Podcasts about AHA

This episode highlights notable news and new products from the perspective of Taste Radio hosts Ray Latif, Jacqui Brugliera and Mike Schneider, including an unusual cola collaboration, a groundbreaking law impacting CBD brands, flavor-driven innovation in overnight oatmeal, RTD cocktails and hummus. The show also includes updates on BevNET and NOSH's upcoming pitch competitions, a recap on beverage-related innovation, news and trends observed at the recently held 2021 NACS trade show and interviews with two entrepreneurs representing emerging brands: Cori Sue Morris, the founder and CEO of super-premium nut butter brand Retreat Foods and Susan Palmer, the founder and CEO of Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop, a maker of small-batch baked goods. Show notes: 1:05: Love It Or Hate It… We're Talking About It. -- The hosts opined about Pepsi's new limited-edition Cracker Jack flavor, why we're convinced that we have a brand competition that would suit almost any early-stage food or beverage company, Mike's excitement at the passage of Assembly Bill 45 and products that tickled the hosts' fancy over the past week, including a remarkable non-alcoholic canned cocktail and an upstart brand of freeze dried fruits and vegetables that is so(w) good. 21:14: A Re-Energized NACS Show -- Taste Radio editor Ray Latif sat down with BevNET Managing Editor Martin Caballero to discuss his major takeaways from this year's NACS trade show, including  innovation in the energy drink category and how emerging brands are targeting the space, new products from the Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo that are targeting the convenience store channel and Vita Coco's new canned offering. 33:13: Interview: Cori Sue Morris, Founder/CEO, Retreat Foods -- Latif spoke with Morris at Natural Products Expo East 2021 for a conversation about the backstory and positioning of Retreat Foods, which markets adaptogenic-infused nut butters, why she's targeting Goop enthusiasts and how she mapped out social and pricing strategies for the brand. 43:05: Interview:  Susan Palmer, Founder & CEO, Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop -- Also recorded at the Expo East 2020 show, Latif spoke with Palmer, whose Brooklyn-based company makes small batch, artisan cookies and sweet treats that are baked with mostly organic, fair trade and non-GMO ingredients. The conversation chronicled Palmer's experience as an entrepreneur, her commitment to high quality ingredients, the challenges of wholesaling fresh products, the company's recent alignment with rapid delivery service Gorillas and how she's positioning the brand for distribution in major retail chains. Brands in this episode: Ghia, Ithaca Hummus, Diesel Water, Sow Good, MUSH, Pepsi, Cedar's, Later Days Coffee, A Dash, Alani Nu, Soul Fixx Elixirs, MOSH, Super Coffee, Ethan's, Riot Energy, Shaka Tea, Zoa, C4, Rockstar Energy, Bang Energy, Monster Energy, Naked Juice, Smartwater, AHA, Minute Maid, Zico, Odwalla, Suja, Barrilitos, Vita Coco, Retreat Foods, Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop

Many leaders feel that they have to be everything to everybody, having all the solutions to all problems. It's amazing how many of those people out there are telling people what to do rather than asking the questions that could create better results and building up others. In this episode, I want to dive into this topic a bit more and help us uncover the approach of asking rather than telling. On this episode: Learn how while many leaders feel they need to take everything on for themselves, which doesn't really help anyone long term, they should really be asking questions and bringing people on the journey with them. “The best thing since sliced bread” - when you let the team come up with a solution, they take ownership over it and it becomes the best thing, rather than a band aid solution. Let's look at an effective way we can ask questions. Key Takeaways: Asking questions brings solutions  You can help people grow by asking questions Let your team take ownership of a solution Bring a coaching approach  Give your team the space to answer questions The power of the ‘Aha!' moment  Tweetable Quotes: “In most day by day operations of an organization, the leadership, the culture; comes down to one thing… Asking, not telling.” - Denis Gianoutsos “I've seen a lot of leaders whereby they actually try to tell the person a solution… but then, what are people learning from that? It's not really a long term solution.” - Denis Gianoutsos “If we ask people questions and they come up with the idea, then it's the ‘best thing since sliced bread!' They're going to own it, they're probably going to take the accountability for it, because it's their idea.” - Denis Gianoutsos Reach out to Denis: Email: denis@leadingchangepartners.com Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ (http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/)  Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/) Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 74 Psalm 74 (Listen) Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause A Maskil1 of Asaph. 74   O God, why do you cast us off forever?    Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?2   Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,    which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!    Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.3   Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;    the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! 4   Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;    they set up their own signs for signs.5   They were like those who swing axes    in a forest of trees.26   And all its carved wood    they broke down with hatchets and hammers.7   They set your sanctuary on fire;    they profaned the dwelling place of your name,    bringing it down to the ground.8   They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;    they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. 9   We do not see our signs;    there is no longer any prophet,    and there is none among us who knows how long.10   How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?    Is the enemy to revile your name forever?11   Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?    Take it from the fold of your garment3 and destroy them! 12   Yet God my King is from of old,    working salvation in the midst of the earth.13   You divided the sea by your might;    you broke the heads of the sea monsters4 on the waters.14   You crushed the heads of Leviathan;    you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.15   You split open springs and brooks;    you dried up ever-flowing streams.16   Yours is the day, yours also the night;    you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.17   You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;    you have made summer and winter. 18   Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,    and a foolish people reviles your name.19   Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;    do not forget the life of your poor forever. 20   Have regard for the covenant,    for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.21   Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;    let the poor and needy praise your name. 22   Arise, O God, defend your cause;    remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!23   Do not forget the clamor of your foes,    the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! Footnotes [1] 74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [3] 74:11 Hebrew from your bosom [4] 74:13 Or the great sea creatures (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Kings 8:22–66 1 Kings 8:22–66 (Listen) Solomon's Prayer of Dedication 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, 23 and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 24 you have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. 25 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.' 26 Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father. 27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. 31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness. 33 “When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 34 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers. 35 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance. 37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates,1 whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, 39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), 40 that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers. 41 “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name's sake 42 (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name. 44 “If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause. 46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, 47 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,' 48 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51 (for they are your people, and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace). 52 Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you. 53 For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.” Solomon's Benediction 54 Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. 57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” Solomon's Sacrifices 62 Then the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64 The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings. 65 So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days.2 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people. Footnotes [1] 8:37 Septuagint, Syriac in any of their cities [2] 8:65 Septuagint; Hebrew seven days and seven days, fourteen days (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 36 Ezekiel 36 (Listen) Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel 36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. 2 Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!' and, ‘The ancient heights have become our possession,' 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, 4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, 5 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Surely I have spoken in my hot jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave my land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, that they might make its pasturelands a prey. 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach. 8 “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. 9 For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. 10 And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. 11 And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 12 I will let people walk on you, even my people Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children. 13 Thus says the Lord GOD: Because they say to you, ‘You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,' 14 therefore you shall no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the Lord GOD. 15 And I will not let you hear anymore the reproach of the nations, and you shall no longer bear the disgrace of the peoples and no longer cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord GOD.” The Lord's Concern for His Holy Name 16 The word of the LORD came to me: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18 So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.' 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. I Will Put My Spirit Within You 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.1 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. 33 “Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. 35 And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.' 36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it. 37 “Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices,2 like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” Footnotes [1] 36:27 Or my just decrees [2] 36:38 Hebrew flock of holy things (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Romans 7 Romans 7 (Listen) Released from the Law 7 Or do you not know, brothers1—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.2 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.3 The Law and Sin 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Footnotes [1] 7:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 4 [2] 7:2 Greek law concerning the husband [3] 7:6 Greek of the letter (ESV)

Old Testament: Isaiah 44–45 Isaiah 44–45 (Listen) Israel the Lord's Chosen 44   “But now hear, O Jacob my servant,    Israel whom I have chosen!2   Thus says the LORD who made you,    who formed you from the womb and will help you:  Fear not, O Jacob my servant,    Jeshurun whom I have chosen.3   For I will pour water on the thirsty land,    and streams on the dry ground;  I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,    and my blessing on your descendants.4   They shall spring up among the grass    like willows by flowing streams.5   This one will say, ‘I am the LORD's,'    another will call on the name of Jacob,  and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD's,'    and name himself by the name of Israel.” Besides Me There Is No God 6   Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel    and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:  “I am the first and I am the last;    besides me there is no god.7   Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.1    Let him declare and set it before me,  since I appointed an ancient people.    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.8   Fear not, nor be afraid;    have I not told you from of old and declared it?    And you are my witnesses!  Is there a God besides me?    There is no Rock; I know not any.” The Folly of Idolatry 9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. 12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.2 He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” The Lord Redeems Israel 21   Remember these things, O Jacob,    and Israel, for you are my servant;  I formed you; you are my servant;    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.22   I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud    and your sins like mist;  return to me, for I have redeemed you. 23   Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;    shout, O depths of the earth;  break forth into singing, O mountains,    O forest, and every tree in it!  For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,    and will be glorified3 in Israel. 24   Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,    who formed you from the womb:  “I am the LORD, who made all things,    who alone stretched out the heavens,    who spread out the earth by myself,25   who frustrates the signs of liars    and makes fools of diviners,  who turns wise men back    and makes their knowledge foolish,26   who confirms the word of his servant    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,  who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,'    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,    and I will raise up their ruins';27   who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;    I will dry up your rivers';28   who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,    and he shall fulfill all my purpose';  saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,'    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.'” Cyrus, God's Instrument 45   Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,    whose right hand I have grasped,  to subdue nations before him    and to loose the belts of kings,  to open doors before him    that gates may not be closed:2   “I will go before you    and level the exalted places,4  I will break in pieces the doors of bronze    and cut through the bars of iron,3   I will give you the treasures of darkness    and the hoards in secret places,  that you may know that it is I, the LORD,    the God of Israel, who call you by your name.4   For the sake of my servant Jacob,    and Israel my chosen,  I call you by your name,    I name you, though you do not know me.5   I am the LORD, and there is no other,    besides me there is no God;    I equip you, though you do not know me,6   that people may know, from the rising of the sun    and from the west, that there is none besides me;    I am the LORD, and there is no other.7   I form light and create darkness;    I make well-being and create calamity;    I am the LORD, who does all these things. 8   “Shower, O heavens, from above,    and let the clouds rain down righteousness;  let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;    let the earth cause them both to sprout;    I the LORD have created it. 9   “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,    a pot among earthen pots!  Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?'    or ‘Your work has no handles'?10   Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?'    or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?'” 11   Thus says the LORD,    the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:  “Ask me of things to come;    will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?512   I made the earth    and created man on it;  it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,    and I commanded all their host.13   I have stirred him up in righteousness,    and I will make all his ways level;  he shall build my city    and set my exiles free,  not for price or reward,”    says the LORD of hosts. The Lord, the Only Savior 14   Thus says the LORD:  “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,    and the Sabeans, men of stature,  shall come over to you and be yours;    they shall follow you;    they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.  They will plead with you, saying:    ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,    no god besides him.'” 15   Truly, you are a God who hides himself,    O God of Israel, the Savior.16   All of them are put to shame and confounded;    the makers of idols go in confusion together.17   But Israel is saved by the LORD    with everlasting salvation;  you shall not be put to shame or confounded    to all eternity. 18   For thus says the LORD,  who created the heavens    (he is God!),  who formed the earth and made it    (he established it;  he did not create it empty,    he formed it to be inhabited!):  “I am the LORD, and there is no other.19   I did not speak in secret,    in a land of darkness;  I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,    ‘Seek me in vain.'6  I the LORD speak the truth;    I declare what is right. 20   “Assemble yourselves and come;    draw near together,    you survivors of the nations!  They have no knowledge    who carry about their wooden idols,  and keep on praying to a god    that cannot save.21   Declare and present your case;    let them take counsel together!  Who told this long ago?    Who declared it of old?  Was it not I, the LORD?    And there is no other god besides me,  a righteous God and a Savior;    there is none besides me. 22   “Turn to me and be saved,    all the ends of the earth!    For I am God, and there is no other.23   By myself I have sworn;    from my mouth has gone out in righteousness    a word that shall not return:  ‘To me every knee shall bow,    every tongue shall swear allegiance.'7 24   “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me,    are righteousness and strength;  to him shall come and be ashamed    all who were incensed against him.25   In the LORD all the offspring of Israel    shall be justified and shall glory.” Footnotes [1] 44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it? [2] 44:13 Hebrew stylus [3] 44:23 Or will display his beauty [4] 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains [5] 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands? [6] 45:19 Hebrew in emptiness [7] 45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God (ESV) New Testament: James 3:1–12 James 3:1–12 (Listen) Taming the Tongue 3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,1 and set on fire by hell.2 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,3 these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Footnotes [1] 3:6 Or wheel of birth [2] 3:6 Greek Gehenna [3] 3:10 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 12 (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 96 Psalm 96 (Listen) Worship in the Splendor of Holiness 96   Oh sing to the LORD a new song;    sing to the LORD, all the earth!2   Sing to the LORD, bless his name;    tell of his salvation from day to day.3   Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous works among all the peoples!4   For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;    he is to be feared above all gods.5   For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,    but the LORD made the heavens.6   Splendor and majesty are before him;    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7   Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,    ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!8   Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;    bring an offering, and come into his courts!9   Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;1    tremble before him, all the earth! 10   Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!    Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;    he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11   Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12     let the field exult, and everything in it!  Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13     before the LORD, for he comes,    for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness,    and the peoples in his faithfulness. Footnotes [1] 96:9 Or in holy attire (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 25:20–22 Proverbs 25:20–22 (Listen) 20   Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,    and like vinegar on soda.21   If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,22   for you will heap burning coals on his head,    and the LORD will reward you. (

Old Testament: Isaiah 44–45 Isaiah 44–45 (Listen) Israel the Lord's Chosen 44   “But now hear, O Jacob my servant,    Israel whom I have chosen!2   Thus says the LORD who made you,    who formed you from the womb and will help you:  Fear not, O Jacob my servant,    Jeshurun whom I have chosen.3   For I will pour water on the thirsty land,    and streams on the dry ground;  I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,    and my blessing on your descendants.4   They shall spring up among the grass    like willows by flowing streams.5   This one will say, ‘I am the LORD's,'    another will call on the name of Jacob,  and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD's,'    and name himself by the name of Israel.” Besides Me There Is No God 6   Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel    and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:  “I am the first and I am the last;    besides me there is no god.7   Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.1    Let him declare and set it before me,  since I appointed an ancient people.    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.8   Fear not, nor be afraid;    have I not told you from of old and declared it?    And you are my witnesses!  Is there a God besides me?    There is no Rock; I know not any.” The Folly of Idolatry 9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. 12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.2 He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” The Lord Redeems Israel 21   Remember these things, O Jacob,    and Israel, for you are my servant;  I formed you; you are my servant;    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.22   I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud    and your sins like mist;  return to me, for I have redeemed you. 23   Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;    shout, O depths of the earth;  break forth into singing, O mountains,    O forest, and every tree in it!  For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,    and will be glorified3 in Israel. 24   Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,    who formed you from the womb:  “I am the LORD, who made all things,    who alone stretched out the heavens,    who spread out the earth by myself,25   who frustrates the signs of liars    and makes fools of diviners,  who turns wise men back    and makes their knowledge foolish,26   who confirms the word of his servant    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,  who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,'    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,    and I will raise up their ruins';27   who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;    I will dry up your rivers';28   who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,    and he shall fulfill all my purpose';  saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,'    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.'” Cyrus, God's Instrument 45   Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,    whose right hand I have grasped,  to subdue nations before him    and to loose the belts of kings,  to open doors before him    that gates may not be closed:2   “I will go before you    and level the exalted places,4  I will break in pieces the doors of bronze    and cut through the bars of iron,3   I will give you the treasures of darkness    and the hoards in secret places,  that you may know that it is I, the LORD,    the God of Israel, who call you by your name.4   For the sake of my servant Jacob,    and Israel my chosen,  I call you by your name,    I name you, though you do not know me.5   I am the LORD, and there is no other,    besides me there is no God;    I equip you, though you do not know me,6   that people may know, from the rising of the sun    and from the west, that there is none besides me;    I am the LORD, and there is no other.7   I form light and create darkness;    I make well-being and create calamity;    I am the LORD, who does all these things. 8   “Shower, O heavens, from above,    and let the clouds rain down righteousness;  let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;    let the earth cause them both to sprout;    I the LORD have created it. 9   “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,    a pot among earthen pots!  Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?'    or ‘Your work has no handles'?10   Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?'    or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?'” 11   Thus says the LORD,    the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:  “Ask me of things to come;    will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?512   I made the earth    and created man on it;  it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,    and I commanded all their host.13   I have stirred him up in righteousness,    and I will make all his ways level;  he shall build my city    and set my exiles free,  not for price or reward,”    says the LORD of hosts. The Lord, the Only Savior 14   Thus says the LORD:  “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,    and the Sabeans, men of stature,  shall come over to you and be yours;    they shall follow you;    they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.  They will plead with you, saying:    ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,    no god besides him.'” 15   Truly, you are a God who hides himself,    O God of Israel, the Savior.16   All of them are put to shame and confounded;    the makers of idols go in confusion together.17   But Israel is saved by the LORD    with everlasting salvation;  you shall not be put to shame or confounded    to all eternity. 18   For thus says the LORD,  who created the heavens    (he is God!),  who formed the earth and made it    (he established it;  he did not create it empty,    he formed it to be inhabited!):  “I am the LORD, and there is no other.19   I did not speak in secret,    in a land of darkness;  I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,    ‘Seek me in vain.'6  I the LORD speak the truth;    I declare what is right. 20   “Assemble yourselves and come;    draw near together,    you survivors of the nations!  They have no knowledge    who carry about their wooden idols,  and keep on praying to a god    that cannot save.21   Declare and present your case;    let them take counsel together!  Who told this long ago?    Who declared it of old?  Was it not I, the LORD?    And there is no other god besides me,  a righteous God and a Savior;    there is none besides me. 22   “Turn to me and be saved,    all the ends of the earth!    For I am God, and there is no other.23   By myself I have sworn;    from my mouth has gone out in righteousness    a word that shall not return:  ‘To me every knee shall bow,    every tongue shall swear allegiance.'7 24   “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me,    are righteousness and strength;  to him shall come and be ashamed    all who were incensed against him.25   In the LORD all the offspring of Israel    shall be justified and shall glory.” Footnotes [1] 44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it? [2] 44:13 Hebrew stylus [3] 44:23 Or will display his beauty [4] 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains [5] 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands? [6] 45:19 Hebrew in emptiness [7] 45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 96 Psalm 96 (Listen) Worship in the Splendor of Holiness 96   Oh sing to the LORD a new song;    sing to the LORD, all the earth!2   Sing to the LORD, bless his name;    tell of his salvation from day to day.3   Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous works among all the peoples!4   For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;    he is to be feared above all gods.5   For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,    but the LORD made the heavens.6   Splendor and majesty are before him;    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7   Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,    ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!8   Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;    bring an offering, and come into his courts!9   Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;1    tremble before him, all the earth! 10   Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!    Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;    he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11   Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12     let the field exult, and everything in it!  Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13     before the LORD, for he comes,    for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness,    and the peoples in his faithfulness. Footnotes [1] 96:9 Or in holy attire (ESV) New Testament: Acts 20 Acts 20 (Listen) Paul in Macedonia and Greece 20 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews1 as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. Eutychus Raised from the Dead 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. 13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and2 the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders 17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.3 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by

A new select committee report in the United Kingdom has found the country's failure to prevent Covid-19 spreading early in the pandemic was one of that its worst ever public health failures. Its approach - backed by its scientists - was to try to achieve "herd immunity" by infection but failing to introduce a lockdown early cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Correspondent Rob Watson told Morning Report there wasn't on specific person blamed for the response. "It doesn't say, 'Aha, Boris Johnson got all this wrong or the government, because it's kind of devastating, but then the entire system is to blame," he said. "If you had to give it the sort of guts of the criticism, it's that the UK was preparing for the wrong disease. "It was preparing for flu instead of a Coronavirus so when it came along there was just too much groupthink amongst the scientists, amongst government ministers, and they were too slow and too reluctant to learn from what other countries have done." He said the part of the report was that if the country had locked down even a week earlier it would have saved thousands of lives "The report says that the government, the scientists made an initial mistake, and that was being too fatalistic, thinking that you couldn't really stop the spread of the disease, and they were far too defeatist about that, and then they locked down too late."

A week of feelings, information and AHA moments.

Please join author Milton Packer and Associate Editor Justin Ezekowitz as they discuss the Perspective "Heart Failure and a Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Side-by-Side Examination of the PARAGON-HF and EMPEROR-Preserved Trials." Dr. Carolyn Lam: Welcome to Circulation on the Run, your weekly podcast summary and backstage pass to the Journal and its editors. We're your co-hosts. I'm Dr. Carolyn Lam, Associate Editor from the National Heart Center. Dr. Greg Hundley: And I'm Dr. Greg Hundley, associate editor, director of the Pauley Heart Center at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Greg, it really is so great to be back with you chatting about the papers here in the Journal. Thank you for going solo and for just being the greatest partner on earth. Thank you for that. For everyone listening in, we are back with some gusto and especially with this feature discussion today. You are not going to want to miss it. We are talking to Dr. Milton Packer as well as Dr. Justin Ezekowitz. We are going to compare PARAGON and EMPEROR-Preserved trials in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. A really interesting discussion you're not going to want to miss, but now let's start with some papers in today's issue. I'd like to start, please. Dr. Greg Hundley: You bet. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Greg, you know the optimal duration of antiplatelet therapy in patients with high bleeding risk with or without oral anticoagulation after coronary stenting? Well, that still remains a question. Today's paper is a pre-specified subgroup analysis of the MASTER DAPT trial and reports on the outcomes of patients with or without an oral anticoagulation indication in this study. Dr. Greg Hundley: Right, Carolyn. Remind us. What was the MASTER DAPT trial? What did it test? Dr. Carolyn Lam: Ah. MASTER DAPT investigated an abbreviated or one-month versus a non-abbreviated or three to 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy and a stopping of antiplatelet therapy at six months strategy after coronary stenting in an all-comer population at high bleeding risk. Dr. Greg Hundley: Carolyn, what did this subgroup analysis of outcomes in patients with and without oral anticoagulation show? Dr. Carolyn Lam: At 12 months of follow-up, ischemic and net risk did not differ with abbreviated versus non-abbreviated anti-platelet regimens in both subgroups, although significantly fewer clinically relevant bleeding events occurred in the group without an oral anticoagulation indication. Whereas only numerically fewer bleeding events occurred in the group with an oral anticoagulation indication that did not reach statistical significance. This subgroup analysis from the MASTER DAPT trial really adds additional evidence that dual antiplatelet therapy beyond one month in patients with or without an indication for oral anticoagulation really has no benefit and only increases bleeding risk. Dr. Greg Hundley: Oh, very important finding, Carolyn. Great research. Well, Carolyn, how the extracellular matrix microenvironment modulates the contractile phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells and confers vascular homeostasis really remains elusive. Thus, these investigators led by Professor Wei Kong at Peking University applied protein-protein interaction network analysis to explore novel extracellular matrix proteins associated with the vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Huh. Interesting. What did they find, Greg? Dr. Greg Hundley: Right, Carolyn. By combining an in-vitro and an in-vivo genetic mice vascular injury model, they identified nidogen-2, a basement membrane glycoprotein, as a key extracellular matrix protein for maintenance of vascular smooth muscle cell identity. Nidogen-2 exerted its protective function via direct interaction and modulation of Jagged1-Notch3 signaling. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Wow! Nidogen-2 and Jagged1-Notch3. I always learn so much. What are the clinical implications, Greg? Dr. Greg Hundley: Right, Carolyn. Perhaps targeting nidogen-2 to precisely modulate Jagged1-Notch3 signaling, well, that may provide novel therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis and post-injury restenosis. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Very nice. Well, in the next paper, we discuss inflammation in heart failure. We know that inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of heart failure, but there is limited understanding of inflammation's potential benefits. Interesting, huh? Well, these authors, Dr. Wollert and colleagues from Hannover Medical School in Germany, identified an adaptive crosstalk between inflammatory cells and cardiomyocytes that protects against persistent afterload stress-induced heart failure in mice. Monocytes and macrophages produced myeloid-derived growth factor in the pressure overloaded myocardium to augment SERCA2a expression in cardiomyocyte's calcium cycling and contractility. Myeloid-derived growth factor plasma concentrations were also found to be elevated in patients with aortic stenosis and to decline after aortic valve implantation indicating that pressure overload also triggers myeloid-derived growth factor release in humans. Dr. Greg Hundley: Carolyn, really informative preclinical science, but what are the clinical implications? Dr. Carolyn Lam: Ah. These observations molecularly defined a feature of the inflammatory response to hemodynamic overload that protects against heart failure development. Inflammation's beneficial trade therefore need to be considered when developing inflammation as a therapeutic target in heart failure. All of this is really discussed in a lovely editorial entitled Inflammation and Heart Failure: Friend or Foe? That's by Drs. Hajjar and Leopold. Dr. Greg Hundley: Great job, Carolyn. Well, my next paper focuses on resistant hypertension. Carolyn, although lifestyle modifications generally are effective in lowering blood pressure among patients with unmedicated hypertension or those treated with one to two antihypertensive agents, the value of exercise and diet for lowering blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension is unknown. To address this, Professor James Blumenthal and co-authors at Duke University Medical Center enrolled 140 patients with resistant hypertension with an average age of 63 years, 48% women, 59% black, 31% diabetes, and 21% with chronic kidney disease and randomly assigned them to A, a four-month cardiac rehab center-based program of lifestyle modification. We're going to call that C-LIFE, consisting of dietary counseling, behavior and weight management, and exercise. Or number 2 or the B, a single counseling session providing standardized education and physician advice. We'll call that SEPA. Dr. Greg Hundley: The primary endpoint was clinic measured systolic blood pressure. Secondary endpoints included 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and selective cardiovascular disease biomarkers including baroreflex sensitivity to quantify the influence of baroreflex on heart rate; high-frequency heart rate variability to assess vagally-mediated modulation of heart rate; flow-mediated dilation to evaluate endothelial function; and pulse wave velocity to assess arterial stiffness; and then finally left ventricular mass to characterize left ventricular structure and remodeling. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Wow! That is a very, first of all, important clinical question. Then also, just very intricate methodology in assessing this. What did they find? Dr. Greg Hundley: Right, Carolyn. Between-group comparisons revealed that the reduction in clinic systolic blood pressure was greater in C-LIFE compared with SEPA. Next, 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure also was reduced in C-LIFE with no change in SEPA. Then next, compared with SEPA, C-LIFE resulted in greater improvements in baroreflex sensitivity, high-frequency heart rate variability, and flow-mediated dilation. There was no between-group differences in pulse wave velocity or LV mass. Dr. Greg Hundley: Carolyn, diet and exercise can lower blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension. When delivered in a cardiac rehabilitation setting, a four-month program of diet and exercise as adjunctive therapy, results in a significant reduction in clinic and ambulatory blood pressure, and improvement in selected cardiovascular disease biomarkers. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Wow! Really nice, Greg. Okay. Well, looks like we're all going to round up already with what else there is in today's issue. Let me start. There's an exchange of letters between Drs. Fang and Vinceti regarding the article Blood Pressure Effects on Sodium Reduction: Dose-Response Meta-analysis of Experimental Studies. Dr. Greg Hundley: Right, Carolyn. I've got a few things in the mail bag. First, Professor Anker has a Research Letter regarding the Kidney Function After Initiation and Discontinuation of Empagliflozin in Heart Failure Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes: Insights From the EMPERIAL Trials. Dr. Gerstenfeld has an ECG challenge entitled Atrioventricular Block with Narrow and Wide QRS: The Pause That Refreshes. Then lastly, Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones has an AHA update regarding the American Heart Association's focus on primordial prevention. Well, Carolyn, I can't wait to hear this fantastic feature discussion with you and Dr. Packer. How about we jump to that? Dr. Carolyn Lam: Great. Let's go, Greg. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Because side-by-side exam of PARAGON and EMPEROR is like side-by-side of... Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: You can compare our new and our old prime minister much like your paper did. Dr. Milton Packer: Yeah, yeah. Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: There are [crosstalk] and it could be viewed until they perform in the broader world how it goes. You don't quite know. Dr. Milton Packer: The only problem is you can't do a head-to-head comparison of the old prime minister and the new prime minister. Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: That is true except that the head-to-head comparison includes excellent care by both the new and the old. I think that comparison's going to be pretty equal. I think we can case-control that one. Dr. Carolyn Lam: I really liked that that was politically correct because we are recording. Everybody, welcome to the feature discussion. I am here with Dr. Milton Packer from Baylor and he really needs no introduction. We're discussing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. As well as our associate editor, Dr. Justin Ezekowitz from University of Alberta. Hence, in case anybody's wondering, we were talking about the Canadian elections. Let's just launch straight into it, a side-by-side comparison of PARAGON and EMPEROR-Preserved. Dr. Packer... Milton, if I may, what in the world drove you to do this? Dr. Milton Packer: My God. Oh, my God. Yes. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Tell us about what drove you to do this and please, if you could just summarize the results. Dr. Milton Packer: Well, let me just say from the outset that this was a commentary, not an original research article. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Yes. Dr. Milton Packer: The commentary was motivated by two very straightforward observations. We had two large scale outcome trials of two different drugs in heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction. I was privileged to serve as you were, Carolyn, on the leadership committees of both trials. It's not as if we have involvement in only one trial. We have involvement in both trials and we are very proud of that involvement. Dr. Milton Packer: One trial came in with a effect size of about 13% on its primary endpoint with a borderline P-value. A second trial, EMPEROR-Preserved, came in with a 21% reduction and its primary endpoint with a really small and persuasive P-value. The two patient populations in the two trials were really amazingly similar. We wanted to understand why it was 21% in one trial and persuasively so and why it appeared to be smaller in the PARAGON trial with sacubitril/valsartan. We thought, well, maybe that difference was related to how endpoints were defined or maybe that difference was related to the influence of ejection fraction. The reason we got excited about that was that as almost everyone knows, PARAGON found an influence of ejection fraction on the effect of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with HFpEF. We found an influence of ejection fraction on the effect of empagliflozin in HFpEF in EMPEROR-Preserved. We wanted to understand whether that influence was similar in the two trials. Dr. Milton Packer: Just to make life simple, PARAGON had created certain cut points for ejection fraction. They had presented and previously published in Circulation endpoints based on those cut points of ejection fraction. All we did was we used their endpoints and their cut points, and we put the two trials side by side. We did not do a statistical comparison of the effect size. There're actually no P-values in the whole commentary. But what we wanted to see was: Was the shape of the ejection fraction influence relationship similar or different in the two trials? Well, very simple. In PARAGON, as has been reported, there was a linear relationship: as ejection fraction increased, the effect of sacubitril/valsartan got smaller. In EMPEROR-Preserved, there was also an attenuation at a highest ejection fraction, but the relationship wasn't linear. It was like a hockey stick. It was flat and then went up at an ejection fraction over 62.5, which was the cut point that PARAGON used. Dr. Milton Packer: When we compared patients between the low 40s and the low 60s, the effect size in empagliflozin appeared to be larger than the effect size of sacubitril/valsartan in that ejection fraction group using the same endpoints. In fact, for hospitalizations for heart failure, which is really what SGLT2 inhibitors do, it was twice as great with empagliflozin in EMPEROR-Preserved than with sacubitril/valsartan in PARAGON-HF. We thought this was really interesting. We put the pictures up side by side. We wrote a commentary and Circulation was so kind to accept it. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Oh, but Milton, you were very, honestly as always, very clever to have done this analysis. But if I could reiterate a few things for the audience, which is very important. First of all, as you rightly first pointed out, it's a perspective piece. It is not a head-on comparison with P-values. It could not be. Let's just also give the audience a bit of background in that PARAGON included patients with an ejection fraction of 45% and above. EMPEROR-Preserved was above 40. PARAGON looked at total heart failure hospitalizations and cardiovascular death as a primary outcome. EMPEROR looked at first cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Let's just remember the designs were different. Of course in the comparison, PARAGON compared sacubitril/valsartan versus valsartan. I like the way you very carefully wrote in your study that it was more a study of neprilysin inhibition since it's sacubitril/valsartan against valsartan and it was empagliflozin versus placebo. We know that it's important to state that as a basis. Then really important to say to everybody out there, pick up our journal. You must look at this bigger. I myself have already cited it at least twice already, Milton, because people will just naturally ask that. "Are the results different because of ejection fraction or different endpoints?" What you did there in that beautiful figure is that you tried as best as you can to match it up in terms of ejection fraction bins and match it up in terms of hospitalizations. There. I just wanted to state those few things, but I'm really- Dr. Milton Packer: Oh, no. No. Carolyn, you're 100% right. That's why there are couple of things. I just want to underscore what you said because I think your points were spot on. First of all, we really lined up the endpoints and the ejection fraction. We tried our best to compare apples and apples. It would not have been a useful exercise for us to compare different endpoints and different ejection fraction subgroups. But I just want to make sure that everyone understands: I'm a big fan of sacubitril/valsartan and I'm a big fan of neprilysin inhibition. As you know, both PARADIGM-HF and PARAGON-HF weren't really tests of sacubitril/valsartan; they were tests of neprilysin inhibition. They were great tests at that. PARAGON in particular was a great test of that. We're comparing neprilysin inhibition and SGLT2 inhibition. Dr. Milton Packer: But here's my most important point: we do not want people to choose one over the other. That was not the intent. We think that there are data in patients with certain ejection fractions, let's say between 40 and 60, I'm just creating a range, where both interventions are appropriate. Now I understand there are cost considerations and I don't want to minimize that, but we are not suggesting that anyone prefer one drug over the other. All we wanted to do was we wanted to ask the question: Since the effect size in one trial seemed to be different than the effect size in the other trial, what were the ejection fraction subgroups that represented that difference? We found that the patients with ejection fractions greater than 60, 65% did not contribute to that difference. It was the patients with lower ejection fractions that contributed to the difference. I hope that's helpful. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Ah. That's wonderful. Justin, have you recovered from the talk about the Canadian elections? Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: Oh. I have indeed. Dr. Carolyn Lam: I'm on swinging. Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: I have indeed. Thanks for recognizing that Canada just had a major election we carried out in six weeks. But, Milton, I really enjoyed reading this. Maybe I can just ask you about two elements within this perspective piece, which is number 1, what's incredibly concordant is a lack of difference across cardiovascular death for both agents in both trials regardless of the trial differences and the potential differences in patient populations recruited; that's number 1. It's incredibly flat for cardiovascular death. Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: But number 2 is there is a danger in comparing trials even non-statistically. That's often a pitfall we get into, but we have to put some frame of reference on that. What is the one or two key things you think differ between PARAGON and EMPEROR-Preserved that you say, "You really need to look at these trials differently"? Those two questions came to mind when looking at this great figure that you produced. Dr. Milton Packer: Okay. The first question is so much easier and that is that these drugs don't reduce cardiovascular deaths. Full stop. It's really interesting because sacubitril/valsartan reduces cardiovascular death in people with ejection fractions of 40% or less, but not in patients with ejection fraction greater than that. The primary effect is heart failure hospitalizations. Empagliflozin didn't reduce cardiovascular death even in patients with the ejection fraction less than 40% or greater than 40%. What we're really, really talking about two drugs where the major effect is a reduction in heart failure hospitalizations. That comes out whether you do the analysis as time-to-first-event or total heart failure hospitalizations. Dr. Milton Packer: Of course, we're looking forward to the DELIVER trial with dapagliflozin. My own personal expectation is they're going to come out with a very striking effect on heart failure hospitalizations and not on cardiovascular deaths. Cardiovascular deaths in patients with HFpEF is really... It's a hard goal because only half of the deaths are cardiovascular. These patients have so many comorbidities that influence prognosis. The other thing, which is really important, is that heart failure hospitalizations only represented 18% of all hospitalizations in these patients; it's really small. I think of empagliflozin as being a treatment of the heart failure of HFpEF, not a treatment for HFpEF. I hope that makes sense. Justin, what was your second question? Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: Absolutely. Dr. Milton Packer: Oh, the differences between- Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: Yeah. Thank you, Milton. Dr. Milton Packer: Okay. There's always differences between two trials. As I said before, Carol and I were involved in both trials. They were done slightly at different times. They didn't overlap. Remember that the cut points in the two trials, one was 40%, one was 45%, really didn't matter to our analysis because we corrected for that in our ejection fraction subgroups. I was actually really much more impressed by the similarities than by the differences, but here's the catch. HFpEF is an incredibly heterogeneous disease. When we look at baseline characteristics, we're looking at means, medians, percentages. We're not picking up on any heterogeneity and there's a lot of heterogeneity. I actually think that HFrEF is a reasonably homogeneous disease. I think HFpEF is an incredibly diverse disease with a whole host of different disorders. What I'm amazed by is that we actually got an effect size that was greater than 20% in an all-comers HFpEF analysis. Dr. Milton Packer: But in all honesty, Justin, it wasn't really all-comers. We excluded people with BMIs over 45. There are a lot of patients who are obese and had BMIs greater than 45 who have HFpEF. By the way, especially in Texas. I didn't say that. We didn't enroll those patients. In all honesty, if I had to do it all over again, I would have. By the way, PARAGON didn't enroll them either. Dr. Carolyn Lam: Well, this is an incredible conversation. I know that we could just do a whole hour of chatting about what this implies for the higher ejection fraction, what this implies for how we should be treating heart failure. I don't even dare to ask for some last words maybe from both Justin and Milton, but recognizing that the time is short, anything else to add? Dr. Milton Packer: I think Justin should do last words. Dr. Justin Ezekowitz: Well, let me summarize by saying there is a hockey stick. We love hockey sticks in Canada. A simple and an excellent comparison. I think people should really look at that figure to understand it, but do not undertreat your patients with HFpEF and look at these with a grain of salt. Thanks for joining us, Milton. Thanks, Carolyn. Dr. Milton Packer: Thank you so much. Dr. Carolyn Lam: On behalf of Greg and I, you've been listening to Circulation on the Run. Thank you so much for joining us today and don't forget to tune in again next week. Dr. Greg Hundley: This program is copyright of the American Heart Association 2021. The opinions expressed by speakers in this podcast are their own and not necessarily those of the editors, or of the American Heart Association. For more, visit ahajournals.org.

With over 20 years of software experience, Ryan Glushkoff provides pricing and product marketing expertise for business-to-business (B2B) software companies. This includes offer packaging, pricing, market research, and pricing strategy and organization. Prior to founding Fraction8, Ryan cut his teeth in both the pre-sales and post-sales world for both mass-marketing and custom-enterprise software companies, which gives him a unique perspective on how SaaS companies need to price and market themselves for success. In this episode, Ryan shares what important data set his qualitative and quantitative interviews and surveys uncover to arrive at a pricing decision.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Find out the three types of competitive research you can use to understand your competitors' offer structure so you come up with the right pricing decision Learn about what different companies are using in their pricing structure Find out what is of utmost reason for putting your price online   “Pricing is a team sport. All of those different groups need to be part of the decision. So, it's incumbent upon the product team to steward the rest of the organization through that decision making process.” - Ryan Glushkoff   Topics Covered: 01:36 - What he does as a B2B technology pricing consultant 03:32 - Doing qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys 04:17 - Aha moments when it comes to clients saying what they claim customers value versus what customers say they value 05:16 - Important data points uncovered with qualitative and quantitative interviews 05:57 - What is competitive research and its different types 07:44 - Times when you consider pricing as part science and part art 08:46 - Going the same pricing metric as the competitor versus charging with better options 09:56 - Sharing his concern about using different pricing metrics 10:38 - Perpetual license of moving to SaaS 11:23 - Touching on usage-based pricing 12:43 - Outcome-based pricing being a version of user-based pricing 13:47 - PayPal and tollbooth pricing 14:41 - Are Lyft and Uber subscription-based companies 15:06 - Price structure of AWS and how it's different from Uber 18:48 - Regularly buying diet Coke compared to subscription-based 19:37 - What he thinks of putting pricing online 21:42 - When it's not proper to pricing online 23:28 - His thoughts to a recommendation of putting a price range versus none at all 24:35 - Which way to go -- put price online or not 26:14 - When do companies miss part of their pricing research 26:44 - Where should pricing lives in a company 30:24 - How pricing is screaming for a center of excellence type of approach 31:58 - His best pricing advice that can have a great impact on one's business 32:27 - Does he actually ask, ‘What are you willing to pay' 33:33 - Mark's answer to Ryan's question on why he asks, ‘What are you willing to pay'   Key Takeaways: “Competitive research is something that is really good to know, but since every company has their own unique value proposition that they bring to market, just copying a competitor, you're probably leaving something on the table by doing that, or you're selling yourself short.” - Ryan Glushkoff “If you'd ask which side of the fence I would come on, or land on for, whether to put your pricing online or not, I would err on the side of putting it online. The idea of maintaining positive control of the sales conversation is paramount. Especially if you do your homework and you're confident in the research that you've done that informs the value of your solution, the price that people are willing to pay.” - Ryan Glushkoff “I really think it [Pricing] should live in the product organization because the product owner is really the CEO of the product; the product team has the deepest understanding of the problems that the buyer and the user are facing. They have the deepest understanding of how to go about solving those problems, through the features and capabilities that the solution is offering.”  - Ryan Glushkoff   People/Resources Mentioned: PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/ph/home Lyft: https://www.lyft.com/ Uber: https://www.uber.com/tw/en/ AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/   Connect with Ryan Glushkoff: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glushkoff/ Email: glushkoff@gmail.com   Connect with Mark Stiving:  Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  

