Podcasts about Blaise Pascal

Hello audient! (Jake says we have one more but I know it's still, as always, just you...)So we did an episode about fracking. Missing Jack on this one...We had a lot to say. But it was all pretty depressing. Still, as someone else had probably already said (#nocuck), if you don't open your eyes in the dark they could never get used to it (and see the little light that's left).Fracking is a technology meant to extract oil and gas, not from underground repositories or "pockets," but from rock; to penetrate inside the rock, to take what the rock had locked away within. The process involves (ab)using a great deal of water, making it irrevocably toxic, and shooting it at high pressure, within the rock, so as to break its integrity; widening cracks, and keeping these cracks open for more pressure to break them down further. The toxin in the water serves to capture the released oils and gases in a way that is more effectively extracted. It also proceeds to seep into the ground, poisoning water supplies, plants, animals, causing cancer......and all with a certain impunity. It is this impunity that we are (angrily) tossing towards. Yes, in both meanings of the word. We wanted to look at fracking as the technological manifestation of a certain logic that... "inspires" let's say our political and ethical assumptions. This logic, once understood, can be seen everywhere (as well as its results): the ret-con of lovable stories and characters (until all the love is sucked out and all the fans feel betrayed); the abuse of language/discourse by/in Social media (punishing empathy with toxicity - this is deliberate and done by innumerable bots); austerity measures leading to social collapse (by way of undercutting/humiliating local values)...Blaise Pascal wrote a line in his 'Pensees' that Levinas liked to cite: "'That is my place under the sun' is how the usurpation of the world began." Thinking of other belief-structures, non- or pre-Monotheist, we offer a critique of this quote insofar as it assumes a Christian 'I'. It is this I's possession that usurps the world. And we do see fracking a doing just that. John Locke shows us the logic of this possession: claiming the land as 'private property' gives me absolute power over it. Just like with the industrial revolution's effect on the climate, and with the same impunity. This is a metaphysics, an understanding, that did not occur before, or outside of, Monotheism. And it is dangerous because it is only a totality - human, all too human - but armed with claims to infinity. Fracking doesn't wait for time. It has no time. It follows a logic of hunger, but a desperate hunger, the resentful hunger of the slave. This hunger will even suck the marrow from the bone. Fracking, not just literally, leaves no stone unturned.That is how the usurpation of the Earth began.This, pathetic, impunity has no honor. it is the impunity of the starved and desperate; the impunity of ressentiment, of the shit-eating grin. Even when it rules, as it does nowadays, it has no power to call its own, no pride or anchor. It sees no future (like a Bull seeing red..).There was so much more (and less) in the pod, if you have the mental fortitude. We had Derrida, Bataille, and even Israel made an appearance.. Too many Stars in this episode.

Healing and Wholeness: The 18-Inch Journey from Head to Heart “The glory of God is man fully alive.” —St. Irenaeus “God does not love some ideal version of you. He loves you—with your particular history, wounds, and desires.” This episode takes you on what may be the most important journey of your life: the 18 inches from the head to the heart. Through the story of Blaise Pascal's mystical night of fire, the gentle wisdom of Harvey's Elwood P. Dowd, and the wisdom of the Church, we explore what it means to become an integrated person—one who lives not in fragmentation, but in communion. We are not just minds or spirits—we are embodied, emotional, historical persons. And while trauma, generational wounds, and spiritual lies may have fractured our inner life, God is drawing us back into wholeness. This is not a journey of perfection, but of integration—of learning to live fully alive. You'll hear about: The role of the family in shaping our early spiritual imagination The wounds that distort identity and the lies we carry into adulthood How emotional maturity, spiritual direction, and community lead us to healing How God re-parents us through His Word, His Church, and His sacraments This episode is an invitation to courageously face the inner story you've believed—and to let God write a new one with you. Reflection & Journaling Questions for Prayer   Where in my life do I live more from my head than from my heart? Where do I hide behind intelligence, control, or performance rather than love, vulnerability, and trust? Have I made the 18-inch journey from being right to being real? What would it mean to let go of needing to prove myself and instead seek communion? What were the spoken or unspoken rules in my family growing up? (“Don't feel,” “Be perfect,” “Never be weak,” etc.) What emotions were welcomed in my childhood? What emotions were avoided or punished? What role did I play in my family system? (Hero, invisible one, peacekeeper, rebel…) How does that still shape me today? What is one lie I have believed about myself? (“I am only loved if…”; “I must always… to be safe.”) Ask: Where did I learn this? What is the truth that God wants to speak there? What pattern have I inherited from my family or past that I want to bring into the light of Christ? Pray: “Lord, show me where You were when I felt unseen.” Which of life's tasks—work, friendship, or love—do I tend to avoid? Ask: Where do I need more courage to live generously and not self-protect? Do I see emotional strength as a way to protect myself or to give myself away? What would it mean to see my strength as a gift for others? What private logic or internal script still shapes how I see myself, God, and others? Bring one of those to prayer. Ask: “Jesus, walk with me through the rooms of my childhood. What do You want to show me?”  

Graham Tomlin is the Director of the Centre For Cultural Witness, and Editor in Chief of Seen and Unseen. As the former bishop of Kensington he has been involved in theological education and cultural engagement for several years. His latest book is ‘Blaise Pascal: The man who made the modern world'.Justin, Belle and Graham explore the life and legacy of Pascal, a polymath who, in a relatively short lifetime, made huge contributions not only to science, mathematics, technology and culture but also offered arguments for Christianity that are still widely discussed today. Blaise Pascal book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blaise-Pascal-Made-Modern-World/dp/1399807641 Seen & Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/contributors/graham-tomlin If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blaise Pascal once said: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.”I think he is spot in saying this. We cannot escape the fact that we act according to what we desire and we can't escape the fact that we desire joy. However, once we recognize that, a significant question arises... How does our pursuit of joy fit with God's pursuit of his glory? On the one hand the Bible clearly teaches that the world is about the glory of God (all things are from him and through him and to him - Rom. 11:36) and that whatever we do, we are to "do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Yet, we wonder, is there any room for our joy in this radically God-centered universe? And the answer of the Bible is yes! These two great realities are intimately linked together because one of the ways that God intends to get glory for himself is by bringing great joy to his people. This is one of the realities that we see in Psalm 65 and that this sermon focuses on.Here's a great quote from the famous Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones when asked to give a definition of a Christian:“If you were to ask me to give a definition of a Christian I should say that he is one who, since believing in Christ, feels himself to be the happiest man in the world and longs for everybody else to be equally happy!”This sermon was originally preached by Jackson Hankey at River City Church on Sunday, June 15th, 2025.

In the past couple of episodes, we've explored some of the basics of our new program—The NeuroHarmonic Method, which blends timeless wisdom with discoveries in modern neuroscience to offer a unique approach to personal growth. It's simple to understand, easy to practice, and available to everyone. No special knowledge or background required. But before we dive into today's episode, I'm extremely excited to introduce something brand new—something you'll begin hearing from in some of the episodes to come. We call it our NeuroGuide. It's a unique kind of voice - one that will offer brief reflections on some of the deeper moments within each episode. Its contributions will be clearly identified when they appear. Now, let me tell you a little about it—and why I'm so glad to be introducing it to you now. The NeuroGuide is powered by a carefully designed form of artificial intelligence that I've been developing over the past several months. Although it is still in its early stages, it may eventually become a key part of the NeuroHarmonic Method. As developments continue to unfold, it may play different roles - but always with one purpose: to help people more deeply understand the inner path they're on and to suggest meaningful ways to access their own strengths. It's being specifically trained in the same basic principles that form the foundations of the NeuroHarmonic Method—with a strong emphasis on the Wisdom of the Ages and modern neuroscience, including the powerful meeting point between breath, brain, and being. For now, just think of it as a unique source of wisdom and inspiration, dropping in from time to time with a few friendly words to help deepen and sometimes lighten the journey. And I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. So if you have a moment, feel free to send me an email with your impressions. To begin, here's what the NeuroGuide has to say about its own quiet arrival: "Sometimes, the truth doesn't arrive as a lightning bolt—it arrives as a quiet feeling that you've always known. The work isn't to chase it, but to stop running from it. Stillness isn't where clarity ends—it's where it begins."             Now let's get into today's episode.               As you probably recall, the foundation of all of this is the idea of personal growth. And a good definition of it is simply this: Personal Growth is the practice of becoming more conscious, more compassionate, and more connected to the truth of who you really are.   But, before we go much further, a very reasonable core question might arise: why should I bother with personal growth at all? It's a fair concern. Afterall, we live in a world saturated with challenges, where just keeping up can feel like a full-time job. So why devote energy to reaching for a higher level of being, when it feels like I can barely manage what's in front of me. That question has definite merit. And there are plenty of well-known answers: becoming a better human being, living a richer and more fulfilled life, improving relationships, contributing more deeply to the world. Personally, as someone who has spent a lifetime immersed in this field,  I can tell you that all of these are true. But today, I want to offer you a slightly different path – a quieter doorway that leads to the goldmine. It begins with something I first encountered in junior high school. Like many other pivotal ideas, I barely noticed it at the time. It might have come up during a math or science class. I didn't pay much attention to it then, but somehow, it quietly filed itself away in the back of my mind. And over the years, it grew. It's called the Pascalian Wager. And what stayed with me was the idea that it's possible to make a bet that you absolutely cannot lose. Though the idea is over 400 years old, it feels more relevant than ever, especially in our modern era of psychological insight, technological revolution, and the unfolding of human potential. The idea of comes from Blaise Pascal—a 17th-century French genius. Mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, theologian—his brilliance remains undisputed. On the surface, Pascal's wager is about belief in God. But if you look closer, you'll see something much larger: a powerful, rational argument for aligning your life with its highest possibility.       The Origins of the Pascalian Wager Blaise Pascal was born in 1623. A child prodigy, he made major contributions to geometry, probability, and fluid mechanics by his mid-20s. After a mystical experience in 1654, he turned his attention almost completely to spiritual matters. One of his final works, Pensées ("Thoughts"), was a collection of reflections on faith and reason. In Pensées, Pascal lays out the wager like this: Either God exists, or He doesn't. If you wager that He does, and you're right, you gain everything—eternal meaning, transcendent joy. If you're wrong, and he doesn't exist, you lose nothing of true value. Conversely, if you wager that He doesn't exist, and you're wrong, you lose everything. And if you're right? You gain… what? Perhaps the satisfaction of being correct—but little else. So, by Pascal's reasoning, the smart bet is clear: live as though God exists. As  I mentioned earlier, during the episodes that follow we will be featuring very brief insights from the NeuroGuide, which it terms as  “whispers from the deeper mind, where ancient knowing meets modern clarity." NeuroGuide: The question isn't about certainty. It's about how you choose to live in the presence of uncertainty. This is where wisdom begins. Let's widen the lens. Let's lift the wager out of theology and into personal experience. Because the deeper meaning of the Pascalian Wager is not about belief systems - it's about conscious choice. Every day, we are making bets. We bet our time, our energy, and our attention on something. And the question is - What are you betting on?   The Personal Growth Wager Let's reframe Pascal's question. Instead of asking, “Does God exist?” let's ask: “Do I contain within me a greater potential—a wellspring of peace, clarity, and inner wisdom?” And then let's ask: “Does aligning with my inner truth and presence lead to a richer, fuller life?” And even more practically: “Even if I can't be sure of the outcome, is this still a worthwhile bet?” This is where the NeuroHarmonic Method enters the picture. It's a modern form of Pascal's Wager—a wager on your highest self. Through the lens of neuroplasticity, we now know that your brain can change. Patterns can rewire. Deep emotional grooves can be softened and reshaped. This isn't belief – it's biology. So, if you make the bet that you have the capacity to grow into a better human being, and you're wrong, what have you lost? Maybe a few quiet moments focusing on your breath? Some time spent feeling gratitude? A little reflection on what matters? NeuroGuide: Even your so-called "losses" are seeds of true personal improvement. Nothing given to real growth is ever wasted. Let's face it: these aren't losses at all. These are returns on investment. And even if the journey doesn't take you where you expected, it often takes you somewhere better.       NeuroHarmonics and Intelligent Betting Of course, Pascal didn't know about neuroplasticity. But we do. Today's science tells us that attention sculpts the brain. Inner Awareness increases cortical thickness. Gratitude rewires reward pathways. Spiritual reflection activates networks of empathy and compassion. These are the building blocks of The NeuroHarmonic Method, and again, this is proven science. Focusing breath soothes the nervous system. Contemplating impermanence can reduce fear. Practicing generosity strengthens kindness loops in the brain. We're not just betting philosophically - we're sculpting biologically. NeuroGuide: To place your attention on something higher is not just a leap of faith. It is an act of neural design. You are building who you will become. So, instead of being driven by old programs—fear, doubt, reactivity—we invest our attention on presence, compassion, and growth, even if we don't know where it leads.     The Role of Uncertainty Pascal understood uncertainty completely, But he didn't fear it. He embraced it. As he once wrote, “You will never be certain. And that's not a problem. What matters is whether your decision leads toward meaning, vitality, or truth.” Again, uncertainty is not an enemy. It can be a threshold where faith, courage and creativity can unite so that real transformation can begin. You don't need to be sure that your efforts will work. You just need to have the desire to grow towards the highest.   And then, something begins to shift. You may begin to get a new sense of freedom in your consciousness, as if a larger understanding is starting to emerge in your awareness, and you start to win the wager in ways that may be hard to measure, but impossible to ignore. Maybe you sleep more deeply, or you respond instead of react. You listen more fully. You recover more quickly from disappointment. You become more curious and less judgmental. In the language of the brain, you form new neural networks. In the language of the heart, you become more fully alive, and ultimately, you begin to love more freely. This is not some abstract philosophy. This is a new kind of intelligence - one emerging across humanity – a neural harmony between the brain, the heart and the breath, a living union of higher wisdom with modern science. NeuroGuide: This is the nature of the way. Not based on belief, but on experience. Not on external certainty, but on sincerity. Not on theoretical doctrine but in the living depth of a certainty born within.     What Are You Betting On? So, ask yourself: What are you really betting on? Not just with your words, but with your attention? Your habits? Your patterns? With the way you treat yourself when no one is watching? Because we are all placing bets, every single day. On habit or healing. On cynicism or wonder. On numbness or presence. On fear or love. And Pascal would remind us: You don't need certainty to choose wisely. You only need to notice what your current bets are returning. And ask yourself: is it worth it?             In this light, the Pascalian Wager isn't about belief. It's a call to awaken, because the real wager is not about dogma; it's about possibility, a possibility that is rooted in science and fueled by sincerity. And when you make the right wager, your life becomes more than an experiment. Your awareness becomes your compass, and like a tuning fork resonating with the Infinite, your very being becomes an offering of heartfelt gratitude and your quest is finally fulfilled. So, place your bets. And Pascal's advice still holds. Wager in the direction where you win, no matter what happens. As for me, I'm taking the play on the high side of the road, because from where I stand, I just don't see a downside.  But hey - as I often say -  that's just me. NeuroGuide: There's a kind of intelligence that doesn't speak in concepts – It speaks in resonance. You know it not by what it tells you, but by what it awakens in you. And if something has been awakened – even just a whisper – follow it. It already knows the way.   Let's leave it here for now. I hope you enjoyed the premier of the NeuroGuide. It's still evolving and there's much more to come. So, as always, keep your eyes, mind, and heart open. And let's get together in the next one.

