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Connect with Jan here: Instagram @JanLBurt TikTok @JanLBurt Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study on Amazon   Well hey, a big old hello to you today. So glad you're listening to the show today, and I hope … well, more than hope, I've actually prayed that you will be blessed and encouraged and shored up and bolstered in your faith as a result of this episode. God has so much in store for His people, and as we study His word, the Bible, and literally take Him at His word, we will find ourselves in our sweet spot. Not just saying that, I believe it. Every day, I believe it. The older I get, the more I believe it. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The same Lord, the Way, the Truth & the Life, is going to keep His every promise. I know the One in whom I have trusted. He is good, He is faithful, He is powerful, and He is holy.  You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, playing now via the Edifi app. This is episode number 140. Holiness. Boy, I feel like I have said this so many times the last few weeks. Holiness matters.  Like, a lot. A lot, lot.   God called us to holiness, so we need to pursue that to which we have been called. Because the One who did the calling, He is the One who answered the call to go to the Cross in our place. I don't want my life to be so focused on this life and the things of this world that I totally miss out on heeding God's call to live a holy life. And hey, I cannot do that on my own. I have no ability to be holy in Jan's own strength. Nope. I gotta depend completely on the Holy Spirit to work out holiness in me. So that ends up being my sweet spot to live out my life. Anything that draws me to the Lord and keeps me right there up close and personal with Him, I've grown to see that as a tremendous gift. Keeps me close to Jesus? Alright! I like that!    The call to holiness and my own in the flesh inability to answer the call to holiness puts me in a position to stay ultra close to the Lord so that He can work out His call to holiness in my life. It's totally a win-win.   There is a verse in the New Testament book of Hebrews, and I'm going to read it from the King James Version today. It's a powerful verse.    Hebrews 12:14 - Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.    I'd also like to share it with you from the New Living Translation.   Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.   Here on TBNES I often mention that little word WILL. It's important to note that when a verse states that something will or will not happen, God really does mean will or will not. Will means will. All means all.  It's crazy encouraging to remember that one simple truth when we find a promise in God's Word. It fuels belief. Literally, fans it into flame. Sets our hearts ablaze within us.    And when God says will not? That should also set something ablaze in us.  A conviction to do, or not do, whatever God is instructing.    Disobedient children. Ever been around one? Ever been one yourself? When you find yourself surrounded by a pack of disobedient children, you become fully aware that nobody else is in charge, because once parents have abdicated their God ordained parental role, things get wild. Backwards. Out of sorts and out of control. All sorts of messed up. It's not God's order, and we know that He is a God or order, not of disorder or chaos. See 1 Corinthians 14:33 to read that verse in its entirety. Disobedient children are unruly, living in a state of chaos.  It comes with the territory. If the shoe fits, and all that, right?   God is not one to parent us in a manner that has ever or will ever warrant our unruly disobedience. Period. If we disobey, it's on us, not Him. He is, of course, the perfect Father. No way around that fact. Our unruly behavior is not His fault. It just isn't.   If this verse from Hebrews is what He wants from us, and we don't even try to obey, then we are, by definition, disobedient.    Work at living in peace with everyone (okay…everyone…okay, Lord…because You say so, I'm gonna get after this and trust You to help me where I need helping!) and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.   Work at this, my friend! Put in some effort. That's what work is. Work has an actual definition, and we understand that as it relates to the place we go five days a week in exchange for a paycheck, health benefits, retirement plan, etc. We know what work is. We know what it means to work. We just don't act like that word means what it means when it comes to our own personal walk with Jesus.    Am I stepping on any toes today? Hey, I'm probably stomping on your entire foot with this episode. Mashing all your buttons. Bringing up all kinds of emotions. But that is what God's Word does at times. If you and I are never startled and kind of awakened from our slumber in some area of our life, we may not be allowing the Bible to penetrate our hearts.    If we can go to workday after day for our earthly provision, if we recognize and act on the importance of work as it pertains to this temporary life, why don't work hard spiritually speaking, when it impacts eternal life? Not a works-based salvation, that is not a thing per the Bible. Jesus paid it all, and I want to be totally clear about this. I'm not ever going to advocate a works-based salvation. It's 100% Him, I did nothing to earn my salvation or attain it. But after my salvation, I am responsible to spend time investing in my relationship with my Savior. And one way I do that is by reading, and believing, the Word of God. And in the Bible, here in Hebrews 12, I am flat out told to work at living a holy life. I am not given a pass to dishonor Jesus by my blatant, sinful, outrageously not-Christlike behaviors. Holy living is what I am called to, and that call does not in any way, shape or form negate that my salvation was obtained completely by Jesus at Calvary. The two don't fight against each other. It's about maturing in the Lord. Living a holy life matters because God said it does. In fact, He says that those who are not holy will not see the Lord.   This is so serious!   Will not.   God is not playing here.    We must follow holiness, as the KJV says.   Follow it. Get after it. Don't let it be far off in the distance. Keep close to it.  Let's view holiness properly, and no longer make excuses within the church or in our own lives for a lack of a holy pursuit. Can we all agree that in light of the Word of God, and in light of what Jesus did for us on the Cross, that holiness is important?    Follow peace. Keep pace with it. That's a simple way to say live right, live holy. Don't be lagging in this area. You can't be a person of peace for other people, on their behalf, in their stead. But as far as it depends on you, be a man or woman of peace. Work at it, says the NLT. That sounds like effort.    Peace and holy living matter to the Lord. So, they both need to matter to His children.    Do we A) understand holiness and do we B) value holiness?   Our lives will reveal the answer to both questions. No need to try and hide it, this isn't a test we can cheat on. Our lives provide the answer. It's clear, like it or not.    If you are in hot pursuit of something, you are following it, right? If we do not value something, we are not going to pursue it, and certainly not with any fervor. Hot pursuit does not describe the lukewarm believer. People in pursuit of something are going after it to obtain it, to overtake it, to accomplish the end goal.  Let's be like that - driving on the Highway of Holiness like it's the Autobahn and we're in a Bugatti or a McLaren or an Aston Martin or a Gordan Murray. James Bond this thing, ya know?  Wear the tread off the tires. That kind of fervency!   Holiness. I think the Church and the world need a whole lot more of it.   A bit shorter episode today, but it gives you a few spare minutes to pause and pray and talk to the Lord about your current biggest, most looming needs and to listen for His reply, His guidance and wisdom and hope and His help.    And next time, in episode 141, we're gonna dig into God's promises and grab hold of hope. Kind of hope-dealer over here, that's my goal. Keep living all in for Jesus, because I tell you what, on that day when you meet Him face to face, you will not regret for one millisecond that choice.    Lord bless you, see ya next time. Bye bye     

