Podcasts about Bloomfield

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 8/28/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 8/28/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 8/30/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 8/23/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus 2026 Back to School Revival  - 8/19/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus 2026 Back to School Revival  - 8/20/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus 2026 Back to School Revival  - 8/21/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Liz Bloomfield of the Marianne Boesky Gallery and Eric Kohn of Southampton Playhouse drop in for a visit with Heart of The East End Gianna Volpe on WLIW-FM during National Radio Day.Listen to the playlist on Apple MusicWatch the interview on WLIW-FM YouTube

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 8/16/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 8/7/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 8/14/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 8/9/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

What does it really mean to go "beyond the letter of the law"? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with scholar Deborah Barer to discuss her book Going Off Script: Improvisational Judgment in the Talmud, which offers a surprising new interpretation of one of the Talmud's most enduring ethical concepts: lifnim mi-shurat ha-din. For generations, lifnim mi-shurat ha-din has been understood to mean acting "beyond the letter of the law"—choosing generosity or compassion over strict legal obligation. Barer challenges that assumption. Through a close reading of classical rabbinic texts, she argues that the Talmud originally used the phrase not to describe a particular kind of moral act, but a particular way of making decisions. Rather than rigidly following established rules, rabbis sometimes improvised, departing from expected patterns in pursuit of the right outcome for a unique case. By tracing how this idea developed from in the Talmud, Barer uncovers how one phrase evolved into a cornerstone of Jewish ethical thought. Her work invites readers to rethink the relationship between law and morality, showing that creativity and flexibility have always been part of the rabbinic legal tradition. Together, Barer and Katz explore why improvisation matters in Jewish law, how the Talmud balances consistency with compassion, and what this ancient model of decision-making can teach us about navigating difficult moral questions today. Deborah Barer is Senior Faculty with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, with an emphasis on rabbinic literature and Jewish ethics. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Towson University, and she has also taught at Oberlin College and for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies (North America). She served as the editor of the Journal of Textual Reasoning. Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior Rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, NJ. He is the author of Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life (JPS) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What does it really mean to go "beyond the letter of the law"? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with scholar Deborah Barer to discuss her book Going Off Script: Improvisational Judgment in the Talmud, which offers a surprising new interpretation of one of the Talmud's most enduring ethical concepts: lifnim mi-shurat ha-din. For generations, lifnim mi-shurat ha-din has been understood to mean acting "beyond the letter of the law"—choosing generosity or compassion over strict legal obligation. Barer challenges that assumption. Through a close reading of classical rabbinic texts, she argues that the Talmud originally used the phrase not to describe a particular kind of moral act, but a particular way of making decisions. Rather than rigidly following established rules, rabbis sometimes improvised, departing from expected patterns in pursuit of the right outcome for a unique case. By tracing how this idea developed from in the Talmud, Barer uncovers how one phrase evolved into a cornerstone of Jewish ethical thought. Her work invites readers to rethink the relationship between law and morality, showing that creativity and flexibility have always been part of the rabbinic legal tradition. Together, Barer and Katz explore why improvisation matters in Jewish law, how the Talmud balances consistency with compassion, and what this ancient model of decision-making can teach us about navigating difficult moral questions today. Deborah Barer is Senior Faculty with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, with an emphasis on rabbinic literature and Jewish ethics. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Towson University, and she has also taught at Oberlin College and for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies (North America). She served as the editor of the Journal of Textual Reasoning. Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior Rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, NJ. He is the author of Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life (JPS) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

What does it really mean to go "beyond the letter of the law"? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with scholar Deborah Barer to discuss her book Going Off Script: Improvisational Judgment in the Talmud, which offers a surprising new interpretation of one of the Talmud's most enduring ethical concepts: lifnim mi-shurat ha-din. For generations, lifnim mi-shurat ha-din has been understood to mean acting "beyond the letter of the law"—choosing generosity or compassion over strict legal obligation. Barer challenges that assumption. Through a close reading of classical rabbinic texts, she argues that the Talmud originally used the phrase not to describe a particular kind of moral act, but a particular way of making decisions. Rather than rigidly following established rules, rabbis sometimes improvised, departing from expected patterns in pursuit of the right outcome for a unique case. By tracing how this idea developed from in the Talmud, Barer uncovers how one phrase evolved into a cornerstone of Jewish ethical thought. Her work invites readers to rethink the relationship between law and morality, showing that creativity and flexibility have always been part of the rabbinic legal tradition. Together, Barer and Katz explore why improvisation matters in Jewish law, how the Talmud balances consistency with compassion, and what this ancient model of decision-making can teach us about navigating difficult moral questions today. Deborah Barer is Senior Faculty with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, with an emphasis on rabbinic literature and Jewish ethics. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Towson University, and she has also taught at Oberlin College and for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies (North America). She served as the editor of the Journal of Textual Reasoning. Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior Rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, NJ. He is the author of Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life (JPS) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

What does it really mean to go "beyond the letter of the law"? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with scholar Deborah Barer to discuss her book Going Off Script: Improvisational Judgment in the Talmud, which offers a surprising new interpretation of one of the Talmud's most enduring ethical concepts: lifnim mi-shurat ha-din. For generations, lifnim mi-shurat ha-din has been understood to mean acting "beyond the letter of the law"—choosing generosity or compassion over strict legal obligation. Barer challenges that assumption. Through a close reading of classical rabbinic texts, she argues that the Talmud originally used the phrase not to describe a particular kind of moral act, but a particular way of making decisions. Rather than rigidly following established rules, rabbis sometimes improvised, departing from expected patterns in pursuit of the right outcome for a unique case. By tracing how this idea developed from in the Talmud, Barer uncovers how one phrase evolved into a cornerstone of Jewish ethical thought. Her work invites readers to rethink the relationship between law and morality, showing that creativity and flexibility have always been part of the rabbinic legal tradition. Together, Barer and Katz explore why improvisation matters in Jewish law, how the Talmud balances consistency with compassion, and what this ancient model of decision-making can teach us about navigating difficult moral questions today. Deborah Barer is Senior Faculty with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, with an emphasis on rabbinic literature and Jewish ethics. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Towson University, and she has also taught at Oberlin College and for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies (North America). She served as the editor of the Journal of Textual Reasoning. Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior Rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, NJ. He is the author of Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life (JPS) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

What does it really mean to go "beyond the letter of the law"? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with scholar Deborah Barer to discuss her book Going Off Script: Improvisational Judgment in the Talmud, which offers a surprising new interpretation of one of the Talmud's most enduring ethical concepts: lifnim mi-shurat ha-din. For generations, lifnim mi-shurat ha-din has been understood to mean acting "beyond the letter of the law"—choosing generosity or compassion over strict legal obligation. Barer challenges that assumption. Through a close reading of classical rabbinic texts, she argues that the Talmud originally used the phrase not to describe a particular kind of moral act, but a particular way of making decisions. Rather than rigidly following established rules, rabbis sometimes improvised, departing from expected patterns in pursuit of the right outcome for a unique case. By tracing how this idea developed from in the Talmud, Barer uncovers how one phrase evolved into a cornerstone of Jewish ethical thought. Her work invites readers to rethink the relationship between law and morality, showing that creativity and flexibility have always been part of the rabbinic legal tradition. Together, Barer and Katz explore why improvisation matters in Jewish law, how the Talmud balances consistency with compassion, and what this ancient model of decision-making can teach us about navigating difficult moral questions today. Deborah Barer is Senior Faculty with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, with an emphasis on rabbinic literature and Jewish ethics. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Towson University, and she has also taught at Oberlin College and for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies (North America). She served as the editor of the Journal of Textual Reasoning. Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior Rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, NJ. He is the author of Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life (JPS)

What is artificial intelligence? How does it work? Who is behind it? What can we expect from it in the future? Good questions, and we have the answers!Artificial intelligence is popping up everywhere: in Google searches, calls to customer service, and in healthcare, education, and personal assistants—to name just five. It's rapidly changing businesses and our lives. Covering the basics, its history, and the science behind it, The Handy Artificial Intelligence Answer Book is the perfect starting point to understanding the emerging AI revolution, what is currently possible, what might be possible in the future—and what's just hype. Tackling what has been, what is, and what will be—and the “what ifs”—of AI, this informative book answers more than 1,400 questions, such as …What does the term "artificial intelligence" actually mean?What real-world AI tools do people use daily, like Alexa, Netflix, and facial recognition?How do AI algorithms adapt to changes in search trends and user behavior?What is AI-based image stabilization in smartphones and cameras?How does AI assist in surgical procedures and robotic surgery?How does the use of AI in surveillance affect human rights?What industries are most vulnerable to automation and AI-driven job loss?How can AI recognize human emotions and adapt its responses accordingly?What can we learn from other technologies as we consider how AI will shape our world?And hundreds more!Informative, provocative, and intriguing, The Handy Artificial Intelligence Answer Book looks at this emerging technology and what the past might tell us about the future. Ponder the potentials—and the perils—with this enlightening examination of AI!A.G.G. Liu is a writer and online educator based in New Jersey. Liu has reached millions of online learners on YouTube—both as the lead script writer for the AI and futurism channel Rational Animations, and through their own educational channel, Signore Galilei, which was started during college at Harvard. Liu co-authored the book 30-Second Space Travel with Dr. Charles Liu and Dr. Karen Masters and co-hosts the podcast The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu. Residing in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Liu also enjoys singing, amateur radio, and strategy games.https://visibleinkpress.com/bookauthor/liu-a-g-g/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 8/2/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 7/26/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 7/19/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 7/05/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 7/17/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

For the first time since March we have a guest join us! Dylan Bloomfield from Oakley, California joins the show! He cut his teeth racing in Cali and recently made the move to Missouri to drive the Kiwi Motorsports #8N winged 410 sprint car! Discussed:Starting on 2 wheels. Then moving to 4 wheels. Getting into sprint cars and racing in Cali. Getting the call to come to the Midwest to race! How did that transpire? Starting at US36 with the new team. A last minute decision to go to Pevely and it ended up being a good night! A win, podium, and several other top 10's so far this season. Tracks he favors in Cali and here in the Midwest.That #18 throwback scheme

Walmart wants to turn the former Bloomfield Rite Aid into a delivery hub, the Steelers are replacing a ton of seats at Acrisure Stadium (and making some interesting aesthetic choices in the process), and the notorious owner of Pittsburgh Mills mall is taking over a Downtown centerpiece. Host Megan Harris and executive producer Mallory Falk break down the latest development news, with help from contributor and City Paper managing editor Colin Williams. Then former newsletter editor Francesca Dabecco joins the show for a new segment rounding up the events we're most excited to check out this week, from a tattoo mini-convention to a new store that sells books by the pound. Notes and references from today's show: Steelers to replace nearly 18,000 more seats at Acrisure Stadium [TribLive] After decades of all gold seats, Art Rooney II says Acrisure Stadium's touch of black add subtle new look [TribLive] Walmart seeks to use former Bloomfield Rite Aid as delivery hub [WESA] New owner emerges for Gateway Center complex [Business-Times] Eye Kon XX [Kyklops Tattoo] Floriography [Posh] The Book Deli Grand Opening [Instagram] Know what's happening with the former Rite Aid in Squirrel Hill? Call or text our USED-TO-BE-A-RITE-AID hotline at 412-212-8893. Learn more about the sponsors of this Tuesday, July 14th episode: Woodward Summer Camps AIDS Free PGH The Frick Pittsburgh Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news?  Sign up for our daily morning newsletter. We're on Instagram @CityCastPgh. Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

Trace Brewing in Bloomfield has been both dishing and taking a lot of heat online. About a week ago, they announced on Instagram that the brewery is pausing indoor drag shows and DJ sets because some of their neighbors are “racist and homophobic” and have been weaponizing a PA law that's led to armed state police at some events. Meanwhile, Neighbors of Trace say this is about the noise and mess along and beyond Graffiti Alley — and that before Trace opened, the owner promised not to hold events with amplified sound outside. Host Megan Harris is bringing questions about safe spaces, amusement permits, and more to Aadam Soorma, Trace's head of marketing and guest experience. Notes and references from today's show: Trace Brewing fights for its right to party while its neighbors fight for peace and quiet [City Paper] Want to share your perspective? Call or text us at 412-212-8893. Learn more about the sponsors of this Monday, July 13th episode: Woodward Summer Camps AIDS Free PGH The Frick Pittsburgh Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news?  Sign up for our daily morning newsletter. We're on Instagram @CityCastPgh. Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

If even the letters "A-I" are enough to spike your anxiety, this episode is for you. In this conversation, host Bill Burke sits down with Dr. Mark Bloomfield — a Cambridge Judge Business School fellow who has spent over 15 years applying artificial intelligence to real business challenges, long before ChatGPT made it a household name.  Marc's career is a story of reinvention: a colorblind teenager whose dream of flying gave way to a PhD with Airbus, and eventually to advising boards at companies like Vodafone, Unilever, and Pfizer on their AI transformation. Along the way, he's developed a refreshingly grounded, optimistic philosophy about how everyday people can engage with AI — starting small, staying curious, and using these tools to amplify what makes us human rather than replace it.  From treating AI anxiety like a fear of flying, to his weekly "AI amnesty" walks, to raising AI-savvy kids ("water always finds a way — so train them to become a plumber"), Mark offers a practical, hopeful roadmap for a technology that isn't going anywhere.  In this episode:  Why getting started with AI on something small and familiar builds confidence and literacy  How to avoid "metacognitive laziness" and use AI to sharpen — not outsource — your thinking  The honest truth about AI and jobs, and why human skills may become the real differentiator  What "the uncertainty advantage" means, and the four lessons piloting through turbulence teaches us  How to raise kids who use AI intentionally without losing the value of learning on their own  Why governance, trust, and transparency are the keys to AI that benefits society    Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Mark Bloomfield 02:04 Career Path and Aviation 05:24 The Evolution of AI 09:46 Approaching AI with Optimism  15:08 Using AI to Enhance Humanity 19:09 AI's Impact on Jobs and Governance 25:01 Untold Stories and Future of AI 29:21 The Uncertainty Advantage 32:30 Building and Using Voice Agents 38:08 Parenting in the AI World 42:29 Conclusion and Resources 

In this week's episode of The Watchung Booksellers Podcast, our neighbors Charles, Alice, and Hannah Liu—three published authors in the same family—discuss their love of education, writing, and our community.Charles Liu is a professor of astrophysics at the City University of New York's College of Staten Island and an associate with the Hayden Planetarium and Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. His research focuses on colliding galaxies, starburst galaxies, quasars, and the star formation history of the universe. In addition to his research publications, he writes books and online content for students and general audiences, The Cosmos Explained and The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book. He hosts The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu, a half-hour dose of cosmic conversation with scientists, educators and students about the cosmos, scientific frontiers, scifi, comics, and more. A.G.G. Liu is a writer and online educator based in New Jersey. Liu has reached millions of online learners on YouTube-both as the lead script writer for the AI and futurism channel Rational Animations, and through their own educational channel, Signore Galilei, which was started during college at Harvard. Liu co-authored the book 30-Second Space Travel with Dr. Charles Liu and Dr. Karen Masters and co-hosts the podcast The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu. Residing in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Liu also enjoys singing, amateur radio, and strategy games.Hannah Liu is an author, teacher, inclusion and belonging advocate, and founder of the Mixed Identity Project, which provides resources and mentorship to help adolescents embrace their multiracial heritage. Her experience growing up mixed race in Montclair helped shape her journey as a DEI leader, and her passion for working with students and helping them embrace their identities with pride and joy. Today, Hannah works as a DEI student programs leader at Pingree School in Massachusetts, and has previously taught at New Canaan Country School in New Canaan, Connecticut, as well as at Reach Prep and A Better Chance.Resources:SignoreGalilei Youtubehttps://signoregalilei.comThe LIUniverseMIXED Guided JournalToni Morrison ‘Write the book you would want to read quote from 1981 speech to Ohio Arts Council'Rational AminationsThe Wild Gifting ProjectsThe Odyssey moviePW 2026 Bookstore of the Year2026 PW Publishing StatsBooks:A full list of the books and authors mentioned in this episode is available here.Register for Upcoming Events.The Watchung Booksellers Podcast is produced by Kathryn Counsell and Marni Jessup and is recorded at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ. The show is edited by Kathryn Counsell.Original music is composed and performed by Violet Mujica. Research and show notes by Caroline Shurtleff.Thanks to all the staff at Watchung Booksellers and The Kids' Room!If you liked our episode please like, follow, and share!Stay in touch!Email: wbpodcast@watchungbooksellers.comSocial: @watchungbooksellersSign up for our newsletter to get the latest on our shows, events, and book recommendations!

I read that apparently the Government are about to give a formal response this month to the Covid Inquiry Phase Two report. Brooke van Velden, who drove it, was so concerned about the mistake made around Covid vaccine advice for 12–17-year-olds, and the fact Chris Hipkins said he didn't see any advice, when in fact he did. She went off to seek advice as to what to do. They told her what you would expect they would, which was, roughly, you could do a lot, do a bit, or do nothing. The trouble with Royal Commissions is once they are done, they are done, and launching yet another inquiry, she rightly decided, would be wasting everyone's time. So she has passed it off to the Health Minister, and we stand by. The tricky thing here is accountability: will there ever be any? Hipkins and Bloomfield, the two critical players here, never turned up in person to the Commission. Once the mistake was discovered, that the paperwork on the vaccine did get to Hipkins in Cabinet, no one seems to want to know anything about it. The head of the inquiry, Grant Illingworth KC, doesn't answer questions. "The report can speak for itself," he tells everyone. Hipkins relied on the faulty report to say he never saw anything, even though he did, and Bloomfield refuses all comment. I go back to my original request; that the Government do things properly, which was an adversarial inquiry i.e. they had the power to force people to turn up. Because when they don't and the Q&A is all back and forward on paper, look what happens. And what does happen? Well, nothing, clearly. I'm happy to be proven wrong, but what is the Health Minister going to do? What happens to Hipkins or Bloomfield, apart from nothing? Mistakes were made in Covid, so we have two Commissions. Commission one is a whitewash, Commission two missed critical detail, so more mistakes are made. Does that give you confidence that the next time we have an epidemic we are any better off? Of course not. So as we await the so-called response, what was the point? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 6/26/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 6/28/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

June 28, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Ahhh, the summer is here, and vacations are hopefully in full swing. We all need time to rest, renew, reflect, because when we are exhausted, we can start to loose our way. It would seem Abraham, in the story from Genesis, could have used a trip to the Jersey shore, or at least a long nap in a hammock, because this guy is hearing some strange voices in his head. We are told that God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the one he had been promised would be the beginning of many descendants, the son he and his wife Sarah had waited so very long to bring into being. Abraham doesn't question what he is asked to do, but instead brings the unsuspecting Isaac up the mountain on a hike. Isaac, for his part, is saying “Hey Dad…I know you want to offer a sacrifice to God up there, I've got the wood for it, but like…where's the sacrifice?” When his dad replied “Don't worry, be happy, God will provide,” that's about when we would hear sinister music playing in the background if this were some sort of movie. Anyway, they get up there, and Abraham says “hop up on that pile of wood there Isaac,” and takes out his knife. Now given Abraham's history of getting it wrong – a lot – I can imagine God sitting there in a big heavenly recliner, you know, flipping through the infinite channels of human existence, and all of a sudden going “What the hell is that idiot doing now!” So God sends an Angel – Stat! – who grabs Abraham's arm, and stops him from doing something really stupid. Abraham then finds a ram caught in a thicket and sacrifices that instead, which isn't really fair to the ram either. I am guessing Isaac had a falling out with dad and decided it was time to find another place to live. Of course, taken literally – this is a very disturbing tale, which, as I have said before, I believe led to the invention of psychotherapy, given what it likely did to poor Isaac and his mom. It is often taught that this was some sort of test of Abraham's faith because the text says that is what happened. I have to wonder if Abraham wrote that part himself – kidding, of course. Yet, if we read it with a discerning heart, we can come to understand one possible lesson the text can teach us today. Sometimes the voice we hear isn't from God. How many times have we seen folks claim to be speaking on behalf of God, or doing the work of Jesus, while they hold up signs that say God hates gays, or stop women from leadership in the church, synagogue, or mosque, or says that God wants the US to be a white Chistian Nation, or God supports the institution of slavery because there were slaves in the bible? So many children of God have been sacrificed in blind obedience to the God of our own hate and bigotry – the God we fashioned in our image, rather than the other way around – and we, the followers of Jesus, have been complicit, even downright responsible. Specifically, on this LGBTQ+ Sunday, may we be reminded of the pain and suffering the church through the centuries has inflicted on those who love differently, or who see the world as more fluid and non-binary. Oh, the altars we, a people called to follow Jesus, have built listening to the voice of a God of our own making – with knives of doctrine and dogma the church provided to others to use against the vulnerable. Just this past week, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttegieg and his husband Chasten were victims of this very type of hate. Someone anonymously reported that they were a danger to their two children. Child Protective Services were then forced to separate them from the two four year olds from their dads to interview them. To be clear, CPS was doing what they had to do – they don't get to decide which reports they will respond to and which they will not. News reports focused on this false report as being a politically hateful act of partisanship. However, no one can be foolish enough to believe that if Pete and Chasten were Pete and Mary that the partisanship would have taken the form of calling CPS. This was rooted in bigotry, and faith traditions, particularly Christianity, have had the biggest influence on spreading this hate in the secular world. Now some may argue that they stand against marriage equality, and other LGBTQ+ rights, it is a form of love because they were saving people who have “strayed” from the path of righteousness. Well, first of all – who the hell are they to judge, and secondly, our conduct as follower of Christ is a lot like the legal principal that was used to govern the voting rights act…until recently anyway. That principal held that the law doesn't care about our intention. The law is concerned about how the act impacts others. Sadly, with this Supreme Court, that seems to have been tossed in the trash heap of history, but we answer to a higher calling, so we absolutely can not ignore the impact of our actions. Now, to see this play out, take a look again at the case of Abraham. He may have thought God told him to do this, but if he had just thought about who God is, and the impact this would have on his son and his wife, he would know that was not possible. Oh sure, the bible tries to clean it up a bit for this patriarch, but we all know that God would not ask that of us. And, not for nuthin', Abraham had a track record of thinking he was doing the right thing by God and messing it up pretty badly. You would think he would have realized that by now having tried to pawn off his wife as his sister to save his hide, conscripted Hagar into sexual slavery because he didn't think God was moving fast enough on the loads of descendants promise, and then, as we heard last Sunday, sending her and their young son out into a sure death to avoid annoying his wife. Thankfully, God interceded then too. Abraham sure kept God very busy. So, what about us? How do we avoid the same mistake? How do we know if we are listening to God, or if we are listening to a God of our own making? Well, one way is to read the gospel we heard today and ask ourselves a simple question – is what we think God is asking us to do like offering a cup of cold water to a child of God? Or is it more like drinking it ourselves, wastefully pouring it out, or throwing it in that child's face? The thing is, throughout his ministry, Jesus was very clear about what God wants from us. You must see and hear the voices of the oppressed – go to them, be a healing presence for them, and welcome them as you would him. And to make that point, he says in the passage we heard today, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me…and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” Think about that – Jesus uses the word welcome or receive 6 times! 6 times! Clearly this is important. Clearly Jesus wants us to welcome everyone as we would him. But there is more to his message that gets lost to us because we are not living in 1st century Judea or under the Roman Empire. Jesus chooses a cup of cold water to a little child as a way of describing what we should do. There are some important things to note about this. First, water was (and still is) required for life. In those days, you couldn't just turn on the tap or pop into a WaWa to grab a bottle of it. If you weren't living by a body of water, you had work to do to get it – digging a well, and then hauling it up from the ground. Without it, you died – as we saw in the story last week as Hagar feared her son would, until God provided a fountain in the desert. That is why Jesus describes himself in the Gospel of John as the living water. Secondly, in Jesus' time, children were not showered with attention by the adults around them. Until they grew, they had the same status as slaves – which meant they were to be ignored for the most part. So the setting here is important. Jesus is telling his disciples, telling us, that it is the “little ones” – the vulnerable of our world, the ones we have pushed to the margins – it is they that thirst the most for what is given so plentifully to others – respect, love, and welcome. Jesus calls all who follow him to be his water of life to those who are dying from thirst on the altar of our neglect, our hate, our selfishness, and our indifference. And so, understanding what Jesus asks of us, perhaps the larger church would do well to reflect on its role in persecuting people who love and live differently, especially in this Pride month. We have come a long way, to be sure, but there is still much more work to do to atone for our sins against LGBTQ+ people, to ensure they are fully welcomed, and to stand beside them in their fight for full equality. Yet even knowing this, we sometimes can be left wondering how we can possibly make a difference with so much injustice swirling all around us every single moment of every single day. It just seems like an impossible task. But Jesus didn't suggest his disciples raise millions, or overturn the Roman empire. He uses this simple act – a cup of water – the very thing of life – as an act of welcoming him – an example of what we can do. In other words, the smallest acts of compassion, empathy, love, and grace matter and are enough, if it is all we are able to do. We don't have to wear capes and jump tall buildings. We don't have to lead lives that are pure and pious. We just have to have eyes to see the vulnerable, hearts to hear where God is calling us, and a desire to welcome Jesus who thirsts. This we can do. This we have been doing here, to be sure. And yet there are times when even that seems too much for our weary soul. I know many of you have been active in justice mission and ministry in Christ's name for years. You know that it is the life we are called to, the direction that God's voice will lead us if we listen. But in these insane days of our nation, this work has been non-stop, often overwhelming, and seemingly without end. It is no wonder that so many of us are exhausted and in need of rest. When we are worn to the bone, or see the enormity of the injustice everywhere and all the time, we can become discouraged, despairing, and feel a bit lost ourselves. That type of exhaustion will always lead to a place where God's voice will be hard for us to hear. There is a story I shared with you'all several years ago and perhaps we need to hear it again: An explorer in Africa, anxious to press ahead with his journey, paid his porters for a series of forced marches. But almost within reach of their destination, they set down their bundles and refused to budge. No amount of extra payment would convince them otherwise. They said they had to wait for their souls to catch up. They had to wait for their souls to catch up. God needs you to listen, Jesus needs you for mission, and the Holy Spirit needs you to join her in the world…but we can't do any of that until we let our souls catch up. So how do we find that rest we so often need, especially if we don't get much vacation time? Well, the first thing is to take what we do have and set boundaries to ensure it is truly kept. Now, this is not easy to do in our 7×24 work lives caused by the prevalence of devices that keep everyone connected all of the time. These days getting some downtime is as filled with as many dependencies and setbacks as any large scale project plan. Even if we have time off, our personal schedules can sometimes look like the battle plans for D-Day. But, if we really think about it, companies, families, community groups, even churches – they would all survive time without us if we got hit by a bus, right? They would figure it out. So, we can do this, but it will take diligence. We will need to set boundaries that guard our time off – weekends, vacations, personal days, whatever it may be, remembering that this isn't selfishness. It's like the instruction flight attendants give you about putting your oxygen mask on before helping others – You cannot serve others if you are depleted yourself. And there is another way to allow your soul to catch up – come here. Come here to be nourished. You know, it is the one time when, because it is a religious practice, legally a business cannot stop you, which means that unless you are on-call for something or someone, you get two hours of respite. Here you are welcomed with the living water of Christ. Here you are nourished in community and in Him. Here you are given time to listen, really listen – with phone, tablet, computer – all of it – off. So, in the days ahead, with so many children of God in need of even the smallest cup of cold water to quench their thirst, allow time to see that child within yourself – and come to this table alongside your parish family to let your souls catch up. Because I can assure you that the lives you will change in the world, and you will, it all starts with the one that is changed here first. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-28-2026-1.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge June 28, 2026 Fifth Sunday After Pentecost 1st Reading – Genesis 22:1-14 Psalm 13 2nd Reading – Romans 6:12-23 Gospel – Matthew 10:40-42

What if your ring knew you were getting sick before you did and could one day monitor chronic conditions around the clock? In this episode, Dr. Ricky Bloomfield, Chief Medical Officer of Oura, explores how continuous health monitoring with wearable devices is shifting health care from reactive treatment to early prevention. The Oura Ring can detect illness days before symptoms appear, from COVID to lymphoma to appendicitis, because earlier diagnosis can make all the difference. Rings are becoming the wearable of choice. By tracking meaningful metrics such as cardiovascular age and cumulative stress scores, people can act on what they see, adjusting diet, exercise and sleep habits and watching their health improve. Finally, Dr. Bloomfield unpacks what it will take for wearable data to be meaningfully integrated into clinical care. He also explores how AI is transforming the health care landscape, from Oura Advisor, an AI-powered tool that lets users query and understand their own health data, to AI-generated summaries designed to highlight the most important and actionable insights for doctors.

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 6/21/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 6/14/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Homegoing for Sister Carrie Bell Tyson- 6/19/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

The Missouri House Veterans Committee's vice chair praises President Donald Trump for the situation in Iran. State Rep. Jim Schulte (R-New Bloomfield), who served two combat tours in Afghanistan, joined hosts Randy Tobler and Stephanie Bell on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri." Rep. Schulte tells listeners that President Trump has been "three steps ahead" of everyone and that Iran has been brought to its knees:

CJ Bloomfield brings one of Mortal Kombat's most iconic warriors to life in Mortal Kombat 2. Known for his physical performance work, stunt background, and intense on-screen presence, CJ takes on the fan-favorite role of Baraka, the fierce Tarkatan warrior recognized for his brutal combat style and signature blade attacks.   WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/09ACAAy3wkw     Episode 456   Welcome to THE JOE VULPIS PODCAST official YouTube channel! Hosted by Joe Vulpis,  also known as "Ugh It's Joe" and "The Joe". My guests range from rockstars and actors, to hit reality show stars and the largest influencers on the planet. Joe achieved internet notoriety with his unique witty Vlog style videos and passion for food. Amassing a total of more than 3,000,000 followers across social platforms, 500,000,000 Youtube views across his channels, and averages more than 100 million monthly views across all socials! Join the family and hit SUBSCRIBE to stay updated with the best conversations!   GHOST TAGS: CJ Bloomfield, Baraka, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat movie, Baraka actor, Mortal Kombat interview, CJ Bloomfield interview, Mortal Kombat cast, Baraka Mortal Kombat 2, MK2 movie, video game movies, Mortal Kombat fan favorite, Tarkatan warrior, Mortal Kombat sequel, Karl Urban Johnny Cage, Kitana Mortal Kombat 2, Shao Kahn, NetherRealm, Mortal Kombat franchise, gaming movies, action movie interview, martial arts movies, stunt performer, video game adaptation, Mortal Kombat fans, Warner Bros Mortal Kombat, MK2 cast interview, Baraka live action, fighting game movies, Joe Vulpis Podcast    

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 6/12/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Saturday Pre-Convocation Service - 6/13/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

What if the book of Genesis is not only the story of humanity's first family, but also the story of God learning how to parent? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with Stephen Spector to discuss his book God and the First Families: Parenting, Trauma, and Healing in the Book of Genesis (Jewish Publication Society, 2026), a provocative reexamination of the Bible's foundational stories through the lens of parenting. Drawing on both biblical interpretation and contemporary psychology, Spector explores how God's relationship with the patriarchs and matriarchs evolves throughout Genesis. God begins as a demanding authority figure, shifts toward a more nurturing presence, returns briefly to authoritarianism in the binding of Isaac, and ultimately develops a style focused on fostering moral and emotional growth. Remarkably, Spector argues, Genesis anticipates parenting insights that psychologists would not articulate for thousands of years. Along the way, familiar stories take on new meaning. Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers—each narrative becomes a window into questions of favoritism, resilience, forgiveness, family conflict, and healing after trauma. By reading Genesis as a story about parenting and human development, Spector uncovers enduring wisdom about how families flourish, fracture, and find their way back to one another. Together, Spector and Katz explore what the Bible can teach about raising children, repairing relationships, and understanding the complex bond between love, authority, and growth. Stephen Spector is a professor of English emeritus at Stony Brook University. He is the author of Operation Solomon: The Daring Rescue of the Ethiopian Jews and Evangelicals and Israel: The Story of American Christian Zionism, among other volumes. Spector has taught the Bible to undergraduate and graduate students for fifty years. He has been a visiting scholar at Hebrew University and a senior research fellow at the National Humanities Center and the Wesleyan Center for Humanities.  Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He is the author of The Heart of Loneliness: How Jewish Wisdom Can Help You Cope and Find Comfort, a National Jewish Book Award finalist and Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What if the book of Genesis is not only the story of humanity's first family, but also the story of God learning how to parent? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with Stephen Spector to discuss his book God and the First Families: Parenting, Trauma, and Healing in the Book of Genesis (Jewish Publication Society, 2026), a provocative reexamination of the Bible's foundational stories through the lens of parenting. Drawing on both biblical interpretation and contemporary psychology, Spector explores how God's relationship with the patriarchs and matriarchs evolves throughout Genesis. God begins as a demanding authority figure, shifts toward a more nurturing presence, returns briefly to authoritarianism in the binding of Isaac, and ultimately develops a style focused on fostering moral and emotional growth. Remarkably, Spector argues, Genesis anticipates parenting insights that psychologists would not articulate for thousands of years. Along the way, familiar stories take on new meaning. Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers—each narrative becomes a window into questions of favoritism, resilience, forgiveness, family conflict, and healing after trauma. By reading Genesis as a story about parenting and human development, Spector uncovers enduring wisdom about how families flourish, fracture, and find their way back to one another. Together, Spector and Katz explore what the Bible can teach about raising children, repairing relationships, and understanding the complex bond between love, authority, and growth. Stephen Spector is a professor of English emeritus at Stony Brook University. He is the author of Operation Solomon: The Daring Rescue of the Ethiopian Jews and Evangelicals and Israel: The Story of American Christian Zionism, among other volumes. Spector has taught the Bible to undergraduate and graduate students for fifty years. He has been a visiting scholar at Hebrew University and a senior research fellow at the National Humanities Center and the Wesleyan Center for Humanities.  Rabbi Marc Katz is the senior rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He is the author of The Heart of Loneliness: How Jewish Wisdom Can Help You Cope and Find Comfort, a National Jewish Book Award finalist and Yochanan's Gamble: Judaism's Pragmatic Approach to Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

June 7, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Sometimes the life of a priest is about prayer, worship, pastoral care, and all the other things many people think about when they wonder what clergy do. Often it is also about boilers, budgets, broken pipes, roof leaks, personnel issues, or paperwork. But once in awhile, it offers a special little gift to this priest – the joy of children in our Nursery School on the day of graduation. This past Friday, my dog Lexi and I participated again in our preschool graduation ceremony, bidding farewell this year to 11 children heading off to Kindergarten, including Sophia Reynolds. Professor Lexi, in her cap and gown, not only leads the procession, but offered up a few words of advice to the graduates: “do not be afraid to snag the treats and be sure to take time for belly rubs.” She then helped to clean up the floor of all the cake and icing that happened to fall. Thankfully, I stopped a child from sliding her a whole cookie. So, while following the call of Christ into ordination isn't always what one expects, it is always filled with far more joy than we could ever imagine. Call is like that – it begins with a willingness to enter into the unknown. And, these kids are leaving behind the teachers and friends they have come to know so well to begin a new adventure too. Based on the test scores our students achieve when they graduate, I know they are, as they sang in their song “Ready to go!” Today we hear about some other call stories – the one of Abram and Sarai in Genesis, that of Matthew in the gospel, and perhaps some others that will emerge for us as we do a deeper dive. And today, I want to focus on the passage from the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. In the first part of the text we just heard, Matthew is sitting in the tax booth when Jesus walks by and says “Follow me.” While the text doesn't say it, tax collectors in those days were not the beleaguered public servants of our day. They were ones who collected the taxes due to the emperor– and then some – lining their own pockets. So, as you can imagine, they aren't particularly well liked in the community. Was Matthew one of those crooked types who got rich off the backs of others? The text doesn't say. Yet when Jesus invites him, he leaves that booth and becomes a disciple. Apparently, so did a few other tax collectors, as the text tells us. What must that have been like for them? They would lose all their income. They did not really know what lay ahead for them – neither, for that matter, did any other follower of Jesus. I mean, imagine if Jesus just walked into some CEO's office, said “follow me,” and they got up – leaving laptop and everything else behind, and walked out the door with him? That sounds crazy, right? Well, that is what Matthew did. But there is more going on here, because people like Matthew were understandably considered traitors of the people. Imagine if that CEO had been in charge of a pharmaceutical company that profited off the opioid addiction and death of millions. Jesus, what are you thinking? Well, that is what Jesus did. But wait, there's still more… Matthew and others like him – tax collectors, other pharma CEO types, and the like, end up having dinner with Jesus too. And – here's what we sometimes miss – this isn't in some town far away where Jesus is traveling. This is in his hometown, in his own home. The opening of the chapter begins in this way: “…and after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town.” This Matthew may have been the very guy who ripped off Jesus and his family through the years – who profited on the backs of his friends and relatives in town. It kinda puts the next part in perspective. The local religious leaders were not happy about this and question Jesus about it (I have to wonder if there were more than just those Pharisees who thought that way too). And to them Jesus says “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Now, this is where it pays to actually read the text, not just hear it. When he says “Go and learn what this means,” he isn't referring to what he just said – that bit about “Those who are well have no need of a physician…”. He is referring to what he is about to say: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” One thing I have to note here before I continue is that this is not Jesus condemning Judaism as a faith. In today's context, he would say the same thing to many, many, Christian leaders, to be sure. That absurd antisemitic reading of the passage aside, a better translation might be this: “I desire mercy, not purity,” which makes the next part more understandable: “For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners.” And folks, that's a good thing for us all. Because if Jesus didn't eat with sinners, he'd be eating alone! The same is true for all of us. If folks are looking for perfect people, they better look elsewhere, because they sure as heck won't find them in a church. And the truth is – they won't find them anywhere else either. God didn't create perfect people, but God become incarnate to dwell among us that we might come to know that perfection isn't what God desires of us. We aren't meant to be perfect – we are meant to love – radically and unconditionally. And that leads us to the rest of the story, because that type of love is what Jesus was offering in that moment, and it opened doors even he did not expect. As he walked along, a temple leader came begging him to revive his daughter who had just died. With the same words that were used for Matthew, Jesus got up and followed him. As he walked along, “a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak.” She did this because, as the text says, she believed that just by touching something that touched him, she would be made well. And – she was. But more than that, Jesus turned to her, looked at her, and affirmed her. There is a lot packed into these twin stories, but one thing that needs to be understood is that these two people are different in more than just their gender and situation. The man had agency to come right up to Jesus, the woman did not. A woman in that time and culture who was bleeding was considered impure. She would have been kept out of the temple those 12 long years, and most likely pushed to the margins of society. It was a brave thing for her to do – going into a group of people on the chance of touching even just the fringe of Jesus' cloak. Bravery born of desperation – for inclusion, for grace, for mercy, for love – but maybe she also heard about the radical welcome Jesus had given to Matthew and the others in his own home. Perhaps we can hold these two stories – of Matthew and this woman – in our hearts and minds in these difficult days. Let's give her a name though, she deserves one. Let's call her Leah, a Hebrew name which can mean weary or grieved, for she was certainly that, not only from her physical ailments, but by the marginalization it brought her. Matthew and Leah are two different call stories – both are the story of the church today. Matthew is all of us – flawed people, who have erred along the way, hurt others intentionally or not, and perhaps have been deeply hurt ourselves. Jesus called to us and we followed. Jesus welcomes us to this table, and we eat. Leah is called to Jesus too, for healing and for love, but approaching him seemed dangerous – the doors of the church have not always felt like a welcome place for her. She is the trans teen, the gay man, the addicted executive, the immigrant or refugee, the homeless woman, the elderly WWII vet with PTSD, the child with autism who is louder than some think they should be, the lonely, the infirm, the lost, and the last of our society. They are in our hometown too, as Leah and Matthew were in Jesus', yet sometimes it is hardest to see clearly what is too familiar to us; or, even more likely, they have been pushed into the shadows so we don't see them at all. As for their call and ours, Matthew certainly was not worthy of the call of Jesus – none of us are. That's when we need to remember this quote by the late and great Bishop Barbara Harris: “God doesn't call those who are worthy. God makes worthy those whom God has called.” And like Leah, our healing by Christ, here at this table, will give us all that we need to lead the life he calls us into when we leave these doors. Which is a good thing, because Jesus is saying to each of us today the very thing he said to Matthew: “Follow me.” He is turning to affirm our desire for grace and love as he did with Leah that we may be healed and live into our lives as his followers. And, when Jesus calls us – it isn't into a life of safety, but of dangerously prophetic witness. When Jesus calls us – it isn't into a life of ease, but of discomfort with injustice. When Jesus calls us – it isn't into a life of purity, but of unconditional love born of redemptive grace. When we answer the call of Jesus to follow him, it means we leave from here – from this table – to seek him out in the world. In this very gospel, he told us where he could be found – and it was in all those society and the church has for so long cast aside. We must, as Jesus did, search to find the Matthews yearning for a new path. We must turn toward the marginalized who seek healing and affirm them with love as he did with Leah. Today that means we hear the cries of those in concentration camps like Delaney Hall, and call for their immediate release. It also means we see the Matthew there too. I remember standing just about 15' from the federal agents outside of that horrific facility and looking directly at each one of them. This was in the hours before that close contact was cut off. I prayed for a turning of their hearts, and for a change in the nation toward compassion and mercy. Perhaps these agents believed in what they were doing. Perhaps they were in need of the signing bonuses our government was offering to enlist them. Just like with Matthew, we will never know. Just like with Matthew, I will pray that they hear the call of Christ toward a change in life. And inside the cells we will find Jesus, from where we will hear him call to us to follow him. For it is Christ himself who is given rotted and infested food. It is Christ himself who is, like Leah, in need of medical care and suffering for so long. He is reaching out from those cells in the hope that we will see him and hear his call to offer love and grace to the suffering inside. And we will answer that call and stand in solidarity with them, their families, and against our nation's hateful and oppressive acts. We will stand too with LGBTQ+ people in this Pride Month, that they may know deep within that we see them, we affirm them, we love them, and we welcome them. We will stand with people of color across our nation whose voice is being eradicated by new Jim Crow voting maps. This after fighting and dying through decades upon decades for the rights our nation's highest court has now stripped away from them, and whose history of oppression our nation's leaders want to eradicate. We will not allow them to be pushed aside so that white people can feel more comfortable. We will not stand by while they are stripped of their voice. We will stand with women and listen to them as much as we have listened to powerful men. We will hear their stories of being victimized, assaulted, abused. We will not allow convenience or political expediency to privilege men's voices over theirs. We will turn to them, affirm them, and offer grace to them. And when others, particularly the ones who seek to align Jesus and our country with power and wealth and whiteness – the so-called Christian Nationalists – come to us denouncing what we are doing, we will say: “Go and learn what this means, ‘Jesus desires mercy, not sacrifice.' For Jesus wants us to welcome the immigrant, love the oppressed, and heal the brokenhearted. What part of that did you not understand? We will say, “Go and learn what this means… For Jesus came to call not the righteous but sinners,” and you, my brother or sister, might want to consider which of those two categories you find yourselves in right now, as we pray deeply for you. We will say, this is what it means to follow Jesus! This is our faith, our baptism, our call, our life! And we are ready to go! Come and follow him with us – it is not too late. It never is. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-7-2026-1.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge June 7, 2026 The Second Sunday After Pentecost – Year A/Track 1 1st Reading – Genesis 12:1-9 Psalm 33:1-12 2nd Reading – Romans 4:13-25 Gospel – Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 6/5/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 6/7/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

In Australia, no wedding or school dance is complete without the Nutbush, Australia's unofficial national dance. The Nutbush – a simple line dance to the song “Nutbush City Limits,” by Ike and Tina Turner – has become as stereotypically Australian as kangaroos, boomerangs, and Vegemite.And yet, hardly anyone outside of Australia even knows the Nutbush exists. Here at Decoder Ring, we certainly didn't – until we started getting emails from Australians asking us to investigate its origins. How did an American song become the soundtrack for an Australian national tradition? Who invented the iconic steps, and why does every Australian know them?Our producer Max Freedman put on his dancing shoes to get some answers. The global, century-spanning story of the Nutbush involves Australia, Tennessee, Denmark, primary schools, gay discos, and demonstrates that even the goofiest cultural touchstones can go surprisingly deep.In this episode you'll hear from culture journalists David Mack and Angus Kidman; Nutbush researchers Panizza Allmark and Jon Stratton; dance historians Erica Okamura and Richard Powers; Dr. Fiona Chatteur, Jeremy Santolin, and Brian Kerr.This episode was written and produced by Max Freedman and edited by Evan Chung, our supervising producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.Further ViewingHow to do ‘The Nutbush' - Australian Line Dance Dancin' the Madison on “The Buddy Deane Show” (1960)Alley Cat Tutorial — Spark Physical EducationThe Nutbush on Countdown (December 5, 1976)Tina Turner — Nutbush City Limits, The Midnight Special (1973)Tina Turner — Are You Breaking My Heart, Countdown (1980)Tina Turner: How “The Best” Became Rugby League's Anthem | ABC NewsTina Turner's Electrifying 1993 NRL Grand Final PerformanceSources for This EpisodeAllmark, Panizza, and Jon Stratton. “Doing the Nutbush: How Australia Got Its Very Own Line Dance.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, 2025, pp. 79–94.Allmark, Panizza, and Jon Stratton. “The Nutbush Dance Reframed: Further Analysis Related to ‘Doing the Nutbush.'” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, 2025, pp. 95–103.Andrews, Shirley. Take Your Partners: Traditional Dancing in Australia. 3rd ed., Hyland House, 1979.Bloomfield, Anne. “Health or Art? The Case for Dance in the Curriculum of British State Schools 1909–1919.” History of Education, vol. 36, no. 6, 2007, pp. 681–696.Bloomfield, Anne. “The Quickening of the National Spirit: Cecil Sharp and the Pioneers of the Folk-Dance Revival in English State Schools (1900–26).” History of Education, vol. 30, no. 1, 2001, pp. 59–75.Gbogbo, Mawunyo. “Tina Turner and Her Australian Connections: How The Best Became Rugby League's Anthem and Why Is the Nutbush Mandatory at Gatherings?” ABC News, 24 May 2023.Jones, Benjamin T. “Australian Politics Explainer: The White Australia Policy.” The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2017.Kidman, Angus. “Tina Turner: How Australia Saved Her Career.” Angus Kidman, 13 Aug. 2023.Meiners, Jeff. So We Can Dance? In Pursuit of an Inclusive Dance Curriculum for the Primary School Years in Australia. 2017. University of South Australia, Doctor of Education thesis.Spencer, Eliza. “Australia and the Nutbush: The Quest for the Origin of a Cultural Phenomenon Goes On.” The Guardian, 5 May 2024.Ward, Mary. “The Mysterious Allure of the Nutbush and Why the Dance Is Uniquely Australian.” Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 2023.Zhuang, Yan. “Australia Remembered Tina Turner with a Dance.” New York Times, 25 May 2023.Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Australia, no wedding or school dance is complete without the Nutbush, Australia's unofficial national dance. The Nutbush – a simple line dance to the song “Nutbush City Limits,” by Ike and Tina Turner – has become as stereotypically Australian as kangaroos, boomerangs, and Vegemite.And yet, hardly anyone outside of Australia even knows the Nutbush exists. Here at Decoder Ring, we certainly didn't – until we started getting emails from Australians asking us to investigate its origins. How did an American song become the soundtrack for an Australian national tradition? Who invented the iconic steps, and why does every Australian know them?Our producer Max Freedman put on his dancing shoes to get some answers. The global, century-spanning story of the Nutbush involves Australia, Tennessee, Denmark, primary schools, gay discos, and demonstrates that even the goofiest cultural touchstones can go surprisingly deep.In this episode you'll hear from culture journalists David Mack and Angus Kidman; Nutbush researchers Panizza Allmark and Jon Stratton; dance historians Erica Okamura and Richard Powers; Dr. Fiona Chatteur, Jeremy Santolin, and Brian Kerr.This episode was written and produced by Max Freedman and edited by Evan Chung, our supervising producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.Further ViewingHow to do ‘The Nutbush' - Australian Line Dance Dancin' the Madison on “The Buddy Deane Show” (1960)Alley Cat Tutorial — Spark Physical EducationThe Nutbush on Countdown (December 5, 1976)Tina Turner — Nutbush City Limits, The Midnight Special (1973)Tina Turner — Are You Breaking My Heart, Countdown (1980)Tina Turner: How “The Best” Became Rugby League's Anthem | ABC NewsTina Turner's Electrifying 1993 NRL Grand Final PerformanceSources for This EpisodeAllmark, Panizza, and Jon Stratton. “Doing the Nutbush: How Australia Got Its Very Own Line Dance.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, 2025, pp. 79–94.Allmark, Panizza, and Jon Stratton. “The Nutbush Dance Reframed: Further Analysis Related to ‘Doing the Nutbush.'” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, 2025, pp. 95–103.Andrews, Shirley. Take Your Partners: Traditional Dancing in Australia. 3rd ed., Hyland House, 1979.Bloomfield, Anne. “Health or Art? The Case for Dance in the Curriculum of British State Schools 1909–1919.” History of Education, vol. 36, no. 6, 2007, pp. 681–696.Bloomfield, Anne. “The Quickening of the National Spirit: Cecil Sharp and the Pioneers of the Folk-Dance Revival in English State Schools (1900–26).” History of Education, vol. 30, no. 1, 2001, pp. 59–75.Gbogbo, Mawunyo. “Tina Turner and Her Australian Connections: How The Best Became Rugby League's Anthem and Why Is the Nutbush Mandatory at Gatherings?” ABC News, 24 May 2023.Jones, Benjamin T. “Australian Politics Explainer: The White Australia Policy.” The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2017.Kidman, Angus. “Tina Turner: How Australia Saved Her Career.” Angus Kidman, 13 Aug. 2023.Meiners, Jeff. So We Can Dance? In Pursuit of an Inclusive Dance Curriculum for the Primary School Years in Australia. 2017. University of South Australia, Doctor of Education thesis.Spencer, Eliza. “Australia and the Nutbush: The Quest for the Origin of a Cultural Phenomenon Goes On.” The Guardian, 5 May 2024.Ward, Mary. “The Mysterious Allure of the Nutbush and Why the Dance Is Uniquely Australian.” Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 2023.Zhuang, Yan. “Australia Remembered Tina Turner with a Dance.” New York Times, 25 May 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Australia, no wedding or school dance is complete without the Nutbush, Australia's unofficial national dance. The Nutbush – a simple line dance to the song “Nutbush City Limits,” by Ike and Tina Turner – has become as stereotypically Australian as kangaroos, boomerangs, and Vegemite.And yet, hardly anyone outside of Australia even knows the Nutbush exists. Here at Decoder Ring, we certainly didn't – until we started getting emails from Australians asking us to investigate its origins. How did an American song become the soundtrack for an Australian national tradition? Who invented the iconic steps, and why does every Australian know them?Our producer Max Freedman put on his dancing shoes to get some answers. The global, century-spanning story of the Nutbush involves Australia, Tennessee, Denmark, primary schools, gay discos, and demonstrates that even the goofiest cultural touchstones can go surprisingly deep.In this episode you'll hear from culture journalists David Mack and Angus Kidman; Nutbush researchers Panizza Allmark and Jon Stratton; dance historians Erica Okamura and Richard Powers; Dr. Fiona Chatteur, Jeremy Santolin, and Brian Kerr.This episode was written and produced by Max Freedman and edited by Evan Chung, our supervising producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.Further ViewingHow to do ‘The Nutbush' - Australian Line Dance Dancin' the Madison on “The Buddy Deane Show” (1960)Alley Cat Tutorial — Spark Physical EducationThe Nutbush on Countdown (December 5, 1976)Tina Turner — Nutbush City Limits, The Midnight Special (1973)Tina Turner — Are You Breaking My Heart, Countdown (1980)Tina Turner: How “The Best” Became Rugby League's Anthem | ABC NewsTina Turner's Electrifying 1993 NRL Grand Final PerformanceSources for This EpisodeAllmark, Panizza, and Jon Stratton. “Doing the Nutbush: How Australia Got Its Very Own Line Dance.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, 2025, pp. 79–94.Allmark, Panizza, and Jon Stratton. “The Nutbush Dance Reframed: Further Analysis Related to ‘Doing the Nutbush.'” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, 2025, pp. 95–103.Andrews, Shirley. Take Your Partners: Traditional Dancing in Australia. 3rd ed., Hyland House, 1979.Bloomfield, Anne. “Health or Art? The Case for Dance in the Curriculum of British State Schools 1909–1919.” History of Education, vol. 36, no. 6, 2007, pp. 681–696.Bloomfield, Anne. “The Quickening of the National Spirit: Cecil Sharp and the Pioneers of the Folk-Dance Revival in English State Schools (1900–26).” History of Education, vol. 30, no. 1, 2001, pp. 59–75.Gbogbo, Mawunyo. “Tina Turner and Her Australian Connections: How The Best Became Rugby League's Anthem and Why Is the Nutbush Mandatory at Gatherings?” ABC News, 24 May 2023.Jones, Benjamin T. “Australian Politics Explainer: The White Australia Policy.” The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2017.Kidman, Angus. “Tina Turner: How Australia Saved Her Career.” Angus Kidman, 13 Aug. 2023.Meiners, Jeff. So We Can Dance? In Pursuit of an Inclusive Dance Curriculum for the Primary School Years in Australia. 2017. University of South Australia, Doctor of Education thesis.Spencer, Eliza. “Australia and the Nutbush: The Quest for the Origin of a Cultural Phenomenon Goes On.” The Guardian, 5 May 2024.Ward, Mary. “The Mysterious Allure of the Nutbush and Why the Dance Is Uniquely Australian.” Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 2023.Zhuang, Yan. “Australia Remembered Tina Turner with a Dance.” New York Times, 25 May 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service - 5/24/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518

Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Friday Evening Service - 05/22/2026 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at (860) 242-3518