Podcasts about before john

Before John jetted off back to Ireland, he and Quinno broke down another week of futbol, culture and craic. John took a swing at Leeds fans. He didn't miss.

In John 11 we get both a miraculous sign and another “I-am” identity statement. As has been the case before, the sign and the statement match up. For example, Jesus fed the crowd and then told them, I am the bread of life come down from heaven. He healed a blind man's eyes and said, “I am the light of the world.” In John 11, he will raise a dead man to life and tell us, “I am the resurrection and the life…” We'll hear HIs words in verses 25-26. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”Before John 11 is finished, we will catch a glimpse of Jesus our champion. This is the same Jesus who went to the cross, not out of weakness but from the strength of love. This is the same Jesus who battled death on our behalf...and came striding out of the tomb with victory in hand. This is the same Jesus who rages at the mess of the world and gives us another option...the option of glory. But in the end, which story we find ourselves in will be determined by who we believe and who we follow. I hope we all find ourselves calling out to our champion. Jesus! 

Join Andrew Lees, Clint McPherson, and their guest John Vuong as he speaks about SEO and what it does in growing a brand. Before John started out with SEO, he knew nothing of the field and was always in Sales. But because he loves organic approaches and believes anyone can do paid ads, John figured out where the abundance of searches is coming from. In this episode, he further explains who benefits from SEO and how brands can get the best out of it. As an entrepreneur, the reason behind starting a business should complement what one wants in life for John. Otherwise, he believes, it’s going to be a question of how long one could endure before giving up.In this episode you will learn:From directories to search engines.People are ready to consume when they’re on search engines.SEO is for who?How to attract traffic with SEO?The challenge of an SEO business. …and so much more.About John Vuong:John is a seasoned sales professional and Internet marketer with an exceptional track record helping companies grow their clientele and profits. Through 15 years of experience working with CEOs, business owners, and marketing leaders at some of Canada’s most successful corporations, John developed a deep understanding of local marketing dynamics and consumer behavior. John’s entrepreneurial spirit and experience working with more than 5,000 local business owners inspired him to start his own company, Local SEO Search, in 2013. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, John earned his Bachelor of Administrative and Commercial Studies (ACS) in 2003. His career began at Yellow Pages Group, where he was among the top 2% of sales representatives across Canada.Now a proud father, John enjoys coaching and mentoring new entrepreneurs, has donated school supplies to help deserving school children, and recently started the Impact Initiative, giving free SEO services to local businesses in need. Local SEO Search also provides free education to small business owners through live events and their podcast, Local SEO Today.You can find John Vuong on:Website: https://www.localseosearch.ca/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-vuong-205b2917/?originalSubdomain=caYou can find That Entrepreneur Life on:Website: https://thatentrepreneurlife.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thatentrepreneurlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatentrepreneurlifeusa/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatEntreprene1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKPkF39Z6r2l9AT4k-tDtgSupport the show (https://thatentrepreneurlife.com/support-the-show)

Full Episode Blog: Tips On How To Sell More Used Cars At A Car Dealership Do you want the tips on how to sell more used cars? You should, but do you know where to begin? The best automotive sales training will help you sell more cars.  However, you have to take things to the next step.  With the proper road to a sale, you can not only sell more cars through relationship selling, but also unlock the key on how to generate referrals. Sean V. Bradley, CSP and L.A. Williams dive deep into how to sell more cars.  More importantly, how to sell more used cars.  Not only do they share their tips and best practices, but their guest is a high performing used car salesman. Their guest, John H. Wilson, is a car salesman at an independent car dealership.  At Hampstead Pre-owned, John sold 59 cars in a single month.  Today, he shares his techniques on how to sell more used cars. About John H. Wilson John never saw himself working in the automotive industry.  Before he started to sell cars, he worked in the private security sector.  He eventually switched careers and became a sales associate at Hampstead Pre-Owned in Hampstead, Maryland.  John has been a car salesman for 2 ½ years. However, in that short amount of time he is selling more cars than most veterans. Because of his ambition, John strives to be the best.  Not only at  Hampstead Pre-owned, but everywhere.  With this in mind, he invests in himself. John sold 59 used cars in a single because of this investment.  He invests his time with automotive sales training in the Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group.  Additionally, he invests in personal and professional development by reading the right books. Show Notes: Preparation To Sell More Used Cars John didn’t start selling 59 used cars a month when he first entered the business.  Before John could do so, he had to properly train. Additionally, he focused on personal and professional development.  John also read books about overcoming his introverted tendencies. First, John read The Introverts Edge.  Not only did it help John find his edge, but it also helped him with his process.  Allowing him to look at his shortcomings, John found ways to work around them.  Additionally, he was able to understand what works well for him.  Lastly, it taught him hot to keep refining his process. In addition to The Introverts Edge, John also read Raving Fans.  Centered around people who went above and beyond, John developed customer service skills.  These skills helped him sell more used cars and generate more referrals through relationship selling. Automotive Sales Training To Sell More Used Cars In addition to his readings, John dove deep into automotive sales training.  In order to sell more cars, John knew he had to be prepared.  His favorite free automotive sales training resource is the Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group. Most notably, John’s biggest takeaway from the group was how to get more referrals. John didn’t stop there, though.  John understands that he must always be a student of his craft.  Not only did John study how to sell more cars, but knew he had to “do the leg work.” John trained on the dealership’s software, such as the CRM.  He also studied the inventory and pricing. Lastly, he compared his products against the competition to stay prepared. Relationship Selling Will Help You Sell More Used Cars Exceptional Customer Service What does exceptional customer service mean? According to John, it all falls down to listening.  You have to listen to your customer and understand their wants and needs.  From there, you have to find the right car. NADA data states that the main reason why people don’t buy cars is because of selection.  The sales person selected the wrong car! The car salesman is the guide. But, how can you guide your customer if you don’t have a detailed conversation with them. It all starts with listening, especially during your needs discovery. Sell More Used Cars Through Relationship Selling Johns starts his process with a conversation. To serve his customers, he gets to know them. He understands their needs. More importantly, he knows their wants.  However, the most important thing John does is make them feel comfortable. Through conversation, John builds common ground with the customer. Buying a car is stressful. As everyone should know, it is the second largest purchase the average person makes. Also, it is not a purchase that people make everyday.  By building a relationship with his clients, John relieves them of their stress and makes friends. The Road To A Sale Will Help You Sell More Used Cars Tips For A Better Needs Discovery & Problem Solving Process Getting to know your customer’s needs can be hard. The key is to make the process more conversational.  John avoids using yes or no questions.  Instead, he asks open ended questions.  While there are many questions, John asks these questions to get the ball rolling. “How did you find out about us?” “What car are you interested in?” “What made you interested in this car?’ Additionally, it is not just the questions you ask. You need to have follow up questions.  These follow up questions should not be just about the car.  They should also include things about their personal life. This helps to understand why they need the car. More importantly, it allows you to find common group and build rapport.  The needs discovery should be a conversation, where both parties are talking and listening. Relationship Selling Best Practices While John maintains control of the conversation, he allows the customer to have a sense of control as well. When your client feels like they are in control, their guard will eventually lower.  Moreover, they will not only be more comfortable with you, but also the process. Allow your customer to guide the conversation.  However, be prepared to steer things back to your process. Test Drive Tips & Advice The test drive is a great time to build upon your conversation from the needs discovery.  With this in mind, John continues the relationship building.  In fact, he doesn’t even talk about the car. It is simply about rapport and information gathering. John then uses this information to understand other parts of their process. For instance, if they reveal they have been at their job for 5 years, this is important. It could lead the conversation towards their financial situation.  Additionally, it will allow for better strategy when negotiating. Repeat Customers & Generating Referrals Is How You Will Sell More Used Cars Developing Raving Fans Starts With The Meet & Greet The key to generating referrals is to do everything right the first time.  It all starts with the meet and greet.  Next, you have to create an environment and experience the customer will enjoy. They will buy from you the first time if they like you, the car, and the dealership.  However, if they love you and the experience you created, they will not only be a repeat customer, but also a raving fan. Customer Testimonials Now that you have a raving fan, it doesn’t mean your job is done.  While many sales associates post pictures of their customers on social media, it is not the only way.  You must maximize this opportunity.  Especially while you have them front and center. The best way to seize the moment is through video customer testimonials.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a 60 second video is worth 1.8 million words. Imagine how powerful a library of raving fans telling everyone how great you are.  Additionally, think about how you could leverage those videos to help market yourself. Car sales is like having your own business, so it is important to advertise you and your brand.  Not only is this free advertising, but you can use it on social media and in referral emails. Use Your Relationships To Get More Referrals One of the reasons many sales associates don’t generate many referrals is because they don’t build relationships.  For those that do, they are likely to forget.  Additionally, they don’t save the information they gathered into the CRM to refer to later. Imagine how easy asking for a referral would be if you had this information at hand. Asking for a referral is easy.  In fact, when you have built value and a relationship, it is the easiest thing to do.  Furthermore, there will be times where you don’t even have to ask.  Your raving fans will simply send their friends and family to see you.  This is because you have become their “Car guy” or “Car Gal”. How To Ask For Referrals When you do have to ask for referrals, there is a process for that as well.  In the same way you perform a needs discovery, it all starts with the relationship.  You can’t just call your customers and ask them for business.  Instead, start asking them about them.  How are they doing?  How is the family?  Did they have any questions about their car? From there, you can then start to lead them down the path. Ask questions you already know the answer to. “Did you have a great experience with me?” You know the answer is a yes.  Next, ask if they know anyone that would enjoy the experience you provide.  “Would you trust me to sell cars to your friends and family?” Finally, you can now ask for the referral.  You have earned their trust and respect.  Additionally, you have earned the right to ask for a referral. John likes to ask in a much different way.  Once again leverage the relationship he had built.  “If you wouldn’t mind it would be a great service to me if you could write down the names of some friends and family that might like to do business with me.” Resources On How To Sell More Used Cars Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The Automotive Industry’s #1 Training, Tracking, Testing, and Certification Platform and Consulting & Accountability Firm The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast: is the #1 Resource for Automotive Sales Professionals, Managers, and Owners.  Also, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today! The Against All Odds Radio Show: Hosting guests that have started from the bottom and rose to the top.  Also, join The Against All Odds Radio Show Guests & Listeners Facebook Group for the podcasted episodes. Join The Millionaire Car Salesman Club: on Clubhouse Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the Secret Strategy of Search Engines The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By: VinCue: In addition to be built by dealers for dealers, VinCue is an All-In-One Digital Platform.  At the end of the day, it can help your Dealership! AutoWeb: Visit AutoWeb.com/dealers for help in revolutionizing your business to help you sell more cars. Dealer eProcess: Specializing in responsive websites.  Without a doubt, DealereProcess.com is the auto industry’s leading custom website provider. CarNow: Sell more cars now!  Not only is CarNow.com. the market leader in tailored digital solutions, but they are built to help dealers sell more cars.