Morning: Isaiah 43–44 Isaiah 43–44 (Listen) Israel's Only Savior 43   But now thus says the LORD,  he who created you, O Jacob,    he who formed you, O Israel:  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;    I have called you by name, you are mine.2   When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;  when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,    and the flame shall not consume you.3   For I am the LORD your God,    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  I give Egypt as your ransom,    Cush and Seba in exchange for you.4   Because you are precious in my eyes,    and honored, and I love you,  I give men in return for you,    peoples in exchange for your life.5   Fear not, for I am with you;    I will bring your offspring from the east,    and from the west I will gather you.6   I will say to the north, Give up,    and to the south, Do not withhold;  bring my sons from afar    and my daughters from the end of the earth,7   everyone who is called by my name,    whom I created for my glory,    whom I formed and made.” 8   Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes,    who are deaf, yet have ears!9   All the nations gather together,    and the peoples assemble.  Who among them can declare this,    and show us the former things?  Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,    and let them hear and say, It is true.10   “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,    “and my servant whom I have chosen,  that you may know and believe me    and understand that I am he.  Before me no god was formed,    nor shall there be any after me.11   I, I am the LORD,    and besides me there is no savior.12   I declared and saved and proclaimed,    when there was no strange god among you;    and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.13   Also henceforth I am he;    there is none who can deliver from my hand;    I work, and who can turn it back?” 14   Thus says the LORD,    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:  “For your sake I send to Babylon    and bring them all down as fugitives,    even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.15   I am the LORD, your Holy One,    the Creator of Israel, your King.” 16   Thus says the LORD,    who makes a way in the sea,    a path in the mighty waters,17   who brings forth chariot and horse,    army and warrior;  they lie down, they cannot rise,    they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:18   “Remember not the former things,    nor consider the things of old.19   Behold, I am doing a new thing;    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness    and rivers in the desert.20   The wild beasts will honor me,    the jackals and the ostriches,  for I give water in the wilderness,    rivers in the desert,  to give drink to my chosen people,21     the people whom I formed for myself  that they might declare my praise. 22   “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;    but you have been weary of me, O Israel!23   You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,    or honored me with your sacrifices.  I have not burdened you with offerings,    or wearied you with frankincense.24   You have not bought me sweet cane with money,    or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.  But you have burdened me with your sins;    you have wearied me with your iniquities. 25   “I, I am he    who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,    and I will not remember your sins.26   Put me in remembrance; let us argue together;    set forth your case, that you may be proved right.27   Your first father sinned,    and your mediators transgressed against me.28   Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,    and deliver Jacob to utter destruction    and Israel to reviling. Israel the Lord's Chosen 44   “But now hear, O Jacob my servant,    Israel whom I have chosen!2   Thus says the LORD who made you,    who formed you from the womb and will help you:  Fear not, O Jacob my servant,    Jeshurun whom I have chosen.3   For I will pour water on the thirsty land,    and streams on the dry ground;  I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,    and my blessing on your descendants.4   They shall spring up among the grass    like willows by flowing streams.5   This one will say, ‘I am the LORD's,'    another will call on the name of Jacob,  and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD's,'    and name himself by the name of Israel.” Besides Me There Is No God 6   Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel    and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:  “I am the first and I am the last;    besides me there is no god.7   Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.1    Let him declare and set it before me,  since I appointed an ancient people.    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.8   Fear not, nor be afraid;    have I not told you from of old and declared it?    And you are my witnesses!  Is there a God besides me?    There is no Rock; I know not any.” The Folly of Idolatry 9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. 12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.2 He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” The Lord Redeems Israel 21   Remember these things, O Jacob,    and Israel, for you are my servant;  I formed you; you are my servant;    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.22   I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud    and your sins like mist;  return to me, for I have redeemed you. 23   Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;    shout, O depths of the earth;  break forth into singing, O mountains,    O forest, and every tree in it!  For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,    and will be glorified3 in Israel. 24   Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,    who formed you from the womb:  “I am the LORD, who made all things,    who alone stretched out the heavens,    who spread out the earth by myself,25   who frustrates the signs of liars    and makes fools of diviners,  who turns wise men back    and makes their knowledge foolish,26   who confirms the word of his servant    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,  who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,'    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,    and I will raise up their ruins';27   who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;    I will dry up your rivers';28   who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,    and he shall fulfill all my purpose';  saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,'    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.'” Footnotes [1] 44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it? [2] 44:13 Hebrew stylus [3] 44:23 Or will display his beauty (ESV) Evening: Colossians 2 Colossians 2 (Listen) 2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Alive in Christ 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities2 and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.3 Let No One Disqualify You 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,4 puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or elementary principles; also verse 20 [2] 2:15 Probably demonic rulers and authorities [3] 2:15 Or in it (that is, the cross) [4] 2:18 Or about the things he has seen (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 70 Psalm 70 (Listen) O Lord, Do Not Delay To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering. 70   Make haste, O God, to deliver me!    O LORD, make haste to help me!2   Let them be put to shame and confusion    who seek my life!  Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor    who delight in my hurt!3   Let them turn back because of their shame    who say, “Aha, Aha!” 4   May all who seek you    rejoice and be glad in you!  May those who love your salvation    say evermore, “God is great!”5   But I am poor and needy;    hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer;    O LORD, do not delay! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Kings 5 1 Kings 5 (Listen) Preparations for Building the Temple 5 1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David. 2 And Solomon sent word to Hiram, 3 “You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. 5 And so I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD said to David my father, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.' 6 Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.” 7 As soon as Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.” 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants shall bring it down to the sea from Lebanon, and I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you direct. And I will have them broken up there, and you shall receive it. And you shall meet my wishes by providing food for my household.” 10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired, 11 while Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 cors2 of wheat as food for his household, and 20,0003 cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. 12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty. 13 King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the draft. 15 Solomon also had 70,000 burden-bearers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country, 16 besides Solomon's 3,300 chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work. 17 At the king's command they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones. 18 So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men of Gebal did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house. Footnotes [1] 5:1 Ch 5:15 in Hebrew [2] 5:11 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters [3] 5:11 Septuagint; Hebrew twenty (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 32 Ezekiel 32 (Listen) A Lament over Pharaoh and Egypt 32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:   “You consider yourself a lion of the nations,    but you are like a dragon in the seas;  you burst forth in your rivers,    trouble the waters with your feet,    and foul their rivers.3   Thus says the Lord GOD:    I will throw my net over you    with a host of many peoples,    and they will haul you up in my dragnet.4   And I will cast you on the ground;    on the open field I will fling you,  and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you,    and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.5   I will strew your flesh upon the mountains    and fill the valleys with your carcass.16   I will drench the land even to the mountains    with your flowing blood,    and the ravines will be full of you.7   When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens    and make their stars dark;  I will cover the sun with a cloud,    and the moon shall not give its light.8   All the bright lights of heaven    will I make dark over you,    and put darkness on your land,      declares the Lord GOD. 9 “I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries that you have not known. 10 I will make many peoples appalled at you, and the hair of their kings shall bristle with horror because of you, when I brandish my sword before them. They shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall. 11 “For thus says the Lord GOD: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them most ruthless of nations.   “They shall bring to ruin the pride of Egypt,    and all its multitude2 shall perish.13   I will destroy all its beasts    from beside many waters;  and no foot of man shall trouble them anymore,    nor shall the hoofs of beasts trouble them.14   Then I will make their waters clear,    and cause their rivers to run like oil,      declares the Lord GOD.15   When I make the land of Egypt desolate,    and when the land is desolate of all that fills it,  when I strike down all who dwell in it,    then they will know that I am the LORD. 16 This is a lamentation that shall be chanted; the daughters of the nations shall chant it; over Egypt, and over all her multitude, shall they chant it, declares the Lord GOD.” 17 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month,3 on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 18 “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and send them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, to the world below, to those who have gone down to the pit: 19   ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?    Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised.' 20 They shall fall amid those who are slain by the sword. Egypt4 is delivered to the sword; drag her away, and all her multitudes. 21 The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.' 22 “Assyria is there, and all her company, its graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit; and her company is all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living. 24 “Elam is there, and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the world below, who spread their terror in the land of the living; and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit. 25 They have made her a bed among the slain with all her multitude, her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are placed among the slain. 26 “Meshech-Tubal is there, and all her multitude, her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 And they do not lie with the mighty, the fallen from among the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living. 28 But as for you, you shall be broken and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. 29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit. 30 “The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit. 31 “When Pharaoh sees them, he will be comforted for all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD. 32 For I spread terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 32:5 Hebrew your height [2] 32:12 Or wealth [3] 32:17 Hebrew lacks in the twelfth month [4] 32:20 Hebrew She (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Romans 4 Romans 4 (Listen) Abraham Justified by Faith 4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in1 him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7   “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,    and whose sins are covered;8   blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. The Promise Realized Through Faith 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness2 of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Footnotes [1] 4:5 Or but trusts; compare verse 24 [2] 4:19 Greek deadness (ESV)

Heart disease in women is under recognized under treated, and under researched compared to men; although it is the number one killer of women in the world. In this podcast, Dr. Retu Sexena, a cardiologist with Minneapolis Heart Institute, discusses the epidemiology, symptoms and pathology of heart disease as it relates to women and cardio-obstetrics. Enjoy the podcast! Objectives:     Upon completion of this podcast, participants should be able to: Summarize the historical nature of heart disease in women. Recognize the cardiovascular risks in women. Identify signs/symptoms of heart disease in women. Review prevention efforts for heart disease in women. CME credit is only offered to Ridgeview Providers & Allied Health Staff for this podcast activity. Complete and submit the online evaluation form, after viewing the activity.  Upon successful completion of the evaluation, you will be e-mailed a certificate of completion within approximately 2 weeks. You may contact the accredited provider with questions regarding this program at  rmccredentialing@ridgeviewmedical.org. To receive continuing education credit for this activity - click the link below, to complete the activity's evaluation. CME Evaluation (**If you are listening to the podcasts through iTunes on your laptop or desktop, it is not possible to link directly with the CME Evaluation for unclear reasons. We are trying to remedy this. You can, however, link to the survey through the Podcasts app on your Apple and other smart devices, as well as through Spotify, Stitcher and other podcast directory apps and on your computer browser at these websites. We apologize for the inconvenience.)  DISCLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT  The information provided through this and all Ridgeview podcasts as well as any and all accompanying files, images, videos and documents is/are for CME/CE and other institutional learning and communication purposes only and is/are not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician, healthcare provider or other healthcare personnel relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient's medical condition; and are property/rights of Ridgeview Medical Center & Clinics.  Any re-reproduction of any of the materials presented would be infringement of copyright laws.  It is Ridgeview's intent that any potential conflict should be identified openly so that the listeners may form their own judgments about the presentation with the full disclosure of the facts. It is not assumed any potential conflicts will have an adverse impact on these presentations. It remains for the audience to determine whether the speaker's outside interest may reflect a possible bias, either the exposition or the conclusions presented. Ridgeview's CME planning committee members and presenter(s) have disclosed they have no significant financial relationship with a pharmaceutical company and have disclosed that no conflict of interest exists with the presentation/educational event. Thank-you for listening to the podcast. SHOW NOTES:  *See the attachment for the full chapter summaries.  Chapter 1:- History of cardiovascular disease in women - Symptoms - Risk factors Chapter 2:- Cardio-Obstetrics (CV-Ob) - Cardiomyopathies in pregnancy Chapter 3: - Treatment/Therapies and concerns - Hypertension - ICD guidelines, ASCVD risk scores, AHA guidelines, recommendations * For journal articles cited, and web links - see attached "Show Notes".

It's top 3 ABBA songs this week and the listeners voice their disgust. The chaps do a sober episode for Chris Konrath, it's revealed why ABBA are called ABBA and there's a boring memory about can crushing. Stu starts a new job, AHA is said a lot and find out how Bruce Forsyth would do in Silence of the Lambs. All this and your regular features too.

Sam and Emma host Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer at Slate, to discuss the new Supreme Court term, and what it holds for the justices and the country at large. Dialing in on three upcoming cases, Mark, Emma, and Sam explore how the upcoming term could see a complete deconstruction of reproductive rights, the administrative state, and any attempt at gun control legislation, now that the swing vote lies in Justice Kavanaugh's lap. Starting with Roe v. Wade, they dive into Mississippi's challenge to the viability rule, and why, despite MS's attempt to prohibit abortions past 15 weeks, the Court calling their legitimacy into question no matter what likely will encourage them to dismantle Roe in general, rather than slowly dicing it up. Next, they move on to AHA v. Becerra which puts the Chevron Doctrine and Administrative State on the chopping block. First, Mark takes the time to explain what this doctrine actually is, allowing Congress to delegate the specific regulatory numbers to the relevant agencies, whether it be the EPA determining the PPM limit on Mercury in the Air, OSHA writing health regulations in the workplace, DHHS working to set drug prices, or literally any other element of the executive branch's ability to administrate. The last case they cover is New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, which seeks to expand the 2008 ruling of DC v. Heller that redefined the Second Amendment to apply to individuals, rather than militias, working to move the right to concealed carry into the spotlight. Mark, Emma, and Sam also dive into how Trump's and McConnell's focus on the district and circuit courts, not to mention SCOTUS, has given the Republican agenda a perfect route to judicial implementation, before wrapping up the interview with a discussion on the few options for Democrats to prevent the judicial branch's infringement on democracy. Sam and Emma also touch on the developing Kelloggs strike, as well as Biden's sudden turn on the filibuster now that keeping the legitimacy of the debt ceiling has come into the fold. And in the Fun Half: The MR crew reflects a bit on the absurdity of the coercion of abortion patients by the state, including translating electrical frequencies to audio and forcing the patient to listen, and Jeremiah from Tennessee discusses the role of adoption in the abortion debate, before Ronald Raygun and Sam get into a debate over the reproductive capabilities of… apples. Sam, Emma, Matt, and Bradley then admire the production that is the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising's new commercial that takes on the redistribution of oppression from actual oppressed people (Black and Brown folk, Trans folk, etc, etc) onto the TRUE oppressed class (embryos). They also touch on the self-destructive capacity of the Democratic party, and discuss the importance of anti-trust law and valuing Elizabeth Warren in this fight. Sam from Indiana wraps up the show with a weird debate on individual rights, bodily autonomy, and gun ownership, plus, your calls and IMs! Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here. 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Here's a link to where folks can donate: https://forms.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Support the St. Vincent Nurses today as they continue to strike for a fair contract! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein's podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! Subscribe to Matt's other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! Check out The Letterhack's upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel! Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Jamie's podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 65 Psalm 65 (Listen) O God of Our Salvation To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 65   Praise is due to you,1 O God, in Zion,    and to you shall vows be performed.2   O you who hear prayer,    to you shall all flesh come.3   When iniquities prevail against me,    you atone for our transgressions.4   Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,    to dwell in your courts!  We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,    the holiness of your temple! 5   By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,    O God of our salvation,  the hope of all the ends of the earth    and of the farthest seas;6   the one who by his strength established the mountains,    being girded with might;7   who stills the roaring of the seas,    the roaring of their waves,    the tumult of the peoples,8   so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.  You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. 9   You visit the earth and water it;2    you greatly enrich it;  the river of God is full of water;    you provide their grain,    for so you have prepared it.10   You water its furrows abundantly,    settling its ridges,  softening it with showers,    and blessing its growth.11   You crown the year with your bounty;    your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.12   The pastures of the wilderness overflow,    the hills gird themselves with joy,13   the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,    the valleys deck themselves with grain,    they shout and sing together for joy. Footnotes [1] 65:1 Or Praise waits for you in silence [2] 65:9 Or and make it overflow (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Kings 1:1–27 1 Kings 1:1–27 (Listen) David in His Old Age 1 Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms,1 that my lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King 5 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah. 9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother. Nathan and Bathsheba Before David 11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?' 14 Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm2 your words.” 15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). 16 Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the LORD your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' 18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.” 22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 And they told the king, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? 25 For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders3 of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?” Footnotes [1] 1:2 Or in your bosom [2] 1:14 Or expand on [3] 1:25 Hebrew; Septuagint Joab the commander (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 26 Ezekiel 26 (Listen) Prophecy Against Tyre 26 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,' 3 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. And she shall become plunder for the nations, 6 and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD. 7 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar1 king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers. 8 He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you. 9 He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons and chariots, when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters. 13 And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the LORD; I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 15 “Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: Will not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter is made in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment and be appalled at you. 17 And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you,   “‘How you have perished,    you who were inhabited from the seas,  O city renowned,    who was mighty on the sea;  she and her inhabitants imposed their terror    on all her inhabitants!18   Now the coastlands tremble    on the day of your fall,  and the coastlands that are on the sea    are dismayed at your passing.' 19 “For thus says the Lord GOD: When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will make you go down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you to dwell in the world below, among ruins from of old, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set beauty in the land of the living. 21 I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more. Though you be sought for, you will never be found again, declares the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar; so throughout Ezekiel (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Romans 1:18–32 Romans 1:18–32 (Listen) God's Wrath on Unrighteousness 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,1 in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Footnotes [1] 1:20 Or clearly perceived from the creation of the world (ESV)

Dr. Brian Wiggs is an accomplished organizational excellence practitioner with 16 years of experience in healthcare. Brian has a proven record of fostering and accelerating a culture of continuous improvement to create an operationally efficient, healing healthcare environment using lean principles. Brian is a collaborative leader focused on building cross-functional teams, systems to develop people into effective problem solvers, and infrastructure that drives focus and alignment around an organization's strategic priorities. Brian is currently the Senior Quality and Organizational Excellence Leader with the UNC Department of Family Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC. From an early age, Brian knew healthcare was his calling. Brian's older brother and family live day-to-day with the long-term effects that result from medical error. Brian's life goal is to find innovative ways to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery while also developing and empowering people. Brian holds a doctorate in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina, a master's degree in Healthcare Administration from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science from East Carolina University, and Master Certificate in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University. Brian is currently pursuing Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence certification through ASQ. Here In Episode #139, Brian starts our show with a mindset for relentless focus to make our teams better. Brian is a past classmate doing big things within the UNC Healthcare System and shares the personal mission that has empowered his entire path in healthcare leadership. He highlights his career dark moment story centered around the path of burnout connected with quality improvement work. He shares with us the two most impactful questions that he uses to build intimate connections on the teams that he leads. Brian tells us his AHA after finding his team hitting the wall on a PI project; and teaches us the impact of having multiple management systems in the facilities at one time. He shares some great outcomes and reflections provided through the lean transformation work taking place in his organization. And highlights many takeaways on why healthcare will be the destination industry of the future. · Connect with Brian on LinkedIn · Access the Healthcare QualityCast LinkedIn Group · Leaves Us a Rating --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/healthcarequalitycast/message

In this episode, Juliet Easton talks about optimizing your business profit and traffic through badass marketing. She is a conversion copywriter, poet, author, songwriter, musician, video creator, web developer, content specialist, and marketing strategist, and lead copywriter in Badass Marketing. She loves helping businesses focus on how to increase the most profitable and enjoyable aspects of their business as she herself is a serial entrepreneur who likes creating businesses.Juliet creates copy for her clients that converts a marketing strategy that delivers laser-targeted results. If you're not yet getting conversions that you need, consider reaching out to Juliet Easton by visiting her websites https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieteaston/ and http://badassmarketing/.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company. Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 64 Psalm 64 (Listen) Hide Me from the Wicked To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 64   Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;    preserve my life from dread of the enemy.2   Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,    from the throng of evildoers,3   who whet their tongues like swords,    who aim bitter words like arrows,4   shooting from ambush at the blameless,    shooting at him suddenly and without fear.5   They hold fast to their evil purpose;    they talk of laying snares secretly,  thinking, “Who can see them?”6     They search out injustice,  saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”    For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep. 7   But God shoots his arrow at them;    they are wounded suddenly.8   They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;    all who see them will wag their heads.9   Then all mankind fears;    they tell what God has brought about    and ponder what he has done. 10   Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD    and take refuge in him!  Let all the upright in heart exult! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Samuel 24 2 Samuel 24 (Listen) David's Census 24 Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,1 who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer,2 and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;3 and they came to Dan, and from Dan4 they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000. The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin 10 But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer5 you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.'” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three6 years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” 15 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.” David Builds an Altar 18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels7 of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. Footnotes [1] 24:2 Septuagint to Joab and the commanders of the army [2] 24:5 Septuagint; Hebrew encamped in Aroer [3] 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim-hodshi [4] 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew they came to Dan-jaan and [5] 24:12 Or hold over [6] 24:13 Compare 1 Chronicles 21:12, Septuagint; Hebrew seven [7] 24:24 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 25 Ezekiel 25 (Listen) Prophecy Against Ammon 25 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Because you said, ‘Aha!' over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore behold, I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon1 a fold for flocks. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 6 For thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel, 7 therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Prophecy Against Moab and Seir 8 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Moab and Seir2 said, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,' 9 therefore I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. 10 I will give it along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, that the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations, 11 and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Prophecy Against Edom 12 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them, 13 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword. 14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord GOD. Prophecy Against Philistia 15 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, 16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” Footnotes [1] 25:5 Hebrew and the Ammonites [2] 25:8 Septuagint lacks and Seir (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Romans 1:1–17 Romans 1:1–17 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, a servant1 of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David2 according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Longing to Go to Rome 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,3 that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,4 both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. The Righteous Shall Live by Faith 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,5 as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”6 Footnotes [1] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [2] 1:3 Or who came from the offspring of David [3] 1:13 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters [4] 1:14 That is, non-Greeks [5] 1:17 Or beginning and ending in faith [6] 1:17 Or The one who by faith is righteous shall live (ESV)

There's an aha moment coming. Things are happening behind the scenes in human history. God's at work. But often in the moment, it doesn't look that way. But rest assured, he's expertly arranging his story to work out just as he planned. And one day, there's going to be a giant aha moment. And it's going to become very clear, Esther reminds us of this, in this amazing little book, God's name is never mentioned. And yet his hand is seen in every word and every line. And when we look at it from the end, when we see it from its conclusion, it becomes so obvious to us. Then it's one giant, massive Aha, of course, look how God was arranging things. Look how he was scheduling things, just so it's not just true in Esther's life. Our lives are like that, too. It may not be so obvious in the moment. But in the end, when our life and story conclude, we will see that he was there the whole time, we will have that aha moment, we will see and we will know and we will be known. So it is in human history itself. When it concludes, we will see that God was at work through it all. It'll be like no other aha moment the world has ever known. When we see the kingdom of God fully arrived. Until then, we can live with that aha moment in mind. That's what living by faith is. It's trusting in God, even when it doesn't seem like he's here. And it's not obvious that he's at work. That's why we come to the Word of God every day. Esther and the prophets are reminding us that there is an aha coming. If we pay close attention, and we look at the word carefully, we can see glimpses of what he's up to. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. It gives us assurance about things we cannot see. God is at work. His hand is all over your story. Right there in the thick of it. It's hard to see sometimes hard to recognize most times. But at the story's conclusion, it's one giant Aha, of course, God, you are with me all the time. You never let me go. Live with this perspective today. But there's an aha coming. Hold closely to the word to the living word. Let it drive you to the living word. Until that day comes. And that's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's a prayer that I have for my family for my wife, my daughters, my son. That's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so

With family: 1 Kings 6; Ephesians 3 1 Kings 6 (Listen) Solomon Builds the Temple 6 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD. 2 The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits1 long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. 3 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. 4 And he made for the house windows with recessed frames.2 5 He also built a structure3 against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. 6 The lowest story4 was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house. 7 When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. 8 The entrance for the lowest5 story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar. 10 He built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar. 11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” 14 So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. 17 The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18 The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. 19 The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20 The inner sanctuary6 was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid7 an altar of cedar. 21 And Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold. 23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high. 24 Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. And the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house. 28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. 29 Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. 30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms. 31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.8 32 He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, 34 and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work. 36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams. 37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it. Footnotes [1] 6:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 6:4 Or blocked lattice windows [3] 6:5 Or platform; also verse 10 [4] 6:6 Septuagint; Hebrew structure, or platform [5] 6:8 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew middle [6] 6:20 Vulgate; Hebrew And before the inner sanctuary [7] 6:20 Septuagint made [8] 6:31 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain (ESV) Ephesians 3 (Listen) The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed 3 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is1 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in2 God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Prayer for Spiritual Strength 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family3 in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Footnotes [1] 3:6 The words This mystery is are inferred from verse 4 [2] 3:9 Or by [3] 3:15 Or from whom all fatherhood; the Greek word patria in verse 15 is closely related to the word for Father in verse 14 (ESV) In private: Psalm 86; Ezekiel 36 Psalm 86 (Listen) Great Is Your Steadfast Love A Prayer of David. 86   Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,    for I am poor and needy.2   Preserve my life, for I am godly;    save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.3   Be gracious to me, O Lord,    for to you do I cry all the day.4   Gladden the soul of your servant,    for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.5   For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,    abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.6   Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;    listen to my plea for grace.7   In the day of my trouble I call upon you,    for you answer me. 8   There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,    nor are there any works like yours.9   All the nations you have made shall come    and worship before you, O Lord,    and shall glorify your name.10   For you are great and do wondrous things;    you alone are God.11   Teach me your way, O LORD,    that I may walk in your truth;    unite my heart to fear your name.12   I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,    and I will glorify your name forever.13   For great is your steadfast love toward me;    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 14   O God, insolent men have risen up against me;    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,    and they do not set you before them.15   But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.16   Turn to me and be gracious to me;    give your strength to your servant,    and save the son of your maidservant.17   Show me a sign of your favor,    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame    because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (ESV) Ezekiel 36 (Listen) Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel 36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. 2 Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!' and, ‘The ancient heights have become our possession,' 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, 4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, 5 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Surely I have spoken in my hot jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave my land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, that they might make its pasturelands a prey. 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach. 8 “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. 9 For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. 10 And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. 11 And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 12 I will let people walk on you, even my people Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children. 13 Thus says the Lord GOD: Because they say to you, ‘You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,' 14 therefore you shall no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the Lord GOD. 15 And I will not let you hear anymore the reproach of the nations, and you shall no longer bear the disgrace of the peoples and no longer cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord GOD.” The Lord's Concern for His Holy Name 16 The word of the LORD came to me: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18 So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.' 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. I Will Put My Spirit Within You 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.1 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. 33 “Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. 35 And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.' 36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it. 37 “Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices,2 like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” Footnotes [1] 36:27 Or my just decrees [2] 36:38 Hebrew flock of holy things (ESV)

In this episode, Jay McKeever, the Vice President of Salesforce.com Services Operations at Cloud Next Level, talks about leveraging your ROI through Salesforce utilization.Business process savvy, he specializes in Salesforce.com strategic consulting. He can bolster your revenues through Salesforce products and automation. If you are an entrepreneur or firm that needs to revamp your Salesforce strategies, then you should reach out to Jay McKeever by e-mailing jay@cloudnextlevel.com and by visiting https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymckeever/ and https://cloudnextlevel.com/.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company. Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

My powerhouse wife, Mallory, just keeps achieving higher levels of success. And before my awakening this past summer, that success scared me.  I saw her growing independence as a threat. If I wasn't the provider in our marriage, where did my worth come from? Patrick Kennedy, Johnny Elsasser and Mark Gustafson are all in committed relationships with extremely successful women entrepreneurs. So, how are they growing stronger as men while they support their partners' dreams? On this episode of Destined to Be, Pat, Johnny and Mark join me to discuss the difference between being a provider and being of service to your significant other, describing how a true king provides his partner with a sense of safety—regardless of who brings in more money. We explain what differentiates codependency from an interdependent relationship, sharing what it looks like to hold space for your partner and how to respond when she puts her work first. Listen in for insight on navigating the masculine energy of a powerful woman and learn how to do the inner work it takes to stay connected with your partner and grow together. Key Takeaways   The AHA moment when Pat realized he needed to grow to stay connected with his wife What women can do to introduce their partners to personal development The difference between being a provider and being of service to your partner How a true king provides his partner with a sense of safety (regardless of who makes more money) Johnny's insight on navigating the masculine energy of a powerful woman What differentiates codependency from an interdependent relationship Mark's advice on not taking it personally when your partner puts her work first Johnny's challenge to men to do the inner work and evolve to support your partner's dreams Pat's insight on what it looks like to hold space for your partner The 3 questions Mark asks himself before he speaks up (i.e.: his verbal ‘unsend' button) Connect with Pat Pat on Instagram The House Kennedy on Instagram The Path of Curiosity Podcast Connect with Johnny Johnny on Instagram Johnny's Website The Art of Masculinity Podcast Connect with Mark Mark on Instagram Samantha on Instagram Connect with Jeremiah Jeremiah on Instagram Destined to Be Podcast Destined to Be on Instagram Level Up Entourage Facebook Group Text VIP to 586-600-8492 Resources Patrick & Jenn Kennedy on Destined to Be EP087 Johnny Elsasser & Taylor Simpson on Destined to Be EP079 The Wild Man Experience Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman In the Flo by Alisa Vitti Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray

In this podcast, Rebecca Chickey, senior director of field engagement, behavioral health services of the AHA is speaking with Dr. Glenn N. Saxe, about trauma…new traumatic events seem to be happening every day – a treatment for the impact of trauma, call trauma informed care, and opportunities for hospitals to lead in improving access to this important type of behavioral health treatment. Dr. Saxe is director of the NYU Center for Child Welfare Practice Innovation. He also directs the Trauma Systems Therapy Training Center; Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Child Study Center; New York, NY.

Sandra Cooze, coach and author, joined Cindy Kochis in the Pen to Paper Press Podcast studio to talk about Sandra's book Journey to Your Self – How to Heal from Trauma – Written by Someone Who Did. It is the first in the three book series. Weaved within their conversation, they explored why some people have perfectionistic tendencies and discussed the hard lessons Sandra continues to learn while publishing her book series. Pour yourself a warm cup of chamomile tea and enjoy listening our AHA-inspiring conversation that is certain to encourage us to unlearn several of our habits and beliefs. Access show notes: pentopaperpress.com/2021/09/traversing-the-journey-to-self/ Support: patron.podbean.com/pentopaperpress Shop: pentopaperpress.com/store Episode sponsor: Pen to Paper Writers Circle

Today on the show we have Basel Fakhoury, CEO & Co-founder of User Interviews.In this episode, we talked about what drove Basel to user research and why research participant recruiting specifically, how the team validated that "User Interviews" was the biggest pain point, and then Basel shared their process of idea exploration and how they invalidated their ideas, before reaching that AHA moment.  We also discussed the importance of marrying qualitative research with data analysis, how moving from a transactional to a subscription model affected churn, and we  then dove into their pricing research strategy and their decision to focus on expansion. As usual, I'm excited to hear what you think of this episode, and if you have any feedback, I would love to hear from you. You can email me directly on Andrew@churn.fm. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter.

In this episode, Mary Henderson, personal branding and social selling specialist, talks about commercializing your personal brand and digitalizing your knowledge to be seen and be heard.Mary helps coaches, consultants, business owners, and corporate professionals commercialize their personal brand, digitalize their knowledge, and become an authority in their niche or industry. She takes them through a process that she developed over 20 years of working with professionals, taking their knowledge and digitalizing that into an online environment. Mary merges her passion for personal branding, digital, and sales to deliver end-to-end solutions for complex problems. If you want to be seen and be heard in the space that you play, by the audience that needs to see and hear you, consider reaching out to Mary Henderson by visiting her website at https://www.maryhendersoncoaching.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryhendersoncoaching.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company. Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

Christopher spent 14 years working in the Oil & Gas industry, managing inventory for the largest pipeline company in the US. After attending the 2-Day Financial Freedom Seminar, his whole outlook on life and investing changed, telling Del Walmsley about the AHA moments that led him to positively impact 4 Multifamily communities totaling 288 doors, and retiring with real estate at the age of 36! Click to Listen Now

Christopher spent 14 years working in the Oil & Gas industry, managing inventory for the largest pipeline company in the US. After attending the 2-Day Financial Freedom Seminar, his whole outlook on life and investing changed, telling Del Walmsley about the AHA moments that led him to positively impact 4 Multifamily communities totaling 288 doors, and retiring with real estate at the age of 36! Click to Listen Now

A lot of us are living a life that looks good on paper. We've got the relationships and the careers we're supposed to want. But those things may or may not align with the deepest desires of our heart.  So, how do you identify whether you're living a half-hearted life? How do you counter thousands of years of conditioning and choose yourself first? How do you become a Wholehearted Woman? Lisa Winneke is the visionary behind The Wholehearted Woman, a mentoring program that supports women in cultivating a deeper connection with themselves, giving us the courage and confidence to bring our deepest desires to life. Lisa leverages her background in business and numerous energy modalities to help people stop settling for half-hearted living and start embodying the wholehearted. She also serves as the host of The Good News Guide Podcast. On this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, Lisa joins Anjel to share the moment she realized she was living a half-hearted life and explain how she resourced the courage to leave her marriage. She describes the conditioning that stops so many women from choosing ourselves, challenging us to face fear and doubt by tuning back into our vision of the life we want. Listen in for insight on investing in a coach to bring your body of work to life and find out how Lisa can help you embody the Wholehearted Woman archetype and find fulfillment in your personal and professional life! What You Will Learn  The AHA moment Lisa realized she was living a half-hearted life How Lisa resourced the courage to choose herself and step out of her marriage How Lisa's relationships got stronger once she put herself first The guilt and fear of judgement that stops many women from choosing ourselves How to tune into your vision re: the financial support you need What inspired Lisa to embody her true nature as an entrepreneur Why Lisa invested in a coach to help her bring her body of work to life The archetype of the Wholehearted Woman that Lisa is bringing into the world Lisa's commitment to helping women find fulfillment both personally and professionally Who Lisa serves through her Wholehearted Woman mentoring Connect with Lisa Winneke The Wholehearted Woman The Good News Guide Podcast Resources Lisa's 90-Day Wholehearted Intensive Connect with Anjel B. Hartwell Wickedly Smart Women Wickedly Smart Women Facebook Community Wickedly Smart Women on TeePublic Wickedly Smart Women on Clubhouse The Wealthy Life Mentor The Wealthy Life Mentor on Facebook Anjel on Twitter Anjel on Instagram Email listeners@wickedlysmartwomen.com  Leave Us A Message On Our listener line:   540-402-0043 x4343

This episode features Kelvin McCree, who is a mental agility developer, agile workforce strategist, change management speaker, and Chief Learning Officer of Laser Focus Leadership Solutions, LLC. He talks about maximizing the full potential of your workforce with mental agility and handling change.Kelvin is passionate about helping companies, most especially HR leaders, to develop mental agility and handle change as they have a direct impact on the culture of a workplace. As a corporate change expert, he possesses multifaceted expertise in shifting the internal dialogue of corporations across the business spectrum. His toolbox of business innovations extends the full gamut of business culture and operations within government, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. If you're an HR leader and you're sitting there, and you have an organization that is just not agile, you have an organization that's not flexible enough to be able to change, you might want to reach out to Kelvin McCree by visiting his website at https://www.mylaserfocus.com/ or going to his profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylaserfocus/.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company.Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

A Better Way to Farm greets you with enthusiasm on another week of continuous productivity and new beginnings. We will never stop to provide you with tons of information and implementable strategies for growing your farm this season.   Today, we are going to discover a lot of possibilities through listening to inspiring farm stories of Andrew, before and after meeting A Better Way to Farm and working side by side with Rod. Be ready to listen and discern what's best for your farm! Let's join Karen and take note of some practices which may apply to boost your farm's growth. Come on, tune in!

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Isabel Firecracker. Back in 2019, I was a guest on her podcast, The Honest Uproar. I really enjoyed our conversation, and I've been wanting to get her on my show for a while. I'm very much aware that I wouldn't have the time to do all the things I've been doing (like training for ultras) if I had children. I'm very grateful for my childfree lifestyle, but it was hard to get here. Like many of Isabel's clients, I didn't realize that childfree living was actually an option in life. You may or may not be childfree. I have many friends who are, and I know that some of my podcast listeners are as well. Childfreedom isn't about disliking children or being angry at parents. Everyone's lifestyle choices are valid. It's important for me to have these conversations because I hope to save others some of the confusion I had growing up. If you get just one thing out of this episode, I hope it's this: having children is a choice. It's not an obligation.   About Isabel Firecracker Isabel was born and raised in Colombia, and has called five countries "home" in her 30-something years. A world traveler, avid kitesurfer, and childfree intersectional feminist, Isabel is a pragmatic, no-nonsense coach for childfree women who struggle with feelings of insecurity, shame, guilt, or anger that surround their choice to not have children. She has designed her coaching programs specifically for this end: to help childfree women evolve and grow into the very best version of themselves. Isabel is a co-host of Childfree Girls, a podcast and web series that features three women in three different countries who challenge society's expectations of parenthood with no-holds-barred conversations and interviews. Isabel is also the host of The Honest Uproar podcast, a space for childfree women to gather and tell their #childfreestories. It was created to foster a stronger sense of community and to connect empowered women around the World. More recently, Isabel co-founded Nunca Madres. This community features childfree content in Spanish to raise awareness about how parenthood is a choice, and not an obligation, among the Spanish-speaking population. Website Podcast: The Honest Uproar   Listen To This Episode        What You'll Learn Isabel's adventures in solo travel and kitesurfing What it means to be childfree How the childfree lifestyle helped her to live an adventure-filled life The life-changing AHA moment that Isabel had when she realized she was childfree The common insecurities and limiting beliefs childfree women tend to experience How childfree women can learn to embrace their lifestyle choice   Things We Discussed My episode on The Honest Uproar podcast  Childfree Girls on Instagram   Related Episodes 367 Holly Worton ~ Finding Yourself Through Solo Travel and Outdoor Adventures (now with downloadable transcript!) 366 Joanna Hennon + Holly ~ Mid-life: Reevaluating Where You Are and Where You Want To Go (now with downloadable transcript!) 365 Holly Worton ~ How to Keep Life Simple (now with downloadable transcript!) 317 Holly Worton ~ Know Yourself: How to Answer the Question of “Where Am I Going?” (now with downloadable transcript!) 316 Holly Worton ~ Know Yourself: How to Answer the Question of “Where Am I?” (now with downloadable transcript!)   Connect With Holly Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest Google+ LinkedIn   How to Subscribe Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher   Help Spread the Word If you enjoyed this episode, please head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating and a review! You can also subscribe, so you'll never miss an episode.

In today's episode, Neena is joined by Jan Raeder, a Wellness Educator who uses her experiences and research and help people manage stress, find joy, and be positive daily. She also shares her personal story about weight loss, weight gain, and everything she went through in between that helped her discover her passion and life goal — to empower people to do the work for their own well-being.   Jan Raeder offers wellbeing education and guidance. She believes that education empowers people to do their own personal work. Her focus is on education, sharing proven facts in order to facilitate the wellbeing/wellness process. She believes education is the key to opening up one's desire to make meaningful changes in life. People must want to change for themselves, put that desire into motion and feel empowered to achieve goals. Education is the key to that process. She believes everyone is capable of living their best life. Her passion is to give people the direction and tools to help cultivate meaningful change.        She loves moments when she can help clients thrive through their own personal journey and reach those “AHA!” moments. She offers well-being/wellness education and guidance. Education empowers people to do personal work even after our time is over. She wants you to give yourself permission and have a direction so you can take care of your own wellness.   You can find her at: Website: http://yourpeaceofwellbeing.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-raeder-48799b26/ Show notes: [0:52] Who is Jan Raeder [2:47] Martial arts and her discipline [7:34] How she uses what she learned from martial arts to impact people's lives [16:06] Doing what you have to do [25:35] Learning to love yourself [26:58] Self-sabotaging habits [31:43] On not taking things personally [34:54] Where is the best place to find Jan? [41:59] Outro   We discuss real-life topics, tools, and tips on how to challenge and transform your thinking with no sugar added. Hope you will go on the journey with us as we grow, fail, and get back up.  https://linktr.ee/Neenaperez

There is a Hebrew word translated “Alas” 15 times in the Bible. Watch how God turns painful ALAS! moments into God-glorifying AHA! moments. To read the transcript of today‘s podcast, please click here. 

In this episode, Jo Skipper talks about delivering integrated solutions to the human resources market. She is a talent finder, connector, and builder.A passionate, experienced and knowledgeable HR professional, she specializes in executive human resources talent acquisition, contract and interim, as well as management capability development. If you need to acquire superb talents and build your capabilities, then you should reach out to Jo Skipper via https://www.linkedin.com/in/joskipper or by emailing jskipper@thenextstep.com.au. You can also go to https://www.thenextstep.com.au/ for more info.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company. Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

America's hospitals and health systems are at risks of attacks that threaten the bio-economy. How do these threats affect patients and citizens and what we can do about it to help reduce risks? We are very privileged to have as our guest today, FBI supervisory special agent Edward You. You, a former colleague of John Riggi, our senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the AHA. You is a highly accomplished 17 year veteran of the FBI and one of the nation's leading experts on threats to the bio-economy. In this podcast, they discuss their work defending hospitals and health systems against high impact ransomware attacks and cyber espionage campaigns.

Health issues, AHA moments, strong feels, as more unfolds.

With family: 2 Samuel 19; 2 Corinthians 12 2 Samuel 19 (Listen) Joab Rebukes David 19 It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” 3 And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. 4 The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” 8 Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king. David Returns to Jerusalem Now Israel had fled every man to his own home. 9 And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?” 11 And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?1 12 You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?' 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.'” 14 And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.” 15 So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan. David Pardons His Enemies 16 And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, 18 and they crossed the ford to bring over the king's household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, 19 and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. 20 For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” 21 Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?” 22 But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” 23 And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath. 24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. 25 And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself,2 that I may ride on it and go with the king.' For your servant is lame. 27 He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. 28 For all my father's house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?” 29 And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” 30 And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.” 31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. 33 And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.” 38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” 39 Then all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home. 40 The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. All the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way. 41 Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?” 42 All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift?” 43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. Footnotes [1] 19:11 Septuagint; Hebrew to the king, to his house [2] 19:26 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate Saddle a donkey for me (ESV) 2 Corinthians 12 (Listen) Paul's Visions and His Thorn 12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Concern for the Corinthian Church 11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! 14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps? 19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced. Footnotes [1] 12:7 Or hears from me, even because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited (ESV) In private: Psalm 74; Ezekiel 26 Psalm 74 (Listen) Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause A Maskil1 of Asaph. 74   O God, why do you cast us off forever?    Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?2   Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,    which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!    Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.3   Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;    the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! 4   Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;    they set up their own signs for signs.5   They were like those who swing axes    in a forest of trees.26   And all its carved wood    they broke down with hatchets and hammers.7   They set your sanctuary on fire;    they profaned the dwelling place of your name,    bringing it down to the ground.8   They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;    they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. 9   We do not see our signs;    there is no longer any prophet,    and there is none among us who knows how long.10   How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?    Is the enemy to revile your name forever?11   Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?    Take it from the fold of your garment3 and destroy them! 12   Yet God my King is from of old,    working salvation in the midst of the earth.13   You divided the sea by your might;    you broke the heads of the sea monsters4 on the waters.14   You crushed the heads of Leviathan;    you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.15   You split open springs and brooks;    you dried up ever-flowing streams.16   Yours is the day, yours also the night;    you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.17   You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;    you have made summer and winter. 18   Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,    and a foolish people reviles your name.19   Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;    do not forget the life of your poor forever. 20   Have regard for the covenant,    for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.21   Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;    let the poor and needy praise your name. 22   Arise, O God, defend your cause;    remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!23   Do not forget the clamor of your foes,    the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! Footnotes [1] 74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [3] 74:11 Hebrew from your bosom [4] 74:13 Or the great sea creatures (ESV) Ezekiel 26 (Listen) Prophecy Against Tyre 26 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,' 3 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. And she shall become plunder for the nations, 6 and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD. 7 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar1 king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers. 8 He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you. 9 He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons and chariots, when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters. 13 And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the LORD; I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 15 “Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: Will not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter is made in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment and be appalled at you. 17 And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you,   “‘How you have perished,    you who were inhabited from the seas,  O city renowned,    who was mighty on the sea;  she and her inhabitants imposed their terror    on all her inhabitants!18   Now the coastlands tremble    on the day of your fall,  and the coastlands that are on the sea    are dismayed at your passing.' 19 “For thus says the Lord GOD: When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will make you go down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you to dwell in the world below, among ruins from of old, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set beauty in the land of the living. 21 I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more. Though you be sought for, you will never be found again, declares the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar; so throughout Ezekiel (ESV)

About NipunNipun Agarwal is Vice President, MySQL HeatWave and Advanced Development, Oracle. His interests include distributed data processing, machine learning, cloud technologies and security. Nipun was part of the Oracle Database team where he introduced a number of new features. He has been awarded over 170 patents.Links:HeatWave: https://oracle.com/heatwave TranscriptAnnouncer: Hello, and welcome to Screaming in the Cloud with your host, Chief Cloud Economist at The Duckbill Group, Corey Quinn. This weekly show features conversations with people doing interesting work in the world of cloud, thoughtful commentary on the state of the technical world, and ridiculous titles for which Corey refuses to apologize. This is Screaming in the Cloud.Corey: You could build you go ahead and build your own coding and mapping notification system, but it takes time, and it sucks! Alternately, consider Courier, who is sponsoring this episode. They make it easy. You can call a single send API for all of your notifications and channels. You can control the complexity around routing, retries, and deliverability and simplify your notification sequences with automation rules. Visit courier.com today and get started for free. If you wind up talking to them, tell them I sent you and watch them wince—because everyone does when you bring up my name. Thats the glorious part of being me. Once again, you could build your own notification system but why on god's flat earth would you do that?Corey: This episode is sponsored in part by our friends at VMware. Let's be honest—the past year has been far from easy. Due to, well, everything. It caused us to rush cloud migrations and digital transformation, which of course means long hours refactoring your apps, surprises on your cloud bill, misconfigurations and headache for everyone trying manage disparate and fractured cloud environments. VMware has an answer for this. With VMware multi-cloud solutions, organizations have the choice, speed, and control to migrate and optimizeapplications seamlessly without recoding, take the fastest path to modern infrastructure, and operate consistently across the data center, the edge, and any cloud. I urge to take a look at vmware.com/go/multicloud. You know my opinions on multi cloud by now, but there's a lot of stuff in here that works on any cloud. But don't take it from me thats: VMware.com/go/multicloud and my thanks to them again for sponsoring my ridiculous nonsense.Corey: Welcome to Screaming in the Cloud. I'm Corey Quinn. Today's promoted episode is slightly off the beaten track. Normally in tech, we tend to find folks that have somewhere between an 18 to 36-month average tenure at companies. And that's great, however, let's do the exact opposite of that today. My guest is Nipun Agarwal, who's the VP of MySQL HeatWave and Advanced Development at Oracle, where you've been an employee for 27 years, is it?Nipun: That's absolutely right. 27 years and that was my first job out of school. So, [laugh] yes.Corey: First, thank you for joining me. It is always great to talk to people who have focused on an area that I only make fun of from a distance, in this case, databases which, you know, DNS works well enough for most use cases, but occasionally customers have other constraints. You are clearly at or damn near at the top of your field. In my pre-show research, I was able to unearth that you have—what is it now, 170, 180 filed patents that have been issued?Nipun: That's right. 180 issued patents. [laugh].Corey: You clearly know what you're doing when it comes to databases.Nipun: Thank you for the opportunity. Yes, thank you.Corey: So, being a VP at Oracle, but starting off as your first job as almost a mailroom to the executive suite style story, we don't see those anymore. In most companies, it very much feels like the path to advance is to change jobs to other companies. It's still interesting seeing that that's not always the path forward, for some folks. I think that the folks who have been in companies for a long time need more examples and role models to look at in that sense, just because it is such an uncommon narrative these days. You're not bouncing around between four companies.Nipun: Yeah. I've been lucky enough to have joined Oracle, and although I had been at Oracle, I've been on multiple teams at Oracle and there has been a great opportunity of talent, colleagues, and projects, where even to this day, I feel that I have a lot more to learn. And there are opportunities within the company to learn and to grow. So no, I've had an awesome ride.Corey: Let's dive in a little bit to something that's been making the rounds recently, specifically you've released something called HeatWave, which has been boasting some, frankly, borderline unbelievable performance benchmarks, and of course, everyone loves to take a crack at Oracle for a variety of reasons, so Twitter is very angry. But I've learned at some point, through the course of my career, to disambiguate Twitter's reactions from what's actually happening out there. So, let's start at the beginning. What is HeatWave?Nipun: HeatWave is an in-memory query accelerator for MySQL. It accelerates complex, long-running, analytic queries. The interesting thing about HeatWave is, with HeatWave we now have a single MySQL database which can run all your applications, whether they're OLTP, whether they're mixed workloads, or whether they're analytics, without having to move the data out of MySQL. Because in the past, people would need to move the data from MySQL to some other database running analytics, so people would end up with two different databases. With this single database, no need for moving the data, and all existing tools and applications which worked with MySQL continue to work, except they will be much faster. That's what HeatWave is.Corey: The benchmarks that you are publishing are fairly interesting to me, specifically, the ones that I've seen are, you've classified HeatWave as six-and-a-half times faster than Amazon Redshift, seven times faster than Snowflake, nine times faster than BigQuery, and a number of other things, and fourteen hundred times faster than Amazon Aurora. And what's interesting to me about the things that you're naming is they're not all data-warehouse style stuff. Aurora, for example, is Amazon's interpretation of an in-house developed managed database service named after a Disney Princess. And it tends to be aimed at things that are not necessarily massive scale. What is the sweet spot, I guess, of HeatWaves data sizes when it comes to really being able to shine?Nipun: So, there are two aspects where our customers are going to benefit from HeatWave. One characteristics is the data size, but the other characteristics is the complexity of the queries. So, let's first do the comparison with Aurora—and that's a very good question—the 1400 times comparison we have shown, yes, if you take the TPC-H queries on a four terabyte workload and if you run them, that's what you're going to see. Now, the interesting thing is this: not only is it 1400 times faster it's also at half the price because for most of these systems, if you throw more gear, if you throw more hardware, the performance would vary. So, it's very important to go with how much of performance and at what price.So, for pure analytics—say, for four terabytes—is 1400 times faster at half the price. So, if it provides truly 800 times better price performance compared to Aurora for pure analytics. Now, let's take the other extreme. 100 gigabytes—which is a much smaller, your bread and butter database—and this is for mixed workloads. So, something like a CH-benCHmark, which has a combination of say, some TPC-C transactions, and then some added IPP-CH queries, which—the CH benCHmark.Here we have 42 times advantage price performance over Aurora because we are 42% of the cost, less than half the cost of Aurora and for the complex queries, we are about 18 times faster, and for pure OLTP, we are at par. So, the aggregate comes out to be about 42 times better. So, the mileage varies depending upon the data size and depending upon the complexity of the queries. So, in the case of Aurora, it will be anywhere from 42 times better price performance all the way to 2800.Corey: Does this have an upper bound, for example? Like, if we take a look at something like Redshift or something like Snowflake, where they're targeting petabyte-scale workloads at some point, that becomes a very different story for a lot of companies out there. Is that something that this can scale to, or is there a general reasonable upper bound of, okay, once you're above X number of terabytes, it's probably good to start looking at tiering data out or looking at a different solution?Nipun: We designed HeatWave primarily for those customers who had to move the data out of MySQL database into some other database for running analytics. The upper bound for the data in the MySQL database is 64 terabytes. Based on the demand and such we are seeing, we support 32 terabytes processing in HeatWave at any given point in time. You can still have 64 terabytes in the MySQL database, but the amount of data you can load into the HeatWave cluster at any given point in time is 32 terabytes.Corey: Which is completely reasonable. I would agree with you from not having much database exposure myself in the traditional sense, but from a cloud economics standpoint alone, anytime you have to move data to a different database for a different workload, you're instantly jacking costs through the roof. Even if it's just the raw data volumes, you now have to store it in two different places instead of one. Plus, in many cases, the vaguearities of data transfer pricing in many places wind up meaning that you're paying money to move things out, there's a replication story, there's a sync factor, and then it just becomes a management overhead problem. If there's a capacity to start using the data where it is in more intelligent ways, that alone has a massive economic wind, just from a time it takes your team to not have to focus on changing infrastructure and just going ahead to run the queries. If you want to start getting into the weeds of all the different ways something like this is an economic win, there's a lot of angles to look at it from.Nipun: That's an excellent point and I'm very glad you brought it up. So, now let's take the other set of benchmarks we were talking about: Snowflake. So, HeatWave is seven times faster and one-fifth the cost; it's about 35 times better price performance. Compared to let's say Redshift AQUA, six-and-a-half times faster at half the cost, so 13 times better price performance. And it goes on and on.Now, these numbers I was quoting is for 10 terabytes TPC-H queries. And the point which you said is very, very valid. When we are talking about the cost for these other systems, it's only the cost for analytics without including the cost of the source database or without including the cost of moving the data or managing to different databases. Whereas when you're talking about the cost of HeatWave, this is the cost which includes the cost of both transaction processing as well as the analytics. So, it's a single database; all the cost is included, whereas, for these other vendors, it's only the cost of the analytic database. So, the actual cost to a user is probably going to be much higher with these other databases. So, the price performance advantage with HeatWave will perhaps be even higher.Corey: Tell me a little bit about how it works. I mean, it's easy to sit here and say, “Oh, it's way faster and it's better in a bunch of benchmark stuff,” and we will get into that in a little bit, but it's described primarily as an in-memory query accelerator. Naively, I think, “Oh, it's just faster because instead of having data that lives on disk, it winds up having some of it live in RAM. Well, that seems simple and straightforward.” Like, oh, yeah, I'm going to go on a limb and assume that there aren't 160 patents tied to the idea that RAM is faster than disk. There's clearly a lot more going on. How does this work? What is it foundationally?Nipun: So, the thing to realize is HeatWave has been built from the ground up for the cloud and it is optimized for the Oracle Cloud. So, let's take these things one at a time. When I say designed from the ground up for the cloud, we have actually invented and implemented new algorithms for distributed query processing, which is what gives us such a good advantage in terms of operations like joint processing, window functions, aggregations. So, we have come up—invented, implemented new algorithms for distributed query processing. Secondly, we have designed it for the cloud.And by that what I mean is, A, we have a lot of emphasis on scalability, that it scales to thousands of cores with a very, very good scale factor, which is very important for the cloud. The next angle about the cloud is that not only have we optimized it for the cloud, but we have gone with commodity cloud services, meaning, for instance, when you're looking at the storage, we are looking at the least expensive price. So, for instance, we use object store; you don't use, for instance, locally attached SSDs because that will be expensive. Similarly, for compute: instead of using Intel, we use AMD chips because they are less expensive. Similarly, networking: standard networking.And all of this has been optimized for the specific Oracle Cloud infrastructure shapes we have, for the specific VMs we use, for the specific networking bandwidth we get, for the object store bandwidth and such; so that's the third piece, optimized for OCI. And the last bit is pervasive use of machine learning in the service. So, a combination of these four things: designed for the cloud, using commodity cloud services, optimized for the quality cloud infrastructure, and finally the pervasive use of machine learning is what gives us very good performance, very good scale, at a very inexpensive price.Corey: I want to dig into the idea of the pervasive use of machine learning. In many cases, machine learning is the answer to how do I wind up bilking a bunch of VCs out of money? And Oracle is not a venture-backed company at this stage of its existence, it is a very large, publicly-traded entity; you have no need to do that. And I would also further accept that this is one of those bounded problem spaces where something that looks machine-learning-like could do very well. Is that based upon what it observes and learns from data access patterns? Is it something that it learns based from a specific workload in question? What is the gathering, and is it specific to individual workloads that a given customer has, or is it holistically across all of the database workloads that you see in Oracle Cloud?Nipun: So, there are multiple parts to this question. The first thing is—and I think as you're noting—that with the cloud, we have a lot more opportunity for automation because we know exactly what is the hardware stack, we know the software stack, we know the configuration parameters.Corey: Oh yes, hell is other people's data centers, for sure.Nipun: [laugh]. And the approach we have taken for automation is machine-learning-based automation because one of the big advantages is that we can have a model which is tailored to a specific instance and as you run more queries, as you run more workloads, the system gets more intelligent. And we can talk about that maybe later about, like, specific things which make it very, very compelling. The third thing, I think, which you were alluding to, is that there are two aspects in machine learning: data, and the models or the algorithms. So, the first thing is, we have made a lot of enhancements, both to the MySQL engine as well as HeatWave, to collect new kinds of data.And by new kinds of data, I mean, that not only do we collect statistics of data, but we collect statistics of, say, the queries: what was the compilation time? What was the execution time? And then, based on this data which we're collecting, we have then come up with very advanced algorithms—machine learning algorithms—which are, again, a lot of them, there is, like, you know, patterns or [IP 00:14:13] which we have built on top of the existing state of art. So, for instance, taking these statistics and extrapolating them on larger data sizes. That's completely an innovation which we did in-house.How do we sample a very small percentage of the data and still be accurate? And finally, how do we come up with these machine learning models which are accurate without hiring an army of engineers? That's because we invented our AutoML, which is very efficient. So, that's basically the ecosystem of the machine learning which we have, which has been used to provide this.Corey: It's easy for folks to sit there and have a bunch of problems with Oracle for a variety of reasons, some of which are no longer germane, some of which are, I'm not here to judge. But I think it's undeniable—though it sometimes gets eclipsed by people's knee-jerk reactions—the reason that Oracle is in so many companies that it is in is because it works. You folks have been pioneers in the database space for a very long time and that's undeniable. If it didn't deliver performance that was untouchable for a long time, it would not have gotten to the point where you now are, where it is the database of record for an awful lot of shops. And I know it's somehow trendy, sometimes, for the startup set to think, “Oh, big companies are slow and awful. All innovation comes out of small, scrappy startups here.”But your customers are not fools. They made intelligent decisions based upon constraints that they're working within and problems that they need to solve. And you still have an awful lot of customers that are not getting off of Oracle anytime soon because it works. It's one of those things that I think is nuanced and often missed. But I do feel the need to ask about the lock-in story. Today, HeatWave is available only on the managed MySQL service in Oracle Cloud, correct?Nipun: Correct.Corey: Is there any licensing story tied to that? In other words, “Well, if I'm going to be using this, I need to wind up making a multi-year commitment. I need to get certain support things, as well,” the traditional on-premises Oracle story. Or is this an actual cloud service, in that you pay for what you use while you use it, and when you turn it off, you're done? In theory. In practice, we know in cloud economics, no one ever turns anything off until the company goes out of business.Nipun: So, it's exactly the letter what you said that this is a managed service. It's pay as you go, you pay only for what you consume, and if you decide to move on, there's absolutely no license or anything that is holding you back. The second thing—and I'm glad you brought it up—about the vendor lock-in. One of the very important things to realize about HeatWave is, A, it's just an accelerator for MySQL, but in the process of doing so, we have not introduced any proprietary syntax. So, if customers have the MySQL application running on some other cloud, they can very easily migrate to OCI and try MySQL HeatWave.But for whatever reason, if they don't like it, and they want to move out, there is absolutely nothing which is holding them back. So, the ease of which they can come in with the same ease they can walk out because we don't have any vendor lock-in. There is absolutely no proprietary extensions to HeatWave.Corey: There is the counter-argument as far as lock-in goes, and we see this sometimes with companies we talk to that were considering Google Cloud Spanner, as an example. It's great, and you can use it in a whole bunch of different places and effectively get ACID-compliance-like behavior across multiple regions, and you don't have to change any of the syntax of what it is you're using except the lock-in there is one of a strategic or software architecture lock-in because there's nothing else quite like that in the universe, which means that if you're going to migrate off of the single cloud where that's involved, you have to re-architect a lot, and that leads to a story of lock-in. I'm curious as to whether you're finding that customers are considering that as far as the performance that you're giving for MySQL querying is apparently unparalleled in the rest of the industry; that leads to a sort of lock-in itself when people get used to that kind of responsiveness and build applications that expect that kind of tolerances. At some point, if there's nothing else in the industry like it, does that means that they find themselves de-facto locked in?Nipun: If you were to talk about some functionality which we are offering which no one else is offering, perhaps you could, kind of, make that case. But that's not the case for performance because when we are so much faster—so suppose I said, okay, we are so much faster; we are six-and-a-half times faster than Redshift at half the cost. Well, if someone wanted the same performance, they can absolutely do it Redshift on a much larger cluster, and pay a lot more. So, if they want the best performance at the best price, they can come to Oracle Cloud; if they want the same performance but they will have to pay more, they can go anywhere else. So, I don't think that's a vendor lock-in at all.That's a value which we are bringing in that for the same performance, we are much cheaper. Or you can have that kind of a balance that we are faster and cheaper. So, there is no lock-in. So, it's not to say that, okay, we have made some extensions to MySQL which are only available in our cloud. That is not at all the case.Now, for some other vendors and for some other applications—you brought up Spanner; that's one. But we have had multiple customers of MySQL who, when they were trying Google BigQuery, they mentioned this aspect that, okay, Google BigQuery had these proprietary extensions and they feel locked in. That is not the case at all with HeatWave.Corey: This episode is sponsored by our friends at Oracle HeatWave is a new high-performance accelerator for the Oracle MySQL Database Service. Although I insist on calling it “my squirrel.” While MySQL has long been the worlds most popular open source database, shifting from transacting to analytics required way too much overhead and, ya know, work. With HeatWave you can run your OLTP and OLAP, don't ask me to ever say those acronyms again, workloads directly from your MySQL database and eliminate the time consuming data movement and integration work, while also performing 1100X faster than Amazon Aurora, and 2.5X faster than Amazon Redshift, at a third of the cost. My thanks again to Oracle Cloud for sponsoring this ridiculous nonsense.Corey: I do want to call out, just because it seems like there's a lies, damned lies, and database benchmarks story here where, for example, Azure for a while was doing a campaign where they were five times less expensive for database workloads than AWS until you scratched beneath the surface and realize it's because they're playing ridiculous games with licensing, making it very expensive to run a Microsoft SQL Server on anything that wasn't Azure. Customers are not necessarily as credulous as they once were when it comes to benchmarking. And Oracle for a long time hasn't really done benchmarking, and in fact, has actively discouraged it. For HeatWave, you've not only published benchmarks, which okay, vendors can say anything they want, and I'm going to wait until I see independent returns, but you put not just the benchmarks, but data sets, and your entire methodology onto GitHub as well. What led to that change? That seems like the least Oracle-like thing I could possibly imagine.Nipun: I couldn't take credit for the idea. The idea actually was from our Chief Marketing Officer, that was really his idea. But here is the reason why it makes a lot more sense for us to do it for MySQL HeatWave. MySQL is pervasive; pretty much any cloud vendor you can think about has a MySQL-based managed service. And obviously, MySQL runs on premise, like a lot of customers and applications do it.Corey: That's one of the baseline building blocks of any environment. I don't even need to be in the cloud; I can get MySQL working somewhere. Everyone has it, and if not, why don't you? And I can build it in a VM myself in 20 minutes.Nipun: That's right.Corey: It is a de-facto standard.Nipun: That's right. So, given that is the case and many other cloud vendors are innovating on top of it—which is great—how do you compare the innovation or the value proposition of Cloud Vendor A with us? So, for that, what we felt was that it is very important and very fair that we publish our scripts so that people can run those same scripts with a HeatWave, as well as with other cloud offerings, and make a determination for themselves. So, given the popularity of MySQL and given that pretty much all cloud vendors provide an offering of MySQL, and many of them have enhanced it, in order for customers to have an apples-to-apples comparison, it is imperative that we do this.Corey: I haven't run benchmarks myself just yet, just because it turns out, there's a lot of demands on my time and also, as mentioned, I'm not a deep database expert, unless it comes to DNS. And we keep waiting for people to come back with, “Aha. Here's why you're completely comprised of liars.” And I haven't heard any of that. I've heard edges and things here about, “Well, if you add an index over here, it might speed things up a bit,” but nothing that leads me to believe that it is just a marketing story.It is a great marketing story, but things like this fall apart super quickly in the event that it doesn't stand up to engineering scrutiny. And it's been out long enough that I would have fully expected to have heard about it. Lord knows if anyone is listening and has thoughts on this, I will be getting some letters after this episode, I expect. But I've come to expect those; please feel free to reach out. I'm always thrilled to do follow-up episodes and address things like this.When does it make sense from your perspective for someone to choose HeatWave on top of the Oracle Cloud MySQL service instead of using some of the other things we've talked about: Aurora, Redshift, Snowflake, et cetera? When does that become something that a customer should actively consider? Is it for net-new workloads? Should they consider it for migration stories? Should they run their database workloads in Oracle Cloud and keep other stuff elsewhere? What is the adoption path that you see that tends to lead to success?Nipun: All customers of MySQL, or all customers of any open-source database, those would be absolutely people who should consider MySQL HeatWave. For the very simple reason: first, regardless of the workload, whether it is OLTP only, or mixed workloads, or analytics, the cost is going to be significantly lower. I'll say at least it's going to be half the cost. In most of the cases, it's probably going to be less than half the cost. So, right off the bat, customers save half the cost by moving to MySQL HeatWave.And then depending upon the workload you have, as you have more complex queries, the performance advantage starts increasing. So, if you were just running only OLTP, if you only had transactions and you didn't have any complex queries—which is very unlikely for real-world applications, but even if that was the case, you're going to save 60% by going to MySQL HeatWave. But as you have more complex queries you will start finding that the net advantage you're going to get with performance is going to keep increasing and will go anywhere from 10 times aggregate to as much as 1400 times. So, all open-source, MySQL-based applications, they should consider moving. Then you mentioned about Snowflake, Redshift, and such; for all of them, it depends on what the source database is and what is it that they're trying to do.If they are moving data from, say, some open-source databases, if they are ETL-ing from MySQL, not only will MySQL HeatWave be much faster and much cheaper, but there's going to be a tremendous value proposition to the application because they don't need to have two different applications for two different databases. They can come back to MySQL, they can have a single database on which they can run all their applications. And then again, you have many of these cloud-native applications are born in the cloud where people may be looking for a simple database which does the job, and this is a great story—both in terms of cost as well as in terms of performance—and it's a single database for all your applications, significantly reduces the complexity for users.Corey: To turn the question around a little bit, what sort of workloads is MySQL HeatWave not a fit for? What sort of workloads are going to lead to a poor customer experience? Where, yeah, this is not a fit for that workload?Nipun: None, except in terms of the data size. So, if you have data sizes which are more than 64 terabytes, then yes, MySQL HeatWave is not a good fit. But if your data size is under 64 terabytes, you're going to win in all the cases by moving to MySQL HeatWave, given the functionality and capabilities of MySQL.Corey: I'd also like to point out that recently, HeatWave gained the MySQL Autopilot capability, which I believe is a lot of the machine learning technologies that you were speaking about a few minutes ago. Are there plans to continue to expand what HeatWave does and offer additional functionality? And—if you can talk about any of that. I know that roadmap is always something that is difficult to ask about, but it's clear that you're investing in this. Is your area of investment looking more like it's adding additional features? Is it continuing to improve existing performance? Something else entirely? And of course, we also accept you can't tell me any of [laugh] that has a valid answer.Nipun: Well, we just got started, so we just had our first [GF 00:27:03] HeatWave in December, and you saw that earlier this week we had our second major release of HeatWave. We are just getting started, so absolutely we are investing a lot in this area. But we are pretty much going to attempt all the things that you said. We have feedback from existing customers which is very high up on the priority list. And some of these are just one, say, class of enhancements which [unintelligible 00:27:25], can HeatWave handle larger sizes of data? Absolutely, we have done that; we will continue doing that.Second is, can HeatWave accelerate more constructs or more queries? Absolutely, we will do that. And then you have other kinds of capabilities which customers are asking which you can think of are, like you know, bigger features, which for instance, we announced the support for scale-out data storage which improves recovery time. Well, you're going to improve the recovery time or you're going to improve the time it takes to restart the database. And when I say improve, we are talking about not an improvement of 2X or 3X, but it's 100 times improvement for, let's say, a 10 terabyte data size.And then we have a very good roadmap which, I mean, it's a little far out that I can't say too much about it, but we will be adding a lot of very good new capabilities which will differentiate HeatWave even more, compared to the competitive services.Corey: You have very clearly forgotten more about databases than most of us are ever going to know. As you've been talking to folks about HeatWave, what do you find is the most common misunderstanding that folks like me tend to come away with when we're discussing the technology? What is it that is, I guess, a nuance that is often being missed in the industry's perspective as they evaluate the new technology?Nipun: One aspect is that many times, people just think about a service to be here some open-source code or some on-premise code which is being hosted as a managed service. Sure, there's a lot of value to having a managed service, don't get me wrong, but when you have innovations, particularly when you have spent years in years or decades of innovation for something which is optimized for the cloud, you have an architectural advantage which is going to pay dividends to customers for years and years to come. So, there is no substitute for that; if you have designed something for the cloud, it is going to do much better whether it's in terms of performance, whether it's in terms of scalability, whether it's in terms of cost. So, that's what people have to realize that it takes time, it takes investment, but when we start getting the payoff, it's going to be fairly big. And people have to think that okay, how many technologies or services are out there which have made this kind of investment?So, what I'm really excited about is, MySQL is the most popular database amongst developers in the world; we spend a lot of time, a lot of person-years investing over the last, you know, decade, and now we are starting to see the dividends. And from what we have seen so far, the response has been terrific. I mean, it's been really, really good response, and we are very excited about it.Corey: I want to thank you for taking so much time to speak with me today. If people want to learn more, where can they go?Nipun: Thank you very much for the opportunity. If they would like to know more, they can go to oracle.com/heatwavewhere we have a lot of details, including a technical brief, including all the details of the performance numbers we talked about, including a link to the GitHub where they can download the scripts. And we encourage them to download the scripts, see that they're able to reproduce the results we said, and then try their workloads. And they can find information as to how they can get free credits to try the service for free on their own and make up their mind themselves.Corey: [laugh]. Kicking the tires on something is a good way to form an opinion about it, very often. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time. I appreciate it.Nipun: Thank you.Corey: Nipun Agarwal, Vice President of MySQL HeatWave and Advanced Development at Oracle. I'm Cloud Economist Corey Quinn and this is Screaming in the Cloud. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave a five-star review on your podcast platform of choice, whereas if you've hated this podcast, please leave a five-star review on your podcast platform of choice along with an insulting comment formatted as a valid SQL query.Corey: If your AWS bill keeps rising and your blood pressure is doing the same, then you need The Duckbill Group. We help companies fix their AWS bill by making it smaller and less horrifying. The Duckbill Group works for you, not AWS. We tailor recommendations to your business and we get to the point. Visit duckbillgroup.com to get started.Announcer: This has been a HumblePod production. Stay humble.

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With family: 2 Samuel 18; 2 Corinthians 11 2 Samuel 18 (Listen) Absalom Killed 18 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 3 But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” 4 The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. 6 So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7 And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword. 9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak,1 and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king's son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.' 13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life2 (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14 Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15 And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him. 16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King's Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom's monument3 to this day. David Hears of Absalom's Death 19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the LORD has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite. 24 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27 The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.” 28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king's servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still. David's Grief 31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33 4 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” Footnotes [1] 18:9 Or terebinth; also verses 10, 14 [2] 18:13 Or at the risk of my life [3] 18:18 Or Absalom's hand [4] 18:33 Ch 19:1 in Hebrew (ESV) 2 Corinthians 11 (Listen) Paul and the False Apostles 11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle 16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. Footnotes [1] 11:17 Greek not according to the Lord [2] 11:27 Or often in fasting (ESV) In private: Psalm 73; Ezekiel 25 Psalm 73 (Listen) Book Three God Is My Strength and Portion Forever A Psalm of Asaph. 73   Truly God is good to Israel,    to those who are pure in heart.2   But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,    my steps had nearly slipped.3   For I was envious of the arrogant    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4   For they have no pangs until death;    their bodies are fat and sleek.5   They are not in trouble as others are;    they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.6   Therefore pride is their necklace;    violence covers them as a garment.7   Their eyes swell out through fatness;    their hearts overflow with follies.8   They scoff and speak with malice;    loftily they threaten oppression.9   They set their mouths against the heavens,    and their tongue struts through the earth.10   Therefore his people turn back to them,    and find no fault in them.111   And they say, “How can God know?    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”12   Behold, these are the wicked;    always at ease, they increase in riches.13   All in vain have I kept my heart clean    and washed my hands in innocence.14   For all the day long I have been stricken    and rebuked every morning.15   If I had said, “I will speak thus,”    I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 16   But when I thought how to understand this,    it seemed to me a wearisome task,17   until I went into the sanctuary of God;    then I discerned their end. 18   Truly you set them in slippery places;    you make them fall to ruin.19   How they are destroyed in a moment,    swept away utterly by terrors!20   Like a dream when one awakes,    O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.21   When my soul was embittered,    when I was pricked in heart,22   I was brutish and ignorant;    I was like a beast toward you. 23   Nevertheless, I am continually with you;    you hold my right hand.24   You guide me with your counsel,    and afterward you will receive me to glory.25   Whom have I in heaven but you?    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.26   My flesh and my heart may fail,    but God is the strength2 of my heart and my portion forever. 27   For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.28   But for me it is good to be near God;    I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,    that I may tell of all your works. Footnotes [1] 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them [2] 73:26 Hebrew rock (ESV) Ezekiel 25 (Listen) Prophecy Against Ammon 25 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Because you said, ‘Aha!' over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore behold, I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon1 a fold for flocks. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 6 For thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel, 7 therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Prophecy Against Moab and Seir 8 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Moab and Seir2 said, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,' 9 therefore I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. 10 I will give it along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, that the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations, 11 and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Prophecy Against Edom 12 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them, 13 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword. 14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord GOD. Prophecy Against Philistia 15 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, 16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” Footnotes [1] 25:5 Hebrew and the Ammonites [2] 25:8 Septuagint lacks and Seir (ESV)

This episode features Norman Wolfe, who is the founder and CEO of Quantum Leaders, which helps CEOs improve their organization's ability to execute. He is a strategy execution consultant, speaker, and author.In this episode, Norman talks about achieving effective execution through a new approach and paradigm. He has spent over 40 years working in a variety of organizations from Fortune 500 to technology startups. He is a leading voice of the emerging new business paradigm and is viewed as an expert in the areas of leadership, strategy, change adoption, process improvement, organization design. If you are leading an org and are struggling with ineffective execution, the right mindset, framework, and paradigm, you should consider reaching out to Norman Wolfe by visiting his website https://quantumleaders.com and going to https://www.linkedin.com/in/wolfe.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company.Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

Allen: All right, everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Option Genius Podcast today I have with me, Matthew D'Ambrosi .He's one of our passive traders. And he's gonna be telling us how he got started and how he's doing pretty well right now. How are you doing, Matthew? Matt: I'm doing well. Thanks for having me on. Allen: Cool. Cool. So how'd you get started with Option Genius?  Matt: Well, I have to actually go back, it's been quite a journey, I have to say, you know, it's more like a 15 year journey for me. Allen: Wow. You know, I was given a book by my sister at age 30. And I was a young guy, and I was just more not interested in reading books just kind of floating through life, didn't really have much direction. And the book was called "Automatic Millionaire" by David Bach. Allen: Okay. Matt: In that book, I wasn't really interested in reading it, but she handed it to me. So I said, at least go through it. And I started thumbing through and I came upon a compound interest chart. And it showed, you know, you're 19 years old, and you put $2,000 into an IRA, or Roth IRA, and you did that, and you continue to do that, it would be well over a million by the time you're 65. So I was caught immediately by that. And that's kind of where my journey began. So I took that information, and started reading more books. And I came across Dave Ramsey. He's kind of like a financial soldier, if you will, you know, to get out of debt. Yeah, kind of get your stuff together. And I started, I always thought about making money and you know, retiring early, it was always a thought of mine, it was a gold mine, it was definitely what I wanted to do. And I always felt like 65 is when I would do it just like everybody else. And I continue to read more, I read numerous articles and books. And about two years ago, I went to a workshop, and I was learning how to invest. And they introduced me to options and selling options. And I was told that everyone else was told, you know, it was risky. Don't touch it. There's a whole another world to me. Allen: Have you done any stocks or options before that? Matt: No, absolutely not. Allen: No stocks either? Matt: Not really, you know, I was more into mutual funds, I had gave my money to an advisor, I just believe that people had your best interest. And they're great advisors out there. I'm not saying they're not. But it really started me to take a hard look about how money is handled. And you're much better off if you take the plunge and believe in yourself and start looking into deeper and see that they can really work out for you if you're willing to take or have the interest really to go and look at that. So I started paper trading. And then I was wondering who else does this so I started searching. And then I came across your name, and I have to hand it to your master marketer. I've never had anyone hit my inbox like you. So I started listening to all your podcast, taking little by little, you know, all the information that you give out there and started little by little paper trading. And then I started making money slowly, you know, doing one contract, then adding two. And then now I'm pretty much on my goal to replace my income. And that's my ultimate goal so... Allen: Awesome. Matt: Just a regular guy, you know, I just kind of happy to be here. I'm really happy to be here today. Because I want to get the message out that you know, you're teaching just normal people like me, who have no experience at this. And it's really a wonderful thing if you're willing to get a hold of your fears and take a stab at it. Allen: Right. So you started about two years ago, you said? Matt: Yeah, about two years ago yeah. Allen: Oh two years ago. Okay. And you're still working? Matt: I am, yep. Allen: Okay, what do you do during the day? Matt: So I'm a forklift driver and it's tough work. It's very laborsome. And trading has allowed me to look at money in a different way. I just don't look at money as scarce as it was. So it's a whole different mindset. Allen: Yeah. So how do you find time during the day to trade? Matt: Generally I don't go until about 2:30 in the afternoon, and I go on to 2:30 at work so I spend the mornings pretty much studying and paper trading and learning and then even after work at 11 o'clock, sometimes I'll be up till 1am or so learning as well and paper trading and trying to think about things and whatnot so.. Allen: So you're all in? Matt: All in, absolutely. They say burn the ships and I burnt them. Allen: So what was your first trade? Matt: First trade I did was credit spread. I did far away from the money for about just one contract and I made like 18 bucks. It wasn't much but you know, you're, you talked about the options continuum. That was in that stage where I was very nervous and you know, you have these feelings and you feel like you're gonna lose all your money. And that's not true, if you study and really take what you have to teach, and I took it very slow and got into it. So after that, after you do, there's something about to do first live trade, it kind of clicks with you like, okay, that wasn't so bad, you know, not the think of the worst that can happen. So, yeah, I did it. And it's been a, you know, I'm gaining confidence each and every week. And, yeah, we just continue to evolve on that continuum. Allen: Cool. So if I can recap. So basically, you want to get into investing because you didn't like where it was going. And you didn't want to wait around till 65 to, you know, have a nest egg and retire and have somebody else in charge of your money. So you started looking at it for yourself, and you've been putting in time you've been studying, researching trading, paper trading? What else is it that you want to achieve, besides just the money aspect? Like what what is it about the trading that is, you know, speaks to you on a deeper level? Matt: Yeah, I think the main part and it's different for everybody, for me, it's actually you know, as you get older, you realize you don't know how much time you have on this earth. And, you know, you start looking at things like, Hey, you know, the time is right now. And if I can find a way to free up some time, I'm going to seize it, because I never want to look back and say, "Hey, you know, I got to 65" I'd be glad if I do. But to spend time with friends and family, I got, you know, parents are almost in their 80s, I would love to just free up just a little bit of time and already am and I'm already you know, I already feel successful. And that, you know, I found something that I can do and free some time up and actually see them. Allen: Okay. So when you say you feel successful, what does that mean in numbers? Matt: Numbers to me, it's like just even $500. And it's different for everybody. There's no doubt. I mean, $500 extra dollars a month is successful to me. It gives you just a little bit of breathing room. I'm a simple person, I don't need a lot. I drive a 2200 accord. I mean, it looks like it's gonna fall off the road. I'm not a man to really, you know, I love great things. I would love to get in a nice, wonderful car, but it's not the main driver for me. The main drivers just to spend quality time family and friends. Absolutely. Allen: Nice. Nice. Okay. So would you mind sharing how large your trading account is now? Matt: Yeah, I started with in the brokerage account, I started about 2 Grand, and I'm already up to about 16 right now. Allen: Wow, in two years? Yeah, that's phenomenal. Matt: Yeah, I mean, I'm also adding to it too, but.. Allen: Okay. Matt: It's amazing to see the compound interest grow. And I haven't been really calculating it like dollar for dollar. But I'm just more really tuned into just being successful and working through the trades. And not really focusing so much on, you know, $1 amount just being, "Hey, let me get this tray. Let me monitor it. Let me look at it. Let me learn from it". If I have any problems, if I look at it as a learning experience, I have to continue to go I want to be in it forever. You know, I want to continue to I want to be that guy standing, you know, 10 years, 15 years from now and still doing this. Allen: Okay, so you don't want to be a forklift driver anymore? Matt: No, I say, you know, I'm sure there are a lot of people who listen to podcast saying I hate my job. I do not I actually enjoy driving a forklift. I just don't want to drive 40 hours a week. Allen: Okay. Okay, so what type of strategies are you using? Matt: So right now I'm doing a lot of bull put spreads, I've ventured into bear call spreads. I'm also doing covered calls. I haven't done any naked puts yet. So I'm really kind of looking at some companies and, uh, you know, I want to know more about the companies and look at stable companies like you teach us and start doing options off of them. So, it's an ongoing process and what amazes me that you don't need to do a lot of different strategies to be successful. Allen: Right, right. Right. Okay. What's your if you had to only pick one, which was your favorite? Matt: At the moment, it'd be a bull put spread, but I have a feeling that's gonna change. Allen: Yeah depending on the market. Matt: Also venturing into into oil, like you're teaching in your program. Allen: Cool. Yeah. Welcome to that program. Yeah, it's definitely it's definitely the next level of stuff. You know, it moves faster, and it's more leverage. So the numbers are bigger. Matt: Yeah. Allen: Cool. So have you tried anything else that didn't work? Matt: You know, I've done about 60 trades so far. I've lost one. And I got out early, it would have worked out. And it was my first time losing money, but I look at as a big lesson. You know, there's a lot of feelings. I listened to one of your podcasts where you talked about how you lost and the feelings that surround that. Right. I think you have to kind of reevaluate and find the lesson in it. And the lesson I found in that trade was that I was trading too heavy. I was a little bit. I was actually doing too many contracts. I was a little bit too uncomfortable. Matt: So that it was is a really good learning experience to say, Hey, you know, I'm not really comfortable risking that much money. Let me just pare it back a little bit. And think about what I want to do here, so.. okay, that, you know, the experience of actually getting out of a trade out of our live trade because you know, your bloods pumping, and you're like, Okay, you know, am I hitting the right buttons? And I get now it's a little different than paper? Of course. Allen: For sure. Yeah. But did you say you did 60 trades and you only lost on one? Matt: Yes so far... Allen: And these are all real money? Matt: Real Money, yes. Allen: Wow. And what's your strategy? How are you doing that? Would you find that trading plan? That's amazing. Matt: You know, it's a lot of listening. I've read so many books, listen to podcasts, listening to education, I kind of go, I'm a very conservative person. So I trade very conservatively. So about 90% out or more, I try to get at least 23 cents, 22 cents, and then just move my contracts up as I feel comfortable taking that risk. Allen: Okay so if I heard you correctly, you are trading at about a 10 delta spread? Matt: Yeah, usually. Allen: And then you're trying to make about 5% on each trade? Matt: Yeah, but between four and 5% Allen: Between four or five? And how long do you stay in the trade? Matt: You know, it's almost embarrassing, but that's the level of how you get better. I really have my you know, you talk about your AHA moments, and one of them was mine. I didn't know you could get out of the trade. So I was always thinking you had to be there until expiration, but that's not obviously not true. So that was a big one. For me, I have to honestly say that, you know, when you're learning this, you just don't think of you don't know everything. Right? And I was like, oh, my goodness, you can actually get out of these trades. So I learned to get out. So you know, that's a benefit in my world, once you know how to get out, it takes a little bit of fear out. Allen: So when do you get in? How many days to expiration to get in? Matt: Generally, I'm between 28 and 35 days or so. Allen: Okay, and what how many trades at one time do you have on? Matt: I really try to do only as many as I can comfortably watch. I try to do maybe one a week. So about four trades at most that are going on? Allen: Okay, so four trades at one time. Okay. And so how much would you say you're making on a monthly basis? dollar terms? Matt: Well across two accounts. So I trade in my brokerage account, I trade under my IRA, I rockler. Right? I'm averaging about 1000 a week now? Allen: 1000 a week. Okay. That's amazing. So within two years, you're up to 4000 a month. And you're saying your account value is roughly around 16? Matt: Roughly 16. And then, you know, in the Roth IRA, it's considerably higher, but that's not money I really want to put a heavy risk of short term trading, but I do trade there. Allen: Okay. Yeah. Okay. All right. No, that's, that's crazy. And you're saying that you're almost to the point where it's getting close to where it's gonna replace your income or equal your income from..  Matt: Yeah I mean, I have no qualms about it. I my goal is to get make $5600 a month. And I know my number and but it's all about, you know, I guess one of the big reasons for me coming on is that you just have to trust the process. And you have to actually become in love with the process not be so result driven. I mean, it's important, you know, we all want results. But if you can find a love for the process, I think you're that much better?  Allen: For sure. Definitely. Yeah. Because, you know, like you said, You've been putting in the time you wake up and you work on it. And then after work, you know, tired long day, but you still sometimes you still get it and to look at it being you wouldn't do it if you weren't like happy and excited. It's really something to find something. I feel like this is a point in my life where I really found something I love to do. And I really do. I really love this. And, you know, it's, I just want other people that are just regular people like me, and people come all the time and say, you know, you can do this and do that. But I am I tell you to my core, I'm just a regular person, I drive a forklift. And if anyone can do it, you can do it. And thank God, there are people like you have to teach this stuff. Because I would have killed 20 years ago to have someone guide me through just hitting me across the head of the board and be like, Hey, you know, listen. But that's not how life works. Allen: Right, no, yeah. You know, when you're ready, the teacher appears kind of thing. You know? Matt: It really is true. Allen: Yeah. Yeah. So the biggest thing that surprised you when you were doing this stuff, besides that you could get out before expiration? Matt: Oh, yeah, that was a big one. I think it's coupled with what other people say but also with what I think is that you can trade on something that you don't own. I think that's a big thing for people. Because we're just conditioned to be like, you know, if I can trade something, I have to own it. And that was a big like, wow, for me, for trading. You know, also the covered call as well. Allen: Okay. And so what was your biggest challenge? Matt: The biggest challenge for me was overcoming your fears. I mean, it's, it's definitely a big fear. And I don't take it lightly. Because, you know, we all worry about losing our money, we worked so hard for it. I mean, I work 40 hours a week just to make the bills and do everything that we want to do, we want a better standard of living. And it's very scary  you know, you can think about losing all that money and a flash, and that's really fearful. And I think that's the biggest obstacle, but be to be able to papertrade it and learn from people like yourself that have gone through it. And like, they say, taken the arrows is all much better. I mean, you know, it's like, I talk to people, it's like, you're in a forest, and you don't know which way to go. And it's like, you have someone like yourself or someone else that has gone through this. And we're like, Hey, here's the path. You know, over here is a ditch over here, you know, there's a lion, go down this path, and you start to understand otherwise, you're just flailing around, and you'll be lost in that forest forever. So, you know, it's just one big journey, to be honest with you. Allen: Yep. Yep, yep. Yep. So is that the biggest thing that helped you overcome the fear? Got me a lot of people have that fear. You know, it's like, oh, my God, if I do this, what's going to happen? What if I press the wrong button? What if they take this away? What if you know, something, I do something wrong, my wife's gonna kill me, you know, how did you besides the paper trading was that the biggest thing that helped you overcome the fear? Matt: I think also, the actual structure of a credit spread, you know, knowing that when I have a set amount of money, that it's risk, I can only lose like, $500 in a trade or 480. That really helped me, okay, I was like, Okay, if you're uncomfortable, overall, losing $480 in this trade completely fails. And that's all I'm gonna lose. And I wrapped my head around that, then I can get past that barrier. And I can trade more and learn how to trade. I think initially, you just have in your mind that you're gonna lose all your money, which is not true. If you, of course, you I mean, you have to study and you have to pay attention. None of this is easy or simple. But you got to put in the time, I'm not saying you don't. But if you really want to, and you're, you have conviction, and you have desire, there's no reason why you can't do this stuff. Allen: So what do you think the future holds for you now? Matt: Well, I hope all good things. I mean, I go on with the, I hope I go in with the attitude. I'm really happy and excited to be part of the the oil, that's a whole another, the oil blank check trading program. It's a whole another world for me. And, you know, I kind of feel like, it's traded like options, but it's very different. And then I have to get in there. And it's like, you know, I'm back at the beginning a little bit. So I got to get him up to speed and learn that it's a whole another world. So you go through those feelings again, in a different way. So I'm kind of in the beginning, but I'm very hopeful for the future. And I just want to continue to be consistent and profitable. And that's all you can ask for. Allen: Yep. Yep. So would you recommend Option Genius to other people? Matt: Absolutely. I mean, I sing your praises almost all the time. I one of the big reasons is that how accessible you are. And you know, whenever I had a question, you guys are on top of it. I mean, I couldn't ask for any quicker response. And if you have a problem, you feel like someone's right beside you. And I really appreciate that. So yeah, I've absolutely, I would tell anyone to go to you and learn from you learn from you on the program.  Allen: Yeah, we try. I mean, we're not perfect. And we don't work weekends. But some people, some people are like, Oh, I bought this thing on Saturday. Why haven't I got it yet? I have questions. I'm like, Oh, we don't work weekends, you know. See that's part of the job here. You know, I talked about it on the podcast, and the books and everything. It's like freedom. You know, that's the ultimate, the ultimate goal is freedom. And however you define it, yeah, the time to do what you want the money to do what you want, and you just, you know, if you want to go here, do this, or whatever, buy whatever you want. Like, I'm so happy and excited that you're feeling a taste of that, you know, it's like, "Okay, if I'm going to work, I'm going to make X dollars, but I can always be laid off". I can always get hurt. I can always, you know, get sick. I mean, so many people right now are getting sick and they can't work and they're all scared because they don't know what they're going to do. And you know, the fact that you're you found something that you can stay at home, press a few buttons, and you understand it and you're like, Okay, intellectually, I can make this work. And you put in the time in the effort. I've seen that. So kudos to you for that. Because I've seen a lot of people. They're like, Oh, yeah, no, no, this is supposed to be magic. I'm supposed to hit the Escape key and I'm supposed to get money coming out of my computer. Well, it doesn't work that way. You know, you have to put in time, effort, thought process. You have to do it over and over and over again, which you've done for the last two years. You've been putting your dues in I mean, obviously you're not done yet. Right? You still got a long way to go. Matt: Oh, yeah, absolutely my goal is never to be complacent. You know, never think I've no at all, because I do not. There's people out there that are very smart, intelligent, people that are learning, I always look at life, you can learn somebody, something from everyone, just like all the people, all the books that I've read, if you can get one good thing out of them, you can learn something from them, you're all the better. You know, I just learned to not look at one thing as the way there could be multiple ways. But you know, you have to take the good and almost make it your own as well. You know it, but it's on you. And you as you get older, you realize that it is on you to make this decisions. I don't want to bury my head in the sand and just hope you know, I wake up at 65 and I'm retired. So it's a process. And luckily, I fell in love with it. Allen: That's great. That's great. So let's say you get your goal and you're making 5600 a month from your trading. You still going to work? Matt: I think initially I mean, you know, it's a wonderful question to answer. I think initially, I would go with part time, because I like I do like my job. I do enjoy driving a forklift. But um, it would allow me to do some other things that I would want to do in life. I mean, I like gardening, I like painting, maybe learn Spanish, I always want to learn Spanish, you know, and I could put my efforts towards that. It's just, it opens a whole another world for you. And I mean, it really does. And it gives you a chance to maybe go into some things that you never dreamed that you would be. For instance, after this, I'm going on a boat, I would never dream that I would learn, I always didn't want to drive a boat, I was afraid to drive a boat, I was afraid I was gonna to crash into a dock. But I'm a member of a book club now. And I'm going to go out my wife after this podcast and get on a boat. And I'm learning how to drive and docket and it's like I believe trading is broad and open that world for me. Because I'm no longer fearful making mistakes. And I'm going to learn from them. And, you know, if I crashed into into a dock, so be it. I'll learn from it. And I'll get better. So that's the way I approach life now. And I think trading is a big part of that. Allen: Oh, that's wonderful. So the fact that you've been you've had some success in the trading has given you confidence in other areas of your life. Matt: Absolutely. That's something I can ever believe. Yeah, absolutely. Allen: That's so beautiful. Okay, so let's say one of your fellow employees at Costco, you're at Costco, right? Yes, yeah. So if one of your fellow employees at Costco comes up to you and says, Matt, man, I got to do something. You know, you told me you talked about trading a little bit, how do I how do I get started? What do I do? How do I make sure that I don't lose money? Matt: Well, go to Option Genius. But I would more so I would tell them that, you know, it's a process and you have to put in the work. There's no shortcuts. And you know, people say that all the time. And you have to really believe that in your heart, and you have to put in the work. And thank goodness paper trades out there. And you can make mistakes and learn from them. And just keep trying. And then when you're ready, do it. Somy advice is to absolutely take it slow. You know, everyone's different. You could paper trade three months, six months, but don't be hanging up for a year paper trading. I mean, you want to get out there and try. So but do it with a little bit of money that you're finally losing, and then just go on from there and reevaluate your process. So that's the advice that I would give them. And, of course, I want to help everyone out there, you know, because I have co workers that are in the same, I know the grind they go through each day. They're hard working people, they're looking for the same thing I am that they're trying to look, you know, to better their life or help people that are left to right of them, and get through and improve it. And, you know, this is out there for them. So I've just tell it, take it slow, be patient. I mean, it's very difficult to be patient, especially this day and age. But if you can harness that patience, you can achieve what you want to achieve. Allen: Well said, Well said. Yeah, I mean, you know, the cool thing is that we've I guess since you started, I think you've been sending us emails every once in a while. Matt: Probably a little crazy. Yes. Allen: Yeah no it's okay. It's not crazy? I mean, you know, I bombard people with email, we generally like to sometimes people, some people get three emails a day from us, it's like crazy. We need to work on that. Matt: I'm one of those people. And I'm like, wow, I'm like, man this is something else. Allen: There's too much going on. Yeah. So we need to work on a little bit there. But you know, so it's been fun to watch your progress over the past. You know, it's like, I try to if there's a trading email or whatnot, I try to read those. And if I don't answer them, at least I try to read and see what's going on. And I've seen your emails come through, and it's like, you know, this guy, he's getting it, you know? And whenever you ask a question, it's like, there there are some people that they're nice about it. And then there are some people who are like they expect the moon and the stars and everything in an email like, "Hey, I'm on your list. I want you to tell me every one of your secrets". Like how am I supposed to do that in an email? Matt: Yeah that's impossible. Allen: We share that for you. Like we could have a course about that. It would be like a 20 million-hour course. I could share everything and bring an email. I'm not writing all that stuff. But the fact that you took it slow and methodical and whenever you, you did the work. And then when you had a question, it was specific to that particular thing. So you could tell when I'm reading, I can tell, okay, this guy is actually trying to learn, he's actually trying to trade. And this has given me a question based on his actual experience. So I mean, that's in, you know, for those of you who are listening and be like, Oh, well, I asked a question, I didn't get an answer. Or, you know, he didn't give me a complete answer or whatever. It also depends on, you know, how you approach the question how the question is asked, and if it's gonna make sense or not, because we do get inundated with trading questions, and how do I do this? And how do I do that? And without proper background, we can't even give individual moves. Legally, we can't give individual advice. But even trading questions, it's like, okay, if I don't have the proper background into what you were thinking, when you were looking at a trade, then I can't give you a, you know, what I would do even because if I'm looking at a chart, and I think it's going to go down, and you think it's gonna go up, whatever I tell you, it's gonna be the opposite. And you'll be like, that doesn't make any sense. So I love the way that you have approached this. And you've been, you know, slowly, methodically, you pick something you realized from the beginning, you knew what you want it, you knew your why you understand, you know, compound interest, you understand how that works? And it's not going to happen overnight. How long do you think it took you until you started becoming like, consistently profitable? Matt: I would say about three or four months where I felt consistent, you know, first, you know, you could say, Oh, you know, it could be you just not, you're not sure until you really feel like, okay, I can repeat this month after month. And third kind of understanding, you know, not only the positives of a trade, but also the negatives, and you start kind of wrapping your head around it and start feeling comfortable, but not complacent, then you start, you feel like you're on the right road, so that that feelings and the results probably about three to four months for me specifically where I felt confident about the trade. Allen: Okay, and you trade the same stocks over and over again? Or do you choose different ones every time? Matt: I'm looking, you know, basically the same. You know, I tell the story, way back, I bought Airbnb, you know, an IPO, which stands for is probably overpriced. And I consider it as a mistake. But my wife and I did a covered call together, and we literally push the button together. And we're like, we made like, 500 some dollars off of that. And I was just like, we were just like, baffled, like, wait a minute that actually work. Like we just got paid for that. And we're just like, How can that be? So, you know, I read books on covered calls and things like that. And, you know, there's there's downfalls of covered calls as well, the dark side as you speak. And it's important to, to learn all the different strategies. But the point is, you don't need to know a ton of strategies to be successful, I think it's important for the viewer to focus on one and get really comfortable before you move on to other things. And I feel that's kind of where I am with oil now I'm comfortable with a trade and now unwilling to go into another world, and kind of explain that or, you know, explore that, and I'll take that slow as well. And, you know, it just starts being well, and overall process and you bring it together. And it's all about learning and what a beautiful thing. Allen: Yep. Yep. Very beautiful. So, and there might be some skeptics listening to this. And they'll be like, Well, you know, the last two years, we've had a really good bull market. So are you prepared for choppy market volatile market? down market? bear market? How would you adjust to that situation? Allen: You know, I think it's, I look back, I'm actually reading your book right now, how to hedge, you know, all the hedging strategies, and what I always call my replay in my mind, what will I do if there's a big crash, and I don't think you can ever, you know, fully prepare yourself, but there's a lot of things that you can do. I think the most important part of that is knowing a valuable company, it's knowing what kind of strategy you're going to use, you can never do bull put spreads continually, because you're going to get hit at some point. Right. So again, learn how to do a bear call spread and do some different things to hedge your position. So it you know, that's education by itself, but there's definitely some big things. You know, you got to look at each thing of, you know, a comfort level and then continuing education. I definitely am. I'll continue to get better at that as well. Allen: Yeah, yeah. Because I mean, there's no way to tell which way the market is going, you know. Matt: Sure. Allen: I mean, we've been lucky that we've had a nice fed induced (inaudible) rally recently, the last couple years. But again, we don't know how long that's going to last and what's going to happen after that. But as somebody who has been doing this for, you know, a little bit longer than you have. Matt: Much longer. Allen: It's good to be able to, like you said, you know, understand the different strategies as well. And you said you've done you know, two or three of them and you've, you've practiced them over and over again. So that when things do change, that you can also see that coming and then you can change with it. So You know, I was talking to someone earlier today, and we were talking about and he was, he was asking about iron condors. And he's like, yeah, you know, I've tried honor condors didn't work at all. So how do you make them work? I said, Well, you know, every strategy doesn't work for every person. Some people might like one strategy, and they're really good at it. And somebody else, their brother might try it. And their brother might be horrible at it. You know, it's different risk tolerances, and different personalities will tell what strategy you should work on. And so.. Matt: Yeah, that's really fascinating. Like you said earlier, you know, we talked about how you can get the same trade as somebody, it just turns out different. And I think it's, it's fascinating in psychology, and it's also how, you know, you think of a trade and everyone's into individual to that trade. So it's pretty interesting. Allen: And you said, you had studied psychology, right? in school? Matt: Yeah, I have a degree in psychology from the University of Alabama. And, you know, I just, I never knew what I wanted to do in college. And it's interesting, I find myself using it. Now. I it's the psychology of the markets. And I think about how why people sell and why people buy and, you know, a lot of it's fear based, sometimes people that are very smart, do stupid things. You know, you just think that it's not that way, but it is very true. So it's, it's a whole, I never thought I'd be using psychology, but I do. I'm fascinated why people think the way they do. Allen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's interesting. It's very interesting. Yeah. I mean, I've been a big fan of psychology, just trying to understand myself, you know, and most of the time, like, you know, when we try to figure out, okay, hey, this stock went down today, what happened? A lot of times, we can't figure it out. I don't know, there's so many. There's so many background factors. But I think the study of psychology really helps in the big picture thinking, you know, you might not be able to figure out exactly why a stock moved up and down, depending on if there's some news about it. But the overall market like, hey, if this happens, then this is how people react. And then this is how they think. And then this is what happens in the stock market. So it's definitely a learning experience. And something that comes with years of experience, as you get used to it, say, Okay, I saw this happened. So I, I expected this to happen because of that. So it's really interesting. Allen: I really appreciate your time, Matthew, and just wanted to give you one more, you know, like hey, is there anything else that last words that you want to share with our audience?  Matt: Just I encourage people that are, you know, maybe thinking just like how I am, you know, they're out there working everyday life, and they just don't think that this is possible, and I just wanted to really encourage them to, you know, take a shot at it. And really, you know, if you're really interested in it, and put your 100% into it. And, you know, you could really surprise you on the other end, what life has to offer to you if you really get into it. And trading is a wonderful way to do that. So I'd really encourage people of all walks of life to try to better their situation, I think it's a great, great avenue to do so. Allen: Right. And you got started again, how? Just by reading a book? Matt: Yeah, I was just really looking at a compound interest chart. I was just, I just looked at it. And I was like, man, I could just kind of see the overall plan. I was like, I didn't know, you know, you know, everyone wants to be rich, and they want to have enough money. And it was a different feeling. At that time, I was young, and you know, mostly when you're young, or just want to get things and accumulate things and, you know, burn the world down. And that's not the case, as you get older, usually, you know, you, you find out what's really important. And to me, it's time with family and friends. And once I saw that chart, I could see the kind of overall kind of structure if you will, what I want to do. And then now as I got into it, I started filling in the blanks and seeing what way to get there. And trading is really kind of sped that process up. And I'm very excited about it. Allen: So do you see yourself like, okay, hey, you know, and this year, or this keeps up and you know, this age, I'm going to be a millionaire or 100 millionaire or something like that-  that doesn't appeal to you, right? Or does it sometimes? Matt: You know, like, I have a goal of turning you know, our money and making a million dollars. And that's, I wrote it down and seven years, I'd like to do that. If I don't get there, I'm not going to be upset about it. Like I said, you have to be happy about the process and excited about the process. And long as you're generally heading the right way. You can't help but be happy. I mean, if there's little setbacks, but if your general trajectory is moving forward, that's all you can ask for. And we're excited about that. So, you know, the number is less of a issue to me, as I get into it, you know, it's a great thing. And it's a great byproduct of what we're doing. But I think you just got to really look inward and be contentment and what really makes you happy in life, whatever it is you'd like to do. So, you know, money is just a tool to get there. And I I really feel that at this age, you know, it took me 20 years to figure that out. But yeah, it's exciting. Allen: Yeah, I totally agree with you and I'm excited for you, man. It's Just like, you know, you just get started now it's just, it's just up from here, you know, it's just the sky's the limit, and you know, a million dollars one day, you're gonna be like, Oh, that was nothing, you know? Let's go for 3, let's go for 5. Matt: You know, if not, I always say, Hey, you know, I can be happy I took a shot at So, you know, yeah, I left everything on the table. And that's what you have to do. And I couldn't be happier about that. Allen: But you've gotten it done. You know, it's not, it's not like, You got lucky, you've been doing it for consistently, you know, over and over and over again. And yeah, we've had a good market. And that helps. But you know, every market can be a good market, if you know what you're doing. So the fact that.. Matt: I'm very worried about that, because I started investing in 2009. Okay, so I've never seen a crash. And I know that and I'm aware that and I also look at, hey, what are my feelings going to be? And I try to read books about it, and listen to people and talk about their experiences, because I want to know what to do in that situation. So I could, that's a continuation thing for me. I mean, I know I have not been in a crash. That's all been up for me. And but I do know that I have to be wary of that. And I have to have a plan for that. And that's what I'm doing right now. So, you know, I don't want to get complacent and that I'm winning and winning and winning, because losses could be around the corner. And I just gotta know how to mitigate that process. Allen: So and see, I mean, just that comment right there. That's like, you know, this guy knows what he this guy's got a head good head on his shoulders. You know, he's not he's not overconfident. And he's not like, Oh, yeah, this is gonna happen for the rest of my life. I'm just gonna make money every month. No, I mean, I've been looking at it from all different angles, and you've been practicing and trading and different things. And you said, Oh, yeah, I've been doing put spreads. But I'm also doing call spreads, you know, because eventually, I'm going to need them. So it's like, yeah, there you go. That's it. I appreciate that. Thank you. Yeah. I mean, you do it the right way. You're doing it really the right way. And you started small and you're, you know, slowly, slowly, you're increasing. But you're still sticking to, you know, something that's manageable. You're not Oh, like you said that one trade I had. I mean, oh my god, out of 60 trades you've only lost one that's like, incredible. I never heard anybody do that. That's like, Well, can I give you my money? I want to go sail around the world here. You just take it in, take care of it for me. Matt: You can't have it back on if I lose it? Yeah. Allen: No, I think you'll be okay because you're getting prepared for it. You know, you're not blindsided. It's like, yeah, this is part of it. I've seen it. You know, you've maybe you haven't seen it yourself. But you've heard of it. But you're not. What are you like, 45 years at? Matt: I'm 45 Allen: Yeah, so you've been alive when there has been crashes? And oh, yeah. and stuff, you know, the.com bubble, everybody still remembers that? No, tell you about that. And, and stuff like that. So it's not like it's something completely out of the blue for you. If somebody was like 15 years old, or 20 years old - they're like, Oh, yeah, you know, I've never seen America crash. It's never gonna crash. But yeah, it's there. And you are, you're rounding out what I, you know, like, it's like, it's not just, you focused on something you learned about it, you practiced it, and you're like, Okay, this is working. Now I need to add to it, I need to add another skill, I need to add another skill. And you're, and you're still adding, that's the coolest thing that you're still growing, you're still learning. And you're still humble enough about it, so that you're like, you know, hey, I'm still working. And I work hard, and I have a good job, and I like it. But I would like to have more. And then eventually, I'm gonna work part time. That's really cool. Yeah. Matt: I actually parallel investing with running a marathon. You know  running marathons is a very difficult process, and it takes a lot of work. And there's a lot of dips along the way, and at times you feel like quitting, and there's a point of elation, and you have an angle. And I kind of feel like that kind of parallels my trading style. So I know that there's going to be, you know, mile 15 is going to be horrible. And mile 18 could be even worse. And then you get the mile 24 and you're like, elated. It's almost at the end. And that's kind of how investing is, you know, you have great times and you have terrible times. And you have to, you know, when you're training, you're accounting for all these processes along the way. You know, what shoes do I wear? How do I do this? If it rains? How do I count for this? I don't feel good. How do I account for that? What did I eat? all that stuff is very similar to how trading is in trading really, you learn a lot about yourself, just like you do in marathon running. I mean, you learn about what you're really made of, and the risk that you take and who you are as a person. So I think there's a lot of parallels there. Allen: Wow, yeah, I've never run a marathon but it sounds horrible. Matt: Yeah, I mean, people are like, they're either they do it or they want it done. I've got the bug. I was crazy. I decided doing but um, I don't do them anymore. I maybe maybe have one or two. I mean, I will see but uh, you know, I want to keep my knees going into my 50s. Allen: Cool. All right, Matthew. I really appreciate it. This was great. I mean, it's wonderful to see you know, somebody go from knowing nothing to making you know, four grand a month trading part time. And, you know, it's like, Hey, I can do this. If you can do for you can eventually do more, and it'll replace your income and make all your dreams come true. So kudos to you for getting in the path, taking the risk, and trying it out, learning, spending the time, and I hope that people listen to this and they're encouraged by it, they're inspired by you, I mean  when I heard your story, I was like, "we gotta get Matthew on the show". You know, forklift driver to early retiree. Matt: Yeah I hope so. I appreciate you guys and I can't thank you enough, you and your team, that there's actually people out there that teach this stuff and actually care about people, because there's a lot of people that don't have it all and I really appreciate that. Allen: Thank you Matt: Yeah I'm sure your viewers appreciate it as well. Allen: Yeah thank you for hanging out with us. Matt: Alright, thank you. LOVE ALLEN SAMA - OPTION GENIUS AND WANT TO LEARN MORE TRADING TIPS  AND TRICKS? HERE ARE SOME NEXT STEPS... SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST FREE 9 LESSON COURSE: https://optiongenius.com/  WATCH THIS FREE TRAINING: https://passivetrading.com  JOIN OUR PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://optiongenius.com/alliance  Like our show? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps.

In this episode, Lucas Root talks about designing a clear and success-driven strategy for key business initiatives. He is an accomplished speaker, entrepreneur, author, business success mentor, and founder of SGIC Consulting which works with clients to build a high-performance strategy and implement that strategy across their businesses to achieve the maximum growth potential possible. His major divestiture completed two (2) months ahead of schedule and saved more than two (2) billion dollars.Lucas helps identify roadblocks to success and where his clients could be heading toward failure. He specializes in speaking to entrepreneurs and business owners on getting their strategy on track for success and massive growth. If you're looking for a marketing-oriented person who comes up with ideas and strategies that can bring significant dollars to the table, consider reaching out to Lucas Root by visiting his websites https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucroot/ and http://lucasroot.com/.Mitchell Levy is the Global Credibility Expert at AHAthat, the first AHA leadership (Thought Leadership) platform on the market for thought leaders, experts and companies to unleash their genius to the world. His passion is helping entrepreneurs, business owners and C-Suite Executives get known as thought leaders & become best-selling authors with the AHA platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur who has created 20 businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is an international best-selling author with 60 business books, has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies, has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company.Visit https://www.credibilitynation.com to learn more about the Credibility Nation community.Visit https://www.ahathat.com/author to learn how you can become an Amazon best-selling author in 4 months.

Your life is beautiful.But it may not be very obvious now.Because our past is like a giant jigsaw puzzle—and God is putting the pieces together to make a beautiful picture of your life.Each piece makes no sense.  But once connected to the other parts of your life, you say “Aha! Now I understand.”May this powerful message inspire you today!Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/becomesupporter/67936175235/)

With family: 2 Samuel 16; 2 Corinthians 9 2 Samuel 16 (Listen) David and Ziba 16 When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 And the king said, “And where is your master's son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.'” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.” Shimei Curses David 5 When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.” 9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,' who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?'” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12 It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me,1 and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today.” 13 So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14 And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan.2 And there he refreshed himself. Absalom Enters Jerusalem 15 Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.” 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom. Footnotes [1] 16:12 Septuagint, Vulgate will look upon my affliction [2] 16:14 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks at the Jordan (ESV) 2 Corinthians 9 (Listen) The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem 9 Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending1 the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift2 you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.3 The Cheerful Giver 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully4 will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency5 in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,   “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;    his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they6 will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! Footnotes [1] 9:3 Or I have sent [2] 9:5 Greek blessing; twice in this verse [3] 9:5 Or a gift expecting something in return; Greek greed [4] 9:6 Greek with blessings; twice in this verse [5] 9:8 Or all contentment [6] 9:13 Or you (ESV) In private: Psalms 70–71; Ezekiel 23 Psalms 70–71 (Listen) O Lord, Do Not Delay To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering. 70   Make haste, O God, to deliver me!    O LORD, make haste to help me!2   Let them be put to shame and confusion    who seek my life!  Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor    who delight in my hurt!3   Let them turn back because of their shame    who say, “Aha, Aha!” 4   May all who seek you    rejoice and be glad in you!  May those who love your salvation    say evermore, “God is great!”5   But I am poor and needy;    hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer;    O LORD, do not delay! Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent 71   In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;    let me never be put to shame!2   In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;    incline your ear to me, and save me!3   Be to me a rock of refuge,    to which I may continually come;  you have given the command to save me,    for you are my rock and my fortress. 4   Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.5   For you, O Lord, are my hope,    my trust, O LORD, from my youth.6   Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;    you are he who took me from my mother's womb.  My praise is continually of you. 7   I have been as a portent to many,    but you are my strong refuge.8   My mouth is filled with your praise,    and with your glory all the day.9   Do not cast me off in the time of old age;    forsake me not when my strength is spent.10   For my enemies speak concerning me;    those who watch for my life consult together11   and say, “God has forsaken him;    pursue and seize him,    for there is none to deliver him.” 12   O God, be not far from me;    O my God, make haste to help me!13   May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;    with scorn and disgrace may they be covered    who seek my hurt.14   But I will hope continually    and will praise you yet more and more.15   My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,    of your deeds of salvation all the day,    for their number is past my knowledge.16   With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. 17   O God, from my youth you have taught me,    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.18   So even to old age and gray hairs,    O God, do not forsake me,  until I proclaim your might to another generation,    your power to all those to come.19   Your righteousness, O God,    reaches the high heavens.  You who have done great things,    O God, who is like you?20   You who have made me see many troubles and calamities    will revive me again;  from the depths of the earth    you will bring me up again.21   You will increase my greatness    and comfort me again. 22   I will also praise you with the harp    for your faithfulness, O my God;  I will sing praises to you with the lyre,    O Holy One of Israel.23   My lips will shout for joy,    when I sing praises to you;    my soul also, which you have redeemed.24   And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,  for they have been put to shame and disappointed    who sought to do me hurt. (ESV) Ezekiel 23 (Listen) Oholah and Oholibah 23 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. 3 They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms1 handled. 4 Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5 “Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors 6 clothed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted. 8 She did not give up her whoring that she had begun in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their whoring lust upon her. 9 Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. 10 These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed on her. 11 “Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister2 in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13 And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way. 14 But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, 15 wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. 16 When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust. 18 When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. 19 Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt 20 and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. 21 Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed3 your young breasts.” 22 Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, governors and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. 24 And they shall come against you from the north4 with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments. 25 And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. 26 They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. 27 Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore. 28 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, 29 and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring 30 have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31 You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand. 32 Thus says the Lord GOD:   “You shall drink your sister's cup    that is deep and large;  you shall be laughed at and held in derision,    for it contains much;33   you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow.  A cup of horror and desolation,    the cup of your sister Samaria;34   you shall drink it and drain it out,    and gnaw its shards,    and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 35 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.” 36 The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up5 to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. 38 Moreover, this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this is what they did in my house. 40 They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil. 42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards6 were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!'7 44 For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! 45 But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.” 46 For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder. 47 And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses. 48 Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. 49 And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 23:3 Hebrew nipples; also verses 8, 21 [2] 23:11 Hebrew than she [3] 23:21 Vulgate, Syriac; Hebrew bosom for the sake of [4] 23:24 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown [5] 23:37 Or have even made pass through the fire [6] 23:42 Or Sabeans [7] 23:43 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV)

Welcome to the final episode of series 43, everyone! This series we welcome Cam Banks to discuss his game, Cortex Prime, an RPG Toolkit for creating ANY game you want! This episode we discuss the character creation process, learn a bit more about Cam Banks, talk about the game design process, and get into the few outtakes that came out of this series!Announcements:International Podcast MonthWebsite: https://www.internationalpodcastmonth.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/podmonthOur new site:https://charactercreationcast.comLeave us reviews in any, or all, of these places:Character Creation Cast on Apple Podcasts (The best place to leave reviews for us)https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/character-creation-cast/id1363822066?mt=2&ls=1Character Creation Cast on Podchaserhttps://podchaser.com/CharacterCreationCastCharacter Creation Cast on Stitcherhttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/character-creation-cast?refid=stprCharacter Creation Cast on Facebookhttps://facebook.com/CharacterCreationCastGuests and Projects:Cam Banks (Designer) @boymonsterTwitter: https://twitter.com/boymonsterInstagram: https://instagram.com/rustysellswordPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/cambanksGames discussed this episode:Cortex PrimeWebsite: https://www.cortexrpg.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/CortexRPGAmazon: https://amzn.to/3tpJmwZTimestamps:00:00:00 - Announcements00:04:11 - Reintroductions00:07:50 - D20 for your thoughts? - How did Cam get into playing and then designing RPGs?00:11:18 - What does Cam look for in a good character creation system?00:15:44 - How do you keep the marriage of mechanics and story telling when designing a game?00:22:26 - How does the process of character creation in Cortex Prime set expectations for play?00:25:12 - What sort of things make for a good Cortext Prime character sheet?00:28:43 - What is the biggest flaw of Cortex Prime character creation and what is one of the best things about it?00:33:48 - Was there an "Aha" moment when putting together the game that made the game stand out?00:35:10 - Fanfic!00:42:36 - Take it up a level! - How does a character level up mechanically in Cortex Prime?00:47:13 - How does this mechanical benefit affect the narrative?00:51:47 - Final thoughts from Cam about Cortex Prime00:53:37 - Episode Closer00:54:50 - Call to Action00:56:41 - Credits00:58:36 - Show Blurbs - Asians Represent00:59:16 - OuttakesTranscriptshttps://charactercreationcast.simplecast.com/episodes/series-433-cortex-prime-with-cam-banks-designer-discussion/transcriptMusic:Opening: Meditation Impromptu 03 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Calming/Meditation_Impromptu_03) by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com)Clip 1: Magic Drops  by Rafael KruxLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/5685-magic-drops-License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseClip 2: Schools Out by Sascha Ende®Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/501-schools-outLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseMain Theme: Hero (Remix) (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Steve_Combs/Principal_Photography_1493/11_Hero_Remix) by Steve Combs (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Steve_Combs/)Our Podcast:Character Creation Cast:Twitter: @CreationCast (https://twitter.com/CreationCast)Facebook: https://facebook.com/charactercreationcast/Discord: http://discord.charactercreationcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creationcast/Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/CharacterCreationCastAmelia Antrim:Twitter: @gingerreckoning (https://twitter.com/gingerreckoning)Website: https://ameliaantrim.wordpress.com/Garbage of the Five Rings podcast: (http://garbageofthefiverings.com/)G5R Twitter: @G5Rpodcast (https://twitter.com/G5Rpodcast)Ryan Boelter:Twitter: @lordneptune (https://twitter.com/lordneptune)Website: https://lordneptune.comTwitch: https://twitch.tv/lordneptunerbChimera RPG: @ChimeraRPG (https://twitter.com/ChimeraRPG)A Horror Borealis: @AHorrorBorealis (https://twitter.com/AHorrorBorealis)Patreon: https://patreon.com/RyanBoelterItch.io: https://lordneptune.itch.ioOur Website:http://www.charactercreationcast.comOur Network:http://oneshotpodcast.comNetwork Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/oneshotpodcast

 In this episode, Derek talks with Carolyn Salvador, CEO of Enduring Hearts Inc. Enduring Hearts mission is to ensure that within the next decade, a child's longevity will not be impacted by a heart transplant.  As Chief Executive Officer of Enduring Hearts Inc., Salvador has supervisory and strategic control over all functional disciplines of the organization. In her previous role as the ED for the Georgia Child Care Assocation (GCCA) and as a lobbyist and advocate for young children and small business, Salvador brings years of experience to Enduring Hearts. Salvador is the creative mastermind behind the organization with outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills leading her team, interacting with the Scientific Board Chair and the Board of Directors on a daily basis.In her role as CEO, Salvador finds key stakeholders to develop collaborative partnerships to grow their research funding base. She works with her team to strategize on how to maximize the Enduring Hearts existing events, work to identify new events and develop the strategies and plans to execute them. She develops budgets, track finances, meet with donors, write grants, manage marketing, talk with heart families, develop family programs, and more. Salvador utilizes her expertise in every aspect of the business from working with the board to developing fundraising strategies to running grants and research programs.Salvador works with a variety of stakeholders from daily interactions with the leading pediatric transplant cardiologists across the country, Board of Directors, heart families, and stakeholders such as American Heart Association, the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Pediatric Heart Transplant Study, and other nonprofits.Salvador has grown the cash revenues over 300%. Additionally, Salvador has expanded the Enduring Hearts grant program by developing strategic partnerships with other stakeholders in the CHD space to developing co-funding opportunities. Recently, Salvador spearheaded the partnership with AHA to dedicate $1.5M in funding to pediatric heart transplantation and co-fund a $3M Collaborative Science Award with the organization. Moreover, Salvador is responsible for growing the Enduring Hearts fundraising events raising millions of dollars to go their research.Salvador is considered one of the top visionaries amongst her peers in the industry and Enduring Hearts is now seen as an important partner in the pediatric heart transplant field.Learn more at https://enduringhearts.org/

Priyanka and Riya are best friends. Morgan and Mercedes are daughter and mother. They are just four of the voices you will hear in this montage of eight short interviews created by kids ages 8-15 during the inaugural Story Seeds On Air Summer 2021 Podcasting Camp where aspiring podcasters learned from expert guests and each other the art and technical skills they need to amplify their voices and broadcast their ideas into community conversations big and small.  In these interviews, campers from around the United States ask intimate questions of people they know very well, and in the process capture moments of curiosity, lifelong passions, and new perspectives on the familiar while creating memorable oral histories. Queens, New York neighbors and best friends Riya, age 9, and Priyanka, age 12 ask each other questions about their favorite things.Seattle-based Anna, age 8, interviews her mother, Merideth, about her love of podcasts and the podcast platform, Storitopia, that she is brewing.New Jersey-based Ella, age 15, interviews her mother, Jennifer, about her memories of learning to cook and hairspray cooking mishaps!Philadelphia-based Ahan, age 13, interviews his mother Madhusmita, about her stories from her career as a dancer in the 500 year old Sattriya dance tradition from Assam (India).Harlem, New York-based Shalini, age 10, interviews her mother Swati, a writer, educator, and artist, about her interests and her passion for podcastingNew Jersey-based Amrita, age 12, interviews her mother, Sandhya (creator of The Story Seeds Podcast), about the music she loved to listen to when she was her age and the role music plays in her lifeAlaska-based Morgan, age 10, interviews her mother, Mercedes about the moment in her childhood that she realized her passion was writing and how she puts that passion into practice in her life and workLinks to Interview Mentions :Riya's  favorite  TV shows: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and Miraculous  Tales of Lady bug & Cat NoirPriyanka's favorite books: Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel series from Dark Horse Comics and the Harry Potter series by JK RowlingAnna's mom's podcast platform: StoritopiaAhan's mom's dance company: Sattriya Dance CompanyShalini's mom's art and writing: SwatiKhurana.comAmrita's mom's favorite radio station: 90.7 WFUV Two pieces of writing by Morgan's mom: A poem in Literary Mama and an essay in The Anchorage Daily NewsThis special episode of The Story Seeds Podcast is produced by Claudia Haines and Ella Rose Frankel. Editing and sound design is by Alyssa Baptiste. Story Seeds is a Literary Safari production and will be back on October 28 with a new episode presented by Macmillan Publishing, featuring Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan and her new book Willodeen.Follow Story Seeds on Instagram @storyseedspod and on Twitter @litsafarimedia Learn more about our podcasting classes & camps at www.storyseedspodcast.com/classesOrder our Wirecutter/New York Times featured activity book Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity