or in their private prayer language and they just sort of let loose with a, it's not a known language, it's just like gibberish and a bunch of ecstatic speech. Like, what's the purpose of that? And if you ask somebody that believes in the gibberish prayer language, speaking in tongues, if you ask them, like, what's the purpose?06:34you'll hear things like, well, it's for prayer. It's for prayer. That's just not taught in the Bible. Not by direct instruction and not by example. You just don't see that. Some people say, well, no, it's like this highly exalted form of praise. Well, if that's true, then why does he tell us that tongues will cease? If it's such a great way to praise God, why would he put an end to it?07:03But some people say, no, no, no. Speaking in tongues is about evangelism, right? It's not. Like, later, check this out, Acts chapter 2. Was tongues for evangelism? No. Acts chapter 2 tells you what the people said and what was heard in tongues. What were they talking about? What was the message being communicated? Acts 2.11 tells us they were declaring the mighty works of God.07:33about the things that God did in the Old Testament. That's what they spoke. That was what the languages were communicating. What God had done during Old Testament times. And you see, that caught the attention of the Jews. But when it comes to evangelism, Peter got up, Acts chapter 2, he didn't preach in tongues. He didn't preach in gibberish. Like, how do you know? Well, because the sermon is recorded for us in Acts chapter 2.08:04And there are some people, and I've had some lively discussions with people about this, but there are people that believe that speaking in tongues is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That's how you know you're baptized in the Holy Spirit, right? That is so easily disproven. Because in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says, we've all been baptized in one Spirit, right? What was that? Verse 13.08:32We've all been baptized in one spirit. Then he says in verse 30, we don't all speak in tongues. So speaking in tongues is the evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit. That doesn't wash with what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 12. So, in the first 19 verses, we covered them last week, speaking in tongues, Paul says gibberish is nothing. Even the real gift, Paul said, it's not that important. Look at verse 19.09:02This kind of sums it all up. Paul says, nevertheless, in church, I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than 10,000 words in a tongue. And that was the message last week. He says, look, church, something else, when you get together, something else needs to be the focus of your worship services. And he said it, remember, over and over and over.09:32What we need to focus on is building each other up. And that happens through prophecy. That's speaking before. That just means preaching. It's speaking the Word of God. Teaching and preaching. That's what we need to be doing when we get together as a church. Well, as we approach the text we're looking at today, he's continuing the thought. Why? Why is prophecy greater than tongues?10:02Just very simply in this passage, he says the reason prophecy is greater than tongues is that you have to consider the purpose of prophecy and you have to consider the purpose of tongues. Like, why did God give us these things? So, on your outline, tongues and prophecy. Remember the purposes. Right? Number one, the purpose of tongues. Why did God give that spiritual gift? The Bible.10:32is clear on this. It's a sign of judgment for Israel. That is the purpose of speaking in tongues. It is a sign of judgment for Israel. Look at verse 20. He says, brothers, you don't be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil. But in your thinking, be mature.11:02He's rebuking them. He goes, you don't understand. You don't understand. And Paul's like, you're thinking like a bunch of children. Do you know how children think? Do you know how children think? Let me give you an example from when I was a child. Alright? Like, this is like second grade. There was a kid in my class. I'm not going to say his name. He might be watching the stream. He's going to be really upset. But there was this kid in my class like in the second grade and he was going around telling everybody the one day.11:32He's like, I'm 67% Indian.11:38That means I can run faster than anybody in this class.11:42And I'm like, there's no way.11:45There's no way.11:47There's no way you're faster than me.11:50He's like, I am.11:51I'm 67.11:52It was like some decimal.11:53I don't remember, like 67.3 or whatever.11:55He goes, I'm 67.3% Indian.11:58I can run faster than you.12:00I'm like, there's no way you can run faster than me.12:04But he was maintaining that. I'm like, all right, recess. Recess, it's on. You, the me, we're going to race. So we did. We got out to the kickball field, standing on first base. I said, all right, we're going to run to second base and back to first base. All right? Settle this once and for all. On your mark at second, I don't think I'm any percent Indian, but I was fast. And I was to second base and back to first before he was to second base. Smoked him. So I go to him afterwards. I'm like, now what? Like, I beat you by a mile. Do you know what he said? He said, well, I couldn't run fast because I'm wearing cowboy boots.13:02And I said, why is an Indian wearing cowboy boots? What do we learn from that exchange? That's how children act. That's how children act. Immature. Showing off. Like, look at me. Look at what I can do. Look at what I can do. And that's what the Corinthians were doing. They were wanting to show off. Look at how spiritual I am. I'm going to speak in this language. Me and God have our own private language.13:31And they were just constantly showing off. And Paul's like, you're acting like a bunch of kids racing on the kickball field. Knock it off. And continuing with the maturity metaphor, he says, be infants in evil. I love that. Be infants in evil. You ever been around a baby? I know you have.14:01Babies are not mean spirited. In the same playpen, you can put a white baby, a black baby, an Asian baby, a Latino baby. They're not going to fight. There's no racial hatred. There's no mean spirited attitudes about them at all. Babies are just like, you know, I eat, I poop, I'm happy. And Paul's like, you need to be Infants.14:34In evil.14:35He says, but you've got to grow up in the way you think.14:40Paul's pointing out to him, you're backwards.14:42You're infants in your understanding of God's Word, of God's purposes, and you're mature in evil.14:52So, the biblical gift of speaking in tongues.14:57Speaking in an existing language that you never learned.15:04Here's the million dollar question. What is it for? What is the purpose? Why did God even make that a thing? Well, to get the answer, you've got to go back to the Old Testament. Right? And that's exactly what he did. Look at verse 21. Paul's clearing it up. In the law, it is written.15:30By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people. And even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord. Stop there. There's the purpose of tongue. What are you talking about? Alright, we're not going to turn there. But I encourage you to do this later. Alright? Paul is quoting Isaiah chapter 28.16:0011th verses, what you want to focus on. I'm going to give you a quick history lesson so we understand why Paul is quoting this verse. Isaiah 28, we're talking about the prophet Isaiah, we're talking about the southern kingdom, Judah, we're talking about the days of King Hezekiah, we're talking about 705 B.C. Now in 722 B.C., just a few years prior, Assyria conquered the northern kingdom. It was called Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah. Assyria conquered the northern kingdom as an act of God's judgment because of their idolatry and unbelief. So when you get to this passage in Isaiah 28, 705 B.C., years later, Isaiah goes to the southern kingdom, Judah, and says, you're committing the same sins that God just punished Israel for. You're doing the same stuff. And Isaiah warned them, you're doing the same thing.17:00the same sins, and God's going to bring the same judgment on you. Well, Isaiah 28. Isaiah goes to the leaders, specifically the priests and the prophets, and he finds them at a party, and they're all drunk. And not only is their drunkenness impairing their decision making ability, but they are vomiting all over the table. That's what it says. It's a disgusting scene. So Isaiah comes to give the message and the Bible says they mock Isaiah. They make fun of him. They're like, Isaiah thinks we're babies. Do you hear what he's saying? Isaiah just keeps preaching the same message to us over and over and over.18:00Isaiah thinks we're babies. Isaiah thinks he's our kindergarten teacher. Well, Isaiah 28.11, the verse that Paul quotes here in 1 Corinthians 14.21, God is speaking through Isaiah and he's saying, okay, Israel, you're not going to listen in a language that you know. I'm going to speak to you in a language that you don't understand.18:31And the Babylonians came and they conquered Judah, the southern kingdom. They conquered them 586 B.C. When you hear God is saying, when you hear the Babylonians speaking in their language that you do not understand, you're going to know that God is bringing His judgment. That's what He's saying. And by the way, this wasn't the first time Israel was warned about this. Deuteronomy 28, 49, God warned in the law, the Lord will bring a nation against you from far away from the end of the earth, swooping down like an eagle. Look at this. A nation whose language you do not understand. God promised him this is what's going to happen. Again, Jeremiah 5.15. I think we talked about this a couple weeks ago. Behold, I'm bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation. It is an ancient nation. Look, a nation whose language you do not know, to understand what they say. So here's the point. Hearing a foreign tongue, Israel, is a sign to the unbelieving Jews among you that God is moving in judgment against you. And you see, if God judged Israel in 725, 2. And God judged Judah in 586 BC. What do you think God is going to do to the unbelieving Jews in the first century that completely rejected the Messiah of Israel? God says you won't listen in your language. You're going to hear languages you don't understand. That's Pentecost. Tongues was a sign that Israel was judged. Romans 11.20:29temporarily set aside. And Revelation is so clear about that. Temporary. But now God is at work through Gentile nations as well as Israel. The focus shifted. That's why Paul tells us in 13.8 the tongues will cease. They're not needed today. Because they were a sign of judgment against Israel during the transition from the Old Covenant.20:59to the new covenant. There's a sign. He goes on. Look at verse 22 here in 1 Corinthians 14. He says, thus, tongues are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers, but for believers. He couldn't be more clear. Tongues are not for other believers.21:29From the Old Testament, we learn it was, as he says in verse 22, it's a sign for unbelievers. You're like, what unbelievers? Unbelieving Israel. It's the sign. He says prophecy, though, preaching the Word of God, that is for building up believers. That was last week's message. We're going to see that more again in a minute. Look at verse 23. He says, If therefore the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? You see? There's something very interesting about the wording here. This phrase, to say that you're out of your minds. Maybe your Bible says something like, they'll say that you're mad. Does your Bible say something like that if you have a different translation? It's interesting. The word, this word mad, this word out of your mind, that same word is used in other places in ancient literature to describe Pagan worship services. The gibberish. That's the same word used to describe that. When everybody got together and was just shouting stuff that nobody understood, they're like, that's mad. That's this word. They're going to think you're crazy. Everybody's shouting words people don't understand. What Paul's saying here is, you know what's going to happen? Is an unbeliever is going to come to church and he's going to say, Huh! They act just like the pagans. They are no different than the way the pagans worship. That's exactly, literally what Paul's saying here. So that's the purpose of tongues. It's not gibberish shouting at church. It's not some secret ecstatic prayer language. Paul reminds us it was always a sign of judgment against Israel.24:00Tongues and prophecy remember their purpose. Tongues is a sign of judgment for Israel. Number two, let's talk about the purpose of prophecy. What is the purpose of prophecy? Why do we preach? Why do we preach? I mean, it seems a little archaic, doesn't it? In our day of 15-second video, clips that we doom scroll through and our 30 second antacid commercials. It doesn't seem a little archaic that somebody would stand up for however many minutes we stand up and talk. Why do we do that? What is the purpose of prophecy? You're going to see here in the text exactly why we do this.25:01It manifests God's presence. Look at verses 24 and 25. You're going to see it. He says, but if all prophesy, teach, preach the word. But if all prophesy and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all. He is called to account.25:28By all the secrets of his heart are disclosed. And so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. It's the same point he made in the first 19 verses. He's like, church, look. Church, you know what you need to focus on?25:58You need to focus on preaching and teaching. That's what you need to focus on. So what's the purpose of prophecy? Well, he made a very clear point in the previous section. The purpose of prophecy is to build up believers. And also, speaking of unbelievers coming to church, which he brings up in this section, Paul says, when an unbeliever hears the word of God rightly proclaimed, something happens. What happens is God moves. I want you to look at this sequence. This is why we preach. Look at the sequence. He says, an unbeliever, outsider enters the church, and you are preaching the Word of God rightly. That's why we always ask for prayer. Please pray for us to preach the Word of God accurately. But look at the first thing that happens. He says he is convicted by all. He's convicted by all. The first thing that happens, and I know, I know, this isn't popular in our day, but this is what the Bible says. The first thing that happens, is that person feels guilty.27:28And listen, that has to happen.27:35Some people just want feel-good messages.27:38We've had people leave our church because they just want a feel-good message.27:47And we live in a day more than ever, and you see this in front of you every day, Make me comfortable in my sin. Affirm me. Don't tell me I'm wrong. Look at my sin and tell me I'm special. They just want the feel-good messages. Give me the pep talk. Give me the five ways to be happier at work, four ways to be happier at home.28:23feel bad.28:29By the way, do you know why the world hated Jesus?28:33Do you know?28:35Do you know why the world hated Jesus?28:37Just write this down.28:38Look this up later.28:39John 7, 7.28:41Just write that down.28:41Look it up.28:43Why the world hated Jesus?28:47Well, you should feel convicted.28:50You should.28:51You should feel a sense of I'm wrong. I'm guilty. That's the first part of the sequence. Look at the second thing. He says, he is convicted by all. Secondly, he is called to account by all. Called into account by all. Now listen, that doesn't mean that when like a person, stuck in a sinful lifestyle comes to church. We all get to take a shot at them. That's not what that means. Like somebody comes in and they're like, I'm struggling with an addiction. And I'm like, okay, stand here. Everybody line up. Take a shot. We're going to call them to account. Everybody just comes through the line. You're a loser. You need to repent. You stink. That's not what that means at all. What does it mean to be called into account by all? It's positive peer pressure. It's somebody looking.29:51and Christ alive through you and recognizing the need to change. To say, these people are different. These people live differently. This is who I need to be. They need to be looking around and saying, man, I need to know the Bible like him. You know, I need to get away from this addiction that's been destroyed.30:24I need to get away from the bad influences. I need to make choices. The choices to follow Jesus that I see her making, I need to make those same choices. That's what he's talking about. Everybody sort of calls them into account, like positive peer pressure. Right? What else happens when the Word is proclaimed? Look at verse 25. The third thing. The secrets of his heart are only God's word can do that. I can't do that. Pastor Taylor can't do that. Nobody can do that. The word of God is the only thing that can disclose the secrets of your heart. It's through the preaching of the word. Those secrets are disclosed and that's what brings the feeling of guilt. I've been a hypocrite. I've been faking. You know what? I've been lying.31:22I've been lying to other people. I want everybody to think I'm so noble. I want everybody to think I got my act together and I don't. I see now that my problem is me. I have a sin problem in my heart. I am the problem. The secrets of the heart are disclosed.31:51The next step. He says, and so, falling on his face. What's that? That's humbling yourself. Right? It's when you realize I'm such a hypocrite. I'm guilty. I'm a faker. And I'm a sinner. And I'm not the man that I need to be. Oh God, help me.32:21I have tried so hard to be the person that I think I need to be and I fail every time. I can't do it. And I just, all I can do is get on my face and say, say, God, help me. I can't do it on my own. That's what he's talking about here. Falls on his face. Look at the next one. He says, he will worship God. He will worship God.32:51You see, God saves those and changes those who confess their sin and believe in Jesus Christ. See, Jesus died in your place on that cross. That should have been you nailed to the cross. That should have been me nailed to the cross. Jesus took your place on that cross to bear the wrath of God, not for anything He did, because He lived.33:21a sinless life. He bore the wrath of God for the sins that I committed and the sins that you committed. He bore God's wrath for those. And if you turn and believe in Him, you become a child of God and He changes you and you never, ever, in all of eternity have to experience the wrath of God for your sin that you deserve. You don't have to experience it because Jesus has taken your sin away from you and that when you really get that that leads you to worship thank you god thank you god for doing what i could never do thank you god for pronouncing me not just not guilty but pronouncing me righteous in jesus christ thank you god for the promise of heaven thank you god thank you god you are so awesome and you are so worthy and you are so holy Thank you. It leads you to worship. And then finally, he says, then declare that God is really among you. That's what happens when the Word of God is rightly preached. And somebody is broken over their sin. They realize their guilt. They humble themselves. They worship. They walk out.34:47the doors and say, I met God at church today.34:54God was there.34:56I met God in the worship, in the preaching.35:00I encountered God through His Word.35:02I saw God through the people.35:09They walk out.35:10I met God today.35:14That's why people stop going to church, by the way.35:17That's why people love going to churches where the gospel isn't proclaimed. Because they don't want to change. That's the reason. They don't want to change. But every single time that I encounter God, I am moved to change.35:47single time. Read your Bibles. Read your Bibles and look at every single person who encountered God. Every single person who encountered Jesus Christ. They changed or they fled. But an encounter with God will change you. That's why we just preach the Word. That's why anybody who stands up here, the job is always the same.36:17Represent the text. Represent the text. That's what we go for. And we strive to live it because this right here is what we want for this church more than anything. For people to declare that God is really among us. For people to see God do what only God can do. If our worship team would make their way back up front, Speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues. It's kind of my own private gibberish prayer language, right? It's not what it's for. It's not what it's for. But does it really matter? Yeah. It matters. The purpose of tongues mattered.37:17For God's plan for Israel. The purpose of preaching matters for God's plan for the church today. And the purpose of a sermon like this isn't to equip you to win an argument, but rather to keep us all on track of what we should be going after every single Sunday and why.37:46Let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, this church was planted on the belief that the Word of God does the work of God. And Father, I thank You for this passage we looked at today because You have explained it here so clearly, what needs to happen when Your Word is proclaimed. Father, we aren't trying to put on a show. We're not trying to make a name for ourselves.38:17more in this church than for people to walk out the doors and say, God is really there. God is really among them. God was made manifest through His people, through worship, through the proclamation of the Word. Father, I pray where we would be tempted to act like children and fight about this, make us mature in our thinking.38:47to go after the things that matter to you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 14:20-25What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Explain, in your own words, the purpose of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. (1 Cor 14:21-22).How exactly does prophecy (preaching) manifest God's presence (end of 1 Cor 14:25)? How does the sequence flow (1 Cor 14:24-25)?Does this passage change your view on speaking in tongues? Why or why not?BreakoutPray for one another.

