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Answer: First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry and do not worship God improperly. Third, that we treat God's name with fear and reverence, honoring also his Word and works.Dr. Dave Barker join us on this episode.Each week in 2025, we will discuss a question and answer from the New City Catechism. This podcast aims to be a delightful way to learn devotionally rich doctrine amid daily life. Each episode is produced at Grandview Church in Kitchener, Ontario. To learn more about Grandview Church, and the hosts behind this podcast, (Tim Mudde, Jon Cleland, and Andrew Noble) please visit https://www.grandviewchurch.ca/Note: a free New City Catechism devotional is available here.To learn more about the New City Catechism, as well as access related books, songs, and guides, visit: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/new-city-catechism/
For the audio of the full service, printed sermons, and service bulletins, please go to www.bismarcklutheran.org/sermons-and-bulletins/
The need for commercial marketing teams to understand and better be prepared for their future market conditions is ever more pressing with budgets tightening and competition growing. Those who are able to maximize AI and predictive modeling to shape their journeys and drive towards the answers needed can accelerate growth and ultimate market penetration.
Finally the original trio is back together for the first time in 2023!! Chelsea Recap, Trivia in form of Jeopardy, and more.. This one gets out of control from the get-go! Nothing new to our regular listeners but much faster than normal!
Dying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may. Edit notes: Want to Start a Business? 5 Questions to Answer First With RJ Ledesma Dying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may.
Dying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may. Edit notes: Want to Start a Business?5 Questions to Answer FirstWith RJ LedesmaDying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may. Edit notes: Want to Start a Business? 5 Questions to Answer First With RJ Ledesma Dying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may.
Dying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may. Edit notes: Want to Start a Business?5 Questions to Answer FirstWith RJ LedesmaDying to be your own boss and to finally give in to those entrepreneurial urges and give birth to your very own business? Listen to this mini-master class by serial entrepreneur and venture builder RJ Ledesma, an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, CEO and founder of the award-winning Mercato Centrale, and founder of Bounce Back Philippines. Learn about the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset, facing your fears and “failing forward,” and bouncing back come what may. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Self-employment is one of the most reliable paths to first-generation wealth. Research shows self-employed make up slightly more than 20% of the Australian population, yet account for about 70% of the wealth. The personality of these affluent business owners and entrepreneurs is sharply drawn, so they can be marketed a wide variety of goods and services. Won't Take No for an Answer First and foremost, they view themselves as fiercely independent. They exit, stage left, upon hearing "rules language" in marketing. The fastest way to repel this cohort is to tell them "no, you/we can't do that," and when asked why not, say, "policy." There is a lot of value in being able to say yes to the wealthy. If They Admire You, They'll Reward You with Their Business The self-made wealthy are great admirers of the qualities that got them where they are. Every one of them is doing business with somebody who reminds them of themselves when they were starting out. They reward ingenuity, drive, persistence, and sales acumen. They have a reverence for these virtues. On the flip side, they detest sloth, weakness and wimpiness. Generally Searching for Value as They Define It! They know the value of money, and tend to pride themselves on being smart, getting good deals and bargains, negotiating successfully, even being seen as frugal. While they all have one or two things they will spend wildly on, most abhor waste and have an emotional need to buy smart. Most affluent entrepreneurs harbor a nagging fear of losing it all or having it all taken away from them and finishing up broke. It's important to know that the price these people will pay for something has to do with how right and justified they feel about it. Not about intrinsic value or their ability to pay.
Preacher: Kathy Maskell Heidelberg Catechism Question 20: Question 20: What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit? Answer: First, he is, together with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God. Second, he is also given to me, to make me by true faith share in Christ and all his benefits, to comfort me, and to remain with me forever. Scripture: But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning (John 15:26-27 NKJV). And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me (Acts 20:22, 23 TNIV). You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do (Acts 7:51 NRSV).
Speaker: Justin WheelerSeries: Revelation Contents Spurgeon on Joshua 1.7. From Morning and Evening, May 11................... 2 Spurgeon on Hebrews 12.2. From Morning and Evening, June 28.............. 3 Conformity to the world. From the letters of John Newton........................ 4 The Bruised Reed, chapter 2, by Richard Sibbes (1631)............................ 7 J C Ryle on assurance. From Holiness.................................................... 11 Spurgeon on Joshua 1.7. From Morning and Evening, May 11 "Only be thou strong and very courageous." Joshua 1:7 Our God's tender love for His servants makes Him concerned for the state of their inward feelings. He desires them to be of good courage. Some esteem it a small thing for a believer to be vexed with doubts and fears, but God thinks not so. From this text it is plain that our Master would not have us entangled with fears. He would have us without carefulness, without doubt, without cowardice. Our Master does not think so lightly of our unbelief as we do. When we are desponding we are subject to a grievous malady, not to be trifled with, but to be carried at once to the beloved Physician. Our Lord loveth not to see our countenance sad. It was a law of Ahasuerus that no one should come into the king's court dressed in mourning: this is not the law of the King of kings, for we may come mourning as we are; but still He would have us put off the spirit of heaviness, and put on the garment of praise, for there is much reason to rejoice. The Christian man ought to be of a courageous spirit, in order that he may glorify the Lord by enduring trials in an heroic manner. If he be fearful and fainthearted, it will dishonour his God. Besides, what a bad example it is. This disease of doubtfulness and discouragement is an epidemic which soon spreads amongst the Lord's flock. One downcast believer makes twenty souls sad. Moreover, unless your courage is kept up Satan will be too much for you. Let your spirit be joyful in God your Saviour, the joy of the Lord shall be your strength, and no fiend of hell shall make headway against you: but cowardice throws down the banner. Moreover, labour is light to a man of cheerful spirit; and success waits upon cheerfulness. The man who toils, rejoicing in his God, believing with all his heart, has success guaranteed. He who sows in hope shall reap in joy; therefore, dear reader, "be thou strong, and very courageous." Spurgeon on Hebrews 12.2. From Morning and Evening, June 28 "Looking unto Jesus." Hebrews 12:2 It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee- it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee- it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument- it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee. "My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesu's blood and righteousness: I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesu's name." Conformity to the world. From the letters of John Newton. Conformity to the world "Be not conformed to this world." Romans 12:2 Dear Sir, You will perhaps be surprised to see my thoughts on your query in print, rather than to receive them by the post, as you expected. But as the subject of it is of general concern, I hope you will not be displeased that I have taken this method. It might be of considerable service in the present day, clearly to explain the force of the Apostle's precept, "Be not conformed to this world;" and to state the just boundary between a sinful compliance with the world, and that scrupulous singularity which springs from a self-righteous principle, and a contracted view of the spirit and liberty of the Gospel. To treat this point accurately, would require a treatise rather than a letter: I only undertake to offer you a few hints; and indeed, when the mind is formed to a spiritual taste, a simple desire to be guided by the Word and Spirit of God, together with a due attention to our own experience, will, in most practical cases, supersede the necessity of long and elaborate disquisitions. By the world, in the passage alluded to, Rom. 12:2, I suppose the Apostle means conformity to the men of the world, in distinction from believers: these, not having the love of God in their hearts, or his fear before their eyes, are of course engaged in such pursuits and practices as are inconsistent with our holy calling, and in which we cannot imitate or comply with them, without hurting our peace and our profession. We are therefore bound to avoid conformity to them in all such instances; but we are not obliged to decline all interaction with the world, or to impose restraints upon ourselves, when the Scripture does not restrain us, in order to make us as unlike the world as possible. To instance in a few particulars. It is not necessary, perhaps it is not lawful, wholly to renounce the society of the world. A mistake of this kind took place in the early ages of Christianity, and men (at first, perhaps, with a sincere desire of serving God without distraction) withdrew into deserts and uninhabited places, and wasted their lives at a distance from their fellow-creatures. But unless we could flee from ourselves likewise, this would afford us no advantage; so long as we carry our own wicked hearts with us, we shall be exposed to temptation, go where we will. Besides, this would be thwarting the end of our vocation. Christians are to be the salt and the lights of the world, conspicuous as cities set upon a hill; they are commanded to "let their light shine before men, that they, beholding their good works, may glorify their Father who is in heaven." This injudicious deviation from the paths of nature and providence, gave occasion at length to the vilest abominations; and men who withdrew from the world, under pretense of retirement, became the more wicked and abandoned as they lived more out of public view and observation. Nor are we at liberty, much less are we enjoined, to renounce the duties of relative life, so as to become careless in the discharge of them. Allowances should, indeed, be made for the distresses of people newly awakened, or under the power of temptation, which may for a time so much engross their thoughts as greatly to indispose them for their bounded duty. But, in general, the proper evidence of true Christians is, not merely that they can talk about Divine things, but that, by the grace of God, they live and act agreeable to the rules of his word, in the state in which his providence has placed them, whether as masters or servants, husbands or wives, parents or children; bearing rule, or yielding obedience, as in his sight. Diligence and fidelity in the management of temporal concernments, though observable in the practice of many worldly men, may be maintained without a sinful conformity to the world. Neither are we required to refuse a moderate use of the comforts and conveniences of life, suitable to the station which God has appointed us in the world. The spirit of self-righteousness and will-worship works much in this way, and supposes that there is something excellent in long fasting, in abstaining from pleasant food, in wearing coarser clothes than is customary with those in the same rank of life, and in many other austerities and singularities not commanded by the word of God. And many people, who are in the main sincere, are grievously burdened with scruples respecting the use of lawful things. It is true, there is need of a constant watch, lest what is lawful in itself becomes hurtful to us by its abuse. But these outward strictnesses may be carried to great lengths, without a spark of true grace, and even without the knowledge of the true God. The mortifications and austerities practiced by the Bramins in India are vastly more severe than the most zealous effects of modern superstition in our country. There is a strictness which arises rather from ignorance than knowledge, is wholly taken up with externals, and gratifies the spirit of self as much in one way, as it seems to retrench it in another. A man may almost starve his body to feed his pride: but to those who fear and serve the Lord, every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Notwithstanding these limitations, the precept is very extensive and important. "Be not conformed to the world." As believers, we are strangers and pilgrims upon earth. Heaven is our country, and the Lord is our King. We are to be known and noticed as his subjects; and therefore it is his pleasure, that we do not speak the sinful language, or adopt the sinful customs, of the land in which we sojourn. We are not to conform to the world, as we did in the days of our ignorance. And though we have received the principles of grace, and have tasted of the goodness of the Lord, the admonition is still needful; for we are renewed but in part, and are liable to be drawn aside to our hurt by the prevalence of evil examples and customs around us. We must not conform to the spirit of the world. As members of society, we have a part to act in it, in common with others. But if our business is the same, our principles and ends are to be entirely different. Diligence in our respective callings is, as I have already observed, commendable, and our duty; but not with the same views which stimulate the activity of the men of the world. If they rise early, and take rest late, their endeavors spring from and terminate in self, to establish and increase their own importance, to add house to house, and field to field, that, like the builders of Babel, they may get themselves a name, or provide means for the gratification of their sinful passions. If they succeed, they sacrifice to themselves; if they are crossed in their designs, they are filled with anxiety and impatience; they either murmur or despond. But a Christian is to pursue his lawful calling with an eye to the providence of God, and with submission to his wisdom. Thus, so far as he acts in the exercise of faith, he cannot be disappointed. He casts his care upon his Heavenly Father, who has promised to take care of him. What God gives, he receives with thankfulness, and is careful as a faithful steward to improve it for the furtherance of the cause of God, and the good of mankind. And if he meets with losses and crosses, he is not disconcerted, knowing that all his concerns are under a Divine direction; that the Lord whom he serves, chooses for him better than he could choose for himself; and that his best treasure is safe, out of the reach of the various changes to which all things in the present state are liable. We must not conform to the maxims of the world. The world in various instances calls evil good, and good evil. But we are to have recourse to the law and to the testimony, and to judge of things by the unerring word of God, uninfluenced by the determination of the great, or the many. We are to obey God rather than man, though upon this account we may expect to be despised or reviled, to be made a gazingstock or a laughing-stock to those who set his authority at defiance. We must bear our testimony to the truth as it is in Jesus, avow the cause of his despised people, and walk in the practice of universal obedience, patiently endure reproaches, and labor to overcome evil with good. Thus we shall show that we are not ashamed of Him. And there is an hour coming when he will not be ashamed of us, who have followed him, and borne his cross in the midst of a perverse generation, but will own our worthless names before the assembled world. We must not conform to the world in their amusements and diversions. We are to mix with the world so far as our necessary and providential connections engage us, so far as we have a reasonable expectation of doing or getting good, and no farther. "What fellowship has light with darkness, or what concord has Christ with Belial?" What does a believer have to do into those places and companies, where everything tends to promote a spirit of dissipation; where the fear of God has no place; where things are purposely disposed to inflame or indulge corrupt and sinful appetites and passions, and to banish all serious thoughts of God and ourselves? If it is our duty to redeem time, to walk with God, to do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to follow the example which he set us when he was upon earth, and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; it must of course be our duty to avoid a conformity with the world in those vain and sensual amusements, which stand in as direct contradiction to a spiritual frame of mind, as darkness to light. The leading desires of every person under the influence of Gospel principles, will be, to maintain an habitual communion with God in his own soul, and to manifest the power of his grace in the sight of men. So far as a Christian is infected by a conformity to the spirit, maxims, and sinful customs of the world, these desires will be disappointed. Fire and water are not more opposite, than that peace of God which passes all understanding, and that poor precarious pleasure which is sought in a compliance with the world; a pleasure (if worthy the name) which grieves the Spirit of God, and stultifies the heart. Whoever, after having tasted that the Lord is gracious, has been prevailed on to make the experiment, and to mingle with the world's vanities, has certainly thereby brought a damp upon his experience, and indisposed himself for the exercise of prayer, and the contemplation of Divine truths. And if any are not sensible of a difference in this respect, it is because the poison has taken a still deeper effect, so as to benumb their spiritual senses. Conformity to the world is the bane of many professors in this day. They have found a way, as they think, to serve both God and Mammon. But because they are double-minded, they are unstable; they make no progress; and, notwithstanding their frequent attendance upon ordinances, they are lean from day to day; a form of godliness, a scheme of orthodox notions, they may attain to, but they will remain destitute of the life, power, and comfort of piety, so long as they cleave to those things which are incompatible with it. Conformity to the world is equally an obstruction in the way of those who profess a desire of glorifying God in the sight of men. Such professors do rather dishonor him. By their conduct, as far as in them lies, they declare, that they do not find the religion of the Gospel answer their expectations; that it does not afford them the satisfaction they once hoped for from it; and that therefore they are forced to seek relief from the world. They grieve the people of God by their compliances, and oftentimes they mislead the weak, and by their examples encourage them to venture upon the like liberties, which otherwise they dared not have attempted. They embolden the wicked likewise in their evil ways, while they see a manifest inconsistency between their avowed principles and their practice; and thus they cause the ways of truth to be evil spoken of. The length of this paper constrains me to conclude abruptly. May the Lord enable you and I to lay this subject to heart, and to pray that we may, on the one hand, rightly understand and prize our Christian liberty; and, on the other hand, be preserved from that growing evil—a sinful conformity to the world! The Bruised Reed, chapter 2, by Richard Sibbes (1631) IN PURSUING HIS CALLING, Christ will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, in which more is meant than spoken, for he will not only not break nor quench, but he will cherish those with whom he so deals. CHRIST'S DEALINGS WITH THE BRUISED REED Physicians, though they put their patients to much pain, will not destroy nature, but raise it up by degrees. Surgeons will lance and cut, but not dismember. A mother who has a sick and self willed child will not therefore cast it away. And shall there be more mercy in the stream than in the spring? Shall we think there is more mercy in ourselves than in God, who plants the affection of mercy in us? But for further declaration of Christ's mercy to all bruised reeds, consider the comfortable relationships he has taken upon himself of husband, shepherd and brother, which he will discharge to the utmost. Shall others by his grace fulfill what he calls them unto, and not he who, out of his love, has taken upon him these relationships, so thoroughly founded upon his Father's assignment, and his own voluntary undertaking? Consider the names he has borrowed from the mildest creatures, such as lamb and hen, to show his tender care. Consider his very name Jesus, a Saviour, given him by God himself. Consider his office answerable to his name, which is that he should ‘bind up the broken hearted' (Isa. 61:1). At his baptism the Holy Ghost rested on him in the shape of a dove, to show that he should be a dove like, gentle Mediator. See the gracious way he executes his offices. As a prophet, he came with blessing in his mouth, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt. 5:3), and invited those to come to him whose hearts suggested most exceptions against themselves, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden' (Matt. 11:28). How did his heart yearn when he saw the people ‘as sheep having no shepherd' (Matt. 9:36)! He never turned any back again that came to him, though some went away of themselves. He came to die as a priest for his enemies. In the days of his flesh he dictated a form of prayer unto his disciples, and put petitions unto God into their mouths, and his Spirit to intercede in their hearts. He shed tears for those that shed his blood, and now he makes intercession in heaven for weak Christians, standing between them and God's anger. He is a meek king; he will admit mourners into his presence, a king of poor and afflicted persons. As he has beams of majesty, so he has a heart of mercy and compassion. He is the prince of peace (Isa. 9:6). Why was he tempted, but that he might ‘succor them that are tempted' (Heb. 2:18)? What mercy may we not expect from so gracious a Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) who took our nature upon him that he might be gracious? He is a physician good at all diseases, especially at the binding up of a broken heart. He died that he might heal our souls with a plaster of his own blood, and by that death save us, which we were the procurers of ourselves, by our own sins. And has he not the same heart in heaven? ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' cried the Head in heaven, when the foot on earth was trodden on (Acts 9:4). His advancement has not made him forget his own flesh. Though it has freed him from passion, yet not from compassion towards us. The lion of the tribe of Judah will only tear in pieces those that ‘will not have him rule over them' (Luke 19:14). He will not show his strength against those who prostrate themselves before him. FOR OURSELVES 1. What should we learn from this, but to ‘come boldly to the throne of grace' (Heb. 4:16) in all our grievances? Shall our sins discourage us, when he appears there only for sinners? Are you bruised? Be of good comfort, he calls you. Conceal not your wounds, open all before him and take not Satan's counsel. Go to Christ, although trembling, as the poor woman who said, ‘If I may but touch his garment' (Matt. 9:21). We shall be healed and have a gracious answer. Go boldly to God in our flesh; he is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone for this reason, that we might go boldly to him. Never fear to go to God, since we have such a Mediator with him, who is not only our friend but our brother and husband. Well might the angel proclaim from heaven, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy' (Luke 2:10). Well might the apostle stir us up to ‘rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice' (Phil. 4:4). Paul was well advised upon what grounds he did it. Peace and joy are two main fruits of Christ's kingdom. Let the world be as it will, if we cannot rejoice in the world, yet we may rejoice in the Lord. His presence makes any condition comfortable. ‘Be not afraid,' says he to his disciples, when they were afraid, as if they had seen a ghost, ‘It is I' (Matt. 14:27), as if there were no cause of fear where he was present. 