Podcasts about divine

Character Pairings and the Pressure of Honor. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The Iliad features vivid character relationships that function with the depth of a novel. Helen is portrayed as an ironic thinker and a storyteller who weaves the sufferings of the war into her textiles, much like the poet himself. She possesses a unique perspective on her own fate and the limited power mortals have against the whims of gods like Aphrodite. In contrast, Hector and Andromacheform a tragic pairing; Andromache's heartbreaking pleas for her husband to stay within the city walls are met with Hector's refusal, driven by the intense fear of shame and the pursuit of kleos, or undying glory. The royal couple Priamand Hecuba represent different facets of leadership and loss, with Hecuba displaying a maternal rage so fierce she wishes to eat her enemies raw. Divine figures like Thetis, Achilles' mother, add a layer of sympathy as she bargains with Zeus to grant her son glory, knowing his life will be short. However, these divine interventions often result in further horror for the mortals involved. 31789

The Plot Begins: Rage and Divine Bargains. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The plot of the Iliad is ignited by a clash of egos between Agamemnon and Achilles. When Agamemnon is forced to return his own war prize to appease Apollo, he seizes Achilles' enslaved woman, Briseis, to recoup his lost face. This action causes Achilles to withdraw from the fighting, perversely restoring his honor by demonstrating how much the Greeks suffer without him. This human conflict is mirrored by divine bargaining; for instance, Hera is so intent on destroying Troy that she offers to let Zeus destroy three of her own beloved cities, including Sparta, in exchange for his cooperation. The Greek audience would have recognized the historical weight of these fallen cities. Wilson interprets Agamemnon not as a simple villain, but as a weak and struggling leader who often blames his poor decisions on divine delusion rather than taking personal responsibility. Despite his flaws, the poem illustrates the immense difficulty of maintaining power and making decisions under the influence of manipulative gods. 5

Welcome to Shabbat Unbound, the world's longest Friday night Sabbath service, stretching over eight episodes. Instead of rushing through all the Friday night Shabbat prayers in one sitting, like we might in a classical synagogue environment, we're taking our time diving deep into one prayer each episode through song study and sacred conversation. It's the most original and traditional way to engage in the transition into Shabbat, taking each prayer as its own world with its own Torah to teach us. Miriam Terlinchamp, Lex Rofeberg and an incredible group of musicians invite you to discover what happens when Shabbat slows down. The first episode focuses on Shiru L'Adonai. [1] Check out the music video for Shiru L'Adonai here. [2] All the music for the Shabbat Unbound podcast was recorded live at The Monastery Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio under the direction of Ric Hordinski.   [3] Check out this page for further learning about Shiru L'Adonai (and all our Shabbat Unbound episodes).  [4] Interested in learning more about composer Jake Erhlich and his community? You can find out more about Jake and Congregation T'chiyah on their website.  [5] “Every psalm, every prayer is an act of relationship, a way of moving into holy Presence, a way of opening ourselves to hear the voice of the Divine, which the cares of ordinary life may, all too frequently, muffle”.  – Psalms of Jewish liturgy, page 121 Miriyam Glazer [6 ] Miriam mentions the  Zohar, the mystical text of Kabbalah, when referring to the Sabbath. You can read more about the spiritual nature of the Sabbath in the Zohar, Volume II (Shemot), Terumah 14:164–165

