Podcasts about Belief

Kingdom Activation of Remnant Ministry – Foundational Issues Part 1 | KIB 535 Kingdom Intelligence Briefing Description Are you ready for what God is about to release in the earth? In this powerful episode of the Kingdom Intelligence Briefing, Dr. Michael and Mary Lou Lake explore the spiritual preparation necessary for the activation of remnant ministry in the last days. As darkness increases and many believers struggle with discouragement and hopelessness, God is calling His people to deeper faith, greater endurance, and unwavering covenant fidelity. Mary Lou begins by addressing the enemy's strategy to attack God's calling on your life from the very beginning. She shares biblical encouragement for overcoming hopelessness and maintaining confidence in God's promises even during seasons of tribulation. Dr. Lake then dives deep into the biblical meaning of belief, revealing that true faith is far more than a one-time decision. Through an examination of John 3:16, Abraham's journey of faith, and the teachings of the New Testament, he demonstrates that genuine belief produces transformation, endurance, obedience, and spiritual maturity. This episode also examines: The difference between easy-believism and biblical faith Why God is preparing remnant believers for Kingdom assignments The necessity of covenant faithfulness in the last days How Babylonian systems have distorted ministry models The importance of returning to the biblical patterns found in the Book of Acts Why believers must develop spiritual discernment in an age of deception and AI-driven confusion The transition from being servants of God to becoming His trusted friends As God begins activating His remnant, it is crucial that believers build their lives upon biblical foundations rather than worldly systems. This message will challenge, encourage, and equip you for the days ahead. If this ministry is helping you grow in your walk with Messiah, please LIKE, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, and click the notification bell. Your support helps us continue preparing the remnant for the unfolding of end-time prophecy. Visit us at: https://www.kingdomintelligencebriefing.com Timeline 00:00 Introduction and Welcome to KIB 535 01:57 Mary Lou: Overcoming Hopelessness in the Last Days 03:30 How the Enemy Attacks Your Calling from the Beginning 05:40 Tribulation, Faith, and Spiritual Maturity 07:12 Rejecting Hopelessness, Desperation, and Doubt 10:20 How Tribulation Produces Hope and Endurance 13:51 David, Goliath, and Preparing for Greater Battles 16:29 The Remnant's Preparation for the Days Ahead 17:31 Kingdom Activation and End-Time Assignments 18:20 Discernment Concerning Modern Ministry Models 20:53 The Corruption of Biblical Christianity 22:27 Returning to the Book of Acts as the Model 23:45 John 3:16 and the True Meaning of Belief 27:31 The Greek Meaning of Biblical Faith 29:40 Abraham's Journey from Babylon to Covenant 32:22 Faith as a Lifelong Transformational Process 34:12 Will Jesus Find Faith on the Earth? 36:08 Evidence of Genuine Conversion 37:24 Building Ministries vs. Building Christlikeness 41:49 Faith, Prayer, and Spiritual Transformation 43:15 Understanding Authority, Kingdoms, and Open Doors 48:45 Why Salvation Is a Journey, Not an Event 50:17 Redefining Belief Through Scripture 52:30 Abraham: From Believer to Friend of God 54:47 The Cost of Kingdom Faithfulness 56:20 Enduring to the End in the Last Days 58:15 Confirming Your Calling and Election 01:01:45 Working Out Your Salvation with Fear and Trembling 01:03:20 Returning to Biblical Models of Ministry 01:04:45 The Fivefold Ministry and Home Fellowships 01:06:00 Why Believers Must Be Allowed to Ask Questions 01:09:15 Preparing the Remnant for the AI Age 01:11:30 Doing Great Exploits Through Covenant Faithfulness 01:13:05 God's Coming Activation of the Remnant 01:14:16 Final Prayer and Encouragement Hashtags #KingdomIntelligenceBriefing #MichaelLake #BiblicalLifeTV #RemnantBelievers #KingdomActivation #EndTimes #BibleProphecy #SpiritualWarfare #RemnantRising #FaithInGod #ChristianDiscipleship #BookOfActs #KingdomLiving #BiblicalTruth #EndTimeRemnant #ChristianFaith #OvercomingBabylon #LastDaysChurch #HolySpirit #FaithAndObedience

We're celebrating PFN's birthday by shining a light on the partners who have been part of our journey toward people-first leadership, meaningful work, and purpose-driven impact. This special feature from Coach to Coach with Brandon Miller captures the heart of their work and the shared mission that brings us together. Enjoy! — What drives you? Unlock the strength of Belief

Brandon's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are: Woo, Positivity, Communication, Belief & Developer Brandon Boyd has spent nearly three decades on the front lines of collegiate ministry with Cru, walking alongside students and families through life's most defining moments. A husband, father, and speaker, Brandon brings warmth and candor to the callings that matter most: faith, family, and fatherhood. You can learn more about Delighting In Ben here.    You can oder Delighting in Ben  book here.   Connect with Brandon: brandon.boyd@cru.org or call 1-405-269-1004 Follow him on Facebook here Link to take the CliftonStrengths Assessment Coaching and Workshops with Barbara Culwell Subscribe & Leave a Review on Embrace Your Strengths  

Have you ever tried to set a boundary or express that you were uncomfortable only to be told that you're just being too sensitive or a stick in the mud? You know, when you hear that enough times, you stop trusting your own gut and start believing that maybe you are the problem. Today we dive deep into that exact wound with Rachel. We trace her deep-seated belief that she's defective back to its roots, exploring heavy memories from a past relationship where she constantly had to be the responsible one while someone else was acting unsafely. She was simply trying to prevent disaster, but instead of being thanked, she was humiliated and told she didn't know how to have fun. When you are left entirely alone with that kind of shame, it builds a thick layer of armor. In this session, we rewrite that script. Watch as Rachel bravely asks Mike for the exact emotional protection she was denied in the past, and witness Mike step up without even flinching to simply sit with her pain. Follow Julie Menanno on social media @thesecurerelationship. For weekly homework assignments visit our website: The Secure Relationship Podcast Sign up for Julie's Anxious Attachment Course: Anxious Attachment: Self-Work Course Purchase Julie's book Secure Love: Create a Relationship That Lasts a Lifetime.    

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Follow along with Pastor Jordan Rousselle here.

In this episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros break down how self-belief shapes identity, learning, and long-term success. Kevin reflects on an old dream that once felt impossible and reveals the deeper lesson: most limits are accepted internally before reality ever tests them.They discuss fantasy, visualization, rumination, action, insecurity, and the role of better questions in real growth. Belief matters, but only when it turns into skill, consistency, and self-awareness. Belief opens the door. Skill keeps you from getting escorted out._______________________Book Alan's Business Breakthrough Session. Your first 30-minute coaching call is FREE. Learn how to prioritize success and let your quality of life become the byproduct. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-sessionJoin the "Next Level Fitness Accountability Group" – Reach out to Kevin or Alan on Instagram:Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/_______________________NLU is not just a podcast; it's a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.For more information, check out our website and socials using the links below.

Blame gives away power. Ownership creates control. Coachability keeps you improving. Adaptability turns change into advantage. Belief sets the ceiling for execution.

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Pastor Hans continued going deeper into last week's Foundations of Belief message by focusing on the question, “Why Jesus?” He explored Jesus' own claims to deity, emphasizing that Christ is the great “I AM” who existed before Abraham and is fully God in the flesh. Through the seven “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John, Pastor Hans showed how Jesus reveals Himself as the source of life, truth, salvation, guidance, and hope. He then explained five reasons God became man: to reveal God's nature to the world, to demonstrate perfect obedience to the Father, to provide a sinless example of holiness, to make salvation possible through His sacrificial death, and to establish the pattern and promise of the future resurrection. Ultimately, the message reinforced that Jesus is not merely a teacher or prophet, but God incarnate, sent to reconcile humanity to Himself and offer eternal life to all who believe. Ultimately, the message affirmed that a firm foundation of faith begins with recognizing Jesus as the Son of God who came to reveal the Father, conquer sin and death, restore our relationship with God, and provide the only source of salvation, Jesus.