Connect with Jan here: Instagram @JanLBurt TikTok @JanLBurt Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents on Amazon    Well, hello there and a big old Happy Spring to you today. Anybody else glad that spring seems to be here, or almost here? I'm hopeful and praying that good things are growing and bearing fruit in your life as a result of what the Lord is doing in and through you, and the spring season reminds me of that. I'm grateful you are listening today as we think about, talk about, and hopefully also prayerfully consider how holiness makes an impact on us individually and as part of the corporate body of Christ. Let's get going! You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show Podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing via the Edifi app. This is episode number 139.  In episode 138 I shared from Psalm 30, verse 4, as well as Isaiah 35:8 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. Three fantastic verses from the Bible that kicked off the podcast series on holiness.    Psalm 30:4 KJV - Sing to the LORD, O ye His saints, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. Let's rejoice in the fact that the God we love and who loves us is holy. This is such good news for us! He can't suddenly stop being holy, right? And His holiness comes with assurance to us that He will not quote/unquote mistreat or mishandle the ones He so dearly loves. So good to know this!    Isaiah 35:8 NLT - And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God's ways; fools will never walk there. Who you walk with matters. Remember that!   2 Corinthians 7:1 Amplified - Therefore, since we have these great and wonderful promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness (living a consecrated life - a life set apart for God's purpose, in the fear of God). God's promises are true, and He wants them to be our reality. Maybe not all at once, all on the same day, instantly like our drive-thru fast-food society has gotten so used to…but true for us, nonetheless. Because of this, we should want to live a holy, consecrated life that really is set apart for God's purposes.  Now let's look at 1 Thessalonians 4:7, from the Amplified Bible.  For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness (to be dedicated, and set apart by behavior that pleases Him).   This verse gives us a working definition, like a one-sentence how-to manual regarding living out a holy life as a follower of the Lord Jesus.  First things first, it tells us that God has not called us to impurity.  Like, this could be a mic drop moment all by itself.  Definitions for impurity include: lack of consistency - contamination or pollution - the quality or condition of being impure - something that makes something else impure -  So God has not called us to a lack of consistency (hint hint - the way you live out your daily walk with Jesus is actually very important and is a purity issue - it matters enough to God to PUT IT IN THE BIBLE and so it ought to matter to His people, am I right??). He has not called us to contamination or pollution - so, let's be careful and cautious and not let ourselves just get overrun by the world and it's systems (and it has systems, like it or not, it just does - and many of those are not aligned with God's Kingdom and His ways). And don't be the one doing the polluting and contaminating. Like, if you are into really trashy music, if you play video games and the group you play with online uses garbage language and you kind of do sometimes too, say you drink too much (and for me as the daughter of an alcoholic who died in a tragic manner at age 47 while intoxicated, I can tell you that too much is probably a limit to be reached far below what you might think…it cost me and my family so much, I just think one drop of something that can cause the kind of lasting damage my dad's death caused is too much. And before you quote Paul to me, when he told Timothy to take a little wine because since it was good for the stomach…well, if you need to use a verse like that, with it's obvious and totally clear medicinal intent, if you use that verse to explain away or defend your consumption of alcohol…um, that says a lot and none of what it says is positive and maybe I can be the loud, bold voice encouraging you to lay off the sauce and go dry. Remember when we used to be more frank and bold about things like this, things that can literally wake someone up out of a stupor, show them that others can see they are on a bad, bad track and help them do a hard reset that changes their life for the better? Can we get back to that? I guess I just did get back to it. I'm not sorry! Standing at my dad's freshly dug grave at age 15 - that girl ain't sorry to be so frank in her speaking either. Too high a price was paid and it was never what the Lord wanted. Nuff said about that for today.) The quality or condition or being impure. God didn't call us to that. What's the state you live in? Hard question, important question. The quality of your life is determined by the condition or state in which you live. Is it pure, or impure? Something that makes something else impure - this could turn into a lengthy list of things God has not called us to. It's okay, it's good, it's fitting and appropriate for God's people to avoid things that make us impure. Don't think I need to go into great detail, but some things we just avoid. God didn't call us to certain things. And sometimes, just by taking a verse and breaking it down and actually applying it to our lives, rather than skimming over it, reading the entire paragraph as fast as possible, well that may not bring about the life change that God wants for us.    If He wants real and lasting change in our lives as a result of knowing Him and of knowing what He has said to us in His Word, the Bible, then we should also want that. Make our desires Your desires, Lord. And may we not miss the details that You've given us in the Word of God. Amen to that?    So what has He called us to? To holiness, it says here in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 7.  Our God has called us to holiness.  To be dedicated and set apart by behavior that pleases Him.   I'm so glad this verse is this clear! Lest you think I'm just harping on you today, a harpy in trousers to quote True Grit, hey I'm not just bagging on you. This isn't my own idea here, this idea of holiness. Good grief, no! I was a walking, talking disaster before Jesus reached down into the pit that was my existence (not exactly a life I was living, more like existing and drifting along on the byways). I did not know one single thing about holiness.    But God! Is He not mighty to save? Yeah He is!    Are you, am I, dedicated to behavior that pleases God? Dedicated to it? When's the last time you were dedicated to something?  Sold out working toward a goal. All in. Committed. Could not be deterred or distracted. Focused. Dialed in. In the zone. Nobody pulling you off your A game. Dedicated!  When?   That's how He wants us to be regarding the way we behave! Dedicated to behavior that pleases Him. And what doesn't please Him? Go to the Word and see what it says. Sexual sins do not please Him. Filthy language and lying lips do not please Him. Hate in your heart, bitterness, anger, malice, wrath, speaking badly about others, manipulation (yeah, that makes the list… remember King Saul in the Old Testament, first king of Israel, before David was king? He manipulated on a grand scale and God did not take kindly to it). Stealing bits and pieces from your workplace, God's not good with that. What the Word says, take it seriously and live accordingly and where it seems too hard to live per the Word of God, cry out to the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit of God to do it in you, through you, and for you and He will answer that prayer. You ask God to make a holy life your life and boy won't He do it? Yes indeed, you'd better believe it. And in this era, this day and age, when the writing is on the wall and the signs of the times all point toward the end of the world coming soon and then soon and very soon we will meet our King, I'm completely serious about this, in this era, you and I need to live holy lives. Because without holiness no man, no woman, no one can see the Lord. That's a direct quote from Hebrews 12:14.   I don't think the Lord called me to do a podcast series on holiness at this point in time just because. It don't matter, no big deal, no sweat off my brow, just whatever.  No, it's not whatever. It's critical mass. It's the end game, and not the Marvel version. You are here on this planet now, and now is the time to understand that if you are not actively keeping oil in your lamp, then you are in for a rude awakening. (Read about that in the parable of the ten virgins - Matthew 25, verses 1 thru 13 - please take time to read it and pray about it…we just don't have time to put this off.)  