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Chances are, your accounts receivable (AR) is not dialed in. Kiera provides very tactical, specific tips on how to get your AR cleaned up and start bringing in money you've already earned. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is a very important topic But one the people like my rat rat rat, but guess what my rat rat rat is gonna make you a lot of money So I hope you're excited for it. So we'll take that rat rat rat into kaching Because it's dentistry party done and we're just gonna like help you out. I hope you guys enjoy hanging out with me This is my like nerdy geeky side that definitely loves and obsesses of being able to help you guys and it's been so fun I'm working with some people and teaching them about this and   getting them excited on how they can fix their AR ⁓ is something that just like really, really lights my fire because doctors, you do the freaking dentistry, get paid for it. Can I get an amen out there? Like seriously, you do the dentistry and AR and making sure you're paid is something that I am so obsessed about. So, and this doesn't mean doctors, have to do it yourself. So I want us to get into the AR like the womp, womp, womp, it's annoying, but guess what? These are billing tips that work that are gonna make you a lot of money for work that you've already done.   This is like people like, Kiera, how can I make more money and not do more work? And I'm like, just take the money, the what you've already done. it's crazy. lot of people come in and like, Kiera, you're really going to be able to like, ⁓ give us an ROI on your consulting. And I'm like, time. Why? Because I know your AR is out of control. have yet to meet a practice that has perfect AR. And if you are the practice email me, I'm going to give you a freaking shirt and we don't get out done on a team shirts anymore. So yeah, you should definitely email us. ⁓ there are a couple of practices out there.   But most the time, AR is something that is not dialed in. It does not have a plan. And this is something that is going to be very tactical for you. So first step is AR. What is AR? It's the accounts receivable. Okay. And there's two parts to it. AR has the patient portion and the insurance portion. Okay. So when we do dentistry, we need to make sure we collect money and we bill insurance and then we make sure that we get paid for that. Now, insurance is such a sneaky little game and I get so annoyed by it I love to teach people this.   So we need to have it where there's like a few processes that make AR really good. So we're gonna break it down very simply. Number one, good information in means good clean claims going out. I'm always like, we send clean claims. Clean claims mean, clean claims, clean claims. Clean claims, clean claims. ⁓ Clean claims. I'm gonna giggle saying it. I can hear the little jingle in my voice. Clean claims means that we...   have the correct information. So I've got the patient's name, the date of birth, the insurance information. That's all correct. I've got the group number and please for the love of everything, holy, do not make a million group numbers. Do not do that. Make sure AR are so messy and your insurance box is so messy. We just have it. We also need to have fee schedules that are up to date every single year. Please do that. We need to attach it. We do not want write-offs. So what this means, ⁓ also another like, it's not a pet peeve. It's just like,   Oh, I'm sorry. You need to like listen to the podcast and implement this. Stop reporting to me your fees in gross numbers and do it in net. So many times I get on calls with people and they're like, Kiera, we produced like 2 million, but we collected one. And I'm like, ouch. And they're like, well, like our net was like, you know, 1.2. I'm like, so tell me you produce 1.2. Let's live in real land numbers, not the 2 million. Cause you're always going to be mad at me. They're like, well, I produced 2 million, but I'm only making a million. Well, yeah.   Because guess what? You didn't really produce two million. I know you want to say you did, but guess what? Insurance is what really is paying you. So we've got to do that. And I know you don't want to, but when you will do this and you attach the correct fee schedules to it, you are actually going be able to predict your numbers better and your money and your finances are going to get better on your personal side too. So hear me out. It was the worst day. was worse than Christmas getting a lump of coal. I took our production and it dropped us by 30%. And guess what? My goals are to produce 20 grand in a five out practice per day. You want to know how hard that was? I was like, I'm never going to make it.   But guess what? Because I was reporting in real numbers, me even as a TC and an O.M. we were able to schedule more correctly and get us to the actual 15 grand of true 15, 20 grand per day of true production that we were collecting. How much do think my business grew? ⁓ a lot because we were actually producing incorrect numbers, not inflated numbers. So clean claims. We're back to that clean claims mean we've got correct information. We've got the correct ⁓ all of the information is correct.   We've got our insurance verification done and we've got the fee schedules attached. So then when I'm giving an estimate, I'm estimating to the best of my ability. We do not send pre-Ds. I call them pre-denials. You can have your own opinion, but I really truly do not like pre-denials. They take time, they waste energy. And to me, guess what? I got the best information. I'm a thousand dollars. I'm an insurance coupon. I need to be a dang good treatment coordinator that's able to communicate this. And if the patient owes money, guess what? We've got to be really good at communicating that too. This is our best estimate.   I'm gonna do my absolute best. We called your insurance company. I've got the best insurance verification. This is the absolute best I can get today. We're gonna take care of that. And on the flip side, hey, worst case scenario is you're gonna owe this much out of pocket. Tell them that. Then they're not mad at you when you call them. like, hey, insurance didn't pay as much as we thought. But remember, worst case scenario, this is what it is. And I can work with you to get that collected, okay? So then from there, we make sure we have correct documentation as well. We need to attach the correct narratives.   ⁓ insurance or excuse me, x-rays, intra-orals, whatever we need to get that paid. Insurance companies are obsessed with not paying for you, but it's because they play the game. So just figure out the rules of the game. We have our fee schedules in there. We send the correct documentation and we send it out every day and we check to make sure none of these claims get stuck in our claim sender. Okay, so we wanna make sure it goes through the clearing house. It doesn't get stuck there. I feel like that's like the post office for claims. We send it through and we make sure all of them get pushed through to the insurance company.   and then we follow up. And now this is where I need owners of each of them. So we need somebody to make sure that all of our intake process is correct. We need someone to make sure that our, what we send out in our claims is correct. And we tell the clinical team what we need for every single claim. And then from there, we have one person who owns our billing department. AR needs to have a clear owner. Who is our billing person that works on this every single day? Yes, you heard me. Because the goal is to get our claims paid within 30 days. You can do it. It's doable, but you gotta have a process.   So that person then their job is I recommend we run the AR list at the beginning of every single month. Then we put it into an Excel spreadsheet or however you want to do it. I found that it's easiest in Excel and then we have it color coded. And I like it to be broken down so that way the biller, their goal is to get through every single patient. Yes. And I have seen 2,500 patients, 7,500 patients. Like it is amazing how many like line items we can get. Hopefully you're more like the 500 to 700 patients on that AR list.   Then what we do from there is we've got patient portion and insurance portion. And what we want to do is we want to actually get this really, really dialed in to where we are collecting at time of service, the patient portion. My hope is that your patient portion that's due is very minimal. And the only time we have a patient portion due is because insurance didn't pay as much as we expected them to. So we got to go collect. We've already collected the money before they go out. Please, for the love of everything, holy do not let your patients just be like, I'll pay you with an insurance pays. Absolutely not.   collect the money today. It is much easier to collect today and give a refund than it is to go chase money. I'd rather you get paid today, wait on insurance. That's fine. But be like, hey, we call your insurance. We estimate really, really well. This is how much we're going to collect today. And then, hey, if it's good news, great. We're going to be able to get you a refund. And if it's not, then great. We're not going to have to call you and ask for as much in the future. So this is what we're estimating. This is our best estimate. We've called your insurance company. We've done everything we possibly can to make sure it's the best we can. And I guarantee you, we're going to take great care of you.   Collect the money. Then when it comes in, what I like for the biller to do is to look, what did this insurance company actually pay? And then go update your fee schedule to the true numbers, because fee schedules are just very generic, but for your area and your zip code, we actually like, if insurance billers will go through and look at that and be like, on a crown, Delta Dental actually pays $758. You're like, yeah, right here, it's like 500. Okay, so $558, but we had 500 in there.   Go update that so then we collect more accurately throughout the year. If we are really disciplined in this and our insurance biller will do this, your billing gets so much tighter and we have less money in our AR. Then we go through it, we go through every single claim. Now if your insurance is a lot in the AR, because we haven't worked it, you're gonna wanna work with the top pieces first. The most expensive, the biggest accounts, and I work insurance ones, and then I work patient ones. And I also am looking at the 90 days, and then the 60 days, and then the 30 days.   And then the zero, don't even like zero to 30. don't even touch that 30 to 60. Yes. 60 to 90. Yes. Over 90 for sure. I'm going to hit that. So you can sort your listing Excel of the biggest account balances. And we're going to call the insurance. We're going to call the patients because you feel like you made like a lot of progress. Also, we can look down at the bottom. Another thing too, is sometimes there's like $5, $10. If your insurance list is really big and your AR is really large, sometimes I recommend writing like below $10. Now this is your money. It's not mine. So you do what you want to do with it.   Sometimes I do recommend writing that off, but before we do it, we're to want to send statements to everybody, see if we can collect any of that. Then we have a set date where we're just going to write it off and call it bad debt. We're going to fix our processes moving forward. But if you will do this and you follow it and everybody follows it every single week, every single month, your AR is going to get cleaned up. So people are like, but it's so hard. And we have like one person who owns it. And I say like Tuesdays and Thursdays are insurance and Monday, Wednesday, Fridays are patients. And we call our patients and we do our insurance.   and we clean it up and we get the correct fee schedules and we make sure that we're following up consistently. We're hearing, excuse me, what they say on the ⁓ claims. We're hearing what they are denying. Also, just because it's on a claim and they on an EOB and they say, you need to write this off. We do need to be really smart on insurance and we don't just say, we wrote it off. Absolutely not. We double check, we verify why was it written off? What were the reasons for it? Can we resubmit it? Can we get this paid? Is this a patient portion that needs to be paid?   Do not just write it off because the EOB says it was written off. So we do not do that. Then what I also recommend is we often wait till the end of the month. We talk to our billers and they didn't get through all their AR. Office managers should be meeting every single week with their billing coordinator and the biller needs to be reporting. Here's how much AR I've completed. This is where I'm at. This is my plan for the next week. I'm going to get through every single patient this month. Also, we do not just send statements out. People love to do this. I'm very pro.   We call first, we text and then we send a statement. Why not just call them right then and there and be like, hey, Kiera, great news. We got insurance paid, we owe this amount and I can take card when you're ready and get that all cleared up for you. Send them a text with the payment link. Here you go, this is the balance and they will pay it. Send them a statement that has a QR code to pay online. You guys stop having them write checks and send it to the practice. Make it easy, talk to your payment processor. I love Moola for this. They make it so easy for patients to pay and their fees are so low. So if you need it, tell Moola, The Dental A Team, sent you.   They're incredible and they're a great processor for you. But this is where it has to be. And I'm really big on what we need to have our goals be. So I like to make this simple. Our over 90 should be no more. All of our collective AR should be no more than one month's worth of collection. So if you're producing 100,000, there should be no more than 100,000 sitting in AR. you've got more than that, let's fix   the way I like the goals to be is I like it to be it's no more than 15 % is in our 30 to 60. And the reason why is because that's going to be pretty big. Now zero to 30, I don't worry about, but it's 15 % or less in our 30 to 60. Then it's 10 % or less in our 60 to 90 and less than 5 % over in our over 90. We want to make sure that it follows that. So that way you guys are able to, but great. And those are very generic and you can get those lower. The only thing that usually impacts are over 90 are usually payment plans and also ortho.   So if you have those in there, there are ways that we can discuss with you on how to get those out to clean up your AR, but you've got to have this structured. We've got to have this to where people are following it. And we need to get this in every single week and like truly work with our billers. And if offices will follow this, you guys, this is something that is not hard, but it does take discipline and discipline does equal freedom. And doctors, had a doctor and she was just like, Kiera, I'm not making any money. And I was like,   I don't understand because you have so much money in AR and your production's so great, but we're not collecting the money. So step one is we collect. Now, if your AR is also like ballooned out of control, we can fix it and we collect money when they check in and we make sure we collect on the checkout. So this way we're catching both sides of when patients are in the practice. And some people are weird about that. And I'm like, why are you weird about that? We know they have a balance and we're gonna collect it when they check in. Think about going to the doctor's office. So like perfect, they collect money as soon as you check in every single time.   It's not weird for people to do that in healthcare. So let's collect on the intake and let's collect on the outtake when we're giving the treatment plans. These two areas are gonna fix AR and people are like, that's so hard. And I'm like, I would much rather collect money when they're in the practice rather than needing to call them. Also, another mode of thought is I don't ever give more than 1 % of collections in refund checks every single month. So refunds and credits can get really ballooned people are like freaked out about that. Cause maybe like collected too much, which is like,   High five, good. I'm not saying over collect, like, hey, insurance paid more like that's a win. But before we give those refund checks out, those are the ones I'm gonna call first to see, do they have unscheduled treatment? Like, hey, great news, your insurance paid more than we thought. Let's get you scheduled, let's use that credit for this treatment. So it's a great way to fill your schedule too. But hey, if there's a true credit on the account, let's just start writing 1%. So if we're producing 100,000, what's 1 %? You got it, a thousand bucks, okay?   So 1 % of that, we're gonna then write those refund checks back for that month. This way it doesn't hurt your overhead of time. Now watch because there are certain state laws that do require you to give refunds sooner than that. So check your state laws and make sure like whatever it is. There are some new ones that have just come out. So be sure to check that so you're compliant with your state laws. If there's nothing about it, 1 % is usually a pretty good frame of mind. So that was a quick down and dirty and I hope you enjoyed it. But really taking it from clean claims, you're welcome.   to fee schedules being entered in, to submitting claims and making sure they go through, to following up on our insurance, making sure that we're tracking that so everybody knows where our claims are at, what things are going on with that. And then from there, we're gonna make sure that we have ⁓ every single week check in with our biller. And billers know we want 15 % in our 30 to 60, 60 to 90 is 10%, over 90 is no more than 5%, no more than one month's worth of collections total in our AR, and giving back 1 % refunds.   You guys, this is something I obsessed about. This is something we work with billers on. I have a practice in Oklahoma that we worked with. They had 2,700 line items of this and we just worked with our team and we cleaned and we cleaned it and it took us about two years and we were able to get them back into perfect collections, perfect processes. It took a while, but discipline, dedication and setting these things into place now are going to protect you and prevent this from happening in the future. Also, there are some great AI companies that you can use.   ⁓ Lassie is a great one that I've heard of. There's a few new ones coming up on the market. So if you need help with it, insurance verification, you can outsource. We have a lot of resources. So if you need any email Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And if you're like, I need help, I'm drowning, I'm not making money. Let's talk. Profit production guys. it's the way we get more profit. We either increase our production, decrease our spending or increase our collections. Those are the three levers. So whatever those three we need to work on. And sometimes it's so hard because you're like,   But like I'm doing dentistry all day long, Carrie, I have time. You're right. You're supposed to be the dentist and the CEO. Let us train your team for you. That's what we love to do. Work with you and your team. So reach out. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. Commit to being profitable this year. Commit to getting your AR in place. Commit to following these billing tactics. You guys, it is not hard, but it does require discipline. And we're happy to help you set it up. We're happy to follow through. We're happy to show you how to have the conversations. We're happy to show your team how to do this. We're happy to build KPI scorecards so you can watch it and utilizing analytics for it. So it's never daunting and scary.   It's disciplined dedication and dedicated time to make sure this happens. And usually team members get scared and it feels daunting. So it's kind of like the laundry. just like keep letting it pile up, but doctors, this is your hard earned money. And I don't believe it should be like laundry that piles up. It'd be, should be something that we are actively engaged in fixing and working through to make sure that you're getting paid what you need to be paid. So reach out. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

It's time for a very important H-word to be introduced to Harry. No, Fat Lady, it's not the one you experienced over your holiday break! Join the MuggleCasters as we discuss Chapter 17 of Half-Blood Prince, in which Dumbledore introduces Harry to 'A Sluggish Memory'. The Fat Lady seems to be telling herself to practice abstinence after the holidays. Sounds like it was a party in the portraits over Christmas! How do students end up missing the new Common Room passwords? Is it the school's fault, or is it the students? It's time for the students to learn how to apparate! ... For a price. We look at why Hogwarts and the Ministry might be charging for these additional lessons. Dismissive Dumby: Albus' ego is on full display as he plays off Harry's questions about Snape and Draco. As expected, Andrew comes in with a #DumbleDefense.  Back in the memories, Dumbledore shows Harry more about Tom Riddle's time at Hogwarts. Why didn't Dumbledore do more when Tom Riddle was at school and clearing causing trouble? We learn the real reason Dumbledore asked Slughorn back to teach, and we hear that certain H-word a first time (No, it's not 'Hufflepuff' or 'Horace') Connecting the Threads: There are some big parallels between Chapter 17 of Chamber of Secrets, and this Chapter of Half-Blood Prince! MVP: Which memory truly is THE most important memory Dumbledore has collected? Lynx Line: You've just learned to Apparate. Where are you going first? Quizzitch: While Lord Voldemort commits patricide by killing Tom Riddle Sr., what is the broader term used when someone kills a near-relative of theirs such as a grandparent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send a textA “rehabilitation” program that feels like prison. A forgiveness ritual that ends at a paint shed. A Christmas day so rare that 60 people sprint down Hollywood Boulevard to seize it before it's canceled. We take you inside Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force through Amy and Mat's first-hand stories—four RPF assignments, the even harsher RPF's RPF, and the daily grind of segregation, hard labor, and sleep deprivation designed to break people in the Sea Org.We unpack how the system works: coerced confessions followed by immediate punishment; “amnesty” used as a data trap; the e-meter's “rock slam” turned into a label of evil that justifies years of discipline and forced auditing; and the relentless pressure at the Int Base under David Miscavige—midnight meetings, public humiliations, and punishments like running around a palm tree in dress shoes. Watchdog Committee posts pile onto one person, creating guaranteed failure and a ready-made scapegoat. Security fences, restricted lists, and bus checks keep people contained. When you're stuck on-base, you make a bed in an electrical closet or a loft and learn to survive on minutes of sleep.This conversation also exposes the social machinery that keeps people silent: sham Sea Org marriages never filed legally, disconnection that severs spouses overnight, and liability formulas that demand public confession and hundreds of signatures before you're allowed “back in.” The trap gets tighter when entire orgs are kept in permanent “lower conditions,” making reentry mathematically impossible. And yet, resistance finds a way. From the legendary “Christmas dash” to quiet acts of kindness—passing gold coins, sharing food, planning escapes—people create cracks in a closed system. Amy and Matt's reunion after being sent to opposite sides of the country is proof that solidarity and persistence can beat engineered separation.If you care about cult dynamics, coercive control, and how institutions weaponize ritual, policy, and tech, this story pulls back the curtain with lived detail and dark humor. Hit play, then share your biggest question or takeaway with us. Subscribe, leave a review, and pass this episode to someone who needs to hear how control works—and how people get ouSupport the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...

Picking between the Big Island and Kauai sounds simple until you realize one wrong choice can eat your whole budget, your driving days, and your sanity.Big Island vs. Kauai FREE Decision GuideThese two islands could not be more different, and for Hawaii travelers trying to make the most of one week, the gap between a great trip and a frustrating one often comes down to this single decision.

This episode originally aired on October 28, 2018. It has been remastered and now includes new information at the end regarding significant developments in this case.At 8:30 PM on December 9, 2001, 38-year-old mother of three, Michele Lyn Hundley Smith, told her family she was going Christmas shopping. She left her home in Stoneville, North Carolina, driving her green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van with North Carolina license plate “ROK-N-ON.” She was headed to Martinsville, Virginia, less than 20 miles away.Shopping at night wasn't unusual for Michele. It wasn't long before Christmas and shortly before her oldest daughter's birthday. No one thought twice about it. But by midnight, Michele still hadn't returned. Her husband woke their 14-year-old daughter, Amanda, concerned that something was wrong. Michele never came home.For more than 24 years, Michele's disappearance remained unsolved. Then, in February 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Michele had been located alive. This re-release contains the original episode as it aired in 2018, followed by an update segment at the end discussing these recent developments.If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we're talking about grief, loss, and the power of forgiveness.Gary and Mary Malachowski share the story of their daughter Hannah, who was killed in a tragic accident just days before Christmas. In the middle of unimaginable heartbreak, Gary made a choice that would shape the rest of their healing journey—he chose to forgive.This is a tender conversation about suffering, marriage, faith, and the God who meets us in the darkest places. If you're grieving—or walking alongside someone who is—I pray this episode reminds you that you are not alone.

Cult leaders, religious fanatics, dictators, and charlatans all have one thing in common: they exploit our fear of death. Humans act out “immortality projects” in the form of religion, culture, and political ideologies as unconscious ways  to override the terror we feel at our uniquely self-aware knowledge that we will one day die. Where the orthodox priest promises eternal life, the cult leader might predict an alien apocalypse, while the authoritarian strongman invokes the transcendent glory of leading a chosen nation and race. In light of a recent death in the family, Julian leans into Ernest Becker's Pulitzer Prize winning cultural anthropology text, The Denial of Death. He also draws on poetry and the archetypal psychology of Donald Kalsched to ask the big questions. Does existential acceptance of death lead inevitably to nihilism? Is belief in God(s) and an afterlife necessary? Are poor or deeply traumatized people only left with despair in the absence of supernatural faith? Will children raised with no religion have no moral compass? A rich discussion of philosophy and psychology alongside poems, myths, fairy tales, and deeply personal story-telling, especially about how to tell his 7-year-old that grandma won't be back for Xmas. Not to worry, though. This is, ultimately, an uplifting journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Outraged by the Christmas bombings of Hanoi in 1972 by the USA during the Vietnam War, the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme made a critical speech. He compared the US's actions to several massacres from history, including the killing of hundreds of thousands of Jews at the Treblinka Concentration Camp by the Nazis. President Richard Nixon and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger reacted by recalling their ambassador and refusing to accept the Swedish counterpart. Jan Ellisson was the first person to see the speech in the Swedish embassy in Washington and spent the next 15 months working to re-establish relations.He has been speaking to Tim O'Callaghan. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who made the speech about the Hanoi bombings. Credit: Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Hope for Right Now Podcast–Desert Bloom, A Lenten Journey: Activity vs. Receptivity While Walking with Purpose Founder Lisa takes time to write our next women's Bible study, Laura Phelps welcomes guest Caitlin Bean to the Hope for Right Now podcast for a seven-week series: Desert Bloom, A Lenten Journey. Lent is a time of sacrifice, preparation, and spiritual waiting—a time to prepare our hearts for Easter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. For many of us, it has become about exterior performance, a “holy checklist” we begin on Ash Wednesday and struggle to sustain for 40 days. And preparation? Who has time for that? We are exhausted—after all, it was just Christmas! If this is how your heart feels at the start of Lent, this series is for you—offering practical encouragement, Scripture reflections, and simple ways to experience a more meaningful, peace-filled Lent. In today's episode, Laura and Caitlin talk about receptivity, an aspect of the feminine genius, and why losing distractions is necessary for interior transformation. Open your Heart to our key Scripture. Matthew 6:2–4: Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Open your Bible to other Scriptures referenced in this episode. John 6:10: Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” 1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, be watchful; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Psalm 22:1–2: The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. (Douay-Rheims) John 5:17: My Father is working still, and I am working. Invite Him in with this episode's questions for reflection. Are we too busy to receive because of our ungodly need to achieve? Let's not forget that spiritual transformation depends on receptivity, not activity. We can rest, because God is always at work. Is there something in your life that you have called a failure that is actually the Lord setting you in a place of pasture? Show mentions. Walking with Purpose App. Now you can access all your favorite WWP resources—training videos, podcasts, and more—right from your phone or computer. Same great content. Brand-new convenience. Here's how to get started: Visit our learning site at learn.walkingwithpurpose.com to create your account. Bookmark the page for quick access (and check out our easy setup instructions if you need help). Download our app from Google Play or the App Store (look for our signature flower icon). Log in using your account info or one of the direct login options at the bottom of the screen. Caitlin Bean and Laura Phelps, Desert Bloom: Discovering Unexpected Joy in the Wilderness Grant Herbel, Substack, “The Spiritual Danger of Turning Everything into Content” Pope Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Letters, Mulieris Dignitatem and Letter to Women Dan and Stephanie Burke, Avila Institute Luke Burgis, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life Mary Oliver, “Sometimes” (Red Bird, 2008) Danielle Bean, Substack Monsignor Charles Pope, SpiritualDirection.com Edith Stein, quote Alice von Hildebrand, The Privilege of Being a Woman Flourish 2026: Spiritual Motherhood, The Transforming Power of the Feminine Genius, St. Louis, MO, April 17-19, 2026. Register here. Let's stay connected. Don't miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Want to keep the conversation going? Join our private Facebook community. Stay in the know. Connect with us today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website. Our shop. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Leila returns to share her incredible second twin birth story - a Christmas Day birth that began at home and culminated in a powerful breech water birth at hospital. As the founder of Village for Mama and mother to five children (including two sets of DCDA fraternal twins), Leila takes us through her unexpected pregnancy discovery at 21 weeks, her journey of informed choice-making, and the profound difference that building your village can make during pregnancy and postpartum.From dancing with a glass of non-alcoholic bubbles on Christmas morning to birthing her daughter Elka at home and then transferring to hospital for a footling breech birth of baby Finn in the birth pool, Leila's story is one of trust, intuition, and the incredible power of water birth for twins. She also shares invaluable insights about postpartum planning, the reality of caring for five children, and how she honoured her final 40-day lying-in period.Today's episode is brought to you by iLTutto iL Tutto is known for beautifully designed nursery furniture that combines comfort, functionality and timeless style. They've just introduced a brand-new Soft Tweed fabric in two gorgeous colours, designed to complement their much-loved Teddy Fleece and Corduroy Frankie and Louie recliners.You can enjoy 20% off iL Tutto's range for a limited time. Simply visit iltutto.com.au and use the code ABS20 at checkout. This offer ends 25 March 2026. Conditions apply. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this jaw-dropping edition of To Catch a Cheater from The Jubal Show, Ryan thought moving in with his girlfriend would bring them closer. Instead, it uncovered something he can’t explain — a random key on their bedroom floor that doesn’t belong to either of them. After a year together and just one month of living under the same roof, Bella’s behavior shifts. She’s distant. She wants more “alone time.” And when Ryan asks questions, the answers don’t add up. So we make the call.

On this jaw-dropping edition of To Catch a Cheater from The Jubal Show, Ryan thought moving in with his girlfriend would bring them closer. Instead, it uncovered something he can’t explain — a random key on their bedroom floor that doesn’t belong to either of them. After a year together and just one month of living under the same roof, Bella’s behavior shifts. She’s distant. She wants more “alone time.” And when Ryan asks questions, the answers don’t add up. So we make the call.

Baptism is considered THE entrance to Christian faith -- but Christians vary widely in practice and belief on what baptism does, who it is for, and why we do it. So for part 10 of 12 on “What is the Nicene Creed?” we unpack this lines:"We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins."So we wade into the muddy waters of the River Jordan to ask: what is sin, what does it mean to be forgiven, and how does this apply when some people are literally infants when they are baptized? What does God do when we are baptized? And why is this significant that it only happens once? +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Jane and Fi offer some relief from the nerve shredding news agenda with Jane's shameful anecdotes of horse radish, a deep dive into Harry Styles' high-waisted trousers, and the latest on Fi's ever-changing "Free the Nipple" manifesto. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute. Our most asked about book is called 'The Later Years' by Peter Thornton. You can listen to our 'I'm in the cupboard on Christmas' playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1awQioX5y4fxhTAK8ZPhwQ If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: janeandfi@times.radio Follow us on Instagram! @janeandfi Podcast Producers: Hannah Quinn and Eve Salusbury Executive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second series of our journey through space and time as we move on into The Tenth Doctor Era!Following the Christmas special that preceded it, we now dive on into Series Two proper with The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler's first two adventures together; facing a sassy old enemy and some sinister cat nuns in the very distant future of NEW EARTH, and taking a supernatural turn in the latest celebrity historical episode featuring Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria facing an assassination plot with a genuine werewolf in TOOTH AND CLAW!Lots of fun and foreshadowing in these first two episodes of the series, what did Jeannine make of Tennant's first adventures?We hope you enjoy and join us for more!Our YouTube Channel for all our video content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvACMX8jX1qQ5ClrGW53vow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The It's A Wonderful Podcast Theme by David B. Music.Donate:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ItsAWonderful1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ItsAWonderful1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IT'S A WONDERFUL PODCAST STORE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teepublic.com/user/g9design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sub to the feed and download now on all major podcast platforms and be sure to rate, review and SHARE AROUND!!Keep up with us on (X) Twitter:Podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ItsAWonderful1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Morgan:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Th3PurpleDon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeannine:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/JeannineDaBean⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠_Keep being wonderful!!

Trusting Our Father and A.I. Song- Way Maker. ACU Sunday Series.   Trusting Our Father. David P. Homer.  October 2024 General Conference Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/cZJhSpn-Rn4?si=3WL40ic2qeg2ZQyG General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ 691K subscribers 77,841 views Oct 5, 2024 October 2024 General Conference Elder David P. Homer speaks at the 194th semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held on October 5-6, 2024. "God trusts us to make many important decisions, and in all matters He asks us to trust Him." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s... --------------------------------------------------------------------------   For Come Follow Me lesson manual and materials visit- Come, Follow Me For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/come-follow-me/2023?lang=eng     For a list of 100+ episodes of ACU Sunday Series visit- https://www.podbean.com/site/search/index?kdsowie31j4k1jlf913=85cb8104bdb182c048b714ad4385f9e82a3aeb49&v=ACU+Sunday+Series+ Note- Click on “100 Episodes Found” in upper right corner.   For many different Podcasts based on the ‘Come Follow Me' program visit- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=come+follow+me+   Subscribe to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the latest videos: http://bit.ly/1M0iPwY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchofjesu... Twitter: @Ch_JesusChrist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChurchOfJes... Website: ChurchOfJesusChrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints   BYUEducationWeek   Get a Free Book of Mormon | ComeUntoChrist Church of Jesus Christ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org › requests › free-...   The Book of Mormon brings you closer to Jesus. Click to download a free digital copy of the Book of Mormon and learn about it with online missionaries.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Strength of Youth To help you find the Way and to help you make Christ's doctrine the guiding influence in your life, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has prepared a new resource, a revised version of For the Strength of Youth.   For over 50 years, For the Strength of Youth has been a guide for generations of Latter-day Saint youth. I always keep a copy in my pocket, and I share it with people who are curious about our standards. It has been updated and refreshed to better cope with the challenges and temptations of our day. The new version of For the Strength of Youth is available online in 50 different languages and will also be available in print. It will be a significant help for making choices in your life. Please embrace it as your own and share it with your friends. This new version of For the Strength of Youth is subtitled A Guide for Making Choices. To be very clear, the best guide you can possibly have for making choices is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the strength of youth. So the purpose of For the Strength of Youth is to point you to Him. It teaches you eternal truths of His restored gospel—truths about who you are, who He is, and what you can accomplish with His strength. It teaches you how to make righteous choices based on those eternal truths.13 It's also important to know what For the Strength of Youth does not do. It doesn't make decisions for you. It doesn't give you a “yes” or “no” about every choice you might ever face. For the Strength of Youth focuses on the foundation for your choices. It focuses on values, principles, and doctrine instead of every specific behavior. The Lord, through His prophets, has always been guiding us in that direction. He is pleading with us to “increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”14 He is inviting us to “hear Him.”15 He is calling us to follow Him in higher and holier ways.16 And we are learning in a similar way every week in Come, Follow Me.   ACU Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For The Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Way Maker – 90's Hair Metal Version (AI Worship) A.I. Worship 22.8K subscribers 166,442 views Nov 22, 2025 Experience “Way Maker” by Sinach/Leeland/Michael W Smith as a 90's Hair Metal version of this worship classic. AI Worship re-imagines classic Christian songs in bold, unexpected ways — exploring how technology and creativity can meet in reverence and awe when humans and machine unite in worship of the Creator. AI Worship… the music is fake but the worship is real. Original song: “Way Maker” by Sinach Reimagined and produced by AI Worship If this version moved you, hit Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more AI worship interpretations.  

What happens when film, music, and great conversation collide?

Hello you beautiful people!We begin the episode with a Jack Ask question from listener Kevin Church, apologies because it's Valentine's Day related not Christmas.Do you know what the word 'Dross' means? Well, although I use it frequently, I didn't, but Bob Baker explains it all in Do You Hear What I Hear.This episode's version of A Christmas Carol is called Estrella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol with a Twist. It was made during Covid and every actor was filmed separately. It's not great, but it's not awful either.Then Bob Baker is back with Where are you Christmas? and this time he's looking at Melbourne in Australia.Check out Bob's podcast here:  https://4fpodcast.buzzsprout.comNext up my best friend (self-appointed), Chris Cavanagh, tells us his story about how he found out the truth about Santa Claus.Then it's The Christmas Quiz and I scored 7. Last episode loads of people beat me, let's hope that doesn't happen again.The recommendation is The Tim Vine Chat Show. It was a show on BBC Radio 4 and it's just delightful. Hopefully this link will work in your country:www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08770wq/episodes/playerGet in touch:Email: totalchristmas@gmail.comWeb: totalchristmaspodcast.comMerry Christmas!

Do You Believe that “He {God} gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”? MESSAGE SUMMARY:  You have got to believe; but until you get your thinking right, your life will not change – you have got to believe! It is hard for some people, today, to believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus celebrated on Christmas day. Ok, just start where you are in what you believe. Can you believe that you are a sinner? Can you believe that you are not perfect? Can you believe that you have violated God's laws? Despite this life background, can you believe that God loves you just as you now are? Can you believe that God sent His Only Son, Jesus, to save all that believe in Him so that you would not perish but have eternal life? Maybe this is where you start in believing in the miraculous birth of Jesus; you need to start where you are. Jesus' life was defined by His death on the cross and by His resurrection, thereby, living up to the translation of His name, Jesus – “Salvation”. The Apostle John succinctly summarized the purpose of Jesus birth in John3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, fill me with the simple trust that even out of the most awful evil around me, you are able to bring great good — for me, for others, and for your great glory. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 91). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12  SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Luke 1:27-38; Luke 2:1-22; John 20:27-29; Psalms 69b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 5 – The Holy Spirit” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260228dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 In Harm’s Way There are people who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way. These people recognize the serious nature of their commitment and understand the potential consequences. They are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and security of others. There is a special debt of gratitude these people deserve—military personnel, firefighters, members of law enforcement, and emergency medical technicians. Without their willingness to serve and readiness to sacrifice everything, our lives would be much more difficult. The same can be said about Jesus, and the debt of gratitude we owe him. When we read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation, we might wonder, “Why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil? Why would he put Jesus into harm’s way?” The answer has everything to do with our rescue from sin and freedom from the controlling power of the devil. Because we are sinners from birth, it is impossible for us to defeat the devil. So great is his power over us that we would always succumb to his attacks. It is because of our weakness that God the Father had his Son come to this earth, take on flesh and blood, and become our substitute. This meant Jesus had to live under all of God’s righteousness requirements. It also meant Jesus had to put himself into harm's way. To free us from the devil’s control, Jesus had to subject himself to temptation. Every cunning act, every lie and deception, every powerful ploy, Jesus undertook on our behalf. What was impossible, Jesus accomplished perfectly and without sin. He overcame the devil’s attacks and secured complete victory. He now offers us the ability to live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life. We can be at peace with God through our Savior’s perfect obedience. We are safe and secure because Jesus put himself into harm’s way to rescue us. Prayer: O blessed Jesus, you are my refuge, my strength, and my never-failing help. Daily be with me to protect and bless me through your victory over the devil. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

••• Overcoming Stress, Ep 418a . ••• Bible Study Verse: 1 Kings 19.1-18 . ••• Part-B Bible Verses: Psalm 23, John 6.35, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalms 118:5-6 . ••• “To be a true minister to men is always to accept new happiness and new distress. The man who gives himself to other men can never be a wholly sad man; but no more can he be a man of unclouded gladness. To him shall come with every deeper consecration a before untasted joy, but in the same cup shall be mixed a sorrow that it was beyond his power to feel before”, Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893, The Influence of Jesus, H.R. Allenson, 1875, pg191, † ••• "As Christians, our lives should be marked by joy (Phil. 4:4), taste like joy (Gal 5:22), and be filled with the fullness of joy (John 15:11). Busyness attacks all of that" NL Demoss, †† . ••• “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4.6-7, NKJV . ••• What are 5-reasons why Elijah got so stress out that he wanted God to take his life? ••• Why did Elijah run from Jezebel? ••• How did Elijah get from being the bold and confident prophet to being a stressed out prophet on the run? ••• What are 7-negative consequences of being stressed out? ••• What were 5-life actions in Elijah's life that pulled him out of despair? ••• What is a reason for people to eat the wrong things? ••• What is the ‘Bread of Life'? ••• Are you going to ask your small group to pray that you will be more intentional about reducing unnecessary stress in your life through Godly wisdom & the power of Holy Spirit? Part-B Bible Study Questions: ••• What is the “activation energy”? ••• How does a 15-minute power nap affect one's stress levels? ••• How does receiving a touch from Our Creator affect stress in our lives? ••• How does the Christian regain full strength and vitality? ••• What is rest's affect on personal perspective? s••• Pastor Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounter Radio Podcast originally aired on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcast to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible.••• This Discipleship Teaching Podcast is a listener supported production by all the beloved of God who believe in its mission through prayer and support. Thank you . ••• Broadcaster's Website - https://www.lifelonganointing.com/ .••• Exceeding Thanks to Universe Creator Christ Jesus AND photo by Etty Fidele Photography, Paris France, https://www.fideletty.com/, https://www.instagram.com/fideletty/, https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FideleEtty, Direction by gil on his mac with free mac layout software . ••• † https://gracequotes.org/author-quote/phillips-brooks/ , Phillips Brooks was an American clergyman and author, in 1877 he published a course of lectures about preaching, which he had delivered at the theological school of Yale University, & which are an expression of his own experience. He is best known for authoring the Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" . ••• †† https://gracequotes.org/author-quote/nancy-leigh-demoss/ .••• SHARING LINK: https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/ep418a-winning-the-battle-of-for-the-mind-pt3a . ••• Study Guides at - https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/episodes . ••• RESOURCE: FREE Max Maclean Chronological Audio Bible! https://tinyurl.com/godspeaks777 . ••• RESOURCE - IONA, “Burning Like Fire” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXikLXH_sQ . ••• RESOURCE - https://www.soundcloud.com/thewaytogod/ . ••• RESOURCE - PRAYER@SWRC.COM . ••• FERP260228 Episode#418a GOT260228 Ep418a . ••• Winning The Battle Of the Mind, Part-3a of 10: Overcoming Stress, Ep 418a . ††† † † † Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on America on the Road, guest co-host Matt DeLorenzo joins Jack Nerad as they dive into Jack's first-drive impressions of the revived 2026 Jeep Cherokee and updated 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Matt reviews the 2026 Volvo EX30, a punchy subcompact EV SUV with Scandinavian flair, while Jack road-tests the premium 2026 Genesis GV60 Performance, a luxury compact EV with vivid acceleration matched with luxury features. Plus, Jack sits down with Mike Cockell, Product Lead for the 2026 Jeep Cherokee, to discuss its all-new hybrid powertrain, off-road capabilities, and new pricing.

A North Carolina mother vanished on a Christmas shopping trip in 2001 — and when she was finally found alive 24 years later, living just two and a half hours from home, the story got even stranger.*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/missing-mom-found-alive-24-yearsWeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

It's Festive Friday time and we're heading to Roku for a 2025 Christmas movie! ABOUT MERRY LITTLE MYSTERY A woman returns to her grandparents' town to become the new Secret Santa, following her grandfather's tradition. While delivering anonymous gifts, she must evade a reporter's investigation and finds romance. AIR DATE & NETWORK FOR MERRY LITTLE MYSTERY November 19, 2025 | Roku CAST & CREW OF MERRY LITTLE MYSTERY Jordin Sparks as Natasha Maxwell Keon Alexander as Adrian Langley BRAN'S MOVIE SYNOPSIS Natasha Maxwell returns home to her grandma's house for Christmas, completely jobless. Sad face. She loves being home for Christmas. So many memories with her late grandfather. There's a reporter going around trying to find out who the town's secret Santa is. There's someone who has been buying people presents every year but has remained anonymous. One night, Natasha's grandma gives her a book and a letter that Grandpa wants Natasha to have. He wants her to take over the role of Candy Cane Santa. She goes for a walk, thinks about it, SHE'S IN! She and Grandma go shopping and deliver their first batch of gifts, including an oven! The next day, the people gather around, excited to see that Secret Santa is happening! But there's a reporter in town named Adrian who is there to try to figure out who the Secret Santa is. They start hanging out though cuz he's hot and she keeps having to come up with excuses for why certain things are happening because she doesn't want him to find out it's her. Unfortunately, he pieces it together and captures it on video. He gives her a chance to come clean and she asks him to please not publish the article. It would ruin the tradition. He does publish the article, but not outing her as the Secret Santa. Flash forward a year and they're still together, she's opening up a Secret Santa office to expand into other cities and her and Adrian are gonna get married! Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtubeInterested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Greg Jenner is joined in medieval England by Professor Marion Turner and comedian Mike Wozniak to learn all about Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. Since the fifteenth century, Chaucer has been referred to as the father of English literature. He was one of the first authors to champion the use of Middle English for poetry instead of Latin, and after the invention of the printing press, his works became the foundation of the English literary canon – long before Shakespeare ever put quill to parchment. But Chaucer's life was as extraordinary as his legacy, living as he did through the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the Peasants' Revolt. In this episode, Greg and his guests explore Chaucer's dramatic biography: growing up the son of a wine merchant in fourteenth-century London, his work for the royal court and long career as a medieval civil servant, his relationship with John of Gaunt through his mistress Katherine Swynford, and his travels throughout Europe. They also examine the poets that influenced him – including Petrarch, Bocaccio and Dante – and take a deep dive into the famous Canterbury Tales. If you're a fan of medieval literature, historical courtroom dramas, and the tumult of fourteenth-century England, you'll love our episode on Geoffrey Chaucer. If you want more literary history with Mike Wozniak, listen to our episodes on Charles Dickens at Christmas and the Legends of King Arthur. And for more fourteenth-century lives, check out our episode on medieval Muslim traveller Ibn Battuta. You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Rosalyn Sklar Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Tracie is still sifting through the Epstein files, and she found a scary pop culture artifact (an ass ugly Spitting Image puppet) was used to molest girls. Plus, the girls (and Jay Manuel) are weighing in on the Netflix doc Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model.To access video episodes, bonus episodes and our premium series WAWU—we're covering season one of The Comeback right now—check out our Patreon.The People Who Died in 2025 Christmas ornament is here! Collect them all!Check out potential drama and our Diamond Girls on our Instagram. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Devil Within Wings of Prophecy — Part Two: The Final Witnesses At 5:04 PM on December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River. In less than a minute, forty-six lives were lost. But in the days leading up to the disaster, the people of Point Pleasant believed they had been watching something — or something had been watching them. In Part Two of Wings of Prophecy, we follow the Mothman legend to its devastating conclusion, tracing the final sightings, the growing sense of unease across the town, and the tragedy that forever linked folklore with one of America's deadliest infrastructure failures.  Mothman 2 As winter closed in, witnesses reported that the sightings were changing. The creature that once appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly now lingered in plain sight — perched, watching, almost as if standing vigil. One of the final reported encounters came just days before the collapse. By then, Point Pleasant had transformed. National attention brought curiosity seekers, investigators, and skeptics. Businesses leaned into the legend. Others resented the spectacle. Beneath it all, anxiety spread — strange dreams, unusual animal behavior, and a growing sense that something was wrong. Then came the engineering reality. Unseen inside the bridge's structure, a microscopic crack in a critical steel component had been growing for months — invisible to inspections at the time. Each passing vehicle added stress. Each day brought the structure closer to failure. On a December evening filled with Christmas shoppers, commuters, and families heading home, that hidden flaw reached its breaking point. The collapse was sudden. Catastrophic. Irreversible. In this episode:     •    The final reported Mothman sightings before the disaster     •    How Point Pleasant changed during thirteen months of national attention     •    The structural failure that caused the Silver Bridge collapse     •    Eyewitness accounts from the moments before and after the tragedy     •    How folklore and trauma became permanently intertwined in the community In the aftermath, the sightings stopped. The creature was never reported again. But the legend remained — not just as a monster story, but as a way for a grieving community to make sense of sudden, senseless loss. Because sometimes the mystery isn't whether something supernatural happened. Sometimes the mystery is how people survive what did.

The idea of traditions can feel heavy and like once you do it you're stuck doing them forever… I wanted to do a fullll podcast episode that would give you lots of ideas that feel light and fun and can be so special to your family.  Things that make you all feel more connected… and that feel so unique and important to your family. It's easy for parenting to feel like a constant sprint sometimes… school, sports, meals, naps… it's a refreshing change to lean into special things that your family does. I realized how precious this is when one of my kids wrote a little paper about one of our traditions in 1st grade.  You realize… this is the stuff they remember and the resinates deep. This whole thing is about pausing these busy life days we are all living and thinking about emotional anchors we can create throughout the year. Traditions don't have to be rigid. They don't have to be expensive. And they definitely don't have to be perfect. Today we're talking about a fresh way to think about family traditions: Some traditions you repeat every year  Some you rotate  Some you try once and just remember  Some you write down so your family builds its own memory playbook Because what kids remember most isn't perfection… it's connection. HOLIDAY TRADITIONS The goal here isn't more pressure. It's creating emotional anchors in the year. VALENTINE'S DAY TRADITIONS Love notes on door After dinner game Decorate Valentine boxes & make notes for each other Secret Santa but Valentine style Blow up heart with balls and prizes to find inside Kids serve you dinner on Valentine's Kids go out to dinner with you on Valentine's HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS Say Trick Or Treat at the front door on Halloween in Costume Do family costumes and everyone plans them together Decorate the inside and/or outside of the house in a certain theme or go all out together Give out something specific like full size candy bars Set-up a game for trick or treaters to play to win an extra candy Pumpkin carving or pumpkin painting - invite everyone over THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS Gratitude time capsules, write notes and open them the next year Family volunteer Saturday Everyone puts what they are most thankful for in a hat and everyone guesses who said what Wear "thankful" shirts Family interview night, record what everyone is most thankful for - especially grandparents Coloring page to color all day on kids table CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS Put lights around your neighborhood on Christmas Eve Ornament tradition, collecting special ones when you travel or making them Cutting down or picking out tree together right after thanksgiving Advent calendars Reindeer food Drive to see Christmas lights Decorate Christmas cookies Matching PJs FOURTH OF JULY TRADITIONS Do something nice for a veteran or someone that helps our country or community Stop by fire station with breakfast or something nice USA pride anything - decorate car windows, we do our golf cart Find neighborhood event at a park or create one NEW YEAR'S EVE TRADITIONS Family Vision Board Night  Bang pots and pans Highlights of the year jar in kitchen- add to it throughout the year and read at end of year NY planning and goal setting Write a letter to yourself of what would make you consider next year a big success, if what happened, if you felt like what Watch the ball drop together with blowers Plan vacations for the year BIRTHDAY TRADITIONS (FOR KIDS AND PARENTS) Birthday breakfast interview... ask the same five questions every year  Go around the table and do full toasts about why you love the bday person Everyone decorates their room before they wake up Presents first thing in the morning Smash cake in the face One present from each person in the family One nice thoughtful card from each person in the family MONTHLY TRADITIONS One long Sunday dinner with games New experience day - try one new thing you have never done before One service project day, or just a few hours Hike, outdoor long walk together FAMILY DINNER TRADITIONS Rose, Thorn, Bud — best part, challenge, what you're excited about  Theme Dinner Nights with music and food from different countries  THE TRADITION NOTEBOOK IDEA Instead of forcing traditions to be permanent, create a small family notebook where you write down ideas you tried… funny moments… things you want to repeat someday. This removes pressure and keeps the magic. Keep it somewhere easy like kitchen or nightstand. Traditions evolve as your family grows. Traditions are not about doing more. They're about choosing moments that slow life down… even just a little. You don't need to create ten new traditions this year.  You don't need Pinterest-perfect ideas. Start with one small thing that feels natural to your family. Maybe it lasts one year… maybe it becomes something your kids talk about forever. The real goal isn't perfection. It's creating a feeling… a rhythm… a sense that no matter how busy life gets, your family has small anchors that bring you back to each other. And over time, those moments become the story of your family.

Chad and Alex are back Breakin' It Down. It starts with Christmas cookies, work ethic, and modern-day eating habits… then somehow turns into a Mexico trip that might not happen, a baseball invite that gets declined, and a whole conversation about what's really going on out there. From travel and headlines to healthcare, insurance, and medicine, nothing's really off limits. Today's episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by Oakley Sunglasses, The Nashville Palace, Napa Valley Olive Oil, Banded Casual Apparel, Corning Ford, Mickey Thomoson Tires & Wheels, LEER Truck Accessories, and Bodyguard Bumpers

In honor of the world's most prestigious winter sporting event, the Lutheran Ladies have embarked upon their own Winter Hymnastics series. Throughout this series, they'll laugh, they'll cry, they'll sweat (sometimes literally), and above all, they'll sing as they celebrate some of the greatest hymns and hymnwriters past, present, and even yet to come.     In this final episode of the series, the Ladies (joined once again by their fellow #hymnnerds Katie Schuermann and Dr. Lisa Clark) welcome listener submissions in an all-new Write This: Challenge. The assignment this time? To write one or more hymn stanzas in common meter for an uncommon occasion in the life of the church.   Featuring 20 original hymns and hymn verses — covering various saints' days, confirmation, hymn festivals, Synod conventions, and more — this episode will inspire singers and hymnwriters everywhere to look for, and fill, quiet moments throughout the church year with new hymns of praise.   Katie Schuermann is an author and storyteller whose books include the Anthems of Zion series from CPH, The Saints of Whistle Grove (a Lutheran Ladies' Book Club pick), and most recently, the Creed series, including The Big Father and His Little Boy and The Beloved Son and His Brother.   Dr. Lisa M. Clark is senior editor of curriculum resources at CPH and one of the LCMS's most beloved and prolific hymn writers. Find a complete list of her available novels, devotionals, Christmas programs, picture books, choral music, and more at CPH.org.  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

Got a puppy for Christmas? Two months later is when real training begins. Learn what to focus on now, how to prevent bad habits, and how to build a well-mannered dog before adolescence hits. Other Episodes You Will Love How to Get the Best Results from Dog Training Sessions This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II Support the Show Like this episode? Share it with your dog training friends! Love this episode? Say thanks in true dog training podcasting style by leaving a review. Take our Understanding Drive Behaviors quiz to see exactly what drive your dog is in and how to begin to train for it. Join the On-Air Dog Training Coaching waitlist for a chance to be coached on the air by Dr. Robert or Michele Forto and get your dog training questions answered in real time. Sign up now for 20% off our Group Coaching Program and learn how to build the best relationship possible for your dog. Take your dog training to the next level by enrolling in our Peak Performance membership. Follow Dog Works Radio for more dog training tips: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn       ©2009-2026 by Dog Works Training Company® All Rights Reserved puppy training, new puppy advice, dog training podcast, Christmas puppy, dog behavior help, stop puppy biting, leash training puppy, dog training tips, Alaska dog trainer, first-time dog owner

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260227dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 Who Will Win? Right in the middle of the wreckage, God speaks a promise. Adam and Eve have disobeyed. Trust is broken. Shame has entered the world. Everything good now feels fragile. And before the humans say a word—before they apologize, explain, or promise to do better—God talks to the serpent, “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” It’s a strange moment. God isn’t giving instructions. He’s declaring an outcome. This isn’t advice. It’s a verdict. Evil will not win. That promise matters because, if we're honest, it often feels like evil is winning. Sin feels strong. Guilt lingers. Death feels permanent. We see brokenness in the world and in ourselves, and we wonder if it's too deep to fix. We wonder if what's broken can really be made right. God's promise answers that question. Yes. And not because people improve, but because God intervenes. From the very beginning, God makes it clear that rescue will come from outside us. An offspring. A deliverer. Someone who will step into the fight we’re losing and win it for us. That promise runs like a thread through the entire Bible and leads directly to Jesus. When Jesus is nailed to the cross, it looks like the serpent has won. Jesus suffers. Jesus bleeds. Jesus dies. It looks final. But the cross is not defeat—it’s the decisive blow. Sin is paid for. God’s justice is satisfied. Satan’s accusation is silenced. And Jesus’ resurrection confirms it. The serpent struck Jesus’ heel, but Jesus crushed the serpent’s head. Death did its worst and still lost. That victory changes everything. It means your sin, real as it is, is not stronger than God’s grace. Your past, heavy as it may feel, does not define your future. Fear and guilt do not get the last word. Jesus does. Paradise was lost in a garden, but it was promised on a cross and procured at an empty tomb. God keeps his promises—even when everything seems broken. God’s answer is always bigger than our questions. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for keeping your promise to defeat sin, death, and the devil. When I feel overwhelmed by guilt or fear, remind me of Christ’s victory. Give me faith to trust in what Jesus has done for me and peace to live in the hope he has won. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A zookeeper love triangle leads to a Christmas party brawl....An Australian man straps raw pork chops to his feet ...A defendant claims caffeine made him do it...Oh, and a Texas mayor resigns over a dog. Just another day in the Rebuttal Podcast universe. Enjoy! *** MERCH STORE IS LIVE! Shop Reb Masel and Rebuttal Pod merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rebmasel.shop/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to PREORDER Reb's book: The Book They Throw At You—A Sarcastic Lawyer's Guide* To The Unholy Chaos of Our Legal System, *God No, Not Actual Legal Advice *** Follow @RebuttalPod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Follow @Rebmasel on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ** 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - The Zookeeper Love Triangle 07:05 - The Pork Chop Shoe Guy 15:53 - The Caffeine Insanity Defense? 23:31 - The Dognapping Mayor 31:13 - Reb's Rebuttal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do with a bucket truck after Christmas light season is over? If you're Trevor, you start installing signs; and eventually build two separate companies from that single piece of equipment. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Trevor Lavy, a former utility lineman who stumbled into the sign industry through a power washing trailer, some vinyl graphics, and a whole lot of entrepreneurial hustle. From buying a struggling vinyl shop to surviving a skid steer falling off a trailer on the interstate, Trevor shares the raw, unfiltered journey of building Vantage Signs and Sign Service Pro. The conversation dives deep into the decision to split a sign company into two separate entities—one for manufacturing, one for installation—and the unexpected pros and cons that came with it.

Christian Hacking's life swung when he broke his back in a rock-climbing accident. His high-octane lifestyle came to a smashing spinal-cord-severing halt, leaving him wheelchair-bound and grappling with God's purpose for his life. He tells his story with searing honesty and humour, and still lives life to the full despite severe physical limitations. He's married a single-mum and they have four children between them. The last eight years have been spent engaged in activism on behalf of the most helpless and vulnerable in society. What a conversation!▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oqL5TEJUEDEContact Christian at Christianhacking[@]gmail.com Please sign and share heartbeatbill.co.uk---

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Lou Pizzichillo, Lead Pastor of Community Church on Long Island. Community Church launched in January 2020—just ten weeks before the world shut down—then relaunched after 52 weeks online. Now averaging around 1,200 people across Thursday and Sunday services, Community is known as “a church for people who don't go to church.” In a region where skepticism toward organized religion runs deep, Lou and his team are building trust by creating space for honest questions, lived-out faith, and tangible community impact. Is your church serving in a skeptical environment? Are you trying to reach people who already think they know—and don't like—what church is about? Lou shares practical wisdom on posture, transparency, and earning trust one decision at a time. Starting where people really are. // On Long Island, while some residents may identify culturally with faith traditions, most see church as judgmental, hypocritical, or irrelevant to everyday life. Lou quickly realized that the biggest obstacle wasn't apathy—it was reputation. Rather than fighting skepticism, Community Church chose to acknowledge it. The church repeatedly communicates three cultural values: You can belong before you believe. You have permission to be in progress. And there's no pretending. These aren't slogans—they shape how the church operates. Permission to be in progress. // One of the most resonant phrases at Community is “permission to be in progress.” Many people assume that following Jesus requires instant agreement with every doctrine and behavior expectation. Instead, Community encourages people to wrestle honestly with the claims of Christ first. Secondary issues and sanctification come later. This posture doesn't mean watering down truth—it means sequencing it wisely. By focusing on who Jesus says he is, rather than debating every peripheral topic, the church keeps the main thing central. No pretending—and real transparency. // Transparency builds credibility in skeptical contexts. Stories of real life—parenting mistakes, marriage tensions, leadership missteps—often resonate more than polished success stories. At the same time, Lou draws a boundary between “scars and wounds.” He shares what he has processed, not what he is still unraveling. This authenticity signals that faith isn't about perfection but transformation. For many in the congregation, seeing a pastor admit imperfection dismantles years of distrust toward church leaders. Becoming an asset to the community. // Community Church doesn't just talk about loving Babylon—it demonstrates it. Early on, Lou realized trust would not come through marketing but through partnership. Before launch, the church created “12 Days of Christmas,” giving away gifts purchased from local businesses. In year one, stores hesitated to participate; by year seven, businesses were reaching out to collaborate. What began as skepticism has shifted to partnership because trust was earned gradually. Serving instead of competing. // A defining moment came during the annual Argyle Fair, a 30,000-person event held across the street from the church—on a Sunday. Rather than fight the inconvenience, Community canceled services and mobilized volunteers to serve the fair, providing parking and manpower. When the event was rescheduled due to rain, the church canceled services a second week to honor its commitment. Lou describes this as a defining cultural moment: demonstrating that service isn't convenient—it's convictional. Earning trust through inconvenience. // Lou recounts being called to the mayor's office days after launch to address parking concerns. Instead of pushing back, the church chose to rent additional parking space—even when legally unnecessary—to honor neighbors' concerns. In another instance, Community canceled a planned Christmas light show after Village neighbors expressed concern about traffic. Though disappointing internally, the decision earned significant community goodwill. Lou believes canceling the event built more trust than hosting it would have. Posture over persecution. // Lou cautions leaders against defaulting to a persecution narrative when facing resistance. Most pushback, he says, comes from practical concerns—not hostility toward Jesus. By listening humbly and responding thoughtfully, churches can win trust among the large percentage of community members who are neither strongly for nor against them. To learn more about Community Church, visit communitychurch.net or follow @communitychurch.li on social media. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: TouchPoint As your church reaches more people, one of the biggest challenges is making sure no one slips through the cracks along the way.TouchPoint Church Management Software is an all-in-one ecosystem built for churches that want to elevate discipleship by providing clear data, strong engagement tools, and dependable workflows that scale as you grow. TouchPoint is trusted by some of the fastest-growing and largest churches in the country because it helps teams stay aligned, understand who they're reaching, and make confident ministry decisions week after week. If you've been wondering whether your current system can carry your next season of growth, it may be time to explore what TouchPoint can do for you. You can evaluate TouchPoint during a free, no-pressure one-hour demo at TouchPointSoftware.com/demo. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, thanks so much for listening in, tuning in into today’s episode. I’m really looking forward to today’s conversation. We’re talking with a leader leading a prevailing church in frankly a part of the country that is not known for tons of prevailing churches. And so it’s an opportunity for all of us to lean in and to learn.Rich Birch — Super excited to have Lou Pizzichillo with us from Community Church. They’re in Babylon, New York on Long Island. They’re known as a church for people who don’t go to church. They’re big on being real, bringing real questions, struggles, hangups, doubts, disappointments, and failures. Lou, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here today.Lou Pizzichillo — Thanks so much. Yeah, it’s a privilege to be here.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s an honor that you would take some time to be with us today. Why don’t you kind of tell us a bit of the Community story, kind of give us a flavor of the church, help us kind of imagine if we were to arrive this weekend, what what would we experience?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So we have an interesting history. We launched in January of 2020. And so we were open for 10 weeks.Rich Birch — Great time.Lou Pizzichillo — I know it was perfect. And then we closed down for 52 weeks, and we relaunched. But because of that, what’s been really cool is, you know, when you’re launching a church, the launch team is a big deal. And to launch twice, we’ve had really like two two launch teams. And so team culture has always been a real big part of our church.Lou Pizzichillo — But yeah, we like to say that we’re a church for people who don’t go to church. and So we try to keep things pretty casual. We try not to assume that there’s any interest or experience with the people who are showing up on a Sunday. And yeah.Rich Birch — Nice. Give us a sense of, so like size and like your, you know, the ministry style, that sort of thing. Like what would you help us kind of place what the, what the church is like if I was to arrive, arrive on a weekend?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, we’re a pretty contemporary attractional church. We’ve got services on Thursday night and on Sunday morning. So we say the weekend starts on Thursday. Rich Birch — Love it. Lou Pizzichillo — We call Thursday night thurch, which is… Rich Birch — Oh, that’s funny. Thurch. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, it was a joke at first, but then it kind of like, I don’t know, just kind of gained a life of its own.Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — So yeah, so the church over the course of the weekend, right now we’re at about 1,200. And it’s exciting. There are a lot of new people. And things are constantly change changing. Change is that really the only constant for us.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, that’s so good. Well, you’re on Long Island, and I can say as somebody who I ministered for years in New Jersey, I’m from Canada, I I get that people don’t wake up on Long Island on Sunday morning and think, hey, I should go to church today. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, yeah.Rich Birch — You’re serving a community that is is more unchurched than other parts of the country, which is a challenge for planting. So help us understand, you know, help us just kind of get into the mindset or the um perspective of people who are outside of the church. What do they view on, you know, Christianity? Tell us, give us a sense of of kind of what you’ve learned, you know, planting in that kind of context.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So one thing that was really helpful right off the bat was somebody mentioned to me, they were like, you know, I’m not a gym person. And so when a new gym opens up in town, I don’t even really notice it.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And they’re like, I think it’s the same thing for church people.Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — It’s like, if you’re not a church person, then you don’t really notice when churches are doing things. And so that’s like, really, it’s a big reason why we’re so vocal about saying it we’re a church for people who don’t go to church, you know?Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — Um, and yeah, from there, honestly, we found that the biggest obstacle with people here is the existing reputation of church, of what church is like and what church people are like.Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — This church is seen as very judgmental, hypocritical, fake, exclusive, impractical, you know, it’s something you just do to kind of check the boxes and then you go on with your life. I’ve spoken to even a lot of, um, like devout Catholics here who have, have said like, they don’t, they do their church thing because, because it’s what they think that they’re supposed to do, but they’re, what they are doing in church does not translate to everyday life.Lou Pizzichillo — And so church is seen as kind of an impractical thing. And, that’s kind of the starting point for a lot of people who we’re trying to connect with.Rich Birch — Yeah, I’ve heard it said in other contexts, it’s like, not that people don’t know the church. It’s like, it’s what they know that they don’t like.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, yeah.Rich Birch — It’s like, they have a sense of, you know, that that reputation. Are there any, maybe even stories or engagement you know conversations or engagements you’ve had with folks that have kind of brought that reputation to the fore. That obviously has led you to say, hey, we’re going position ourselves as a church where people don’t go into churches. Was there something that kind of influenced that as you were having, you know, even in these early years as you’ve been kind of get the ball rolling?Lou Pizzichillo — A big part of it honestly is a lot of my extended family. Like they’re, most of them are not church people. You know, they have a lot of respect for God. Like most people on Long Island, uh, especially, you know, most kind of nominal Catholics, like they would say they’re Italian or Irish. They say, oh, of course, Jesus is my savior. You know, like they, they know the right things to say, but in terms of what it actually means on a regular basis, it’s like kind of a totally different thing. So, so yeah, I mean, that’s kind of, kind of where we’re starting.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, people have criticisms about the church and they have criticisms of of their experience with the church. How do you discern between criticisms that maybe you either need to be challenged, like, hey, that’s actually just not true, or like, oh, that’s a critique that is actually fair, and we’re going to try to steer in a different direction, ah you know, than that. Help us think about those, you know, when we think about skepticism towards the church.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, I think, honestly, the best thing for us has just been to have a posture of listening.Rich Birch — That’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — Because even even if their claims aren’t valid, a lot of their experiences are. And so, you know, they’re like, there’s somebody who’s been going to the church for a while now, and somebody that was very close to them has like a pretty intense story of church hurt, like real damage. And so to know that he’s walking in with all of this baggage and that there are a lot of other people walking in with that baggage that don’t let you know that they have that baggage… Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — …just kind of giving them the space to, to be hurt and for it to be real. That’s been huge for us just having that kind of posture of humility. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. So that obviously has led to the way you’ve developed either the way you talk about ministry or the values that are underlining, you know, the ministry.Rich Birch — What has been important for helping communicate or articulate to people like, hey, this is a place that you can show up, you know, before you, you know, you’ve kind of bought it all. It’s like, Hey, you there’s a place to explore that sort of thing. Help us think through how do you communicate and then how do those, whether they’re phrases or yeah that sort of thing, how does that translate then into the values of how you actually operate?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So big thing is for us, it’s training the team, like getting those values into the team and helping them to understand what that looks like in a concrete way. So we say, like a lot of churches say, you can belong before you believe. And the the illustration I give almost every single time, I’m like, if somebody walks in with a church, with a shirt that says, I hate God, we are glad that person is here, right? Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — Like we’re not assuming that they are walking in with interest or experience. And they might have a story that’s a lot more complicated than we know. So um so yes, we try to celebrate that.Lou Pizzichillo — When somebody walks in and they’re very open about their beliefs and their views not lining up with us, that’s something that we celebrate, right? Like because these are the people that we want here.Lou Pizzichillo — The other value that’s been really helpful for us is to say that people have permission to be in progress. And that has to do with their actions, the choices that they make, but also the things that they believe. And so you can be on board with some of our beliefs and not be on board with all of our beliefs. And we’re okay with that, right?Lou Pizzichillo — Like rather than just saying, okay, I accept all of it at one time. And now I completely agree that everything in the Bible is true. And, you know, I endorse it. Like we just kind of give people space to say, okay, like let’s maybe let’s start with the claims of Jesus, like right to this guy really rise from the dead. And now let’s look at what he says about things like the Old Testament, you know?Lou Pizzichillo — And so that’s that’s been a huge thing. We go back to that over and over and over again. It started as kind of like a main point in a sermon where I was like, you’ve got permission to be in progress. And so many people repeated it back to me that I was like, okay, this needs to be woven into our culture because it needs to be articulated…Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — …or people just assume, okay, if I’m going to say I believe, I got to say I believe it all. And there’s no room for disagreement.Lou Pizzichillo — And then from there, we say like, you got you can belong before you believe, you got permission to be in progress. And if both of those things are actually true for us as a church, then we can also say like our third value is no pretending.Lou Pizzichillo — Like you don’t have to pretend to be on board with certain things if you’re not there yet. And I think if we create an environment where people can be real and dialogue and be open about the things that they’re, you know, that they disagree with, I think that’s where there’s real hope for ultimately ending in a place of alignment.Rich Birch — Yeah, permission to be in progress to me feels very like a very Jesus value It feels like, oh, that to me, that’s like when I read the New Testament, that feels like the way he oriented himself to the people around him, right? There were clearly people that were like the rich young ruler came to him and was like, you know, asked a pointed question. Jesus gave a clear answer, and he didn’t, you know, Jesus didn’t, even though he said harsh words to or clear words, I would say, all was it always done in an environment of trying to say, hey, we I want you to be a part of this conversation. I’m really trying to be on the same side of the table. How do I bring you along?Rich Birch — Can you, like, let’s double click on permission to be in progress. Talk us through what that looks like. Because I think, I think so many churches draw very strong lines on like, you got to believe these 15 things to be a part here. Even if we wouldn’t explicitly set that say that, it’s like implicit in our cultures.Rich Birch — How does your culture look different when you say, hey, you’ve got permission to be in progress? What would be some of the things that might stand out to us as like, that’s a little bit different than how maybe some other churches handle this?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So we have like we have values, but then we also just have sayings, right? Like it it is too hard for me to define what the most important values are. Like I get too obsessed with the wording and how we’re going to phrase things. And so in our our conference room, we have a big whiteboard and we write down little sayings. We actually write them in permanent marker on the whiteboard, which is wasteful, but at least we have something to reference.Lou Pizzichillo — So when somebody says something and we’re like, hey, that’s a culture thing, it gets written on the board. One of the things that came up that’s really helped us with this idea of permission to be in progress is that the goal is to get people to Jesus and everything else is secondary. Everything else comes after that.Rich Birch — That's good. Yep, that’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — And so I’m not going to like get into it with someone over a secondary issue or really something that’s an issue of sanctification, when we believe sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit, right? Maybe your view on that will change after you understand who Jesus is and begin to follow him.Lou Pizzichillo — And so in a lot of ways, I feel like when we when we get too into the issues, we’re putting the cart before the horse, right? Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — And so we’re trying to bring people to Jesus and show him show them what he’s like. And ah that that has been clarifying when it comes to permission to be in progress.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. And I think in heavily church context, when we kind of assume, oh, basically everyone here has some level of faith, those secondary issues can become like a really big deal. It’s like we spend a lot of time talking about those things.Rich Birch — But when the majority of people we’re interacting with you know, they haven’t, they haven’t really, really wrestled with what they think about Jesus and the difference he can make in this life. And we got to keep that, that really clear. Rich Birch — So no pretending is an interesting value as a communicator. How do you live that out in the way you show transparency? There’s this interesting thing years ago, I had one of the ah preacher that I love or communicator. I just think the world of, you know, he talked about how there’s this tension when we’re, communicating that, you know, we’re we’re trying to be transparent, but up into a point and how, where is that point? And how do we do that in a way that’s not, that brings people along? So ah what what does that look like for you even as a as ah as a leader to say, hey, it’s not my job to pretend. I’m going to just be honest and transparent, authentic to where we are? Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. Well, I mean, I can definitely say that every time I tell a story that has me screwing up, it is it is the thing that people come to tell me about. Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — Like, oh, thank you so much for telling me about you know the way you spoke to your kids… Rich Birch — Yes. Lou Pizzichillo — …or the thing that you said to your wife. Or it is just by far the thing that people love to hear. And that’s been encouraging. Now, I have had people like throw it back at me and that that comes with the territory. But I think that the stories of how that’s been helpful for people um like dramatically outweigh the people that are going to you know weaponize that stuff against you.Lou Pizzichillo — Something else I heard, um I think Brene Brown said this in one of her books. She said she doesn’t share things she hasn’t processed through yet.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And that for me is a really helpful thing. Like If I’m in the middle of something and just in the thick of it, it’s not the time for me to like bring that to the congregation. I think that could be really unhealthy for a lot of reasons.Lou Pizzichillo — So that’s, that’s kind of something that, and it doesn’t mean I can’t share something that just happened. You know sometimes I’ll explain an issue that just happened with my kids. That’s different than something I’m still processing and haven’t resolved yet.Rich Birch — Right. I think she said it’s the difference between scars and wounds, right? You can talk about your scars. That’s like, that’s an area that has, has had some level of healing to it versus an open wound, right? Like this is a part that’s, that’s still gaping.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah.Rich Birch — And, uh, you know, we don’t necessarily want to to share that. And that, you know, uh, that is a change. So I’m, you know, I’m of a certain age, been in this game a long time. And I remember when we first started, when I first started, that generation that came before me, people wanted like the superhuman religious leader. They wanted the like pastor to be, to have their stuff a hundred percent sewed up. Like, don’t tell me that you’re a real human. They didn’t want that.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah.Rich Birch — You know, and that has completely reversed.Rich Birch — People are like, no no, like you said, we, we need to be transparent, open, authentic. People know that we’re not perfect. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. Rich Birch — They know that we don’t have it all together. Lou Pizzichillo — Right.Rich Birch — And when we try to hide that, when we try to, in your language, pretend that actually is repulsive, it pushes them away. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah.Rich Birch — One of the things that stood out to me just by reputation, kind of seeing your church is it appears that you guys have a conviction around getting out and serving the community, actually making a difference in the community. You know, it strikes me as very ah a very James-approach, faith in action – it’s it should make a difference in our community. What how do talk to me about what that looks like for Community. How does that, even your name, Community, you know, Church, reflects that. Talk talk to talk to me about what that looks like.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, so we’re pretty clear. Like we we tell people we want to be an asset to the community. We want people to be glad we’re here, whether they attend our church or not. And so that started really early. Actually, before we launched, we did this thing called the 12 Days of Christmas where, so our church is in a village, right? So there are a lot of local businesses around us. What we did is during the 12 days leading up to Christmas, we went to shops and we gave away gifts from those shops. There was a different shop every day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. So we planned this out ahead of time. But we would post on social media and be like, Hey, today the, you know, the shop is Bunger surf shop. The first 25 people there are going to get beanies from Bunger surf shop.Lou Pizzichillo — And we paid for them. We sent the, Bunger agreed to hand them out. And people went to go get them. And what was, so it was a win, win, win, really. Like the people who participated got free beanies, the surf shop are like all the different shops in the village. They got people to go, they got traffic to their business, right?Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah.Lou Pizzichillo — Because people went in then bought other stuff. And it helped us communicate that we we say we want something for you, not from you, right? We want to be an asset to the community. And so it helped us communicate that message. And the response to that has been great.Lou Pizzichillo — Now, what’s interesting, if this doesn’t tell you something about the church’s reputation, on year one, before we launched, it was very hard to get 12 shops to agree to do this with us. Like they were like, you’re a church? I’m sorry. No, we’re not doing it.Rich Birch — Forget it. Yeah.Lou Pizzichillo — Now it’s year seven. Right now we’re in the middle of our our seventh year and there are shops lining up to do it. There are shops reaching out to us, asking us to collaborate.Rich Birch — Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — They’re helping to pay for the stuff. So it’s actually in some ways getting a little bit cheaper.Rich Birch — Huh.Lou Pizzichillo — And it’s just cool. It’s shown like this posture of partnership with what’s going on… Rich Birch — Yes. Lou Pizzichillo — …rather than, okay, there are the shops and then there’s the church. Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — And yeah, we actually have a someone on staff now who first heard about the church on year one during the 12 days of Christmas. She started coming to the church. she eventually got baptized and now she’s on staff. And it’s just like, it has been so, so cool.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. That’s what a cool, you know, even just a cool tactic, kind of an expression of that. Is there other ways, other kind of activities like that, that you’re engaged with throughout the year that would could illustrate this idea of being for the community, being an asset to the community? What would be another example of that that that’s happened?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So there is this fair that happens right across the street from the church. It’s called the Argyle Fair. It’s it’s around a lake. There are about 30,000 people that come to this fair. And the fair is on a Sunday during church.Lou Pizzichillo — The first year that we were here and had services during that Sunday, it was a mess. There were people you know like parking all over the place. It was hard to have services. Traffic was crazy. And we left church and my wife and I walked to the fair and just felt like something didn’t feel right. Like there’s some, here’s something everybody’s doing and we’re fighting against it.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — So we went to the people who ran the fair and we were like, is there any way we can help? Like, is there, what do you guys need? And right away she was like, we need volunteers and we need parking. And as a church, we are uniquely equipped with volunteers and parking. Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo —And so really it was there, like that almost right away, we were like, okay, next year, ah we’re going to be on board with what you’re doing.Rich Birch — Wow. Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — And so we decided to cancel services. And in the weeks leading up to that, we teach about the importance of serving the community. It’s kind of like the grand finale to whatever, you know…Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — …outreach series or message is being given.Rich Birch — Yeah.Lou Pizzichillo — And um yeah, so we teach on that. And then we’re like, hey, you know, two weeks from now, we’re not going to have services. Instead, we’re going to go out instead of staying in here talking about serving, we’re going to go out there and serve. And, you know, we’ve said like… Rich Birch — Love that. Lou Pizzichillo — …yeah, what’s what’s happening out there is not more spiritual than what’s happening in here. It’s a different way to express and grow in our faith. So we did that. And the response has just been unbelievable. Like the community has loved it. The the fair has had the help that they need. The people in our church have loved it. But this year we actually it got rained out on the first week. And so they postponed it to the next week.Rich Birch — Oh, wow.Lou Pizzichillo — And that made it tough for us because now we were like, okay, are we going to cancel church two weeks in a row? Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — And we had a meeting about it and like looked at our values, looked at what we were talking about. We were like, you know what, this is actually an opportunity for us to really double down and say, we’re not doing this out of convenience. We’re doing this because it’s a value. And so I called up the guy who was running the fair and he was like, I get it. If you can’t do it, I get it. And it felt, it was, it was amazing to be able to say on the phone, like, Hey, we’re with you, uh, no matter what. So, uh, so we did and it was, it was awesome.Rich Birch — That’s incredible. Like ah that, again, that what a vivid example, because I think there’s a lot of church leaders, if we’re honest, we’ve been engaged in the conversation that’s literally on the opposite side of that, where we’re like, man, how do we, these people, they’re, you know, they’re cramping our style or whatever. It’s like we naturally default towards that rather than to serve. Rich Birch — Take us back early in the discussions because I think a lot of us have not done a good job in building trust bridges in our communities. And you know trust isn’t built with just you know, one conversation. It takes time, right? It takes, like you said, those those first 12 days of Christmas, you couldn’t get anybody. And now here’s seven years later. We want we want to get to the seven years later part really quickly.Rich Birch — But ah those early conversations, how are you handling yourself, interacting with the like other people, you know, approaching them, having those conversations. What did you learn in the early dialogue that could help us if we’re trying to build, you know, deeper community trust in a place that just is so skeptical of that we’re coming with, just looking to take from our people.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. I mean, you have to be willing to be inconvenienced. I think that’s been a big part of it.Lou Pizzichillo — On week one, so we we launched literally on the first day and launch day was bigger than we thought it was going to be. And on that Monday, I was called to the mayor’s office, the mayor of the village.Lou Pizzichillo — And I was like, okay, thought I was going to go have a conversation. And when I got there, it was the it was him, it was the head of code enforcement and the fire chief all in a room waiting for me Rich Birch — Oh, gosh. Lou Pizzichillo — And they had pictures of cars parked all over the street. And I I realized there, like, there was a real concern about what this church was going to be in the community.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so from there, we’ve just been looking for opportunities to earn trust. The neighbors have made it very clear that they don’t like cars parking on the street. And so we, we began paying for a lot so that we could take the cars off of the street. We don’t have to, they can legally park in the street, but we rent the lot. We told the owner of the property why we’re doing it. And he got on board with what we’re doing. We’re now in a place, kind of a long story, but we now don’t have to pay for that lot.Rich Birch — Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — We also, like the trust has been earned one decision at a time. We were going to do this big thing in the parking lot. We did a parking lot renovation that took the whole summer. After the summer, we were like, hey, in our new parking lot, let’s put on a Christmas show. We’ll run it throughout two weeks in December.Lou Pizzichillo — We had an animator who goes to the church. He like had this great idea for a show. He’s like, we’ll project it on the building. People will drive in. We’ll run it multiple times a night, do it for a few weeks throughout December. We were calling it Christmas in Lights.Lou Pizzichillo — So we put this whole plan together. He’s making the thing. We start advertising it and the village comes to us and they’re like, you’re in violation of the code. You can’t do this. And and they’re giving us all these reasons that I felt like didn’t really hold that much weight, you know.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — But in thinking about it, I do understand the inconvenience it would have been. We just had a major parking lot renovation. There were huge trucks making tons of noise for months. Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And now that’s finally over. And we’re going to ask the village to deal with the traffic of a show happening every single night, you know, for a few weeks in December.Rich Birch — Right Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so I went to the mayor and I was like, hey, ah it’s a new mayor at this point. But I just sat down with her and I was like, hey, listen, if you have concerns about this, I want you to feel the freedom to just come to me and say, this is a lot for the neighbors. Like, what do you think about pulling this in?Lou Pizzichillo —And it was cool. It was an opportunity for the two of us to kind of bond, like there was some trust earned there and we canceled the show. We decided not to do it. And I released a video explaining why we weren’t doing it.Rich Birch — Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — And the amazing thing is that I think canceling the show accomplished more than we would have accomplished if we actually did the show.Rich Birch — Interesting.Lou Pizzichillo — Like it earned, it was so well received when people found out that we weren’t going to do it. They were like, and even the people that attend the church, they were like, I want to be part of a church that supports their community like this.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so it went really well, and it was a lot less work, and so it was it was kind of a win all around. Rich Birch — What did the animators say? I feel but feel bad for that person who started doing that work. Did they understand. Obviously, they’re bummed or concerned.Lou Pizzichillo — He was bummed out, but he’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and so he he totally got it. And he’s on board with what we’re trying to do, and when he knew the reason why, he was totally, totally supportive of it.Rich Birch — Interesting. So where have you seen churches kind of get this wrong as we’ve tried to engage with the community? Maybe a common a pothole that we fall into or a way that we stub our toes, you know, a thing maybe you’ve you’ve you’ve seen that we just, we you know, kind of consistently make the same mistake.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. You know, one of my mentors told me a while ago, he was like, when you’re thinking about the church in the community, he’s like, there’s a small percentage of people that are for you. He said, there’s, there’s also a small percentage of people that are anti-church and they always will be, and you’re not going to change their minds.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And he’s like, but then there’s this large percentage that’s just kind of going to go one way or the other. And he’s like, that’s the percentage that you really have to be intentional about connecting with.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so I think, you know, it is very easy to tell the story like, hey, they don’t want us to do our Christmas show. This is persecution… Rich Birch — Yes. Lou Pizzichillo — …you know, and we got to fight and suffer for the name of Jesus. And ah we’ve just found that that’s not always the case. Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — You know, it’s people that don’t want to be inconvenienced and they may love church, but there’s there’s all this stuff going in the community. Maybe they maybe they have you know other reasons why. So i think I think it’s just the posture.Lou Pizzichillo — Like a lot of, most people, most people aren’t unreasonable. And I think if we give them the chance to really articulate what’s going on, I’ve been surprised at how understandable a lot of the feelings have been, a lot of the resistance to church comes from real stories, real experiences.Rich Birch — Right, right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so, yeah, I think it’s the you know the whole like persecution thing or suffering or that is real and people do really experience that. But a lot of times I think we’re a little too quick to say, oh, this is what that is when really it may not be.Rich Birch — Well, and it it’s, ah in some ways, it’s like a low form of, well, it’s a leadership shortcut for sure to like demonize, to like, oh, there, those people are come out to get us. You know, any leader that’s led before realizes, oh, that’s like a that’s a tool that actually works. People respond to that, but, but we don’t want to do that. Like that isn’t, these are the people we’re trying to love and care. These are people we’re trying to see point towards Jesus. They’re not our enemies.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. Yeah.Rich Birch — They’re not, you know, they’re, they’re not, they might just not like parking, like you at the end of the day.Lou Pizzichillo — Right. Right.Rich Birch — And so let’s not, let’s not get over-revved, ah you know, on that. And unfortunately there are, I know, you know, way too many churches that have got themselves on the wrong side of this. And it’s very hard to backwards engineer out of that. Once you go down that road of like, we’re going to try to go negative with our community. That just isn’t, it’s just, it’s, it’s very difficult to to step back from that.Rich Birch — If you think about a church leader that’s listening in today and they’re, they’re saying, Hey, They’re thinking we want to do a better job being trusted more locally, trusted by local leaders, trusted by other you know businesses in town, that sort of thing. What would be a couple first steps you think they could take? A couple things where they could start to try to build that kind of trust with the community around them?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. You know, I think I’m a big believer in praying for those opportunities. And also just giving things a second look, you know. When you’re in a situation that may seem like a challenge or something that may seem like it’s getting in the way, to just stop and think, okay, is, is there an opportunity here to build trust with the community?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — Because we, and when we say the community, we’re not just talking about this nebulous, you know, idea of Babylon village. There are people there.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And if those people see this church as trustworthy, they may come here, you know, when their relationships are falling apart or when they’re looking for answers.Rich Birch — Yep.Lou Pizzichillo — Um, and so it’s really just been… We have great people here who have bought into what we’re doing, who have really helped us to see like, this is an opportunity to win with the community. And yeah, you gotta, you have to look outside the box and, and also be willing to, there, there are moments like with Church Has Left the Building—with the fair—and with the Christmas and light show, there are moments where they’ll see, okay, do you really care? Do you really care?Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — Like are how how much will you inconvenience yourself? And I mean, the payoff from that has just been huge, even though it’s been an inconvenience and our giving goes down that week and it throws off the series and we got to restructure the calendar.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — It has gone, there’s there’s never been a time where we’ve regretted it.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good. And, you know, there’s no doubt one of the things I think we can in our our little world of kind of church leadership, I think we can forget often that people in the communities that we’re serving, they really don’t have any frame of reference for a church of 1,200 people. Like they that that isn’t people’s normal perception of what a church is. Like a church is 25 people or 50 people in a room somewhere super small.Rich Birch — And, and their perception can be, they just don’t, they just don’t have any idea. What is that? What’s that look like? And some of that can skew negative because it’s busy and blah, blah, blah, all those things. And so we’ve, we, we have to take it on ourselves when our church gets to the size that you’re at or larger to try to help them understand and see though this is like really positive for the community and actually point towards that.Lou Pizzichillo — Yes.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — Yes. And, and like along those lines, ah it’s also perceived as a source of power, right? Like if, if there, if you have 1500 people that all believe the same thing and you’re trying to run a village or a community, there is this, this sense of like, okay, well, are they going to be for us or against us? Like, are all these people going to be anti-village?Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so there is like that, that instinct to kind of protect from this group of people that make, make things really hard for us. But over time, as they begin to see like all these people are, are behind us, they’re here to support us and they want to make this place better.Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — It’s, it really is a beautiful thing. And we’re not there yet as a church, but we’re getting there. And, uh, we’ve just seen a lot of, lot of positive signs and, uh, Yeah, think it’s paid off.Rich Birch — So good, Lou. That’s, that’s great. Just as we wrap up today’s conversation, any kind of final words you’d have to, ah you know, to leaders that are listening in thinking about these issues today?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. I mean, I think I would just say it’s worth it. It's it’s messy. It does make things difficult. It can be inconvenient. And when you have people who don’t go to church coming to church and you give them permission to be in progress, you get a lot of hairy situations. And we have a lot of conversations where we’re trying to figure out which way to go.Rich Birch — Yeah, 100%.Lou Pizzichillo — But it’s in those conversations that we cant kind of stop and remind ourselves like, Hey, we’re, we’re glad that these people are here and we’re glad that these are the problems that we’re having. And, the end of the day, this is what we feel like it’s all about. So.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. I just want to encourage you as you’re leading, you’re doing a great job and and it’s been fun to get a chance to get a little window into what’s going on at Community. Want to encourage you and your your team, just you’re doing the right thing. If people want to track with the church or with you online, where do we want to send them to connect with you guys?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, so communitychurch.net is our website. On Instagram, we’re communitychurchli, we’re @communitychurchli, and we try to keep that handle throughout all the platforms. So YouTube, same thing. But yeah, that’s it.Rich Birch — Great. Thanks for for being here today, Lou.Lou Pizzichillo — Thanks for having me, Rich. It’s an honor to be here, and I love what you guys are doing for the church.

It's Thursday - the day before a very special day involving a Colin. Need we say more? Before we get to Colin, Jane and Fi cover cheerful train drivers, dobbing in your neighbours, disposing of deceased pets, and the fickle nature of muslin. There are also a few parish notices, including mention of a new playlist… Plus, Ian Russell, father of Molly Russell, discusses the upcoming documentary Molly vs the Machines. Our next book club pick is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute.Our most asked about book is called 'The Later Years' by Peter Thornton.You can listen to our 'I'm in the cupboard on Christmas' playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1awQioX5y4fxhTAK8ZPhwQIf you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: janeandfi@times.radioFollow us on Instagram! @janeandfiPodcast Producers: Eve SalusburyExecutive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, join Peter and Chris as they deep dive into the second track off of RiddleBox, the almighty third jokers card from ICP , "Riddle Box." Sit back and listen as they dissect the lyrics and content of the track, discuss the Insane Clown Posse's carnivl mythology, talk about the full bodies of the Joker Cards , and tackle important topics like JCW going to war with other local feds!      The LinkTree is at https://linktr.ee/juggalorwd... Twitter/X: @JuggaloRWD IG: @JuggaloRWD Facebook: @JuggaloRWD TikTok: @JuggaloRWD Threads: @JuggaloRWD BlueSky: @JuggaloRWD The website is www.JuggaloRewind.com. Join us everywhere to talk to other listeners and about ICP, Twiztid and random juggalo nonsense. Email us at juggalorwd@gmail.com or call/text us at (810) 666-1570.        Join our Patreon! For only FOUR DOLLARS a month, you can join Kilnore's Army and get at least two bonus episodes per month, videos, chats and more! Even without paying, you can join the Patreon community! Become an official member of the Phat or Wack Pack today! -- Juggalo Rewind Patreon. Additional music provided by the IRTD. Voiceover work provided by Christmas. All music played is owned by the respective publishers and copywrite holders and is reproduced for review purposes only under fair use. #ForTheJuggaloCulture

Welcome to the Christmas series! Joseph is given another dream - a warning. He must get Mary and Jesus to safety. He realizes that this is what he was called to all along - protect God’s Son, even if it costs him his life. Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app. To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and it's time for your February Indulgence Gospel!Today we are talking about influencers who show their expensive influencer grocery hauls, as well as people who spend A LOT OF MONEY on food delivery. (If you too had feelings about that ChrisLovesJulia reel...let's get into it!) We also talk about our own spending on groceries and food delivery....and our complicated feelings about both.

A murderer who thought he'd gotten away with the perfect crime discovers — too late — that his victim had a plan of her own. | #RetroRadio #WeirdDarkness | EP0592CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Wine, Women, and Murder” (May 20, 1977) ***WD00:45:46.094 = The Sealed Book “Murder Must Be Paid For” (August 05, 1945)01:15:15.158 = The Shadow, “Joey's Christmas story” (December 22, 1940) ***WD01:44:18.098 = Sleep No More, “The Evening Primrose” (April 24, 1957)02:13:10.886 = BBC Radio 4 Spine Chillers, “Eat Your Heart Out” (October 20, 2007)02:27:01.031 = Stay Tuned For Terror, “The Bogey Man Will Get You” (October 01, 1945) ***WD02:41:33.448 = Strange, “Hillbilly Feud” (1955) ***WD02:55:51.451 = Suspense, “Finishing School” (December 30, 1943)03:25:03.953 = Tales of the Frightened, “Chung Ling Soo” (December 16, 1957) ***WD03:29:24.002 = Tales of Tomorrow, “The Other Now” (January 22, 1953)03:59:18.311 = Tales From The Tomb, “Spirit Calling” (1960s)04:03:52.173 = The Saint, “Missing Husband” (April 29, 1951)04:32:42.285 = Theater Five, “June Seventeenth Where Are You?” (November 02, 1964)04:53:50.007 = Show Close(ADU) = Air Date Unknown(LQ) = Low Quality***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music LibraryABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.= = = = =CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0592

Listen without ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Dopeywood 2 tickets https://www.showclix.com/event/dopeywood-2026 Today on Dopey Wednesday! Dave (still shaking off a cold, snowed in on Long Island) pays tribute to Larry (“Crosstalk Larry”) — a beloved meeting  guy who recently passed away. Larry was a kind, positive soul who yelled “keep coming!” at every meeting's end, welcomed newcomers, collected the basket for personal contact, showed up in hospitals and court, attended three DopeyCons and the Margaret Cho show, and lost his son to murder years ago. Dave reflects on missing Larry's kind heart and vows to try to be kinder. Lots of Spotify Bob talk! The main talk is a powerful, emotional return with Kevin Jack McEnroe (author, former nightlife figure, son of Tatum O'Neal). Kevin opens up about his family's addiction legacy: Tatum's lifelong struggles (childhood coke from Ryan O'Neill, celebrity enabling, stroke/coma in 2020), Ryan's estrangement, Kevin's own heroin/coke/vodka spiral, liver failure, treatment, Suboxone, and the infamous Christmas visit where Tatum smoked weed in the hotel room while Kevin was newly sober. He shares the deck-the-halls-with-mom's-Suboxone story, codependency/survivor guilt, boundary-setting (“I can't keep convincing you to live”), and how the stroke/facility humility saved her life. Kevin reflects on being a bad liar, ring secrecy with Fern, Sergio the blind heroin dealer, and how recovery brought peace, blended-family wedding moments, and hope.  All that and MORE! on a brand new Wednesday episode of that good old Dopey Snow - i mean show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Australia month crashes to a delirious halt with 1997's Welcome to Woop Woop, Directed by Stephan Elliott and adapted from Douglas Kennedy's The Dead Heart by screenwriter Michael Thomas, the film strands American grifter Teddy (Johnathon Schaech) in a surreal outback shantytown ruled by Daddy-O (Rod Taylor) and fueled by show tunes, superstition, and mob justice. Susie Porter co-stars as Angie, who drags Teddy into the warped social rituals of Woop Woop—Dog Day, asbestos mines, pineapple Christmas, and a kangaroo called Big Red.Ben Buckingham and Rahne Alexander join Mike to dissect the film's Cannes infamy, its grotesque fairy-tale politics, and Elliott's post-Priscilla swing for the fences. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth 

Georgia has no safe storage law. A 14-year-old can legally possess a long gun. Colin Gray didn't technically break any gun laws by giving his son an AR-15 for Christmas. So how is he now facing 180 years on second-degree murder charges?Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta breaks down the legal strategy prosecutors are using against Colin Gray—and whether it can survive scrutiny.The facts are bad. The FBI visited Colin Gray's home in May 2023 after his son made threats on Discord. Body cam footage shows Gray telling deputies "God, I knew it" within minutes of the Apalachee High School shooting. He also said he'd been trying to get his son into counseling. Bob analyzes how those statements play with a jury—and whether they're admission of knowledge or a father's horror.The Crumbleys set a precedent in Michigan with manslaughter convictions—10 to 15 years each. Georgia went further with second-degree murder. Colin Gray faces 180 years. That gap shows how Georgia views this case—and what it could mean for parents nationwide.Karen McDonald—the prosecutor who got the Crumbley convictions—said her reaction to Colin Gray being charged was "rage." She said the Crumbley case was never meant to open the floodgates. Legal experts warn this precedent could be applied unevenly, potentially disproportionately against families without resources. Bob addresses whether there's any limiting principle.The kid's history is chaotic: DFCS involvement, school-hopping, swastikas, searched "how to kill your dad" on a school computer, missed his entire eighth-grade year. Does all that make the father look negligent—or create reasonable doubt he could have predicted this?Bob breaks down whether we're watching the rules change in real time.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#ColinGray #ApalacheeHighSchool #NoGunLaws #ParentalLiability #CrumbleyCase #BobMotta #TrueCrimeToday #SchoolShooting #GeorgiaTrial #SecondDegreeMurder

QT and Rae exchange super belated Christmas gifts, and speak about how complex and hard grief can be.✨ Bonus Content: https://patreon.com/wineaboutit

On this episode, we'll learn the story of president Ulysses S. Grant making Christmas a national holiday in the United States. We'll also talk about a quaint town in California where you can get a little Christmas all year long, we'll count down the top five Christmas themed First Draft segments from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and I'll ask for your help with naming a new segment for 2026. Download here! 00:00 – 01:52 Intro 01:52 – 07:27 We Need A Little Christmas Now – Solvang, CA Trip Report 07:27 – 16:24 5 Golden Things – Christmas themed First Draft segments from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert 16:24 – 23:59 Ulysses S. Grant and Christmas as a National Holiday (in the United States) 23:59 – 25:47 The Segment With No Name…yet 25:47 – 27:45 Wrap Up 27:45 – 30:54 Outtakes “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” United States Marine Band “Jingle Bells” Performed by Kristen Nowicki (The embedded player for the episode is bellow the links) Solvang Photos https://www.instagram.com/cantwaitforchristmaspod/p/DVLPn0plFrU/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/CantWaitForChristmasPod/posts/pfbid0rQCJDHhZed52iCvduXWQbEH2LeonQi9FkFLKUkwN4GDbym5ewfWdG7SCb4tg4dqjl https://www.threads.com/@cantwaitforchristmaspod/post/DVLPovLFE9B?xmt=AQF0Y4V8_LsAUwVPlWATTBdqKGm5u5xjTrEIA8VC36mxdvgQuNju9zvQacPt52h-GdoBJ2jW&slof=1 https://bsky.app/profile/christmaspod.bsky.social/post/3mfoeesncek2d Jule Hus- Solvang’s Christmas Store http://www.solvangschristmashouse.com The Ultimate Escape Rooms (The Mischevious Nisse) https://theultimateescaperooms.com/solvang/ Christmas themed First Draft segments from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2020 https://youtu.be/TYl0TYCsDbY?si=PiFp2eP630JROGxP 2024 https://youtu.be/htlX-VAuVbs?si=meZv3-2OtHUQpkPO 2021 https://youtu.be/vP8nVklw99c?si=6GGS_iHY02HiVcmy 2023 https://youtu.be/M2zZAshSRz8?si=eGRTEx7PX-J8elXo 2016 https://youtu.be/fVXzXH_OCyI?si=9eRWjcn8YkmEhWqn 2025 https://youtu.be/sq5O2Ee1pXw?si=azOfu_QYayJ0Z1o Closer to Christmas podcast http://closertochristmas.com/

Two words in a Los Angeles courtroom today. Not guilty. Entered by Nick Reiner's public defender as he sat slumped behind glass, charged with stabbing both of his parents to death.Rob Reiner. Michele Singer Reiner. Found in their bedroom with multiple stab wounds on the first night of Hanukkah. Their 32-year-old son arrested the same day, now facing two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances.Today's plea triggered the expected outrage. But here's what most people don't understand: that plea wasn't a defense. It was a door. The real strategy hasn't been revealed yet.California's system requires defendants pursuing insanity defenses to enter dual pleas, triggering bifurcated trials where guilt and sanity are determined separately. Today was procedural. The psychiatric evaluations are ongoing. The defense is still deciding which path to take.Three options remain open. Full insanity under M'Naghten—proving Nick didn't know what he was doing or that it was wrong. Diminished actuality—using his documented schizoaffective disorder to challenge the premeditation required for first-degree murder. Or incompetence to stand trial—arguing he can't participate in his own defense right now.Legal experts are skeptical about full insanity. Nick was at a Christmas party hours before the killings, arguing with his father in front of witnesses. If you can argue, you're not legally insane.The more likely play? Reduced charges. Second-degree murder. Manslaughter. A different name for what happened, and different consequences.April 29th. Preliminary hearing. The real fight begins.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #NotGuiltyPlea #TrueCrime #InsanityDefense #MurderTrial #HiddenKillers #Parricide #CriminalJustice

On today's daily podcast, we dive headfirst into a real-life story that feels like Gone Girl but somehow even more chaotic — because this one actually happened. A mom in North Carolina tells her kids she's heading out to do some Christmas shopping… and then vanishes. No calls. No sightings. No updates. For. Twenty. Four. Years.Yeah. Twenty. Four.The FBI got involved. The husband was suspected. The kids grew up believing their mom was either dead or abducted. Every holiday season? Trauma with tinsel on top. And then — out of nowhere — she's found alive, living just a couple hours away, apparently doing just fine.So today on the show, we unpack everything:• Is disappearing legally allowed? (Surprisingly… kind of.)• Should there be abandonment charges?• Could you ever forgive a parent for that?• And how in the hell do you start over without anyone noticing for two decades?The crew goes full debate mode. Is she a sociopath? Was there something darker going on? Did she just decide “nah” and hit reset? We don't have all the answers — but we absolutely have opinions. Loud ones.Plus, we spiral (in true Rizz Show fashion) into van life influencers, whether running away mid-commute is a universal parent fantasy, generational breakdowns from Silent Gen to Gen Beta, and the psychology of wanting to disappear for a few hours… or forever.It's messy. It's emotional. It's sarcastic. It's exactly what you expect from your favorite daily podcast that can pivot from serious true crime to sunscreen jokes in under 90 seconds.And yes — we also roast VIP festival passes, debate whether it's weird to go to concerts alone, and question the morality of gifting someone ONE ticket. (Who does that?)If you love real stories that make you say “wait… WHAT?” — this episode of our daily podcast delivers.Welcome to The Rizzuto Show. We bring the chaos so you don't have to.Follow The Rizzuto Show → linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online → 1057thepoint.com/RizzShow.Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Renowned DNA scientist Dr. Robert Schwartz is found brutally murdered inside his secluded Virginia home in the weeks before Christmas 2001. As investigators dig in, a dark, paganistic theme hovers over the crime. As suspects emerge, a Live Action Role- Playing game, scripted by the least likely person imaginable, reveals a frightening subculture of young adults dabbling in the occult. Greed, control, manipulation and hatred unravel in an outrageous and unbelievable homicidal plot. Join investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author M. William Phelps as he sorts out the deadly measures some will go to get what they want.  Binge all episodes of Fatal Fantasy ad-free March 1st by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge Crimes on Apple Podcasts and hit ‘subscribe' or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shapes***Written by: Joseph Venkavitch***We Have a Good Thing Here***Written by: EM Otero and Narrated by: Danielle Hewitt***All I Want for Christmas is a Well-Told Lie***Written by: John Bruni and Narrated by: Jimmy Ferrer***Content warning: child abuse***Support the show at patreon.com/creepypod***Sound design by: Pacific Obadiah***Title music by: Alex Aldea Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.