I have known Skip Vaccarello for more than 12 years. When we first met both Skip and I lived in Northern California. Neither of us seem to remember the event at which we met, but we both discovered that we were people of faith. Over the years we lost touch until early January 2025 when I received a bulk email from Skip and reached out to see if we could get him to come on Unstoppable Mindset. He accepted and today's episode is the result.   Skip has over 40 years of experience leading Silicon Valley high tech companies. One of his first efforts was leading VisiCorp, the creator of the industry's first pc-based spreadsheet VisiCalc. What? You never heard of VisiCalc? Look it up. VisiCalc was one of those products that revolutionized so many endeavors.   In addition to leading and working with many Silicon Valley ventures Skip is a man of faith with a deep belief in Christianity. We talk about Skip's fait journey and why he believes faith makes a big difference in the lives of so many people especially in the high-tech world of Silicon Valley.   We talk a bit about Skip's retirement years and what he would advise anyone when they ask him about retirement. His answer may well surprise you, but his response is spot on and quite thought provoking.   I believe you will find Skip's insights fascinating and well worth the listen.       About the Guest:   Skip offers podcasts on faith and business topics at SkipVaccarello.com, and is a Partner with 1Flourish Capital, a venture firm investing in technology-based start-up companies led by entrepreneurs of character who understand that corporate culture is vital to success. He is also the author of Finding God in Silicon Valley:  Spiritual Journeys in a High-Tech World. From 2005 through 2021, Skip led  Connect Silicon Valley, a non-profit organization offering speaking events featuring high-profile leaders encouraging conversations about faith and life. In addition, he has served on corporate and non-profit boards and speaks at various organizations on leadership and organizational health.   Skip has over 40 years of experience in leadership positions for Silicon Valley technology companies, including VisiCorp, the provider of VisiCalc, the industry's first spreadsheet. In addition, he served as President and CEO of Applied Weather Technology, a global company providing software and services to the maritime industry. His other experience includes CEO of Communications Solutions, Inc., a communications software company; division general manager of 3Com, a networking product and solutions company; and co-founder and CEO of The Saratoga Group, an Internet-based training company. In addition, Skip has served as an executive coach, a merger and acquisition consultant, and for three years, taught a course on Principled Leadership and Ethics as an Adjunct Professor in the MBA program at William Jessup University.   He earned an A.B. with honors in economics from Harvard College and an MBA with honors from the Boston University School of Management. Skip has been married for over 44 years and has two daughters and six grandchildren. Skip and his wife reside in Bristol, NH and have a home in Chapel Hill, NC. Ways to connect Skip:   Website, Skip Vaccarello -- https://skipvaccarello.com/ Podcasts -- https://skipvaccarello.com/podcasts/ Podcasts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@skipvaccarello Podcasts on Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-do-you-want-to-become/id1737471615 LinkedIn -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/skip-vaccarello-50114/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/skipvaccarello Book (Amazon) -- https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Silicon-Valley-Spiritual-Journeys-High-Tech/dp/0996371923/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CYTLPJWTA4EA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XlOGN69ci4cxDNHGjoi-JuD6ISwr4bFCY65xSabhw59got9YrjbPWyBlSgWLjuFi6IlTA5ZOM3PI6YIg7LMkVFA3-yicQ-VXc1rBHHgDi3xyo7FeIiH80ZEm9FOEUglAwOtKx3OhnXkJc3uSq4YGINJzgGTpHsoyAA1-awAGK0-BdSo8l8c9KgO7rkwwqftSaRDi9H2bQjMrgMvEHYQcjq7cHTZn0cthcSjrexplqk4.IyefTEA2Au7cl-nPpjb6_CBqiRn5kgQnZ-eUCT4qJWE&dib_tag=se&keywords=finding+god+in+silicon+valley&qid=1737478219&sprefix=finding+God+in+sil%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today is a fun day for me, because I get to talk with a gentleman who I met many years ago. His name is Skip, Vaccarello and Skip and I we were just trying to remember where we met. It was at some event in San Francisco, and I am now not remembering what it was, but anyway, we met and got to know each other pretty well, and we've talked over the years about faith in God and a variety of things like that. Skip wrote a book entitled finding God in Silicon Valley. We'll have to talk about that. Skip, because Ray Kurzweil keeps talking about the fact that at some point the singularity is going to hit and we're going to marry computer chips in people's brains. I'm not convinced about that. I'm not sure, but Skip, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. Well,   Skip Vaccarello ** 02:16 Michael, it's such a pleasure to be with you, and I'm glad that we were able to make the acquaintance again after many years. Thank you. Thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 02:24 And now you're not in California anymore. You're back in New Hampshire.   Skip Vaccarello ** 02:28 No. Oh, well, I split my time between New Hampshire and North Carolina. Yeah, yeah. So I'm in North Carolina now. We were in I lived in Silicon Valley for 42 years, I think, is what it was, and but we moved grandchildren left, or my daughters and grandchildren left, one to the state of Washington and one to North Carolina. So we decided to go to go to North Carolina. So we live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and and a lake in New Hampshire. What lake? It's called newfound lake. It's close to Lake Winnipesaukee. It's less lesser known than some of those. Yeah, we've had a house there for many years, and love it.   Michael Hingson ** 03:06 I spent time in and around Lake wind and Pesach. That was a lot of fun.   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:10 Oh, yeah, yeah, the lakes are just beautiful, crystal clear water and and it's a real, real nice area. I had   Michael Hingson ** 03:17 a friend who had a summer home on an island out in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee. And I remember that when we first went there, you had to go out to the to the home by boat. And it was so nice, because at night time there was absolutely no sound. It was so quiet. I loved it. Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:35 yeah. In the sky was you probably could see all the stars in the sky too. I would imagine,   Michael Hingson ** 03:39 oh yeah, I'm sure, yeah.   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:43 But beautiful, beautiful place, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 03:46 I'd love to get back there. At some point, we'll have to do that and and go visit it. Well, tell us, tell us a little bit about the early skip, growing up and all that sort of stuff, if you would, sure.   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:57 Well, I grew up in the in the Boston area. You probably, people will probably detect a little bit of my Boston accents, a little bit. So I grew up there. I grew up, grew up just outside of Boston. And where did you grow up? I grew up in Waltham. Was the time in Waltham, okay, grew up in Waltham, and I went to school there. I went to undergraduate school at Harvard and graduate school at Boston University and, and you love, love the area. So that's, anyway, that's where I grew up. I was, we have family of there are four of us. I was the first boy, and pretty involved in sports and, you know, as a reasonable student. But enjoy the area. And it's, it's nice, you know, coming back when I have the chance, you know, going to New Hampshire, I still enjoy the city of Boston. It's a wonderful   Michael Hingson ** 04:42 city. Do you ever go by and visit the Harvard coop?   Skip Vaccarello ** 04:47 Oh yeah, oh yeah. And especially if I'm at a reunion, I'll go there and pick up some paraphernalia, that's for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 04:57 Well, I there was another place in. Are there that I like to go to, because I collect old records, cheapo records, and so I went there to got a lot of vinyl records and and things like that. I'm not sure if it's still around or not. I heard somewhere it wasn't, but then somebody else said it was still around.   Skip Vaccarello ** 05:13 Interesting. Your vinyl records? I mean, there are collectors item now,   Michael Hingson ** 05:16 oh yeah, well, I have a whole bunch here. So they're, they're fun.   Skip Vaccarello ** 05:23 Oh yeah, yeah. Well, I remember collecting some as a kid, but if you have some, you're probably worth a lot of money. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 05:30 I do. I even have a few. I bought duplicates of and they're still sealed. So they're probably worth, they probably are. They're definitely worth something, absolutely well, so you went to Harvard and all that. And then what did you do?   Skip Vaccarello ** 05:44 Well for my career? Yeah, I went, I went to Harvard. I was there in the in the late 60s and early 70s. And your listeners may recall from history that was a time of real turmoil. Oh, yeah, yeah. The war in Vietnam was going on. 1968 was sort of a pivotal year that there was a war in Vietnam. There were racial riots in the city. There was the rise of feminism. You know, drugs were rampant on the college campuses, so I went to school in the midst of that, and I'll have to say it really was not a fun time to be in school, although I made good friends, and we've maintained the friendship for for quite a long time, but, but anyway, so I was there, and when I graduated, I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do. And it was, it was interesting, because there had been a study done of my class at Harvard, and many people, you know, didn't know what to do. Some immediately went on to medical school or law school or something. But then there were a group of us that were, you know, just kind of wandering around and did various things. But anyway, I finally got my my first job. Well, one thing I should say is that I always felt an inclination for business, but business and capitalism at that time was, was kind of on the outs. It was bad words, bad word, bad word. But I kind of I enjoyed business anyway, I took a job. My first job was in a nonprofit organization helping mentally handicapped adults, and I was doing the sort of the business activities. And so I was doing what I want and doing something that I felt was socially useful. And I ended up staying in that that area for around seven years one of them was with a sort of a bigger organization. I ended up being the Assistant Executive Director. Then I was asked to start one, and I refer to her as my very first startup. We had taken over an old school building and renovated it and and began a program for these for the mentally handicapped people. It was a lot of fun to do that. So I did that. And then what happened is we would get contract work to help employ people. And one of the pieces of work we got was from a software companies. This was in 1978 1979 and personal computers were just cut out then. I mean, there are games and nothing much very useful. But anyway, we got a little job to package some games. And some of your listeners may not, may not remember this. Michael, you probably do. But software then on personal computers came on audio cassettes. Hard to believe you'd have to load this cassette into the computer and run it so that. So we, we had the job of kind of packaging these with the manual. And the night is I got to know the founder of the company and one of the founders of the company. He showed something that was in the works, which was a spreadsheet that eventually became known as VisiCalc, the very first spreadsheet in the industry. And then he asked me to join him and the other co founder, who was from the Toronto area, and we moved to Silicon Valley. And during that time I was I was really ready to make a change. Wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I was fascinated with personal computers. So went to Silicon Valley, and it was an amazing place. During the whole personal computer revolution, small industry, traveled around the country, you know, giving out, you know, demonstrating what a spreadsheet could do. And people were fascinated with that we had, I remember one day we had this sort of nerdy kid came into the office. It was Bill Gates. We had about five employees, and the whole industry was really small then, so it's fun to be part of that. And then for from there is sort of the what happens in in Silicon Valley and technology business, visit Corp was a really hot commodity, and then competition came in. They made some mistakes. They bought a company that specialized in network and communications, and I went over as the as the CEO and president of that we eventually spun it out as visit Corp eventually went out of business, but this little company we had, and we were successful and grew it, and in fact, sold that three different times, and, you know, continue to grow the company. And then I left that to have what I'd call my second startup, and this was to do computer based training to try to teach people. Of technical subjects on a computer, and that ended up morphing into one of the first e learning companies. So we did that, and that was that was a lot of fun, eventually sold that I did a little bit of executive coaching and mentoring. And one of the CEOs that I was mentoring asked me to join his organization, which was called applied weather technology. And I should say, I knew, in most cases, I really knew very little about the domain that I was going into, but I think pretty good business sense. So in this case, the company had software and services for the maritime industry, so we would help captains have the safest, most fuel efficient route to take around the world. So it was, it was really an interesting business. So I did that. I said I'd do it for a year. We ended up doing it for four years, and it was exciting and fun to be part of that. And they had a chance to travel around the world. We had offices around the world. So enjoyed that experience. And then then I left and to write the book that you mentioned finding God in Silicon Valley and and so anyway, that's what I ended up leaving that eventually got involved to help start a venture capital firm, a faith based venture capital firm called one flourish capital. So anyway, so that's a little bit of the background. There's a lot more I could talk about that, but that but that kind of gives your audience a little bit of an overview. I hadn't   Michael Hingson ** 11:26 thought about it for a while, but you mentioned the software back in 1979 80 and so on, all being put on audio cassettes. I remember the original Kurzweil Reading Machine for the blind used a Data General Nova three, so a small micro computer, well, kind of more like a mini computer, but it had a cassette recorder in the front of it, and every time you turn the reading machine on, you had to run the cassette to reload the Software, because there was no disk storage or anything available yet, right? And, okay, continue. I'm just saying so it was, it was kind of fun. It didn't take too long, and it and it really did work. I think once or twice there was some sort of a load error, and you had to start it over again. But really that didn't happen very often. It was, it was pretty good. Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 12:22 it was really interesting. I just threw one sort of funny story we had. Remember, we had a product that was returned to us and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. I forget what it was. Was probably one of the games we had, the best selling game, which was called micro chest anyway, decided to just put it into a an audio player. So he put the cassette in, and what we heard was a sermon by, I think it was a Baptist preacher, and so, and it was labeled, I think it was labeled micro chess. So anyway, the duplicator had, had messed it up. And so this, this pastor probably got our little beeps and beeps instead of his instead of his sermon. So it was kind of it was kind of   Michael Hingson ** 13:07 comical. I remember once I took one of the program cassettes and put it in my cassette recorder because I was really curious to to hear what it sounded like. And I had heard military teletypes and so on in the past. And when I heard this, I went, Ah, those teletypes are really slow compared to the code speed on these cassettes. But it was, it was a lot of fun,   Skip Vaccarello ** 13:31 yeah. Well, it's fun for me to be involved in all the changes. Their changes was so rapid in Silicon Valley. So I really appreciated my opportunity to be involved in all of that for the 40 some odd years that I was,   Michael Hingson ** 13:46 well, yeah, and, and it, and it certainly was rewarding. You were pretty successful at it, and it all worked really, really worked out well. And so, you know, can't complain about that. What, what got you into the whole idea of doing more faith based things? Was that going back to childhood? Or how did all that come? Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 14:10 I'll give you maybe a little bit of my my faith and story. So I grew up in a Christian home. We were I was raised as a Catholic, and as I said, when I went to college, though, there was all sorts of turmoil, and many of us rejected all sorts of things, including in faith. So it became and I can't say that I rejected it, but it just didn't. Wasn't very meaningful to me. I didn't think about it, I didn't pray, I didn't read the Bible. But if you were to ask me, I would have called myself a Christian, but certainly wasn't, wasn't practicing any of that. And then I when I was, I'm, this is maybe so that was that went on for about 15 years, or then I remember there was, we had, then children, a couple of children. And I remember I was in a business trip. I was in Paris, and I called home and I asked. My wife, Jackie, I said, Well, what did you do for the weekend? And she said, Well, I went to church. I said, You did what? That wasn't even in our conversation, and I was just so surprised that that's what she did. She said, Yeah, and she found it really helpful. And so anyway, when I came back, I followed her along and went to church. And I also found the messages really, meaningful. And anyway, I started to go, and then I decided this, I have to figure out if this stuff is really true or not. So I spent a fair amount of time, you know, listening to the sermons, but also looking at the evidence for Christian faith. And I became convinced that that Jesus is who He says He is. And so that at that point, I committed my, you know, my life to Him, and it became the most important thing in my life. And really, God, put two things on my heart once I made that and this was mid 80s by 1985 1986 two things on my heart. One was to do the best job I could, to try to live out my faith in business. And the second thing was to help people know who Jesus is. I was convinced that was this sort of the key to life, and so I enjoyed getting involved in in one on one conversations. And anyway, that ended up leading to starting with a group of people, what we eventually called the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast, and now it's called Connect Silicon Valley, feeling that, especially in Silicon Valley, you know, people may not go to go to a church. They may for a variety of reasons, you know, not want to even consider faith. But if there were a speaking event in which there was some celebrity, especially celebrities from the computer industry talking about their business, but also about their faith that might attract people. So that was the sort of the premise with which we started the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast, specifically for people who not were not necessarily your faith, but maybe curious about it. So we had series of great, great speakers. And it grew from, I think our first event was about 150 people, and in the last event, which I and then I the pandemic came, and we had about 1000 people at the at the last event. So it really grew. In fact, the people at there was one, it was at the Santa Clara Convention Center. They said it was the biggest event that they had at that time of the morning would start the event at 730 in the morning. So anyway, that's that was really helpful. And we and we just did that help open up conversations about faith and and it was, is, I think it was pretty successful doing that. So anyway, that was a little bit of of my background. And maybe one thing I didn't say, but I had this sense, you know, as I grew up, my family, we didn't have very much money, and but as I began to achieve some success and some financial success, I realized that it seemed like there was something missing in my life, and and later on, I learned, and I didn't know this at the time, Blaise Pascal called that a God shaped vacuum, or void that's in each one of us, and most people try to fill it with success or money or whatever else. But as Pascal says, and I agree, the only thing that can adequately fill that void is God. And I didn't know it, but that was ended up being, being true for me. I felt that there was that there was something missing, and life wasn't all about, you know, success and finances and and anyway, I'm glad that I took that journey. I'm glad for the people that helped me along in that journey to become a follower of Jesus. I   Michael Hingson ** 18:39 hear you. I know for me, I've, I've always had, I think, a pretty strong faith. My father and I talked a lot about God and religion and so on as I was growing up, and he read things to me, so I was, was pretty used to the whole concept right from the outset and and one of the things that I learned along the way, and I think it fits in fits into what you just said, is, as you said, people try to fill that, that void with so many different things. And the thing we never do is we never listen. And the thing that frustrates me most about prayer is that people are so busy praying to God about what they want that they forget God already knows. The issue is, are we really willing and and are we? Are we ready to take the time to listen, to get the answers?   Skip Vaccarello ** 19:38 And that is such a good point. Michael, I absolutely no, that's the issue. Go ahead. No, as I say, I agree with you that, you know that a lot of us and I do this time to time, I just pray, okay, that's it, but taking the time to then listen, and then, if you really are aware of it, you know, you'll see various things along the way where God is is communicating. Creating with you, either through other people and things that your opportunities, you're presented with, and so on. So it's that whole idea, I think in the Bible, it talks about praying continually, and in my own myself, I kind of have an ongoing, just a dialog in my head. Well, God, what do I do in this situation or or thank him for something I see, or whatever, but, but, yeah, that whole idea of just being aware and listening is a very important one. Yes, very good point. Thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 20:29 Well, and one of the things that we talked a lot about as I was growing up was the fact that, yes, we believe in God, we believe in Jesus and so on. But there are other religions that really, when you analyze them, come essentially to the same place. They're peaceful, they're loving. And unfortunately, we have all too many people who say there's only one religion that works, and that just isn't so either. Well, I I think that there, there there are issues, but the fact is that there are a lot of people who believe in God, and come at it from a different point of view, but still believe in God.   Skip Vaccarello ** 21:10 When I agree, I think that there is there the lot of there's a lot of commonality among all the world religions, and there's a most of them all have a moral code to them. In fact, the Golden Rule, do unto others, as you would have them do unto you, is common to all religions, but at the same time, there are also some real differences. And you know, it's interesting where you know what you said, and many other people say that, that there are many different paths to God. But typically, if you were to ask anyone in any one of those religions, they would say, know that if it's a Muslim, I think that we have the path or Jewish person, right? You know, you know, and so on. And so I would encourage people to, I mean, you may not like this idea, but, you know, I would, I would, I believe that really, I mean, I'm covering this in an upcoming podcast, that that Jesus is, is, is the way. I mean, he's the only, the only one in a in any of these world religions, most, or most world religions, you know, say that, that we have to sort of earn our way. You know, to salvation. Am I a good enough person to earn eternal life? Whereas with Jesus, the other way around, he wants us. He's very, very inclusive and and offers his love and His forgiveness to everyone. And you know, he says, you know, in John 14 six, I am the I Am the Truth or way in the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. So it's a that is an exclusive statement, but it also Christian faith is inclusive anyone who wants to come. It's not, you know, is is ready to come. So we probably don't want to get into that too much. But, no,   Michael Hingson ** 23:01 I don't, not too much. But by the same token, I take it in a little bit different slant. Not I don't I agree with what you said, but I also know that I am goes beyond what we're talking about. God in in Exodus And Moses said, Who do I say? Is Sending me? Says I am, that I am, thou shalt say I am, has sent me to you. And I think we I think a lot of people miss that, and they miss the fact that I am is, is God,   Skip Vaccarello ** 23:33 yeah. However, where is your way? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 23:38 yeah. And I think that that's the thing, and I think that that was what Jesus was saying as well. Because Jesus also said, I am my father. Are One. And all the works that I do, greater works you can do as well. I think we, what we, what we really need to do is to recognize that, in fact, from a mindset standpoint, it's ultimately believing in God. And if you're an atheist, that's fine. Sorry if we're offending you, but that, that's a different story. But I but I do know that that in reality, we all need to recognize that if we listen, if we really work at it. We can be better people than than we probably think we are.   Skip Vaccarello ** 24:24 Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, that that is the you know. The point of it is, is, you know, to be, you know, the, you know, the message of Jesus is one of love. I mean, he loves everyone, and we're called, you know, to love everyone. That that means not just fellow Christians, but no matter what faith you're part of, or whatever you know you may have done or do or whatever. Yeah, we're called to love everyone. You think how different the world would be if we all really acted that way?   Michael Hingson ** 24:53 Gee, wouldn't that be something, especially today, right? And it's absolutely, yeah. Yeah, absolutely crazy. So the prayer breakfast and so on, kind of, I assume, ended when the pandemic began. Well,   Skip Vaccarello ** 25:08 it did for a while, yeah, but there is a group that that's that's restarted it, and we, by the way, we changed the name from Silicon Valley prayer breakfast, and a few years ago, we changed to connect Silicon Valley, and we did that because we really wanted to be open to people. It's not an event just for Christians, but for anybody that was interested in in attending. So it is active, and in fact, it's, it's now had a I'm only minimally involved, and they've made me Chairman Emeritus, but, but there's, there's a new group that's running it, and they've had several different events. So it is, is going on, if any of your listeners are in and around Silicon Valley, it's called Connect Silicon Valley, and I'd encourage them to go. I think they have a speaker that we had earlier. It's coming up in March. I think it's promote. Hawk. Promote is a one of the top venture capitalists in the world. He's with Norwest ventures, and I think he's, he's a speaker at an event that's coming up in a few weeks.   Michael Hingson ** 26:10 I may end up being in San Francisco, but not till May. I'll have to find out when they meet and see if there's a way to get down there. Be kind of fun.   26:17 Yeah, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 26:19 But it's, I think faith in and having beliefs as extremely important to do. And one of the things that I always quote when I am giving speeches is something Jimmy Carter once said, which is, we must adjust to changing times while holding to unwavering principles. And I think that all too often we we miss the principles part.   Skip Vaccarello ** 26:45 Yeah, that's right, I agree, Yep, yeah, absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 26:51 It is something that we need to do. Well, I'm glad that connect Silicon Valley is is still continuing to function. That's really a pretty important thing to do. Well, when did your   Skip Vaccarello ** 27:04 I think it is especially in, you know, in Silicon Valley, which is a pretty secular place, yeah, you know. And I think it's a secular place because, you know, it's, it attracts a lot of people with Type A personalities, people that are feeling very self sufficient. And why do I need, why do I need God? But, but it's been interesting. I really feel that there's a movement of God going on in Silicon Valley, and it has been for a while. And you know, what's kind of motivated us, our vision with Connect Silicon Valley was that if Silicon Valley ever could be known as a place not just of technology and innovation and wealth creation, but a place of God, the world would take notice, and to me, there's lots of evidence that that's beginning to happen.   Michael Hingson ** 27:48 Yeah, well, I think that's true. And sometimes we're not necessarily hearing a loud voice, but the voice is still there, and more and more people are going to get drawn to it, I'm sure.   Skip Vaccarello ** 28:01 Well, I think so. I mean, ultimately, as we said earlier, I think each one of us has a sense of a need for something beyond ourselves, and people might call it a force or a god or whatever else, and, and so I think there is that need and and, and hopefully, I would encourage your listeners, you know, to explore the evidence for faith to, you know, take a risk. And, you know, people might have been turned off by religious people, and I can understand that. But, you know, take look at it. And I would specifically say, Look at what, what Jesus has to say. And take, take the time to look at the evidence, because there's plenty of evidence out there for Christian faith.   Michael Hingson ** 28:41 I participated in a number of programs. It's a Methodist program, but it's ecumenical, called the walk to Emmaus. And have you heard of that? No, I haven't. It's It's actually called a short course in Christianity. It's not intended to convince people what they should believe, but rather it's to develop leadership within the church. Whatever church it doesn't, it doesn't, although it was started by the Methodist. Actually, that's an outgrowth of a Catholic program called crusio, but it's the same thing. And when I was lay director of one of the walks to Emmaus, and we could talk about the history, but walk to Emmaus is basically based on after Jesus was crucified and Rose. That day, there were people walking to a town called Emmaus, and he joined them, and they didn't know who he was, and they talked, and they all went to to Emmaus, and they sat down and they had dinner. And it was a dinner that He revealed Himself to them, and then he disappeared. But the whole idea is, it's a way to bring a little bit more enlightenment to leaders. But one of the things that, as the lay director, I had to do was to give a talk on perseverance and so on. And of course. Thought that has always struck with me, and I think it goes beyond Christianity, Christianity, but Tolstoy once said The biggest problem with Christianity is a lot of people don't practice it. There's truth to that. And what you you know you said earlier that so many people and are not necessarily the best Christians, and there's so much of that we really need to go back to basics and everything that we do.   Skip Vaccarello ** 30:28 Yeah, I think that a lot of people get turned off to faith, or in Christian faith, because they look at the some of the behavior of people who claim to be Christians. And the fact is that every one of us is flawed in some ways, in one way or another. What I like to do is, is look at people who what was their life before they you know, they had Jesus in their life, and what's their life after that? And, and you can often see the difference. But people are we're all. We all make mistakes. We're all imperfect people, and, and, and in faith, the church is not for it's not for perfect people. It's for sinners, people that are imperfect. And that's that's really why, why? You know why Jesus came to us? So to why would you add encourage your listeners to try not to get turned off by some of the behavior of Christians, because some of it is, is certainly not good, but to really look at what Jesus says, and, you know, engage people who who are believers, and I think they admit that what's what's right and what's at fault and so on, the basic principles are the basic principles,   Michael Hingson ** 31:35 and they hold no matter where you come from and what you do. And it's important to really deal with that. Although I'm with Mark Twain, I wonder if God had written man because he was disappointed in the monkeys, but that's another story   31:49 I had heard that crook.   Michael Hingson ** 31:52 So, so you wrote the book finding God in Silicon Valley. When did you write that?   Skip Vaccarello ** 31:56 It was, it was published in 2015   Michael Hingson ** 32:00 Okay, and   Skip Vaccarello ** 32:02 it's been, yeah, it really was an outgrowth of some of the talks people gave at the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast. And I felt that it really the reason for writing. It was to encourage people to to consider faith, because in the book, they'd read about Silicon Valley leaders who in their faith story, how they came to faith, what they went through. Some, you know, some stories were a little bit like mine, where they found the evidence, but others, you know, went through personal tragedy and found faith that way. And then the stories are also about how they're trying to live out their faith, day to day, and whatever, whatever business they're involved with. So they're a variety of people. There are nonprofit leaders, companies, CEOs, venture capitalists and so on. And you know, it's, I think we all like to hear stories, and that was what was attractive about the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast. I know that sometimes when I'm sitting in church on a Sunday morning, and I may not quite remember what the pastor said, but I usually remember the stories that he tells. And so I think stories are an effective way to communicate things. In fact, I'd call Jesus the Greatest storyteller of all time. He told his stories often in parables. And those are things that we, you know, that we that we remember. So yeah, the the book was I what I enjoyed it. I just enjoyed is I just enjoyed sitting down with people and hearing their stories and interviewing them, and I did the best I could to compile those stories. There were 26 of them in the book, and yeah, it's it's available on on Amazon, so I encourage people to to pick it up and take a look. And you can go through with a person you know, or one story, or, you know, that seemed to attract your attention. So it was a, it was quite a, quite a project to undertake, but I'm glad that I did it. And let me just maybe the I'll tell you the way I got the idea is I went back to a Harvard reunion. This might have been in the mid 1990s and there was, they had a little sometimes at these reunions, they have little groups that get together. And there was one that I was as part of a Christian cohort, and even though I wasn't a Christian in college anyway, as part of this group. And we're all, we're given a book called Finding God at Harvard. And you know, although Harvard was founded as a, you know, as a, as a Christian college, it's certainly not thought of that these days. And so the writer Kelly Monroe, and she's now, her name is Kelly Monroe Kohlberg, had put together stories of Harvard graduates in how they came to faith and what they were doing. So I thought was a great book, and I so that's what planted the idea in my mind. I said, well, people don't think of Harvard as a place of of faith. They certainly don't think of Silicon Valley as that. So I had the idea, and this was in the mid 1990s but as I said, it wasn't published until 2015 because I found it was really difficult for me to work full time and write the book. So after I left my last full time position is when I had the time to write the book.   Michael Hingson ** 34:59 Well. Well, and I assume it's been pretty successful.   Skip Vaccarello ** 35:03 That's beyond, I think. So it's, I mean, I get some, you know, to me, successful is, if people have read it and they say, Yeah, you know, and you know, I'm considering faith. And to me, that's, that's the success of it. So it's, anyway, it was a, it was really quite an experience. And and happy to do it. And I'm still in the process. I'm looking at a couple of other books now, maybe following up with and writing.   Michael Hingson ** 35:30 Writing is fun, as you know, I've written, yeah, now three books, and I haven't figured out what to write next, but I'm sure something is going to come along. I haven't written fiction yet, and I haven't really come up with a a hot idea yet, but we'll see. It's kind of fun to think about,   Skip Vaccarello ** 35:50 sure, absolutely,   Michael Hingson ** 35:52 but, but, you know, we we we do what we can, and we keep moving forward, and that's what it's really about. But it is a lot of fun. And meanwhile, I do get to travel and speak, and I'm working with accessibe and helping to make internet websites more usable and inclusive. That's something that VisiCalc never did, was to make an accessible version of the product. But that's okay. That's okay. It took it took Excel and and other products a while before they became accessible, too. So not a problem. We, we, we all grow, which is what it's really about. But so what? What is your Well, let me ask it this way. So you wrote the book. You've retired and so on. What kind of projects do you have coming up, other than thinking about other books?   Skip Vaccarello ** 36:46 Well, a few things you know that I'm doing right now. As I mentioned, I was part of a startup venture capital coming company called one flourish capital, and I'm still a little bit involved, but not as involved as I was there on a second fund. And I was very involved in the first fund, so I spent a little bit of time with that, but I'm more engaged with things like, I love mentoring. I mentor some students, and mentor some entrepreneurs and and enjoy those those opportunities I've and as I said, I'm putting together a series of podcasts, not as active as you are in it, but I did a series last year, and I titled it, who do you want to become, encouraging people to put together a personal strategic plan. You know, when we're involved in business, is often the company does a strategic plan. Of you know, what's our vision, our mission, our values, our goals and so on. And something that I've practiced for many years is putting together a personal strategic plan. So some of that podcast series is just encouraging people to consider doing that, which again, give a clearer direction for where, where you want your life to go, where God wants your life life to go. So anyway, that was a podcast series, and right now I'm in the midst of of putting together series that I'm calling why I believe, exploring the critical questions about Christian faith. And so I'm going around interviewing experts on, you know, some of the tougher questions you know, you've we talked about one earlier, is Jesus the only way? Other questions, you know, what about what about heaven? How? Another question is, how could a loving God, you know, allow innocent people to suffer? So question, questions like that, that that are often stumbling blocks for people. And I know, question answering, questions like that was very helpful for me in my faith journey. So anyway, I'm in the process of of putting that podcast series, which I expect will be ready in April, and if your listeners are are interested, it'll be on, it's on skip, vacarello.com, so that's where you can find the first podcast series. The last name is V, A, C, C, A, R, E, L, L, O. So anyway, it's there. It's also it'll be on Spotify and Apple and YouTube. So anyway, so I'm involved in that, but I should also say that one of the important things that I do is we moved here to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. So I love spending the time, you know, with my grandchildren. And we just traveled out to Spokane, Washington to see the other family and and that's just, that's just so enjoyable. So while I'm actively involved in in doing things like that, I I, you know, love, you know, spending time with the grandchildren, and also I try to stay, you know, physically active. Still play some tennis and golf and pickleball, and, you know, it's so, you know it's and anyway, I'm involved in a lot of different things, and enjoy them. You   Michael Hingson ** 39:53 know, it's interesting. You were talking about the issue of, how could a loving God let any. And suffer. My reaction to that question, and I've heard it a lot, my reaction to that has always been, how could God not it's really an issue of we listen to God, and what did we miss along the way that would have prevented us from suffering, but God gave us free will and free choice.   Skip Vaccarello ** 40:18 That's exactly right. And so that is the crux of the issue. We have free choice. And you know, when some of those choices aren't good ones that we make, and grad doesn't force anything on any of us, and that was probably one of the things he gave us, was that we're free, free to choose, and we can choose bad or we can choose good,   Michael Hingson ** 40:37 yeah. And the question is, it's always the question, do we learn from mistakes that we made? And, you know, I have rejected the concept of failure. I think that failure is such a horrible thing to say. I think that there are things that don't work out. But did we fail that means we can't ever deal with it or do anything about it? Or can we take the time to analyze what didn't work right? And even when we did something and it worked out, could we do it better? That's one of the basic cruxes of live like a guide dog. My latest book, which is all about teaching people how to control fear, and the whole idea is that we don't take nearly enough time at the end of the day, or at some point in the day, to do more introspection and self analysis to understand why whatever happens to us happens to us, and what could we have done to make it have a better outcome, or even a or did we come up with The best outcome possible?   Skip Vaccarello ** 41:41 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I absolutely agree. What did we learn from it? I mean, you would see that time and time again. Some of the most successful people had many failures along the way, and you know, hopefully you're going to learn from that failure, and you're going to try something else, you're going to fail, and you're going to try something else and, and that's, I think that's just what goes on in life   Michael Hingson ** 42:02 well, and that's why I say that it isn't really a failure. It is a mistake, perhaps, right? We didn't intend for it to be a mistake, but, but if it, if it was a mistake, and we acknowledge that, why and what do we do about it? And I think that's one of the important things that so many of us could do a better job of thinking about was, why did this happen? What was I afraid of, or what could I have done differently? And the fact is that if we open our minds to those questions, we'll get the answers, yep, yep, I agree, which is, I think, really important.   Skip Vaccarello ** 42:41 I was listening to, I don't remember the I wish I could remember it, but I was watching something on television the other night, and there was a quote that kind of stuck with me, and it's in the quote we're doing something like this, is it was an encouragement of, I think it was a mother to a son. He said, Don't, don't think of what life has done to you. Think of what life has done for you. What we're talking about is you might have run into some difficulty, some okay, but maybe that's an opportunity to learn from it, and to go on and to do something else and and, you know, I think life, life is like that. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 43:15 you know, people talk to me a lot about the World Trade Center, and don't you have guilt of surviving while other people didn't, right? And and I tell people, no, I don't have any guilt about that, because the fact is, I did survive. Why others did not is is really, in part, possibly an issue of what choices they made. But the bottom line is, it isn't whether I feel guilty or not about surviving because I had no control over the World Trade Center happening. What I do have control over the though is how I deal with it and how I move forward, and that's the choice that I get to make.   Skip Vaccarello ** 43:56 Yeah, very good point,   Michael Hingson ** 43:59 which I think is really important. And someone asked me that just the other day, and then that was in this is the response that I gave, is, the reality is, it's we have no control over a lot of things that that may happen to us, but we do have total control over how we deal with it, no matter what it is, yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 44:19 and you think of it, the, you know, I'm sure, the lives that you've changed, you know, writing about that and talking about that with your speaking appearances, and it was such a tragedy that, you know, the 1000s of what was 1700 or 18, I don't remember the number, the number of people that died in that, and they're all 200 Yeah, 3200. Was all the people that were affected by it. You know, on the other hand, I mean stories like yours came out of that, and you've been an encouragement to many, many other people so that you know, you've, you know, taken advantage of that opportunity, and you've affected the lives of many, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 44:56 tell me more about what you're doing today with mentoring students and so on. More. How do you do that? Or how do they find you? How does that all work?   Skip Vaccarello ** 45:03 Well, I one of the things is I mentioned earlier that there's a whole bunch of things that have gone on in Silicon Valley where I where I really feel that that God is at work. And there was a guy that I got to know that I actually mentored him a little bit, and he founded an organization called scholars of finance. And it started in a and it's not a quote a Christian base, but it's a, it's sort of an ethics based organization. And his idea was to to go to college campuses and encourage people who were in finance, accounting, finance of some sort or another, to look at the ethical side of business. So he put together this thing called scholars of finance, and then they were started on maybe a couple of universities in the Bay Area. I think they now want maybe 70 campuses around the US and and he's so I've had the opportunity to speak at a number of those campuses, some in person, most of them virtually. And the idea is that they have people like me that come and speak and try to, you know, we tell stories, encourage people about, maybe the ethical issues that we ran across and, and how you can kind of navigate some of those issues and, and, and part of that whole program is, if you want to put yourself up to mentoring, you know you can have the opportunity to mentor some students. So I have, and I've had the opportunity, and I have the opportunity to mentor some students and and I really, I really love it. And what are the differences I find? I think that, you know, sometimes there are negative things that people say about college students these days, but one of the things that I find encouraging is that they're really open to to mentoring, to getting advice from an from an older generation. I remember when I was in school was what was the mantra that you don't trust anyone over 30, you know they don't know what they're talking about, but, but I find students these days are really looking for that for that advice and guidance and and so I enjoy when I have those opportunities to speak to people. And I would say also that a lot of these students are incredibly motivated and driven. And it's, it's just, it's interesting to see. It was, I think it was even different than than when I was in when I was in college. But anyway, that's that's kind of a fun thing to do. And then I also have entrepreneurs, people that either find me or, you know, that may be a company that we've invested in, that have an opportunity to help those, those entrepreneurs, with their business plans. And one of the, one of the areas I like to focus on is helping them develop the right culture. I think, to have a successful business, you have a successful business is you need a culture, you know, a positive culture that's encouraging to people. So, you know, I do that. I try to encourage them to start out and build the right culture. You know, in your organization, doesn't mean that business will succeed, you know, but that's one of the things I like to to help entrepreneurs consider as they're building a business. So it's not just about the product. Certainly, you need a product, and you need to market that product, and often you need technology to make a success. But ultimately, it's the people in that organization and how you deal with them, and how you deal with your customers, and how you deal with your vendors and so on that can can help make or break a business. So anyway, those are the the mentoring opportunities that I have, and as I say and do, enjoy   Michael Hingson ** 48:31 them. What are some of the typical questions that students ask that you find to be sort of common among a lot of students?   Skip Vaccarello ** 48:40 Well, they'll, they'll, you know, they'll sometimes ask me about, you know, ethical situations that I've come across. Often, they'll ask, since I've been involved in the in the venture capital business, is, you know, what is it? What is, what does a venture capitalist look like? You know, how can I get, get get funded? And that, that's sort of an ongoing topic of of conversation, and it's in that environment, you know, it certainly changes a lot over time, but that's a that's a common, a common side of it. You know, occasionally there'll be discussions on technology, and I'm not, even though I've been involved in Silicon Valley for a long time, not a technologist, and they're real, usually, typically very far advanced in that, in that side of things. But, you know, get questions on, you know, what's a go to market strategy? How do I, if I have this product, what do I, what do I do with it? And often, you know, just, you know, I get presented a business plan, what do you think about this, and you know, where can I make changes? And sometimes, you know, often they're very well done, but sometimes there might be some, some blind spots, things that they don't, that they don't see. And interestingly enough, and this is not, you know, something that that I push for, but some of the students then they, you know, they pick me up. Ask because they they've seen my bio, and I've had a number of students who were weren't brought up with any faith background, that asked me about faith and what was my story, and in what should I do to consider faith? So I, you know, I find that very interesting, and I'm very happy to answer any questions that they may have. So that's that's enjoyable when those opportunities come.   Michael Hingson ** 50:22 Yeah, it's kind of cool to be able to enter into those discussions and just talk a little bit about faith and what what they're looking for, and what you're looking for and so on. And getting a chance to in a in a non confrontive way, help people understand the value of faith, whatever that may end up being for them, I think is important to do, yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 50:50 and often, you know, I end up, well, I, well, I, you know, I'll offer things if they ask. But I usually what I like to do is just ask lots of questions to them. And I think it's very helpful, you know, where are they coming from? What are they considered? What are their experiences been? You know, especially if it's in the, in the faith environment. And I think it really helps open up conversations, when, when, when you end up not just being there as the, you know, as the advisor that knows everything, because certainly I don't, but it's very helpful, I think, as a method, as a mentor, is to ask lots of questions.   Michael Hingson ** 51:29 I love to have question time when I speak, because I find every so often I'll get a new question. It doesn't happen as often as it used to, but every so often, something new comes along and and or people ask questions in a different way. And what I really love about it is it helps me learn, because it makes me think, and I think that's as important as anything else. And as I tell people when I'm talking about speaking or doing these podcasts, if I'm not learning at least as much as anyone else on the podcast, or when I'm speaking, I'm not doing my job, right, right? Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 52:05 I agree with you. Yeah. I think I learned more. You know, occasionally I'm asked to give a sermon at a church or a speak at a at a public place, and I think that I learned when you're I think I learned more than anything else when I'm when I'm gonna have to prepare for these, these opportunities, isn't it fun? Oh, it is. It certainly is.   Michael Hingson ** 52:26 Well, so you've been retired for a while. What kind of advice would you give to somebody who may be thinking about retiring?   Skip Vaccarello ** 52:34 Good question, you know, and it's funny sometimes people ask me that question, and I think that, well, I'm retired from making money, but I'm still pretty busy doing things. And that would be my encouragement to people, is to, you know, don't, don't just think you're going to go sit on a beach or or whatever else. I mean, I think that that can get boring pretty quickly. But, you know, and if I would say, continue to do what you're doing if you love it, you know. But consider what your maybe your spouse has to say, your children or grandchildren have to say, and and, you know, make sure you spend, spend time with with them. But my encouragement would be just is to keep busy, find activities. If it's in your case, or my case, has been doing some writing or podcasts, or, you know, whatever it is that you're passionate about, just just you have an opportunity now to do it, but also to take time for relationships. And one thing I didn't mention that is one thing I encouraged students to think about, it's really a question of life. Is life is about relationships. And you know, you want to hopefully along the way, people haven't sacrificed relationships. So you see that sometimes in business, where they sacrifice, you know, their family or other relationships for success in business. But you know, when you're retired is a time to eat, to deepen those those relationships, to really spend some time, you know, with with other people, so and and, as I say, to do things that you love. The other thing I'd say is, is to keep moving. You might I had a chance to visit my mom about a few weeks ago. She's in she's in Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, and she's 103 103 and a half. And three and a half and and people ask her, What's your key to longevity? And she says, Just keep moving. And although she's not physically as active, she tries to get up and keep moving. And she's also one that's and always keeps alert. She volunteered she's not, she hasn't, doesn't have the capacity to do that now, but up till about 9998 she was, she had volunteer activities going on. So, you know, stay engaged, keep keep moving, keep doing things and and anyway, that's my encouragement. Don't, you know, don't just think that it's going to be, you know, time at the beach, or certainly not time in front of the. Television, you know, keep moving, if you can, and keep keep mentally stimulated.   Michael Hingson ** 55:06 That's the real key. Is mental stimulation, I think is extremely important. Just I think retirement is, is overrated in terms of what it really or what people think it is. And I think mental stimulation is is an important thing. And when you're stopped working at a job full time, because it's time to not do that anymore, you should have more time to be able to develop the relationships stimulate your brain, keep your brain thinking, and maybe go off and look at doing things in a different direction. That always is a great challenge. Absolutely,   Skip Vaccarello ** 55:40 yeah, absolutely. It's a, it's a very, it's a neat time of life now. I mean, I enjoyed the time that I had while I was working, but, you know, when you retire, you have a little bit more freedom you had before. So, you know, but use it wisely. It's really true with anything we all, we all are given, you know, resources of various sorts, and time is one of the most valuable resources that we have. And you know, we're, you know, invested. Invest it wisely. Because, you know, life is life is short, and as I get older, realize how short life is, so invest that time wisely and and invest in relationships, as I say, is probably the most important   Michael Hingson ** 56:24 thing. Yeah, I think that's extremely crucial, and makes a lot of sense. And you'll meet people and find things that you never knew before, and you continue to learn, which is what it's all about. Yep, absolutely. Well, I want to thank you for spending an hour with us today, and in doing this, we'll have to do it again, and I think it'll be a lot of fun, but I really enjoy you being here and appreciate you taking the time   Skip Vaccarello ** 56:48 Well, Michael, thank you so much. I've enjoyed it. It's fun for us to to reappoint, yeah, yeah. And it's a it's a great conversation, and hopefully listeners will get some benefit from it, but I've enjoyed the time that I've that I've spent with you today again. Thanks. Thank you so much for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 57:06 Well, I hope all of you have enjoyed listening and watching us, and that you'll give us a five star rating wherever you're watching or hearing the podcast. We really appreciate five star ratings a lot. And just your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts about today's episode, please email me. I'm easy to reach. It's Michael H I M, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S i b, e.com, and if you want to subscribe to the podcast, do it wherever you're listening, or you can always go to Michael hingson, M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, o n.com/podcast, and I, and I hope you'll do that, but also skip for you and all, all people out there who are encountering our episode today, if you know of someone, including yourself, who might want to be or you think ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, I'd love you to reach out to me. We're always looking for more people to have on and talk about various things, and like I said, for me, in part, I get to learn what we do that. So we really appreciate you finding other guests for us. So don't ever hesitate to reach out and let us know if people we ought to interact with. But again, skip. I just want to thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun, and we really appreciate your time.   Skip Vaccarello ** 58:24 Michael, thank you again. Enjoy the rest of the day. Appreciate it.   Michael Hingson ** 58:32 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

This sermon is the first full sermon in a series on John 3.16. It's one of the most famous verses in the bible, but worth unpacking slowly. This week, Tim asks, who is the God who so loved the world?The key text here is Exodus 3.1-15Tim begins by reading an extract from what's called 'The Memorial' of Blaise Pascal.

"All men seek happiness." That is conclusion of 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal. We experience happiness when we function according to our design. However, if we're going to do that, we need to know our Designer's purpose. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Ephesians 1:3-6 in answering the question, "What is God's greatest purpose?"

In this special episode of Thinking Out Loud, Christian apologist Cameron responds to comments on his viral TikTok video—a video that generated over 3,000 comments and 200,000+ views. The central question? "Why does God seem hidden?"Cameron unpacks this profound topic using insights from Blaise Pascal, the book of Hebrews, and centuries of Christian theology. He addresses the skeptical assumptions behind the objections and challenges the idea that God should prove Himself on human terms. Rather than offering simplistic answers, the episode explores how faith, divine revelation, and the incarnation intersect with real doubt.This is a must-watch for anyone interested in serious Christian apologetics, thoughtful theological reflection, and honest engagement with modern skepticism.Key topics:-The problem of divine hiddenness-Why God doesn't always reveal Himself visibly-Blaise Pascal's perspective on faith and knowledge of God-The difference between blind belief and informed faith-Biblical references on God's revelation (e.g., the book of Hebrews)-Skeptical objections and assumptions about God's existence-The incarnation as a form of divine revelation-The limits of demanding proof from God on human termsDONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speakerJOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.

Ce mois-ci, Radio Campus Angers ouvre ses micros aux élèves de terminale du lycée Blaise-Pascal, à Segré, pour une émission…

All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone. - Blaise Pascal Check out John Lee Dumas' award winning Podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire on your favorite podcast directory. For world class free courses and resources to help you on your Entrepreneurial journey visit EOFire.com

"Pascal is smarter than you are." In this episode, Dr. Groothuis dives into widespread misunderstandings about the 17th-century apologist and polymath Blaise Pascal. This episode of Truth Tribe addresses three of the most common misconceptions about Blaise Pascal that obscure his brilliance as a Christian apologist. Dr. Groothuis explains why these errors persist and how a clearer understanding of Pascal's work can deepen our appreciation for his contributions to theology, science, and apologetics. Key Topics: A proper understanding of Pascal's Wager and its apologetic context The true meaning behind "the heart has its reasons" Pascal's continued engagement with science after his conversion

If you were to study history's most notable scientists, doctors, and educators, you'd quickly notice a mutual belief they all shared. In this program, guest teacher John Dickerson reveals the answer. Discover what drove these great men and women to the success we recognize them for today.Main Points Heroes of history who read Jesus' words and did what it says: Mary Moes Founders of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins A challenge to non-Christians: Look for the people who actually do what Jesus said, not cultural Christians. A challenge to Christians: Do others know who you serve? What deeds are you doing that point to Jesus? Followers of Jesus throughout history: Devout followers of Jesus who led anti-slavery movements in history: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, & Elijah Lovejoy Ten out of ten leading universities were started by Christians for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The Scientific Revolution was birthed by Christian scientists: Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, & Robert Boyle Did Jesus actually live? For more evidence see the book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the credibility and Impact of Christianity by John S. Dickerson How do we know what Jesus actually said? There are more ancient manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient literature in the world. What did Jesus say? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Why does Jesus' movement keep growing? Jesus is the only one who can: Change human nature from the inside out. Jesus is the only one who can: Transform hearts. Jesus is the only one who can: Reconnect us to God. God uses ordinary people who truly believe the words of Jesus to do extraordinary things. Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Resource Page Additional Resource Mentions Why I Believe & Jesus Skeptic Book Bundle About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram's passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God's truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About John Dickerson John Dickerson is a prize-winning research journalist, a seminary-trained pastor, and a frequent commentator in national news outlets such as USA Today. Dickerson is the author of Hope of Nations, Jesus Skeptic and serves as the lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in the Indianapolis metro area. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus. Connect

Click hear to read the episode highlights.   The "Living with Heart" Podcast is brought to you by Chip Dodd Resources (www.chipdodd.com) and The Voice of the Heart Center (vothcenter.com). Contact Bryan Barley for coaching at bryan@vothcenter.com.    In Pensées, Blaise Pascal said, “the heart has its reasons which reason knows not.” Healthy love relationships work in ways that we must yield to, rather than attempt to change. After we yield to the ways of love, we still need to learn them.   So much that we miss in life has to do with our hearts not being available to be “touched”: We are often not present enough in heart to be receptive to change or admit need for change.  The vulnerability that moves us to yield to help is mostly associated with negative rather than positive outcomes.  Jesus, however, clearly supports us yielding our hearts so that we can be a part of a yield or bountiful harvest.  Having the vulnerability to change and grow can create an opportunity for great benefits.    In Matthew 13, Jesus shared the story of the “Parable of the Sower” that speaks to us about the power of yielding or being vulnerable, which produces benefits. All relationships of consequence can benefit greatly from our willingness to face, feel, and deal with our hearts so that we can give and receive the love we need and others need.    Jesus also shared the “Parable of the Sower.” “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.'” “The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?'”  “He replied, ‘Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:'” Click here to continue reading the episode highlights.

Blaise Pascal was a well-known mathematician. He said: “There is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every person.”He wasn't talking about a physical hole, of course, but an existential one. We have a deep, inner yearning for God. We will never find true rest until we make that connection with God.But here's the problem. … Continue reading The God-shaped hole

If you were to study history's most notable scientists, doctors, and educators, you'd quickly notice a mutual belief they all shared. In this program, guest teacher John Dickerson reveals the answer. Discover what drove these great men and women to the success we recognize them for today.Main Points Heroes of history who read Jesus' words and did what it says: Mary Moes Founders of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins A challenge to non-Christians: Look for the people who actually do what Jesus said, not cultural Christians. A challenge to Christians: Do others know who you serve? What deeds are you doing that point to Jesus? Followers of Jesus throughout history: Devout followers of Jesus who led anti-slavery movements in history: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, & Elijah Lovejoy Ten out of ten leading universities were started by Christians for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The Scientific Revolution was birthed by Christian scientists: Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, & Robert Boyle Did Jesus actually live? For more evidence see the book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the credibility and Impact of Christianity by John S. Dickerson How do we know what Jesus actually said? There are more ancient manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient literature in the world. What did Jesus say? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Why does Jesus' movement keep growing? Jesus is the only one who can: Change human nature from the inside out. Jesus is the only one who can: Transform hearts. Jesus is the only one who can: Reconnect us to God. God uses ordinary people who truly believe the words of Jesus to do extraordinary things. Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Resource Page Additional Resource Mentions Why I Believe & Jesus Skeptic Book Bundle About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram's passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God's truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About John Dickerson John Dickerson is a prize-winning research journalist, a seminary-trained pastor, and a frequent commentator in national news outlets such as USA Today. Dickerson is the author of Hope of Nations, Jesus Skeptic and serves as the lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in the Indianapolis metro area. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus. Connect

Do you know why the top universities in the world were founded? Or why someone like Harriet Tubman risked her life to rescue slaves? In this program, guest teacher John Dickerson makes that connection for us. John's gonna unpack the common thread that links some of history's most notable figures and institutions.Main Points Heroes of history who read Jesus' words and did what it says: Mary Moes Founders of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins A challenge to non-Christians: Look for the people who actually do what Jesus said, not cultural Christians. A challenge to Christians: Do others know who you serve? What deeds are you doing that point to Jesus? Followers of Jesus throughout history: Devout followers of Jesus who led anti-slavery movements in history: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, & Elijah Lovejoy Ten out of ten leading universities were started by Christians for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The Scientific Revolution was birthed by Christian scientists: Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, & Robert Boyle Did Jesus actually live? For more evidence see the book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the credibility and Impact of Christianity by John S. Dickerson How do we know what Jesus actually said? There are more ancient manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient literature in the world. What did Jesus say? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Why does Jesus' movement keep growing? Jesus is the only one who can: Change human nature from the inside out. Jesus is the only one who can: Transform hearts. Jesus is the only one who can: Reconnect us to God. God uses ordinary people who truly believe the words of Jesus to do extraordinary things. Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Resource Page Additional Resource Mentions Why I Believe & Jesus Skeptic Book Bundle About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram's passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God's truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About John Dickerson John Dickerson is a prize-winning research journalist, a seminary-trained pastor, and a frequent commentator in national news outlets such as USA Today. Dickerson is the author of Hope of Nations, Jesus Skeptic and serves as the lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in the Indianapolis metro area. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus.

Do you know why the top universities in the world were founded? Or why someone like Harriet Tubman risked her life to rescue slaves? In this program, guest teacher John Dickerson makes that connection for us. John's gonna unpack the common thread that links some of history's most notable figures and institutions.Main Points Heroes of history who read Jesus' words and did what it says: Mary Moes Founders of Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins A challenge to non-Christians: Look for the people who actually do what Jesus said, not cultural Christians. A challenge to Christians: Do others know who you serve? What deeds are you doing that point to Jesus? Followers of Jesus throughout history: Devout followers of Jesus who led anti-slavery movements in history: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, & Elijah Lovejoy Ten out of ten leading universities were started by Christians for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The Scientific Revolution was birthed by Christian scientists: Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, & Robert Boyle Did Jesus actually live? For more evidence see the book, Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the credibility and Impact of Christianity by John S. Dickerson How do we know what Jesus actually said? There are more ancient manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient literature in the world. What did Jesus say? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Why does Jesus' movement keep growing? Jesus is the only one who can: Change human nature from the inside out. Jesus is the only one who can: Transform hearts. Jesus is the only one who can: Reconnect us to God. God uses ordinary people who truly believe the words of Jesus to do extraordinary things. Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Resource Page Additional Resource Mentions Why I Believe & Jesus Skeptic Book Bundle About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram's passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God's truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About John Dickerson John Dickerson is a prize-winning research journalist, a seminary-trained pastor, and a frequent commentator in national news outlets such as USA Today. Dickerson is the author of Hope of Nations, Jesus Skeptic and serves as the lead pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church in the Indianapolis metro area. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus.

Essentiel – Le rendez-vous culture de RCJ – présenté par Sandrine Sebbane. Elle reçoit Christine Orban pour son livre « Mademoiselle Spencer » aux éditions Albin Michel. et Sophie Tal Men pour son roman « La Tendresse des autres » chez Albin Michel. À propos du livre : « Mademoiselle Spencer » paru aux éditions Albin Michel De son enfance pleine de rêves à sa disparition brutale, Diana Spencer a connu le destin fulgurant d'une héroïne tragique. Mais qui se cachait derrière la princesse trahie et bafouée ? Quels mots n'a-t-elle pas pu dire ? En lui prêtant sa plume pour comprendre de l'intérieur ses non-dits, Christine Orban ressuscite la voix d'une femme qui ne demandait qu'à être aimée. Sacrifiée sur l'autel de la monarchie, Lady Di finira malgré tout par se libérer de ses chaînes. Savant jeu de miroirs, déchirante confession, le portrait intime d'une femme comme les autres mais qui restera à jamais « Mademoiselle Spencer ». « J'ai aimé l'audace et le talent de la romancière, changée en biographe le temps de mettre en scène cette femme ardente dans un roman vrai. » Dominique Bona, Version Femina « Absolument génial. Christine Orban conte le destin méconnu de Jacqueline, la soeur de Blaise Pascal, et c'est déchirant. » Flavie Fillipon, Elle « On songe à Stefan Zweig. » Sébastien Lapaque, Le Figaro  Christine Orban a publié une vingtaine de romans, récits et recueils qui ont connu un vif succès, parmi lesquels L'Attente, Le Silence des hommes, La Mélancolie du dimanche, N'oublie pas d'être heureuse, Virginia et Vita, Charmer, s'égarer et mourir... Son dernier roman, Soumise, (Albin Michel, 2023) salué par la critique, lève le voile sur la relation ardente, fusionnelle et conflictuelle entre Jacqueline et son frère Blaise Pascal. À propos du livre : « La Tendresse des autres» paru aux éditions Albin Michel " Un histoire poignante jonglant entre médecine et littérature, entre émotions brutes et finesse d'écriture."La Fringalle Culturelle Parfois, je doute d'être à la hauteur. Et puis je me dis que je ne laisserai personne le faire à ma place. Lorsqu'après un accident son petit garçon se renferme en lui-même et décide qu'il n'est plus capable de marcher, Lucie met sa vie entre parenthèses pour tenter de lui donner à nouveau goût à la vie. Un parcours de combattante qui met ses émotions, son couple, sa confiance en elle et toute la famille à rude épreuve. Mais un invité surprise vient bousculer leur quotidien et leur donner une belle leçon de vie : d'un accident on peut en faire une aventure ! Et permet à Lucie de comprendre qu'elle ne peut pas tout porter et réparer seule, et qu'il est plus que temps de faire de la place aux gens qui l'entourent... Car ensemble on est toujours plus fort.

"The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing: we know this in countless ways. It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by reason." –Blaise Pascal"We must take our subtle spiritual intuitions seriously and view them as the quintessence that underlies the ordinary world. The rejection of the sacred is the fundamental reason for our existential discontent." –Nick Cave

As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day, I thought it would be good to spend our week looking at some helpful parenting truths. Today's truth is this: Our teenagers were made to be in a relationship with God. Because our rebellion has severed our relationship with God, there remains a deep yearning inside each human being to have that relationship restored. Blaise Pascal described this universal hole in the soul as a god-shaped vacume. Teenagers are no different than anyone else. Their great need is to have this God-shaped emptiness filled by God. If you listen and look closely, you'll see and hear that their music, films, books, magazines, and very lives are crying out for spiritual wholeness. Each of us can look directly in the eyes of the teenagers we know and love and be certain that this is their reality. Each one hungers for heaven. Parents, this should spur us on to constantly and consciously serve as signposts, pointing kids to the cross and their true home.

Gatorade-stained beard? Check. All-night emergency room visit? Check. Spiritual wake-up call in aisle 12? Double check. But behind Raghunath's dizzy spell and collapse on the floor of Home Depot lies a far more universal theme: our desperate urge to avoid silence, stillness, and the terrifying weight of our own inner emptiness. Drawing from Blaise Pascal's haunting insight—that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone”—Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how distraction and diversion keep us from doing the inner work that leads to peace, purpose, and awakening. Also: a peaceful garden walk devolves into a warrior princess throw-down. Key Highlights: •⁠  ⁠Is that spiritual ecstasy… or dangerously low blood sugar? •⁠  ⁠Why we flee silence—and how it sabotages our spiritual evolution •⁠  ⁠Pascal meets the Bhāgavatam: diversion as the disease of our age •⁠  ⁠When status, envy, and petty revenge collide—ancient wisdom, high-school drama •⁠  ⁠Level up before the universe has to shove you down

Gatorade-stained beard? Check. All-night emergency room visit? Check. Spiritual wake-up call in aisle 12? Double check. But behind Raghunath's dizzy spell and collapse on the floor of Home Depot lies a far more universal theme: our desperate urge to avoid silence, stillness, and the terrifying weight of our own inner emptiness. Drawing from Blaise Pascal's haunting insight—that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone”—Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how distraction and diversion keep us from doing the inner work that leads to peace, purpose, and awakening. Also: a peaceful garden walk devolves into a warrior princess throw-down. Key Highlights: •⁠  ⁠Is that spiritual ecstasy… or dangerously low blood sugar? •⁠  ⁠Why we flee silence—and how it sabotages our spiritual evolution •⁠  ⁠Pascal meets the Bhāgavatam: diversion as the disease of our age •⁠  ⁠When status, envy, and petty revenge collide—ancient wisdom, high-school drama •⁠  ⁠Level up before the universe has to shove you down

What happens when one of the greatest living Catholic philosophers takes on the rise of artificial intelligence? In this lively and deeply insightful episode, Dr. Greg Bottaro sits down with Dr. Peter Kreeft to explore what makes us truly human in an age of technology, why analogies and wonder matter more than ever, and how faith, philosophy, and psychology together can help us navigate a world increasingly dominated by machines.   Key Topics: Dr. Peter Kreeft's famous aversion to technology—and why he's learned to (mostly) make peace with it The surprising connection between artificial intelligence and the decline of analogical thinking Why quantity can never replace quality in art, beauty, or human experience How modern culture's obsession with image and efficiency is eroding our humanity The collapse of humanities education—and why it matters for the future of civilization Learn More: Dr. Peter Kreeft's book The Philosophy of Tolkien, The One and the Many, and Socrates Meets Jesus Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — the dystopian classic discussed in the episode Pensées by Blaise Pascal — a brilliant, accessible introduction to defending the faith John Paul II's Theology of the Body — key writings on human dignity and personalism Fr. Norris Clarke's The One and the Many — a foundational text in Thomistic metaphysics The Summit of Integration — learn more about the upcoming event (update with your event link) Being Human Podcast Archives — explore past episodes on culture, technology, faith, and human integration (update with your archive link) Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment   Follow Us on Socials: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter (X) | LinkedIn  

Passage: 1 I will bless the LORD at all times;  his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;  let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,  and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me  and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant,  and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him  and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps  around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,  for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;  but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:1–10) Song: Psalm 34 (Taste and See) by Joseph James Rigney and Shane Barnard Lyrics: I sought the Lord and He answered me And delivered me from every fear Those who look on Him are radiant They'll never be ashamed They'll never be ashamed This poor man cried and the Lord heard me And saved me from my enemies The Son of God surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever O taste and see that the Lord is good O blessed is he who hides in Him O fear the Lord O all you saints He'll give you everything He'll give you everything Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise Prayer: O Lord, Let me not henceforth desire health or life except to spend them for you, with you, and in you. You alone know what is good for me; do therefore what seems best to you. Give to me, or take from me; conform my will to yours; and grant that, with humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may receive the orders of your eternal providence, and may equally adore all that comes to me from you. Amen. —Blaise Pascal

As we continue from our Lenten series, Pastor Chris explores the spiritual discipline of silence and its power to reconnect us with God, ourselves, and one another. Drawing from voices like Blaise Pascal, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and even a Buddhist monk, this sermon invites us to turn down the volume of our lives—externally and internally—and rediscover the presence of God in the quiet.

One could argue that we live more superficially than ever before. Pascal and Kierkegaard are particularly relevant here! 

“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” - Blaise Pascal. Why does being alone strike fear in our hearts? Maybe always being “connected” isn't healthy. On this week's show, Kurt and Chad talk about Soul Retreats - put on by Further Still Ministries. The retreats are a 2 year journey - learning to live at a pace and rhythm of life that cares for our soul. Current soul retreat participants Sarah Sheets and Rachael Loy join Chad and Kurt to discuss their experience with the retreats. (This is a repeat episode - enjoy!)

In this episode of Enrich Your Future, Andrew and Larry Swedroe discuss Larry's new book, Enrich Your Future: The Keys to Successful Investing. In this series, they discuss Chapter 27: Pascal's Wager and the Making of Prudent Decisions.LEARNING: Use Pascal's wager to avoid making devastating mistakes. “You have to think about the cost of being wrong versus giving up on that hope or the ability to brag about how you pick the best-performing stock. Pascal's wager gives you the right way to think about the answer. And then, you get to enjoy your life much more.”Larry Swedroe In this episode of Enrich Your Future, Andrew and Larry Swedroe discuss Larry's new book, Enrich Your Future: The Keys to Successful Investing. The book is a collection of stories that Larry has developed over 30 years as the head of financial and economic research at Buckingham Wealth Partners to help investors. You can learn more about Larry's Worst Investment Ever story on Ep645: Beware of Idiosyncratic Risks.Larry deeply understands the world of academic research and investing, especially risk. Today, Andrew and Larry discuss Chapter 27: Pascal's Wager and the Making of Prudent Decisions.Chapter 27: Pascal's Wager and the Making of Prudent DecisionsIn this chapter, Larry discusses Pascal's wager, a suggestion posed by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal that emphasizes the importance of considering the consequences of decisions rather than just the probability of outcomes.Pascal's wagerIn Pascal's wager, the philosopher asked how we should act when we cannot prove or disprove if God exists. To answer this question, the philosopher said: if a Supreme Being doesn't exist, then all the devout have lost is the opportunity to fornicate, imbibe, and skip a lot of adult church services. But if God does exist, then the atheist roasts in hell for eternity.Pascal concluded that the consequences of your actions matter far more than whatever you think the probabilities of the outcomes might be.Using Pascal's wager to make financial decisionsPascal's wager empowers individuals to make informed financial decisions. It encourages us to carefully consider the consequences before accepting the risks involved in case we are wrong. This approach can be applied to a wide range of financial decisions, instilling confidence in our choices.Buying life insuranceImagine you're an average 28-year-old. You got married a few years ago and have your first child. Now, you must decide whether you should have life insurance. If you buy the life insurance, you know with a very high degree of certainty for the next 40 years, you're going to be paying away a premium to the life insurance company and foregoing their earnings that you could get by taking that money investing in the stock market and maybe get a seven to 10% per annum return.Yet, most people buy the insurance because of the consequences of their being wrong, and they happen to be unlucky enough to die, either through an accident or some disease that wasn't forecasted for them. Then, their wives and children may live in poverty. And that's just a consequence that's not acceptable.Asset allocationIn another example, Pascal discusses

durée : 00:03:38 - Les P'tits Bateaux - par : Camille Crosnier - Avec l'arrivée du printemps, la nature se réveille peu à peu, et les arbres se parent de leurs premiers bourgeons. Mais comment ces derniers sortent-ils avant de faire des feuilles ? C'est la question que se pose la jeune Gabrielle. Catherine Lenne, chercheuse en biologie végétale lui répond. - invités : Catherine Lenne - Catherine Lenne : Chercheur en physiologie végétale. Maître de conférences à l'université Blaise Pascal de Clermont Ferrand. - réalisé par : Stéphanie TEXIER

In this thought-provoking episode of Truth Tribe, host Douglas Groothuis delves into the enduring legacy of Blaise Pascal, the 17th-century philosopher and theologian. Discover how Pascal's insights on faith, reason, and the human condition continue to resonate today. Groothuis explores key themes from Pascal's works, including his famous "Wager," and discusses their relevance in defending the Christian faith against modern skepticism. Key Topics: Overview of Blaise Pascal’s life and contributions The significance of Pascal's Wager in apologetics How Pascal’s thoughts on faith and reason apply to contemporary social issues Strategies for integrating Pascal’s insights into modern Christian discourse Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Worldview at Cornerstone University and the author of twenty books, including Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal (InterVarsity, 2024). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Are you ready for a fresh, spicy approach to the love of God today? We've all heard that God loves us. Do we really believe it? How can we live in deeper awareness of God's love for me? The Book of Proverbs might not be overtly explicit about God's love, but it is the underlying foundation for the entire book. So, today, we are pondering God's love: what does it mean that "God is love"? Why is He love? What does His love look like? We're not staying in shallow waters. We are peeking under the hood of Proverbs to look at how the engine of this book truly functions. And we discover that Love is the fuel behind every motion in Proverbs. Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/wisdom Stephanie starts us off this week with a powerful quote by her countryman, Blaise Pascal, on his famous "God-shaped hole" in the human heart: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself” -- Blaise Pascal, 1670. We see that, IN God, our primary life calling: to REST in LOVE and DELIGHT in HIM in return. To make God our rest and my delight. We are created to LOVE and BE LOVED. We are attracted by LOVE like an irresistible magnet. And, we can only love well when we are loved well. Love is an experience of the heart AND mind. It is a decision of the will that transforms your heart and turns living into loving. Stephanie challenges us to embrace the challenge of the Christian life: to nurture the One Craving of craving the One--Christ, that is. And we discuss practical ways to do just that. They may sound overworn and cliche, but there's a reason some paths are well-trodden by countless generations of Christ-worshipping believers across time and space: these well-worn paths actualyl work, and actually lead us deeper into God. They are called prayer and the study of Scripture. Stephanie gives us a fresh perspective to rejuvenate our desire to walk these paths daily. We are challenged to learn to experience the consequences of growing in our craving of God alone. Then, we look at the practical outcome: True love is binding yourself to the One you love. It is a surrender of freewill to embrace freedom to love another. God displays His supernatural glory through human impossibilities. He chooses us to make us a willing partner of His acting through us. Love the Lord your God, and then love your neighbor as yourself. - Jesus. Join us today for a fresh, in-depth dive into the love of God! Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/proverbs MEET OUR CHARACTER OF THE WEEK Eve has always wanted to get married but does not feel very comfortable with the idea of long-term commitment. Now in her early 40's, she would describe herself as pleasing, accommodating and bubbly. And she has an amazing body that she works hard to fine-tune. In social situations, Eve shines. It makes her job as an events coordinator all the more enthralling. She craves the thrill of success. If it takes a perfectly fitting shirt or some batting of the eye lashes — in the end it gets the job done. God helps those who help themselves, right? Eve recently began attending a church in town. The music is so unique compared to the boring hymns she grew up with! She felt exposed, however, when the pastor's wife invited her to attend a women's event. You see, Eve just doesn't get along with women that well, and naturally shies away from female friendships. In this case however, given that it was church, she agreed to attend ONE event. After all, she's always looking for opportunities to coordinate an event and land some new clients, so she decided to go ahead with it. Fast forward a few months. The women's event was so enjoyable that Eve started attending a Bible study. Surprisingly, she finds herself learning to like some of the women. One woman invited her for coffee and started asking more personal questions. This left Eve feeling anxious and uncomfortable. No one had ever probed like this. Yet it also felt so caring and loving. Weird. Eve is starting to feel nervous that she might not know how to connect. She wonders if there is more to life than the fancy events, the fine-tuned body, the bubbly interactions. She thinks she wants something more but has no idea for what that would look like. Eve is looking for God's love, and she does not know it. She is feeling what my compatriot, Blaise Pascal described in the 1650's in his Pensées as “this infinite abyss [that] can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself.” You may have heard this referenced to as a “God-shaped hole” in every human heart. Blaise Pascal never said it was a merely a hole or a vacuum. It's an infinite abyss. Only God can fill the abyss of our heart. And that is, because only God is pure love. We often settle for substitutes, even good ones. And yet, nothing short of God's infinite love will truly satisfy. Even the “perfect” family, the dream job, the best ministry—they may satisfy for a season, but the “infinite abyss” of our heart intuitively discovers that they do not fill. Only the love of our infinite God can fill the infinite abyss of our heart. So, what does God's love look like, and how do we experience it so that it fills our heart? I would venture to say, in the same way that we experience anyone else's love! God has given us human interactions so that we would learn from them how to spot true love, and then infinitely extrapolate the experience to embrace God's love. In other words, how do you know anyone loves you? I think it is the sum of what they say and what they do. And so it is with God. Ponder what Scripture tells you about what God says about you, what He promises you, and what He has done for you both in the past and in the present. For example, Zephaniah 3:17 describes you as the recipient of the overflow of the love of God: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke y but will rejoice over you with singing.” To need and to want; to love and be loved. This is the experience God invites us to enjoy in Him. Love is an experience of the heart AND mind. It is a decision of the will that transforms your heart and turns living into loving. So, how do we do this? First, be inspired by others who DO delight in Him. Who do you know, who loves the Lord with all of their heart and mind and strength and soul? Seek them out, and then surround yourself with them; learn from them. And second, YOU be inspiring to others who seek to delight in Him! Never place yourself intentionally on display, but intentionally invite Him to use you as His earthen vessel in a jar of clay. In other words, love God, and love others like yourself. What does it look like? I would sum it up in one word: Crave. Crave Him. The more you spend time with others who crave Him, the more you will crave Him. It will happen through prayer and study of His Word. It will happen through a deeper living-out of the set-apartness of knowing you are His, and He is yours. It will happen as you practically set out to love others in His Name. And it will not happen in your own strength—that's the secret. God displays His supernatural glory through human impossibilities. Crave God. He will satisfy. Love God. He will teach you to love Him through the Spirit. Love others. He will act through you. Join us this week on the Gospel Spice Podcast to find out how Eve is discovering the mysterious miracle of intimacy with God. Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/wisdom We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

"Ik schrijf je een lange brief, want ik heb geen tijd voor een korte." - Stine vertelt over een citaat van de zeventiende-eeuwse Franse wetenschapper Blaise Pascal.

durée : 00:03:39 - Les P'tits Bateaux - par : Camille Crosnier - C'est la question posée par la jeune auditrice de six ans, Margaux sur le répondeur de l'émission de France Inter pour les enfants. C'est la biologiste spécialisée en biologie végétale, Catherine Lenne qui lui répond. - invités : Catherine Lenne - Catherine Lenne : Chercheur en physiologie végétale. Maître de conférences à l'université Blaise Pascal de Clermont Ferrand. - réalisé par : Stéphanie TEXIER

By Dennis Sansom

By Dennis Sansom

By Dennis Sansom

"LOVE IS THE GREATEST.""Even greater than faith, or hope, or any other thing.We celebrate the love of Valentine's Day and appropriately so. That loving celebration is fun, romantic, even emotional. It is a day set aside once to live love and to express our love to all, but especially so to someone special.Love is a word difficult of definition. In fact, it has many component parts. Love is complex, defining itself, manifesting itself in so many different ways. But love is a force without which we can not live, or live right. It is the stuff of life, and without it, life is mere existence, sterile and harsh. Love is the force, the resource of God, an energy which produces the highest and best relationships with OTHERS, and, as we love ourselves, allows us to live life at its highest levels.TO LOVE AND TO BE LOVED IS THE GREATEST HAPPINESS OF EXISTENCE. Sosaid Sydnie Smith.Love out and in is a daily process which produces the greatest happiness. It does indeed. Nothing feels better than to give love, share love, and experience love.NOTHING.""If you had no one to love, you would never be hurt. But, you would never grow. You would never venture outside your own self-centered needs and perceptions. Your heart would never be cracked open so that God could enter it. To love and love unconditionally is to take risks, and especially the risk of rejection. But nothing energizes and cleanses like love.Profound words about love by a poet unknown. To love another, large or small, is the only real way that one can grow as a human being. The risk of loving produces the risk of hurt but even hurt toughens and matures love. The risk of loving another allows one to VENTURE OUTSIDE and to experience. Doing that allows your very own heart to be CRACKED OPEN so that love in its purest sense could enter, that is God Himself. Loving is always risky, and especially the risk of rejection. Rejection hurts but it is part of the loving process. The risk of love is worth it because nothingenergizes like love, and nothing cleanses like love, NOTHING.""Charles Dickens said that a loving heart is the truest wisdom. Knowing life at its best, the most real and the truest wisdom can only be produced by a loving heart, a heart cracked open and wanting more love.""Robert Schuller said that in the presence of love, miracles happen. Love itself is a miracle and the loving miracle produces other miracles. Miracles can and should happen more often and they can and will happen when:LOVE IS AT WORKTrue love allows us insight, real insight into the character and persona of another:“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, I CATCH GLIMPSES OF THE YOU GOD CREATED, THE TRUE YOU. I SEE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS AND FAILURES, BUT I CHOOSE TO SEE PAST THEM TO THE REAL YOU. LOVE CREATES A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE FREETO BECOME YOUR COMPLETE SELF.”""What a marvelous statement. Perhaps we can only really know another not completely but only with glimpses and those glimpses made possible only because of love.We are all riddled with imperfections and failures, are we not? We can see past things in our desire to find the real person, the real you. Love breaks down those barriers and produces eyes that truly see.Benjamin Disraeli the great English Prime Minister said that:“WE ARE ALL BORN TO LOVE. IT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF ITS EXISTENCE AND ITS ONLY END.”""Born to love, genetic, all that we really are, the very highest principle itself of existence. And, its only end, like the highest and greatest spiritual commandment that we should love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. In fact, we are known as Christians, followers of the Christ:IF YOU HAVE LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHERLove said another is tough, practical, and active. Love is washing the kitchen floor over and over again. Love is scrubbing the toilet and doing the laundry. Love is taking out the garbage and cleaning the refrigerator. Love is smiling when you are tired, finding reasons to laugh even when you are angry, volunteering for a dirty job, working hard, and making the world a better place.Powerful and profound. Indeed, love is practical. Love is very much in the scrubbing of the toilet. Love is there from the one who takes out the garbage. Love indeed delights in the dirty jobs for when you do for the least of these, you do it unto HIM.""And yet more insight into the God of all love:GOD SAYS TO US, IN LOVE, I HOLD YOU IN MY MIND. I REMEMBER YOU. I HOLD ALL OF THE PIECES OF YOU. THE PAST WOUNDS AND THE PRESENT. AND INLOVE, I KNIT THEM TOGETHER INTO THE PERSON I LOVE, THE PERSON I CREATED TO GIVE ME JOY:""YOU.""Held are we in the mind of God, remembering us even as we remember Him, all of our various pieces, wounds, wrongs, and problems no matter. God knits them together and all become the mosaic, the person God loves, the individual and special you.Love frees us of the weight and pain of life! True love always lightens life's heaviestburdens. True love is a force far more powerful than the weapons of any enemy.Life is a flower of which love is the honey, so said Victor Hugo. Love is knit into the very cells of our bodies. It is written into our DNA. It is encoded in the chemicals that make plants green. It is that which makes the sky blue, the substance of the song of the birds in summer, the whisper of the wind in the trees, the silence of the snow as it falls. Love is the voice of God calling to us endlessly and passionately through all HIS marvelous creation.There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. The more one loves, the less there is of which to be afraid. Love secures and drives our insecurity. Love at work is the most powerful force and energy of all.Take away love, said Robert Browning, and our earth is a tomb. Without love, life is like dead, lifeless, even meaningless. And, if you wish to be loved, LOVE. Any time that is not spent on love is time wasted.True love is a durable fire in the mind ever-burning, never sick, never old, never dead, from itself never turning, so said Sir Walter Raleigh. The durable fire of love burns unquenchable, always alive, always energizing.The great artist Vincent Van Gogh said:“THE HEART THAT LOVES IS ALWAYS YOUNG. LOVE IS A MARVELOUS BEAUTIFIER. LOVE IS ART AT WORK. I ALWAYS THINK THAT THE BEST WAY TO KNOW GOD IS TO LOVE MANY THINGS.”""Indeed, all of art is love at work and there really can be no great art without love. It beautifies and brings out the best in everything.Here, the words of Thomas Merton:“THE BEGINNING OF LOVE IS TO LET THOSE WHO LOVE BE PERFECTLYTHEMSELVES, AND NOT TO TWIST THEM TO FIT OUR OWN IMAGE. OTHERWISE,WE LOVE ONLY THE REFLECTION OF OURSELVES WE FIND IN THEM.”""The more we are perfectly ourselves, living to our highest and best, the more and better of us there is.Love cures people, the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. Love conquers all things, so said the ancient poet, Virgil.""Love allows us to believe so fully and firmly in God even when He is silent!The great thinker-theologian Soren Kierkegaard profoundly stated that when one has once fully entered the realm of love, the world, no matter how imperfect becomes rich and beautiful. It consists solely of opportunities for love.It is love, said Thomas Mann, not reason that is stronger than death. And that love, stronger than and which conquers death is the love of the Christ on the cross and the resurrection which followed.To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others, said Francois Mauriac. Life is replete with invisible miracles which can only be revealed by love at work.If you love somebody, tell them, so said Rod McKuen. The telling unleashes the energy and the power of love.The heart has its reasons which reason alone can not understand, so said the thinker Blaise Pascal. Love is a dimension in life different from and beyond reason itself. The more the mind the less the heart and consequently the less love. Reason no matter how wise can never understand love.The great theologian Paul Tillich said that the first beauty of love is to listen. One who loves wants to listen more than talk, listen to every word, every expression of thought and emotion which comes from the one loved. Listening, really listening in a caring way, may very well be the highest attribute of true love.For those who love, time is eternity. Love is God's finger on man's shoulder. Love is like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and to give thanks for another day of loving. Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson said:“TIS BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND LOST THAN NEVER TO HAVE LOVED AT ALL.”""Love indeed is risky, the risk of rejection but a life lived without true love is a life never really lived at all.I love you, says Anna Corbin, as you are, not as you wish to be. I love you for the real person you are, not the imaginary perhaps I fantasize you could be. I love the real,amazing, utterly unique YOU.""Love in the ultimate, unconditional, love so REAL.If you love until it hurts, really hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love said the wonderfully loving Mother Teresa. True love at work drives away the hurt.""Looking back, said one, I have this to regret. That too often when I loved, I did not say so. Love uncommunicated is love aborted. It is there but never shared. More time is spent judging people which leaves less time to love them.Zelda Fitzgerald said that nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much love the heart can hold. There is no limit to love, none whatsoever. Love is there, always and love takes up when knowledge leaves off. In fact, love is the supreme knowledge, superior to all else.Love's greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred. Love at work produces the holiest of the holies. The great English statesman William E. Gladstone said the following:“WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE TIME WHEN THE POWER OF LOVE WILL REPLACE THE LOVE OF POWER. THEN WILL OUR WORLD KNOW THE BLESSINGS OF PEACE. POWER KILLS LOVE AND WITHOUT LOVE, THERE IS NO PEACE. THERE ISNOTHING MORE POWERFUL BEFORE AND EVER AGAIN THAN LOVE.”""The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said the following:“WE ARE SAVED BY THE FINAL FORM OF LOVE, WHICH IS FORGIVENESS. FORGIVING AND FORGETTING ARE THE HIGHEST ACTS OF LOVE RESULTING IN OUR SALVATION. THERE WAS ONE, YEARS AGO, DRIVEN TO THE CROSS BY THE LOVE OF MANKIND PROVIDING IN HIS DEATH THE LIFE AND THE LOVE WE LEAD.THE CROSS WAS THE FINAL AND FORGIVING FORM OF LOVE.”""The crucifixion of the Christ on the cross was indeed the ultimate act of love. The great writer C.S. Lewis said the following:“TO LOVE AT ALL IS TO BE VULNERABLE. LOVE ANYTHING AND YOUR HEART WILL CERTAINLY BE WRUNG AND POSSIBLY BROKEN. LOVE BREAKS DOWN ALL BARRIERS, OPENS WIDE THE HEART, EXPOSES TRUE INNOCENCE AND RISKS THE WRINGING AND THE BREAKING OF THIS MORE PRIZED POSSESSION. REAL LOVE DEMANDS THIS, CONSTANTLY.”Sir Arthur Pinero said that “those who love deeply never grow old. They may die of old age, but they die young at heart.”That deep love here and now is but a prelude to the perfect love there. In fact, they are one love contiguous and continuous. Love is both earthly and eternal. Love never dies. For there is only one real happiness in life and that is to love and to be loved.The great writer Ralph Waldo Emerson said:“NEVER SELF-POSSESSED OR PRUDENT, LOVE IS ALL ABANDONMENT.”""True love is pure risk, always. Love at work risks hurt to the self and rejection by another. But the risk at work is what makes the word of love so special.""Vulnerability, openness, risk but so great reward.Hear then the marvelous words of the great poet William Wordsworth:“A PERSON CAN BE SO CHANGED BY LOVE AS TO BE UNRECOGNIZABLE AS THE SAME PERSON. LOVE TRANSFORMS, REGENERATES. LOVE PRODUCES CHANGE, EVERYWHERE AND IN EVERYONE. LOVE BETTERS WHAT IS BEST!”""The great philosopher Plato said that love is the best friend of human kind, the helper and the healer of all ills that stand in the way of human happiness. In fact, love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries and without them, humanity can not survive. And for some real definition of the word love, hear the words of Saint Augustine:“WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE? WHY, IT HAS HANDS TO HELP OTHERS. IT HAS FEET TO HASTEN TO THE POOR AND NEEDY. IT HAS EYES TO SEE MISERY AND WANT. IT HAS EARS TO HEAR THE SIGHS AND SORROWS OF HUMANKIND. THATIS WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE!”""Amen and amen. Hands and feet at work, eyes and ears to see and hear human need. Love at work is what love really is.Love comes supreme and most innocently from a child. A child's love is pure, uncomplicated, unconditional, fully trusting. Such innocence opens deep the world of feeling and emotion and it is a return to that childlike love and that ability to love which alone can make complete the adult version of that child. May we all be wise enough to return to the innocent love of a little child.And so my friends, my fellow Americans, we the Crawford Broadcasting Company wish you all of the love possible on Valentine's Day and during Valentine's week. May love in all its forms permeate your life and may you know the supreme love of the One who laid down His life for you. Live love every day and know the real and true meaning of life.And finally, the profound words of poet Emily Dickenson:“IF I CAN STOP ONE HEART FROM BREAKINGI SHALL NOT LIVE IN VAINIF I CAN EASE ONE LIFE THE ACHING OR COOL ONE PAINOR HELP ONE FAINTING ROBIN IN TO HIS NEST AGAINI SHALL NOT LIVE IN VAIN!”""Love is the greatest!"

Dave Brisbin 2.2.25 Would Jesus have been a Republican or Democrat? What seems like the setup to a joke is being asked in all seriousness. Two weeks into a controversial administration, I'm hearing people ask how a good Christian could possibly vote… How a Christian pastor could possibly support… An Episcopal bishop and a sitting president both state that God is on their side while remaining flatly opposed to one another. Near the end of the Civil War, Lincoln said that both North and South read the same bible, pray to the same God, invoke God's aid against the other, but the prayers of both could not be answered, that of neither had been answered fully. Once we see an enemy, we imagine God is on our side, because we only have an enemy if we are certain we are right. An enemy is the wrong one. God is never wrong, so God is on our side, because we are right. Blaise Pascal said that people never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. Truth is, the real enemy is not the other tribe— the real enemy is the certainty that makes the other tribe an enemy. We're all co-opting God to our side, our tribe. It's natural for anyone who reveres Jesus, or the authority of his name, to imagine he is in their camp. But what does the record show? Jesus made his own followers crazy, over and over…every time they became certain of their positions, thought they had him figured out, domesticated, he rocked them back on their heels. For anyone with an agenda, he was frustrating, infuriating, unexpected, outrageous, an equal opportunity offender of anyone who was seeing the enemies of their certainty. Jesus refused to be co-opted into any camp. Whatever political beliefs he had are not preserved in the gospels, meaning they were irrelevant to his message. They never created enemies for him because his primary identity was not in camp or tribe, but in oneness with his Father. If we can only see truth in our own tribe, we'll see enemies everywhere, but we won't see Jesus. He's in the space between camps, where the real enemy is not another tribe, but the certainty that makes enemies of everyone else.

Dave Brisbin 2.2.25 Would Jesus have been a Republican or Democrat? What seems like the setup to a joke is being asked in all seriousness. Two weeks into a controversial administration, I'm hearing people ask how a good Christian could possibly vote… How a Christian pastor could possibly support… An Episcopal bishop and a sitting president both state that God is on their side while remaining flatly opposed to one another. Near the end of the Civil War, Lincoln said that both North and South read the same bible, pray to the same God, invoke God's aid against the other, but the prayers of both could not be answered, that of neither had been answered fully. Once we see an enemy, we imagine God is on our side, because we only have an enemy if we are certain we are right. An enemy is the wrong one. God is never wrong, so God is on our side, because we are right. Blaise Pascal said that people never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. Truth is, the real enemy is not the other tribe— the real enemy is the certainty that makes the other tribe an enemy. We're all co-opting God to our side, our tribe. It's natural for anyone who reveres Jesus, or the authority of his name, to imagine he is in their camp. But what does the record show? Jesus made his own followers crazy, over and over…every time they became certain of their positions, thought they had him figured out, domesticated, he rocked them back on their heels. For anyone with an agenda, he was frustrating, infuriating, unexpected, outrageous, an equal opportunity offender of anyone who was seeing the enemies of their certainty. Jesus refused to be co-opted into any camp. Whatever political beliefs he had are not preserved in the gospels, meaning they were irrelevant to his message. They never created enemies for him because his primary identity was not in camp or tribe, but in oneness with his Father. If we can only see truth in our own tribe, we'll see enemies everywhere, but we won't see Jesus. He's in the space between camps, where the real enemy is not another tribe, but the certainty that makes enemies of everyone else.

“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone” - Blaise Pascal. Rates of burnout and overwhelm are soaring and yet the advice tends to be push harder and exercise more. For people struggling with burnout this can lead to illness and a crash. On the contrary, we need to embrace stillness and simply being. Doing nothing is not easy for most people, yet it is what our nervous system's are crying out for, and it is the path to developing true resilience.

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator,” as stated by Blaise Pascal. In this podcast, Unlocking God's Miraculous Answers: The Power of Calling on Him, explore the ultimate solution to every man's needs. Tune in to Ptr. Amor Adela as she guides us in strengthening our faith to have a life brimming with joy, meaning, and lasting peace.#JesusIsLord#ChristIsTheAnswerSupport the show

durée : 00:03:43 - Les P'tits Bateaux - par : Camille Crosnier - Ne vous êtes-vous jamais demandé pourquoi le tronc des arbres était-il marron ? Catherine Lenne, botaniste physiologiste végétale à l'université de Clermont-Ferrand, nous explique tout. - invités : Catherine Lenne - Catherine Lenne : Chercheur en physiologie végétale. Maître de conférences à l'université Blaise Pascal de Clermont Ferrand. - réalisé par : Stéphanie TEXIER

All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone - Blaise Pascal Check out John Lee Dumas' award winning Podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire on your favorite podcast directory. For world class free courses and resources to help you on your Entrepreneurial journey visit EOFire.com

Join Raghunath and Kaustubha in this heartfelt Christmas Eve episode as they delve into Blaise Pascal's profound insights about the “God-shaped hole” within every human being. Together, they unpack the timeless wisdom of filling this infinite abyss not with fleeting material distractions but with Divine connection. Through vibrant discussion and references to the Srimad Bhagavatam, they explore how the Vishnu avatar, Lord Vamana's pastimes teach us to surrender fully and embrace a lifestyle centered on spiritual evolution. Key Takeaways: •⁠  ⁠What does it mean to “give it all” in Bhakti yoga? •⁠  ⁠Why material achievements never truly satisfy the soul. •⁠  ⁠How surrendering to Krishna transforms suffering into fulfillment. ✨ Dive into an inspiring conversation on how Bhakti yoga offers not just spiritual solace but a roadmap to profound happiness and freedom. #BhaktiYoga #SrimadBhagavatam #GodShapedHole #SpiritualFulfillment #KrishnaConsciousness Sign up for a Sage Group now at Session 9 Sage Groups Registration Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054EA4AE22A1FD0-53613415-session#/ SB 8.18.22-32 ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

The best antidote parents can teach their teenage daughters for dealing with the stresses in their lives is to learn to focus on what they do have control over.Life raft metaphor: focus on what you have control overYour teenage daughter too often focuses on trying to control all of the people and things that are causing her to feel anxious and stressed out. These might include: parents, friends, rumors and gossip about them, what peers post about them on social media, teachers, the amount of homework they receive, coaches, some physical things about their bodies, their parent's fighting, or the college application process.In this podcast, Dr. Jordan describes a role play he does with preteen and teenage girls: 1 girl in the middle of the room is surrounded by people representing stressors like her parents, friend drama, rumors about her, homework, a teacher, a coach, aspects of her body she has no control over, and anxious or negative thoughts that pop in her head. When I say go, all of these stressors begin to talk at her at the same time and her job is to attempt to control them. Of course, they ignore her, causing her to work harder and become more frustrated and overwhelmed. This is a great way for the rest of the teenagers to visually see what they experience every day. I take the place of the teen volunteer but keep all of the stressors in play, and when I say go, they restart their clamoring at me. What I do is to sit quietly and just do some deep, slow breathing and I just notice, in a detached and mindful manner, all of the stressors. Eventually they always slow down and get quiet.What these teenage girls see and learn is that they can learn to focus on what they do have control over, which is themselves, their reactions, and their emotions. The stresses haven't changed, but their response and relationship with them has.You can't calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass. Timber HawkeyeAll of man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone. Blaise Pascal;Teach your daughters how to be alone without being lonely, and to cultivate quiet, alone time with practices like journaling, meditation, yoga, or artwork. Join Our Community:https://www.facebook.com/DrTimJordanhttps://www.instagram.com/drtimjordan/https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-jordan-md-79799120b/

In this episode, Dr. Groothius discusses four influential books that shaped his philosophical perspective. "The God Who Is There" by Francis Schaeffer introduced him to the importance of Christian worldview and apologetics. Blaise Pascal's unfinished work, "Pensées," deepened his understanding of human nature and the Christian view of humanity. C.S. Lewis's "The Abolition of Man" emphasized the necessity of objective moral values. Lastly, Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" highlighted the impact of media on culture. Royce emphasizes the integration of these works with the Bible in shaping his worldview. Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Worldview at Cornerstone University and the author of twenty books, including Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal (InterVarsity, 2024). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In his classic argument for betting your life (and afterlife!) on God or against God, Blaise Pascal shows that you can't "cop out" by trying to stay agnostic as a third option. 

Pope Francis wrote a letter to the Church about Blaise Pascal. How can we understand his most famous argument for staking your life on God? “You bet your life”, indeed!