Dr. Tom Curran shares insights from his Father's Day celebration with his family. Tom talks about the generational impacts of affirming others, handing-on the faith, fasting from comforts/ embracing a difficult path, and more!

Iran and Oman have said they are committed to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. A joint statement said the two countries will establish a joint working team to discuss the management of shipping in the strait.

Guests Include: FAIR's Hannah Davis, MacIver Institute's Annette Olson, Heartland Institute's James Taylor, MRC's Tim Graham, Rep.Derrick Van Orden, WILL's Rebecca Furdek

In der heutigen Folge sprechen die Finanzjournalisten Daniel Eckert und Lea Oetjen über den ersten Dämpfer für SpaceX, die Gold-Kehrtwende von Goldman Sachs und was sonst noch so wichtig wird in dieser Woche. Außerdem geht es um MSCI Inc., Lanxess, Evonik, Wacker Chemie, BASF, Suss Microtec, Visa, Mastercard, Amazon, Shopify, Apple, PayPal, Sezzle, Affirm, Block, Klarna, iShares MSCI Global Semiconductors (WKN: A3CVRA), VanEck Quantum Computing ETF (WKN: A418QM), ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (WKN: A2PEAN), Global X FinTech ETF (WKN: A2QPBZ) und BIT Global Fintech Leaders (WKN: A2QJLA). Und mit dem Code „AAAFRIENDS“ spart ihr jetzt 50 Prozent auf Eure Tickets beim Finance Summit am 2. Oktober – aber nur unter diesem Link: https://veranstaltung.businessinsider.de/event/financesummit26/summary?rp=c6dc55d6-6f4f-4fb4-b75f-3f3501d84859 Wir freuen uns an Feedback über aaa@welt.de. Noch mehr "Alles auf Aktien" findet Ihr bei WELTplus und Apple Podcasts – inklusive aller Artikel der Hosts. Hier bei WELT: https://www.welt.de/podcasts/alles-auf-aktien/plus247399208/Boersen-Podcast-AAA-Bonus-Folgen-Jede-Woche-noch-mehr-Antworten-auf-Eure-Boersen-Fragen.html. Hier könnt ihr den AAA-Newsletter abonnieren: https://www.welt.de/newsletter/article232797673/Alles-auf-Aktien-Der-taegliche-Boersen-Newsletter-fuer-WELTplus-Abonnenten.html Und – ganz neu: AAA gibt es jetzt auch auf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alles_auf_aktien/ Disclaimer: Die im Podcast besprochenen Aktien und Fonds stellen keine spezifischen Kauf- oder Anlage-Empfehlungen dar. Die Moderatoren und der Verlag haften nicht für etwaige Verluste, die aufgrund der Umsetzung der Gedanken oder Ideen entstehen. Hörtipps: Für alle, die noch mehr wissen wollen: Holger Zschäpitz können Sie jede Woche im Finanz- und Wirtschaftspodcast "Deffner&Zschäpitz" hören. +++ Werbung +++ Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte! https://linktr.ee/alles_auf_aktien Anzeige: Diese Folge enthält Werbung für Smartbroker+. Depot eröffnen, 30 € ETF als Bonus sichern und aus tausenden ETFs wählen. Smartbroker+ macht Investieren einfach. Alle Informationen gibt es unter: https://get.smartbrokerplus.de/triple-aaa-podcast2/ Impressum: https://www.welt.de/services/article7893735/Impressum.html Datenschutz: https://www.welt.de/services/article157550705/Datenschutzerklaerung-WELT-DIGITAL.html

Nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy, and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease. On today's episode, we discuss the spiritual law of least effort. Faith and love permit us to relinquish concern and embrace ease. Affirm, “My trust in God manifests miracles,” and take note of how trust accomplishes more through ease, than worry and scheming accomplishes with hard work. A direct way of stating this is, “Easy does it: the good you seek is seeking you.” Author and recovering “Hardaholic” Anne Sermons Gillis inspires all of us to relinquish ego driven struggle and embrace the law of least effort.  For more information and/or to contact us go to: https://www.darrellanded.com/ To become a Patreon contributor vist the link: https://www.patreon.com/funniestthing Find Anne Sermons Gillis at http://annegillis.com/ Discover Darrell Fusaro at https://www.darrellfusaro.com/  

Affirm CEO and PayPal co-founder Max Levchin joins us to explain how AI agents are about to change the way you shop, pay, and find deals online. We get into Affirm's new partnership with Google, what "agentic commerce" actually means for your wallet, and the one money habit he thinks most people are missing.---