Holiness matters now, right now. Because now is all you actually have, my friend. You are not promised tomorrow. This matters right now. Be dedicated to behavior that pleases God. And then you will be set apart as a person who knows their God. Isn't that what we really want? And if we don't want that, deep down, don't we want to want it, as Christians? When our behavior sets us apart, we don't have to stand on a street corner with a cardboard sign screaming at people because the people we work with, our neighbors, our friends on social media, in our small group, the people living in our own homes, our great aunt Bertha from North Dakota and our old best friend from third grade in Tucson, Arizona will see as set apart. As a peculiar people, like it says in Deuteronomy 14. Standing out, different. Marked by God and for God. That's what holiness looks like. Does it look like that on you? Are you putting on holy living, like you put on your clothes each morning? If not, why not? And why not start putting it on right now?  Today I'd like to pray before I wrap things up, and I hope this prayer will encourage and bless you because that is truly what my heart desires. For you to be so blessed, so encouraged as you walk so closely with the Lord right now, in the very midst of this rough and tumble world and all the things it brings with it. Blessed right now and also a blessing to those in your life.    Father, I am coming to You today with a heart that is longing for Your people, Your church, to live holy lives. For us to be set apart and recognizable as people who know You, who love You, who live for You. May the one listening today receive a huge, heavy dose of encouragement from You. Pour out Your love on him or her - show them how great Your love is for them in a way that will mean the most to them right here, right now. And bless them with overflowing peace, no matter what is happening in their life currently. Bless them with joy, deep and abiding joy that cannot be altered or removed by anything outside of them. Bless them with good, godly friendships, with church homes that spur them on toward love and good deeds and holy living. For a desire to spend time with You every single day, in prayer, reading Your Word, enjoying Your presence, in praise and worship. Put Your hand on them, leading and guiding them in all that they do. Bring conviction where it is needed, and bring about real and lasting changes where they need to happen. We cannot do this without You, Lord. It is not possible for us to get it all together, to clean ourselves up, but with You nothing is impossible so I am asking You to do what only You can do, and make us people who are marked and noticeable as having been with You. Every time we have an encounter with You, Lord, may we be changed for the better. Let us be a blessing to as many people as we possibly can, and may we never grow so weary that we stop pursuing You. Give us the energy we need for our daily lives, protect each one of us, shield us and also grow us and mature us. Heal us, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and in any other way that will bring glory to Your name. Help us to remember that we simply do not know when our last moment on this planet will be, and to live well with each day we have. Stay near to us, Lord, and keep drawing us closer and closer to You. Sometimes the road seems rough and the walk seems long, but I am asking You to show us today that it's really just You walking us home, and we can walk well and walk worthy when we walk it side-by-side with You. Make the yoke easy and the burden light for the one listening today. Give them faith to reach out and touch the hem of Your robe if that's what they need to do. Keep oil in our lamps, Lord, as we await Your glorious return. And when harder times come for those who follow Jesus, as Your Word says they will, ready us, steady us, prepare us, strengthen us, and may we never forsake You because You have promised never to forsake us. Thank You for hearing my prayer today. Hear and answer, move and act, do far above and beyond I could ever ask, think or even imagine. And do it quickly, Lord, because today is the day I am asking and today is the only day we've got. Thank You, Lord. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. I hope you'll join me for episode 140 and I'd be so blessed if you feel so led to share this podcast with friends or family or church members and also I'd like to invite you to subscribe to the show on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on. And I'm working on a little something that I'm hoping to give to you in the next episode, just a free item I'm creating that I hope will be a blessing to you, so keep your eyes peeled for that.   See you next time and keep on keeping on for Jesus, my friend!   Connect with Jan here: Instagram @JanLBurt TikTok @JanLBurt Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents on Amazon 

2023 Annual Prayer Planner - 21 Days of Prayer & Journaling to Plan Your Year digital download  2023 Annual Prayer Planner - 21 Days of Prayer & Journaling to Plan Your Year print book at Amazon   Well, hey there! So good to be with you today on this episode of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are trusting fully in the Lord as we move toward 2023. My prayer for you is that you will know God better, hear the voice of your Good Shepherd more clearly, have more joy and peace and faith than ever before, and see the miraculous happening all throughout the coming year. Is that a big, bold prayer for me to be making on your behalf? Perhaps. But isn't that what makes it a prayer worth praying from the very depths of my heart? Definitely. You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. This is episode number 130. Recently I have been reading through the later chapters of the book of Genesis, along with 1 Peter and Hebrews. And every single day it seems like the Holy Spirit shows me places where He wants me to yield more, trust more, believe more, grow up more. Looking at the life of Joseph in Genesis, from his childhood to his difficulties with his brothers to his betrayal to his time in Egypt that was anything but sunshine and roses, to be honest, I have been encouraged, convicted and challenged. That's not always the most fun place to be in my walk as a disciple of Jesus, but it is always a healthy, good place for me to be. And so, as it says in chapter 4 of 1 Peter, I am finding joy in the hard things (that's a very, very loose paraphrase, btw).    I'd like to read a verse from the NLT out of Psalm 18. Let me read verse 3 aloud to you.    It says: I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies.   Here it is from the Amplified: I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.   Very small differences between the two versions, but the Amplified Bible changes the tense a bit. From called in the NLT, past tense, to CALL in the Amplified, present tense. And the last portion - and I am saved from my enemies.    Right now is the moment we can call upon the Lord and be saved from our enemies. We have enemies, like it or not. The devil, of course, is our ultimate enemy. But so often, in my own life, I am my own enemy. I fear failing at some new thing so I sort of put it off, do some other stuff, work on this, fiddle around with that. But fail to do that thing I should get going on, fail to do it because I don't want to fail in doing it. Anybody else?    I know that failure is not fatal, that failure is actually not doing anything. Trying at something, learning and growing and slowly at times taking baby steps forward, that is actually a part of success. Failure isn't as big a deal as I give it credit for, when I frame it correctly. Failure when I am doing what the Lord calls me to do is falling forward, toward His good and perfect and pleasing will for my life. Failure is falling backward when I do nothing, try nothing, attempt nothing for God's glory or for His Kingdom or for other people's benefit. Failure, according to the book of James, is when I know the good I ought to do but do not do it.    So as I live out the last couple of days of 2022 and step toward the new year, which feels new even though technically it is simply turning the page on the calendar and not one single thing beyond the date change may be even remotely new at this point in time - as I live in this moment and move forward into the next moments of my life, I am choosing to remember this truth about failure. Because there are some things I need to work on, some prayers I need to pray, some tasks I need to be about, some people I need to love better, some dreams I need to dream with the Lord, and some nonsense and baggage I need to drop right here and never pick up again. And I am thinking you may need to leave some stuff behind too. Maybe you need to redefine failure for the new year. Maybe we need to, collectively, give each other ample grace while also extending that grace to our very own selves.    Back to Psalm 18, I'm calling on the Lord today and have plans to call on Him as often as need be in 2023, and I am believing He will save me from my enemies. Even if the biggest enemy is me at times.    I'd like to take a moment and pray a blessing over you for the New Year.    