Podcasts about Contrast

What if the compliance checkbox you've been dreading is actually hiding a double-digit revenue boost? Some imaging centers report ten to fifteen percent more contrast studies after one policy shift went permanent this year. Here's what's driving it. To learn more, visit https://www.contrast-connect.com/blog-post/maximizing-roi-how-virtual-supervision-drives-revenue-in-imaging-operations ContrastConnect City: Las Vegas Address: Las vegas Website: https://www.contrast-connect.com/

L'homme à la tronçonneuse arrive ce mardi 29 septembre 2026 à Paris. Trois ans après son élection, le président argentin, Javier Milei, qui a fait de la tronçonneuse son symbole, pour tailler dans les dépenses publiques, va passer plusieurs jours en France. Mais son bilan est contrasté. Écoutez RTL autour du monde du 29 septembre 2026.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Mid 20's and $250,000 in debt. Gripped by a gambling addiction. How do you recover?

Opposites attract. But is that a good thing—or a bad thing? Dr. Bob Paul, Vice President, Focus on the Family's Marriage Institute, shares that differences can be good in marriage! Learn to appreciate differences in any relationship for God's glory.  

[00:30] Pride Goeth Before Destruction (16 minutes) At God's Feast of Tabernacles, His people learn to be humble students of His law so He can use them to lead mankind into true success and happiness. Contrast that with leaders in the world today, who are filled with pride and vanity. [16:18] By the Bible: ‘Beware False Conversion' (10 minutes) [26:44] WorldWatch (4 minutes) [30:37] The Key of David: ‘The United States and Britain in Prophecy' (27 minutes)

“So now what?” It's one of the questions we hear again and again from visitors to the Raven Beach Shack and people who follow Raven 425 Rise Above online. What's next for Raven 425, the Raven compound, the North Shuswap community and the growing online Raven 425 family? In this episode of United by Stoke, the Raven 425 Rise Above podcast, we go behind the scenes and talk about three areas of growth we're exploring for the future. First is health and wellness. We want to continue expanding the health-focused side of Raven 425 through Contrast by Raven and explore ways to bring more practitioners and wellness experiences to the North Shuswap, with a vision of helping make the area a destination for healing, connection and whole-person wellness. Second is our online community. We want to create more entertaining, educational and story-driven Raven 425 content that gives people a deeper connection to the brand, even when they aren't physically at the Raven Beach Shack. That includes our vision for a cartoon-style Raven Ryda show, as well as more behind-the-scenes Raven 425 Rise Above content created with a team following the journey and documenting what happens behind the brand. Third is online live selling. We're exploring the idea of creating a small studio that would allow Raven 425 to bring products, stories and community directly to people online through live shopping and interactive content. None of this is presented as a finished roadmap. These are ideas, opportunities and directions we're exploring as Raven 425 Rise Above continues to grow. The bigger question behind all three is simple: How do we take what we've built at the Raven Beach Shack and the Raven compound and create more ways for people to be part of the Raven 425 community? That's what “So Now What?” is really about. Welcome behind the scenes of Raven 425 Rise Above. Welcome to United by Stoke.   www.raven425riseabove.com

Most people think if they just learn their colors, that solves it.   I'm pale enough that people called me Casper growing up.   That did not stop me from once picking my shoe color to match my eyes instead of my skin. It went about how you'd expect.   Really nice people could not keep their eyes from drifting to my feet first!   Most people think style is a talent, but actually it's an artistic medium like piano or architecture, and value contrast is a primary tool. In other words, you can learn it!   This week's episode breaks down the one rule most color advice skips: where the eye actually lands first, and how to direct it using nothing but light and dark.   Let's connect! If you've discovered part of your Style DNA and you're not sure what's still missing, the free 30-minute Style System Synthesis call is where we look at what you already know about yourself and figure out the rest. To suggest a podcast topic, send email to hello@signaturestylesystems.com. Want to learn more about how to discover your Style DNA? Get started with The Congruence Code.

How much have you thought about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and what happens to them once you enroll in Medicare? Whether you're nearing age 65, wondering if you can keep contributing to your HSA, or curious about how you can use your HSA funds in retirement, this episode covers it all. I explain the rules around HSA contributions after enrolling in Medicare, the types of medical expenses you can pay for tax-free, and what happens to your HSA if there's still money in it after you pass away.    You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... [01:51] Ineligibility to contribute to HSAs after enrolling in any part of Medicare  [03:02] When to stop HSA contributions [05:46] Automatic Medicare enrollment when collecting Social Security or some retirement benefits  [08:00] Contrast between using IRA vs HSA to pay medical expenses  [09:39] Using HSA for family expenses [14:27] Using the HSA post-65 for medical or other expenses    What Changes With Medicare?   One of the most important things to keep in mind is that once you enroll in any part of Medicare, you are no longer eligible to make HSA contributions. Continuing to contribute after enrolling in Medicare results in excess contributions, which are subject to a 6% excise tax each year the excess remains in the account. This penalty also applies to any income generated by those excess contributions, so immediate corrective action is necessary if you find yourself in this situation. Importantly, Medicare Part A coverage can be retroactive for up to six months if you delay enrollment. Because of this, it's recommended to stop contributing to your HSA at least six months before signing up for Medicare to avoid accidental over-contributions. Letting your employer know and possibly switching away from a high-deductible health plan before enrolling in Medicare can help prevent mistakes.   Can You Still Contribute If You're Working Past 65?   Some individuals continue working beyond age 65 and may wonder if they can keep adding to their HSA. The answer depends on two main factors: your (or your spouse's) participation in a qualified employer-sponsored health plan, and whether you are receiving Social Security or railroad retirement benefits. If you're still working and covered by a group plan with at least 20 employees, you can delay Medicare enrollment and keep contributing to your HSA. However, as soon as you start receiving Social Security or railroad benefits, you're automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A, meaning you must halt HSA contributions—even if you're still working. Carefully timing your Social Security enrollment can help maximize your HSA benefits. Making Tax-Free Withdrawals: Qualified Expenses After 65   Once you turn 65, your HSA is yours for life, even though contributions must stop. Withdrawals for qualified medical expenses remain tax-free—these include doctor's visits, prescription drugs, dental and vision care, hospital stays, Medicare Part B, Part D, and Medicare Advantage premiums, but not Medigap premiums. For example, if you and your spouse spend $500 monthly on Medicare premiums, you could take $6,000 out of your HSA tax-free each year. Long-term care costs, including insurance premiums and care expenses, can also be paid with HSA funds within certain annual limits based on your age. These limits increase with age, reaching $6,200 per year for those 71 and older as of 2026. What Happens to Your HSA After You Die?   Upon death, if your spouse is the named beneficiary of your HSA, the account simply becomes theirs—with all tax advantages preserved. For any other named beneficiary, the HSA must be cashed in and its balance treated as ordinary income, losing its tax-preferred status. If no beneficiary is named, the HSA passes to your estate, triggering potentially higher taxes and delays in distribution.  Resources Mentioned Retirement Readiness Review Subscribe to the Retire with Ryan YouTube Channel Download my entire book for FREE    Connect With Morrissey Wealth Management  www.MorrisseyWealthManagement.com/contact   Subscribe to Retire With Ryan  

Find out how less can be more with next-generation contrast agents, which deliver high-quality imaging with low levels of gadolinium. Credit available for this activity expires: 9/21/27 Earn Credit / Learning Objectives & Disclosures: https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/next-generation-gadolinium-based-contrast-agents-mri-2026a1000xjl?ecd=bdc_podcast_libsyn_mscpedu

In this episode of The Adventures of Pipeman on W4CY Radio, Pipeman interviews Jack from Dead Poet Society at Louder Than Life festival. They dive into the challenges and rewards of performing at festivals, the process behind Dead Poet Society's new album "Monarch," the importance of artistic evolution, and maintaining authenticity as artists. They also discuss upcoming tour plans and what fans can look forward to.Main Topics CoveredPerforming at Louder Than Life Festival and artist experiencesOrganization and artist hospitality at Danny Wimmer and Wimmer FestivalsThe making and excitement behind Dead Poet Society's upcoming album, "Monarch"The creative process: balancing self-criticism with artistic satisfactionThe paradox of musical evolution and maintaining authenticityThe impact of COVID on artistic direction and personal reflectionUpcoming tour plans and how fans can stay engagedKey Discussions & StoriesPerforming in Festival HeatJack shares what it's like performing in extreme heat and getting into the "zone" on stage 00:27.The challenge of performing versus the relief and exhaustion post-performance 00:40.Wimmer Festival HospitalityPipeman inquires about the treatment of artists at Wimmer Festivals.Jack appreciates the well-organized events, air conditioning, catering, and proximity to stages 01:27.Contrast with chaotic festival experiences elsewhere 02:11.Upcoming Album: "Monarch"Jack announces the album "Monarch" is coming out October 2nd 02:43.Shares excitement and pride for this collection of songs—the most stoked he's ever been about a release 02:46.Discusses the effort to push creative limits and ensure artistic satisfaction 03:13.The Creative Process & Self-CritiqueThe value of pushing beyond comfort zones to create something special 03:17.Acknowledgment that while audience reactions matter, personal artistic pride is essential 04:10.The Paradox of Musical EvolutionJack reflects on how getting better at music can paradoxically make things worse if overthought 06:04.Importance of retaining a "childlike brain" and spontaneity when creating music 06:40.Returning to Basics and Self-HonestyRecognition that sometimes the true skill lies in returning to artistic basics rather than technical advancement 07:30.Insights into COVID's positive effect, providing the space for self-reflection and honest direction 08:15.Tour & Future PlansDead Poet Society will be touring following the album release, possibly for the foreseeable future 08:58.Encouragement for fans to attend a show for a memorable experience 09:12.Notable Quotes"There's a level when you're making the art that you have to kind of keep pushing past to be like, can this be better?" — Jack 03:17"At the end of the day, it's like when you put this out, you got to think it's great. Everybody else might think it sucks, but if you think it's great, can't take that away from you." — Jack 04:14"Music has this weird paradox where it seems like the better you get at it, sometimes, oftentimes the worse it is." — Jack 06:04"Making sure that you are opening that, keeping that door to your childhood brain open." — Jack 07:37"Am I being as honest with myself as I can be?" — Jack 08:22Resources & Links MentionedDead Poet Society Album: "Monarch" — releasing October 2nd.Tour Info: Band will be touring extensively after album release.Merchandise: Listeners are encouraged to buy Dead Poet Society merch and support the band.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-adventures-of-pipeman--941822/support.Click Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!Follow @pipemanradio on all socials & Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradioStream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV. Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

Peace comes after the compulsions, the negative thinking and the need to prove oneself die away. And with this peace comes the dangerous viewpoint of seeing where one really is in the material universe. Contrast this with the viewpoint of one who follows another: a viewpoint of someone else's behind. This is fine as long as their leader knows where they are going and what they are doing. A lot of us find ourselves in situations where the person we are following is simply following who is ahead of them, and this person is just following who is ahead of them, and so forth. This leads one on a circular path to nowhere and stagnancy.We cannot avoid the seasons and circularity of the physical universe. We can however, control our trajectories. Will we make circles in the sand? Or will we spiral in the infinity of creation? Join Brother Adam X and Amin Muhammad as they spiral upwards towards the infinity of creation to build the Kingdom of Heaven.

Contrast two AI projects. One cost $600,000 to build, $500,000 per year to maintain and was shut down as functionally unusable. The other cut energy waste, reduced equipment damage, and returned 35.8% on investment. Same tech. Different outcomes. The difference had nothing to do with the AI — and everything with how the project was set up and managed. In this episode: The New York City AI chatbot that confidently told people to break the law The Korean steel plant that used AI to solve one specific measurable problem — and returned 35.8% on its investment The five reasons AI transformations fail and how to avoid every one of them Why AI is execution and product thinking is judgment — and why you cannot out-execute a wrong decision This episode is for you if: You are a business or political leader with an AI budget and want to make sure it is not wasted You are a corporate innovator trying to make the case for an AI initiative internally You want a clear framework for evaluating AI projects before you commit to them Timestamps: 00:00 – The $600K AI chatbot that failed vs. the AI that worked 02:11 – NYC's government AI chatbot disaster 07:01 – Korean steel company's successful AI project 09:23 – Why the steel company's AI project succeeded 10:45 – Why 80% of enterprise AI projects fail (RAND research) 11:45 – 5 reasons AI transformation projects fail 14:06 – 2 solutions to fix failing AI initiatives 15:12 – Why product thinking matters more than AI technology Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Listen to our podcast on: Apple Spotify YouTube Audible Pandora Transcript: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/321-why-80-of-ai-projects-fail-and-it-s-not-the-ai-s-fault-2

Midweek Worship Service

A four-month vacancy, a six-figure salary, and still no one to supervise your contrast scans. What if coverage gaps didn't require hiring anyone at all, on-site or on-call? Learn More at https://www.contrast-connect.com/blog-post/how-virtual-contrast-supervision-fills-physician-coverage-gaps-without-a-full-time-hire ContrastConnect City: Las Vegas Address: Las vegas Website: https://www.contrast-connect.com/

Contrast on the fool and open minded. With Daily Reflections and Book of proverbs 14

What does it actually mean to persist in prayer? In episode 505 of the Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb conclude their study of Luke 11's "Parable of the Night Friend" — and the answer is far richer than most Christians expect. Rather than teaching a technique for wearing down a reluctant God, Jesus presents a contrasting image: a grudging friend who finally relents out of pure annoyance, set against a Father who overflows with delight to give His people the very best gift imaginable. Through careful exegetical attention to the parable's logic, covenantal structure, and Trinitarian movement, Tony and Jesse show that the ultimate object of persevering prayer is nothing less than the Holy Spirit Himself — the supreme covenant gift of the new covenant age, promised by the Father to the Son, and freely given to all who ask. Key Takeaways The parable operates by contrast, not direct comparison. The annoyed friend is not a picture of God — he is a foil. Everything about God's character is the opposite of this reluctant neighbor, and reading the parable correctly depends on recognizing this reversal. Persistence in prayer is appropriate, not impudent. The word translated "persistence" in verse 8 carries a sense of shameless, boundary-crossing boldness. But unlike the midnight knocker whose asking had become socially inappropriate, our asking of God never crosses a line. There is no point at which we have asked too much. The shift from "friend" to "father" is a deliberate relational and moral intensification. Jesus moves the argument from voluntary friendship (revocable, lateral) to fatherhood (covenantally obligated, vertical), and then from sinful human fathers to the holy divine Father — two axes that together magnify the certainty and character of God's giving. Total depravity and common grace are both present in verse 13. Jesus calls even his disciples "evil," grounding the argument in the doctrine of total depravity, while simultaneously appealing to the nearly universal parental instinct to give good things to children as evidence of common grace operative even in fallen humanity. The ultimate gift is the Holy Spirit, not general blessings. Luke's version of this teaching specifies what Matthew's leaves general: the supreme "good thing" the Father gives is the Holy Spirit Himself. This is not a second-blessing theology, but a call to pray explicitly and persistently for the subjective experience and fresh working of the Spirit already indwelling believers. God's giving is grounded in the Covenant of Redemption. The Father's obligation to give the Spirit to believers is not merely an expression of His general goodness — it flows first from His pretemporal covenant commitment to the Son, to grant Him a people marked, redeemed, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is on full display in Christ's earthly ministry. The Father sending the Holy Spirit is unavoidably Trinitarian language — and Jesus' disciples received it without confusion. The Old Testament had already furnished them with this framework, and the New Testament simply brings it into full light. Key Concepts The Parable Operates by Contrast, Not Direct Comparison One of the most common misreadings of Luke 11 is to identify the sleeping friend with God — as though Jesus is saying, "If you pester God long enough, He will eventually give in." Tony points out that this reading produces a deeply distorted picture of God: an annoyed deity who only answers prayer when sufficiently harassed. The actual logic of the parable is a contrast. The friend is reluctant where God is eager. The friend gives grudgingly where God gives joyfully. The friend is moved by annoyance where God is moved by covenant love. Jesus is not saying, "God is like this friend." He is saying, "Even this friend eventually gave what was needed — how infinitely more will your Father, who is nothing like this friend, give you everything you need?" The parable's force depends entirely on the distance between its human character and the divine reality it points toward. The Ultimate Gift Is the Holy Spirit Himself A comparison of Matthew 7 and Luke 11 reveals something significant. Where Matthew records Jesus promising "good things" to those who ask, Luke specifies: the Holy Spirit. This is not a contradiction — it is Luke's Spirit-guided theological clarification, shaped by his characteristic pneumatological emphasis and his post-Pentecost vantage point. The teaching closes where it must: not with general providential blessings, but with God's own personal presence and power. Tony is careful to distinguish this from two-stage salvation theology. The call to ask for the Holy Spirit is a call for what might be described as the subjective experience of the Spirit — fresh assurance, sanctifying power, gifts for ministry — not a second indwelling. The Christian who already possesses the Spirit objectively is nonetheless invited, even commanded, to ask persistently for His living and active presence. That invitation is itself grounded in covenant promise. God's Giving Is Grounded in the Covenant of Redemption Perhaps the most theologically profound moment in the episode comes when Tony traces God's obligation to give the Spirit beyond the Covenant of Grace and back to the Covenant of Redemption — the pretemporal, intra-Trinitarian covenant in which the Father promised the Son a redeemed people whose redemption would be applied by the Holy Spirit. This means that when believers ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, they are not merely appealing to His general benevolence. They are appealing to a promise the Father made to the Son before the foundation of the world — a promise sealed in the Son's obedient life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection. God's faithfulness in answering prayer for the Spirit is, at its deepest level, an expression of His covenant faithfulness to Christ. That is the ground of Christian boldness in prayer, and it is the ground that never shifts. Memorable Quote God has covenantally bound himself to grant us the Holy Spirit when we ask him... That covenantal obligation first and foremost is not primarily his covenant with us. It is his prior commitment and covenantal obligation to his Son to grant him a people who would be marked by and redeemed and have redemption applied by the Holy Spirit. - Tony Arsenal We could not petition him enough to be annoying to him. There is no boundary for when it is inappropriate to stop asking or seeking or knocking. - Tony Arsenal It doesn't teach a doctrine of prayer as a technique, somehow like wearing down a reluctant God, but a doctrine of prayer as a filial confidence grounded in the Father's revealed character, exercised through this persevering, believing, asking. - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [00:01:03] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 505 of the Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse  [00:01:12] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast With Ears to Hear. Hey, brother.  [00:01:16] Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. So I'm excited for this little conversation because I tried to tee all, all of this up for the culmination of this amazing parable, which I, I don't know if you coined it or if it comes from somewhere else or if it's what the Patristics called it- [00:01:32] the parable of the night friends, but I really loved that. Yeah. It sounds like an amazing movie as well, so maybe there's a drama that can unfold. I mean, this is, this is cinematic. And if you're wondering what we're even talking about, you know it. It's the parable in Luke 11, the one where Jesus tells a story about a guy pounding on his neighbor's door at midnight begging for bread because apparently first-century hospitality customs did not include 24/7 7-Eleven. [00:01:58] And so a lot of [00:02:00] us get this one wrong. We hear in this parable words like ask, seek, and knock, and we turn it into some kind of prayer vending machine where if we do the right things or we ask long or hard enough that God will give us exactly what we want. And it turns out the whole parable is about God giving us what we need, the best blessing, the best gift, the thing that is the best in all the world, which is His spirit, and that's what we're gonna talk about on this episode. [00:02:25] So it's all- Yeah ... been set up, loved ones. Now it's time for the good stuff. Tony's here. We're going after it hard. How about that?  [00:02:33] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, it should be good.  [00:02:34] Jesse Schwamb: It's gonna be, it's gonna be better than good, Tony. It's gonna be, like, amazing. I- I was hoping, like, the, the energy. I, I was just anticipating you were just gonna come in hard with me on that. [00:02:45] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. I, I, I wish I had the energy. I mean, we'll, we'll talk about this maybe a little bit in denials. It's just been a, it's been a long day.  [00:02:53] Jesse Schwamb: Well, speaking of-  [00:02:54] Tony Arsenal: But it's good. It's good ... speaking- I'm excited.  [00:02:57] Jesse Schwamb: I, I felt like you were just like that was, [00:03:00] like, your pretty excitement for me and you were like, "All right. [00:03:02] Move us along." Yeah. "Enough of this stuff." I get it. No, no. I, I'm totally down with that.  [00:03:06] Tony Arsenal: It's good.  [00:03:06] Jesse Schwamb: Honestly, that's as good a set of a segue as any. It is time before we get to the, the full excitement, we'll war- we'll both warm up a bit.  [00:03:14] Affirmations And Denials Segment [00:03:14] Jesse Schwamb: Let's take us to that segment where we take a page from the Reformed tradition of writing confessions, except these are ones that nobody asked for. [00:03:21] It's that time where we affirm with something that we really like or we deny against something that we don't like so much. So I can only wonder now, given that little preamble, that just short little nugget that you dropped there, I am really curious, more than ever, are you denying against something or are you actually affirming with something else? [00:03:40] Tony Arsenal: I'm gonna cheat a little bit and go back, go old school and do an affirmation and a denial.  [00:03:44] Tony Denies Sleep And Twitter Bait [00:03:44] Tony Arsenal: So- Oh, okay ... I guess my denial is just sleep deprivation. It's, it's just been, for whatever reason, it's been a couple nights in a row of, of sort of disruptive sleep with the kids and the dog. And this time of year in New Hampshire, the, the nights start to get a little bit chilly, which is, is great. [00:04:01] Um, but you start to get rodents and other animals moving around and- When you live in the, the kind of house that I do, there's a large crawl space underneath, so even if, even if the animals aren't making their way into the house itself, they move around under the, the house. And so when you have a terrier that has been bred over many generations to hunt those kinds of animals, uh, when they start hearing them moving around under the floors, they don't, they don't stay quiet about it. [00:04:27] So denying sleep deprivation. We've talked a lot about how important sleep is, and how it's a blessing from God, and it's a way to show that we're not in charge, and we're not necessary, that God's, you know, God's plan and God's world keeps spinning even when our brains are shut off for the night. So I'm denying sleep deprivation. [00:04:45] My affirmation, uh, actually it's a denial too. It's two denials. It's a double denial. Uh, my denial, I guess what I'm gonna call it is I'm, I'm denying taking the bait. So there's, there's been a, a rather high-profile, uh, [00:05:00]Christian figure that I honestly was not super familiar with. I don't need to get into the specifics, but I was not super familiar with, and when I was silly enough to ask the question online as to like why is everybody even paying attention to this person who has no theology training and is clearly not articulating things in a reasonable way? [00:05:17] The answer was like, "Well, he has 4.5 million followers." I was like, "Oh. O- okay." Uh, where I'm denying taking the bait is that this is a person who's been railing against Reformed theology, Calvinism, uh, for a, like a week now probably, week and a half. Uh, total straw man arguments, just totally misrepresenting things, not a good faith engagement effort, not really trying to understand the position they're critiquing. [00:05:41] Just sort of like painting really broad, inaccurate strokes and then s- sort of congratulating himself when he knocks down that straw man. And where I'm denying taking the bait is that in the same breath as me saying like, "Why are we bothering to engage this person?" Uh, I engaged the person. And, uh, you know, like it [00:06:00] just turns into what you, what it turns into. [00:06:02] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah.  [00:06:02] Tony Arsenal: It turns into both parties kind of screaming into the void and just feeling like the other person's not listening, and I don't have time for that. So, uh, I've, I've come up with a new policy for myself on Twitter. If someone is clearly not a good faith actor, uh, then I'm just gonna block them, and then I don't have to worry about it anymore. [00:06:18] Good  [00:06:18] Jesse Schwamb: for you.  [00:06:18] Tony Arsenal: Um, so there's plenty of people who wanna have good conversations, who are interested in dialogue, critical or otherwise, uh- [00:06:41] -fashion. Um, first of all, we should always be asking like, "Am I even the person that should be responding?" But i- if you, in God's providence and in wisdom and Christian prudence decide that you are, uh, then, you know, like is this a person worth responding to? Is Twitter the place to respond or, or is it a longer [00:07:00] format or something like that the best, um, best option? [00:07:03] So I'm denying taking the bait. It's like that, uh, like that GIF, like that's bait, and then I total- I totally took it. I totally took it, wasted a bunch of my time. Uh, and I used to think like, "Well, there's people watching, and they're reading what I'm..." But like nobody's reading what I'm saying. Nope, nobody  [00:07:17] Jesse Schwamb: cares. [00:07:17] Tony Arsenal: Nobody cares. Yeah. It's just a bunch of voices online. So there's ways to have influence and, and there are certainly people that have influence through Twitter, and I've had some really good conversations, and I think there is some value at times to engaging in that, uh, that media. But, uh, this was not one of them, so I'm denying taking the bait. [00:07:35] Jesse Schwamb: Would you look at us? I mean, would you look at us? How, how far God has brought us. Yes. I, I just wanna commend you for bringing that up and just kinda laying that all out in transparency. I, bully for you. I think that's right on. There's a... Everybody listen to that again, 'cause there was a lot of good stuff in that short little denial. [00:07:52] Very good.  [00:07:54] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. What about you, Jesse? What do you got for us tonight?  [00:07:57] Jesse Schwamb: I'm in that place now where, remember you and I [00:08:00] said we should create a list of our affirmations, Niles? I think you have been more faithful in that, uh, honestly, than I have. I, I have- ... coveted your, your faithfulness in doing that. So then I did it, and now I can't remember. [00:08:10] I'm not crossing them off, so now I can't remember if I've actually- ... given this. So everybody please have mercy on me if I've already said this before. I don't think I have, because, you know, I'm just burying a lead that doesn't need to be buried.  [00:08:23] Jesse Affirms Invictus EP [00:08:23] Jesse Schwamb: But I've got a affirmation, and it's more music, and it'll hur- hit a certain group I'm sure. [00:08:29] But I'm affirming with a band called Invictus. They have a new EP that's out this year. It's called Sealed and Sent, and I'll just give you... I, I don't, I'm not trying to make light of this, but, like, I'm not gonna tell you what the music... I mean, I have a pedigree I'm sure in history here. But let me just give you, there's six tracks. [00:08:46] I'm just gonna give you the names of the tracks. Maybe you might guess the style of music from these tracks. Um, it starts with Crush the Snake, then goes on to Heaven's Weapon, Hymn for the Fallen, which is acoustic, Retribution, Drive Them Out, and I Won't [00:09:00] Break. This is a great album. It is, I'm gonna go with their definition of their own sound. [00:09:04] They're a cinematic Christian metal project blending crushing riffs, melodic metalcore, and scripture-inspired themes of spiritual warfare, redemption, perseverance, and victory through Christ. Here's the thing. All of that's true, and you might say, as I did when I first came across them, "Uh, sounds a little cheesy. [00:09:22] Sounds a little kitsch." Turns out it's just awesome. And sometimes, like, you need this kind of music that's so spiritually rich in victory with Christ, that is so expressive of... 'Cause there is, as you heard, like a tint there toward the supernatural realm, toward the battles that are in that realm. But I, sometimes you need that. [00:09:43] This is fantastic. The only word of warning I have is that, so if you're not into that style, and there is, like, beautiful, it's very melodic. There's a lot of beautiful melodies in this. A lot of, like, the voices are really truly fantastic. So it's worth listening to for just for that But my warning is, um, [00:10:00] kind of strange. [00:10:01] This track three, it's acoustic, it's Hymn for the Fallen, is, uh, exactly what it is. It's almost like an anthem for those, uh, condemned to hell, and it is troublingly haunting. Uh, I think it's, like, exactly theologically precise, and it's beautiful in its own right. It's a strange song to listen to because it is beautiful in its expression. [00:10:22] The music is phenomenal, and again, the voice work from this, this single artist is incredible. His range is fantastic. I think it'll leave you at parts just almost breathless. And yet what they're singing about is not quite a celebration, but it is like a song of mourning. And every, uh, time I listen to it, and I wanna listen to it, and yet when you're done with it, you do feel this different sense and urgency for those around you. [00:10:46] So that's my only warning is it's a really complex little EP, but it's strong, and it's beautiful, and it's glorious, and it's a little bit haunting, and it's certainly convicting and challenging. So it turns out, I guess I do like... I [00:11:00]just love the word cinematic. Like, I'm not sure entirely all that it entails, but I think it's probably an, an accurate description. [00:11:07] So if you're looking for some new music or some different music, I highly recommend Invictus because I think you'll be blessed by them  [00:11:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. My, um, my musical, uh, I don't know, repertoire consists mostly of, like, kids worship bop music. Uh, so, uh, maybe I'll, maybe I'll put that on the next time I'm in the car by myself just to listen to some sort of, like- [00:11:34] I don't know, like grown-up music. 'Cause, 'cause I don't listen to a lot of grown-up music as it is now. I, if, if I'm lucky, I get a couple, uh, couple minutes on the bus or something like that to listen to some real, real adult music. But yeah, I'll, I'll have to check it out, and there's always a chance that this will be the screaming music or the heavy music that I like. [00:11:55] There's always a chance.  [00:11:57] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It's more, it's more heavy than maybe screaming. There is a [00:12:00] little bit of that good rasp, but it brings me back to, you and I are of a certain age. I'm, I'm older than you, but I think back to, like, maybe that late '90s, early 2000s, kinda like Creed style. Mm. Like, almost like that, but a little bit deeper and richer and, and a little bit harder. [00:12:16] But it's, it's not, I think, so dissonant that the average ear wouldn't find great value in it. And again, that- Yeah ... third track, which is acoustic, is very beautiful in its own right. It's just a very strange song. Usually you don't hear a song like that, and it really caught me by surprise. And the more I listen to it, the more it does create some kind of mourning within you, and I've thought about it quite a bit, even as I interact with people around me, thinking about the essential emergency of what it means that souls are, are in play here, so to speak. [00:12:44] That, of course, they're all under the providence of God, but He used us as a means in which to preach that gospel message, and we ought to be about that gospel message. And I suppose- Yeah ... in point, that started the podcast as we talked about the gospel and became excited every time we spoke about the [00:13:00] gospel, and then it's, it flowed into this whole series we're doing on the parables. [00:13:04] Back To Luke 11 Reading [00:13:04] Jesse Schwamb: And now, of course, we find it again in Luke chapter 11 here And I was excited to speak with you because I tried to set up for everybody, ourselves included, just like all of the little prolegomena, all the, all the kinda like little fine, fun details of like the circumstance and the interaction that's happening in this parable. [00:13:23] But really the punchline comes in this, I would say, unexpected twist that one, we have this friend going to another, and the friend is reluctant when he really shouldn't be, and there's this incredible juxtaposition of, well, how much more so is God going to be less reluctant because He's our Father, and He delights to give us that which is good, the best of gifts. [00:13:43] And this sometimes gets turned around in that we ought to just really continually annoy God to the extent that He just gives us the very thing, and that somehow this is explained to us that we have to have enough perseverance, hope against hope, to continue to pray against all odds. And instead what we find [00:14:00] buried in this parable is something far better than that. [00:14:02] Actually, the gift that God gives us is something that we really could not conceive of apart from the gospel itself. So I'm gonna take us back- Yeah ... into Luke chapter 11. I'm gonna read the whole passage or the parable that we were just talking about, started it last week. But we're really gonna pick it up in this, so everybody can be listening, at this turning point where Jesus begins to speak about the role of the Father and what He desires to give us. [00:14:27] So this is Luke chapter 11, beginning verse one. "And it happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of the disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.' And He said to them, 'When you pray, say, "Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. [00:14:45] Give us each our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."' Then He said to them, 'Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me [00:15:00] three loaves for a friend has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.' [00:15:05] And from the inside he answers, 'Do not bother me. The door has already been shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot rise up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not rise up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as we needs. [00:15:23] So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who receives asks, and he who, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks will be opened. But what father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if his son asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [00:15:45] If then you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?'"  [00:15:57] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  [00:15:59] Tony Unpacks The Parable Logic [00:15:59] Tony Arsenal: This is, um, one of those passages that I think... I think you're exactly right. We, we sort of fall into a very specific way of thinking because for some good reasons, right? [00:16:13] Like, this is a parable about prayer. It's couched, y- you know, it's, it's sort of sandwiched in different parts tea- teaching about prayer. And so I think we, we instinctively, kinda like we saw with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we kind of instinctively assume who certain characters in the, in the analogy here are, right? [00:16:34] Sure. Just like in the, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we kind of assume that, like, the neighbor that is being talked about is the guy who got beat up and left for dead, but in, in the s- the punchline, we find out it's actually the Samaritan. In this case, I think we assume the person who is being, um, who is being e- entreated upon must represent God, and the person who is doing the entreating, uh, is, you know, is us.[00:17:00] [00:17:00] And I'm not sure that the parable, a- and again, like, what even is a parable? Some people would say, "Well, this isn't a parable," but w- we're really just talking about kind of like the figures of speech ministry of Christ, the figures of the sayings of Jesus that sort of circulate around these analogies. Um, w- what even is a parable? [00:17:19] And in this case, like- We need to be careful not to just make those assumptions without-  [00:17:25] Jesse Schwamb: Right ...  [00:17:26] Tony Arsenal: justifying them in the text because it'll lead us to the wrong conclusion. Like, like you've said, like if we assume that the person in the text, in the, the, the parable here who is being entreated upon represents God the Father, well, what we've done now is we've made God sort of like this annoying or this annoyed figure who doesn't really wanna answer our prayers, but because we harass him so much, because we're so persistent. [00:17:51] Another translation of that word is impudence, right? It's a word that has to do with, like, almost like a shameless begging. Like, [00:18:00] it's, it's someone who is asking something that goes beyond the boundaries of appropriate.  [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:18:05] Tony Arsenal: Right? It's, it's impudence, it's persistence, but it's not just persistence in that, like, it's not just stick-to-it-iveness. [00:18:12] It's like persistence to the point of being, uh, inappropriate is really what this word is getting at. Well, now what we've done is we've made it so we have to inappropriately pursue God for prayer. Right. So I'm, I'm glad you set it up this way to sort of say, like, we need to think about this parable. Yes, there's something here about prayer, for sure. [00:18:29] There's more here about the fact that God desires to give us good gifts, but we really need to understand how it is that this teaching is functioning in almost like a, a, almost like a contrasting example kind of way compared to, like, a direct example. It, it's, it's not, it's not exactly an argument to the lesser, from the lesser to the greater. [00:18:51] I mean, it kind of is.  [00:18:52] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:18:52] Tony Arsenal: But it's, it's almost like a reverse argument from the lesser to the greater. Like, there's this lesser that's so much lesser that he's actually [00:19:00] sort of- Yes ... like an annoying, like not a super admirable, noble figure. Then how much more noble is God? It's kind of the, the sort of the force of this parable, the force of this teaching. [00:19:09] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. I like how you said that. It was... You crystallized something I've been thinking about, which was, it's almost like in this text, think of, like, these two different shores. On one shore is this function, the action, and the worship of, uh, through prayer. On the other shore is this g- great supreme gift of the Holy Spirit, and there's something about a bridge that's being built between these two things, and it starts with this really interesting analogy. [00:19:34] But then there's, like, this turning point from friend to father, and for me, what, like I mentioned last week, I'm seeing, I'm picking up, maybe too much so, all of this interesting covenantal shadows and language here. And so, like, in this shifting, specifically from this analogy to friend to fa- from friend to father, there's almost in my mind, like, an intensifying of the relational bond. [00:19:56] I mean, friendship being voluntary and revocable, fatherhood, [00:20:00] especially in ancient thought, bound by nature, and then that again, covenant obligation. It does strengthen this interesting logic that's unfolding for us. But it's as if the bridge that's being built here by Jesus is taking and uniting or bringing together this idea of good gifts of the Father, and the greatest gift being the Holy Spirit, and prayer and how that accomplishes or receives or invokes those gifts, and the bridge being the right way in which to think about prayer and the right mode in which to consider prayer so as to ask for the things in the name of Jesus according to God's will, that is the greatest of all gifts, which is the Holy Spirit. [00:20:36] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:20:36] Hospitality Context And Midnight Bread [00:20:36] Tony Arsenal: And I, I think it's interesting too because this teaching, this parable opens with y- you know, kind of a s- sort of standard format that Christ use, uses in some of these circumstances, where He's talking to an audience who may or may not be hostile. In some instances it's hostile. In this instance it was a friendly, a friendly audience. [00:20:57] It was His disciples. Um, He says, "Which of [00:21:00] you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves. For a friend of mine- Right ... has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.'" This is parallel similar language to, like, which of you having a sheep who falls into a- [00:21:22] not like everybody has experienced it, right? I think I, I've never had, like, livestock, but, like, I know my dog has gotten into stuff. Like, everybody who's had a pet is like, "Yeah, my animal has done something stupid at some point." Like, ate something stupid, got stuck in something, hurt itself. So, like, the, the, the way that this is set up is [00:21:53] Tony Arsenal: In a way where it's like the scenario is sort of insane and nobody would [00:22:00] be in that situation. Um, and then there are times where he says, "Which of you having a friend, which of you having a sheep who falls into a ditch?" [00:22:09] Um, and, and the assumption is on some level either the, it, it's such a common scenario that of course everyone would have understood it, right? Which of you... It's like, it's like a woman losing a coin who sweeps the house to look for the coin. Everybody who has a, a, a valuable piece of money that they lose is gonna spend time looking for it. [00:22:29] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:22:29] Tony Arsenal: This one I think is more like that second one, which feels weird to us. Again, like we're, like you kind of alluded to and kind of joking, but I think is, is a, is a per- serious point, we can just go to the store. Like I could go to a 24-hour supermarket and buy resources if a guest shows up unexpectedly. [00:22:46] It's not like that in the ancient world. So this statement of like, which of you Basically like which of you who has unexpected company show up would not go to your friend or neighbor and ask for something to serve them? And especially in the sort of [00:23:00] hospitality-driven culture that the 1st century was, it would've been deeply, deeply troubling for a guest, especially a, a guest who's coming on a l- from a long journey who's showing up at midnight. [00:23:10] That feels like in our culture we'd be like, "Yeah, it's understandable that I don't have anything on hand." It would be deeply troubling for someone in that scenario to not be able to provide hospitality. So I think that's the first hurdle we have to get over with this one is the scenario feels, at least to me, feels a little bit insane, but I actually think the assumption baked into the teaching is that this is an understandable, relatable situation with an obvious answer. [00:23:36] Of course, all of us would go beg a friend for a few loaves of bread to serve our guest who shows up unexpectedly.  [00:23:43] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. There is like a foil in all of this. Again, it's not like Jesus is not commending like wear God down with nagging as a technique, but there is a lot at stake here in this scenario that's been set forward because there's, there's honor, there's covenantal honor like I think I [00:24:00] mentioned p- last time. [00:24:00] Again, this is where I'm seeing that there is something to be said for like the petitioner is a little bit shameless here. That is, like he's bold. It's, it's socially inappropriate maybe, the persistence in the knocking, but that's what secures the loaves. And so on this view, verse 8 does teach like persevering bold prayer. [00:24:18] I think then what we're being lead to, try, led to try to understand is well, what kind of bold prayer here? Is it just like any kind of prayer, or is there something specific that Christ himself is directing these people to ask for in prayer? And to me, it, to like, you know, maybe preempt a little bit, it seems like, of course, like he's saying, "Ask for God, of God the only thing that God can give you. [00:24:39] Ask boldly for that thing. Ask shamelessly, unapologetically for that thing," because we're gonna be led again to this kind of reprisal of roles here and see that he's gonna speak about himself again as, as Father, as being this really good father over and against this really reluctant friend who only gets up really because he has been annoyed, and that's certainly the opposite of [00:25:00] God's stance towards us. [00:25:01] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:25:02] Persistence Without Impudence [00:25:02] Tony Arsenal: And you know, there is, um, you know, like we mentioned, there's this element of- The an- sort of annoyed friend, right? And, and we don't wanna be too quick to compare God directly to the annoyed friend, right? It is this foil. It's kind of like, it's almost like God is not, is like this in some ways, but not like this- Yes [00:25:23] in the most important ways. I actually think the asking itself falls into that category, right? In, in the context of the parable, the asking, m- maybe not the asking, but the persistence, the continuing to pound on the door when the answer no has already been delivered. That is, in the context of this teaching, is, is seen as inappropriate, right? [00:25:45] It's, it's impudent. It's disrespectful. It's, it's an- Right ... unrelenting persistence beyond the bounds of propriety. Not only is God not like the annoying friend, or the annoyed friend, or the annoying friend, I guess, not only is God [00:26:00] not annoyed, uh, so there's this sort of like argument to the, from the lesser to the greater opposite or the greater contrary But our asking itself and our persistence is not impudent. [00:26:13] And I think that's a really key thing here, and that's why it goes directly into the next verse. "Ask and you will g- give it given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock, it will be opened to you." He's not saying because you're so persistent, because you continue to wear God down, it's gonna be given to you. [00:26:29] It's almost like he's saying, like, look, in this context of this parable, not only is the friend, not only did the friend say no, and the, the seeker is seeking inappropriately, and the friend finally, not out of the goodness of his heart, not out of his loyalty to his friend, not out of his desire to serve a stranger, not out of any of those noble things, just because he's annoyed, he finally gives in. [00:26:51] Well, not only is that not what God is like, but your prayers are not like the persistent, annoying friend who won't give up when the answer is no. Right. [00:27:00] Your, your prayers are appropriate insofar as you persist. As you continue to persist, they are appropriate. And, you know, we could get into all of the Greek details about the, the participles and all of this stuff about it's, it's not just ask at one point. [00:27:15] It's, it's continue asking, it'll be given to you. Yes. Continue knocking, it'll be given to you. Like, we can, we can go into all that, and I'm sure we'll talk about a little bit. But the reality is the sort of like durable nature of prayer, the like ongoing, persistent nature of prayer here is not established by those participles. [00:27:32] It's established by the comparison to this inappropriate asking, this inappropriate persistence in the parable, but it's not inappropriate. And I think that's, again, like that's another sort of argument from the lesser to the greater contrary. I don't know if that's actually a term or if I invented that, but that seems like what's going on here. [00:27:49] There's this sort of like minimum situation, and then you flip it over a little bit and, and make it bigger, and that's what we're getting at here. It's, it's sort of a strange technique that, [00:28:00] um, again, like is it present in oth- a lot of other teaching? There's obviously like the parable of the widow and the unjust judge that's basically the same situation. [00:28:08] Right. And we're- I'm sure we'll get to that, but like it's the same basic situation. It's, it's this idea that like Christ is presenting this scenario that has this one touch point, and everything else is like flipped over. It's like everything else is sort of opposite day.  [00:28:24] Jesse Schwamb: And that is a little bit different than the stuff that we've covered so far, which is what makes this a little bit exceptional. [00:28:29] There are ones that mirror it, but this technique-  [00:28:31] Tony Arsenal: Right ...  [00:28:31] Jesse Schwamb: is something that we haven't really come across yet, of course, in our conversations.  [00:28:35] Covenantal Frame For Ask Seek Knock [00:28:35] Jesse Schwamb: And I would say, like, good Biblical hermeneutics, like you said, resolves all of that, what you just said, not by, like, weakening the promise, but by locating it within its covenantal frame again. [00:28:46] Yeah. This promise is spoken to disciples who have just been taught to pray, "Your kingdom come, give us, forgive us, lead us not." That is, all of this prayer needs to be conformed to God's revealed will and kingdom priorities. And so what's hard is I [00:29:00] hear this spoken about a lot, this parable, but it always gets cut, like, from the teaching that just preceded it. [00:29:06] Right.  [00:29:06] Why This Contrast [00:29:06] Jesse Schwamb: Like, a- as if, again, they're coming to Jesus saying, "John was really good at providing instruction to his disciples on how to pray, and you being the Son of God, like the ultimate teacher, teach us then. How do we see you pray? We know that you're a man of prayer. We know that you're Son of God. Teach us, instruct us in this way." [00:29:22] W- w- let's get it, as it were, the... These guys are like, "Boys, let's get it from the horse's mouth." And so it's interesting that Jesus gives the instruction, he gives the prayer, he gives some language and a framework, and then he's like, follows it immediately with this teaching. And this teaching, though, like you said, doesn't draw, like, often, like it's orthogonal. [00:29:39] There's no, like, parallel or linear lines here- Right ... so to speak. It's, it's all about creating this weird contrast. And you might ask, "Well, why do it this way?" And so it does beg the question of does that distinction, that almost like cognitive dissonance between these characters, and then again, like the comparison to God, does that draw out in different ways this character of God so that we might actually [00:30:00] see it more clearly in that juxtaposition? [00:30:02] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:30:03] Midnight Friend Parable [00:30:03] Tony Arsenal: And I think, y- you know, one of the other comparisons that I think's going on here, and, and again, I think this is basically the same teaching as the, the pa- the widow and the unjust judge. Like, she wears him down with her petitioning, and he finally gives her justice. Like, I think a big part of this, the idea here is when we look at this parable, everything in the parable is- uh, understandable and relatable, right? [00:30:28] To some extent. Um, again, we i- in our 21st century modern context, at least in the West here, we don't have a situation where we can't basically just drive to the store and get something, even, even in the middle of the night. I, I don't know m- many people personally who don't have access to some sort of 24-hour supermarket or convenience store, something where they could go and get something to present to a guest who shows up unexpected in the middle of the night. [00:30:57] Um, and even the idea of, like, someone showing up [00:31:00] unexpected in the middle of the night is kind of like, even then, like, what we think of as unexpected is, like, the person calls us and they're like, "Hey, I'm 35 minutes away. I'm gonna be there. Do you have a bed I can use?" What we're talking about here in the 1st century is literally like, I'm asleep, all of a sudden there's a pounding on my door, and my friend has come from a long journey. [00:31:18] There's no advance notice, there's no messenger that came. This is literally just someone who appears out of nowhere in the middle of the night, and so he has to go get something. That is actually a somewhat relatable situation, even to us What I think is interesting, what I, what I really love about these, this parable and the other one I referenced, is when you think about the way that the, the friend, the annoyed friend, the friend who's sleeping and gets woken up, the way he responds is still to provide the need. [00:31:49] But then look at how we are... Look at the language around how God gives us good gifts, right? Right.  [00:31:56] Ask Seek Knock [00:31:56] Tony Arsenal: He's not giving us... It, it's almost like the teaching is God gives us good gifts. We should ask, we should persevere in prayer. If you continue asking, it will be given to you. If you continue knocking, it, it will be opened to you. [00:32:07] If you continue seeking, you will find. Like, that's the, that's the positive teaching of this. But the contrast is not just, yeah, if you continue to be persistent enough, you're gonna get what you ask for. It's, look, God is going to give you what you need and what you ask for. He's going to give that to you joyfully and out of his own abundance and out of his own desire to bless you with good gifts. [00:32:30] Not like this worldly dude who just does it 'cause he's annoyed.  [00:32:34] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly.  [00:32:34] Tony Arsenal: So it's not just the argument of like, here's a picture of somebody who's persisting in prayer and gets what they want, and like, yeah, we have some language about the guy being annoyed and about inappropriate asking. God's not quite like that. [00:32:47] God Not Annoyed [00:32:47] Tony Arsenal: It's really designed to paint this picture of marveling at the goodness and, and graciousness of, of God in that not only does he grant us what we need, but he does so [00:33:00] joyfully. We could not petition him enough to be annoying to him. There is no boundary for when it is inappropriate to stop asking or seeking or knocking. [00:33:12] That's the real point of this, is not to just compare God to this annoyed friend who finally gives in, but to show us, like, this is what the world looks like. When you ask enough, you might get what you want, but you're going to annoy someone. That's what worldly pr- like, persistence in lateral prayer, if we wanna call it that, just to sort of keep the analogy going, right? [00:33:33] Lateral prayer, lateral petitioning, or lateral whatever. Like, lateral interceding, all of those things, however we wanna phrase it. That is real, and yes, if you do it long enough, you're probably gonna get what you want. You might burn a bridge in the process. You can never burn the bridge to God by being so annoying, because he's saying continue to ask, continue to seek- Right [00:33:55] continue to knock, and it will be given to you. And not only will it be given to you, but it will [00:34:00] be given to you out of the joy and goodness of my heart. That is really the big comparison that's going on here  [00:34:06] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there's something that we just get to see about God's character here. It's grounds this perseverance not in doubt about God's willingness, but in confidence about it. [00:34:15] And that's what's so interesting here is it comes about by seeing this distinction. It is like a great mockery of saying like you're saying this friend who w- should've been a good friend and had all the reason to be reluctant, even though you pers- persevered with him, he relented and gave you that very thing. [00:34:32] Guess who will be the exact opposite of that? Yeah. Is God himself who lavishes love upon you. And so therefore because of that, you come before him and see he's nothing like this friend. And even a friend will do this in the worst of all circumstances. How much more so will God, where he's given you every spiritual blessing in Christ? [00:34:50] From Friend To Father [00:34:50] Jesse Schwamb: And that's, that's where he leads us, and that's why I think then it transitions to this different set of characters or comparisons by speaking about fathers. So in verse [00:35:00] 11, where we find written, "What father among you, if he has sons, asks for a fish will instead of a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?" [00:35:09] And, and I've read that there's some commentators who will draw from these pairs being chosen for maybe, like, their potential visual tactile resemblance. Like, a, an eel-like fish might have resembled a snake, and generally there were, like, these whitish scorpions I, I guess that were common in Galilee that might have resembled an egg. [00:35:26] And perhaps even here there's a little bit of humor in the illustration just to show, like, just the extreme nonsensical nature of this thing. It's, it's- Yeah ... a really cruel bait and switch. It's deliberate. You know, Jesus is appealing certainly to this universally recognized parental instinct as evidence, again, like you're saying, Tony, for a still greater divine instinct which is present, and that's this love of God for us that we can't even imagine. [00:35:49] But we can comprehend by him saying, "Come, ask, seek, knock." And so, so to me, I think we've got these two axes kind of going on here which are really interesting and beautiful. We've got the reluctant friend [00:36:00] to the willing father. That's a kind of, like, I would say again, like, relational intensification. Like, we're firing it up. [00:36:05] Here, we're taking it to the next level. And then because we got... I gotta slip this in because we got a little, a little TD coming in here hot. From the second axis is from, like, the sinful human father to the holy divine Father, which I would say is, like, a moral intensification, and that's made explicit in verse 13. [00:36:24] Total Depravity Common Grace [00:36:24] Jesse Schwamb: And here's the TD. Like, lest anybody doubt this, to me, and I don't want to over-read, but that second axis is of course where Reformed theology's doctrine of total depravity becomes, like, exegetically significant here. Yeah. Because Jesus himself just calls it out in this verse, and that's part of the, the setup that he's gonna bring forward to explain just how loving God is. [00:36:44] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and it's even, um... It's not only is it total depravity, it's also common grace, right? Yes. Even evil, even evil, wicked people. And again, like, evil is a, is in this instance is sort of a relative term, right? It's, it's, um- [00:37:00] The audience is the disciples, at least primarily the disciples. So it's not like he's talking to, he's talking to unregenerate people, right? [00:37:09] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:37:09] Tony Arsenal: Um, the, the disciples by all realistic assessment, I think, uh, were regenerate w- with the exception of Judas at this point. Um, you know, you could make some arguments that maybe some of them came to faith during the course of his ministry, but, uh, for the most part we should think of the disciples not as like coming to faith and becoming regenerate after Christ is raised. [00:37:31] Like, they're, they're believers, they're followers with the exception of Judas at this point in his ministry, and he's still calling them evil. But even Even an unregenerate father, for the most part. There are exceptions. There are, are, there are those who are so wicked that even their base parental instincts are messed up, right? [00:37:51] And that's reality. It's terribly sad, but that's, that's the vast exception. Even the worst parents in the world still love their [00:38:00] kids and wanna give them good, good gifts. Like, it's just baked into the genetics of wanting to do that. Even that still is, uh, is an act of common grace. But I, I think you're right, too, and actually, as I think about it, too, like, this isn't even just one parable. [00:38:14] Right. This is actually, if we're talking about the first one as a parable, this is actually, like, its own second parable, right? That's which of you, having a friend that shows up in the middle of the night, would not go- Yep ... and then there's, "Now what father among you?" And it's, again, it's that eminently understandable, relatable scenario where either it, it's so common that everyone has dealt with it, or it's so, like, obviously practical that even if you haven't dealt with it, you, you couldn't come to any other conclusion. [00:38:42] Right. What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, would give him a serpent, right? It's one of those, like, who does that? The answer is no- nobody. Right.  [00:38:53] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly. Right?  [00:38:53] Tony Arsenal: Who, who asks for an egg and gives a scorpion? Nobody. So we've got these two [00:39:00]scenarios where the assumption is there's a question that has an obvious outcome, and it drives us to this understanding of the, this image of God as the supremely good giver of gifts, father, faithful, gracious provider, who provides not just a good gift, but the ultimate perfect necessary gift. [00:39:22] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:39:22] Tony Arsenal: Right?  [00:39:22] How Much More Spirit [00:39:22] Tony Arsenal: And that's where we come to, uh, at the end of verse 13 is how much more, right, there's that argument from... This is truly an argument from the lesser to the greater, like in the purest sense. How much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? And I think there's all sorts of implications that we can come out of this, right? [00:39:42] Um, there are those, uh, in the Christian world who never ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And, and I'm not, um, I wanna be careful here because I'm not a two-stage salvation person. I'm not a second blessing person, right? We get the Holy Spirit as part of our [00:40:00] regeneration. Like, the Holy Spirit indwells us in regeneration and in, in, not in necessarily in regeneration, but when we are united to Christ, we're united to Christ by the, by the Spirit. [00:40:10] Right. And so there's never a point where we can be considered truly saved Christians- Those who are united to Christ, we cannot be united to Christ and not have His Spirit dwelling within us. But there is this element of the subjective experience of the Holy Spirit where we don't ask for the Holy Spirit, right? [00:40:31] Think of, like, Psalm 51, right? "Take not your Holy Spirit from me." David was not saying, uh, "I've lost the Holy Spirit." He was talking about the enjoyment of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the awareness of the gracious, loving presence of the Holy Spirit. That's what he was asking not to have taken away from him, and, and probably also there was elements of, like, anointing and office that were in there. [00:40:52] But there are lots of Christians who have the Holy Spirit in an objective sense- Right ... who don't take time [00:41:00] to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit in the subjective sense. I think that's the final sort of payout of this teaching, is that we need to continue to ask, continue to knock, and continue to seek, not for general gifts. [00:41:16] Yes, there's a general teaching about persevering in prayer for temporal blessings or spiritual protection, all of those things, all of those petitions that we have. Those are good things. It's good to be persistent in those. But the real point of this whole series of teachings here is that we need to persist in prayer to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit. [00:41:36] Like- Right ... full stop. That's the point  [00:41:40] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Wow, you just did a full stop right there. I thought there was gonna be more, but I, I was getting pumped as you were going on No, no.  [00:41:46] Tony Arsenal: It's all you. Full stop.  [00:41:49] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, yeah.  [00:41:50] Luke Versus Matthew [00:41:50] Jesse Schwamb: I mean, the comparison, of course, is not one of degree alongside, like, a single continuum where it's as though God is a better version of a human father, but it's a kind. [00:41:59] I mean, [00:42:00] God's fatherhood is the archetype of which human fatherhood is just this faint, fallen kind of analog. And so by the time you get to this payload, I like that. It's kinda like a nuclear bomb in a way. I mean, it's so theologically loaded here. Because I was just looking up Matthew's parallel passage here, and it reads, th- this is his punchline, "How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?" [00:42:26] So it strikes me that Luke, as we've been saying, writing to a largely Gentile audience after Pentecost, and with his kinda characteristic pneumatological emphasis, he emphasizes or specifies that the good things here are the Holy Spirit himself. And so we're gonna read this not as a contradiction between the Gospels, but as Luke's inspired Spirit-guided clarification/specification of what the good gifts ultimately are. [00:42:54] And while they're always pointing toward that even this temporal good gift from the Father is subordinate to and [00:43:00] finds, I guess it's like its telos in the supreme covenantal gift of God's own indwelling presence. That is a bomb. Like, that's incredible. Yeah. And so I like what you're saying here. I think it is a challenge for Christians to think about not just that we shouldn't, of course, go to God with the big and the small things, the concerns of all our lives, the anxieties and the cares which we cast before him. [00:43:20] This is all part and parcel of what real prayer means, what real communion with God is, and speaking with him and listening to his Word, uh, i- in our ear. At the same time, we shouldn't forsake the greater things that we ought to ask God with strong perseverance, knowing that he will give all those things to us. [00:43:38] I think, and you correct me if I'm wrong, I, I'm reading this as- All of this kind of momentum in Christ teaching about the Spirit coming and about where this passage had been placed in the whole kind of grand arc, and I, I think there's, like, all kinds of Ordo Salutis implications in here. But I love a good Ordo Salutis implication, so it's possible [00:44:00] I'm just coming in a little bit too hot. [00:44:01] But I think first it, it anchors this teaching within this broader Lucan narrative, narrative arc toward Pentecost, where the ascended, glorified Christ pours out the Spirit as the chief blessing of the new covenant. And so again, I'm reading this, I'm like, "Covenant, covenant, covenant." Like, only if you're watching this on YouTube can you actually see me do the, the point, like the g- the finger guns- [00:44:24] where really strongly emphasize that point. And so I just see so much covenant in this. I mean, how mu- how much covenant, how much covenant do you see in this, Tony?  [00:44:36] Covenant Obligations [00:44:36] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, I, there, there is also this element, and this goes back to sort of the first parable or the first teaching in this little segment here, um- The friend is obligated in a certain sense. [00:44:48] Like- Yes ... there is, there is a, there's a sense, a real sense I think, and again, this is something I don't think we understand. If, if, um, if I show up at my neighbor's house, my n- I live in a [00:45:00] small community. My neighbor's house is like 25 feet away from me, and if I knocked on his door in the middle of the night and said, "Gus, I need a cup of sugar," he would give it to me with a smile. [00:45:11] But he's not obligated to do that. Right. He has every right, and no one would look sideways at him if he told me to pound sand and go back to bed, right? I think, um, in the 1st century, the answer from this other friend, "No, I'm already in bed," like that actually is sort of a scandalous answer in and of itself. [00:45:29] And so even within that little dynamic, there's covenant implications, right? The a- the continued asking is inappropriate, but it, the continued asking is almost only reasonably necessary because the annoyed friend already broke a social contract. Not quite a covenant- Right ... but we might call it a social contract, where there's an a- there's an assumed position in the 1st century that if someone comes to you asking for hospitality, you give it. [00:45:57] Like there's no exclu- And that's what's [00:46:00] driving this other friend to go talk to him in mid- at midnight in the first place, is I have to provide hospitality. I'm obligated to do so. So I think, yeah, there's all sorts of covenant implications here. And when we're talking about the, the earthly fathers, right? [00:46:14] There's a covenant, um, I'm, I'm careful to use the term covenant. So I'm gonna use it, but I'm not talking, maybe we'll say lowercase C covenant rather than like formal covenants. Right, right. There's a, there's a covenantal, lowercase C [00:46:28] covenantal obligation that fathers have to their children, right? I didn't make a covenant with August and Addie, but I have obligations to them in light of my station and my role related to them, right? And there's an obligation that if they ask me for something that is reasonable and is good for them, that I should give it to them, right? [00:46:46] I'm obligated to provide food, shelter, um, I would say things like education, love, um, you know, attention. Like the things that are necessary for the health and wellbeing of my children, as a father I'm obligated to give that to them. [00:47:00] [00:47:00] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:47:00] Tony Arsenal: Whether they ask me or not. When they ask me to, right, there are times it's funny. [00:47:05] I, I'll be the first to say, um, I maybe am a little bit on my phone more than I should be, just in general, right? There are times now Addie is old enough where she sees me on her ph- on my phone, and, and sometimes, like, it's fine. They're playing and I'm, I'm doing something on my phone. There are times where she'll come up to me and she'll say, "Daddy phone," and she'll tell me to put my phone down. [00:47:23] I'm obligated to do that. Like, there's a covenantal, lowercase C, covenantal obligation. When she asks me to play with her, if there's not a pressing reason I can't, I should play with her.  [00:47:33] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:47:33] Tony Arsenal: That is really what we have at play here, and this is, this is what I think is amazing. God has covenantally bound himself to grant us the Holy Spirit when we ask him, right? [00:47:42] Jesse Schwamb: That's  [00:47:43] Tony Arsenal: what I'm  [00:47:43] Jesse Schwamb: saying.  [00:47:43] Tony Arsenal: That, and that's, that's, um, that covenantal obligation first and foremost... Man, I didn't even think we were gonna get here. Who would've thought we would've gotten to pretemporal covenant of redemption here just- Would you  [00:47:53] Jesse Schwamb: look at us ...  [00:47:54] Tony Arsenal: uh, look at us.  [00:47:55] Covenant Of Redemption [00:47:55] Tony Arsenal: Um, that covenantal obligation that the Father has to give us the Holy Spirit when we ask is not primarily his covenant with us. [00:48:03] It is, right? It's the covenant of grace, but that only is, is necessary because of his prior commitment and covenantal obligation to his Son to grant him a people who would be marked by and redeemed and have redemption applied by the Holy Spirit. The Father has promised the Son to give the people of the Son the Holy Spirit when they ask. [00:48:26] That's, that's profound in a way that I think, um, really only Reformed theology can fully get at-  [00:48:33] Jesse Schwamb: Right  [00:48:34] Tony Arsenal: on ... is that there is a promise that God the Father made to God the Son to, to send the Holy Spirit to apply the redemption that the Son purchased to his people. That's really what we're getting at here. [00:48:46] I think that's really the, sort of the final outcome of this, is there's this covenantal obligation- That the Father is not just out of His own goodness, of course out of His own goodness- Right,  [00:48:57] Jesse Schwamb: right ...  [00:48:57] Tony Arsenal: but even maybe if it, maybe it's, [00:49:00] hopefully it's not blasphemous to say this, but like even more than just His own goodness is His covenant faithfulness to the promise He's made- Amen [00:49:07] first and foremost to His Son, and then to steal some language from the Westminster Larger Catechism, first and foremost to His Son, but then also to all the elect in Him who are His spiritual seed.  [00:49:17] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. That's right. That's, see that's the good stuff.  [00:49:20] Wrap Up Holy Spirit [00:49:20] Jesse Schwamb: And so what's crazy is then this beautiful wrap-up, which is brings us back to exactly where we started, but we find that we're on another level because the passage closes exactly as it began with this imperative of asking, but now the object of asking has been specified as God's own personal presence and power, not merely material provision. [00:49:41] And so it's everything you just said all wrapped up, and we can ground then like the practice of specifically and explicitly praying for the Spirit's fresh working, which is sanctification, assurance, gifts for ministry, as entirely a biblical form of prayer distinct from, though not opposed to, a prayer for providential [00:50:00] needs. [00:50:00] In other words, I think the disciples started in a place where they were saying, "Teach us to pray so that we might receive that what which we need." And it's almost as if God says, "I will do that and one better for you. Because not only will I just open your eyes to the thing that you need most, but I'm going to instruct you on how to ask for and then receive by way of these covenantal promises, by way of my own character, my faithful precis- provision, both in establishing the promise and then seeing it to fulfillment that you might have the Holy Spirit reside within you." [00:50:33] And that is mind-boggling. We've, we've talked before just what it is to even conceive that God's presence be with us, but then that God's presence it, uh, the Holy Spirit, one of the Trinity, would be residing within us is just inconceivable. Yeah. Even now with the words coming out of my mouth it just sounds wild. [00:50:51] And yet that is what we have to give credit to here is we have to take God at His word. This is the thing that He's, He said to us. His son, His Son Himself has given us this proper [00:51:00] instruction. And I think all, all the other things we talked about, what it means again to seek after gifts for ministry, to serve in our churches and congregations, to have grand assurance, which is the right and the purview and the blessing, the propriety of the Christian to, uh, want to go after sanctification, that all of this strikes me now is part of praying for, to receive the Holy Spirit, a fresh working of the Holy Spirit in that it's not just, it's both like a command and a gift and the greatest priv

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 09/10/2026) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include: Matt Discusses Online Interactions and Vitriolic Hatred Expressed/Sola Scriptura/The Sovereignty of God/ What About Charlie Kirk?/ Funerals and Burial/Looking to a Resurrection of The Body/What Happens to Our Money?/ Reformed Beliefs in Contrast to Pentecostals/ September 10, 2026

Original Air Date: 9/12/26 Episode Number: 476Episode SummaryThis week Dan tackles one of the most repeated pieces of color advice in home design — "dark colors recede, light colors advance" — and asks why it so often fails in real rooms. Digging into the perception research behind the phrase, he untangles two things the rule quietly conflates: a color fading into the background versus a surface actually appearing farther away. From there he works through seven common room situations — low ceilings, long narrow rooms, dark rooms, walls as backdrop, boxed-in rooms, ceilings as a feature, and color capping — showing how to pick color by starting with the room and your goal instead of a rule. The episode opens with part two of the furniture refinishing series: checking an old piece for lead before you sand, scrape, or strip.Timestamps00:00 Welcome and Color Questions00:44 Lead Paint Testing04:07 Dark Colors Recede Myth07:58 Research on Room Perception11:19 Recede vs Spaciousness14:07 Contrast and Lighting Effects18:44 Practical Room Scenarios22:25 Low Ceilings Look Higher23:48 Fix Long Narrow Rooms27:24 Brighten Dark Rooms29:46 Walls as Backdrop32:08 Small Rooms and Drenching34:30 Make Ceiling a Feature35:58 Color Capping Guidance37:11 Key Takeaways and WrapTest for Lead Before You Refinish Anything [00:44]Part two of the furniture refinishing series. Last week: deciding whether a thrift store or Marketplace find is worth bringing home. This week: the question to answer before you touch it with sandpaper.Why it matters during refinishing. Intact lead-based coating buried under newer paint, left alone or simply painted over, is a relatively low-exposure situation. Scraping, sanding, or grinding changes the picture — that's when you turn the coating into chips and airborne dust that can be inhaled or spread through the house. The older the piece and the more layers on it, the better the chance lead is in the stack somewhere.Test all the layers, not just the top one. That dresser may have been painted white five years ago with modern latex, with a coat from the '70s under it and something much older under that. If you're sanding through the stack, you need to know what's in it.Clear finishes count too. Paint gets most of the attention, rightly — but lead compounds were also used as drying agents in some older oil-based varnishes and related finishes. On a genuinely old piece, don't assume a clear finish is nothing to think about.Kits are cheap and simple. Lead test kits are inexpensive and widely available online — basic screening tests where you expose the coating, follow the directions, and watch for the color change.If it tests positive. Stop treating it as an ordinary refinishing project. A dust mask and a sander is not the plan. There are specific lead-safe work practices for these coatings, and the EPA publishes homeowner guidance on them. You can still do the work yourself — just understand how to protect yourself and your family first.Why "Dark Colors Recede" Keeps Failing [04:07]The segment started as a nagging doubt. In last week's color capping discussion, Dan cautioned against automatically putting the darkest color on the ceiling of a small, low, dimly lit room — which runs against something the show, and designers generally, have said for years. The honest problem: he's been in plenty of small rooms with dark ceilings and dark walls that felt small, not expansive, and others where a dark ceiling genuinely did feel farther away. If it's a rule, why is it hit or miss?Where the idea came from. It isn't invented. Perception research supports it — much of the early work involved objects against backgrounds, where lighter shapes come forward and darker backgrounds fall back. A cream sofa against a deep navy wall is the everyday version: the sofa, the artwork, the lamp grab your eye, and the navy settles behind them.Where it breaks. A wall or ceiling isn't an object against a background. It's one of the surfaces that defines the size of the room.What the Research Found in Rooms [07:58]Researchers eventually studied room surfaces directly, using virtual rooms where physical dimensions stayed fixed while the lightness of individual surfaces was manipulated.2010: lighter ceilings appeared higher than darker ceilings.2018: the work broadened to all the surfaces defining a room. Brighter side walls made rooms appear wider; a brighter far wall made the room appear deeper. Darker versions consistently shrank the estimates.So the traditional rule says dark recedes — but when researchers measured where people thought a room's boundaries actually were, brighter surfaces read as farther away.Two Different Meanings of "Recede" [11:19]The word is doing double duty, and that's the whole problem.Meaning one — it takes a back seat. The navy wall behind the cream sofa recedes in the sense that it's no longer what you're looking at. Real effect — but it doesn't mean your brain has decided the wall is five feet farther away.Meaning two — it looks farther away. A different claim, and the one the research doesn't support for room-defining surfaces.Separate the two and the contradiction dissolves. That navy wall can function as a background behind a light sofa while a lighter color on the same wall would make the room read as slightly deeper.And a dark color doesn't automatically become the background anyway. Put that same navy on a single accent wall in an otherwise light room — light side walls, white ceiling, white trim — and it's a large dark rectangle in a bright space. Your eye goes straight to it. Same color, opposite result.What Actually Decides It: Contrast and Lighting [14:07]Contrast. Whatever stands out from its surroundings gets your attention. In the first room, the light furniture and art stood out against the navy, so the navy became background. In the second, the navy stood out against everything, so it became the focal point. Whether a color reads as backdrop or star depends on what you put next to it and what else is competing for attention.Lighting. Light hitting a dark wall directly keeps it present — you see the roller texture, the corner, any sheen reflecting back. It's dark, but it clearly isn't going anywhere. Move the illumination out in front of it, in a flatter finish, so the furniture and art are lit and the wall sits in softer light, and it becomes far less visually distinct. That's when it falls away. Same overhead: a ceiling lit brightly enough to show its texture reads as close, whatever the color, while softer light up there starts to feel cavernous.One counterweight. Lighting research also shows brightly illuminated light walls increase the overall sense of spaciousness. Receding is not the same as feeling open.The takeaway on the rule itself: it's trying to do too much. One small rule is being asked to predict something an entire room creates — color, contrast, lighting, furniture, ceiling height, windows, sight lines, even clutter. Which is why the lab studies help: strip the variables out, change only lightness, and lighter ceilings look higher, lighter side walls look wider, lighter back walls look farther. Dark rooms can absolutely feel spacious — the paint just isn't doing that work alone.Seven Room Situations [18:44]Start with the room, not the rule: what do I want color to do here, and what am I working with?1. You want a low ceiling to look higher [22:25]The cleanest case. Stay relatively light overhead — this is where the research is strongest. Lighter walls help too; a light wall color with a very light ceiling is the strongest combination for apparent height. You can put color on the ceiling, it doesn't have to be stark white — but be cautious about letting the ceiling read as perceptibly darker than the walls. Green walls with a soft pale green ceiling gives you color overhead while keeping the ceiling light, which is the part actually working for you.2. Long, narrow room you want to reproportion [23:48]Too narrow? Keep the two long side walls relatively light. Lighter side walls appeared farther apart in the research, and they also bounce more light back into the space, softening the shadowed edges that make a room feel like a tunnel.Want it to feel longer? Keep the far wall relatively light — a lighter rear wall appeared farther away.Want to visually shorten it? Flip it. A deeper color on that far wall makes the boundary feel more present and closer.Worth flagging: a lot of design advice says a dark accent wall at the far end makes a room look deeper. When researchers measured perceived depth directly, that isn't what happened — the lighter rear wall consistently appeared farther, the darker one closer. That's lightness in isolation, though. A brightly lit, clearly defined dark wall feels right in your face; the same wall in softer light can fall back. Lightness pushes perceived depth one way, darkness the other, and the rest of the room has its say.Already painted and disappointed? Before repainting that dark hallway wall, try changing the lighting or adding contrasting furniture or artwork in front of it. The color may be fine — it may just need help.3. A room with little natural light...

Nick and John get together to discuss three HogwartsProfessor posts about the All New Hogwarts House Emblems and Rowling's commentary via three emojis about the recent trailer for the Bronte Studios adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. You can read those posts via these links:The HBO+ Potter Trailer: The Meaning of Rowling's Heart, Owl, and Lightning BoltHBO's Harry Potter and the Alchemical SymbolsThe New Hogwarts House Emblems and Their Alchemical and Plant SymbolismOr you can just jump right into the conversation via the questions, notes and links below!Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The Ten Questions Guiding this Conversation: Nick in Red, John in Blue1. G'day, John! Great to see you, your chin, and hairline again! You posted a short piece over at the HogwartsProfessor weblog this week about a seemingly meaningless Rowling tweet that shared a new trailer for the HBO+ adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She only ‘wrote' three emojis, but, even though you wrote was only several paragraphs long, it said a lot. Why do such a deep-dive into these perhaps offhand fan-servicing signals?* All the signals or emojis are traditional symbols, so, offhand or not, they're markers of the choice a serious reader has to make about understanding Rowling's work properly;* Is it literary sacred art as her Shed tool choices suggest or just creative personal expressions for our diversion and entertainment? * Rowling is signaling us, as you say, that it is the former with these three emojis.* T. S. Eliot, ‘The Dry Salvages' (InterNet Poem)We had the experience but missed the meaningAnd approach to the meaning restores the experiencein a different form2. Let's take a closer look, then! The Heart, the Owl, and the Lightning Bolt -- what does the Rowling fan, from “ten years old to seventy,” see right away before they stretch for the traditional meaning?* Heart – Rowling is pleased; we should be, too; heart as sentiment, love token. * Owl – Hedwig in Stone, important message being delivered, ‘pet' project of Rowling's. * Lightning Bolt – The Boy Who Lived's signature mark, news out of the blue or ‘news flash'3. And there's more? What traditional meanings do these emojis have?* The Heart to Rowling is a lot more than a token of sentiment. It is a Golden Thread in her work that the Heart is a pulsing symbol of the human spiritual capacity. Only the Eye does as much heavy freight of meaning lifting in her work and I think the Heart surpasses the Eye ultimately in importance except insomuch as she elides their meaning. Read The Heart is Not About Emotions and Affection but the Human Spiritual Center for discussion of the symbolism and the Golden Thread.* The Owl, too, is an ancient and dynamic symbol, the reason frankly there is a Hedwig rather than Hedwig being the meaning of the token. Rowling clearly draws on her experience of owls in Greek mythology (and reading of C. S. Lewis' Narniad drawing on the same source) in making the owl the vessel of communication and supernatural perception in her Wizarding World. None of the letters written by her witches and wizards need to be addressed because an owl is so attuned to everyone and everything that it is able effortlessly to understand where it needs to go, God's own GPS. What is usually described as a symbol of Wisdom is clearly much more a revelation of a mind able to grasp the great interconnectedness of things which in turns takes us back to the Eye and the Heart — and what Rowling is trying to bring to readers in her transformative literature. (Contrast this Greek mythology symbolism with what owls represent in Christian scripture; quite the gulf between Athens and Jerusalem there!)* But the wisdom piece is there, too! Rowling is writing at four levels of story that correspond with the four ways of human knowing, of which the last and most important is gnosis or wisdom, the so-called anagogical layer of meaning that no less a light than Flannery O'Connor said was the whole point of writing and reading. If you're writing for the Heart or to illumine the Eye of the Heart, the goal is transformative imaginative experience fostering wisdom.* And the Lightning Bolt? The forehead scar, the mark of Orestes, the Greek hero who avenged his father's betrayal and murder, is another polyvalent and profoundly spiritual cipher as a lightning bolt. In it simultaneously the reader experiences simultaneously as we do in a thunder storm albeit imaginatively (1) sudden illumination or enlightenment, (2) from above, the heavens, the super-conscious realm, and, most important, (3) a reorientating shock, a cathartic shaking, the jolting moment that jars us out of our psychological rut and cage to see the world afresh with our ‘eye of the heart.'* Rowling's three emojis on her tweet about the fun trailer below can be read as fan servicing variations on the ‘thumbs up' and ‘hand-clapping' using tokens associated with the books. No doubt about that reading.* I think it as important to note, however, the possibility that Mrs Murray is signaling to the HBO+ audience as well as the international of readers that this adaptation is about trying to reproduce as much as is possible in an iconoclastic medium some replica of the imaginative and transformative experience to be had in the books. The Heart, the Owl, and the Lightning Bolt all point to that experience and depth of meaning.4. Which segues nicely to your brief post, Nick, on the HBO+ adaptations and its choices in how to represent the four Hogwarts Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. (”Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweek,” anyone?) Can you review what the books say are the proper representations, the heraldic glyphs most appropriate to each house?5. Has Rowling added content or context for why she chose those specific representations?[Anelli-Spartz Interview discussion of four elements]JKR: But they're not all — don't think I don't take your point, but — we, the reader, and I as the writer, because I'm leading you all there — you are seeing Slytherin house always from the perspective of Death Eaters' children. They are a small fraction of the total Slytherin population. I'm not saying all the other Slytherins are adorable, but they're certainly not Draco, they're certainly not, you know, Crabbe and Goyle. They're not all like that, that would be too brutal for words, wouldn't it?ES: But there aren't a lot of Death Eater children in the other houses, are there?JKR: You will have people connected with Death Eaters in the other houses, yeah, absolutely.ES: Just in lesser numbers.JKR: Probably. I hear you. It is the tradition to have four houses, but in this case, I wanted them to correspond roughly to the four elements. So Gryffindor is fire, Ravenclaw is air, Hufflepuff is earth, and Slytherin is water, hence the fact that their common room is under the lake. So again, it was this idea of harmony and balance, that you had four necessary components and by integrating them you would make a very strong place. But they remain fragmented, as we know.More on Elements and Humours at HogwartsProfessor:* Ben Jonson's Every Man and His Humor* The Crimes of Grindelwald Group Portrait: A Study in Temperaments6. Where did the Warner Brothers film adaptations depart from and stick to the page-and-interview House heraldry?* The animal representations as often as not are facing in the wrong direction, sinister rather than dexter and vice versa; AND* The Ravenclaw eagle of the books became a raven and their House colors become dark and light shades of blue rather than blue and copper.7. But those corrections aren't the most interesting changes or corrections in these new House shields, are they? What are the extras we're given that weren't suggested in the original texts but implicit in the interview material?[Hat Tip to Sad-Ad-9273 at r/HarryPotteratHBO for these screen catches!]* Note the vegetation in the Banners and the Emblems: the acorns in the Gryffindor mean the Oak tree is its symbol; the white berries in Slytherin suggest holly, per Sandra Miesel Kopec, the laurel tree seems a match for Ravenclaw and ivy for Hufflepuff;* Check out a website devoted to these things, ‘What Do Leaves Represent on a Coat of Arms,' for the meaning of these plant associations with each house or share your own ideas in the comment boxes below!8. What is with the ornamentation on those triangles? The Slytherin circle, the sideways line and paleolithic horse on Gryffindor, the Ravenclaw ‘V,' and the Hufflepuff cup and ‘V'? Are these Founder's treasure tokens that become Horcruxes? If so, are there traditional meanings as well as plot points, e.g., Tarot Card qualities?[Hat Tip to LightAngel452 at r/HarryPotteratHBO for the brilliant graphic! LightAngel also picked up on the alchemical symbols.]* The Emblems material that gets heady involves the melange of symbols and signs in their respective headboards; * Slytherin has an easily discerned ‘S,' the suggestion of the House's signature serpent, and the Horcrux locket of Salazar Slytherin;* Ravenclaw's header with a little head turning and squinting has an ‘R,' the V inserted looks like a diadem, and simultaneously it has what looks like an eagle in flight from a distance;* Gryffindor does not seem to include the ‘G' we'd expect, but the Sword of Gryffindor, and the paleolithic horse a Medieval knight be riding are evident;* Hufflepuff gets the best of the lot, though, with its distractingly obvious cup obscuring how the ‘V' within the inverted triangle and its bisecting line yields both the stripes of a badger and Helga Hufflepuff's initials!* That's great stuff, Nick, but the real catch, I think, was what you shared in your post about the alchemical symbols for the Four Elements, the triangles illustrated in the Wikipedia page for such things and in The Book of Alchemy (Chapter 9, ‘The Four Elements,' pp 111-128 [pdf numbering]; Air triangle 119, Water, Fire, Star of David 115, Earth “no predetermined figure” 113-114)* The meaning of those triangles, especially their direction and the bisecting lines in the symbols for Earth and Air, can be found in Titus Burckhardt's Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul, a book we can be pretty sure Rowling read because the Penguin paperback available when she was a Comprehensive student featured Rubeus Hagrid, hermaphroditic giant, with a dragon, both astride a Golden Snitch, on its cover:* Burckhardt explains that the symbols are understood correctly in their harmonious combination or elision as the Seal of Solomon (‘Star of David') [pp 74-75];* The bisecting lines of the Earth and Air symbols is from the base lines of the triangle in the Seal that brings the whole into balance;* Which representations align perfectly with Rowling's attempt to explain the Four Houses as the Four Elements and how the goal or telos of each is its harmonious integration with the others, i.e., the Seal of Solomon;* We may not be able to say that Rowling told Bronte Studios to use these symbols on their respective Hogwarts House emblems, but its undeniable I think that the HBO+ adaptations are going to be risibly rich in traditional symbolism that most readers may or may not notice but which they will not ‘get' without some serious study.9. And, John, you're putting up a post later today about the New Potter Mania and how it will look like the old Potter Mania and still be qualitatively different. We'll probably do a whole show to talk about that but what are the highlights? * Not today, but very soon!10. And I see you're putting up material for the Paid Subscribers on just that subject? * Paid Subscribers will be receiving chapters from the Perennialist PhD thesis draft I wrote that Dimitra Fimi rescued from the fireplace;* I'm meeting with an online course platform owner today that I'm all but certain will be hosting the Wizard Reading Formula classes I gave in 2017 which will be free to Paid Subscribers;* And which will serve as a run-up to and acid test for our ten week week ‘Lake, Shed, Golden Thread' course that will launch in 2027, maybe even at Christmas time 2026 for folks to give themselves their friends and family as presents* Stay tuned! Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Slick Live (Live Broadcast of 09/10/2026) is a production of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM). Matt answers questions on topics such as: The Bible, Apologetics, Theology, World Religions, Atheism, and other issues! You can also email questions to Matt using: info@carm.org, Put "Radio Show Question" in the Subject line! Answers will be discussed in a future show. Topics Include: Matt Discusses Online Interactions and Vitriolic Hatred Expressed/Sola Scriptura/The Sovereignty of God/ What About Charlie Kirk?/ Funerals and Burial/Looking to a Resurrection of The Body/What Happens to Our Money?/ Reformed Beliefs in Contrast to Pentecostals/ September 10, 2026

Five signs the universe is aligning behind the scenes: contrast, angel numbers, synchronicities, heightened intuition, and perceiving your world differently. Noticing any of these signs? Comment which one below and subscribe for more. Sign 1: Contrast (the law of opposites) Sign 2: Angel numbers Sign 3: Synchronicities Sign 4: Heightened intuition Sign 5: Perceiving your world differently Your expansion starts here: https://hubs.ly/Q03NXHlV0 I built a $50M business and you can too → https://kathleencameronofficial.com/liveevent Manifest your first MILLION now → https://kathleencameronofficial.com/millionaire/   Subscribe To The Manifested Podcast With Kathleen Cameron: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify Connect With The Kathleen Cameron: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | TikTok | Kathleencameronofficial.com     Unlock Your Dreams with House of Manifestation A community where you take control of your destiny, manifest your desires, and create a life filled with abundance and purpose? Look no further than the House of Manifestation, where your transformation begins: https://houseofmanifestation.com/     About Kathleen Cameron: Kathleen Cameron, Chief Wealth Creator, 8-figure entrepreneur, and record-breaking author. In just 2 years, she built a 20 million-dollar business and continues to share her knowledge and expertise with all of whom she connects with.  With her determination, unwavering faith, and powers of manifestation, she has helped over 100,000 people attract more love, money, and success into their lives. Her innovative approaches to Manifestation and utilizing the Laws of Attraction have led to the creation of one of the top global success networks, Diamond Academy Coaching. Thousands of students have been able to experience quantum growth. The force behind her magnetic field has catapulted many students into a life beyond their wildest dreams and she is just getting started. Kathleen helps others step into their true potential and become the best version of themselves with their goals met. Kathleen graduated with two undergraduate degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Toronto with a master's degree in nursing leadership. Her book, "Becoming The One", published by Hasmark Publishing, launched in August 2021 became an International Best Seller in five countries on the first day.    This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact

Wednesday Service

Dive into a hilarious rundown of "Florida Man" crimes—including an undercooked potato fork-stabbing, a Dollar General brawl sparked by a loud fart, and the legendary security guard "Paul Flart" livestreaming his own firing. Contrast the laughs with raw, unforgettable calls from retired NYPD and Chicago officers detailing the grim realities of the streets, a look at Poland's uncompromising immigration policies, and family drama over pawned guitars and "grandma's Hummels". From CIA art psyops to Drive-Thru ID checks and tips on approaching women, Walter proves that late-night talk radio is still the wildest place on the dial.

Brian, Brandon, and Aaron discuss enterprise AI adoption using the sales analogy of whether AI is a “vitamin” or a “painkiller,” arguing that successful transformation still requires a burning-platform event. Brandon suggests AI adoption resembles past digital transformations: without urgent pressure (e.g., a data center closing), organizations resist change and justify existing processes. Brian describes a compressed hype cycle from ChatGPT excitement to pilots and guardrails, followed by difficulties with data, cost-effective scaling, and making AI behave deterministically, while fear of competitors keeps efforts alive. They add a third category, “Whippets”, short-term, resume-driven initiatives led by leaders who leave others “holding the bag.” They debate examples like Sheetz' multiple VMs and argue that AI's promise is personal productivity, but note a lack of enterprise collaboration and shared-memory tools that limit organizational impact.SHOW: 1060SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Enterprise AI Show #1060 TranscriptSHOW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/XZqomQosv1wSHOW LINKS:The Enterprise AI ShowSHOW SPONSORS:Nasuni - Activate your data for AI and request a demoNordLayer - Use ENTERPRISE10 for 10% off.The thesis: Successful digital transformation usually has a forcing function; you migrate the data center because the real estate got sold, not because someone promised abstract savings. Deadline + shared incentive = people actually change. AI adoption mostly lacks that: no one's forcing the migration, so it defaults to "give everyone Copilot licenses and hope."Core question: If your business is healthy and there's no burning platform, how do you adopt AI in a way that's more than expensive theater, without a crisis to manufacture urgency?Discussion topics:Forcing functions vs. vibes: What are the AI-era equivalents of "the real estate got sold"? A support team that's actually understaffed, a process with a real bottleneck, a cost center leadership is already scrutinizing vs. a mandate to "use more AI."The unknown-unknowns problem: Most orgs don't know which of their workflows AI would actually help vs. where it's a novelty. How do you go find that out cheaply, without a company-wide token-burning experiment as the discovery mechanism?Bottom-up signal vs. top-down mandate: Does real usage data (who's actually using tools, for what) surface better targets than an executive committee guessing at use cases?Contrast with the failed "abstract savings" migration: What does an AI initiative look like when it's tied to a concrete, already-painful problem instead of a general efficiency narrative?The FOMO trap: Distinguishing "we don't want to miss the platform shift" (legitimate) from "we need AI headlines for the board" (theater), and how leadership can tell which one they're actually doing.Measurement: If there's no forcing function, what replaces the natural deadline/incentive alignment as the way you know it's working, or that it's time to kill it?Final ThoughtIs the right move small, cheap, bounded bets against known pain points, treating AI adoption like a search problem, not a rollout, rather than a company-wide transformation initiative looking for a reason to exist?FEEDBACK?Email: show @ the enterprise ai show dot comBluesky: @TheEntAIShow.bsky.socialTwitter/X: @TheEntAIShowInstagram: @TheEntAIShow

We learned all about Tatiana Popova, of Owl Crafts, in our Feb. 8, 2026 show when we talked about her background and her excellent book Contrast in Crewel Embroidery. At the time, she mentioned that a new book was in the works. The book, Modern Crewel Embroidery for Beginners, is now available and we spent a few minutes with Tatiana learning about it. If you’ve never done crewel embroidery, or have tried and need an assist, this book should help you. It has an extensive tools-and-stitches section and offers eight very approachable projects, designed to help you develop your skills. Crewel is fun to do and has its own unique style. If you’re tempted, this book would be handy to have at your side.–Gary Listen to the podcast: This show is also available on FlossTube. Watch the video You can listen by using the player above or you can subscribe to Fiber Talk through iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, Audible, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Podbay, Podbean, and many other podcast sources. To receive e-mail notification of new podcasts, provide your name and e-mail address below. We do not sell/share e-mail addresses. Here are some links: Tatiana’s first show Owl Crafts website Owl Crafts on Instagram Owl Crafts on Facebook We hope you enjoy this conversation with Tatiana Popova. We're always looking for guests, so let me know if there is someone you’d like me to have on the show. To add yourself to our mailing list and be notified whenever we post a new podcast, provide your name and email address below. You won’t get spam and we won’t share your address.

 People argue about attention spans and word counts. But both short and long sales letters make money. The better question is: “How much uncertainty must I remove before the right buyer feels safe saying yes?”Some say, “Nobody reads anymore,” when what they really mean is, “Nobody reads stuff they don't care about.”Your sales letter should stop talking when the buyer stops wondering. This may be the best line in the entire podcast. The $3,000 coaching example illustrates it perfectly: a headline, three bullets and a button may look clean, but the buyer still has six unanswered questions. Contrast that with a $29 workshop sold to a warm audience, where very little explanation may be necessary.That leads naturally into: People don't hate long copy. They hate copy that wastes their time.Introduce the 4D Copy-Length Test: Dollars, Doubt, Delay, Difference.  Dollars: How much does making the wrong decision cost me—not just money, but time, effort and reputation?Doubt: How skeptical am I about you, the claim or the offer?Delay: How long before I actually get the promised result?Difference: How unfamiliar or difficult to understand is what you're selling?Then give the simple scoring system:0–1 = Short 2 = Hybrid 3–4 = LongShort copy isn't better copy. It's copy for a different buying situation. Short works particularly well when trust is already high, the offer is simple, the commitment is low, the result is quick, or something else—like a webinar, referral or detailed email—has already done much of the selling.Maybe that 200-word sales page worked because the webinar before it was the other 5,000 words of the sales letter.Long copy should be a guided sales conversation—not a wall of text. Every section needs a job: increase desire, build belief or remove friction. If it doesn't accomplish one of those things, cut it. The goal isn't length. The goal is belief.This is also where I'd introduce your Accordion Principle: make the top of the page work for somebody who's ready to buy quickly, then expand downward with proof, mechanism, FAQs, comparisons and details for people who need them.The right sales letter isn't short or long. It's complete.

durée : 01:15:44 - Les Nuits de France Culture - Du grand massif granitique de la Margeride aux vastes plateaux calcaires des Causses, la Lozère séduit par la beauté et la diversité de ses paysages. En 1989, Joël Vernet propose pour les "Nuits magnétiques" une série sur cette région que l'ethnologue Martin de la Soudière explore depuis dix ans. - équipe : Antoine Dhulster, Emily Vallat, Hassane M'Béchour, INA - invités : Martin de la Soudière Ethnologue, sociologue et géographe français Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Contrast media varies by type and purpose. Discover the four types used in radiology, why proper selection and supervision matter for patient safety, and how imaging centers are meeting compliance requirements while scaling operations efficiently.https://www.contrast-connect.com/blog-post/4-types-of-contrast-media-in-radiology-examples-use-cases ContrastConnect City: Las Vegas Address: Las vegas Website: https://www.contrast-connect.com/

As America seeks an agreement with Iran amid the current war, Hank Hanegraaff asks a crucial question: How should we understand the thinking of Iran's Islamic leadership?In this episode of Hank Unplugged, Hank looks back to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad's ten-year truce with the Meccans in A.D. 628, and examines its enduring significance in Islamic history and political thought. From Muhammad's eventual conquest of Mecca to Yasser Arafat's invocation of Hudaybiyyah during the Oslo peace process, Hank argues that the past provides an important lens through which to assess negotiations with Iran today.  Hank also considers the historic expansion of Islam through conquest and migration, the transformation of formerly Christian centers such as Constantinople, and the profound differences between the examples set by Muhammad and Jesus Christ.  Jesus commanded His followers to love their enemies, pray for those who persecute them, and be peacemakers. Ultimately, He gave His life so that others might live.  As Hank often says, “Contrast is the conduit to clarity.” And in this episode, he contends that the contrast between Christ and Muhammad—and between Christianity and Islam—could hardly be more consequential.  Topics include Iran, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad, jihad, Yasser Arafat and the Oslo Accords, Islam in Europe, Constantinople and Hagia Sophia, Christianity and Islam, and the teachings of Jesus Christ.  For more information on Islam please see Hank's book MUSLIM: What You Need to Know About the World's Fastest Growing Religion. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-muslim-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-worlds-fastest-growing-religion-wa0426/Listen to Hank's podcast and follow Hank off the grid where he is joined by some of the brightest minds discussing topics you care about. Get equipped to be a cultural change agent.Archived episodes are on our Website and available at the additional channels listed below.You can help spread the word about Hank Unplugged by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed on.   

Why does life sometimes feel better when there's no service?No notifications. No traffic. No endless scrolling. No climate-controlled room. No food showing up at your door.Just sunlight. Dirt. Cold water. Movement. Fire. Stars. Good food. Good people. And whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at you.In this solo episode of ALLSMITH, Bryce reflects on returning from time off the grid and explores a question that kept following him home:Have we made life so convenient that we've forgotten some of what makes us feel alive?This isn't an anti-technology episode. And it's definitely not Bryce telling everyone to sell their shit and move into the woods.

Listen to understand how to dramatize a character's internal change. Welcome to our third entry in our character arc series; and the first where we talk about characters that actually change. And positively, too. We deep dive into BARBIE, WIDOWS and ALL OF US STRANGERS to work out what makes an arc feel positive -- even if the film itself is heartbreaking. All three films are "positive arcs" that feel wildly different. We speculate whether that's due to the nature of the relationship questions, the use of additive/subtractive rewards; and whether it's do with the connection of the characters needs and their goals. We further crystalize two tools we've been kicking around: The relationship question — take a character question ("will she learn to connect?") and pose it as a relationship problem ("will these two grow closer or further apart?"). Additive vs subtractive rewards — We continue buildling on this idea from our Steadfast episodes. Does the story give the character something or take something away? And is that a good or a bad thing? And Mel brings up a third: Repeating a beat from a different angle so we can trace a character's gradual evolution. We also debate whether Barbie's void scene is a producer's note personified — a director going into the endless nothing to spell the themes out one more time. All this and more on DZ-130! As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. LIKE THIS EPISODE? Watch and comment on YouTube. Send us feedback. Send us a voice message via Speakpipe! Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre & Natalie and Lily. → Read the transcript for this episode. ——— "A relationship question is taking what we think is an internal question about a character and defining it in terms of the relationship. Will Moana grow closer to their village coming back or will they'll grow further apart?" — Stu Willis @ 00:06:09 ——— CHAPTERS 00:00:00 – Cold Open 00:00:21 – Positive Character Arcs 00:04:47 – › Relationship questions as the key to dramatizing arcs 00:09:00 – Followup Questions 00:12:12 – Zero Context Insights 00:13:01 – BARBIE 00:17:16 – › The void scene with Barbie's creator 00:23:13 – › Immortality versus death as the real choice 00:27:02 – › Debating the lie the character believes 00:44:26 – › Gain versus loss framing the ending 00:52:34 – › Contrast and affinity 00:59:47 – WIDOWS 01:05:47 – › Establishing character patterns before the heist begins 01:09:37 – › Do the widows have values before the story starts 01:18:42 – › Skills and goals tightly tied to character growth 01:21:04 – › Alice's escalating value shift through the sugar daddy scene 01:25:04 – › Linda's grief scene and steadfast versus positive arcs 01:27:12 – › Veronica's arc through Harry's betrayal and revenge 01:39:33 – › Comparing ensemble arcs to OCEAN'S ELEVEN and THE TOWN 01:46:46 – › Relationship questions as emotional engine of ensemble films 01:49:36 – ALL OF US STRANGERS 01:55:38 – › Rebuffing Harry sets up the positive arc 02:02:15 – › Isolation to connectedness as the emotional throughline 02:07:24 – › Contrasting coming out scenes with mom and dad 02:11:26 – › The low point as emotional violence not distance 02:18:48 – › Dream logic and touch as physical arc tracking 02:23:20 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up 02:26:20 – › Additive versus subtractive rewards in character arcs 02:29:58 – › Patreon shoutouts and next episode preview FILMS BARBIE (2023) — (w) Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig (d) Greta Gerwig WIDOWS (2018) — (w) Gillian Flynn, Steve Mcqueen (d) Steve Mcqueen ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) — (w) Andrew Haigh, Taichi Yamada (d) Andrew Haigh SCRIPTS Study the script: BARBIE (2023) — Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig Study the script: ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) — Andrew Haigh, Taichi Yamada SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES What You Don't See: WIDOWS Frames within Frames: ALL OF US STRANGERS LINKS Read: Colour Theory: DESERT HEARTS Read: Greta Gerwig Explains What Barbie's Bench Scene Really Means EPISODES IN THE CHARACTER ARCS SERIES DZ-128: What even is a Character Arc? DZ-129: Steadfast Character Arcs - Agents of Change DZ-130: Positive Character Arcs RELATED EPISODES DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston DZ-112: Breaking the 4th wall DZ-113: Tools For Filmmakers To Talk To The Audience ——— More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser. We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2026/dz-130/

#13 — Slaying Selfishness ● 2 Timothy 3:2 — “For men shall be lovers of their own selves...” Statement: “We were created to worship God, love people, and use things. But selfishness reverses it—we ignore God, love things, and use people.” 1. Nabal Had Great Possessions 1 Samuel 25:2 Emphasize: “the man was very great.” Deuteronomy 8:18 2. Nabal's Hard Personality 1 Samuel 25:3 Emphasize: “the man was churlish and evil in his doings.” 3. Nabal Refused a Reasonable Plea (reference 1 Samuel 25:4–11) Contrast with Jesus: ● Visual: Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount. “Give to every man that asketh of thee...” — Luke 6:30 ● 1 John 3:17 ● Acts 20:35 4. Nabal Endangered His People (reference 1 Samuel 25:12–22) verse 13: ● David tells his men, “Gird ye on every man his sword.” James 4:1–2 Statement: “When self is on the throne, Christ is on the cross. But when Christ is on the throne, self is on the cross.” 5. God Dealt With Nabal's Pride (ref 1 Samuel 25:36–38) ● Verse 36-38 ● 1 Timothy 6:7 — “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” ● Mark 8:35 Five Practices That Defeat Selfishness 1. Look Beyond Yourself Philippians 2:4 2. Listen to the Needs of Others Philippians 2:4 James 1:19 3. Let Go of Your Rights Philippians 2:5–6 Mark 10:45 4. Love Through Sacrificial Service Philippians 2:7–8 John 15:13 ● Underline: “that a man lay down his life for his friends.” 5. Live With the Mind of Christ Philippians 2:5 ● “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:9 ● “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him...” 2 Corinthians 8:9 Statement: “There is no life so empty as a self-centered life, and there is no life so full as a Christ-centered life.” John 3:30 ● “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ● Emphasize: ○ “Ye are not your own.” ○ “For ye are bought with a price.”

Jamie Dickerman of Red River Farm Network and Randy Martinson of Martinson Ag Risk Management discuss a rising grain market and faltering cattle market on the Agweek Market Wrap. 

What if the hardest part isn't the wanting, it's the moment you actually get it? The state of allowing is what happens right when everything you asked for arrives. I've been living inside that this season, watching things land in my business, my relationship, my writing, and noticing exactly where I throttle it back. This episode is about that throttle, and about the move that releases it. There are five concepts in the SI Method. Two of them are breaking the structure and money neutrality. They're not opposing forces, but they are very different, and the state of allowing is how you float from one to the other. If you've told me you feel stuck, this is the gap you're standing in. In this episode: Why allowing gets tested the moment things go beyond what you asked for The difference between contrast and the story you attach to contrast Why frequency is not a feeling, and how you actually know you've shifted Why source doesn't need a boundary, and what changes when you stop enforcing them How the state of allowing carries you between breaking the structure and money neutrality If you want to learn more about the state of allowing, I have a free, 5-part series that dives deeper called Expanding Money. You can watch today at thespiritualinvestor.com/expandingmoney

Franco Pascali was a member of the Junior Program at The Magic Castle and has become a rare blend of hyper-visual cardistry practitioner and hands-off mentalist. Franco's style is marked by contrast, and his audiences go crazy for it. He joins the show to discuss aesthetics, creativity, and his show at The Roosevelt.

Job's picture of the wicked man is 1. opposite of the friend's picture of the wicked man. 2. It is the opposite of what we might expect from other passages that describe the kind of behavior God blesses and curses. 3. It is the opposite of Job's experiences. Job's picture of the wicked sounds much like the picture painted in Psalm 73:1-14. 21:7-16 The world that the friends described is a world that “exists only in their own minds.” 21:7 Whey do the wicked still live,- The word wicked is used in vs. 7 and vs. 16. The friends spoke of the wicked dying early (15:20, 32-33; 18:19; 20:11). While Zophar spoke of the wicked perishing (20:7; also 18:17), Job says that they continue to live on. Long life is a blessing of the godly in Ps. 21:4 but here it is enjoyed by the ungodly.                                                                                                                                   21:8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,-  Contrast 20:10, 26. And their offspring before their eyes,- This is contrary to the words of Eliphaz in 15:34 and Bildad in 8:4; 18:19.  21:9 Their houses are safe from fear,- The word safe is the Hebrew shalom which is often translated peace. This peace was only available for those right with God (5:24) and is only temporary for the wicked (15:21).  21:10 His ox mates without fail;-  Zophar said that the prosperity of the wicked will not last (20:21, 28) but that does not fit Job's observations. 21:11 They send forth their little ones like the flock,- They have a flock of children. Zech. 8:5 uses the same picture of a Jerusalem blessed by God.21:12 They sing to the trimbrel and harp- The lives of the wicked are more familiar with celebration than with pain or even labor. And suddenly they go down to Sheol- The word suddenly, rega, is the same word used of the short-lived prosperity of the wicked in 20:5. Here the idea seems to be that death comes suddenly without prolonged suffering. This word is used negatively in 20:5 but is used positively in 21:13.  21:14 They say to God, ‘Depart from us!- These prospering wicked have no desire to know the God who has given them every good gift. They want to be as far away from Him as they can.We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways- Psalm 16:11; 25:4. 21:15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve Him,- Ex. 5:2. Having an abundance often dulls our senses to our absolute dependence upon God (Deut. 8:10-20). And what would we gain if we entreat Him? Entreat, paga, is used of the Servant interceding for transgressors (Isa. 53:12). Satan had said that the only reason that Job feared God is because of how God blessed him (1:9-11). 21:16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;- But, from Job's perspective, why does God bless them so when they live defiantly toward Him?The counsel of the wicked is far from me- He has no sympathy for their counsel regardless of how comfortable their life is. While his friends have identified him with the wicked, Job has no agreement with their world-view. 

A Potentially Big Amendment 3 Backfire & The Contrast Is Even Clearer – Top 3 Takeaways – August 26th, 2026 

In this episode, host Pete Moore sits down with Carrie Bacon, a classically trained acupuncturist and co-founder of 180 Degrees Bathhouse in Kansas City. With decades of experience in acupuncture, bodywork, and holistic wellness (sparked by her own journey to recovery) Carrie talks about the intersection of contrast therapy, sauna culture, and acupuncture in building healthier communities. She shares her vision for micro bathhouses as hyper-local hubs combating the epidemic of loneliness and chronic health issues through social wellness, and her perspective on why mainstream medicine is poised for a return to more holistic modalities. If you're interested in scaling your HALO-sector venture, or leveraging new trends in recovery and community health, this episode is packed with a ton of takeaways. When it comes to the loneliness crisis, Bacon states, "Isolation was recently deemed a health epidemic. Loneliness is a health epidemic. And, being able to put bathhouses, which gives you access to that application of contrast therapy, you go into the sauna, you have your sweat, you take a moment of pause to allow your body to settle down and calm down, and then you rinse off and you step into a beautifully designed cold water basin." Key themes discussed Integration of contrast therapies for holistic wellness Acupuncture's role and mainstream adoption challenges Importance of personalized, non-prescriptive wellness protocols Foundations: Building strong health habits over optimization Social wellness and combating loneliness via community spaces Micro-bathhouse model for underserved markets Scaling wellness businesses: capital, education, and community A Few Key Takeaways 1. Reshaping Recovery-Move Beyond Protocols to Daily Practice: Carrie emphasizes the importance of integrating modalities like sauna, cold plunge, and acupuncture into daily routines rather than obsessing over rigid optimization protocols. She explains that "some of these modalities are just meant to be interwoven as daily practices, not necessarily only for recovery optimization." This habitual approach can create a stronger foundation of health and reduce the need for constant targeted recovery 06:17. 2. Reframing Wellness Facilities-The Micro Bathhouse Model: Bacon lays out her vision for 180 Degrees Bathhouse—a micro, 1,600 sq ft venue designed to bring thermic wellness to underserved markets. Rather than chasing massive, urban flagship bathhouses, she's pioneering a right-sized, community-driven model to increase adoption in areas where the concept is virtually unknown 16:08. 3. Acupuncture's U.S. Potential-A Resurgence is Coming: Despite skepticism and slow mainstream acceptance in the U.S., Carrie forecasts a renaissance for acupuncture as the U.S. healthcare mindset shifts towards "healthspan over lifespan" and more holistic, root-cause approaches. She says the field is poised for a return to "thousands of years of medical discipline before we started looking at the system so microscopically" 10:18. 4. Loneliness as a Wellness Crisis, and Bathhouses as the Solution: Both Carrie and Pete underscore the declared national epidemic of loneliness. Carrie positions the bathhouse as a "community center," tackling isolation and enabling organic, meaningful social connections. The micro model creates a "third space" where you can be with a group or on your own, but never truly alone 17:18. 5. Bathhouse Modalities Provide Metabolic and Mental Benefits: Bacon highlights the scientifically supported impacts of sauna and cold plunge: increased metabolic flexibility, better glucose/insulin control, and cardiovascular benefits all while building self-mastery. These accessible, self-directed practices are particularly relevant for addressing major public health issues such as obesity and diabetes 24:00. Resources: Carrie Bacon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-bacon-53141168    Integrity Square: https://www.integritysq.com Prospect Wizard: https://www.theprospectwizard.com Promotion Vault: https://www.promotionvault.com HigherDose: https://www.higherdose.com

    Bleeding is what kills people after injury. In this companion conversation to their earlier episode, host and vascular surgeon Dr. Wayne Causey asks Dr. John Pavlus, Chief of Interventional Radiology at Brooke Army Medical Center, to do the thing most medical conversations skip. He walks step by step through exactly how a bleeding trauma patient is treated without major surgery.   The tools are small. A needle, a short hollow tube called a sheath placed in the artery at the groin, wires thinner than a strand of spaghetti, and catheters steered by live X-ray to the one vessel that is leaking. The patient leaves with a bandage instead of an incision. The decisions behind those tools are what make the difference.    It starts with the CT scan. Contrast is injected and images are captured at three different moments, and the timing of those pictures decides what the doctor believes he is looking at. A scan done for a different purpose at an outside hospital can make a patient look like an arterial bleeder when the bleeding is coming from a vein instead, and veins are not something a catheter can easily fix. Getting the timing right is the difference between the right treatment and the wrong one.     From there the conversation turns to the system. At Brooke Army Medical Center, a trauma activation commits the interventional team to having a needle in the artery within sixty minutes of the call, at any hour. That standard was not bought with equipment. It was built on years of trust with the trauma surgeons, to the point that when a trauma surgeon calls a bleed, nobody argues about the pictures. Everyone moves, including anesthesia.    Then come the organs. The liver is complicated because it carries two separate blood supplies, and one of them cannot be reached easily from the inside. The spleen is the favorite, shut down with a metal coil placed at a precise landmark, sometimes in fifteen minutes. And the conversation closes on thrombin, a clotting agent injected through the skin under ultrasound, no X-ray required. It is cheap, it is simple, and it is the one tool a military interventional radiologist would want in his pack if told to deploy tomorrow.     The thread running through all of it is not equipment. It is repetition. Do the same thing the same way every time, and the mind is free to solve the problem that actually matters. Chapters (01:12-07:15) What Endovascular Care Actually Is and What the CT Scan Shows (07:15-12:23) The Sixty-Minute Clock and Activating the Trauma Interventional Radiology Pathway (12:23-20:49) A Bleeding Liver with Two Blood Supplies and Why Access Comes First (20:49-28:59) A Bleeding Spleen with Microcatheters Coils and Knowing When Good Enough Is Enough (28:59-35:51) Thrombin and the Simple Tool Worth Carrying Far Forward Chapter Summaries (01:12-07:15) What Endovascular Care Actually Is and What the CT Scan Shows    Dr. Pavlus defines his specialty in the plain language he uses with patients. Minimally invasive, image guided procedures done through pinholes in the skin, either plugging up an artery that is bleeding or lining the inside of an injured one with a small tube. The discussion then turns to the CT scan, where contrast dye is imaged at three separate moments, and how the timing of those pictures determines whether the bleeding is arterial, venous, or a contained pocket of blood called a pseudoaneurysm. (07:15-12:23) The Sixty Minute Clock and Activating the Trauma Interventional Radiology Pathway   A trauma surgeon standing at the scanner calls a bleed and the pathway fires. A single alert reaches the interventional radiologist, the nurse, the technologist, and the resident at the same time, and everyone drives in. The standard is a needle in the artery within sixty minutes of the call, and the guest is direct that the only way to hold that standard is to remove every point of debate from the process. Anesthesia is activated at the same moment, because these patients are rarely stable enough for anything less. (12:23-20:49) A Bleeding Liver with Two Blood Supplies and Why Access Comes First   The liver is harder than most people assume because it carries two separate incoming blood supplies, and the second one cannot be reached quickly from inside a catheter. That is why a certain grade of liver injury belongs in the operating room with a surgeon rather than in the radiology suite. The guest then walks through his access routine in detail, from ultrasound guided puncture of the artery at the groin to the specific wire and catheter he uses every single time, and explains why keeping the hole in the artery as small as possible matters in a patient who may receive thirty units of blood. (20:49-28:59) A Bleeding Spleen with Microcatheters Coils and Knowing When Good Enough Is Enough Splenic bleeding can be shut down with a metal coil placed at a precise landmark between two small pancreatic arteries. Dr. Pavlus explains why he abandoned one widely used technique after it tore an artery early in his career, and why he now threads a much smaller catheter inside his working catheter to reach the target safely. He is also candid that in an unstable patient at two in the morning, the goal is not a perfect result. It is a live patient who can be handed back to the trauma team. (28:59-35:51) Thrombin and the Simple Tool Worth Carrying Far Forward    Thrombin is a clotting agent injected directly through the skin with a needle, guided by ultrasound rather than X-ray. It is the standard repair for a pseudoaneurysm in the groin, but the guest has extended it to bleeding inside solid organs and small vessels in soft tissue that would be difficult or impossible to reach with a catheter. Because it requires no X-ray suite and almost no equipment, he names it as the single technique he would most want available in a far forward combat setting. The episode closes on consistency, repetition, and adapting a fixed base technique to whatever the patient in front of you presents. Take Home Messages Timing of the Contrast Changes the Answer: A CT scan is not one picture. Contrast dye is imaged before it arrives, as it fills the arteries, and again after it has spread, and comparing those three moments is what separates arterial bleeding from venous bleeding from an old finding that was never bleeding at all. A scan ordered for a different purpose at an outside hospital can point a team toward the wrong treatment entirely. Trust Is Built Long Before the Emergency: The sixty minute standard from phone call to needle in the artery is not achieved with faster equipment. It is achieved by removing every point of debate from the pathway, which only happens after years of a trauma service and a radiology service learning to rely on each other. When the trauma surgeon calls a bleed, nobody re-argues the pictures. Everyone moves. Access Is the Whole Game: You can perform the most elegant procedure in the world inside a patient, and if the puncture in the artery is mishandled, that is the only part anyone will remember. Ultrasound guidance takes no meaningful extra time, and keeping the opening as small as possible protects a patient who may go on to receive massive amounts of blood. Perfect Is the Enemy of Alive: In a stable patient with a low grade injury there is time to chase an ideal result. In a crashing patient at two in the morning there is not. Placing a coil in a good enough position and stopping high flow bleeding so the trauma team can move on is a legitimate and often correct decision, and knowing which situation you are in is a clinical skill of its own. The Simplest Tool May Be the Most Deployable: Thrombin injection needs a needle, an ultrasound probe, and a vial. No X-ray suite, no power injector, no shelf of catheters. That is exactly why it stands out as the technique most likely to work far forward, where the equipment, the imaging, and the logistics that a modern hospital takes for granted simply are not there. Episode Keywords interventional radiology, military medicine, trauma interventional radiology, embolization, splenic artery embolization, liver embolization, solid organ injury, thrombin injection, pseudoaneurysm repair, endovascular hemorrhage control, non compressible torso hemorrhage, angiography, microcatheter, coil embolization, Brooke Army Medical Center, combat casualty care, far forward surgical care, vascular surgery, WarDocs podcast, military trauma care, hemorrhage control, John Pavlus, Wayne Causey Hashtags #MilitaryMedicine, #InterventionalRadiology, #TraumaCare, #HemorrhageControl, #CombatCasualtyCare, #VascularSurgery, #WarDocs, #MilitaryHealth Honoring the Legacy and Preserving the History of Military Medicine The WarDocs Mission- WarDocs exists to honor the legacy of Military Medicine, preserve its history, and inspire every generation — across all Services, Corps, and Ranks — to serve with excellence and pride. Through mentorship, coaching, and education, we equip those considering, entering, and serving in military medicine with the knowledge, connections, and community they need to thrive. We celebrate Who we are, What we do, and, most importantly, How we serve Our Patients, the DoW, and Our Nation. Find out more and join Team WarDocs at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/ Check our list of previous guest episodes at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/our-guests Subscribe and Like our Videos on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast Listen to the “What We Are For” Episode 47. https://bit.ly/3r87Afm   WarDocs- The Military Medicine Podcast is a Non-Profit, Tax-exempt-501(c)(3) Veteran Run Organization run by volunteers. All donations are tax-deductible and go to honoring and preserving the history, experiences, successes, and lessons learned in Military Medicine. A tax receipt will be sent to you. WARDOCS documents the experiences, contributions, and innovations of all military medicine Services, ranks, and Corps who are affectionately called “Docs” as a sign of respect, trust, and confidence on and off the battlefield, demonstrating dedication to the medical care of fellow comrades in arms. Follow Us on Social Media Twitter: @wardocspodcast Facebook: WarDocs Podcast Instagram: @wardocspodcast LinkedIn: WarDocs-The Military Medicine Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast    

What if recovering better was the key to performing better? In this episode of The Price for Paradise, Woody sits down with the team from Augment Wellness to explore the science behind today's most effective recovery and longevity therapies. From cold plunges and saunas to red light therapy, float tanks, compression therapy, lymphatic drainage, and salt therapy, this conversation breaks down how recovery can improve performance, accelerate healing, and enhance overall health. Whether you're training for an Ironman, chasing athletic goals, recovering from injury, or simply looking to feel your best, this episode explains how intentional recovery can help you train harder, live healthier, and stay consistent for years to come. The discussion goes beyond the physical benefits, diving into nervous system regulation, mental resilience, stress management, and why recovery isn't just for elite athletes—it's for everyone. In this episode, we cover: - The mission behind Augment Wellness - Cold plunges vs. saunas and when to use each - Contrast therapy for recovery and resilience - Red light therapy and its performance benefits - Float tanks and nervous system recovery - Compression therapy and lymphatic drainage - Salt therapy and respiratory health - Heat shock vs. cold shock proteins - Building an effective recovery routine - Why recovery is one of the most overlooked aspects of health and fitness If you're interested in fitness, longevity, biohacking, endurance sports, or simply becoming a healthier version of yourself, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you recover smarter and perform at your best.

Dr. Joshua Crawford, PharmD, Assistant Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services for Bon Secours Mercy Health, joins host Dr. Emanuel Kanal to discuss the historically limited role of pharmacy in radiology and how that is changing. The conversation covers what a clinical pharmacist does, the causes and lessons of the recent contrast agent shortages — from the COVID-era China manufacturing disruption to the 2025 allocation model — and practical strategies for weathering future disruptions, including when to bank product and how to select a backup agent in advance. Claim your Credit Here This MR iCast episode is supported by Bracco Diagnostics Inc. through an unrestricted educational grant.

This lecture reflects on the idea of “redeeming shadows” through a family story about a child's portrait and the way light and shadow can give an image depth. That image becomes the starting point for a discussion of how the presence of Jesus can be seen in the lives of his followers.The teaching then turns to Acts 5, describing the early Christian community after the Holy Spirit has been poured out. Peter now speaks boldly, and the apostles teach in Solomon's Portico while new people continue joining the movement. The community is marked by shared meals, generosity, and signs and wonders.The sermon emphasizes the contrast between the apostles' former weakness and their new courage and influence. The speaker notes that the early church drew people not only through miracles, but also through the visible change in character and behavior among believers. This change is presented as evidence of Jesus' life at work in them.A personal illustration from college follows, describing a student named Johnny whose habits of prayer, letter writing, and care for others influenced the speaker. That experience is used to show how a Christian's “shadow” can affect those nearby and encourage them toward faith and spiritual practices.The message then broadens into a reflection on biblical shadow imagery, including death, darkness, and God's light breaking through. Examples from the Gospels, the angel Gabriel's words to Mary, and the transfiguration are used to show that shadows can also be places where God's presence reveals and transforms.The lecture closes by suggesting that even Peter's failures may be part of the story of grace, and by urging listeners to ask what others experience in their own “shadow.” It ends with a reminder that transformation is ultimately God's work by the Spirit.

In The Londinium Chronicles, Gaius (John Batchelor) and Germanicus (Michael Vlahos) explore the intersections of Roman history and modern geopolitics.Gaius and Germanicus: Reflecting on Roman sophistication, the hosts conrast their world's vigiles and urban planning with the squalor of later centuries. They conclude that modern incompetence is a terminal bane, as the current administration fails to engineer a success for its restless centurions. (3)

Job 2:1–10 When tragedy strikes, what next? Job lost his livelihood and his children. Now, his health. Dig deeply with Pastor Chuck Swindoll into Job's faith and integrity through sickness (Job 2). Contrast his response to that of his wife. Don't be surprised by fiery trials or faulty advice from others. Accept God's sovereign plans, and hang on to your faith!

While the podcast team is taking a Radical Sabbatical, Kim is interviewing authors of the books that have had a big impact on her in the past two years.  In this episode, Kim speaks with Rob Lalka, the author of The Venture Alchemists - How Big Tech Turned Profits Into Power.    In this episode of Radical Sabbatical, Kim sits down with Rob Lalka, author of Venture Alchemist, to study what the founders of Facebook, Google, and the “PayPal Mafia” were saying and writing before anyone was paying attention to them. They explore what separates the leaders who stayed grounded from the ones who didn't. They ask a hard question: does it matter if a leader got corrupted by too much money and power or if they started out bad to the bone? Every leader (indeed, every one of us) has good and bad inside. The one that wins is usually the one that gets fed. The question is whether the venture capital model feeds the good — or does it feed the bad, setting founders up to be corrupted by their own success?  Kim and Rob explore the contrasting origins of major tech companies like Facebook and Google. They discuss the implications of Mark Zuckerberg's early actions (for example, an IM while in college with a friend who asked him how he got access to people's personal information and he replied “they trusted me, the dumb f–ks;”). What does it mean that Google's founders started out thinking Google would have to be a non-profit so that advertising wouldn't bias information but wound up selling trillions of ads?  The conversation also delves into the impact of the PayPal Mafia and the controversial book by Thiel and Sachs, The Diversity Myth. Rob discusses the complexities of free speech and the implications of outlier behavior. He emphasizes the importance of moral leadership in corporate culture and critiques the philosophical influences of figures like Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman on business ethics. Rob expresses hope for the future, particularly through the potential of his students to create positive change in society. Books & Articles mention by Rob:   George Packer - article in The Atlantic - The Venture-Capital Populist https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/06/david-sacks-crypto-ai-venture-capital/686941/ Max Chafkin - The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and the Rise of the Silicon Valley Oligarchs https://elmstreetbooks.com/book/9781984878557 Jimi Soni - The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501197266?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Guest Background: Rob Lalka is the author of The Venture Alchemists - How Big Tech Turned Profits Into Power.  He is also the Albert R. Lepage Professor in Business and executive director of the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Tulane University. He is on the board of directors of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Public Democracy, Inc., and Venture For America in New Orleans. Previously, he served on the U.S. Secretary of State's policy planning staff and in the State Department's Office of Global Partnerships, was a director at Village Capital, and was a senior advisor at the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. CHAPTERS (00:40) Introduction to Alchemy and Venture Capital (03:04) The Power Dynamics in Business Models (05:33) Zuckerberg's Origin Story and Its Implications (07:40) The Contrast with Google's Founding Philosophy (09:47) The Role of Advertising in Business Models (12:43) The Historical Context of Business Practices (14:59) The Golden Spike and Economic Inequality (14:59) The Impact of the PayPal Mafia and Diversity Myth (22:00) The Controversy of Free Speech and Homophobia (25:07) Outlier Behavior and Its Implications (28:03) The Rape Issue and Its Consequences (30:27) Moral Leadership and Corporate Culture (33:08) Philosophical Influences on Business Ethics (40:30) Hope for the Future and the Role of Education Connect with the Radical Candor team: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ Keywords venture capital, alchemy, business models, Zuckerberg, Google, advertising, economic inequality, PayPal Mafia, diversity myth, entrepreneurship free speech, outlier behavior, corporate culture, moral leadership, business ethics, philosophy, education, AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Job 2:1–10 When tragedy strikes, what next? Job lost his livelihood and his children. Now, his health. Dig deeply with Pastor Chuck Swindoll into Job's faith and integrity through sickness (Job 2). Contrast his response to that of his wife. Don't be surprised by fiery trials or faulty advice from others. Accept God's sovereign plans, and hang on to your faith!