In episode 497 of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb bring the Parable of the Talents to a close with one of the most theologically rich discussions in recent memory. Beginning in Matthew 25:24, they zero in on the one-talent servant — not merely as a cautionary tale about productivity, but as a profound case study in distorted theology. The servant's fatal error wasn't laziness alone; it was a fundamentally false picture of his master. That mischaracterization produced a craven, fearful inaction that the hosts argue maps directly onto the eschatological stakes of the parable. Drawing on Calvin, William Ames, and Reformed confessional commitments, Tony and Jesse make the case that right theology is never merely academic — it shapes the whole of life, and ultimately determines one's eschatological destiny. Key Takeaways The one-talent servant's core failure is theological, not behavioral — he constructs a false image of his master as harsh and exploitative, and that distorted theology governs everything that follows. False theology produces fatal inaction — the servant's fear is not godly fear but a craven dread rooted entirely in his mischaracterization of the master's character. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are inseparable — following Calvin's Institutes, the hosts argue that a right understanding of God as gracious and generous will produce active, trusting faithfulness, while a distorted view produces fearful, minimal compliance. The parable is fundamentally eschatological, not merely practical — interpreting the talents primarily as spiritual gifts or ministry opportunities misses the point; the parable is about who belongs to the master's kingdom and who does not. Character precedes action — the faithful servants do not become faithful by producing returns; they produce returns because they are faithful. The wicked servant buries his talent because he is wicked, not the other way around. William Ames understood the servant's sin as a violation of the ninth commandment — by burying his talent, the servant effectively bears false witness against God's own estimation of the gift, rejecting both the gift and the Giver. The "outer darkness" language is not out of place — it is the natural eschatological conclusion for someone who never genuinely knew or trusted the master, making the parable a picture of what it means to be outside the grace and presence of God entirely. Key Concepts False Theology as the Root of Inaction The most striking feature of the one-talent servant's account is not what he did — or failed to do — but what he believed. He tells his master, "I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed." Tony and Jesse point out that nothing in the parable supports this characterization. A master who entrusts his servants with what amounts to decades of wages — hundreds of years' worth of labor between three servants — is not a hard, exploitative figure. He is astonishingly generous and trusting. The servant has constructed a theological fiction, and that fiction becomes the prison of his own inaction. This is not a peripheral observation; it is the interpretive key to the entire parable. What we believe about God determines everything about how we live before Him. The Knowledge of God Shapes the Whole of Life Calvin famously opens the Institutes with the observation that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are so bound together that it is nearly impossible to determine which is logically prior. Jesse draws on this insight to show that the one-talent servant's self-understanding — timid, fearful, paralyzed — flows directly from his distorted image of God. A person who genuinely knows God as gracious, generous, and long-suffering will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding will retreat into fearful, minimalist compliance. This is not merely a first-century observation. It is a diagnostic tool for self-examination: the shape of our obedience reveals the shape of our theology. Reformed orthodoxy has always insisted that right doctrine is not academic — it is the engine of the Christian life. Character Precedes Action — The Anti-Works-Righteousness Reading One of the most important guardrails Tony and Jesse set up in this episode is against a subtle works-righteousness reading of the parable. It is tempting to hear the parable and conclude: do productive things for the kingdom, and you will be welcomed as a good and faithful servant. But the hosts argue that this inverts the logic of the text entirely. The faithful servants are not commended because they generated a return; they generated a return because they are faithful servants. The wicked servant buries his talent because he is wicked — his character drives his conduct, not the reverse. Justification and sanctification alike are received by faith in Christ alone, and no reading of this parable should suggest that our eschatological standing is secured by our productivity. The sheep act like sheep because they are sheep. That punchline, Tony notes, will carry them straight into the sheep and the goats passage next week. Memorable Quotes "Who is it that's not going to be saved in the last day? It's the people who don't recognize the master. The people who think that the master is a hard man who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has not scattered. Well, if we think that's who God is, we have a lot of trouble coming our way." — Tony Arsenal "A person who genuinely knows the living God as gracious, generous, long-suffering, with that kind of hesed kind of love — that person will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding is always going to retreat in this fearful, minimal kind of compliance." — Jesse Schwamb "The sheep act like sheep because they're sheep. They don't become sheep because they do sheep things. They do sheep things because they're sheep." — Tony Arsenal Full Transcript Welcome to episode four hundred and ninety seven of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse  And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast with ears to hear Hey, brother  [00:00:42] Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. We're back at it again. We're hanging out in Matthew's gospel, the 25th chapter, and it's time to, I think, close out the Parable of the Talents, where we've got two servants that double their master's money, and one who buries his in the ground like a Calvinist who's confused predestination with doing nothing. And of course, all of this irony is the faithful servants, they can't even take credit. The master supplied the capital, the ability, and apparently even the bull market. It's grace all the way down. But meanwhile, the one talent guy returns exactly what he was given and he gets absolutely wrecked, and we're gonna dig into that. Gonna dig into- ... that later.  [00:01:26] Affirm or Deny Segment [00:01:26] Jesse Schwamb: But before we do, it's what everybody's waiting for. It's that time in the podcast where we affirm with something that we really like or we recommend or we think is undervalued, or we deny against something that's exactly the opposite. Not worth it, no good, get it out of here. So Tony, are you affirming with or denying against?  [00:01:43] Tony Arsenal: I'm denying against something related to the World Cup. Um-  [00:01:47] Jesse Schwamb: Okay ...  [00:01:48] Tony Arsenal: I am not a purist, so please don't hear me as, like, elitist soccer dude who is resistant to any sort of changes, but, um, I didn't actually even know this was happening. Are you following the World Cup at all, Jesse? [00:02:01] Jesse Schwamb: I'm trying to. I'm not against it, I'm just finding myself- Yeah ... stuck in  [00:02:05] Tony Arsenal: trying to like- There, there's a lot going on.  [00:02:06] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah ... yeah, coordinate everything.  [00:02:07] Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the things that they... And they're at weird times this year too- Yes ... at least so far they are.  [00:02:11] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly.  [00:02:11] Hydration Breaks Rant [00:02:11] Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the things this year that I noticed that I didn't know was happening, and I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, is, uh, I, I guess I understand why they're doing it, but they've instituted what they're calling mandatory hydration breaks-  [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: Oh,  [00:02:26] Tony Arsenal: I've read about this uh, into the games. Yeah. And essentially what this has done is it's turned a game that used to be, uh, and has always been two 45-minute halves-  [00:02:38] Jesse Schwamb: Mm-hmm ...  [00:02:38] Tony Arsenal: um, uh, with overage time, right? So, like, the, the ref will sometimes just, like, add a couple minutes. Usually it's, you know, three to five, maybe 10 minutes at the most to the end of the, the half. They've turned that from, uh, two 45-minute halves into now four, what is that? Like, 23-minute quarters, 22 and a half- Right ... minute quarters. Um, and they're not always quarters. They're not always evenly split. They sometimes do the hydration break early or later. Um, this is awful. It's just awful, right? One of the, one of the, um, maybe this is me being a little bit of a soccer purist. One of the things about soccer that makes it a challenging sport is the endurance of it.  [00:03:21] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:03:22] Tony Arsenal: Right? And contrary to what I think most people think when they watch soccer, um, it's one of the few games, few professional games that doesn't have a ton of breaks- Right? There's not a lot of times where, where match play actually stops for any real amount of time. Um, and that's what stoppage time is. It's not intended to be something like football, where there often is time on the clock where the clock is still moving, but the game is not, like, actively progressing forward, right? Right. You have to do something special to stop the clock. In soccer, uh, at least historically, 45 minutes of play is 45 minutes of play. It's, it's 45 minutes of actual actionable play. And now, um, you know, they stop the game. The clock doesn't continue, but now the game stre- like, the, the game itself stretches longer 'cause they've introduced these additional breaks. So I'm denying, uh... This just sounds like s- I'm such a ghoul here. I'm denying mandatory hydration breaks, not because I want soccer players to get sunstroke. Uh, they get plenty of water. There's plenty of times they get to stop and get water. It's- And this is... We didn't have mandatory hydration breaks when the World Cup was in Qatar. Right. Right? And everybody, for the most part, was fine. Like, the players were all fine. There were no casualties on the field. I don't even recall, like, major medical problems on the field. We're in LA now. Yeah, it's warm, summer, but come on, guys. Like, let's, let's, let's be real. This is not, uh, this is not rec league. This is not, you know, U15 league play with, with kids. These are adult men who condition for a living. Like, this is their job, is to be conditioned and for their bodies to be in peak performance. So it's just... It just interrupts the game. I don't know. I'm, I'm being a little crotchety here, but I feel like I have a right to be 'cause this is my show, and I can do what I want to. That's absolutely true. So I'm denying hydration breaks, mandatory hydrat- hydration breaks, which change the game. And a commentator actually commented about that on, on the match the other day. Um, it changes the dynamic of the game. It changes the strategy of the game. Um, it changes the whole feel of the game, right from the strategy of how long you have to be able to go, right? This will change how- how footballers have to condition themselves, 'cause they're no longer having to condition themselves for two 45-minute halves. They're having to condition themselves for four 22-and-a-half minute quarters, um, which is not the same game as, as that. So anyway, we'll- it's yet to see, be seen if that has any real impact on the outcome of any games or anything like that. But it was annoying to me, so I'm denying mandatory hydration breaks. [00:05:59] Jesse Schwamb: That's great. We haven't had a good denial in a little while on this podcast. I think that's fantastic. I mean, not the break, but the denial itself. Plus, and I don't wanna be... You'll have to tell me if I'm speaking conspiratorial here, because most of my apparent World Cup and general sports news still comes from The Wall Street Journal, so that might be a weird place to get it. But- ... the, I became aware of this through an article that was lamenting the exact same thing. Yeah. It was just basically all the arguments that you said. Like, it's weird, and the game wasn't designed this way, and it's definitely like an interruption. It's definitely like an insertion.  [00:06:32] Ads and Soccer Purism [00:06:32] Jesse Schwamb: And then, of course, was all the stuff about, isn't this really about just allowing commercial break time, and it's more about that, and we're just conveniently saying that we need the hydration breaks. And what else would they, we have them do if we needed to force them to take a break but say, "You know what? Why don't you guys take a knee and get some water- Yeah ... while we show you some ads?" So I imagine that doesn't sit well with people either.  [00:06:52] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. I mean, I'm sure that that's the case. Again, I, I haven't even been able to watch a full, full World Cup match, so I don't, I don't know... I don't even know how long the hydration breaks are, to be honest with you. But yes, it's an interruption in play where they can cut to commercial. And whether that was why they put this in place or not, or whether they're just utilizing it, it's obnoxious. Like, part of the fun of watching soccer is that there is no commercial break for the first 45 minutes. Right. Um, that's just part of- Which is unusual in sports ... part of the joy of the game, is that it's a continual game with no real breaks. Um, even when, like, a player is injured because, you know, there's an injury on the field or something like that, um, even when that happens, they don't cut to commercial because there was no planned commercial. They don't have anything there. Right. So, um, it's changed, like, the way... Y- you know, even, even things like this is gonna change how uniforms are thought out, because sponsorship money through uniforms used to be the m- one of the main commercial-driving, like, sponsorships for, um, for the game. So I'm just annoyed by it. [00:07:53] More Rule Changes [00:07:53] Tony Arsenal: There's an- a couple other things that I'm annoyed by this year. They have this... It's kinda like that automatic up call checker thing we talked about. Right. They have this, like, um- They call it mistaken identity, uh, recheck. Basically where if a player is fouled or appears to be fouled, they can, someone can flag it and it will recheck it and, like, digitally the system tells them whether there was a foul or not. And like I said before when we were talking about this a little bit before, um, there is a real element in the game, or there has been a real element to the game historically, where the ump is almost like, or the ref is almost like a third player, and you have to be wise and play the ref. Um, you have to, you know, there's, there's an element of a little bit of, uh, espionage and subtle- Right you know, subterfuge here going on in the game that I think people outside the game who are just watching, they look and they think like, "Oh, yeah, that guy flopped." But there's a whole, like, art and there's a whole form to that, and there's real cost if you do it poorly. Um, and so, like, we've already had one instance where a yellow card was called on a player. Uh, the other player simulated the foul. Um, and so they reversed it and gave the other guy a yellow card, but they did that after the game. Um, which, which is a whole other thing. Like, you play a whole game, um I could talk about this all night. Like when you get, when you get a red card- ... you're, you're out for an entire game, not just- Right the rest of this game. You're out for an entire game. Your position is out for an entire game, so that might mean you start the next match down a player. Well, what does that mean if you are given a red card sort of posthumously after the match, right? Right. Like, you- it's changed the whole calculation because for the whole game, that player, uh, was playing as though he didn't have a yellow card. And that, maybe that's good, maybe that's bad, but he was playing the game as though he didn't have a yellow card, and then all of a sudden now he does. Um, he doesn't go... I don't think he goes into the next match starting with a yellow card. Um, a- and so I'm kind of like, "Well, what's the, what's the point?" But, um, you know, some of that plays into, like, if there's ties and ties, match, match point ties, then they start looking at who has penalties and stuff. But either way, it's annoying that they, they're introducing this. Like, we didn't need to have... Yes, there's probably a place for reviewing a, a bad ref's calls. Right. They've also added, like, automatic on offsides. There was a whole strategy and a whole part of the game of forcing a person offsides, of drawing a person offsides, being offsides without looking like you're offsides. Some people may look at that and go, "Well, that's cheating," but no, it's actually just part of the game. Right. Like, playing the ref and understanding that is part of the game. And now it's still part of the game, but it's part of the game in a different way, and that's... Maybe I am just being a purist, but I just, I don't like it. I don't like it. Give me back my beautiful game the way it's always been and get off my lawn, get off the turf, get off my pitch, whatever. Um, I'm denying the fact that the World Cup is not as it's always been. But also, like, we don't need this stuff. Like, the World Cup has been fine for how many years?  [00:11:03] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:11:03] Tony Arsenal: We don't need water breaks like this- W- i- you know, if it was like last World Cup, five players died from dehydration in the middle of the... Like, okay, like yeah, let's do some water breaks. But like, nobody died. Nobody even had major medical emergencies. I think a couple people had to come out of the game a little early 'cause they weren't well-hydrated. But like- Right ... run to the side, get a water bottle. Like, you can do that in the middle of a game. There's nothing- Yeah ... against the rules to stand by the sideline, drink when someone's doing a substitution or even in the middle of the game. I've seen that happen, where someone will sprint over to the sideline, they'll take a drink of water, and then they'll throw the cup back over. So anywho, we should move on. This could be my entire, my entire rant of, for a whole episode- Good ... against the weird changes in, in World Cup soccer, so.  [00:11:48] Jesse Schwamb: Listen, I love it.  [00:11:49] Peacock Spanish Hack [00:11:49] Jesse Schwamb: My favorite hack, uh, for World Cup soccer so far this year, and this was given to me by a colleague, uh, and a brother, I think this is fantastic, is right now because my wife is convalescing, we have all the subscriptions temporarily to allow, like, the full healing process to take place. Watch whatever you want, wherever you want. Except for the World Cup, because the, uh... I- it was just, like, where you could actually get it in English was, like, crazy expensive, at least for me. So here's the thing, though. Somebody reminded me uh, that we have Peacock and that because of Telemundo, could just watch and stream the entire World Cup in Spanish. So guess what, loved ones? We're learning a lot more Spanish- I love it ... and we're watching the World Cup with the announcers on. I'm not turning off that, 'cause that's the best part. And, you know, I'm getting, like, 25% of what's being said, but it is awesome. And there's- Yeah ... a lot more energy and excitement. So if for some reason you have Peacock and you're saying, "Oh, I'm missing the World Cup," technically you don't have to. It's all there for you. That's amazing. Just you gotta embrace Spanish.  [00:12:46] Tony Arsenal: That's amazing. And yes, actually, it probably is more entertaining.  [00:12:49] Jesse Schwamb: It is.  [00:12:50] Tony Arsenal: Um, and you don't, you don't need to... You really don't need to understand what the commentator is- No I mean, like 90% of the time the commentator's like, "Oh, he's having a good year," and, uh- ... yeah, like, "Oh, yeah, yeah, he's looking real great. Do you see how his, uh, laces are laced up?" Like, they're just trying to fill time.  [00:13:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:13:05] Tony Arsenal: So it doesn't really matter what they're saying. And when it does matter what they're saying, you'll get it just from the-  [00:13:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes [00:13:11] Tony Arsenal: just from what the announcer's voices are doing. So I'll have to check that out. Yeah, the, the matches are at weird times, at least so far. I think, I think that once we get out of group play, m- a lot of the matches shift to the East Coast, so there'll be, uh, a little bit more normal times.  [00:13:25] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:13:25] Tony Arsenal: But, like, the first, the first, uh, US match was at 9:00 Eastern Time, and then, like, the last one's at 10:00 Eastern Time. Yeah.  [00:13:32] Jesse Schwamb: So  [00:13:33] Tony Arsenal: late. Yeah, super late, and it's a, it's a three-hour match by the time you, you get done with halftime and everything. So yeah, it'll, it'll... It's, it's frustrating. Although historically, um, every time the men, the men's team has won their first match, they've gotten out of group play, and every time they've lost their fir- first match, they have not gotten out of group play. And we, we really, really won our first match. Yes. Yeah. So I think, I think we'll get out of group play. I think probably, depending on how the, the cards roll, um, we'll probably, we'll probably get through our first elimination round, maybe our second, but we're not gonna go much further than that. Um, even, even that would be a, a pretty good victory, so- Anyway, football is life, right? Danny Ross. Um, do, did you watch Ted last night? Yes,  [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: I have seen it. Yes.  [00:14:25] Tony Arsenal: That was good. Football is life. Um, that's me this time of year. Like, I wore a soccer jersey to work on Friday, and nobody could tell me I couldn't do that, and I didn't care. So- I  [00:14:33] Jesse Schwamb: love it ...  [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: uh, nobody even tried. Everybody, everybody's fine. Everybody loves soccer- How dare they ... and loves the World Cup, so. Yeah. That's the truth. Anywho, save me from this. I, I literally could talk about soccer all night. This is the one sport that I get like this. And the... Not even the one sport. The one sporting event that I get like this about is the World Cup. I love it. So you've gotta, you gotta stop me or I'm not gonna, not gonna stop. Let  [00:14:54] Jesse Schwamb: it out.  [00:14:54] Hydration Tabs Recommendation [00:14:54] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I would say, like, we could play that game with our affirmations and denials where it's, like, six degrees of separation, but we only need one. And this is gonna sound like it was planned, but it wasn't. Your denial, of course, as you've just well articulated, was about hydration breaks. Turns out my affirmation is actually about hydration. So-  [00:15:11] Tony Arsenal: Jesse's affirming hydration breaks. We're about  [00:15:13] Jesse Schwamb: to fight. Yeah. No, I'm, I'm definitely not a- affirming hydration breaks, but this might be the kind of hydration they're having. I don't know, but it's the one I'm gonna recommend. So where I live, it is the summertime, and where I live, we get both the heat and the humidity, and that's the oppressive part, isn't it? It's where it feels like the inside of a dog's mouth. And so I actually just came back from a run, and my go-to hydration break for myself is, uh, Nuun, N-U-U-N. And here's the reason why, is I've had Gatorade, I've had all the... I've had Liquid IV, I've had all that stuff. Most of the time it's r- too sweet. Nuun is just these effervescent dissolvable tablets that you drop into water, and it creates this low sugar electrolyte drink. It has all, like, the normal stuff. It has sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, all that good stuff, but there's just one gram of sugar. And it's this convenient little tab. Like, you can just get this whole little roll of tabs. You can carry them with you if you're going hiking or you're camping or you're out and gonna do a run. You just drop them into a bottle of water or whatever size water you want. I usually go 32 ounces is the way I like it. They have all, all kinds of flavors. It's just the right thing. Like, it's... It is like the refreshing thing of water, but when you're like, "You know what? I wanna taste something that's not water." So Nuun is, like, the right thing. I may have referred to it before, so I'm sorry if I did. But I'm referring with you can order it on, like, Amazon or any kind of, I don't know, general kind of camping or sports-oriented store is probably gonna be there. But it's... For me, it's the right thing because I don't know about you, but I find most sports drinks, like, in general too sweet. Like, you, you start... You have one, and then if I get through it, I'm kind of like, "Ugh, now I feel like my mouth is, like, really just coated in sugar, and that's not what I wanted." Yeah. So this feels like you're, you're getting a little less sweetness, but you don't feel guilty afterwards like you've just consumed a bunch of sugar. I will admit, I drink one I guess it's like 12 ounce Gatorade every week, just one. And this is because there's a delightful and loving, like, 72-year-old woman in our congregation who brings, I believe it's her own, she invests this every week. She brings for the team that is doing the worship through music Gatorade, uh, because she thinks we need to be replenished. So really, we have a hydration break- ... right before the service. But she, it's so beautiful and so delightful, I will never refuse it, and I am also on often parched at the time. So-  [00:17:31] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:17:31] Jesse Schwamb: it does work out, so.  [00:17:31] Tony Arsenal: Jesse's worship team goes real hard. They need to hydrate in the middle. They do a mandatory hydration break in the middle of the- It's, yeah middle of the service.  [00:17:39] Jesse Schwamb: It's mandatory. Yes. We are strict.  [00:17:41] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And it's an, it's a good time for announcements and commercial breaks. Um, yeah. I, I think, uh, and you're... I don't know if you're gonna believe me when I say this. With all of the Nuun that passes its way around the family home when we're all here- Yeah at summertime, I've never had-  [00:17:57] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, really? ...  [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: Nuun. Yeah. We never tried it. I think our go-to for, for sort of powdered energy drink or powdered, uh, sports drink is little Propel packets.  [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: Um- Oh,  [00:18:05] Tony Arsenal: that's not bad either. Propel's not bad. I like Propel. It's very sweet, but it, it doesn't- Yeah ... um, Propel- doesn't add sugar. I think that they've, they've got their formula where it's a sugar-free formula. Um, but it is very sweet. So sometimes I'll only do, like, a half a packet of Propel- Yeah ... which I know kind of, they, they argue that or they, like, advertise as, like, "It's the perfect balance of electro-" I don't know if it's the perfect balance of electrolytes, but- Um, but some is better than none probably. Yeah. And, uh, Propel is not better than Nuun apparently, so.  [00:18:36] Jesse Schwamb: I, I, I think Nuun is, like, top shelf electrolyte. And you can get it, like I said, in lots of flavors. One of the fun things is you can get it caffeinated or uncaffeinated. I mean, most, most of it is uncaffeinated. But if you're like you wanted to have some, they have a what they call Kona Cola, and it is cola-flavored and has caffeine. It's amazing, because it's, like, just slightly effervescent, a little bit bubbly. Not too much. It's still, like, refreshing, but if you like the cola flavor, which as you know is its own distinct combination of elements and spices, then it's right on. So- Yeah ... it's really nice. So there you go. Yeah. Nuun- I- And if you're gonna take a hydration break because you're being forced to while you're playing soccer, I highly suggest you choose Nuun. That's the way to go.  [00:19:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what they're drinking. I think most of the time they're just drinking water.  [00:19:26] Jesse Schwamb: Probably.  [00:19:26] Tony Arsenal: So I, I don't... I mean, I, I think you're supposed to drink something with some electrolytes, so maybe they have some electrolyte-  [00:19:32] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah ...  [00:19:32] Tony Arsenal: water in it. I don't know.  [00:19:33] Jesse Schwamb: I don't know. Probably.  [00:19:34] Join the Telegram Group [00:19:34] Jesse Schwamb: Here's the thing. If you wanna tell us what you like to drink or when you are, let's say, serving the Lord's people by participating in worship through music and you're forced to take a hydration break, as I am at times, then you need to go to t.mereformedbrotherhood. Put that into your browser right now. Take a hydration break and put t.mereformedbrotherhood into your browser and that will send you to a link for Telegram, which is just a little chat app in which we have a small corner of the world. It's brothers and sisters listening to the podcast, interacting, and it's about time, actually, we probably had some kinda taste test stuff-  [00:20:11] Tony Arsenal: Yeah with,  [00:20:12] Jesse Schwamb: like, these kinda hydration drinks. There's so many of them now. Some of them are, like, purposely salty. Some of them are really sweet. Some have all these crazy and wild flavors. Some of them have all kinds of caffeine. So let us know what you like, but best way to do that- Please ... is join the Telegram group. [00:20:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And please do not, uh, do not make your church stop their service for a hydration break. Please don't do that. The only hydration break I wanna hear you talking about in your church service is a baptism. So please-  [00:20:38] Jesse Schwamb: I knew that's  [00:20:38] Tony Arsenal: where you were going ... do not interrupt the Lord's day for a hydration break. Just if you need water, just, like, step out of the room, take a drink of water, come back. Or if you're in a church that lets you have water in the sanctuary, like most do, just take a drink. That's true. You don't have to- Yeah ... stand up. You don't need to have- That's good ... anyone interpret. Just take a quick drink and then be quiet. Just  [00:20:54] Jesse Schwamb: go to the sidelines, maybe sub out- Mm-hmm ... with somebody else who can play bass, and take a quick drink.  [00:21:00] Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Come back. Yeah. Or just dump the, dump the Propel powder straight in your mouth.  [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: I thought you were gonna say like have somebody come up, preferably like an elder, and just hose you down with a thing of Gatorade while you're, while you're  playing  [00:21:10] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, exactly. Just go up to the baptismal font, take a scoop of water, dump the Propel directly in the baptis- no, I'm just kidding. I shouldn't joke about that stuff. Yeah.  [00:21:19] Back to Matthew 25 [00:21:19] Tony Arsenal: Anyway, Jesse, I'm excited because although we are probably gonna round out this parable, we're not done with these parables because- Oh, yeah, that's  [00:21:28] Jesse Schwamb: right [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: although we're gonna finish this parable this week, we'll probably finish it and get started talking about, uh, the next, the little chunk of text, which is not a parable, but we can't really, uh, divorce it from these parables 'cause they're all telling, they're all making the same or a very similar point about what the kingdom of heaven will be like in relation to the end times- Mm-hmm in relation to the eschatological, um, outcome of all things. Uh, and, and Christ in his teaching, um, he kind of rounds out this teaching and finalizes what these parables mean by talking to us about the sheep and the goats. Um, which again, is not really formed like a parable, but, uh, but it has very similar structures. It has some similar elements to it. Um, but it, it's so integral to what these, all what this sort of like, uh, anthology of eschatological parables mean in all the discourse. We really have to cover that to, to cover the others fully. But tonight we're gonna finish our discussion about the parable of the talents, which I'm excited about because I think we're gonna, we're gonna round out on some stuff that, um, I, I hope you've heard, uh, is probably not as, um, prominent as it should be. Uh, and this, we talked about last time that this parable has been, uh, not necessarily applied properly in many popular- Right ... teachings. Uh, and so I'm, I'm sure you've heard not so great interpretations. Hopefully we're gonna give you an interpretation that's a little bit more accurate and faithful to what the Bible teaches. [00:23:00] Reading the Parable Text [00:23:00] Jesse Schwamb: And so we're gonna pick it up in verse 24 of Matthew 25, because you'll probably recall, and if you haven't it's because you need to go back and listen, that we talked about the first two of these servants and the return that they were able to garner on the investment which the Lord gave them when He went away. And then there's the third dude. So we're gonna pick it up there and go all the way to the end of this, which allow us to close it out. So beginning verse 24, "And the one also had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you'd be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, have what is yours.' But the master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave. You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed; therefore you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have at least received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has more, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he does not have,' excuse me, 'what he does have shall be taken away. And throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"  [00:24:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  [00:24:19] Textual Notes and Transition [00:24:19] Tony Arsenal: There, there's some, um, some textual things about this that I think, uh, we sh- should at least acknowledge. I don't know that we're gonna dig too deep into them. Um, it is very possible to, um, to read verse 30 Almost as an interpretive statement in itself rather than part of the, um, part of the parable itself. And, and so let me, let me see if I can, can parse that out. So if we read it as though it's part of the parable, then it is the s- the, the master in the parable who is saying, "And cast the worthless servant into the darkness; in the place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." I think that's the most natural reading, so I'll, I'll put my cards on the table that I think that we should read this as part of the parable itself. It's also possible linguistically and grammatically to sort of read this as an explanation, where Christ is now taking this principle of what has happened with the worthless servant, right? That even what he has will be taken away. And then, and then to sort of read this as a commentary that sort of, uh, like we saw before, um, kind of bridges this section with the next. So instead of reading, "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness," uh, as though it were part of the parable, that it was this master within the parable saying this, we can read this as Christ saying that this is what will happen to those who are worthless servants. And then that follows up with, in verse 31, kind of h- connecting to when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all nations. Right. Th- this next sort of, like, more explicit, non-parabolical, um, uh, eschatological teaching. I think that former one is more natural, but just because it's, it's present in a lot of the commentaries that this is there, I wanted to at least call that out. I don't know that it makes a ton of difference in terms of how we understand the parable, but I do think, you know, part of what it means for us to wrestle through this is not just to take a particular position on the text, but to discuss, like, some of these ambiguities that are present. Um, and, and sometimes, um Sometimes I think we need to be cautious and really think through, because, uh, let me, let me rephrase it this way. None of the teaching in the Bible is sort of uninterpreted, untranslated, raw teaching of Christ. All of this is coming to us from the apostles retelling it, and yes, inspired by the Holy Spirit, so all of it's God's Word. But it's not as though, um, it's not as though Christ was first speaking in Greek. That's the big thing. But there are some places in the New Testament, in the Gospels, where it's not always clear whether a passage is Christ speaking or the, uh, the Gospel writer interpreting what Christ is speaking. This is one of those places where there's a little bit of a question mark about that. Um, again, I think the most natural reading is to read this as part of the statement of the master within the parable, but I did wanna just comment on that before we moved on much further.  [00:27:31] Buried Talent Scandal [00:27:31] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's helpful because I think we've gotta understand that end in light of how it's evolving. And we, we're starting with that stark contrast between the first two, which receive this great reward, which receive accolades and praise, and then you have this one talent servant's response is all about hiddenness. He just digs a hole, puts it in the ground, and hides it away. Which by the way, of course, we talked about this in the other parables, like in the ancient world, burying valuables was recognized as a form of safekeeping. I mean, I think even Josephus mentions that. We talk about the pearl of great price. There was something to be known for, well, I have this valuable thing. The best place for me to, the best place for me to put it so that it isn't compromised is in the ground, in a secret place. And there's like a surface level, I guess, reasonableness to that act. But what's interesting and where it comes in with that heat that you're kinda talking about, that ends up being in the end this grand statement of the eschatological, eschatological reality, is that the parable here with this one talent servant treats all that action as like complete catastrophic failure. And I, I think as much as I can understand it, it's because the master did not give him this talent to protect it from loss. He gave it to him for, to use it for gain And so the servant has mistaken the nature of that commission entirely. He substituted like the security-seeking for risk-taking faithfulness. And so I think that informs some of then what happens in these latter verses here, like when we get all the way down to 30. Because I think when we read that, we see the, like the redistribution as scandalous. But the scandal really is in this lack of actions. Like gifts exercised grow, but gifts buried, they just atrophy. So the one t- talent servant's talent is taken because he's, he's already been treated as n- as it was, was nothing. He's functionally like forfeited it by burying it. And so the transfer of the 10-talent servant is the formal confirmation of what his own choices had, had already produced. I think there is something there about like the eschatological reality, reality that will unfold in the judgment, which of course leads to, into the end of this chapter  [00:29:36] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right on that.  [00:29:39] Misreading The Master [00:29:39] Tony Arsenal: Um, what we see the problem with the one talent servant is not, um, not that he's not productive.  [00:29:49] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:29:49] Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think that's, that's actually the symptom of the illness, not the illness itself. What we see with the, the one talent servant is that he misunderstands his task, as you're pointing out, but more foundationally, he misunderstands his master, right? And that, that's really the, the main point of the parable when we kinda get... You know, Christ, um, when He's telling a parable, He explains the parable. Sometimes He doesn't explain the parable at all. He just sorta drops the parable and then moves on. Other times He will give the interpretation itself, like directly. We saw that in the parable of the, uh, of the soils or the parable of the sower. Um, and, and other times the kind of like the main explanation of the parable is, is actually embedded in the parable. And I think for this parable, the main explanation is when the, the one talent servant, uh, comes forward and he, when he's explaining why he did what he did-  [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: Right [00:30:48] Tony Arsenal: he says, "Well, I knew you were a," uh, let me just find it for sure here. He says, um, "I knew that you were a..." I just lost it. My brain is totally lost here. You ever have that happen where you're trying to find a word- Yes ... on a text and you just can't? He says, "Master," in verse 24, he says, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid. I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours." There's a number of statements in here that just don't make any sense. Like, they're just... Like you said, a lot of these parables have kind of like a chump figure, where, like, he's sort of like the designated idiot of the parable. [00:31:31] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:31:32] Tony Arsenal: In this instance, there's so much wrong that it's almost hard to find something right. And, you know, he starts out, he says, "I knew you were a hard man." There's nothing in the parable, there's nothing that suggests that this is a hard man. There's nothing to suggest that. He, as we said last week, he trusts these servants with an almost unimaginable amount of wealth, right? He just leaves hundreds of years worth of wealth in the, in the, like... And it's not even like he's going off to war and he may never be coming back. He's just going on a journey.  [00:32:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:32:05] Tony Arsenal: He's just traveling for a little while, and he's like, "I'm gonna leave 100 years worth of labor with this guy and 40 years worth of labor with this guy and 20 years worth of labor with this guy." He, what, what, in what world is that a hard man who just blesses and trusts his servants with that amount of unimaginable wealth? But then he says, "I knew that you, uh, reaped where you did not sow and gathered where you scattered no seed." First of all, um, what kind of person accumulates this kind of wealth without reaping, uh, without the, like, a- apart from the principle of reaping and sowing and gathering and, and scattering? Like, he obviously is a very successful businessman. Um, the, the fact that this, uh, servant is couching this in agricultural terms, I think it's reasonable to think that this is a very successful landowner who has made good use of his land, has turned a profit Obviously he's reaping where he sows and he's gathering where he scattered or he wouldn't have this kind of money to throw around to leave with his servants in the first place. But the servant doesn't recognize that the fact that he was given one talent is in fact the master reaping or sowing and scattering the seed of these talents. So he's saying like, "Well, you reap where you have not sown," but the fact is like he was sown a full talent worth of resources and he, the, the master expected to reap what he had sown when he gets back. So this servant He's worthless and he's lazy, but he's also just kind of dumb in that he just doesn't- Right ... recognize the reality of what's going on. He has an incorrect understanding of who the master is. He thinks he's a hard man, when actually he's an incredibly trusting and generous master, right? The, the ESV masks this as servants. We're not talking about hired hands here. We're talking about slaves. Right. We're talking about h- probably about household slaves. This is doulos. These are the slaves that work in the fields, um, as opposed to, like, diakonos, which are the slaves that work in the house, right? These are, these are field servants. These are laborers that are indentured or are, are in servitude, and he gives them enough wages, enough labor, enough money, they could just take off and leave with it. They could buy their own freedom with this. Right. He trusts them with that. That's not a description of a hard man, a hard, lazy man who sows w- reaps where he doesn't sow and gathers where he doesn't scatter. So the primary issue here with this servant is not that he's lazy, although he is lazy. It's not that he's wicked. He is wicked. It's that he doesn't recognize who the master is. He doesn't understand who the master is and what is expected of him as a servant of that master, which I think, I think, as I've thought about this over the last week or so, I think that actually says everything about the eschatological import of this, right? Yes. Who is it that's not going to be saved in the last day?  [00:34:56] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:34:57] Tony Arsenal: It's the people who don't recognize the master. Right on. The people who think that the master is a hard man who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has not scattered. Well, if we think that's who God is, we have a lot of trouble coming our way. [00:35:10] Fearful False Theology [00:35:10] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that is the heart, right, of this dude's sin. It's a false theology of God that produces then this fearful inaction. Because, like you said, it's not just that he's been lazy. He has constructed this weird, distorted picture of his master, and then he allows that distortion to govern his behavior. So this, quote-unquote, "fear" is not like the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom, but it's this kind of craven dread that's rooted in a mischaracterization of the master's entire character. And one of the things that I think, among many, that's really great about the Reformed theological tradition is that it's always assisted, and I th- hopefully we along with it in our conversations, that, like, the right theology is not merely academic. It does shape the whole life, which is why, like, Calvin famously opens his institutes with this observation that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are bound together. So- Yeah ... a person who genuinely knows the living God as gracious, generous, long-suffering, with that kind of hesed kind of love, who is good- W- that person will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding is always, I think, going to retreat in this fearful, minimal kind of minimum champion-type compliance. It's the same thing, I think I always think about this for some reason, and mention it a lot probably, but it's the same thing with Joseph's brothers finding all their money back in the sacks-  [00:36:31] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:36:32] Jesse Schwamb: with their food. It's, like, in that instant moment, all they have is fear and dread. And it- for this guy, that's exactly what he has. But it doesn't start, like you're saying, merely because he realizes that he should have done more, or he's comparing his return with that of everybody else, or even that he's going back and taking a look at his own actions and finding them to be full of want or lack. In fact, he does a really good job, at least in his own mind, theologically justifying his behavior. So here, what he, the real crime, the real shame, the real sin is that somehow he views the master as harsh and demanding and exploitative. That's wild. But of course, that was the root of everything else, which I think does give us pause to reflect on our own lives, like I said, as we come to understanding how this parable reads us. [00:37:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:37:21] Red Letters And Commentary [00:37:21] Tony Arsenal: And, um- Part of the reason why I think it's important to understand what I was talking about earlier with, you know, the, the Gospels are an interesting sort of like composite document in that, yes, they contain the true sayings of Jesus, the true, true, um, words of Christ. But this is also, a- and I promise that this will loop back around, this is, um, this is important for us. The red letters are no more God's word than the black letters, right? Mm-hmm. And what I mean by that is, like, the, the so-called words of Christ in scripture are not more inspired or more profitable than the words that are the commentary of the apostles. And I only say so-called, and I'll explain why I say that. As I said, like, Matthew is translating, uh, he- first of all, he's recalling what Christ has said. He's, he's probably not, um, sitting there with a, with a quill and a, you know, a piece of paper or a piece of parchment- Right ... transcribing what's, what Christ is saying as he goes. Right? He's, he was there. Matthew was there. He's recalling what Christ has said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He's making editorial decisions about what Christ taught in terms of like, what of Christ's teaching do I capture? What do I summarize? And I think there's ... It's important because every word is inspired, but also it's understandable. And what I mean here, and what, the reason I'm kind of belaboring that is I think there's an interesting thing that happens in verse 29. It says, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. And from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken." So this, this concept actually that, um, that verse 30 might be, uh, might actually be Matthew's commentary or even Christ's explanation of the parable, I think that actually, that actually expands to verse 29 in some of the commentators. So if we read it this way, and I think this, this may be valuable for us to at least ponder. If we read it this way, verse 27 is still the master in the parable space. It says, "Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents." There's a way of understanding this text, uh, and it's grammatically acceptable. I think theologically it doesn't change a lot, but it's worth us at least considering this. There's a way of reading this text where that's the end of the parable, and then Christ is explaining the parable, or Ma- or even maybe Matthew is commenting on the parable. It says, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But to the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Now, I think that, um, as I said, the most natural way to read this is that the parable proper ends with verse 30, that all of this is part of the parable, all of this is the master in the parable speaking. But I do think verses 29 and 30 take on a more explanatory, um, uh, explanatory role, and this is the main reason why. The, the one parable, one talent servant in the parable, he's not properly described as the one who has not, right? He had one talent. He was given one talent. Right. It's not as though he had zero talents. The one who has not, even what he has will be taken away, and the one who has, more will be given.  [00:41:01] Has And Has Not [00:41:01] Tony Arsenal: This is actually, I think, where we can go really sideways on this parable. I hear this parable often interpreted as sort of this understanding that, like, God has blessed His people with certain gifts, and we have to use our gifts in the kingdom to be productive, and people who use their gifts in productive fashion will be given more responsibility and more opportunities. People who don't use their gifts, whatever opportunities they have will be taken away from them. Now, I, I would argue that's probably true on a practical level, um, and that's just actually just true in general, right? Right. A person who has responsibility, th- think of, like, your working environment. M- you know, all, most of our listeners are not working in regular pastoral ministry. This is one of those areas where I think, actually, the corporate world is more representative of how things are. Um, in the corporate world, if you are given responsibility and you excel and use that responsibility well and you are a productive servant of your company that you work for, you're going to be given more responsibility, whether that's in the form of a promotion, which is the ideal circumstances, or whether that's just your responsibilities as assigned, a job description expanding without pay. Either way, if you do a good job, if you, if you take the sphere of influence, the sphere of responsibility that you're given and you do a good job and you shepherd that well and you steward that well, that sphere of influence, that sphere of responsibility will expand. Um- If you squander it and you sit in your office watching TikTok videos or listening to music and you don't use that, uh, responsibility well, that sphere of influence will shrink, and ultimately it will shrink until you no longer have a job, right? It works a little differently, I think, in, like, traditional pastoral roles, and I think there are some in our audience that, them, are in those roles that this may not fit. That's a good general principle. I don't think that's what this is teaching. Like, I don't think this, this parable is about, like, productive ministry opportunities. Right. And if it was, we wouldn't be talking about people who have none, have not, right? We would be talking about people who have less. We'd be talking about people who are given less responsibility. The person who has no responsibility is who's in view here. And that's why- Mm ... I think it actually, this is shifting, this ex- explanation, whether it's, uh, sort of like an explanation, an explanatory punchline to the parable that's part of the parable itself, or whether it's Jesus or Matthew commenting on the meaning of the parable. The difference between those two things is important for us to think about. It's not so important in terms of what the actual meaning is. Because the difference here is that what we've now done is we've shifted from the context of a financial grounded analogy in the parable to now a broader discussion about the fact that there are those who have, and there are those who have not. And the people who have will be given more, and the people who have not will be taken away from. And if we were talking strictly financially, then now we're, like, in, like, Occupy Wall Street, 1% kind of era. We're talking about salvation. We're talking about, um, we're talking about the fact that God gives salvation to some, and He does not give salvation to others. He gives grace to some, and He does not give grace to others. And to those who have grace, more grace will be given. To those who have not grace, more will be taken away. And the outcome of that- Is that the worthless servant who is the one who has not, the worthless servant will be cast into the outer darkness, right? This is a, an explanation of what it means to be a worthless servant who ultimately ends their time. Ends is not the right word. Who ultimately has the outcome of s- of outer darkness for all eternity. If this parable is just about how we use our giftings and our skills and our money for the kingdom, and we're expected to be productive and to, like, increase the kingdom through our tithing and through our, like our service, then this comment about, like, the outer darkness is really out of place. Unless, unless we earn our salvation by that. Which of course we know we don't.  [00:45:22] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Right.  [00:45:24] Wicked And Slothful Heart [00:45:24] Jesse Schwamb: Here's how I think everything you said is true, and the scripture actually bears this out because it was exactly where you're going with that, which is we're talking more about the identity. Like, what, what makes this servant or slave worthless? That's the critical question. And then if we understand that, it'll help inform how we then interpret this idea of sheeps and goats, which we'll get to in a whole other episode. But if you look at verses 26 and 27, where the master then responds to this slave calls him wicked and slothful, slothful, right? So that his, his basically lack of usefulness comes embedded or underneath those two terms. So one, obviously the wickedness here is moral. It's a failure to fulfill a covenantal obligation to the master, which we've been talking about. So again, it's not just about laziness. Like there's, there's so much more there. It's as if that's the entry point for the master to bring condemnation on him in two forms. One is that wickedness. The second is this idea of like slothfulness, which is dispen- I was gonna say dispensational, but what I meant to say is dispositional. So it's like, uh, like a subtle inertia of the will, and together they're describing a person, and I think this is a critical point. This is a person whose heart has never been genuinely aligned with the master's purposes. Now, when we understand it that way, I think, then everything that follows makes a lot more sense because it's not just about bad timing in the market. It's not just about being fearful that you're gonna lose money and you're risk-averse, so therefore you hid, hid everything. It's really this idea that this, this s- slave, this one talent slave, he was not on board, not vibing with, not aligned with, however you wanna say it, with the master's purposes from the very beginning. And there is maybe we might say like a minimum of faithfulness, even interest on the deposit that God requires. But the question of course is never am I doing what the five talent servant does, but it's always am I using what I have been given? And in this way, like are we finding ourselves aligned, that our hearts are leaning into, that we find ourselves tilting towards what God has for us, both understanding who He is and who we are in light of who He is. What I find interesting is I found some really unique commentary from the great puritan William Ames in his book Conscience, with the Power and Cases Thereof. That's a title that only a puritan could- ... forward, um, where he actually treats this failure. So getting again to the sense of like why is it so grievous? Like in other words, why does the action of this servant, which we've already kind of touched on, lead into basically a character attack on the servant, and why is the connection between those two things legitimate? What he basically says is that he treats the failure to use one's gifts as God has given as a violation of the ninth commandment, which is bearing false witness against God's own estimation of those gifts. So this slothful servant, by burying his talent, effectively says, "This is not worth using." That is like the thing that God has given me, who God is Himself, I reject fully and outright. So why would that person then not be cast into outer darkness in kind of keeping with both like the, the breadth and scope of this parable, but also essentially what it's teaching about who this last, you know, servant is? [00:48:33] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and you know, as you say that, I think too, um- There's an element of this that is Because it ties to this servant's misunderstanding of the master, and then, a- and I think you're, you're bringing Calvin in here and, and sort of the idea that our knowledge of God and our kn- knowledge of self are so, like, intertwined that it- Right ... it's almost difficult to understand which comes first. Yes. Yes. Calvin concludes that the knowledge of God is logically prior, but he, he also acknowledges that, like, it's really tough to sort of like figure out which one is more logically prior. This servant starts from the understanding that the master is a wicked master, that he is an immoral, lazy master. I- and it's, it's ironic. It does- the text doesn't say this, but I think it's a reasonable extrapolation. Um, the, the wicked, slothful servant projects his own wickedness and his own slothfulness onto the master, right? He, he projects that the master is a wicked man, is a hard man, and also that he's lazy. He, he does- he reaps where he doesn't sow, he gathers where he doesn't scatter. And the action of the, of the, the character of the servant is not derived from his inaction. Right. It's his inaction that- Yes ... causes the, or it's his, his character- Character ... that drives his lack of action, right?  [00:50:12] Sheep Goats Identity [00:50:12] Tony Arsenal: The good and faithful servants, they're not, and this is where we're gonna come when we come next week. Like, this is where we're gonna go when we get to next week's. Just as maybe, like, I, I want you to listen next week, but you probably don't need to, 'cause I'm gonna give you the whole punchline here.  [00:50:27] Jesse Schwamb: Wow.  [00:50:27] Tony Arsenal: The sheep act like sheep because they're sheep.  [00:50:29] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:30] Tony Arsenal: They don't become sheep because they do sheep things. They do sheep things because they're sheep, and the goats do goat things because they're goats.  [00:50:37] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:37] Tony Arsenal: The wicked, lazy servant does wicked, lazy servant things because he's a wicked lady- lazy servant, right? He buries the talent in the ground because he's a wicked, lazy servant. The good, faithful servants j- just do what good, faithful servants do. They, they make a return on the master's talents because that's what they do, right? And I think where we have to be really careful and where, uh, the other pitfall that this parable can bring us to, and I kinda referenced it a little bit earlier, is there can be sort of this subtle works righteousness that creeps in, that we can believe if we're really good and productive for the kingdom, then that's what will earn us the good and faithful servant commendation when we, we cross into glory. The reality is there are those who cross into glory and hear good and faithful servant, right? There are those who will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master." And there are those who will not. They will have what little they have taken away from them, and they will be cast into the outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth, right? That's not a statement on what we've earned. It's a statement on who we are.  [00:51:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:51:49] Tony Arsenal: So you can either be the faithful servant who trusts the character of the Lord, who doesn't think Him to be a hard man, who reaps where He doesn't sow and gathers where He doesn't scatter. You can trust the master, and in the act of trusting the master and knowing His character, you just do what good, faithful servants do. You work hard, you follow the servant, the master's lead, and you produce a return on what is there. Right? In, a- and we didn't talk about this too much. In effect, these servants are reflecting the nature of the master.  [00:52:23] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:52:23] Tony Arsenal: Because you don't get to the point where you can leave 100 years worth of wealth to one servant, and 40 years worth of wealth to another servant, and 20 years worth of wealth to another servant if you have not yourself been a productive, faithful person who knows how to reap and sow appropriately, right? [00:52:42] Gospel Joy Or Darkness [00:52:42] Tony Arsenal: That is the key to this parable,

