Podcasts about Audioblog

Progressives have long argued that Christians only oppose LGBTQ behaviour because they misinterpret Scripture. But FBB writer Shafer Parker, demonstrates that after 30 years of failure to convincingly make the Bible say what it does not say, progressives have given up. Now they tell Christians the Bible is useless and ought to be cast aside. Thus the challenge. Will Christians stand with Jesus and affirm God's Word, or will they join the progressives?

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”In Marfa, Texas, there is a phenomenon known as “The Marfa Lights” that has been around for a long time and still remains a mystery. It's been studied by members of the Society of Physics Students from the University of Dallas and a retired aerospace engineer, James Bunnell. The students thought people were seeing car headlights on U.S. 67. Bunnell thought there was more to the lights than mere misidentification.According to the Texas State Historical Association website entry on the subject by Julia Cauble Smith, the first historical record of a mystery lights sighting dates back to 1883. According to Smith, Robert Reed Ellison, a young cowhand, saw a flickering light while driving cattle through an area known as Paisano Pass and thought it might be coming from an Apache campfire. Other settlers told him they had seen lights on other occasions and when they investigated, they found no signs of fires in the area. This has been used as an argument against the car lights on U.S. 67 explanation by defenders of the mysterious nature of the lights, such as Ariel Slick, who posted an article on the Deep South Magazine website headlined “Marfa Lights: The Spirit of Texas” on August 19, 2022. Read more →

learn about the Thai film Satree Lek

Most people see organ transplantation as an unmitigated good, a way to extend one person's life by using organs from the recently dead, people who will never again need them. But, as Shafer Parker makes clear in his new blog, "The Snatchers Are Coming for You," this is, at best, an inaccurate presentation, and at worst, a lie. In fact, he suggests, widespread organ transplantation has possibly endangered the sanctity of human life at least as much as abortion.

learn about Bien Hoa, the tragedies that it experienced in the twentieth century, and the vital role it plays in the national landscape today

I got energized walking the show floor at the Gartner Data & Analytics event last month and learned a few things about the future of our industry. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/quick-recap-of-gartner-conference-2023

The data mesh paradigm is in a nascent stage with data personas and organizations craving clarity and quick answers. Best practices are yet to be crystallized. Mesh done incorrectly runs the risk of degenerating into silos. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/caution-data-leaders-plan-carefully-before-rushing-to-data-mesh

Data mesh is a hot topic in the data world, generating conversations about the benefits and drawbacks of its decentralized approach. Concerns about an explosion of data silos and inconsistent data quality are justified. But to those who feel a bit like Chicken Little, maybe the sky is not falling. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/data-mesh-the-sky-is-not-falling

AutoML and the emerging approach of declarative ML help simplify the process of creating and refining ML models. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/automl-and-declarative-machine-learning-comparing-use-cases

learn about traditions and Hong Kong and the expressions to talk about them

Critics of Christianity have constantly picked at its foundation document, the Bible. Their seek always to find reasons to doubt its goodness or its truth. Now Canadian author Jonathan Bernier has published a book reinforcing the earliest dating of the New Testament, and thereby helping believers maintain their faith in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. He also challenges progressive Christians to give up their doubts and believe the Bible is true.

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called What If It's All a Gift by Karli. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Karli is a joyful wife, blessed mama, and resident of Kigali, Rwanda for the last 5.5 years. When she's not homeschooling her two children, you can find her zipping through books, cooking a fun meal, or podcasting at Third Culture Thriving. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram  Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

SHOW NOTES:Today's show we will discuss what YOU the listener asked. We will discuss "How to Evangelize" and "Is Yoga a Taboo" - Tune in...Grab your Coffee or Tea, It's Gonna Be A Good One!Links for LCP:Revelation Book on Audio Project: https://www.lifeclipspodcast.com/revelation-book-on-audioBlog: https://www.lifeclipspodcast.com/lcp-blogTelegram: https://t.me/lifeclipspodcastEMAIL Kym to be part of our PRIVATE CHAT - questions@lifeclipspodcast.comPodcast Platforms: https://www.lifeclipspodcast.com/where-to-listenThis stream was brought to you by StreamYard.Tell them LifeClips Podcast sent you and receive a $20 credit if you sign up for a paid plan! Don't delay, start Buzzsprouting today!! Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEAlmost Bliss by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5032-almost-bliss License:

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Most Christians know that Western culture is collapsing, but have no idea what to do about it. Now author Eric Metaxas' latest book, Letter to the American Church, gives a clear description of what is going wrong and issues a clarion call to Bible-based, God-blessed action. Read Shafer Parker's review, then read the book. Your life will never be the same. https://www.faithbeyondbelief.ca/blog/the-times-that-try-mens-souls-a-review-of-eric-metaxas-book-letter-to-the-american-church

We are excited to bring you the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called The Boundaries of Hospitality by Beth. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Beth Barthelemy is a cross-cultural worker, wife, and mother to 4 young children. In 2016, she and her family moved to South Africa to be involved in theological education and discipling future Christian leaders. You can find her at https://bethbarthelemy.com/. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram  Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”In 2010, an article by Jeremy Vaeni headlined “The Incredible Visitations of Emma Woods” appeared in the November issue of UFO Magazine. The story that was detailed therein caused people in the UFO community to take hard look at the methods and conclusions of the two most prominent people in alien abduction research at that time. “Emma Woods” was the pseudonym of a woman who lived in England, and she was one of David Jacobs's research subjects. She had posted some tapes of her hypnosis sessions with him that contained some details that Jacobs probably would have preferred had not been made public. Woods provided more details in an interview she gave on March 29, 2010, on the Paratopia podcast hosted by Vaeni and Jeff Ritzman, which appear in the UFO Magazine article. The article prompted Budd Hopkins's wife, Carol Rainey to write an article of her own headlined “The Priests of High Strangeness” published in 2011 in Volume 1, Number 1 of Paratopia magazine detailing some of Hopkins's methods with his subjects as well. Last week we looked at the experiences of Woods during her interaction with Jacobs. This week we'll look at the aftermath and the reaction of some in the UFO community to Woods's story. Read more 

Retired RCMP officer describes how the brutal arrest of Pastor Derek Reimer for protesting a drag queen story hour at a Calgary public library forcibly reminds Canadians that the movement to sexualize the nation's children marches on. Indeed, as the writer reports, the movement now has the added encouragement of a city government that recently passed a bylaw designed to squelch anyone voicing disapproval of behaviour that literally every previous generation of mankind considered grotesque and immoral.

Thanks for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called A Table Overflowing by Jenny. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Jenny is an author dwelling in Iceland with her Viking husband and four feisty children. After years of working with youth and women in a church setting, she is learning how to embrace what God unfolds in the land of fire & ice. You can follow along on Instagram or at Milk and Honey Women. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram  Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

If you don't already know podcaster and blogger Jon McCray, you are in for a treat when attend FBB's April 29 Be Ready conference on progressive Christianity. But you can get a taste of what's coming in Shafer Parker's blog, Jon McCray Is the Man for this Season. Read on to get his prophetic analysis of what has happened to North American Christianity and how believers need to respond.

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called Sacrificial Hospitality by Ashley. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Make sure you also check out the recipe that Ashley included in her post. Ashley comes from a small town in Missouri and now lives in a city of millions in East Asia. She first fell in love with other cultures while spending time in Nigeria. She never dreamed of coming to the Far East, but has now fallen in love with those around her, finally beginning to see through the Father's eyes that all people are beautiful and need His love. She has two boys and a girl that keep her laughing and an innovative, encouraging husband that keeps her going. In her dubious amounts of free time, she enjoys reading a good novel (with a cup of chai in hand, of course), connecting with others, making lattes, trying new recipes, crafty projects, and perusing for more recipes and crafts. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators. In 2010, an article by Jeremy Vaeni headlined “The Incredible Visitations of Emma Woods” appeared in the November issue of UFO Magazine that caused people in the UFO community to take hard look at the methods and conclusions of the two most prominent people in alien abduction research. “Emma Woods” was the pseudonym of a woman who lived in England, and she was one of David Jacobs's research subjects. She had posted some tapes of her hypnosis sessions with him that contained some details that Jacobs probably would have preferred had not been made public. Woods provided more details in an interview she gave on March 29, 2010, on the Paratopia podcast hosted by Vaeni and Jeff Ritzman, which appear in the UFO Magazine article. The article prompted Budd Hopkins's wife, Carol Rainey to write an article of her own headlined “The Priests of High Strangeness” published in 2011 in Volume 1, Number 1 of Paratopia magazine detailing some of Hopkins's methods with his subjects as well. Read more →

Throughout the 1990s, the foremost authorities on UFO abduction research were Budd Hopkins, an artist who brought the subject to mainstream attention with the publication of his 1981 book, Missing Time, David Jacobs, an associate professor of history at Temple University who published Secret Life in 1992, and John Mack, head of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who published Abduction in 1994. Their books sold well, and they all spoke openly to the press and were largely responsible for getting the alien abduction phenomenon a good deal of media coverage. Even some in the scientific community, probably due to Mack's efforts and tenure at Harvard, were willing to look at the phenomenon with an open mind, and an Abduction Study Conference was held in 1992 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, sponsored by a physics professor there, David Pritchard, with the help of financial backing from Robert Bigelow. Hopkins, Mack, and Jacobs were featured speakers, and Hopkins faced some public criticism during the conference regarding his methods. It wouldn't be long before he faced even harsher criticism from within the UFO community. Read more →

Everyone grieves the loss of loved ones, and Christians are no exception. But how should Christians, as Christians, respond to deep grief? Nobody describes the grieving process better than C. S. Lewis in his book A Grief Observed. In this admittedly lengthy blog FBB speaker Shafer Parker prepares you to appreciate Lewis' ability to grieve, but at the same time to observe and comment on what he's experiencing. Read the blog, then read the book.

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called Meeting Friends Where They Are by Karli. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Karli is a joyful wife, blessed mama, and resident of Kigali, Rwanda for the last 5.5 years. When she's not homeschooling her two children, you can find her zipping through books, cooking a fun meal, or podcasting at Third Culture Thriving. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

learn about an Arabic date that celebrates friends, happiness, and reconciliation

Lent is usually seen as a Roman Catholic season of preparation for Easter, but FBB speaker Ian McKerracher points out that the underlying principle, self-examination and prayer leading to increased holiness and obedience, is certainly Christian, and biblical. He suggests that while we may rightly avoid certain aspects of imposed ceremonialism, it is good for all Christians to set aside time for reflection and prayer, and that for such things the weeks prior to Easter are perhaps the best of all.

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called To the Bearers of Good News by Stephanie. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Stephanie is a servant of God, ministry wife, mom to two, and an avid sports fan. In addition to serving alongside her Bajan husband for almost two decades in the Caribbean and South America, she works in accounting locally, loves to write, is passionate about worship leading, and feels privileged to see God's story unfolding for her children. As a public school mom, she finds it refreshing that the Bible is on the book list and morning prayers are a part of daily assembly. And while she doesn't speak the local dialect fluently, she has become well-versed in the game of cricket. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”In 1981, a new narrative became firmly established as part of the UFO mystery with the publication of Budd Hopkins's book Missing Time. A large part of the book consists of transcriptions of recordings made during hypnosis sessions where the subjects described being taken aboard craft by 3-4 feet tall creatures that performed medical procedures on them. The descriptions of the creatures were similar to descriptions of beings that would become known as “the greys,” which are the now iconic creatures with large black eyes that became commonly reported after Whitley Strieber's 1987 book Communion. The eyes of the creatures reported in Hopkins's book vary. The book came out in July of 1981 and Hopkins, along with Dr. Aphrodite Clamar, a psychotherapist hired to conduct some of the hypnosis sessions, gave interviews to the press. From this point on, the UFO Abduction phenomenon began to receive serious consideration from the mainstream press with Hopkins as the leading authority for the rest of the decade. Read more →

Because Christianity is grounded in testable truth claims, Christians should never insist that anyone "just believe." Instead, as FBB speaker Ian McKerracher makes clear, the faith claims of many Christians should be subjected to a healthy biblically-based skepticism. The fundamentals of the Christian faith will never be found to contradict Scripture or real-world experience.

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called Beautiful (and Busy!) Feet that Go by Lacey. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, USA, Lacey is quite surprised to report she lives in Japan with her husband and 2 incredible kids. Though neither mission work nor Japan was ever on her radar, she came trusting the King of kings and wants to help others love and follow him, too. She enjoys a good laugh but has been lovingly told her puns will never provide that. But, boy, there's something special happening in her heart when she's creating, whether that's painting, writing, podcasting, or editing videos. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

While UFO researcher/investigators came to accept abduction reports as being worthy of their time by the end of the 1970s, only a few, such as John Keel and Gray Barker, were open to contactee reports. Even so, contactee reports kept showing up, and sometimes they would even make it into the newspapers. One British case from 1980 involved creatures that resembled the Venusians reported by George Adamski starting in 1952, and the witness claimed he had physical trace evidence as proof of his encounter. Read more →

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Data fabric is one of those buzzwords that's used so much and in so many ways that it often elicits an eyeroll—undeservedly so. The phrase is shorthand for a complex and important set of issues that we're all working to manage. In this article we'll review what data fabric is and why it's important. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/data-fabric-s-use-of-abstraction-and-metadata

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called When Creativity Becomes Ministry by Janessa. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Janessa is a mom of three and serves alongside her husband with Cultivate Discipleship in Northern Uganda. She has a passion to write of the beauty found in brokenness and loves to create using whatever materials she can find. However, she is more often found sipping an iced coffee while homeschooling, creating art with her kiddos or enjoying the nature surrounding their home in the African bush. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

This year's Super Bowl commercials included, for the first time, two advertisements for Jesus. But were viewers exposed to the Jesus of the Bible? FBB contributor Shafer Parker doesn't think so. In "Hate for Eight" he reveals that by watering down the gospel the commercials earned only despite from the "woke" crowd, the demographic the people behind the ads spent $20 million trying to reach.  

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By the end of the 1970s, after the 1973 Pascagoula incident and the 1975 Travis Walton case, abduction claims were not only an accepted aspect of the UFO mystery by many investigators, they were considered worthy of attention by the news media, and there are many lengthy newspaper articles detailing reports throughout that decade. The narrative hadn't yet been taken over by the now-common reports of being taken aboard a craft by creatures 3 to 4 feet tall with big, slanted, black eyes and being subjected to invasive medical procedures that seemed to have something to do with reproduction. The creatures and the natures of the encounters reported throughout the 70s were varied, but by the decade's end, elements had emerged that would become common in the decades to come. What would also become common in such cases would be the use of regressive hypnosis, which was thought to be an effective means to recover lost memories. However, this technique has since came under criticism, particularly in its use to provide evidence in legal cases, as can be seen in the article titled “Hypnosis, Memory and Amnesia” which was published in the November 29, 1997 (pp. 1727-1732) Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London B: Biological Sciences. Read more →

learn about some of the most important Japanese manners associated with chopsticks

The data mesh framework doesn't specify a key component that completes the last mile of the architecture: a data provisioning environment. New technology that underpins modern data marketplaces complement data mesh, providing a frictionless way for data providers and data consumers to exchange data. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/data-mesh-s-missing-ingredient-a-data-marketplace

There's a weird synchronicity between the apocalyptic visions of unbelievers and many Christians. Both believe things are bound to get worse, just before the world's awful ending. But now FBB contributor Shafer Parker explains that the Bible offers a different view, a hope based upon the triumph of Christ over sin and death, and the ongoing work of the Spirit to disciple the nations so that "the earth becomes full of the knowledge of the Lord like waters that cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called Are My Feet Still Beautiful? by Sarah. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! Sarah has been focused on church planting in Central Asia for 6 years. She came overseas as a single woman. Just over two years ago, she met her husband on the field. They each came from one corner of the world and met in the middle. Now they have a happy little baby boy. With an emphasis on holistic ministry, focusing on the whole person, body, mind and spirit, they continue to reach unreached people groups and disciple others in order to see the Church grow in even the most difficult places. Sarah loves to read, especially on rainy days with a cup of coffee, enjoys spending time in nature and has been writing about one thing or another since she was 6 years old. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

We love sharing about the key men and women in science with our students. We usually do this at different stages throughout their journey and this is something we incorporate into our programs. Episode LinksOriginal Post - 5 Simple steps for writing an interesting  biography report on a famous scientist (With a FREE download)FREE Scientist Units - Mendel and PasteurGot questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web: Instagram - @elementalscience Website - https://elementalscience.com/ Read this far? THANK YOU! Please help us get the word out by REVIEWING this podcast, by SUBSCRIBING to this podcast, and by SHARING this podcast with your homeschooling friends. We would REALLY appreciate it!

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learn how third-year students have to study while the rest of the students are having a great time enjoying the school festival

Too many Christians bemoan the sorry spiritual state of the churches while lacking the will to do anything about it. Now FBB contributor Shafer Parker reports on a growing movement to shake the Church loose from her apathy and encourage her to take a stand for truth and righteousness. The question is, can the OT example of Phinehas be replicated today? Only God and time will tell. Read along https://www.faithbeyondbelief.ca/blog

Thank you for listening to the audio version of the blog posts you can find at velvetashes.com. This week's post is called Define or Describe? What Does My Status Say About Me? by Lacey Jane. Add your thoughts and comments on the blog post here! About Lacey Jane: Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, USA, I am quite surprised to report I live in Japan with my husband and 2 incredible kids. Though neither mission work nor Japan was ever on my radar, I came here trusting the King of kings and I want to help others love and follow him, too. I enjoy a good laugh but have been lovingly told my puns will never provide that. But, boy, there's something special happening in my heart when I'm creating, whether that's painting, writing, podcasting, or editing videos. Learn more about Velvet Ashes Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram Featured music is "Daughters and Sons" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on iTunes or wherever you get music!

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In 1973, the claims of Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker that they'd been abducted by elephant-skinned, robot-like creatures in Pascagoula, Mississippi, opened researchers up to what have become known as “high-strangeness” reports. The term comes from J. Allen Hynek's efforts at creating a system of strangeness ratings in Chapter Four of his 1975 book, The UFO Experience. Hickson and Parker were taken seriously because they seemed genuinely traumatized by their experience while just the two of them were waiting in a room at the police station where they first reported their encounter. They just been interviewed, and unbeknownst to them, a tape recorder in the room was left running, which captured the bewildered men talking to each other about their experience. Their story was reported in newspapers and UFO publications worldwide. After that, abduction reports began to increasingly appear. In the midst of this new openness to high-strangeness reports, in 1979, there was a story told by a trucker that was highly unique, and highly strange, and yet was still given serious consideration by the local newspapers and investigators who examined it. Read more →

Many readers may not be aware that, at one point in time, the National Enquirer was associated with serious UFO research in spite of its reputation as a sensationalistic supermarket tabloid. In 1972, the Enquirer put together what they called “The National Enquirer Blue Ribbon UFO Panel,” which was made up of five UFO researchers, all of whom held PhDs. The Enquirer was offering a $50,000 reward for proof, by the end of the year, that UFOs came from space and were not a natural phenomenon. The panel was tasked with evaluating UFO cases to determine if any of them provided such proof. The panel members included four consultants for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization, and Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a scientific consultant for the Air Force's UFO investigation for most of its existence. All of them had good reputations within the UFO community, and the reader may wonder why they would put those at risk by being associated with the Enquirer in such an endeavor. It's likely that the prospect of getting some of their research funded by the Enquirer may have helped them to put aside any aversions, and the assignment in 1975 of Bob Pratt to the Enquirer UFO desk, who became respected as an investigator in his own right, may have encouraged them to continue their association. Read more →