Podcasts about although peter

Data analytics maturity models (and legal operations maturity models in general) are the topic of discussion with Peter Eilhauer, Managing Director for Legal Spend Solutions at Epiq. Peter knows his stuff about legal spend management–he's been working in and around it for 16 years. He started as a consultant helping law firms manage costs and then jumped ship to help corporate legal departments manage their legal spend. Most recently with Epiq and just before that with Elevate Services. Peter describes a maturity model as “a set of structured levels that describe how well the behaviors, practices and processes of an organization can reliably and sustainably produce required outcomes.” Stated another way, a legal operations maturity model is a way of measuring how well a legal department is using their people, processes and technology to handle legal work. Although Peter mainly discusses maturity models as they relate to data analytics (and specifically how to use data analytics to monitor and control legal spending), maturity models can be applied to many legal operations functions.

...And now in his final exhortation, Peter calls them to -stand firm in this grace-. They are to do this, by looking to the God of all grace, to give them the strength they need to persevere in their trials- by continuing to rejoice in the Christ who died to save them, rose to justify them, and is coming again to bring them to glory- and by setting their hope on the eternal inheritance that is kept in heaven for them. As they stand firm in this grace, Peter gives them this marvelous promise- -.. after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.- -5-10-.--Although Peter wrote his letter to suffering believers in the first century, it is meant to be a source of encouragement and comfort to believers throughout the ages. We all share in one common salvation, and are pilgrims and strangers in a world that is hostile to God and His Christ. We too are in need of grace to stand against the enemy of our soul, the devil- to live holy lives in this vile world- to love one another earnestly- and to be ready to give an answer to every man for the reason of the hope that is within us. May the testimony of our first century brethren stir us on, to stand firm in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ryan and Andrew discuss the disciple Thomas. Hunter Taylor joins the podcast. Although Peter was the most outspoken of all disciples and asked more questions than any other disciple, the guys discuss the intrigue found in Thomas. We're glad you're here.

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/104/29 on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Skip continues the series Rock Solid. Although Peter was at the end of his life, it's clear where his focus and energy was directed: he was thinking about others. As Skip shares the message "How to Live and Die Well," he shows you how you can live for the benefit of others.

Although Peter was at the end of his life, it's clear where his focus and energy was directed: he was thinking about others. As Skip shares the message "How to Live and Die Well," he shows you how you can live for the benefit of others. This teaching is from the series Rock Solid.Links:Website: https://connectwithskip.comDonate: https://connnectwithskip.com/donateThis week's DevoMail: https://connnectwithskip.com/devomail

What do we do with our doubts in the life of faith? Sometimes, all we have to offer God is our doubts, and that’s okay. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. Doubt is often a catalyst for faith. In today’s scripture reading on “doubting Thomas,” we see that the most extraordinary faith is born out of doubt. “My Lord and my God!” [Jn 20:28] Although Peter proclaimed Jesus “the Christ,” Thomas was the first to identify Jesus as “God.” May our doubts invite God to be made real in our lives and the lives of others. “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” ~Khalil Gibran

Coming Clean with Peter O. Estevez Peter's relationship with drugs started at a fairly young age. He recalls sitting in his mom's closet drinking a six-pack of beer when he was about 12 years old. Although Peter grew up in poverty as one of thirteen children, he found great success in real estate and became a millionaire by the time he was 25. "But just as easily as I accomplished success, I always found a way of sabotaging it, primarily through alcohol." Peter had the money, a big house, and nice cars, but his drinking prevented him from finding true happiness. After a few embarrassing moments in front of his business partners and some encouragement from his therapist, he started attending Alcoholics Anonymous. Today Peter has over 20 years of sobriety. He is the author of " From Lies to Riches - 13 Steps to a Healthy Life" and hosts The Coming Clean Podcast. You can connect with Peter on Instagram @PeterOEstevez and learn more about the podcast on ComingCleanPodcast.com Do you want to take your recovery to the next level? Sobriety Engine is an incredible online community where you can find a ton of great tips, tools, and support from other men and women in recovery. Visit SobrietyEngine.com to join today. If you're ready to get fit and start living a healthier lifestyle while supporting your sobriety then you can learn more about having Jonathan as your personal fitness and nutrition coach at RCVRHealth.com

Physical circumcision always prefigured, or foreshadowed, the true and greater circumcision God wanted, which was spiritual circumcision of the heart. Spiritual circumcision of the heart occurs when people repent and put their faith in Christ and are saved. Consider these verses: Colossians 2:11 says, " In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands (this means it's not physical circumcision), by putting off the body of the flesh (this refers to the spiritual flesh), by the circumcision of Christ."Romans 2:28-29 says, "No one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. " This means the letter of the law, which can't provide spiritual circumcision. Only the Holy Spirit can circumcise hearts, by producing repentance and faith. https://youtu.be/QYXj75k72wA Physical circumcision always prefigured the true and greater spiritual circumcision of the heart that occurs when people repent and believe. Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Spiritual Circumcision of the HeartFamily Worship Guide for Spiritual Circumcision of the HeartSermon Notes for Spiritual Circumcision of the HeartLesson one: children must have circumcised hearts to be baptized.Lesson two: (part one) salvation is the requirement for baptism (part two) but spiritual maturity is not.Lesson three: don't try to talk your children into being baptized. Sermon Lessons for Spiritual Circumcision of the Heart Lesson one: children must have ______________________ ____________ to be baptized (Colossians 2:11, Romans 2:28, Leviticus 24:41-42, Jeremiah 6:10, Ezekiel 44:6, Deuteronomy 30:6, Acts 2:23, 36-41 cf. Acts 7:51-58). Lesson two: (part one) salvation is the requirement for baptism (part two) but __________________ ________________ is not (Acts 8:30-39, 16:30-33). Note: part one is from a previous sermon: Evidences of Salvation | When Should Children Be Baptized – Part II.Lesson three: don't try to ________ ________ ________________ into being baptized. Family Worship Guide for Spiritual Circumcision of the Heart Directions: Read the verses and then answer the following questions. Day one: Colossians 2:11, Romans 2:28, Leviticus 24:41-42, Jeremiah 6:10, Ezekiel 44:6, Deuteronomy 30:6. What did circumcision always prefigure? was God upset with these Israelites about circumcision when they had already been circumcised? Day two: Acts 2:23, 36-41 cf. Acts 7:51-58. When did the Jews finally experience the true and greater circumcision God desired for them? Although Peter and Stephen's messages were similar, why do you think there were such opposing responses to them? Day three: Acts 8:30-39, 16:30-33. When should people, whether adult or children, be baptized? Why was the Ethiopian eunuch able to be baptized? Why was the Philippian jailer and his family able to be baptized? What would have, but would not have, prevented them from being baptized? Is it a bad idea to talk your children into being baptized? What should you do instead? Sermon Notes for Spiritual Circumcision of the Heart The title of this morning's sermon is, “When Should Children Be Baptized? – Part III.” Go ahead and open your Bibles to Acts 2. With baptisms coming up on Easter I started preaching a few sermons to help families determine whether their children should be baptized. That's exactly what we are working through as a family. Because we believe our children must be saved before being baptized I tried to give you some evidences of salvation to look for in our children's lives. While no parent can know for sure that their child is saved, hopefully the evidences I provided have been helpful…not only in determining whether your children are saved, but even if you are an adult, examining your own salvation. We are going to look at a few baptisms in the book of Acts,

The audio  for a Youtube presentation posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbz11ojnYUI&fbclid=IwAR2yUjaRqhnosT1EUS7BvexraasHz8JfngSSRQAZW9oNbSgK-ihiE3JYckkKootenai Brown Pioneer Village Education Coordinator Youtube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_qjGMo5zOjb6GWsygTVNgAbout the film:A Sony video tape V-30H (1/2”) of this short dramatic documentary was recently found (2020) in the Archival collection of Waterton Lakes National Park’s, by Edwin Knox, Parks Canada, Cultural Resource Management for Waterton, and converted to digital. Visually, the video suffers in quality due to the age of the film, but the audio is good, due to the excellent vocal and dramatic performance. The plot is simple: John George “Kootenai Brown” is on horse patrol in Waterton in 1914, battling old age and reminiscing about his life: he discusses the British Army in India, Cariboo goldfields of British Columbia; Conflict with the Blackfoot at Seven Persons Creek; a Metis buffalo hunt; guiding in the Rockies; Olive's burial; the creation of Kootenay Forest Reserve; Oil City and conflict with nature; and his appointment as Forest Ranger of the designated national park. The film was produced for the now-defunct ACCESS-TV, an educational production initiative of the Alberta government in 1975. The film/tape case was dated Jan 16, 1976. The “Pincher Creek Museum” as Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village is now known, is named in the Credit Roll as assisting with the production. Kootenai Brown is portrayed by Peter James Haworth (1927-2014), from a script written by Ted Ferguson. From Peter Haworth's obituary: "Peter passed away peacefully at Cedarview Lodge in North Vancouver on February 10, 2014 at the age of 86. Youngest child of the late Reginald and Florence Haworth and brother to the late Cyril Haworth. Lovingly remembered by his soul mate and dear wife Betty Muriel (nee Phillips). Although Peter began his career as an English teacher, he became an outstanding actor, writer and documentarian. As a writer for CBC radio, his writings included the adaptation of plays by writers such as Chekhov, Ibsen, Brecht, and Shakespeare, documentary series on notable figures such as Captain Cook, Sir Ernest Macmillan, and William Morris and portraits of the great twentieth century actors and directors.As an actor, he performed on national radio, television and the stages of major Canadian theatres in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw, Wilde and many others. His final performance as an actor was at the Vancouver Playhouse in "An Ideal Husband" by Oscar Wilde. Peter was a member of UBCP, ACTRA and was a lifetime member of the Writers' Guild. He was, also, presented with the Sam Payne Lifetime Achievement Award by the Union of BC Performers and is in the Walk of Fame at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver B.C.

What glory there is in our salvation! Christ has indeed saved us from our sin, freed us from our destiny to death, delivered us from the power of the Devil! There is glory in our salvation, but there is also the great need for humility. After all, our sin is detestable, and it comes with a great cost. Today, we see how deep the care of our Lord is for us, seen through his own care and concern for Peter. Although Peter’s denial was public and clear, Jesus loves him all the same, and here re-establishes him as the head of the apostles. What does Jesus do, what does he say, to affirm Peter’s forgiveness and appoint him to lifelong service?

Although Peter did not walk long, he did have the faith to walk on the water. However, fear and doubt caused him to sink. What lessons can we learn from this story about Peter's little faith?