How did Norman Vincent Peale’s book, The Power of Positive Thinking, pave the way for the prosperity gospel and the law of attraction that still has its claws in today’s culture? That’s what we explore in this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast. Part One explored Peale’s foundations in the New Thought Movement of the nineteenth century and its theological departure from Puritanical Calvinism. Part Two linked Peale’s version of Positive Thinking with the corporate culture of the twentieth century. We saw how it provided bonus benefits to companies laying off workers. In Part Three, we look at links between Positive Thinking and the Prosperity Gospel, and its potential to exploit vulnerable people with promises of great wealth in exchange for willingly giving their money and going into debt because of promises made by those in power over them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJaPrhOSnxw&feature=youtu.be The Prosperity Theology of Positive Thinking This brings us full circle to the ‘theological’ dimension of Peale’s project. One of the most common complaints in reviews of The Power of Positive Thinking is that it unexpectedly contains so many references to God and the Bible. But this is the point of it. Peale builds on the New Thought tradition, using Bible verses to support the law of attraction he proposes, driven by a god who “rates you according to the size of your prayers”, and rewards you if you dream big and visualise having already received the objects you desire. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister who used his position to gain credibility and status in the eyes of his followers. As God’s spokesman, he was taken seriously when he preached. But as we saw in the first part, he was an expert at cherry-picking Bible verses to suit his purposes, stripping them of their narrower and broader theological contexts. The Formula For Peale’s Law of Attraction Peale turns basic psychology into cosmic superstition. As we saw in the previous episode, when he took the story of Job and interpreted his words, “What I feared has come upon me and what I dreaded has happened to me”, as meaning Job invited his fate BECAUSE he feared it. This conforms to Peale’s scientific formula for success (and failure): “Affirm it, visualize it, believe it, and it will actualize itself.” Whether it’s something we desire or something we fear, it will actualise itself if we think about it. “When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.” Of course, we understand that confirmation bias means that when we expect something to be true, we are more likely to find evidence to support it. As such, we might lead ourselves towards outcomes if we believe something has made them more certain. All Things Are Possible… Peale tells the story of a faith healer who helps a struggling baseball team on a losing streak. They were riddled with doubt and didn’t believe they could win. One day, the coach asked for the team’s bats and then disappeared with them. When he returned, he excitedly told the players that the preacher had blessed the bats. They now contained a power that could not be overcome. “The players were astounded and delighted,” Peale reports. “The next day they overwhelmed Dallas, getting 37 base hits and 20 runs.” “All things are possible to him that believeth”, Peale affirms, implying that God rewards faith. This raises the question: Is God needed in this equation, or is it just a belief in God held by those seeking a change of fortune? And if this is the case, how is this exploited? Televangelism and The Allure of Prosperity In Smile or Die, Barbara Ehrenreich writes about the televangelist and leader of a Texas megachurch, Joel Osteen. She cites a passage from one of his books in which he describes his initial resistance to his wife’s pleas to upgrade to a bigger house. Eventually, he was talked into agreeing. He said it was only because Victoria had used words of faith to persuade him to broaden his vision. This meant God showed him how much more he had in store for him. He presented it as self-sacrifice and obedience to God, rather than an act of indulgence. This is an application of Peale’s core message. It uses God as a justification for desire. The appearance of material wealth and success is presented as confirmation that you are doing God’s work. It is a reward for your faith. This extraction ecosystem encourages followers to give their resources to trusted spokespeople for God. The explicit promise is that doing so will trigger a transactional response from God. The God Complex of The Rich and Powerful Ehrenreich points to the God complex present in the executive mindset. Steve Eisman calls it ‘hedge fund disease’, which he suggests should be included in the DSM-5. It is conspicuous in the symptoms of megalomania, narcissism, and solipsism. It boils down to the more money you have, the more right you feel about everything. And “to think something is to make it happen.” Because of the power and wealth you have access to wield, in a sense, “You’re God”. We see this at play today, with the rich and powerful indulging in projects well outside their areas of expertise. They try to dictate tastes, behaviours, and trends, so they might exploit their followers’ trust. And, much like prosperity-gospel preachers, they persuade people to follow their advice by promising great future returns. We’ve seen this in NFT scams, pump-and-dump crypto coins, and AI investment advice. Some of these figures are delusional. While others are cold and calculating in their efforts to exploit and extract wealth from those who trust them. Breaking The Spell The Power of Positive Thinking reinforces a delusional superstition. Fear itself becomes something to fear, avoid, or eradicate, rather than to listen to and respond to appropriately. It is also delusively aspirational, portraying capitalism as a system that rewards all who believe in it, while ignoring the inherent logic of a system that functions because of inequality. Peale follows in Napoleon Hill’s footsteps, believing that poverty and suffering are simply the result of poor thinking and insufficient passion and desire for wealth. This episode is part of the project I’m working on, ‘looking at notable books and figures in the self-help industry. It is about slowing down to examine and expand my own critical thinking. Get in Touch What else should I read as part of this project? Drop me a message and let me know!

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses farm financial stress, identity, and mental health in agriculture, including reference to suicide rates in the farming community. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. Numbers are listed at the end of these notes. Three to one is the male-to-female suicide ratio in agriculture. Most of the people carrying the hardest financial weight in farming right now are also carrying it alone, measuring their worth by what they produce. Corliss Rassyle has spent decades working in the space between what a farm earns and what a farmer is worth. Dan built this room for those people.   Topics and Timestamps 0:00 -- Cold open 1:30 -- Dan's disclosure: a company erased to zero and what the new start required 4:00 -- Welcome: who this room is built for and the three-to-one ratio in agriculture 5:00 -- Mom at the Easter griddle: "I've done nothing with my life" 6:30 -- Why we get the measure of success wrong and where it starts 9:00 -- Saskatchewan is resource-rich -- so why do so many people in agriculture feel unfulfilled? 10:00 -- Subconscious programming: the belief systems formed in childhood still running adult lives 13:00 -- The 1,111 vision: how Lead Conference Canada came to be 15:00 -- Sitting in the back row of the venue: the moment the number confirmed itself 17:00 -- Workshop begins: Corliss takes the room 22:00 -- The question to sit with: what belief are you holding about yourself right now? 23:00 -- Thoughts create emotions, emotions create actions, actions create results 27:00 -- The Five A's: Aware, Acknowledge, Assess, Affirm, Accept 29:00 -- The five most powerful sentences: I am, I can, I will, I release, I forgive 30:00 -- Acceptance: Corliss's brother and the question "Why won't you let me help you?" 33:00 -- Dan's experience: what happened when a room of men did this work together 37:00 -- Same rain, two different meanings: the drought and the wedding 38:00 -- Corliss's divorce: rebuilding one step at a time from a two-bedroom apartment 43:00 -- Love what you do: Corliss's father and 60 harvests 47:00 -- 86 tickets on launch day vs. a goal of 1,111: what fear does and what vision does instead 52:00 -- Mom gives permission for the TEDx: "You should use it to help people" 54:00 -- You have full power over your story 55:00 -- Corliss's programs and how to connect   Resources Mentioned TEDx Talk by Corliss Rassyle -- search "Corliss Rassyle TEDx" (Dan to confirm link) Lead Conference Canada 2026: corliss.ca/led2026 Called to Lead (self-paced personal development program): corliss.ca Do More Agriculture Foundation: domore.ag Saskatchewan Farm Stress Line: 1-800-667-4442 This episode is brought to you by Bone Trail Originals, Crop-Aid Nutrition, Hammond Realty, and GRIPP. Connect with Corliss Rassyle Website: corliss.ca Lead Conference Canada: corliss.ca/led2026   Connect with Growing the Future Website: growingthefuture.ca YouTube: Growing the Future Instagram: @growingthefuturepodcast LinkedIn: Growing the Future   CRISIS SUPPORT If you are struggling, please reach out. Canada -- Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 Canada -- Saskatchewan Farm Stress Line: 1-800-667-4442 Canada -- Do More Agriculture Foundation: domore.ag U.S. -- Call or text 988 Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Thai counterpart, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, agreed Friday to deepen the two countries' comprehensive and strategic partnership, ahead of the 140th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year.

In Galatians 2:11–21, Paul publicly confronts Peter for withdrawing from table fellowship with Gentile believers and acting out of step with the truth of the gospel. This episode explores why Peter's actions implied that Gentiles had to “live like Jews,” even if he never said those words directly. We'll unpack Paul's argument about justification by faith, union with Christ, and why adding law-keeping as a requirement for righteousness would mean Christ died for nothing. That You May Know Him, Episode 302. Galatians, Part 6.

Max Levchin (@mlevchin) is a serial entrepreneur and investor in 100+ startups. He's the founder and CEO of Affirm, the payment network powering consumer purchases and merchant growth. An original PayPal co-founder, Max served as CTO until its 2002 acquisition by eBay.This episode is brought to you by:ProLon: science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals: ProlonLife.com/TimMonarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/timTimestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:50] The Ronin line that rewired how Max makes every decision.[00:06:09] Paprika-style brain-computer interfaces.[00:09:09] PayPal's founders lived inside a Neal Stephenson novel.[00:19:21] Transformation via Neuromancer and Snow Crash.[00:23:40] The book that found Max his wife.[00:29:24] The real secret to a great marriage.[00:38:29] What's worth tracking, and what's not.[00:44:13] A scrawny kid, a clarinet, and a Kyiv velodrome.[00:46:55] What going all-out on a bike actually gives you.[00:51:02] The mantra by which Max rides.[00:53:02] A Soviet kid's fear of socialism.[01:02:48] Making a profit without destroying society.[01:04:31] What is Affirm, and why did every banker say it would fail?[01:20:18] Why the best mathematicians eschew the lending industry.[01:23:50] Does agentic commerce break Affirm, or supercharge it?[01:28:01] A PhD-level financial advisor in everyone's pocket.[01:29:58] How close are we to buying anything through one AI chat?[01:36:32] Improving your coffee: cheap, intermediate, and Bugatti options.[01:44:33] The books every first-time founder should actually read.[01:48:08] Claude Shannon, Ed Thorp, and the joy of playful genius.[01:51:00] Why physical books still beat every digital reading experience.[01:51:44] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For full review of the trials, please visit https://cardiologytrials.substack.com/ Get full access to Cardiology Trial's Substack at cardiologytrials.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Outline 1. The Pressure to Conform Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue The command to bow The pattern of culture: Conformity becomes normal Normal becomes celebrated Dissent becomes condemned Faithfulness becomes visible 2. Babylon's Strategy: Just Compromise a Little "You can worship your God, just worship ours too" Defining modern idols How compromise begins: Stay quiet Blend in Protect your image Keep the promotion Affirm the lie 3. The Power of an "Even If" Faith Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's response God is able... But even if He doesn't... The difference between: Transactional faith Biblical faith Trusting God beyond favorable outcomes 4. Obedience Turns Up the Heat The furnace heated seven times hotter Examples of modern-day furnaces: Standing alone at work Refusing gossip Sexual integrity Faithfulness in suffering Trusting God through unanswered prayer Will the fire drive you away or refine you? 5. The Fourth Man in the Fire Nebuchadnezzar sees four men Angel or pre-incarnate Christ? The central truth: God did not abandon them God was with them Jesus and Gethsemane: "Father, if possible..." "Nevertheless, Your will be done" 6. The Fire Burned What Bound Them They entered bound They walked free The fire touched: Their ropes The fire did not touch: Their bodies Their clothes Their witness God uses trials to transform us, not define us 7. Public Allegiance to the True King Babylon demanded public worship Baptism is our public declaration Faith eventually becomes visible A challenge to believers who have never been baptized Declaring before the world: "I belong to Jesus" "I will bow to only one King" Key Takeaway The greatest miracle in Daniel 3 wasn't surviving the fire—it was a faith that had already decided, before the fire ever came: "Even if God doesn't deliver me the way I want, I will not bow."

370: How to Stop Losing Half of Your Recurring Donors (Dave Raley)Episode SummaryIf your organization celebrates a 42% recurring donor retention rate (the national average), you may be focusing on the wrong number - because the real story is the 58% you're losing every year. In this follow-up to Episode #301, Patton welcomes back Dave Raley, Founder and CEO of The Center for Sustainable Giving in Poulsbo, Washington, for a deeper dive into sustainable giving. Dave unpacks the two distinct faces of donor churn - involuntary (failed credit cards) and voluntary (donors who choose to leave) - and explains why treating them the same way is one of the most expensive mistakes a nonprofit can make. He introduces a practical three-part retention model - Affirm, Engage, Appeal - and makes the case that the middle step is where most organizations quietly lose the relationship. He also shares the data behind upgrade campaigns, including what a 25% average gift lift looks like in practice and when in the donor lifecycle to run one. Whether your organization is flying blind on churn or ready to move from knowing to doing, this episode delivers clear, immediate steps you can take this quarter.About DaveDave Raley is the Founder and CEO of The Center for Sustainable Giving, based in Poulsbo, Washington, where he helps nonprofit leaders build recurring giving programs that retain donors and grow long-term revenue. With a background spanning nonprofit fundraising strategy, technology, and the subscription economy, Dave has become one of the sector's leading voices on donor retention, passive churn, and the structural shifts required to move organizations from transactional to relational fundraising. He is also the author of The Wave Report, a research publication tracking trends in sustainable giving, and was previously the founder of Imago Consulting. Dave joined Patton first on Episode #301 and returns here with deeper frameworks and sharper tools for leaders ready to act.ResourcesConnect with Dave on LinkedInLearn more about The Center for Sustainable GivingSubscribe to The Wave Report - Dave's research publication on trends in sustainable givingListen to Dave's first appearance: Episode #301: The Why Behind Sustainable GivingThe Rise of Sustainable Giving by Dave RaleyFollow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership - and please leave a review!Learn more about the leadership resources at Armstrong McGuire: ArmstrongMcGuire.com

Vivian dives into the truth about Buy Now, Pay Later services and why splitting a purchase into “four easy payments” might be way more dangerous than it looks. In this episode, she breaks down how companies like Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm exploded in popularity, why these payment plans are changing the way people shop, and how BNPL can quietly wreck your budget and credit score if you're not careful. In this episode, you'll learn: 1. What Buy Now, Pay Later services actually are, how they evolved from old-school layaway programs, and why modern BNPL combines some of the riskiest parts of both layaway and credit cards. 2. Why BNPL can encourage overspending, how multiple small payments create a false sense of affordability, and what happens to your credit score if you miss a payment. 3. Who should and definitely should not use BNPL services, plus Vivian's preferred alternatives for building credit, managing cash flow, and making purchases without borrowing against your future income. Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok! Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at podcast@yourrichbff.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us Fan MailI sat down with Max Levchin, Co-Founder and CEO of Affirm and one of the living legends of tech and fintech. He co-founded PayPal with Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, invented anti-fraud technology that's still foundational today, and has spent the last 14 years building Affirm into one of the largest publicly traded fintechs in the world with a mission to replace credit cards with transparent lending. He is one of the most thoughtful and brilliant founders I've spoken with. Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today's global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~85,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Aujourd'hui, Flora Ghebali, entrepreneure dans la transition écologique, Jean-Loup Bonnamy, professeur de philo, et Abel Boyi, éducateur, débattent de l'actualité autour d'Alain Marschall et Olivier Truchot.

Sign up for Practi, a new platform that helps law firms use subscription billing.Here are the top 5 takeaways from this episode:* Preventive law is far cheaper than reactive law. Clients who try to DIY their legal needs (using LegalZoom, skipping contracts, etc.) often end up paying twice. Once for the mess they made and again to prevent it from recurring. Hiring a lawyer early and often saves money in the long run.* Subscription/flat-fee pricing aligns attorney and client incentives. Hourly billing creates distrust and discourages clients from calling when they should. Noel's model, flat fees for discrete projects, subscription fees for ongoing work, removes the “clock is ticking” anxiety and makes the attorney an accessible team member.* Client education is essential for subscription retention. It's not enough to deliver a service; clients must understand how to get ROI from it. Noel uses semi-annual workshops, legal growth blueprints, and ongoing engagement to ensure clients see the value and stick around.* Get paid upfront and use invoice financing to make it easier. Don't personally finance client tabs. Tools like LawPay (now 8AM) and Clio Payments, integrated with Affirm, let clients finance invoices over 6–36 months while the attorney gets paid in full immediately. Noel also recommends minimum initial terms (3–12 months depending on engagement size) to give both sides time to establish real value.* Don't get attached to any single AI tool. Noel recommends treating AI tools like a “chorus of experts.” Use multiple, stay flexible, and act as the conductor. The AI space is too dynamic to lock into long-term contracts with any one platform, and lawyers remain responsible for all AI-generated output.__________________________Want your question to be answered on a future show? Fill out this short survey.Have subscription model question? Check out this free resource to ask all of your questions at notebook.practi.ai.Check out Counsel & Clarity.Sign up for Paxton, my all-in-one AI legal assistant, helping me with legal research, analysis, drafting, and enhancing existing legal work product.Get Connected with SixFifty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a business and employment legal document automation tool.Sign up for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gavel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an automation platform for law firms.Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Law Subscribed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to listen from your web browser.Prefer monthly updates? Sign up for the Law Subscribed Monthly Digest on LinkedIn.Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mathew Kerbis'⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ law firm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscription Attorney LLC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Want to use the subscription model for your law firm? Click here to sign up for a new platform that helps law firms use subscription billing. Get full access to Law Subscribed at www.lawsubscribed.com/subscribe

In this episode, Geddes Munson (SVP of Engineering @ Affirm) joins us to discuss operational / engineering excellence, scaling, and AI-native transformation! We explore Affirm's approach to operational and engineering excellence and how a 2024 outage became a turning point in refining that focus. We deconstruct “AI retooling week”, the internal tools it inspired (including an incident tracing system), how the AI-native transition is impacting operational / engineering excellence, and how to connect these projects to business goals. Plus, we take a look at their early work building in agentic commerce, infrastructure decisions they made years ago setting them up for success now, how they're thinking about designing for agent-first experiences.   ABOUT GEDDES MUNSON Geddes Munson serves as Affirm's SVP, Engineering. Previously, Geddes held several engineering leadership roles at Affirm, including oversight of the merchant engineering group, where he was responsible for the development of Affirm's solutions for key partners including Amazon, Shopify and Walmart. Prior to Affirm, Geddes held various technical leadership roles at rapidly growing startups including Mixpanel, SingleStore and EasyPost. He received his B.A. from Haverford College, where he started the Linux club on campus. Geddes lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.   Unblocked: The context engine your coding agents are missing. Give your coding agents the context your best engineers have. Your agents can read code, but they don't know how your team works. Rules and MCPs give access to information but not understanding. That's why you still have to tell them where to look and what to look for. Unblocked gives your agents the history, conventions, and decisions behind your code so they generate mergeable output without the back and forth. It automatically surfaces the right context for every task, so agents stay on track without the set up tax or the correction loops. getunblocked.com/elc   SHOW NOTES: Defining operational excellence & what it looks like @ Affirm (4:36) Understand why your company / product matters to your customers (8:11) Key pivot points around engineering excellence @ Affirm (11:10) Creating a genuine culture change of operational / engineering excellence (14:27) Adopting agentic models @ Affirm (16:30) Navigating the balance between transformation, safety & reliability (18:30) Affirm's AI retooling week & hackathon setup (20:57) How the hackathon helped quickly change the company culture (23:15) Ensuring your practices serve your overall organizational vision & goals (26:11) Insights on scaling & increasing CICD investment @ Affirm (28:28) Approaches to building agentic commerce products (30:11) Strategies for building an agent-first experience (33:33) Bridging the gap between engineering & business goals / outcomes (35:44) Rapid fire questions (38:46)   LINKS AND RESOURCES 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in History – and How It Shattered a Nation - New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivete in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today's world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - a best-selling 2010 memoir by former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh detailing his entrepreneurial journey and outlines his core philosophy: building a phenomenal corporate culture and focusing on the happiness of employees and customers ultimately drives long-term profits and business success.   This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if the excuse someone just gave you is actually the best thing that could have happened?In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down one of the most misunderstood moments in any high-stakes conversation: the excuse. Most leaders instinctively attack excuses, feeling disrespected, frustrated, or deceived. But that reaction, however understandable, almost always makes things worse. Michael reframes excuses not as acts of dishonesty, but as face-saving statements that gift-wrap an admission and open the door to the truth.Drawing on his background in forensic interviewing, Michael walks through the neuroscience of why attacking excuses backfires, why accepting them creates a different set of problems, and how a precise four-step response can transform the most frustrating moment in a conversation into the expressway to accountability, root-cause clarity, and lasting behavior change.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy the part of the excuse that infuriates you is the part you should ignoreHow an excuse is actually a face-saving statement that opens the door to the truthWhy attacking an excuse puts the other person on the defensive and shuts down your learningThe four-step framework for responding to excuses without accepting or attacking themWhy "walk me through" is more effective than "help me understand"How to obtain the untainted narrative and listen for intelligence, not just informationWhy accountability holds better at the end of a conversation than at the beginningHow this approach helps you identify the real root cause, not just the surface behaviorChapters:(00:00) Introduction: The Topic That Drives Leaders Crazy(00:38) Why We Hate Excuses and What That Reaction Costs Us(03:55) The Admission Before the Because(04:54) What Excuses Actually Are: Face-Saving Statements(06:08) Why Excuses Are the Expressway to the Truth(07:04) The Problem With Attacking or Accepting(09:08) The Four-Step Framework: Thank, Name, Affirm, Ask(12:35) How to Listen for Intelligence, Not Just Information(15:18) Why This Process Works and What It Solves Long-TermLinks and Resources:The Disciplined Listening Method by Michael Reddington -- https://a.co/d/0aKT2oxRSponsor Links:InQuasive: http://www.inquasive.com/Humintell: Body Language - Reading People - HumintellEnter Code INQUASIVE25 for 25% discount on your online training purchase.International Association of Interviewers: Home (certifiedinterviewer.com)Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media

Affirm's CEO Max Levchin joined Bloomberg's Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow to discuss the company's strategic vision and growth prospects during the 2026 investor forum in New York. Highlighting recent announcements on agentic commerce and international expansion, Levchin emphasized that all key initiatives are aligning to drive significant growth. The fintech firm aims to reach $100 billion in annual transaction volume, building on strong momentum including a 33% year-over-year revenue increase to over $1 billion in the third quarter. Levchin shared insights on the factors fueling this growth and the company's roadmap to scale its business globally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

En el episodio de hoy de VG Daily, Valentina Orduz y Andre Dos Santos abren con el incidente del Estrecho de Hormuz, donde un enfrentamiento entre destructores de la Marina estadounidense y fuerzas iraníes generó versiones contradictorias de lo ocurrido y dejó en el aire el futuro del alto al fuego.Desde ahí, el episodio se mueve al mercado laboral, donde una ola de recortes masivos en tecnología convive con niveles históricos de inversión en infraestructura de IA; se revisan los números del reporte de abril, con creación de empleo por encima de lo esperado y presión salarial contenida; y se analizan los resultados trimestrales de Affirm y Cloudflare, que reportó crecimiento acelerado al tiempo que anunció el recorte del 20% de su plantilla.El episodio cierra con un balance de la temporada de resultados del Q1 2026, donde el S&P 500 registra crecimiento de ganancias por encima del 25% y un beat promedio contra consenso que duplica lo que históricamente se considera un trimestre sólido; tecnología, consumo discrecional y comunicaciones lideran las sorpresas positivas.

