Podcast appearances and mentions of asia minor

Have you ever felt lost, forgotten, or overwhelmed by the trials of life? In this powerful message titled "The Chief Cornerstone," Pastor Jason unpacks a letter of hope from Peter, addressing the struggles faced by exiled Christians in Asia Minor. By recognizing that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of our faith, we learn that each of us has a significant role within God's spiritual house.

WIVES OF THE ROMANS: 1/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover – July 30, 2024 by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1593 ROMAN WOMEN

Antiochus III attempts to stamp his authority on Asia Minor and makes the first overtures towards Thrace, just as Antiochus II and Seleucus I once did. However, he doesn't bank on the city of Lampsacus appealing to a little known state called the Roman Republic for help. Join us this week for diplomatic rowing, a rumour about the death of Ptolemy V and Rome trying to flex its muscles.Sources for this episode:TBA

fWotD Episode 2977: Orphic Hymns Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 29 June 2025, is Orphic Hymns.The Orphic Hymns are a collection of eighty-seven ancient Greek hymns addressed to various deities, which were attributed in antiquity to the mythical poet Orpheus. They were composed in Asia Minor (located in modern-day Turkey), most likely around the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD, and were used in the rites of a religious community which existed in the region. The Hymns are among the few extant works of Orphic literature (the tradition of texts attributed to Orpheus in antiquity), and recent scholars have observed parallels between the collection and other Orphic works.The collection is preceded by a proem (or prologue), in which Orpheus addresses the legendary poet Musaeus, and calls upon around seventy deities to be present. The individual hymns in the collection, all of which are brief, typically call for the attention of the deity they address, before describing them and highlighting aspects of their divinity, and then appealing to them with a request. The descriptions of deities consist primarily of strings of epithets (titles or adjectives applied to gods), which make up a substantial portion of the hymns' content, and are designed to summon the powers of the god. The deity featured most prominently in the collection is Dionysus, who is the recipient of eight hymns, and is mentioned throughout the collection under various names. Most of the deities featured in the Hymns are derived from mainstream Greek mythology, and a number are assimilated with one another.The Orphic Hymns seem to have belonged to a cult community from Asia Minor which used the collection in ritual, and probably held Dionysus as their central god. The rite in which the Orphic Hymns featured was the teletḗ (τελετή, a term which usually refers to a rite of initiation into mysteries), and this ceremony appears to have taken place at night-time. Most hymns specify an offering to be made to the deity, which was probably burned during the performance of the hymn. Scholars have noted the apparent lack of Orphic doctrines in the Hymns, though certain themes and references have been interpreted as pointing to the presence of Orphic thought in the collection.No external references to the Orphic Hymns survive from antiquity, and they are first mentioned by the Byzantine writer John Diaconus Galenus (who has been dated to the 12th century AD). From perhaps as early as the 5th century AD, the Orphic Hymns were preserved in a codex which also included works such as the Orphic Argonautica and the Homeric Hymns. The first codex containing the Orphic Hymns to reach Western Europe arrived in Italy in the first half of the 15th century, and in 1500 the first printed edition of the Hymns was published in Florence. During the Renaissance, a number of scholars believed that the collection was a genuine work of Orpheus, while in the late 18th century a more sceptical wave of scholarship argued for a dating in late antiquity. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of inscriptions were discovered in Asia Minor, leading to the ritual function of the collection being established among classicists and historians of religion.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:55 UTC on Sunday, 29 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Orphic Hymns on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Ruth.

Read Online“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:17–19Saints Peter and Paul are often referred to as two of the great “Pillars of the Church.” They each played an incredibly essential role in the establishment of the early Church. And though each of their roles was essential and foundational, their roles were as different as they were different as persons.Peter was a family man, a local fisherman, uneducated and quite ordinary. From what we know about him prior to being called by Jesus, there was nothing that made him uniquely qualified to become one of the pillars of the new Church to be established by the Son of God. Jesus simply called him, and he responded. Jesus got into Peter's boat, ordered him to lower the nets, and produced a huge catch of fish. When Peter saw this miracle, he fell down at Jesus' feet and acknowledged that he was “a sinful man” who was unworthy of being in Jesus' presence (See Luke 5:8). But Jesus informed Peter that he would from now on be catching men. Peter immediately left everything behind and followed Jesus.Paul describes himself as “a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cili′cia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gama′li-el, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as you all are this day” (Acts 22:3). Paul was well educated in the strictest interpretation of the Jewish law, understood philosophy and was quite zealous as a young man. Recall, also, that prior to becoming a convert to Christianity, he “persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13). In many ways, Paul would have been seen as the most unlikely person to be chosen to be a pillar of the Church, because he so vigorously opposed it at first. He even supported the killing of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Though each of these men would have been considered by many as very unlikely founders of the Christian Church, this is exactly what they became. Paul, after his conversion, traveled far and wide to preach the Gospel, founding several new Churches throughout Asia Minor and Europe. Eventually he was arrested in Jerusalem, brought to Rome for trial and was beheaded. Over half of the New Testament books are attributed to Paul and half of the Acts of the Apostles detail Paul's missionary journeys. Paul is especially known for his missionary activity to the Gentiles, those who were not Jews. Peter's role was truly a unique one. His name was changed from “Simon” to “Peter” by Jesus. Recall Jesus saying, “And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church…(Matthew 16:18). “Peter” in Greek is Petros. However, the Greek word petra means a rock as a solid formation that is fixed, immovable, and enduring. Therefore, Jesus chose to make Peter a solid foundation of immovable rock on which the Church was to be built.You, too, have been called by our Lord to a unique mission within the Church that has not been entrusted to another. In your own way, God wants to use you to reach certain people with the Gospel as He did with Saint Paul. And like Saint Peter, God wants to continue to establish His Church upon you and your faith. Reflect, today, upon these two holy and unique pillars of our Church. As you do, ponder how God may want to use you to continue their mission in this world. Though Saints Peter and Paul are among the greatest and most consequential Christians within our world, their mission must continue, and you are among the instruments that God wants to use. Commit yourself to this mission so that the preaching of the Gospel and the rock foundation of our Church will remain strong within our day and age just as it was of old. Saint Peter, you were uniquely chosen to be a rock foundation of faith upon which the Church was established. Saint Paul, you went forth to preach this faith far and wide, establishing many new communities of faith. Please use me, dear Lord, to continue the mission of Your Church so that the faith may be firmly planted in the minds and hearts of all Your people throughout the world. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Jusepe de Ribera, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Full Text of ReadingsSaturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 376The Saint of the day is Saint IrenaeusSaint Irenaeus' Story The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained no doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents than to prove them in error. As bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Claiming access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples, their teaching was attracting and confusing many Christians. After thoroughly investigating the various Gnostic sects and their “secret,” Irenaeus showed to what logical conclusions their tenets led. These he contrasted with the teaching of the apostles and the text of Holy Scripture, giving us, in five books, a system of theology of great importance to subsequent times. Moreover, his work, widely used and translated into Latin and Armenian, gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics. The circumstances and details about his death, like those of his birth and early life in Asia Minor, are not at all clear. However in 2022, Pope Francis named Saint Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church. Reflection A deep and genuine concern for other people will remind us that the discovery of truth is not to be a victory for some and a defeat for others. Unless all can claim a share in that victory, truth itself will continue to be rejected by the losers, because it will be regarded as inseparable from the yoke of defeat. And so, confrontation, controversy and the like might yield to a genuine united search for God's truth and how it can best be served. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

This is Part 1 of a series that will explore the Greek god Dionysus and how John's audience in Ephesus would have understood the Water to Wine miracle. Dionysus was well known in both Asia Minor, where John was writing, and in the land of Israel. The Greeks had brought Dionysus to Israel hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and he was a very popular agricultural god. The water-to-wine miracle in John 2 points directly to Dionysus, as he is the god of wine. In this short introduction, we explore the surprising cultural backdrop of Jesus' first sign—how the Greek god Dionysus, known for turning water into wine, had deeply influenced the land of Israel during the first century. We highlight: The mythological connection between Dionysus and the Decapolis city of Scythopolis, said to be founded by the god himself A quick recap of the Cana wedding story: grace precedes ritual, weddings belong to the “third day,” and resurrection imagery is built into the third day of Creation, when plants—symbols of yearly resurrection—were made Join us as we begin to uncover the rich layers behind Jesus' first miracle and what it meant to those living in a world shaped by both Jewish tradition and Greco-Roman mythology. ------------------------------------------------- www.figtreeteaching.com Join the Fig Tree Coffee Club: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/store/p3/Fig_Tree_Coffee_Club.html Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Fig Tree Amazon Portal: https://amzn.to/3USMelI Music: Adventurous Life by L-Ray Music - RIXCYIDXXQKRWW3A Lesson Handout: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/blog/jesus-is-greater-than-dionysus The Roman Writer Plutarch commented that Jews Worship Dionysus: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/uploads/1/1/9/7/119763168/plutarch_on_jews_worshiping_dionysus.pdf More Photos of Beit She'an: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/beit-shean.html

In this episode, we delve into the journey of Paul as he begins his third missionary journey. Right away, he faces a riot in Ephesus, a major influential city in ancient Asia Minor. We explore Paul's encounters with Apollos, an eloquent speaker who learns about the complete baptism in Jesus, and with disciples of John who realize they need to understand who Jesus truly is. The episode also covers a dramatic story involving the sons of Skiva, who fail in their attempt to use Jesus' name to exorcise demons, highlighting the power and supernatural nature of Paul's ministry. Lastly, we witness the profound impact of the gospel on the city, leading to the public burning of valuable pagan artifacts and causing significant unrest among the devotees of Artemis. Turn to Acts 18 and 19 to follow along.

The Gospel spreads into Asia Minor

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:1-4). Yesterday, Pastor Michael talked about living as those who have died and risen with Christ, those whose witness to Christ is without fear. In today's verses, we have a practical example of what such fearless living looks like: unity, like-mindedness, humility, and self-sacrifice.  In the context of Philippi, these virtues required a sort of fearlessness. Philippi was a highly stratified and diverse city, as were many that Paul visited in his ministry. The ruling class was Latin in language, culturally Italian, and politically Roman. However, on the margins, including the outskirts of the city and in the lower classes, many were Macedonian or Thracian (which are culturally and linguistically Greek) or immigrants coming from places like Egypt, Asia Minor, and Judea. There were as many as 35 different local deities worshipped in the city, alongside the Roman emperor worship. In a context of such diversity, to seek unity, like-mindedness, humility, and self-sacrifice required the courage that we discussed yesterday. It involved dying to self. Such division and diversity, although in a different cultural context, likely feels familiar to many of us as well. We too live in a context where divisions along political, ideological, and ethical lines are common. In such a context, unflinching conviction is often perceived as the most effective way to advance any cause. However, Paul seems to suggest something more nuanced in this passage. Initially, it does seem that Paul expects the whole community to think the same way. He begins by saying that the Philippian church will make his joy complete by being like-minded, and one in spirit and mind. However, he quickly follows this with commands about humility, valuing others above oneself, and looking to the interests of others. If these are his next commands, then perhaps like-mindedness is a bit more complicated than his first statement would suggest. The need for humility and sacrifice for the sake of others' interests implies that this community is not, in fact, like-minded in the sense that they all agree. The kind of like-mindedness that Paul advocates for is the kind that comes, not from uniformity, but from the willingness to give priority to the needs of others and sacrifice one's own. This, I think, is rather good news for the western church in a context of deep division. We actually are not all expected to think the exact same way on every subject. What is expected of us is finding a way to live together, with humility, in spite of that.  This seems awfully easy to say and awfully hard to do, you might say. And you'd be right. But we have to remember that Paul isn't viewing diversity of thought through rose-coloured glasses. He doesn't think it's going to be easy. He is working with a church in a deeply divided context. It's simply that for him, the fact that the church has, as he begins, been united with Christ, comforted by his love, and given a common sharing in the Spirit, was actually meant to make enough of a difference that other differences could be viewed only in that context. And that, complex though it is, is something for us to strive for too. So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.  

Boudicca, Cleopatra, Artemisia and Olympias are just a few if the many women of the ancient world that we know about, but it's significant that we know about them from male writers. That gives a certain perspective, not necessarily inaccurate, but it can be. Today I'm speaking with a classicist who writes about antiquity having gone direct to the sources and translating them herself, and has written a quite wonderful history of ancient Greece and Rome that is unusual in the discipline for saying something new. My guest is Daisy Dunn, author of The Missing Thread and we talk about some of the key female figures from Greece: Artemisia, a naval commander from the west coast of Asia Minor fighting for the Persians, and Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great. We delve into a number of other areas for a most stimulating chat. Looking for something to do at the end of June? You could do worse than head to the Chalke History Festival. Daisy Dunn Links The Missing Thread Chalke Chalke History Festival Aspects of History Links Latest Issue out - Annual Subscription to Aspects of History Magazine only $9.99/£9.99 Ollie on X Aspects of History on Instagram Get in touch: history@aspectsofhistory.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a channeling I have done on the daughter of Mary Magdalene and Jesus in the Église (church) de Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France.According to Jacobus de Voragine´s Golden Legend (13th century), a collection of biographies of saints and biblical events, Mary Magdalene and others traveled after the crucification to ancient Gaul (France). The town that is considered to be their landing place is Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. With them was Saint Sarah, also known as Sara la Kali. She is the parton saint of the Romani people. Some modern text such as "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" and "The Da Vinci Code" point to her being one of the children of Mary Magdalene and Jesus. According to the soul records (Akasha) of Earth Mary Magdalene and Yeshua (Jesus) were married and had multiple children, among one daughter whose bloodline continued in France. In this channeling on this daughter you can hear that she is saying she comes from royal blood, referring to the angelic bloodline of the house of David of her father and the combined Druid bloodline and house of David blooding of her mother, Mary Magdalene. She also refers to herself as an oracle and healer. Her mother Mary Magdalene comes from the lineage of "Daughters of Voice" (Bath Kol), prophetesses for the voice of heavenly wisdom. Her daughter certainly continued to carry this gift. The roots of the Romani (Gypsi) people that Sarah is a saint of, is a total mystery. But they are gifted as oracles, seers and magicians. They are also one of the most discriminated and disadvantaged groups in Europe, having undergone many genocides. It is fascinating that the daughter of Yeshua and Mary Magdalene could be the saint and protector of one of the most discriminated groups of humans in Europe. In the channeling she speaks of her love for children and that she came to protect children on Earth. Her energy can be felt everywhere in South France. I actually believe she was the one who stayed in France and spread Christianity there. I do not believe that Mary Magdalene stayed for long in France, lived there in a cave or died in France. According to my changelings and research, Mary Magdalene travelled after the crucification a lot to different countries such as different regions in France, Spain, Great Britain and Asia Minor to spread Christianity and her and Yeshua's teachings and to have her female disciples start early Christian groups across Europe and Asia. She was also working with Earth's ley-lines and waterways to anchor the Christ-Sophia consciousness back on Earth. She could travel because of her wealthy father, Joseph of Arimathea, a merchant who commanded a large fleet. Listen to my previous episode on this subject. I will go deeper into Mary Magdalene's travels & work with Earth's ley-lines in the next episodes. Enjoy this channeling, Sabine LINKS:Humanity the Reclamation - Course on humanities history Book a Soul Reading - discover your purpose, gifts and spiritual lineage Follow me on Instagram #christianity #jesus #yeshua #marymagdalene #saintsarah 

The apostle John salutes the seven churches of Asia; and declares when, where, and how, the revelation of Jesus Christ was made to him; to declare it to the Pastors of the seven churches in Asia Minor. We see that God allowed the Apostle, who was caught in the presence of God that he would understand what God wanted man to understand. He gave it to the Angels; whose responsibility it is to make the people of Gid aware of what the futures held. This is also known as the “Eschatological Apocalyptic Jesus Christos” (The Revelation of Jesus Christ). Thank you mighty God for your continuous and consistent love.

This 3rd letter of Jesus to the churches in Asia Minor is addressed to Pergamos. This letter is considered by some to be the most difficult to understand of the letters, so let's take some time together and see if we can untie some of the knots. - Pastor Kevin

Samson, whose name means “brilliant sunshine”, goes to view Timnah (the inheritance ie of his tribe). There ‘he saw a woman' of the uncircumcised – uncovenanted – Philistines, who was ‘right in his own eyes' – his problem was characteristic of the entire nation (14 verse 7; 17verse 6; 21verse 25). In the vineyards of his inheritance, a place to be avoided by a sworn Nazarite. We read that a lion – representing the ravaging Philistines – roared against Samson. And he rips the beast asunder with no apparent effort. Several days later Samson returns to see the ‘ruin' (AV ‘carcass') of the lion only to find that miraculously and uncharacteristically a swarm of bees had made their hive in the putrid carcass. It was God's sign to Samson that by trusting in the Almighty the Philistines could be overthrown and sweet deliverance come for the Covenant people. Samson is deceived time and time again by the enemy and he engages tit for tat with them throughout these two chapters. Samson declares on each occasion that after avenging himself just once more against the Philistines he will leave the matter there. However this is not the intention of the Almighty – the Philistines need to be weakened. Notice how the LORD escalates the conflict: in 14verse 19 he slays 30 men at Ashkelon; then in 15verse 15 at Lehi a 1,000 are slain. Also observe the recurring of multiples of 3, as troubles escalate. Samson's mighty acts should have inspired his people to follow him as he could have been God's instrument for victory. But his own people reject him just as they had rejected Moses centuries earlier. Instead as the pressure of the Philistines grew stronger upon God's people 3,000 men of Judah come to plead with Samson for his surrender and then they bind him and hand him over to the Philistines. Surely we are reminded by this of the Lord Jesus being bound in the Garden of Gethsemane; being eventually sent to the Roman authorities to be tried and crucified. Samson, like our Lord, was thirsty after his great victory. In Isaiah 38 faithful God cures Hezekiah of the leprous boil, which threatened to end his life and which was preventing him from worshipping in the Temple. At this time of Hezekiah's and his nation's greatest need, when everything seemed hopeless, their Sovereign delivered them. However in spite of his recovery Hezekiah later becomes lifted up in pride as we will learn tomorrow in chapter 39. Nonetheless at this time the faithful prayer of a faithful man availed greatly (James 5verse 16). Hezekiah's prayer is a model prayer for us. It shows an elevation of king Hezekiah's God. The prayer gives glory to God. It also praises Yahweh's loving kindness in saving Hezekiah and delivering the people of Judah. His prayer states our lack of power to help ourselves and pleads for our Omnipotent Creator to show mercy for His children. It acknowledges our need to respond to God's love in praise and thanksgiving every day of our life. We too, like king Hezekiah, have been blessed and delivered from the gates of sheol (the grave): Matthew 16 verse 18-19; Revelation 1verses17-18. Marvel at the wonderful metaphors and imagery that Hezekiah uses to describe the frailty of humanity. Meditate on the significance of his exhortation to us in verses 19-20. King Hezekiah is given a sign that he will recover in Isaiah 38:21. 2 Peter is also written to the dispersed Jews in Asia Minor ie Turkey. It commences in the same way as the first letter. The time of writing is in 66-67 AD and the persecution by Nero is now at its fiercest. According to tradition, the two foremost leaders of the believers, Paul and Peter, were both executed in 67 AD. Clues in Peter's 2nd epistle indicate that the most likely date of the epistle is 67 AD. Believers in Christ Jesus had attained to the same precious faith as the great Apostle to the Jews. From verses 3-15 these disciples are urged to make their calling and election ie selection by God sure. Peter tells them in verses 2-4 that our Father has given them all things that are necessary for a godly life; and that these great promises, which they now share, are graciously granted them offering believers a sharing of the Father's character and life. From verses 5-7 Peter enumerates the virtues being developed by God in their lives. These virtues are not sequential, but rather they are a group of traits befitting saints, and to be cultivated simultaneously. They summarise the character of our Lord Jesus Christ, outlined in Matthew 5:1-12. Great blessings accompany such saints who, in measure, develop the character of their Lord Jesus Christ. These divine virtues are called by brother Marshall – “The Portrait of a Saint”. Belief is the foundation upon which the faithful build (and that foundation is Christ Jesus see 1 Corinthians 3 verses 10-15 and Ephesians 2:19-22. Peter elaborates further on this theme at the start of chapter 2). The last 2 are at the apex of the developing saint's life – brotherly kindness (Philadelphos) and love (agape, self-sacrificing love); embody both of these fully exemplified in our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Where these qualities abound fruit is produced in the disciple. But a short-sighted approach stultifies the life of a disciple; and is the product of forgetting and neglect. In the practising of these qualities the disciples will attain the glory and the kingdom, which they seek. Peter would strive with his last breath to remind them of this. The Apostle speaks of “departure” (Greek “exodus” verse 15). The Tabernacle; of “the ecclesia in the wilderness” (Acts 7:44). This was emblematic of the LORD going with them. Peter talks of the entrance (“eisodus”) into the kingdom. How frequently is the theme stated, “Yahweh BROUGHT you out of Egypt, that He might BRING you into the land promised to the fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). Verses 16-21 speak of Christ's incomparable glory and the transcending greatness of the prophetic Word of our God (compare 1 Peter 1 verses 22-25). There can be no mistaking what we (Peter, James and John) saw on the Mount of Transfiguration – compare with Luke 9 verses 28-38. The glory of Moses and Elijah paled into insignificance alongside the glory of the Son of God – John 1 verses14-15. And that glory was reminiscent of the Father's own glory (Hebrews 1-1-4). As great as the prophetic Word was when spoken through Moses and Elijah the Father's Word from heaven boomed, “This is my Beloved Son, HEAR HIM”. If this witness was not enough, we have the added testimony of the prophetic Word centred on, and embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ. The prophetic Word shines more brightly as we see its fulfilment day by day. (Proverbs 4 verses 18-19). Prophecy never originated from the prophet's own mind. Instead the inspired Word of God found its source in holy men of God being “impelled”, or “driven along” by God's power. And so although the style of the prophet is individual, the message is infallibly that of the Almighty (see 2 Timothy 3 verses 14-17). In chapter 2 Peter deals with the tragedy of false teaching. Peter uses Biblical history to show that those who would attempt to deflect God's elect are always active among the believers. The Apostle Peter uses 3 historical examples. These examples are similar to those in Jude's letter – one from before the flood; one from the era of Abraham; and another from the time of the Wilderness wanderings in Moses' epoch. Peter explains the inevitability of false teachers arising from their midst (compare Acts 20 verses 29-32). Peter says that the errorists are not genuine – the words that these false teachers use are called “feigned” (Greek “plastos”) – taught for effect, with no concern for truth. The doctrine is moulded to fit the teacher's designs (2 Timothy 4 verses 1-5). But God has long ago decided to destroy people like this (See Revelation 22verses 15). The first example is in verse 5 and speaks of the gainsayers opposing Noah (cp Jude verses 14-16). The second is from the era of faithful Abraham (2 Peter 2verses 6-10). These verses tell of total detesting by God of homosexuality. And lastly, verses 10 (the second half) to verse 11. Here Peter deals with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram against Moses (also in Jude verses 5-7; the original account being in Numbers 14). All of those historical events highlight two Divine principles – 1) Yahweh demonstrated His capacity to deliver the righteous out of their trial; and, 2) that the ungodly have been earmarked by the Almighty for judgment and destruction (Acts 17verses 30-31). Verse 17 uses metaphors to describe these vain talkers. Verses 18-19 reveal the true motives of those apostates. And verses 20-22 a further two metaphors describe their sickening behaviours. Those who once knew God's truth, but chose to turn away are described in two tragic pictures which illustrate God's perspective. These reprobates are like dogs eating their own vomit; or like washed pigs returning to their miry muddy past. Audio Player      

In this interview, Lamorna Ash, author of Don't Forget We're Here Forever: A New Generation's Search for Religion, and one of my favourite modern writers, talked about working at the Times Literary Supplement, netball, M. John Harrison, AI and the future of religion, why we should be suspicious of therapy, the Anatomy of Melancholy, the future of writing, what surprised her in the Bible, the Simpsons, the joy of Reddit, the new Pope, Harold Bloom, New Atheism's mistakes, reading J.S. Mill. I have already recommended her new book Don't Forget We're Here Forever, which Lamorna reads aloud from at the end. Full transcript below.Uploading videos onto Substack is too complicated for me (it affects podcast downloads somehow, and the instructions to avoid this problem are complicated, so I have stopped doing it), and to upload to YouTube I have to verify my account but they told me that after I tried to upload it and my phone is dead, so… here is the video embedded on this page. I could quote the whole thing. Here's one good section.Lamorna: Which one would you say I should do first after The Sea, The Sea?Henry: Maybe The Black Prince.Lamorna: The Black Prince. Great.Henry: Which is the one she wrote before The Sea, The Sea and is just a massive masterpiece.Lamorna: I'll read it. Where do you stand on therapy? Do you have a position?Henry: I think on net, it might be a bad thing, even if it is individually useful for people.Lamorna: Why is that?Henry: [laughs] I didn't expect to have to answer the question. Basically two reasons. I think it doesn't take enough account of the moral aspect of the decisions being made very often. This is all very anecdotal and you can find yourself feeling better in the short term, but not necessarily in the long-- If you make a decision that's not outrageously immoral, but which has not had enough weight placed on the moral considerations.There was an article about how lots of people cut out relatives now and the role that therapy plays in that. What I was struck by in the article that was-- Obviously, a lot of those people are justified and their relatives have been abusive or nasty, of course, but there are a lot of cases where you were like, "Well, this is a long-term decision that's been made on a short-term basis." I think in 10 years people may feel very differently. There wasn't enough consideration in the article, at least I felt, given to how any children involved would be affected later on. I think it's a good thing and a bad thing.Lamorna: I'm so with you. I think that's why, because also the fact of it being so private and it being about the individual, and I think, again, there are certain things if you're really struggling with that, it's helpful for, but I think I'm always more into the idea of communal things, like AAA and NA, which obviously a very particular. Something about doing that together, that it's collaborative and therefore there is someone else in the room if you say, "I want to cut out my parent."There's someone else who said that happened to me and it was really hard. It means that you are making those decisions together a little bit more. Therapy, I can feel that in friends and stuff that it does make us, even more, think that we are these bounded individuals when we're not.Henry: I should say, I have known people who've gone to therapy and it's worked really well.Lamorna: I'm doing therapy right now and it is good. TranscriptHenry: Today I am talking to Lamorna Ash. Lamorna is one of the rising stars of her generation. She has written a book about a fishing village in Cornwall. She's written columns for the New Statesman, of which I'm a great admirer. She works for a publisher and now she's written a book called, Don't Forget, We're Here Forever: A New Generation's Search for Religion. I found this book really compelling and I hope you will go and read it right now. Lamorna, welcome.Lamorna Ash: Thank you for having me.Henry: What was it like when you worked at the Times Literary Supplement?Lamorna: It was an amazing introduction to mostly contemporary fiction, but also so many other forms of writing I didn't know about. I went there, I actually wrote a letter, handwritten letter after my finals, saying that I'd really enjoyed this particular piece that somehow linked the anatomy of melancholy to infinite jest, and being deeply, deeply, deeply pretentious, those were my two favorite books. I thought, well, I'll apply for this magazine. I turned up there as an intern. They happened to have a space going.My job was Christmas in that I just spent my entire time unwrapping books and putting them out for editors to swoop by and take away. I'd take on people's corrections. I'd start to see how the editorial process worked. I started reading. I somehow had missed contemporary fiction. I hadn't read people like Rachel Kask or Nausgaard. I was reading them through going to the fiction pages. It made me very excited. Also, my other job whilst I was there, was I had the queries email. You'd get loads of incredibly random emails, including things like, you are cordially invited to go on the Joseph Conrad cycle tour of London. I'd ask the office, "Does anyone want to do this?" Obviously, no one ever said yes.I had this amazing year of doing really weird stuff, like going on Joseph Conrad cycling tour or going to a big talk at the comic book museum or the new advertising museum of London. I loved it. I really loved it.Henry: What was the Joseph Conrad cycling tour of London like? That sounds-Lamorna: Oh, it was so good. I remember at one point we stopped on maybe it was Blackfriars Bridge or perhaps it was Tower Bridge and just read a passage from the secret agent about the boats passing underneath. Then we'd go to parts of the docks where they believe that Conrad stayed for a while, but instead it would be some fancy youth hostel instead.It was run by the Polish Society of London, I believe-- the Polish Society of England, I believe. Again, each time it was like an excuse then to get into that writer and then write a little piece about it for the TLS. I guess, it was also, I was slightly cutting my teeth on how to do that kind of journalism as well.Henry: What do you like about The Anatomy of Melancholy?Lamorna: Almost everything. I think the prologue, Democritus Junior to the Reader is just so much fun and naughty. He says, "I'm writing about melancholy in order to try and avoid melancholy myself." There's six editions of it. He spent basically his entire life writing this book. When he made new additions to the book, rather than adding another chapter, he would often be making insertions within sentences themselves, so it becomes more and more bloated. There's something about the, what's the word for it, the ambition that I find so remarkable of every single possible version of melancholy they could talk about.Then, maybe my favorite bit, and I think about this as a writer a lot, is there's a bit called the digression of air, or perhaps it's digression on the air, where he just suddenly takes the reader soaring upwards to think about air and you sort of travel up like a hawk. It's this sort of breathing moment for a reader where you go in a slightly different direction. I think in my own writing, I always think about digression as this really valuable bit of nonfiction, this sense of, I'm not just taking you straight the way along. I think it'd be useful to go sideways a bit too.Henry: That was Samuel Johnson's favorite book as well. It's a good choice.Lamorna: Was it?Henry: Yes. He said that it was the only book that would get him out of bed in the morning.Lamorna: Really?Henry: Because he was obviously quite depressive. I think he found it useful as well as entertaining, as it were. Should netball be an Olympic sport?Lamorna: [laughs] Oh, it's already going to be my favorite interview. I think the reason it isn't an Olympic-- yes, I have a vested interest in netball and I play netball once a week. I'm not very good, but I am very enthusiastic because it's only played mostly in the Commonwealth. It was invented a year after basketball as a woman-friendly version because women should not run with the ball in case they get overexerted and we shouldn't get too close to contacting each other in case we touch, and that's awful.It really is only played in the Commonwealth. I think the reason it won't become an Olympic sport is because it's not worldwide enough, which I think is a reasonable reason. I'm not, of all the my big things that I want to protest about and care about right now, making that an Olympic sport is a-- it's reasonably low on my list.Henry: Okay, fair enough. You are an admirer of M. John Harrison's fiction, is that right?Lamorna: Yes.Henry: Tell us what should we read and why should we read him?Lamorna: You Should Come With Me Now, is that what it's called? I know I reviewed one of his books years ago and thought it was-- because he's part of that weird sci-fi group that I find really interesting and they've all got a bit of Samuel Delany to them as well. I just remember there was this one particular story in that collection, I think in general, he's a master at sci-fi that doesn't feel in that Dune way of just like, lists of names of places. It somehow has this, it's very literary, it's very odd, it's deeply imaginative. It is like what I wanted adult fiction to be when I was 12 or something, that there's the way the fantasy and imagination works.I remember there was one about all these men, married men who were disappearing into their attics and their wives thought they were just tinkering. What they were doing was building these sort of translucent tubes that were taking them off out of the world. I remember just thinking it was great. His conceits are brilliant and make so much sense, whilst also always being at an interesting slant from reality. Then, I haven't read his memoir, but I hear again and again this anti-memoir he's written. Have you read that?Henry: No.Lamorna: Apparently that's really brilliant too. Then he also, writes those about climbing. He's actually got this one foot in the slightly travel nature writing sports camp. I just always thought he was magic. I remember on Twitter, he was really magic as well. I spent a lot of time following him.Henry: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of writing and literature and books and this whole debate that's going on?Lamorna: It's hard to. I don't want to say anything fast and snappy because it's such a complicated thing. I could just start by saying personally, I'm worried about me and writing because I'm worried about my concentration span. I am so aware that in the same way that a piano player has to be practising the pieces they're going to play all the time. I think partly that's writing and writing, I seem to be able to do even with this broken, distracted form of attention I've got. My reading, I don't feel like I'm getting enough in. I think that means that what I produce will necessarily be less good if I can't solve that.I've just bought a dumb phone on the internet and I hope that's going to help me by no longer having Instagram and things like that. I think, yes, I suppose we do read a bit less. The generation below us is reading less. That's a shame. There's so much more possibility to go out and meet people from different places. On an anthropological level, I think anthropology has had this brilliant turn of becoming more subjective. The places you go, you have to think about your own relationship to them. I think that can make really interesting writing. It's so different from early colonial anthropology.The fact that, I guess, through, although even as I'm saying this, I don't know enough to say it, but I was going to say something about the fact that people, because we can do things like substacks and people can do short form content, maybe that means that more people's voices are getting heard and then they can, if they want to, transfer over and write books as well.I still get excited by books all the time. There's still so much good contemporary stuff that's thrilling me from all over the place. I don't feel that concerned yet. If we all do stop writing books entirely for a year and just read all the extraordinary books that have been happening for the last couple of thousand, we'd be okay.Henry: I simultaneously see the same people complaining that everything's dying and literature is over and that we have an oversupply of books and that capitalism is giving us too many books and that's the problem. I'm like, "Guys, I think you should pick one."Lamorna: [laughs] You're not allowed both those arguments. My one is that I do think it's gross, the bit of publishing that the way that some of these books get so oddly inflated in terms of the sales around them. Then, someone is getting a million pounds for a debut, which is enormous pressure on them. Then, someone else is getting 2K. I feel like there should be, obviously, there should be a massive cap on how large an advance anyone should get, and then more people will actually be able to stay in the world of writing because they won't have to survive on pitiful advances. I think that would actually have a huge impact and we should not be giving, love David Beckham as much as I do, we shouldn't be giving him five million pounds for someone else to go to write his books. It's just crazy.Henry: Don't the sales of books like that subsidize those of us who are not getting such a big advance?Lamorna: I don't think they always do. I think that's the problem is that they do have this wealth of funds to give to celebrities and often those books don't sell either. I still think even if those books sell a huge amount of money, those people still shouldn't be getting ridiculous advances like that. They still should be thinking about young people who are important to the literary, who are going to produce books that are different and surprising and whose voices we need to hear. That feels much more important.Henry: What do you think about the idea that maybe Anglo fiction isn't at a peak? I don't necessarily agree with that, but maybe we can agree that these are not the days of George Eliot and Charles Dickens, but the essay nonfiction periodicals and writing online, this is huge now. Right? Actually, our pessimism is sort of because we're looking in the wrong area and there are other forms of writing that flourish, actually doing great on the internet.Lamorna: Yes, I think so too. Again, I don't think I'm internet worldly enough to know this, but I still find these extraordinary, super weird substats that feel exciting. I also get an enormous amount of pleasure in reading Reddit now, which I only just got into many, many years late, but so many fun, odd things. Like little essays that people write and the way that people respond to each other, which is quick and sharp, and I suppose it fills the gap of what Twitter was.I think nonfiction, I was talking about this morning, because I'm staying with some writers, because we're sort of Cornish, book talk thing together and how much exciting nonfiction has come out this year that we want to read from the UK that is hybrid-y nature travel. Then internationally, I still think there's-- I just read, Perfection by Vincenzo, but there's enough translated fiction that's on the international book list this year that gets me delighted as well. To me, I just don't feel worried about that kind of thing at all when there's so much exciting stuff happening.I love Reddit. I think they really understand things that other people don't on there. I think it's the relief now that when you type in something to Google, you get the AI response. It's something like, it's so nice to feel on Reddit that someone sat down and answered you. Maybe that's such a shame that that's what makes me happy now, that we're in that space. It does feel like someone will tell you not just the answer, but then give you a bit about their life. Then, the particular tool that was passed down by their grandparents. That's so nice.Henry: What do you think of the new Pope?Lamorna: I thought it was because I'd heard all the thing around fat Pope, thin Pope, and obviously, our new Pope is maybe a sort of middle Pope, or at least is closer to Francis, but maybe a bit more palatable to some people. I guess, I'm excited that he's going to do, or it seems like he's also taking time to think, but he's good on migration on supporting the rights of immigrants. I think there's value in the fact of him being American as this being this counterpoint to what's happening in America right now. If feels always feels pointless to say because they're almost the idea of a Pope.I guess, Francis said that, who am I to judge about people being gay, but I think this Pope has so far has been more outly against gay people, but he stood up against JD Vance and his stupid thoughts on theology. I'm quietly optimistic. I guess I'm also waiting for Robert Harris's prophecy to come true and we get an intersex Pope next. Because I think that was prophecy, right? What he wrote.Henry: That would be interesting.Lamorna: Yes.Henry: The religious revival that people say is happening, particularly among young people, how is AI going to make it different than previous religious revivals?Lamorna: Oh, that's so interesting. Maybe first of all, question, sorry, I choked on my coffee. I was slightly questioned the idea if there is a religious revival, it's not actually an argument that I made in the book. When I started writing the book, there wasn't this quiet revival or this Bible studies and survey that suggests that more young people are going to church hadn't come out yet. I was just more, I guess, aware that there were a few people around me who were converting and I thought it'd be interesting if there's a few, there'll be more, which I think probably happens in every single generation, right? Is that that's one way to deal with the longing for meaning we all experience and the struggles in our lives.I was speaking to a New York Times journalist who was questioning the stats that have been coming out because first it's incredibly small pool. It's quite self-selecting that possibly there are people who might have gone to church already. It's still such a small uptick because it makes it hard to say anything definitive. I guess in general, what will the relationship be between AI and religion?I guess, there are so many ways you could go with that. One is that those spaces, religious spaces, are nicely insulated from technology. Not everywhere. Obviously, in some places they aren't, but often it's a space in which you put your phone away. In my head, the desire to go to church is as against having to deal with AI or having to deal with technology being integrated to every other aspect of my life.I guess maybe people will start worshiping the idea of the singularity. Maybe we'll get the singularity and Terminator, or the Matrix is going to happen, and we'll call them our gods because they will feel like gods. That's maybe one option. I don't know how AI-- I guess I don't know enough about AI that maybe you'll have AI, or does this happen? Maybe this has happened already that you could have an AI confession and you'd have an AI priest and they tell you--Henry: Sure. It's huge for therapy, right?Lamorna: Yes.Henry: Which is that adjacent thing.Lamorna: That's a good point. It does feel something about-- I'm sure, theologically, it's not supposed to work if you haven't been ordained, but can an AI be ordained, become a priest?Henry: IndeedLamorna: Could they do communion? I don't know. It's fascinating.Henry: I can see a situation where a young person lives in a secular environment or culture and is interested in things and the AI is the, in some ways, easiest place for them to turn to say, "I need to talk about-- I have these weird semi-religious feelings, or I'm interested." The AI's not going to be like, "Oh, really? That's weird." There's the question of will we worship AI or whatever, but also will we get people's conversions being shaped by their therapy/confessors/whatever chat with their LLM?Lamorna: Oh, it's so interesting. I read a piece recently in the LRB by James Vincent. It was about AI relationships, our relationship with AI, and he looked at AI girlfriends. There was this incredible case, maybe you read about it, about a guy who tried to kill the Queen some years back. His defense was that his AI girlfriend had really encouraged him to do that. Then, you can see the transcripts of the text, and he says, "I'm thinking about killing the Queen." His AI girlfriend is like, "Go for it, baby."It's that thing there of like, at the moment, AI is still reflecting back our own desires or refracting almost like shifting how they're expressed. I'm trying to imagine that in the same case of me saying, "I feel really lonely, and I'm thinking about Christianity." My friend would speak with all of their context and background, and whatever they've got going on for them. Whereas an AI would feel my desire there and go, "That's a good idea. It says online this." It's very straight. It would definitely lead us in directions that feel less than human or other than human.Henry: I also have this thought, you used to, I think you still do, but you see it less. You used to get a Samaritan's Bible in every hotel. The Samaritans, will they start trying to install a religious chatbot in places where people--? There are lots of ways in which you could use it as a distribution mechanism.Lamorna: Which does feel so far from the point. Not to think about the gospels, but that feeling of something I talk about in the book is that, so much of it is human contact. Is that this factor of being changed in the moment, person to person. If I have any philosophy for life at the moment is this sense of desperately needing contact that we are saved by each other all the time, not by our telephones and things that aren't real. It's the surprise.I quote it in the book, but Iris Murdoch describes love is the very difficult realization that someone other than yourself is real. I think that's the thing that makes us all survive, is that reminder that if you're feeling deeply depressed, being like, there is someone else that is real, and they have a struggle that matters as much as mine. I think that's something that you are never going to get through a conversation with a chatbot, because it's like a therapeutic thing. You are not having to ask it the same questions, or you are not having to extend yourself to think about someone else in those conversations.Henry: Which Iris Murdoch novels do you like?Lamorna: I've only read The Sea, The Sea, but I really enjoyed it. Which ones do you like?Henry: I love The Sea, The Sea, and The Black Prince. I like the late books, like The Good Apprentice and The Philosopher's Pupil, as well. Some people tell you, "Don't read those. They're late works and they're no good," but I was obsessed. I was absolutely compelled, and they're still all in my head. They're insane.Lamorna: Oh, I must, because I've got a big collection of her essays. I'm thinking is so beautiful, her philosophical thought. It's that feeling, I know I'm going the wrong-- starting in the wrong place, but I do feel that she's someone I'd really love to explore next, kind of books.Henry: I think you'd like her because she's very interested in the question of, can therapy help, can philosophy help, can religion help? She's very dubious about therapy and philosophy, and she is mystic. There are queer characters and neurodivergent characters. For a novelist in the '70s, you read her now and you're like, "Well, this is all just happening now."Lamorna: Cool.Henry: Maybe we should be passing these books out. People need this right now.Lamorna: Which one would you say I should do first after The Sea, The Sea?Henry: Maybe The Black Prince.Lamorna: The Black Prince. Great.Henry: Which is the one she wrote before The Sea, The Sea and is just a massive masterpiece.Lamorna: I'll read it. Where do you stand on therapy? Do you have a position?Henry: I think on net, it might be a bad thing, even if it is individually useful for people.Lamorna: Why is that?Henry: [laughs] I didn't expect to have to answer the question. Basically two reasons. I think it doesn't take enough account of the moral aspect of the decisions being made very often. This is all very anecdotal and you can find yourself feeling better in the short term, but not necessarily in the long-- If you make a decision that's not outrageously immoral, but which has not had enough weight placed on the moral considerations.There was an article about how lots of people cut out relatives now and the role that therapy plays in that. What I was struck by in the article that was-- Obviously, a lot of those people are justified and their relatives have been abusive or nasty, of course, but there are a lot of cases where you were like, "Well, this is a long-term decision that's been made on a short-term basis." I think in 10 years people may feel very differently. There wasn't enough consideration in the article, at least I felt, given to how any children involved would be affected later on. I think it's a good thing and a bad thing.Lamorna: I'm so with you. I think that's why, because also the fact of it being so private and it being about the individual, and I think, again, there are certain things if you're really struggling with that, it's helpful for, but I think I'm always more into the idea of communal things, like AAA and NA, which obviously a very particular. Something about doing that together, that it's collaborative and therefore there is someone else in the room if you say, "I want to cut out my parent."There's someone else who said that happened to me and it was really hard. It means that you are making those decisions together a little bit more. Therapy, I can feel that in friends and stuff that it does make us, even more, think that we are these bounded individuals when we're not.Henry: I should say, I have known people who've gone to therapy and it's worked really well.Lamorna: I'm doing therapy right now and it is good. I think, in my head, it's like it should be one among many and I still question it whilst doing it.Henry: To the extent that there is a religious revival among "Gen Z," how much is it because they have phones? Because you wrote something like, in fact, I have the quote, "There's a sense of terrible tragedy. How can you hold this constant grief that we feel, whether it's the genocide in Gaza or climate collapse? Where do I put all the misery that I receive every single second through my phone? Church can then be a space where I can quietly go and light a candle." Is it that these young people are going to religion because the phone has really pushed a version of the world into their faces that was not present when I was young or people are older than me?Lamorna: I think it's one of, or that the phone is the symptom because the phone, whatever you call it, technology, the internet, is the thing that draws the world closer to us in so many different ways. One being that this sense of being aware of what's happening around in other places in the world, which maybe means that you become more tolerant of other religions because you're hearing about it more. That, on TikTok, there's loads of kids all across the world talking about their particular faiths and their background and which aspera they're in, and all that kind of thing.Then, this sense of horror being very unavoidable that you wake up and it is there and you wake up and you think, "What am I doing? What am I doing here? I feel completely useless." Perhaps then you end up in a church, but I'm not sure.I think a bigger player in my head is the fact that we are more pluralistic as societies. That you are more likely to encounter other religions in schools. I think then the question is, well then maybe that'll be valuable for me as well. I think also, not having parents pushing religion on you makes kids, the fact of the generation above the British people, your parents' generations, not saying religion is important, you go to church, then it becomes something people can become more curious about in their own right as adults. I think that plays into it.I think isolation plays into it and that's just not about technology and the phone, but that's the sense of-- and again, I'm thinking about early 20s, mid 20s, so adults who are moving from place to place, who maybe feel very isolated and alone, who are doing jobs that make them feel isolated and alone, and there are this dearth of community spaces and then thinking, well, didn't people used to go to churches, it would be so nice to know someone older than me.I don't know how this fits in, but I was thinking about, I saw this documentary, The Encampments, like two days ago, which is about the Columbia University encampments and within that, Mahmood Khalil, who's the one who's imprisoned at the moment, who was this amazing leader within the movement and is from Palestine. The phone in that, the sense about how it was used to gather and collect people and keep people aware of what's happening and mean that everyone is more conscious and there's a point when they need more people in the encampments because the police are going to come. It's like, "Everyone, use your phone, call people now." I think I can often be like, "Oh no, phones are terrible," but this sense within protest, within communal activity, how valuable they can be as well.I haven't quite gotten into that thought. I don't know, basically. I think it's so hard. I've grown up with a phone. I have no sense of how much it plays a part in everything about me, but obviously, it is a huge amount. I do think it's something that we all think about and are horrified by whilst also seeing it as like this weird extension of ourselves. That definitely plays into then culturally, the decisions we make to either try and avoid them, find spaces where you can be without them.Henry: How old do you think a child should be when they're first given a phone? A smartphone, like an iPhone type thing?Lamorna: I think, 21.Henry: Yes?Lamorna: No, I don't know. I obviously wouldn't know that about a child.Henry: I might.Lamorna: I'd love to. I would really love to because, I don't know, I have a few friends who weren't allowed to watch TV until they were 18 and they are eminently smarter than me and lots of my other friends. There's something about, I don't know, I hate the idea that as I'm getting older, I'm becoming more scaremongering like, "Oh no, when I was young--" because I think my generation was backed in loads of ways. This thing of kids spending so much less time outside and so much less time being able to imagine things, I think I am quite happy to say that feels like a terrible loss.I read a piece recently about kids in New York and I think they were quite sort of middle-class Brooklyn-y kids, but they choose to go days without their phones and they all go off into the forest together. There is this sense of saying giving kids autonomy, but at the same time, their relationship with a phone is not one of agency. It's them versus tech bros who have designed things that are so deeply addictive, that no adult can let go of it. Let alone a child who's still forming how to work out self-control, discipline and stuff. I think a good parenting thing would be to limit massively these completely non-neutral objects that they're given, that are made like crack and impossible to let go of.Henry: Do you think religious education in schools should be different or should there be more of it?Lamorna: Yes, I think it should be much better. I don't know about you, but I just remember doing loads of diagrams of different religious spaces like, "This is what a mosque looks like," and then I'd draw the diagram. I knew nothing. I barely knew the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In fact, I probably didn't as a teenager.I remember actually in sixth form, having this great philosophy teacher who was talking about the idea of proto antisemitism within the gospels. I was like, "Wait, what?" Because I just didn't really understand. I didn't know that it was in Greek, that the Old Testament was in Hebrew. I just didn't know. I think all these holy texts that we've been carrying with us for thousands of years across the world have so much in them that's worth reading and knowing.If I was in charge of our R.E., I would get kids to write on all holy texts, but really think about them and try and answer moral problems. You'd put philosophy back with religion and really connect them and think, what is Nietzsche reacting against? What does Freud about how is this form of Christianity different like this? I think that my sense is that since Gove, but also I'm sure way before that as well, the sense of just not taking young people seriously, when actually they're thoughtful, intelligent and able to wrestle with these things, it's good for them to have know what they're choosing against, if they're not interested in religion.Also, at base, those texts are beautiful, all of them are, and are foundational and if you want to be able to study English or history to know things about religious texts and the practices of religion and how those rituals came about and how it's changed over thousands of years, feels important.Henry: Which religious poets do you like other than Hopkins? Because you write very nicely about Hopkins in the book.Lamorna: He's my favorite. I like John Donne a lot. I remember reading lots of his sermons and Lancelot Andrews' sermons at university and thinking they were just astonishingly beautiful. There are certain John Donne sermons and it's this feeling of when he takes just maybe a line from one of Paul's letters and then is able to extend it and extend it, and it's like he's making it grow in material or it's like it's a root where suddenly all these branches are coming off it.Who else do I like? I like George Herbert. Gosh, my brain is going in terms of who else was useful when I was thinking about. Oh it's gone.Henry: Do you like W.H. Auden?Lamorna: Oh yes. I love Auden, yes. I was rereading his poems about, oh what's it called? The one about Spain?Henry: Oh yes.Lamorna: About the idea of tomorrow.Henry: I don't have a memory either, but I know the poem you mean, yes.Lamorna: Okay. Then I'm trying to think of earlier religious poets. I suppose things like The Dream of the Rood and fun ways of getting into it and if you're looking at medieval poetry.Henry: I also think Betjeman is underrated for this.Lamorna: I've barely read any Betjeman.Henry: There's a poem called Christmas. You might like it.Lamorna: Okay.Henry: It's this famous line and is it true and is it true? He really gets into this thing of, "We're all unwrapping tinsely presents and I'm sitting here trying to work out if God became man." It's really good. It's really good. The other one is called Norfolk and again, another famous line, "When did the devil first attack?" It talks about puberty as the arrival of the awareness of sin and so forth.Lamorna: Oh, yes.Henry: It's great. Really, really good stuff. Do you personally believe in the resurrection?Lamorna: [chuckles] I keep being asked this.Henry: I know. I'm sorry.Lamorna: My best answer is sometimes. Because I do sometimes in that way that-- someone I interviewed who's absolutely brilliant in the book, Robert, and he's a Cambridge professor. He's a pragmatist and he talks about the idea of saying I'm a disciplined person means nothing unless you're enacting that discipline daily or it falls away. For him, that belief in a Kierkegaardian leap way is something that needs to be reenacted in every moment to say, I believe and mean it.I think there are moments when my church attendance is better and I'm listening to a reading that's from Acts or whatever and understanding the sense of those moments, Paul traveling around Europe and Asia Minor, only because he fully believed that this is what's happened. Those letters and as you're reading those letters, the way I read literature or biblical writing is to believe in that moment because for that person, they believe too. I think there are points at which the resurrection can feel true to me, but it does feel like I'm accessing that idea of truth in a different way than I am accessing truth about-- it's close to how I think about love as something that's very, very real, but very different from experiential feelings.I had something else I wanted to say about that and it's just gone. Oh yes. I was at Hay Festival a couple of weeks ago. Do you know the Philosopher Agnes Callard?Henry: Oh, sure.Lamorna: She gave a really great talk about Socrates and her love of Socrates, but she also came to my talk and she and her husband, who I think met through arguing about Aristotle, told me they argued for about half a day about a line I'd said, which was that during writing the book, I'd learned to believe in the belief of other people, her husband was like, "You can't believe in the belief of other people if you don't believe it too. That doesn't work. That doesn't make sense." I was like, "That's so interesting." I can so feel that if we're taking that analytically, that if I say I don't believe in the resurrection, not just that I believe you believe it, but I believe in your belief in the resurrection. At what point is that any different from saying, I believe in the resurrection. I feel like I need to spend more time with it. What the slight gap is there that I don't have that someone else does, or as I say it, do I then believe in the resurrection that moment? I'm not sure.I think also what I'm doing right now is trying to sound all clever with it, whereas for other people it's this deep ingrained truth that governs every moment of their life and that they can feel everywhere, or perhaps they can't. Perhaps there's more doubt than they suggest, which I think is the case with lots of us. Say on the deathbed, someone saying that they fully believe in the resurrection because that means there's eternal salvation, and their family believe in that too. I don't think I have that kind of certainty, but I admire it.Henry: Tell me how you got the title for this book from an episode of The Simpsons.Lamorna: It's really good app. It's from When Maggie Makes Three, which is my favorite episode. I think titles are horribly hard. I really struck my first book. I would have these sleepless nights just thinking about words related to the sea, and be like, blue something. I don't know. There was a point where my editor wanted to call it Trawler Girl. I said, "We mustn't. That's awful. That's so bad. It makes me sound like a terrible superhero. I'm not a girl, I'm a woman."With this one, I think it was my fun title for ages. Yes, it's this plaque that Homer has put-- Mr. Burns puts up this plaque to remind him that he will never get to leave the power plant, "Don't forget you're here forever."I just think it's a strong and bonkers line. I think it had this element of play or silliness that I wanted, that I didn't think about too hard. I guess that's an evangelical Christian underneath what they're actually saying is saying-- not all evangelicals, but often is this sense of no, no, no, we are here forever. You are going to live forever. That is what heaven means.That sense of then saying it in this jokey way. I think church is often very funny spaces, and funny things happen. They make good comedy series when you talk about faith.Someone's saying she don't forget we're here forever. The don't forget makes it so colloquial and silly. I just thought it was a funny line for that reason.Then also that question people always ask, "Is religion going to die out?" I thought that played into it. This feeling that, yes, I write about it. There was a point when I was going to an Extinction Rebellion protest, and everyone was marching along with that symbol of the hourglass inside a circle next to a man who had a huge sign saying, "Stop, look, hell is real, the end of the world is coming." This sense of different forms of apocalyptic thinking that are everywhere at the moment. I felt like the title worked for that as well.Henry: I like that episode of The Simpsons because it's an expression of an old idea where he's doing something boring and his life is going to slip away bit by bit. The don't forget you're here forever is supposed to make that worse, but he turns it round into the live like you're going to die tomorrow philosophy and makes his own kind of meaning out of it.Lamorna: By papering it over here with pictures of Maggie. They love wordplay, the writers of The Simpsons, and so that it reads, "Do it for her," instead. That feeling of-- I think that with faith as well of, don't forget we're here forever, think about heaven when actually so much of our life is about papering it over with humanity and being like, "Does it matter? I'm with you right now, and that's what matters." That immediacy of human contact that church is also really about, that joy in the moment. Where it doesn't really matter in that second if you're going to heaven or hell, or if that exists. You're there together, and it's euphoric, or at least it's a relief or comforting.Henry: You did a lot of Bible study and bible reading to write this book. What were the big surprises for you?Lamorna: [chuckles] This is really the ending, but revelation, I don't really think it's very well written at all. It shouldn't be in there, possibly. It's just not [unintelligible 00:39:20] It got added right in the last minute. I guess it should be in there. I just don't know. What can I say?So much of it was a surprise. I think slowly reading the Psalms was a lovely surprise for me because they contain so much uncertainty and anguish, and doubt. Imagining those being read aloud to me always felt like a very exciting thing.Henry: Did you read them aloud?Lamorna: When I go to more Anglo Catholic services, they tend to do them-- I never know how to pronounce this. Antiphonally.Henry: Oh yes.Lamorna: Back and forth between you. It's very reverential, lovely experience to do that. I really think I was surprised by almost everything I was reading. At the start of Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, he does this amazing thing where he does four different versions of what could be happening in the Isaac and Abraham story underneath.There's this sense of in the Bible, and I'm going to get this wrong, but in Mimesis, Auerbach talks about the way that you're not given the psychological understanding within the Bible. There's so much space for readers to think with, because you're just being told things that happened, and the story moves on quickly, moment by moment. With Isaac and Abraham, what it would mean if Isaac actually had seen the fact that his father was planning to kill him. Would he then lose his faith? All these different scenarios.I suddenly realised that the Bible was not just a fixed text, but there was space to play with it as well. In the book, I use the story of Jacob and the angel and play around with the meaning of that and what would happen after this encounter between Jacob and an angel for both of them.Bits in the Gospels, I love the story of the Gerasene Demoniac. He was a knight. He was very unwell, and no one knew what to do with him. He was ostracised from his community. He would sit in this cave and scream and lacerate himself against the cave walls. Then Jesus comes to him and speaks to him and speaks to the demons inside him. There's this thing in Mark's Gospel that Harold Bloom talks about, where only demons are actually able to perceive. Most people have to ask Christ who he really is, but demons can perceive him immediately and know he's the son of God.The demons say that they are legion. Then Jesus puts them into 1,000 pigs. Is it more? I can't remember. Then they're sent off over the cliff edge. Then the man is made whole and is able to go back to his community. I just think there's just so much in that. It's so rich and strange. I think, yes, there's something about knowing you could sit down and just read a tiny bit of the Bible and find something strange and unusual that also might speak to something you've read that's from thousands of years later.I also didn't know that in Mark's Gospel, the last part of it is addended, added on to it. Before that, it ended with the women being afraid, seeing the empty tomb, but there's no resolution. There's no sense of Christ coming back as spirit. It ended in this deep uncertainty and fear. I thought that was so fascinating because then again, it reminds you that those texts have been played around with and thought with, and meddled with, and changed over time. It takes away from the idea that it's fixed and certain, the Bible.Henry: What did you think of Harold Bloom's book The Shadow of a Great Rock?Lamorna: I really loved it. He says that he treats Shakespeare more religiously and the Bible more like literature, which I found a funny, irreverent thing to say. There's lovely stuff in there where, I think it was Ruth, he was like, maybe it was written by a woman. He takes you through the different Hebrew writers for Genesis. Which again, becoming at this as such a novice in so many ways, realising that, okay, so when it's Yahweh, it's one particular writer, there's the priestly source for particular kinds of writing. The Yahwist is more ironic, or the God you get is more playful.That was this key into thinking about how each person trying to write about God, it's still them and their sense of the world, which is particular and idiosyncratic is forming the messages that they believe they're receiving from God. I found that exciting.Yes, he's got this line. He's talking about the blessings that God gives to men in Genesis. He's trying to understand, Bloom, what the meaning of a blessing is. He describes it as more life into a time without boundaries. That's a line that I just found so beautiful, and always think about what the meaning of that is. I write it in the book.My best friend, Sammy, who's just the most game person in the world, that you tell them anything, they're like, "Cool." I told them that line. They were like, "I'm getting it tattooed on my arm next week." Then got me to write in my handwriting. I can only write in my handwriting, but write down, "More time into life without boundaries." Now they've just got it on their arm.Henry: Nice.Lamorna: I really like. They're Jewish, non-practicing. They're not that really interested in it. They were like, "That's a good line to keep somewhere."Henry: I think it's actually one of Bloom's best books. There's a lot of discussion about, is he good? Is he not good? I love that book because it really just introduces people to the Bible and to different versions of the Bible. He does all that Harold Bloom stuff where he's like, "These are the only good lines in this particular translation of this section. The rest is so much dross.He's really attentive to the differences between the translations, both theologically but also aesthetically. I think a lot of people don't know the Bible. It's a really good way to get started on a-- sitting down and reading the Bible in order. It's going to fail for a lot of people. Harold Bloom is a good introduction that actually gives you a lot of the Bible itself.Lamorna: For sure, because it's got that midrash feeling of being like someone else working around it, which then helps you get inside it. I was reading that book whilst going to these Bible studies at a conservative evangelical church called All Souls. I wasn't understanding what on earth was going on in Mark through the way that we're being told to read it, which is kids' comprehension.Maybe it was useful to think about why would the people have been afraid when Christ quelled the storms? It was doing something, but there was no sense of getting inside the text. Then, to read alongside that, Bloom saying that the Christ in Mark is the most unknowable of all the versions of Christ. Then again, just thinking, "Oh, hang on." There's an author. The author of Mark's gospel is perceiving Christ in a particular way. This is the first of the gospels writing about Christ. What does it mean? He's unknowable. Suddenly thinking of him as a character, and therefore thinking about how people are relating to him. It totally cracks the text open for you.Henry: Do you think denominational differences are still important? Do most people have actual differences in dogma, or are they just more cultural distinctions?Lamorna: They're ritual distinctions. There really is little that you could compare between a Quaker meeting and a Catholic service. That silence is the fundamental aspect of all of it. There's a sense of enlighten.My Quaker mate, Lawrence, he's an atheist, but he wouldn't go to another church service because he's so against the idea of hierarchy and someone speaking from a pulpit. He's like, honestly, the reincarnated spirit of George Fox in many ways, in lots of ways he's not.I guess it becomes more blurry because, yes, there's this big thing in the early 20th century in Britain anyway, where the line that becomes more significant is conservative liberal. It's very strange that that's how our world gets divided. There's real simplification that perhaps then, a liberal Anglican church and a liberal Catholic church have more in relationship than a conservative Catholic church and a conservative evangelical church. The line that is often thinking about sexuality and marriage.I was interested, people have suddenly was called up in my book that I talk about sex a lot. I think it's because sex comes up so much, it feels hard not to. That does seem to be more important than denominational differences in some ways. I do think there's something really interesting in this idea of-- Oh, [unintelligible 00:48:17] got stung. God, this is a bit dramatic. Sorry, I choked on coffee earlier. Now I'm going to get stung by a bee.Henry: This is good. This is what makes a podcast fun. What next?Lamorna: You don't get this in the BBC studios. Maybe you do. Oh, what was I about to say? Oh, yes. I like the idea of church shopping. People saying that often it speaks to the person they are, what they're looking for in a church. I think it's delightful to me that there's such a broad church, and there's so many different spaces that you can go into to discover the church that's right for you. Sorry. I'm really distracted by this wasp or bee. Anyway.Henry: How easy was it to get people to be honest with you?Lamorna: I don't know. I think that there's certain questions that do tunnel right through to the heart of things. Faith seems to be one of them. When you talk about faith with people, you're getting rid of quite a lot of the chaff around with the politeness or whatever niceties that you'd usually speak about.I was talking about this with another friend who's been doing this. He's doing a play about Grindr. He was talking about how strange it is that when you ask to interview someone and you have a dictaphone there, you do get a deeper instant conversation. Again, it's a bit like a therapeutic conversation where someone has said to you, "I'm just going to sit and listen." You've already agreed, and you know it's going to be in a book. "Do you mind talking about this thing?"That just allows this opportunity for people to be more honest because they're aware that the person there is actually wanting to listen. It's so hard to create spaces. I create a cordon and say, "We're going to have a serious conversation now." Often, that feels very artificial. I think yes, the beauty of getting to sit there with a dictaphone on your notebook is you are like, "I really am interested in this. It really matters to me." I guess it feels easy in that way to get honesty.Obviously, we're all constructing a version of ourselves for each other all the time. It's hard for me to know to what extent they're responding to what they're getting from me, and what they think I want to hear. If someone else interviewed them, they would probably get something quite different. I don't know. I think if you come to be with openness, and you talk a bit about your journey, then often people want to speak about it as well.I'm trying to think. I've rarely interviewed someone where I haven't felt this slightly glowy, shimmery sense of it, or what I'm learning feels new and feels very true. I felt the same with Cornish Fisherman, that there was this real honesty in these conversations. Many years ago, I remember I got really obsessed with interviewing my mom. I think I was just always wanting to practice interviewing. The same thing that if there's this object between you, it shifts the dimensions of the conversation and tends towards seriousness.Henry: How sudden are most people's conversions?Lamorna: Really depends. I was in this conversation with someone the other day. When she was 14, 15, she got caught shoplifting. She literally went, "Oh, if there's a God up there, can you help get me out of the situation?" The guy let her go, and she's been a Christian ever since. She had an instantaneous conversion. Someone I interviewed in the book, and he was a really thoughtful card-carrying atheist. He had his [unintelligible 00:51:58] in his back pocket.He hated the Christians and would always have a go at them at school because he thought it was silly, their belief. Then he had this instant conversion that feels very charismatic in form, where he was just walking down an avenue of trees at school, and he felt the entire universe smiling at him and went, "Oh s**t, I better become a Christian."Again, I wonder if it depends. I could say it depends on the person you are, whether you are capable of having an instant conversion. Perhaps if I were in a religious frame of mind, I'd say it depends on what God would want from you. Do you need an instant conversion, or do you need to very slowly have the well filling up?I really liked when a priest said to me that people often go to church and expect to be changed in a moment. He's like, "No, you have to go for 20 years before anything happens." Something about that slow incremental conversion to me is more satisfying. It's funny, I was having a conversation with someone about if they believe in ghosts, and they were like, "Well, if I saw one, then I believe in ghosts." For some people, transcendental things happen instantaneously, and it does change them ultimately instantly.I don't know, I would love to see some stats about which kinds of conversions are more popular, probably more instant ones. I love, and I use it in the book, but William James' Varieties of Religious Experience. He talks about there's some people who are sick-souled or who are also more porous bordered people for whom strange things can more easily cross the borders of their person. They're more likely to convert and more likely to see things.I really like him describing it that way because often someone who's like that, it might just be described as well, you have a mental illness. That some people are-- I don't know, they've got sharper antennae than the rest of us. I think that is an interesting thought for why some people can convert instantly.Henry: I think all conversions take a long time. At the moment, there's often a pivotal moment, but there's something a long time before or after that, that may or may not look a conversion, but which is an inevitable part of the process. I'm slightly obsessed with the idea of quests, but I think all conversions are a quest or a pilgrimage. Your book is basically a quest narrative. As you go around in your Toyota, visiting these places. I'm suspicious, I think the immediate moment is bundled up with a longer-term thing very often, but it's not easy to see it.Lamorna: I love that. I've thought about the long tail afterwards, but I hadn't thought about the lead-up, the idea of that. Of what little things are changing. That's such a lovely thought. Their conversions began from birth, maybe.Henry: The shoplifter, it doesn't look like that's where they're heading. In retrospect, you can see that there weren't that many ways out of this path that they're on. Malcolm X is like this. One way of reading his autobiography is as a coming-of-age story. Another way of reading it is, when is this guy going to convert? This is going to happen.Lamorna: I really like that. Then there's also that sense of how fixed the conversion is, as well, from moment to moment. That Adam Phillips' book on wanting to change, he talks about our desire for change often outstrips our capacity for change. That sense of how changed am I afterwards? How much does my conversion last in every moment? It goes back to the do you believe in the resurrection thing.I find that that really weird thing about writing a book is, it is partly a construction. You've got the eye in there. You're creating something that is different from your reality and fixed, and you're in charge of it. It's stable, it remains, and you come to an ending. Then your life continues to divert and deviate in loads of different ways. It's such a strange thing in that way. Every conversion narrative we have fixed in writing, be it Augustine or Paul, whatever, is so far from the reality of that person's experience.Henry: What did the new atheists get wrong?Lamorna: Arrogance. They were arrogant. Although I wonder, I guess it was such a cultural moment, and perhaps in the same way that everyone is in the media, very excitedly talking about revival now. There was something that was created around them as well, which was delight in this sense of the end of something. I wonder how much of that was them and how much of it was, they were being carried along by this cultural media movement.I suppose the thing that always gets said, and I haven't read enough Dawkins to say this with any authority, but is that the form of religion that he was attempting to denigrate was a very basic form of Christianity, a real, simplified sense. That he did that with all forms of religion. Scientific progress shows us we've progressed beyond this point, and we don't need this, and it's silly and foolish.I guess he underestimated the depth and richness of religion, and also the fact of this idea of historical progress, when the people in the past were foolish, when they were as bright and stupid as we are now.Henry: I think they believed in the secularization idea. People like Rodney Stark and others were pointing out that it's not really true that we secularized a lot more consistency. John Gray, the whole world is actually very religious. This led them away from John Stuart Mill-type thinking about theism. I think everyone should read more John Stuart Mill, but they particularly should have read the theism essays. That would have been--Lamorna: I've only just got into him because I love the LRB Close Reading podcast. It's Jonathan Rée and James Wood. They did one on John Stuart Mill's autobiography, which I've since been reading. It's an-Henry: It's a great book.Lamorna: -amazing book. His crisis is one of-- He says, "The question of religion is not something that has been a part of my life, but the sense of being so deeply learned." His dad was like, "No poetry." In his crisis moment, suddenly realizing that that's what he needed. He was missing feeling, or he was missing a way of looking at the world that had questioning and doubt within it through poetry.There was a bit in the autobiography, and he talks about when he was in this deep depression, whenever he was at 19 or something. That he was so depressed that he thought if there's a certain number of musical notes, one day there will be no more new music because every single combination will have been done. The sense of, it's so sweetly awful thinking, but without the sense-- I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here.I found his crisis so fascinating to read about and how he comes out of that through this care and attention of beautiful literature and thinking, and through his love of-- What was his wife called again?Henry: Harriet.Lamorna: Harriet. He credits her for almost all his thinking. He wouldn't have moved towards socialism without her. Suddenly, humans are deeply important to him. He feels sorry for the fact that his dad could not express love or take love from him, and that that was such a terrible deficiency in his life.Henry: Mill's interesting on religion because he looks very secular. In fact, if you read his letters, he's often going into churches.Lamorna: Oh, really?Henry: Yes, when he's in Italy, because he had tuberculosis. He had to be abroad a lot. He's always going to services at Easter and going into the churches. For a secular person, he really appreciates all these aspects of religion. His stepdaughter was-- there's a diary of hers in their archives. She was very religious, very intense. As a young woman, when she's 16, 17, intensely Catholic or Anglo-Catholic. Really, it's quite startling.I was reading this thing, and I was like, "Wait, who in the Mill household is writing this? This is insane." There are actually references in his letters where he says, "Oh, we'll have to arrive in time for Good Friday so that she can go to church." He's very attentive to it. Then he writes these theism essays, right at the end of his life. He's very open-minded and very interrogatory of the idea. He really wants to understand. He's not a new atheist at all.Lamorna: Oh, okay. I need to read the deism essays.Henry: You're going to love it. It's very aligned. What hymns do you like?Lamorna: Oh, no.Henry: You can be not a hymn person.Lamorna: No. I'm not a massive hymn person. When I'm in church, the Anglican church that I go to in London now, I always think, "Remember that. That was a really nice one." I like to be a pilgrim. I really don't have the brain that can do this off the cuff. I'm not very musically. I'm deeply unmusical.There was one that I was thinking of. I think it's an Irish one. I feel like I wrote this down at one point, because I thought I might be asked in another interview. I had to write down what I thought in case a hymn that I liked. Which sounds a bit like a politician, when they're asked a question, they're like, "I love football." I actually can't think of any. I'm sorry.Henry: No, that's fine.Lamorna: What are your best? Maybe that will spark something in me.Henry: I like Tell Out My Soul. Do you know that one?Lamorna: Oh, [sings] Tell Out My Soul. That's a good one.Henry: If you have a full church and people are really going for it, that can be amazing. I like all the classics. I don't have any unusual choices. Tell Out My Soul, it's a great one. Lamorna Ash, this has been great. Thank you very much.Lamorna: Thank you.Henry: To close, I think you're going to read us a passage from your book.Lamorna: I am.Henry: This is near the end. It's about the Bible.Lamorna: Yes. Thank you so much. This has definitely been my favourite interview.Henry: Oh, good.Lamorna: I really enjoyed it. It's really fun.Henry: Thank you.Lamorna: Yes, this is right near the end. This is when I ended up at a church, St Luke's, West Holloway. It was a very small 9:00 AM service. Whilst the priest who'd stepped in to read because the actual priest had left, was reading, I just kept thinking about all the stories that I'd heard and wondering about the Bible and how the choices behind where it ends, where it ends.I don't think I understand why the Bible ends where it does. The final lines of the book of Revelation are, "He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." Which does sound like a to-be-continued. I don't mean the Bible feels incomplete because it ends with Revelation. What I mean is, if we have continued to hear God and wrestle with him and his emissaries ever since the first overtures of the Christian faith sounded.Why do we not treat these encounters with the same reverence as the works assembled in the New Testament? Why have we let our holy text grow so antique and untouchable instead of allowing them to expand like a divine Wikipedia updated in perpetuity? That way, each angelic struggle and Damascene conversion that has ever occurred or one day will, would become part of its fabric.In this Borgesian Bible, we would have the Gospel of Mary, not a fictitious biography constructed by a man a century after her death, but her true words. We would have the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza from Acts, but this time given in the first person. We would have descriptions from the Picts on Iona of the Irish Saint Columba appearing in a rowboat over the horizon.We would have the Gospels of those from the early Eastern Orthodox churches, Assyrian Gospels, Syriac Orthodox Gospels. We would have records of the crusades from the Christian soldiers sent out through Europe to Jerusalem in order to massacre those of other faiths, both Muslim and Jewish. In reading these accounts, we would be forced to confront the ways in which scripture can be interpreted

2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The Council of Nicaea is considered by some to be one of the greatest achievements of Christendom. And truly, celebrating the 1700th year of anything is an historic event. The meetings began in May of 325AD at the small town of Nicaea, in Asia Minor, in present day Turkey. As many as 250 bishops joined in the meetings. That year, 325 AD, is considered a benchmark by many, in the history of the mainstream Christian church. You'll often hear that at the Council the nature of Christ and His relationship to the Father was discussed and debated. And that's true. But there was another issue, a very important issue, that is often almost forgotten. And perhaps it had even greater long-term consequences. What was this lesser-known issue that was discussed at the Council of Nicaea? And what does it have to do with you and me today? Let's examine that today on Tomorrow's World. And get ready, because later in the program I'm going to give you an opportunity to request your free copy of “God's Church Through the Ages.” So, let's go back in time to this momentous event. Back to 325 AD. And let's ask the question, “Constantine or Christ: Who Should We Follow?”

While Pastor Michael is away for the week, we are going to take a break from our progress through Philippians, and I'm going to walk us through a week of devotional reflections based on a program that I participated in and led five times during my time in Egypt and (briefly) in South Sudan. Just for today, our reflection is going to be a little bit longer than usual so I can provide some context for this. The program is called New Hope, and it was developed by a team of licensed clinical psychologists and counsellors, church planters, and resource specialists in teaching Scripture in oral cultures, focused on multiplying healing in suffering communities.  Rather than taking us through the entirety of the program (not possible in short reflections like these) I am going to lead us thematically through elements of it, focusing on key Scriptures which illustrate the themes, and sharing with you brief stories of the ways that I witnessed healing through them. I trust that as we daily encounter Scripture and the stories of our siblings in Christ in the global church, we will experience the Holy Spirit drawing connections between their stories, our own stories, and God's great story, directing our attention to the way that our God works through his word and his church to multiply healing for the sake of his kingdom. Our text for today is from Gen. 45:4-8: “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.' When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt'” (Gen. 45:4-8). These verses come from the end of the story that groups tell together in the first week of New Hope, the story of Joseph–favoured son of Jacob, who is sold into slavery by his brothers, accused of sexually assaulting his first master's wife, sent to jail, interprets dreams for the king of Egypt and his servants, and is eventually released and put in charge of years of plenty and famine in the land of Egypt and its surrounding regions. Here at the end of the story, Joseph, second in command over all of Egypt, makes himself known to his brothers, who have appeared before him without recognition to receive food during the famine. It is a remarkable ending to a complicated story full of suffering in many forms. This part of the Joseph story also provides the vision statement for the New Hope program, a paraphrased version of the words we have just heard Joseph speak to his brothers upon the revelation that he is still alive. The goal for New Hope participants is that they would be able to come to terms with their suffering in such a way that they can truthfully say with Joseph, “Do not be afraid. You meant to harm me. But God has used what has happened for good. Not just for me, but so that many other people can be saved.”   Like Joseph himself at the beginning of this narrative, most people beginning the New Hope program are highly skeptical about the truth of Joseph's words to his brothers. Perhaps, in the midst of your own suffering, you are too. “Don't be afraid,” (or don't be distressed, in the version we read today), is how Joseph begins. Well, that's already quite something. It's the most frequently given command in Scripture, and perhaps it has been a comfort to you in seasons of suffering. But for others, maybe it just feels like an extra burden for an already difficult season. If you look closely at the contexts this command is given in Scripture, it quickly becomes apparent that this is one of God's instructions which is not necessarily meant to logically cohere with the circumstances in which it is given. For example, it is offered to the Israelites at the shore of the Red Sea, while Pharaoh's army is hot on their tail, by Jesus to Jairus when he comes to him with his daughter on the brink of death, and by Peter in his letter to churches scattered throughout Asia Minor and facing intense persecution. All of these people have good reason to be afraid, and the command is not a judgment of their fear, but an expression of God's heart for his people–that he does not desire their fear nor the circumstances that cause it. Thus, with this command, suffering individuals or communities are invited to witness in hope to something that is beyond their immediate reality. The command “do not be afraid” is not all that Joseph says. He goes on to insist not only that it was God, and not his brothers, who sent him to Egypt, but that he did so for the salvation of Joseph's brothers and the many others who received food during the time of famine through his leadership. Joseph is able to see redemption in his pain, and able to forgive his brothers because he has taken note of God's presence with him and his plan not only for him in the midst of his pain, but for others encountering suffering whom God has cared for through Joseph's presence. If Joseph's declaration is a difficult one to hear today because God's redemption of your pain still feels an impossibly long way off, I would draw your attention to Genesis 39. Just a few chapters before Joseph's words in our passage for today, three times (vv. 2, 21, 23), the narrator of the story notes that “the Lord was with Joseph.” This does not mean that Joseph was free of his suffering. He remained in slavery and then in prison. His circumstances did not change, but God was present with him there. And he is present with you. To trust that, and to trust with Joseph that God works for good, even in suffering, not just for us, but so that many might be saved, is not easy. For some of us in the midst of pain, it may be beyond our capacity right now. And that's okay. Your uncertainty is not a liability to God because he is not confined to what we can imagine. So do not be afraid.  As you go on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.  

Chapters 13 and 14 tells us about Saul's first missionary journey. He and Barnabas, along with John Mark initially, traveled from Antioch in Syria to Cyprus and then Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), sharing the gospel, establishing churches, and encouraging the believers. As we study these events we see Spirit-led patterns developing, that we can learn from and that remain patterns for the church to this day.

We tend to think of joy and sorrow as being opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. But God – God has this thing where He wants to pour His joy, into our sorrow..   A Letter of Some Friends Last week on the programme we began a new series called, “It's Time to Start Enjoying My Life”. Look around, the joy in this world seems to be in such very short supply and yet "joy" is something that Jesus, so much, wants us to experience. Not the joy that the world has to offer; not some short term happiness fix – not that – real joy; abiding joy; lasting joy. You can read what Jesus said about "joy" in John chapter 15 and verse 11. This is a time when the disciples were afraid because Jesus was about to be crucified – they knew it. Everything was falling in a screaming heap. And look at what Jesus talks about. He says: I have said all these things to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Isn't that awesome? So that My joy (Jesus joy) may be in us and that our joy might be complete. The problem is that, well, that can be really, really hard to swallow. I receive so many emails from people who are struggling in life. One man in Africa, he belongs to one tribe and his wife to another and her family are trying to tear the marriage apart. I had an email from a woman the other day who has had so many people in her life disappoint her and fail her. There are so many people living life in circumstances that, well in the natural; in our flesh, they don't warrant joy. Joy and sorrow after all, are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. How dare some joker come on the radio and start talking about joy? "If he only knew my circumstances. How can he say that God wants me to experience joy? What a load of rubbish!" Well, that's a common reaction. If you are struggling with things in your life at the moment, it's not a surprising reaction. You are not on your own. Okay, then, let me as you a question. If God meant us to wallow in sorrow why is it that Jesus said: Until now you haven't ask for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete. You can read that – if you have a Bible, open it up – that came from John chapter 16, verse 22. See God never meant us to live life in despair. If He did, why would the Bible say this: Even though you haven't seen Him with your own eyes, you love Him and even though you don't see Him now, you believe in Him and you are filled with an unspeakable and glorious joy because you are receiving the goal of your faith which is the salvation of your soul. That comes from First Peter chapter 1, verse 8. Or Psalm 33: Sing to Him a new song, play skilfully and shout for joy. No, God means us to live in His joy and so often He calls us to joy when our lives and circumstances demand sorrow. It's a bitter sweet irony and today and the next couple of weeks we are going to spend some time with a man on death row. A man locked in a dungeon in chains under the sentence of death; a man who, if anyone did, deserved to wallow in sorrow. His name is Paul and he opens his letter to his friends with this mournful and sorrowful words. Have a listen – it comes from Philippians chapter 1, verses 1 to 11: Paul and Timothy, both servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and the deacons. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all of my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. Being confident of this: that He who has begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It's right for me to feel this way about all of you since I have you in my heart. For whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ and this is my prayer: that your love will abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and the praise of God.” Does that sound like a guy who is on death row; in a dungeon? Look how he starts: “I thank my God” – he begins with thanksgiving. And then he says “I always pray for you with joy.” What right has this man in a dungeon to feel joy? And then he says “It is right for me to feel this way about you because we all share in God's grace.” See, what he is doing is he is pouring out to his friends what is in his heart. He is saying “In my heart I feel these things. Sure, outside I am in chains but in my heart I experience joy.” And his prayer for them is that their love may abound more and more and more – this abundant over-flowing story of love and joy. See, this man is in chains on death row and in fact he gets a whole bunch worse, we'll have a look at that a little bit later on the programme. In the second chapter it gets a whole bunch worse and yet he opens his letter; his letter of chains with an overflow of abundance of joy that comes from the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It's interesting you know, that the Greek words used in the New Testament for "joy" and for "grace" come from the same root word. Joy and God's grace are closely linked for Paul. And he's saying, "Look, what's going on in my heart is what really matters because the Spirit of God has taken up residence here." I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy. It's right for me to feel this way about you, even though I'm in chains we all have a share in God's grace. I want to share with you an email that I received last Christmas. I sent out a word by email to several thousand of our ministry supporters and just a gentle word about God being on our journey with us and one woman, Karen, replied and said this, "I seem to attract people who seem to want me around and yet when someone else comes along that they prefer, I get pushed aside. Especially at these times I feel God is the only one I can trust. I'm sorry if I sound a bit glum, I'm not really. Sometimes I feel a bit sad but then I think about God and how He's still loves me and He wants me to be with Him." You see, Karen knows the thing that Paul knows – that joy doesn't come from other people or what's happening on the outside of us, it comes from God Himself. I thank my God every time I pray for you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray in joy. We are going to look next at how the Apostle Paul handled rejection.   Outrageous Fortunes In his play, “Hamlet”, Shakespeare talks about "suffering the slings and the arrows of outrageous fortunes" and when we take a look at the next part of this letter of the Apostle Paul from his dungeon on death row; a letter to his friends at Philippi, well, this letter makes sense of this line from “Hamlet”. Have a listen – I'm reading from the Bible – Philippians chapter 1, verses 12 to 26. If you've got a Bible, grab it, open it and read it with me. Now I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It's true! Some people preach Christ out of envy and rivalry but others out of good will. The latter do so in love knowing that I am put here for the defense of the Gospel. The former, well, they preach Christ out of selfish ambition not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I'm in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached and because of this I rejoice. Yes, I will continue to rejoice for I know that through your prayers and help, given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn our for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but I will have sufficient courage so that now as always, Christ will be exalted in me, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am going to go on living in this body this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I don't know! I am torn between the two – I desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that through my being with you again, your joy in Christ will overflow on account of me. This is an amazing passage because remember, the Apostle Paul is in chains in a Roman dungeon on death row. He is there because he went out and told people about Jesus so this is religious persecution – he has been locked up for his faith and for sharing his faith with other people. But instead of grumbling, I mean wouldn't it be so easy to be in prison and say, "God, why have You put me here? God, I only went out to tell them about You, God what are You doing?" Would be so easy for Paul to do that, and instead he sees the positive? You know, so often we only see the negative. I remember a time a dozen or so years ago when I was going through some really difficult times – my own dungeon; so incredibly dark. I experienced some really difficult things in my life and it was as black as black could be. It was incredible pain of loss and fear and loneliness and betrayal. I wasn't suffering for the Gospel like Paul, I was just suffering. That's the place where I first met Jesus Christ. Now, as much as it hurt, I always had the sense that God had a purpose in it – that God would somehow use it. Can I tell you something? Without that suffering I would be completely useless to you right now. I was Mister "I'm perfect" and full of myself and arrogant and conceited and only interested in "me" and the suffering broke open my heart, let Jesus in; the Great Healer. I look back on it now and I see the positive. Paul was mature in his relationship with Christ and he was able to sit there in the dungeon and see the positive thing there. Right when it was happening; right when he was chained up; right when he was under the fear of death, he wanted to say to his brothers and sisters in Philippi, "You know something? What's happened to me is good because it served to advance the Gospel." And then the second bit is the one that really gets me. He goes on to talk about what other people were doing and saying and they were preaching out of envy. They were preaching out of selfish ambition; they were preaching to stir up more trouble for Paul. Paul has poured at least ten years of his life out into preaching the Gospel and planting churches across Asia Minor and here he is, he's suffering the most incredible things. He had the right to some recognition; he had a right to some respect and honour and yet, the other Christians instead were taunting him. The worst possible thing – he's in jail and they're taunting him and his response? Let's read it again: But what does it matter? The important thing that is in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is being preached and because of this I rejoice. See, he's not interested in what other people are doing. He doesn't care about what other people think; he humbly just wants people to meet Jesus. And that humility sets him free to experience joy. And he finishes up that passage and he says: I am convinced that I will be with you and I know that I will remain and I'll continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith. See, for Paul it's about joy and enjoying life no matter whether he's doing well and he's got lots to eat or whether he is locked up in a dungeon on death row. “Yes I'll continue to rejoice,” he says, “for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” If we are going to rejoice, we have to enter into God's joy we have to "enjoy". Now, either Paul is totally mad or he is onto something here. What do you think? What's going on for Paul here in his dungeon? It looks to me like there is a light in his heart; a fire that's burning so bright all the darkness around him can't put it out. I remember being in the Army on an exercise, years ago and they gave us waterproof and windproof matches. It was a real problem when you are out in the bush and it is really windy and the flame always blows out – these matches were amazing. You lit one, even when it was soaking wet it would light and the strongest gale couldn't blow it out. You could blow as hard as you liked and this match kept burning. That's the picture of what's going on in the heart of Paul; a joy unspeakable; a joy that comes from out of this world; a joy that comes from God Himself. Well, that's Paul. What about you and me? Can we have joy like that? We'll take a look at that next.   The Joy of the Lord is My Strength Well, it's great to have a listen to the Apostle Paul's circumstances and realities but you and I, we're not Paul; we are different people; we've got different circumstances. So this is not a message that goes "Paul had his act together, let's live our lives like Paul" because, truthfully, I don't believe that it works that way. That would be a "works" thing. The Bible talks about "dead works" and trying to be like Paul, I think it would be exactly that – a dead work. So what then? We have troubles and trials in life – we do. Sometimes we go through circumstances that are so incredibly tough; times that appear to be filled with sorrow and despair. What role does joy have? I want to go back to what I said at the beginning of the programme and last week. Not talking about some worldly joy that we conjure up in our hearts; I'm not talking about pulling our socks up and having a good attitude; I'm not talking about "works". God's joy is a gift of grace so I'm talking about God's joy. Let's go back to what Jesus said to His disciples – John chapter 15, verse 11 – when they were afraid; when they were in despair; when they knew that Jesus was about to be crucified and everything was falling apart – He says: I have said all these things to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. … His joy in our hearts. He wants to impart His joy into our lives and that's a gift of grace; a free gift from God. Last week on the programme we looked at the story of Israel in Nehemiah chapter 8. They had heard the word of God and they wept because they knew that they had turned their backs on God. They were convicted in their hearts by the Holy Spirit of their sin and that's the time, isn't it, when we feel least deserving of God's joy? Actually what we feel deserving of is God's punishment and wrath. And the reason we feel that is that we are made in His image. We have His sense of justice and that is exactly what we deserve. But then, instead of what they deserved, listen to what God said to them through Nehemiah, their leader. You can read it in the Old Testament. Nehemiah chapter 8, verse 10: Nehemiah said “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to the Lord; don't grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Whose joy? God's joy – grace a free gift from Him when they deserved punishment, God said to them through Nehemiah, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” When we turn to Him; when we get up close with Him, a glorious joy that words can't describe is His free gift to us – a joy unspeakable. And the key is this, "The joy of the Lord is our strength”. This is not a "be like Paul" message – it's not that. When we draw close to Jesus; when we spend more and more time with Him; when we do that, He fills us with His joy. Have a listen again to the way the Apostle Peter puts it in First Peter chapter 1, verse 8: Even though you haven't seen Him with your own eyes, you love Him. And even thought you don't see Him now, you believe in Him and you are filled with an unspeakable and glorious joy because you are receiving the goal of your faith; the salvation of your souls. And that joy … that joy is a joy that God imparts to us. We are receiving the goal of our faith – we are receiving His joy. So many people are going through tough times in life and they will call a friend on the phone before they talk to God about it. Wake up! Jesus is in this place with us, with you and with me. Whatever our dungeon looks like; whatever those other people are doing to hurt us and taunt us, the joy of the Lord is our strength - in dark places, in dark times, in dark dungeons. Those are places of great opportunity, when there is no other light that shines, His light will shine in our hearts. Listen to what Paul says in Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 6: It's the same God, who at creation commanded the light to shine over the darkness, who has shone in our hearts with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you with something today: Jesus died and rose again so that we could be forgiven all the things we have done wrong and have a relationship with Him and experience His joy. This joy is not something that you and I conjure up – it's not something that we buy off the rack. This joy comes from God Himself. It's His free gift and when we humble ourselves; when we turn to Him; when we desire Him with all our hearts; we turn away from all that rubbish that we are into and day after day and week after week, month after month, He will fill us with a certain joy so wondrous that there are no words to describe it. Paul knew that. That's what was going on for him in the dungeon. Paul couldn't write about joy to the Philippians because he was some spiritual superman, Paul was just a weak man in chains in a Roman dungeon but those chains didn't bind his heart because he had a real experience of Jesus Christ. Not some distant experience, he had a real experience of Jesus Christ and it was Jesus Himself who gave him that joy. Jesus said: I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. It is time to start enjoying your life and joy – real joy comes from Jesus.

"This Saint was from Synnada in Phrygia of Asia Minor. In Constantinople he met Saint Theophylact (March 8); the holy Patriarch Tarasius, learning that Michael and Theophylact desired to become monks, sent them to a monastery on the Black Sea. Because of their great virtue, St Tarasius afterwards compelled them to accept consecration, Theophylact as Bishop of Nicomedia, and Michael as Bishop of his native Synnada. Because St Michael fearlessly confessed the veneration of the holy icons, he was banished by the Iconoclast Emperor Leo V the Armenian, who reigned from 813 to 820. After being driven from one place to another, in many hardships and bitter pains, St Michael died in exile." (Great Horologion)

Bob Thiel, Ph.D., is a highly regarded researcher, biblical scholar, and one of the world's foremost authorities on end time prophecies. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of LaVerne, a Master's degree from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. from the Union Institute and University as well as a Th.D. from the Calvin Graduate School of Apologetics. Throughout his academic and professional career, he has studied philosophy, religion, science, and prophecy, while making multiple research trips to ancient sites in Central America, Asia Minor, Rome, Israel, and Greece (he has been to over 50 nations outside of the USA).Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.

Cyrus' exemplary leadership forged a patchwork of ethnicities into an empire that founded Persian rule in the Middle East, Professor Lynette Mitchell explains. Cyrus the Great (or the Elder) is known to many through the Cyrus Cylinder exhibit preserved in the British Museum, which tells us that he was chosen by God for his special virtues to become ‘king of the four corners of the world'.[1]  Indeed, he created a Persian empire that extended from the Greek communities of Asia Minor to the marches of India.  Ever since, virtues of a great strategic leader have been attributed to him, including by Xenophon who, as a Greek, might have been expected to be hostile to Cyrus' expansion. Instead, Xenophon took him as a model for the ideal leader in war and peace. Even today, the stories of his leadership are revered in management literature. But does the reality justify the acclaim? Professor Lynette Mitchell of the University of Exeter has discovered her interest in the life and achievements of Cyrus from her earlier research on Greek culture and customs, on which she has published widely. Her book, Cyrus the Great: A Biography of Kingship, was published by Routledge in 2023. [1] Irving Finkel (ed.): The Cyrus Cylinder: The King of Persia's Proclamation from Ancient Babylon. (London: I-.B- Tauris, 2013)

She was born in Tarsus (home of the Apostle Paul). Though her parents were prominent pagans, she heard of Christ from Christians in that city, and her heart was filled with love for the Savior. The Emperor Diocletian visited Tarsus, and during his stay the Emperor's son and heir fell in love with Pelagia and wished to marry her. To her parents' complete amazement, Pelagia replied that she was already promised to her betrothed, Christ the Lord. She then fled her parents' house and went to the holy Bishop Linus, who instructed her in the Faith and baptized her. Pelagia then gave away all her many possessions, returned home, and told her parents that she was baptised. The Emperor's son, despairing of marryng her, killed himself. Pelagia's mother then denounced her daughter to the Emperor, who summoned her for trial. When Pelagia freely confessed her unwavering faith in Christ, the Emperor condemned her to be burned in a metal ox heated by fire. An account of her martyrdom says that, entering the ox with prayers of thanksgiving on her lips, she instantly melted like wax. Bishop Linus, who had baptised her, found a few of her bones and buried them on a hill near Tarsus. During the reign of the Emperor Constantine Copronymus (741-775), a church was built there in her honor.

“That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!” (John 20:19–20 NLT) If we were telling the origin story of the Christian church, this would be a compelling first scene. A handful of Jesus’ followers hiding behind closed doors, shell-shocked, confused, and too scared to show their faces in public. Suddenly the risen Jesus miraculously appears in the flesh, victorious over sin and death, confirming the truth of everything He taught and promised them. At some point, either while Jesus was in the room or after He left, the truth must have dawned on them. If the One they served is more powerful than sin and death, then (1) they had nothing to fear, and (2) the world needed to know. We see their newfound boldness and sense of purpose in the passages that follow. That’s the power of the resurrection. Armed with that power, this small group of believers changed the world. And most of them sacrificed their lives to do it. According to church tradition, Peter took the gospel to Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia. He was crucified upside down because he told his executioners that he wasn’t worthy of being crucified in the same manner as Jesus. Andrew spread the gospel through what is now Russia, Turkey, and Greece. He, too, was crucified. Thomas wasn’t present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples in John 20. And he doubted their story. But when Jesus appeared again, and Thomas saw Him, his doubts disappeared. He took the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection all the way to India. He died after being impaled by the spears of four soldiers. Philip spread the gospel in North Africa and Asia Minor. After he converted the wife of a Roman official, the official had him put to death. Matthew, the tax collector, traveled to Persia and Ethiopia to spread Jesus’ message. He was stabbed to death. Bartholomew accompanied Thomas to India and also shared the gospel in Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia. He was crucified. James, the son of Alphaeus, shared the Good News of Christ throughout Syria. He was stoned and then clubbed to death. Simon took the gospel to Persia. He was put to death there when he refused to make a sacrifice to the sun god. Matthias was the man chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. He shared the gospel in Syria, where he was burned to death. John is believed to be the only disciple who died a natural death. He was exiled to the penal colony of Patmos. The apostle Paul traveled extensively to share the gospel. He was beheaded in Rome. The apostle John ended his Gospel with these words: “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25 NLT). Among the “many other things” was the impact Jesus had on a small group of ordinary people. He changed their lives forever. And, in turn, they changed the world in His name. As Jesus’ followers, we’re still called to change the world—one life at a time. We have Good News to share—the best news, in fact. If we’re faithful to our calling, we can impact lives for eternity. Reflection question: In what ways would you like to be bolder in sharing your faith with others? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These nine holy Martyrs were from various places, but when they refused to offer sacrifice to idols or to deny Christ, all were beheaded together in Cyzicus, a city in Asia Minor on the coast of the Sea of Marmara. Their names were Theognis, Rufus, Antipater, Theostoichus, Artemas, Magnus, Theodotus, Thaumasilas and Philemon. During the reign of the Emperor Constantine a church was built in Cyzicus in their honor, and their incorrupt relics were deposited there.

The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 are possibly some of the best known parts of the apocalypic book, mainly due to their accessibility compared to the rest of it. But how should we read these seven letters? Are they examples of the history or eras of the church? Are they addressed to different types of church today? Are they symbolic? And why all the Old Testament references?Join Alex, Chris & Jo as they discuss these significant chapters, give some good background information that help make sense of what John is writing, and then talk aboput how we might be able to bring some meaning to us today. For the one who has ears to hear...Resources"Revelation (NIV Application Commentary)" by Dr Craig Keener– A detailed analysis that bridges the historical-cultural context and application for today."The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament" by Dr Craig Keener – Offers essential historical and cultural insights on the New Testament, including Revelation."Discipleship on the Edge" by Darrell W. Johnson – A study on Revelation that considers its relevance for Christian discipleship."Reading Revelation Responsibly" by Michael J. Gorman – A user-friendly guide to understanding the apocalyptic message of Revelation without fear or misinterpretation.Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram.Subscribe to Bible Streams on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Amazon.

He was born in Sykeon in Galatia in Asia Minor. (The Great Horologion says that he was born out of wedlock; the Prologue that his mother, Maria, was a rich widow; in either case, he was reared by his mother alone). At the age of ten, Theodore took up a life of strict asceticism, devoting himself to prayer, fasting and vigils. His mother planned for him to enter the military; but St George appeared to her in a dream, telling her that Theodore was to serve the King of Heaven rather than any earthly king. After this, Saint George appeared to Theodore many times, sometimes instructing him, sometimes saving him from danger. After a trip to the Holy Land, Theodore became a monk in Galatia — we should say "officially became a monk," since he had been living as a monk from the age of ten. Once he had taken monastic vows, Theodore redoubled his ascetical labors, which exceeded those of any other monk of his time: for his asceticism, he was sometimes called the "Iron-eater." Around 584 was ordained Bishop of Anastasiopolis in Galatia, much against his will. He served his flock faithfully for ten years, then begged to be relieved of his episcopal duties so that he might return to his beloved monastic life. Even during his lifetime, he was famed for his miracles and his authority to cast out demons. He departed this life in peace in 613.

By Luis A Marrero - This message discusses the Church of Pergamos from the Book of Revelation 2:12. Pergamos was a wealthy and culturally sophisticated city in Asia Minor, but it was also a center of spiritual darkness and paganism, described by Jesus as where "Satan has his throne. It considers the need for

These African Christians suffered during the persecution of the Church by the emperor Decius, during which a great many Christians denied the faith rather than suffer. These faithful few boldly upheld the Faith and, after many torments, were condemned to death by beheading. The went to their execution singing psalms and hymns of thanksgiving, and received the crown of martyrdom in 250.   In the early centuries of the Church, North Africa, especially the region of Carthage, was one of the centers of the Christian Faith, comparable to Asia Minor.

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael dive into the soil, stones, and stories of Asia Minor to uncover how the early church lived out its faith amid empire, beauty, and persecution. Join us as we welcome guests Michelle Wegner, Dave Brunelle, and Wade Mantlo—fellow travelers who recently returned from a transformative archaeological … Continue reading "Episode 194: Researching Missiology and Archaeology"

Sometime around eight to nine thousand years ago, ancient people in Asia Minor found a very dull grey metal that turned out to be easy to manipulate when it was heated. For thousands of years, it was used for a variety of purposes, including as a food additive.  4 With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, even more uses were found for this unique metal.  However, by the 20th century, scientists realized that maybe this stuff wasn't really so good for us.  Learn more about lead, how it has been used throughout history, and how our perception of it has changed on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Stitch Fix Go to stitchfix.com/everywhere to have a stylist help you look your best Tourist Office of Spain Plan your next adventure at Spain.info  Stash Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Crackers and Grape Juice, Teer checks in with Jason and Todd to reflect on their recent pilgrimage to Turkey (Asia Minor) with Brian Zahnd. They discuss the reasons for the pilgrimage, the historical and theological significance of Asia Minor as the birthplace of Christianity, and how these experiences deepened their faith. The conversation explores the rich history of early Christian sites, the importance of understanding the origins of Christian creeds, and the differences between Eastern and Western Christian traditions. They also share personal insights and observations, such as the absence of crucifixion imagery in Orthodox churches and the challenging terrain early Christians had to navigate. The discussion underscores the value of pilgrimages in connecting modern believers with the broader, ancient Christian community and the complexities of balancing religious and secular life.Find Crackers and Grape Juice on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack.

In this Bible study, we focus on Revelation 3.14-22. This is a message from Jesus to the church of Laodicea. Laodicea was one of seven churches in Asia Minor (modern-day western Turkey) to which Jesus had the Apostle John write a letter. The church in Laodicea thought they were rich and successful, when in God's eyes, they were weak and spiritually useless. Laodicea was judging itself on the world's standard, not God's. Join us as we dig deep and learn how this applies to us today.OUTLINE:03:06 - Huntersfield Retreat Center - https://www.huntersfieldny.com/03:38 - Outline05:44 - Background on Revelation and the island of Patmos. Rev 1.1-3 & 9-20 12:52 - Background on the letters to the seven churchesThe seven churches were in Asia Minor, all in the vicinity of Ephesus. (present-day western Turkey). Rev 2.114:47 - WORD STUDY: “Angel” - angelos ἄγγελος (Greek). A messenger, envoy, one who is sent, a messenger from God.16:45 - Read Revelation 3.14-2218:22 - Verse by Verse break down and expository study of the context for the church in Laodicea in its day.18:22 - Rev 3.14 - “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.”19:17 - WORD STUDY: The Almighty - Pantokratōr - Παντοκράτωρ - he who holds sway over all things; the almighty.20:02 - Rev 3.15 - “I know your deeds…”20:35 - Rev 3.15 - “...you are neither cold nor hot”24:16 - Rev 3.16 - “so because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth” - AMP: ‘So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].24:50 - Rev 3.17 - “you say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' 25:04 - Background on the city of Laodicea 27:37 - Rev 3.17 “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”29:37 - Rev 3.18 “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”29:58 - What is the refiner's fire? John 6.2733.44 - Closing 4 verses: 4 special statements (An explanation, an exhortation, an invitation, an Assertion)34:05 - Rev 3.19a - An Explanation, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.” Pro 3.11-12. God allows trials to shape us into who he wants us to become35:24 - Rev 3.19b - An Exhortation - “Be earnest and repent.” Repent of pride, humble yourself before the Lord. Three commands for Laodieca: Buy from me gold refined in the fire; Be earnest; and Repent37:01 - Rev 3.20 - An Invitation - Open the door, invite Jesus into your life.39:11 - Rev 3.21-22 - An Assertion. 41:09 - Applications for us today.41:22 - An Explanation - How do you measure the success of your life?43:38 - An Exhortation - Value yourself based on how God sees you. 44:04 - What is propitiation? How does God value us? 1 John 4.9-1045:06 - An Invitation - OPEN THE DOOR. John 15.548:20 - An Assertion - Rely on the Lord as your strength, and he will be ever present (Psalm 46). Empty yourself of your self and out of your weakness, seek the Lord's hel,p and His power will be made perfect in you (2 Cor 12.9-10).Support Iron Sheep Ministries: https://Ironsheep.org/donateListen to the podcast: https://anchor.fm/ironsheepContact Dave & the ISM team: info@ironsheep.orgBe notified of each new teaching, join the email list: http://eepurl.com/g-2zAD

Paul's first missionary journey is underway and we see how persistence in this labor is necessary as the spread of the gospel will always result in resistance. Here we follow Paul and Barnabas further along in their first journey into the Gentile world of Asia Minor.

Paul's first missionary journey is underway and we see how persistence in this labor is necessary as the spread of the gospel will always result in resistance. Here we follow Paul and Barnabas further along in their first journey into the Gentile world of Asia Minor.

Welcome back to the podcast! Life's storms are inevitable, but they are never without purpose. In Acts 27-28, Paul faces a brutal shipwreck, yet through it all, God positions him for greater influence and impact. Join us today as we finish our series on the book of Acts!--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --The Sovereignty of God in the Storms of LifeToday, we conclude our study of the book of Acts by returning to the verse that set the foundation for the entire book:Acts 1:8 (NLT) – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”Throughout Acts, we've seen this mission unfold. The book began with Peter as the central figure, but in the second half, Paul took the lead. However, the real main character of Acts is not Peter or Paul—it's the Holy Spirit, guiding and empowering believers.As we study Acts 27-28, we encounter one of the most famous shipwreck stories in history. More than just an adventure, it teaches us powerful lessons about trusting God in life's storms. We will uncover three key truths that remind us of God's sovereignty, even in the fiercest trials.1. Storms Can Come Even in the Center of God's WillActs 27:1 (NLT) – “When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment.”Paul's journey to Rome, described in Acts 27-28, is sometimes called his fourth missionary journey, though he was technically a prisoner under Roman custody. His earlier missionary journeys had taken him across the Mediterranean world:First Journey (Acts 13–14): Paul and Barnabas traveled through Cyprus and Asia Minor.Second Journey (Acts 15:36–18:22): Paul extended his mission into Greece.Third Journey (Acts 18:23–21:17): Paul revisited churches and had an extended stay in Ephesus before heading to Jerusalem, where he was arrested.Now, on his way to stand trial before Caesar, Paul encounters a storm unlike any before.Acts 27:20 (NLT) – “The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.”This moment reminds us that following Christ does not guarantee an easy journey. In fact, trials often come even when we are in the...

After addressing the 7 churches in Asia Minor, John is given a vision of the throne room of God where we are oriented to the true reality of God's rule and reign over all the earth.

"Theophylact was from the east; his native city is unknown. In Constantinople he became a close friend of Tarasius, who afterwards became Patriarch of Constantinople (see Feb. 25). Theophylact was made Bishop of Nicomedia. After the death of Saint Tarasius, his successor Nicephorus (see June 2) called together a number of Bishops to help him in fighting the iconoclasm of Emperor Leo the Armenian, who reigned from 813 to 820. Among them was Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis (celebrated Dec. 26), who had attended the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 — he was exiled three times for the sake of the holy icons, and for defying the Emperor Theophilus' command to renounce the veneration of the icons, was scourged from head to foot until his whole body was one great wound, from which he died eight days later, about the year 830; Joseph of Thessalonica (see July 14); Michael of Synnada (see May 23); Emilian, Bishop of Cyzicus (see Aug. 8); and Saint Theophylact, who boldly rebuked Leo to his face, telling him that because he despised the long-suffering of God, utter destruction was about to overtake him, and there would be none to deliver him. For this, Theophylact was exiled to the fortress of Strobilus in Karia of Asia Minor, where after 30 years of imprisonment and hardship, he gave up his holy soul about the year 845. Leo the Armenian, according to the Saint's prophecy, was slain in church on the eve of our Lord's Nativity, in 820." (Great Horologion)

Backstory to Revelation   John has been exiled to the island of Patmos because of his ministry for Jesus for serving and preaching. He had been living in Ephesus and overseeing several of the churches of western Asia Minor. The Christians within these churches are struggling to be faithful to Jesus as suspicion and hostility towards them increases.  While on Patmos, John receives a series of visions which he is instructed to write down and deliver to the churches of Asia. That becomes the book of Revelation and the message of Revelation is intended to strengthen the faith and faithfulness of the churches.   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Daily Dose of Hope March 2, 2025 Day 1 of Week 49   Scripture: Esther 7-10; Revelation 3   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are in week 49 of 52!  Good job, everyone.  We have almost read the whole Bible in a year.    Today, our Old Testament reading is finishing the book of Esther.  Let's start with chapter 7.  Esther was risking her life by approaching the king and she has no idea how the king will react. We know from previous chapters that he is prone to rash, angry decisions. First, the king does not know that she is a Jew. Second, Esther doesn't know if the king will choose her over Haman, his trusted advisor. If the king chooses to side with Haman, then Esther and her people will be killed.   But she must have courage and take the risk–the stakes are too high. God calls all of us to take risks. Let's hope our risks aren't quite as scary as Esther's but they might be! The reality is that the Christian walk was never intended to be comfortable and easy. The Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to take risks: go talk to that person, volunteer for that organization, reach out to that neighbor, offer to pray with that person over there, give money here...you get the idea. The big question is are we listening and are we obeying?   Back to the Scripture...Esther again puts herself out there, asking the king one more difficult thing. The king had decreed that all Jews would be eliminated. Thus, another edict must be made that superseded the previous one. Esther knows this so she pleads with the king to overrule the horrible decree made by Haman so her people could be saved. The king basically allows Esther and Mordecai to create the new decree themselves and hands over his signet ring so they can seal it on behalf of the king. The new decree was strong. It guaranteed that the Jewish people could protect themselves, giving them the right to annihilate and plunder any group who tried to conquer or harm them. It even designated a specific date on which the Jews could attack their enemies.   In chapter 8, we read about Mordecai. He has the privilege of delivering the news of the new decree to the Jewish people. By this point, the roles have been totally reversed for Mordecai. No longer does he need to sit by the king's gate in ash cloth. No longer does he need to worry about his life or the fate of his people. He is the victor, but only because a young queen was willing to do the right thing and risk it all for the sake of her people. What is God calling you to do right now? What excuses are you making? How does this text inspire you to step out in faith?   As mentioned, the new decree, written by Esther and Mordecai, allowed the Jewish people a specific day on which to attack their enemies, the 13th of the Jewish month Adar. As you read through chapter 9, you find that is exactly what occurred. The Jewish men assembled and killed thousands of their enemies. Then, on the following day, they rested and feasted.   This was the beginning of an annual celebration for the Jews called Purim. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian. The holiday was thus named since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his evil scheme. Purim is still celebrated among devout Jews. On the eve of Purim, they read the book of Esther and then do so again on the following day. There is also much gift-giving. They are to send monetary gifts to at least two poor people and then two food gifts to at least one other person. There is also much feasting and celebrating.   I have to admit when I first read about this, it sounded a bit gory. Are they really celebrating the death of all those people? But I had to reframe it. The Jews had been oppressed. They had received a death sentence. And then, they were freed from it. They had the ability to protect their families. They knew God was with them. This was worthy of celebration.   Let's move to the final chapter in Esther.  Not unlike Joseph in an earlier Old Testament text, Mordecai moves from lowly and close to death to the king's right-hand man. While God isn't explicitly mentioned, we know that God acted extraordinarily to orchestrate the events of this story.   Today's chapter was short but it gave me pause to reflect on the book of Esther as a whole. What can we learn from this book? ·If you are a Christ-follower, God has a purpose for your life. You exist to love and glorify God AND to demonstrate his love and goodness to the world. •God didn't make a mistake where he has you today. God put Esther exactly where he needed and wanted her to be. God has you where you need to be as well. How might God want to use you right now? •Sometimes, living into your purpose means making big, difficult decisions but it is often lived out in the small, everyday decisions of life.   Our New Testament text is Revelation 3. Here, John continues to proclaim the visions that Jesus has given him about the churches. Chapter 2 focused on Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira. This chapter addresses the rest of the churches of Asia Minor, including Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Since we focused on the structure and flow of the letters on Thursday, I wanted to highlight the message to one particular church today–Laodicea.   I think it is incredibly important for all of us who are part of the American church. Laodicea was a very wealthy city. It was on a main trade route and it had several prosperous industries. It was known for its banking. It was also known for a black dye that it produced which was used to make black wool, quite a luxurious commodity in those days. It also had a respected medical school which developed an eye medicine that was quite sought after. But despite its wealth, the one really big problem that Laodicea had was lack of a water supply. Its northern neighbor, Hierapolis, had these amazing hot springs. It's other close neighbor, Colossae, to the east, had a lovely refreshing cold water supply. As a result, Laodicea built an elaborate system to pipe the water from both those places into their city. But by the time it got there, it was not hot, nor cold, but simply lukewarm. Jesus has harsher words for Laodicea than any of the other churches. He says that just like their water, they are lukewarm! Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless. They are spiritually lukewarm; they are spiritually useless.   The thing is that they looked good on the outside. They went through all the motions. They worshiped, read Scripture, and sang hymns. But it was phony piety. Their hearts were far from God. There was no passion for Jesus. And they didn't even realize this. In fact, because of their wealth and prosperity, they thought they were doing quite well. Largely sheltered from the persecution that other Christian communities in the area experienced, they were free to do as they pleased.   And what they were doing was not pleasing to God. They were self-reliant, complacent, lazy, and passionless. Not good traits for a church. But despite their spiritual mess, Jesus loves them and still yearns for them. He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for them to answer it. He wants a real relationship with them. He wants them to be passionate for his love.   Think about the American church. Think about our church for that matter. Are we lukewarm? Do we resemble Laodicea. In which ways? I'm not saying this to be critical but because I'm convicted. Do we serve God with passion? Are we simply going through the motions? Have we become stagnant?   Rate your passion level based on the following: -Do you experience joy and excitement in your prayer life? -Do you read Scripture with expectancy of hearing from the Lord? -Do you have spiritual conversations with non-Christians? -Do you actively seek out relationships with non-Christians so you can demonstrate the love of Christ to them? -Do you look for ways to serve Jesus and reach out to those who are struggling/hurting in our community? -What's the last time you felt really excited about your spiritual walk with Jesus? -As a church, are we passionate about being disciples who make disciples?   Are our hearts close to God? I'll stop there but do take some time to let this all sink in a bit. God wants our whole heart and life, not just some of it. He wants us to be passionate as individual believers and a church.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Imagine one day you receive a letter from Jesus and inside is your performance review. Can you imagine getting a report card from Jesus with details of what you're doing well and what He's concerned about?! Well, in the Book of Revelation we learn that Jesus dictated seven letters to the Apostle John when appearing to John in his prison cave on Patmos. Seven letters to seven early Christian Churches, and the first letter (aka performance review) goes to the Church in Ephesus, which we read in Revelation 2:1-7. Now Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor–it was rich, powerful, and filled with pagan idols. In Ephesus there are two temples that stand out: The Temple of Diana where people worshipped sex and the Temple of Domitian where people worshipped politics. Life was EXTREMELY HARD for the Ephesian Christians.On the one hand, they were tempted by sexual immorality and on the other pressured to worship political leaders. Here's what's crazy, 2,000 years later we are dealing with the same stuff! We are living in 21st century Ephesus. These letters in Revelation are written TO them, but they are also FOR us today!And while Jesus has much praise for His church in Ephesus (their performance review starts out really strong), He hits them with the truth that despite resisting the temptations of sex and politics: “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” Somewhere along the way, the Ephesian Christians developed a hard heart. Their love for Jesus became cold. Faith became a duty. They were just doing the church thing. And this points to a moment of self-reflection for all of us today, because if you don't have God's love, all you have is dead religion.Watch this powerful message from Pastor Tim Lucas, which is the third in a chapter-by-chapter masterclass unpacking the powerful prophecy of Revelation.A MASTERCLASS ON THE BOOK OF REVELATIONHave you ever read Revelation and wondered, “What did I just read?” The Bible's last book is filled with strange symbols and mysterious messages that confuse modern minds. In this masterclass, Pastor Tim Lucas breaks down Revelation verse-by-verse in a way that's easy-to-grasp without watering down this powerful prophecy. Prepare to have your eyes opened and faith strengthened. Yes, you can read, see, and understand Revelation! #LoveSexPolitics #Revelation #LiquidChurch

7/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1885 Roman home life

1/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 79 AD Pompeii women of Rome

2/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1589 Engraving women of Rome mythology

3/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1608 Women of Rome mythology

4/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1621 Handball women of Rome

5/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1700s Sabine Women

6/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1835 Women of Rome pleading with a Roman general

8/8: The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World Hardcover - by  Daisy Dunn  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Thread-Womens-History-Ancient/dp/0593299663 Around four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women—whether they were simply sitting at their looms at home or participating in the highest echelons of power—were up to something much more interesting than other histories would lead us to believe. Together, these women helped to make antiquity as we know it. In this monumental work, Dunn reconceives our understanding of the ancient world by emphasizing women's roles within it. The Missing Thread never relegates women to the sidelines and is populated with well-known names such as Cleopatra and Agrippina, as well as the likes of Achaemenid consort Atossa and Olympias, a force in Macedon. Spanning three thousand years, the story moves from Minoan Crete to Mycenaean Greece, from Lesbos to Asia Minor, from the Persian Empire to the royal court of Macedonia, and concludes with Rome and its growing empire. The women of antiquity are undeniably woven throughout the fabric of history, and in The Missing Thread they finally take center stage. 1534 British Museum women of Rome