Lord, my prayer for each listener is that they will wholeheartedly, with fervency and devotion, love you more in 2023 than at any other time in their life. Would you be their strength, and not only when they face trouble or trials or difficulties or stress, but every single day. Be their strength as they parent their children, as they grieve losses, as they do their job week after week, in their finances, as they face what may feel like difficult economic times that are heavy and hard to bear, in their family relationships and in their ministry roles and even when they lie down to sleep each night, would you be their strength in those times to rest fully in you and be able to sleep and get the rest You want them to have? Be their rock, fortress, and rescuer in this new year. May they turn to you and take refuge in you as often as they need to. Be their shield, their high tower where they will be above the stresses of daily life and able to see things from Your point of view. Be their stronghold, a very certain help and comfort in their time of need.    You are worthy to be praised, Lord. May they praise You often and with great adoration. Save them from their enemies, whomever and whatever those enemies may be. Hear me as I pray today, and keep this prayer before You all year, one You will answer on their behalf again and again. Open dry paths for them to walk on when it seems as if deep waters are hindering their way. Where You lead, may they follow, and may they be blessed in that following of Your daily leading. Reach down from on high, rescue them, delight in them, bring them out into a broad place. Enable them to live clean lives before You, honoring You in public and in private, keeping the ways of the Lord. Help them to remain in Your Word, to spend time in prayer, and to be part of the local church that blesses them and is a blessing through them to other believers. Show yourself kind to them, and may Your kindness spur them on to kindness that overflows onto others. Save Your people who are afflicted, and remind them of the need to remain humble before You. Keep them from arrogance, foolishness, and haughty behaviors or thoughts. By Your power, Lord, they can crush a troop or scale a wall. As they do great exploits spiritually for Your kingdom, may You receive all the glory and praise. Bring them healing in every area that it is needed - emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually, relationally, and every other way that healing will bless them. Encircle them with strength, be their rock, make their way blameless.    Make their feet like hinds feet, stable and sure and able to climb on the heights - because we know that the high points of life require sure footing so we don't forget You or Your blessings in the good times, or think we caused the good things of our own accord, or focus so much on the good life that we stumble due to not caring for those around us who may not be in a good times season of life. Make us able to stand firmly and walk safely in the midst of trouble. Set us securely on the high places You have ordained for us. Train our hands for the battles we fight, and to be in the fray and in the fight by praying for those You lead us to pray for. May we be able to bend a bow of bronze and see the prayers we pray through to fruition. Uphold and sustain them with Your right hand. May Your gentleness, Your gracious response to them as they pray and on their behalf as I pray this over them today, may Your gracious response make them great, for Your kingdom and Your purposes in this world that needs You so desperately.    Enlarge the path before them and make their steps secure so that their feet will not slip. They will pursue their enemies and overtake them this year. They will not turn back until their enemies are consumed. Satan will not have the final victory, and I am asking that he will not win in the battles they are fighting in 2023. Lord, with humility I am making this request on their behalf. Lord, do not deny me my requests today. May I be like the woman in Luke chapter 18 - like that parable You told about praying and not giving up, I will ask and ask and ask again like the persistent widow. Do not withhold from me answers to this prayer. Answer it again and again on their behalf, all throughout the next twelve months. May their enemies fall wounded under their feet, as it says in Your Word. Encircle them with strength for the battle, strength for whatever comes in 2023. Subdue those who come against them in ways that will not grow them, sanctify them, or honor You through them. Rescue them from contentious people, place them as the head and not the tail, may they be positioned for service among those who are Your people, Lord, and those who are in need of You in their lives. May they live in obedience to You, to Your will and Your call on their lives. And may they see the fruit of the Spirit in their life again and again and again, all year long. You, Lord, live. Blessed be Your name! May You, the God of our salvation, be exalted!    Rescue these ones for whom I am praying today. Life them above those who attack them and rise up against them, whether those are people attacking, circumstances attacking, or satan attacking. Deliver them from men of violence. We are Your people, we are a people of peace, and may we live in peace and at peace as far as it depends on us. We choose today to honor You with our lives all year long. We set this year before You and offer it to You before it even begins. And we give You our worship, our love, our adoration, our hearts. You are good, and You cannot be otherwise. You do nothing apart from Your lovingkindness for us. We give thanks to You, we praise You, O Lord among the nations, and we will sing praises to Your name all throughout this new year. Thank You for Your care for us, for hearing my prayer and answering it, for Your Word which teaches me how to pray and what to ask You for, thank You for Your steadfast love toward us and the mercy You extend. Thank You, and once again I say thank You.  This I pray in the name of Jesus, and may it be done according to Your Word. Amen.  I am always so blessed, so thankful, for the opportunity to pray for you. And I really do mean that. It is a privilege to pray for others, isn't it? And one thing that gave me sort of a heart jump-start when it comes to prayer was the realization that I won't need to pray when I am in eternity, in heaven, with the Lord. I am still going to praise and worship and adore Him, revere Him, honor Him. But He will set everything aright, He will make all things new, and He means it when He says in Revelation that there will be no more crying or death or pain and so I won't need to lift those requests before Him since they will be gone forever. That realization moved me to pray with more fervency, more intensity, more longing for Him to hear and answer when I pray because I don't have forever to be about this work of praying for others. I only have right now. And that's, I suppose, why I am so thankful to be able to pray for you in this episode.    If this is something that blessed you, I have three things to quickly mention. One is my private prayer group on Facebook (and it is a private group because prayer requests are confidential sometimes and so it's just a private group for that one reason). I do videos and pray in the group a couple of times a month, so it's not an overwhelming amount of notifications from the group. It's called Praying Through the Storm Online Prayer Retreat with Jan L. Burt on Facebook and the link will be at the top and the bottom of the show notes for this episode and also on my website, Jan L Burt . com.  Second is the new podcast I am working on. This one will be here focusing on God's promises primarily, and the second one is called The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt, and it will be, you guessed it, about prayer.  Third, a resource I created for the new year (based on something I do each year and on something I did with a group of people via email in early 2022 that ended with so many people asking me to turn the content into a book of some sort, and so that's what I did) is called The 2023 Prayer Planner. It's 21 days of verses, devotional type content about each verse, and a prayer for each day with some journal type pages with room to pray and plan and take note of what the Lord is saying to you about the coming year.  It's a way to give the Lord the first fruits of the year, as an offering to Him. And man, it is a great way to start a year. To begin with the Word of God as our foundation. If you'd like to get a copy, it is available as a digital download on my website, it is also on Etsy and TPT and as a print book to order via Amazon.  The price is between $7 and $8, depending on the platform where you buy it, so it's not a huge financial investment per se but it is an investment that will pay huge spiritual dividends so check that out if you want to kick off the year praying and seeking the Lord intentionally and to grow your faith, your trust and your prayer life.   

Grab a copy of "The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional" via Amazon A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents - on Amazon   Well hey there, welcome to the podcast. Gonna do a bit of getting some of God's amazing promises into the people that He loves so much. That would be you! Getting the promises of God into the people, fighting the good fight, the spiritual fight, for freedom in Christ. Grabbing hold of your true identity, you are who God says you are, period - that's the truth, hang on to that! Don't let go of that! That's really what The Burt (Not Ernie) Show is all about.   Thanks for being here today. I'm so honored, so blessed, to share with you from Psalm 37.    You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. This is episode #104 We've been diving into Psalm 37 on the show and today we are looking at a few verses, 17 thru 19, from the New Living Translation.   Let me go ahead and read those three verses.   Psalm 37, 17, 18 & 19, NLT 17  For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,     but the Lord takes care of the godly. 18  Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,     and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. 19  They will not be disgraced in hard times;     even in famine they will have more than enough.   First promise we find here is that the strength of the wicked will be shattered. And remember that when God says will, He means it. He never says will and acts like He said maybe. No, will means WILL. So the strength of the wicked WILL, absolutely will be shattered. And you and I, we don't bear the responsibility of ensuring that God's promises come to pass. So you and I do not have to go about the task of shattering the strength of the wicked. I mean, say you are a judge, well you for sure have a vital role in society and God has placed you there, and some of that will include versions of dealing with wickedness. But for most of us, this is not the world in which we live and work, right? We have to simply trust God, and He is always and totally worthy of our trust, trustworthy is our God, and let Him do His will His way. In His timing, which is never the wrong timing. It's never delayed, even when we feel like it is. It's never wrong when God steps onto the scene and deals with some sort of wickedness. And the burden for that timing does not rest with us. The next promise is that the Lord takes care of the godly. You and I, we are not godly in our own right. Any righteousness we have, and we do have it according to the New Testament, is in Christ and because of Christ. So this promise applies to us. It can be ours, any day of the week. Now keep short accounts with the Lord. Don't be a grace abuser, ya know? Repent. Desire to live a life that honors Him and to just be yielded to Him day after day. We live in God's grace but we don't take God's grace for granted.    The Lord takes care of the godly.  Is He going to not do this? This very thing that He has promised to do, will He not do it?   It's pretty ridiculous to think He wouldn't do what He has pledged Himself to do.   You're going to be taken care of. I'm gonna say that again. You are going to be taken care of. And not just any old care, but God's care. There's nothing like it in the entire world. And here it is, promised to you.    Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent.   Well that is good to know. Good to stand on this truth. And it is the truth, the absolute truth, because it is in the word of God and we know that it is impossible for God to lie.  Like, He can't. And both the Old and New Testament tell us that nothing is impossible with God, all things are possible. But one thing that is not possible? The impossibility is that God could ever lie. One thing - one impossible thing in an endless realm of impossibility…lying.    My friend, God has not and never will lie to you. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. It's literally His name. Not a character trait, but who He is. And we know God keeps His word. His promises are kept promises and always will be kept promises. So, He will take care of the innocent.   Not my job, nor yours, to figure out how He should do that. He said He would, and He will, so I want to be expectant of it but not griping about how I don't like how long it's taking or I saw this on the news so that means God isn't taking care of the innocent, or what about Hitler, and so on. We cannot put God on the same plane, the same level, that satan is on. Evil is not from God. But sometimes people, even Christians, even God's own people, will kind of put Him there. He does not plan and He does not do evil. That's not His bag - that lies at the feet of another, but not at nail-scarred feet. Know what I mean?    Have enough faith to believe that He will do what He promised.    And they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. This is eternal. Not temporal. And that's the kind of promise we have to lean into, ya know? Push past the now, what you can see with your eyes, and think about the next life, what comes next. Eternity. This is an eternal promise God is making to the innocent. Maybe some of what we see in the world is hard to understand, we can't exactly make peace with it, but it helps when  we remember this life is not all that there is. This is a beautiful and comforting promise. Satan will usually want to cause discomfort in the face of a comforting promise. Satan will often want to try and make something seem ugly when it is in fact something beautiful from the Lord. But we are not unaware of his schemes, and so we can learn to see beyond the right now and stay expectant about what comes after.    They will not be disgraced in hard times. Even in famine they will have more than enough.   This is a whopper of a promise. Ya know, have you heard about food shortages or anything lately? If not, you probably will. There is a storm brewing, my friends. And you may be in the camp of the new head of Twitter is gonna really make things better but I want to remind you that our hope cannot be in the dudes in charge of the Tweets. It needs to be in Christ alone. Do I love free speech? Sure. Do I depend on it for my eternal destination? Nope. First things first, and it's always Jesus first. So to tie that into this verse, Psalm 37:19, man can try to pretty this up over here and also mankind as a whole can be dirtying things up over there, and we as the people of God, whom these promises are for, can rest in those promises no matter what is tidy here and dirty there. Food shortages are going to happen. Famine. That's a horrible, horrible thing, ya know? And in light of the promise that even in famine the innocent will have enough, well first off we want to be among the innocent, so know Jesus as the One who has obtained the needed cleansing for sin that makes us innocent in the sight of God, that's numero uno. And second, knowing this promise is for us, well then let's be in prayer that more and more people all around the globe will come to know Jesus as their own Lord and God, as the disciple Thomas said when he saw the resurrected Jesus face to face, he said, “My Lord and My God” - not just the other disciples Lord, but his. Let's pray that becomes a global reality, spreading and spreading every single day. And then pray that this promise, of having more than enough with food shortages taking place to still have more than enough, let's be praying that over people worldwide. I'm serious about this.   Look, I take God's promises so seriously that I pray them in this manner. You should too. If someone says that's kind of silly, don't ya think Jan? I'd say, “You got a better idea?” What's a better idea than simply taking God at His word.   Aren't those the moments in the gospels when Jesus was in awe? When He was so taken at His word that it was utter belief, ain't' no room for disbelief? Let's be those kind of people. Let's just try to have our Lord be in awe of our huge, huge faith. I mean, that's a pretty terrific life goal if you ask me.   And it's kind of my personal goal. But I hope you make it yours, too.   Okay, so what's coming up? My course on Psalm 91! Audio based content, super easy to consume, just listen right in your podcast player, like where you are listening to this right now. One click and that's it. It will release on May 15th (that's a Sunday, so if it drops like a day earlier don't be surprised). And it's going to encourage and challenge you to pray big, bold, daring prayers based on what is promised to us in Psalm 91. I'll be sharing the link to sign up here on the podcast and in the Show Notes as soon as it is up and running.    Next time we are going to look at verses 21 to 24 from this same psalm, Psalm 37, and keep growing in our steadfast belief that every word of God proves true.    He has amazing things He has promised to you and I am so glad you are getting all that He has for you in this life.    Thanks for listening, please hit the subscribe button and if this has been encouraging maybe share it with a friend. You've been listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, now on the Edifi app.

Chapter 6In this segment of Chapters we have Motorcycle Traveler/Adventurer Graham Field, author of 4 (soon to be 5) books. This episode features a Chapter from Graham's book "In Search of Greener Grass". To give you an idea of what the book is about, here is the book synopsis from Amazon:“Well, now I’m committed,” he thought to himself after telling a national TV game show audience that he wanted to ride a motorcycle to Mongolia with his winnings. He felt the fear that commitment always induced in him; he was hoping they might have edited that bit out. Commitments are something he tried to get as far away from as possible, the only other constants in his life being twenty-five years of financial prudence, travel and motorcycle obsession.So there he was, committed to going very, very far on a motorcycle with his meager prize money. Consequently, he spent a winter on eBay and a spring in the garage preparing his $1000 KLR 650 for an uncertain life on the road. Armed with a cynical humor, a strong sense of direction, a vague sense of balance, and no sense of proportion, he embarked on a 15,000-mile solo motorcycle ride to see what would break first; bike, body, or budget. Leaving an indifferent existence in England behind he headed east, looking for purpose, a new life, and a new location to live it. He was in search of greener grass. Certainly one of my favorites.Special Thanks to our Sponsors: Tobacco Motorwear / Shinko Tires / Scorpion Helmets / Wild-Ass Seats / UClear Digital CommunicationsThe Motorcycle Men Support David's Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation The Gold Star Ride Foundation GET YOUR MOTORCYCLE MEN SHIRTS HERE!!! / Get your Motorcycle Men Neck Gator and Mug here!! Don't forget to get over and check out Ride With Ted over on the YouTube Thanks for listening, we greatly appreciate your support. Ride Safe and remember.... We say stupid crap so you don't have to.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=zPl7v5FjoO6fCov5rwbFo35sxmoOIUqUhcR1q1UVtP34xAVolJzW0aJ6GNSdljsPAT4MC0&fromUL=true&country.x=US&locale.x=en_US)

True I never talk about facts you need to know when selling on Amazon Well here you go listeners!   PUBLISH AN EBOOK WITH SUCCESS!   Write an EBOOK in 7 Days!  

What does it take to work for a company like Amazon? Well if you're Dwight Battle, it's all about forging your own path. As a self-taught designer, Dwight has honed his design skills at agencies from Atlanta to Seattle, including product design at HBO.  Dwight started off talking about his work at both Amazon and HBO, and then we talked about his live growing up in Ohio and moving to Atlanta to start his career. We also had a pretty spirited discussion about the changing tech and design scene in Seattle, the need for representation for Black designers, and why saying yes until he could afford to say no has been instrumental to how he works. Dwight's living proof that success in tech is within your reach as long as you allow yourself to find your own way! Dwight Battle's Website Dwight Battle on Dribbble Dwight Battle on LinkedIn Dwight Battle on Instagram Dwight Battle on Twitter

Joseph Kennedy, the father of John F Kennedy, once said that when shoeshine boys were telling him to get into the stock market, he knew it was time to get out. That’s exactly what he did just before the 1929 stock market crash, which was followed by a bear market which lasted for decades.   Sometimes I feel the same about property when everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. Now, there is even a company offering investors a way to buy a buy-to-let property with the click of a mouse.   Can you really buy a property online just like ordering something on Amazon? Well, not quite.   Dot, a Californian company with offices in Manchester, effectively gives you the facility to reserve a property online, leaving completion and the legal work to be done later on.   Investors are told that they can buy one and two bedroomed properties costing up to £200,000 in a “few pain-free minutes”, with just a few clicks, and enjoy a yield of up to 6% pa. Once you have selected a property, the company sends out a computer generated image of what the property would look like when refurbished, without investors needing to visit the site themselves. I guess this would be of more benefit in America where a site visit could involve thousands of miles of travel and even a flight.   The company is currently packaging up to 40 flats in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, Cities which it has identified as rental growth areas.   They told the Sunday Times that they expect it “will be completely normal for an investor to acquire, renovate and hold properties without ever visiting them in person”.   After the property has been reserved and Dot has carried out a credit check and verified that the investor is earning at least £30,000 per annum, the company lends investor the money to purchase the property and pay all of the stamp duty and legal costs, plus Dot’s 3% fee – which is £6000 based on a typical £200,000.   The loan, effectively a bridging loan, is offered at 0.6% per month or 7% per annum for 12 months. Investors are required to contribute a minimum 25% deposit.   Dot also sets up a limited company in the investors name, so that tax on the profits will be paid at the corporate rate of 19% rather than personal rates of 20%, 40% or 45%.   After the sale has been legally completed, Dot will offer to refurbish the property for an agreed fee, which can take up to three months.   Before refurbishment starts, the investor takes out a second mortgage with Dot, on the same terms as the first bridge, to cover the interest accrued on the first loan plus the cost of the works.   Note that at this point, the investor has still not paid anything more than their initial 25% deposit.   When the works on the property have been completed, the investor takes out a new long-term mortgage to refinance the first two bridging loans, based on the new higher value of the property. Dot then arranges a mortgage at an annual interest rate of between 2.89% to 3.99% for up to 30 years.   This reflects the higher mortgage rates paid by limited companies. It is still a mystery to me why the mainstream lenders have not got in on the market for lending to limited companies at more competitive rates than those offered by some of the more expensive challenger banks.   Investors are free to arrange their own mortgage and find their own letting agency to manage the property.   Bear in mind that unless the property has dramatically increased in value, you will need a bigger deposit than 25% (you are unlikely to be able to raise much more that 75% and may be lucky to get 70%) to take out the previous Dot loan, fees and refurbishment costs.   Based on their current projections, investors who stay with the company would make £3358 per year from a two-bed property worth £207,000 and rented out for £1000 per month or £12,000 per year. The rent looks a little high to me. A quick search on Rightmove showed that you can rent older 2 bed flats for £575 pcm and the only luxury city centre new-build flats command an asking price near to £1000 pcm.   Based on my calculations, this means investors will only receive less than 40% of the rental income. Mortgage payments, ground rent and service charge of roughly 30% (for insurance, tax reporting services and a management fee) are deducted from the rental income.   That doesn’t sound like a 6% rental yield to me and in in reality is more like 1.76% after costs.   Dot claims it will make it easy for people to purchase a buy to let investment without doing any work or research for themselves. However, nobody is going to do all this for nothing so there are quite lumpy fees and charges involved.   On the face of it, the Dot deal looks like an innovative scheme using technology to make it easy to get into property, but there are drawbacks.   Firstly, the advertised 6% yield is a little exaggerated, even without mortgage costs, when you take into account the hefty management fees. You may argue that any property will involve some sort of management fees, but Dot are selling a buying a package.   Secondly, buying a property remotely is always risky.   Thirdly, much of your profit will be eaten up by bridging loan interest costs, which of course are adding to the profits of Dot.   Fourthly, you are almost totally reliant on this company to fulfil the refurbishment and management and you have very little control over either. If the company releases 40 flats onto the market at once, there is a risk that you may not be able to find suitable tenants.   Finally, and most crucially, the scheme relies on a new higher valuation in order for you to remortgage out of the expensive bridging loan. If your lender’s valuer does not agree with Dot’s higher valuation, or the market dips or Dot just gets it wrong, you may end up having to put in a lot more of your own cash than 25% into the deal in order to get out of the punitive 12-month bridging loan.   The scheme could either be a major flop, leaving hundreds of investors out of pocket, or become the “Uber” of property investment.   In the meantime, I’ll stick to my own research and deals. The best way to get into property is to do your homework and learn from experts.   Word of the Day   Land Registry   Official government body that registers most property titles in England and Wales.   Your solicitor will normally do a search to check ownership as well as registering your interest in the property once you have completed your purchase.   If you would like further details on how to learn about property and become a professional property investor, email charles@charleskelly.net There are more examples and practical steps to getting rich and being happy in my book, Yes, money can buy happiness, I cover the 3 R’s of Money Management, the Money B.E.L.I.E.F System and much more. Check it out on Amazon http://bit.ly/2MoneyBook. See also: How to earn up to 500% higher yields on your investments without high risks 3 Myths of Property Investment Should you be buying Gold?  

Can you really buy a property with just one click? By Charles Kelly Author and creator of Money Tips Podcast Joseph Kennedy, the father of John F Kennedy, once said that when shoeshine boys were telling him to get into the stock market, he knew it was time to get out. That’s exactly what he did just before the 1929 stock market crash, which was followed by a bear market which lasted for decades. Sometimes I feel the same about property when everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. Now, there is even a company offering investors a way to buy a buy-to-let property with the click of a mouse. Can you really buy a property online just like ordering something on Amazon? Well, not quite. Dot, a Californian company with offices in Manchester, effectively gives you the facility to reserve a property online, leaving completion and the legal work to be done later on. Investors are told that they can buy one and two bedroomed properties costing up to £200,000 in a “few pain-free minutes”, with just a few clicks, and enjoy a yield of up to 6% pa. Once you have selected a property, the company sends out a computer generated image of what the property would look like when refurbished, without investors needing to visit the site themselves. I guess this would be of more benefit in America where a site visit could involve thousands of miles of travel and even a flight. The company is currently packaging up to 40 flats in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, Cities which it has identified as rental growth areas. They told the Sunday Times that they expect it “will be completely normal for an investor to acquire, renovate and hold properties without ever visiting them in person”. After the property has been reserved and Dot has carried out a credit check and verified that the investor is earning at least £30,000 per annum, the company lends investor the money to purchase the property and pay all of the stamp duty and legal costs, plus Dot’s 3% fee – which is £6000 based on a typical £200,000. The loan, effectively a bridging loan, is offered at 0.6% per month or 7% per annum for 12 months. Investors are required to contribute a minimum 25% deposit.For full article, see http://www.moneytipsdaily.com/can-you-really-by-property-with-one-click/ Word of the Day Land Registry Official government body that registers most property titles in England and Wales. Your solicitor will normally do a search to check ownership as well as registering your interest in the property once you have completed your purchase. The best way to get into property is to do your homework and learn from experts. If you would like further details on how to learn about property and become a professional property investor, email charles@charleskelly.net There are more examples and practical steps to getting rich and being happy in my book, Yes, money can buy happiness, I cover the 3 R’s of Money Management, the Money B.E.L.I.E.F System and much more. Check it out on Amazon http://bit.ly/2MoneyBook. See also: How to earn up to 500% higher yields on your investments without high risks 3 Myths of Property Investment Should you be buying Gold?

You know that kooky TV show "Strange Angel" on CBS All Access (which no longer streams through Amazon Prime - thanks Amazon)? Well, it's based on a book of the same name by George Pendle!  George talks to Harper Feist about the book, the TV show, Jack Parson, and rocket science. Because Harper knows a thing or two about blowing stuff up. Listen and learn. 

What was life like before Amazon? Well, for many it was, "I can order that from Sears!"  Is it so long Sears? America's legendary mail order store may soon be going the way of many other brick and mortars. Plus, an update on the Facebook hack. What exactly did the hackers get? And how can you do an "about face" to keep it all private? That's your social media privacy -- we'll also go indepth on your DNA privacy...that's right. Maybe you didn't sign up for one of those DNA genetic tests, but is some of your DNA footprint still out there? Also, President Trump -- the missing journalist...and how this does or does not affect the U-S Saudi billion dollar trade deal. Later in the show, mysterious radio signals from deep space, we'll try to connect on this one...and we'll talk about an ancient discovery -- linked to "vampires" of all things.   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Always wanted to be an author? Think you have a great story to tell? Want to be able to sell your book on Amazon? Well here’s the good news, if you answered yes to any of the above questions you are in for a treat. In this episode I give you an overview of all … Continue reading #043: Everything You Need To Be An Author For Less Than $100 →

Have you ever written a book, uploaded it to Amazon and wonder why you’re not getting the amount of sales that you thought you would receive? Are you a bookseller struggling to stay in business as people pass your brick and mortar shop to buy on Amazon? Do you walk by bookstores in your community and purchase on Amazon? Well, join the conversation on this episode of What’s The 411’s podcast between Ruth J. Morrison the CEO, What’s The 411TV and Troy Johnson, President, and webmaster, AALBC.com

Did you know you can review sex toys on Amazon? Well, you can, and the Idiots read their favorites.

There are very big companies that have made private labeling on Amazon their sole source of income and revenue. Wouldn’t it be great to get a behind-the-scenes look at how these big companies that create multiple brands go about doing business on Amazon? Well in today’s episode of The Amazing Seller that’s exactly what we have. Scott’s guest is Jason Brunson. Jason is not only an Amazon Private Label seller himself, he’s also worked for one of those large companies for a number of years and walks us through the step by step process of how these companies go about doing everything, from product research, to optimization of their listings and product fulfillment. It’s a great episode with lots of tips and encouragement. Be sure you give it a listen! Getting started on Amazon with Arbitrage through used book sales.   Jason and his wife heard about the possibility of selling products on Amazon and decided to give it a try. Their first venture was using the arbitrage model. They chose to find good used books to sell on Amazon and actually made a decent amount of income each month. That’s when Jason saw an advertisement on Craigslist that was offering positions to people to work for a company that sold a variety of products on Amazon. He applied and was hired. At first he worked in the customer service area but very quickly was moved to marketing, where he worked on Amazon listing and product sales. He eventually took what he learned at his place of employment and started applying it to his own Amazon business and now is doing his own private label sales. As usual, Scott’s got lots of questions so be sure you listen so you can glean from Jason’s experience.   How does a company with 8 brands and 1500 SKUs operate on Amazon?   Believe it or not, the larger companies appear to do their product selection and research as well as their marketing and product sales very similar to what the “little guy” Amazon sellers do. The main variables have to do with the company’s willingness to try products and order larger batches to find those winner products. But in the end, the result is the same. They eventually find products that will sell consistently and use them as a basis to build a new brand. From there, you guessed - they add products to the product line and build out the brand. What do they do with all the products they’ve tried but haven’t turned out to be good sellers? You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out, PLUS hear lots more tips and insights Jason gives us, on this episode of The Amazing Seller.   Filling in the income gaps during slow times of the year.   One of the things Jason Brunson shares with Scott on this episode of The Amazing Seller is that the larger companies are pretty strategic at making attempts to balance out their product sales throughout the year. That means, for example, that since fall time is a slow part of the sales cycle, they’ll intentionally search for products that sell better in the fall time to add to their product line. This enables them to start generating income during a time when sales are usually down. Naturally, that balances out their income stream. Can you do this in your business? Scott thinks it’s not only possible, but necessary. You can hear his comments and Jason’s insights from what his company does by listening.   How can you find gaps in a market that you can fill?   Today’s guest, Jason Brunson, has worked for a company that has over 1500 SKUs in their Amazon account. They’ve worked hard to choose products that fill gaps in their existing markets. This enables them to get sales that others are missing by offering something unique but potentially in demand. Jason said that in order to figure out what those products are they look at a number of things going on in a particular product niche. What are those things? Well, they’re too many to list right here so set aside some time to listen tot his episode and you can find out. Grab your pencil and paper, you won’t want to miss any of them!   OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER   [0:03] Scott’s welcome to this conversation about Big Amazon businesses. [1:48] A quote shared inside the TAS Facebook group. [3:37] Introduction of today’s guest, Jason Brunson. [4:44] Jason’s first moves on the Amazon platform - selling books - how it worked or him and why they chose that path. [7:15] The margins to expect in used book selling on Amazon. [8:14] Jason’s job with a larger company - handling over 1500 SKUs. [11:08] How the company operates - 5 brands - broad niches [11:47] How this big company does product research. [15:09] How does the company determine the number of units it should start with? [16:25] Using seasonal items to fill in sales gaps within the year. [17:47] What does a launch process look like for this company? [19:16] The use of Amazon PPC for this company’s strategy. [20:26] Jason’s move into Amazon Private Label on his own. [21:42] The things Jason has done in his own company that he doesn’t do at the big company. [22:42] Jason’s product launch process. [24:09] How long does it take Jason to see consistent sales? [25:31] Jason’s business currently runs on 8 SKUs. [26:45] Finding gaps in a market. [28:32] The importance of ranking in Jason’s mind. [29:42] Jason’s thoughts about the new Amazon PPC. [30:24] Is bundling a good way to make more sales? [32:01] Is Amazon becoming too saturated? [34:00] Jason’s thoughts toward the future. [36:11] The importance of reinvesting of your business. [36:56] How do you get rid of products you’re not selling? [38:29] What is Amazon Marketing Services - and how does it work? [46:47] The best place to connect with Jason. [47:80] Scott’s summary of the conversation. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE   Scott and Chris’ free workshop  - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop   www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - the TAS Facebook Community