2. Let this support us when we feel ourselves bruised. Christ's way is first to wound, then to heal. No sound, whole soul shall ever enter into heaven. Think when in temptation, Christ was tempted for me; according to my trials will be my graces and comforts. If Christ be so merciful as not to break me, I will not break myself by despair, nor yield myself over to the roaring lion, Satan, to break me in pieces. 3. See the contrary disposition of Christ on the one hand and Satan and his instruments on the other. Satan sets upon us when we are weakest, as Simeon and Levi upon the Shechemites, ‘when they were sore' (Gen. 34:25), but Christ will make up in us all the breaches which sin and Satan have made. He ‘binds up the broken hearted' (Isa. 61:1). As a mother is tenderest to the most diseased and weakest child, so does Christ most mercifully incline to the weakest. Likewise he puts an instinct into the weakest things to rely upon something stronger than themselves for support. The vine stays itself upon the elm, and the weakest creatures often have the strongest shelters. The consciousness of the church's weakness makes her willing to lean on her beloved, and to hide herself under his wing. WHO ARE THE BRUISED REEDS? But how shall we know whether we are such as may expect mercy? Answer: (1) By the bruised here is not meant those that are brought low only by crosses, but such as, by them, are brought to see their sin, which bruises most of all. When conscience is under the guilt of sin, then every judgment brings a report of God's anger to the soul, and all lesser troubles run into this great trouble of conscience for sin. As all corrupt humours run to the diseased and bruised part of the body, and as every creditor falls upon the debtor when he is once arrested, so when conscience is once awakened, all former sins and present crosses join together to make the bruise the more painful. Now, he that is thus bruised will be content with nothing but with mercy from him who has bruised him. He has wounded, and he must heal (Hos. 6:1). The Lord who has bruised me deservedly for my sins must bind up my heart again. (2) Again, a man truly bruised judges sin the greatest evil, and the favor of God the greatest good. (3) He would rather hear of mercy than of a kingdom. (4) He has poor opinions of himself, and thinks that he is not worth the earth he treads on. (5) Towards others he is not censorious, as being taken up at home, but is full of sympathy and compassion to those who are under God's hand. (6) He thinks that those who walk in the comforts of God's Spirit are the happiest men in the world. (7) He trembles at the Word of God (Isa. 66:2), and honours the very feet of those blessed instruments that bring peace unto him (Rom. 10:15). (8) He is more taken up with the inward exercises of a broken heart than with formality, and is yet careful to use all sanctified means to convey comfort. But how shall we come to this state of mind? Answer: First, we must conceive of bruising either as a state into which God brings us, or as a duty to be performed by us. Both are here meant. We must join with God in bruising ourselves. When he humbles us, let us humble ourselves, and not stand out against him, for then he will redouble his strokes. Let us justify Christ in all his chastisements, knowing that all his dealing towards us is to cause us to return into our own hearts. His work in bruising tends to our work in bruising ourselves. Let us lament our own perversity, and say: Lord, what a heart have I that needs all this, that none of this could be spared! We must lay siege to the hardness of our own hearts, and aggravate sin all we can. We must look on Christ, who was bruised for us, look on him whom we have pierced with our sins. But all directions will not prevail, unless God by his Spirit convinces us deeply, setting our sins before us, and driving us to a standstill. Then we will cry out for mercy. Conviction will breed contrition, and this leads to humiliation. Therefore desire God that he would bring a clear and a strong light into all the corners of our souls, and accompany it with a spirit of power to lay our hearts low. A set measure of bruising of ourselves cannot be prescribed, but it must be so far as (1) that we may prize Christ above all, and see that a Saviour must be had; and (2) that we reform that which is amiss, though it be to the cutting off of our right hand, or pulling out of our right eye. There is a dangerous slighting of the work of humiliation, some alleging this for a pretence for their casual dealing with their own hearts, that Christ will not break the bruised reed; but such must know that every sudden terror and short grief is not that which makes us bruised reeds; not a little ‘bowing down our heads like a bulrush' (Isa. 58:5), but a working our hearts to such a grief as will make sin more odious unto us than punishment, until we offer a ‘holy violence' against it. Else, favouring ourselves, we make work for God to bruise us, and for sharp repentance afterwards. It is dangerous, I confess, in some cases, with some spirits, to press too much and too long this bruising, because they may die under the wound and burden before they be raised up again. Therefore it is good in mixed assemblies to mingle comfort that every soul may have its due portion. But if we have this for a foundation truth, that there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us, there can be no danger in thorough dealing. It is better to go bruised to heaven than sound to hell. Therefore let us not take off ourselves too soon, nor pull off the plaster before the cure be wrought, but keep ourselves under this work till sin be the sourest, and Christ the sweetest, of all things. And when God's hand is upon us in any way, it is good to divert our sorrow for other things to the root of all, which is sin. Let our grief run most in that channel, that as sin bred grief, so grief may consume sin. But are we not bruised unless we grieve more for sin than we do for punishment? Answer: Sometimes our grief from outward grievances may lie heavier upon the soul than grief for God's displeasure, because, in such cases, the grief works upon the whole man, both outward and inward, and has nothing to support it, but a little spark of faith. This faith, by reason of the violent impression of the grievance, is suspended in the exercises of it. This is most felt in sudden distresses which come upon the soul as a torrent or land flood, and especially in bodily sicknesses which, by reason of the sympathy between the soul and the body, work upon the soul so far as to hinder not only the spiritual, but often the natural acts. Therefore, James wishes us in affliction to pray ourselves, but in case of sickness to ‘send for the elders' (James 5:14). These may, as those in the Gospels, offer up to God in their prayers the sick person who is unable to present his own case. Hereupon God admits of such a plea from the sharpness and bitterness of the grievance, as in David (Psa. 6). The Lord knows our frame; he remembers that we are but dust (Psa. 103:14), that our strength is not the strength of steel. This is a branch of his faithfulness to us as his creatures, whence he is called ‘a faithful Creator' (1 Pet. 4:19). ‘God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able' (1 Cor. 10:13). There were certain commandments which the Jews called the hedges of the law. So as to fence men off from cruelty, God commanded that they should not take the dame with the young, nor ‘seethe a kid in his mother's milk' (Exod. 23:19), nor ‘muzzle the mouth of the ox' (1 Cor. 9:9). Does God take care of beasts, and not of his more noble creature? And therefore we ought to judge charitably of the complaints of God's people which are wrung from them in such cases. Job had the esteem with God of a patient man, notwithstanding those passionate complaints. Faith overborne for the present will gain ground again; and grief for sin, although it come short of grief for misery in terms of violence, yet it goes beyond it in constancy; as a running stream fed with a spring holds out, when a sudden swelling brook fails. For the concluding of this point, and our encouragement to a thorough work of bruising, and patience under God's bruising of us, let all know that none are fitter for comfort than those that think themselves furthest off. Men, for the most part, are not lost enough in their own feeling for a Saviour. A holy despair in ourselves is the ground of true hope. In God the fatherless find mercy (Hos. 14:3); if men were more fatherless, they should feel more God's fatherly affection from heaven, for the God who dwells in the highest heavens dwells likewise in the lowest soul (Isa. 57:15). Christ's sheep are weak sheep, and lacking in something or other; he therefore applies himself to the necessities of every sheep. He seeks that which was lost, and brings again that which was driven out of the way, and binds up that which was broken, and strengthens the weak (Ezek. 34:16). His tenderest care is over the weakest. The lambs he carries in his bosom (Isa. 40:11). He says to Peter, ‘Feed my lambs' (John 21:15). He was most familiar and open to troubled souls. How careful he was that Peter and the rest of the apostles should not be too much dejected after his resurrection! ‘Go your way, tell his disciples and Peter' (Mark 16:7). Christ knew that guilt of their unkindness in leaving of him had dejected their spirits. How gently did he endure the unbelief of Thomas and stooped so far unto his weakness, as to suffer him to thrust his hand into his side. J C Ryle on assurance. From Holiness. 4. Some probable causes why an assured hope is so seldom attained This is a very serious question and ought to raise in all of us great searchings of heart. Few, certainly, of Christ's people seem to reach up to this blessed spirit of assurance. Many comparatively believe, but few are persuaded. Many comparatively have saving faith, but few that glorious confidence which shines forth in the language of St. Paul. That such is the case, I think we must all allow. Now, why is this so? Why is a thing, which two apostles have strongly enjoined us to seek after, a thing of which few believers have any experimental knowledge in these latter days? Why is an assured hope so rare? I desire to offer a few suggestions on this point, with all humility. I know that many have never attained assurance, at whose feet I would gladly sit both in earth and heaven. Perhaps the Lord sees something in the natural temperament of some of His children which makes assurance not good for them. Perhaps, in order to be kept in spiritual health, they need to be kept very low. God only knows. Still, after every allowance, I fear there are many believers without an assured hope, whose case may too often be explained by causes such as these. 1. One most common cause, I suspect, is a defective view of the doctrine of justification. I am inclined to think that justification and sanctification are insensibly confused together in the minds of many believers. They receive the gospel truth, that there must be something done in us as well as something done for us, if we are true members of Christ: and so far they are right. But then, without being aware of it, perhaps, they seem to imbibe the idea that their justification is, in some degree, affected by something within themselves. They do not clearly see that Christ's work, not their own work—either in whole or in part, either directly or indirectly—is the only ground of our acceptance with God: that justification is a thing entirely without us, for which nothing whatever is needful on our part but simple faith and that the weakest believer is as fully and completely justified as the strongest. Many appear to forget that we are saved and justified as sinners, and only sinners, and that we never can attain to anything higher, if we live to the age of Methuselah. Redeemed sinners, justified sinners and renewed sinners doubtless we must be—but sinners, sinners, sinners, we shall be always to the very last. They do not seem to comprehend that there is a wide difference between our justification and our sanctification. Our justification is a perfect finished work and admits of no degrees. Our sanctification is imperfect and incomplete and will be so to the last hour of our life. They appear to expect that a believer may at some period of his life be in a measure free from corruption, and attain to a kind of inward perfection. And not finding this angelic state of things in their own hearts, they at once conclude there must be something very wrong in their state. And so they go mourning all their days, oppressed with fears that they have no part or lot in Christ, and refusing to be comforted. Let us weigh this point well. If any believing soul desires assurance and has not got it, let him ask himself, first of all, if he is quite sure he is sound in the faith, if he knows how to distinguish things that differ and if his eyes are thoroughly clear in the matter of justification. He must know what it is simply to believe and to be justified by faith before he can expect to feel assured. In this matter, as well as in many others, the old Galatian heresy is the most fertile source of error, both in doctrine and in practice. People ought to seek clearer views of Christ and what Christ has done for them. Happy is the man who really understands "justification by faith without the deeds of the law." 2. Another common cause of the absence of assurance is slothfulness about growth in grace. I suspect many true believers hold dangerous and unscriptural views on this point; I do not, of course, mean intentionally, but they do hold them. Many appear to think that, once converted, they have little more to attend to, and that a state of salvation is a kind of easy chair in which they may just sit still, lie back and be happy. They seem to fancy that grace is given them that they may enjoy it; and they forget that it is given, like a talent, to be used, employed and improved. Such persons lose sight of the many direct injunctions to increase, to grow, to abound more and more, to add to our faith, and the like; and in this little–doing condition, this sitting–still state of mind, I never marvel that they miss assurance. I believe it ought to be our continual aim and desire to go forward, and our watchword on every returning birthday and at the beginning of every year should be "more and more" (1 Thess. 4:1): more knowledge, more faith, more obedience, more love. If we have brought forth thirty-fold, we should seek to bring forth sixty; and if we have brought forth sixty, we should strive to bring forth a hundred. The will of the Lord is our sanctification, and it ought to be our will too (Matt. 13:23; 1 Thess. 4:3). One thing, at all events, we may depend upon—there is an inseparable connection between diligence and assurance. "Give diligence," says Peter, "to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). "We desire," says Paul, "that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end" (Heb. 6:11). "The soul of the diligent," says Solomon, "shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4). There is much truth in the old maxim of the Puritans: "Faith of adherence comes by hearing, but faith of assurance comes not without doing." Is any reader of this message one of those who desire assurance, but have not got it? Mark my words. You will never get it without diligence, however much you may desire it. There are no gains without pains in spiritual things, any more than in temporal. "The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing" (Prov. 13:4). 3. Another common cause of a want of assurance is an inconsistent walk in life. With grief and sorrow I feel constrained to say that I fear nothing more frequently prevents men attaining an assured hope than this. The stream of professing Christianity in this day is far wider than it formerly was, and I am afraid we must admit at the same time it is much less deep. Inconsistency of life is utterly destructive of peace of conscience. The two things are incompatible. They cannot and they will not go together. If you will have your besetting sins and cannot make up your minds to give them up, if you will shrink from cutting off the right hand and plucking out the right eye when occasion requires it, I will engage you will have no assurance. A vacillating walk, a backwardness to take a bold and decided line, a readiness to conform to the world, a hesitating witness for Christ, a lingering tone of religion, a clinching from a high standard of holiness and spiritual life, all these make up a sure receipt for bringing a blight upon the garden of your soul. It is vain to suppose you will feel assured and persuaded of your own pardon and acceptance with God, unless you count all God's commandments concerning all things to be right, and hate every sin, whether great or small (Ps. 119:128). One Achan allowed in the camp of your heart will weaken your hands and lay your consolations low in the dust. You must be daily sowing to the Spirit, if you are to reap the witness of the Spirit. You will not find and feel that all the Lord's ways are ways of pleasantness unless you labor in all your ways to please the Lord. I bless God that our salvation in no wise depends on our own works. By grace we are saved—not by works of righteousness—through faith, without the deeds of the law. But I never would have any believer for a moment forget that our sense of salvation depends much on the manner of our living. Inconsistency will dim our eyes and bring clouds between us and the sun. The sun is the same behind the clouds, but you will not be able to see its brightness or enjoy its warmth; and your soul will be gloomy and cold. It is in the path of well–doing that the dayspring of assurance will visit you and shine down upon your heart. "The secret of the Lord," says David, "is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant" (Ps. 25:14). "To him that orders his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God" (Ps. 50:23). "Great peace have they which love Your law, and nothing shall offend them" (Ps. 119:165). "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another" (1 John 1:7). "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth; and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:18, 19). "Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (1 John 2:3). Paul was a man who exercised himself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man (Acts 24:16). He could say with boldness, "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith." I do not therefore wonder that the Lord enabled him to add with confidence, "Henceforth there is a crown laid up for me, and the Lord shall give it me at that day." If any believer in the Lord Jesus desires assurance and has not got it, let him think over this point also. Let him look at his own heart, look at his own conscience, look at his own life, look at his own ways, look at his own home. And perhaps when he has done that, he will be able to say, "There is a cause why I have no assured hope." I leave the three matters I have just mentioned to the private consideration of every reader of this message. I am sure they are worth examining. May we examine them honestly. And may the Lord give us understanding in all things. 1. And now in closing this important inquiry, let me speak first to those readers who have not yet given themselves to the Lord, who have not yet come out from the world, chosen the good part and followed Christ. I ask you then to learn from this subject the privileges and comforts of a true Christian. I would not have you judge of the Lord Jesus Christ by His people. The best of servants can give you but a faint idea of that glorious Master. Neither would I have you judge of the privileges of His kingdom by the measure of comfort to which many of His people attain. Alas, we are most of us poor creatures! We come short, very short, of the blessedness we might enjoy. But, depend upon it, there are glorious things in the city of our God, which they who have an assured hope taste, even in their lifetime. There are lengths and breadths of peace and consolation there, which it has not entered into your heart to conceive. There is bread enough and to spare in our Father's house, though many of us certainly eat but little of it, and continue weak. But the fault must not be laid to our Master's charge: it is all our own. And, after all, the weakest child of God has a mine of comforts within him, of which you know nothing. You see the conflicts and tossings of the surface of his heart, but you see not the pearls of great price which are hidden in the depths below. The feeblest member of Christ would not change conditions with you. The believer who possesses the least assurance is far better off than you are. He has a hope, however faint, but you have none at all. He has a portion that will never be taken from him, a Savior that will never forsake him, a treasure that fades not away, however little he may realize it all at present. But, as for you, if you die as you are, your expectations will all perish. Oh, that you were wise! Oh, that you understood these things! Oh, that you would consider your latter end! I feel deeply for you in these latter days of the world, if I ever did. I feel deeply for those whose treasure is all on earth and whose hopes are all on this side of the grave. Yes! When I see old kingdoms and dynasties shaking to the very foundation; when I see, as we all saw a few years ago, kings and princes and rich men and great men fleeing for their lives and scarce knowing where to hide their heads; when I see property dependent on public confidence melting like snow in spring, and public stocks and funds losing their value—when I see these things, I feel deeply for those who have no better portion than this world can give them and no place in that kingdom which cannot be removed. Take advice of a minister of Christ this very day. Seek durable riches, a treasure that cannot be taken from you, a city which has lasting foundations. Do as the apostle Paul did. Give yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, and seek that incorruptible crown He is ready to bestow. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him. Come away from a world which will never really satisfy you and from sin which will bite like a serpent, if you cleave to it, at last. Come to the Lord Jesus as lowly sinners; and He will receive you, pardon you, give you His renewing Spirit, fill you with peace. This shall give you more real comfort than the world has ever done. There is a gulf in your heart which nothing but the peace of Christ can fill. Enter in and share our privileges. Come with us, and sit down by our side. 2. Lastly, let me turn to all believers who read these pages and speak to them a few words of brotherly counsel. The main thing that I urge upon you is this: if you have not got an assured hope of your own acceptance in Christ, resolve this day to seek it. Labor for it. Strive after it. Pray for it. Give the Lord no rest until you "know whom you have believed." I feel, indeed, that the small amount of assurance in this day, among those who are reckoned God's children, is a shame and a reproach. "It is a thing to be heavily bewailed," says old Traill, "that many Christians have lived twenty or forty years since Christ called them by His grace, yet doubting in their life." Let us call to mind the earnest "desire" Paul expresses, that "every one" of the Hebrews should seek after full assurance; and let us endeavor, by God's blessing, to roll this reproach away (Heb. 6:11). Believing reader, do you really mean to say that you have no desire to exchange hope for confidence, trust for persuasion, uncertainty for knowledge? Because weak faith will save you, will you therefore rest content with it? Because assurance is not essential to your entrance into heaven, will you therefore be satisfied without it upon earth? Alas, this is not a healthy state of soul to be in; this is not the mind of the apostolic day! Arise at once and go forward. Stick not at the foundations of religion: go on to perfection. Be not content with a day of small things. Never despise it in others, but never be content with it yourself. Believe me, believe me, assurance is worth the seeking. You forsake your own mercies when you rest content without it. The things I speak are for your peace. If it is good to be sure in earthly things, how much better is it to be sure in heavenly things! Your salvation is a fixed and certain thing. God knows it. Why should not you seek to know it too? There is nothing unscriptural in this. Paul never saw the book of life, and yet Paul says, "I know and am persuaded." Make it then your daily prayer that you may have an increase of faith. According to your faith will be your peace. Cultivate that blessed root more, and sooner or later, by God's blessing, you may hope to have the flower. You may not perhaps attain to full assurance all at once. It is good sometimes to be kept waiting: we do not value things which we get without trouble. But though it tarry, wait for it. Seek on, and expect to find. There is one thing, however, of which I would not have you ignorant: you must not be surprised if you have occasional doubts after you have got assurance. You must not forget you are on earth, and not yet in heaven. You are still in the body and have indwelling sin; the flesh will lust against the spirit to the very end. The leprosy will never be out of the walls of the old house until death takes it down. And there is a devil, too, and a strong devil—a devil who tempted the Lord Jesus, and gave Peter a fall, and he will take care you know it. Some doubts there always will be. He who never doubts has nothing to lose. He who never fears possesses nothing truly valuable. He who is never jealous knows little of deep love. But be not discouraged: you shall be more than conqueror through Him that loved you. Finally, do not forget that assurance is a thing which may be lost for a season, even by the brightest Christians, unless they take care. Assurance is a most delicate plant. It needs daily, hourly watching, watering, tending, cherishing. So watch and pray the more when you have got it. As Rutherford says, "Make much of assurance." Be always upon your guard. When Christian slept in the arbor, in Pilgrim's Progress, he lost his certificate. Keep that in mind. David lost assurance for many months by falling into transgression. Peter lost it when he denied his Lord. Each found it again undoubtedly, but not until after bitter tears. Spiritual darkness comes on horseback and goes away on foot. It is upon us before we know that it is coming. It leaves us slowly, gradually, and not until after many days. It is easy to run downhill. It is hard work to climb up. So remember my caution—when you have the joy of the Lord, watch and pray. Above all, grieve not the Spirit. Quench not the Spirit. Vex not the Spirit. Drive Him not to a distance by tampering with small bad habits and little sins. Little jarrings between husbands and wives make unhappy homes; and petty inconsistencies, known and allowed, will bring in a strangeness between you and the Spirit. Hear the conclusion of the whole matter—the man who walks with God in Christ most closely will generally be kept in the greatest peace. The believer who follows the Lord most fully and aims at the highest degree of holiness will ordinarily enjoy the most assured hope and have the clearest persuasion of his own salvation. Permalink
Today's Listener Question: How do I navigate being touched out by a child without ignoring my partner's needs? Answer: First we need to define what being touched out means. Being touched out is when you feel irritable because you have been touched by your partner and or child and have lost your sense of autonomy. Simply put, you don't want any more physical touch. Remember you are not alone. Some even cringe because they are dreading being touched. This can lead you to feel that your body isn't yours any longer. You should consider having some time for yourself and so you can be present in your own body. Consider Accelerators and Brakes. Accelerators are enticing you to physical touch. Brakes can cause you to refrain from physical touch. Discuss what are your Accelerators and Brakes. You can then try to decide how to get more accelerators and less brakes. Good Risings is a mindset. Join Elizabeth Earnshaw for a daily dose of Advice. Presented By: Cavalry Audio. Producers: Jason Seagraves & Margot Carmichael. Audio Editing: Revision Sound. Music: Gramoscope Music. Show Notes by: Brett Burris Executive Producers: Elizabeth Earnshaw, Dana Brunetti & Keegan Rosenberger. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com You can now search all of the Good Risings episodes on Fathom.fm/GoodRisings! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Steve starts out the podcast talking about various PGA Tour topics including his opinion of the wild scene at the Par 3 #16 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Michael Pius, PGA from First Tee Upstate joins Steve on the podcast to discuss upcoming programs for First Tee, a fantastic golf trip raffle, and reminding you about all the great things First Tee has to offer to the youth in the game of golf. Visit their website at firstteeupstate.org. https://firstteeupstate.org/2022GolfTrip/ In this Q&A episode, Steve answers the following questions: What is C.O.R. Embedded ball in the rough Immovable object in a penalty area Water in a bunker Should you pause at the top of your backswing Dealing with frustration on the course. Thank you to Pure on Main for sponsoring this podcast! Live a healthier life by achieving whole body wellness the all-natural way with the help of Pure On Main! Visit their website at www.pureonmain.com and start feeling better and living a healthier life! www.taylormadegolf.com www.crosscreekgolfclubsc.com www.goforthgolfinstruction.com
One of the greatest benefits of audio shows is the ability of remote podcast recording. The ability to bring any hosts, guests, etc. together for a podcast is easily one of the most advantageous factors of the medium. And it can be quite easy. We recommend some tips for any remote recording you'll be doing for your show. Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Live Facebook recording. News Headliner now helps you post to YouTube automatically. Remember, they're a partner of ours! Amazon Music launches synchronized transcripts for podcasts Almost half of podcast listeners in the U.S listen to an indie podcast at least once a week Congratulations to Bradley Tirpak, the new CEO of Libsyn Inc. National Podcast Posting Month is going on for the month of November, http://napodpomo.org. (Mike is doing it this year with Mike Dell's World) Best Practice Remote recording of podcast guests (or if you are a guest) Do not use Bluetooth or wifi to record interviews. Use a wired connection to a computer. Wifi can lag in time causing uncomfortable gaps and talking over each other. Do not use Apple AirPods or any other Bluetooth microphone or headset. Bluetooth lag can be as bad as wifi lag Use a USB microphone if possible. Some hosts have a couple of mics they will send out to guests before interviews. Or call in using a cell phone, the audio will be better that way. Be sure to do a quick test record. Blubrry News Blog post: How to be a great podcast guest - by Meryl Klemow Our next webinar, Podcasting With WordPress and PowerPress is Nov. 30th at 3:30pm Getting closer to the big stats update! Stay tuned. PowerPress 8.7.5 is out. More bug fixes Be sure to follow us on social. Our interns Mandy and Chau are knocking it out of the park on Instagram and TikTok (and all the rest). Blubrry Pro Tip It's all about cross-promotion. Question(s) of the Week Question: How can I get a PowerPress shortcode to work on the WordPress web page to show a list of the recent episodes? Answer: First, Enable the “PowerPress Playlist” in the advanced menu of PowerPress settings. Then, put shortcode on the page you want to use it on. That will, by default, give you a list of the last 10 episodes. You can change the number of episodes and a few other things by adding to the shortcode. Information about all the options are on this page. Bonus Support Topic: Put your email in your feed settings. ______________ Got a question you'd like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to mike@blubrry.com (audio, text, video) and we may use it. The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls. ______________ Coming to you this week from the New Media Studios in southern Michigan and Mike Dell's World Studio in northern Michigan. Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email todd@blubrry.com Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email mike@blubrry.com Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package. Our mailing address is: Blubrry – MacKenzie 150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180 Columbus, Ohio 43235
One of the greatest benefits of audio shows is the ability of remote podcast recording. The ability to bring any hosts, guests, etc. together for a podcast is easily one of the most advantageous factors of the medium. And it can be quite easy. We recommend some tips for any remote recording you'll be doing for your show. Thanks for joining us on this episode of Podcast Insider. Looking to be a guest on the show? Let us know. Live Facebook recording. News Headliner now helps you post to YouTube automatically. Remember, they're a partner of ours! Amazon Music launches synchronized transcripts for podcasts Almost half of podcast listeners in the U.S listen to an indie podcast at least once a week Congratulations to Bradley Tirpak, the new CEO of Libsyn Inc. National Podcast Posting Month is going on for the month of November, http://napodpomo.org. (Mike is doing it this year with Mike Dell's World) Best Practice Remote recording of podcast guests (or if you are a guest) Do not use Bluetooth or wifi to record interviews. Use a wired connection to a computer. Wifi can lag in time causing uncomfortable gaps and talking over each other. Do not use Apple AirPods or any other Bluetooth microphone or headset. Bluetooth lag can be as bad as wifi lag Use a USB microphone if possible. Some hosts have a couple of mics they will send out to guests before interviews. Or call in using a cell phone, the audio will be better that way. Be sure to do a quick test record. Blubrry News Blog post: How to be a great podcast guest - by Meryl Klemow Our next webinar, Podcasting With WordPress and PowerPress is Nov. 30th at 3:30pm Getting closer to the big stats update! Stay tuned. PowerPress 8.7.5 is out. More bug fixes Be sure to follow us on social. Our interns Mandy and Chau are knocking it out of the park on Instagram and TikTok (and all the rest). Blubrry Pro Tip It's all about cross-promotion. Question(s) of the Week Question: How can I get a PowerPress shortcode to work on the WordPress web page to show a list of the recent episodes? Answer: First, Enable the “PowerPress Playlist” in the advanced menu of PowerPress settings. Then, put shortcode on the page you want to use it on. That will, by default, give you a list of the last 10 episodes. You can change the number of episodes and a few other things by adding to the shortcode. Information about all the options are on this page. Bonus Support Topic: Put your email in your feed settings. ______________ Got a question you'd like us to answer on the show? Drop an email to mike@blubrry.com (audio, text, video) and we may use it. The best place for support with any Blubrry products/services is our ticket system (https://blubrry.com/support/). Tickets give the whole team access rather than direct emails or calls. ______________ Coming to you this week from the New Media Studios in southern Michigan and Mike Dell's World Studio in northern Michigan. Produced by the Blubrry Pro-Production team. Schedule a one-on-one with Todd (hosting customers only). Email todd@blubrry.com Schedule a tech checkup with Mike (hosting customers only). Email mike@blubrry.com Send us your podcast sticker and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and we will send you a Blubrry care package. Our mailing address is: Blubrry – MacKenzie 150 E. Campus View Blvd. #180 Columbus, Ohio 43235
Core training...it's not what you think it is. Core training is often recommended for getting those pesky rib flares to go away, and MOS DEF going to eliminate that anterior pelvic tilt… Right? RIGHT??!!? Uh, no fam. There are tons of misconceptions surrounding core training, the stack, and all that mess. Believe it or not: Rib flares and anterior pelvic tilt have NOTHING to do with a weak core A posterior tilt doesn't always equate with a counternutated sacrum You don't have to maintain a particular “core” position with every activity ever!!!!!! So then what does core training entail? Check out Movement Debrief Episode 150 here to find out! If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) October 23rd-24th, Philadelphia, PA (Early bird ends September 26th at 11:55pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] Or check out this little teaser for Human Matrix home study. Best part is if you attend the live course you'll get this bad boy for free! Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. The movements of the sacroiliac joint - A great study outlining what positions the sacrum is in within various postures. Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - The spot that I work at in Las Vegas. The Difference Between Spinal and Pelvic Motion - A great debrief that will help you refine and get the most out of your posterior pelvic tilt. Bill Hartman - Daddy-O Pops. He has been my biggest mentor. Is Spinal Flexion Bad? - Here, I debunk the supposed unsafe spinal flexion that we do. InstantPot - An absolute must in your cooking repertoire. Does a rib flare mean my core is weak? Question: I have anterior pelvic tilt as well, and one thing that I often hear about treating anterior pelvic tilt and rib flare is to strengthen your core. I guess I'm wondering how to go about core exercises with my narrow ISA. Often times when I exercise my core, my upper obliques want to do all the work, which squeezes my ribs together and makes my ISA narrower. Do you think that as of right now, I should just stop doing all core exercises to prevent this, or should I continue to do the more standard types of core exercises like planks and dead-bugs? Watch the answer here. Answer: Before we go through what to do for my main man Bob, we need to clear the air on a few different pieces: Anterior pelvic tilt is normal to see when you are standing upright. According to this study, the sacrum is nutated during standing. The key is to restore any loss of movement that may be occurring versus static posture. Anterior pelvic tilt and rib flare does not occur because of a lack of core strength. We don't have any evidence to point to a specific or series of causes for the body assuming the aforementioned positions. If I had to hedge my bets, my thought would be these orientations occur because of one's genetic structure and attempting to manage internal anatomy to maintain being upright against gravity. This position doesn't weaken the abdominal muscles but eccentrically orients the abdominal wall, more so the lower portions. This orientation would reduce force production at the abs to alter the position. A similar situation to the abs would be trying to do a bicep curl from an extended elbow as opposed to 90 degrees of elbow flexion. We can all agree that it's much harder to perform the bicep curl when the arm is fully straight compared to when the elbow is bent 90 degrees. [caption id="attachment_13955" align="alignnone" width="785"] Trust me, I've done extensive research on bicep curls, how else would these gains exist???).[/caption] However, we don't say that it's harder because the bicep is weak. The curl is more difficult because of the starting position. So too with the abs when you see a rib flare and anterior pelvic tilt. In this orientation, the diaphragm is descended far (concentric), which places the lower abs in an eccentric orientation, as these muscles act in opposing fashion during respiration. This position is especially the case with a narrow infrasternal angle, as the diaphragm is descended further in comparison to a wide infrasternal angle. This narrower angle will give the upper abs a bit more leverage than the lower, hence why when Bob does his core exercises it's all upper obliques all...day...every...day. The "fix" isn't to stop all core training, but to perform activities that act in opposition to this current movement behavior. The first step is to stack Watch how to stack here. What the stack aims to do is the exact opposite movement strategy that our caller refers to: Posteriorly tilt the pelvis instead of anteriorly tilt Restore relative sacral motion by breathing Fully exhale to reduce rib flare and make infrasternal angle dynamic You might start with a move that helps drive each of these positions without compensatory strategies. The hooklying tilt with a one-arm reach might be a great starting point. From here, it's just a matter of being able to demonstrate a wide variety of movements without falling into these compensatory strategies. That would include lower body work like squats, split squats, hinges; and upper body stuff like pushes and pulls. This training could even extend to higher-speed activities or other terminal tasks. All traditional "core training" serves for in my opinion is a lower level drill to teach your body to move while expressing desirable movement options. Take a half-kneeling cable chop for example. Instead of thinking this move is great for them oblique gains. Think that I am teaching my body to rotate in a split stance position. I can use these activities to aid in shifting into the downside hip, which is important to loading a cut if we related this to a terminal task. If you think of core exercises as a build-up to a greater purpose or task, then NO ONE will mess with you :) Why do we drive a posterior tilt? Question: I am very confused about core training. Why do we maintain posterior tilt throughout the range, when in real life the sacrum would nutate with hip extension? Watch the answer here. Answer: The reason is that most of us wonderful fam have a bias towards anterior pelvic tilt that we struggle to overcome. We would know that this orientation would be struggle bus because of the range of motion loss in the hip joint. What the posterior tilt does is it helps teach the individual to be able to move the pelvis in the opposite direction of their current bias. The hope would be that this helps restore some movement loss in the lower extremities. Now, Mohamed is correct. The sacrum ought to relatively nutate when in hip extension, and counternutate with the hip flexed. However, there is an important nuance to know that we are leaving out of the equation: The tuck does NOT counternutate the sacrum There is only about 2 degrees of available motion in the sacroiliac joint. So to think that we can isolate nutation and counternutation by a posterior tilt is highly unlikely. We aren't that precise of movers. Yet restoring these motions is important when creating a dynamic pelvis. So how in the heck do we nutate and counternutate like bosses? What drives these sacroiliac movements? The answer: breathing. Nutation and counternutation occur by tension changes in the pelvic floor. The relative tension and shape of the pelvic floor os determined by the natural visceral movement that occurs with breathing. That's why you cannot tuck alone and hope for the best. Ensuring you have the breathing portion down pat, the top part of the stack, is key to driving this motion. That said, I don't expect peeps to make sure that the pelvis is just so and the ribcage must be in the perfect position before doing any movement or else they'll die! That's unrealistic, unnecessary, and counterproductive when it comes to dynamic and explosive movements. [caption id="attachment_13956" align="alignnone" width="810"] Just ain't gonna cut it! (Image by Alexandra Voicu from Pixabay)[/caption] What's important is the body is moving in the directions necessary to maximize force production for a given task. If you are trying to jump as high as possible with little ground contact, you want vertical pelvis displacement, not bending over at the waist and knocking the knees together. If you are cutting and changing direction, your body needs to change levels and lower in position, again, not drastically anteriorly tilt the pelvis and staying too high into the cut. If you are explosively rotating as in a golf swing, dumping the pelvis forward restricts range at the hips and will limit your ability to rotate fully. All of these examples can be improved with technical coaching and appropriate drill selection that produces the desired outcome. This could be using resistance to assist to slow down people in specific directions. limiting motion with boxes, and many other things. Slow speed exercises, however, are the prime time to focus on stacking and breathing, as technique can be better emphasized. The hope would be that this strategy increases movement options and helps build context to be used in terminal tasks. Personally, I've found by emphasizing stacking and such in slow speed and with appropriate fast speed drill selection, you can marry both worlds effectively. Ab contractions during gait Question: Thoughts on abdominal activity during gait. Answer: The abs should be active during the gait cycle, as your obliques are your big trunk rotators. HOWEVER! Gait should be a fairly automatic activity, so you shouldn't have to actively tense them during gait. This may impact your movement capabilities. The most that I'll do is encourage someone to swing their arms or develop awareness of heel contact when they step. Breathing exercises with hypertension? Question: Are the breathing exercises I do safe for people with high blood pressure? Watch the answer here. Answer: HELL TO THE YES. The breathing activity that we have to be most careful of is the valsalva maneuver, where you take a big breath of air in and exhale against a closed glottis. Essentially, this strategy creates a high pressure environment in the body, which is useful when lifting heavy ass weights. The problem, however, is that this action increases blood pressure considerably. So for those with hypertension and heart disease, it is often avoided. The easy breathing exercises that I encourage, whether gentle nasal breathing (which can reduce blood pressure), or even exhaling with a controlled pause, are safe. And the reason why they are safe is because you are not creating a high pressure environment within the body during these activities, and blood pressure doesn't raise up (#joshgroban). Are crunches and situps useful? Question: Do crunches even have a purpose? Is it better to do planks, glute-focused core training, and dead bugs? Watch the answer here. Answer: First off, spinal flexion is totally safe. The in vivo evidence seems to suggest very much so. Though safety is there, are crunches, situps, and the like useful? In certain instances, yes. What a crunch or a situp can do is encourage segmental flexion within the spine; aka posterior expansion. This maneuver, however, can be quite difficult for someone who has TONS of anterior expansion. They may not be able to push their stuff posteriorly, which can limit situp efficacy. In a similar vein, they may end up just bending at the sternum to complete the action. No bueno. I start first with things that would drive posterior expansion a bit more easily. Moves like reverse crunches are a good starting point. Propulsion arc and core training? Question: Is using the propulsion arc a great way to choose core exercises? Answer: Absolutely. You can select exercises to drive particular movements depending on how you place the body within these arcs. If you have someone who needs external rotation to improve, you may choose exercises that involve: hip flexion at 0-60 or 100+ degrees Shoulder flexion at 0-60 or 120-180 degrees A low sit cable chop fits really well here. If you need internal rotation, you could go with: hip flexion at 60-100 or at 0 degrees Shoulder flexion at 60-120 degrees A diagonal might be an option for this. And if you are feeling REAL frisky and need frontside and backside expansion, then any rotational activity can be useful. To get rotation through the sacrum and thorax, the high split chop is a wonderful choice. Sum up Though we don't know why compensations occur, we want to select activities that place one in the exact opposite orientation; restoring the full spectrum of movement options Tucking doesn't driver counternutation, but places the pelvis in an orientation to drive sacral dynamics We don't assume the stack in explosive activities. Coach position during slow-speed work, then choose drills with constraints that force desired positions. Breathwork is safe for those with hypertension as long as the valsava maneuver is minimized Situps, where there is some posterior expansion available, can be useful for further driving this adaptation. Image by Keifit from Pixabay Song Credit: Bensoun
Click Here for Additional Message Notes2 Corinthians 6:14 (NLT) 14Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?2 Corinthians 6:16 (NLT) 16And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.2 Corinthians 6:15 (NLT) 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 2 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT) 18And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”2 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT) 17Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. Answering Two Questions from Verse 171) Why should they ‘Come out from among them?'Answer: Because believers are the temple of the living God, which makes them a habitation for the Most High. They are a special people.2) Who is the ‘them' in this verse?Answer: First and foremost, they are unbelievers. But Paul is not advocating absolute separation, but abstinence from any kind of familiarity.What is it that Paul's readers are to separate themselves from?1) Gentiles, as the people of God are a separate people in election, redemption, and the effectual calling, and ought to be so in their conduct and conversation.2) They ought to separate themselves from all superstition and from the evil customs and manners of the world.
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200607 Trinity Drive in Service AudioTrinity Order of ServiceSermon manuscript:A creed is a statement of belief. The Christian Church has three creeds—the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. All three of these creeds describe what Christians believe. All three of them describe the God in whom Christians believe. The shortest and simplest and oldest creed that we have as Christians is the Apostles’ Creed. This is the creed that we have been speaking on non-communion Sundays. It is also the creed that is in our Catechism. The other creed that we are quite familiar with is the Nicene Creed. We speak this creed on Communion Sundays. It is quite similar to the Apostles’ creed, but it goes into more detail about who Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is. One of the earliest controversies that arose after the death of the Apostles is how Jesus Christ is to be seen. There were some who thought that he wasn’t as fully God as God the Father. Some said that he was created and not eternal. The Nicene Creed is responding to these errors when it says of Jesus: “God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made.” Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in time, according to his human nature. He is eternally begotten, and true God, according to his divine nature. This takes us to the third creed which we will speak later today. It is the longest and least familiar to us. From the way that the creed speaks, being so emphatic, you can tell that two mysteries are firmly laid out for us to believe in. There continues to be the concern that we’ve already mentioned—that Jesus Christ is true man, born of the Virgin Mary, and also true God, begotten of the Father from eternity. This is taken up in the second part of creed. The other mystery is in the first part of the creed. It has to do with the Triune nature of God. The words “Triune” and “Trinity” are not in the Bible. They were words that were made up by Christians to describe two facts that are clearly taught in the Bible. The first part of the word is “tri” as in “triangle.” A triangle has three angles or sides. The word “tri” means “three.” The Bible speaks clearly of there being three: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The second part of “Triune” or “Trinity” is “une,” as in “uno” or one. The Bible speaks of God as singular and as the only God—not three gods but one God. God says, “Behold, the Lord your God is one.” Therefore the words “Triune” or “Trinity” are like shorthand for what the Bible says. The Bible speaks of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of there being only one God, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. We naturally have difficulty with these mysteries because one of the ways that our brain is especially fond of operating is by relating whatever it is that we are talking about to something else that is already known. We like to put stuff into categories and compare and contrast them. Unfortunately this is something that we cannot do either with God or with Jesus Christ being true God and true man at the same time. The reason why we can’t categorize and compare and contrast with God or Jesus very well is because God and Jesus are absolutely unique. The word “unique” has that word “uno” in it, to which we have already referred. “Unique” means that there is only one of them. Since there is nothing like the Trinity where God is both three persons, but only one God, at the same time, and since there is nothing like Jesus Christ being true God and true man at the same time, our intellect has a hard time with this. It wants to be able to categorize and understand. And so it has been the case that there have been a great many people who have tried to figure out these mysteries over the history of the Christian Church. The reason why we have the careful, clarifying language that we do in both the Nicene and Athanasian creeds is so that only what the Bible has to say is what is believed—not adding to what the Bible has said, nor taking away from it either. As the Athanasian creed says, the catholic faith (which is another way of saying Christian faith) is to worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. That is to say that we believe that God is one. At the same time we believe what the Bible reveals about this one God, that he is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It would be wrong to say, though, that the main thing about God is that we have to accept this puzzle of him being three in one and one in three. The reason why we affirm this is not because we like puzzles—either having puzzles or solving puzzles. We say what we do about God because it is how he has revealed himself to be. But you won’t find anywhere in the Scriptures where the concept of the Trinity is dwelt upon in and of itself so as to make sure that everybody has it straight—as though that were the main thing. What the Bible reveals about our God with much more emphasis is the way that he has made himself known to us in time. God making himself known to us creatures by his words and deeds is the real substance of our faith. It’s what the Bible talks about. God made himself known to the Israelites in the Old Testament. There is a great deal that we could say about that—after all, the whole Old Testament is about that. However, it was a foreshadowing and a prophecy of what was to come. God ultimately reveals himself and his intentions in his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is why the creeds spend more time on the second article than they do on the first and the third. For us and for our salvation, God sent his Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered and died under Pontius Pilate. On the third day he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven. On the last day he will come again to judge the living and the dead. The fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’s words and actions you know God’s will toward this world that is otherwise damned for death and hell because of their sins. In our Gospel reading today we have such a clear statement to that effect, that it is known as the most important verse in the Bible: For God loved the world in this way, that he sent his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. In Jesus, who suffers and dies, you are shown God’s heart—his will—his desire for every man, woman, and child. His desire is that we should be set free from the devil, that we should be born again as his children through baptism, and live together with him in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. God sends the Holy Spirit, together with the Gospel, so that when and where it pleases the Holy Spirit those who hear the Gospel may believe in Jesus, and not perish, but have eternal life. Amazingly, God has bound himself up together with us for our salvation. It is amazing that God should do this, for who or what are we? We, seemingly, are very insignificant. But evidently we are not. For God has loved us and saved us. This is the God in whom we believe. This is the God whom we confess in our three ecumenical creeds. I’m going to let this suffice for our teaching on the Trinity today. I’d like to take a moment now for us to reflect on the Sacrament of the Altar. For some of you it has been a long time since you have received the sacrament, and so it is good for us to consider what is taking place. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ himself. He said that the bread is his body and the wine is his blood. Therefore, this is indeed the case. His true body and true blood are under the bread and wine for his Christians to eat and to drink. Jesus tells us why we do this as well in his words of institution. He says that his body and blood are given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. We are poor, helpless, miserable sinners who can do nothing of ourselves. But Jesus offered his body and his blood as the great atoning sacrifice for all sinners on the cross. All sins are atoned for. All sins are forgiven in Jesus’s cross. Jesus gives you this body and blood to eat and to drink in the Sacrament so that you may know this, and believe this, and through faith in him be saved. In summary, I’d like to refer to the Christian Questions and Answers that are a part of our Catechism. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again. The question is asked: Why should we remember and proclaim Jesus’s death? Answer: First, so that we may learn to believe that no creature could make satisfaction for our sins. Only Christ, true God and man, could do that. Second, we should remember and proclaim Jesus’s death in the Sacrament so that we may learn to be horrified by our sins and to regard them as very serious. Third, we remember and proclaim his death so that we may find joy and comfort in Christ alone, and through faith in Him be saved. God bless your reception of the Lord’s Supper today.
This week I'm taking your questions about sharing your FEELINGS with your husband! Question #1: HOW do I share my feelings with my husband, and how do I create a relationship where we can do that? Answer: First of all, STOP and be absolutely sure that you aren't sharing your feelings in an effort to change him! We always want to be responsible for our OWN feelings, so you must stop and do some thought work and figure this out. Sharing your feelings so that he'll change is, essentially, manipulation, which of course none of us want to do. (If you need support on the thought work piece, go to www.firstyearmarried.com and watch video #1 of my course!) Question #2: How do you separate frustrations in a conversation and say it in a way that your spouse can understand the REASONS for your frustration? Answer: If your frustration is with him, you want to start by taking care of your own emotional well-being (see above). "As long as he's responsible for how you're feeling, you're really limited." Beyond that, sometimes we need to actually plan out a conversation with our husband. Let's say your life is set up in a way that you're not getting enough sleep. First, work on the resentment piece. Then you can come to the conversation with openness and belief that the two of you can find a solution. To hear my interviews with Alison Armstrong where we talked about our husbands' problem-solving abilities, go here. Question #3: What do I do about a husband who can't access his own feelings and frustration? Answer: Focus on your lane. His feelings and thoughts are HIS lane, not yours. So question how YOU want to show up in this situation. What's your story about how he's acting? Why is it a problem? Actually get this down on paper. Question #4: If something bothers you about how your spouse deals with disciplining the kids, how do you communicate that? Answer: Women often have more experience with kids coming into a marriage, so we often see ourselves as the authority. So first of all, go back to the business partner model. Is it possible this highly respected partner might have another good idea? Possibly even a better idea? Could I maybe be wrong about this? He's different from you by design. Question #5: I always hear about your feelings are not your thoughts and the other way around, but how do we work on internalizing this? Answer: There's a difference between processing a feeling and just thinking a thought over and over. This is described clearly in Episode 58, "When You Can't Get Over It." Question #6: I'd love to get help with first identifying the feelings--like, what am I even feeling right now? Answer: It's just a vocabulary problem. You can literally Google "list of feelings" or "synonyms for sad." It is helpful, but don't worry about not being there yet.
This devotion comes from Deuteronomy 6:13-14, "It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you."The New City Catechism addresses this passage in the ninth question:Question: What does God require in the first, second, and third commandments?Answer: First, that we know God as the only true God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry. Third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence.Taken from the New City Catechism for Kids by the Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.Devotion Article: https://thebruisedreed.blog/2020/01/18/the-first-second-and-third-commandments-catechism-ix/
Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 45 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism. Today, I will be talking to you about question 116-119.This week’s questions are aimed at the Christian’s prayer life.Question 116: Why do Christians need to pray?Answer: Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. and also because God gives His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for the these gifts and thanking Him for them.We are still in the gratitude section of the Catechism and we need to remind ourselves that we have arrived at this point only because we have travelled through the guilt and grace sections. We started out the year 2019 by opening the first pages of the Heidelberg and learning that the greatest problem facing humanity is not a political one, it is not a financial one, nor a social one; it is a spiritual problem.We live in a natural state of sin and misery. God has graciously revealed to us that the root of all that has gone wrong in the world is the separation that exists between the Creator and His creatures. We have sinned and our sin sets us at odds with our Holy God. But God’s mercy is greater than our sin.In Christ, God has poured out grace to cover our sin. On the cross, Jesus paid our debt and has ransomed us from our guilt and into relationship with God. Once we were far off but now by the blood of Christ we have been brought near to God. By faith in Christ we now have a relationship with God and prayer is a key component in that relationship.Transition…In prayer we express our gratitude for God’s love and grace. In prayer we ask God for forgiveness, wisdom, strength, and help. In prayer we seek the comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In prayer we talk to our heavenly Father. Most of us know this, but at the same time, most of us still struggle with prayer.In his book, A Praying Life, Paul Miller asks us to imagine a trip to a prayer therapist who is going to help us with our prayer struggles. The therapist begins the session by asking us to describe what it means to be a child of God.You reply that it means you have complete access to your heavenly Father through Jesus. You have true intimacy, based not on how good you are but on the goodness of Jesus. Not only that, but Jesus is your brother. You are a fellow heir with him.The therapist smiles and says, “That is right. You’ve done a wonderful job of describing the doctrine of Sonship. Now tell me what it is like for you to be with your Father? What is it like to talk with him?”You cautiously tell the therapist how difficult it is to be in your Father’s presence, even for a couple of minutes. Your mind wanders. You aren’t sure what to say. You wonder, does prayer make any difference? Is God even there? Then you feel guilty for your doubts and just give up.Your therapist tells you what you already suspect. “Your relationship with your heavenly Father is dysfunctional. You talk as if you have an intimate relationship, but you don’t. Theoretically, it is close. Practically, it is distant. You need help.”[1]I think we all need some help in the area of prayer. So, let’s see what Heidelberg has to say that might help us.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 117: How does God want us to pray so that He will listen to us?Answer: First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, who has revealed Himself in His Word, asking for everything He has commanded us to ask for. Second, we must acknowledge our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in His majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. This is what He promised us in His Word.This is a very thorough answer and every line of it has something to teach us. Let me encourage you to take your time and go through this line by line, meditating on the instruction found here. We could spend the rest of our time in this devotion, teasing out all the points mentioned here but for the purpose of this devotion I will offer a summary of this answer.Our prayers should be directed by Scripture. The first part of this answer assumes that the person praying has a thorough grasp of Biblical truth. God isn’t interested in vain, repetitious or arrogant prayer. He is God and the way we approach Him needs to be informed by what the Bible teaches us about Him.Our prayers should be from a heart that remembers our guilt and God’s grace. We are the ones facing sin and misery, not God. God is not obligated to do anything for us, not obligated to give anything to us, not even obligated to listen to our plea for help. But He does because He is majestic and gracious.Our prayers should be motivated by the confidence that we have through Christ. We do not come to God in prayer on our own, we come through the blood and mediation of Jesus. It is because of Him that we have a relationship to God and this knowledge should guide and motivate us to prayer.So our prayers should take all of this and more into consideration.Question 118: What did God command us to pray for?Answer: Everything we need, spiritually and physically, as embraced in the prayer Christ our Lord Himself taught us.I’ve never really gotten over the fact that Jesus told His disciples that the reason they don’t have certain things is because they have failed to ask for those things. “You have not because you have asked not.” He also said that we don’t have things because we ask with wrong motives, meaning we simply ask for things that satisfy some fleshly appetite not a spiritual one.All of this, and the catechism is aimed to help us realize that we are helpless children and our God is a wise, loving and generous Father. We come to Him with every need that we can think of and when we run out of things, we look to Him and His Word to help us grasp what our true needs are, and we ask for those as well.Too many of us take prayer for granted and therefore we don’t pray. Too many of us treat prayer like an unimportant thing and therefore we don’t pray the way God tells us to. Too many of us pray selfishly and get frustrated when we don’t get what we want.But now that we have a relationship with God through Jesus, our prayers should be shaped by the Father-child relationship. We should pray with a sense of our Father’s gracious presence. We should pray with the knowledge of His Fatherly generosity. We should pray with our mind on His Kingdom and how He wants us to live while still in this world.That is how I would summarize the way Jesus teaches us to pray.Question 119: What is the Prayer?Answer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgives us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.In this model prayer, Jesus wants us to pray sincerely, humbly and confidently. He wants us to pray with His saving grace as fuel, in fact we can’t come to God unless we come through Jesus, through the fountain of flowing grace. But by faith in Christ we come and pray.He wants us to pray from the heart and from our head. He doesn’t want vain repetitive babbling. He doesn’t want pseudo-spiritual and hypocritical speeches. He wants honest prayer to flow from the hearts of His children to their One True Father in Heaven.The essence of Christian prayer is relational communion with our heavenly Father. When Jesus teaches us to pray, He tells us to approach God with love, as a son or daughter would approach their father. He teaches us to begin our prayer with, “Our Father…” How does a child talk with their father? Loudly, boldly, unashamedly, desperately, with no regard for decorum. They will interrupt you in a second if they have a need, or a want, or even an idea. Big words never enter that conversation, but feeling, and emotion almost always do.Paul Miller,Being a child in prayer means to just come. Children are not tied up in all the details when they come to their parents. They just come.Jesus invites those who are weary and heavy laden to come to him. He doesn’t call the organized and fixed up but the broken. Why do we forget that when it comes to prayer? The dirty, imperfect and broken you is the real you. Don’t try to put on the spiritual façade in prayer. You can talk to God about whatever is on your heart, so just come as you are. Be weak and open in prayer before God. In this way you are remembering and applying the gospel to your prayer life. We need to learn helplessness. That is what a child reflects.[2]Don’t come to your God pretending to be something or someone you are not, He can see straight through that. But come as you are, open your heart to His saving grace in Christ. Repent and receive Jesus as savior and Lord, and when you bow before Him in prayer you will find all the love you will ever need. Come broken and find His compassion. Come needy and find His supply. Come confused and find His Wisdom.Thank you for joining me today to discuss Christian prayer. Next week, we will dig a little deeper into the Lord’s prayer and I hope you will join me for that discussion as we look at Lord’s Day 46 and questions 120-121.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening.[1] Miller, Paul E.. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (p. 5). NavPress. Kindle Edition.[2] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/helping-your-people-discover-the-praying-life
Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 44 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism. Today, I will be talking to you about question 113-115.This week our question deals with the tenth commandment, which reads:Deuteronomy 5:21 ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’“It is lawful to use the world and to desire as much of it as may keep us from poverty…but all the danger is when the world gets into the heart.” Thomas Watson[1]There are two Greek words used in the NT to help us understand the nature of covetousness. The first is pleonexia and it means the state of always desiring to have more. It is greediness that has no end. It is a desire for more that is insatiable. No matter how rich this person becomes he always wants more. No matter how much food, land or pleasure this person has he always wants more.The other term is philarguria which signifies an inordinate love of the world and especially money. It is the ravenous pursuit to be satisfied by the things of this world while never believing that what you have is enough. Like a sailor adrift at sea who begins to drink salt water to quench his thirst, the covetous person will continue to drink even though his thirst is never quenched and eventually his drinking will lead to death.When these two words come together they teach us that covetousness is not simply a desire for more of what the world offers but also a love of the world itself. Like Watson said, the real danger is when the world gets into your heart.Transition…God’s prohibition against covetousness is about the idolatry of stuff. It is about loving and desiring what you don’t have and it causes us to overlook and be thankless for what we do have. Our questions this week are going to help us come to terms with the fact that whether we want to admit it or not, coveting is a problem for all of us and we need some help if we hope to live with the contentment in heart and life that God calls us to.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 113: What is God’s will for you in the tenth commandment?Answer: That not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart. Rather, with all my heart I should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right.Heidelberg answers the question by pointing out that covetousness is first and foremost, contrary to the commands of God. It is to desire what God forbids and therefore the prohibition against coveting is truly aimed at our being content with what God has revealed to us and how God has blessed us. If covetousness is the problem, contentment in Christ is the goal.I think Jesus is trying to help us understand the connection between these two things in Luke 12: 15 where he said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Be on guard against all covetousness. Be on guard…it’s almost as if these things are going to sneak up on us and that is exactly what will happen.We don’t naturally recognize that we have a problem we just desire things left and right. We know that covetousness and materialism are problems, but we never assume that they are a problem for us. When was the last time you confessed to coveting?But then Jesus went on to say, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” This is materialism plain and simple. Materialism is the tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values. Materialism is an inordinate desire or dependence upon money and material things.Jesus is referring to both covetousness and materialism here and when you put these two things together, you have a type of idolatry that is very powerful and I would argue that this has in many ways become the heartbeat of our culture.Some time ago, I came across an article on Huffington post about how materialism is redefining the American Dream.The American dream is becoming more and more materialistic. I guess it was always a bit materialistic, but when I look at America today, I see a nation obsessed with shopping and buying unnecessary products. Previously, people aspired to have a nice house in the suburbs with a couple of cars. Now, there is no end to the products that people want: the latest IPhone, expensive cars, designer bags--the list is endless. The American dream revolves around luxury goods for most people. As Ellen Goodman put it, "Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."Shopping is not a problem on its own; It's the obsessive accumulation of unnecessary products, along with the hope that buying a Chanel bag will somehow make you happier that is problematic. The things that we own often end up owning us, and that's what I see around me.[2]I would add that this has not simply become a way of life, but it has become the meaning of life for most Americans. The type of covetousness and materialism, which Jesus is warning us against, is the heartbeat of the culture that we live in.When was the last time you thought about the covetousness in your heart? When was the last time you stopped to think about how easy it is to covet? The truth is we don’t often think about it, we just do it.When driving down the road we see someone’s shiny new vehicle and the longing in our heart leaps into action and we think, “I wish I had a truck like that.” We go to have dinner at a friend’s house, and we see their new larger TV and we think, “I want a TV like that.” We begin to scroll through our Facebook feed, and we notice that an old friend is on a family vacation to Disney World and we think, “Why can’t I afford a vacation like them?” We catch a glimpse of our neighbors’ beautiful wife and think, “Why couldn’t I have married someone like her?”Covetousness is a type of sin that blinds us to its own reality, and we convince ourselves that it is not a problem for us. That’s why Jesus tells us to be on guard against it.Question 114: Can those converted to God obey these commandments perfectly?Answer: No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments.Now that we’ve come to the final commandment, we need to do some hard thinking about what role these ten commands play in our lives as followers of Christ. We know that salvation is not the result of our works, it is not earned through moral conformity or personal merit. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace. God doesn’t love and accept us because we have made ourselves lovely and acceptable, He loves us and accepts us on the basis of what Jesus did for us on the cross.We receive salvation by faith, by trusting in and believing the good news of Christ’s identity as the Son of God who lived a sinless life and died in the place of sinners as our substitute. He kept the law perfectly where we did not, indeed even now we cannot. But that doesn’t keep us from striving to live according to our Father’s commands.We don’t obey the commandments in order to earn God’s forgiveness, but now that we have received the forgiveness of sins by faith, we strive to obey His commands out of gratitude.Question 115: Why then does God so strictly enjoin upon us the Ten Commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?Answer: First, so that the longer we live the more we may come to know our sinfulness and the more eagerly look to Christ for forgiveness of sins and righteousness. Second, so that, while praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, we may never stop striving to be renewed more and more after God’s image, until after this life we reach our goal: perfection.As we grow in our relationship with God through Christ two things happen, we will come to know and see and repent of our sin more and more, and we will strive to become more and more conformed to the image of Christ. This is the goal of our redemption. To live everyday, growing in the freedom that Christ has purchased for us and to become more and more like Jesus.That is why these commandments still matter. They guide us to see that our greatest enemy in this life is our own sinful heart and they guide us to appreciate that the greatest gift we have is Jesus and what He accomplished for us on the cross. They guide us to see that God’s way is best and by the Spirit’s work in us, we learn to walk in this world on that narrow path that leads to life.Thank you for joining me today to learn about the ninth commandment. Next week, our focus will shift to prayer and we will discuss what it is, how to do it and why we should. I hope you will join me for that discussion as we look at Lord’s Day 45 and question 116-119.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening.[1] Thomas Watson The Ten Commandments (Pg. 174)[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanzeh-khurram/is-the-american-dream-bec_b_2702164.html
Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 38 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism. Today, I will be talking to you about question 103. Only one question this week but it is a significant one so let’s get started.Transition…This week our question deals with the fourth commandment and the fourth commandment is all about the Sabbath.Deut 5:12 “ ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.Now, there is much for us to consider as we think on this particular command. We need to understand where it comes from, how it applied to OT Israel, what Jesus taught us about it and how it changes, if at all, for Christians today. Thankfully, the Heidelberg helps us tremendously so lets go ahead and look at Question 103 and its answer.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 103: What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment?Answer: First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God’s people to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through His Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.I really appreciate this answer because it avoids some of the more common debates surrounding the role of the sabbath in the Christian life. It may be the case that you have avoided that debate, but I’m guessing that most of you have engaged it at some level. Over the years, I’ve found that many people have very strong opinions about the sabbath, and I’ve found that others tend to be a bit confused about it.I don’t expect that I will solve all the problems related to it on this podcast, but I do hope to give some background and tell you why I think the Heidelberg gets it right. So, let’s start with some history.The Sabbath principle shows up in Genesis 2,2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.At the very start of everything, God decided to include this principle of rest into creation. One day out of seven is set aside for the purpose of rest and I think it is important to point out that God didn’t do this because He was too exhausted to go back to work. I call this the Sabbath principle because rest wasn’t something that God needed to do; He chose to include it for a different reason.Fast forward to the time when Israel was a nation of God’s people and we discover that the Sabbath was a very important part of their identity. Even before they made it into the Promised Land, God established the Sabbath principle as a way to teach His people to trust in Yahweh to take care of them and provide for them.Now, at this point the command to rest on Saturday was part of the covenant agreement that God made with Israel. This wasn’t a command that extended to all the other nations on earth. It was part of their covenant identity and through this law God proved His trustworthiness, which seems to be one of the key points to this whole Sabbath idea.God wanted His people to rest and enjoy His provision for them as well as to gather together in an assembly of worship (Lev 23:3). On this special day, the work stopped but the bread did not. On this day the labor ceased but the worship continued. On this special day Israel was seen to be the most blessed people on earth and Yahweh was shown to be the most glorious God. He cared for them while they rested and praised Him for it.However, as time went on, God kept His promise, but Israel did not. They began to chase after other gods. They began to treat worship as an empty ritual that placed God into their debt. They abandoned loyalty to Yahweh and brought upon themselves the curse of exile. But, God wasn’t done with His covenant people.He drew them back into the land. He reestablished their national sovereignty and when the people looked back at the failures from their past, they vowed to do better. What started out as good intentions, to be more faithful to God, became a source of even greater corruption. The leaders of the people began to double-down on their law keeping, assuming that in some way their obedience was the key to their relationship to God.Then little-by-little their focus shifted from obedience to God as a result of His gracious provision, to obedience to God as the source of His gracious provision. This might seem subtle, but it made all the difference. Traditions and customs began to take the place of love-fueled loyalty to Yahweh and the command to rest went from being a sign of God’s blessing to a man-centered way to put God into our debt.Then Jesus came along and he obeyed the Sabbath command, but rejected the man-made traditions. He taught the true heart of the law, which wasn’t about blind obedience but mercy and truth. Jesus taught that the sabbath was about freedom (Luke 13:10-17), it was about healing (Luke 14:1-6), and it was about doing good to others (Mark 3:1-6).Then Jesus died on the cross. He was buried and rose again on the third day. He gave His life as an offering for our sin and by His gospel we are forgiven, healed, and brought back into relationship with God; not on the basis of our works but on the basis of His loving sacrifice.Now, what? What has the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus done to the Sabbath command?Col 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.Imagine that you are standing in the middle of the desert in the heat of the day and you have to shield your eyes from the intensity of the sun. Even with your hand up to shield your eyes you find it difficult to focus on anything. You can only get small momentary glimpses of your surroundings as you blink due to the intensity of the sun.But finally you spot an image on the ground nearby. It is indistinct but it is clearly a shadow. You begin to move toward it and the closer you get the more distinct the outline becomes. You can’t dare look up at the at the solid object casting the shadow because the sun is simply too powerful, but as you move close and blink your eyes the object begins to take shape in your mind.Then finally the object steps into the sun’s path and shields the intensity from your eyes. You look up and your eyes begin to adjust and what you see standing before you is a man.This is what life has been like for the Jews. Their entire religious existence has been occupied by getting glimpses of the shadow but now Jesus Christ has come, and He is the one who has been casting that shadow all along.In other words, Jesus is the point and the fulfillment of all the Old Covenant law and our standing with God is not determined by our adherence to that law but by our faith in Christ. Don’t put your hope in the shadow to save you, put your hope in the man Himself. Let your heart and mind rest secure in the fact that Jesus alone saves you and reconciles you to God.By my understanding, Jesus has fulfilled the ceremonial aspects of the Old Covenant Law and the strict rules of the Sabbath have been abolished. It has been abolished because it was fulfilled and is fulfilled in Christ. The Sabbath principle that reaches back to the dawn of creation was teaching us that the day was coming when we could rest from our work and trust in God to provide for all of our needs.The Sabbath principle was about the coming day when we would gather to worship and praise the One who gave us rest by providing for all of our needs. Now that Jesus has come and provided for our greatest need we can rest from our works and join together in worship of the One who has given us true rest.So, the Sabbath has been fulfilled and strict Sabbath observance has been eliminated. Oh yes, we should still rest but not because our rest earns us anything with God. Our rest is a gift that shows we are blessed and by resting from our labor we are able to actively remember the grace of God and worship Him for it.Let’s go back and look at the answer to question 103…First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God’s people to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor.God’s will for us in our gospel understanding of the fourth commandment is that we should set aside at least one day of the week for gospel ministry, for Christian education, for assembling together with God’s people, to worship Christ our Savior, Lord and King. Heidelberg calls this a festive day of rest but the early church simply called it the Lord’s Day.Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through His Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.The second way that we observe the fourth commandment on account of Christ is that we recognize every day that we are resting from our works and resting in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We have entered into the promised Sabbath rest for all of God’s people which will one day soon be fully realized and will never end.So, should we still observe the Sabbath? Yes, but in a very different way than we might think.Thank you for joining me today to learn about the Sabbath. Next week, we will continue to study these 10 commandments by looking at the fifth commandment, which focuses on honoring parents. I hope you will join me for that discussion as we look at Lord’s Day 39 and question 104.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening.
My guest today is Karla from Arizona and a shout out to FitnessFest events where we ran into each other. Karla asked a couple great questions that I have a hunch may be of interest to you too. Whether you're got a business you want to grow, you're itching to leave working for a boss and interested in launching a fitness business or somewhere between this live coaching call can help you too. BACKGROUND: I teach yoga for community andemployeesin the school district in which I work. I use a school within the district to teach my classes. I run the classes via the “Academic Support Systems” department. So, it's kind of my own thing, but yet runs through the school district. I don't have much support getting the school district to “advertise” for me with social media, as I don't think they like the word “yoga” and it's connotations; all I get is a paper flyer that is sent out via e-mail to the school secretaries to post/display by teacher mailboxes. QUESTION: Is there a way to use social media on my own to promote my classes? Can I set up my own webpage or Facebook page for this? What other types of social media can I use? I am not very techie and have very little experience with social media…I'm 58 years old and just getting started understanding how it all works. ANSWER: YES! By all means! The School should love that you do it. Does the school have a page? If so tag them. Start posting regularly. Share an article that is supportive of the purpose of the classes you teach. Who pays you? What is the mission of the agency paying you or hosting you? What can you share in alignment with that mission? While they may not see value in promoting or hosting. They will see great value if they start getting positive PR from what you do. QUESTION: I am also working on my Health & Wellness Coach certification (will be done in Sept/Oct.). I already am certified with the following: ACE Group Fitness, RYT 500 Yoga, Cycling, NCSF Personal Training. I would like to start my own LLC, but not sure how to start out getting clients. What are the most powerful ways to start using social media to get going? ANSWER: First, you don't need an LLC to start getting clients. Launching a fitness business involves testing the concept first. You need a website. Then if you're using social media you're using it to drive people to a website. You have zero control over social media. It's here but you have nothing to show for anything you do there unless you have a way for them to come off social media onto your website and an EMAIL list. You must begin building an email list. Use Constant Contact, Mail Chimp or Aweber for free or $5 until you have more subscribers but get it. And a way for people to sign up on your website so you can then communicate with them. The best use of social media is video. Video.video. Live, recorded, shared. QUESTION: I also am trying to narrow down my focus (target audience) as you had mentioned in your presentation at FitnessFest.It's hard because there are so many aspects of fitness that I love and want to share! Here are a few of my ideas: Beginners to exercise…people who are hesitant to get started…easy, practical, fun and “do-able” ways to get moving and be healthy Yoga for beginners Health/Wellness Coaching (in person and on-line) ANSWER: I think you can easily combine these. When launching a fitness business you do want to focus but these overlap. Your market may not know they're looking for yoga. They know they're beginners. They also may not know they're looking for health & wellness coaching (it's intangible) but they know they should be exercising. You can start there. But that's not still a niche. Is this a beginner who's 20 or who's 50? Or 70? Is it a male? Or a female? Is it a married or single person? Someone budget minded or with money to burn? Why aren't they exercising now? What have they tried? What do they hate about exercise and personal trainers? When you're launching a fitness business the biggest mistake trainers or business owners make is thinking they know what the customer is really thinking. QUESTION: Bottom line… I am scared…I have worked FOR a school district (stable job/money, insurance, etc.) my whole life. I have had the “itch” to do something in the health/wellness area for 25+ years! I have always taught fitness classes as a “second career”, but I want to try something maybe part-time to transition. Not sure if I should just jump in and do it full-time or do it little by little. I know there's no easy answer for that! Any thoughts or words of wisdomJ? ANSWER: START.. keep your job, but do a side hustle. Launching a fitness business has to have deadlines but you want a safety net. Get some steady income coming in. Start with who you know. Are there teachers not exercising that want to? You've got a pool of clients. Who possibly want the same time slot. So begin a group and optimize your time. Thanks for leave a rating in iTunes! Here's How: visit the podcast in iTunes Click “listen in iTunes” Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5-star rating (and a comment) Know I appreciate it so much!!
Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 21 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism and I will be talking to you today about questions 54, 55, and 56.Transition…This week, we are going to talk about the church, the gifts and the atonement.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 54: What do you believe concerning the Holy Catholic Church?Answer: I believe that the Son of God through His Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for Himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member.First of all, don’t be confused by the word Catholic here. This is not a reference to the Roman Catholic church but to the Holy Catholic church. Catholic simply means universal, so this is a reference to the universal church. The community of God’s people that is not defined by culture or ethnicity, but by a common faith in Jesus.Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.The church was Jesus’ idea. In Matthew 16, He told Peter and the rest of the Apostles that He would build His church (ekklesia) and that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. The church consists of those people who have been born again by the Holy Spirit to believe the Word of the Gospel. They have been gathered together out of all the peoples of the world to be the family of God on earth.The Bible tells us that God planned this church, community of believers, before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4) that He sent His Son to ransom them from their sin, He adopted them, protects them and will preserve them in the faith until the end of the world. At that point, this community will enter into the eternal life that God has promised them.And once you’re in, truly in, there is no way that you can lose your status. Our entry into the church is a work of God and He will continue His work in us until Jesus returns.Rom 8:38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Question 55: What do you understand by “The Communion of Saints?”Answer: First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all His treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members.The first part of this answer points out that if you are a member of the church then you have a share in Christ and all of His treasures and gifts. To share in Christ means that we are united to Him. We belong to Him. He is our Redeemer, Lord and King. But He is also our brother and friend. All that He has been given by the Father is shared with us.Gal 4:4 When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.The logic in this passage is incredible to consider but easy enough to follow. Because of Jesus we have been adopted into the Family of God. God is our Father too, and we have become fellow heirs alongside Jesus. All of Christ’s good gifts are ours, not because we’ve earned them, but because God’s grace has made it so.The second part of the answer to question 55 causes us to consider how we should respond to this truth. Since we have a share in all of Christ’s blessings, we should take it as a responsibility to use our gifts and privileges for the benefit and joy of others, not just for our own happiness and comfort. Every gift that God has given to us in Christ is meant to be enjoyed first and shared second.The gifts of God are not intended to terminate on us, they are meant to be shared with others.Rom 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.Question 56: What do you believe concerning “The forgiveness of sins?”Answer: I believe that God, because of Christ’s atonement, will never hold against me any of my sins nor my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, in His grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.Question 56 is a great question and it is at the very heart of our understanding of the gospel as well as the Christian life. Forgiveness means pardon, it means to be released from an obligation. It means that a debt was being held against us, but that debt has been cancelled. What was the debt and how was it cancelled?The debt that we owed we owed to God because we belong to Him and we have robbed Him of something. We have failed to obey our Creator. We have failed to properly glorify our God. We have rebelled against Him, His person and His law. We have sinned and the wages of sin is death. That is our debt, death brought on by our sin.This debt was cancelled because someone else took our place. Jesus Christ took our place on the cross and died the death that we deserved. He paid the debt for His people in full to the point that He could say, “It is finished.” He took our sin upon Himself and gave us His righteousness, which he earned by never rebelling against the Father.Christ atoned for our sin, He paid sins price, and therefore our sin will never be held against us. Even though we still have hearts that are corrupted by sin and we still struggle with sinful temptation and tendencies all of our lives, the debt has been paid and none of our sin will be held against us.And just so we don’t get the wrong impression, this glorious truth of the atonement is a work of grace. We didn’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. But God, in His grace, has pardoned our sin and set us free from judgment forever.Gratitude is easy to fake but hard to feel. Not until we see the gift is truly valuable will our gratitude be heartfelt, but when we understand the true worth of a gift, the gratitude we feel will be expressed. There is no more precious gift in all the universe than that of Christ’s precious blood and the ultimate expression of our thankfulness to Him is praise.Thanks for joining me today as I discuss the Heidelberg Catechism. I hope you’ll join me again next week as we look at Lord’s Day 22 together and discuss questions 57 thru 61.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening.
Lord’s Day #20Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 20 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism and I will be talking to you today about questions 53.Transition…This week, we have one question and it has to do with the Holy Spirit. Now, personally I think this is far too little time spent on the Spirit of God, but that is how the Catechism is laid out. Why do I think this isn’t enough time? You can probably answer that for me, I mean, after all this is the third person of the Trinity we are talking about.Let me answer with a question, If you only had 3 hours to spend with the people you cared about most, what would you do? Would you talk about how much they mean to you? Would you reminisce about the time you spent together? Would you say all the things that you couldn’t bear to leave unsaid? You would probably do all those things and more, but One thing is certain, if you knew you only had 3 more hours to spend with the people you loved most, you wouldn’t waste your time. You would do all that you could to make that time count.As we read through the gospel of John and come to the 14th chapter, we understand that Jesus has about 15 hours to live, but He will only spend about 3 of those hours with the 12. So, what does Jesus talk about in these final hours? For starters, He wants to comfort them. He wants them to know that God’s plan is right on track. They don’t need to abandon the gospel; they don’t need to seek salvation in any other way. They have put their hope in Him and nothing needs to change that.But there is something else that dominates his final hours with the 12. He wants them to know that He is going to be leaving them but this is actually a good thing because when He leaves Someone else is going to come.John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.John 16:7 I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.For the disciples, the coming of the Holy Spirit was good news, but for many of us it is still a pretty unclear subject. The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit is the Cinderella Story of Christian Doctrine. He is the person of the Trinity that we seem to talk about the least. but this week we are going to focus our attention on Him exclusively. I don’t have 3 hours like Jesus, but in the next 15 minutes or so I want us to consider what we believe concerning the Holy Spirit.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 53: What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit?Answer: First, that He is co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Secondly, that He has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, He makes me share in Christ and all His blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever.The word for “spirit” in the OT is the Hebrew term “ruahk.” In the NT the word for spirit is “pnuema.” Both of these terms are used in other places to refer to wind or breath, as well as life, motion and activity. This has caused some, like the Jews, to think of the Holy Spirit as the impersonal force or power of God. Muslims teach that the Spirit of God is an angel sent to do God’s bidding. But the Bible is quite clear that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, nor an angel; but rather He is the third person of our Triune God.The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person by drawing our attention to the personal attributes that are ascribed to Him. The Holy Spirit grieves (Eph 4:30), He intercedes for us (Rom 8:26-27), He speaks (Mk 13:11), He creates (Gen 1:2) and He can be blasphemed (Mk 3:28-29). The Holy Spirit possesses wisdom and understanding (1 Cor 2:10-12, Isa 40:8, Psa 139:23), He acts according to His own will (1 Cor 12:11), and He is the One who sets apart men to special tasks of ministry (Acts 13:2, 4).In the passage we read earlier from John 14:16, we see Jesus refer to the Holy Spirit as a HE.V. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.The Holy Spirit is more than an impersonal force; He is a personal being. But He is also more than just a person, He is a divine person. In Hebrews 9:14, He is called the eternal Spirit. In Acts 5, when Ananias and Saphira lied to the Holy Spirit they are said to have lied to God. He shares in the immensity of God, the omnipotence of God, the foreknowledge of God, the omniscience of God and the Sovereignty of God.The Spirit is God, like the Father and the Son. He stands alongside them as an object of worship. He is called the Holy Spirit because by His very nature He possesses the attribute of divine holiness. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Father nor the Son. He is His own divine person equal in glory and majesty to the Father and the Son.The first part of the Catechism answer addresses the person of the Holy Spirit but the second part addresses His work. One of the reasons that we focus more on the Father and Jesus, than the Spirit, is that this is the Spirit’s work.John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.Whether we realize it or not, the Holy Spirit draws our attention away from Himself and He directs our focus to Christ, He magnifies the Work and Word of Jesus. His task is not to highlight our subjective spiritual experiences, but to amplify our love for Jesus.But, make no mistake, the Holy Spirit has been given to all who possess true faith in Jesus. The Spirit lives within us (1 Cor 6:19) and He makes His dwelling place in our hearts.Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”By faith, the Spirit makes us partakers or He helps us to share in the blessings of Christ. When I read this I can’t help but think of Ephesians 1 where Paul talks to us about the fact that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Then he goes on to outline for us what those blessings are.We have been blessed by God in Christ because He chose us before the foundation of the world. He predestined us to adoption according to the purpose of His will. He redeemed us by forgiving our sins on account of Jesus. He has lavished us with grace, revealed to us mysterious things about God’s will for the world, and He has given us an eternal inheritance.All of these blessings have been given to those who believe in Christ, but how did that happen? How did we become recipients of the blessings of Christ?Eph 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.The Spirit sealed us with His presence. We heard the gospel, we believed in Christ, we received the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee that we will receive every blessing that God has prepared for us.There is so much more that I could say about the work of the Spirit in us. But let me just list out a few things that He does in the lives of believers.1. The Spirit convicts us and we read about this a few minutes ago from John 16:7-11. The Holy Spirit brings: conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment. For believers, we understand that the Holy Spirit has worked in us to convince us of our sins before God, of the righteousness of Christ that we need, and of the certainty that judgment will come.This progression is the way we understand how God works in our heart and mind to draw us to saving faith in Christ. But there is more to this text. The Holy Spirit also brings this conviction of sin to the unbelieving world. The Spirit exposes sin. He puts a giant spotlight on it and causes the world to see the ugliness that they want to deny.2. The Spirit converts usJohn 3:3 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”In this conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus is talking about the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that causes us to be born again. This is the Holy Spirit’s work. He removes our blindness so that we can see our need of Christ. He breathes life into our souls and brings us out of our deadness to sin. He removes our heart of stone and gives us a living heart of flesh.The Holy Spirit does this work in every believer and there is no genuine saving faith in Christ apart from this converting work of the Holy Spirit.3. The Spirit comforts us. He bears witness in our hearts that we are children of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Rom 8:16-17), He groans within us and causes us to long for the day when Christ will return to set all of creation free from the curse of sin and death (Rom 8:23), He helps us in our weaknesses and intercedes/prays for us with groanings too deep for words, and He will sustain us in the faith making us more than conquerors until the day our Lord appears.4. The Spirit teaches usJohn 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.This instruction had special significance for the Apostles but it is important for us as well. The Spirit of God reveals to us the things of God, the things that pertain to salvation and the Christian life.1 Cor 2:11…No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.5. The Holy Spirit sanctifies usThis should be no surprise to us, after all He is called the Holy Spirit and he works in us so that we will bear the fruits and become more like Jesus.Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.6. The Spirit equips usHe fills us with courage, not fear. He fills us with wisdom, faith and joy. He grants us gifts that we are to use for the building up of the body of Christ. He empowers our service to God and to one another.7. (And finally) The Spirit seals us for the eternal inheritance that we will receive when Christ returns in glory (Eph 1:13-14). Like those overpriced embossing seals that we buy so that we can stamp an impression on our books, the Holy Spirit has placed His seal upon us declaring that we belong to God and our place in His kingdom secure.The whole of our Christian life is initiated, empowered, and sustained by the Spirit of God working with the Word of God to bring us into the presence of God. Without the Holy Spirit there would be no Bible (2 Tim 3:16). Without the Holy Spirit there would be no Gospel Witness, the Spirit works in us to accomplish the great commission. Without the Holy Spirit there would be no believers because our dead hearts would never come to life on their own. Without the Holy Spirit there would be no Church.The whole of our Christian life is dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God, the third person of the Trinity.Let’s ask God to give us more of the Spirit’s presence and power in our lives. Let’s ask the Spirit to shift our sanctification into overdrive. Let’s ask the Spirit to pour out His power in our church and in our lives. Let’s ask the Spirit to convert our loved ones. Let’s ask the Spirit to make the church more loving, more faithful, more compassionate, more like Jesus.Thanks for joining me today as I discuss the Heidelberg Catechism. I hope you’ll join me again next week as we look at Lord’s Day 21 together and discuss question 54, 55, and 56.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening.
Lord’s Day #19Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 19 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism and I will be talking to you today about questions 50 - 52.Transition…This week, we wrap up the section on Jesus Christ and next week we will move on to the Holy Spirit. But we can’t finish up our discussion of Jesus unless we talk about where He is now and when He will return. That’s the focus of the last 3 questions.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 50: Why is it added: and sits at the right hand of God?Answer: Because Christ ascended into heaven for this end, that He might there appear as Head of His church, and that the Father governs all things through Him.So, last week we talked about Jesus ascending into heaven because He had completed His earthly ministry. When Jesus ascended, He was actually receiving the reward of His completed mission. The Ascension of Christ marks the highest point of the Son of God’s exaltation. As He ascends into Heaven, to the right hand of God, He is entering into the glory that He has earned.But Heidelberg is asking, but why was it important to point out that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God? Well, for starters this is the language of the New Testament.Heb 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.Notice the progression that we see in this passage. After making purification for sins, He sat down. This shows us that Jesus’ taking His seat by God the Father in Heaven was the restful reward for having done what He was sent to do.You could think of it in this way; at the end of a long day of work most of us just can’t wait to get back home, to find our favorite chair, and to sit down to rest. When we sit down it is because our work is complete, at least for that day. Sitting down carries with it two ideas, the idea of rest and the idea of completion.Jesus sat down because He had earned a well-deserved rest, but He also sat down because His work of atonement was finished. All that was necessary for His people to be saved was complete.But why does He sit at God’s right hand? The right hand was the place of honor and power, which points to the reward Jesus received.Eph 1:20 When he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.When Jesus took His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, He was taking His place as the Head and ruler of the church, the head and ruler over all creation. Jesus has taken up the position of divine power and authority that is far above any other power or dominion. His name is exalted above every name in the universe and from His position of exaltation He rules and reigns over all.So, the language of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God is about His authority and rule, which is good news for believers. The one who rules among the stars is also willing to call us brothers and sisters…let’s think about that.Question 51: How does this glory of Christ our head benefit us?Answer: First, through His Holy Spirit He pours out His gifts from heaven upon us His members. Second, by His power He defends us and keeps us safe from all enemies.Now, I’m going to go back to Ephesians here because one of the benefits of Christ ascending into heaven is that He has sent His Spirit into the world to empower Christians for ministry, until He returns. We looked at this concept last week and found that it is actually a good thing that Christ has gone away from us. Jesus said in John 16, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”Then if we can skip over to Ephesians 4 we see what that will meanEph 4:10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.What’s the point of this passage? Well, it tells us that we benefit from Christ’s ascension by the fact that the Holy Spirit is with us and the Spirit comes bearing gifts. In fact, every believer in Christ has been gifted in some way, or in several ways, to serve the Lord, the body and the world. In this way, Christ is actually still working in us and protecting us. By His Spirit, He is keeping us safe from all of our enemies.Question 52: How does Christ’s return to judge the living and the dead comfort you?Answer: In all my distress and persecution I turn my eyes to the heavens and confidently await as judge the very One who has already stood trial in my place before God and so has removed the whole curse from me. All His enemies and mine He will condemn to everlasting punishment: but me and all His chosen ones He will take along with Him into the joy and glory of heaven.The return of Christ, the second coming, is one of the most hoped for, longed for and prayed for events for the Christian. The church throughout all the ages has looked at what Scripture teaches on this and have longed to see the day of Christ’s return, the day when the work of redemption will reach its full consummation, the day when the Kingdom of God would be fully and finally established for eternity.This day will involve numerous key events. First, the word that we see in Scriptures to describe Jesus’ return is the Greek term Parousia which means appearing. Jesus will appear in the clouds and it will be glorious to behold.1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.Why can believers have confidence that we will be caught up together with Jesus? Because we belong to Him. He has purchased us from Satan, death and sin, by His blood when He died on the cross. He promised that He would come again to receive us and that He would be with us forever after that point. So when He comes in the clouds, He is coming to rescue us for good.But that is not all, His second coming will also mean judgment for His enemies and ours. On this day, final judgment will commence and all those who rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ will face the wrath of God that they rightly deserve.This may not sound very comforting to you, at least not the part about judgment on sinners. But the return of Christ will usher in the judgment of God upon all the sin and wickedness of unrepentant men, women, and demons.The longing in our hearts for justice is a longing that God has placed within us and on that final day, true divine justice will be served. It is a comfort to know that one day all the wrongs in the world will be put right. It is a comfort to know that all the evil in the world will be accounted for and dealt with.It is also comforting to know that for those of us who have come to see our sin and wickedness for what it truly is and have also fled to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life; we will not face God’s wrath. Jesus has already received the penalty that we deserved. He stood trial in our place so that we could go free. And with Him be taken into the joy and glory of heaven.Thanks for joining me today as I discuss the Heidelberg Catechism. I hope you’ll join me again next week as we look at Lord’s Day 20 together and discuss question 53.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening.
Lord’s Day #18Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 18 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism and I will be talking to you today about questions 46 - 49.Transition…This week, we are talking about the Ascension of Jesus. The word ascend means to rise up or to go up, which is exactly what Jesus did while His disciples watched.Acts 1:9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”This passage recounts for us the act of Christ’s ascension, the moment in time when He rose up into Heaven. But ascension means more than simply that He rose up. In Philippians 2 we learn that when Jesus ascended, He was actually receiving the reward of His completed mission. The Ascension of Christ marks the highest point of the Son of God’s exaltation. As He ascends into Heaven, to the right hand of God, He is entering into the glory that He has earned.Phil 2:5 …Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.It is important for us to know that Jesus’ ascension is more than simply the way He ended His earthly ministry, it was also the point when He received the reward for His suffering.Transition…Now that we have a basic Biblical understanding of what happened in Jesus’ ascension and why it happened; let’s look a little closer at this doctrine and work through the questions that Heidelberg wants to throw at us.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 46: What Do you mean by saying, “He ascended into Heaven?”Answer: That Christ, while His disciples watched, was lifted up from the earth to heaven and will be there for our good until He comes again to judge the living and the dead.No mystery where this answer comes from, since I just read it a moment ago. But there is more that needs to be considered about the ascension than the basic fact that it occurred.Question 47: But isn’t’ Christ with us until the end of the world as He promised us?Answer: Christ is truly human and truly God. In His human nature Christ is not now on earth; but in His divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit He is not absent from us for a moment.This is a great question and it is probably one that many of us have never thought about, at least not very much. Jesus promised His disciples that He would never leave nor forsake us. He promised that He would be with us until the very end of the age. Then just a few verses later, He left and ascended to Heaven. So how do we understand the apparent contradiction of His promise to stay followed by His leaving?The way we answer this question is going to get into the theological weeds a little bit, but that’s the way it needs to be. We understand that Jesus has two natures; one divine and one human. He is the God-man and while it is true that His human nature is no longer present on earth, His divine Spirit is present.Jesus actually prepped His disciples for this to happen and told that them it would be better, on the whole, when He was gone preparing a place for them and the Holy Spirit was present dwelling in their hearts.John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgmentJesus’ physical absence does not mean that we are without the comforting, abiding and guiding presence of God. The Spirit of God is with us. The Spirit dwells within every true believer and the Spirit testifies to us about Jesus.John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.While Jesus, the second person of our triune God, is not physically present with us on earth at this time; His Spirit is very much present with us.Question 48: If His humanity is not present wherever His divinity is, then aren’t the two natures of Christ separated from each other?Answer: Certainly not. Since divinity is not limited and is present everywhere, it is evident that Christ’s divinity is surely beyond the bounds of the humanity He has taken on, but at the same time His divinity is in and remains personally united to His humanity.Just so we are clear, when Heidelberg mentions that divinity is not limited and is present everywhere, it is not referring to Jesus’ humanity. Jesus is a person with a resurrected body that is subject to the laws of space and time. We have no evidence of His physical body being in two places at once.But the fact that He is part of our triune God means that He is at the same time beyond the bounds of those laws, having created them. The answer to how Jesus can be in Heaven and at the same time dwelling in the hearts of His people lies in the mystery of the Trinity.The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ according to the apostle Paul in Romans 8.9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.Where the Spirit is, there Christ is also. The unique unity of the Godhead is such that though they are distinct persons, they are still one. They are united in their divine essence and purpose.Question 49: How does Christ’s ascension to Heaven benefit us?Answer: First, He pleads our case in heaven in the presence of His Father. Second, we have our own flesh in heaven – a guarantee that Christ our head will take us, His members, to Himself in heaven. Third, He sends His spirit to us on earth as a further guarantee. By the Spirit’s power we make the goal of our lives, not earthly things, but the things above where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.The first way that Christ’s ascension benefits us is that Jesus is right now an advocate for us in the Fathers’ ear. He is praying for us, pleading for us, and defending us before God. Where Satan is ever the accuser of the brethren, Jesus sits at God’s right hand and He has our back.The second way that Christ’s ascension benefits us is that Jesus represents humanity within the confines of divine space. One Scottish preacher has said, “The dust of the earth is on the throne of the majesty on high.”[1] In this, we have a sure pledge/promise that Christ will one day bring the rest of us with Him to heaven.The third way the Ascension of Christ benefits us is that we have the Spirit dwelling in us as a down payment of what is yet to come. The Holy Spirit was not given to us in the fullness of His power. The day is coming when we will be changed by the power of God’s spirit to be transformed from a state of imperfection to a state of perfection. When that day comes, we will then be fit to come into the presence of God.Just as Jesus was able after His ascension to come into the presence of the Father, so we too who believe will one day be made able to come into the presence of the Father. Until then, we have the Spirit in us who serves as a promise that looks forward to that great day that is to come.Since our Savior King is in Heaven pleading for us, and since a representative for humanity is in Heaven guaranteeing our own entry, and since the Spirit of God is in us now awaiting the day of final redemption; we ought to live as people on a journey to Heaven. We ought to set our minds on things above. We ought to make it the goal of our lives to be heavenly minded. We should be faithful to Christ till the end while knowing that when the end comes, it will be far better than even our best life now.Thanks for joining me today as I discuss the Heidelberg Catechism. I hope you’ll join me again next week as we look at Lord’s Day 19 together and discuss question 50 – 52.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening. [1] Quote taken from Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker, pg. 87)f-jesus-help-us-today/
Lord’s Day #17Intro…Welcome to the Cornerstone Baptist church podcast. My name is Justin Wheeler, I am the preaching pastor for Cornerstone and today we are in week 17 of our journey through the Heidelberg Catechism and I will be talking to you today about questions 45.Transition…This week, we are talking about something that is absolutely essential to the Christian faith, to the degree that if it is not true then Christianity is pointless.1 Cor 15:17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins…19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.What we are talking about is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We call it Easter, which is an old English term identifying the Christian festival of the resurrection. I prefer to call it Resurrection Day because that cuts through all the cultural and religious confusion to get to the heart of what this day is all about.We are talking about the historical reality that a first century Jewish rabbi named Jesus, who also happens to be the one and only Son of God, was crucified in Jerusalem during Passover week and then three days later he was raised from the dead.We are talking about the theological reality that by His death, burial and resurrection we who believe have been saved from our sins and have been granted eternal life.We are talking about the present reality that because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead we of all people have reason to live our lives with indestructible hope no matter how good nor how horrible the circumstances of our life happen to be.We are talking about the supernatural reality that the founder of our faith went through death and came out the other side.Today, we are talking about the resurrection of Christ and how it impacts our life and faith.Lord’s Day Focus...Question 45: What benefit do we receive from the resurrection of Christ?Answer: First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which by His death He has obtained for us. Secondly, we also are now by His power raised up to a new life. Thirdly, the resurrection of Christ is to us a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.The Heidelberg breaks down the benefits of Christ’s resurrection into 3 different parts. The first has to do with the benefit of the resurrection with regard to our relationship to God. The second has to do with the benefit of the resurrection with regard to our spiritual life at this present time. The third has to do with the benefit of the resurrection with regard to our future hope of being resurrected into eternal life.But before we break all of these down, let’s try and understand what resurrection means and what it doesn’t mean. The word resurrection is not a common term in the OT, in fact, it’s not a very common term in the NT. When ancient religious people thought about life after death they didn’t think in terms of resurrection. Pagans believed in a spiritual existence after death but not a bodily resurrection. Many of the Jews, the Sadducees in particular, rejected the resurrection because they claimed Moses hadn’t said anything about a bodily existence after death. They were wrong, of course, and Jesus pointed that out to them in Mark 12:26-27.Resurrection refers to something that happens to the body. Most religions identify that the soul will live on after death, but Christianity teaches that our bodies will be raised from the grave. The followers of Jesus might have lived long and happy lives if they had simply stated that Jesus lived on in the spirit after his crucifixion, but they didn’t. They taught that Jesus’ body was raised and brought back to life by the power of God.They taught this because they saw it with their own eyes. They walked into the empty tomb just three days after they saw Christ die on the cross. They saw Jesus in the upper room, saw the scars in his hands and on His side. They touched those scars. They saw Jesus again on the shore in Galilee and they ate breakfast with him. They watched outside of Jerusalem as His body was taken up into Heaven right before their eyes.When Jesus’ disciples preached the resurrection, they weren’t referring to Jesus’ soul being raised, or his spirit living on; they were claiming that His dead body had been raised to life. To the Romans this was nonsense and to the Jews this was a scandal, but the resurrection is at the heart of the gospel. In fact, this is the point of the first part of Heidelberg’s answer.Our salvation depends on the reality that Jesus not only died on the cross for our sins but also that He was raised from the dead three days later. Here again is what the Catechism says, “by His resurrection He has overcome death, that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which by His death He has obtained for us.” He has overcome death and made us partakers of the righteousness that He obtained for us.One of the Apostle Paul’s favorite topics of discussion is the difference between the righteousness that we seek to earn by our obedience to the law of God and the righteousness that Jesus has earned for us by His obedience to God. In Philippians 3, Paul writes,(I want to) be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—Now why is it better for us to have the righteousness that comes through faith than to seek to obtain righteousness on my own?Let’s do a thought experiment and imagine that you do 1 act of pure righteousness everyday of your life. 1 act per day done in obedience to the law of God that is not fueled by some selfish motive, or sinful ambition. 1 per day and I believe that is being crazy generous. I remember a stretch of years between high school and college that wouldn’t have produced anything to my credit. But let’s be generous and give ourselves credit for 1 good deed each day of our lives.If we live to 80, that is just over 29,000 good deeds in a lifetime. But the math really doesn’t matter all that much, because for each good deed there is a counteractive bad deed.We have to consider the other side of the scale. Can we assume 1 act of unrighteousness everyday of your life? Can we assume 1 lie, or 1 act of deception, or 1 angry thought, or 1 lustful thought, or 1 hateful thought, or 1 act of greed, or 1 act of pride, or 1 act of impatience, or 1 act of gossip, or 1 thought of vanity. 1 unrighteous act per day, which again is being generous. If it’s 1:1 then it is a wash and we have nothing to show for the entirety of our life.But this is just a thought experiment. The reality is that the numbers aren’t even close to being in our favor.Gal 3:10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.”Rom 3:20 For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sightThe law cannot save us. Our imagined righteousness will never make us right with God. Imagine standing before God and having tallied up the balance of our good deeds and our sin, and then presenting that to Him as justification for why He should accept us. We have no chance of pleasing God in this way.But now, I want you to imagine the righteousness of Jesus. I want you to imagine all of the righteous deeds that Jesus ever did on any given day. There is no need to subtract the unrighteous deeds of Jesus because there are none. He was tempted in every way as we are, but He was without sin (Heb 4:15). Now, which righteousness would you put your hope in?Whose obedience are you trusting in? The resurrection of Jesus is evidence that when Jesus came before the Father, His obedience and His sacrifice was fully accepted. God raised Him from the dead because nothing remained. His righteousness paid the bill for all the sins of all who would believe. Our relationship to God rests not on our righteousness but on His and His resurrection gives us confidence that God accepted His offering in full.Secondly, the resurrection benefits us today in that we experience new life in Christ. I want to read a passage from Romans 6 to help us understand the spiritual logic of the resurrection on our life as believers.5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.Freedom from the power of sin is not the only benefit of our new life according to the resurrection, but it is a key benefit. Jesus’ resurrection has fundamentally altered the hold that sin has on believers. It has fundamentally changed the way we view life and the way we live life.Ray Ortlund writes,Deep inside every one of us is a dimmer switch, like the one in your dining room at home. We’re born with that switch turned all the way down. There is darkness with us, and the switch is too deep inside us for us to reach inside ourselves and turn it on. But God is able to reach into us at that deep level. God is able to get inside our interiority and turn the lights back on, so that we come alive to God. In his great love and mercy, God can touch us deeply. And the new aliveness he gives is nothing less than the resurrection life of Jesus. It is total miracle. It isn’t part you and part God. It is all of God. It is the mercy and love of God raising the dead. You don’t have to deserve it. It is all of grace. You don’t have to cause it. It is all of his power. This newness of life is the gift of God. You just receive it, with the empty hands of faith.[1]Thirdly, the resurrection of Jesus will benefit us in the future.Phil 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.This means that the resurrection of Jesus was only the beginning. Or like Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:23, Jesus’ resurrection was just the first part of the harvest, our resurrection will be realized when the rest of the harvest comes to maturity. As Jesus was raised so too will we be raised, all who trust in Christ.Do we fully understand what it will be like to have resurrection bodies? No, but it will be far better than life now. We will be made like Him and that is enough for me.Thanks for joining me today as I discuss the Heidelberg Catechism. I hope you’ll join me again next week as we look at Lord’s Day 18 together and discuss question 46-49.Conclusion…If you want to learn more about Cornerstone Baptist church, you can find us online at Cornerstonewylie.org. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram @cbcwylie. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/cornerstonewylie. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or google play to stay up to date on all the new content.Thanks for listening. [1] https://ortlund.net/message/how-does-the-resurrection-of-jesus-help-us-today/
In this episode we discuss introducing exponents, comparing decimals, and beginning decimal computation.3 Act Task - Penny a DayOne Grain of RiceBecoming the Math Teacher You Wish You'd HadDecimal Squares - All ProductsDecimal SquaresDecimal Playing CardsDecimal Squares Teacher's GuideHigh-Low GameDecio GameVertical Non Permanent Surfaces ResearchWriting Comparing Decimals RulesThe Make Your Way Down MethodEquivalent Decimal MisconceptionWhat if You Give the Answer First?Adding Decimal MistakeExemplarsTeams-Games-TournamentsToday's Number
Get a trial month of Hims for $5 at http://forhims.com/greggy Robinhood is giving listeners a free stock to build your portfolio. Sign up at http://greggy.robinhood.com We all run through a bunch of silly first date questions. (Released first to http://www.Patreon.com/KindaFunny Supporters on 12.07.18)
Question: What are the two criteria for subject matter eligibility? Answer: First, the claimed invention must be in one of the four statutory categories. 35 U.S.C. 101 defines the four categories of invention that Congress deemed to be the appropriate subject matter of a patent: processes, machines, manufactures and compositions of matter. Second, the claimed invention also […] The post MPEP Q & A 159: What are the Two Criteria for Subject Matter Eligibility? appeared first on Patent Education Series.
Today’s Question: Today’s question comes from Carter. I’m interested in selling a product in the fitness industry. Can I validate the product idea by building a storefront and using images of the product and packaging, and then upon checkout saying it’s out of stock and request an email address for notification? Jake’s Answer: First, it’s cool that Carter is starting this on the side. Most successful startups start that way so that they can pay the bills while they build their startup. A side hustle is actually a very good idea when just starting. On one hand, this idea is shady because it’s misleading to customers. On the other hand, it’s an interesting way to make sure someone would buy your product. I tend to believe more strongly that it’s a great way to ensure people would buy. It’s a great way to test whether or not the product solves a problem for a customer. I don’t know the legalities of this, but from a marketing perspective this is the best way to test the viability of your product. How to Execute Build a landing page that has all of the forms necessary to make a purchase (not saving anything except the email and name) and then let them know at the end that you will notify them when the product is available. In addition to the forms, you would also need to have a designer mock up the packaging and the product for the landing page. Once you get a few people going through the whole process, you’ll quickly get an understanding of if it’s something you should pursue. This can work for SaaS products, too, especially in a B2B scenario. This is not really possible with an app since it won’t get accepted to the app stores. But it’s worth a shot for physical products, e-commerce, and subscription services. Ask Your Own Question Got questions about startups and/or startup culture? We’ve got answers. Head over to LaunchChat.io and record your own question to have it featured on the show. Join our mastermind for Startup Founders Join our free Facebook Group for founders working to build, launch, & scale together with the help of our startup experts at Launchpeer! Get more details and join the club at Launchpeer.club. Launch Recipes Book Our team is writing a book and it’s nearly ready to ship. We profiled 40 of the biggest startups of the 21st Century and documenting how they scaled their businesses. If you want to claim your free book, visit LaunchRecipes.com. Stay in Touch Ask your own question Follow Jake Twitter Check out Jake’s articles Medium Jake’s personal site Check out Launchpeer Follow Launchpeer on Twitter
Visit buildthewellnessbusinessyouwant.com for all the season episodes Post 3 of 5: Build the Wellness Business You WANT 101 series. How to help ‘top-notch‘ clients find you. Podcast episode IWPPB503 Your Free pdf worksheets packet for this post can be downloaded using this link or the link at the end of the post. ** ** Over and over again I see new wellness professionals struggle with how to reach potential clients. I took 60 seconds on FB made a few screen shots of posts and another 10 seconds to grab the first Q off the most recent webinar I offered to share with you. Here are 3. FB Q: ” Webinar Q ” _ How do I find clients in my niche?…… and when a health coach is the furthest thing from their mind how do I get them to work with me so I can help them? ……”_ FB Q: ” Here is how I answer each and every time I am personally asked: How do I find clients and avoid the ‘niche‘ restrictions I am afraid will limit my business?: Take 3 Steps and Make 5 Connects There are 2 previous posts in this series: Build the WELLNESS Business You WANT 101: ATTAINING ‘top-notch‘ clients. Consider checking them out. They make this post all the more helpful…..you can find them using the below links or signing up for the complete series to be emailed to your inbox: LINK for SERIES. Post 1: Ever Wonder How YOU Could Attract NEW Clients in the First Moments of Meeting Them? Go to this post: Post 2: The KEY to Building the WELLNESS Business You WANT when starting out is NOT I repeat NOT taking on Clients for FREE! NOR is it taking on anyone you can get! It is to work with this ONE Client Type instead. For those of you who are actively using the information from the 2 previous posts and are: ~ using the new Approach on prospective clients you happen to meet and have ~ made room for implementing the 2 focused Business Steps ; from the 4 Client types post. This next question is one you will be happy someone submitted since it is most likely the same question you are now pondering…. I showed you above that FB has a form of this question posted multiple times a day. I personally receive it often too via the contact form. Here is an email I received from Pati Y asking: mo, can you please tell me; What do I do so ‘top-notch‘ clients can find me? Q: “Dear mo – With the guidance you gave all of us on the webinar, plus your other helpful resources I have swapped out my Approach. I am totally comfortable that I am attracting verses ‘getting’ interest from new people I meet.> I’d like to mention one added benefit you did not bring up and I wasn’t expecting but was a direct result of switching my APPROACH. The surprise benefit was: how I feel when I am in a situation of sharing with someone what I do. The APPROACH is totally amazing. Even with my own extended family members that have struggled with decisions around my lifestyle. What I do is starting to make sense to them. (not that they are interested but they are respecting my choices now;-).> Here is the thing- after using the new APPROACH a few times, I figured out _ I was actually a shrinking violet _ way more than I thought! It was because I was always trying to figure out a ‘smart’ opener or a ‘perfect’ response so I would be sure to make a good impression. What I noticed is I found myself dodging people to avoid messing up. This resulted in me feeling awful inside… like I was self-sabotaging my success.> Now I know exactly what to do and my real caring personality shines through using my focused CELL’f Care bio-individual process Approach. Feeling empowered by this I re-visited the 4 Client Types. I did the action step exercises you gave and it did show me just how much of my energy was zapped by the 3 crappy client types I had taken on. Knowing taking on everyone isn’t the way to Build the WELLNESS Business I WANT is a relief. Really it is a relief! It has helped shift my mind set from considering starting all over with another career to instead getting focused using your i-we.co foundation courses to BUILD the WELLNESS Business I WANT. I know I am writing alot but I want to add one more thing in case there are others struggling like me- When you outlined how the FREE client isn’t the pathway to Building the WELLNESS Business I WANT I was shocked! It was mind boggling because it is what I was told to do. Lucky for me you shared this! I took anyone on and for FREE! But no referrals or testimonials ;-/ I was getting no where FAST _except burnt out _ and losing my confidence. Combine all that with learning from you that I was expecting the wrong outcome from the FREE client sessions that I actively sought out helped me to look realistically at what I WAS supposed to gain from those sessions. Lastly I have 1 word for: The 3 Confidence Killers Practitioners Make Course WOW! It helped me work out the MAJOR issues that were holding me back waaayyyy faster than working with a slew of clients would have ever done. ALL I can keep saying is: WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Thank you, thank you. All the things I was taught and thought were necessary as a ‘newbie’ debunked. I hunkered down. Did the work and my confidence has bloomed. Your shared experiences have moved me forward in my Business and Life because I am out of the: Feel great, feel beat up, verge of burn out- need to survive RALLY- repeat wellness practitioner loop. _ A loop I had not realized I was in until doing your exercises in the previous post. _ I honestly thought it was natural; having energy to work on my business and _ then crash _ and not want to go out and take on more clients. Rally myself again knowing I had to figure out a way to make money. I realized I only thought this pattern was natural because I commiserated with other new graduates all of us having the same spikes and crashes. Lesson learned! Just because it happens to ‘a lot’ of others doesn’t mean it has to be that way _ Implementing the tools you have shared brings on such clarity. Thank you. _ I am hopping off the ‘one-timer’ client gerbil wheel. Full of excitment, clarity and balanced energy to methodically Build the WELLNESS Business I WANT with ‘top-notch’ clients. Here is my Question I am hoping you can answer: What do I do to help ‘ top-notch ‘ clients find me? mo’s ANSWER: First thank you for your thoughtful email. I am glad you have reversed your plan and are NOT leaving the wellness field. So many desperately want wellness. YOU are needed! My goal for all the posts, seminar transcripts, courses you mentioned is to accomplish just that so I am glad it worked for you! Now you know you already have what it takes…. you just needed to know how to use it. I am sure this will inspire others so thank you. Now on to answering your PERFECT Question! My answer: Take 3 Steps and Make 5 Connects over and over and over again. After doing the work you have done your question is a natural one. I wanted to share how common by creating the screenshots I placed at the beginning of this post. My answer is the same for any wellness professional in the process of Building the WELLNESS Business They WANT: Take 3 Steps and M ake 5 Connects. Over and over. Get others you know to do it too! Highlight and Copy the link below and send to all the wellness professionals you know! Check this link out. It’s an email series focused on Building the WELLNESS Business you WANT by i-we.co thought you might enjoy it. The more wellness professionals successfully focusing on bio-individual wellness the better it is for everyone. A community of wellness professionals Building the WELLNESS Business they WANT strengthens your bottom line! A large majority of my previous client base happen to be MD’s and Herbalists, Chinese acupuncture, PT’s, Yoga professionals, Nutritionists, Dentists…. As I shared the focused CELL’f Care bio-individual process they shared where they were frustrated and we often worked together helping clients move toward the WELLNESS they WANTED. We could not have worked together had we not been on the same page NOW let’s uncover the Take 3 Steps Make 5 Connects process to get you in front of potential ‘top-notch‘ clients because…. My daughter shared a story that I have been re-sharing with new WELLNESS Business professionals on webinars. Most recently, while speaking with a group of freshly graduated holistic nutritionists, the worries came up about what else they should consider getting certified in and how they could make the right ‘offering‘ enabling them to attract clients since they are new graduates and ‘inexperienced.’ How could they get clients to know everything they could offer them? What to do next so clients can find them? My answer: Take 3 Steps and Make 5 Connects over and over. When you consistently do this you will find out that: ‘you already have what it takes…… _ ……..you just needed to know how to use it’_ Here is a story my daughter shared: A guest speaker presented a ‘reality of finding work in the saturated job market’ informative speech based on his experience from school to the workforce. He suggested the upcoming graduates may want to ponder the fact that: “We all shift from the comfort zone of learning: when we are earning a degree or certificate: to being out there in the business world where we ultimately realize those 200 or 1,200 or 4,000 people I just graduated with are holding the same piece of paper. Not to mention all the other Schools and Universities.”… “..all these new graduates are out there offering the same knowledge to the pool of people or companies….” He closed with: ” _So what is going to makes me, or anybody for that matter, want to hire, contract, work with, YOU _?… you might want to get on that now!” According to her, it was pretty thought provoking at first for all those in attendance. And then it turned into a palpable sense of paralyzation , as in OMG what am I going to do!? In closing, they were given the task to come up with what makes them worthy of gaining a job, contract, client…. As I listened to her tell me about the presentation, I thought to myself he is 100% right. UNTIL; that is the part about taking on the task of being worthy. Of course, that task was paralyzing! NOT to mention impossible when starting a career. It also sends new professionals running amuck trying to get ‘experience’ here and there. Creating a longer list than the other person does not equate worthiness, and you know what…. everyone else is lining up their lists too! So these lists will get longer and longer with no real experience benefits. As my daughter expressed fret over needing a variety of ‘things‘ now to make her worthy to be able to ‘stand out‘ I balked and said; _ “you already have what it takes; you just need to know how to use it.” _ (Sound familiar?… I found myself saying that so much when beginning to work with wellness professionals that I finally realized it was time for i-we.co to exist. I want to show you how to use what you have now so you can develop into more.) I suggested to my daughter that we walk through this thought process in another way. _ A way that I know has made a difference in my Business. _ A process I knew my daughter could relate to because she has and is already using it. I shared this story during my Q&A with newly graduating Holistic Nutritionists because I felt the same sense of deer in headlights and panic. How would they now go out in the world and have clients find them? They wanted to know how to get business. I passed on the Take 3 Steps Make 5 Connects Process I used to them and have received feedback and thank you’s. I would like to pass this process on to you as you begin Building the WELLNESS Business You WANT. Take 3 Steps Make 5 Connects to Help ‘top-notch‘ Clients Find YOU. It works. It builds on where you are right now. It never excludes a niche you may want to work with. It is focused and offers a lifetime of results. It helps you share what you have as a knowledge base now and is the fastest way to deeper learning as you work with ‘top-notch‘ clients helping them Identify Their HERE and Finding Thier POINT A. Let’s get some pictures going and explain how the Take 3 Steps Make 5 Connects Process applies to all of us and how it creates the opportunity; the growth in all aspects of our lives and paves the way for ‘top-notch‘ clients to find YOU! When you are new and want to create your first connection with a prospective client; be it a single person or business; take 2 minutes to make a call. I learned this from a client of mine who became a very close friend. Well respected in the business of finance; about eight years my senior; I asked her how she made it to where she was – as a single woman with three young children to care for without having a college degree one would think it was impossible! Her answer: “I pick up the phone and make a call. Once a week I schedule 1 hour of my time calling: people I have never met,…. people I know,…. people in my same field,….people in other fields.> It is typically a 2 minute connection that reaps immeasurable connections.”> She asked me “how did you end up at the military base offering the program I took with you without being connected to the military? “ I said I loved working with kids, I knew, in general, single parents could rarely take an exercise class because babysitting alone was expensive. I knew I could combine the 2 so I picked up the phone and called the head of the Rec. department. ” There you go! You made a 2 minute call they gave you the thumbs up. I brought my 3 kids there because it appealed to me. I brought my sister and her 3 kids the following week. Your bio-individual attention and focused self care = CELL’f Care message appealed to me. You helped me find you by being where I was. I became your client because I met you and liked your bio-individual process message. I WOULD NOT HAVE responded to an ad. You helped me find you by placing yourself where I was. And the niche was totally different than working with kids! That was just 1 product you had. I a ‘top-notch‘ client found you. That only happened because you took the Step to make a 2-minute call. Ultimately you, individually helping kids, even in a group helped many of us realize we wanted to be seen by you too! You went on to help me identify the true cause of my back pain; I then referred how many clients to you? So tell me, how much business did you gain from that 2 minute call? and exactly….> How many 2 minute calls have you made since then? > she knew by the look on my face that I never even thought about it and she went on to say….”take out your calendar- replace one of your crappy clients; just one; that you are helping for FREE. Schedule that exact date and time to make your first 2 minute calls- then go make a list of who you want to get in front of – On the date: at the time – call them. 2 minutes. We will meet after you try it. I guarantee the result of those calls will financially reward you way more than the FREE sessions you spend your time doing, preparing for, following up on!” So I did it. I made a 2-minute call every Thursday and can tell you that she was 100% correct I could never measure how much I gained because I still receive requests from the various places and people I made calls to- TO this day!… even though I am not taking on clients anymore. Now they call to see who I could refer them to. AND it is the exact same way I established myself when living in Europe! Lousy speaking skills of the language and all! It worked! I began a dual language wellness program on a NON-American military base. YUP. If for no other reason I think they initially felt sorry for me as I tried to communicate. The point is the personal 2-minute connection is what made it happen. Let me give you just 1 example of how the 2-minute call worked for my Business. I picked up the phone and called a major hospital. I asked for a meeting with a woman in the department I was interested in sharing my expertise with. She was great. She listened and when I was done explained that although her hospital wouldn’t be able to use my services because if my programs actually did fix all the things I said it could her department would lose money… BUT she had a contact for me over at a NOT- FOR- PROFIT Hospital just a town over. I took down the contact information and put it in my calendar. It was great next Thursdays 2-minute call all set! I made the 2-minute call that following Thursday. It was comfortable because I was able to say so and so thought we’d be a good match -This was enough to set up our first meeting. We met, she listened; liked what she heard and brought in another to listen and we closed our time together by exchanging pleasantries the ‘thank you very much’ and went our separate ways. Hmmm, I bemoaned to Sandee when we met. Nothing …. Ahhh, young one she teased. The 2-minute call works in its own way and time….. ……_ Keep making the 2-minute calls. _ And I did. Some reaped immediate invitations and presentations or work; others what I called ‘just a connection.’ Then I learned what Sandee meant because they weren’t ‘just a connection’: I hate to admit it; my inexperience of not being in business long enough; meant my interpretation of how effective the 2-minute calls were was short sighted. My impression was the 2-minute calls were _ semi-successful- randomly bringing in immediate work _ and then as time went on connections started to accumulate , they _ began to overlap _. I would have someone approach me at the end of a presentation and say so and so said the message was powerful; now I know what they mean. I honestly didn’t know your name but when you started speaking on Self-Care = to the sum of CELL’f Care I thought: this is her! Interactions like that produced relationships of all kinds all benefiting my bottom line. And then this happened: Three years after my first 2-minute call. Yes, three years later, I received a call. The woman that I was connected to; the one that was my 2nd 2-minute call, well she was now in a new hospital setting, and she _ never forgot that I called. And every time she heard my name or saw I was doing a presentation it rekindled and reaffirmed her desire to offer the WELLNESS approach I offered._ Finally; she explained; she was somewhere she could make it happen, and she was calling; asking; if I could come in and see if the brand new facility that was being built would be a good fit so I could consider a contract for my services. 20 years I contracted there. From one 2 minute phone call. People and businesses reaching out to me happened over and over with individual clients; satellite facilities; recreational facilities; training of overseas military; and spin-offs from all of these seemed to ‘happen’. I never; ever had a business card. The 2-minute call was my calling card. The 2-minute call slowly built momentum until it began to snowball and then I was able to hire PBS to produce videos of end user VHS and cassette tapes so others could do the teachings at the various facilities. I was hiring instructors to teach my programs at different locations. So I could be in more than one place at once. The dinosaur version of online classes This is just 1 example of how my 2-minute calls helped _ my ‘top-notch’ clients find me. _ This 1st Step; 1st Connect: Make a Call. – priceless! I’d like to point out: This post is a perfect example that, just like Sandee, it was not her spending more time: Getting more ducks in a row, More systems in place, More training. It was taking the step over and over again to make a connection through a 2- minute call. That is what helped her and then me with Phase 1: The ESTABLISHMENT PHASE of Building our Businesses. You can do that along the way too. I will help you. Right now, you need to KNOW YOU already HAVE what it takes. You just need to KNOW how to use it! > Trust me, _‘top-notch’ clients are _ looking for YOU!> YOU’VE GOT THIS! Begin Building the WELLNESS Business You WANT by placing your focus on using the expertise you have here is a LINK to FREE pdf WORKSHEET packet for this post. getting the tools to communicate YOU are the one to help the ‘top-notch‘ client who is looking for you. Look into the focused CELL’f Care Bio-individual Process Seminar transcripts if you want to learn more about the process. until next time here is a summary of links for your easy access! mo Links: 1 LINK to FREE pdf WORKSHEET: Who will be first on your list to call? Download Step 1 Connect 1 worksheet packet in pdf format and prepare for the next post in this series! 2 That way you’ll be ready next time to move forward. The next post is titled: Step 2 / Connect 2 Help ‘top-notch‘ Clients Find YOU. (post 4 in this series) For the complete series to be emailed to your inbox: LINK for SERIES. 3 Wanna touch base? Contact mo 4 Wanna help others you know? Copy the below link and send to all the wellness people you know! [Check this link out. It is an email series focused on Building the WELLNESS Business you WANT by i-we.co](http://www.i-we.co/3-steps-to-help-…ients-find-you-2/ )
eCommerce Uncensored - Email Marketing | Facebook Ads | Social Media Marketing
Episode 45 of eCommerce Uncensored is a Q & A session. Paul gets Kevin and Jason's take on some questions related to eCommerce. Question #1: How can I prevent my customers from unsubscribing? Answer: First off, a person unsubscribing from your emails may not be the worst thing for you. If someone is not engaged […] The post EU045: eCommerce Q&A – Email Unsubscribes, Picking an Industry and Successful Campaigns appeared first on eCommerce Uncensored.
Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of two, battling a sore throat, but excited that I finally got to see the Fantastic Beasts movie last weekend! I gotta say - Jacob & Queenie were the best part for me. This is Episode #12 and today we’re talking about gift ideas for middle grade readers, three novels with incredibly brave protagonists, and I’ll answer a listener’s question about keeping kids engaged when you read out loud. Main Topic - Gifts Ideas for Middle Grade Readers December is here and for many, December brings holidays that involve gift-giving. So if you have a child between the ages of about 8 and 12 on your list this year, I have some bookish ideas for you. My first suggestion is, whenever possible, ask the child what they’d like that would be book related. And gift cards to local bookstores are always perfect as well so they can pick something they will love themselves. A friend of mine follows the philosophy of limiting holiday gifts to four categories: Want, Need, Wear, and Read. He gives each of his children a piece of paper divided into four sections and they list some items they want, some things they really need, some ideas of what they’d like to wear, and a list of things they want to read. Want, Need, Wear, Read. I really like that idea of giving children a focus, and of course the emphasis it places on reading. But - if you’re not sure what books they’d like or you want to surprise them, here are four suggestions for you. #1 - Try a biography that is connected to their hobbies or interests. For example, if they like art, you could get them the Who Was Frida Kahlo? Biography. (I haven’t read that one myself, but if my daughter sneak reading it under her blankets with a flashlight is any recommendation for you - it seems pretty good!) If they are into sports, a really great collection of real-life stories is Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars. If you have a young dancer if your life, definitely get them the new Misty Copeland biography called Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. That one is brand new and out December 6th. For the science-loving tweens and teens on your list, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science is awesome! Who can resist a book with “gruesome” in the title? #2 - Build on a book they already like. For example, you could get a Diary of a Wimpy Kid calendar or one of the many fantastic Harry Potter coloring books. My girls loved those when we were listening to the audio books. You can also get their favorite book as a charm to put on a bracelet or necklace. I’ll link to that Etsy shop in the show notes. Another idea is to get them the audio version of a favorite book so they can experience the performance of that story. And hey - maybe even get them their own Audible account. #3 - Pair a book with another gift so you build on the excitement. What I mean by that is if you give your nephew a LEGO kit, also get him the bold and colorful book 365 Things to Do with LEGO Bricks. If you get your daughter a science kit, include a biography of Marie Curie as some inspiration. You might pair an apron and set of cookie cutters with Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!). If you are getting your child a telescope, maybe add a copy of The Everything Kids’ Astronomy Book. A hot gift for my 9 year old lately are those fashion kits where she can make her own headbands and bracelets - you know, the stuff that leaves beads scattered all over your house! But - a great book to pair with a present like that is The Fashion Book by DK Publishing. It connects historical trends with modern fashion - it’s pretty cool. That’s one of those books that I want to buy for my kids so I can read it, too. #4 - Get them a Mail Order Mystery. Now - I want to say upfront that I have no connection to this company. They are not paying me. I simply saw their ad online, got it for my girls as something fun to do over the summer, and it was great. Every week for about six weeks, my daughters got personalized wax-sealed letters describing the mystery they had to solve, artifacts connected to the story, riddles, and a code to crack that my whole family was working on together. It was so much fun - for all of us! The final package included a book that tied everything together. And if you have more than one child - no worries - they can share it and work together and the company will include all their names on the personalized items. So here’s how it works. You go to MailOrderMystery.com and pick one of three mystery options. The first two are Treasure Hunt (which is a pirate adventure) and The Enchanted Slumber (which is the mystery we did and it was fairy tale themed). The new mystery, which was revealed in their newsletter last week is called Spies, Lies, and Serious Badguys and will feature a secret safe disguised as a book, a personalized secret agent ID card, invisible ink pen, and so much other cool stuff. So after you’ve decided which of those three mysteries you want, you pick who it’s for, and then you get to decide when it will start. Also - if you are sometimes a last-minute shopper, this is a perfect quick gift. You just sign up online, print out a cool looking certificate to tuck in a card or roll up into a cool scroll, and BAM - awesome gift. It’s really tailor made for kids between 8 and 12. I hope you’ve gotten some fresh ideas for any middle grade reader on your list this year. And I would love to get your ideas and share them with everyone else! You can tag me on Twitter or Instagram or email me at booksbetween@gmail.com and I’ll share your ideas, too! Book Talk - Three Books Featuring Brave Girls In this part of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week I’m featuring three books with courageous female leads: Finding Perfect, Sticks & Stones, and Rain Reign. Finding Perfect The first book this week is one that I have been wanting to share with you since - jeesh, I think June! Finding Perfect is by debut author Elly Schwartz. And actually, I should clarify that - this is Schwartz’s first published novel but not the first she’s written. This novel doesn’t read like a first effort - it’s crafted like a novelist at the top of their game. Okay - I could keep gushing, but you probably want to know what the book is about. So a quick summary. Finding Perfect is about 12-year-old Molly Nathans who is always striving toward perfect. Perfectly sharpened pencils, perfectly crisp white paper, perfectly aligned glass figurines, and a perfectly safe and together family. And that last wish for family perfection is the one that seems to set her on a downward path when her Mom moves out and Molly spirals into her OCD. So here are three things to love about Finding Perfect: Poetry - Molly is a poet and one element of her story is how she participates in her middle school’s Poetry Slam Contest. She gets past the first round with an incredible poem that starts with the word “Sorry.” And as Molly’s compulsions toward organization and neatness start to take over her life and she feels herself unraveling - her writing starts to reflect that. It’s so powerful. Here’s a line from one of her poems: “As time slips, it’s hard to hide To keep my crazy tucked inside.” Molly’s friends Hannah and Bridgett. Hannah is her best friend, cheering Molly on and waiting for her when Molly spends hours rearranging her room instead of meeting up like she promised. And Bridgette, who often says the wrong thing and is obsessed with obituaries. But - oh, when Molly finds out WHY Bridgette collects obituaries, she realizes that every person has something hidden. The thing is though that Hannah and Bridgette do NOT like each other. And this book really captures that difficult dynamic when you have friends anchored to the same person and they have to find a way to get along. Finding Perfect fills an incredibly important niche in middle grade fiction. A book that tackles anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder from the point of view of a kid. I love that this book is written in first person and we get to experience Molly’s challenges and dilemmas. She wants to be a good friend and go help Hannah with her bracelet business plan. But… she is compelled to straighten up her bedroom first - which starts to take longer and longer and longer until finally Molly does the brave thing and admits to herself that it’s a problem. I am not sure if the statistics really bear this out, but it does seem to me that I have more and more students every year who are trying to overcome some level of either anxiety or compulsion. This book would be perfect in their hands - and for anyone else who could use a look into another child’s experience to help them understand each other better. Finding Perfect reminded me a bit of Raymie Nightingale and I have to give a shout out to the cover design. It is simply perfect - and has the BEST spine design I have ever seen. Sticks & Stones Book number two this week is Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper - another debut author who seems like she’s been around forever. This is the story of middle schooler, Elyse, who has this very unusual condition where the words that people say about her appear on her skin. It’s called, well, I can’t pronounce it - and honestly I don’t think Elyse can either. But it’s shortened, mercifully, to CAV. Now, I will say at first that the rational, scientific side of my brain had a hard time suspending disbelief about verbalized words getting etched into skin. BUT. Once I could shush that side, I just fell in love with this story and with Elyse. So, the main character has this condition, she’s starting middle school, her friendships are shifting (like they do in middle school), and with the encouragement from an anonymous person writing her mysterious notes, Elyse decides to be brave and go for this elite position in her school called Explorer Leader. And in the midst of all this, her disorder takes a turn and it’s not just others’ words that are etched into her skin, but her own thoughts about herself start to appear on her arms and legs. How powerfully symbolic is that? So, if you’re not sold already, here are three more reasons to love Sticks & Stones: Elyse’s notes to herself. Every month as part of an English assignment, she writes a letter to her future self in her journal. In her first September note, she jots down four goals. Which are: Stop thinking about the folded paper until I can finally open it after class. Stop obsessing over Liam, because he is done liking me. Instead, obsess over boys like Nice Andy who do seem to like me. Stop thinking about the folded blue paper until it’s time to open it! In each letter, Elyse reflects on how things are going and lists some new goals. I really loved how those letters anchored the story. The boy she calls “Nice Andy”. Because - there is a point in the book where he could have been not-so-nice. Now - I’m going to give a small spoiler here, which I try not to do - but this one isn’t so major. But, if you’d rather not hear it, just pause and fast forward about a minute. Okay? Alright, so - Elyse ends up dating Nice Andy for awhile. And he IS wonderful, but she realizes she just doesn’t feel THAT way about him. And I simply LOVED how he handles things when she tells him that she would rather be good friends. He says, “Oh! Okay, don’t worry about it.” That could have gone very differently. I think kids could use a model of a graceful and respectful breakup, so thumbs up for that scene! I really love how Sticks & Stones embodies this idea that having a bigger purpose in your life and striving for something important can break you out of self-doubt and worrying so much about yourself. For Elyse, it’s her goal of becoming Explorer Leader that starts to get her out of her own head a bit. And ironically, by getting busy and NOT thinking so much of what others are saying about her, she becomes more confident. In one of the later mystery notes that Elyse receives is this advice: “Remember, someone is always going to have something bad to say. But can you remember the good you’ve done? The good you ARE?” I think that message is so important for middle grade readers who are sometimes focused so much on other people liking them. I remember those years myself - they were rough. Sticks & Stones is about friendship, and boys, and learning what actions to take to be more comfortable with yourself. This book would be particularly powerful for middle grade girls. Rain Reign Our final featured book this week is Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign. For the last two years, I don’t think there’s been a month that’s gone by where I haven’t been conferencing with a student who has been reading this book or reading it out loud to my daughters. One of the joys of being a teacher is getting to dip back into those favorite books. So, Rain Reign is a story told by 5th grader Rose Howard, who loves routines, collecting homonyms, and prime numbers. She lives with her dad, who is not the best care-taker for her. And she lives with her dog, who she calls Rain. And, in her own words says “My official diagnosis is high-functioning autism, which some people call Asperger’s syndrome”. One night, after a hurricane has caused flooding and destruction, Rose’s father lets Rain outside and now she’s missing. Because of that, Rose has to be brave, break out of her routine, and try to find her dog. And that’s just the beginning of her bravery. Alright, so - here are three fantastic things about Rain Reign. Rose’s straightforward storytelling. It’s astonishing how well we get into Rose’s head. For example, in the first chapter she says: “This is how you tell a story: First you introduce the main character. I’m writing this story about me, so I am the main character.” And later on she says, “ Some of the things I get teased about are following the rules and always talking about homonyms. Mrs. Leibler is my aide and she sits with me in Mrs. Kushel’s room. She sits in an adult-size chair next to my fifth-grade-size chair and rests her hand on my arm when I blurt something out in the middle of math. Or, if I whap myself in the head and start to cry, she’ll say, ‘Rose, do you need to step into the hall for a moment?’” I think most people who have spent any kind of time in a school will find that scene very familiar. Having it told from the point of view of the child with autism is so important. Rose’s Uncle. While Rose is very unlikely in who she ended up with as a father, she lucked out with her Uncle Weldon. It’s hard to believe that the two of them are brothers. Rose’s dad is impatient, an alcoholic, neglectful, and… worse. Thank goodness Rose has her Uncle who picks her up from school, patiently answers her many repetitive questions, and helps her deal with her dad. How much kids simply love this book. In fact, I decided that since I just happen to have two of those kids on hand right here in our house, I’d invite them to tell you what they liked about Rain Reign. Q & A Our third and final segment this week is Question & Answer time. Question: Today’s question is from Sarah in Arlington, Texas.( And Hey Sarah - thanks for listening!) She asks, “My kids don't seem like they’re paying attention when I read aloud. How can keep them more interested?” Answer: First of all, I hear ya! Between my own kids and “kids” at school - I feel like I am always assessing their attention and interest. So I have a few thoughts, and hopefully you, listening, might chime in as well. First, I’m wondering - did your kids get to pick out the book? If they have some say, that can help. At home, I usually book talk a few that I think would be winners and then let them decide. I do understand that with more than one child, that choosing process can be tricky. We’ve certainly had some drama and high stakes negotiations about that at my house. A second thought - give them something to do with their hands while they’re listening. I have adult friends who just can’t sit still for that long. So try giving them some paper and crayons or play-doh. Maybe tinkering with LEGO’s or doing a jigsaw puzzle. And finally - there is the possibility that they might be paying more attention than you think. I had this epiphany last year when I was reading aloud Matilda to my girls. And one of my daughters was driving me nuts because she was bouncing all over the bed, the book is shaking, she’s twisting around in the blankets - I could not get her to settle down. And I am getting annoyed - this is supposed to be our calm, mother-daughter time bonding over classic children’s literature. NO. So after a few nights of me getting mad, I thought, “Okay - I’m just going to ignore it and she’ll stop. Right?’” So I continue to read, but I’ve got one eye on her the entire time. And then suddenly it hit me - she was acting out what was happening in the book. She was SO involved in the book that she was physically experiencing it. SO I know sometimes that we have this idealized image in our mind of our loving children nestled in our lap, taking in every word of what we’re reading, but - truthfully that doesn’t always happen that way. The main thing is to not give up on that daily read aloud time. Closing Alright, that’s it for the Q&A section this week. If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And when you are there, take some time to read a great post about Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts by Mel Schuit. And, if you are liking the show, I’d love it if you helped others find us by sharing on social media or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks and see you in two weeks! Bye!
Thinking about starting your own business? You better know this before you get started...and a few more things.
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