Podcasts about Dickson

Solomon's Sword and Crazy Plans by Autumn Dickson This week, we get to learn a bit about Solomon's reign. Solomon was known for his wisdom, a spiritual gift that was the direct result of a request he made as he was ascending the throne. The story of the two women and the baby is well-known and highlights this wisdom. In the last post, we talked about how the Lord reflected Solomon's heart back to him when the Lord offered to answer a prayer for Solomon. This week, we get to read about Solomon imitating the Lord in the story with the two women. Here is a refresher on the story with the two women and the baby. Two women lived in the same home. They both had babies. One woman accidentally laid on top of her child and killed the child. She snuck into the room of the other woman and switched the babies. The second woman woke up to the dead child and realized he wasn't hers. They took their case to King Solomon. This is how King Solomon responded. 1 Kings 3:24-25 24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. The lying woman wanted the child cut in half. The true mother offered to let the other woman have the son; she just wanted him to be alive. Solomon obviously gave the baby to the woman who wanted to protect the baby at all costs. Now, I want you to imagine being the true mother of the child who found herself in this nightmare through no fault of her own. I don't know exactly what she was feeling, but I think my response to this wild suggestion from the king would be this: “What?! I thought this guy was wise! Why would he do this? Is he crazy?” I think this is sometimes how we react when the Lord makes decisions in our lives as well. Sometimes the Lord sends or allows trials to happen in our lives. Sometimes we respond with, “What?! I thought the Lord was wise! Why would He do this?” Throughout my life, and especially while working through sharing my testimony online, I have received this testimony over and over and over: The Lord loves me and works very carefully as He makes decisions to interfere in my life. He is wise! He knows what He's doing! I know this testimony. I believe it. I find a lot of comfort in it. And yet, even though I already had a testimony of this fact, I've found that there were limits to this testimony that needed to be expanded. When certain events have cropped up in my life, such as getting pregnant three months after having a baby, I have tried to trust in that growing testimony that the Lord loves me and is trying to give me the best of what mortality actually has to offer. Despite my desire to trust that He was trying to do what was best for me, I simply felt scared and betrayed and powerless. I'm sure that woman was terrified when Solomon made the crazy suggestion to cut the baby in half. He was a king, and she was a harlot. I'm sure she knew what it meant to feel powerless and to have someone making decisions regardless of what was best for her. And yet, Solomon wasn't trying to torture her. He had very specific purposes. He was not rash or ridiculous. He was intentional. He was a mortal man blessed with wisdom to discern what was going on in his kingdom. He “sent a trial,” and it revealed the hearts of the women he was judging. The Lord already knows our hearts, but He still sends little tests in mortality. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that He isn't testing our hearts for His own sake, but for our's. We spoke about this in my last post as well: He reflects our own hearts back to us. Solomon actually needed to see the reflection of the hearts of the women so he could judge well. He was wise, but he did not know these women perfectly. He needed a way of seeing their hearts. The Lord's purposes are slightly different, but His methods are similar. His purpose is showing us our own hearts. Sometimes that means sending or allowing trials that allow the deepest parts of our heart to go on display. It highlights the boundaries of what we truly know and feel and desire. It gives us opportunities to expand those boundaries. Going back to my example of getting pregnant so quickly, I felt incredibly betrayed by God. I am so miserable when I'm pregnant, and now I was going to be in that dark state of mind for 18 months with very little reprieve (honestly, with no reprieve since my body and mind still hadn't completely recovered in between babies). I thought I had a testimony that the Lord loved me, and I did. But apparently there were limits to that testimony. This specific experience showed me the boundaries of my own testimony. It brought my heart right up to the surface where I could look at it very clearly. I then had the opportunity to work through those experiences and expand those boundaries. Despite the fact that this woman likely thought King Solomon was out of his mind, I would guess that she felt differently after the experience. Despite the initial fear and distress it caused her, she gained a testimony that Solomon acted with purpose. By the end of this, she knew that Solomon wasn't crazy. He was trying to be a good king and make sure that baby went back to its rightful mother. Surely, the experiment could have gone poorly. What if both mothers had pled for the life of the baby? Yes, it could have failed, but this story is a parable. Even if Solomon's experiments fail, the Lord's “experiments” never have to. Solomon was a mortal man. The Lord has much more to offer in the way of helping us discern the boundaries of the testimonies that will carry us and help us get where we need to go. The Lord also has the ultimate power of delivering what will be best for us. Even when He sends or allows dark times, He has the power to help those difficult times become sacred experiences. I testify that the Lord loves us. I testify He knows what He's doing. I testify that He already knows our hearts, but like Solomon, He sends and allows trials that bring our very essence up to the surface where it's noticeable. We get to find the holes and limitations of our testimonies, and in turn, we can fill the holes and broaden the boundaries until we are fully protected and constantly uplifted by them. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Kathleen Harnish McKune is an author, speaker, and co-founder of the nonprofit Remarkably Resilient, Inc. Drawing on her lived experience as a survivor of childhood incest and trauma, she helps translate the neuroscience of trauma into practical tools for healing and resilience. She is the co-author of Remarkably Resilient: Community Matters and works to support individuals and communities in building emotional regulation and recovery skills.Karen Dickson is an author, speaker, and co-founder of the nonprofit Remarkably Resilient, Inc. A survivor of childhood incest and trauma, she works alongside her sister Kathleen Harnish McKune to help individuals and communities understand the impact of trauma and develop practical resilience skills. She is the co-author of Remarkably Resilient: Community Matters and co-creator of the Remarkably Resilient Together program.In this episode:Remarkably Resilient:  https://remarkably-resilient.comRemarkably Resilient – About: https://remarkably-resilient.com/about-us/Remarkably Resilient Together program: https://remarkably-resilient.com/remarkably-resilient-together/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.---Thank you for listening!If you want to support the show, I've got three options and every bit helps.$5.00 PayPalhttps://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/NPKS32G8KVSN2$10.00 PayPalhttps://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/495AMDFXQFC3L$15.00 PayPalhttps://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/M7V5RREUKVD8JThank you to our Sponsors: Jane App - use code GUY1MO at https://janesoftware.partnerlinks.io/ngvcwcxqt2jx-4afv8i (https://jane.app/book_a_demo)Novo Psych - novopsych.com/traumapodcastRebound - https://hellorebound.com/tt

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Host: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin) and Co-Host: (ronthe3manweav)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

What Would You “Wish” For? by Autumn Dickson Solomon, David's son, has become king. Very early on in his reign, Solomon has a dream in which the Lord appears to him. 1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. This is a really incredible experience as Solomon is stepping into his kingship; the Lord appears and offers to grant a prayer to Solomon. Solomon asks for wisdom and discernment in judging his people. The Lord is pleased with what Solomon asked for especially since Solomon could have asked for more selfish things such as riches, long life, or the defeat of his enemies. Solomon does none of this; he wants wisdom. For a moment, I asked myself what I would ask for. It turned into quite the exercise as I pondered what I really wanted. Going through this experience taught me a couple of principles. Principle one: No dream required. I began thinking of all the things that would bless my life the most. I thought of a grateful heart, seeing people clearly, or or to see His hand moving in my life. I thought of spiritual protection for my kids. I tried to think of which spiritual gift would be the most effective for my own life. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have to wait for a dream from the Lord in order to ask for things, and I didn't have to pick just one gift. I could ask for all of them. That's my first principle. The Lord answers prayers regardless of whether He came to us in a dream and agreed to answer a prayer. What would you ask for? What do you ask for? What will you ask for now? Ironically, I haven't prayed for any of those things in a long time. I don't think my prayers have been bad by any means, but I thought so hard about what I really wanted from the Lord and realized that those values had gotten buried by the day-to-day. Principle two. It is powerful to have your heart reflected back to you. The normal pathway for prayers and answers goes like this: We are encouraged by prophets and scripture to pray to the Lord, and He answers according to His wisdom. The pathway for Solomon in this specific experience: The Lord appears directly to Solomon and essentially offers a wish. So here are the differences: The Lord appears directly instead of going through a prophet. He basically offers a wish which is highly unusual (at least in my experience). The experience that Solomon had was very different than normal. Why? The Lord is intentional so why did He make this particular choice with Solomon? Both of these differences combined to make a special thing happen. Whether this was the Lord's intentional purpose is a question that only He can answer. However, one of the side effects was that Solomon had his heart reflected back to him. Let's talk about both differences. Difference 1: He appeared directly. The Lord does not often appear when we have sufficient for what we need. For example, He doesn't always answer “yes” to everything we ask Him about; sometimes He simply refrains from saying “no.” In my experience, He directly interferes only as necessary. Obviously, He is very involved in our lives and manipulates the details in our favor. I'm talking about when His actions would affect our faith. So the Lord is taking care of me behind the scenes and influencing things to help me out, but He's not appearing in a manner where I can have a very clear conversation with Him. And there are reasons for this. Later in life, Solomon turns towards worshiping other gods, influenced by his many foreign wives. I wonder how much more intense Solomon's betrayal was because Solomon had this dream from the Lord directly. The Lord is very involved in our life, but He also keeps direct interference to a minimum in order to protect our faith. And yet, despite the fact that the Lord could have allowed Solomon to simply pray without receiving a dream, the Lord chose to come to Solomon to ask and offer. This extremely direct experience opened up Solomon's heart in a way that normal prayer doesn't always achieve. Perhaps ideally, normal prayer would achieve this, but I'm not sure that it often does. If the Lord came to you, I have a feeling you would be much more intentional in comparison to praying in faith. As least, I would be more intentional…and because it forces intention, you get to see what really matters to you. It reflects your heart back to you. Difference 2: He offers a wish. If you knew you had the opportunity to ask the Lord for something that He had offered to grant, it changes how you approach what you're asking. The Lord has already offered to answer prayers, but this is different. He offers to directly answer one prayer. It's almost like He offered to give Solomon a wish. When I approach normal prayer, I am very open and talk through things and ask for little things. I'm not always perfectly focused. I ask for a lot of things. When I was thinking about what my request would have been, I suddenly got extremely intentional and this wasn't even my experience! This didn't even happen to me, but all of a sudden I was way more concerned about what I was asking for. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on what really mattered to me. What are my values? What do I really want? It's interesting because the Lord already knows our hearts. While mankind looks on the outside, the Lord looketh on the heart. So this wasn't about the Lord trying to figure out Solomon's heart. One of the effects was that Solomon was able to take a good look at his heart as he ascended the throne where he would have power and responsibility. Not only do we pray more intentionally, it also pushes us to live more intentionally. How did Solomon feel when he approached that throne to govern his people? How did this experience change how he approached that throne? I have not stepped onto a throne recently. I have not received a dream or a wish, but even my less-intense experience of pondering what I would ask for has changed my prayers. And in turn, as I pray for help with specific gifts, I'm more intentional as I approach experiences that call upon those gifts. I testify that the Lord is intentional. I testify that He already knows our hearts. I testify that He is very involved in our lives and acts with purpose. If we can learn to act with purpose as He does, we start to change more readily. Our lives become much more available to Him. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Testing Ground” featured in Tennessee Turfgrass magazine. UT turfgrass researchers have invented a device to test the playability of football fields, soccer pitches, and other surfaces—with the goal of keeping athletes safe. In 2018, the NFL scheduled a game for a neutral site in Mexico. Though the field had passed mandatory tests like surface hardness, the league's players association had concerns about the safety of the field. So they turned to Distinguished Professor of Turfgrass Science and Management John Sorochan to represent their interests. Sorochan advised that there were too many inconsistencies in the field and that the lack of rooting was a serious issue. He argued that an inconsistent and unstable surface is an unsafe surface. And his advocacy helped get the game moved to a safer field. For Sorochan, the experience revealed the need across multiple sports for a better way to test the playability and compliance of natural grass surfaces. Together, he and Kyley Dickson (BS '12, MS '14, PhD '17), researcher and co-director of UT's Center for Athletic Field Safety, invented a solution that has surpassed its original goal: the fLEX Device. This portable machine realistically simulates the motion of an athlete's foot striking the ground, using a 3D-printed foot outfitted with a real cleat. “There were machines out there to test artificial turf—years before, Dr. Sorochan helped AstroTurf develop one,” Dickson says. “But nothing was specific to natural grass. “We also wanted to go beyond the static vertical load, rotational, and slide tests that existing tools used,” he continues. “We put sensors around the 3D-printed foot and ankle to measure energy that would be transferred back to the athlete. This makes fLEX unique.” Development of the fLex Device reflects the driving force behind sports turf research at UT: the human impact of athlete–surface interactions. “Our tool to measure what athletes would feel on natural grass has turned out to be equally applicable for synthetic turf, running tracks, even basketball courts—all surfaces but ice for hockey—to understand the effects on athletes,” Sorochan says. A Team Effort Producing the fLEX Device was interdisciplinary from the start. Sorochan and Dickson hired metal workers to build their device, mechanical engineers to run calculations, and a recent UT computer science graduate to develop software to collect and interpret sensor data. UT kinesiology and biomechanics experts scientifically validated the device. “At the biomechanics lab, fLEX struck the force plate like a human athlete would,” Sorochan says. “We learned how to calibrate it to simulate foot strikes for different-sized athletes, from a 350-pound NFL athlete down to a 35-pound kid playing soccer at school.” They partnered with UT Athletics for real-world testing. After football games at Neyland Stadium, researchers would collect data from more than 70 spots across the field to form a comprehensive picture of its condition. “Neyland is probably the most tested stadium anywhere,” Sorochan laughs. And when the Lady Vols soccer team needed to change cleats, the fLEX Device informed that decision by measuring the load different shoes put on players' bodies. “Being a Vol means being part of a team,” Sorochan says. “So many Vols have helped us develop and test fLEX.” From Concept to Commercialization Early prototypes involved manually ratcheting and releasing gears. When Sorochan and Dickson collected feedback from field managers and student researchers who used the device, everyone agreed: there were too many components and too many data points. “To make a real-world impact,” Sorochan says, “it had to be simpler for field managers and other turf professionals to use, understand, and benefit from our device. We also needed to scale up in terms of production and audience. UT and UT Research Foundation played important roles in accomplishing that and commercializing our invention.” In 2024, Sorochan and Dickson received the inaugural Chancellor's Innovation Fund award. They focused those funds on automating the device and streamlining the user experience. UT Research Foundation helped them patent their technology, connect with business advisors, and put their product on the market. Today, users set and release the gears with the touch of a button. The screen displays three key data points: surface traction, surface hardness, and amount of energy returned to the athlete. The software automatically generates a report complete with summary, graphs, and a heat map highlighting inconsistencies across the field. International Impact The fLEX Device's credibility has grown with every sporting venue the team has tested over the last five years—130-plus stadiums connected to the NFL, MLB, and other professional and college leagues in five countries. FIFA, soccer's international governing body, has seen the value of the fLEX Device firsthand during a five-year research collaboration with UT. Billions of FIFA World Cup 26 viewers will soon watch top athletes play on natural grass pitches developed by Sorochan's research team. Several of the host stadiums for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 used a first-of-its-kind “shallow profile” pitch. “It was a ‘wow' moment when fLEX first demonstrated that the shallow construction method we were experimenting with performed the same as a standard pitch, which has 12 inches of sand underneath,” Sorochan says. “This shallow profile could enable host stadiums that typically use synthetic turf to quickly and cost effectively install safe natural grass pitches for the World Cup tournaments.” At FIFA's request, Sorochan's team used the fLEX Device to gather field data before and after each Club World Cup game in summer 2025. They'll likely use fLEX in the same way during FIFA World Cup 26: to inform real-time field management decisions that protect players and ensure uniform conditions across all 16 host stadiums. “FIFA has incredibly high standards for these pitches,” Sorochan says. “fLEX is the right tool to make sure their expectations for consistency, safety, and performance are met.” In May 2025, global pitch management solutions company SGL purchased the fLEX Device product rights. “SGL is an industry leader expanding its portfolio of resources and tools for improving sports fields,” Sorochan says. “They invest in quality and R&D. fLEX was a great fit.” “fLEX represents the very best of UT—ideas that are generated and implemented locally and go on to change the world,” says Deb Crawford, vice chancellor for research, innovation, and economic development. “By leveraging the Chancellor's Innovation Fund and partnering with private industry, Dr. Sorochan and his colleagues have expanded their impact, ensuring that UT innovations continue to have a profound impact worldwide.” Dickson is directing product development for SGL fLEX Systems. “I'll explore questions to make it even more user friendly, like Could it be robotic? Could we put an electric motor drive on it? Are we getting the right data for different sports?” “This device will make all sports surfaces safer for all levels, from young kids to professional players,” Sorochan sums up. “UT's support made this impact possible. Now, SGL is making it global.” Delve into UT's research to create the best and most consistent pitches for FIFA World Cup 26. You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. The post Testing Ground appeared first on The Turf Zone.

David Fought Goliath Without Armor by Autumn Dickson In 1 Samuel 17, we read about one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament: David and Goliath. It's an incredible story of faith that can teach us a lot about following Christ. The fact that David saved the Israelites was a big deal, but how he defeated Goliath is likewise significant. Let's talk about a couple of those “hows.” Goliath taunts the Israelites for 40 days. David comes forward and offers to battle Goliath. Saul agrees, and he even puts his own armor on David. It doesn't go well… 1 Samuel 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. David tried on the armor and “assayed” to go. In other words, David had a hard time moving. David hasn't “proved” the armor, or in other words, David has never trained with it. He doesn't know how to fight like a soldier, only like a shepherd. So David takes his shepherd weapons, forgoes the armor, and goes on to defeat Goliath. Let's talk about how David defeated Goliath and what it teaches us. Detail 1. He went up with nothing but faith in God; the armor specifically hindered him. A couple posts ago, we talked about how Israel came to Samuel and wanted a king. One of the direct messages we pulled from that story was the fact that the Israelites were rejecting God by wanting a king. They had a King; they wanted a different king. In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites specifically requested a king because they wanted someone to go out before them in battle. Like other nations, they wanted a physical defender in front of them when they were at war. This is significant. So now we've found ourselves in 1 Samuel 17, and the Israelites are facing the giant Philistines. Goliath goes out and taunts the Israelites for 40 days. And where is Saul? Definitely not out in front of the Israelites. Samuel gave the Israelites their king, King Saul, and then what do you know…Saul doesn't go out before them. No one saw that coming. Shocking, right? When we originally read this story, it would be easy to think David was being an arrogant punk by refusing the armor. Earlier on in the chapter, Eliab (David's oldest brother) gets annoyed with David and accuses him of pride. But this isn't about pride (even if David possessed some of that). This is about the fact that once again, the Lord was saying, “Hey Israel! I will go before you, not some mortal king!” David didn't just outright refuse the armor. He put it on, and it weighed him down. David was better off without man's attempts to fight off Israel's enemies. The principle is NOT this: Don't use anything manmade or you're faithless. Refuse medicine. Refuse gear. The Lord will protect you if you have enough faith. That is not the principle here. Sometimes having faith is understanding that the Lord inspired man to build tools. However, for THIS specific example, it is important that David went without armor that weighed him down. The fact that David went without armor in this specific scenario can teach us the true principle: relying on man over God hurts us. It doesn't help us. This is not every scenario. This is a very specific scenario in which the Lord was very clearly telling the Israelites that He was their King and Defender. The Lord didn't want any confusion about why David won against Goliath. This detail is poignant with the backdrop of the Israelites rejecting God and choosing Saul. They didn't want God's protection; they wanted man's. David and his lack of armor was God's response. Using tools is not wrong, but relying on tools over God is wrong. The armor in this story represents the same thing King Saul represented: insufficient protection from man. King Saul did not help the Israelites. The refused armor would have prevented David from defeating Goliath. Detail 2. David showed up after Goliath had taunted the Israelites for 40 days. So maybe the fact that David showed up after 40 days doesn't necessarily seem like one of the “hows” of David defeating Goliath, but in my unqualified opinion, it is. Gospel according to Autumn teaches this: If David had come sooner, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Goliath because the Israelites wouldn't have let him battle Goliath at all. The number “40” is significant. It is used to describe a period of testing and trial. Christ fasted for forty days. It rained and flooded the earth for forty days. The Israelites wandered the wilderness for forty years. Did Goliath truly taunt them for 40 days exactly or was this the Lord's way of describing a full cycle of testing for the Israelites? Does the 40 really mean 40 or does it teach us that the Israelites had finally reached a point of desperation and were willing to utilize a young boy to fight Goliath? Regardless of whether it was exactly 40 days of taunting, the lesson for us is clear: the Lord allows us to go through a period of testing until we finally reach the point where we are willing to rely on Him alone. Have you ever reached that point in a trial where you're like, “Hey Lord, if you could show up right now, I would really appreciate it! I'm dying down here!” And then He waits even longer before showing up? Perhaps it's not forty days for forty months or forty years. Maybe it's just the right amount of time for your testing period. Maybe it's the right amount of days for us to finally reach a point where we are ready to rely on Christ alone and then recognize His hand when we come out on the other side. That second part is just as important. If the Lord doesn't allow us to wait for the full period, we might attribute our success to something else like our own fortitude. Allowing us to wait until we feel really lost serves the unique purpose of forcing us to realize that He was the only thing that could have saved us. Would the Israelites have let David try his hand against Goliath if they hadn't waited their full “forty” days? Honestly, I have no idea. What I do know is this: They got desperate enough to let him try and when he succeeded, all heaven broke loose and they cheered and ran against the Philistines at the same time. Their faith had been bolstered, and for a small moment, they recognized who was standing at their side. I testify of a Lord who teaches us about Him in incredible detail in these stories. I testify that we start to see patterns as we study these details in the scriptures. More and more and more layers come out and teach us and refine us and help us invite Christ into our lives more fully. I'm so grateful the Lord has taken me on this journey to teach me these lessons in the scriptures. I testify that Come Follow Me can change your life if you use it, and I testify that Come Follow Me can change your life because it can teach you about Christ. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

WS Supervisor Gary Dickson on bears full 229 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:52:59 +0000 LgGkUf9Pfx6PIUjXeXdiNvsEdi3XODev news WBEN Extras news WS Supervisor Gary Dickson on bears Archive of various reports and news events 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2

For years, political defections have remained a recurring feature of Nigeria's democratic journey, with politicians frequently moving from one party to another after winning elections.Now, the National Democratic Congress, NDC, has introduced a policy requiring all candidates seeking elective offices on its platform to sign anti-defection affidavits and indemnity forms, committing themselves to vacate their seats if they leave the party after winning elections.The move has sparked fresh debate about political loyalty, party discipline and whether elected officials should be allowed to retain their mandates after defecting from the parties on which they were elected.Join us in this episode of Nigeria Daily as we examine why the NDC introduced the policy, what it hopes to achieve, and whether anti-defection affidavits can help strengthen Nigeria's democracy ahead of the 2027 elections.

What happens when Jesus steps into the path of someone headed in the wrong direction? In Acts 9, we witness one of the most powerful transformations in Scripture as Saul, the church's fiercest persecutor, encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus and leaves forever changed.This message reminds us that radical change doesn't always begin in a church building. Sometimes it starts on an unexpected road, in the middle of brokenness, failure, or uncertainty. Jesus still interrupts destructive paths, exposes spiritual blindness, and rewrites the purpose of anyone willing to surrender to Him.In this sermon, we explore:* How God's interruptions are often acts of mercy, not punishment.* Why information without an encounter with Jesus can still leave us spiritually blind.* The obedience of Ananias and how one simple “yes” can impact generations.* How God's grace is greater than your past, your failures, or your mistakes.* Why no one is too far gone for the transforming power of Christ.No matter where you've been or what road you're on today, the same Jesus who met Saul is still calling people into new life. He still saves. He still heals. He still restores. And He still uses broken people for His glory.

For years, political parties have served as the platforms through which politicians seek power, build alliances, and contest elections in Nigeria.Now, a Federal High Court ruling directing INEC to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties has sparked fresh debate about the future of opposition politics and democratic competition ahead of the 2027 general elections.Join us in this episode of Nigeria Daily as we examine what the ruling means for the ADC, the politicians aligned with the party, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the future of Nigeria's political landscape.

Correction Without Condemnation by Autumn Dickson David is one of our center characters this week as he rises to the throne and protects Israel. There are a lot famous stories this week, including the famous story of David and Goliath. However, I want to talk about a lesser studied portion of the Old Testament. It's a relatively tiny detail, but it can teach us a lot. David has conquered Jerusalem and brought the Ark of the Covenant there. After all the celebration, David is sitting in his palace and it occurs to him that the Lord doesn't have a proper place of worship. David is living in a house of cedar, but the Lord only has a tent. David feels a desire to correct this and approaches Nathan about it. Nathan approves and tells David to do what his heart desires; the Lord is with him. Later on, the Lord corrects Nathan. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. So interestingly enough, the Lord disagreed. That night, the Lord sends a revelation to Nathan. David will not build the temple; his son will. David is associated with war, and the Lord approved much of that conquest. However, from a symbolic and theological standpoint, the temple is associated with peace and rest. Solomon's reign was associated with rest, and so he was the one to build the temple. Nathan passes the message on to David, and David accepts this answer from the Lord. Perhaps this doesn't seem like that big of a deal in comparison to other scripture that we're reading this week, but that's actually partially my point. Making a decision all on your own and then being corrected by the Lord doesn't have to be that big of a deal. Let's delve in a tad deeper. Sometimes we get really caught up in making sure we're following the Lord. The problem isn't wanting to follow the Lord; the problem comes when we make it a problem. There are two fears that we can often run into in regards to revelation: Fear one. We don't want to do wrong by the Lord and get in trouble. I'm not 100% where this fear comes from…probably Satan? The Lord tells us over and over and over that He loves us and wants us to try and act. Yet despite His assurances, we get nervous about doing things wrong. As far as I can tell, the Lord wasn't angry with David or Nathan for getting excited about building a house for Him. I would be shocked if the Lord was anything less than beaming over two of His sons trying to worship Him. That didn't mean it was the right direction, but the Lord wasn't mad about it. The Lord wants us to act and move forward and do good things of our own free will. He will course correct as necessary. Which leads me to my next point. Fear two. Even if the Lord isn't angry, we don't want to end up in the wrong direction. We're often afraid to move forward without the explicit green light from the Lord. We don't want to take the wrong steps. When we were looking to get a house, I was really worried about making the wrong decision. I was praying about it and praying about it and praying about it. Conner didn't. I had a hard time wanting to move forward without the Lord's approval, but he approached the situation very differently. He weighed the pros and cons and went over our finances. He made the best decision he could with the information he had. And that was it. I don't think he prayed about it even once. It used to worry me. I wanted him to seek out the Lord's will more often than I thought he was, but I had an experience with him that shifted my perspective. We were looking at getting a car years and years ago. We stopped to look at this van on our way to a family dinner. I stayed in the car while he went and looked at the van. When he climbed back in, I asked if we were buying it. He answered in the negative. I asked him what was wrong with it (he's worked as a mechanic previously), and he told me that he didn't see anything that was wrong with it. When I asked him why we weren't buying it, he replied, “I had a bad feeling about it.” Conner didn't necessarily wait for green lights, but he listened to red lights when they came along as needed. That was the first step in a journey that changed how I approach revelation. I no longer feel held back by fear. I'm not afraid of the Lord being mad. I recognize that the Lord wants me to be wise like Him, and that requires practicing my decision-making skills like Him. He knows that allowing me to make decisions also means that I'm going to make mistakes, but He's not worried about that. Not to mention, He's happy to course correct as necessary. I make a decision that I truly want and think is best, and I trust Him to speak to me if I'm wrong. That's how I pictured the context of this particular conversation between David and Nathan. They were rejoicing and ready to worship the Lord. They were purposefully thinking of Him and trying to do good works without being directly asked. Then the Lord simply corrected them as needed. We can move forward in faith and excitement and trust the Lord to close the door or correct us if it's not the right path. There is no reason to be afraid. I testify that the Lord wants us to make decisions and become wise like Him. There is no other way to do this except to practice. I also testify that He is powerful and knows how to speak with us. He doesn't give us our agency so that He can condemn us when we make mistakes. He paid for those mistakes and stands ready to help us along. He knows how to speak to you if you're trying to listen. Trust that He can lead you along. Be excited about the decisions before you; the Lord can turn them all for your good when you're seeking to worship Him. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Day Break | Inflation, Energy, and Election Battles --- 00:00 - Monologue 19:14 – Kent Strang, Managing Director for Americans for Prosperity. Strang discusses recent inflation trends, economic policy, and ongoing debates surrounding the Jones Act. He explains how AFP views inflation's impact on consumers and businesses and why some policymakers are advocating reforms to maritime shipping regulations. 28:11 – Erik Holt, former federal employee and rural Colorado fire chief. Holt discusses his allegations of election irregularities, the circumstances surrounding his dismissal, and his ongoing federal court appeal. The conversation focuses on whistleblower protections, election administration, and government accountability. 38:26 - Monologue 47:25 – Laura C. Volpe, Founder of ManeInk HairLoss Solutions. Volpe discusses hair health, hair loss prevention, and the benefits of HydraLift Shampoo. The conversation covers common causes of hair thinning and practical strategies for maintaining healthy hair and scalp health. 57:33 – Paul Teller, President of Teller Strategies and former Trump-Pence White House advisor. Teller discusses the economic impact of tariffs, arguing that trade policy can affect affordability, consumer prices, and economic opportunity. He outlines policy proposals he believes could help strengthen economic growth and expand access to the American Dream. 1:06:30 – David Covey, newly elected Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. Covey discusses leadership changes within the Texas Republican Party following its convention and analyzes the political prospects of Texas state representative James Talarico and other emerging figures in Texas politics. 1:16:39 - Monologue 1:25:39 – James David Dickson, Michigan-based strategist, founder of the Make Politics Local Again (MPLA) movement, and host of the James Dickson Podcast. Dickson discusses Michigan's ongoing energy policy debate, including criticism of Governor Whitmer's green energy initiatives and concerns about how energy costs affect Michigan families and businesses. 1:35:48 – Kaitlyn Buss, columnist for The Detroit News. Buss discusses controversy surrounding proposed data center developments in Michigan, including concerns raised by residents and comments from Governor Whitmer regarding public input, economic development, and energy infrastructure planning. --- Check out our brand new podcast, 'Forgotten America'... Episode 19 is live NOW at Steve Gruber on YouTube! Link below: https://youtu.be/rulxGa_tTeE

In this episode, we host two dynamic Maryville alumni, Rachel Elmore and Jessica Dickson, to share their journeys in community mental health, leadership styles, and insights into working at Compass. Their stories highlight their diverse pathways in mental health careers and the importance of growth, mentorship, and community impact.Key Topics:The advantages of starting in community mental health and nonprofit organizationsCareer progression: from case management to leadership rolesThe importance of mentorship and internal growth at organizations like CompassLeadership styles: advocacy, delegation, and leading by exampleThe significance of community support roles and hands-on client experienceTrends in mental health: overdose reduction, integrated primary care, and COVID-19 impactsNavigating supervision, internships, licensure, and early career fearsThe evolving landscape of mental health services post-pandemicRachel's doctorate work on burnout among emergency room staff and medical-mental health connectionsHow organizations promote internal advancement and support employee wellbeingTimestamps: 00:00 - Introduction and guest introductions 00:24 - Jessica's background and Maryville program journey 01:28 - Rachel's pathway from biology to counseling 02:20 - How Dr. Parker inspired Jessica's choice at Maryville 03:50 - Post-graduation roles at Compass for Jessica and Rachel 04:48 - Leadership progression and responsibilities at Compass 06:55 - Jessica's doctorate on burnout and emergency medical workforce 09:12 - Why Compass fosters internal growth and employee investment 11:45 - Leadership styles: advocacy, delegation, visibility 13:23 - How leadership shapes organizational culture 15:26 - Internship and practicum opportunities at Compass and role readiness 16:19 - Licensure support and supervision programs 17:49 - Addressing concerns about nonprofit mental health careers 18:44 - Stability, funding, and organizational support at Compass 20:09 - Pay equity, benefits, and job satisfaction in nonprofit settings 21:36 - The value of diverse career paths beyond therapy 24:04 - Emerging trends in mental health: overdose decline and health monitoring 27:41 - Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and physical health links 29:27 - The idea of a podcast by Jessica and Rachel 30:59 - Mentors' advice for students: network, give grace, and stay open-minded

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “How Variability Within and Between Natural Turfgrass and Synthetic Athletic Fields Impacts Athlete Safety and Performance” written by Ava Veith, Dr. David McCall, Dr. Chase Straw, Dr. Daniel Sandor, Dr. Jay Williams, Elisabeth Kitchen, Kevin Hensler, Aaron Tucker and Dr. Caleb Henderson Authors Note and Context Ava Veith is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Plant Science at Penn State University under the advisement of Dr. Chase Straw, where her research focuses on studying within-field variability and athlete–surface interactions. However, the research presented in this article was conducted during her master's program at Virginia Tech under Dr. David McCall. This study served as a foundational investigation into how variability within and between natural turfgrass and synthetic turf athletic fields influences athletes. The findings from this work have shaped the direction of subsequent doctoral research. Building on this foundation, the planned Ph.D. project aims to examine athlete lower-limb joint biomechanics across natural turfgrass, synthetic turf, and hybrid (natural turfgrass reinforced with synthetic fibers) surfaces using multi-segment inertial measurement units. At the conclusion of this article, the next phase of research will be briefly outlined to demonstrate how it has grown from the master's study. In this way, the Virginia Tech study presented here represents both a completed project and the starting point for a broader, ongoing effort to better understand how the playing surface can affect athlete movement and injury-relevant mechanics. Introduction A safe playing surface is essential for athletic competition. Natural turfgrass and synthetic turf are common playing surfaces used for field sports, and extensive research has been conducted to compare these two surface types. However, limited attention has been given to within-field variability and its impact on athlete safety and performance. Studies often classify athletic fields broadly as synthetic or natural, overlooking critical surface metrics that fluctuate both within and between fields. Key field characteristics such as surface hardness, rotational resistance, soil moisture, thatch depth, and infill depth (for synthetic fields) play a crucial role in assessing field quality. Variability in these factors can be influenced by environmental conditions, management practices, and field usage patterns. Despite the known importance of these factors, current research often fails to account for field-specific inconsistencies, limiting the effectiveness of broad comparisons between surfaces. To improve field safety and optimize athlete performance, interdisciplinary collaboration among turfgrass scientists, sports scientists, and sports medicine professionals is necessary. Evidence-based field management strategies must be developed to ensure more consistent playing conditions, reducing the risk of injury. Wearable technologies such as STATSports GPS trackers (STATSports, 2025) and ankle inertial measurement units (IMUs) (IMeasureU, 2019) provide critical insights into athlete biomechanics, load monitoring, and more. These technologies allow researchers to quantify how different surface conditions influence athletes during performance, offering valuable data for injury prevention strategies. Beyond data collected by wearable technologies, athlete perceptions of field conditions also play a role in performance and injury risk. Unpredictable surface variability can affect player confidence, movement efficiency, and risk-taking behaviors, making perception-based data collection essential. Understanding how athletes experience and perceive different playing surfaces can inform future improvements in field construction and maintenance. The objective of this study is to quantify the impact of surface variability on athlete safety and performance, both within and between natural turfgrass and synthetic turf surfaces. This research will quantify how variations in key surface metrics, including surface hardness, rotational resistance, soil moisture, thatch depth, and infill depth, affect athletes utilizing data from wearable technologies, such as STATSports GPS trackers and ankle IMUs. Additionally, to further understand the influence of field surfaces, athletes will be surveyed before and after performing drills to gather insights into their perceptions of how surface variability impacts their performance. Methodology Athletic Fields Tested This research was conducted in August of 2024, where four athletic fields on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia were studied. Two of these fields were natural turfgrass (bermudagrass), while the other two fields were synthetic turf. For both field types, one field was classified as ‘low usage', while the other was classified as ‘high usage'. This was determined based on traffic frequency, field age, and management practices. Preliminary Data Collection Before live athletes were introduced, surface hardness was assessed on all four fields using a Clegg hammer, with 100 measurements collected per field. The data were then analyzed using ArcGIS Pro to generate surface hardness heatmaps, highlighting variability between and within each field. These maps allowed us to identify specific locations for the athletes to perform drills, where one selected area within each field was slightly harder than the rest of the field, and the other being slightly softer. Additionally, 20 measurements of rotational resistance (using Deltec's rotational resistance tester), thatch depth (using a soil profile sampler), soil moisture (using a TDR 350 Soil Moisture Meter), and infill depth (using a Turf-Tec Professional Model Infill Depth Gauge) were taken in both the softer and harder areas to further characterize each field and understand the relationship between surface conditions and athlete performance. Data Collection During Athlete Involvement Fourteen female athletes participated in the study, equipped with STATSports GPS devices (to measure running speed) and ankle IMUs (to measure lower limb impact intensity) to quantify their movements during drills. The athletes were each given new Nike cleats prior to participation to eliminate variation based on cleat configuration. They completed three drills, including a drop landing or drop jump drill, a T-drill, and a modified acceleration-deceleration drill, which were designed to replicate common athletic movements. Each drill was performed three times in both the softer and harder areas identified within each field. Additionally, each athlete completed pre- and post-performance surveys designed to capture their perceptions of field quality before and after completing the drills, providing insight into how different surfaces may have influenced their performance. Results and Discussion Surface Hardness Data Heatmaps highlight surface hardness variability within each studied field. Surface hardness data (n = 100 per field) were analyzed using analysis of variance, and means were separated using Fisher's protected least significant difference (LSD) test at α = 0.05 to evaluate statistical differences between locations. Both synthetic turf fields had significantly harder surfaces than the natural turfgrass fields (p < 0.0001), and for both surface types, the high-usage field had a significantly harder surface than the low-usage field (p = 0.0029 for the natural turfgrass fields and p < 0.0001 for the synthetic turf fields). Both synthetic fields tested in this study were not constructed with a shock pad, which is typically placed beneath the layer of material that supports the synthetic fibers and utilized to help replicate the cushioning effect of natural turfgrass. The absence of a shock pad, along with the tendency of synthetic turf to harden over time due to infill material compaction from athlete foot traffic, may explain the harder surface values observed on the synthetic fields compared to the natural fields. Further, increased use or foot traffic on both natural turfgrass and synthetic turf leads to compaction, which causes the playing surface to harden over time. Therefore, it is anticipated that the high-usage fields exhibited higher surface hardness compared to the low-usage fields. Data Within Each Hard and Soft Area Resulting rotational resistance, thatch depth, soil moisture, and infill depth (synthetic fields only) measurements taken within each hard and soft area on all four fields are presented in Table 1 (available in the Spring 2026 issue of Pennsylvania Turfgrass magazine). These measurements (n = 20 per both hard and soft areas within each field) were analyzed using analysis of variance, and means were separated using Fisher's protected least significant difference (LSD) test at α = 0.05 to evaluate statistical differences between locations. Although the fields tested in this research were not professional-level fields, it is insightful to compare the results with the FIFA natural-pitch rating system (FIFA, 2022). All rotational resistance values fell within FIFA's ‘excellent quality' and ‘satisfactory quality' thresholds, which is important because excessive rotational resistance has been linked to increased lower extremity injuries due to the foot becoming entrapped in the surface during pivoting movements, and too little resistance can increase the risk of slipping. However, soil moisture values exceed 35%, which FIFA classifies as ‘unacceptable quality'. This elevated moisture is likely the primary cause of the low surface hardness values observed on the natural turfgrass fields, which were lower than FIFA's 70-85 Gmax ‘excellent quality' range. Additionally, FIFA considers thatch depths over 25 mm as unacceptable, and 10–15 mm satisfactory. Excessive thatch can cause athlete's cleats to become caught within the surface, increasing knee ligament stress. The low-usage natural turfgrass field had more thatch despite regular maintenance, while the high-usage natural turfgrass field had less, likely due to recent sprigging the summer before. Soft areas in both natural turfgrass fields exhibited higher thatch levels than the hard areas, consistent with previous findings that core cultivation reduces both thatch and surface hardness (McCarty et al., 2007; Atkinson et al., 2012). This supports the understanding that increased thatch can act as a cushioning layer, absorbing impact and thereby reducing surface hardness. The high-usage synthetic turf field exhibited significantly less infill and greater surface hardness compared to the low-usage synthetic turf field, and the soft areas within both synthetic fields had more infill than the hard areas. This aligns with previous research indicating that infill depth decreases with use, which in turn leads to higher surface hardness (Dickson et al., 2022). Additionally, the low-usage synthetic field exhibited greater variability in infill depth between the selected hard and soft areas, likely due to its relatively young age (only one year old at the time of the study). Compared to the older high-usage field, which was approximately ten years old, the infill in the low-usage synthetic field had less time to settle, making it more susceptible to displacement from foot traffic (Fleming et al., 2016). STATSports GPS Unit Data In our study, STATSports GPS units were securely attached to each athlete's upper back. These devices were used to determine if athlete running speed varied based on field type (natural turfgrass or synthetic turf), field usage level (high or low), or hardness (hard or soft areas within each field). However, no statistically significant differences were found. This consistency in speed across conditions is important because running speed can directly affect impact forces and biomechanical measurements. Prior studies have shown that faster running increases the ground reaction force and ultimately lower limb impact load (Leatham, 2004; Jiang et al., 2024). If athletes had run at different speeds on one field type compared to another, it could have affected the reliability of our ankle IMU data. However, since no significant speed differences were found across field types, usage, or hardness, we can confidently attribute the observed differences in the resulting ankle IMU data to the playing surface. Ankle IMU Data Ankle IMUs were utilized to record a metric called average intensity, which is defined as the mean impact intensity derived from every impact propagated into both limbs (IMeasureU, 2022). This metric is recorded in units of gravitational force (g). These devices were securely attached to each athlete's ankle and recorded data as they performed drills on all four fields studied. After running statistical tests that accounted for individual differences between athletes, significant differences were found based on field, field usage, and hardness. Across all three drills, field type had a noticeable impact (p < 0.0001) where athletes showed higher average intensity on synthetic turf fields compared to natural turfgrass. For the drop jump drill, the average intensity was 19.73 g [standard error (SE) ± 1.88] on natural turfgrass and 22.73 g (SE ± 1.82) on synthetic turf, placing the synthetic turf value within the IMU Step ‘high intensity' foot strike range of 21.5–26.7 g (Wong and Finch, 2018). A similar trend was seen in the t-drill, with average intensities of 15.84 g (SE ± 1.20) on natural turfgrass and 18.07 g (SE ± 1.16) on synthetic turf. For the modified acceleration-deceleration drill, average intensity was 17.72 g (SE ± 1.15) on natural turfgrass and 21.35 g (SE ± 1.10) on synthetic turf. Field usage also made a difference in the t-drill (p < 0.0001), where the average intensity on high-usage fields was 18.14 g (SE ± 1.24), compared to 16.49 g (SE ± 1.24) on low-usage fields. Hardness played a role as well, especially in the t-drill (p = 0.0073) and the modified acceleration-deceleration drill (p < 0.0001). In the t-drill, hard areas resulted in an average intensity of 17.43 g (SE ± 1.22), slightly higher than the 17.05 g (SE ± 1.22) on soft areas. For the modified acceleration-deceleration drill, intensity averaged 20.38 g (SE ± 4.28) on hard areas and 18.85 g (SE ± 3.81) on soft areas. Overall, the synthetic turf fields, high-usage fields, and hard areas within fields exhibited higher average intensity values than the natural turfgrass fields, low-usage fields, and softer areas within fields. This aligns with our surface hardness findings, as synthetic turf fields were significantly harder than natural turfgrass fields on average. Additionally, hard areas within synthetic turf were harder than those on natural turf, and high-usage fields were harder than low-usage fields for both surface types. Thus, our data suggest that harder surfaces may explain the higher average intensity values recorded on the athlete's lower limbs compared to softer surfaces. This trend has been heavily supported, as running on harder surfaces increases impact stress, which can ultimately contribute to lower limb injuries. However, all surface hardness values in this study were below 100 Gmax, which is the threshold deemed unsafe by the National Football League (NFL) guidelines (Sports Turf Managers Association, 2019) and unacceptable by FIFA. Yet, a potential positive correlation between surface hardness and impact was observed, as recorded by the ankle IMUs. While further research is needed, it is hypothesized that surface hardness exceeding 100 Gmax could significantly increase injury risk over time due to excessive impact on athletes' lower limbs. Additionally, establishing threshold values for ankle IMU metrics is crucial to determine the point at which these values may lead to injury. Survey / Athlete Perception Data Athletes completed pre- and post-performance surveys to assess field quality and its impact on their performance. Individual responses were recorded and analyzed using one-way analysis of variance to assess statistical differences between fields. Post-hoc comparisons were conducted using Fisher's protected least significant difference (LSD) test at α = 0.05. The low-usage natural turfgrass field received the highest quality rating for both pre- and post surveys, while the high-usage natural turfgrass field, hindered by weeds and poor maintenance, scored the lowest. Synthetic turf fields ranked in between the two natural fields (with the high usage synthetic turf field being ranked lower than the low-usage synthetic turf field), indicating a preference for synthetic surfaces over a poorly maintained natural field. Conclusions Considerable variation in surface hardness was observed both within and between fields, with synthetic turf fields generally being harder than natural turfgrass fields. High-usage fields, regardless of type, were significantly harder than low-usage fields. Other metrics, such as rotational resistance, soil moisture, thatch depth, and infill depth, also showed variability. For natural turfgrass fields, higher soil moisture led to lower surface hardness, while synthetic turf fields exhibited a negative relationship between field usage and infill depth, where frequent foot traffic reduced infill and increased surface hardness. Although achieving perfect field uniformity is not possible, these findings emphasize how field usage and maintenance impact surface variability. Additionally, our data suggest a potential link between surface hardness and the mechanical load on athletes' lower limbs. While this trend was observed, further research is needed to investigate its long-term effects on athlete health, particularly on surfaces that exceed acceptable hardness thresholds. Survey data revealed athletes rated the quality of the low-usage natural turfgrass field the highest, likely due to its softer surface and better aesthetics. In contrast, the high-usage natural turfgrass field, which suffered from poor maintenance and weed pressure, received the lowest ratings, underlining the importance of field condition in shaping athlete perceptions. These results highlight the role of field management and athlete feedback in optimizing field quality. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into how different sports surfaces impact athletes. Our findings suggest that harder surfaces, such as synthetic turf or high-traffic areas, can increase impact and loading on the lower limbs. These results highlight the critical importance of effective field management, maintenance, and consideration of field conditions prior to athletic competition. Next Phase of Research: Ph.D. Project Overview Building on the findings of the Virginia Tech study, this doctoral research at Penn State expands the investigation from impact loading to full lower-limb joint biomechanics during sport-specific movements. While the Virginia Tech study demonstrated that harder surfaces were associated with increased lower-limb impact intensity, the next question is whether different playing surfaces subtly alter how athletes move at the joint level during high-risk tasks such as cutting and decelerating. The planned Ph.D. project uses a multi-segment inertial measurement unit (IMU) configuration placed on the athlete's dominant limb, including sensors at the foot, shank, thigh, and pelvis. Positioning sensors closer to the ground improves sensitivity to surface-related differences, allowing evaluation of not only impact but also ankle, knee, and hip joint kinematics derived through inverse kinematics workflows. Female athletes will perform sport-specific movements, including a single-leg drop-landing followed by a 90° cut, as well as an acceleration to deceleration drill, on four playing surface types: natural turfgrass, synthetic turf, carpet-type hybrid reinforced turfgrass, and stitched fiber hybrid reinforced turfgrass. Each athlete will complete multiple trials on each surface in a within-subject, repeated-measures design, allowing direct biomechanical comparisons across surface types. Female athletes are of particular interest given they experience substantially higher rates of non-contact ACL injury compared to their male counterparts, highlighting the importance of understanding how the playing surface may influence movement. Joint angles of interest include knee flexion and frontal-plane knee motion (dynamic valgus), as well as hip and foot orientation variables commonly discussed in the context of non-contact ACL injury mechanisms. Because hybrid systems are increasingly used in elite stadium environments and are required for upcoming international competitions (e.g., the FIFA World Cup), understanding how live athletes respond biomechanically to these surfaces is of particular interest. To date, most hybrid research has relied primarily on mechanical testing devices rather than human movement data. An additional component of the project involves comparing human biomechanical responses to mechanical surface testing metrics, including measurements from the fLEX testing device (Dickson and Sorochan, 2022; SGL System, n.d.). If consistent relationships are identified between device measurements and athlete joint mechanics, field managers may ultimately be able to more confidently use standardized mechanical testing tools as practical indicators of athlete–surface interactions. Collectively, this progression advances a more comprehensive framework that integrates both the playing surface and athlete biomechanics. By focusing on human movement responses within real field environments, this work strengthens interdisciplinary collaboration across field management, kinesiology, and sports medicine. Ultimately, it aims to generate practical knowledge that supports both performance and safety in sport. A full list of references as well as accompanying figures, photos and tables are available with this article in the Spring 2026 issue of Pennsylvania Turfgrass magazine available on www.TheTurfZone.com. You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. The post How Variability Within and Between Natural Turfgrass and Synthetic Athletic Fields Impacts Athlete Safety and Performance appeared first on The Turf Zone.

This week on Stage Direction, Jordan Dickson called in to chat about some upcoming shows at Basement Theatre. Thanks to Basement Theatre!

God Gives Us What We Ask For by Autumn Dickson In the last post, we talked a bit about how the people implored Samuel for a monarchy. They were insistent, and Samuel saw their folly. He tried warning them; he understood what they were really asking for even if they didn't. Here is a modern rendition of that conversation. Israelites-We want a king! Give us a king like other nations! Samuel-Do you even understand what you're asking? Kings take your sons for war and your daughters to be servants. They take the best of your property. They serve themselves. Why do you want a king? Israelites-Give us a king! Samuel knew Who they were rejecting, and he knew they were trying to replace the ultimate Defender with a mortal. The Israelites already had a King, but they wanted a different one. They insisted on it. And interestingly enough, the Lord tells Samuel to go ahead. Samuel 8:22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. The Lord tells Samuel to give them a king, and then He guides Samuel through the process of selecting and anointing kings. He gives the people what they want. The Lord literally just gives it to them. He didn't directly condemn them. He literally just gave them the curse they asked for. What I want to share today is my own interpretation of Judgment Day. I do not know exactly how Judgment Day or the eternities will look, but this is what I have come to believe thus far as I've studied the words of prophets and scripture. I'm sure it will evolve as I grow older, but this is my working theory. Part (and I emphasize part because I'm sure there are exceptions to this) of Judgment Day is the Lord saying, “Give them what they want.” I think we often picture the Lord condemning and cursing and exiling people, but I think we've got it a bit wrong. I think people choose where they're going more often than not. Let me give some examples of what I mean. Woman-I refuse to be a baby factory. I won't be oppressed like this. Heavenly Father-Okay. I won't force you. I'm not trying to make you a baby factory, I'm trying to make you a mother. I'm trying to save you from eternal emptiness, but I will give you what you want. Woman-You can't fool me! You're just trying to control me! The woman separates herself from what she perceives is a controlling, power-hungry god. She separates herself because she doesn't know the true God, because she doesn't understand what He's trying to offer her. It drives me nuts when people mischaracterize the Lord. Eternity is going to be painfully empty without posterity. PAINFUL. What do you even live for? Do you really think being single and childless is going to fulfill you for eternity? Sure, you'll be fine for a while, but there will come a day when you realize that you have no purpose because there is no progression or struggle. Eternity will be hell, and you will have put yourself there. Someday you're going to wake up and realize that God was trying to bless you, and you cursed yourself instead. It often blows my mind how people get things so wrong, but this has been prophesied. In the latter-days, people will call good evil and evil good. As a mother, I've been experimenting with how much agency to give my kids. And when I say “experiment,” I mean I get so tired of giving them instructions and being labelled a bad guy that I hide out in my room and let them go Lord of the Flies on each other. It usually gives me a small reprieve in exchange for hours of fixing the problems that cropped up while I was hiding. If I were to let them choose exactly what they wanted, they would refuse any kind of schooling, sports, self-development, and anything else that is essential for healthy adjustment to adult life. The irony is that for a long time, they would likely think they were happy, but I can see the misery that would come from never learning to read or work with a team. I can see the misery that would stem from watching their friends move on without them, watching the whole world move on without them. And if I allowed them to completely sink into TV and iPads, they would live there and be miserable and not even know it. If I let them take full control of their tiny-human-inclinations, they would scream at each other and kick each other, and they would turn into mean, miserable little gremlins who no one wants to be around. I get it, Heavenly Father. It's exhausting. It's so frustrating to give your loved ones everything they need to be truly happy and live a worthwhile life only to be labelled bossy and mean. Now that's a pretty bleak assessment of my parenting right there, and it's not always like that. Sometimes they appreciate me coaching them into better people. Sometimes I wake up and they're making bagels for their baby sisters without me. Sometimes I watch them play games with each other for hours. I watch them control their anger or forgive each other or do any number of wonderful, mature, Christlike things. So we're not complete failures over here, but I've definitely learned important lessons after becoming a mom. I have learned that humans often love making themselves miserable. Heavenly Father doesn't even have to curse us or send us to hell. We walk there willingly. We choose oppressive kings and empty saviors to fight our battles. We choose hell. How much of Judgment Day will be arrogant people cursing His name because they supposedly know better? How much of Judgment Day will be people walking away from the Lord because they have Him all wrong? How long will it take for them to wake up and realize the path they took is a curse and He was trying to save them? I testify of a Lord who is not a tyrant. He doesn't force our hand. He is the one who gave us our agency and protects it. Despite all that it costs Him, He preserves our agency while Satan would try to destroy it and enslave us. Despite the fact that He had to pay for it with the blood of His Son, despite the fact that He is spit upon by His enemies because He allows them to, despite the fact that He gets labelled as an oppressive tyrant (ironic when you consider the fact that He is allowing them to call Him a tyrant), He protects our agency. He will let us walk away and choose those difficult lessons. Don't choose the difficult lessons. I testify that He knows what He's doing. Follow Him! Let Him be your King. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

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Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Host: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin) and Co-Host: (ronthe3manweav)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

What King Will You Follow? by Autumn Dickson At the beginning of chapter 8, we find Samuel getting older. He made his sons judges, and they were corrupt. The people went to Samuel and asked for a king. Samuel didn't like that much, and he turned to the Lord. Here is the Lord's response. 1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. The people wanted a monarchy instead of a theocracy. They wanted to be like other nations despite the warnings that Samuel gave them. He warned them of all the problems that come with a king, but they insisted. We're not in the same situation as the Israelites. None of us are asking President Oaks to give us a king, but there are still lessons for us here. Let's look at some details. Israel wanted a king; they wanted someone who would rule over them. The irony here is that if you had asked Samuel whether the Israelites had a king, he would have answered, “Yes.” The Lord was meant to be their king. The Lord had a mouthpiece, a messenger for how He wanted His kingdom ruled, but He was meant to rule over His own people. So when the Lord says that the Israelites rejected Him, He is accurate. They had a king, but they wanted a different kind of king. There are a lot of parallels we could find in our own lives. Rather than explicitly stating the parallel, I rather just give one potential manifestation of this parallel. The Lord has come before each of us and promised to bless us. He wants to make us kings and queens, priests and priestesses. He wants to make us like Him. He wants to shower us with warmth and promises. He wants to open our eyes and show us everything. There is so much to be had as heirs of God. All of that sounds pretty wonderful. Unfortunately, these things don't just get bestowed upon us. We have to grow into it. So when we are faced with the decision of opening our scripture app or social media, we often find ourselves on social media. The Lord comes and says, “Let me be your king. I won't ever betray you. I won't take from you; I only want to give. I want to show you all that you can become.” The Lord comes and warns us, “Taking a different king can be dangerous. The king will take your children, and it will take the best parts of what you have. It only serves itself; you will be its servant.” And yet, like the Israelites, we insist on choosing social media. We choose a different king. We choose a king that robs us of moments with our loved ones. We choose a king that does have the power to take our children away from us. We choose a king that is only looking to profit itself, and we make ourselves slaves to it. Why?? Why do we do this?? And it's interesting. The Lord doesn't mind if we have a mortal king. In Mosiah 29, Mosiah tells his people that it would be fine to have a king if they could guarantee that their kings were righteous. The Lord doesn't mind if we have social media, TV, video games, or any other of these other banal activities. The Lord can utilize these tools to enhance our life and make it better. The problem comes when we essentially reject the Lord for something pathetic. If you had asked the Israelites if they were rejecting their God, I wonder what they would have said. Maybe they would have told us, “We're not rejecting our God. We will still follow our God. We just want a king too. Having a king doesn't mean that we don't worship God.” If you ask us if we're rejecting God when we pull open something vapid instead of something inspiring, we would probably answer that we're not rejecting God. Perhaps that's true. Perhaps you're not outright rejecting God. But have you ever tried to connect with someone who was too busy on their phone? Have you ever gone to someone for help only for them to be too distracted to love you? Have you ever done this to someone else? Perhaps you're not turning to that person who is seeking a connection with you and saying, “Stop. I don't like you. Go away. I hate you.” But aren't you still rejecting them? Don't you feel rejected when it happens to you? So we can tell ourselves all we like that opening instagram instead of the scriptures isn't rejecting God, but isn't it? He's trying to connect with us. He's trying to draw us higher, and we turn away. That is rejection too. I'm not describing a world where we become monks that don't take part in any other type of material. Social media isn't evil. I just think it's wise to take inventory of who is ruling us. Our phones often do this cool thing where it keeps track of where we're spending our time. Look at your phone. Where did you spend your time today? And as a sidenote, this isn't a message about social media. I'm sharing an example that shows an overarching principle. What is ruling us? Is it God? As I was reading about the Israelites choosing a king, I thought of all the pain that was coming to them. I thought of everything we would read about Israel and the trials that were coming. If they could have seen what was coming, would they have chosen differently? If we could see what our kings would bring us, would we choose differently? The Lord has warned us about how to spend our time. He has warned us about what to invite in and what to leave be. Who is your king? What is your king taking from you or giving to you? I testify that there are many good things to enjoy in life, but only one King who is willing to give rather than take. I testify that the Lord knows what He is talking about in how He directs our lives. I testify that you don't have to verbally reject the Lord to be cutting Him out of your life, and that being careful of what we choose will bless us in the long run. It may seem easier to choose something else, but it's not. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

What happens when God interrupts your plans?In Acts 8, we see the Gospel continue to spread despite persecution, opposition, and uncertainty. What looked like a setback for the early Church became a setup for God's purpose. As believers were scattered, the message of Jesus spread farther than ever before.Pastor Willie Simpson walks through the powerful stories of Simon the Sorcerer, Philip, and the Ethiopian eunuch, reminding us that God still changes lives, fills His people with His Spirit, and uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.In this message, you'll discover:• Why no one is beyond the reach of God's grace• The importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit• Why discipleship is essential for spiritual growth• How God uses available and obedient people• The power of pointing people to Jesus• Why every believer has a next stepNo matter where you find yourself today—needing change like Simon, searching like the Ethiopian eunuch, or being called to obedience like Philip—God wants to work in and through your life.