How can we operate boldly in our gifts as men and women? Lydia Grace Kaiser, a seasoned ministry leader and author, explores what it truly means to operate boldly in your God-given gifts—as men and women. Drawing from decades of ministry & exhaustive biblical research, Lydia dispels common misconceptions about restrictions on the spiritual gifts & roles of women, revealing an inspiring vision of partnership & shared responsibility that uplifts both men and women. Together, Tina Yeager and Lydia Grace Kaiser discuss practical ways to uncover your spiritual gifts and foster cooperation rather than division, so we can all flourish as intended. Join us for a conversation that promises to set you free to fulfill your calling with confidence and love. Lydia reassures listeners that Scripture does not restrict women from using their gifts. True partnership is God's original design, as strong allies rather than subordinates. Takeaways: Cooperate, Don't Compete: God's design isn't about hierarchy, but about partnership and complementing each other's strengths. Recognize Enemy Tactics: Division is a spiritual attack; unity is a testimony to God's heart. Discover & Use Your Gifts: Whether administration, shepherding, or teaching, your talents are meant to bless others. Explore them courageously in your church, family, and community. Have Brave Conversations: Approach discussions with humility and clarity. Affirm men as allies, not adversaries. Resource Spotlight The episode draws on themes from Lydia Grace Kaiser's book, The Bible Truth about Women—a thoroughly researched guide to scriptural truth and abundant living in your gifts. Find her book on Amazon or visit her website, lydiakaiser.com, for additional resources, blogs, and upcoming interviews! Let's Flourish Together We hope you feel inspired to step out boldly in your calling—encouraging, equipping, and working alongside one another as God intended. Let's shine together, each using our unique gifts in unity and love! We're thrilled to accompany you on this journey of faith, growth, and transformation. As always, we appreciate your support! Please subscribe and share this episode. We can't wait for you to join us for future episodes of Flourish-Meant. To book Tina as a speaker, connect with her life coaching services, and more, visit her website: https://tinayeager.com/ Optimize your mind and body with my new favorite, all-inclusive supplement, Cardio Miracle! I love the energy and focus this health-boosting drink mix provides without toxins, caffeine, or sugar! Get a discount on your purchase with my link: http://www.cardiomiracle.com/tinayeager Manage stress and anxiety in 10 minutes a day with the course presented by 15 experts, Subdue Stress and Anxiety https://divineencouragement.onlinecoursehost.com/courses Connect with Tina at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyeagerwriting/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinayeager/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tina.yeager.9/

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What if Jesus is far more than you've ever imagined?In this crossover episode (with Church Society), Rebecca and Lee Gatiss unpack the book of Colossians—and why its claims about Jesus completely reshape identity, purpose, and freedom. They also tackle one of the Bible's most misunderstood topics: slavery, and why the gospel actually undermines it from the inside out.Follow Lee:Church Society Website | TwitterGet 30% off all Good Book Guides and For You commentaries at thegoodbook.com with code **GOODBOOK**—or enjoy 40% off during the annual sale from May 5th to May 12th.Find the Conversational Commentaries Series wherever books are sold, or visit crossway.org/conversationalcommentaries to get 30% off with a free Crossway+ account.Watch Us on YouTubeSign up for weekly emails at RebeccaMcLaughlin.org/SubscribeFollow Us on Instagram and XProduced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠

What does it really mean to be saved?And why does baptism matter?In this message, we break down two life-changing questions:-Have you been saved?-Have you been baptised?This sermon unpacks the heart of the Gospel — not as religion, but as a real relationship with God. Discover how salvation is a gift for everyone who believes (not something you earn), what it means to be “born again,” and why baptism is a powerful, public declaration of your new life in Christ.Whether you're new to faith, returning to church, or wanting clarity, this message will help you understand:-What Jesus actually did for you-How you can be sure you're saved-What changes when you follow Christ-Why baptism matters and when to take that step This could be your moment.#Salvation #Baptism #ChristianFaith #AffirmingFaithTo support the ministry of Melbourne Inclusive Church go to: www.michurch.org.au/giveMelbourne Inclusive Church boldly and proudly proclaims Christ's equal love for all people regardless of their ability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, age, gender, race, ethnicity, or culture.Melbourne Inclusive Church is part of the EMI Global family of churches.

Follow us on:Facebook: agapechurchsloInstagram: @agapechurchsloWebsite: agape.churchBUILT TO LAST – God's Plan for Love, Marriage & FamilyWeek 3 | Built on Understanding: Loving Each Other WellA husband once said, “I don't understand my wife… I fixed the problem, but she's still upset.” The wife said, “I didn't want you to fix it—I wanted you to feel it with me.”Now the husband is confused… The wife is frustrated… And both are thinking:“Why is this so hard?”Because here's the truth: Most conflict in marriage is not about bad intentions…Most conflict in marriage is about MISUNDERSTANDING.Two people can love each other deeply… and still hurt each other consistently… if they don't understand how to love each other well.If your marriage is going to be Built to Last, you have to move beyond: “I love you” …to “I KNOW HOW TO LOVE YOU.”FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURE1 Peter 3:7 (ESV)Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.Not just living together… but living with understanding.POINT 1: LOVE REQUIRES LEARNINGWe assume love should come naturally… But biblical love is a learned skill.Philippians 1:9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,Love is not just emotional—it's intentional and informed.BIG IDEA…You cannot love someone the right way if you do not take the time to understand them.Real love is more than strong feelings; it requires the humility to keep learning how the other person receives care, support, and affection.What encourages them? What hurts them? What fills them up? What drains them?POINT 2: OUR UNIQUENESS IS BY DESIGN, NOT BY ACCIDENTGod didn't accidentally make men and women different.Genesis 1:27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.Different wiring; Different perspectives; Different emotional processingBut here's where we struggle: We expect the other person to love us the way we naturally give love.That's why: One feels unloved… The other feels unappreciated… …and both are trying (unsuccessfully) to make the relationship work.BIG IDEA…God made us different on purpose, so loving each other well takes understanding, patience, and humility.Because God created each person with unique needs, perspectives, and ways of relating, healthy love requires us to understand those differences rather than fight against them.POINT 3: LOVE AND RESPECT ARE FOUNDATIONAL NEEDSEphesians 5:33However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.Now let's be clear: Both need love & Both need respect… But Scripture highlights a tendency: Men often respond strongly to respect and Women often respond deeply to love When a man feels disrespected → he withdraws or reactsWhen a woman feels unloved → she disconnects or defendsBIG IDEA…When basic needs of love and respect are missing, conflict multiplies.POINT 4: STOP KEEPING SCORE AND START SERVING MOREScorekeeping is one of the fastest ways to damage a relationship and foster resentment.“I did this…”  “You didn't do that…” “I gave more…” Philippians 2:3–4Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.Mark 10:45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.Jesus didn't say: “Serve if they deserve it.”Jesus modeled: Serve because that's who you are!BIG IDEA…Strong marriages are built when both people stop measuring each other's effort and start meeting each other's needs. POINT 5: COMMUNICATION BUILDS OR BREAKS CONNECTIONMost couples don't have a love problem… they have a communication problem.James 1:19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;Too often we find ourselves being: quick to speak… slow to listen… and way too fast to react Proverbs 18:2A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.BIG IDEA…If you listen to respond, you'll miss understanding. If you listen to understand, you'll build connection.PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR LOVING EACH OTHER WELL1. LEARN YOUR SPOUSE INTENTIONALLYAsk questions; Study their needs Don't assume—learn.2. SPEAK THEIR LOVE LANGUAGENot what's natural to you; What's meaningful to themLove is most powerful when it's received.3. PRACTICE DAILY ENCOURAGEMENTSpeak life and Affirm oftenYour words build up or tear down.4. SCHEDULE HEALTHY CONVERSATIONSNot just reactive talks… but Intentional connection timeDon't only talk when something's wrong.5. CHOOSE SERVICE OVER SCOREKEEPINGDo good without keeping track and Give freelyGrace sustains what scorekeeping destroys.Some of you love each other…but you're not experiencing the relationship God intended…because you haven't learned how to love each other well yet.But here's the good news:Love can growUnderstanding can increase and …Your marriage can get stronger.CONSISTENT PRAYER MOVING FORWARD…“God, teach me how to love my spouse better.”“Help me understand, not just react.”“Break selfishness and build servant-hearted love in me for my spouse and for others.” DECLARATIONI will not love based on convenience. I will not love based on feelings alone. I choose to love with understanding. And when love is built on understanding and empowered by the finished work of Jesus… it lasts.

We're always teaching our kids values. The question is, are we being intentional about it? In this episode of the All Pro Dad Podcast, host Ted Lowe is joined by BJ Foster and Bobby Lewis to reflect on the lessons they were taught and offer four practical ways parents can pass on solid principles to their kids.Why This MattersThe values we intentionally teach and model become the compass that guides our kids' character, decisions, and relationships for the rest of their lives.Key Takeaways·      Kids watch us constantly: Harvard research shows children learn social behaviors primarily through observing and imitating adults, especially parents.·      Being specific matters: General praise doesn't accomplish as much as specific praise, which, when tied to values, increases repetitive behaviors. Actions Steps for Dads1: Think through the values you want to teach.2: Talk about values with your kids.3: Model your values.4: Affirm your kids when they live out your values.Important Episode Timestamps 00:00:21 – Childhood Values That Shape Who You Become00:01:59 – When You Don't Live Up to Your Values00:04:07 – You're Always Teaching Values (On Purpose or Not)00:04:58 – Why Kids Need Values to Navigate Life00:06:43 – The Two Values That Matter Most: Character and Relationships00:07:38 – Step 1: Decide What Your Family Stands For00:10:57 – Real-Life Family Values That Actually Work00:12:28 – Step 2: Talk About Your Values With Your Kids00:13:08 – Teaching Perseverance: “Don't Quit”00:14:04 – Step 3: Model the Values You Want to See00:18:18 – Step 4: Affirm and Reinforce Good Behavior APD Pro Move:Write out your family values together as a group. Put them on paper and hang them somewhere in your house where you can see them, memorize them, and hold each other to them.All Pro Dad Resources:4 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Be More Than a Good PersonDon't Raise Perfect Kids—Raise Good Ones5 Ways to Help Your Kids StanWe love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Connect with Us:Ted Lowe on LinkedInBobby Lewis on LinkedInBJ Foster on LinkedInSubscribe on Apple PodcastsGet All Pro Dad merch!EXTRAS:Follow us: Instagram | Facebook | X (Twitter)Join 200,000+ other dads by subscribing to the All Pro Dad Play of the Day. Get daily fatherhood ideas, insight, and inspiration straight to your inbox.This episode's blog can also be viewed here on AllProDad.com. Like the All Pro Dad gear and mugs? Get your own in the All Pro Dad store.Get great content for moms at iMOM.com

Send us Fan MailThe April 4, 2026 episode of Views on the News from the Couch looks at the firing of Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey after he criticized the NBA's Pride Month promotion on his own time, away from the court and team facilities. The Bulls labeled his Instagram post “conduct detrimental to the team,” even though the comments focused on the league's embrace of Pride Month rather than any teammate or basketball issue. The episode walks through what Ivey said, how the Bulls and the NBA reacted, and why punishing a player for off‑court religious and political speech should worry anyone who still thinks free expression means more than just repeating the current corporate line.This post also offers additional sex themed months the NBA might consider.  Heterosexual month, Virgin month, Not getting enough month, Bondage month, and let's just play basketball month.  Note, I do not have Instagram so I did not listen to Jaden Ivey's entire Instagram post.