In this captivating episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, hosted by the insightful Zach Clinton and accessible on Pray.com, we delve into the profound theme of embodying our spiritual aspirations—an endeavor that deeply resonates within our Christian community. Along our spiritual journey, there are pivotal moments when our actions and the pursuit of personal growth become a paramount focus. These instances not only strengthen our faith but also breathe life into our relationships, propelling us toward the realization of our individual dreams. The comforting truth remains unwavering: with the Lord as our steadfast guide, we possess the inherent ability to bring these aspirations to life, discovering renewed hope and purpose in our journey. Drawing profound inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on an exploration of this transformative human experience. For those seeking guidance in aligning their actions with spiritual aspirations on their path of faith, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By simply downloading it today, you can embark on a transformative journey of faith and resilience, deeply rooted in the unwavering presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for impactful actions within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of embodying our spiritual aspirations and discovering the extraordinary sense of purpose that resides within each one of us. Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal walks through Jonah 1–2, focusing on the remarkable prayer Jonah offers from the belly of the great fish. Far from a simple morality tale, the Book of Jonah presents a complex, deeply theological portrait of a disobedient prophet who nonetheless clings to the Lord in his darkest moment. Tony explores the Hebrew literary features that shape how we read Jonah's prayer, the doctrine of divine sovereignty as it operates through human agency, and the rich typological connections between Jonah and the death and resurrection of Christ. Most importantly, the episode grounds Jonah's experience in the Westminster Confession's teaching on sanctification — offering genuine hope to believers who feel buried under besetting sin, assuring them that salvation, from beginning to end, belongs entirely to the Lord. Key Takeaways Jonah is not the hero of his own story — he functions more as an anti-hero whose failures actually make him a more useful and relatable example for ordinary believers. Divine sovereignty operates through, not apart from, human agency — the sailors freely threw Jonah overboard, and yet Jonah rightly says God cast him into the deep; both are simultaneously true. The sequence debate in Jonah 2 matters theologically — whether Jonah prayed before or after being swallowed affects how we read the book; reading it as a strict cause-and-effect sequence risks turning the gospel into a quid pro quo transaction with God. Jonah's "yet I will see your holy temple" is a confession of eschatological faith — in the midst of near-certain death, Jonah expresses confidence not merely in earthly rescue, but in his ultimate destiny as one of God's people. The deep is a Genesis image — Jonah's descent into the primordial waters deliberately echoes the formless void of Genesis 1 and the undoing of creation in the flood, placing his experience within the grand arc of biblical cosmology. Jonah is a prophetic type of Christ's death and resurrection — his three days in the belly of the fish, his descent into the pit, and his emergence onto dry land anticipate and foreshadow the resurrection, as Jesus himself confirms in Matthew 12. Sanctification is real but imperfect — drawing from Westminster Confession Chapter 13, Tony argues that the up-and-down nature of Jonah's spiritual life is not an aberration but a description of the normal Christian life, in which the flesh and spirit remain in perpetual war until glory. Key Concepts Eschatological Faith in the Pit One of the most striking moments in Jonah's prayer is his declaration in 2:4 — "Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple." Tony argues that this is not merely a hope of physical rescue and a return to Jerusalem. Jonah believed he was dying. The waters had closed in to take his life; he was being dragged into underwater trenches that the ancient Semitic mind associated with the very gates of Sheol. In this context, Jonah's declaration is better understood as eschatological faith — a confession that even if God takes his life in judgment, he will still see the Lord face to face in the heavenly temple. It mirrors Job's cry, "Yet in my flesh I shall see God," and anticipates the kind of faith that says, with the father in Mark 9, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." Sovereignty and Human Agency Working Together Tony uses Jonah's descent as a teaching moment on the Reformed doctrine of concurrence — the truth that God's sovereign decree and human free will are not in competition but operate simultaneously on different levels. The sailors made a free, agonized decision to throw Jonah overboard; and yet Jonah rightly attributes his casting into the sea to God himself. Tony draws the parallel to Joseph's words to his brothers in Genesis 50: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." This is not a philosophical sleight of hand. It is the consistent testimony of Scripture that God governs all things — including the underwater currents that dragged Jonah to the ocean floor — without reducing human beings to puppets or eliminating their moral responsibility. Sanctification Is Real, Imperfect, and Guaranteed Perhaps the most pastorally significant thread of the episode is Tony's application of Westminster Confession Chapter 13 to Jonah's experience. Jonah makes genuine progress in faith — his prayer is theologically rich and demonstrates real trust in God — and yet he almost immediately slips back behind the curve, making vows the sailors had already made before him, and later in chapter 4, sulking over a dead plant. Tony refuses to read this as a failure of the text. Instead, it is the text faithfully portraying the reality of sanctification: real throughout the whole person, yet imperfect in this life, with an irreconcilable war between flesh and spirit. The hope is not that we will finally overcome that war on our own, but that through the continual supply of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part will overcome. Salvation — including sanctification — belongs entirely to the Lord. Memorable Quotes Jonah is constantly behind the curve, but for this little moment, for this glimpse in the very center of the book, the pinnacle of the book is Jonah finally catching up to the sailors. All outside visible indicators said he was going to die and he was going to hell. Yet he trusted in the Lord that he would see his holy temple again. God redeems our life from the pit. From the very depths of hell itself, he snatched us like brands from the fire. Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it. For their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.  [00:01:24] Storm and Sailors [00:01:24] Tony Arsenal: But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him and said, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god. Perhaps the god will give us a thought that we may not perish." And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and of what people are you?" And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, "What is this that you have done?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. [00:02:36] Cast Into Sea [00:02:36] Tony Arsenal: He said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will quiet down for you. For I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you." Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to the dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, "O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood. For you, O Lord, has done as it pleased you." So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea. And the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. [00:03:15] Fish and Prayer [00:03:15] Tony Arsenal: And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the dep-- into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me. All your waves and billows passed over me." Then he said, "I am driven away from your sight. Yet I shall look again upon your holy temple. The waters closed in over me to take my life. The deep surrounded me. Weeds were wrapped around my head." At the root of the mountain I went to the land, whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When I-- when my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord.  [00:04:23] Jonah Not the Hero [00:04:23] Tony Arsenal: And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land Jonah is an interesting book because, as I commented a year ago, Jonah is not necessarily the hero of the story. Uh, if anything, he is kind of the villain in, in some senses. But nevertheless, I think as we'll see today, Jonah still gives us a good example to follow in a sense, and that I think is really the centerpiece of this prayer, is that even as Jonah's going through all of this, his prayer is still remarkably filled with faithful sayings and trust in the Lord. We learned early on in Jonah that Jonah was a prophet during the time of the kings. Uh, he, uh, he seemed to have been a sort of a court temple. He was in the presence of the kings in Jerusalem itself, and he received a calling from the word of the Lord, and this phrase, "the word of the Lord," seems to imply a pre-incarnate, uh, visible manifestation of the second person of the Trinity. So we're not just talking about a, a disembodied voice. We're not just talking about some sort of sense or impression, but the word of the Lord itself, himself, came to give Jonah this mission, to give Jonah this task, to commission him as a prophet to Nineveh. And Jonah gets up and says, "No, thank you," and he goes the opposite direction. We see in that first section there the repeated phrase, "He goes to Tarshish. He boards a ship in Tarshish." The author here, who we, we think is Jonah, is hammering that he did not go where he was supposed to. He went the opposite direction. He went to Tarshish instead of Nineveh, which is 180 degrees the other direction from, uh, from Nineveh on the map. And he boards the, he boards the ship in order to flee the presence of the Lord. He pays, probably buys out the entire ship itself. He pays the fare for the whole ship, and the Lord hurls a great wave, uses the language of weapons. He hurls this storm like a spear. He weaponizes nature itself to correct and chastise and judge Jonah for his disobedience We get to verses seven through 17, and everyone on the boat is crying out to their chosen deity except Jonah. Jonah is asleep in the hold of the ship, oblivious to everything, totally dead to the world and dead to his Lord. The sailors begin to seek divine li- divine wisdom after they wake Jonah. He comes to the deck of the ship, and they cast lots to identify by divine, uh, revelation, sort of a strange practice in the Old Testament or the old, uh, world. Divine revelation that shows them Jonah is the source of this wickedness that is being wrought upon them, at least their impression of it. So they ask Jonah, "Who are you? Tell us who it is that has caused this great calamity." And he says emphatically, "A Hebrew am I." He identifies himself with God's people, and he says, "The Lord is my God, and he made the heaven and the earth and the sea." There's no small amount of irony, and it explains why the sailors are so afraid when he says that God created the heavens where the storm was. He created the sea where they were about to die, and he created the dry land where they were trying to get to. And so this one phrase that Jonah uses almost casually demonstrates that the Lord has total and utter sovereignty over what is going on, which is a theme that we'll see come back again and again through the book The sailors say, "Well, what do we do about this?" And Jonah says, "Throw me into the ocean, because I know that if you do so, then the storm will calm down and you will be saved." Whether he knew this because he's a prophet and it had been revealed to him, or whether he just was surmising that this was the case, we don't know. But the, uh, sailors are hesitant to do so, and we talked about how it was a little bit strange that these, uh, pagan sailors from cultures that d- had no qualms about human sacrifice were suddenly, uh, unwilling to throw Jonah over the sea a- as a, an appeasement offering to this Lord. And we came to the conclusion that they had been regenerated. They had come to faith in this God who created the heavens and the sea and the dry ground. And so they knew intrinsically that this was wrong, that there was a moral imperative not to do this. So they tried to row back to the land. They jettisoned all of their, uh, all of their goods, all of their cargo. They were making for land as best they could, and when it finally became clear that they couldn't do this, they sought the Lord's mercy in saying, essentially, "We don't understand how this is, but please don't put this man's blood on us, because you, Lord, have done as you please," right? The sovereignty of the Lord again comes to the forefront. They finally cast Jonah into the sea, and this is, this is important. They cast Jonah into the sea, and then they worship, they vow vows, and they vow to sacrifice. They offer sacrifices. They seek the Lord, they acknowledge his s- his sovereignty, and they worship him with what they have left. And then rounding out the chapter, the Lord appoints a great fish to come and swallow up Jonah. And we talked about how this, this swallowing of Jonah, although our popular children's books and VeggieTales and other stories we might read to our kids paints the fish often as the vehicle of judgment, it's actually a vehicle of deliverance for Jonah. There's this interesting grammatical feature that happens where in 1:17 the fish is masculine. The, the, the gender of the word is masculine, and then when we get to 2:1 it switches over to the feminine, almost as if to indicate that the whale was pregnant with Jonah, that Jonah was in the whale and was about to be reborn into the world in a new way And that brings us to our passage here today.  [00:10:21] Sequence Debate [00:10:21] Tony Arsenal: I'm gonna read, uh, 1:17 even though that's a little bit outside of our scope. I'm gonna read it along with 2:1 to, to make the point here. It says, "The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the whale, of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish." When you look at the Hebrew text, 1:17 is actually verse 2:1 and 2:1 is then 2:2 and so on and so forth. In the original Hebrew mindset of how this book goes together, these two things were linked together, him being swallowed by the whale and being in the belly of the fish and then him praying was linked together in this sequence. There's a feature in the Hebrew that's called a vav consecutive. You don't need to remember that. Nobody is gonna care about that. But it's, it's a little grammatical feature where it adds this little character to the front of the verb and it indicates a sequence. It's the narrative storytelling. When you look at Genesis 1 it's, "And then God said, 'Let there be light,' and then there was light." It tells you the sequence of events. Sometimes it indicates that it is a strict sequence of events. This happened and then that finished and then the next thing happened and then that finished. And many of the commentators use this passage to justify a perspective of Jonah where Jonah is this rebellious, stubborn prophet who holds out his stubbornness until the very last minute. He's swallowed by the whale, he's getting digested by stomach acid and he sort of finally relents to the Lord and cries out for deliverance and the Lord acquiesces in response to his prayer. That's certainly a possible interpretation. There's lots of good reasons in the, the text here to think Jonah was kind of a chucklehead and was not paying too much attention to what the Lord had for him The other option is to see this as a way for the author of the text to situate this prayer in contrast to other prayers that are not necessarily talked about directly in this text. And I'm gonna take that later view here, and I think it's important. This makes good sense of the text, and we'll explain exactly why that is when we get to the next little section here. But it also protects us theologically if we understand it this way. Jonah is already a book, uh, as I've alluded to, that tends towards a sort of crass moralism or fabulism. We tend to read it as sort of an allegory of if you do the wrong thing, God punishes you, and when you finally do the right thing, He blesses you. And there's a certain level of common grace wisdom to that approach, right? The whole book of Proverbs