Trusting the Lord With Your Child by Autumn Dickson The story of Hannah is almost too much for me. Hannah struggled with infertility. She went to the tabernacle and prayed her heart out. She told the Lord that she would dedicate her son to Him. Her prayer was so intense that Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. He tells her the Lord will grant her petition. She goes home, and it is fulfilled. She conceives a son. Hannah kept him until he was weaned. This could have happened as early as 24 months and as late as five years old. After he is weaned, she takes him to Eli. She reminds Eli that she was the woman who was fervently praying for a child before, and then she says this. 1 Samuel 1:27-28 27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there. Hannah leaves her son with Eli. She gets to see him annually when they go to the tabernacle to make their sacrifice. This is the part that makes my heart desperately ache. I have two children who currently fall within that age group, and I can't imagine dropping them off and only seeing them once a year. I am quite certain that it would kill me. But Hannah had promised her son to the Lord, and she stuck to that promise. Samuel went to Eli at the temple. Samuel goes on to do incredible things in the name of the Lord. He became the first centralized prophet to Israel in a long time. His ministry is marked by attempts to pull the Israelites out of apostasy and idolatry. He helped Israel transition to a monarchy first with Saul, and then he later anointed David and protected him from Saul. He was known as a great prophet like Moses. When I attempt to put myself in Hannah's shoes, I think there is really only one testimony that would bring me any semblance of peace in the midst of handing my child over. The Lord can do better with him than I can. Luckily, I don't think most of us are facing a time where this sacrifice is required of us. We don't drop our kids off at the temple and dedicate them to the Lord, but there is still a lesson here for all of us. The Lord can do better with your loved one than you can. That doesn't just apply to our children. The Lord can do better with your sister, brother, friend, parent, cousin, grandchild, niece, nephew, spouse, or anyone you love. We can “hand them off” to the Lord and be at peace that the Lord can take them on a journey that's going to be better than the one we can take them on. What does that look like? I can think of two different ways that we can hand our loved one over to the Lord. 1) We closely follow what the Lord has in store for them. I can think of two contrasting examples that depict one principle: I have two family members that strayed from the gospel for a while. They had zero interest in taking part of what the Lord wanted them to have. The first relative was forced to go to church. As long as he lived under the roof of his parents, he would be attending church. His father was adamant about it. And you know what? One day, this relative of mine went to church and one of the speakers said something that reached him. He was no longer forced to go to church because he didn't have to be. My second relative went a different route completely. Her mother received the impression that she should allow her to stay home. This was the right way for my second relative. Because of her personality, forcing her to go would have only caused her to hate it more. It wouldn't have fixed anything. In all honesty, it would have made things worse. Two different approaches that teach a principle when placed side by side: We don't always know what to do, but the Lord does. We may think we know what to do, but we have to let go of trying to control the situation and turn to the Lord for what's going to be best for our child. If one of my children grows to hate the church, my knee-jerk reaction would be to force them to go as long as I could in a desperate attempt to draw them back. And perhaps that's the right answer, but the key is to turn your loved one over to the Lord and follow the path that the Lord has in store for them. Even if part of that path means letting them choose a different path for a while, it's going to end up being the most powerful path if we're following the Lord. Even if that path takes them on a journey like the prodigal son, that journey may be the very thing that makes them so powerful in the end. It may be the very experience they need to finally develop a relationship with a Savior who can watch over them. Fear is natural when we worry about our loved ones, but we can hush our fears and lean on the promises of the Savior. His atonement reaches wide and far. It can turn sin into stepping stones. Consequences become opportunities to turn to the Savior. The Savior has earned our trust. We can lean on Him and let Him lead. 2) Sometimes trusting the Lord with your loved one is an internal battle. Hannah's path looked a little different than both of my relatives. She wasn't trying to save Samuel. In many ways, she was simply letting him go. Sometimes that is the path we have to take. Even when our children are young, we can't really control them. It can be easier to force them to do something when they're little. However, even then, control is often an illusion. As they get older, the illusion disappears and you have to hope they're wise enough to follow the Lord. But no matter how we hope, sometimes they take a different path. Sometimes the Lord is going to seem rather silent on the matter when we're desperately trying to save our loved one. That isn't a sign that you screwed up or that He doesn't love them; sometimes, that loved one is simply going to choose what they're going to choose regardless of the path that you choose to take. Sometimes turning your loved one over to the Lord means seeking out the Lord's will for them; sometimes turning your loved one over to the Lord means finding peace in the midst of being powerless to help them (at least for a time). Even if the Lord is silent, that doesn't mean He doesn't have a plan. It likely just means there isn't anything you can do to help that plan along at this point. When there is nothing you can physically do to help your loved one, you do what Hannah did. You let go and trust that the Lord has a plan for them. Just like with Hannah's situation, I think a knowledge of my Savior's power and love is the only thing that would bring peace. I can't change anything externally, but I can orient my heart towards the Savior and let His promises enable me to hope. I testify of a Savior who does have a plan. He has the Plan of Salvation which included the creation, fall, and atonement, but He also has individual Plans of Salvation for each of us. He knows exactly where your loved one is. He has steps to take and action to follow through on, and He will do so. It may take a long time, longer than you want or even imagine right now, but the Lord's plans can stretch that far. You can trust Him to take care of them, and you can put that burden down and rest. That doesn't mean you don't mourn, but it does mean you simultaneously carry the Savior's promises in your heart so that you can keep going. I testify that He will fulfill His promises. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Spark NZ has launched a system that will allow calls from the company to be verified with the goal of protecting their customers from scam calls. Spark's fraud lead Ross Dickson told Andrew Dickens there has been an uptick in fraud callers impersonating the company. "So, what we wanted to do was to be able to put something in place that gives our customers the confidence to know that it is actually Spark on the other end of the line," Dickson said. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aon Edge President and CEO John Dickson discusses how rising flood exposure, shifting weather patterns and growing protection gaps are reshaping underwriting, risk management and coverage strategies across the insurance industry.

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Host: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin) and Co-Host: (ronthe3manweav)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

Ruth Had Nothing to Offer by Autumn Dickson Ruth was a woman in an extremely vulnerable position, and she placed herself in an even more vulnerable position with Boaz. Let's talk about it, and let's talk about how it relates to us. Ruth was a Moabite who followed her mother-in-law to Bethlehem. She was not originally part of God's people, but she voluntarily chose to be a part of them at great risk to herself. She was vulnerable as a widow, and she was stepping into a life of poverty by following after her mother-in-law instead of going back to live in her father's house. Not only did she face poor circumstances and the necessity of providing for herself and Naomi by gleaning the fields, she likewise faced potential ridicule and social rejection because of her foreign status. But she wanted to be with Naomi and follow after the God of Israel, so she chose that sacrifice. After spending some time in Bethlehem, taking care of Naomi and gathering up meager amounts of food from hard work, Ruth put herself in an even more vulnerable position. Boaz, a respected and wealthy man in the area, had taken note of Ruth and took steps to make sure she was okay. After hearing about Boaz watching out for Ruth, Naomi encourages Ruth to essentially propose to Boaz. According to the direction of Naomi, Ruth follows Boaz to the threshing floor one night, uncovers his feet, and goes to sleep there. Boaz wakes up and finds her, and she asks him to essentially take her under his wing. She asks him to marry her and bring her into his protection. Boaz agrees to do so if another relative relinquishes his first claim upon her. In order to understand the vulnerability that Ruth found herself in, it's important to understand the context of the threshing floor. Threshing floors were not inherently evil; they were community spaces where people went and prepared their different grains to finish the harvesting process. However, threshing floors were associated with a celebratory period that sometimes got out of hand. It was a male-dominated space, and there was drinking. It was not uncommon for prostitution. Let it be known, it was also common for wealthy men to sleep there and protect their grain piles. Boaz wasn't there to get in trouble; he was there to protect his grain. And yet, I want to highlight the potential danger for Ruth. Naomi trusted the integrity of Boaz and sent Ruth anyway. Beyond just protecting her, here is an extra thing that Boaz did for her. Ruth 3:14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. So Boaz protected her in every sense of the word. He could have taken advantage of her and probably gotten away with it. He could have thrown her to the wolves and ruined her reputation. As an outsider, she already faced scrutiny. She could have been branded a loose woman and made herself ineligible for future marriage. Regardless of whether it's just or moral that he had the power to do this is a question for another day. The fact remains that he did have power to do so, and he didn't. Not only did he avoid taking advantage of her, he also protected her from potential shame. If we generalize some of these ideas, we might find some personal parallels in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Here are a couple of reflections. 1) Boaz didn't actually have a responsibility to take care of Ruth. It is important to note that Boaz didn't have to legally take care of Ruth. In ancient Israelite custom, a brother of the dead husband would marry the widow and buy the land to keep the inheritance in the family. Boaz was a more distant relative. He was eligible but not required. It wasn't expected of him. In fact, the relative who was closer to her wanted the land but refused when he found out he would also inherit Ruth. Boaz married Ruth. He went above and beyond what was required of him to protect her. And how poignant is that? Christ was eligible to save us but not obligated. He chose to do it. He wanted to protect us. 2) She had nothing to offer Boaz except loyalty and need. Boaz didn't reap any benefit for marrying Ruth other than receiving her love and gratitude. Even beyond the fact that he didn't have a legal obligation, he was essentially bringing on “dead weight.” I understand that sounds heartless, but let me expound. Boaz had the option of marrying advantageously. He had to pay to get the land that had belonged to Ruth's previous husband; it didn't just come to him. He could have married someone that would have contributed to his own wealth or social standing without any complications of marrying a foreigner. Not to mention, any children he had with Ruth would be considered heirs of her first husband. That's why the other relative had refused. It endangered his personal estate. Boaz was willing to pay the price for kindness. Obviously Ruth had value as a human being. However, when she is logically compared with other options, she isn't bringing much to the table. Sound familiar? We hold very limited benefit in the traditional sense. Even as long-term investments, the Lord gives us everything we have and then gives us more when we try to serve Him. We don't offer much. And yet, Christ knows the value of being loved in return. Boaz recognized a woman who would add much more to his home despite the costs. He watched her love Naomi, and he knew that she would be the kind of person that brings joy. Christ is willing to pay the price of kindness, and He recognizes that investments don't necessarily bring joy. Our loyalty and gratitude and willingness bring joy. 3) And then, of course, the point I highlighted before: Ruth was vulnerable and Boaz protected her. Ruth could have been ridiculed and rejected. She was already prone to it because she was born a Moabite. It became that much more dangerous when she voluntarily chose to approach Boaz on the threshing floor. Someday we will stand vulnerable before the Lord. Someday we will live in a time where secrets are shouted from the rooftops. What secrets are you worried about? What do you want protected and kept private? I testify of a Lord who “forgets” our sins when we repent. I believe in a Lord who is willing to cover for us and take us under His protection. I believe in a Lord whose name is so powerful that we don't have to fear rejection and ridicule. He covers us when we approach Him in faith and humility. He doesn't despise our weakness; He honors it by taking it upon Himself. I testify of a Lord who pays the price of kindness and simply wants our love in return. It brings Him joy. Do not withhold it from Him. Do not withhold yourself from Him. He loves you. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Looking Back and Pressing Forward | Acts 7 | The Faithfulness of God Through Every GenerationIn Acts 7, Stephen stands before the religious leaders and delivers one of the most powerful sermons in Scripture. As the early church is growing, miracles are happening, and the gospel is spreading, Stephen takes his listeners on a journey through Israel's history, not simply to teach history, but to remind them of God's faithfulness.Sometimes we need to be reminded of what God has done so we can continue moving forward in faith.In this message, we look back at the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and the story of the Tabernacle and Temple to see a God who has always been on the move, always faithful to His promises, and always writing a bigger story.

God's Mercy With Gideon's Doubt by Autumn Dickson The book of Judges records a time period in which Israel had no centralized prophet. There was apostasy and partial restorations as the Israelites would sway into worshipping like the Canaanites did. The Lord sometimes sent judges to help Israel against their enemies. These judges were charismatic, military leaders. Some of the judges would save all of Israel; other judges were more regional. Gideon was one of these regional judges, primarily protecting Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Ephraim. Gideon is interesting because he struggled with his faith in the Lord, and yet, the Lord was merciful. There are plenty of instances in the scriptures where the Lord doesn't seem to respond to that very well. Right after the Red Sea parted, the Israelites demanded a sign of Moses to show his favor with God. They were complaining and challenging Moses to show a sign. The place was named Massah as a memorial to their lack of faith. When Zechariah was told that his wife would have a son, he didn't believe it because she was old. He was struck as a mute. Thomas the apostle was likewise rebuked for his lack of faith. Gideon receives not just one, but multiple signs from the Lord. The angel burns up his offering to the Lord. His blanket is covered with dew while the ground is dry one night; his blanket is dry while the ground is wet one night. As he stands in the camp with his 300 men to go against the Midianites, the Lord encourages him to go spy on the Midianites and see what they're saying in order to receive comfort. He does so and overhears a Midianite sharing a dream in which a barley loaf came and flattened a tent. The Midianite's companion interprets it as God helping Israel defeat them. Here is Gideon's response. Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. Multiple signs! God continually blesses Gideon and gives him signs to encourage him along. In fact, Gideon didn't even ask for the last sign. The Lord just gave it to him, and He gave it to Gideon in a powerful way. It would have been one thing to send a dream to Gideon about defeating the Midianites. It would have been easy for Gideon to wonder if it was just wishful thinking. In comparison, hearing the mighty Midianites have a dream and interpret it as defeat by the Israelites was much more powerful in calming Gideon's fears. So why did Gideon get multiple signs while others seem to be rebuked for asking for the same thing? I think there are a lot of reasons because the Lord works according to individual circumstances, but I want to talk about two potential reasons that can be applied in our own lives as we work to approach the Lord. The first reason the Lord was willing to work with Gideon is because the Lord is wise enough to understand that Gideon didn't have much of a relationship with the Lord. The fact that his father had a Baal altar implies that Gideon's family had fallen into idolatry. How much did Gideon know about God? We know Gideon had some knowledge of God because he asks about the deliverance from Egypt, but how much had Gideon experienced God? There's a difference. How much could the Lord reasonably expect Gideon to trust Him? The Lord knew Gideon, but did Gideon know the Lord? The Lord isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He is looking to have a true relationship with us. The fact that Gideon was cautious about running into danger isn't a sign that Gideon is faithless; it is more an indication that Gideon did not yet know the Lord. So what does this teach us about our own lives? The Lord will not begrudge us the time it takes to learn how to trust Him; He doesn't mind allowing us to approach Him until we've built up a number of encounters and start to understand His character. David fought off two wild animals before he fought off Goliath. We recently read about Moses whose trust in the Lord was extremely fragile in the beginning; Moses grew to the point where he encouraged the Israelites to have faith in the face of certain death even though he did not yet know the plan for rescue. The Old Testament gives us a front row seat to watching people experience the Lord and grow in their trust of Him. In contrast, imagine a powerful stranger coming up to you and saying, “Trust me.” When you ask them why you should trust them, they respond with, “Because I told you to.” Um…what? You may not immediately hate them or be wary of them, but you're not going to give them your darkest secrets or social security number (or hopefully you won't…). The Lord understands that He is a stranger to us; He is the one who put the veil there. He understands that we need experiences with Him before we're ready to run into danger when He asks. Once again, He isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He wants His children to be wise and consciously and voluntarily choose Him. He gave Gideon experiences because Gideon likely hadn't had many previously. He was patient with Israel. He was patient with Moses. The Lord has no problem being patient. If He seems impatient in specific scenarios, we can usually assume it's for the benefit of the person He is working with. He is trying to get their attention or get them moving. Which leads me to my second reason: The Lord allowed Gideon to approach Him multiple times for signs because Gideon's heart was soft. Over and over and over and over and over we read about the Lord responding with intensity in response to a hard heart and responding with mercy and encouragement to a soft heart. Gideon's heart was obviously soft. Look at this verse. Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Gideon approaches the Lord so humbly. When the angel gave him a sign, Gideon immediately built an altar unto the Lord. That night, Gideon went and took down the altar of Baal according to the direction of the Lord. We see this multiple times with Gideon. He approaches the Lord in humility and asks for help knowing the truth. Gideon was willing to follow the truth and power and peace; Gideon was just trying to make sure he was looking in the right direction before moving forward. It is only when we've closed our heart off to that truth and power and peace that the Lord shakes the earth to reach us. I think of the Egyptians that saw all the same signs as the Israelites but didn't bother to ask whether they should follow after the same God as the Israelites. I think of Rahab and her people. The Canaanites were all terrified, but it didn't change who they put their faith in. Only Rahab was willing to follow the Israelite God and was spared because of it. You would think that people would open their eyes and ask, “Is there something here?” You would think that they would pause long enough and open their hearts so that the Lord could speak to them. Gideon asked, but Gideon was likewise prepared to follow through. This was part of why the Lord was so willing to encourage him along. I testify of a Lord that responds with wisdom. He knows what He is doing. He will not condemn us for approaching Him for reassurances if we're doing so with the intent to follow after Him. He doesn't even condemn us when we struggle; His intensity is not a sign of condemnation. It's a sign of God's love in trying to reach us! However the Lord is working in your life, you can take it with the perspective that He is trying to do what's best for you. I'm grateful for a Lord who is wise and can train me so purposefully and deliberately. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson says the retailer delivered progress in the quarter, even after lowering its sales outlook. He says three out of their four brands are growing and they're raising the earnings outlook. Dickson speaks to Bloomberg's Lisa Abramowicz.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day Break | Draining the Fraud Swamp: Trump, Vance & the Fight for Taxpayers --- 00:00 Monologue 19:15 – David A. Kallman, Senior Partner with Kallman Legal Group. Kallman discusses delays surrounding Air Force PFAS cleanup efforts and warnings issued by the state regarding contaminated foam found in waterways. He explains the legal and environmental concerns tied to PFAS exposure and cleanup responsibility. 28:13 – Missy Malone, My Pure Health. Malone discusses what she calls a “health revolution” tied to America's 250th anniversary celebration. The conversation focuses on personal wellness, metabolism, and encouraging healthier lifestyles through individualized approaches. Visit gruberhealth.com for more information. 38:28 - Monologue Featuring Ivey Gruber 47:22 – Jacob Huebert, Senior Litigation Counsel at the New Civil Liberties Alliance. Huebert discusses a new lawsuit challenging Illinois' firearm identification law, arguing that the law violates constitutional protections tied to the Second Amendment. 57:36 – Marc Werner, CEO of GhostBed. Werner discusses the importance of quality sleep and how mattresses can impact recovery, pain, and overall wellness. He shares customer experiences and explains how GhostBed products are designed for comfort, cooling, and support—including options designed specifically for RV owners. Visit ghostbed.com/gruber and use promo code GRUBER to save. 1:06:35 – Torine Creppy, President of Safe Kids Worldwide, and Brian Sansoni, Senior Vice President at the American Cleaning Institute. Creppy and Sansoni discuss concerns surrounding the social media trend of “decanting” household cleaning products into decorative containers. They explain how improper storage can create serious poisoning and safety risks for children and families. 1:16:48 - Monologue 1:25:39 – Dr. Lawrence Pfaff, teacher, therapist, consultant, and author of Ready Set Change: Why Knowing What to Do Isn't Enough. Pfaff discusses why meaningful personal change often requires more than motivation or willpower, and explores practical approaches to long-term transformation and habit-building. 1:35:45 – James David Dickson, Michigan-based strategist, founder of the Make Politics Local Again movement, and host of the James Dickson Podcast. Dickson discusses controversy surrounding a major Senate race and broader concerns about outside political influence and “coastal elite” culture shaping politics in the Midwest. 1:44:41 – Ivey Gruber, President of the Michigan Talk Network. Gruber discusses ongoing cultural debates surrounding gender identity and comments on a recent transgender-related event in Boston, focusing on broader political and social conversations taking place nationwide. --- Check out our brand new podcast, 'Forgotten America'... Episode 16 is live NOW at Steve Gruber on YouTube! Link below: https://youtu.be/I4UA2LzQQUg

Thank you for listening to this episode of Bawk Tawk, Welcome to Chickenlandia's 100% Friendly Backyard Chickens Show! In this episode, I am joined by Lacie Dickson from the popular Instagram account Real Life with Lacie. We chat about making homesteading, chickens, and healthy choices available and accessible for everyone, and the roadblocks that keep people from being healthier and happier with their choices. I absolutely loved this conversation, and I think you will too!

Equity markets are broadening, with the S&P 500 moving beyond the Magnificent Seven as AI expands into networking, fiber, memory, and even utilities. Mike Dickson says this shift is creating opportunities in overlooked sectors, including power providers benefiting from data center demand. He also highlights a widening gap in software, as Snowflake (SNOW) shows clear AI monetization while Salesforce (CRM) remains more cautious, with active managers pressed to separate true AI winners from laggards.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

A wealthy hotel magnate returns from a global voyage to find his own obituary in the newspaper, only to realize he is walking into a meticulously staged supernatural murder plot designed to replace him with his own double.If you have a story you'd like to contribute to the series, you can visit https://submissions.soundconceptmedia.com/You can support the show by becoming a paid subscriber on Substack: https://auditoryanthology.substack.comBy becoming a paid subscriber you can listen to every episode completely ad-free!Curator: Keith Conrad linktr.ee/keithrconradNarrator: Darren Marlar https://darrenmarlar.com/Other shows hosted by Darren:Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.com/Paranormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/paranormalitymagMicro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/microterrorsRetro Radio – Old Time Radio In The Dark: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/retroradioChurch of the Undead: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/churchoftheundead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Host: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin) and Co-Host: (ronthe3manweav)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

What happens when ordinary people become filled with the Holy Spirit?In Acts 6, the early church was growing rapidly. Miracles were happening, lives were being changed, and the Gospel was spreading everywhere. But in the middle of revival, tension arose. Complaints spread. Widows were being overlooked. Division tried to enter the church.The apostles gathered the people together and made a powerful request: they did not ask for celebrities, businessmen, or the most educated people — they asked for men full of the Holy Spirit.This message dives deep into the life of Stephen, a man chosen to serve tables, yet filled with faith, wisdom, humility, and supernatural power. Acts 6 reminds us that no assignment is small when you are filled with the Spirit of God.In this sermon we explore:• Serving with humility• Walking in the power of the Holy Spirit• Speaking with wisdom• Shining in dark places• Living a daily Spirit-filled lifeThe world does not just need talented people. It needs Spirit-filled believers whose worship is real, whose prayers are alive, and whose lives shine brightly in darkness.“What fills you eventually shows on you. And when life squeezes you, what is inside comes out.”Scripture Reference: Acts 6:1–15If this message encouraged you, make sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.

What Does it Mean to be a Prophetess? by Autumn Dickson In a day and age where many are curious as to why women can't hold specific positions in the church or be ordained to priesthood offices, reading about Deborah the prophetess can be confusing. Here is a verse that describes her as a prophetess. Judges 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. If Deborah can be a prophetess, can we have a prophetess in our day? What does it even mean that she was a prophetess and what are the implications for women in the latter days? I think it's important to note that I'm not an official representative of the church. However, I'd like to share some of my own perspectives and interpretations surrounding Deborah and what it means as a female Latter-day Saint. But first, some context. Judges is a book of scripture that describes the time period when Israel had no king. Joshua, the prophet after Moses, died, and there was no prophet that directly succeeded him. We don't know exactly how long it took before the Lord called another centralized prophet (Samuel), but educated guesses suggest 300-450 years. As a society, they had the Law of Moses, and the government could be described as a tribal confederation. Despite having a law given unto them from God, they often fell in with Canaanites and found themselves in varying levels of apostasy. Sometimes, in response to the Israelites finding themselves in trouble, the Lord would send a “judge.” The way that we define “judge” is not necessarily accurate in this particular book of scripture. In this context, a judge was a charismatic military leader that would help Israel. There were some major judges such as Samson; there were other minor judges that would help regions rather than the entire nation of Israel. So who was Deborah? Deborah was one of the major judges sent by God to help Israel. She was a judge in every sense of the word. She was a military leader, but people also literally went to her for guidance to settle their problems. She was also a spiritual leader over the nation of Israel. Was she a prophet? The scriptures describe her as a prophetess, and she led all of Israel politically and spiritually. But was she a prophet in the way that we define “prophet” in our day? At this point, I think it's important to clarify what it means to have a prophet. Definition One. The way that we usually define “prophet” in our church in the Latter-days is unique. It's not just someone who studies the scriptures and knows them really well. It's not just someone who receives revelation. When Latter-day Saints speak of prophets, we are often describing the man who has the authority to speak for God on behalf of the entire church. He is the only one with spiritual jurisdiction to lead (under Christ) the church. He holds all of the priesthood keys. And yes, he is a male. We don't know if that will ever change. I don't know if it's doctrine that means this particular role will always be male, or if someday the Lord will use His unchanging love and wisdom to adapt His church according to circumstances as He has throughout the course of history. But there is also a broader definition of this term, “prophet.” Definition two. Anyone can have the spirit of prophecy which is defined as a “testimony of Christ.” We know that Jerusalem had centralized prophets in ancient times as well as lesser “prophets” who would also be sent by the Lord to teach and call upon people to repent. I am not a prophet in the sense that I hold all the priesthood keys or can define doctrine on behalf of the Lord for the entire church. However, I have come to view myself as a prophetess within my own family. Beside my husband, I lead our home. I receive revelation on behalf of our kids and what we need to do. I learn the will of the Lord for our family. I fulfill so many of the “prophetic” responsibilities often associated with prophets; I simply do it within the context of my own family. Most importantly, I am a witness of Christ to my family. What kind of prophetess was Deborah? With the information we've been given, I feel pretty safe assuming she was the second kind of prophet. The Lord had declared that priesthood responsibilities would go through male descendants of Aaron and the tribe of Levi. Deborah was not ordained nor did she hold any keys. So Deborah was a prophetess but not necessarily how we often define it in our day. Perhaps there are some who are disappointed by this news. Perhaps there are some who hoped that because Deborah was a prophetess, we could have one in our day. Perhaps there are some who cling to the idea that things will change and long for the day to see a prophetess lead the church. I don't know whether that will be a thing. If anyone has any insight into that particular doctrine, feel free to comment. But as far as I know, we don't know. Here's what I do know. Deborah doesn't need to be disappointing. In fact, if we understand her properly, we should be exultant. If we understand what the Lord would like to bestow upon His daughters and His sons, then we would hold no fear. Deborah is excellent proof of what the Lord would have all of us do. Deborah may not have been a prophetess in the modern sense of the word, but guys! She was still a prophetess! She was a national leader, and people followed her. She changed Israel. She made a difference. She has been regarded with respect by millions who learned about her generation after generation. And she didn't need the priesthood keys to do it. The Lord is wonderful and wise and set up a priesthood organization with offices and keys. I know that can be a painful sticking point for some. I understand that. I'm personally grateful for this organization, but I can simultaneously understand why it's painful. But that's not really my point today. My point is that you have all that you need to become everything God wants you to become, and He has much more in mind for you than you have for yourself. This has implications for men too. About 3-5% of men will hold priesthood keys at any given time in the church. That number jumps to 10-20% of men who will hold priesthood keys at some point in their lifetime. BUT YOU DON'T NEED KEYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THE WORLD. No one came to Deborah and ordained her as a prophetess. The bible doesn't tell us how she rose to that role, but I have my guesses as to how it happened. It happened because she was a faithful daughter of God who chose to follow the Lord wherever He chose to lead her. Following the Lord and handing your life over to Him in faith (female or male) does not mean you will be recorded for people to pore over your life story for generations to come. It doesn't mean you'll be famous or even particularly loud. But if that's what you're looking for, then you're in the wrong place anyway. I love the example of Deborah, if for no other reason than her story means that I can be a powerful tool for the Lord regardless of what mankind recognizes in me. Regardless of whatever official roles I've been given, I could part seas or change lives. Really what it comes down to is what the Lord wants for me and what He's trying to teach me. Having enough power to change the world isn't really the question here; the Lord will give me everything I need. The true question is whether I will give my life over to Him in whatever capacity He asks. I have as well as I can, and I love my life. I testify that we have everything we need to do everything the Lord wants us to do and become everything He wants us to become. I likewise testify that He has much more in mind for you than you have for yourself. If you (female or male) feel left out because you can't be or aren't a bishop, then hold tight. The Lord has much bigger plans for you. He loves you so much. You are so important to Him. It would be silly to ask more from Him when He already plans on giving you everything that He has. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Good Morning Nashville ☀️ WE ARE EXCITED TO BE DEBUTING AN ALL NEW SEASON, DEDICATING THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MAY TO THE BLACK WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY! THE THEME OF THIS MONTH: MENTAL HEALTH & ME ‼️To anyone listening in today … as black men, we have to really be more intentional behind protecting our black women. With that said … let's get into today's second episode for our Mental Health & Me Season on the Black Men Vent Too Podcast ⭐️ Coming all the way from Dickson county, talking to today's guest felt like we were at home in the backyard … enjoying a cookout with family. Speaking of, she is family to us! And it's just amazing how small the world can be, but how God will connect the dots to get you to where you need to be.

Rahab: From Prostitute to Type of Christ by Autumn Dickson How could I not take some time to speak about Rahab? She was incredible. Here is our introduction to Rahab. Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. Rahab was a prostitute who hid Israeli spies as they were coming to look at Jericho. In exchange for hiding them, she asked them to spare her and her family. They gave her a red cord to put in the window, and all of Jericho was destroyed except for her and her family. In order to understand precisely why she was so great, it's important to understand the background she was born into. Jericho was getting utterly destroyed. There have been times throughout history where the Lord helped His people conquer without utterly destroying everything. Jericho was not one of those times. The land of Canaan was “full” of sin to the extent that destruction was necessary. It was so filled with misery that it needed a clean slate. Except for Rahab. The fact that she's a prostitute during this time period isn't unsurprising. What she's had to go through is not a sign of her moral failings but of her society failing her. We can see the type of person she is from her reactions. She is willing to follow the Lord after hearing the testimony of others. She wants to save her family, not just herself. She utilized her circumstances for the Lord's work. These are not the only reasons Rahab is incredible. The fact that she married is also amazing when you learn what trauma she likely accrued because of her circumstances. This is not a comprehensive list of her good qualities, but I specifically chose these ones. These qualities are what make her like the Savior. Rahab is a type of Christ. Let's talk about a couple of things in her life that reflect the Savior. 1) She is willing to follow the Lord despite what the society around her is doing. Rahab could have been blinded by her own society. She could have followed what everyone else was doing and simply been afraid. Imagine if the rest of the Canaanites had the heart that Rahab had. Imagine if all of them had approached the Israelite army and were like, “We heard how your God protected you and took care of you. We would like to follow Him too.” Imagine if all of us were able to look at what was going on around us and be willing to follow a better way. The Jews were not especially righteous when Christ came to fulfill His mortal ministry. In fact, many of them were evil. If Christ had been born to any other nation, they would have recognized Him as God. Some of the Jews of this time period were too wicked to see Him for what He was. Jesus broke a lot of their made up rules. He followed the Law of Moses perfectly, but He broke a lot of the rules that they had built up around that law. He looked at society and knew there was a better way to live. 2) She wants to save her family, not just herself. Rahab could have followed the spies out. Perhaps that would have been easier than sitting in her home and hoping all the soldiers followed the direction to spare her. We don't know all the reasons why Rahab stayed, but we do know she sought out her family and brought them into her home where they could be protected too. She cared enough about her family that she sought saving them too. Maybe she even felt that being saved wouldn't be worth it if her family couldn't be saved too. Christ's heart also pushed Him to look beyond Himself. Christ is the only One who was perfect enough to go to heaven. He could have come down here, lived perfectly, and gone on to live in heaven forever, but He loved us too much. He put Himself through difficult things in order to save us too. He was concerned with saving His family. He obviously didn't think heaven was going to be good enough without us despite our many failings. He loved us, and looked beyond Himself. 3) She utilized her circumstances for the Lord's work. It was actually important that Rahab was a prostitute. With all of the tension in the air from the Israelite army, it would have been difficult for the spies to get into Jericho. Because she was a prostitute, it allowed them to enter into the city. It wasn't as uncommon for strangers and foreigners to visit brothels in comparison to visiting repectable houses. Not to mention, Rahab's house was within the city wall and allowed them to escape. Now, the fact that she was a prostitute did not mean that the spies went undetected. Somehow, the residents of Jericho noticed the spies and they came knocking. Rahab hid them on the roof before helping them escape. This is actually also an important reflection of Christ. Only Christ was in the correct circumstances to save us. Because of His birth, He held power that no one else had. He had the ability to save us because of His circumstances. But, it was still ultimately His decision to save us. Rahab's circumstances put her in an ideal situation to save her family and help the Lord's work, but her choices and faith were absolutely key as well. Sometimes our circumstances make it difficult to believe that we could ever be like Christ. Sometimes what we've been through or are currently going through make us think that we can't serve. Sometimes our circumstances are the very things that put is in a position to be like Christ. I testify that like Rahab, we are all given opportunities to be like our Savior. I also testify that like Rahab, following the Lord and His prophet will ultimately save us. It doesn't matter where we started; we can make choices that will put us in line with the Lord's people. He can save us, and He can utilize us if we're willing to leave our old lives behind. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Host: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin) and Co-Host: (ronthe3manweav)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

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Why They Marched Around Jericho 7 Times by Autumn Dickson The Fall of Jericho is epic for many reasons. There are a lot of details that we could talk about that would teach us about the Savior, but let's just cover a few. Jericho was a large city that was meant for the Israelites. The Lord was helping them gain their land one bit at a time. When Jericho saw the Israelites coming, they closed their gates and settled in for a siege. The Lord commanded the Israelites to circle the city every day for six days. Then on the last day, they were to do this. Joshua 6:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. I can't speak for the whole of the commandment (walking once a day for six days); I would need to study it further. However, I want to talk about the last day. The Israelites were to walk around the city seven times, trumpets would blow, and the people were to start yelling. They did so, and the walls fell. The Israelites flooded in and took the city. No one was spared except for Rahab and her house because she had helped the Israelites. It is significant that the Israelites had to walk around Jericho seven times. Seven was a symbol of the covenant, and it was also symbolic of fullness or being complete. Jericho was the promised land; the Israelites needed completeness. In the New Testament, the Lord commands His people to be perfect. Perfect was a translation from the word “teleios,” which has an alternate translation. It also means “end” or “complete.” The Savior might also be commanding His people to reach their full spiritual maturity in comparison to going constantly without error. I find it beautiful that the Israelites needed to symbolically be “complete” in order to enter the promised land. I also find it beautiful that their completeness didn't make the walls come down. They needed to keep the commandment to go around the city seven times, but that's not what brought them into the promised land. Here is another important verse. Joshua 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. The walls hadn't fallen down yet when Joshua said this to the people, and yet, Joshua is speaking as though it already happened. “The Lord has given you this city, so shout!” Joshua knew the promises of the Lord were good for the money. He had no doubt that the city was their's, and it reflected in the way he spoke to the Israelites. So what do we learn from this? The Lord was the one who brought them into the promised land, and He did so after they had become complete. The Lord is the one who brings us into heaven, and He does so “after” we are complete. I use quotation marks because “after” is a bit relative. There are many aspects of heaven that we already get to enjoy: family relationships, peace, freedom from past sins, and many more. In some ways, the Lord has already allowed me into heaven. I know that those blessings are a direct result of His atonement, and yet, He still wants me to walk towards completion. It is only when we have become complete, that we can truly enjoy heaven. For example, in my imperfection, I am still working on fully appreciating the most important things in order to bring more heaven into my life. Because of my insistence on completing tasks, I often prioritize my to-do lists over my relationship with my kids. It is very difficult for me to set aside these tasks that I make monumentally important in my life, and my ability to feel heaven suffers. I inadvertently start to view my kids as obstacles rather than the treasures that they are, and my happiness lessens because of it. I get irritable and don't treat them as good as they deserve, or I simply don't go out and be with them. Becoming complete isn't about never losing my temper again, though that's a nice side effect. Becoming complete is about spiritually maturing. It means taking a step back often enough that I change. I change to value my kids the way that Heavenly Father values me, and as I do that, I find more happiness than I could ever find within my completed tasks. It means that I become the kind of person who no longer feels a need to yell; it's much better than trying the perfectionist route. As I walk towards completeness, I gain more and more access to the promised land. This is not because I'm taking a hammer to the walls. I just work towards spiritual maturity, and the Savior is the one who actually delivers the promised land. He is the only one who can offer the promised land. We can't get it ourselves; it has to be given to us. And yet, the Lord still asks us to walk towards completeness. He does this because it's no use being in the promised land if we're all keeping ourselves from being happy through our own values and choices. The Lord asks us to keep His commandments and change towards completeness, but keeping His commandments doesn't earn heaven. It enables us to appreciate the heaven that He is delivering to us. The Old Testament is cool. The scriptures are cool. The Lord knows exactly what He's doing as He tries to teach us about the reality of the Plan of Salvation. The more I study the scriptures, the more I see that He knows what He's doing. I testify that the Lord knows us. I testify that He is the One who delivers heaven through His sacrifice. He gives it to us. It's a gift. He simultaneously pushes us and gives us commandments because He knows our growth is essential for our happiness. We can't enjoy His gift unless we become like Him. I'm grateful for His sacrifice, His commandments, and His support every step of this process. I'm grateful He loves me enough to work this hard for my joy and benefit. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Promised Land You Can't Enter Yet by Autumn Dickson In the chapters this week, Moses is led to the top of a mountain where he is shown the promised land. Deuteronomy 34: 1, 4 1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan… 4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the Lord led him there to show him the promised land, Moses wasn't allowed to go into the promised land because of prior disobedience. He had led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the wilderness. It had not been easy. At one point, Moses had even asked the Lord to kill him rather than deal with the Israelites anymore. Moses suffered plenty of hardship, and he learned many great and important lessons. But despite this, Moses was still not allowed to step foot in the promised land. The Lord held true to Moses' consequences for disobedience. According to modern revelation, Moses was translated and taken up to the Lord before the Israelites entered the homeland that was meant for them. Details are always key. One of the details this week is the fact that Moses was taken up into a mountain where he could overlook the promised land that he couldn't enter. Mountains in scripture are often compared to temples. Holy things often take place on the tops of mountains, and the Lord gives knowledge and power to some of His children in the tops of mountains. Hold that thought. I wonder how he felt looking over the lands that were meant to be the inheritance of the Israelites. Did it hurt him that he would not be joining them or had he come to terms with the consequences that had been laid out for his disobedience? Did it hurt to see what had been meant to be his inheritance? Did it hurt to see the promises of the Lord that he would not be receiving? Whether it hurt or not, I can assure you that it no longer hurts Moses. He was translated, and he ended up in a different promised land than he had pictured or seen on the top of that mountain. It was a better promised land. Yes, Moses is just fine. I have found a surprising pattern in my life. I have multiple friends who dislike the temple, not because they don't agree with what happens there, but because they can't see the promises of the Lord being fulfilled for them. I have friends who have faced infidelity or family members who don't want to participate in ordinances in the the temple. Going to the temple and hearing the promises that were meant to be theirs doesn't feel particularly good. It is painful to hear about it and desire it deeply and not have current access to it. I fully recognize that I have not been in their shoes, nor do I understand what it's like to feel barred from those promises. Even as I share my testimony of these things, I fully own that I dont understand what it's like to have to come to terms with feelings like that. But sometimes objectivity is precisely what is needed. Strong emotions can be so overwhelming that it's difficult to see the end from the beginning. So let me testify of the end. Moses did not enter into that promised land here. He could see it. He was so close, but it was something that wasn't available to him. I promise you that he's okay. More than that, I promise that he is far more than okay. The Lord has taken care of Moses beautifully. There are two specific promises I want to testify of if you are facing the same problem as Moses or my friends. If you feel that there is no happy ending in sight, these are the promises I want you to hold to. Promise one. There is a promised land available for you even if it feels like mortality is barring you from in it one form or another. Mortality is not strong enough to keep you from your Savior's ability to give you a joyful existence. He is mighty to save. He can take care of you. You are not actually barred from those promises. And in all honesty, you don't even have to wait to step foot in the promised land. Moses' disobedience was what kept him from the promised land, and even his own disobedience didn't ultimately keep him from eternal joy. If you feel innocently barred, then Satan is lying to you. Christ can offer peace and comfort right now. You can go to the temple and listen to the promises and cling to them. Find comfort in them. You don't have to know the how in order for those promises to take affect in your life. Those promises ARE for you even if you don't know exactly how they will look. And if you don't feel strong enough to cling to those promises, He has the power to bring peace even when it's illogical. You can go to the temple and call upon the blessings He promised you there. You can tell Him, “I'm here. I came like You asked. Can you help me feel peace?” And then allow Him to offer peace. Allow Him to comfort you. Unfortunately, sometimes promises of joy feel empty without our loved ones who refuse their own promises. Which brings me to promise two. The Lord can take care of those around us, just as He can take care of you. Elder Orson F. Whitney, an apostle, taught this: The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught a more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. I don't believe the sealing power only applies to children. There is a reason we all get sealed together; I believe this likewise applies to spouses who have chosen to stray. The Lord has a plan for everyone who ever lived upon the earth to be sealed together. That sealing power is so strong. And in the meantime, He will sorrow with you. He knows what it's like to watch loved ones stray. He cannot force them to come back, but He knows how to succor you in your pain. He knows exactly how you feel, probably even stronger because His love is deeper. Take comfort in the fact that He has found eternal joy and hope. You can too. Looking at the promised land doesn't have to feel painful. I testify that if Moses had seen what was coming for him, any sting from being barred from the promised land would have been soothed. It would have had no power because Moses knew what the Lord had in store for him. We can be like Moses. If you could see the end, it would take away much of the sting for you as well. I testify that as we consciously strive to strengthen our testimonies of His promises, we find the balm He promised us now, not just in the next life. I testify that the Savior can deliver on His promises of eternal joy. I testify that the ending is beautiful. I testify that He knows how to reach our loved ones, and we can trust Him with them. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

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The Daily Herald's Darnell Dickson joins Cougar Sports to discuss where Richie Saunders will be selected in the NBA Draft, the Cougars' search for a big man, and more!

Why Moses Never Entered the Promised Land by Autumn Dickson Moses was not allowed to go into the promised land with the rest of the Israelites. He wandered in the desert with them for 40 years, saw the promised land from a mountaintop, and returned to God before he could step foot into that land. Deuteronomy 34:4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. The event that caused Moses to be barred from the promised land came at a time when the Israelites needed water. At one point in their sojourn, Moses was commanded to smite a rock in order to provide water for the Israelites, and it worked. At another time, Moses was commanded to speak to the rock in order to provide water. Instead, Moses hit it again. Because of this, the Lord told Moses that he would not step foot in the promised land. And the Lord was true to His word. Moses never did enter the promised land that he had led the Israelites to. Despite the miracles and work and lessons that Moses had in his life as he led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness, Moses didn't get to help them take those last steps into the promised land. Seems a bit harsh for those of us who are also not exactly obedient. Everything that Moses contributed was not enough to earn him entrance into the promised land. Despite its seeming cruelty, this consequence handed down by the Lord is not harsh. It's true to life and important to understand. There are two portions that we need to understand in relation to Moses being barred from the promised land. 1) When we are not exactly obedient, it can bring lifelong consequences. It was such a small thing. Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it. He was supposed to hit the rock the first time. Was it really such a big deal that he hit it a second time? I wonder how Moses came to accept this punishment handed down by the Lord. Perhaps Moses accepted his punishment meekly and perfectly, but I'm going to show you a couple of potential responses from Moses that might reflect how we sometimes receive our own consequences. “It was such a small thing. Why am I being punished so severely? I've done so much good. Isn't that enough for the Lord?” “I have to live with this the rest of my life. Every step I take towards the promised land is a reminder that I can't ever go in. It's too much to bear.” “Why am I even walking towards the promised land if I can't go in? Why can't someone else lead them? What's the point of me wandering for forty years if I can't ever step foot in there?” Sometimes the consequences of our disobedience seem too much to bear, but the fact remains that the Lord warned us. He doesn't control us, and honestly, we would likely rail against Him if He tried. People rail against Him even when He merely tells them to stay away from certain behaviors and actions. He doesn't want to control us, and we don't want Him to control us, not really. So He warns us, and then He leaves us to decide whether we want to risk it. No amount of service to the Lord is going to erase a DUI that hurt you, another passenger, or someone in the other car. Even if you're doing everything right, pausing to look at pornography has the power to destroy your marriage or your happiness in marriage. Breaking the Law of Chastity just once can carry disease or bring a baby into the world who deserves two parents. None of these are things that you can't overcome, and yet, these consequences follow you even when you continue walking towards the promised land. All of these little commandments handed to us by the Lord are meant to protect us because they carry potential consequences that will follow us for life. This isn't meant to shame; it's meant to warn. You can choose what you want, and perhaps you'll be one of the lucky ones. But don't rail against the Lord if you end up with consequences that you have to carry with you until you die. He tried to warn you. He tried to help you set up a life that would be healthy and full of joy. He gave commandments for a reason. Now here is my second point, and it is every bit as important as the first point. 2) Moses went to heaven even though he didn't go to the promised land. The Lord forbade Moses from entering the promised land, and that consequence followed him throughout his journeys in the wilderness. BUT. According to modern revelation, Moses was translated, so I'm not really worried about him. Maybe it hurt while he was alive. Maybe he carried that disappointment throughout his journeys. Maybe it hurt even as he stood on that mountaintop and the Lord showed him where the people were going without him. But it's not hurting anymore. Moses is just fine. He carried those consequences; that's an important part of life. Even despite our best efforts, most of us will carry consequences for life. We will have things we wish we had never done. We will have things we terribly regret that come back to haunt us occasionally. But it's worth continuing our walk towards the promised land even while carrying those consequences that are teaching us powerful lessons. Because even if we don't get to walk into the promised land here, there is one waiting for us on the other side. That's the beauty of the atonement of Jesus Christ. The consequences are important for lessons, but lessons don't have to be carried forever. Christ paid for it. We get to leave them behind and receive the fullness of the Lord if we keep walking towards the promised land. I testify that the Lord tries to warn us and prevent us from carrying around things that hurt. I testify that even when we do it anyway, those consequences are gifts that teach us to rise to another level. I testify that we don't have to carry those consequences forever, that Christ paid for them and we still get to go to the promised land even if it's not the promised land we originally had in mind. I testify that Christ has something better in mind than we had for ourselves. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Endeavour Silver had a record-breaking Q1 2026 financial results, which saw revenue surge by 230% compared to the previous year. CEO Dan Dickson discussed the results with Mining Stock Daily. Dickson discussed the operational milestones that fueled this growth, including the successful ramp-up of the Terronera mine and the strategic completion of the Kolpa plant expansion. Dickson also offers insight into how the company is leveraging robust silver and gold prices to strengthen its balance sheet and position itself as a leading senior silver producer.

How to Complain to the Lord by Autumn Dickson In Numbers 11, we read about the Israelites getting sick of their miracle, namely the manna in the wilderness which fed them. They remembered all the good food they used to eat in Egypt, and they were mad about eating the same thing for every meal. Numbers 11:10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. Moses gets so sick of the Israelites complaining that he asks the Lord to kill him rather than having to deal with them anymore (same, Moses, same). The Lord responds by sending too much meat until they get sick of it. I want to share my own story, and then I'll bring it back to the Israelites. My daughter was baptized in December. It was beautiful. A lot of my family was in town for the wedding and so they got to be there which was magical for me; it also actually complicated things. The week before the baptism and wedding, the stomach flu went through our house. I rejoiced that we got over it in time for my family to come into town because I don't get to see my family that often, and I adore being around my family. Unfortunately, the day before the baptism, one of my babies started throwing up again. I was actually rather devastated. I hadn't realized how much excitement I had placed on being with my family and having everyone with us for this huge step in my daughter's life until it was potentially getting taken away from me. I pleaded with the Lord for it to be a fluke, that she would just throw up once and go a full 24 hours without throwing up again before the baptism. Unfortunately, this miracle was not to be. She threw up again the morning of the baptism. I texted the family and warned them all that I was still going to my daughter's baptism and that the baby would be there because I had no one else to watch her. I told them I understood if anyone was too afraid to come because everyone was traveling for Christmas (some on international flights), and there were some pregnant women and other little children. We had some immunocompromised family members. There were many reasons to stay away. And then I knelt down. I told the Lord that I accepted what He chose to give and withhold, and I worked really hard to feel that acceptance and not just offer lip service. Heaven knows lip service wasn't going to make me feel any better. And you know what? He blessed me for it. He opened my eyes to see the fact that I was blessed for having a family that I wanted to be around. Not everyone has that. He helped me see that I have an eternity of Christmases to be with family and celebrate. And most importantly, He helped me see that my daughter's baptism wasn't just about that single day. It was about the fact that she was binding herself to her Savior forever. In fact, because of her baptism, I would be able to be with her and the rest of my family for eternity. It was definitely a moment to celebrate. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, it would be one of the greatest blessings of her life. Now, my family all came anyway, as did my husband's family who live closer to us. It was perfect and chock full of the spirit and a surprising amount of fun. BUT. If my family had chosen to stay away that day, I would have understood. There were plenty of reasons to bail. I would have been terribly disappointed and sad, but it would have likewise been tempered by the Savior's soft reminders. I've gotten frustrated with the Lord often enough in my life that I've realized it's fruitless. There have been times when I've been filled with anger or sadness or betrayal and turned to the Lord in my immense overwhelm; He has responded by giving me a clearer perspective and teaching me that I can trust Him. So after a million and one experiences with the Lord and His wisdom, I was able to approach Him with a lot more faith this time. Rather than getting angry with the Lord for not preventing the problem, I approached Him with meekness. As with all things in the Lord, I was the one who was blessed. We don't approach the Lord with meekness to placate His ego. We don't approach the Lord with meekness to try and get Him to change His mind. We approach Him with meekness because it blesses US. It allows Him to show us the reality of our situation. The reality of our situation is this: even in the midst of fast and direct trials like Egypt or in the long and arduous and uncomfortable trials of a journey through the wilderness, we have already won! We actually have every reason to be grateful and when we commit to meekness, we have the Lord to help us remember that. Important sidenote: I have learned that meekness can coexist with many different emotions. We often picture a humble, quiet servant who doesn't talk back or ever complain, but I don't think that's the only way to be meek. Even in the midst of anger or frustration or exasperation or devastation or annoyance, we can simultaneously say, “I know Thee, Lord. I know I am in Thy hands, and I know that Thou art doing what's best for me.” You don't have to turn down your emotions in order to successfully approach the Lord. Just simultaneously bring your knowledge that the Lord is watching out for you. Better yet, take those big emotions to the Lord and ask Him to help you see more clearly so that it's not difficult to be meek. When I approached Him in prayer about seeing my family while they were in town, I was bawling. I've definitely approached Him and carried my anger with me. We don't have to seem all pious and restrained. We can simply cling to our testimony that the Lord loves us and wants what's best for us. The truth is, the Lord is often going to do what He's going to do anyway. If the Israelites had simply approached Moses (or approached the Lord, directly) and asked for some dietary variety, maybe the Lord would have sent the right amount of quail rather than sending a difficult lesson alongside it. However, the blessing of meekness is that regardless of what the Lord chose to send, the Israelites could have been happy. We came here to struggle. He can't take that away without simultaneously robbing us of the purpose of the Plan of Salvation (growth), and meekness softens that struggle enough that we can see it more clearly. It enables us to see around it and rejoice anyway. I testify that the Lord has your best interest at heart. I testify that He loves you. I testify that meekness over complaining is a gift that blesses us. It honors Him with the deference He deserves, but even our meekness before Him gives back to us. I testify that trials are gifts, and that the Lord provides. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In this episode of The Observatory, Anna Dickson joins the show to discuss trauma healing. Anna is a Clinical Director,  Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and Psychotherapist who specializes in trauma healing and recovery, anxiety, depression, substance use, mood and personality disorders, history of suicide attempts, ideation, and self-injuring tendencies. Hear about the different childhood and intergenerational traumas and how to heal from them, the power of being present in trauma healing, and the importance of your loved ones in your healing journey. You will also learn the different color shockers in healing.Timestamps[02:46] Anna Dickson's background information[06:35] Childhood and early attachment trauma[07:30] Intergenerational trauma and how to heal from it[12:36] Anna's journey into psychology [16:24] Anna's ideal clients[20:05] The book: The Body Keeps the Score[23:03] The power of being present in trauma healing [31:54] Identifying where we carry our energies[35:36] Anna's opinion on the different psychedelic medicines[42:26] How the different childhood experiences of siblings affect their lives and healing journeys[51:51] The importance of your loved ones on the healing journey [56:33] Anna's healing journey[01:05:45] The color shockers in healing [01:07:42] The uniqueness of traumas Notable quotes:“If we can resolve the past, we can help people live more unburdened, freer, and more authentic lives.” - Anna Dickson [05:30]“Trauma therapy helps you rewrite the narrative.” - Anna Dickson [10:23]“Being with our person allows us to heal spontaneously.” - Anna Dickson [51:11]“As long as your heart is still beating, you have a choice to change, to resolve, and a choice to become.” - Anna Dickson [01:02:43]“Trauma is so unique to each individual, and so it requires a level of uniqueness in reprocessing.” - Anna Dickson [01:07:42]Relevant links:Anna Dickson Website: https://www.ember-root.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ember.and.root/Subscribe to the podcast: Apple PodcastProduced by NC Productions. 

The Spy Report That Cost 40 Years by Autumn Dickson The Israelites are wandering in the wilderness before they're led to the promised land. They're having experiences with God and learning difficult lessons. They're being provided for even if it's not everything they had in mind. They have had experiences of faith as well as experiences where they betrayed the witnesses they had received. Let's talk about one of the times they were rebellious and unfaithful. In Numbers 13, Moses sends twelve spies (one from each tribe) into Canaan. Depending on where you read in the bible (see Deuteronomy 1), the timelines differ slightly. One suggests the people wanted to spy; one suggests the Lord recommended it. Either way, the church seems to emphasize the Lord's approval of the mission. The spies come back with the following report. Numbers 13:27 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. They then warned of the city's defenses. Caleb encouraged the people to have faith, but ten of the other spies continued on with their report. Numbers 13:31-33 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. It's important to understand that Canaan was the promised land. It is eventually (mostly) conquered by the Israelites and divided out amongst the tribes. The Lord had led them through this entire experience from slavery to the edge of the land of promise, only for them to believe they wouldn't be able to take the land. So what does this teach us? Your promised land is available. I'm not simply talking about the mansion being built for you on the other side. I'm talking about all the most important aspects of the promised land. Peace, contentment, joy, healthy relationships, all of these things are available to you. These are all crucial parts of our salvation and eternity. Sure, eternity also includes all of our needs being met and perfect bodies, but some of the most important portions of the promised land are available to us right now. So what kept the Israelites from inheriting the promised land sooner? A lack of faith. What keeps us from inheriting the portions of promised land that are available to us on this side of the veil? A lack of faith. That's it. That's the first step on this journey towards your promised land. The Israelites didn't need military might or impeccable strategy. They needed faith. You don't need all of the things you think you need. You just need to trust the Lord. It's enough for you to see the land flowing with milk and honey and say, “The Lord meant for me to have that.” Sometimes it's hard to feel that way when you see what you're up against; namely, all of your own flaws and mistakes and imperfections. The Israelites certainly didn't feel capable. However, you're not conquering the land for yourself; you're showing up for the Lord to conquer it for you. So how do we do better than the Israelites so it doesn't take us forty years to figure out how to be in the promised land? Well if our problem is a lack of faith, maybe we should look at increasing faith. Here is one recommendation from Bednar on how to do that. The enabling power of the Atonement is accessed by faith in Jesus Christ. And that faith is strengthened as we remember and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our lives. Remembering and acknowledging the Lord → Faith → Enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ steps in and gets us where we need to go Would the Israelites have felt differently if all the spies had come back and started with a list of the ways the Lord had provided for them from the time they were in slavery? If they had started off with the miraculous infant survival of Moses to the steps right outside the promised land, it would have been a long list. There were many times that the Israelites didn't even lift a finger for their own freedom and survival; the Lord took it completely on Himself. And that's just the list of the society as a whole. How many personal miracles did the Israelites experience from family to family? Would it have changed how the Israelites approached this experience? I'm not sure, but I know it's changed how I approach my own life. I think that's partially why my prayers have been so powerful in my life, specifically the gratitude. When I'm facing a situation of uncertainty or tragedy, I pray. There are so many wonderful ways to pray and draw closer to the Lord, but one of the most powerful ways I've found is to start with true gratitude (even when it's mixed with sorrow or fear or anger). When I'm struggling, I don't list nice things that happened throughout the day. I consciously think of similar situations in the past where the Lord has shown up for me. By the end of the prayer, I often find myself in some version of the promised land, even if the obstacle wasn't removed. I testify that the Lord has saved you many times before this, and He will continue to save you in the future. He will continue to teach you the lessons He needs to teach you until you're ready to step into that promised land He has offered each of us despite mortal circumstances. I testify that if we take the time to record these miracles and tender mercies, it makes our faith powerful. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Host: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin) and Co-Host: (ronthe3manweav)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

Repenting of Unintentional Sin by Autumn Dickson In my last post, we talked about Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. As a quick review in case you missed the last post, this day was a solemn event with an undercurrent of joy. The main ritual of the day included two identical male goats. One goat would be sacrificed with its blood spread on the Holy of Holies and its fat burned on the altar. The priest would lay his hands on the second goat, pronounce the intentional and unintentional sins of Israel upon it, and then send the goat out into the wilderness. The first goat represented the payment of Israel's sins. The second goat represented the guilt being taken away from them. The detail that I want to explore from this ritual is when the priest symbolically transferred the sins of Israel onto the second goat. There are parallels to Christ in all of these steps and details, but that's the one I want to talk about today. Here's the verse that teaches us about this. Leviticus 16:21-22 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Implication one from this detail: It is important to repent of unintentional sin. It is good for us. It makes us happier. I think of when my oldest daughter finally lashes out at my son when he's being purposefully obnoxious. My son often tortures his sisters repeatedly, not hurting them or saying directly mean things, but pushing their buttons until they explode on him. My daughter will hold out as long as she can until she finally explodes in a violent reaction. The violent reaction is more jarring than the relentless teasing, but whose heart is actually sinning (Yes, I recognize that both my kids are young and one isn't even accountable yet. This is about the principle, not the specific details)? My son is the one truly trying to make his sister batty; that's his entire purpose. My daughter never set out to bug or hurt him; she simply has the emotional control of an eight year old. And yet, she still needs to repent. She doesn't need to repent because she's evil and horrible and cursed. She needs to repent because it's going to make her happier. Repenting isn't just about atoning for what you've done; it's about changing so you're protected, close to Christ, and happier. In this specific example, my long-term goal for her repentance is to get to the point where her brother doesn't affect her. She just goes on in her life, unbothered by people who are purposefully trying to make her life harder. That's part of happiness, and therefore, repenting is a gift. Obviously, I need to help my son change too, but my principle here is about repenting of unintentional sins, not intentional ones. I used an example of violence, and I specifically used an example where she made a mistake because she's flawed like the rest of us. It's easy to see how violence needs to be repented of. However, these same principles apply when we're trying to do what's right but not worshiping how the Savior would have us worship. We talked about this recently with the golden calf incident. Maybe Israel wasn't trying to worship a different deity. Perhaps they had just created an idol in hopes of worshiping the God who had just delivered them. Perhaps their hearts were trying to do what's right but were misguided. Even if their hearts were in a good place, repentance of unintentional sin is important. Heavenly Father gives commandments to help us be good people, but He also gives us commandments to protect us from becoming bad. Seems like a silly nuance but let me elaborate. Israel could have very quickly devolved into worshiping the calf rather than the Lord even if their intention had been to worship the Lord in the beginning. They needed to repent because the Lord wanted to protect them. So even if the Israelites had unintentionally sinned (and I emphasize if since we don't know precisely where their hearts were), they still needed to repent! They still needed to repent of unintentional sins so they could remain close to the Lord where they would be happy. So quick recap so we can understand where we're going: The detail we're covering is that the priest symbolically transferred the unintentional and intentional sins of Israel up on the goat that would be released into the wilderness. Implication two from this detail: We're trying to change our sinful nature, not just listing off individual sins and saying sorry. Ultimate repentance is about changing to be like God, not racking up individual points that tip the scales and put us in the Celestial Kingdom. When I write my posts, I often use AI to help me get my details straight. I don't use it to actually write my content in case anyone was wondering, but I do use it to make sure I'm understanding timelines and facts. For example, I asked it to give me a play-by-play of the ritual so I wouldn't accidentally ruin one of the details. I turned to AI as I was writing this early in the morning and asked, “Did the Israelites write down their sins and give it to the priest to transfer over to the goat?” It was only after hitting “enter,” that I realized how ridiculous that question was. I blamed the early morning and brain fog. Anyway, AI responded by saying that no one gave the priest a long list of the sins they committed over the past year. First of all, that's terribly impractical. It's impractical (and unhealthy) to keep a list of all your sins, and it's impractical to list each sin of each individual for the entire society for the entire year. Second of all, a majority of them were illiterate. Like I said, I blame the early morning for my ridiculous question, but I'm actually grateful that I asked it because it led me to a beautiful implication. Because of my question, I more consciously realized that the Israelites weren't listing individual sins. It's not about repenting of individual sins and trying to garner points that put us in the Celestial Kingdom. It's about changing our nature to goodness. The priest didn't transfer each individual sin onto the goat for it to run out into the wilderness; the priest merely acknowledged the sinful nature for the year. Perhaps this seems cheap; it's so easy to go to Heavenly Father and be like, “I sinned a lot last year. Forgive me please.” However, religious rituals are only as cheap as you make them. This ritual wasn't about reliving every mistake and rebellion. This ritual wasn't about rehashing everything you did wrong. This ritual was about recognizing that you can't make it to heaven on your own. It's about fully understanding how lost you are without Christ and rejoicing as you watch that goat be taken away. It's about wanting to change into a new creature, one who is worthy and joyful, a person who can live in heaven and contribute to the atmosphere there and appreciate the atmosphere there. I testify that the Lord was sacrificed for our sins. I testify that He gave us an opportunity to remember that each week with the sacrament. Like with Yom Kippur, we have an opportunity to repent of unintentional and intentional sins so that we can be happier. We have an opportunity to sit with our reality as mortals who live in a fallen world who rely wholly on the merits of Christ and to rejoice that He is willing to carry us. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.