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Neil McClendon, Lead PastorGrand Parkway Baptist ChurchHow Faith Becomes FameMatthew 9:27-311. Knowing informs how we relate, v. 27• 2 Samuel 7:12-162. Our experiences require belief, v. 28• Mark 9:19-24Differences in belief and faith...a)Belief is about information while faith is about application.b)Belief is agreeing but faith is experiencing.c)Belief is internal but faith is external.• James 2:193. Faith shapes our expectations, v. 29Five things to do when your faith feels small...a)look atb)look inc)look aroundd)look oute)look back4. The goal of faith is fame, v. 30-31Mental worship...1. What do you do regularly to increase your knowledge of God?2. Do you believe in God or do you actually have faith in Him?3. Do your prayers express your need or your faith?4. What questions will you ask because of what you heard today?5. Is there anything in your life that you cannot not talk about?Be sure to follow us:InstagramFacebookYoutube

Have you ever noticed your brain finds it easier to criticize your progress rather than celebrate your growth? If you're tired of carrying the heaviness of “not enough” and ready to feel proud of yourself and your journey - this episode is for you. In this episode, you'll learn what's going on in the brain when it resists celebration, what your inner critic is trying to protect you from, and why constantly focusing on what's missing can drain the very energy, confidence and clarity you're craving. Ready to discover how celebrating yourself can empower you to pursue your goals?Give it a listen and see what ah-has it sparks for you! ✨Are you local to Baltimore and want to take this work deeper?Join us for BELIEVE! An in-person experience to help you reconnect with your vision, your confidence and what's possible for your life.Get all the details and RSVP here!

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Deconstruction isn't a modern invention — Paul saw it coming two thousand years ago and gave the church its prescription. We're in 1 Timothy 1:18–20, where Paul commissions Timothy to fight the good fight and names two men who didn't — and the difference between them and Timothy wasn't intelligence or background, it was whether they kept holding on. Join us as we look at the nature of the fight worth having, the weapons Paul says every believer carries, and what it looks like when those weapons are laid down.Fight the good fight...1) The nature of it2) The weapons for it3) The cautionary examples to avoidText: 1 Timothy 1:18-20

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It started innocently enough—just 10 pounds. A simple goal that millions of women set every day. But for me, that decision to lose "just 10 pounds" became the beginning of years trapped in an eating disorder. Today I'm re-sharing the story of the day my dreams were crushed by one comment, and how the belief that "something is wrong with me" became the foundation of my disordered eating. More importantly, I'm revealing why this same toxic belief might be keeping you trapped. In this vulnerable episode, you'll discover: The skating audition that changed everything with one cruel comment Why believing "something is wrong with you" is your biggest recovery obstacle How 10 pounds became 15, then 20, then 30 in a dangerous spiral The difference between walking in the storm and being the storm How to go back and heal your wounded inner child Why you were chosen to be free, not perfect The question that changes everything: "How would you live if nothing was wrong with you?" For the woman ready to stop believing she's the problem. THE DAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING I was living my childhood dream—skating at the rink I'd only watched others perform at as a little girl. The audition was going perfectly. Every jump, every spin—years of training paying off. Then came the soul-crushing words: "Well, Lindsay, your skating is amazing. However, come back when you've lost 10 pounds." Those words stung harder than any ice burn or fall. I left that day a changed person, believing something was fundamentally wrong with me. The dangerous spiral: 10 pounds became 15, then 20, then 25, then 30. What started as proving I could lose weight became an obsession that consumed my life. YOUR BIGGEST RECOVERY OBSTACLE The biggest problem you'll face in your quest to freedom: Holding onto the belief that something is wrong with you. Just like me, you may have received messages that you weren't good enough as you were—from people who likely didn't have their own needs met and were passing down their wounds. Your eating disorder doesn't define who you are. It's something you've experienced, just like my crushing audition moment. Time to let go of who you think you need to be. THE LIFE-CHANGING QUESTION How would you live differently if you believed there was nothing wrong with you? For years, I lived as if I had something to prove and someone to prove it to. I spent every day trying to drop those 10 pounds just to show I could. But here's the truth: I wasn't meant to be their version of enough, and you weren't meant to be their version of enough either. HEALING YOUR WOUNDED INNER SELF My breakthrough came when I went back in time—to little Lindsay who was innocent, vulnerable, trying to be perfect. I had to talk to her, comfort her, remember when I first felt "not enough." The day I realized I was living my life for others—built up and broken down by people who shaped my belief that I wasn't enough—was the day I chose to commit to recovery. YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE, NOT THE STORM You can walk in the storm and feel the storm, but you're not the storm. You are the sunshine. The day you decide you can be good enough just for you is the day you set yourself free. Maybe you're not thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough for someone else—but you weren't meant to be their version of enough. My dream in recovery was to be normal. But I wasn't made to be normal, and neither are you. Being different is what makes a difference. THE BIBLICAL TRUTH "You were chosen to be free." - Galatians 5:13 The biggest problem you'll ever face in your quest to freedom is holding onto the belief that something is wrong with you. There is nothing wrong with you. You just need to step out into the sunshine. WHEN YOU FEEL TRAPPED When I felt unlovable, not enough, like something was wrong with me—I would love on others, shine on others, serve others. Maybe that's where you start today. Your rock bottom has to be the bottom because that's where the living takes place. Life is 10% what you experience and 90% how you respond. Stop responding like you are the problem. KEY QUOTES

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We are joined for the first time by Strongfirst Elite instructor Ben Bradbury from Surrey UK. Christian, Coach, Student of Strength & recent lifter of the iconic & historic Dinnie Stones in Potarch, Scotland. Ben is also a BJJ Black Belt & the owner of Complete Fitness. This is a wide ranging & fascinating conversion with a humble, polite & thoughtful strength professional which may increase your own belief in what is possible for you!

Download the Free 10-Minute Mindset Practice: Shift your state and anchor your body into clarity and ventral safety under pressure. https://payhip.com/b/7PdoGGet Your Sovereign Blueprint: Claim your intellectual and emotional sovereignty with this comprehensive, self-directed guide. https://payhip.com/b/jOSFYThe Regulated Leader - Expand Your Inner Growth Journey: Master emotional resilience and steady your nervous system fluency with the complete digital guide. https://payhip.com/b/rOUPzYou are not your activated state: When emotions feel true self-leaders move from reactivity to steadiness. Check out the new daily steady living bundle (1 day mindset practice + 15 journal prompts)

Seth and Sean engage in some Texans offensive line hype and assess if there's a lack of belief in CJ Stroud on a national level based on Dan Parr's MVP list excluding him completely.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by John Plake, Chief Innovation Officer and Editor-in-Chief of the State of the Bible research at the American Bible Society. With decades of experience as a pastor, missionary, professor, and researcher, John brings a unique perspective on how people are actually engaging with Scripture and what we should do about it. The “movable middle” is growing. // One of the most significant insights from recent research is the rise of what John calls the “movable middle”—millions of people who are open to the Bible but not yet engaged with it. This group has grown by approximately nine million people in recent years. They are curious, interested, and even positive toward Scripture, but they lack the tools, confidence, or guidance to engage it meaningfully. This represents a massive opportunity for churches willing to step in and help. People want a guide. // Through focus groups and research, John discovered that many people in the movable middle feel intimidated by the Bible. They struggle with language, context, and navigation. But perhaps most striking is they want help. Contrary to what some leaders might assume, they are not rejecting the church as a guide. In fact, many say, “If we can't trust the church to help us understand the Bible, what good is it?” This creates a clear invitation for churches to step into a more relational, guiding role in discipleship. A surprising discipleship gap. // One of the most sobering findings is that nearly half of weekly church attenders are not regularly engaging Scripture on their own. While churches invest heavily in preaching and programming, many people are not developing personal habits of Bible engagement. John suggests that churches often focus on delivering content rather than equipping people to engage Scripture themselves. The result is a gap between what happens on Sunday and what happens in everyday life. From teaching to equipping. // If churches want to close that gap, they must shift from being primarily content providers to equipping environments. This means helping people develop the skills, habits, and confidence to read and apply Scripture on their own. It also requires understanding the real barriers people face, like time constraints, confusion, or lack of community support, and addressing those barriers with practical solutions. A new tool for churches. // To help leaders take action, the American Bible Society has developed the “Next Step for Church” assessment. This free tool allows churches to measure spiritual health, Bible engagement, and key leadership behaviors within their congregation. Within a few weeks, leaders receive a detailed, data-driven report highlighting strengths, challenges, and suggested next steps. Data that leads to discipleship. // John emphasizes that data is not an end in itself; it's a tool for better shepherding. By listening to their congregation at scale, leaders can identify patterns, confirm instincts, and prioritize what matters most. The assessment surfaces both what's working and where growth is needed, giving churches a clear path forward. It also connects individuals to personalized Scripture engagement resources, helping them take their next step spiritually. Why Scripture engagement matters most. // Nothing has a greater impact on spiritual growth than a person's relationship with the Bible. In fact, Scripture engagement accounts for a significant portion of overall spiritual health. When people consistently engage with God's Word, transformation follows—affecting beliefs, behaviors, and relationships. Signs of hope for the future. // Despite broader cultural challenges, John sees encouraging trends, especially among younger generations. Millennials and Gen Z show increasing openness to Scripture, even if they are still exploring. While overall trends may appear flat, meaningful change is happening beneath the surface. For churches willing to engage this moment, there is real opportunity for impact. To explore the research further or access the free church assessment, visit church.nextstep.bible and begin discovering how your church can better equip people to engage Scripture every day. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. I am so glad that you have decided to tune in today. This is one of those episodes that there’s a great resource in it that going to want to make sure you engage with. There’s super helpful content. Plus it’s about an area that I know so many of us are thinking about, we’re wondering about, we’re asking questions about. Rich Birch — So super excited to have John Plake with us today. He is the chief innovator ah innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible Research Series, which comes from the American Bible Society. And they’re on a mission to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford so that all may experience its life-changing message. ABS has really a whole bunch of different tools and approaches, and we’re excited kind of expose a little bit more about that today. John has been in ministry over 30 years. We’ll just call it over 30 years. And it served as a pastor, missionary, professor, researcher. John, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.John Plake — Thanks so much for having me today. It’s great to be with you.Rich Birch — Why don’t you fill in the picture a little bit? Tell us a little bit about your background. You know, what brings you to your current work?John Plake — Yeah. Closer to 40 years now. Rich Birch — Nice. Yeah, yeah. That’s great.John Plake — It’s a little uncomfortable to talk about that.Rich Birch — That’s great.John Plake — Yeah. You know, I start out like a lot of people in ministry. I grew up in a home that ministry was central. Actually, both my grandfathers were ministers. My father was a minister. Ministry is kind of the family business in a way, but I really did sense a direction from God when I was about 15 years old to to pursue full-time ministry.John Plake — There was some detail around that. Ended up going to Bible college and and then started what turned out to be about nine years of full-time pastoral service. And I hadn’t been in that for very long before I realized that everything I learned in Bible College was preparing me to serve a generation that no longer existed in a culture that was gone. John Plake — And I thought, my goodness, I know God’s word pretty well. And mean, I’m a lifelong learner of God’s word. I love the Bible. And yet, didn’t really know culture very well. And I didn’t develop those tools until just years and years of practice, some missionary service, wonderful teachers at at Wheaton College and graduate school and and just a lifelong journey of learning.John Plake — So at American Bible Society, when I got here, the State of the Bible, program or this research project was already underway. And we’d been helped out by the Barna Group, which does some wonderful foundational work. And eventually it just kind of grew up and it got to a place where we had an internal team that was running it ourselves, now in collaboration with the National Opinion Research Council or NORC at the University of Chicago. We just do, I think, what is the largest ongoing study of Americans’ relationship with the Bible and faith and the church. And we get to talk about it all the time. Rich Birch — Yeah, I love it.John Plake — So, I mean, this is the best job in the world.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. It’s it’s great research, something that I think should be on the kind of list of things that we need to be paying attention to. It’s been a gift to the church for so long and something that we should continue to to pay attention through. Now, let’s talk about you specifically. You spent three plus decades. I didn’t want to say almost 40. You know, I’m not saying that. I’m not saying that. I could say that, you know, a couple years ago, I clicked across one of those numbers with a zero on the end as my birthday. And ever since then, I’m a little sensitive about the the age thing. Rich Birch — So anyways, As a ministry, missionary professor, researcher, you’ve done a lot. How does wearing all of those hats, what do you what does that bring to you as you come to the data? How does that impact you as you think about really the state of the Bible research?John Plake — Yeah, you know, I think research can be dull. You know, it can sound like it’s all about writing questions or it’s all statistics and numbers. But for me, the research is all about the people. Rich Birch — So true.John Plake — It’s all about the people in our communities and in our churches that we’re trying to understand better so we can serve them well with the gospel. I, for years, I’ve used the analogy that that being in gospel ministry is like being a human bridge across a river. I grew up not very far from the Mississippi River in the St. Louis area, and there was a big 100-year flood when I was early on in ministry. And I mean, none of the bridges worked anymore. You couldn’t get from one side to the other.John Plake — And I thought, you know, that’s a tragedy that I encountered sometimes in ministry where maybe I was deeply rooted in one bank of the river, the text, but I wasn’t necessarily deeply rooted in the other bank of the river, which was the context.John Plake — And it’s this lived experience of the people that I was I was serving. And that I wanted to serve in my community, but I needed to understand them better. So I wasn’t just spouting you know Aristotelian logic to them. Or I wasn’t just coming at them with the pat answers that I’d learned. Like I’d never heard anybody in my life walk into my office and say, Pastor John, you got to tell me, what can you describe hamartiology to me from. You know like I had to learn that in school, but that’s not what people struggle with. Rich Birch — That’s so true. Yeah. John Plake — They had totally different questions and I needed to love them and honor them enough to understand their questions and answer them responsibly and reliably from the pages of scripture.Rich Birch — Yeah, love it. Okay, well, we’re going to dig into a little bit of just a couple of the findings just to kind of, we’re trying to whet your appetite, friends, to take steps towards this. So the 2025 data showed, and we’ve seen this, a real bump in Bible engagement, particularly among millennials and men. If I’m reading it correctly, though, we saw 2026, a shift happen, maybe back down. And so what’s going on? Actually, I heard another sociologist in a kind of a related field that was about church attendance talked about the dead cat bounce, that it was like, you know, which I thought, oh, that’s a, but there’s a similarity going on here. Pull this, this finding apart. Help us understand this.John Plake — Yeah, apologies to cat lovers out there.Rich Birch — Yes, exactly.John Plake — We were we were hoping, you know, I think we were really hoping. We looked at 2025. We saw that men in particular were leaning into the Bible in ways we hadn’t seen recently. Millennials doing the same thing. There there were some interesting numbers in 2025. And so when the 2026 numbers came to my desk in late January, I thought, I hope we’re extending I hope it’s going to be a trend. But it wasn’t. It was a blip.John Plake — And there’s more to it, though, than just the fact that scripture engagement didn’t go up. It also didn’t go down. And the level of people in America who are Bible disengaged, meaning they never pick up the Bible on purpose at all, that actually didn’t go up either. What grew was this kind of curious explorer group in the middle that we call the movable middle. And over the last two years, it’s grown by 9 million American adults. Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — And so what we do see is there’s there’s openness to the Bible. There’s experimentation with the Bible. But people are jumping in and they’re trying it and they’re not being able to get hold of it. And I think that’s largely because of us.John Plake — Because Bible people who are around them aren’t saying, please come do this with me. Let me help you. Let me honor you enough to to respect your questions, to ask what you’re dealing with, and help you explore those issues through the pages of Scripture.Rich Birch — I love that movable middle, man, that feels like the kind of group we want to connect with and reach out to in our community. Any other, when you, when you’ve been thinking about this movable middle, what are some other kind of characteristics of those people or other things that, you know, are kind of telltale signs of this group as we’re thinking about them as it, as it pertains to Bible engagement?John Plake — Yeah, they’re an amazing group, and we’re going talking more about them all year, but they are probably my favorite subject in America. There are 74 million American adults that are in the movable middle.Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — 74 million of our neighbors who are like…Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — …and here’s what they tend to say: They love the Bible. They think it’s a great idea. But if you handed them a Bible, they don’t know how to find what they’re looking for. They don’t know how to navigate it. They get confused by the language in in Scripture.John Plake — I remember doing a a focus group with a bunch of people in the movable middle. I was in Chicago. it was an area I was really familiar with. I used to pastor in that area. And we got them talking about their experience with the Bible. And we said, hey, does anything ever stop you or kind of you know make you check out because you’re struggling with what’s going on? John Plake — And one young lady at the table said, yeah, you know the language of the Bible is really really hard for me to understand. It’s it’s a really old book. It uses expressions I don’t understand. And a gentleman sitting across the table from her just kind of chuckled and said, yeah, what the hell’s a mustard seed? And everybody laughed.John Plake — I was behind the glass and I just about fell out of my chair because they didn’t teach me to talk like that in a Assemblies of God seminary.Rich Birch — Yes.John Plake —Things like that, you know, that’s just not the way we roll.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Yes.John Plake — But it was so authentic and he wasn’t being mean.Rich Birch — No.John Plake — He was just saying, boy, I don’t I don’t get it. And then they said, you know, we really want a guide. Rich Birch — That’s good.John Plake — And so we pushed on that a little bit. At the time, there were some clergy abuse scandals that actually there were billboards up in Chicago about clergy abuse scandals that all of us lamented. And so we’re like, OK, listen, do you trust the church to be your guide? Because ee saw these billboards, you know, and it’s your city. And so what what do you think?John Plake — And they said, well, of course we do. I mean, it’s terrible when people in the church abuse their position and abuse others. And that’s not what they’re supposed to do. But if we can’t trust the church to help us understand the Bible, what good are they, really? And so, yes, we’re looking to you, church, to help us connect more deeply with the Bible, understand what it meant to the original hearers and readers and how we apply it to our lives today.Rich Birch — Okay, that’s yeah, that’s really cool. I look forward to hearing more about the movable middle in this coming year. Another thing that jumped out to me, which I feel like, man, I’ve seen this in my church. This is like you you named a group that I see, but it’s surprising, at least it’s surprising on its face. So nearly half of weekly church attenders, weekly church attenders, which is, that’s like really engaged, you know, are not regularly engaging, engaging scripture on their own.Rich Birch — Man, what, so what should we do about that? That’s an interesting, how does, how should that impact our discipleship strategy? What are you encouraging us to be thinking about? And these people that are with us all the time, but they’re not engaged with scripture.John Plake — Well, I think the first thing to do is to just recognize it. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — You know, a lot of pastors that I’ve talked to, when we talk about scripture engagement, they tell me things like this: Everything we do is scripture engagement. I spend my whole week preparing a scriptural message. I’m, you know, we’re preparing small group curriculum and Sunday school curriculum and all of this stuff. It’s all about the, everything we do is about the Bible. John Plake — Well, okay. But I had a I had a young youth pastor come to me not that long ago and he said, John, look, you were me once a few years ago. If you knew then what you know now, what would you do differently?John Plake — And the answer is I would do everything differently, than the way I ought to do it. Because what, in my tradition, there was a lot of emphasis on the preaching event, and I put a lot of effort into those communication events, but what I didn’t put as much effort into is empowering people in my church to do what I was doing, which was dig into scripture, understand it for themselves, giving them the tools to do that.John Plake — And then in May, we’re going to be releasing a chapter, just in a few few days now, we’re going to be releasing a chapter all about parents. And one of the startling things is the time pressure that moms are under. I mean, it’s incredible. And so we need to understand where they’re coming from and where they have barriers, but also have some compassion on them and help to support them when they’re really facing struggles. Like they don’t have enough time. They don’t have the resources or the community coming around them to help them to engage God’s word ah more fulsomely, more transformatively.John Plake — We know how to do this stuff, but we’re not connecting the dots to everybody that’s coming to hear us talk every…Rich Birch — That’s good. That’s good. I know I’ve in my seat as an XP, um you know, I’ve overseen a lot of what we do on the programming side and what we do on the weekends. And I’ve, you know, it’s like, that i don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly. It’s like the kind of behind the scenes conversation. I’ve sometimes wondered, I’ve said, you know, like, what we do on the weekend to try to make the Bible understandable is so completely different than Tuesday morning in someone’s life. Rich Birch — Like, we pull out all the stops to make it interesting. We get like world class communicators, incredible graphics, you know, emotional music, all of this to try to… But then the question is, okay, so now on Tuesday morning when you’re tired and you haven’t had your coffee yet and you’re just about to go read scripture, man, like that feels like a long ways away. There’s like a gap there that I sometimes wonder maybe we’re making it worse. You know. Maybe we’re making it harder. I said that. You didn’t say that. Rich Birch — So maybe there’s pastors that are listening here and they read this kind of report. They read this kind of finding and they’re like, hey, that’s interesting. But like, how what do I do in my church specifically? So you know we want we don’t want to just leave people with a tough stat.Rich Birch — I think we see that in our church. There’s people in our church that are here all the time. They’re not that engaged. But you’ve actually developed a new tool or ABS has developed a new tool to help us think through that. Why don’t you walk us through it? Tell us a little bit about it. How’s it work? Talk us how it can help us.John Plake — Yeah, so recently we developed two tools that kind of work together. One of them you can find on the internet at nextstep.bible. And it’s just for anybody who’s like, hey, I’m on a spiritual journey. I’m kind of stuck. I don’t really know what to do next. Maybe you’re just getting started exploring what it means to be a Christian. Maybe you’re Jesus’ little brother or sister. Wherever you are in that journey, there’s always a next step for us.John Plake — And so what we’ve done is analyzed along about a million spiritual life surveys. Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — And from this huge quantity of data, we’ve learned that people are at different places in that journey. They’re at different points on the map. And we want to make sure that they’re equipped to have the right thing at the right time. I think currently there are 21,000 scripture engagement resources available there.Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — They’re absolutely free. They’re in English, Spanish, and French. So go check it out, nextstep.bible.John Plake — But if you’re a pastor or you’re a church leader, you’re probably wondering, well, what’s going on in my church, right? So I see all the national data, but I think our tendency is to say, well, we’re the exception, right?Rich Birch — So true. Well, that’s not our people. John Plake — I know I know everybody else is struggling, but we’re doing okay.Rich Birch — Yes.John Plake — And and so it’s good to check our assumptions a little bit. They used to say a really sad statistic that 10 o’clock on Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America, which makes me sad. What makes me sad also is that 12 o’clock noon in America is the most dishonest hour in America. That’s the hour when pastors tend to start greeting their people after the church service closes and they hear all these comments: oh, Pastor, that was the best sermon I’ve ever heard. And it wasn’t. It just wasn’t. All right, let’s face it.John Plake — There’s somebody out there who preaches better than you do and better than I do. They’re available on YouTube. People don’t need you to be the best Bible teacher in the world. They need you to be the best pastor for them. Rich Birch — That’s good.John Plake — And the tools that are all about focusing on their relationship with the Bible, their holistic spiritual formation, and our leadership behaviors. And so for that, we built the Next Step for Church Assessment.John Plake — It’s actually standing on the foundation or built on the engine block, if you want a different metaphor, of the old reveal research that the Willow Creek Association had come out with. It’s no longer available. And we were able to acquire all of their historical learnings, but also add in things like human flourishing and e-pastoral leadership behaviors that lead to churches really being missionally effective and strong. Excellent stuff on Bible engagement and spiritual formation. John Plake — So the the big challenge we had, I was talking with Dr. Ed Stetzer about this because he was at LifeWay Research when the Transformational Church Assessment was being built. And it was always hard because analyzing this kind of data required a lot of human intervention. It’s very expensive to do. It’s very complicated to deliver. And even a small cost can be a barrier for churches that have strained budgets. It doesn’t matter if you’re a church of, you know, 2,500 25,000 or 250. There’s always more places to put your money than there are dollars that are available to do it.John Plake — And so at American Bible Society, we said, you know what, as a gift to the church, because we love the church, we need to make it completely free. And so you can go to church.nextstep.bible and you could sign up today. Literally, we’re recording this on a on a Thursday. You could go there today and by Sunday, you could be launching your survey. Two weeks later, you’d automatically have results in your own online dashboard. You’d get key highlights emailed to you. There’s a place for custom questions. There’s just all kinds of really, really rich information.Rich Birch — So good.John Plake — And it it doesn’t take the place of the kind of learning that you have as a pastor. You learn deeply in relationship with others. You’re observing what’s going on. You have a team that’s around you. But what it does is it provides this valid, reliable sift and sort function. It’s based on well, I don’t know even know how many, well over 3000 churches, well over half a million survey responses went into building this and making it a tool that that is a good benchmark for you to say, you know what, if we want to move from where we are today to where God is calling us, here are the things we need to focus on.Rich Birch — It’s so good. And friends, I want to encourage you to to go there. Just church.nextstep.bible. I know many of us have a heart for saying, listen, we want to measure more than just nickels and noses. The number of people that show up and revenue that comes in. And this a great way to kind of inject at something that’s at the core of what we’re supposed to be doing as a church. So why don’t we just give a little bit more detail?Rich Birch — What is it? You know, what’s it actually measuring? How is it? You know, how could it be helpful? How how could it kind of dovetail with some of the things we’re already tracking? Maybe give us, you know, what kind of insights are we going to gain from this if we if we put our people through this?John Plake — Yeah, maybe it’s worthwhile to just back up and say it’s based on a congregational assessment. So really this kind of work is all about just listening to your congregation at scale. So if you have 25 people coming to church, you can probably have this conversation with them if you know how to ask the right questions. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — You can go to the website. You’re like, what’s in the survey? There’s a button you can click. You can read the whole survey. It’s fine. We’re not going to try and surprise you with anything. But really simple stuff. How’s your relationship with Jesus? How often are you interacting with Scripture? What difference is that making in your life? We ask the standard Harvard human flourishing questions. We ask about um how the pastoral team or the senior pastor, him or herself, is doing at actually modeling Christlike leadership for you. Rich Birch — It’s so good.John Plake — And all of that reporting then gets brought into a database. It’s all anonymous. So individuals don’t, they don’t have to tell you who they are. They can’t tell you who they are other than by characteristics. And you’re going to get this really good, robust picture of what’s going on at the church. John Plake — Now, what does it take for somebody to do that? It takes about 20 minutes of their time, and time is expensive, right? People always have too much to do. So in return for that investment, at the end of their survey experience, they will have already told us everything we need to know to match them to great resources at nextstep.bible.John Plake — And with their permission, not without it, they can click a button, pass that data over to the individual nextstep.bible platform. They can create an account and right away, they’re going to be finding things like YouVersion Bible reading plans that are just for them.John Plake — If you’ve got people in your church and they’re outliers, they’re they’re way more spiritually advanced than everybody else, or they’re just getting started and everybody else is way ahead of them, these kinds of tools create bespoke pathways for them so they know what to do next. All the while, the church leadership can sit back and say, okay, here’s our results. And as a team, now what do we need to do to serve the whole congregation well?Rich Birch — I love this. You know, this is what incredible tool that you’ve put together here for our churches to wrestle through and to, you know, not only help us as a church as we’re thinking about these issues, but then help individuals in our church. What what would be some of the ways that churches might use the data that’s generated to impact what we’re doing in our programming? How how could we use this to improve what we’re doing?John Plake — Sure. There are really three things we want everybody to do. First, just discover what’s going on. Just just check your assumptions at the door and and say, okay, what do the data tell us about what’s going on in our church life and in our people’s lives? That’s the first thing.John Plake — Second thing is it’s going to surface for you the top three things that you’re doing great. And it’s going to give them to you in the report. And you need to throw a party. Like there are people who make these things happen for you. No pastor is doing this all by themselves. And so plan a party, celebrate what’s going well.John Plake — The third thing it’s going to do is it’s going to give you suggestions about, okay, here’s where your congregation is today. It won’t surprise you, but it might inform you. I’ve never seen a pastor look at the report and go, ah you guys got it wrong. Rich Birch — Sure, right.John Plake — Usually they they see the report and they go, yeah, okay, yeah, you got me.Rich Birch — Yeah. Confirmed some hunches I’ve had. Yeah. Yeah.John Plake — Right? But we don’t we don’t have time. We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the expertise to be able to sit down and and kind of scientifically walk through this process. So we do that for you. We deliver the report. And then we’re going to give you two key action items that we think churches like yours in a similar place have done that have helped move them toward spiritual health and missional effectiveness.John Plake — And that’s really what it’s all about. We want your congregation to be spiritually healthy. We want your your church as a whole to be missionally effective. And when that happens, often there’s numerical growth. Often there’s financial growth. But there’s certainly more missional impact that’s coming through your congregation and its work.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. So if I’m like a church of a thousand people, let’s say, and just round number to picking out of the sky, how how what kind of percentage of my congregation would I need to take this to give me a reasonable, you know, statistical, you know, feeling good about the data for it? What what kind of number um should I be thinking about?John Plake — Well, the first thing is we’ve built in a tool that will tell you how to get to a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Rich Birch — Love it.John Plake — And that does vary depending on the adult attendance that you have. So let’s say you’ve a thousand adults. And by adults, I mean anybody in high school or older can probably take this survey. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — And you can cut the data like by gender or by age. All of that live filtering is in the online platform. Rich Birch — Oh, that’s so good.John Plake — So if you’re the you’re the youth pastor and you’re like, well, wait, tell me about the young people that took the survey. You can just look right at them and compare them to the rest of the congregation, which I bet will be enlightening. But nevertheless, how many do you need if you’re a church of 1,000, it’s about 275.Rich Birch — Okay.John Plake — If it’s a smaller church than that, then you’re still going to need a pretty significant percentage. So if I roll that all the way down to a church of 100, you need 80.Rich Birch — Okay.John Plake — And if you roll that up to a church of 5,000, well, you don’t need that many more than 275.Rich Birch — Interesting.John Plake — So you’re going to report that out to you. It’s very, very doable. And, you know, I’ve pastored at large churches and I pastored a small church. And I’ll tell you, when I pastored a church of under 100, I could have gotten a census of the people, like everybody, to do a survey like this. They would have been glad to tell me these things. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — And it’s not that I couldn’t have had a conversation one-on-one with most of the adults in the congregation. It was something different in that case. I actually didn’t know what to ask. I used to run into this when I was a campus pastor at a Christian university. And I would have young people walk into my office and I was like, I know I should be able to help them, but the challenge they’re facing is different than anything I’m familiar with. I don’t have any analog for this in my personal experience. And so this sort of takes the mystery away. We don’t ask fluffy questions. We ask research proven questions that are going to give you the information you really need so you can take action.Rich Birch — That’s amazing. That’s think this is such a great tool for people. I can see how, you know, it’d be so helpful for folks that are listening in to, you know, might be be able to plug in grab this experience for their people, help their church, help the folks that are attending. That’s, that’s incredible.Rich Birch — So, you know, you’ve picked an interesting vocation to be connected with the American Bible Society. And because, you know, this is such a critical and important part of developing people’s relationship, obviously, with Jesus; its core to all of it. And we have seen a long historical downward trend, and you’re pushing against that, which is amazing. But what gives you hope in the middle of all of that? What would it when you look at the church around you know, the country, where do you see flashes of just good things going on that are like, you know, when it comes to the relationship with scripture that even, you know, even when we see maybe the overall numbers are not as great as we want them to be, what are some kind of flashes of hope we should, that we could encourage folks with today?John Plake — Well, I’d like to maybe point to just three things that leap to mind. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — The first of them is I never talk to anybody in the church who says the Bible is a bad idea. Rich Birch — Sure.John Plake — Everybody likes the Bible. We’re all trying to figure out how to communicate its message better, to understand it more deeply. It’s transforming our lives, and we want to be able to share it with others. John Plake — And that’s great because, number two, there’s nothing that makes a bigger difference in somebody’s spiritual life than their relationship with the Bible. I mean, absolutely nothing. And I’m saying this as a researcher. I’ve tested it. I can’t find anything that makes a bigger difference. John Plake — In fact, when we looked at Christian college and university students, 60% of their overall spiritual health across lots of domains—beliefs, practice, putting faith into action, loving God, loving others, all these things, 60% of the variance in their spiritual health is solely accounted for by their relationship with the Bible.John Plake — So if we can help people have a dynamic relationship with scripture, we win. That’s all there is to it. It’s just that simple. And so that is really encouraging.John Plake — And then the third thing, ah the third thing is how I say this nicely? I'm I’m from Gen X and so to my Baby Boomer friends, I’m sorry, but you guys don’t have the influence that you once did.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s true.John Plake — And that’s a good thing because there’s new openness among Millennials, and Gen Z and even younger Gen X um that we just don’t see among Baby Boomers. It’s like Baby Boomers made up their minds in the 60s and early 70s and said, this is what I believe and I’m not changing. And they haven’t. John Plake — That’s not to say that someone who’s a Baby Boomer can’t have a a spiritual experience and transformational experience. It does happen. But on the population level, like when we looked at the Bay Area of San Francisco, if you look at the scripture engagement, church engagement, love God, love others data in the Bay Area, it looks like what you’d expect, until you strip out the Baby Boomers. And then suddenly it looks better than every place else in America.John Plake — You’re like, what’s going on? Well, looks like all the unreconstructed hippies that moved to the Bay Area are actually holding a lid on the population numbers. And when you remove that and you go, oh, wait a minute, let me look under the headline and say what’s happening. There’s more going on than is easy to see. And I think this happens in big national trends.John Plake — Oh, is Scripture engagement up or down? Is you know church attendance up or down? Whats what’s going… big national trends. Yeah, okay, those are helpful, and we want those to change. But what’s changing first is below the fold. Things in Gen Z, things among Millennials, things in young men, those things are starting to change, and I think those are the first glimmerings that God is at work in a new way in America, and I can’t wait to see it.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s that’s a great word. And that lines up with what we’re seeing, even just experientially talking to churches across the country. You know we’re so we’re seeing there is something going on with younger generations, which is great to see. I was I was born in 1974, the lowest birth rate year of the 20th century. I am classic Gen X. Like you know I am like statistic I’m the statistical average Gen X and has spent a lot of my time trying to hand stuff from the Boomers to the Millennials. And, yeah, there’s lots of encouraging news there, particularly with the younger generations. Rich Birch — I also want to speak to on the the work I’ve done in the church growth stuff that I’ve done and coaching I’ve done with churches, one of the things that’s just undeniable is churches that have a high view of scripture, that is, they’re trying to get people engaged with scripture. They they talk about it like it’s actually true. How do we say don’t know what’s the best way to talk about that? Those are the churches that are prevailing, and that actually works out statistically. You see that time and again. Talk to us about that dynamic, which is kind of co-related to the things we’re talking about today. From your perspective in the stats and all that, how how have you seen that work out as you’ve looked at churches across the country?John Plake — Yeah, I think you’re exactly right. The churches that are the healthiest in America, that are growing, that where where people are spiritually healthy, have a really dynamic relationship with Scripture. And it kind of it cuts across tradition. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — There are some traditional things going on. I was listening to Justin Brierley and his surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast, and it was from last season, and he he had someone on, he was interviewing, and what she was saying was there are the parts of the church that seem to be thriving are kind of the, the the older, the ancientness traditions, whether it’s Catholic or Orthodox, that what she called somewhat irreverently, the smells and bells side of of the church.Rich Birch — Sure, sure.John Plake — And on the other side, kind of my end of the swimming pool, I’m, from the Assemblies of God, so the Pentecostal and Charismatic side. And she said, what’s going on is that both ends of that spectrum are totalizing. John Plake — They’re saying, you know what, the the Bible places certain expectations and demands on people. Christ places certain expectations and demands on people. And these parts of the church aren’t sort of shy about talking about that from a biblical perspective. She said, what’s what’s dying is that part in the middle where we’ve reduced church to a PowerPoint and you know an Excel spreadsheet. And she said, that part of the church seems to be dying and no one’s coming to the funeral. Rich Birch — That’s good. John Plake — And I thought, you know okay, right?Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, that’s good.John Plake — So if we revitalize our relationship with God through scripture, there’s a next step for every church. It doesn’t matter what, you know whether you’re mainline or evangelical or, you know, Pentecostal or Orthodox or whatever it is, but but reviving our relationship with God through Scripture is really where it’s at.Rich Birch — That’s so good. i Yeah, I call that middle group the just because it rhymes doesn’t mean it’s true group. You know, like the, you know, were just like, it’s all my thoughts. No one wants to come and find us. They want to find God ultimately. Well, I don’t want to pick any fights with anybody that’s listening in, but I really appreciate today’s conversation, John. This has been great. So we want to send people to church.nextstep.bible.Rich Birch — The the promise of in two weeks, your church could have a comprehensive report on spiritual health, on where your church is, spiritual health is at, that’s a huge promise. And so again, this is go to church.nextstep.bible. Any kind of final words as we wrap up today’s episode?John Plake — You know, you might be familiar with Cally Parkinson. Cally was the co-author of all of the Reveal books, every single one of them. She was head of communications for the Willow Creek Association when they were running this. She’s probably had more conversations with pastors and church leaders about survey results like this than anybody I know, maybe than anybody alive. And Cally likes this so much. She said, John, I want to have a personal consultation with the first hundred churches that go through this.John Plake — And so if you want to be in that group, she’s going to offer to spend an hour with you and just walk through your results and help explain it. There are videos throughout the platform that will explain it as well. And you can’t beat talking to Cally. She loves pastors. She says you’re the salt of the earth. And she just really wants to serve you because the work that you do to save people is just so valuable to her. So anyway, just wanted to offer that. And I know you’d probably love to meet Cally.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s fantastic. Well, appreciate you being here today. Thanks for the great work you do at the American Bible Society. John, appreciate you being on today. Thank you.John Plake — Thank you.

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Can God's plan and human choice both be true? In this special Q&A episode, students ask Pastor Don Patterson some of the most important questions in Christianity: How do we know the Bible is reliable? Does prayer change God's will? Why does God allow suffering? What happens to children who die? What is the difference between intellectual belief and saving faith? Are Catholic and Protestant teachings equally biblical? Rather than offering easy answers, the conversation explores biblical reasoning, Scripture, and practical theology. The result is an accessible discussion for believers, skeptics, parents, students, and anyone wrestling with difficult questions about faith.   00:00:09 — Kids Ask the Questions Adults Avoid 00:01:38 — Why Pastor Don Chose Christianity 00:03:29 — How Do We Know Who Wrote the Bible? 00:05:41 — Does God's Plan Override Our Choices? 00:08:47 — What Happens to Children Who Die? 00:10:03 — Catholic or Protestant: Which Is More Biblical? 00:11:26 — Why Doesn't God Answer Every Prayer? 00:13:25 — Faith vs Belief: What's the Difference? 00:16:17 — Why Would a Good God Allow Suffering? 00:18:33 — Which Bible Prophecies Haven't Happened Yet?

Famously described as the “long, withdrawing roar” of the “Sea of Faith,” the Christian narrative that shaped the West has been replaced by sweeping secularism. But is that the end of the story? It was a conversation with agnostic journalist Douglas Murray that led Justin Brierly to investigate whether a change was on the horizon. He will outline the dramatic fall of New Atheism and the birth of a new conversation on whether God makes sense of science, history, culture, and the search for meaning.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruce Lipton famously said that The Matrix is more a documentary than a movie. And that to be truly free, humans must escape the subconscious programming they have been subjected to since childhood. In this episode from the Align Podcast, Bruce Lipton explains why fear may be at the root of most modern illness, how beliefs shape biology through epigenetics, and why 95% of our lives are driven by subconscious programs. We also explore self-love, stress, healing, personal responsibility, psychedelics, consciousness, and practical ways to reprogram the mind. ALIGN PODCAST EPISODE #598 IS SPONSORED BY:

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast! On this episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon discusses the importance of engineering mini victories in coaching, both for athletes and leaders in various industries. He emphasizes that confidence is built through tangible evidence of success, not just physical preparation. Dixon shares his experience of shifting from a focus on physiological performance to creating conditions that foster belief and trust. He highlights the significance of designing training sessions and goals to ensure athletes and teams experience progress and success, which in turn builds confidence and commitment. This approach, he argues, is crucial for leadership effectiveness and team performance. Purple Patch and Episode Resources Register now and join upcoming webinars: https://go.purplepatchfitness.com/ironman2026 https://go.purplepatchfitness.com/marathon2026 Hiring Purple Patch Coach: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/careers-page  Fast Track Run Squad: purplepatchfitness.com/fasttrackmarathon Check out our world-class coaching and training options: Tri Squad: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/squad 1:1 Coaching: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/11-coached Run Squad: https://www.purplepatchfitness/com/run-squad Strength Squad: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/strength-1 Live & On-Demand Bike Sessions: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/bike Get a free needs assessment and learn more about our programs: https://purplepatchfitness.simplybook.me/v2/#book/service/19  Live in San Francisco? Explore the Purple Patch Performance Center: https://center.purplepatchfitness.com  Everything you need to know about our methodology: https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/our-methodology Amplify your approach to nutrition with Purple Patch + Fuelin https://www.fuelin.com/purplepatch Get access to our free training resources, insight-packed newsletter and more at purplepatchfitness.com  

Evan Roberts and Shaun Morash dive into the emotional weight of the Knicks' NBA Finals run, breaking down why the next game feels massive without falling into the easy “must win” label. The conversation captures the nerves, excitement, and dread that come with being close to a championship, especially for fans who still carry scars from past New York sports heartbreaks. The episode also tackles the Wembanyama foul debate, officiating concerns, watch party restrictions around Madison Square Garden, and the strange joy of suffering through sports when everything feels like it could last forever. From Karl-Anthony Towns' reputation to celebrity Knicks fans and the pressure of championship expectations, this is a full snapshot of a city living and dying with every possession.

What if the biggest factor influencing your results isn't your circumstances, your timeline, or even your actions, but your level of belief? In this episode, I'm exploring the powerful role belief plays in what you create and achieve, and why two people can take similar actions but experience very different outcomes.        I discuss the difference between high and low belief, how belief influences the way you approach challenges and setbacks, and why trying to achieve something whilst expecting it not to work creates a very different experience. I also share practical steps to increase your belief, even when you have doubts and very little evidence that success is guaranteed.       By the end of this episode, you'll have a better understanding of how belief shapes your results and the choices you make along the way. You'll be invited to examine your own level of belief, identify the thoughts that are helping or hindering you, and discover how small shifts in thinking can create meaningful momentum towards your goals.                Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://maisiehill.com/283         Join us in the Powerful membership, or join the waitlist: https://maisiehill.com/powerful

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Ever wonder why people ignore free health services, conveniently placed in their community, even when their life could depend on it? Looking back to the 1950s gives us some clues, and what researchers discovered led to the creation of one of public health's most enduring frameworks for understanding human behavior. In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, host Gordon Thane unpacks the Health Belief Model and why it still shapes health promotion practice today.Source Material◼️ Theory at a Glance: A Guide For Health Promotion Practice Host & Producer◼️Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®Production Notes◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music RoomLeave Us Some FeedbackIf you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We'd love to hear what you think.Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.

Mike and Rico go to the people for their thoughts on the Tigers' recent run and the possibility of trading Tarik Skubal.

What you'll learn in this episode: Why consistency is the single most important factor in lead generation The “commit or quit” mindset shift every salesperson needs How to choose between marketing, prospecting, and networking The real costs of generating leads (time, money, or both) Why 18 months is the magic number for predictable success How to scale and diversify your lead sources as your business grows    

Episode 398 revisits neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius (from November 2022) to explain how three ingredients — fun (dopamine), fear (productive challenge), and focus — create the neurochemical conditions for sustained motivation and flow. You'll also learn why individual neurosignatures matter and how designing environments that match your brain, rather than forcing yourself to change, makes effort easier and motivation durable. Welcome back to Season 15 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast. I'm Andrea Samadi, and on this podcast, we bridge the science behind social and emotional learning, emotional intelligence, and practical neuroscience so we can create measurable improvements in well-being, achievement, productivity, and results. In This Episode 398, Closing the Motivation Loop, with Friederike Fabritius, We Will Cover: ✔ How FUN, FEAR, and FOCUS create the neurochemical conditions for sustainable motivation ✔ Why dopamine is more than a pleasure chemical—and how it fuels motivation, anticipation, effort, and reinforcement ✔ How FUN creates dopamine and keeps us engaged in meaningful work ✔ Why the right amount of FEAR (challenge) drives growth without causing burnout ✔ How FOCUS converts energy, attention, and motivation into measurable results ✔ The connection between FUN, FEAR, FOCUS, and the Motivation Loop ✔ Why different brains require different motivation strategies ✔ Understanding your unique "Neurosignature" and how it influences performance ✔ How dopamine interacts with other neurochemicals like testosterone, estrogen, serotonin, and oxytocin ✔ Why sustainable motivation begins with self-awareness ✔ The Stress vs. Performance Curve and finding your optimal challenge zone ✔ How under-challenge leads to boredom and over-challenge leads to burnout ✔ Why peak performance occurs when challenge matches your brain's needs ✔ How to design environments that support attention, motivation, and performance ✔ Why the strongest motivation loops are powered by alignment—not willpower ✔ Practical strategies to create the conditions where your brain naturally wants to engage and perform ✔ How self-awareness, energy management, and neurochemistry work together to sustain long-term success ✔ What keeps the Motivation Loop repeating—and what causes it to break ✔ How to close Phase 2: Neurochemistry & Motivation and prepare for Phase 3: Movement, Learning & Cognition

Kyle Worley and Rebecca McLaughlin talk* about doubt and where we can find a stable foundation that honors and invites our doubt toward goodness, truth, and beauty.*This is a replay episode from 1/31/23Questions Covered in This Episode:Have you ever experienced profound doubt?What do you think are some of the most common places of doubt?What is doubt an invitation to?Do we find doubt in the bible?Where do you find a stable foundation that honors and invites your doubt toward goodness, truth, and beauty?If someone is listening to this episode and is experiencing or has experienced deep doubts about who God is, what God has done, and how God is inviting us to live…how would we encourage them?Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Genesis 3, Matthew 26, John 21:15-19, ​​John 20:24-29The Chosen Produced by⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠Use code WORSHIP for 30% off "All of Me" by Cheryl Marshall at thegoodbook.com—and download your free study guide today.Find Battling Unbelief wherever books are sold, or visit crossway.org/battlingunbelief to get 30% off with a free Crossway+ account.

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There's a version of exhaustion nobody names directly. It's not burnout from doing too much. It's not a time management problem or a discipline gap. It's the quiet, relentless effort of trying to prove you deserve to be here - in the room, in the conversation, in your own life. This episode goes underneath the ambition. Underneath the full calendar and the next launch and the productivity system that still doesn't feel like enough. Because for a lot of high achievers, the real thing running in the background isn't strategy. It's the belief: I'm not enough. And it doesn't show up the way you'd expect. It looks like perfectionism. Over-preparation. People-pleasing. Undercharging. Hiding until you feel more ready. Needing one more credential before you claim what you already know. In this first episode of the Identity Stability Series, Lisa McGuire names what's actually happening beneath those patterns, and why achievement can quiet the ache but never actually answer the question beneath it. We talk about why your work was never meant to carry your worth. Why Category of ONLY™ can't emerge from proving. And why the next version of your identity cannot be built on the same unworthiness that exhausted the last one. This is where the embodiment arc begins. Not with a framework. With a truth. The question isn't how to become enough. It's what you've been using to avoid realizing you already are.   CONNECT WITH LISA LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/  WEBSITE: https://lisamcguire.com Successfully Stuck: The First Step Truth Kit: https://go.lisamcguire.com/first-truth-kit  Category of ONLY Inquiry: https://calendly.com/lisabusinessgrowthadvisor/get-acquainted  Identity Evolution Journey Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2KBSb0BlQp9HhTEd1Z_SNdULBD7wey84  Sign up for Lisa's "so much more" newsletter: https://www.thediyframework.com/so-much-more-subscribe  Get your free Human Design Bodygraph: https://lisamcguire.com/get-your-free-chart/  Human Design Masterclass Waitlist: https://go.lisamcguire.com/human-design-masterclass-waitlist  Ideal Client Workshop Waitlist: https://go.lisamcguire.com/ideal-client-workshop-waitlist-icww785155   

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McKay explores Dolly Parton's philosophy of ‘finding the God-light in everyone' as a transformative leadership discipline. He argues that choosing to see potential rather than faults is a practical way to inspire growth and redirect lives.Our host highlights how belief in others alters history through the stories of Louis Armstrong, Walt Disney, and Abraham Lincoln. Detailing Nelson Mandela's healing of South Africa and John Wooden's UCLA coaching, McKay demonstrates that by applying the Pygmalion effect and defending the absent, listeners can foster trust and move beyond automatic negative thinking.Main Themes: Dolly Parton's "God light" philosophy The Pygmalion Effect on performance Lincoln's "Team of Rivals" strategy Louis Armstrong's reform school start Walt Disney and the power of affirmation Defending the absent to build character Mandela's use of rugby to unite a nation Overcoming self-centered "default settings" John Wooden's shame-free coaching Belief as a practical leadership strategyTop 10 Quotes:"I try to find the God-light in everybody.""If you see someone without a smile, give them yours.""Human nature tends to notice faults first.""When people are seen as capable, they often become more capable.""If you humiliate people, they resist; if you honor people, they change.""When you defend those who are absent, you retain the trust of those present.""Seeing the good in others is a discipline, not a feeling.""Remembering everyone is good makes a meaningful life possible.""Correct what can be improved, not what is wrong with you.""Seeing good in someone can redirect an entire life."Show Links:Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

Jack Schwager is the legendary author of the Market Wizards series and one of the most influential figures in trading literature, whose decades of interviewing elite traders have made him the definitive chronicler of exceptional market performance; George Coyle is a hedge fund manager and deep-dive trading historian whose years of original research into the patterns of great traders catalyzed their co-authored Market Wizards: The Next Generation.Episode Sponsor: Fiscal AI is a modern data terminal that gives investors instant access to twenty years of financials, earnings transcripts, and extensive segment and KPI data—use my link for a two-week free trial plus 15% off: https://fiscal.ai/talkingbillions/3:00 — Bogumil shares personal origin story: as a Polish grad student in Paris, Jack's books gave him the courage to manage money. Jack jokes: "Not the first one."5:15 — George on his obsession: years of writing deep-dive papers on Soros, Marcus, Druckenmiller — getting inside feedback that he "hit the nail on the head."7:30 — Jack's biggest surprise from the first Market Wizards: how many enormously successful traders had multiple initial failures before breakthrough.9:10 — George on the youngest cohort: small-cap shorting is "the last rock you'd flip over" — yet that's precisely why these traders found edge where no one looked.11:00 — Jack on edge decay: trend following was transformative in the 60s–80s but got crowded; today, all edges evolve, and no edge is permanent.14:20 — Advantage of starting young: smaller capital means smaller losses. Simon Russo (pseudonym) and Frohlich both had failures early — with little money — then scaled correctly.30:33 — Jack: "A good trade is not necessarily a winning trade. A bad trade is not necessarily a losing trade." The process defines quality, not the outcome.33:00 — Position sizing as the great differentiator: Gudecker sizes A+ trades 5–10x larger; Marcus did the same. Ed Thorpe proved even a losing game can win with proper sizing.39:04 — Are trading skills learnable? Jack: Yes — Kulamaji went from $5,000 to $100M learning from others, but molded it entirely into his own methodology.42:09 — George's five questions for aspiring Market Wizards: clear goals, process that matches temperament, overcoming detrimental traits, belief in self, persisting despite failure.50:40 — Jack dismantles volatility as risk proxy: the drunk under the lamppost analogy — measuring what's easy vs. what's true.57:49 — AI debate: Jack argues markets are a complex adaptive system — unlike physics, the rules change constantly, which keeps the door open for human traders.1:03:52 — Jack's closing: readers of any Wizards book will get at least one or two things meaningfully beneficial if they're open-minded. This book adds a rare theme — wizards who stopped to ask: Is this what I really want to do with my life?Podcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm's employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

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