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Today I’d like to consider our Gospel reading. This is one of Jesus’s parables. At the outset I’d like to remind you that, generally speaking, Jesus’s parables are not nice, satisfying stories, as some might assume. More often than not Jesus’s parables are intentionally unsatisfying. What I mean by that is that usually not everything is wrapped up in a tidy package where the plot goes the way that you think it should go. Jesus’s parables describe the kingdom of God, and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts nor are his ways our ways. His parables reveal and obscure at the same time. So it isn’t surprising that there should be plenty for us to wonder about, even after hearing the same parable many times for many years. With the parable before us today I think there are several elements that we can quickly identify and explain. Then we can spend some more time considering what is more difficult. This parable is taken from a long section at the end of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus is teaching about the end of the world. With that as the context, it is certain that this parable is about the end of this world and Christ’s second coming. So the bridegroom in the parable is Jesus. Jesus is coming again. We are not sure of the day nor the hour. The ten virgins represent Christians—or at least those who identify themselves as Christians. As virgins, they are pure and undefiled. With the number ten you have a number of completion. While they all identify as Christians, whether they are genuine or not seems to be at the heart of what is being taught. Not all ten make it into the wedding banquet. Five of them do. Five of them do not. So it seems that all ten of them identified themselves as Christians and thought of themselves as Christians, but only five of them ended up with the Lord Jesus. Jesus himself gives us the moral of the story, which he sometimes does after his parables. Whenever Jesus does that, I think it is especially important that we pay close attention to what he says. Here Jesus says, “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” I feel quite confident about all the things that we have identified so far, but there are several things that we haven’t talked about yet. We especially have not talked about the differences between the ten virgins. Five are identified as wise. Five of them are foolish. The reason why the five are wise is because they took an extra flask of oil with them. The foolish ones did not. Perhaps this wouldn’t have been a problem if the bridegroom would have come when they were expecting him to come. But he didn’t. He was delayed. They all became drowsy and fell asleep. Presumably, while they were sleeping their oil lamps were burning away, using up their oil. When they woke up with the cry, “Wake, awake! Here comes the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” They suddenly discover, to their horror, that the flame is ever so low, if not extinguished all together. This would never do for such a festive occasion. The five wise virgins thanked their lucky stars that they had remembered to pack some extra. The five foolish virgins couldn’t do anything about their lamps then and there. They’d have to find some place that would sell them oil at that late hour. By the time they get back, the door was already shut. The Lord is rather cold to them. He says, “Amen, I tell you: I do not know you.” Presumably, therefore, they are left in the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Immediately we wonder, “What went wrong here?” Jesus’s own words supply the answer, “Watch, therefore, because you do not know the day or the hour.” They should have stayed awake. If they had stayed awake they wouldn’t have been surprised. But notice that all ten of them, the wise as well as the foolish, became drowsy and fell asleep. This, I believe, is where we have something that is unexpected, which is a normal feature for Jesus’s parables. Jesus says, “Watch,” that is, “Stay awake,” but they all fell asleep. It would seem that someone being truly wise would require a lack of sleep altogether. The wise virgins not only should have extra oil, but they should have also stayed awake. When it comes to watchfulness and staying awake, there might be something else that is relevant here. Jesus spoke this parable during Holy Week, after he had entered in on Palm Sunday, but before he was arrested. Just a day or two after Jesus spoke this parable, on the night when Jesus was betrayed, his disciples had a very hard time staying awake. After the Lord’s Supper Jesus went to Gethsemane with his disciples. He went on further to pray, and he told his disciples to stay awake while he did so. This is where Jesus prays, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet, not my will, by thy will be done.” Three times Jesus comes back to his disciples and finds them sleeping. He says to them, “Weren’t you able to stay awake with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” But this speech evidently was not enough to keep them awake. They fell right back to sleep after Jesus left them to pray again. As you know, this physical sleep was soon surpassed by an even worse spiritual sleep. That is to say, when Jesus was arrested, when the shepherd was struck, the sheep were scattered. When Jesus the Christ was put in handcuffs the disciples all abandoned him, even though they had promised up and down that they would never do such a thing. Hours before they had said they would sooner die than abandon Jesus. But when the temptation came, they found that they could not resist. And, as far as their own selves were concerned, they never regained their senses. Let us not forget that nobody was waiting outside of Jesus’s tomb for him to be resurrected except some Roman soldiers whom the Jews had sent to stand guard. The women who first discovered that he was not there, that he had arisen, were not going to his tomb to greet him. They were bringing the things that were necessary to properly lay to rest his corpse, because there hadn’t been time on Friday because of the fast approaching Sabbath. Peter and John, the first of the twelve who heard about it, raced to the tomb because they were totally surprised by this cry of the women: “Look! He’s not there.” Even later on that day, in the afternoon, even after Jesus had for sure appeared the Mary Magdalene, if not to others, the disciples who were walking to Emmaus still did not believe that Jesus had come to life again. So this is something that we can safely say: Our watchfulness is not very good. All ten fall asleep. The holy apostles and disciples were unbelieving. You should also know this about yourself by personal experience. How often have you fallen into temptation because you did not watch and pray? Well then what are you going to do when at midnight comes the cry: “Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” What are you going to do when the trumpets blasts long and hard, so that all flesh tingles at the sound of them, waking all those who are in their graves? This is where I think we see the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins that is the most important—the thing that truly makes them wise and foolish. The wise virgins had a good conscience. They kept their eyes on the bridegroom. They were on their way to go meet him, even though they had no merit or worthiness in themselves—after all, they had not done what Jesus said they should do. They had failed to watch. The foolish virgins, on the other hand, did not have a good conscience. They were ashamed. They couldn’t bear to be seen with their unlit lamps. What, were they supposed to carry around their unlit lamps in the dark? They’d look like fools! So they are desperate to save face. They want to get some of the good conscience that the wise virgins have, but here’s the thing with a good conscience—you can’t give it to anybody else. You either have it or you don’t. So the foolish virgins go off looking for a good conscience, and by the time they find one, it isn’t good enough to pass divine judgment. He does not know them. Think also of the disciples during Holy Week. Judas Iscariot and Peter had both betrayed the Lord. It’s not clear exactly what Judas thought would happen to Jesus, but it doesn’t seem that he was expecting him to be sentenced to death. Judas is struck with a very bad conscience indeed. He tries to find a better one. He tries to make up for what he had done. Greed had made him do what he did, and now he looks at those 30 pieces of silver with horror. He throws them back to the Jewish authorities. He is sorry! He is so sorry! He wishes that he had never done what he did. He looks at himself in disgust, and in despair he goes and hangs himself. He murders himself—something that the devil would like us each and every one of us to do. Peter had bragged during the Lord’s Supper that he would never deny Jesus. Even if all the other did, he never would. Jesus said that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed at dawn. And so it was. Peter cursed, lied and swore and said he never knew the man when he was asked about it by a girl by the charcoal fire. What a disgrace! How could he ever show his face again!? Now the Scriptures do not actually tell us what happened when Jesus came to Peter after he rose from the dead on Easter. The only thing that we know about it is that Paul says Jesus appeared to Peter before he appeared to the twelve. So we don’t know what happened, but I think we can be sure about one thing. Peter did not go away, and he did not tell Jesus to go away, like he did, years before, on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus brought about the miraculous catch of fish. Although Peter was humbled—tremendously humbled—he loved Jesus’s appearing. He wanted to be together with Jesus. This is what will also make the difference on Judgment Day. There will be those who love his appearing, and there will be those who immediately see that their lamp has gone out. They are unpresentable. They will wish that they had lived a better life. They will wish that they hadn’t done all those shameful and embarrassing things that had mercifully been allowed to forget while they were still living. Jesus says that on that day there will be people who will wish that the mountains would fall on them, to cover them up. Oh God! Save us from such a fate! And how, pray tell, might we do that? By trying harder? You’re going to turn over a new leaf? You’re going to make up for all that you’ve done wrong? Well, you better go find somebody who is selling oil, ’cause you ain’t got none. No, let me tell you a better way. Think of Jesus’s second coming as a bridegroom who is coming to you. Look forward to his coming to you, because he is not coming to shame you. He is friendly, loving, even—like a groom who is in love with his bride. And although you have absolutely no right whatsoever to assume this posture towards Christ’s second coming—after all, you have fallen asleep, you have fallen into temptation—you may do so with a good conscience. This conscience is not based on how you’ve lived your life. It is based upon the bitter sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ for you—the bloody atonement that satisfies all of God’s wrath over all sin. Look forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be the best day that has ever been. But in order for you to do so, you must put aside all your works. You must put aside all your efforts to justify yourself before God. These won’t work. If you don’t do this, then you’ll be too busy trying to fix yourself on that great day so that you totally miss the joy of the wedding. There is no better way for you to prepare for Christ’s second coming, which could come at any day and any hour, than to look forward to seeing him. If you want to see Jesus, then it will be done for you as you have desired.

Although Peter and John had no formal training, they spoke with passion and conviction when they were brought before the Jewish leaders in Acts 4.  We learn that gospel boldness is not about swagger or arrogance and overconfidence, rather it is a freedom to speak, combined with a growing understanding of the gospel. The person who has tasted the healing power of God cannot help but speak about what they have seen and heard!

Jesus announces the scattering of the disciples, His crucifixion and resurrection before being betrayed by Judas. Although Peter espoused his heartfelt determination to stay with Jesus, no matter what, Jesus spoke of Peter's denial. Matthew next describes how Jesus took Peter, James and John and went apart from the other disciples inorder to pray. Dr. Mitchell brings out the circumstances of the sorrow which Jesus felt. Jesus said His soul was was very sorrowful, even to the point of death. Dr. Mitchell focuses our attention on the fact that Jesus poured out His soul even unto death. He shed His blood for you and me on the cross willingly. The blood of the Cross reconciles all who trust in Christ. Let's join Dr. Mitchell in Matthew 26 vs 31 as he shares the Lord Jesus with us here on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unchanging-word/message

What is striking about Acts 11: 1-18 is the amount of space devoted to retelling the narrative already laid out in some detail in Acts 10, often in the very same words. Isn’t this a rather extravagant use of the space on a scroll?But Luke sees this as a turning point. Peter is called on the carpet by the churches in Judea for going into the house of an uncircumcised person and eating with him (Acts 11:3). Peter retells his experience. The vision of the sheet with the unclean animals, its repetition three times, the instruction from the Spirit to go with the Gentile messengers, the fact that six of the (Jewish) brothers accompanied him and therefore could corroborate his story, the descent of the Spirit in the manner that tied this even to Pentecost, the linking of this with the words of the Lord Jesus — all lead to Peter’s careful conclusion: “So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” (Acts 11:17).Now some observations:(1) Although Peter’s argument proves convincing (Acts 11:18), this does not mean that all of the theological implications have been worked out. This might be well and good for the Gentiles, and a matter for rejoicing. But many questions have not yet been thought through: Will the Gentiles have to be circumcised? Will they come under the kosher food laws after believing in Jesus? If not, are Jews permitted to abandon such laws, or was Peter a one-time exception? Should there be two quite different churches, one Jewish and one Gentile? What should the Gentiles obey? What is the relationship between this new covenant and the old one? Many of these questions are precipitated in the following chapters.(2) The primary significance of this baptism in the Spirit is a little different than in Acts 2. Here, the dramatic expressions serve to authenticate this group of new converts to the mother church in Jerusalem — an irrelevant function at Pentecost.(3) Next we hear of widespread, if unplanned, promulgation of the Gospel among Jews and Gentiles alike (Acts 11:19ff.), generating a further crisis. Now the Jerusalem leaders must deal not with an individual or a household that is Gentile, but with an entire church that is predominantly Gentile. They show great wisdom. The envoy they send, Barnabas, displays no evidence of having great theological acuity. But he can see that this is the work of the Spirit, and promptly encourages the new converts to pursue God faithfully — and soon sends off for the best Bible teacher he knows for a mixed race church like this one (Acts 11:25-26). That is how Saul of Tarsus comes to be associated with this great church. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Luke 22:31-34 Peter thought he could stand for Christ simply through will power alone. He was wrong! And Jesus knew it. Although Peter did not fully understand the depth to which he would sink in denial, he was nonetheless assured by Jesus that he would be restored to ministry. Jesus was praying for him!

Local DJ Raines Sackett hangs out on the GXP Podcast with Bryan Lee and Peter Wilcox. Although Peter made a premature exit. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gxppodcast/support

Jesus is sufficient because he is God and man. We pursue Christ rather than feelings or emotion, because he is the truth of God made known.The false teachers in Colossae were setting themselves up as the arbiters of truth, and were drawing away believers with them. But no-one should look down on our spiritual lives because we do not follow their traditions or rules; Christ is the standard.God is high above, but Christ has condescended, and he is the sole mediator. Angels cannot bring us to God, and neither can Mary. Rather, if we are to hear Christ, we must listen to his Word. Although Peter saw the transfigured Christ, he considered the Word more reliable. So we should also consider it above any subjective experience.

141:0.1 (1587.1) ON THE first day of the week, January 19, A.D. 27, Jesus and the twelve apostles made ready to depart from their headquarters in Bethsaida. The twelve knew nothing of their Master’s plans except that they were going up to Jerusalem to attend the Passover feast in April, and that it was the intention to journey by way of the Jordan valley. They did not get away from Zebedee’s house until near noon because the families of the apostles and others of the disciples had come to say good-bye and wish them well in the new work they were about to begin. 141:0.2 (1587.2) Just before leaving, the apostles missed the Master, and Andrew went out to find him. After a brief search he found Jesus sitting in a boat down the beach, and he was weeping. The twelve had often seen their Master when he seemed to grieve, and they had beheld his brief seasons of serious preoccupation of mind, but none of them had ever seen him weep. Andrew was somewhat startled to see the Master thus affected on the eve of their departure for Jerusalem, and he ventured to approach Jesus and ask: “On this great day, Master, when we are to depart for Jerusalem to proclaim the Father’s kingdom, why is it that you weep? Which of us has offended you?” And Jesus, going back with Andrew to join the twelve, answered him: “No one of you has grieved me. I am saddened only because none of my father Joseph’s family have remembered to come over to bid us Godspeed.” At this time Ruth was on a visit to her brother Joseph at Nazareth. Other members of his family were kept away by pride, disappointment, misunderstanding, and petty resentment indulged as a result of hurt feelings. 1. Leaving Galilee 141:1.1 (1587.3) Capernaum was not far from Tiberias, and the fame of Jesus had begun to spread well over all of Galilee and even to parts beyond. Jesus knew that Herod would soon begin to take notice of his work; so he thought best to journey south and into Judea with his apostles. A company of over one hundred believers desired to go with them, but Jesus spoke to them and besought them not to accompany the apostolic group on their way down the Jordan. Though they consented to remain behind, many of them followed after the Master within a few days. 141:1.2 (1587.4) The first day Jesus and the apostles only journeyed as far as Tarichea, where they rested for the night. The next day they traveled to a point on the Jordan near Pella where John had preached about one year before, and where Jesus had received baptism. Here they tarried for more than two weeks, teaching and preaching. By the end of the first week several hundred people had assembled in a camp near where Jesus and the twelve dwelt, and they had come from Galilee, Phoenicia, Syria, the Decapolis, Perea, and Judea. 141:1.3 (1588.1) Jesus did no public preaching. Andrew divided the multitude and assigned the preachers for the forenoon and afternoon assemblies; after the evening meal Jesus talked with the twelve. He taught them nothing new but reviewed his former teaching and answered their many questions. On one of these evenings he told the twelve something about the forty days which he spent in the hills near this place. 141:1.4 (1588.2) Many of those who came from Perea and Judea had been baptized by John and were interested in finding out more about Jesus’ teachings. The apostles made much progress in teaching the disciples of John inasmuch as they did not in any way detract from John’s preaching, and since they did not at this time even baptize their new disciples. But it was always a stumbling stone to John’s followers that Jesus, if he were all that John had announced, did nothing to get him out of prison. John’s disciples never could understand why Jesus did not prevent the cruel death of their beloved leader. 141:1.5 (1588.3) From night to night Andrew carefully instructed his fellow apostles in the delicate and difficult task of getting along smoothly with the followers of John the Baptist. During this first year of Jesus’ public ministry more than three fourths of his followers had previously followed John and had received his baptism. This entire year of A.D. 27 was spent in quietly taking over John’s work in Perea and Judea. 2. God’s Law and the Father’s Will 141:2.1 (1588.4) The night before they left Pella, Jesus gave the apostles some further instruction with regard to the new kingdom. Said the Master: “You have been taught to look for the coming of the kingdom of God, and now I come announcing that this long-looked-for kingdom is near at hand, even that it is already here and in our midst. In every kingdom there must be a king seated upon his throne and decreeing the laws of the realm. And so have you developed a concept of the kingdom of heaven as a glorified rule of the Jewish people over all the peoples of the earth with Messiah sitting on David’s throne and from this place of miraculous power promulgating the laws of all the world. But, my children, you see not with the eye of faith, and you hear not with the understanding of the spirit. I declare that the kingdom of heaven is the realization and acknowledgment of God’s rule within the hearts of men. True, there is a King in this kingdom, and that King is my Father and your Father. We are indeed his loyal subjects, but far transcending that fact is the transforming truth that we are his sons. In my life this truth is to become manifest to all. Our Father also sits upon a throne, but not one made with hands. The throne of the Infinite is the eternal dwelling place of the Father in the heaven of heavens; he fills all things and proclaims his laws to universes upon universes. And the Father also rules within the hearts of his children on earth by the spirit which he has sent to live within the souls of mortal men. 141:2.2 (1588.5) “When you are the subjects of this kingdom, you indeed are made to hear the law of the Universe Ruler; but when, because of the gospel of the kingdom which I have come to declare, you faith-discover yourselves as sons, you henceforth look not upon yourselves as law-subject creatures of an all-powerful king but as privileged sons of a loving and divine Father. Verily, verily, I say to you, when the Father’s will is your law, you are hardly in the kingdom. But when the Father’s will becomes truly your will, then are you in very truth in the kingdom because the kingdom has thereby become an established experience in you. When God’s will is your law, you are noble slave subjects; but when you believe in this new gospel of divine sonship, my Father’s will becomes your will, and you are elevated to the high position of the free children of God, liberated sons of the kingdom.” 141:2.3 (1589.1) Some of the apostles grasped something of this teaching, but none of them comprehended the full significance of this tremendous announcement, unless it was James Zebedee. But these words sank into their hearts and came forth to gladden their ministry during later years of service. 3. The Sojourn at Amathus 141:3.1 (1589.2) The Master and his apostles remained near Amathus for almost three weeks. The apostles continued to preach twice daily to the multitude, and Jesus preached each Sabbath afternoon. It became impossible to continue the Wednesday playtime; so Andrew arranged that two apostles should rest each day of the six days in the week, while all were on duty during the Sabbath services. 141:3.2 (1589.3) Peter, James, and John did most of the public preaching. Philip, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Simon did much of the personal work and conducted classes for special groups of inquirers; the twins continued their general police supervision, while Andrew, Matthew, and Judas developed into a general managerial committee of three, although each of these three also did considerable religious work. 141:3.3 (1589.4) Andrew was much occupied with the task of adjusting the constantly recurring misunderstandings and disagreements between the disciples of John and the newer disciples of Jesus. Serious situations would arise every few days, but Andrew, with the assistance of his apostolic associates, managed to induce the contending parties to come to some sort of agreement, at least temporarily. Jesus refused to participate in any of these conferences; neither would he give any advice about the proper adjustment of these difficulties. He never once offered a suggestion as to how the apostles should solve these perplexing problems. When Andrew came to Jesus with these questions, he would always say: “It is not wise for the host to participate in the family troubles of his guests; a wise parent never takes sides in the petty quarrels of his own children.” 141:3.4 (1589.5) The Master displayed great wisdom and manifested perfect fairness in all of his dealings with his apostles and with all of his disciples. Jesus was truly a master of men; he exercised great influence over his fellow men because of the combined charm and force of his personality. There was a subtle commanding influence in his rugged, nomadic, and homeless life. There was intellectual attractiveness and spiritual drawing power in his authoritative manner of teaching, in his lucid logic, his strength of reasoning, his sagacious insight, his alertness of mind, his matchless poise, and his sublime tolerance. He was simple, manly, honest, and fearless. With all of this physical and intellectual influence manifest in the Master’s presence, there were also all those spiritual charms of being which have become associated with his personality—patience, tenderness, meekness, gentleness, and humility. 141:3.5 (1589.6) Jesus of Nazareth was indeed a strong and forceful personality; he was an intellectual power and a spiritual stronghold. His personality not only appealed to the spiritually minded women among his followers, but also to the educated and intellectual Nicodemus and to the hardy Roman soldier, the captain stationed on guard at the cross, who, when he had finished watching the Master die, said, “Truly, this was a Son of God.” And red-blooded, rugged Galilean fishermen called him Master. 141:3.6 (1590.1) The pictures of Jesus have been most unfortunate. These paintings of the Christ have exerted a deleterious influence on youth; the temple merchants would hardly have fled before Jesus if he had been such a man as your artists usually have depicted. His was a dignified manhood; he was good, but natural. Jesus did not pose as a mild, sweet, gentle, and kindly mystic. His teaching was thrillingly dynamic. He not only meant well, but he went about actually doing good. 141:3.7 (1590.2) The Master never said, “Come to me all you who are indolent and all who are dreamers.” But he did many times say, “Come to me all you who labor, and I will give you rest—spiritual strength.” The Master’s yoke is, indeed, easy, but even so, he never imposes it; every individual must take this yoke of his own free will. 141:3.8 (1590.3) Jesus portrayed conquest by sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride and selfishness. By showing mercy, he meant to portray spiritual deliverance from all grudges, grievances, anger, and the lust for selfish power and revenge. And when he said, “Resist not evil,” he later explained that he did not mean to condone sin or to counsel fraternity with iniquity. He intended the more to teach forgiveness, to “resist not evil treatment of one’s personality, evil injury to one’s feelings of personal dignity.” 4. Teaching About the Father 141:4.1 (1590.4) While sojourning at Amathus, Jesus spent much time with the apostles instructing them in the new concept of God; again and again did he impress upon them that God is a Father, not a great and supreme bookkeeper who is chiefly engaged in making damaging entries against his erring children on earth, recordings of sin and evil to be used against them when he subsequently sits in judgment upon them as the just Judge of all creation. The Jews had long conceived of God as a king over all, even as a Father of the nation, but never before had large numbers of mortal men held the idea of God as a loving Father of the individual. 141:4.2 (1590.5) In answer to Thomas’s question, “Who is this God of the kingdom?” Jesus replied: “God is your Father, and religion—my gospel—is nothing more nor less than the believing recognition of the truth that you are his son. And I am here among you in the flesh to make clear both of these ideas in my life and teachings.” 141:4.3 (1590.6) Jesus also sought to free the minds of his apostles from the idea of offering animal sacrifices as a religious duty. But these men, trained in the religion of the daily sacrifice, were slow to comprehend what he meant. Nevertheless, the Master did not grow weary in his teaching. When he failed to reach the minds of all of the apostles by means of one illustration, he would restate his message and employ another type of parable for purposes of illumination. 141:4.4 (1590.7) At this same time Jesus began to teach the twelve more fully concerning their mission “to comfort the afflicted and minister to the sick.” The Master taught them much about the whole man—the union of body, mind, and spirit to form the individual man or woman. Jesus told his associates about the three forms of affliction they would meet and went on to explain how they should minister to all who suffer the sorrows of human sickness. He taught them to recognize: 141:4.5 (1591.1) 1. Diseases of the flesh—those afflictions commonly regarded as physical sickness. 141:4.6 (1591.2) 2. Troubled minds—those nonphysical afflictions which were subsequently looked upon as emotional and mental difficulties and disturbances. 141:4.7 (1591.3) 3. The possession of evil spirits. 141:4.8 (1591.4) Jesus explained to his apostles on several occasions the nature, and something concerning the origin, of these evil spirits, in that day often also called unclean spirits. The Master well knew the difference between the possession of evil spirits and insanity, but the apostles did not. Neither was it possible, in view of their limited knowledge of the early history of Urantia, for Jesus to undertake to make this matter fully understandable. But he many times said to them, alluding to these evil spirits: “They shall no more molest men when I shall have ascended to my Father in heaven, and after I shall have poured out my spirit upon all flesh in those times when the kingdom will come in great power and spiritual glory.” 141:4.9 (1591.5) From week to week and from month to month, throughout this entire year, the apostles paid more and more attention to the healing ministry of the sick. 5. Spiritual Unity 141:5.1 (1591.6) One of the most eventful of all the evening conferences at Amathus was the session having to do with the discussion of spiritual unity. James Zebedee had asked, “Master, how shall we learn to see alike and thereby enjoy more harmony among ourselves?” When Jesus heard this question, he was stirred within his spirit, so much so that he replied: “James, James, when did I teach you that you should all see alike? I have come into the world to proclaim spiritual liberty to the end that mortals may be empowered to live individual lives of originality and freedom before God. I do not desire that social harmony and fraternal peace shall be purchased by the sacrifice of free personality and spiritual originality. What I require of you, my apostles, is spirit unity—and that you can experience in the joy of your united dedication to the wholehearted doing of the will of my Father in heaven. You do not have to see alike or feel alike or even think alike in order spiritually to be alike. Spiritual unity is derived from the consciousness that each of you is indwelt, and increasingly dominated, by the spirit gift of the heavenly Father. Your apostolic harmony must grow out of the fact that the spirit hope of each of you is identical in origin, nature, and destiny. 141:5.2 (1591.7) “In this way you may experience a perfected unity of spirit purpose and spirit understanding growing out of the mutual consciousness of the identity of each of your indwelling Paradise spirits; and you may enjoy all of this profound spiritual unity in the very face of the utmost diversity of your individual attitudes of intellectual thinking, temperamental feeling, and social conduct. Your personalities may be refreshingly diverse and markedly different, while your spiritual natures and spirit fruits of divine worship and brotherly love may be so unified that all who behold your lives will of a surety take cognizance of this spirit identity and soul unity; they will recognize that you have been with me and have thereby learned, and acceptably, how to do the will of the Father in heaven. You can achieve the unity of the service of God even while you render such service in accordance with the technique of your own original endowments of mind, body, and soul. 141:5.3 (1592.1) “Your spirit unity implies two things, which always will be found to harmonize in the lives of individual believers: First, you are possessed with a common motive for life service; you all desire above everything to do the will of the Father in heaven. Second, you all have a common goal of existence; you all purpose to find the Father in heaven, thereby proving to the universe that you have become like him.” 141:5.4 (1592.2) Many times during the training of the twelve Jesus reverted to this theme. Repeatedly he told them it was not his desire that those who believed in him should become dogmatized and standardized in accordance with the religious interpretations of even good men. Again and again he warned his apostles against the formulation of creeds and the establishment of traditions as a means of guiding and controlling believers in the gospel of the kingdom. 6. Last Week at Amathus 141:6.1 (1592.3) Near the end of the last week at Amathus, Simon Zelotes brought to Jesus one Teherma, a Persian doing business at Damascus. Teherma had heard of Jesus and had come to Capernaum to see him, and there learning that Jesus had gone with his apostles down the Jordan on the way to Jerusalem, he set out to find him. Andrew had presented Teherma to Simon for instruction. Simon looked upon the Persian as a “fire worshiper,” although Teherma took great pains to explain that fire was only the visible symbol of the Pure and Holy One. After talking with Jesus, the Persian signified his intention of remaining for several days to hear the teaching and listen to the preaching. 141:6.2 (1592.4) When Simon Zelotes and Jesus were alone, Simon asked the Master: “Why is it that I could not persuade him? Why did he so resist me and so readily lend an ear to you?” Jesus answered: “Simon, Simon, how many times have I instructed you to refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those who seek salvation? How often have I told you to labor only to put something into these hungry souls? Lead men into the kingdom, and the great and living truths of the kingdom will presently drive out all serious error. When you have presented to mortal man the good news that God is his Father, you can the easier persuade him that he is in reality a son of God. And having done that, you have brought the light of salvation to the one who sits in darkness. Simon, when the Son of Man came first to you, did he come denouncing Moses and the prophets and proclaiming a new and better way of life? No. I came not to take away that which you had from your forefathers but to show you the perfected vision of that which your fathers saw only in part. Go then, Simon, teaching and preaching the kingdom, and when you have a man safely and securely within the kingdom, then is the time, when such a one shall come to you with inquiries, to impart instruction having to do with the progressive advancement of the soul within the divine kingdom.” 141:6.3 (1592.5) Simon was astonished at these words, but he did as Jesus had instructed him, and Teherma, the Persian, was numbered among those who entered the kingdom. 141:6.4 (1592.6) That night Jesus discoursed to the apostles on the new life in the kingdom. He said in part: “When you enter the kingdom, you are reborn. You cannot teach the deep things of the spirit to those who have been born only of the flesh; first see that men are born of the spirit before you seek to instruct them in the advanced ways of the spirit. Do not undertake to show men the beauties of the temple until you have first taken them into the temple. Introduce men to God and as the sons of God before you discourse on the doctrines of the fatherhood of God and the sonship of men. Do not strive with men—always be patient. It is not your kingdom; you are only ambassadors. Simply go forth proclaiming: This is the kingdom of heaven—God is your Father and you are his sons, and this good news, if you wholeheartedly believe it, is your eternal salvation.” 141:6.5 (1593.1) The apostles made great progress during the sojourn at Amathus. But they were very much disappointed that Jesus would give them no suggestions about dealing with John’s disciples. Even in the important matter of baptism, all that Jesus said was: “John did indeed baptize with water, but when you enter the kingdom of heaven, you shall be baptized with the Spirit.” 7. At Bethany Beyond Jordan 141:7.1 (1593.2) On February 26, Jesus, his apostles, and a large group of followers journeyed down the Jordan to the ford near Bethany in Perea, the place where John first made proclamation of the coming kingdom. Jesus with his apostles remained here, teaching and preaching, for four weeks before they went on up to Jerusalem. 141:7.2 (1593.3) The second week of the sojourn at Bethany beyond Jordan, Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the hills across the river and south of Jericho for a three days’ rest. The Master taught these three many new and advanced truths about the kingdom of heaven. For the purpose of this record we will reorganize and classify these teachings as follows: 141:7.3 (1593.4) Jesus endeavored to make clear that he desired his disciples, having tasted of the good spirit realities of the kingdom, so to live in the world that men, by seeing their lives, would become kingdom conscious and hence be led to inquire of believers concerning the ways of the kingdom. All such sincere seekers for the truth are always glad to hear the glad tidings of the faith gift which insures admission to the kingdom with its eternal and divine spirit realities. 141:7.4 (1593.5) The Master sought to impress upon all teachers of the gospel of the kingdom that their only business was to reveal God to the individual man as his Father—to lead this individual man to become son-conscious; then to present this same man to God as his faith son. Both of these essential revelations are accomplished in Jesus. He became, indeed, “the way, the truth, and the life.” The religion of Jesus was wholly based on the living of his bestowal life on earth. When Jesus departed from this world, he left behind no books, laws, or other forms of human organization affecting the religious life of the individual. 141:7.5 (1593.6) Jesus made it plain that he had come to establish personal and eternal relations with men which should forever take precedence over all other human relationships. And he emphasized that this intimate spiritual fellowship was to be extended to all men of all ages and of all social conditions among all peoples. The only reward which he held out for his children was: in this world—spiritual joy and divine communion; in the next world—eternal life in the progress of the divine spirit realities of the Paradise Father. 141:7.6 (1593.7) Jesus laid great emphasis upon what he called the two truths of first import in the teachings of the kingdom, and they are: the attainment of salvation by faith, and faith alone, associated with the revolutionary teaching of the attainment of human liberty through the sincere recognition of truth, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus was the truth made manifest in the flesh, and he promised to send his Spirit of Truth into the hearts of all his children after his return to the Father in heaven. 141:7.7 (1594.1) The Master was teaching these apostles the essentials of truth for an entire age on earth. They often listened to his teachings when in reality what he said was intended for the inspiration and edification of other worlds. He exemplified a new and original plan of life. From the human standpoint he was indeed a Jew, but he lived his life for all the world as a mortal of the realm. 141:7.8 (1594.2) To insure the recognition of his Father in the unfolding of the plan of the kingdom, Jesus explained that he had purposely ignored the “great men of earth.” He began his work with the poor, the very class which had been so neglected by most of the evolutionary religions of preceding times. He despised no man; his plan was world-wide, even universal. He was so bold and emphatic in these announcements that even Peter, James, and John were tempted to think he might possibly be beside himself. 141:7.9 (1594.3) He sought mildly to impart to these apostles the truth that he had come on this bestowal mission, not to set an example for a few earth creatures, but to establish and demonstrate a standard of human life for all peoples upon all worlds throughout his entire universe. And this standard approached the highest perfection, even the final goodness of the Universal Father. But the apostles could not grasp the meaning of his words. 141:7.10 (1594.4) He announced that he had come to function as a teacher, a teacher sent from heaven to present spiritual truth to the material mind. And this is exactly what he did; he was a teacher, not a preacher. From the human viewpoint Peter was a much more effective preacher than Jesus. Jesus’ preaching was so effective because of his unique personality, not so much because of compelling oratory or emotional appeal. Jesus spoke directly to men’s souls. He was a teacher of man’s spirit, but through the mind. He lived with men. 141:7.11 (1594.5) It was on this occasion that Jesus intimated to Peter, James, and John that his work on earth was in some respects to be limited by the commission of his “associate on high,” referring to the prebestowal instructions of his Paradise brother, Immanuel. He told them that he had come to do his Father’s will and only his Father’s will. Being thus motivated by a wholehearted singleness of purpose, he was not anxiously bothered by the evil in the world. 141:7.12 (1594.6) The apostles were beginning to recognize the unaffected friendliness of Jesus. Though the Master was easy of approach, he always lived independent of, and above, all human beings. Not for one moment was he ever dominated by any purely mortal influence or subject to frail human judgment. He paid no attention to public opinion, and he was uninfluenced by praise. He seldom paused to correct misunderstandings or to resent misrepresentation. He never asked any man for advice; he never made requests for prayers. 141:7.13 (1594.7) James was astonished at how Jesus seemed to see the end from the beginning. The Master rarely appeared to be surprised. He was never excited, vexed, or disconcerted. He never apologized to any man. He was at times saddened, but never discouraged. 141:7.14 (1594.8) More clearly John recognized that, notwithstanding all of his divine endowments, after all, he was human. Jesus lived as a man among men and understood, loved, and knew how to manage men. In his personal life he was so human, and yet so faultless. And he was always unselfish. 141:7.15 (1595.1) Although Peter, James, and John could not understand very much of what Jesus said on this occasion, his gracious words lingered in their hearts, and after the crucifixion and resurrection they came forth greatly to enrich and gladden their subsequent ministry. No wonder these apostles did not fully comprehend the Master’s words, for he was projecting to them the plan of a new age. 8. Working in Jericho 141:8.1 (1595.2) Throughout the four weeks’ sojourn at Bethany beyond Jordan, several times each week Andrew would assign apostolic couples to go up to Jericho for a day or two. John had many believers in Jericho, and the majority of them welcomed the more advanced teachings of Jesus and his apostles. On these Jericho visits the apostles began more specifically to carry out Jesus’ instructions to minister to the sick; they visited every house in the city and sought to comfort every afflicted person. 141:8.2 (1595.3) The apostles did some public work in Jericho, but their efforts were chiefly of a more quiet and personal nature. They now made the discovery that the good news of the kingdom was very comforting to the sick; that their message carried healing for the afflicted. And it was in Jericho that Jesus’ commission to the twelve to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom and minister to the afflicted was first fully carried into effect. 141:8.3 (1595.4) They stopped in Jericho on the way up to Jerusalem and were overtaken by a delegation from Mesopotamia that had come to confer with Jesus. The apostles had planned to spend but a day here, but when these truth seekers from the East arrived, Jesus spent three days with them, and they returned to their various homes along the Euphrates happy in the knowledge of the new truths of the kingdom of heaven. 9. Departing for Jerusalem 141:9.1 (1595.5) On Monday, the last day of March, Jesus and the apostles began their journey up the hills toward Jerusalem. Lazarus of Bethany had been down to the Jordan twice to see Jesus, and every arrangement had been made for the Master and his apostles to make their headquarters with Lazarus and his sisters at Bethany as long as they might desire to stay in Jerusalem. 141:9.2 (1595.6) The disciples of John remained at Bethany beyond the Jordan, teaching and baptizing the multitudes, so that Jesus was accompanied only by the twelve when he arrived at Lazarus’s home. Here Jesus and the apostles tarried for five days, resting and refreshing themselves before going on to Jerusalem for the Passover. It was a great event in the lives of Martha and Mary to have the Master and his apostles in the home of their brother, where they could minister to their needs. 141:9.3 (1595.7) On Sunday morning, April 6, Jesus and the apostles went down to Jerusalem; and this was the first time the Master and all of the twelve had been there together.

The Twelve Apostles 139:0.1 (1548.1) IT IS an eloquent testimony to the charm and righteousness of Jesus’ earth life that, although he repeatedly dashed to pieces the hopes of his apostles and tore to shreds their every ambition for personal exaltation, only one deserted him. 139:0.2 (1548.2) The apostles learned from Jesus about the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus learned much from them about the kingdom of men, human nature as it lives on Urantia and on the other evolutionary worlds of time and space. These twelve men represented many different types of human temperament, and they had not been made alike by schooling. Many of these Galilean fishermen carried heavy strains of gentile blood as a result of the forcible conversion of the gentile population of Galilee one hundred years previously. 139:0.3 (1548.3) Do not make the mistake of regarding the apostles as being altogether ignorant and unlearned. All of them, except the Alpheus twins, were graduates of the synagogue schools, having been thoroughly trained in the Hebrew scriptures and in much of the current knowledge of that day. Seven were graduates of the Capernaum synagogue schools, and there were no better Jewish schools in all Galilee. 139:0.4 (1548.4) When your records refer to these messengers of the kingdom as being “ignorant and unlearned,” it was intended to convey the idea that they were laymen, unlearned in the lore of the rabbis and untrained in the methods of rabbinical interpretation of the Scriptures. They were lacking in so-called higher education. In modern times they would certainly be considered uneducated, and in some circles of society even uncultured. One thing is certain: They had not all been put through the same rigid and stereotyped educational curriculum. From adolescence on they had enjoyed separate experiences of learning how to live. 1. Andrew, the First Chosen 139:1.1 (1548.5) Andrew, chairman of the apostolic corps of the kingdom, was born in Capernaum. He was the oldest child in a family of five — himself, his brother Simon, and three sisters. His father, now dead, had been a partner of Zebedee in the fish-drying business at Bethsaida, the fishing harbor of Capernaum. When he became an apostle, Andrew was unmarried but made his home with his married brother, Simon Peter. Both were fishermen and partners of James and John the sons of Zebedee. 139:1.2 (1548.6) In A.D. 26, the year he was chosen as an apostle, Andrew was 33, a full year older than Jesus and the oldest of the apostles. He sprang from an excellent line of ancestors and was the ablest man of the twelve. Excepting oratory, he was the peer of his associates in almost every imaginable ability. Jesus never gave Andrew a nickname, a fraternal designation. But even as the apostles soon began to call Jesus Master, so they also designated Andrew by a term the equivalent of Chief. 139:1.3 (1549.1) Andrew was a good organizer but a better administrator. He was one of the inner circle of four apostles, but his appointment by Jesus as the head of the apostolic group made it necessary for him to remain on duty with his brethren while the other three enjoyed very close communion with the Master. To the very end Andrew remained dean of the apostolic corps. 139:1.4 (1549.2) Although Andrew was never an effective preacher, he was an efficient personal worker, being the pioneer missionary of the kingdom in that, as the first chosen apostle, he immediately brought to Jesus his brother, Simon, who subsequently became one of the greatest preachers of the kingdom. Andrew was the chief supporter of Jesus’ policy of utilizing the program of personal work as a means of training the twelve as messengers of the kingdom. 139:1.5 (1549.3) Whether Jesus privately taught the apostles or preached to the multitude, Andrew was usually conversant with what was going on; he was an understanding executive and an efficient administrator. He rendered a prompt decision on every matter brought to his notice unless he deemed the problem one beyond the domain of his authority, in which event he would take it straight to Jesus. 139:1.6 (1549.4) Andrew and Peter were very unlike in character and temperament, but it must be recorded everlastingly to their credit that they got along together splendidly. Andrew was never jealous of Peter’s oratorical ability. Not often will an older man of Andrew’s type be observed exerting such a profound influence over a younger and talented brother. Andrew and Peter never seemed to be in the least jealous of each other’s abilities or achievements. Late on the evening of the day of Pentecost, when, largely through the energetic and inspiring preaching of Peter, two thousand souls were added to the kingdom, Andrew said to his brother: “I could not do that, but I am glad I have a brother who could.” To which Peter replied: “And but for your bringing me to the Master and by your steadfastness keeping me with him, I should not have been here to do this.” Andrew and Peter were the exceptions to the rule, proving that even brothers can live together peaceably and work together effectively. 139:1.7 (1549.5) After Pentecost Peter was famous, but it never irritated the older Andrew to spend the rest of his life being introduced as “Simon Peter’s brother.” 139:1.8 (1549.6) Of all the apostles, Andrew was the best judge of men. He knew that trouble was brewing in the heart of Judas Iscariot even when none of the others suspected that anything was wrong with their treasurer; but he told none of them his fears. Andrew’s great service to the kingdom was in advising Peter, James, and John concerning the choice of the first missionaries who were sent out to proclaim the gospel, and also in counseling these early leaders about the organization of the administrative affairs of the kingdom. Andrew had a great gift for discovering the hidden resources and latent talents of young people. 139:1.9 (1549.7) Very soon after Jesus’ ascension on high, Andrew began the writing of a personal record of many of the sayings and doings of his departed Master. After Andrew’s death other copies of this private record were made and circulated freely among the early teachers of the Christian church. These informal notes of Andrew’s were subsequently edited, amended, altered, and added to until they made up a fairly consecutive narrative of the Master’s life on earth. The last of these few altered and amended copies was destroyed by fire at Alexandria about one hundred years after the original was written by the first chosen of the twelve apostles. 139:1.10 (1550.1) Andrew was a man of clear insight, logical thought, and firm decision, whose great strength of character consisted in his superb stability. His temperamental handicap was his lack of enthusiasm; he many times failed to encourage his associates by judicious commendation. And this reticence to praise the worthy accomplishments of his friends grew out of his abhorrence of flattery and insincerity. Andrew was one of those all-round, even-tempered, self-made, and successful men of modest affairs. 139:1.11 (1550.2) Every one of the apostles loved Jesus, but it remains true that each of the twelve was drawn toward him because of some certain trait of personality which made a special appeal to the individual apostle. Andrew admired Jesus because of his consistent sincerity, his unaffected dignity. When men once knew Jesus, they were possessed with the urge to share him with their friends; they really wanted all the world to know him. 139:1.12 (1550.3) When the later persecutions finally scattered the apostles from Jerusalem, Andrew journeyed through Armenia, Asia Minor, and Macedonia and, after bringing many thousands into the kingdom, was finally apprehended and crucified in Patrae in Achaia. It was two full days before this robust man expired on the cross, and throughout these tragic hours he continued effectively to proclaim the glad tidings of the salvation of the kingdom of heaven. 2. Simon Peter 139:2.1 (1550.4) When Simon joined the apostles, he was thirty years of age. He was married, had three children, and lived at Bethsaida, near Capernaum. His brother, Andrew, and his wife’s mother lived with him. Both Peter and Andrew were fisher partners of the sons of Zebedee. 139:2.2 (1550.5) The Master had known Simon for some time before Andrew presented him as the second of the apostles. When Jesus gave Simon the name Peter, he did it with a smile; it was to be a sort of nickname. Simon was well known to all his friends as an erratic and impulsive fellow. True, later on, Jesus did attach a new and significant import to this lightly bestowed nickname. 139:2.3 (1550.6) Simon Peter was a man of impulse, an optimist. He had grown up permitting himself freely to indulge strong feelings; he was constantly getting into difficulties because he persisted in speaking without thinking. This sort of thoughtlessness also made incessant trouble for all of his friends and associates and was the cause of his receiving many mild rebukes from his Master. The only reason Peter did not get into more trouble because of his thoughtless speaking was that he very early learned to talk over many of his plans and schemes with his brother, Andrew, before he ventured to make public proposals. 139:2.4 (1550.7) Peter was a fluent speaker, eloquent and dramatic. He was also a natural and inspirational leader of men, a quick thinker but not a deep reasoner. He asked many questions, more than all the apostles put together, and while the majority of these questions were good and relevant, many of them were thoughtless and foolish. Peter did not have a deep mind, but he knew his mind fairly well. He was therefore a man of quick decision and sudden action. While others talked in their astonishment at seeing Jesus on the beach, Peter jumped in and swam ashore to meet the Master. 139:2.5 (1551.1) The one trait which Peter most admired in Jesus was his supernal tenderness. Peter never grew weary of contemplating Jesus’ forbearance. He never forgot the lesson about forgiving the wrongdoer, not only seven times but seventy times and seven. He thought much about these impressions of the Master’s forgiving character during those dark and dismal days immediately following his thoughtless and unintended denial of Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard. 139:2.6 (1551.2) Simon Peter was distressingly vacillating; he would suddenly swing from one extreme to the other. First he refused to let Jesus wash his feet and then, on hearing the Master’s reply, begged to be washed all over. But, after all, Jesus knew that Peter’s faults were of the head and not of the heart. He was one of the most inexplicable combinations of courage and cowardice that ever lived on earth. His great strength of character was loyalty, friendship. Peter really and truly loved Jesus. And yet despite this towering strength of devotion he was so unstable and inconstant that he permitted a servant girl to tease him into denying his Lord and Master. Peter could withstand persecution and any other form of direct assault, but he withered and shrank before ridicule. He was a brave soldier when facing a frontal attack, but he was a fear-cringing coward when surprised with an assault from the rear. 139:2.7 (1551.3) Peter was the first of Jesus’ apostles to come forward to defend the work of Philip among the Samaritans and Paul among the gentiles; yet later on at Antioch he reversed himself when confronted by ridiculing Judaizers, temporarily withdrawing from the gentiles only to bring down upon his head the fearless denunciation of Paul. 139:2.8 (1551.4) He was the first one of the apostles to make wholehearted confession of Jesus’ combined humanity and divinity and the first — save Judas — to deny him. Peter was not so much of a dreamer, but he disliked to descend from the clouds of ecstasy and the enthusiasm of dramatic indulgence to the plain and matter-of-fact world of reality. 139:2.9 (1551.5) In following Jesus, literally and figuratively, he was either leading the procession or else trailing behind — “following afar off.” But he was the outstanding preacher of the twelve; he did more than any other one man, aside from Paul, to establish the kingdom and send its messengers to the four corners of the earth in one generation. 139:2.10 (1551.6) After his rash denials of the Master he found himself, and with Andrew’s sympathetic and understanding guidance he again led the way back to the fish nets while the apostles tarried to find out what was to happen after the crucifixion. When he was fully assured that Jesus had forgiven him and knew he had been received back into the Master’s fold, the fires of the kingdom burned so brightly within his soul that he became a great and saving light to thousands who sat in darkness. 139:2.11 (1551.7) After leaving Jerusalem and before Paul became the leading spirit among the gentile Christian churches, Peter traveled extensively, visiting all the churches from Babylon to Corinth. He even visited and ministered to many of the churches which had been raised up by Paul. Although Peter and Paul differed much in temperament and education, even in theology, they worked together harmoniously for the upbuilding of the churches during their later years. 139:2.12 (1552.1) Something of Peter’s style and teaching is shown in the sermons partially recorded by Luke and in the Gospel of Mark. His vigorous style was better shown in his letter known as the First Epistle of Peter; at least this was true before it was subsequently altered by a disciple of Paul. 139:2.13 (1552.2) But Peter persisted in making the mistake of trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was, after all, really and truly the Jewish Messiah. Right up to the day of his death, Simon Peter continued to suffer confusion in his mind between the concepts of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, Christ as the world’s redeemer, and the Son of Man as the revelation of God, the loving Father of all mankind. 139:2.14 (1552.3) Peter’s wife was a very able woman. For years she labored acceptably as a member of the women’s corps, and when Peter was driven out of Jerusalem, she accompanied him upon all his journeys to the churches as well as on all his missionary excursions. And the day her illustrious husband yielded up his life, she was thrown to the wild beasts in the arena at Rome. 139:2.15 (1552.4) And so this man Peter, an intimate of Jesus, one of the inner circle, went forth from Jerusalem proclaiming the glad tidings of the kingdom with power and glory until the fullness of his ministry had been accomplished; and he regarded himself as the recipient of high honors when his captors informed him that he must die as his Master had died — on the cross. And thus was Simon Peter crucified in Rome. 3. James Zebedee 139:3.1 (1552.5) James, the older of the two apostle sons of Zebedee, whom Jesus nicknamed “sons of thunder,” was thirty years old when he became an apostle. He was married, had four children, and lived near his parents in the outskirts of Capernaum, Bethsaida. He was a fisherman, plying his calling in company with his younger brother John and in association with Andrew and Simon. James and his brother John enjoyed the advantage of having known Jesus longer than any of the other apostles. 139:3.2 (1552.6) This able apostle was a temperamental contradiction; he seemed really to possess two natures, both of which were actuated by strong feelings. He was particularly vehement when his indignation was once fully aroused. He had a fiery temper when once it was adequately provoked, and when the storm was over, he was always wont to justify and excuse his anger under the pretense that it was wholly a manifestation of righteous indignation. Except for these periodic upheavals of wrath, James’s personality was much like that of Andrew. He did not have Andrew’s discretion or insight into human nature, but he was a much better public speaker. Next to Peter, unless it was Matthew, James was the best public orator among the twelve. 139:3.3 (1552.7) Though James was in no sense moody, he could be quiet and taciturn one day and a very good talker and storyteller the next. He usually talked freely with Jesus, but among the twelve, for days at a time he was the silent man. His one great weakness was these spells of unaccountable silence. 139:3.4 (1552.8) The outstanding feature of James’s personality was his ability to see all sides of a proposition. Of all the twelve, he came the nearest to grasping the real import and significance of Jesus’ teaching. He, too, was slow at first to comprehend the Master’s meaning, but ere they had finished their training, he had acquired a superior concept of Jesus’ message. James was able to understand a wide range of human nature; he got along well with the versatile Andrew, the impetuous Peter, and his self-contained brother John. 139:3.5 (1553.1) Though James and John had their troubles trying to work together, it was inspiring to observe how well they got along. They did not succeed quite so well as Andrew and Peter, but they did much better than would ordinarily be expected of two brothers, especially such headstrong and determined brothers. But, strange as it may seem, these two sons of Zebedee were much more tolerant of each other than they were of strangers. They had great affection for one another; they had always been happy playmates. It was these “sons of thunder” who wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who presumed to show disrespect for their Master. But the untimely death of James greatly modified the vehement temperament of his younger brother John. 139:3.6 (1553.2) That characteristic of Jesus which James most admired was the Master’s sympathetic affection. Jesus’ understanding interest in the small and the great, the rich and the poor, made a great appeal to him. 139:3.7 (1553.3) James Zebedee was a well-balanced thinker and planner. Along with Andrew, he was one of the more level-headed of the apostolic group. He was a vigorous individual but was never in a hurry. He was an excellent balance wheel for Peter. 139:3.8 (1553.4) He was modest and undramatic, a daily server, an unpretentious worker, seeking no special reward when he once grasped something of the real meaning of the kingdom. And even in the story about the mother of James and John, who asked that her sons be granted places on the right hand and the left hand of Jesus, it should be remembered that it was the mother who made this request. And when they signified that they were ready to assume such responsibilities, it should be recognized that they were cognizant of the dangers accompanying the Master’s supposed revolt against the Roman power, and that they were also willing to pay the price. When Jesus asked if they were ready to drink the cup, they replied that they were. And as concerns James, it was literally true — he did drink the cup with the Master, seeing that he was the first of the apostles to experience martyrdom, being early put to death with the sword by Herod Agrippa. James was thus the first of the twelve to sacrifice his life upon the new battle line of the kingdom. Herod Agrippa feared James above all the other apostles. He was indeed often quiet and silent, but he was brave and determined when his convictions were aroused and challenged. 139:3.9 (1553.5) James lived his life to the full, and when the end came, he bore himself with such grace and fortitude that even his accuser and informer, who attended his trial and execution, was so touched that he rushed away from the scene of James’s death to join himself to the disciples of Jesus. 4. John Zebedee 139:4.1 (1553.6) When he became an apostle, John was twenty-four years old and was the youngest of the twelve. He was unmarried and lived with his parents at Bethsaida; he was a fisherman and worked with his brother James in partnership with Andrew and Peter. Both before and after becoming an apostle, John functioned as the personal agent of Jesus in dealing with the Master’s family, and he continued to bear this responsibility as long as Mary the mother of Jesus lived. 139:4.2 (1553.7) Since John was the youngest of the twelve and so closely associated with Jesus in his family affairs, he was very dear to the Master, but it cannot be truthfully said that he was “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” You would hardly suspect such a magnanimous personality as Jesus to be guilty of showing favoritism, of loving one of his apostles more than the others. The fact that John was one of the three personal aides of Jesus lent further color to this mistaken idea, not to mention that John, along with his brother James, had known Jesus longer than the others. 139:4.3 (1554.1) Peter, James, and John were assigned as personal aides to Jesus soon after they became apostles. Shortly after the selection of the twelve and at the time Jesus appointed Andrew to act as director of the group, he said to him: “And now I desire that you assign two or three of your associates to be with me and to remain by my side, to comfort me and to minister to my daily needs.” And Andrew thought best to select for this special duty the next three first-chosen apostles. He would have liked to volunteer for such a blessed service himself, but the Master had already given him his commission; so he immediately directed that Peter, James, and John attach themselves to Jesus. 139:4.4 (1554.2) John Zebedee had many lovely traits of character, but one which was not so lovely was his inordinate but usually well-concealed conceit. His long association with Jesus made many and great changes in his character. This conceit was greatly lessened, but after growing old and becoming more or less childish, this self-esteem reappeared to a certain extent, so that, when engaged in directing Nathan in the writing of the Gospel which now bears his name, the aged apostle did not hesitate repeatedly to refer to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” In view of the fact that John came nearer to being the chum of Jesus than any other earth mortal, that he was his chosen personal representative in so many matters, it is not strange that he should have come to regard himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” since he most certainly knew he was the disciple whom Jesus so frequently trusted. 139:4.5 (1554.3) The strongest trait in John’s character was his dependability; he was prompt and courageous, faithful and devoted. His greatest weakness was this characteristic conceit. He was the youngest member of his father’s family and the youngest of the apostolic group. Perhaps he was just a bit spoiled; maybe he had been humored slightly too much. But the John of after years was a very different type of person than the self-admiring and arbitrary young man who joined the ranks of Jesus’ apostles when he was twenty-four. 139:4.6 (1554.4) Those characteristics of Jesus which John most appreciated were the Master’s love and unselfishness; these traits made such an impression on him that his whole subsequent life became dominated by the sentiment of love and brotherly devotion. He talked about love and wrote about love. This “son of thunder” became the “apostle of love”; and at Ephesus, when the aged bishop was no longer able to stand in the pulpit and preach but had to be carried to church in a chair, and when at the close of the service he was asked to say a few words to the believers, for years his only utterance was, “My little children, love one another.” 139:4.7 (1554.5) John was a man of few words except when his temper was aroused. He thought much but said little. As he grew older, his temper became more subdued, better controlled, but he never overcame his disinclination to talk; he never fully mastered this reticence. But he was gifted with a remarkable and creative imagination. 139:4.8 (1555.1) There was another side to John that one would not expect to find in this quiet and introspective type. He was somewhat bigoted and inordinately intolerant. In this respect he and James were much alike — they both wanted to call down fire from heaven on the heads of the disrespectful Samaritans. When John encountered some strangers teaching in Jesus’ name, he promptly forbade them. But he was not the only one of the twelve who was tainted with this kind of self-esteem and superiority consciousness. 139:4.9 (1555.2) John’s life was tremendously influenced by the sight of Jesus’ going about without a home as he knew how faithfully he had made provision for the care of his mother and family. John also deeply sympathized with Jesus because of his family’s failure to understand him, being aware that they were gradually withdrawing from him. This entire situation, together with Jesus’ ever deferring his slightest wish to the will of the Father in heaven and his daily life of implicit trust, made such a profound impression on John that it produced marked and permanent changes in his character, changes which manifested themselves throughout his entire subsequent life. 139:4.10 (1555.3) John had a cool and daring courage which few of the other apostles possessed. He was the one apostle who followed right along with Jesus the night of his arrest and dared to accompany his Master into the very jaws of death. He was present and near at hand right up to the last earthly hour and was found faithfully carrying out his trust with regard to Jesus’ mother and ready to receive such additional instructions as might be given during the last moments of the Master’s mortal existence. One thing is certain, John was thoroughly dependable. John usually sat on Jesus’ right hand when the twelve were at meat. He was the first of the twelve really and fully to believe in the resurrection, and he was the first to recognize the Master when he came to them on the seashore after his resurrection. 139:4.11 (1555.4) This son of Zebedee was very closely associated with Peter in the early activities of the Christian movement, becoming one of the chief supporters of the Jerusalem church. He was the right-hand support of Peter on the day of Pentecost. 139:4.12 (1555.5) Several years after the martyrdom of James, John married his brother’s widow. The last twenty years of his life he was cared for by a loving granddaughter. 139:4.13 (1555.6) John was in prison several times and was banished to the Isle of Patmos for a period of four years until another emperor came to power in Rome. Had not John been tactful and sagacious, he would undoubtedly have been killed as was his more outspoken brother James. As the years passed, John, together with James the Lord’s brother, learned to practice wise conciliation when they appeared before the civil magistrates. They found that a “soft answer turns away wrath.” They also learned to represent the church as a “spiritual brotherhood devoted to the social service of mankind” rather than as “the kingdom of heaven.” They taught loving service rather than ruling power — kingdom and king. 139:4.14 (1555.7) When in temporary exile on Patmos, John wrote the Book of Revelation, which you now have in greatly abridged and distorted form. This Book of Revelation contains the surviving fragments of a great revelation, large portions of which were lost, other portions of which were removed, subsequent to John’s writing. It is preserved in only fragmentary and adulterated form. 139:4.15 (1555.8) John traveled much, labored incessantly, and after becoming bishop of the Asia churches, settled down at Ephesus. He directed his associate, Nathan, in the writing of the so-called “Gospel according to John,” at Ephesus, when he was ninety-nine years old. Of all the twelve apostles, John Zebedee eventually became the outstanding theologian. He died a natural death at Ephesus in A.D. 103 when he was one hundred and one years of age. 5. Philip the Curious 139:5.1 (1556.1) Philip was the fifth apostle to be chosen, being called when Jesus and his first four apostles were on their way from John’s rendezvous on the Jordan to Cana of Galilee. Since he lived at Bethsaida, Philip had for some time known of Jesus, but it had not occurred to him that Jesus was a really great man until that day in the Jordan valley when he said, “Follow me.” Philip was also somewhat influenced by the fact that Andrew, Peter, James, and John had accepted Jesus as the Deliverer. 139:5.2 (1556.2) Philip was twenty-seven years of age when he joined the apostles; he had recently been married, but he had no children at this time. The nickname which the apostles gave him signified “curiosity.” Philip was always wanting to be shown. He never seemed to see very far into any proposition. He was not necessarily dull, but he lacked imagination. This lack of imagination was the great weakness of his character. He was a commonplace and matter-of-fact individual. 139:5.3 (1556.3) When the apostles were organized for service, Philip was made steward; it was his duty to see that they were at all times supplied with provisions. And he was a good steward. His strongest characteristic was his methodical thoroughness; he was both mathematical and systematic. 139:5.4 (1556.4) Philip came from a family of seven, three boys and four girls. He was next to the oldest, and after the resurrection he baptized his entire family into the kingdom. Philip’s people were fisherfolk. His father was a very able man, a deep thinker, but his mother was of a very mediocre family. Philip was not a man who could be expected to do big things, but he was a man who could do little things in a big way, do them well and acceptably. Only a few times in four years did he fail to have food on hand to satisfy the needs of all. Even the many emergency demands attendant upon the life they lived seldom found him unprepared. The commissary department of the apostolic family was intelligently and efficiently managed. 139:5.5 (1556.5) The strong point about Philip was his methodical reliability; the weak point in his make-up was his utter lack of imagination, the absence of the ability to put two and two together to obtain four. He was mathematical in the abstract but not constructive in his imagination. He was almost entirely lacking in certain types of imagination. He was the typical everyday and commonplace average man. There were a great many such men and women among the multitudes who came to hear Jesus teach and preach, and they derived great comfort from observing one like themselves elevated to an honored position in the councils of the Master; they derived courage from the fact that one like themselves had already found a high place in the affairs of the kingdom. And Jesus learned much about the way some human minds function as he so patiently listened to Philip’s foolish questions and so many times complied with his steward’s request to “be shown.” 139:5.6 (1556.6) The one quality about Jesus which Philip so continuously admired was the Master’s unfailing generosity. Never could Philip find anything in Jesus which was small, niggardly, or stingy, and he worshiped this ever-present and unfailing liberality. 139:5.7 (1557.1) There was little about Philip’s personality that was impressive. He was often spoken of as “Philip of Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter live.” He was almost without discerning vision; he was unable to grasp the dramatic possibilities of a given situation. He was not pessimistic; he was simply prosaic. He was also greatly lacking in spiritual insight. He would not hesitate to interrupt Jesus in the midst of one of the Master’s most profound discourses to ask an apparently foolish question. But Jesus never reprimanded him for such thoughtlessness; he was patient with him and considerate of his inability to grasp the deeper meanings of the teaching. Jesus well knew that, if he once rebuked Philip for asking these annoying questions, he would not only wound this honest soul, but such a reprimand would so hurt Philip that he would never again feel free to ask questions. Jesus knew that on his worlds of space there were untold billions of similar slow-thinking mortals, and he wanted to encourage them all to look to him and always to feel free to come to him with their questions and problems. After all, Jesus was really more interested in Philip’s foolish questions than in the sermon he might be preaching. Jesus was supremely interested in men, all kinds of men. 139:5.8 (1557.2) The apostolic steward was not a good public speaker, but he was a very persuasive and

Session 25 Academic Urology is a mix of medicine and surgery. Listen to Dr. Peter Steinberg discuss what drew him to the specialty, whether you and your personality would suit in this field, and what you can do to be a competitive applicant given that urology is one of the more competitive fields out there. [00:50] Academic Practice Dr. Steinberg chose academic practice over a typical community practice for two reason. First, he wants to have a more sub-specialized focus in his practice available in most community practices. Second, he enjoys working in training residents. He has been practicing for seven years now. Peter started residency training in general surgery, which at that time most programs would require you to two years of general surgery prior to four years of urology. So he decided during his intern year to do urology, which was his second rotation as an intern and it was he deemed would fit him and his personality rather than general surgery. It took a while to get into a urology program but he kept doing general surgery and did the two required years before switching. [02:05] A Better Fit to His Personality Dr. Steinberg cites a few things that make him fit to be in Urology. First, the types of problems you encounter in urology involve a greater variety of issues compared to other fields like general surgery (at least as a resident where they often encountered issues that are extremely serious, extremely acute, and very challenging.) Urology, on the other hand, has a very broad spectrum of different things they dealt with ranging from simple issues to very serious and life-threatening and everything in between, something Dr. Steinberg was looking for. Secondly, he noticed the personalities of the residents and the attending physicians matched his personality a lot better than a lot of the surgeons in terms of having a healthy work-life balance, good sense of humor, being jovial and collegial. And this speaks to the issues they're dealing with which are a little bit less stressful. He add that because of the nature of some of the problems, you have to deal with them with a little sense of humor with issues relating to people's sex lives and genitals. As to getting a sense of what community general surgery was, Dr. Steinberg actually did a community general surgery rotation towards the end of his second year as a trainee, where he spent three to four months at a community hospital. They dealt with issues like hernia, gall bladder issues, and some serious issues occasionally. But  he saw a different pace as opposed to an academic center. Dr. Steinberg stresses that the Venn diagram of overlap between training and practice can be very small depending on what you're interested in doing. He reminds med students and residents that in whatever job or field you're in, you can get it.It may not be exactly what you want, but whatever you want to construct in the medical field, someone somewhere will let you practice it. So seeing the community general practice was eye-opening for Peter where they seemed much less stressed and doing quick procedures with not a lot of complexity. [05:49] Traits Leading to a Good Urologist Dr. Steinberg describes Urology as a mix of medicine and surgery like EENT (Eye, Ears, Nose, & Throat) and that you need to have a couple of different aspects to your personality. You need some of that surgeon mentality of seeing problems that can be fixed and dealing with them rapidly and decisively. You also need a little bit of that family practice doctor type mentality where you're going to be dealing with people longitudinally where you have to get used to having rapport with people, building some trust, and dealing with them over time. For instance, Dr. Steinberg does a lot of kidney stone work and a lot of nephrology where he deals with people with tinkering medications and their diet where he has to deal with them over the years. He also deals with them who have acute and surgical issues. You can have a multi-year relationship with someone where you go from doing some basic things to operating on them and dealing with them over time or they get another urologic problem over time. Dr. Steinberg says you need to have a little bit of the longitudinal kind of primary care doctor personality and interest in dealing with the medical side of things but also some of the traits that go with being a surgeon in terms of being decisive and knowing when to and when not to operate on people. Other traits he thinks would make a good urologist is having a good sense of humor that helps with everything in life, being loose, and being used to hearing things like sex lives and how they go to the bathroom. You need to have some degree of not taking things too seriously otherwise you'll have a hard time dealing with just how people describe their chief complaints and histories. [08:40] Types of Cases, Typical Day, and Calls Dr. Steinberg describes his mix of cases and patients with about two-thirds of his practice consisting of kidney stones, falling into general urology. The third is straight up general urology, encompassing issues like those having trouble urinating, blood in the urine, urinary tract infections, prostate issues, and other urinary complaints. He also deals with pain or complaints related to the penis and the testicle such as trouble with the foreskin, pain in the genitals, pain and swelling of the testicles, etc. This is the big bulk of general urology. A typical week for a general urologist is somewhere between two and four days in the office and then one and two OR days. As with Dr. Steinberg, he will have a day consisting of office in the morning, a two to three-hour procedure in the afternoon, or in the office all day seeing a mix off new and returning patients and doing some office-based procedures such as stethoscopy or endoscopic checks of the bladder, vasectomies, biopsies of the prostate under ultrasounds. Some days he will be in the OR all day doing 30-60-minute outpatient kidney stone procedures and other endoscopic procedures, where he will do five or six of those in a day. He sees around 1,500 patients a year and he does around 150-200 operations. He is a referral provider for other people sending in complex things. So it's a small percentage of the people he sees end up getting operated by him. In terms of taking calls, Dr. Steinberg describes urology calls not to be horrendous. Most of the issues can be dealt with by emergency room physicians or some basic techniques known to other types of providers. In the group he's in, there are five of them taking calls so they are on call basically one week night and they have a larger group of people that take calls over the weekends so they're on call one weekend a quarter, a little less on the weekend than an average person but it really depends on the group size. Peter thinks most times, urologists are on call. If they do get called, they can have things the can deal with over the phone or things they need to be dealt with urgently or straightforward, as opposed to calls in other fields where calls deal with a lot of operations and doing a lot of stuff in the middle of the night. Basically, calls are very heavily phone, triage-based. [14:37] Work-Life Balance Dr. Steinberg says he has a good work-life balance. First, he takes all his vacations. Secondly, he enjoys going to medical meetings and he has found a good way to attend a variety of different meetings each year, about three to four of them which allow him to get away from work. Their national meeting is usually around May and regional meeting in the Fall. the subspecialty meeting is close to the end of year. He likes to ski so he also finds a ski meeting he goes to in the winter. So on top of going on vacation, he also gets away from work to go to meetings which he finds relaxing. During his free time, he does things he enjoys such as skiing, sailing, and surfing. And living in Boston, he works around a lot. [15:50] Residency Training Path and Competitiveness in Matching Urology residencies have increasingly gone into five-year programs, which now include one year of general surgery internship and then four dedicated years of urology. More urology training goes to fellowship now because a lot of times, they're not getting all the skills they want in a particular subspecialty during their undergraduate training. In terms of matching, Dr. Steinberg describes Urology as a very competitive field to get into. There are a couple of things unique about it. One, it has its own separate match and not part of the conventional match. It's one of the early match programs such as ophthalmology and plastic surgery and it's run by the American Urological Association. It's highly sought after now because of the work-life balance a lot of people find within the field. A typical urology applicant nowadays has a strong resume in terms of academic achievement in college and the basic science part of medical school. They have good marks on rotations like surgery and medicine and often get very good board scores, which is often the screening tool that programs use to pick out who they're going to interview. A lot of people have research experience or some other type of unique clinical experience such as doing an underserved clinic or traveling to the third world to bolster their resume. Additionally, something very critical in matching into urology is doing away rotations at programs you're highly interested in matching in and performing well there. Most of these are pretty standard in terms of competitive programs having students come from other medical schools and you function as a sub-I on the service. Generally speaking, you're graded on a couple of things such as your performance day-to-day. Most programs make you give a big sum-up talk at the end of your rotation, a big area you're graded upon. Dr. Steinberg thinks most programs pretty heavily weigh people's performance on those types of away rotations as far as their rank list goes. Lastly, letters of recommendation go a very long way in this field because it's a small field. There are only so many training programs. [20:03] Bias Towards Osteopathic Physicians This was a big debate about a decade ago, having concern at the higher levels of organized urology about things like extending board-certification to osteopaths. But his has mellowed and there's been much more embracing of osteopaths within the field. There are some osteopath-specific programs out there such as Michigan State. Peter is not seeing any huge bias towards it but he thinks most osteopaths still currently congregate towards a couple of the more osteopath-specific training programs. This may improve in the future but for the time being, a lot of osteopaths going into the field end up in the more osteopath-oriented residency programs. Although Peter doesn't have osteopathic physicians as colleagues at their academic center, he thinks this is somewhat regionalized. He went to medical school in Philadelphia and PCOM (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine) was around so they were used to having osteopathic colleagues on rotations and as residents and faculty because there were so many PCOM graduates in Philly. He remembers the best anesthesia resident he ever worked with was a PCOM grad. So Dr. Steinberg thinks it's still somewhat regionalized given the fact that osteopathic schools tend to be regionalized. So a urology training in Philadelphia or Michigan is still that way to some extent. [22:25] Message to Primary Care Physicians Dr. Steinberg has actually been waiting for this to be asked for three years now. He sees three things that are routinely issues and backed up by the data people have acquired. He sees tremendous reluctance on the part of house officers and even attending physicians in practice to not do a genitourinary exam, a pelvic exam, or a rectal exam. They teach this to the second year medical students at Harvard where they do a half-day session on these skills. He finds it remarkable how often they get consulted and there's no documented genitourinary exam in the chart. The same goes with outpatient referrals. He emphasizes that you have to learn how to do those exams as they're not that complicated. In fact, any urologist would be happy to show you how to do these things if you don't know how. Secondly, Dr. Steinberg says that people need some basic skills in medical school and residency to put a Foley catheter in. You're not always going to have a urologist close by where you're going to be. It's not that complicated. There are times when you need a urologist to help you do it and there are certain things to look for there but it's a very important basic skill for everyone to learn. Diagnostically, he thinks it's almost embarrassing how he feels like people have lost sight of how to do some basic work ups of common problems we see such as hematuria, kidney stones, working up an elevated PSA, a urinary tract infection, and just the basic things. If you're confused about the basic work up, especially when it comes to imaging for certain problems, the American Urological Association and other associations have tremendous guidelines on how to deal with basic problems. Dr. Steinberg recommends seeking the guidelines from some of these subspecialty areas to get some basic information on evaluation of hematuria, kidney stones, etc. So just know some basic things about what imaging tests you need, doing a good exam, and being able to put a Foley catheter in would go a long way and this would put you at the cream of the crop of internists in terms of dealing with these things. [25:10] Working with Other Specialties and Subspecialty Opportunities Dr. Steinberg is a bit unique in a way that he does a lot of complex kidney stone work so he deals with interventional radiologists and this is true for a lot of radiologists doing a bigger practice. Interventional radiology and radiology in general is going to be one area where you work very closely together. Other specialties a urologist might work with include Pathology (if you do a lot of prostate biopsies, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney and testes issues), medical oncology, gynecologic oncology, gynecology, obstetrics, colorectal surgery, nephrology, and pelvic surgery. Moreover, fellowship opportunities are rampant within Urology including oncology, endourology, minimally invasive surgery and robotics, pediatrics (a separate board-certification now), female urology and incontinence, voiding dysfunction in men, reconstructive urology (urethral stricture disease), sexual dysfunction, andrology, male infertility and doing vasectomy reversal. Obviously, there is a variety of areas of subspecialization you can pursue. In addition, if you go into practice and your group is big enough, usually people will tend to subspecialize to some extent. Even with urology, just residency training, there is tremendous ability to carve out your niche in the team like you could be the incontinence person in the group or the kidney stone, etc. Dr. Steinberg explains that gender re-assignment is extremely subspecialized and that most of the male to female full reassignment is done by plastic surgeons. Some urologists will do male to female surgery because it's less technically demanding and does not require microvascular or microsurgical skill but that tends to be pretty heavily done by plastic surgeons. There are a few urologists involved in that and if you did want to get into that as a urologist, there is tremendous opportunity out there to be involved with that. Peter thinks it's a very under-served area without a lot of people with good skills. He adds that If you did reconstructive fellowship, you will immediately have a two-year wait list for operative patients if you went out into practice. [29:05] Special Opportunities Dr. Steinberg says there are ample opportunities to do things that are not direct patient care such as research in an academic setting or in any industry. There are tons of innovation within urology especially devices like for kidney stone, robotic surgery, incontinence surgery and pharmacologic work on things like the bladder, prostate, and in oncology. There are tremendous opportunities in hospital administration and a lot of leadership opportunities within urology. You can do legislative work and advocacy. They have a political action committee called UROPAC. There's a congressman in Florida who's a urologist. You can also do consulting to work with investment firms to figure out would certain areas be good investments. You can be a typical healthcare consultant. You can also do medical legal work as an expert witness. [30:30] Most and Least Liked about the Job and Major Changes in the Future What he likes most about his job is taking people who are feeling really unwell and getting them back to normal health. The least think he likes about being a physician in general is a lot of metrics in bureaucracy is making daily patient care more challenging. The focus of large healthcare organizations is getting slightly off-track from patient care and physician empowerment. Although Peter thinks the pendulum is going to swing the other way a little bit on this but it's his biggest gripe. Dr. Steinberg thinks we've been in a drought for the last five to ten years and he thinks we're due for something. He's not sure where it's going to be but he thinks Urology is definitely due. Another big thing is the change in how care is delivered within the specialty in terms of people becoming employed by hospitals, larger groups forming, fewer small, private practices, and the consolidation of physicians together. If he had to do it all over again, Dr. Steinberg would still have chosen Urology as the field suits him very well and he thinks it's an excellent choice for people with his personality and interests. [33:50] Final Words of Wisdom Dr. Steinberg leaves us with an advice that if this something you want to do, you will find a way to get into it. If you've got some deficiencies in your application in some ways, it's very easy to make up for problems with low board scores or some bad rotations. You can make up with it very easily with a strong research program, picking a program where you want to go and becoming a known entity there through research and away rotations. Don't be discouraged. With some embellishment of your CV, by being affable, and by being a good team player, it can be achieved if that's what you really want to do. Links: MedEd Media Network UROPAC American Urological Association

Rev Dr Ng Swee Ming, Senior Pastor of Sungai-Way Subang Methodist Church, shared about how we ought to remember the times God had been good to us. He is a faithful God, even when we are unfaithful. Although Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus did not give up on Peter but restored and recommissioned him to be fishers of men (using his 'hook') and to be shepherds of the people (using his 'crook' or staff). It is for us to remember. It is for God to restore and recommission us to our purpose in life. For more sermons from SSMC, log on to: http://www.ssmc.com.my/ ---------------------- Song: "We declare" by Patrick Leong

In this weeks episode we discuss the Green Spoon Worm (Badly,) seahorses (Badly) and the Fossa (This one was actually pretty good.... Nah im kidding, also badly.) Enjoy this weeks show and if you have any comments, suggestions or competition entries you can send us an email to platypuspodcasting@gmail.com If you want to get hold of any of us directly you can find Tim on twitter @platypuspodcast. Kieran is on facebook and instagram @BadZoology and Peter is on twitter @BadZoology. When you're done enjoying this weeks show throw us a review even if it is terrible. Although Peter can be a bit of a baby sometimes so don't be too mean about him. When you're done with your review tell all your friends about us! Thanks guys, have a good week!

Peter Thomson has been in business since 1972 and has a ton of ups and downs to share. Peter explains why business is not work, why you should live by your to-do list, and so much more! Peter has been a fantastic mentor to Vicky and she can’t wait for you to hear what he has to say!   Key Takeaways: [1:20] Peter starts off by telling a story about disaster and woe! [5:15] How did Peter end up making his first million after his life fell apart? [7:20] How did Peter build a strong network of people and referrals? [10:00] Peter discusses how he keeps focused on his tasks. [13:50] Everything Peter has to do, no matter how little, is on his to-do list! [14:50] Schedule your breaks! [17:10] What does Peter mean by, “The more time off you take, the more money you make?” [18:30] Business is not work, it’s fun. [20:15] Although Peter is always focused on future results, he makes sure what he’s doing right now is something he loves. [21:40] What is one single piece of advice everybody should know? [23:15] Please check out Peter’s legacy program, The Achievers Club!   Mentioned in This Episode: Businessforsuperheroes.com Businessforsuperheroes.com/inner-circle Businessforsuperheroes.com/borrow-my-brain The Achievers Club  

This is the second post in a mini-series on Spiritual disciplines. You can go back and read part 1: Foundations of Spiritual Growth for the Busy Homemaker.  Last week we discussed that when it comes to our own spiritual growth, we do have an element of responsibility. But at the same time, it's only in God's strength and through His working that we grow. We rely on God's grace and grow through His strength...but we are also to be diligent in obeying His commands.  Listen to the Podcast: I also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.  Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. So how do we grow our faith? How can we get back on track in our Bible reading and prayer with the purpose of obeying God and drawing closer to Him? Growth should be a normal part of our life "Growth is also a normal expression of the Christian life. The New Testament writers assume growth and constantly urge us to pursue it. Peter urges us to 'Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ' (2 Peter 3:18). Paul instructs u that by 'speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ' (Ephesians 4:15)." - Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges As Christians, when we look back and reflect on the past year or the past ten years, we should see growth in our spiritual life. We are not meant to be stagnant when it comes to maturing in Christ. Of course, we do have times when we fall back into old sins or seem to be stagnant, but we shouldn't be okay with that. And it shouldn't become the normal in our lives. We should be striving to grow with each passing day, even when that growth is very slow and steady.  "Spiritual growth occurs as a result of intentional and appropriate effort. The word intentional implies a diligent pursuit of a clear goal. Appropriate indicates that we must use the God-given ways of growth given to us in the Bible. We usually refer to these ways of growth as 'spiritual disciplines." - Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges And that's what we are talking about today. Those disciplines that we practice such as Bible reading and prayer that draw us closer to God.  We practice these disciplines because: 1) God has commanded us to  2) They are the avenue through which God has given us to know Him more so that we can be transformed more into the likeness of Christ.  Too often we wait for a "feeling" or a desire to want to read God's Word. We don't "feel" close to God so we don't pray or dig into His Word. But we shouldn't wait for these feelings, because they may never come or only seldom come.  We disciplines ourselves to read God's Word and pray, not because we have to, but because we love God and are motivated to know Him more. Bible reading and prayer are simply two ways in which God has given us to accomplish that.  Bible Reading It's primarily through God's perfect word that we come to know Him more. We can observe God through nature and learn certain lessons, but it's only through God's word that we see the complete and whole story of who God is and His character.  It is through studying God's Word that we come to know him more and more. It's through Scripture that we learn to put off the things of this world, to say no to ungodliness and to say yes to pursing a holy life more and more.  "The primary means of growth God has given us is His Word. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:2 that 'like newborn babies, [we should] crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.' Although Peter does not explicitly use a word for Scripture, five commentaries I researched all agree that 'pure spiritual milk' is a metaphor for the Word of God. Just as a newborn baby is frequently hungry and cries to be fed,

This is the second post in a mini-series on Spiritual disciplines. You can go back and read part 1: Foundations of Spiritual Growth for the Busy Homemaker.  Last week we discussed that when it comes to our own spiritual growth, we do have an element of responsibility. But at the same time, it's only in God's strength and through His working that we grow. We rely on God's grace and grow through His strength...but we are also to be diligent in obeying His commands.  Listen to the Podcast: I also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.  Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. So how do we grow our faith? How can we get back on track in our Bible reading and prayer with the purpose of obeying God and drawing closer to Him? Growth should be a normal part of our life "Growth is also a normal expression of the Christian life. The New Testament writers assume growth and constantly urge us to pursue it. Peter urges us to 'Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ' (2 Peter 3:18). Paul instructs u that by 'speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ' (Ephesians 4:15)." - Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges As Christians, when we look back and reflect on the past year or the past ten years, we should see growth in our spiritual life. We are not meant to be stagnant when it comes to maturing in Christ. Of course, we do have times when we fall back into old sins or seem to be stagnant, but we shouldn't be okay with that. And it shouldn't become the normal in our lives. We should be striving to grow with each passing day, even when that growth is very slow and steady.  "Spiritual growth occurs as a result of intentional and appropriate effort. The word intentional implies a diligent pursuit of a clear goal. Appropriate indicates that we must use the God-given ways of growth given to us in the Bible. We usually refer to these ways of growth as 'spiritual disciplines." - Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges And that's what we are talking about today. Those disciplines that we practice such as Bible reading and prayer that draw us closer to God.  We practice these disciplines because: 1) God has commanded us to  2) They are the avenue through which God has given us to know Him more so that we can be transformed more into the likeness of Christ.  Too often we wait for a "feeling" or a desire to want to read God's Word. We don't "feel" close to God so we don't pray or dig into His Word. But we shouldn't wait for these feelings, because they may never come or only seldom come.  We disciplines ourselves to read God's Word and pray, not because we have to, but because we love God and are motivated to know Him more. Bible reading and prayer are simply two ways in which God has given us to accomplish that.  Bible Reading It's primarily through God's perfect word that we come to know Him more. We can observe God through nature and learn certain lessons, but it's only through God's word that we see the complete and whole story of who God is and His character.  It is through studying God's Word that we come to know him more and more. It's through Scripture that we learn to put off the things of this world, to say no to ungodliness and to say yes to pursing a holy life more and more.  "The primary means of growth God has given us is His Word. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:2 that 'like newborn babies, [we should] crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.' Although Peter does not explicitly use a word for Scripture, five commentaries I researched all agree that 'pure spiritual milk' is a metaphor for the Word of God. Just as a newborn baby is frequently hungry and cries to be fed,

SERMON FOUR: In todays message, Glen continues to illustrate through the life of Peter how we are called to abide in Christ. Although Peter failed in abiding, we saw last week in John 21 how Christ came to Peter again. Today, we see in Acts 2:14-41 how Peter had power that he did not have prior to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

The Word of God originated in the mind of God. If it is authentic, the Bible must tell something that could not have come from human imagination. The Trinity is inexplicable. No one could imagine Christ and the plan of salvation through His atonement. Although Peter was an uneducated fisherman, Paul was an intellectual giant - both were used. Communion cannot be understood and could not have been guessed. This is true.

  Season 2, Episode 1 For Friday, August 7, 2015 “Lord, It Is Good For Us To Be Here” HOST: Wade Webster     Show Notes: On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter declared, “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Mat. 17:4). Although Peter was not specifically speaking of worship, his words apply well […]

Although Peter the apostle experience some great failures, yet his Lord used was able to use him in a mighty way!

We’re wrapping up our interview with double bassist Peter Seymour this week on Contrabass Conversations. We began this interview on episode 53, so be sure to check this episode out if you missed it! Peter has performed for the New World Symphony and spent a season playing with the Cleveland Orchestra, and he is now involved with an exciting new trio called Project. This group is made up of Peter on bass, Eric Stephenson on cello, and Greg Patillo on flute. Learn more about Project at projecttrio.com. This episode, we discuss:   how Project (which is both a group and a nonprofit organization) came to be playing in the style of today their upcoming Brooklyn Philharmonic presentation how although classical musicians are some of the most creative people out there, we can be very passive professionally how Project for Peter is a full-on business how the wide network of contacts he’s made over the years in professional orchestras across the country are paying off now with Project similarities between the orchestral path and what Peter’s doing with Project in terms of outlook and work ethic balancing the administration of Project with practicing and finding time to continue to grow musically   Although Peter has focused on obtaining a position in a major orchestra for many years, he is now focused on creating new creative outlets with Project, and his decision to strike out on his own with this great trio is an example of musical entrepreneurship at its finest. Be sure to pick up a copy of Winter in June, the new release from this killer trio. Enjoy!   Videos from Project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf6tuisazQA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDYPuwZcfdk About Peter: Dallas native Peter Seymour has performed with a multitude of highly acclaimed artists and ensembles. As a member of the Cleveland Orchestra he performed under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst and in the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. He was the recipient of the Downbeat Magazine Award for Best Jazz Soloist in 1996 and has appeared with Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, and Bobby McFerrin. The son of an educator, Peter has been very active in planning and performing community outreach activities throughout the country and served as events coordinator for the New World Symphony Orchestra from 2001-2004. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master’s Degree in Bass Performance from Rice University where he was a student of Paul Ellison. Peter is active composing and performing with PROJECT, the ensemble he co-founded with cellist Eric Stephenson. He presently resides in New York City. About Project: PROJECT is a dynamic young group that is exciting audiences with their energy and innovative style. Their sound can only be described as a fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and world music – balanced out by a sincere allegiance to their classical roots. By combining the classical repertoire with original compositions, PROJECT reaches out to new audiences. Through performance and outreach/education concerts, we can provide access for the next generation of music lovers. Tracks played: From ‘Winter in June’ by Project – available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/projectmusic