It's Friday, April 3rd, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Pakistani Christian legislator's bill would end forced conversions to Islam On March 31st, a Pakistani Christian lawmaker introduced a bill to criminalize forced religious conversions to Islam with penalties of up to five years in prison, reports Morning Star News. Falbous Christopher submitted the Punjab Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill 2026 in a renewed attempt to address a long-standing human rights challenge affecting Pakistan's religious minorities, particularly Christian and Hindu women and underage girls. No doubt his bill was inspired by stories like Maira Shahbaz, a 14-year-old Christian girl, who was abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim man in April 2020. Micah 6:8 urges us “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  Abduction of girls, forced conversion to Islam, and forced marriages are out of keeping with all three. Trump: We'll be free from Iranian wickedness and nuclear blackmail On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump addressed the nation with an update on “Operation Epic Fury,” the United States war with Iran. TRUMP: “We are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly. We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing. “Regime change was not our goal. We never said regime change. But regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders' deaths. They're all dead. The new group is less radical and much more reasonable. “Yet, if during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets. If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously. We have not hit their oil, even though that's the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. “They have no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force. The nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B2 Bombers have been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust. “We have all the cards. They have none. They were the bully of the Middle East, but they're the bully no longer. Tonight, every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the specter of nuclear blackmail.” War Secretary Hegseth quoted from imprecatory Psalms On March 25th, War Secretary Pete Hegseth quoted from the imprecatory Psalms and invoked divine wrath against the enemies of the United States during introductory remarks he made at the first monthly prayer service at the Pentagon since the outbreak of the war in Iran, reported The Christian Post. Hegseth read from a military chaplain's prayer used ahead of the January 3rd, 2026 operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro which he implied was equally relevant in the battle against the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Listen. HEGSETH: "Almighty God, who trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle, You who stirred the nations from the north against Babylon of old, making her land a desolation where none dwell: behold now the wicked, who rise against Your justice and the peace of the righteous. "Snap the rod of the oppressor, frustrate the wicked plans of the ungodly. By the blast of Your anger, let the evil perish. Let their bulls go down to slaughter, for their day has come; the time of their punishment. Pour out Your wrath upon those who plot vain things and blow them away like chaff before the wind." Psalm 17:13 says, “Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down; with your sword. Rescue me from the wicked.” Constitution expert predicts Supreme Court will affirm birthright citizenship Appearing on The Human Events podcast, Mike Davis, the founder of the Article III Project, predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court appears likely to affirm “birthright citizenship” for illegal aliens.  Listen. DAVIS: “I worry this is a 7-2 case.” JACK PROSOBIEC: “Wow!” DAVIS: “I worry that the only two justices who will have the courage to follow the law here are Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Sam Alito. I worry that the Chief Justice [John Roberts] and the three Trump justices [Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett] will join the three leftists [Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson]  who will always vote against President Trump. “The law is so crystal clear here. We the people, the sovereign citizens of America, get to decide who comes, who goes, get to decide who our fellow citizens are. We certainly did not give that away after the Civil War. “The 14th Amendment, the birthright citizenship clause, was to correct an egregious wrong with the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision that held that the freed slaves are not citizens. We fixed that with the 14th Amendment. There is a Supreme Court case that has extended that to lawful and permanent residents of the United States. “There is no way that the proponents of the 14th Amendment ever agreed to give birthright citizenship to illegal aliens!” If the Supreme Court does affirm birthright citizenship for illegal aliens it would be a major blow to both President Donald Trump's agenda and the Constitution. President Trump, first president to hear oral arguments, walked out Remarkably, President Trump heard the oral arguments in that birthright citizenship case in person, becoming the first sitting U.S. president ever to do so. At 11:20am on Wednesday, President Trump expressed his fury in a one-sentence post on Truth Social. “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow “Birthright” Citizenship!” The Western Journal reported that on the day he took office in January 2025, President Trump issued an executive order directing that only children born to parents “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States are citizens, quoting from the Fourteenth Amendment. NASA launches Artemis II to travel around the moon And finally, on Wednesday night at 6:35pm Eastern, NASA launched the long-awaited Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Listen. ANNOUNCER 1: “Here we go. 10-9-8-7 RS 25 engines lift 4-3-2-1. Booster ignition and lift off. The crew of Artemis II now bound for the moon. Humanity's next great voyage begins.” ANNOUNCER 2: “Good roll pitch.” ANNOUNCER 3: “Houston now controlling the flight of Integrity on the Artemis II mission around the moon.” The crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, as well as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — were the first people to launch toward the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, more than 50 years ago, reported NBC News. However, they will not land on the lunar surface. Rather, the 10-day mission is designed as a step toward a landing in 2028, building a base on the moon, and eventually, toward NASA's goal of establishing a long-term presence on the moon. Living on the moon will involve inhabiting shielded, pressurized modules or underground lava tubes to protect against radiation, extreme temperatures, and toxic lunar dust. Among other issues for those who colonize the moon: How would they get power? How would they breathe? and How would they get food? Watch a live stream from the cockpit of Artemis II through a special link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, April 3rd, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Alicia and Dan break down Intuit's March "In the Know" webinar, covering the biggest product updates coming to QuickBooks this spring. The headliner is a new Buy Now, Pay Later option powered by Affirm—available right inside QBO invoices, with no extra fees and no risk to the business owner. They also dig into Books Close pricing changes, a modernized payroll run table, and new recurring and bulk payment features in Bill Pay.SponsorsWurthy - https://uqb.promo/wurthyResources (there are EVEN MORE links in the slide deck!)Intuit's ITK Slide Deck with links and QR codes: https://staticassets.goldcast.io/public_images/organization/c1847aac-670a-476f-9c63-ad93ce43b7eb/ykjffDsdSgCZB7mBHr7K_March2026_ProAdvisor_InTheKnow_Handout.pdfVote for Alicia & Dan + your favorite ProAdvisor for Insightful Accountant's Top ProAdvisor award, March 24 to April 26: https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/00DALX?utm_campaign=21663829-2026%20Top%20ProAdvisor%20Awards&utm_source=2026topproadvisors_awardsportal&utm_medium=qrcodemurphCall 1-877-222-1351 to get 2 QBO Advanced shells for $68.75 eachWebinars to learn about Intuit Enterprise Suite: https://ieswebinars.intuit.com/hub/ondemand?i=QHjqXHBPTxn-a8Bzak0SgO9aL-6dgfqRQBO's Accounting AI (Bank Feeds) improvements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upq8Qk538QAAlicia's upcoming classes: Baby's Got Backups: http://royl.ws/QBO-Backups?affiliate=5393907  3rd Party Apps: http://royl.ws/3rdparty?affiliate=5393907  Budgeting in QBO: http://royl.ws/budgeting?affiliate=5393907Intuit Enterprise Suite class on June 2: http://royl.ws/intuit-enterprise-suite?affiliate=5393907Dan's LinksS of B Blog on comparing Books Review and Books Close: https://www.schoolofbookkeeping.com/blog/what-s-the-difference-between-books-review-vs-books-close-is-it-worth-the-cost Schoolofbookkeeping YouTube: https://snip.ly/SOBYTBlog on Item Receipts and Enhanced Inventory Receiving Free Live Workshop Wednesdays: https://www.schoolofbookkeeping.com/workshop-wednesdayWe want to hear from you!Send your questions and comments to us at unofficialquickbookspodcast@gmail.com.Join our LinkedIn community at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14630719/Visit our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@UnofficialQuickBooksPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Sign up to Earmark to earn free CPE for listening to this podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/onboarding 

What if the one skill that could transform your leadership, your team and your career is the one most people are getting wrong?Over the next six episodes, Phil and Pen explore the skills that matter most right now, drawn from research, coaching, workshops and years of experience working with leaders and teams across the globe.We're kicking off with accountability, one of the most talked-about yet least understood words in the workplace. Too often it gets confused with blame, punishment or surveillance. But real accountability is something far more powerful. It's the foundation of every high performing team, the backbone of self-development and one of the most important skills you can build in a world that is moving faster than ever.In this episode Phil and Pen explore why accountability has never been more critical in fluid, hybrid and remote working structures. They discuss how traditional frameworks that once held teams together have shifted, leaving a gap that only a more intentional approach to accountability can fill.They introduce the CARE model, a practical four-step framework for having accountability conversations that keep relationships intact, focus on shared goals and create lasting change rather than short-term fixes.Phil and Pen also dig into the difference between vertical and horizontal accountability, the surprising connection between consistency and success, and why discipline—far from being old-fashioned—might be the most underrated skill you can develop right now.In this episode you will learn:  Why accountability is not about blame — and how to reframe it for yourself and your team  The CARE model — Connect, Affirm, Reality, Embed — and how to use it in real conversations  How to embed accountability as a daily habit rather than a crisis conversation  Why replacing "I'll try" with "I will" changes everything How discipline generates motivation — not the other way aroundWhether you lead a team, work within one or simply want to show up better in your own life, this episode will give you the tools and language to make accountability feel less like a burden and more like a superpower. Subscribe and follow the 4D Human Being podcast so you never miss an episode.

LikeFolio's Andy Swan covers consumer sentiment around Affirm (AFRM), which he notes has seasonal swings. Web visits are up “very significantly” year-over-year, but they're still “middle of the pack” vs competitors. He notes that Affirm is turning GAAP-profitable, but they “traded away some growth” for it. He discusses how Affirm could perform in various economic scenarios and highlights their credit card as a growth area.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Listen to Pastor Michael leading us to affirm the covenant relationship we enjoy as a church.

Jim Masturzo, chief investment officer at Research Affiliates, says that "Volatility is just a reaction to something new, and something that has changed," which is why investors can expect a volatile market as it works through the start of the war in Iran. That said, he is not expecting the war to change much, other than increasing volatility, provided it does not last for a long stretch of time. Masturzo does think that current events will contribute to higher inflation, but he says that — whether the Federal Reserve likes it or not — a 3% inflation rate has become the norm and is likely to remain that way, in large part because the economy has shown that it can push through that level of inflation and continue growing.    Vijay Marolia, chief investment officer at Regal Point Capital, also digs in on inflation in "The Week That Is," noting that the upcoming inflation numbers will be the financial story of the week ahead, but also potentially for many consumers' financial lifetime, noting that if higher inflation becomes the norm, it dramatically changes the math for building a retirement-savings nestegg that can overcome longevity and purchasing-power risk. Marolia also discusses the early impacts of war in Iran on the market and how he expects it to play out in oil prices, as well as his sense on what's next for the Space X merger.    David Trainer, president at New Constructs, takes a victory lap on some Danger Zone picks that have paid off, but where he believes there is significantly more trouble to come. It's a rogue's gallery of names like Affirm and Snap that all have fallen by at least 25% in 2026 and much further than that since their 52-week highs; Trainer notes that these stocks, and several others that he discusses, may look like bargains now that they have been beaten down, but warns that investors who buy now could be catching proverbial falling knives. Further, he says, there is no need to chase big losers in hopes of catching a turnaround.

Co-hosting with producer Eric Travis breaks down Affirm's new "buy now, pay later" rent option—splitting monthly rent into zero-interest biweekly payments. They debate cash flow hacks, reminisce on $600/month SoCal apartments now Zestimated at $1,600+, and praise rent-tech like Bilt for credit-building points. On this episode we talk about:   Affirm + Isuzu pilot: Split rent biweekly (no interest/fees) via $10-50/month memberships that report payments to credit bureaus—helps cash flow, not affordability.   Eric's confession: Used fee-free biweekly rent; Travis okays it as the one BNPL he's fine with (unlike shoes/phones).   Rent sticker shock: Eric's old $600 1BR now ~$1,658; Travis's 2018 Vegas 3BR/4BA went from $2,600 to $4,800+ Zestimate.   Bilt love: Pay rent/mortgage with credit card for points (shoutout founder); gamified quizzes make bills fun.   Lifestyle creep: Cheap rents build wealth nostalgia, but "never going back"—location > size if you can walk to casinos/pizza. Top 3 Takeaways 1.  Biweekly rent splits (zero interest) ease cash flow without extra cost—ideal if paid biweekly, risky if monthly salary mismatches.2.  Rents double every ~7 years while fixed mortgages don't—owning locks predictability as utilities/rates rise.3.  Use tech like Bilt for rent points/credit; systems easing big bills (rent = largest expense) free mental space for income growth. Notable Quotes   "This doesn't feel like buy now, pay later... It's just splitting it up into two payments. That feels almost like a better situation for the landlord."   "If this system makes more sense for you to conserve the money... then sure, split it up."   "Set up systems that make it easier to accomplish your goals, rather than trying in the difficulty of the systems you already have." ✖️✖️✖️✖️

It's Casual Friday on the Majority Report   On today's program: In the Democratic primary for New Jersey's 11th District, Analilia Mejia — endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and the Working Families Party — holds a 500-vote lead with 91% of ballots counted in a major upset. AIPAC spent heavily targeting the presumed frontrunner, Tom Malinowski and in turn shot themselves in the foot. National affairs correspondent for The Nation, Jeet Heer joins the show to wrap-up the week's news. Topics covered include Epstein, ICE and more. Independent U.S. Senate candidate in Nebraska, Dan Osborn, joins the show to discuss his opponent, Sen. Pete Ricketts role in price manipulation regarding the Tyson meat-processing plant closure that laid off nearly one-third of the residents of Lexington, Nebraska. In the Fun Half: Mayor Mamdani sign Executive Order to protect immigrants from abusive immigration enforcement. Donald Trump reposts racist Ai gif depicting the Obamas as monkeys. As Trump has gutted and weakened the IRS, experts warn that the agency may struggle to handle tax season effectively. Americans are also learning that Trump's campaign promise of "no tax on overtime" applies only to the extra half-time portion of time-and-a-half pay — not to the full overtime wage, and they are not happy. The buy now, pay later companies like Affirm have begun offering rent now, pay later loans to people who cannot make their rent. Harry Enten presents polling that shows Democrats have a +39 lead with independents over Republicans on the economy. RFK, Jr. claims that schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder can be cured by the keto diet. all that and more To connect and organize with your local ICE rapid response team visit ICERRT.com The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: NAKED WINES: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/MAJORITY and use code MAJORITY for both the code AND PASSWORD.   RITUAL: Get 25% off during your first month. Visit ritual.com/MAJORITY. COZY EARTH: Go to cozyearth.com/MAJORITYREPORTBOGO for an exclusive deal only available Jan 25th - Feb 8th! SUNSET LAKE: Now through February 9th you can use the code VALENTINE26 to save 30% on all of Sunset Lake's gummies, chocolate fudge, and Farmer's Roast infused coffee beans at SunsetLakeCBD.com  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com

After each company reported quarterly results, Amazon stock is lower on AI spending plans, Reddit shares are up on strong guidance for 2026, Roblox is up on a smaller-than-expected loss, and Affirm issued upbeat guidance for the full year. Plus, Coca-Cola is discontinuing an 80-year-old product in the U.S. and Canada: frozen Minute Maid juice concentrate.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amazon the latest big tech name to announce blockbuster AI spending plans:Carl Quintanilla, Jim Cramer and David Faber began the hour breaking down the news - along with mixed results from the name and how to trade them. With the NASDAQ on pace for its worst week since November, are there software names worth taking a look at here? The team discussed Cramer's predictions when it comes to long-term winners and losers here, along with what comes next for the broader markets after this week's volatility... and Bitcoin.  Plus: Affirm CEO Max Levchin joined the broadcast to breakdown new numbers from the company - and the team broke down other key movers of the early trade, from Stellantis to Reddit to Strategy.   Squawk on the Street Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is "buy now, pay later" a debt trap or the future of finance? Affirm CEO Max Levchin says the real problem is the credit card in your wallet. On this week's episode of Bold Names, Levchin joins WSJ's Tim Higgins to discuss how his early days as a co-founder of PayPal led him to his latest venture: using “buy now, pay later” loans to reinvent how people buy things. We talk about why he thinks financing is more transparent than credit, the personal reason he hates late fees and how AI is changing shopping. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: The Boldest Ideas of 2025 — And What's in Store for 2026 Inside Visa's Tech-Charged Future: From Crypto to AI This CEO Says Global Trade Is Broken. What Comes Next? Why Bilt's CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Christopher Mims's Keywords column. Read Tim Higgins's column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can call off the search.(T)here is no other Voice but this One.There is no other Silence.There is no other God.There is no other awakening experience.When your mind is telling you that you're not 'there' yet,you're hearing it from 'there'.This is It.You're hearing THE Voice.You are the Voice.This Silence is what you are.This silence is what I Am (is).Affirm that, 'This Silence is what I Am."The first few times with words, and then drop the words.Your whole being is singing, SHREEMing, 'I Am' without words...being the silence I Am,being the Love I Am,being That, I Am. (Exodus 3:14) I Love you,niknikki@curlynikki.com--Our new book, 'Wake Up to Love' is HERE! Get your copy. Share a copy. Be the Love you wake up to!_______________Support GoOD Mornings on Patreon -https://www.patreon.com/c/goodmorningsQUOTESMeditation excerpt from the 'Little Book of Life and Death' by Douglas Harding"There is no instrument other than deep meditation that can detect the presence of that almighty Grace within. Still the body, withdraw the energy from the senses into the brain, calm the heart: Christ will be there; you will feel the divine joy of the Infinite Christ."-YoganandaReading from, 'Voice of the Masters' by Eva Bell Werber

(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2022.)Every time you shop online and make it to the checkout screen, you see those colorful pastel buttons at the bottom. Affirm. Klarna. Afterpay. Asking: Do you want to split your payment into interest-free installments? No credit check needed. Get what you want, right now. That temptation got shoppers like Amelia Schmarzo into some money trouble. Back in 2022, she maxed out her credit card after a month of buying now and paying later. She's not alone. Buy now, pay later is everywhere now. And you can finance almost anything with it. Your clothes, your furniture … even your lips. But if these companies don't charge interest, how do they make money? In short, people buy more stuff using these services and so sellers are willing to pay up. Which makes buy now, pay later, something of a threat to credit card companies. Cue the tussle for your impulse-buying clicks. Today on the show, we find out how the companies work, who's most likely to use these services and who's getting a good deal. And a warning: those little loans will soon be on your credit report. Subscribe to Planet Money+Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.This episode was produced by Emma Peaslee, engineered by Josh Newell and edited by Molly Messick. Our update was reported by Vito Emanuel, produced by Willa Rubin, engineered by Gilly Moon and edited by our executive producer, Alex Goldmark.Music: Universal Music Production - "Retro Funk," "Comin' Back For More," "Reactive Emotion," and "EAT."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy