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JohnCristComedy.com/tour, for tour dates and tickets.This week on Youth Group Chronicles, Sam is joined by Sha Racks and George Johnson for an episode full of youth ministry chaos, questionable field trips, and moments that went sideways fast. The main story follows a youth group trip that became unforgettable when one student secretly made a dangerous decision in the city and things quickly spiraled back at the hotel. The episode also includes a trash pickup outreach that turned terrifying, an icebreaker that ended in instant regret, a church mascot incident that went way too far, a summer camp injury no one saw coming, a Christmas party quote with the worst possible timing, and a youth leader's idea of a “fun” field trip that left the entire group traumatized.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does your front office feel overwhelmed? Kiera shares what the problem is 99% of the time, as well as how to clear up the confusion, and three tactics that bring about clarity and control very quickly. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Trasnscript: Kiera Dent- Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And today, I just wanted to talk about front office overwhelm. Like, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. That's a real thing, it's a real deal. This happens all the time. And I just want you guys to be able to fix that quickly and easily. So today, we're here to wrap. We're here to have a good time. We're here to talk about the front desk overwhelm and how you can fix that and do it with a ton of ease. So.   If your front office feels overwhelmed, if you feel like they're overwhelmed, if you're ever scared to walk up there because you're like, my gosh, they're always stressed out. This is the episode for you and your front office team, because honestly, it's usually not that they have too much to do. It's that they're just, I call it front office soup. Then they're just all like, it's a bowl of spaghetti and we're all slurring and slopping and it's just a mess up there. But because we just have to figure out what matters and who does what.   And it usually, in front office team members, I hope you hear me loud and clear, I'm not being a jerk, I'm Kiera Dent from the block and I've sat in your shoes and I understand it and I've been in your shoes and I know this overwhelmed feeling. It's not usually a workload problem. Usually what it is, is it's a role clarity problem. 99.9 % of the time, if we clean that up and we like untangle the ball of spaghetti, everybody's super happy, everybody's clear and things start rocking and rolling. So.   Again, this is where we're at today. I wanted to just give a quick tactical podcast for you for that front desk overwhelm. And I want you to just know that like at Dental A Team , every single consultant on our team has been in your shoes. ⁓ I don't just say these words on the intro to the episode. We don't just understand you. We genuinely are you. We've been in your shoes. We've sat in your shoes. We've sat at the front office. We've taken the phone calls. We've had the schedule fall apart last minute. I've had the treatment plans not close. I've had doctor on my case saying, Kiera.   get the schedule full and I'm like, I don't really know what to do, okay? I've had that phone running a million miles a minute. We get it. It's chaotic up there, but it doesn't need to be chaos. And so when we have all that, how can we take the urgency away and help you focus on the important thing? And so this is gonna help us kind of figure out like, why do people get overwhelmed? How do get the confusion cleared up? And then what are three things that bring clarity and control very quickly? That's not gonna take months and months to get that stabilized, but to actually do it really quickly.   If you don't know us, hi, we're the Dental A Team. I'm Kiera Dent. Dent really is my last name. It took me three fiancees. You can ask me about that later. It's a real joke, but it's a real life. I love dentistry. I love helping people have their best lives. And I love the dentistry as the platform that brings us all together. I've been a dental assistant, a treatment coordinator, a scheduler, biller, an office manager, regional manager. have all my own practices. I took my first office from 500,000 to 2.4 million in nine months and opened a second location.   To say I've been around the block is not a lie. I have bought practices, I've sold practices, I've been parts of DSOs, I've been part of boutique practices, I've merged offices, you name it. I don't think that there's a single thing that I haven't done yet in dentistry, so try me. I'd love to meet somebody that I'm like, yep, never heard of that before. ⁓ And our job is to make dentistry fun again. Our job is to make you love your life again. Our job is to bring simple clarity. But as a business owner myself, I hated where I'd go to conferences and people would just talk.   to me and I have to go back and rally my team and I realized I'm gonna create a business that's gonna make your life easier. So we actually work with doctors and teams. We help doctors set the vision, where are we all going? And then we figure out your finances. Let's make sure you're profitable. And if you have tax aversion, like you're so scared of it. Not that you don't pay it, don't get me crazy on that, but that you're so scared because you feel like you're making money but you're always broke. We help offices actually like find the money, keep the money, make the money. Like let's have you be profitable.   And then the other part is how do we do system and team development together? I call that the yes model. You first vision, making sure you're taking care of E stands for earnings and profitability. S is systems and team development. Doing that yes, success model. So you can say yes to more in your life. Truly, truly. And teams freaking love us because guess what? We get this. We understand it. Doctors love us because we're magic magicians that can fix it with your team, but also help you be profitable. It's like.   Let's put a bow on all the beauty together. So let's talk about your front office because everything freaking feels like a priority. my gosh, I gotta answer the phone and check patients out. I gotta try and schedule all the doctors asking me questions. I gotta keep my doctor busy. I've got constant interruptions nonstop. As soon as feel like I get patients checked in, that hygiene team's bringing them right back out. It is nuts. And it's because we just don't have priorities hierarchied. And also we're not using time when we need to.   So when front office is jumping between five tasks and finishing none of them well, that's chaos. And so how can we actually make it to where things aren't as chaotic? Because yes, you're always gonna have interruptions. And I think for us to never feel like, I can never have interruptions, like that's not my perfect date. That's not real life. We signed up for an amazing job that's very busy up front. And I feel like my job in front office, I say like, I'm here for air traffic control. Like that's my job. And I'm gonna make sure every plane lands easily, AKA every patient has an appointment. I get them scheduled. We're gonna have calm.   Like I want to feel like JFK's airport. Like we're there. I just think about that airport and that air traffic control. I'm like, they have people flying in and out like mayhem or you can go to Atlanta or you can go to like any big city. Like think about that air traffic controller. And that's who like, I want to be at the front office. So front office team members, hopefully that's a good vision for you of, Hey, yes, we've got a million things going on, but we are laser focused on what's the most important thing. And so I love to give like, okay, number one, our scheduling person, what's their number one job? Their number one job is to make sure our schedule is filled to goal every single day.   That's your job. So hygiene and doctor like bada bing, bada boom, that's your role. You keep them on there and you do not leave the day until your schedule is full. Like I'm not having you go home like, well, I did my best. ⁓ Outcomes over activities. I am big on this. We own our role. We don't just do a job. We own that. So if I'm a scheduling guru, you better believe I'm going to have my hygiene schedule full, full. That doesn't mean perfect. It means full and productive. And I'm going to have my doctor schedule the goal.   treatment coordinators, your number one job is to have your doctor's hitting goal or exceeding goal every single day. Not a full schedule. I don't want all the white space filled in. But if my doctor needs to be hitting 5,500, you make it rain sister or gentlemen, you go figure out how to do it. You go look at your unscheduled treatment plans. I'm not gonna say you sit here and call 20 unscheduled treatment plans unless you're an office that's 7.5 million, then yes, maybe we'll put that as a job. But 99 % of the time, your job is to call as many as needed to get your schedule full, period.   So scheduling coordinators, it's to make sure we're running on time, hygiene's full. Sometimes I have doctor over there. Treatment coordinators, you're always responsible for getting doctors scheduled to go. Billers, 98 % collections, non-negotiable. We gotta have money in the bank, otherwise we're broke and we can't feed our team. And we've done the work, we need to collect the money. So from there, and then office managers, your job is to make sure profitability is there, KPIs are being hit, and the whole team is flourishing. So that's just like a very simple like.   Yeah, but Kiera who's first on phones first on phones is scheduler first person they're always on it unless you guys like no we want them to be concierge style we have a concierge then they're not first on phones but we have somebody who's first who's second who's third on phones so as that phone rings we've got it can you set up a phone tree so where if they've got billing questions it just goes to the billing line and the biller can help with that if you're like Kiera I only have two people in my front office fan freaking tastic we need to have dedicated power hour time so front office and scheduler usually does insurance verification too typically that's who's gonna do it   but sometimes my treatment coordinators, like they want to make sure that they get all their insurance verification done and they have maybe a bit more time than our schedulers do. So again, it's who's got the most amount of time and who's the best with bandwidth on that. That's how I'm gonna set it up. If you have a bill or a dedicated bill or they're gonna do insurance verification for you, insurance verification should take you two to four hours max. And I'm talking to max a day. If we're taking longer than that, we gotta figure out how to be a bit more efficient and I got great ways to do it, like lump them together. I got a ton of podcasts onto it.   but we've got to just make sure that each person, and I love end of day checklist where, and it's not we wait till the end of the day, it's we get this stuff done during the day, but by the end of the day, all this needs to be stamped, signed, delivered. So scheduler, you're responsible for hygiene, making sure it's full and up to par, possibly insurance verification, possibly doctor, depending upon your office. Treatment coordinator, non-negotiable doctor scheduled to go every single day. I'm talking if I'm working four days, three of my four have to be to go, period. And the first patient of the day,   Please, please, please, please, please do not leave me one that's unconfirmed. And you're like, well, it's full. If they're unconfirmed, they're not showing. Like I might get lucky, but don't do that. Make sure it's a guaranteed confirm. Move those patients off. I've got a ton of verbiage for getting patients off the schedule. So we're not sitting there with like, to me, those are like gap fillers. Like it makes us feel good, but it's not gonna actually, like that's not me owning. I know that patient's not gonna show up. I call and call and call until I get people.   So I start doing my confirmations at usually eight or nine in the morning. So I've got time and I do a 48 hour confirmation guarantee. So if they're not there, and then we started implementing with a lot of offices that if they don't call and confirm you, we are moving you off the schedule to open that space up because we do need confirmation you will be here. I have moved patients off the schedule. Yeah, I'm gonna have about five people mad at me, but guess what? It's gonna fix 95 % of my problems. I can handle those five upset patients with me. I can handle that. If someone comes in duplicative, I can handle that.   Ladies and gents in the front office, air traffic controllers, you're also word ninjas. And you gotta learn to word ninja your way through a lot of things. Words are free. You can handle those hard conversations, but what we can't handle is not having productive schedules to where doctors aren't making money, we're not making money, and we're gonna go under. We can't handle that, but I can handle one or two upset patients. But I can also set up expectations so they're not upset with me, because I don't want to get berated. That's no fun for anybody.   So clear ownership, who does what, what are the simple KPIs for each of them? Put that in place, have us track it. That just right there, hopefully cleaned up 90 % of your issues. Now everyone was like, yeah, but we all do it together. High five. I love that you have teamwork. Like genuinely love it. Teamwork though is that game where it's who's on first, what's on second, I don't know, is on third. it's like who, like what thought everybody was going to do it? Everybody thought nobody was going to do it. So then somebody picked it up, but then nobody respond like,   It's a mess. So I love that y'all help each other. We just have to know at the end of the day, who's the one who puts the button on it? Who's the one who puts the final bow on it? Yes, we can all help each other, but I need a clear owner of each specific thing. I need a clear owner of hygiene and getting them scheduled. I need a clear owner of insurance verification. I need a clear owner of doctor's production. I need a clear owner of collections. Like I need those clear buttoned, tidied, and I need a clear owner of who answers the phone first.   There are several others. I know that there's more and you're like, but what about this? What about this? Again, it's just playing this game and you guys can get sticky notes, write them all up, put them there. I have end of day checklist. I'm happy to share with people, but we've got to have roles are shared, but they've got to be owned. So like it's a clear owner. You can have help. I'm fine with that, but you have to own it and you've got to own those results. Again, it's outcomes over activity. I am so grateful you called 50 people, but if we don't have people on the books, you gotta call 51 or 52 or 53 or 54.   And when you own that and you know that, guess what? How do I become a killer treatment coordinator? Because I knew I had to put people on the schedule and I wasn't gonna call them all night long. I was like, I got a family, I wanna go home. But I knew that that was my responsibility and I owned that result. So when we have shared responsibility, it actually creates drop in responsibility. So clean it up, if everyone owns it, no one owns it. So we have clear owners. And then what we have from there is we just have set systems. So what is our system for doing scheduling?   What's our power hour? I put schedulers back there, I put insurance for everybody. Put them behind the door for two hours where they're not being disrupted. Unscheduled treatment plans. Give that treatment coordinator one hour of blocked time. Go make it rain, honey. Like call the patients, text the patients. We are focusing on highest level priority things. Look over your treatment tracker. Practice your verbiage. What are the things that aren't closing for you? Why? But we actually spend it. And so put the systems into place. What is it? Some people have like...   To me, these are slightly aggressive checklists, but if it works for you, it's not aggressive. It's like by 10 a.m., all confirmations need to be done. By 12, all insurance verification needs to be done. By two o'clock, all of the schedule is filled to capacity. And then we're scheduled two days out or whatever it is. You can have it where it's benchmarks like that so we don't get stuck and then it's like four o'clock. I'm like, where did our day go? Sometimes those mile markers really can help, but we have to have set systems, set processes that everybody's following and we all know it.   And that's going to help because this helps when we bring on new people. How do we schedule? How do we treatment plan? How do we follow up? Getting those protocols written so it's not just living in our head. If it's in our head, we're dead. We got to get it out. We got to have those systems and protocols written. so systems don't live in people. ⁓ Systems like we're not relying on people. We're relying on systems. So when I look at that, systems are on paper or in video form, not in memory. That then helps.   Like if there's just one person that's like, well, Sue's out. We had a Sue in one of my offices. I'm like, I don't know how to do the billing. I don't know how to collect the money. I don't know how to schedule patients. Sue did it all. But if Sue goes on vacation, the practice is donezo. Like you cannot be reliant on a Sue in your practice. We need to have systems. We need to have processes. Yes, I want clear owners. But if that owner's on vacation, which they should be like our marketer Eve, she just went, she's like, it was awesome. I disconnected for an entire week. Didn't check Slack.   I knew everything would be taken care of and I came back and she had like three Slack messages of things that were missed. That is truly a systematized organization. Yes, I'm having a little kudos moment. It just happened yesterday. So yes, it's a brag moment on our side. But I think about that. Like could your Sue, Alison, Kiera, Tiffanie, Jenny take off for two weeks and would you guys be okay? And if the answer is no, we gotta get those systems written and then we need to send them on vacation and test it and see how we survive.   because we've got to be able to have it. So the three things that will fix this very quickly is number one, we've got to get clear ownership and that's ownership, not just job descriptions. Ownership, who owns scheduling, who owns phones, who owns our collections, who owns our treatment plans, who owns our doctor schedule. Get those things and eliminate overlap. Everybody in the front office is going to feel 20 times better and then have it on KPIs where we're tracking it every single week so we can see the progress and make sure it's true ownership, not just checking boxes.   Number two is we have a priority framework for an office. So what is it? Because like I can have my checklist and I can know this. Number one is my KPI. But before my KPI, patient in front of me, always. Always, always the patient who's in front of me. Then it's my KPI, that's my number two. And then it's gonna be team needs. And then from there, always phone for me. Phone is pretty high up there. Like I say, it's patient in front of me, phone. And then it's gonna be my KPI.   So you can be like, well, that phone's ringing. Okay, great. So then I can throw it and be like patient in front of me, KPI phones. Phones are so valuable. And if we don't answer and take care of it, but let's get a phone tree because we don't need to answer every phone call. The phone calls I really need to answer are my new patients. That's what I need. Also stop letting cancellations happen on your voicemails. Save yourself some time. The dermatologist that I'm going to, no voicemail. Like literally it's not even there. I can't leave a voicemail. And I have to call during business hours, period.   Like that's just how it works. And if I want to get into them and you might be like, but I'm so nervous. I'm going to have patients that won't call. That's fine. But I leave a voicemail and I have it. And I say, don't accept any appointment changes via voicemail. Please call during business hours. I also do not accept them via text message. I make my patients, if they're going to break up with me or having a phone, a voice to voice conversation, you're not just able to text me. Like we don't break up via text here. You get to call me, have a conversation. And that's how I'm going to help save my time on that as well. Have a phone tree.   Make sure that it's really set. So you know it's patient, my KPI, phones, whatever your guys' thing is, but make that priority framework for you so everybody's following it, we all know. So that way we're not sitting here with this like built up resentment of like, duh, you should be fixing the schedule. When it's like, they're with a patient. Now, team members, I have that priority framework, but that doesn't mean I don't get to own my KPI. My number is my responsibility. And yes, I can sit here and chat all day long with my patient, because they're number one, but that doesn't mean that I don't get to own my number.   I'm responsible for owning, like own that thing, air traffic controllers. You can't just be like, well, my job is to like make sure the plans land, ⁓ treatment and schedules. And then be like, but like I got busy and we were chatting with the pilot. They're gonna crash. No, you can chat, but you need to still own your role, okay? And then number three is build simple, repeatable systems. So that way like Sue, Jenny, Sarah, Kiera, Tiff, anybody can go on vacation.   and we're not gonna drown and think, yes, we'll be tired and we'll be glad they're back. Like I missed Eve, I'm super happy she's back, but our company didn't go under without her. And that's how your team should be as well. So, front office overwhelm is usually not about the team, it's just about clarity and consistency. It's about roles and systems being clear and defined, so that way confidence can go up and stress can go down. And I know you might be like, this was such a like 20 minute podcast to clean up my whole front office. And I wanna say like, it really can be that easy.   I think that teams get in this, I think ego gets a little bit in the way of like, I've always been doing this. I think it's a little scary to shake up a role cause you're good at it. ⁓ But I think, not I think I know, if I have done this in 500 plus practices with our entire team, I know we can do it for you and your team too. And it's not a set, deadly team is not a set like, you have to do this. Like that's a cookie cutter. That was me like pressing my Christmas tree into the cookie. ⁓ You don't have to just be a Christmas tree or.   an ornament or a square or a triangle. It is what is best for your practice. We will share best practices, but ultimately this is your teen year practice. They live there, I don't live there. So let's make it a place that they're happy to live. Let's make it a place that you're clear. And then doctors is great for you. So if you need a scheduling issue, you go to Kiera. If you have a treatment plan issue and your day's not scheduled, the goal, you go to Sarah. If you have an issue with billing, you go to Monica. Like you just go to your correct people. So that will help you. So look at that, see it really does like.   clear front office creates a calm place. And ⁓ I just want to say that it's very doable. We do this all the time. think I'd say probably like 70 % of our consulting is on front office and just helping because it is a slush pond up there and it does get messy and we're all trying to help each other and we all have the same goals and desires, but it's on the execution of those goals and desires and how it's being done to create the simplicity or the chaos. So reach out. I'd love to help you out. Let's see if you're a great fit. Let's see if we can help you.   take the pieces, implement today, whether you reach out to Dental A Team to get help for your front office because they just don't know it. If your front office listens to this and you guys have a meeting and you divide it up and make your end of day checklist, whatever it is, but do something to go from that chaos to that calm. It is very doable. We do this all the time. I would say we are freaking experts at it. So reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.  

In December 2020, 21-year-old Texas State University student Jason Landry left San Marcos, Texas, headed home to Missouri City for Christmas break. He never made it. Just after midnight, Jason's wrecked Nissan Altima was found on a rural gravel road near Luling, Texas, with the lights on, the keys in the ignition, and Jason nowhere in sight. His phone, wallet, backpack, and clothing were later found in or near the crash scene—but Jason had vanished into the cold Texas night. In this episode of Hitched 2 Homicide, we take a deep dive into the mysterious disappearance of Jason Landry, the timeline of his final known drive, the strange evidence found on Salt Flat Road, the search efforts by law enforcement and volunteers, the geofence warrant, the theories surrounding whether Jason was alone, and the painful questions his family still faces more than five years later. Was Jason disoriented after the crash and lost in the rural Texas landscape? Did someone come across him after the accident? Or is the answer still hidden somewhere along the dark backroads of Caldwell County? Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction: The Disappearance of Jason Landry 04:07 — Who Was Jason Landry? 06:20 — Jason at Texas State University 11:43 — The Drive from San Marcos Toward Missouri City 13:00 — Jason Misses his Turn, and the Crash on Salt Flat Road 15:02 — The Car and the Missing Student found by Volunteer Firefighter 17:04 — Jason's Wallet, Backpack, and Clothing found on Salt Flat Road 19:04 — Jason's parent's called at home 20:15 — Kent Landry at the Crash site 22:20 — The Search Begins 27:48 — A Theory by Law Enforcement 29:17 — A History of Violence in the Area 31:01 — Kim Rossmo Joins the Search 35:05 — Paradoxical Undressing 39:03 — Abel Pena Joins the Case 45:34 — The Texas AG's Cold Case Office Closes the Case. Or Do They? 47:43 — The Search Continues 06:20 — Jason at Texas State University 11:43 — The Drive from San Marcos Toward Missouri City 13:00 — Jason Misses his Turn, and the Crash on Salt Flat Road 15:02 — The Car and the Missing Student found by Volunteer Firefighter 17:04 — Jason's Wallet, Backpack, and Clothing found on Salt Flat Road 19:04 — Jason's parent's called at home 20:15 — Kent Landry at the Crash site 22:20 — The Search Begins 27:48 — A Theory by Law Enforcement 29:17 — A History of Violence in the Area 31:01 — Kim Rossmo Joins the Search 35:05 — Paradoxical Undressing 39:03 — Abel Pena Joins the Case 50:59 — How to Submit a Tip 51:15 — Final Thoughts Join the H2H In-laws & Outlaws Follow H2H on Instagram Follow H2H on X Send Kris and Rob a Text or Message Subscribe now and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. Jason Landry, Jason Landry missing, Texas State student missing, Luling Texas disappearance, Salt Flat Road, missing college student, unsolved disappearance, true crime podcast, missing persons case, Texas true crime, Caldwell County Texas, Missouri City Texas, San Marcos Texas, Jason Landry timeline, Jason Landry theories, geofence warrant, cold case, missing student, mysterious disappearance. DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: The content presented in this podcast and any associated video, blog, or social media is produced for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hitched 2 Homicide is not a legal authority, and nothing contained herein constitutes legal advice, factual findings, or editorial conclusions of any kind. All opinions expressed are solely those of the hosts and do not represent the views of any affiliated network, platform, or sponsor. All cases discussed are researched using publicly available sources, open records, court documents, and archived materials. We make every effort to ensure accuracy; however, we make no warranties — express or implied — regarding the completeness or reliability of the information presented. PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE:  All individuals referenced in connection with pending or concluded criminal matters are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. All individuals referenced in connection with pending or concluded civil matters are presumed not liable unless and until adjudicated otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this UK personal finance Q&A, Pete and Roger tackle six listener questions covering pensions, investing, tax and money mindset. We discuss whether high earners should ever consider opting out of the NHS pension due to annual allowance tax, how to handle family gifts during divorce, and what to do about ERI on accumulating ETFs in a GIA. You'll also hear guidance on rebalancing after strong fund gains, rebuilding finances after an IVA, and investing a £350k inheritance with ISAs, SIPPs and premium bonds. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA52    01:34  Question 1 Dear Pete and Roger, Could you provide an opinion on if and when it would be worth at least considering leaving the NHS pension scheme due to tax reasons?  I can sense immediate puckering and this is not something I ask on a whim - I am aware of the comparative value of public sector DB pensions versus other retirement savings methods and indeed encourage the staff I work with to pay in.  I am a senior doctor in my 40s with high NHS earnings and rental income on top. I am one of those affected by Annual Allowance tapering and have significant AA tax bills every year with no end in sight. My projections are that I will have an annual AA tax charge of ~£30k every year going forwards as my income is pretty stable. The annual AA tax charge is up to 40% of the annual capital benefits accrued in any year (i.e. LTA calc of 20 times pension plus 3 times lump sum).  I pay this via scheme pays but the scheme pays loan docked from benefits at retirement is inflated at CPI+1.7% against pension benefits growth of CPI+1.5% from my own research. I don't expect much sympathy as a high earner but no-one wants to pay more tax than they have to and I never hear my situation talked about other than snippets in the depths of Reddit forums.  My plan is to keep ploughing on and engage a full-scale planning review when I turn 50 leaving up to 10 years to consider aversive action once my wife and I have 'enough' pension. Many thanks for your thoughts. David. 09:23  Question 2 Dear Pete and Roger, I want to say a big thank you for all of the guidance you provide, there really is nothing else like it and has been hugely beneficial in organising my finances. My question for you is how to structure gifts to someone who is going through the early stages of a divorce. My sibling is sadly in this situation and our mother is looking to make a sizeable gift to us following the death of our father. How should we be thinking about this and are there any vehicles or structures such as trusts that we could be using to avoid my siblings spouse from being entitled to half of the gift? Grateful for any guidance you can provide in this matter. Best regards, Alfred 13:12  Question 3 Hi, I have held several GIA accounts for many years and I hold accumulating ETFs within the GIAs. Occasionally, I have had to pay CGT through my self assessment when I have sold these ETFs. Mostly, I have always been a basic rate tax payer. I have recently discovered that HMRC requires Excess Reportable Income (ERI) to be declared on accumulating ETFs. In the case of ETFs which receive company dividends, this means I need to take note of the Reporting date of each ETF and add up all notional dividends as if they were paid on the distribution date (6 months later) and if over £500, I should have paid dividend tax on the excess. Also, in the case of some MMF ETFs I hold, these may have an ERI notional interest payment and this would count as being potentially subject to income tax. Since I have sold many of these ETFs and I have not subtracted the ERI amounts from my total gain, I have probably overpaid tax (CGT) rather than underpaid as a basic rate tax payer. However, if I was a higher rate tax payer, I would probably have been underpaying tax if I have not accounted for ERI. This is because the higher rate dividend tax is much higher than the CGT rate. I now understand that to avoid having to calculate ERI on accumulating ETFs each year and keep a running total for each one, most people simply buy distributing ETFs inside a GIA rather than accumulating ETFs and I am in the process of ensuring all my ETFs are the distributing kind inside my GIAs. Should I be concerned about ERI on my accumulating ETFs? Do accountants calculate ERI for their clients on all the accumulating ETFs they hold? If so, how do they do it as there does not seem to be any easy way? Do HMRC ever check that the ERI on accumulating ETFs has been declared (my guess is that they would only bother for high rate taxpayers with large ETF holdings)? How would HMRC even know that you hold large amounts of accumulating ETFs on which you should be declaring ERI? Why is it that hardly anyone seems to know about ERI on accumulating ETFs? 19:14 Question 4 Good morning both, I would like to start by thanking you for all your hard work over the past decade or so. I am a mid 40's year old woman who had no financial knowledge until about 2 years ago. I had a cancer diagnosis which led me to leave a very time consuming and stressful job and take over the family finances which had been neglected for the best part of 20 years. We are now in a much better position; we have filled our ISA's and that of our children, put more money into SIPP's (and opened one in my case) and opened junior SIPP's for the kids. Our mortgage is paid off too. I have listened to all your back catalogue and in some cases relistened to episodes which have been especially useful to our situation! Thank you. My question relates to funds that have done particularly well and what is best to do with them. Some of my earlier fund choices are showing gains of around 50%. This seems extraordinary to me and I am very happy with the return. My Dad (much more experienced who has been doing this for 50 odd years) tells me the best thing to do with these funds is to take out 50% of the gain and reinvest in a different fund. What would your advice be? Take out the whole lot and re-invest? Take out 50% and re-invest that as recommended by my Dad or leave the whole lot in and hope it continues to grow? For background, I am very happy with the gains but we are very much on a catchup programme as we have started so late. The sums involved are still quite small! The ultimate aim is for my husband to retire early. I hope to work again too at some point once all treatment is finished but only part time. I am so grateful for everything you have done and always wait eagerly for the next episode to drop. With very best wishes, Agnes 26:02 Question 5 Hi, Hope you are well and can help a Cornish lass! I am 35 and have never been able to budget or manage finances. In fact I have always buried my head in the sand.  Unfortunately, when lockdown and maternity leave hit at the same time, we could not afford our debt repayments (we had purchased a house in January of 2020 too). We had no choice but to take out an IVA. We are now in the 6th year of this as it was extended as we couldn't release equity from our home. This is due to end in November of this year and I have been doing my best to learn about budgeting and managing finances ready for when this ends.  I have started a spreadsheet to start tracking expenses and aim to start an emergency fund plus a pot for putting some money away for Christmas/birthdays. I have been discussing this with my husband and he thinks we should get an overdraft as soon as the IVA finishes to start building our credit rating, whereas I think we should get a small credit card that we pay off each time we use it. What do you think we should do as our first few steps coming out of the IVA to build more security for our future?  Thank you in advance. Kindest regards Lisa 33:12  Question 6 Salutations, Roger, Pete, My question is on what to do with a lump sum inheritance-y thing as a younger guy. My parents have been very financially successful in business and incredibly generous to my brother and I, and gifted us each an apartment a few years ago, to make use of the "first property" exemptions and the 7 year gift rule. Now that I'm mature enough to understand the opportunity, I've taken control of the management of mine. While I understand it's an incredible income generating asset, I'm not a fan of real estate, and am much more comfortable selling the property and investing in index funds within the variety of wrappers available in the UK. After fees and taxes, should I go through with the sale, I will net approx £350k. My plan is as follows: - £47k into premium bonds (I currently have £3k) - £40k into my SIPP (limited by current salary) - £40k held in cash, to be invested into my SIPP in tax year 2, potentially up to £52k as my salary rises - Remainder into GIA - All invested in Vanguard index tracking funds I'm 26, working as an Officer in the military, so I have an incredibly low cost of living (subsidised accommodation and no utilities), and a non contributory DB pension plan, so no need to allocate money there, and am able to max out my S&S ISA yearly just with my salary. I know these steps are good, but having the best part of £220k in a GIA, paying CGT on the other end of that makes me a little unhappy, especially if I hold it for multiple decades. I'm aware this is a real champagne problem but do either of you have any recommendations on improvements to my plan and mindset, or are you able to poke any holes in my approach? Should I hold more in cash to later invest into my SIPP? Bed and ISA/ SIPP over time? Spend some of it, even? I know it's an aggressive approach, but I'm sort of an "all or nothing" sort of guy, even with investing as is referenced in my 70+% savings rate, but balance has always been hard for me to find. My goal is to be Financially Independent by 36. I'll likely keep working but I like the security of that idea, and the saltily coined term "F-you money". Whatever you both think, I will deeply ponder over and analyse for many hours. Thank you both for the many episodes of top tier information. I would apologise for the lack of brevity, but I know you love it really. Thanks guys, you're both rockstars! Nick

Get those ripped fishnet tights ON queens. We have the one and only Taylor Momsen joining us today on the pod! Taylor talks about never watching back Gossip Girl, auditioning for Hannah Montana & Joey Essex being REEM? PLUS all things Grinch and whether she actually likes Christmas?? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pete and Gary return to one of their most popular series, the 2nd Fife & Forfar Yeomanry, a distinguised WW2 cavalry unit. Pete's interviews with dozens of veterans paint a fascinating portrait of the regiment, from it's formation to its service in the European theatre to the eventual end of the war.Presenters: Peter Hart and Gary BainPublisher: Mat McLachlanProducer: Jess StebnickiPete and Gary's latest book, Beggar Me! I'm a Prisoner!: British POWS in Germany, 1914-18, is available now.Visit Gallipoli with Pete and Gary! Go to https://phbt.uk/ for more information!Join a river cruise to the battlefields of Waterloo, WW1, WW2 and Vietnam: https://historycruises.com/Become a member to listen ad-free and receive special bonus content for only £2 per month: https://plus.acast.com/s/pete-and-garys-military-historySupport the show with a one-off contribution: https://buymeacoffee.com/pgmhFind out everything Pete and Gary are doing at https://linktr.ee/pgmhFor more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Christmas series! Amid defeat, oppression, and captivity, a prophetic chorus of hope was uttered from the darkness. The message to the hurting and broken is this: a hero is coming!  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/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Heather and Don Van Boerum — a Utah couple whose ordinary trip to Costco became a moment that divided their lives into before and after — for an honest conversation about trauma, faith, marriage, and what it means to find joy on the other side of the unthinkable.Heather opens up about losing both legs below the knee in a parking lot accident just days before Christmas, navigating 14-plus hours of surgery, and the quiet spiritual premonition she'd had only a week before it happened. Don, a trauma surgeon who has spent his career walking into the worst moments of strangers' lives, reflects on what it was like to jump into the back of an ambulance and realize it was his wife — and the dark night he spent wandering back to the Costco parking lot wondering if they'd made the wrong call.The conversation explores the thin line between survival and loss, the choice to compete instead of collapse, the son who wrote a forgiveness card to the driver before his mom had even thought to be angry, and the kind of joy that can only be found on the other side of deep suffering. Heather and Don talk about what presence actually means, how tragedy clarified their marriage, and why four and a half years later, neither of them would trade what this experience has given them.This episode is a powerful listen for anyone navigating hardship, anyone who's ever questioned whether faith holds up under real pressure, and anyone who needs a reminder that the richest lives are rarely the ones that went according to plan.00:00 — Introduction & How They Met11:00 — Life Before the Accident11:54 — Just a Normal Day16:18 — The Moment of Impact22:32 — Don Hears It Happen25:06 — "We Have Her Limbs"33:30 — The Surgery That Lasted Until Christmas Eve36:22 — "This Is My Wife, Let's Get Going"47:42 — Choosing to Win49:44 — The Christmas Eve Surgery57:54 — "Will You Make Up My Difference?"01:03:10 — The Card01:13:00 — Beauty From Ashes01:18:23 — What We Know Now01:26:38 — Happy vs. Joy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ordinary Time is not filler.In this episode, we explore the mysticism of Ordinary Time and why this long green season of the Church year teaches us how to live the mysteries of Christ in everyday life. After Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, Ordinary Time asks: now what does it mean to follow Jesus?We'll look at Matthew 9:36, the moved Heart of Christ, discipleship, the hidden Kingdom of God, the mission of mercy, and how Catholic mysticism is found not only in ecstasies and visions, but in ordinary life, daily prayer, mercy, work, fatigue, and small acts of love.Ordinary Time is where the mystery becomes livable.

Jeff Krasno didn't expect to become a home birth convert. When his wife Schuyler handed him a pregnancy test on Christmas morning 2003, everything changed. In this episode, Jeff shares the birth story of their eldest daughter, tracing the unlikely path from a cramped Manhattan seminar with midwifery legend Ina May Gaskin to a blustery August delivery at the old family cottage in Fenwick, Connecticut, and the two weeks it took to finally name her. This is the first episode of Diaries of a Dance Dad, an audio memoir series in Jeff's own words. It spans the full arc of parenthood: the inhale of birth and early chaos, the grind of no sleep and travel with kids, the gut-punches of failure, and the slow exhale of letting go. Order Diaries of a Dance Dad audiobook & hear the tales that bookend my paternal journey from cradle to empty nestdom at ⁠onecommune.com/dancedad⁠. This episode was made possible by: LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at drinklmnt.com/commune.
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Alonso Duralde joins the podcast to discuss his upbringing in an immigrant Spanish family in Atlanta, early influences from radio, classical music, and repertory cinema, and how Siskel & Ebert inspired him to pursue criticism. Duralde shares insights from his book Hollywood Pride, covering LGBTQ+ representation and creators from silent film to Everything Everywhere All at Once, plus surprises from his research. They talk Hallmark movies and how Duralde became part of the Deck the Hallmark team, his Christmas movie books, and “music biopic fatigue,” including thoughts on Deliver Me From Nowhere. Duralde reflects on queer identity and the impact of artists like Jimmy Somerville. http://www.patreon.com/LinoleumKnife http://www.patreon.com/bfastallday https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/maximum-film/ In Stores Now: HAVE YOURSELF A MOVIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS, Revised and Updated Second Edition (Bloomsbury) https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/have-yourself-a-movie-little-christmas-9781493087440 In Stores Now: HOLLYWOOD PRIDE (TCM/Running Press) https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/alonso-duralde/hollywood-pride/9780762485895/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is AI really coming for your red teaming job? What does it actually take to build a team that thinks like the adversary, and what happens when that team stops caring? And what do you do when you've been in this field long enough that the job that once fired you up has started to feel hollow? In this episode, Ron catches up with Johnny Xmas, Head of Offensive Security at a Fortune 150 Global Food Manufacturer, and one of the most candid voices in offensive security, for a conversation that covers a lot of ground fast.  They go deep on where AI actually fits into offensive security workflows, what Johnny really looks for when building elite teams, and why the career advice everyone gives early practitioners might be setting them up for burnout down the road. The conversation takes a turn that doesn't come up enough in this industry, and it's the part you won't want to miss. If you've ever felt your tank running low, this episode was made for you. Impactful Moments 00:00 - Introduction 02:10 - Busting the myth: AI is not replacing red teamers 04:30 - Guest introduction: Johnny Xmas 06:15 - How the offensive security job has changed with AI  09:35 - The SEC 8-K IoC parser tool Johnny just published 11:40 - Building elite teams: what skills Johnny actually hires for 12:45 - Soft skills over technical gaps, and why the fire has to come with you 15:40 - Why "where do you see yourself in five years?" is a garbage question 17:30 - Has Johnny ever crossed the line when it comes to hacking?  20:20 - What to do when you've stopped caring about the job 26:25 - Outro: The AI myth, revisited Links Johnny Christmas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyxmas/ Johnny's SEC 8-K IoC parser tool: https://github.com/johnnyxmas/its-over-8k  — Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams  Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com  Become a sponsor of the show: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/

Welcome to the Christmas series. We begin at the very beginning, when mankind walked in unity with God. When that unity was painfully severed, a promise of hope was given.  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/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susan has been connected to The Rose since the mid-1980s, when her boss at Texas Commerce Bank handed her a stack of newspaper articles and asked her to learn everything she could about a surgeon named Dr. Dixie Melillo. That assignment turned into a decades-long relationship with The Rose, years of emceeing fundraising style shows, and an unbroken commitment to the mission that continues today. She launched the Louise McBee Circle of Life Circle of Wreaths, an annual wreath auction run entirely by Art Park Players volunteers in honor of her mother. Her message throughout the years is simple, yet profound: everyone carries a light, and even the smallest flame can be the brightest thing in someone's darkest moment. Get involved with The Art Park Players here. Support The Rose HERE. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key Questions Answered 1. How did Susan's relationship with The Rose begin, and what role did Dr. Dixie Melillo play in building it? 2. What did The Rose's full continuum of care look like for Susan's mother after a breast cancer diagnosis in 1993? 3. How does The Rose support patients beyond surgery, including wigs, prosthetics, and emotional follow-through? 4. What is the Louise McBee Circle of Life Circle of Wreaths and why did Susan start it? 5. How have Art Park Players volunteers sustained a community fundraiser for The Rose since 2001? 6. What is Art Park Players, and how does it serve children, families, and volunteers across the Houston area? 7. How does community word-of-mouth and sustained volunteer loyalty fuel The Rose's mission year after year? 8. Why does Susan send both insured and uninsured women to The Rose, and why does that distinction matter for the organization's funding? 9. How does a small annual fundraiser like a wreath auction contribute meaningfully to The Rose's operating budget? 10. What advice does Susan offer to people who feel their contribution is too small to matter? 11. How does Susan connect her work at Art Park Players with the same values of service, dignity, and community that drive The Rose? Timestamped Overview 00:00 Dorothy introduces Susan Mele: 45 years with Art Park Players, decades of Rose support, her mother's breast cancer journey with Dr. Melillo, and the annual wreath fundraiser named in her mother's honor. 00:52 Dorothy delivers the episode CTA: share this episode and donate at therose.org. 01:38 Dorothy asks Susan to start with herself. Susan describes a lifelong passion for performing, being adopted at 16 days old, and parents who nurtured her drive while grounding her in service and faith. 02:50 Dorothy asks how Susan first learned about The Rose. 02:55 Susan describes working for Tom Watson at Texas Commerce Bank in the mid-1980s. He had her clip every newspaper article she could find about Dr. Dixie Melillo, which led to Dixie joining the bank's board of directors and Susan meeting both Dorothy and Dixie. 03:29 Dorothy notes this connection goes back to 1986 or 1987. 03:47 Susan reflects on what drew her in: the compassion she saw in Dorothy and Dixie, and the contrast between how cancer was perceived in the 1980s and what The Rose was actually doing for women. 05:01 Dorothy recalls The Rose's earliest survivor volunteers and the environment Dixie created, including the time they could not say the word "breast" on television or radio. 05:44 Dorothy asks if breast cancer has touched Susan personally. 05:47 Susan describes her mother's 1993 breast cancer diagnosis. She brought her immediately to Dr. Melillo and The Rose. 06:20 Susan describes her mother's treatment: mastectomy on one side, lumpectomy on the other. Her mother declined reconstructive surgery and was afraid of hair loss. 06:55 Susan describes The Rose's follow-through after surgery: a referral to a wig specialist, fittings for prosthetic breasts and special bras, and ongoing mental and emotional support. Her mother survived. 08:02 Dorothy asks whether that experience deepened Susan's involvement with The Rose. 09:09 Susan describes how the Style Shows worked: store fittings, themed productions, silent auctions, and a community turnout that she believes turned many attendees into lifelong Rose supporters. 10:08 Dorothy asks Susan to recall a favorite Style Show moment. Both remember the 1960s hippie theme as particularly memorable. 11:56 Susan reflects on how events like the Style Show built lasting community investment in The Rose. 12:31 Dorothy asks Susan to talk about Art Park Players. 14:38 Susan describes joining in 1980 as a volunteer vocal coach, working for seven years without pay, then moving to part-time work at $6.50 an hour. She recognized her true calling was not performing but watching children find their voices and confidence. 15:01 Susan describes Art Park Players today: 250 students per semester, the largest children's theater in the city, the largest volunteer base in Deer Park, a Carnival Cruise performance group, a competition troupe through Theater Network of Texas, and scholarship and internship programs. 17:23 Susan describes fundraising within the theater: raising money for student travel, competitions, scholarships, and a private donor who quietly funds costumes and tuition for children whose families cannot afford them. 18:32 Susan reflects on being asked by Sue Finley Myers to carry on the mission when she retired. 18:55 Dorothy asks if students must be Deer Park residents. Susan says no, and describes students traveling from Humble, Cypress, Clear Lake, the Woodlands, and Friendswood. 20:19 Susan confirms Art Park Players is still a dinner theater and the only full year-round dinner theater in the Houston area. She shares that food brings in the husbands. 20:45 Dorothy asks Susan to describe the annual Rose fundraiser. 20:52 Susan describes the origin of the wreath auction: in 2001, volunteers wanted to do something meaningful and creative for The Rose. Inspired by a Circle of Trees event she had helped organize, she proposed handmade wreaths, a never-ending circle with symbolic meaning. 22:52 Susan explains the format: a fall wreath auction for show audiences and a Christmas wreath auction for theater families. Anyone can donate a wreath, and the offerings have grown to include wooden signs, stands, and centerpieces. 24:11 Dorothy confirms the event happens in fall and at Christmas. 24:20 Susan describes a piece made by a longtime volunteer woodworker that now sits in The Rose's lobby, bearing her mother's name. She says friends who come to The Rose for mammograms send her photos of it. 26:36 Susan says the Louise McBee Circle of Life Circle of Wreaths will continue as long as she is alive, regardless of the dollar amount raised. 26:53 Dorothy notes the fundraiser has now run for over 24 years. 27:07 Susan points out that Art Park Players was involved with The Rose even before 2001, through the Style Show partnership in the 1990s, totaling well over three decades of support. 27:33 Dorothy asks Susan's favorite Art Park production. 29:43 Dorothy closes the interview and reflects on the richness of Susan's story. 30:50 Susan shares her final message: everyone is valuable, everyone is worthy, and everyone carries a light. No matter how small the flame, it can be the brightest thing in someone's darkest moment, and that light is hope.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Horror history gets iconic, aquatic, gothic, apocalyptic, and completely unhinged this week as This Week in Horror History travels through June 15–21 with motel terror, shark sequels, dark superhero nightmares, zombie blockbuster chaos, and one wild space-vampire cult classic that brings cosmic horror crashing down on Earth.This episode digs into a packed week of classic horror movies, cult horror, summer blockbusters, gothic comic-book horror, zombie disaster cinema, and 1980s Cannon Films madness, including the New York premiere of Psycho, the U.S. release of Jaws 2, the theatrical arrival of Batman Returns, the blockbuster zombie outbreak of World War Z, and the Deep-Cut Spotlight on Tobe Hooper's bizarre 1985 space vampire epic Lifeforce.Inside this episode:• Psycho rewrites the rules of horror moviegoing, turns the Bates Motel into a nightmare landmark, and makes one ordinary shower one of the most famous crime scenes in cinema.• Jaws 2 drags audiences back to Amity Island for more shark terror, seaside panic, and one of horror's most frustrating “nobody believes the guy who is right” sequel setups.• Batman Returns transforms Gotham into a twisted Christmas horror fairy tale full of sewer lairs, circus gangs, stitched leather, abandoned children, corporate monsters, Catwoman, and the Penguin.• World War Z reimagines the zombie apocalypse as global disaster cinema, with the undead moving less like slow corpses and more like a rushing human flood.• The Deep-Cut Spotlight goes to Lifeforce, Tobe Hooper's strange, ambitious, and deeply excessive Cannon Films cult classic about Halley's Comet, alien vampires, life-draining seduction, plague victims, and London falling apart under cosmic horror.Plus: a horror birthday roll featuring Courteney Cox, Laurie Metcalf, John Carl Buechler, and Nicole Kidman, a creepy look at how horror became a massive summer marketing event, and a weekly recommendation for Hammer's Dracula, also known as Horror of Dracula, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.From Norman Bates and shark-infested beaches to Gotham monsters, zombie swarms, Halley's Comet, space vampires, Hammer horror, and Cannon Films insanity, this week proves horror history can be classic, blockbuster-sized, cult, strange, seductive, and absolutely impossible to ignore.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260616dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 More Than Enough Today’s Bible passage provides the opportunity for you to give thanks for one of God's greatest blessings. He chose you to be saved! He rescued you from the curse of sin and the power of death. Salvation did not come about by your choice; it is completely the result of God's gracious choice. Your salvation is not a matter of chance; it is certain and true. For even before the creation of the world, in love God chose you to be his own. The Holy Spirit used the message of Jesus to turn you from unbelief to faith in Jesus as your Savior. And with that same gospel message, the Holy Spirit still preserves you in faith. Because of Jesus' perfect life and innocent death in your place, you stand before God as one of his holy people and are privileged to be an heir of eternal life. Believe what God has revealed to you in his Word. That’s the only true defense against the assaults to your faith. Keep going back to the Word of God because that’s where you meet Jesus. That’s where God tells you about his plans for you. He shows you his Son, Jesus, and how he saved you from hell. He uplifts you with his certain word that you will share in the glory of heaven—all because of Jesus. Indeed, this is more than enough reason to give thanks to God! Prayer: Dear God, I give you thanks for planning and carrying out my salvation through your Son, Jesus. Thank you for bringing me to faith in Jesus and leading me to trust him as my Savior from sin and death. Encourage me with your sure promise that the glory of heaven awaits me. 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.

Join host Adrian M. Gibson as he chats with author Peter Orullian about his new novel Songs of the Dead, collaborating on the book with Brandon Sanderson, rock/metal culture, multi-layered worldbuilding, musical magic, the living vs. the dead, creative fluidity, video games and working at Microsoft/Xbox, Unbroken and Kickstarter success, the triumphs of community, Christmas movies, antagonists and more.NOTE: This is part one of a two-part chat with Peter. Stayed tuned next week for his writing masterclass on Incorporating Music into SFF.

Three nine-year-old boys in a Massachusetts port town go looking for the schoolyard ghost called Skeleton Jack and instead find a tree that should not exist — black and leafless, cold enough to seem to drink the life out of the air — a tree one of them is dared to carve his name into, while something he can't see breathes in the dark just behind him.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/BlackTreeFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: "The Abandoned Drive-In Theater" — A newcomer to North Carolina, biking past the ruins of a drive-in theater that's been dead for decades, hears an engine roar and turns to see a film flickering across the filthy, torn screen — then finds every speaker smashed and every wire long since severed, with no way the movie could have been playing at all. *** "He Showed Up To Work After His Funeral" — Six days before Christmas, a security guard helps lower his coworker Jake into the ground after a fatal heart attack — and two mornings later, arriving alone at the snowed-in, empty worksite, he finds Jake's car already parked in the lot. *** "The Black Tree in the Woods" — In a Massachusetts port town haunted by the schoolyard legend of a flayed pirate ghost, three nine-year-old boys push deep into a forbidden forest and find a short, withered tree that grows no leaves and seems to drink the life out of the air — and when one of them is dared to carve his name into its strangely soft bark, something he cannot see begins breathing in his ear.CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:02:17.025 = The Abandoned Drive-In Theater00:07:35.119 = He Showed Up To Work After His Funeral ***00:17:39.759 = The Black Tree In The Woods ***00:58:35.975 = Show Close *** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Abandoned Drive-In Theater” by January Nelson, from Thought Catalog: https://tinyurl.com/ybwbdgev“He Showed Up To Work After His Funeral” by Thomas J. Sotvedt: https://tinyurl.com/yckfue5w“The Black Tree In The Woods” submitted anonymously to Thought Catalog: https://tinyurl.com/y7rocj8v(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: June 10, 2020

EPISODE SUMMARY Dillin is more and more convinced that the One Shot studio is legitimately haunted, and gets closer and closer to the ghosts as his tower becomes unstable.  SHOW NOTES This Wretched House One Shot News & Updates One Shot Patreon One Shot TWITCH Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide Follow the cast here! Dillin Apelyan ----------------------------------------------------- Support WotC staff as they try to unionize! Find and call your representatives and be heard (US) Find and call your members of Parliament and be heard (Canada) Find and call your members of Parliament and be heard (UK) ---------------------------------------------------- Music Used in This Episode Abandoned Places, Material Gurl Big Band Twelve Days of Christmas, Ryan Saranich Editing and sound design by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaghik Manè. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I swear, every time Sir InQ gets Silver Foxxxy talking, I end up wanting twice as many details as she gives us

Are you in the middle of grief? Or do you know someone who is? Maybe you or your friend are walking through something hard and you wish you had something that could help. I have a resource that I would like to share with you. My friend, Lisa Appelo, wrote a book called *God of Comfort. It is a devotional journal for the grieving heart. Each devotional is on a different character attribute of God. This is the book I wish I had when I was going through my grief. You definitely want to hear the words of wisdom from Lisa! Also, I am so excited for someone to win a copy of Lisa's new book, *God of Comfort. All the details of the book giveaway are on my website at jodisnowdon.com or you can click this direct link: https://kingsumo.com/g/19wgvpm/god-of-comfort-giveaway It is fun to have Lisa back on my Podcast! If you missed my first conversation with Lisa about her book, *Countdown to Christmas, please check out Episode 12 on the Depth podcast.  I love what she shares about this advent book as well as what she shares about grief. Lisa was on my podcast a second time to highlight her book, *Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It All Falls Apart. I love that she shares that God took the broken pieces of her life and as she entrusted them to God, He reshaped what was shattered. There is so much hope and encouragement in this episode, and I cannot wait for you to learn from her. Link to Hope in Grief website: a space for those grieving to find Gospel Hope. Book Recommendations: *Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard *No More Faking Fine by Esther Fleece Allen *Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop (Listen to Depth Podcast Episode 219 to learn more about lament.) Lisa Appelo is a speaker and multi-book author of *Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It All Falls Apart. and the new devotional, *God of Comfort, which releases in June. Her ministry began after she suddenly became a widow and single mom to her 7 children, who were 4 to 19 years old. As God walked her through grief, He gave her a new compassion to help others find hope in grief and deepen their faith in life's storms. She's been featured at LIFE Today, Cornerstone Television Network, Insight for Living, Ann Voskamp, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and Risen Motherhood. A former litigating attorney, Lisa writes at LisaAppelo.com, is a leader with the national organization Never Alone Widows, and serves on the Executive Team of COMPEL, part of Proverbs 31 Ministries. If she's not writing or taking long walks, she's probably hanging with her 15 grandlittles. *Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!  

On this week's Random Encounter, the 2026 Summer Game Fest season is officially upon us!For video game fans, mid-June is still basically early Christmas. Even though E3 is firmly in the history books, the nonstop gaming announcements haven't slowed down and, this year, there are a lot of presents under the tree for RPG fans! Our panel has been working overtime keeping up with all the major digital events, so it's time to break down our absolute favourite games from across the summer showcases including Final Fantasy VII Revelation, Persona 6, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake!Featuring: Jono Logan, Ben Love, Matt Wardell, Stephanie Sybydlo, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono LoganWater photo in graphic sourced from Marissa Rodriguez on Unsplash.Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: podcast@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomBluesky: @rpgfan.bsky.socialInstagram: @rpgfancomThreads: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomThis Episode's Related Links:No Rest For The Wicked To Leave Early Access This October for PlayStation 5 and PCFinal Fantasy VII Revelation Closes Out A Meteoric Trilogy For Consoles & PC in Spring 2027Stellar Blade: Blood Rain Brings Stylish Combat & Colossal Cityscapes In Reveal TrailerThe Wolf Among Us 2 Finally Coming in 2027 & The Wolf Among Us Remastered RevealedAtlus Reveals Persona 6 at the Xbox Games ShowcaseFable Brings Villainy & Heroism on February 23rd, 2027 for Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 and PCPersona 4 Revival Brings Shadows, Social Links, & More on February 18th, 2027The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Returns Fans to Hyrule on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026School is in Session for the Next Entry in the Xenoblade Franchise, Xenoblade Genesis, in 2027Final Fantasy Embraces HD-2D with Final Fantasy Resonance on October 22nd, 2026New Kingdom Hearts IV Trailer Teases New Characters, Expands Game to All Major PlatformsFire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Commences the Heroic Games on September 17th, 2026Tales of Eternia Remastered Brings Destiny To Consoles & PC on October 16thVanillaware to Bring Muramasa: Revenant Blades to Consoles, and Yes, PC, in Early 2027

Happy Monday, Christmas Fanatics! It is June 15th, which means we are fifteen days away from officially being halfway to Christmas 2026! Can you believe it? We sure can't! This week, Julia and Anthony sit down to discuss the 2025, Netflix Original Holiday movie, "Jingle Bell Heist"! Also discussed: deleted "Harry Potter" plot lines, Ethan's 20th birthday, Anthony's recent trip to Universal Studios, who would be on both Julia's and Anthony's Mount Rushmore of film directors, and much, much more!  Regardless of what the elves thought of the film, we can guarantee this is one fun, festive way to kick off your week! So settle back, relax, and enjoy! As always, thanks for your love and support, y'all! ❤️

Chairman Jason Smith of the House Ways and Means Committee joins the Try That In A Small Town podcast from CMA Fest in Nashville. He breaks down what the powerful Ways and Means Committee actually does and how it touches every American's life through taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare, and more. Jason opens up about his small-town Missouri roots, being a fourth-generation farmer, raising white buffalo, and why he still lives in the same rural community he represents. He explains how he took the Ways and Means Committee on the road to 32 states to listen to working families, small businesses, and farmers before writing what he calls the “Big Beautiful Bill” – the largest tax cut in U.S. history, including no tax on tips and overtime. The conversation gets candid on Social Security's future, election integrity and slow vote counts in places like California, and what happens when people lose trust in the system. Jason also shares behind-the-scenes stories of working closely with President Trump – from grilling him for three hours on every line of a 103-title tax bill in the Oval Office to the now-famous “red button” that just orders Diet Coke. Along the way, they talk CMA Fest, Jason's obsession with Reba, the Chiefs, Mahomes vs. Brady, cleaning up Washington, D.C., and why he believes the founding fathers' values are really small-town values. Jason closes with a powerful story of a single mom whose $10,000 tax refund changed her life – and why that's why he still fights for small towns and working families. Timed highlights 2:00 Who is Chairman Jason Smith and what is the Ways and Means Committee? 5:13 CMA Fest, first concerts, and Jason's country music roots 7:11 The Ozarks, one of America's poorest districts, and small-town values 8:14 Reba superfan stories and being starstruck in DC 10:02 How the guys first met Jason at the South Dakota Governor's Hunt 11:49 Nashville's Bluebird Café, songwriting, and music in DC 13:06 Jason's priorities: working families, small businesses, and farmers 14:19 White buffalo, donkeys named Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, and Hunter 15:29 Growing up poor in a trailer, farm life, and why that shapes his politics 19:15 Taking Ways and Means to 32 states and writing the “Big Beautiful Bill” 20:20 No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and tax ideas from real Americans 22:06 Social Security history, FDR, and why both parties will keep it 23:35 Will Social Security ever go away? Jason's answer and insolvency warning 26:49 How Jason became the youngest Ways and Means chair since before the Civil War 29:01 Inside the steering committee and what it takes to win the gavel 32:31 Life on call with President Trump and 5:30 a.m. texts 33:00 Three-hour Oval Office grilling on the “Big Beautiful Bill” 35:07 The Diet Coke button story and a handwritten note after Jason's dad passed 37:34 Elections, slow vote counts in California, and voter trust 40:31 Why “every vote counts”: Jason's one-vote victory story 43:03 Chiefs fandom, Mahomes vs. Brady, and elite QB mindset 48:19 How Trump cleaned up Washington, D.C. and made it feel safe again 51:39 What do you buy a president for Christmas and Trump's generosity with guests 52:14 Jason presents a Congressional Record honoring “Try That In A Small Town” 54:57 Why the song struck a nerve in small-town America 56:24 The waitress, a $10,000 refund, and how tax policy changes real lives 59:19 Jason's schedule, gym routine, and juggling DC with life back on the farm 1:01:21 Final thoughts on serving small towns and inviting listeners to DC ______________________________________________________________________________________________SPONSORS: The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every BusinessBook a tour today at espaces.comFrom the Patriot Mobile studios:Don't get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don't and they can't!Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOTRight now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.comPeacemaker Coffee CompanyFounded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.https://www.peacemakercoffeecompany.com/________________________________________________________________________________________________Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.comProduced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.coSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What's up, dudes? Now that Masters of the Universe is out in theaters, we're gonna have a watch-along party for the Filmation classic “He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special”. I've got Mike Westfall from Advent Calendar House, Jeff Loftin from Lost Christmas podcast, Anthony Caruso from ‘Tis the Podcast, and Chad Young from Horror Movie BBQ with me to provide commentary and enjoy the ride!The Filmation special begins with Orko accidentally blasting off in the Sky Spy and crash-landing on Earth, where he meets Miguel and Alisha. Before long, the kids and their Christmas tree are transported back to Eternia, and Horde Prime decides the Christmas spirit is dangerous enough to require immediate villainous intervention. Naturally, Skeletor and Hordak both want the reward.The joy of the episode is watching the cosmic toy-commercial universe collide with sincere Christmas messaging. He-Man and She-Ra punch through danger, the villains compete, the kids explain Christmas, and Skeletor discovers that warmth, puppies, and holiday goodwill might be harder to resist than Castle Grayskull itself.Orko in a spaceship? Check. Earth kids stranded on Eternia? Got 'em. Skeletor not being nice or  kind or wonderful? Not even! Even! So raise your Power Sword, hop on Swift Wind, and celebrate Christmas across dimensions with this He-Man & She-Ra episode!Advent Calendar HouseFB: @adventcalendarhouseTwitter: @adventcalhouseIG: @adventcalendarhouseLost Christmas PodcastFB: @LostChristmasPodcastTwitter: @LostChristmasP1IG: @lostchristmaspodcast'Tis the PodcastFB: @tisthepodcastTwitter: @tisthepodIG: @tisthepodcastFB Group: Tis the Podcast GroupHorror Movie BBQFB: @HorrorMovieBBQTwitter: @HorrorMovieBBQIG: @horrormoviebbqGive us a buzz! Send a text, dudes!Check us out on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram,  Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com!  Later, dudes!

Grab your lore-laden piece of driveway as we head deep into Kane Parsons smash hit, Backrooms! Seth is joined by Liam aka Rolo Tony to discuss the youtuber to hollywood pipeline, why science fiction and surrrealism are not the same thing, what is gained and lost when something is copied multiple times, the backside of a Christmas tree and how anger manifests itself on a long enough timeline. Also: Tourist Trap! Horror as movement! Check it out!  Follow Liam on Twitter and Letterboxd Ad-free versions of all of our episodes are available on our Patreon When you sign up you also get access to our bonus shows, Discord server, shout out on the show AND you get to vote on monthly episodes and themes and a 25% discount in our merch store. That's a lot for only $5 a month! For more info and to sign up visit us on Patreon You can also give a Movie Friends subscription here: Gift a Movie Friends Subscription! Visit our website Check out our merch store Send us an email! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Fill out our listener survey

What do we actually know about Jesus' childhood? Not much.The canonical Gospels say surprisingly little about the birth and early life of Jesus. Matthew gives us only a few verses about the Magi. Luke tells us about the manger and one story of Jesus at the temple at age twelve. After that, the story goes silent.But early Christians were not satisfied with the silence.In the centuries after the New Testament was written, believers began creating new stories to answer the questions the Gospels left unexplored. Who was Mary before the birth of Jesus? What was Jesus like as a child? Who were the Magi really?In this episode of The Dig In Podcast, Johnny Ova sits down with Eric Vanden Eykel, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Ferrum College and author of The Magi: Who They Were, How They've Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate. Dr. Vanden Eykel is a leading scholar of early Christian apocryphal literature and has spent years studying the texts that shaped Christian tradition but never made it into the Bible.Together we explore the fascinating world of early Christian writings, including:• The Protevangelium of James and how it shaped what Christians believe about Mary• Why the three kings of the Christmas story are not actually in the Bible• The Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the strange stories about Jesus' childhood miracles• How early Christians filled in the gaps left by the Gospels• Why some texts became Scripture while others did not• How tradition helped create the nativity story most people picture todayThis conversation takes us into the questions early Christians were asking, the stories they wrote to answer them, and what those stories reveal about the development of Christian belief.Check out one of the latest books by Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel.The Magi: Who They Were, How They've Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate- https://a.co/d/0avwBxrt Stay connected with The Dig In Podcast and Subscribe.Website: https://johnnyova.com/Subscribe on Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/@UCdD6qAedykU7b4fgNPsPogw Get a copy of Johnny's latest book about the book of Revelation: https://a.co/d/02v5yH7A

Hello, and Merry Christmas everyone! So it's been awhile... but I'm so glad to be back, bringing you all the cozy Christmas vibes and classic stories of our favorite holiday season. In today's episode, I take a few minutes to share some family updates and tell you how our last Christmas went. Then, I offer a couple of book recommendations in the Cozy Christmas Book Corner before we settle in by the Christmas fire for a lovely old story called Christmas Under the Snow, by Olive Thorne Miller. Today's tale is a classic story about a pioneer family on the prairie who find themselves snowed into their lonely log cabin just days before Christmas. With their father stranded in the village while gathering supplies, food running low, and winter's grip tightening around them, the family faces an uncertain holiday. Yet even in the harshest conditions, Christmas has a way of bringing hope, warmth, and unexpected blessings. So grab a warm drink, settle into your favorite chair, and join me for this heartwarming Christmas tale! Books Recommended: Mrs. Claus and the Very Vicious Valentine by Liz Ireland Around the Yule Log by Willis Boyd Allen O Deadly Night by Vicki Delany Timestamps 00:00 Around the Yule Log 03:55 Life and Family updates, Christmas 2025 10:13 Cozy Christmas Book Corner Recommendations 16:23 Christmas Under the Snow by Olive Thorne Miller 34:23 Story Reflections   #podcast #christmas #christmasstories

How to be annoying? Become a podcaster! Bí ullamh - táimid 1000% chun cuir isteach oraibh san eip seo. Pléann na mná na rudaí beag a chuireann as dóibh, they display amazing self-awareness agus buíochas mór le Dia go bhfuil dochtúir againn sa ghrúpa - Dr Doireann is doling out diagnoses like it's Christmas. HOW TO GAEL: LE GEALAÍ Baile Átha Cliath: ⁠⁠https://www.ticketmaster.ie/how-to-gael-dublin-05-04-2026/event/1800638AD058E413⁠⁠ Bí i dteagmháil linn! Ríomhphost: ⁠⁠howtogael@gmail.com⁠⁠ Suíomh: ⁠⁠https://www.howtogael.com/⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/howtogael/⁠⁠ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/howtogael/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260615dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jesus said] “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:25,32-33 Why Worry? Aren’t five-year-olds silly? Sometimes they get upset over such insignificant things. They cry because they can’t find their teddy bear or because their favorite television show is over. As adults, we can only shake our heads at these silly little creatures who allow themselves to become miserable over such minor problems. It makes one wonder how our heavenly Father’s head must shake when he watches over us. We worry about this. We worry about that. Such silliness. Jesus commands us not to worry. He is very serious about it because he knows that our heavenly Father does more than shake his head at our worrying. He shakes his fist. Worrying angers God because when we worry we are telling our Father that we don’t trust him to take care of us. Thank God that Jesus did more than command us not to worry. He endured his Father’s anger at our sinful worrying. He took the punishment that should have been ours, so we don’t have to worry about God being angry at us. We don't have to worry about ANYTHING. Your Father loves you. He wants what is best for you. He knows what is best for you. Instead of worrying about things that you need for life, look to your Father in heaven, who promises to provide for you. The longer you linger in his Word, the more you will say to yourself, “What was I worried about? How silly!” Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me for the many times I fail to trust in your love and provision. Give me eyes that look to you for help in every need. Give me ears to hear the promises found in your Word. Give me a heart to trust that you are all I need and that I need never worry. 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.

It's Black Friday. The busiest shopping and dining day of the year, in a town known for being the Christmas city, packed with people in from out of town. Theresa had just hosted Thanksgiving — a houseful of family and friends — and all she wanted that afternoon was to finish cleaning up and sit down with a glass of wine. Not think about anything. Five minutes after she said it out loud, the phone rang.   "Teresa, it's raining in the basement. We don't know what to do. It's brown water."   She lived an hour away. So she drove. The whole way up wondering what she was about to walk into. A restaurant packed. A retail store packed. A city packed. And in the basement, water pouring out from under a door — brown — heading straight for the inventory.   By the time she got down there, one of the restaurant managers was already on the stairs. In a garbage bag. Kitchen gloves on. Holding a spatula. "T, we can do this. We got this. I Googled how to fix a pipe." It was a sewage pipe. And Theresa is a germaphobe.   Here's what most people would have done: run. Theresa did the opposite. She leaned in. She started assessing — first, second, third. Call the plumber. Call the remediation company on a holiday weekend. Save the inventory. Call the owner, who was in Mexico. And make sure nobody upstairs ever found out.   They didn't fix the pipe themselves, by the way. She threw her sneakers out and drove home barefoot in the snow. But the business never skipped a beat on the busiest day of the year — because the right things were already in place.   That flooded basement became one of the stories that taught Theresa what it actually takes to run a business in a crisis. It comes down to four things: presence, people, processes, and perseverance. The only thing we ever really control is the effort we put in and how we choose to face the moment when it breaks.   So here's the real question. It was never whether a crisis like this would happen — because it will. It's whether you have the presence, the people, the processes, and the perseverance to walk through it and come out the other side completely intact.   Key Takeaways: • Crisis isn't the question — it's coming no matter what. The real question is whether you have the leadership and systems in place to walk through it and get to the other side completely intact. • The only thing you truly control is the effort you put in and how you face the moment. You can run from the crisis, or you can lean into it. • Presence is leadership when it's hard. It's being the person they call because they know you'll figure it out — not the leader who panics and waits for someone else to handle it. • People matter most in the breakdown. The right team thinks critically and creatively under pressure, brings diversity of thinking, and keeps the business from bottlenecking on you. • Processes are the skeleton that holds everything upright. Real operational structure is what let the restaurant and store keep running on Black Friday while the basement flooded — business continuity in action. • Perseverance is radical resilience — the 6th gear. Cry for a moment, get frustrated for a moment, then shift into the strategic, critical, creative-solution brain and keep moving. • Good leaders bring calm into the chaos, not more chaos into the chaos. Intention beats running around like a chicken with its head cut off. • Every business owner has a version of this story — a pipe, a fridge going down, people quitting, COVID. What separates them is what they put in place before it hit.   Timestamps / Chapter Markers: 00:00   The one question — what crisis taught you how to run your business? 01:30   Why this story is in the upcoming book 02:21   Picture this: Black Friday, the Christmas city, the busiest weekend of the year 03:40   "It's raining in the basement. It's brown water." The hour-long drive up 04:45   Walking in: store packed, restaurant packed, water pouring under the door 05:30   The water heads for the inventory — she starts grabbing product 06:50   Calling the owner in Mexico — laying out the plan from inside the panic 08:30   Why they called her — most people would have run from it 09:18   What's at stake: the inventory, the people, the day itself 10:10   Every business owner has a version of this story 11:00   99.99% of the time it won't go the way you planned — effort is the control 11:43   The real question: do you have the right leadership and systems in place? 12:30   Number one — Presence: how you show up when it starts to fall apart 14:07   Number two — People: the right team that thinks under pressure 16:34   Diversity of thinking: his idea, her idea, a faster fix together 17:20   Calm into the chaos, not more chaos into the chaos 17:40   Number three — Processes: the structure that kept Black Friday running 18:59   Business continuity — COVID, fires, floods, roofs blowing off 20:30   Number four — Perseverance: radical resilience and the 6th gear 21:24   What you're really protecting: the people, the product, the vision 22:30   The leaders who crumble, blame, and throw their hands up 23:46   Recap of the four: presence, people, processes, perseverance 26:05   Closing question + the 90-second quiz at TheresaCantley.com/quiz   If this one hit — if you've got your own brown-water-on-Black-Friday story — hit subscribe, share it with the business owner who needs it, and leave a review so more founders find their way here.   READY TO UNCOVER THE BLIND SPOT HURTING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS?

EPISODE SUMMARY Dillin is more and more convinced that the One Shot studio is legitimately haunted, and gets closer and closer to the ghosts as his tower becomes unstable.  SHOW NOTES This Wretched House One Shot News & Updates One Shot Patreon One Shot TWITCH Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide Follow the cast here! Dillin Apelyan ----------------------------------------------------- Support WotC staff as they try to unionize! Find and call your representatives and be heard (US) Find and call your members of Parliament and be heard (Canada) Find and call your members of Parliament and be heard (UK) ---------------------------------------------------- Music Used in This Episode Abandoned Places, Material Gurl Big Band Twelve Days of Christmas, Ryan Saranich Editing and sound design by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaghik Manè. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Script's Danny O'Donoghue gets brutally honest about grief, PTSD, and what it really took to get sober. Following the devastating loss of his bandmate and best friend Mark Sheehan, Danny opens up about hitting rock bottom over a dark Christmas in Dublin and the brutal reality of quitting it all cold turkey.This discussion tracks the rollercoaster of Danny's career, from a failed €15 million record deal at 16 to sobbing on his knees when they finally hit number one. He also shares the lightbulb moment of a dyslexia diagnosis at 43, which reframed a lifetime of anxiety and fear.It's a testament to perseverance and a beautiful look at finding collective truth through our darkest moments.This episode covers the following themes: Grief, Addiction, Rejection, Anxiety, RecoveryThe Script's new album: 'The User's Guide To Being Human' will be released on 14th August 2026. Pre-order/Pre-save here: https://thescript.lnk.to/UGTBHPRBetter Help

During the Twelve Tubs of Christmas, Posh and Fab feel an emotion while watching the 1990 made-for-television movie Always Remember, I Love You, starring Patty Duke, Joan Van Ark and a teenage Stephen Dorff, about a $20,000 stolen baby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The official story has Lee Harvey Oswald firing three shots from a sixth-floor window, yet the witnesses on the stairs never saw him flee, the paraffin test on his cheek came back clean, and J. Edgar Hoover himself admitted the voice on the Oswald tape from Mexico City belonged to another man.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/ConspiracyInDallasREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8hjttrFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Was there a conspiracy to murder President John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza in 1963? (Conspiracy In Dallas) *** A Weirdo family member tells of his own personal experience with what might've been a hell hound. (The Dog That Wasn't There) *** One island, one couple, one murder. We'll look at the strange life and death of Rolf Neslund. (The Rolf Neslund Murder) *** She was murdered in November of 1901. Her lover spent more than a dozen years in prison, proclaiming his innocence, before being pardoned by the governor. So why did he commit suicide soon after getting out of prison? We'll look at the strange murder of – and eventual haunting by - Nell Cropsey. (The Lingering Ghost of Nell Cropsey)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:01:09.039 = Show Open00:02:46.404 = Conspiracy In Dallas00:20:59.391 = The Dog That Wasn't There ***00:22:36.375 = The Rolf Neslund Murder 00:31:41.043 = Lingering Ghost of Nell Cropsey ***00:40:08.752 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:
“Conspiracy In Dallas” posted at The Unredacted: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2YVxMdq“The Dog That Wasn't There” by Weirdo family member Daniel Mulberry“The Rolf Neslund Murder” by Elizabeth Tilsa: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2KywOAX“The Lingering Ghost of Nell Cropsey” by Troy Taylor: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2UnJ2Rb(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: November 28, 2021Weird Darkness host Darren Marlar moves from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas to a phantom black dog in the English county of Dorset, the murder and dismemberment of a retired sea captain on a quiet island in Washington's San Juan archipelago, and the 1901 killing of a young woman in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, whose spirit is said to still walk her family home.It opens in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, where President John F. Kennedy was shot and the Warren Commission, headed by Judge Earl Warren, concluded in 1964 that ex-Marine Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots alone from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Eyewitnesses undercut that account from the start: Arnold Rowland saw two men at the window minutes earlier, one holding a rifle and neither matching Oswald, while secretaries Victoria Adams and Sandra Styles and caretaker Jack Dougherty never saw Oswald flee down the only staircase he could have used. The episode dismantles Arlen Specter's single-bullet theory — the claim that Commission Exhibit 399 passed through Kennedy's neck and inflicted five separate wounds on Governor John Connally before turning up nearly pristine on a Parkland Hospital stretcher — a conclusion Connally and his wife Nellie both rejected and Abraham Zapruder's home film contradicts on timing. Oswald's negative paraffin test, his suspicious 1959 defection to the Soviet Union and fluent Russian, his leafleting against the Fair Play for Cuba Committee alongside FBI-linked investigator Guy Banister, and a Mexico City impersonation so plain that J. Edgar Hoover told President Lyndon Johnson the recorded voice and surveillance photograph did not match the man in custody all steer the evidence away from a lone gunman. The thread ends with Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby, whose out-of-state mob contacts spiked twenty-fivefold before he shot Oswald on live television and whose 1965 hint that the truth would never surface still shadows the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle that remains the strongest piece against the accused.From there the tone turns to folklore and a listener's firsthand sighting of Black Shuck, the spectral black dog reported for centuries across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and East Anglia and long treated as an omen of coming disaster. Camping alone beside a medieval moat near Raoul Castle in East Dorset, he watched the dark shape of a large dog settle on the far embankment and stare back at him, then rise and dissolve into nothing as every nearby sound of wildlife cut out, leaving him zipped inside his tent until morning.Next comes the disappearance of Rolf Neslund, an 83-year-old retired sea captain who in 1978 drove a 550-foot freighter into the West Seattle Bridge before retreating into a drink-soaked marriage on Lopez Island in Washington's San Juan Islands. When Rolf vanished in August 1980, his wife Ruth insisted he had flown home to Norway, yet his prescriptions went unfilled, his American and Norwegian bank accounts went untouched, and no Christmas card reached his relatives that December. In 1982 Ruth's brother told police she had confessed that on August 8, 1980, a second brother held Rolf down while she shot him twice in the head, after which the body was dismembered in the bathtub, burned in a backyard barrel, and scattered on the manure pile. A search turned up replaced carpet over bloodstains, spatter on the ceiling, and a bloodstained .38-caliber Smith & Wesson hidden in Ruth's dresser, tying her to a killing that began as a fight over the roughly $80,000 she had quietly moved into an account bearing only her name; convicted in 1985 and sentenced to twenty years, she maintained her innocence until her death at seventy-three.The episode closes with nineteen-year-old Nell Cropsey, who walked onto the front porch of her family's Elizabeth City, North Carolina home with her suitor Jim Wilcox on the night of November 20, 1901, and was never seen alive again. Her body surfaced in the Pasquotank River on December 27, her death caused by a violent blow to the left temple, and Wilcox — the son of the local sheriff, known for a fierce temper — was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to thirty years before Governor Thomas Walter Bickett pardoned him in 1918. Once freed, Wilcox sought out newspaper editor W.O. Saunders to reveal something so startling that Saunders began planning a book, but Wilcox killed himself with a shotgun before he could tell it, Saunders died soon afterward in a car wreck, and whatever he knew went with them. More than a century on, the former Cropsey home still answers with lights that switch on and off, doors that open by themselves, faucets that run with no hand on the tap, and a pale young woman glimpsed crossing empty rooms and gazing from an upstairs window — recognized by more than one resident as Nell, her killing never truly solved.

In the quiet borough of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, the days leading up to Christmas in 1994 should have been filled with the familiar comforts of the season. Instead, an unsettling silence settled over a neighborhood when a young mother and her infant son seemingly vanished without a trace. Their home held troubling clues, their car would soon be found abandoned nearby, and a community accustomed to knowing its neighbors suddenly found itself gripped by fear and uncertainty.As investigators searched for answers, rumors spread through the ornamented streets and suspicion seemed to fall in every direction. What happened inside that small Pennsylvania town would become one of the region's most haunting mysteries: a case marked by compulsion, secrets, and a trail of evidence that only seemed to raise more questions. Tonight, we follow the twists and turns of an investigation that would captivate the Lehigh Valley for years, and uncover a story far darker than anyone could have imagined.Trigger warning: This case involves violence against a child under one.Sponsors:Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/tcc #rulapodSources:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201?utmhttps://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mcall/name/andrew-katrinak-obituary?id=18087919https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/2017/1919-eda-2016.htmlhttps://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/socialhistory-crime-punishment/chpt/lindbergh-law#_https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/lindbergh-lawhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6931475/joann_marie-katrinakhttps://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/alex-katrinak/https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/2017/1919-eda-2016.htmlMal, Tammy. Convenient Suspect. Chicago Review Press, 2017.

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” D. Todd Christofferson. ACU Sunday Series. Todd Christofferson https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/d-todd-christofferson/give-us-this-day-our-daily-bread/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------   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.

It's (not) the end, but the moment has been prepared for! Well, not as such but a press release from the BBC confirms what we long suspected: there will not be a Christmas special nor were plans for one ever seriously pursued. Sad news to be sure, but we've cobbled together industry and wider fan reaction along with our own lengthy takes tinged with what we'd like to think is both optimism and realism. More importantly, we have former Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury to give us his rather more informed take on the whole situation. Brave Heart, Tegan, after all somewhere the tea is getting cold.  Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon An update on the future of Doctor Who 'Doctor Who' Set To Be Off Air For Years Amid A Creative Regeneration That's Failing To Spark Enthusiasm Among Producers Russell T Davies on Instagram: "For the record, there was no script" Russell T Davies: Doctor Who hasn't been cancelled Bad Wolf Studios post on Instagram Steven Moffat on the Doctor Who news Andy Pryor also leaving Doctor Who Variety: 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special Not Going Forward as Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf Exit Series 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special Canceled, As Russell T Davies & Bad Wolf Exit BBC Sci-Fi Series Vinay Patel on the stress of making Doctor Who BBC tendering process explained Doctor Who's Billie Piper Stunt Was Never Going to Pay Off by Kyle Anderson Doctor Who premiered on AMC+ in the US only Recovered: Doctor Who Special with Film Is Fabulous in Leicester Aug 15 The Queerest of Folk: A Life in Television by Russell T Davies due Oct 8 Big Finish: Planet Krynoid – Survivors released Big Finish: The Sixth Doctor Adventures: Reunion due Aug 2026 Big Finish: The Second Doctor Adventures: The Haunted Windmill due August 2026 Nicola Bryant did the narration for The Ultimate Evil Lifelong Doctor Who collection fetches £49,000 Sir Sherlock – The Sickle and the Sea Kickstarter, fully funded in less than a day Michael Keating obituary by Toby Hadoke Gene Shalit died Interview: Tom Spilsbury

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org From March 2026. Today's 2 topics: - In 1892 the world's largest telescope, the Lick Observatory's 36 inch refracting telescope made the news when E.E. Barnard discovered, Amalthea, the 5th moon of Jupiter. In 2025 this historic telescope made the news again when on Christmas morning winds of 114 mph blew off a 3 ton piece of the shutter on its dome. The adaptive optics research pioneered at Lick Observatory helped in the creation of the twin giant 10 meter telescopes that sit atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.   - Astronomers using the 8.1 m Gemini South Telescope in Chile were excited by the fact that 467P (LINEAR-Grauer)'s Centaur like orbit had been changed as the nucleus emitted rocket like bursts of gases as it was warmed by the Sun. Inert inactive asteroids orbit the Sun following the law of gravity whereas active asteroids can emit little rocket like bursts of gas which can change their path about the Sun in interesting ways. It is important to study objects like 467P (LINEAR-Grauer) to make sure their path about the Sun doesn't change to make them a threat to our home planet.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

In this episode of The Fun Waste of Time, the fellas discuss all the new and exciting video game announcements and gameplay reveals from the three major Summer video game showcases! In addition, they discuss the video games they've been playing and share what the experience is like playing in their dedicated home theaters! 00:00 Intro 02:35 Gaming Playlist 38:24 Game Night Reveal 44:04 Showcase Discussion 46:07 Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Reveal 52:00 PlayStation State of Play 01:10:28 Summer Game Fest 01:31:01 XBOX Game Showcase 01:52:10 Final Thoughts

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260614dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2 High Fidelity In the recording industry, years ago, “hi-fi” stood for high fidelity. Much enjoyment is derived from listening to music that is faithfully and accurately reproduced. “High fidelity” is also the mark of the children of God in their performance to God. In this respect, they are imitators of their heavenly Father, who faithfully keeps all of his promises. As “hi-fi” servants of God, we carry out and fulfill the Word of God in our lives, that Word that we hold in our hearts and confess with our mouths. We are stewards and caretakers of all that God has entrusted to us. What an amazing thing it is to be found trustworthy in the high privilege that is ours to follow Jesus and his Word. What sweet music it is to God—and to our fellow human beings—when with high fidelity we reproduce the Word of God in our lives! In commending high-fidelity performance and encouraging us to continue, our Lord is not asking anything of us that he was unwilling to render. The writer of the book of Hebrews declares about Jesus, “He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house” (Hebrews 3:2). Jesus was faithful to the will of God, to the point of death, even death on the cross. All this was for us that he might redeem us from sin and enable us to give all the sweet sounds of heavenly music in all of life. Prayer: Gracious Father, I ask for your Holy Spirit working through your Word to produce his fruit in my heart, including the ability to record in “hi-fi” all the days of my life. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260613dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 God’s Abundant Grace The other day I had a talk with a friend who admitted that she sometimes gets so down on herself when she knows that she has sinned. I think I can relate; perhaps you can, too. What can we do about that? We can go to Jesus for forgiveness. We can leave those sins at the foot of his cross. It can be difficult to leave our sins at the cross sometimes. We know that Jesus has taken them away, but then why do we still feel guilty about them? Well, this is just another way that the devil tries to get a foothold on us. This is the way he gets us to doubt what God says when he tells us he loves us. The devil has a way of saying to us “Are you sure that God forgave that sin? Do you really feel sorry for it? Do you think he’s going to forgive you over and over again?” How frustrating and heartbreaking these thoughts can be! You can find help and comfort in these words written by the apostle Paul: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Paul knew that not even his sins were too big for Jesus to take away. We can also be assured that our sins aren’t too many for Jesus to forgive. Jesus does forgive all our sins. His grace is abundant. No matter how sinful we are, even if we are the worst of sinners, our Lord pours out his grace on us and cancels the guilt of each and every sin we commit. So never doubt your forgiveness because God’s abundant grace is for you, too. Prayer: Dear Jesus, forgive me for ever doubting your saving power. Through the good news of your word, remind me of your power and love whenever I sin. Help me cling to your abundant grace and fill me with the lasting peace of your forgiveness. 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.

“Power trumps money fundamentally. And I think we've seen the extent to which these companies are very subservient to the US government. Because the US government can break them in an instant.” — Jack Watling on whether Anthropic and OpenAI can become geopolitical players In Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel No Country for Old Men, an ageing Texas sheriff finds himself outmatched by a killer operating by a logic the old rules can't contain. It's the story of a man shaped by one world, and then trying to operate in an entirely different system. That's also the situation facing many statesmen today who are having to operate in an international system where the old rules no longer apply. The British military strategist Jack Watling argues in his new book Statecraft: The New Rules of Power in a Divided World that we have moved from a monopolar world to one of intensely multipolar competition where adversaries can subvert all the premises of another state's strategy. These disruptive rules of the 21st century multipolar international system aren't entirely new. There are, for example, eerie similarities with the chaotically multipolar system that led to the First World War. But they are new to the leaders who have to apply them. So, for example, they are having to deal with Vladimir Putin who is locked into an eighth-century Orthodox Holy Russian Empire fantasy. Or with the impulsive and disruptive Donald Trump whose only goal, it sometimes seems, is to subvert all the rules of the old world. These are Jack Watling's new rules of power in a divided world. New statecraft for old men. Or maybe old statecraft for new men. Five Takeaways •       The Rules Are New to the Leaders, Not the World: Watling's thesis: many of the principles in his book are old, as a historian he knows that. But they are new to the current crop of political leaders because they were formed in a monopolar world where America had primacy, crises were resolved, and the status quo was restored. We are now in a period of intense interstate competition where changes are permanent — the interventions that are being made fundamentally shift the trend. That does require a new way of thinking. The tragedy is that the leaders who most need to think in new ways — Putin and Trump in particular — are the least capable of it. •       Putin vs Trump: Two Different Kinds of Fallibility: Putin has locked himself into a rubric of looking at the world through the lens of the Orthodox Holy Russian Empire — a framework that doesn't align with how anyone else reads the map. He's not a pragmatic dealmaker; when you get him to the table, as Trump found in Alaska, he starts referring back to the eighth century. Trump is very different: much less cautious, much more impulsive, skilled at making the conversation happen on his terms by disrupting everything around him. The problem with impulsive rather than deliberate is that he has no clear idea of where he wants to get to. Both fallible. Neither predictable. •       The WWI Parallel: Over By Christmas: Watling's most sobering analogy: when we look at 1914, nobody thought it would become what it became. The assumption was over by Christmas. It grew out of any capacity to control it. Today, the rules between the great powers don't reflect where power actually sits. The capacity for a conflagration — Taiwan being the obvious tipping point — to suddenly trigger a series of escalations around the world is very real. We have to be cognisant that risk is latent in the system. The outcome we most wish to avoid is also the most mutually calamitous one. That's not a guarantee it won't happen. •       Power Trumps Money — Even Trumpian Power Trumps Trumpian Money: Andrew asks whether Anthropic and OpenAI could become geopolitical players — more powerful than middle powers like Brazil or Japan. Watling's answer: no. Russian oligarchs made this mistake in the 1990s. They thought that because they had huge amounts of money and controlled valuable resources they could play geopolitically. They were very quickly subsumed by the state. These tech companies are very subservient to the US government, which can break them in an instant. The pun lands perfectly: even Trumpian power trumps Trumpian money. •       How Smaller States Build Leverage: Stay Off the Menu: One of the book's central arguments: how do smaller states shape world events when dwarfed by superpowers? Watling's answer: leverage is not just military. It is economic, informational, reputational. The UK spends billions on aircraft carriers it struggles to support at sea — a good illustration of how a state can mistake the form of power for its substance. Smaller states that build genuine leverage — through control of chokepoints, indispensable relationships, asymmetric capabilities — can stay off the menu even in a world dominated by great powers. That requires statecraft. Not just military spending. About the Guest Jack Watling is Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. He works closely with the British, Ukrainian, and American military and advises governments on security and strategy. He was formerly a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Statecraft: The New Rules of Power in a Divided World (Pan Macmillan, 2026) and The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century. Originally a journalist, he has contributed to Reuters, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, and The Guardian. References: •       Statecraft: The New Rules of Power in a Divided World by Jack Watling (Pan Macmillan, 2026). •       Episode 2935: Michael Mandelbaum on The American Way of Foreign Policy — referenced in the conversation. •       RUSI (Royal United Services Institute), Whitehall, London — Watling's institutional base. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple Podcasts

A Good Omens ⁠fanfic by LookingAtACupOfTea⁠. Full title: Is There a Version?Music: ⁠⁠2 days left until Christmas by Sascha Ende⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CC-BY 4.0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)For tags and other details, to leave kudos and comments, please visit the corresponding post on archiveofourown: ⁠https://archiveofourown.org/works/85593191/⁠!

【欢迎订阅】 每天早上5:30，准时更新。 【阅读原文】 标题：Donald Trump is still looking for a quick fix in Iran正文：BY NOW it should be clear: Donald Trump is not eager to resume his hot war with Iran. For six weeks he has seized on any excuse, no matter how flimsy, to delay another round of military strikes. Reluctance is not refusal, however. In the absence of a deal between America and Iran, the risk of renewed conflict is growing知识点：be eager to phr. /ˈiːɡər/ to be very keen and enthusiastic about doing something 渴望；急切想要• She was eager to prove herself in the new role. 她急于在新岗位上证明自己。• The children were eager to open their presents on Christmas morning. 孩子们迫不及待想在圣诞早晨拆开礼物。获取外刊的完整原文以及精讲笔记，请关注微信公众号「早安英文」，回复“外刊”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！ 【节目介绍】 《早安英文-每日外刊精读》，带你精读最新外刊，了解国际最热事件：分析语法结构，拆解长难句，最接地气的翻译，还有重点词汇讲解。 所有选题均来自于《经济学人》《纽约时报》《华尔街日报》《华盛顿邮报》《大西洋月刊》《科学杂志》《国家地理》等国际一线外刊。 【适合谁听】 1、关注时事热点新闻，想要学习最新最潮流英文表达的英文学习者 2、任何想通过地道英文提高听、说、读、写能力的英文学习者 3、想快速掌握表达，有出国学习和旅游计划的英语爱好者 4、参加各类英语考试的应试者（如大学英语四六级、托福雅思、考研等） 【你将获得】 1、超过1000篇外刊精读课程，拓展丰富语言表达和文化背景 2、逐词、逐句精确讲解，系统掌握英语词汇、听力、阅读和语法 3、每期内附学习笔记，包含全文注释、长难句解析、疑难语法点等，帮助扫除阅读障碍。

Carolina is back in the College World Series and begins play in Omaha on Friday night (9:04)Owen Hull from Carolina Baseball joins (34:21)Plus: a legacy HCYJT (48:42), postcards (54:26), one last ride for Remington (1:16:37), story time (1:20:47) and...as promised...we update our five favorite Christmas songs for the Christmas Spectacular (1:27:17)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ok. Maybe that's hyperbolic, but this really was a solid gaming Christmas. Is anyone mad? Of course, there are people who didn't get the exact thing they wanted, and so they are mad as hell. But this might be the first year in a decade or close to where there's not only something for everyone, but there's MULTIPLE big somethings for most people. I am already thinking about what I will pick up in September, and what I'll budget for over the following months. And really, that might be the only mark against this... So many things are coming out in September that I have to wonder how the rest of the next year will feel. What about you guys? How do you grade summer announcement season?

14-year-old student Miles Wu is obsessed with origami, transforming everyday scraps of paper into unexpected creations. In a joyful talk, he explores the ancient art form — from making Christmas ornaments and pigeons to folding patterns that can hold 10,000 times their weight — and shows all the possibilities hiding inside a single piece of paper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.