Today we look back at the story that inspired the book The Orchid Thief. We'll also learn about the incredible true story of a Madagascar explorer. We hear words about the incredible Algerian Iris. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a memoir from a garden who pulls back the row cover on the remarkable story of her magnificent garden - a place she called Duck Hill. And then we’ll wrap things up with the story of an incredible naturalist and botanist who had some very eclectic habits concerning preserving and utilizing specimens.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News Wild-Style Spring Plant Display For The Container Garden | Gardens Illustrated   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events February 19, 1962 Today is the birthday of the American horticulturist John Laroche ("La Rōsh"). Before John was arrested for poaching wild ghost orchids, he was a typical horticulturist. In the late 1980s, John was active in the Bromeliad ("brow·mee·lee·ad) Society of Broward County, and he was giving lectures on topics like “Growing Bromeliads from Seeds” and “New Techniques in Bromeliad Culture.” By the early 1990s, John’s attention turned to orchids, and this passion would end up becoming a story fit for a book. One of the first newspapers to share the story was the Indiana Gazette on June 14, 1993: “Susan Orlean's… "The Orchid Thief" tells the tale of John Laroche... When a fascination with orchids overtook him, he... conceived a scheme that would benefit the Seminoles, the world, and himself. Using the Seminoles' exemption from laws against picking orchids in the wild, he helped himself to rare specimens growing in a Florida swamp called the Fakahatchee ("Fack-ah-HATCH-ee") Strand State Preserve. His plan was to clone them by the millions, make them available to fanciers everywhere and thus save them in their wild state by obviating the need to pick them. Not incidentally, he would make a fortune for the Seminoles and himself. But the law did not agree, and Laroche was arrested and convicted for poaching. Attracted by an article on Laroche's arrest, Susan Orlean, a reporter for The New Yorker, traveled to Florida, befriended Laroche, and got him to introduce her to his world. Near the opening of The Orchid Thief, Susan describes how she approaches her subjects, "I read lots of local newspapers and particularly the shortest articles in them, and most particularly any articles that are full of words in combinations that are arresting. In the case of the orchid story, I was interested to see the words 'swamp' and 'orchids' and 'Seminoles' and 'cloning' and 'criminal' together in one short piece." Today it’s estimated that only around 2,000 ghost orchids remain in Florida.   February 19, 1932   On this day, The Shreveport Journal shared a story about the botanist Charles Swingle and his quest to find the Euphorbia Intisy ("in-tah-ZEE"). “Charles Swingle was the first American botanist to set foot on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. He was on the trail of a peculiar rubber plant called "Intisy," which government scientists thought might be grown In our own Southwest. When this young American arrived in Madagascar, he found he was just 15 minutes too late to catch a little coastwise boat heading to the south. The natives simply couldn't understand his disappointment.  "Oh sir," they said, "another boat will arrive in six weeks. In the meantime, there is rice for all —so there is nothing to worry about, good sir" In the native Malagash language, there is no word for "time." They spend a few days a year planting, transplanting, and harvesting rice—and there's enough food for all. "Don't the natives ever get tired of rice?" I asked Dr. Swingle. "Not at all" be explained, "If they get tired of white rice they change to red rice or blue rice or brown As many as 64 varieties grow in Madagascar And then there are special delicacies to go with it—delicacies that are for those who like dried grasshoppers and locusts." Dr. Swingle made daily trips to the village markets to get peanuts, bananas, pineapples, guavas, mangoes, or papayas to add to the hotel diet of rice. On the sixteenth day of his march into the southern brush, Dr. Swingle sighted the first of his long-sought for plants—the Intisy plants. The curious bulbous roots were filled with water—the best they had had for many a day. And the milky latex which oozed from its trunk was found to be pure rubber.” The Euphorbia Intisy is a large, succulent tree growing up to almost 25 feet tall. Thanks to Charles Swingle, the plant was experimentally cultivated in the American Southwest.   Unearthed Words Kindliness, so far as the Algerian Iris is concerned, consists in starving it. Rich cultivation makes it run to leaf rather than to flower. What it really enjoys is being grown in a miserably poor soil, mostly composed of old lime and mortar rubble and even gravel: a gritty mixture at the foot of a sunny wall, the grittier and the sunnier, the better. Sun and poverty are the two things it likes. You should search your clumps of the grass-like leaves every day for possible buds, and pull the promising Bud while it still looks like a tiny, tightly rolled umbrella, and then bring it indoors and watch it open up under a lamp. If you have the patience to watch for long enough, you will see this miracle happen. If you have not yet got this Iris in your garden and want to acquire it, you can plant it in March or April; but September is the best time for transplanting. It does not much like being split up and moved, so whenever you require it, do make sure that it does not get too dry until it has had time to establish itself. After that, it will give you no trouble. — Vita Sackville West, English author and garden designer, In Your Garden, Algerian Iris   Grow That Garden Library Embroidered Ground by Page Dickey This book came out in 2012, and the subtitle is Revisiting the Garden. In this book, Page recounts her journey as she created her magnificent garden, Duck Hill, in upstate New York. Gardeners will relate to the challenges and the pleasures that Page encountered creating her masterpiece. Best of all, we get a chance to learn directly from Page as she shares her unique perspective on making a garden shine - from textures and structure to fragrance and color. Page shares her garden’s story and her garden wisdom like she’s writing a story for a dear garden friend. Unpretentious and insightful, Page takes us on a delightful garden stroll through the evolution of her garden. This book is 272 pages of a garden by a garden writer who shares the tender story of how they both grew old together. You can get a copy of Embroidered Ground by Page Dickey and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $9   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart February 19, 1974 On this day, The Journal Herald out of Dayton, Ohio, published a little snippet about the naturalist Eliza Brightwen and her unusual needlepoint methods: “If you are tired of the same crewel and needlepoint your friends are making, you might try a different type of embroidered picture.  About 1880, Mrs. Brightwen, a famous botanist, began making embroidery pictures using the bones from the heads of fish such as haddock, whiting, or cod. The bones were cleaned, boiled, and dried. They were used as the wings for embroidered insects or leaves for flowers. The design was usually embroidered on black velvet. The tiny fish bones were sewn into place in a pattern that was embellished with original embroidery.  This is not as odd as it might seem if you look today at the modern collages made with large animal bones, nuts, bolts, prune pits, and other ordinary materials.”   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a botanist and orchidologist who saved Kew, We'll also learn about an orchid hunter who collected plants on behalf of the London Horticultural Society. We hear some words about the challenging experience of a botanist in 1874. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about one of America’s earliest botanists and the father of America’s first female botanist. And then we’ll wrap things up with a story of a plant that Joseph Dalton Hooker described as "The ugliest yet [most] botanically magnificent plant in the world."   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News Carnation – A Little History and Some Growing Instructions | Harvesting History   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events February 5, 1799 Today is the birthday of the British botanist, pomologist, pioneer orchidologist, and flower show organizer, John Lindley. John's dad was a nurseryman, and he ran a commercial nursery in England. Despite his array of botanical talents and knowledge, the family was always under financial duress. Growing up in his father's nursery helped John acquire the knowledge to land his first job as a seed merchant. This position led to a chain of events that would shape John's life. First, he met the botanist William Jackson Hooker. And, second, Hooker introduced him to Sir Joseph Banks. As a result of these connections, John ended up working as an assistant in Bank’s herbarium. In 1838 after Banks died, when the fate of Kew Gardens hung in the balance, John recommended that the gardens belonged to the people and that they should become the botanical headquarters for England. The government rejected John's proposal and decided to close the garden. But, on February 11, 1840, John ingeniously demanded that the issue be put before the Parliament. His advocacy brought the matter to the people; the garden-loving public was not about to lose the Royal Botanic. And, so, John saved Kew Gardens, and William Hooker was chosen as the new director. From his humble beginnings to his incredible standing in English Botanical History, John is remembered fondly for so many accomplishments. For 43 years, John served as secretary to the Royal Horticultural Society, which is why the RHS Library is called the Lindley Library. And, there are over 200 plant species named for John Lindley. There is "lindleyi," "lindleyana," "lindleya," "lindleyoides," etc., and they all pay homage to John. John once told his friend, the botanist Ludwig Reichenbach, "I am a dandy in my herbarium." John did love his plants. But, without question, John's favorite plants were orchids. Before John, not much was known about orchids. Thanks to John, the genus Orchidaceae was shortened to orchid – which is much more friendly to pronounce. And, when he died, John's massive orchid collection was moved to a new home at Kew. John's friend, the botanist Ludwig Reichenbach, wrote a touching tribute after John died. He wrote, "We cannot tell how long Botany, how long science, will be pursued; but we may affirm that so long as a knowledge of plants is considered necessary, so long will Lindley's name be remembered with gratitude." And here's a little-remembered factoid about John - he was blind in one eye.   February 5, 1848 It was on this day, the botanist Karl Theodor Hartweg boarded a Hawaiian ship on his way back to England. The London Horticultural Society had hired Karl to collect plants in California. Yet when he reached London, the Hort Society was a little frustrated with Karl because he hadn’t secured something they really wanted: Bristlecone Fir seeds. A short while later, Karl severed ties with London, and he ended up south of Frankfurt tending gardens for the Duke of Baden for thirty years until he died in 1871. Karl’s journey as a plant collector began in the botanical garden in Paris. After working for the Chiswick garden in London, Karl began to turn his attention to plant exploration. Eager to travel and explore, Karl left for America in 1836. Although Karl was only supposed to stay for a three-year project, he actually ended up staying for over seven years. During the early to mid-1800s, native plants from Mexico, like dahlias and cacti, were all the rage. As for Karl, he became a noted orchid hunter. According to Merle Reinkka, the author of A History of the Orchid, Karl’s work was significant, and he contributed, "The most variable and comprehensive collection of New World Orchids made by a single individual in the first half of the [19th] century." A man of the world, Karl himself once dryly remarked, “All the way from London just to look after weeds.”   Unearthed Words In 1874, the English botanist WEP Giles (William Ernest Powell) explored the vast deserts of central Australia. Setting out with his hunting partner from a base camp at Fort McKellar,  he discovered a leak in one of his large water bags. The two men decided to continue, even though the temperature had already climbed to 96 degrees Fahrenheit. Camping that night, they hung their remaining bags of water in a tree to protect them. But one of their horses attacked a bag with her teeth— spraying the water all over the ground. Now neither the men nor the animals had enough water. — Anita Silvey, American children’s author, The Plant Hunters, Bringing Themselves Home Alive   Grow That Garden Library Cadwallader Colden by Seymour Schwartz This book came out in 2013, and the subtitle is A Biography. In this book, Seymour gives us the first complete biography of the American botanist Cadwallader Colden. Cadwallader was the longest-serving Lieutenant Governor of New York. He was incredibly intelligent and multi-talented - a true Renaissance man of America's colonial times. A trained physician, Cadwallader improved public health, and he wrote the first scientific paper published in the colonies, as well as the first map of New York. Cadwallader was also the father of America’s first female botanist: Jane Colden. This book is 230 pages of the life of a multifaceted colonial Renaissance man: Cadwallader Colden. You can get a copy of Cadwallader Colden by Seymour Schwartz and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $4   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart February 5, 1806 Today is the birthday of the Austrian botanist and explorer Friedrich Welwitsch. Friedrich found a second home in the country of Portugal, where he served as the director of the Botanic Gardens in Lisbon. Friedrich had some fantastic experiences during his lifetime, but the pinnacle was clearly the day he discovered the Welwitschia mirabilis. The mirabilis refers to its unusual form. Portugal had to send him to Africa to collect plants -  which he did for seven years. In 1860, Friedrich discovered a strange-looking plant that is actually a tree - a conifer and a gymnosperm - in terms of botanical classification. The Africans called it "Mr. Big." Now the Welwitschia is endemic to Namibian deserts, and it's also present on the country's coat of arms. When Friedrich discovered this unique plant, which can live for more than 1500 years and bears only two leaves in its entire lifecycle, he was so astonished that he, "could do nothing but kneel down and gaze at it, half in fear lest a touch should prove it a figment of the imagination." Imagine a two-tentacled octopus with very long arms and a red floral bouquet for a head, and you have the Welwitschia mirabilis. Welwitschia's two leaves grow continuously throughout the life of a plant. The pair of leaves are broad, leathery, and belt-shaped. Incredibly, some specimens, tested with carbon 14, are over 2000 years old. Today, if you search online, there is a spectacular photo of Friedrich seated behind a large welwitschia mirabilis. He's wearing a pith helmet, and the plant's leaves are clearly many times longer than Friedrich's arms and legs, which are mostly obscured by the plant. In 1862, Joseph Dalton Hooker described the plant in The Gardener's Chronicle as, "The ugliest yet [most] botanically magnificent plant in the world."   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Microservices are built to scale. But as a microservices-based system grows, so does the operational overhead to manage it. Even the most senior engineers can't be familiar with every detail of dozens- perhaps hundreds- of services. While smaller teams may track information about their microservices via spreadsheets, wikis, or other more traditional documentation, these methods often prove unsuitable for the unique demands of a sprawling microservices system. A microservices catalog is a solution to this problem. A microservices catalog seeks to centralize information about the services in your software architecture, including the purpose of a service, its owner, and instructions for using it. A microservices catalog can also provide a centralized source of knowledge about a system, which can help on-call engineers diagnose issues and also provide resources for onboarding new team members. Larger companies sometimes devote significant internal resources toward developing in-house microservices catalogs, while smaller organizations may not have the resources at their disposal to do so. OpsLevel's founders recognized that many teams were re-inventing the wheel building internal microservices catalogs, and set out to design a toolset that could meet the needs of users of all sizes.OpsLevel's team has drawn from extensive experience working with industry leaders in DevOps to create a comprehensive toolset for managing microservices infrastructure. OpsLevel provides a “single pane of glass for operations,” integrating with a variety of tools such as Slack, git, CI/CD, incident management, and deployment systems. John Laban and Kenneth Rose are the co-founders of OpsLevel. Before John and Kenneth founded OpsLevel they worked together at PagerDuty, where John was the first engineer on the team. Kenneth, OpsLevel's CTO, was also previously a senior developer at Shopify. John and Kenneth join the show today to talk about how OpsLevel can help developers manage their microservices better, and even transform how their team does DevOps.