is-- are these proverbial sayings that if you do this, then the God-- then God will do this. If you raise up your children in the way they will go, they will not depart when they are older. But we also learn in the Book of Job and the Book of Ecclesiastes that those proverbial sayings, although generally true, it's not a magic formula. And so we have this tendency to read Old Testament literature as though it was this sort of like equation, that God punishes us when we're bad. He, uh, He relents from His punishment when we say we're sorry, and we have to be careful about that. If we understand what I'm about to teach from the next section here, that this is not a strict sequence of events, that Jonah began praying before he was swallowed by the whale, and this is simply recording the prayer that was actually within the whale. It helps protect us from seeing Jonah in this sort of quid pro quo, this for that kind of thing. I think we should simply understand this as saying Jonah was in the water, he got swallowed by the whale, and then when he was in the whale, he prayed. It doesn't say anything about whether he was overly stubborn or whether his stubbornness held out. It simply tells us that he was in the pray-- in the whale when this prayer occurred [00:14:23] Sheol and Descent [00:14:23] Tony Arsenal: He says in verse two, he calls out to the Lord out of his distress. He, and God answers him. Out of the belly of Sheol, Jonah cries, and God hears his voice This here tells us that he began praying, right? He was in the water, he was in the deep. All of this descriptive language we're gonna see later on about how deep he was, how quickly the current took him. He was wrapped up in seaweed, his life was fading from him. It was in the midst of all of that that he cries out in his distress. It's a pretty distressing situation. And Jonah, like all of us would, like even most atheists would, cries out to the Lord, even just out of instinct. I think it's kind of crazy for us to think that this man who's now been cast overboard and is being swept to the bottom of the ocean is sure he's gonna die. Somehow, he overrides all of his instinct and his entire life teaching and refuses to pray to the Lord. It just doesn't make sense, and it doesn't make sense of what the text presents here Jonah was in the belly of Sheol. He was in the very, the very womb of Sheol. And there is this interesting contrast that he goes from the belly of Sheol into the belly of the whale. This phrase, the belly of Sheol, is probably roughly equivalent to our phrase about being at death's door, right? It, it may or may not come from some sort of Mesopotamian, um, mythology. It may be a phrase of sort of co-opted into Hebrew, kinda like our phrase at death's door is actually co-opted in from Greek mythology, where there were actually literal doors to the underworld, and people would go there and when they were about to die. Jonah's point is that this was not a small thing. When we watch VeggieTales, he gets thrown in the water, and, like, 13 seconds later, the, the whale comes up and takes him. Jonah was swept down into the water almost supernaturally quick. He was drawn down to the very bottom of the ocean. We talk about the miracle of him surviving in the whale, and it was miraculous for sure, but the miracle of him being swept to the bottom of the ocean and not being crushed by the weight of the water, by the pressure, is equally miraculous. It's no more difficult for God to do that than it is for Him to preserve him in the whale or to raise Jesus from the dead or to create everything from nothing He finally starts to catch up with the pagan sailors. A theme in Jonah is that everyone around Jonah who shouldn't know any better somehow gets to the right conclusion before he does, right? The sailors begin to worship the Lord. They recognize this is divine wrath while Jonah is still asleep in the hold. Later, we'll see that, uh, the, the Ninevites recognize God's mercy and grace and thank Him for it, and Jonah is still mad because the plant he was sitting on d- uh, dies, right? Jonah is constantly behind the curve, but for this little moment, for this glimpse in the very center of the book, the pinnacle of the book is Jonah finally catching up to the sailors. [00:17:34] Sovereignty Explained [00:17:34] Tony Arsenal: He recognizes that it was God who cast him into the depths. This teaches us something about the doctrine of sovereignty and how it relates to human freedom, right? We, we often ask the question, what, what causes rain? Well, you can answer that by saying tiny particles of dust collect water in the air, and once they have enough weight, they fall out of the sky 'cause the air can't hold them up anymore. That's true, and it's good, and that's what nature teaches us. It's also equally true that God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike, and those two things are not contradictory. So when Jonah says, "You cast me into the sea," he's recognizing, like Joseph does in the Book of Genesis, that what the sailors in this case meant for good but what the brothers meant for evil, God purposed and caused for good. What the sailors did by their own volition, their own free will, they exercised their own, uh, autonomy in the, the horizontal sense to cast Jonah into the sea, God also cast him into the sea As I said, the text here uses language that we may not catch in our English translations to indicate that it's not just the sea here that's the problem. God's sovereignty continues to affect and act on Jonah. The word that we read here as the, the water or the flood, other places refers to the current of a river. The, um, the Euphrates itself is sometimes referred to this, the large- sort of the largest river apart from the Nile that the Egyptian or the, um, Israelite mind would have is the Euphrates, right? This underwater river, this underwater current, the undertow sucks him to the bottom of the ocean. It's like if you're swimming at the beach at the ocean and you get caught in the undercurrent. There's not a lot you can do about it. Y- sometimes even the strongest swimmers can't overcome this, and Jonah in all of his Middle Eastern robes, all of this stuff, probably with all of his baggage, his, his own equipment, things he had on him, is caught in this undercurrent that sucks him to the bottom of the ocean. And it's not just below the surface of the water. He's dropped down into the heart of the sea, the very core. We're seeing this language of him being pulled to the depths. In, in chapter one he goes down, down, down, and now he's being drawn into the belly of the ocean, into the pit of Sheol, into the heart of the waters The picture here is that Jonah doesn't just get thrown in the water and sink. He is actively pulled down to the bottom. This is not just a judgment where perhaps he can swim to the top. Just as the mariners hopelessly tried to reach land, Jonah would've been hopelessly trying to swim against this. We don't actually have any indication he tried, but had he tried, there would've been no chance He goes on to say that the God's breakers and his waves roll him. This is the picture we see if you ever watch surfing competitions on the ocean, where a surfer will get hit by the wave and he just gets rolled over and rolled over and rolled over, and it can be incredibly dangerous. That's why they have like the little lifeguards on the jet skis that zip out there to get them. Because when you get caught in that breaker, you just get rolled over and rolled over and rolled over, and soon you lose track of which direction is up, and even if you did, you couldn't get out This process is not just the forces of nature doing what they do. This is, again, the Lord weaponizing the forces of nature to execute judgment on Jonah This tumultuous and supernatural rapid descent showed Jonah that this is not only the moment in which God wanted to take his life, but was actively casting him away from the g- from the presence of the Lord [00:21:47] Yet I Will See [00:21:47] Tony Arsenal: It says here, um, in verse four, Jonah says, "I am driven away from your sight If you do a word study on this, you start to see that Jonah is pulling language from the creation account. He's pulling language from the fall. He's pulling a lot of language from Genesis itself. He's also pulling from the Psalms, which are pulling from the Genesis account. This word driven away could also be tran- translated as banished. He's cast out of the presence of the Lord. Just as in Genesis 3, we read, "God drove the man out at the east of the Garden of Eden. He placed cherubim and flaming swords." He drove the man out. Genesis 4:14, Cain says, "You have driven me away from the ground." And in Jonah 1:3, we see that Jonah was trying to get away from the presence of the Lord. And I wonder if there was this moment where he goes, "Ooh, I guess I got what I was looking for." Now, the second half of Jonah f- 2:4 here does something a little bit weird, and it's hard to translate. I think we should be honest at times. Hebrew is a language that in some senses is mysterious to us at times. There are still parts of the Hebrew Bible that we're not always 100% sure of. This verse here could be translated... In, in Hebrew it's just a statement. It's, "I, um, I shall again see the holy temple, or your holy temple." How that fits into the text itself is tricky. Some read it as, uh, as a question. "How shall I see your holy temple?" It's actually a statement kind of reaffirming the doubt and the fear and the idea that God was banishing him Most translations translate it as sort of a contrast. He says, "I was driven away from your sight, yet I shall again look on your holy temple." The force of this is even though you're driving me away, even though you're casting me out of your presence, I have faith, I have confidence that I will again see your holy temple The question here, and this is where I think Jonah becomes our example It's certainly possible that Jonah was asserting his belief that he would be rescued from this calamity and he would make his way back to Jerusalem and he would return to the holy temple. I think that what he says in the rest of this, he's recounting what he was praying. What he was praying in this context is not that he would return to the temple. He was confident God was taking his life. He says in verse five, "The waters closed in over me to take my life. The deep surrounded me. Weeds were wrapped around my head." The other way that the phrase holy temple is used in the Old Testament is to refer to the place that God lives in heaven. Jonah was asserting faith that even though he was being cast out of the presence of the Lord in this life, even though he was being justly punished for his sin, even though he was about to enter the belly of Sheol and to enter the pit, the very abyss, that he would see God again in His holy temple. This is a statement of Jonah's belief in his own destiny as one of God's people, destined to be saved by faith in God. In this moment, Jonah trusts the Lord despite all of the appearances that God was out to get him It's not all that different than when we read in Mark chapter 9, where this father brings his, uh, demon-possessed child to Jesus, and Jesus says, "I can heal him." And he says, "If you can do anything, Lord," I'm paraphrasing here. He says, "If you can do it, please, Lord." And he says, "If? All things are possible for me." And the father desperately cries out, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." It's this raw, unfiltered statement of just the human condition on this side of glory, right? I believe in the Lord, but there's always that little part in the back of my head that isn't sure, because we're never going to be perfect. Now, I've said before, and, and this is becoming my new catchphrase, I think, I'm not here to rob you of your assurance of faith. Our, our confession, the Bible, this church, our Reform, broader Reform tradition, the assurance of faith of the Christian is the rightful possession inheritance of every person in this room who trusts the Lord. But it is a reality that at times that assurance is shaken. And if there's ever a time for your assurance to be shaken, it's when you're being dragged to the bottom of the ocean, right? One of the words in here, I don't have it-- I don't actually have it in my notes for some reason, but one of the note, words here, uh, s- about the roots of the mountain, I believe, in the next verse. It's not just that he was dragged to the bottom of the ocean. This word root of the mountain is like the word that's used to cut. He's not just being dragged to the bottom of the sea, he's being dragged to the bottom of a deep sea crevasse. He's literally being pulled into the pit, right? Many, uh, in the ancient Semitic world would have seen these underwater pits. They would have theorized or thought about these underwater crevasses as the actual entry into Sheol. And Jonah sees himself being drawn down into these things. Yet, he believes he will see the good presence of the Lord We read a similar statement, I won't, uh, I won't make us go there for time. We read a similar statement in Job. Job goes through this long speech about all the things that God has done to him, and at the very end of it, he says, "Yet I will see the Lord with my eyes, and he will stand up next to me on, on the earth." Right? Even though Job was going through this unimaginable grief, and we know that Job didn't deserve it in the strict sense, he still was saying, "I'm gonna be destroyed. God is shooting arrows at me," right? "His sword is in my side. He's targeting me. He's sending hornets after me." All of these terrible, vibrant images that he's using to show what God is doing to him, and yet he still trusts. I would say that he trusts that he would see the Lord in the flesh. This is not only Jonah's faith, it's a-- or Job's faith, it's a prophecy of Christ This is alien to our modern mindset. We've been talking about this in the Psalms. Weston's been leading us through the, the lament Psalms We often think that suffering and trials and difficulties are the opposite of blessing and favor. And we might recognize that in some sort of way that in God's economy, one thing leads to another. And again, there's an element of truth to that. James says, "Count it all joy when you face trials of every kind." He's not saying that the trials you're facing are in themselves joyful. You don't have to love when you get sick. You don't have to, you don't have to man up and put a smile on or s- pull yourself up by your bootstraps or whatever analogy you wanna use. It's okay to be sad when bad things happen. It's actually good, right? If we're to weep with those who weep, there's an element of sadness that must come with that, not to mention the one who's weeping is not chastised. But the idea that that only leads to this, that that's just one step in the chain, that's not really the mindset the Bible has. All across the Psalms, in the lament Psalms, all across the prophetic literature, the Book of Lamentations, Habakkuk has this long prayer at the end that's very similar, the entire Book of Job, suffering and sanctification, trials and joy and restoration, they're all sandwiched right there, and there is usually this statement in the middle of it that God will do what is right This is Jonah's example for us, and what an example it is. We'll talk in a little bit about all the ways that this whole scenario is typological of Christ. We'll, we'll get to that. But just for a minute in the middle of this book, Jonah is not such a bad guy. And it's because he still has all his faults that he can be this example for us [00:30:26] Genesis Deep Imagery [00:30:26] Tony Arsenal: As though it wasn't clear enough, Jonah in verse five says that the purpose of the waters closing over him was explicitly to take his life. He's now in the belly of the sea. He's being dragged down to the very roots of the mountain, to the very core of the earth in his mind. He, he thinks he's going to hell in the, the Hebrew mind. There's both this idea that God is dragging him to hell in a very real sense. The Hebrew mind, Sheol was a physical place that people went to, and we learn more about it and that becomes clarified as revelation is progressive, not contradictory, but as, as it's clarified But he uses this word deep, and this is where he's drawing again from Genesis. Genesis 1:2, he says, "The earth was without form and void. The darkness was over the face of the deep." The deep is this sort of like unformed chaotic water. It's what exists before God makes everything orderly and good. And in the fall, and especially in the flood in chapter seven, uh, chapter seven verse 11, the f- the flood itself is a sort of undoing of the order. God opens the floods from beneath, from the bottom of the earth, from the wellspring of the deep, as well as the chaotic waters from outside the firmament, and it all pours back in together and the entire world becomes again this deep, primordial, chaotic water And just as in Genesis God separates the land, in, in Genesis 7 or in Genesis 8, he separates out the land by drying it up, drying up the water. We also see that Jonah has this trust that he will return to the dry land. Again, he's the God of heaven and sea and dry earth. We could even read this phrase, depending on the context, as the abyss, which is this, a- again, is some borrowed language from Greek here that the Hebrews use. But it's this deep, watery, murky place th- full of shadows and darkness. Sounds familiar, I think, right? Christ says that those who are apart from him who refuse to obey will be cast into the outer darkness. This is the imagery that Jonah is seeing. All outside visible indicators was that he was gonna die and he was going to hell. Yet he trusted in the Lord that he would see his holy temple again Apart from God's gracious intervention, Jonah was right. So although God is the one that's bringing him to the depth, bringing him to the pit, dragging him down, using the very currents of the sea, weaponizing these underwater currents that only thousands of years later do we understand, and even then only this much, he also graciously rescues him from this by miraculously appointing a whale or a great fish who comes and swallows Jonah, takes him whole, and keeps him there in his own belly, keeps him there in her own womb when we get to chapter 2. In chapter six, or in verse six, Jonah makes this pivot. Again, he says he's brought to the very bottom of the sea, to the roots of the mountain, which is these deep underwater trenches. He conceptualizes himself now in this locked city behind bars. Again, this jail imagery, this pit imagery, it's all meant to evoke this idea of the final punishment of the wicked. This place of murky, gross water, this place of darkness and, uh, limitations of freedom, he's being taken there. This is the section here where people would actually argue that Jonah dies. He actually dies and is resurrected when he's swallowed by the whale. This comes from language where it says God does not prevent him from going to the pit. God actually draws him to the pit and then raises his life up from the pit. Now, I'm not convinced, um, that we should think that Jonah actually died. I don't, I don't think that the text fully supports that. But it certainly is using this imagery [00:34:45] Christ Typology [00:34:45] Tony Arsenal: This is where we get to some typology about Christ. This is where Jonah really shines as a prophet. Sometimes people wonder why the Book of Jonah is considered a prophetic book, and this along with it is part of that. Jonah, although the sign of Jonah in Matthew and in the other Gospels refers to the belly of the whale, that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so also Christ will be in the heart of the earth, the pit, for three days and three nights. When we're talking about typology, we can't get too tripped up on the details. We're not talking about strict allegory where this figure is that person and this signpost represents that thing. This isn't Pilgrim's Progress or Chronicles of Narnia, which is not allegory, but it's similar. Topology functions often on sort of these big picture concepts, right? Although there are some typological references that are super detailed, there are also some that are just sort of evocative The idea that Jonah died and was raised to life and sort of incubated in the earth, in- incubated in the whale and sort of reborn into the world, that certainly sounds a lot like a picture of the resurrection And I think we should see it that way. When Christ says that the sign of Jonah is roughly His resurrection, He is tying it to the three days and three nights, but He's not limiting to that Jonah comes to this pivot, and now he starts to reflect on the context of his deliverance. This whole s- this whole prayer should be seen sort of in the light of the thanksgiving psalms. There's a situation in which Jonah is in, and then God rescues him, and he begins to praise him for it. There's elements of lament, but it's really a thanksgiving psalm that he's drawing on here or that he's, he's writing In 2:7, Jonah is either dead or he's actively dying. I don't know about you, but if you've ever, uh, dove into a pool and got a little deeper than you thought you were, and you-- there's that, like, two seconds before you get to the top where you're sure the lights are going out and you've really only been underwater for, like, 45 seconds, but everything in you tells you if you don't get there, you're gonna die. Every instinct you have is to scramble for the surface. Think about how long it took Jonah to be dragged to the bottom of the ocean. Even at this accelerated pace, we're talking about a long time. And we have no reason to believe, and lots of reasons to think otherwise, Jonah was not preserved from the pain and the terror and the difficulty of feeling like you're drowning because he was drowning. He was without oxygen. His life was fading away. And it is in this context of him being on the brink of death, at death's door, in the belly of Sheol, being drawn into the very pit itself, that his prayer reaches the Lord in His holy temple. Right? This gives further evidence to the thought that Jonah is not talking about the temple in Jerusalem. There was, there was theology, and I, I think it's fine theology, that God lived in the temple in a special way. This is the reason that Daniel faces Jerusalem when he prays. There is a sense in the Old Testament that God's special place of presence is the temple in Jerusalem, and that the prayers of the people physically go to that place to be received by God. But Jonah doesn't know which direction the temple is. He's underwater. He's been tossed around by breakers. He has no sense of geography at this point He knows that his prayers are reaching the Lord in his heavenly temple. And they reach him in his heavenly temple just as his life is being lost in the pit. And it is from this moment that God raises him to life, or preserves his life, depending how you read it, and appoints the well to come reach him And some read this next verse as a little bit of a step back for Jonah, and it may be.  [00:39:02] Vows and Idols [00:39:02] Tony Arsenal: He reads, "Those who pay vain regard to i- regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. And what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord." Jonah didn't see the sailors on the ship vow their vows and offer their sacrifices. That happened after they threw him into the pit and the current sucked him under So we may read this with a little bit of a, "Thank God I'm not like that tax collector," kind of a lens. And there's probably some wisdom for us in that, to recognize that Jonah still hasn't quite gotten there. But it's also very common in the Old Testament to recognize that God treats His people differently because they are different. God brings people to a place of sanctification, and through that process of sanctification, they cease to worship vain idols. And it is absolutely true that those who worship vain idols forfeit their hope of steadfast love from the Lord. That's straight out of the Ten Commandments, right? He visits the iniquity of, specifically of idolatry. He visits the iniquity unto the children to the third and fourth generation. But for those who love the Lord, He loves them with a steadfast love unto thousands We can recognize in Jonah that although he had made great progress in faith, that he still wasn't there yet. And we can recognize that in him because we can recognize that in ourselves. Jonah is the example in this because he is not perfect, because he has not arrived, 'cause he doesn't do a 180 about-face and get everything right going forward We can read this in light of Jonah in chapter four, where he takes big steps back Or we can read this as the regular up and down progress of sanctification in the life of all believers everywhere It is also ironic again, we're back now to Jonah being a little bit behind the curve. He was sent to Nineveh to evangelize the heathens, some of the worst enemies that Israel was going to face, and he ignores that call. And he, instead of going to Nineveh, he goes to Tarshish. He goes the opposite direction, and he does something that would be unthinkable to most Israelites. He goes out on the open ocean. That's just insanity to someone living in the ancient world He should have recognized that the sailors were fearing the Lord when they refused to throw him overboard. I think we all have a sort of innate sense when someone's behavior suddenly changes, and I think most of us, and not in some sort of strange, kooky, charismatic sense, but I think most of us can sort of go, "I think I know why that is." Right, when you, when you see someone at work that suddenly stops lying about everything and stops backbiting and stops taking credit for other people's work, and then you find out a little while linger- longer that they've come to faith in Christ, if we're being honest, we're not all that surprised. But Jonah doesn't get it. Jonah here promises the same things that the sailors already did, so now we're again back behind the curve [00:42:37] Sanctification Confession [00:42:37] Tony Arsenal: To wrap this out, I, I wanna, um, I wanna ground this in something that I think is really vital for us to understand. As I said, Jonah is an example to us because he demonstrates the limited nature of sanctification, but he also demonstrates in a certain sense the fact that sanctification is real and has real effects. So this is a little out of the ordinary, but grab your Trinity Hymnal from the pew in front of you. If you happen to have a copy of the Confession, you could use that if you'd prefer. But open with me to page 927 I have, um, I've been, uh, broadly Reformed most of my Christian life and didn't realize it until I got to seminary. And since I discovered the Westminster Confession of Faith a decade ago, it's not new, uh, not new to me, um, I realized how valuable this resource was. This is essentially a search engine without the internet. And so I wanna just read a little bit out of chapter 13 here, which is our Confessions chapter on sanctification. I'm not gonna read the whole thing, but the, the first, uh, the first section here essentially says that sanctification is real, and it happens throughout the whole person. We talk about total depravity, and there is a sense in which the Christian remains totally depraved after regeneration, in that there still is, there still is corruption within our entire being, uh, that is depraved. There's also an equal sense in which we can say we are totally sanctified in Christ because sanctification is throughout the whole man in which we are renewed after the image of God. So that's section one. And then section two says, "This sanctification is throughout," again, throughout the whole man, "in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life. There abiding still some remnant of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irre- irreconcilable war, the flesh left lusting after the spirit, and the spirit lusting after the flesh." Now, that may feel like just a crushing burden if you stop reading there, but it lines up with our experience, right? This is Paul in Romans 7, "The good things I wanna do, I do not, and the bad things that I, I kn- I do not want to do, I somehow do. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." We shouldn't read that as though somehow our spirits are purified entirely and our bodies are what's really causing us to sin. This is a picture of the spirit being, uh, our, our spiritual part of us. The part of us that's regenerated is willing, but the part of us that remains corrupt is our flesh And our confession goes on to say, "In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet through the continual supply of strength from the sanctification- sanctifying spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome." And so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. This is revolutionary in our broader evangelical world. The storybook Bible, Jonah did a bad thing and he gets punished, and he did a good thing and so he gets better, cannot understand this concept. This is why I think we have to be so careful when we choose what books to give to our little ones, right? I, I make jokes about VeggieTales. I loved VeggieTales when I was in VeggieTales age range. I probably would sit down and watch VeggieTales with Augie when he gets old enough. But we have to be so careful not to let those messages come to our children, or to ourselves for that matter, uninterpreted by the scriptures first and foremost, and our Reformed tradition that we all believe. Amen.  [00:46:49] Assurance in the Pit [00:46:49] Tony Arsenal: This is vital for us When all is said and done, salvation, whether we're talking about justification, sanctification, glorification, resurrection, all of the different stages and phases of our salvation, it is entirely of the Lord. And it's for this reason that Jonah says, "I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will pay." Salvation belongs to the Lord So this is the application of the sermon, loved ones. No matter how close to or actually into the pit itself we have fallen The, the chapter on assurance of faith, I won't go there, but the chapter in our confession on assurance of faith is very honest with us that our assurance will be shaken, and at times we may not feel as though we have any assurance at all But even when we have fallen that deep into the pit of despair, even when we feel as though we are in the very depths of hell No matter how much our spiritual or physical life is fainting away as we starve for spiritual breath, as we feel that impulse in us that recognizes we're moments away from losing the faith entirely. No matter how much the remnants of corruption in every part swirl around our heads like seaweed, how often do we feel wrapped up in sin? Whatever it is, I don't need to get specific 'cause I'm sure all of you are thinking of something in your head right now that has been swirling around you for years. Maybe it's months, maybe it's years. Maybe you've never felt, since coming to Christ, you've never felt like it wasn't wrapped up around you like seaweed. Besetting sin is something that we need to be serious about, and it's a good cause for us to think hard and deep about our status as Christians, and to go to our pastor and seek the elders' assistance in this. But besetting sin is not, is not a mark that excludes you from, from Christianity. Right? We're justified by faith alone, in Christ alone, by His grace alone. Not because we've overcome our besetting sin alone, right? That's not one of the five solas God redeems our life from the pit. From the very depths of hell itself, he snatched us like brands from the fire And though it is the case that we often are shaken, and at times God, just as he let Jonah, he let Jonah go to Tarshish. God had every ability to stop him from doing a stupid thing, and sometimes he does that, right? I'm sure there's plenty of times we can think about in our lives where we were heading towards sin and God just pulled a U-turn on us, and we are thankful for that. But there are times that he does not, and he lets us, he lets us do that. He lets us suffer the consequences, and he does that to chastise us and bring us back to him And even in the context of that, it is through this continual supply of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, right?  [00:50:19] God Beautifies His Bride [00:50:19] Tony Arsenal: Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit from the womb beyond measure. That's in the Book of John. There was never a time where Christ did not have the totality of the infinite sanctifying Spirit of the God, of God. We do not have the totality of the sanctifying Spirit of God. Now, we can get into a discussion after the service about divine simplicity and all the complexity of that, but the reality is that God sanctifies us more and more and more, and He does it by giving us the Spirit more and more. Might be more accurate to say He gives more of us to the Spirit. He gives us to the Spirit more and more. He gives us to Jesus more and more. We are Christ's inheritance. We are His bride. And just as the bride, as they're approaching the wedding, is made more and more beautiful, they start their, their beauty treatments weeks and months ahead of time, right? They're already making their hair appointments. They're already doing what they need to do to feel as beautiful as they can and to be as beautiful as they can on their wedding day. If that's the way we treat human weddings; guys do it too, just not as much. If that's the way we treat human weddings, how much more does God treat the heavenly wedding of His Son to His beloved bride? He's beautifying us, Church. Doesn't always feel like it. Doesn't always look like it, but He is. 

Imagine a world where some of Islam's fiercest opponents unknowingly become its greatest supporters. At times, even the most determined disbelievers play a key role in fulfilling God's Divine plan. In today's video, we'll explore powerful examples of how this has happened throughout history.

"Coca is to cocaine what potatoes are to vodka" — Dr. Andrew Weil and Wade Davis on the health benefits, sacred history, and unjust prohibition of the most misunderstood plant on Earth.Dr. Andrew Weil is a pioneer in integrative medicine and founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair and serves as Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health.Wade Davis is an ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. From 2014 to 2024 he served as Professor of Anthropology and BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia, and from 2000 to 2013 as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society.Connect with the Beneficial Plant Research Association (BPRA): Website (scroll down to donate) | Coca Leaf Research | Coca Leaf Documentary | Coca Leaf RetreatThis episode is brought to you by:Incogni, which automatically removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: Incogni.com/Tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)Maui Nui Venison​ delicious, nutrient-dense, and responsible red meat: https://mauinuivenison.com/tim5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/fridayTimestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:38] When coca tea cured my brutal altitude sickness in Chile.[00:04:01] Andy meets coca, 1965: the Andes' master medicine for gut, energy, mood, metabolism.[00:06:20] 14 alkaloids, one scapegoat.[00:07:11] The paradox: one remedy for both diarrhea and constipation.[00:11:37] 8,000 years, zero addiction — and the 1975 study no one wanted to run.[00:13:11] Eradication began 60 years before there was a cocaine problem.[00:16:27] Two nations inside Peru: alcohol versus coca.[00:17:05] The 1950 UN commission that dictated coca policy by pseudoscience, fear, and racism.[00:18:10] Filed beside fentanyl and heroin; 250,000 families and the price of peace.[00:20:03] What coca actually feels like: milder than half a coffee, no crash, no withdrawal.[00:24:19] Decoupling the leaf from the cartels; why crop substitution is a fantasy.[00:25:54] Domesticated three times; the accident of Schedule II.[00:27:49] The sacred leaf: k'intu, cruceta, Pachamama, runakuna.[00:31:11] Hayo in the Sierra Nevada, and Latin America's most-denied gift.[00:32:53] The wedge in the door: demand, the FDA, and an entrepreneur's gold mine.[00:40:22] The story coca deserves — a film, green powders, and one good study.[00:43:12] Monkey mind, the tax of consciousness, and an 84th birthday on coca.[00:47:35] Who to fund: McCurdy and the hunt for legal leaves.[00:49:17] Could coca treat cocaine addiction? Cost, and NIDA's timing.[00:53:18] "Green cocaine" at the airport: coca is to cocaine as potatoes are to vodka.[00:56:58] A 24-hour ritual run powered entirely by coca.[00:59:07] Why two men gave their careers to one leaf — and the pharmaceutical body count.[01:06:22] America's legal cocaine capital, and Coke's secret recipe.[01:09:08] No accident: the hideous prose behind laws we still obey.[01:15:42] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bunnie & Jelly Roll called each other twin flames—but what happens when twin flames break up? In this episode, we're exploring runner-chaser dynamics, karmic activations, self-abandonment, and why your greatest love story may have nothing to do with another.MAGNETIC AFFIRMATIONS (1HR+): https://21-day-break-up-glow-up-challenge.teachable.com/p/making-mind-magnetic-affirmations-all-eyes-will-be-on-you-793498

In this captivating episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, guided by the insightful Zach Clinton and available on Pray.com, we delve into the profound theme of realizing our spiritual aspirations—an exploration deeply resonant within our Christian community. Throughout our spiritual journey, there are moments when connecting with our spiritual essence and experiencing personal fulfillment becomes a paramount desire. These moments not only deepen our faith but also breathe life into our relationships, propelling us toward the realization of our individual dreams. The enduring truth remains unwavering: with the Lord as our steadfast guide, we possess the innate ability to manifest these aspirations, uncovering renewed hope and purpose in our journey. Drawing profound inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on a transformative exploration of the spiritual human experience. For those seeking guidance in realizing their spiritual aspirations along their faith journey, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By downloading it today, you can embark on a transformative journey of faith and resilience, deeply rooted in the unwavering presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for spiritual connection within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of realizing our spiritual aspirations and discovering the extraordinary sense of spiritual fulfillment that resides within each one of us.Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Lauds for 2026-06-25. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

What if your body isn't betraying you?What if pain, exhaustion, anxiety, and even illness are actually messages inviting you to reconnect with yourself at a deeper level?In this powerful conversation, bestselling author and internationally recognized healer Inna Segal shares how personal tragedy, chronic illness, and profound spiritual experiences led her to discover what she calls the secret language of the body. Together, Elaine and Inna explore how physical symptoms often reflect emotional, energetic, and spiritual patterns that are ready to be healed.You'll learn how to recognize the messages your body may already be sending, why healing requires more than simply changing beliefs, and how to deepen your connection with your intuition, purpose, and Divine guidance.If you've ever wondered why certain patterns keep repeating in your life or how to access greater healing, peace, and vitality, this episode offers practical wisdom and inspiring insights to help you begin.Topics Covered0:00 What if your symptoms are actually messages?7:20 Inna's extraordinary healing journey and awakening15:00 Why gratitude is the foundation of abundance17:07 Common signs your body is trying to get your attention20:49 Life stages, body changes, and the wisdom of aging27:19 Why healing requires more than changing beliefs29:42 The life-changing lesson Inna learned from her grandparents34:16 The challenge and gift of truly receiving love36:39 Why your "why" matters more than your "how"45:28 Free healing masterclasses and next steps46:48 How challenges reveal your next level of growthKey Takeaways

In this Season 2 final episode before our summer break, Michael explores what it means to live Consciousness First — to recognize that true transformation begins not by changing outer circumstances, but by shifting where we are living from within. He teaches that we are not our thoughts, emotions, or conditions, but the awareness in which they arise. Through reflections on intention, perception, Divine intelligence, and the power of living from inner guidance, Michael invites listeners to remember that Consciousness is the starting point of a meaningful, intentional life. This episode is a reminder to stop being driven by external demands, reconnect with the Presence within, and live with the essential question: What does Life want to express or become as me?   New Season Starts September 2nd! Highlights Include: -Why "Consciousness First" means remembering that your real identity is awareness itself, not the thoughts, emotions, or beliefs moving through you. -How changing your consciousness begins with clearing the inner film of inherited beliefs, social conditioning, fear, superstition, and old perceptions. -The importance of living intentionally instead of letting circumstances, media, emotional contagion, or external noise decide where your attention goes. -A powerful ocean analogy that helps distinguish between consciousness itself and the temporary content passing through your awareness. -How awakening begins the moment you realize you are not the thought, opinion, belief, or emotional state moving through your mind. -Why God consciousness is not about becoming religious, but becoming increasingly aware of the vast presence moving in, through, and as you. -How perception determines experience, and why spiritual practice helps clean up perception so you can see life from a higher awareness. -A teaching on the strange attractor field, the future self, and the greater version of life that is always calling you into fuller expression. -Why emotions are not the arbiters of truth, and how attitude, character, and willingness shape destiny more powerfully than karma or circumstance. Next, Michael closes the episode with a guided meditation on smiling inwardly, realizing Oneness, awakening to your True identity, and allowing consciousness to transform the content of your life. ✨ What's your Life Question? Have questions about your relationships, finances, life purpose, or how to understand  world events through a spiritual lens? Submit your Life Question to podcast@michaelbeckwith.com — your question could be featured in an upcoming episode to inspire others on their journey! ✍️Love Take Back Your Mind? This podcast grows through your support. If you've been inspired by an episode, we'd love to hear from you! Consider leaving a 5-star review or drop a comment. It helps others join this journey of growth and connection.

Ethical sluts come in all makes and models. Men's coach Ross Lewin joins me to talk about the divine masculine — or not being a douche. We may have different decorations and wear our hair differently, but we both recognize loser pick-up artists for what they are: scared little boys. Mentioned:NYC - 6/25 - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989846095236CHICAGO - 7/10 - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989444027641PHILADELPHIA - 8/1 - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992372794662 Follow Ross Lewin!Instagram: @embodi.menFacebook: EmbodiMenWebsite: embodimen.comWebsite: affirmationsluts.com Follow Billy!Instagram: @billyprocidajrTikTok: @TheBillyProcidaThreads: @billyprocidajrBlueSky: @thebillyprocida Money StuffVenmo: @BillyProcidaCash App: $manwhorepodPayPal/Zelle: funnybillypro@gmail.com Billy is so so tired. Give him money at http://patreon.com/manwhorepodcast Get your books and e-books through an independent bookstore at http://manwhorepod.com/bookshop Just be chill in The Champagne Room at http://manwhorepod.com/discord Email your comments, questions, and criticisms to manwhorepod@gmail.com. Late Night Radio and Joey's Formal Waltz by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ www.ManwhorePod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this captivating episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, hosted by the insightful Zach Clinton and accessible on Pray.com, we delve into the profound theme of maintaining vigilance in our spiritual journey—a concept that deeply resonates within our Christian community. Throughout our pursuit of spiritual growth, there are moments when being vigilant and staying attuned to our faith becomes a paramount desire. These moments not only enrich our spiritual well-being but also fortify our relationships, propelling us toward the fulfillment of our individual dreams. The reassuring truth remains constant: with the Lord as our steadfast guide, we possess the innate ability to maintain vigilance, discovering renewed hope and purpose in our ongoing journey. Drawing deep inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on an exploration of this transformative human experience. For those who seek guidance in sustaining spiritual vigilance along their path of faith, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By simply downloading it today, you can commence a transformative journey of faith and resilience, deeply rooted in the unwavering presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for spiritual vigilance within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of maintaining spiritual vigilance and discovering the extraordinary sense of well-being that resides within each one of us.Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unknown for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Vespers for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Lauds for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Prime for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Terce for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

None for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Compline for 2026-06-24. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

In this captivating episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, hosted by the insightful Zach Clinton and accessible on Pray.com, we delve into the profound theme of finding purpose in our spiritual journey—an exploration that deeply resonates within our Christian community. Along the path of faith, there are moments when the pursuit of personal accomplishment gives way to a more paramount desire: the discovery of our unique purpose. These moments not only enrich our faith but also breathe new life into our relationships, propelling us toward the fulfillment of our individual dreams. The enduring truth remains unwavering: with the Lord as our steadfast guide, we possess the innate ability to uncover our true purpose, fostering a renewed sense of hope and direction in our journey. Drawing profound inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on a transformative exploration of this human experience centered on purpose. For those seeking guidance on their spiritual journey, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By downloading it today, you can embark on a transformative journey of faith and resilience, deeply rooted in the unwavering presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for purpose within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of discovering our spiritual purpose and the extraordinary sense of fulfillment that resides within each one of us.Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Complete. Whole. Divine order. That's just the start of what makes the humble dozen extraordinary. It's one of only two numbers ever discovered in mathematics to be “sublime.” Twelve makes a number of appearances in pop culture, in religion, in non-fiction, everything from the 12 days of Christmas to the 12 people it takes to form a criminal jury. Still need convincing of 12's perfection and indispensability? Check your watch.Listen to more episodes in our series, The Greatest Numbers of All Time:The Curse of 13 Guests in this episode:Glen Van Brummelen is a professor of mathematical sciences at Trinity Western University.Ainsley Hawthorn is a cultural historian and nonfiction writer. She has a PhD in Near Eastern Civilizations from Yale University.

Compline for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Vespers for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

None for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Unknown for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Lauds for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Prime for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Terce for 2026-06-23. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

What if joy isn't something you achieve — but something you allow?In this episode of Hidden Wisdom, Megan Farner sits down with Stacie Shifflet, creator of Modern Consciousness and author of Treasure Map to Joy, to explore self-awareness, emotional triggers, personal transformation, and the hidden patterns shaping our lives. Together they discuss healing after divorce, breaking cycles of self-sabotage, trusting intuition, and learning how to consciously create a life that feels aligned, intentional, and deeply fulfilling.This conversation blends grounded personal development with spiritual clarity, offering practical tools for anyone navigating change, emotional healing, or a season of reinvention.Topics covered include: Emotional triggers and self-sabotage  How to cultivate joy in everyday life  Breaking unconscious behavior patterns  Healing after loss and divorce  Self-awareness and personal transformation  Intuition, intentional living, and inner clarity  Conscious relationships and communication  The journey toward self-trust and emotional freedom Timestamps00:00 – Introduction to Hidden Wisdom & Stacie Shifflet 01:50 – Stacie's unconventional life journey and reinvention 03:16 – Following intuition and building confidence 05:49 – Divorce, loss, and personal awakening 08:01 – The Modern Consciousness framework explained 10:45 – Why joy is something we allow, not chase 12:58 – The transformative power of self-awareness 15:20 – How to live with greater intention 17:40 – Communication, relationships, and emotional clarity 20:10 – Healing emotional trauma and shifting beliefs 23:12 – Small steps toward personal transformation 23:34 – Emotional triggers and reclaiming your power 24:59 – Self-sabotage habits and joy patterns 27:59 – Final wisdom: learning to trust yourself 28:25 – Closing thoughts and Hidden Wisdom invitationStacie Shifflet is the creator of Modern Consciousness, a grounded personal development framework focused on clarity, emotional awareness, and intentional transformation. Through coaching, courses, and her bestselling book Treasure Map to Joy, she helps individuals understand their inner patterns, overcome self-sabotage, and create lives aligned with greater peace, fulfillment, and authenticity.Modern ConsciousnessTreasure Map to Joy by Stacie ShiffletIf you feel called to better understand and embody your divine femininity, consider if our next cohort of Return to the Garden is for you! We gather starting September 28th. Hidden Wisdom initiates truth-seekers into the Mysteries, guiding listeners toward a lived experience of the Divine that awakens and transforms faith—without dismantling family or community. Pursue your Journey: ✨ Hidden Wisdom App – Join for FREE and enjoy pathway programs, community, expansive library, and more!

Please join us on this new moon of February to do healing to calm anxiety and anxiousness.  Each of our emotional states creates a corresponding pranic energy in our body.  If these negative emotional states such as anxiety are chronic, these corresponding pranic energies build up in our physical body and organ systems.  This new moon healing is meant to use various Arcturian energies to clear and balance our physical and subtle bodies from accumulated energies of stress, anxiety, and anxiousness.  Also included in this 50 minute healing session is the balancing and calming of the amygdala-the brain structure most associated with stress, anxiety, and the fear response.  Additionally there will be a 10 minute Arcutrian Anti-Anxiety transmission as part of the greater healing session which is a direct download from the Arcturians to help us individually with stress and resilience.After the healing session we will take a 10 minute integration break followed by a Pillar of Light meditation meant to soothe and balance our system.  In particular we will be focusing on our Witnessing consciousness or the Beholder which beholds how the Divine unfolds in our life.  Use this meditation through the recordings given from this session to continue to practice this meditation until the full moon that occurs 14 days later.  This is an excellent way to strengthen your spiritual path and build your subtle bodies.  We will also discuss how to use various spiritual and energetic practices over time such as this meditation to strengthen your resilience and will power.

David continued our Divine Fellowship Series speaking from the second half of Chapter 4. Here John urges us to be a body that practices Love in action.

CheckoutThe God Centered Concept Academy Training Community to learn what growth in Christ ishttps://api.tuvu.com/redirectGroup/6a2ac0e2c9f728027338244cCheck out this link to view Kingdom Cross Roads on TV.https://jesussaid.tv/?affiliate=tswright_gccTo get a copy of our new book "Embracing the Truth" or to have TS Wright speak at your event or conference or if you simply want spiritual or life coaching or just a consultation visit:www.tswrightspeaks.comVisit our website to learn more about The God Centered Concept. The God Centered Concept is designed to bring real discipleship and spreading the Gospel to help spark the Great Harvest, a revival in this generation.www.godcenteredconcept.comKingdom Cross Roads Podcast is a part of The God Centered Concept.In this episode of Kingdom Crossroads, TS Wright welcomes author and researcher John Zachary for a fascinating conversation about his book, The Science Behind the Story of Jesus. John shares his testimony, his call to ministry, and the spiritual experiences that led him to write and publish his research.The discussion centers on John's claim that scientific dating, biblical chronology, and historical events reveal repeating patterns of divine control throughout Scripture and world history. He explains how Daniel's 70 weeks, the movement of the Ark of the Covenant, the crossing of the Jordan River, the destruction of Herod's Temple, and Jesus' death and resurrection all point to the reality that God is sovereign over human events.John also shares how he uses this material for evangelism, especially with skeptics, atheists, agnostics, and those searching for evidence that the Bible is true.Topics CoveredJohn Zachary's testimony and call to ministryThe spiritual experiences that led him to write his bookScientific data and biblical prophecyDaniel's 70 weeks and the MessiahThe significance of 14,000-day patterns in biblical chronologyThe Ark of the Covenant, Moses, Joshua, and the crossing of the JordanThe destruction of Solomon's Temple and Herod's TempleEzekiel's Temple visionJesus as the fulfillment of the sacrificial systemWhy the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to ChristThe use of biblical research in evangelismIsrael, Jerusalem, and prophetic fulfillmentThe connection between Luke 21, Matthew 24, and end-time prophecyKey TakeawaysJohn Zachary argues that the Bible contains precise chronological markers that reveal God's hand in human history. He highlights a recurring 14,000-day control period that he says appears in multiple biblical and historical events.A central point of the episode is that Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection fulfilled what the Old Testament sacrificial system only symbolized. John connects this to the destruction of Herod's Temple, explaining that the old system was no longer needed after Christ's finished work.The conversation also emphasizes evangelism. John explains that his research is not meant to create arguments but to present evidence that can awaken people to the truth of Scripture and the reality of eternal life through Jesus Christ.Featured Quote“Human events are under divine control to reveal what is true of the spiritual realm.” — John ZacharyScripture References MentionedDaniel 9Daniel's 70 weeksNumbers 10:11Joshua 4:19Revelation 11Hebrews 10John 14:6Luke 21Matthew 24Mark 13Ezekiel 40:1Guest ResourceLearn more about John Zachary and his book: The Science Behind the Story of JesusWebsite mentioned in the episode: authorjohnzacary.comClosing Call to ActionGet your copy of The Science Behind the Story of Jesus by John Zachary and discover how biblical prophecy, historical events, and scientific dating point to the truth of Jesus Christ.KeywordsJohn Zachary, The Science Behind the Story of Jesus, biblical prophecy, Daniel 70 weeks, Christian apologetics, Bible science, NASA data Bible prophecy, Jesus Christ, biblical chronology, end times prophecy, Kingdom Crossroads, TS Wright, Israel prophecy, Herod's Temple, Ark of the Covenant, biblical history, Christian evangelism

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6Today's Gospel contains one of Christ's more difficult teachings. At first glance, His words seem harsh. Yet they reveal a profound truth: the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven require a heart properly disposed to receive them. Divine truths are not to be offered indiscriminately, especially to those who would treat them with scorn or hostility. Faith is essential to receive and understand the deeper mysteries of God. Jesus expressed a similar principle at the Last Supper when He told the Twelve: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (John 16:12–13).Though Jesus, as the eternal Word of God, possessed perfect and complete knowledge of divine truth, He did not reveal everything to His disciples all at once. Had He done so, they might have been overwhelmed. Even His closest followers often struggled to grasp His teachings, misunderstanding His words and resisting difficult truths. Yet Christ unveils the mysteries of His Kingdom gradually, according to each person's ability to receive them.The divine mysteries are so deep, vast, and profound that we will only fully comprehend them when we behold God face to face in the Beatific Vision. Until then, His deeper truths remain veiled. This does not mean we should cease seeking them; rather, as we grow in faith and knowledge of God, He lifts the veil little by little, drawing us closer to Himself. As we progress in holiness, He perfects within us the spiritual Gift of Wisdom, which ultimately deepens our love for Him.The pearls Jesus refers to symbolize these divine mysteries—treasures of divine Wisdom that must be sought, cherished, and received with reverence. This principle of gradual revelation is also seen in the ministry of Saint Paul. After his dramatic conversion, Paul received extraordinary spiritual insights, yet he recognized that his listeners were not always ready for the fullness of divine teaching. To the Corinthians, he wrote: “Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it” (1 Corinthians 3:1–2).Like Saint Paul, when God grants us glimpses of His divine Wisdom, we must treasure these revelations, ponder them in faith, and allow Him to deepen His communication with us. At the same time, as we share our faith with others, we must be mindful of their openness and capacity to receive what is holy—the pearls of divine truth. Though the saving message of the Gospel must be preached to all, the deepest mysteries are attained only through prayer and an interior receptivity to grace.When Jesus warns, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine…”, He is not discouraging evangelization. Rather, He is teaching us that not everyone is immediately receptive to the hidden mysteries of the Gospel. Some might reject it outright, treat it with indifference, or even respond with hostility. Thus, just as Saint Paul recognized the need to nourish spiritual infants with milk, not solid food, we too must exercise prudence in sharing the deepest divine truths, ensuring that they are offered in a way that hearts are prepared to receive. Reflect today on your own openness to God's eternal truth. Are you like an infant in need of spiritual milk? If so, drink that milk eagerly, allowing it to nourish your soul. As you mature in faith, devote more time to prayerful contemplation of God's Word, seeking His wisdom with a receptive heart. If God entrusts you with the role of feeding others, do so with love and gentleness, discerning the pearls God wants you to share. Only by first being receptive ourselves will we be prepared to be the instruments and evangelists that God calls us to be. Lord of Eternal Wisdom, the mysteries of faith are vast and beyond my comprehension without Your grace. Draw me ever closer to You, unveiling Your hidden presence and the precious pearls of Your Truth. Deepen my understanding, that I may ponder Your mysteries with a receptive heart. As I grow in faith, use me as You will to nourish others according to their need, leading them ever deeper into Your divine Wisdom. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Our Eucharistic Lord, by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

What Does It REALLY Mean to Believe? - Covenant Faith, the Remnant & Going Deeper with God | KWR0061 Description What does it actually mean to believe in Jesus Christ? In this powerful episode of the Kingdom War Room, Dr. Michael Lake, Dr. Mike Spaulding, and Pastor Corby Shuey tackle one of the most misunderstood words in modern Christianity: belief. Starting with an exegetical study of John 3:16 from the original Greek, the discussion quickly expands into the nature of biblical faith, covenant fidelity, discipleship, repentance, and the dangerous rise of easy-believism within the modern church. The panel examines the difference between intellectual agreement and covenant commitment, why many churches have abandoned true discipleship for entertainment, and how the Holy Spirit is calling the Remnant into deeper levels of spiritual maturity and biblical literacy in these last days. Topics include the Hebrew understanding of faith, the restoration of the image of God in believers, the importance of divine visitations, biblical authority, discipleship, the dangers of pagan influence in Christianity, and practical ways believers can begin going deeper in the Word of God. This is a challenging and encouraging conversation for believers who are serious about walking in covenant faithfulness and preparing for the days ahead. In This Episode ✔ What the Greek word for "believe" really means in John 3:16 ✔ Why easy-believism is producing weak Christianity ✔ The difference between biblical faith and intellectual agreement ✔ Covenant fidelity versus cultural Christianity ✔ Why James said faith without works is dead ✔ The restoration of the image of God in the believer ✔ The dangers of pagan influences in the modern church ✔ Divine visitations and genuine encounters with God ✔ The need for biblical literacy in the last days ✔ Why the Remnant must go deeper in Scripture ✔ The role of discipleship and spiritual maturity ✔ Practical tools for studying the Bible more effectively Support the Ministry Your faithful prayers and support help us continue equipping the Remnant around the world with biblical teaching, spiritual warfare training, and Kingdom preparation for the days ahead. To support Biblical Life TV:

In this captivating episode of the Meditative Prayers podcast, guided by the insightful Zach Clinton and available on Pray.com, we delve into the transformative theme of nurturing our spiritual well-being—an exploration that deeply resonates within our Christian community. Throughout our spiritual journey, there are moments when the pursuit of personal transformation takes center stage. These moments not only enrich our faith but also breathe new life into our relationships, propelling us toward the fulfillment of our individual dreams. The comforting truth remains unwavering: with the Lord as our steadfast guide, we possess the innate ability to experience these transformative aspirations, discovering renewed hope and purpose in our journey. Drawing profound inspiration from sacred scriptures, we embark on a journey to explore the depths of this transformative human experience. For those seeking guidance in cultivating their spiritual well-being along their path of faith, we extend a heartfelt invitation to explore the Pray.com app. By simply downloading it today, you can embark on a transformative journey of faith and resilience, deeply anchored in the unwavering presence of the Divine. Together, let us wholeheartedly embrace the incredible potential for personal transformation within us, finding boundless inspiration and strength during our shared spiritual pilgrimage. We invite you to join us in this enlightening episode as we venture toward a profound understanding of cultivating our spiritual well-being and discovering the extraordinary sense of fulfillment that resides within each one of us.Embracing the practice of praying before slumber is more than just a routine; it's an avenue to recenter your heart, aligning it with God's purpose. Let Pray.com's Meditative Prayer be a nightly companion, deepening your bond with the Almighty and settling your spirit for a serene night's rest.Zach Clinton is from the American Association of Christian Counselors, for more information please visit: https://aacc.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Compline for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Lauds for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

None for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Prime for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Terce for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Unknown for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

Vespers for 2026-06-22. This podcast is generated automatically. Visit https://barrouxchant.com for more information, to support this podcast, or to report errors.

After a brief memorial to the late Tenzin Robert Thurman, Ethan welcomes author and seeker Erica Bassani to discuss her new book, Women in Love with the Divine. Erica's book explores what it means to be a woman committed to a relationship with the sacred in today's world. On a quest to answer this question for herself, Erica Bassani shares stories from her encounters with a dozen women spiritual teachers from Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Nondual traditions. They discuss her own spiritual journey, beginning with the study of the earliest Buddhist teachings, and explore her encounters and interviews with women wisdom holders from a wide variety of traditions. Erica Bassani is a writer based in Italy, and the author of the recently released Women in Love with the Divine. A graduate of the Academy of Storytelling in Turin, she spent a year living in a Theravadan Buddhist monastery at the age of 23. Since then, she has turned to female spiritual teachers from diverse traditions to help her navigate her inner journey. She created the Women Awakening Project—an initiative that highlights the wisdom of female spiritual role models and explores spiritual practice through the lens of women's experiences—to share their wisdom and create a bridge between generations of seekers. Bassani is also the Italian translator of The Four Noble Truths of Love by Susan Piver. Subscribe now (Episode available here now, or wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, and every other pod place after 11am ET on Wednesday May 27th). Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Show Notes and More cool resources: Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Sign up for the August visualization meditation workshop here. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). Subscribe now You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).

In honor of Toy Story 5, Erin and Evan are going back to where it all started to give the original Toy Story the Faith Adjacent treatment! You'll hear favored and forsaken moments, life verses for the movie, who we would cast in the live action version, and so much more! Is Toy Story just Biblical fan fiction of Peter and Paul? Are Sid's toys experiencing a trauma response that renders them unable to speak? You'll have to listen to find out! MENTIONSWant more Disney content? Check out our Disney and the Divine episode bundlesFourth of July Merch: Order by June 18thToy Story: Watch on Disney+ | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes Italian Brain Rot: Skibidi ToiletThe Faith Adjacent Seminary: Support us on Patreon. Erin Moon: I've Got Questions | Substack | Instagram | WebsiteEvan Dodson: Instagram | TikTok | SubstackSubscribe to our Newsletter: The Dish from Faith AdjacentFaith Adjacent Merch: Shop HereShop our Amazon Link: amazon.com/shop/faithadjacentFollow Faith Adjacent on Socials: Instagram See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.