Daily Devotion - John 6:32-40 - The Bread of Life⁠⁠Read John 6:32-40 CSB⁠⁠Over the summer, my mother attended a week-long extensive class covering just the science of bread; how it’s prepared, baked, and even served. Hearing her share everything she had learned made me realize that bread really is a part of so much of our lives. Individuals consume bread to meet the needs of physical sustainment, but through Jesus’ statement that He is the Bread of Life, we see that He is the only one who can meet the needs of spiritual sustainment. ⁠⁠In John 6, Jesus states that He is the Bread of Life. This statement alone speaks to His attributes and character. He is our sustainer, sufficient, and means of life. Before we study what Jesus means by this “I Am” statement He gives, we should look at the full context of this passage. Before John 6:35, we see the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Here, we see Jesus miraculously provide physical sustainment for the multitude with only 2 loaves of bread, and 5 fish. After this, the multitude followed Jesus in awe of the physical feeding that was provided to them. Then Jesus shares this statement, “I Am the Bread of Life.” This statement was controversial, and difficult to understand by many who were following Jesus. We see this confusion by the crowd, and also the disciples. ⁠⁠Jesus shares the Bread of Life does not mean that He is physically bread, but He is our Sustainer, and Giver of life. He is the Bread that is enough for all our spiritual needs. Through Christ, we will never go spiritually hungry, nor will we need to seek anything else besides the One who gives life because He is truly enough. Only through Salvation alone in Jesus Christ alone, is anyone satisfied forever. In John 6, we see Jesus meeting the physical needs of the crowd, and delivering the amazing truth that He always meets our spiritual needs through Salvation. A physical piece of bread helps end hunger for the time being, but Jesus being the Bread of Life ends spiritual hunger for eternity. Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-john-6-32-40-the-bread-of-life

We have an adventure packed interview for you today - all revolving around one man’s idea of trekking with camels. We sat down with John Elliott: Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Explorer & now Cameleer. John decided to embark on a journey - namely a camel expedition - over the next few years visiting town to town around Australia entertaining the most exciting, dangerous and adventurous experiences that he can find or make up. John has been connecting with locals to understand how they deigned their life & happiness. Before John had the idea of trekking with camels around Australia he had a revelation: That everything that made him happy in his life revolved around money. John’s “epic journey” began learning about outback survival and camels to support his new idea. Two years ago John started his camel leanring with us - coming to our farm to learn camel training & handling through our camel courses. After about 12months into his actual camel trek, John decided it was time to pay us a visit - the place where his camel learning began. No ordinary visit as John walked down our driveway with his 5 camels & dog! For us it was incredibly heartwarming to see & witness what we teach in full operation and swing! While John and his camels (and dog) stayed and rested with us for 3 weeks, after a harrowing near death experience in Victoria’s High Country (more on that later) we thought we’d sit down with him and get John to share his camel journey, with you, thus far. In this [mostly hilarious] interview John shares how he retired from all aspects of his former life as he knew it… John Elliott retired from his CEO position of his own company after 10 years of hard work, dedication and as an award winning Entrepreneur. He walked away form a seemly successful life… He gave away his dream car… Walked away from his house & belongings. Gave up his regular wage and creature comforts… Now, John Elliott is redefining success on his own terms. You’re going to love this interview with John Elliott. You’ll laugh (a lot), feel some “feelings” and get inspired. Watch the full video interview (YouTube) or listen to the audio (iTunes Podcast & Soundcloud). To join the conversation and see show notes visit https://camelconnection.com/camelman-john-elliott Enjoying this podcast? Please help us help other camel loving people AND camels across the globe by leaving a review so we can spread the positive message of camels! Get your free camel training video & camel eBooks over at https://camelconnection.com Make sure you subscribe here to never miss an episode!

It's our great pleasure to be with everyone again and bring you the latest LAFC news, as well as an amazing guest. This week on the Max + Vince Podcast, Fox Sports lead soccer play-by-play announcer John Strong joins us. John is at the forefront of American voices calling football matches and he's one of the nicest people in the business, not to mention he tells great stories. Before John comes on, Max and Vince share the latest MLS news including some info on ticketing. Then the guys decide to reminisce a bit with their most influential matches in LAFC history. We've both got out Top 5 and different reasons for each of the matches we included. Maybe you've got a lot of the same or a totally different list? Let us know! After that, we welcome John Strong on the show. He talks about a little bit about his start as a football announcer and gives advice to people looking to get into the business. We ask John to give his impressions of LAFC having called numerous big matches for the Club including the León home match. And finally, we put John on the spot and ask his Top 3 LAFC matches.

Welcome to Word of God Church presents Gratitude:UnFiltered XV! “The Testimony of John Phipps” I am your host Joshua T Berglan and thank you for joining us! John and his wife Kristi have been married for 18 years and grew up in the Oklahoma City area. Before John and Kristi planted The Good Fight Church (TGFC), they were both passionate about helping people overcome life-controlling problems. It was that passion and desire to help others that led them to start a small group out of their living room in the Fall of 2010. Within a year, the group exploded with growth and changed lives. It was then that they felt God calling them to start a ministry to help even more people. By the end of 2014 there were over 800 people attending this ministry each month. It was at the end of 2014 that God put it on their hearts to plant the church. John and Kristi’s life is devoted to showing people the love of Christ through the local church by teaching them about the Head, Hands, and Heart. John and Kristi have two children, Vivian Rose and Jonah Hayes. When John is away from the church, he enjoys anything and everything that has to do with people and fishing. Gratitude:UnFiltered is an intelligent, inspiring, polarizing and truly unfiltered talk show ministry. The host, Joshua T Berglan and his guest share powerful testimonies of overcoming and messages of hope each week in front of a live audience, who has quite the story themselves. Join us for live music, inspiration, Truth and even some laughs! This talk show is a ministry, not a church. ———- A Special thank you to e360tv for broadcasting Gratitude:UnFiltered to Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and ROKU….. Thank you to Jimmy’s Round-Up Cafe & Fried Pies and Luxury Real Estate in Oklahoma for supporting this broadcast! #WordOfGodChurch #GratitudeUnFiltered #TalkShowMinistry #GoodFightChurch #JohnPhipps #JoshuaTBerglan

Welcome to Word of God Church presents Gratitude:UnFiltered XV! "The Testimony of John Phipps" I am your host Joshua T Berglan and thank you for joining us! John and his wife Kristi have been married for 18 years and grew up in the Oklahoma City area. Before John and Kristi planted The Good Fight Church […]

Earnings per share measures get a lot of attention from users of financial statements; however, calculating EPS can be complex. In this episode, John Bishop, PwC partner, joins Heather Horn to provide a refresher on the models and demystify the calculations. Topics include: 2:22 - Basic EPS - John provides an overview of the basic EPS model and then breaks it down step-by-step (numerator and denominator considerations). 6:58- Diluted EPS. Before John dives deeper into the calculations, he provides a brief overview of what diluted EPS is intended to present and the various models to calculate it. 11:52 - Methods of incorporating potentially dilutive securities in diluted EPS. John dives deeper and provides overviews of the treasury stock method, if-converted method, contingent share model, and two class method.17:51 - Anti-dilutive sequencing. When calculating diluted EPS, proper sequencing is important. John explains how sequencing impacts the calculations and the adjustments and judgments that need to be considered. 23:18 - Application of control number in interim and annual reporting. Last but not least, John shares some reminders on the application of the control number concept in interim and annual reporting. About our guest John Bishop is a partner in PwC’s National office and the co-leader of the financial instruments team. In this role, he leads the group in advising the firm’s clients on a wide array of accounting and reporting matters. John specializes in the accounting for derivatives, financial instruments, financing transactions (e.g., securitizations and leasing) and M&A transactions. He has worked with and advised a variety of the firm’s clients including investment banks, commercial banks, private equity firms and companies in the merchant power, utility, real estate and retail industries.About our hostHeather Horn Heather Horn is PwC’s National office thought leader, responsible for developing our communications strategy and conveying firm positions on accounting and financial reporting matters. She is the engaging host of PwC’s accounting and reporting weekly podcast and quarterly webcast series, as well as periodic webcasts for the power and utilities industry. With over 25 years of experience, Heather’s accounting and auditing expertise includes financial instruments and rate-regulated accounting.

On this episode of True Confessions, John Fraser, National News Media Council President and CEO, joins Brent Jolly, the National NewsMedia Council's Community Manager, on the show. Before John was the President and CEO of the NNC he had a full career as a journalist, and along with it - some ethical oversights. He joins the show today to talk to Brent about some of those mistakes and what he would have done differently.

Watch the video podcast here. A Bit of Background Most notably John Jantsch is the founder of Duct Tape Marketing. It’s the name of a podcast, a blog and a book but essentially it is a marketing system. John started his own marketing consultancy about 20 years ago and loved working with small business owners. However, the difficulty was that small businesses usually have no budget and a short attention span. So he decided to create a system to overcome this problem. It's actually really hard to buy marketing services these days. Everyone is selling a piece of the puzzle, including Google. The fact that this was a full strategy at a fixed cost was pretty remarkable. Before John wrote the book, he was a practising consultant. He was selling the Duct Tape Marketing methodology as an online course and it was doing so well that he had people approach him to ask when he was going to write the book. It had been on his mind to do this but it took someone to say, "here is the money and a deadline" to give him that extra push. Writing the book amplified the business and took it to a larger stage. It didn’t change what John was doing day to day, as he was already doing a lot of speaking, but the book opened it up to an international audience and for him to speak at larger conferences. He was also able to quadruple his prices. John then had marketing consultants approach him and ask if they could learn the Duct Tape Marketing system so that they could then help small businesses. So John formed a network of independent marketing consultants that licence the Duct Tape Marketing methodology. They collaborate to help each other grow their businesses. Explaining the Importance of Marketing to a Small Business The idea of Duct Tape Marketing is that marketing is a system. That appeals to a lot of small business owners because usually, they feel they have no control over marketing. How he sells the idea is to first offer all services and give them what they want so that then you can have the conversation about what they actually need and educate them on how a system will help the business. Then this is just the gateway to show them how marketing is a system. Marketing is hard to sell because a lot of the time people don’t even know what it is or how to measure it. So he tries his hardest to sell it as a product at a set price.  This made the sales cycle so much shorter because he didn’t have to do "the proposal dance." It instantly repels the wrong people and attracts the right people. Managing Quality Control John stays involved in the strategy and he often says that his role is "spotting the landmines." He has built a repeatable process so that he can train his marketing assistants to give them the tools and processes to effectively do a great deal of the client work that needs to be done. They are then assigned to the clients as account managers and John oversees them and adds insight to what is being done. Another model of Duct Tape Marketing is that they will train someone within a company to become the expert. So Duct Tape Marketing do the strategic work but this person will be doing the day to day marketing such as the social posts. This model works for businesses that have a marketing person but perhaps they aren’t being directed properly if the owner of the business doesn’t have the expertise. Operations At one point John got out of doing client work and was doing a lot of speaking, writing and travelling. Now he is doing more creation around processes and tools. John has five full-time staff members who are doing the work with the network, clients and their own marketing. They have created systems and thoroughly documented all of the processes so that if someone goes on maternity leave or holiday then anyone can jump into the role very easily. They have tried a few different tools for documenting but they keep coming back to Google drive and docs. Their project management tools are Asana which they use internally and Base Camp which they use with their clients. They do this because they had trouble getting clients to use Asana as it as it is a little more complex than Base Camp. The Consulting Network He created the system in 2001, and gave it a name because he wanted it to be a brand, not a "John Jantz fan club". Although some people still identify Duct Tape Marketing with him, he has an onboarding team and account managers who will look after the clients. They soon realise that John is spread so thinly that it is best to work with the team and just have John's brain involved. Advice on Licencing Out Firstly, you need to ask - where am I going to go with this? To transfer all of your years of expertise and knowledge to someone who doesn’t have any experience is a lot more work than you think. When he first started licencing out there was no quality control. But over the last couple of years, they have it so thoroughly documented that it is easier for someone to follow the system than wing it on their own. Passion for Small Businesses John loves helping people that love what they do and are great at it, but the marketing side is sucking the life out of them. He says that if he can give people their life back then that’s the thing that keeps him going. At the end of the podcast, Troy asks how the name "Duct Tape Marketing" came about. There’s a funny reason why. Tune in around the 28 minute of the podcast to find out! And that's a wrap! Have you read the book? Was it a game changer for you? We would love to hear your thoughts on this podcast and the Duct Tape Marketing methodology in the comments below.

Having to make do with being part of a podcast platoon, it's episode 5 of Touching Base, a podcast from BaseballSoftballUK. It's a special week here in podland as our intrepid CEO John Boyd hijacks the podcast to talk about Little League. Before John interviews several of his colleagues from the recent Little League conference in New Orleans, he tells us how he got involved with the programme and what it means for youth baseball and softball on the green green grass of home. At Bat: What is Little League? 01:10-10:53 On deck: Giuseppe Guilizzoni 12:31-33:32 In The Hole: Kristian Palvia 33:42-40:19 This weeks track: I need Love (Planet Wardo)

Zoltan Racz is the founder of the percussion quartet Amadinda, which just celebrated 33 years of playing together.  Laurel and Casey ran into him at the 2017 Taiwan International Percussion Convention in Taipei, and Casey couldn't resist sitting with him for an interview.Along with past PAS President Julie Hill, Casey asks questions about Amadinda as well as Zoltan's experience in working with three powerhouse composers of the 20th century: John Cage, Gyorgy Ligeti, and Steve Reich.Watch here. Listen below. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element 0:00 Intro & Hello8:30 Doll's House Story15:40 Steve Reich, Music for 1829:52 John Cage Four440:44 György Ligeti44:47 Are these composers' personalities as we imagine?53:05 beFORe JOHN title? Traditional Polynesian piece?58:00 How do you feel about percussion ensemble today?1:03:20 logistics of rehearsal space in the beginning?

  A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC, December 10, 2017, the second Sunday of Advent. Texts:  Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8   Foundry’s music-inspired annual theme gives us opportunity to lift up a little-known word and concept: anacrusis.  An “anacrusis” consists of the note or notes that are the “lead-in” or “pick-up” notes for a melody before what’s called the first “down beat” of the song. You don’t have to understand the music theory of it to appreciate the metaphor. A musical anacrusis is the beginning, the entry point into a song. Advent is the beginning, the entry point into the Christian year.    Last week we introduced a resource provided for you this Advent season, a weekly prayer card including a scripture verse and invitation to practice breath prayer. Our hope is that the prayer card will be an “anacrusis”—an entry point into moments of mindfulness with God.  This week’s prayer is…   Breathe…pray…silence…   + + + + +     Our worship today is filled with music and singing. I learned to sing in the children’s choir of First UMC, Sapulpa, Oklahoma. I learned about harmony and creating a “blend” of sound with other voices. I learned that singing depends on breath and was taught how to use my breath to create and sustain sound.  Brass and woodwind instruments also make sound only with breath—and to make the music we’re hearing today requires highly developed use of the breath!  Some who may not be singers or musicians but practice yoga will have experience with what I’m talking about through chanting “OM”—always preceded by an intentional, deep in-breath… The out breath carries the sound; the deeper the inbreath, the more sustained the chant. The precursor for chanting, singing, for speaking, for crying out is breath. Without breath, there’s no sound, no music.  So the first thing you need to do if you’re going to sing is take a breath IN. //   Today we hear the first lines from what is believed to be the oldest account of Jesus’s life—the Gospel of Mark.  And in Mark’s story of Jesus, there’s no Bethlehem or heavenly host or glowing starlight.  As I’ve said before, Mark’s drama is less Hallmark Channel and more independent film.  And the scene picks up with a character whose appearance must have been odd even for his own day.  It’s rare that someone’s attire or menu selection is mentioned in scripture—and yet the characteristically spare language of the author of Mark includes these details.  So it’s unlikely that John’s wildness and weirdness are described only for entertainment value.  Instead, I imagine, it’s part of the point, part of the message.  Just to look at John heralds something different, something jarring, something uncomfortable. And then he cries out. And what does he cry? Repent! Confess! John’s voice is even more alarming than his appearance, it’s a voice crying out for things to change, for hearts and lives to change, for people to get ready for something—someone—who is coming, one who will be even more disruptive still.   John is the fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah, is the voice crying out, the one sent to prepare the way of the Lord.  But to cry out with such power requires a deep in-breath. Before John cried out, “Repent!” what did he breathe IN?  Well, in addition to a big gust of the Holy Spirit (in Hebrew and Greek Spirit also means “breath”)--I contend that the “in breath” fueling John’s proclamation, the thing John breathed in is the vision of a changed world, the prophetic vision of God’s reign of peace. The inbreath is the vision of God’s Kindom we pray comes to earth as it is in heaven. The vision is of a reality in which bodies—black and brown bodies, female bodies, trans bodies, bodies of every gender, shape, and ability—are treated with tenderness and respect and not as objects to be used or violated or abused; the vision is a reality in which earth, sea, sky, and all that dwell therein are nurtured in interdependence instead of exploited for financial gain or cheap comfort; the in-breath fueling John’s proclamation is a vision of a reality in which people share their gifts so that children and the most vulnerable are fed and safe, a reality in which provision is made for the stranger and sojourner, a reality in which families are not ripped apart by bad and unevenly applied laws, a reality in which the healing arts are extended to those who are sick regardless of whether they are rich or poor; the in-breath fueling John’s cry is the vision of a reality in which people are not afraid of difference, but delight in the rich variety within the human family, a reality in which guns are transformed into farming tools, a reality in which slavery and the violence that roams in the night is a thing of distant memory.   This vision of peace and care is a vision of God’s Kin-dom fulfilled; it’s a certainly incomplete composite of prophetic promises and when the vision will come to fruition is known only to God.  This vision of God’s future is the metaphorical in-breath of John and every prophet before and since. John breathed in the vision of God’s Kin-dom of peace and love and justice.  And then—only then—could he cry out with such strength and clarity: “repent!” Because the wilderness John inhabited is much like the one in which we stand today. And where we stand today doesn’t look like God’s reign of peace.   John’s proclamation is not a buttoned up, status quo, eggnog and cheeseball, bought-with-a-credit-card kind of thing. It is, rather, a cry reaching for something very, very different. For a world, for people, to be very, very different. Repentance, a dramatic turn from all that is wrong and a turn toward the ways of God’s love and peace—that is what’s clearly needed. Things need to change. And the prophetic vision—then as now—is both the fuel and the goal, both the inspiration and the focal point for that change.   Pastor Ben Roberts, our Director of Social Justice Ministries, shared a fascinating phenomenon with our worship team as we began thinking about how we would celebrate Advent at Foundry this year.  Here’s the upshot: A human being who is blindfolded can’t walk in anything remotely resembling a straight line.  When blindfolded, people end up going in circles and often end up where they started.  Studies show this is true when folks are placed in any context—an open field, a forest, a beach.  Without blindfolds, weather conditions affect the outcome. When the sun is shining, folks go in a straight line; cloudy, foggy days result in more circles. Researchers have yet to find any biological reason for this. As one author writes, “Humans, apparently, slip into circles when we can't see an external focal point, like a mountain top, a sun, a moon. Without a corrective, our insides take over and there's something inside us that won't stay straight.”[i]  So it seems that in order to get to a destination, we need to have a clear vision of where we want to arrive in the future. Having that vision affects each step we take in the present.   Our external focal point is the Kin-dom of God, the vision of a world at peace and living with love and justice. That is what gives us direction and a sense of peace—or at least encouragement that going in circles in the wilderness isn’t the only option.  The Kin-dom is our preferred destination and that vision affects the steps and direction of our lives today.  We have a fancy word for this in Christian metaphysics: “eschatology” is the study of how the vision of the future shapes the present.   John—in his appearance and his words—won’t let us forget that reaching the future vision requires change, requires repentance—and not just from others.  Unless you have already arrived at the perfect love and peace of life in God’s Kin-dom, free of any temptation, resentment, or apathy then you—like me—need to repent, to change.  But you can count on this: God wants to help you and God’s love and mercy are eternally present.  So breathe deeply today the hopeful vision of God’s reign of peace and love, and allow that in-breath to fuel your life and hope and grant you the ability to lift up your voice with strength, to sing God’s song of humility, justice, generosity, and love.   Perhaps we don’t have voices like our soloists today, or the breath and skill to play the instruments we hear; perhaps you don’t have the wild charisma of John the Baptizer; but as people who have taken in the good news of God’s love and the promise of a world transformed, our lives and voices and choices just might become what points others in a direction that gets us all where we want to go.     [i] Robert Krulwich, “A Mystery: Why can’t we walk straight?” https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/06/01/131050832/a-mystery-why-can-t-we-walk-straight

We're joined by punk rock icon and vegan athlete John Joseph, author of Meat is For Pussies: A How-To-Guide for Dudes Who Want to Get Fit, Kick Ass, and Take Names. Before John was lead singer of The Cro Mags, he grew up on the streets and in foster homes. Got into gangs. He was drug mule. Stabbed. Shot. Went to jail. Went AWOL from the navy. Now at the age of 55 he's a plant powered triathlete, author and spiritual warrior. Sarah Coles interviewed him as John was in his tour van travelling through Kansas with his new band, Bloodclot.

The Bible is filled with journey upon journey. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is full of people on the move and today we are continuing that journey with 2 and 3 John. The Book of 2 John is addressed to "the chosen lady and her children." This could either have been a lady of important standing in the church or a code which refers to the local church and its congregation. In those days when Christians were being persecuted such coded salutations were often used. The Book of 2 John is largely concerned with an urgent warning concerning deceivers who were not teaching the exact doctrine of Christ and who maintained that Jesus did not actually rise in the flesh but only spiritually. John is very anxious that true believers should be aware of these false teachers and have nothing to do with them. John is writing with his usual strong emphasis on truth to this much-loved brother in Christ, Gaius, a layman of some wealth and distinction in a city near Ephesus. He highly commends Gaius' care and hospitality to his messengers whose mission was to take the Gospel from place to place, whether they were known to him or were strangers. John exhorts him to continue to to do good and not to imitate evil, as in the example of Diotrephes. This man had taken over the leadership of a church in Asia and not only refused to recognize John's authority as an apostle but also refused to receive his letters and submit to his directions. He also circulated malicious slanders against John and excommunicated members who showed support and hospitality to John's messengers. Before John concludes his letter, he also commends the example of Demetrius, of whom he has heard excellent reports.

Before John and CC can take a look at Hidan no Aria AA and Ushio & Tora, they have to do their best not to get buried alive under a Trash Stash of generic magic high school anime.

In the summer, when the weather is hot day after day, it makes us long for a break. Our bodies grow tired of the heat. We grow tired of being hot and thirsty. Everything around us grows tired of the heat – grass yellows, flowers wither, trees droop. Everything around us needs relief. We need the summer doldrums broken up by a day of cool, rainy weather – a day of renewal. This is how our lives can be spiritually too. Sometimes we go through seasons when it seems like there’s been no relief, just doldrums of summer. Sometimes it can seem like it has been a long time since the Lord has done anything new in our lives. We need renewal, revival, refreshing, restoration. We need the Lord to move again, to lead us again, to show us something of himself afresh. This was where Israel was in Mark 1. Malachi was the last prophet sent by God to the people of Israel, to speak words of the Lord. But that was 400 years ago. The people were ready for a new word. Mark 1:1-15 v. 1 – “Son of God” – written to Roman Christians, proves that demonstrate Jesus is the Son of God, with power and authority over disease, the natural world, and the spiritual realm. vv 2-3 – Malachi had prophesied that a messenger would come ahead of God’s Messiah. Notice: Prepare the way, and make straight paths vv. 4-5 – John the Baptist was that messenger. To prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah, John preached a new word from the Lord: that people needed to confess their sin individually. He was a herald who told people ahead of the Messiah that there would be a new way to relate to God. He used baptism in a new way. Before John, people who were converted into Judaism were baptized. But John used baptism as a sign of repentance from sins. John preached you need to confess and repent of sins, you need of forgiveness. Isn’t it interesting that in God’s plan he would send a man ahead of the Messiah? You would think that Jesus on his own would be all that anyone needed. It is interesting that John is sent to prepare people for Jesus. But that is how it was in your life when you first came to Christ. Someone helped you see your sin. Someone helped you see your need for forgiveness. Someone helped you see your need for Christ. Someone made a straight path for Jesus to come into your life. Thank God for them, they were like John sent to you to prepare you to received Christ. It was all orchestrated by God, but carried out by a very common man or woman. People need someone to prepare them for Christ. Your family member, friend, classmate, neighbor, business contact, if they have not believed in Jesus, they need someone to prepare them. How can you “prepare the way?” 1. Explain their need for forgiveness. Explain how we all need to turn from sinful temptations and attitudes and from dead-end worldly pursuits. 2. Tell them how you found forgiveness in Christ. Tell them how you knew you were sinful and found forgiveness in Christ. 3. Tell them how it has changed your life. To be free from sin, shame, guilt. New meaning. People need our help to prepare them to receive Christ. In his grace, God lets us be a part of him changing lives. What about you and me? Do we need still need to be prepared to meet Christ? We do. We need to continually confess and repent. Confession of sin and repentance is not a one-time event. We need to ask the Lord to search our hearts and to help us see sinful attitudes and disobedience. Then we need to take them to Christ and ask him to cover that too and cleanse us. Are you stuck in the summer doldrums spiritually? Are you preparing your heart for Christ? Are you making a straight path for him into your life? Be ready to receive his grace by remembering your need for it. Thirst for his forgiveness, hunger for his presence. If he came to you with a new word or new direction or new revelation, would you be ready? God is ready with an endless store of refreshing, renewal, restoration, revival. But he waits until we have been obedient with what he’s already given. He won’t refill your cup until you’ve taken a drink of what he’s already given you. Mark 4:24-25 Greater obedience leads to greater revelation. Have you been obedient to what God’s already given you? Step out in faith to do or believe what He’s already said. Lord, help us prepare the way in other’s lives. Help us continually prepare the way in our lives through confession and greater obedience.

"New Lives For Old""When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began tellingpeople a message from God" - so says our Scripture lesson today.John the Baptist (as we call him) is obviously known for baptizing people.Actually, he should be remembered for his message - he should be "Johnthe Preacher" not "John the Baptizer" because it was his direct,confrontational preaching that made people remember him. It was hispreaching mouth that got him in trouble, not his baptizing hands. Hismessage? Repent! He told Herod, the ruler of Galilee to repent fortaking his brother's wife, Herodias, as his own. Herodius plotted with herdancing daughter to have John's head - literally - killed as if he were anannoying gnat flying about in the royal box.But Jesus said, "The truth is that John the Baptizer" is greaterthan anyone who has ever come into this world."...(John 11:11)"Before John came, the law of Moses and all the prophets toldabout the things that would happen. And if you believe what theysaid, then John is Elijah. He is the one they said would come. Youpeople who hear me, listen!" (John 11:14)It was the right time for his message of repentance. Before wecan get new lives, we have to dump a lot of junk out of the old life. That'sa two step process - being sorry for what you have done and asking Godto forgive you for all of it.There's a time of repentance built into every communion service,where when we confess our sin, "God is faithful and just to forgive usof our sin and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."No wonder John's message was also a welcome one - many peoplewanted to hear it, and to hear it that had to expend a good deal of effort.John planted himself in the middle of nowhere. He set up shop in thewilderness and anyone who wanted to hear what he had to say had to goto a lot of trouble to get there - borrowing the neighbor's donkey perhapsor setting off on foot with enough water for the journey, and going downlonely trails infested with bandits.To hear John preach you had to trek way off into the blazing hotdesert, traverse relentless hills of thick sand and make you way down tothe Jordan River, far away from any city.He was particularly hard on people in organized religion, thePharisees and Sadducees. They didn't go there to hear him except tohear enough so they could find a way to do him in - after all, if he becametoo popular their temples would be empty of people - worse yet theiroffering plates would be empty."You bunch of snakes!" John said, "slithering down here tothe river. Do you think that a little water on your snake skins isgoing to make any difference. It's your life that got to change, notyour skin! If your life is changed, people will be able to tell. You'llbear fruit. And don't think you can pull rank because you are adescendant of Abraham. Descendants of Abraham are a dime adozen. God can take these rocks and make them into descendantsof Abraham. What matters is your life. Is your life green? Is itbearing fruit? Because if it is dead wood then it goes into the fire.Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is near!"My advise to you is, "Live your life understanding that onlywhat's done for Christ will last."What are these things? Acts of kindness, Works of charity, Visitingthe sick, comforting they who mourn, being more concerned about thewelfare of your wife or husband or significant other than your own.Carrying about with you a spirit of good will and acceptance. Not beingjudgemental, Not complaining.At our last minister's meeting, one of the ministers came with aband on his wrist. Each time you complain about something, you have tomove the band to the other wrist. The goal is to see how long you can gowithout having to do that. How about YOU? Could you last only anhour - a day - a week? The program's goal is to go 21 days. Are all ofyour branches green - or just a few of them. (A Complaint Free Worldby Will Bowen.)I have a senna polifida tree that isn't doing well at all. I have fiveof them in a row. They have exuberant, plentiful yellow blossoms. A fewweeks ago, they all began to bloom - well not all - the one at the endlooked sick - and I thought it was dying. I checked it for any pests thatmight be destroying it, but nothing was to be seen. I hate to tell you this,but I am one of those persons who believe that one species can talk toanother - should talk to each other. I spoke to the tree. I moved itsbranches. I showered it with a little more water than the others. Now, itis in bloom! - not riotously like the others, but a nice grouping of blossomson the branches that were not dead after all. Those that are - thedeadwood, I assume I will have to trim off.This is then the place in the sermon where you need to decidewhat deadwood you need to get rid of - repent of. Anything that keepsyou from your goal of Christlikeness has to go. Repent! "He will burnthe useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped."God is speaking to us today - moving OUR branches, nourishingus with His love - the God who can make our branches bloom with goodworks. "He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he illput the good part into his barn."All you have to do is make a conscious decision to give priority tothose things that will grow your spirit.The Network of Spiritual Progressive is committed to fostering anew consciousness so that we allow ourselves to know that the mostsignificant and rewarding part of our lives comes through:*Acts of love and generosity*Kindness to humans and animals*Caring for and giving to other without expectation of reward ora "return on the investment of our time and energy.*Work that is fulfilling both in its process and in the sense it givesus that we are contribution to the public good.*Awe at the grandeur of creation*The experience of being recognized on the deepest level of ourbeing and recognizing others in that way.*Acknowledging our connection to something larger than ourselvesand seeing our lives in the context of service to the ultimate triumph oflove, goodness, justice and peace.That's fine for us, but how are we doing as a nation, as a world?Is it time for a call to repentance there? Is the world getting better orworse? I always say that progress is backwards. Waiting the other dayfor replies to several e-mails and needing one in particular, I had anamazingly brilliant thought - Why not use the telephone?! That way Iwould get an immediate answer, and it wouldn't be just words on a pagebut hearing the vibrant, wonderful voice of the friend I was calling, and Iwould be able to get a feeling of how he was doing - not just by thewords, but by the tone of voice.And the internet - much as I love Google - I was appalled by thecruel trick played by one teenager on another - the one, a girl, pretendingto be a handsome young man, communicating with her neighbor a fewdoors down, getting her very attached to "him" then having him dump hersaying all kinds of cruel things to her. Only after she had hung herself, didher parents learn that there was no such young man, only a girl down thestreet playing tricks on an unsuspecting, sensitive soul. What is happeningin our world. Young people are getting more and more cruel to each otherand to the adults around them. The suicide incident was part ofa program depicting the growing cruelty and irresponsibility being manifestedin our young people including a college student who, driving drunk, killedone girl and made an invalid of another. She fled back to her native Peruwhere she continued to drink and drive and even wrote a song braggingabout her driving experiences. Where is John the Baptist when he's needed?Who will call us to repentance - we all have things of which we need torepent. Jesus will.Jesus calls us to repentance, not to make us feel bad aboutourselves, but to free us from the darkness and deadness that drags usdown. Then he setts us on a pathway of service and fulfillment - heads usfor home - the eternal home He has prepared for us from the foundationof the world.One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, tobehold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For inthe time of trouble he shall hid me in his pavilion: in the secret ofhis tabernacle shell he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies roundabout me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;I will sing, yea I will sing praises unto the Lord.Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you havechanged. A good indicator of that is your checkbook which will showamong other things how much you give to yourself and how much to God.I hope everybody got the pledge letter from our church Treasurer,Edwin Scharlau - how anybody could resist it I just can't figure. Sincethere are more of you here who haven't pledged than have, I assumemany of you didn't get it. He referred to all the special moments thechurch provides you - your wedding, your child's baptism, agranddaughters 1st birthday, delicious food, the incomparable karaokiesinging by church members, dancing the "chicken dance at the Octoberfest,- sitting in your pew with some of the same people around you week afterweek, being greeted at the church door as you walk in, the sermons forchildren, the sermons for serious Christians. He says, "I'm sure youhave your own moments you look forward to on Sunday mornings athe Miami Beach Community Church - from the spiritual to thesimple. " Then he suggests that we all bear the fruit of good stewardship,that the Church can go forward in strength and its message heard. Bearfruit. "Change your hearts and show by the way your live that youhave changed!" (Mt. 3:8)Today's message is "Repent!". May we pray. Each of us Lord,have things for which we repent, things we have done, things we havefailed to do, things for which others cannot forgive us, things for which wecannot forgive ourselves. Even the remembrance of them grieves usseverely. In these moments, as we repent earnestly of our sins, "Forgiveus all that is past and grant that we may evermore serve thee innewness of life to the honor and glory of Thy Holy name. Amen.Sermon Notes(Not edited nor proofed)The Rev. Dr. Garth R. Thompson Pastor, M.B. Community ChurchA sermon is a simple truth told by someone whobelieves it to people he knows and loves (Phillips Brooks)December 9, 2007 10:30 a, m. Matthew 3:1-122nd Sunday in AdventMay the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heartsbe acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch