Podcasts about Ebenezer

Radio Ebenezer RD by #HappyThanksgiving #Thanksgiving #navidad2024 #navidad #merry #viernesnegro #regalos #gif #christmas #merrychristmas #regalos #diciembre #love #merrychristmas2024Conviértete en un seguidor de este podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/radio-ebenezer-rd-emisora-cristiana--3279340/support.

The Philistines and the Ark 5 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon[a] and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the […]

Welcome to the Jew and Gentile Podcast.   Text the Jew and Gentile your comments, questions, concerns (OY!), and news at: 424-444-1948   Donate today:    MUG-ON-A-MUG With your gift of $10 or more to FOI Equip, you to can have your very own Mug-on-a-Mug. Your generous donation helps to expand the important work of teaching the Bible from a Jewish perspective while raising up new FOI volunteers and representatives serving Jewish communities all around the world.   Visit gofoi.org/mug to make your gift today and receive your own Jew and Gentile Podcast Mug-on-a-Mug.   Oy, look at Steve's punim! FROM THE SCRIPTURES Ebinezar    Here I Raise My Ebenezer… https://www.dandelionministries.org/homepage/here-i-raise-my-ebenezer   China Moves to Formally End Christian Missionary Activity https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/04/08/china-moves-to-formally-end-christian-missionary-activity/   FOI Equip Classes:   Survivor Story: George Rishfeld GEORGE RISHFELD APRIL 10   In this April's FOI Equip class, George Rishfeld will give his survivor story. George Rishfeld (b. 1939) is a child Holocaust survivor who was born in Warsaw, Poland. He was just six months old when World War II began, forcing his family to flee to Vilna, Lithuania. With George's safety in mind, his parents decided to give him to Catholic friends who promised to raise George as their own. After being reunited with his parents after the war, George and his family emigrated to the United States in 1949. George has dedicated his life to sharing his story, as he believes Holocaust education is invaluable for preventing further atrocities.   Register at foiequip.org   FOI Resources  Get a free one-year trial subscription to Israel My Glory https://israelmyglory.org/subscribe/ Get Involved with Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry https://www.foi.org/outreach   Chris Katulka's book: Israel Always foi.org/israelalways   Steve Herzig's book: Jewish Culture & Customs foi.org/jcc   Christmas is Jewish Finding Messiah in Passover messiahinpassover.org   Harbingers Daily https://harbingersdaily.com/ In the News:   Around 75% of Hamas's tunnels in Gaza not destroyed by IDF - N12 https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-849430   I was ‘killed' in a lightning strike —here's what happens after you die https://nypost.com/2025/04/07/lifestyle/i-was-killed-in-a-lightning-strike-heres-what-happens-after-you-die/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=message_app   For first time: IDF allows soldiers to grow beards without special approval https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-849433?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&utm_medium=share   Yiddish Word of the Day: Gornisht helfn—-beyond help 

Welcome to the official podcast of the All Nations Full Gospel Church Halifax! Join us each week as we share inspiring sermons, uplifting messages, and insightful discussions aimed at enriching your faith journey. Our mission is to reach, teach, and empower individuals with the transformative message of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a long-time member of our congregation or a new listener, we invite you to grow with us in faith and community. Tune in for powerful teachings, heartfelt worship, and practical advice on living out your faith in today's world. Subscribe now and never miss an episode!

Notre Dame landed a commitment from big time edge Ebenezer Ewetade. Bryan and Vince break down the commitment and what it means for the Irish Shop for Irish Breakdown gear at our online store: https://ibstore.irishbreakdown.com/ Join the Irish Breakdown premium message board: https://boards.irishbreakdown.com Stay locked into Irish Breakdown for all the latest news and analysis about Notre Dame: https://www.irishbreakdown.com​ Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/irishbreakdown Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/irish-breakdown-newsletter

  Welcome to Hope for the Caregiver here on American Family Radio. This is Peter Rosenberger and I will be your host today through all things caregiver related. I've been a caregiver so long that the hospital Wi-Fi connects automatically. You know you've been a caregiver a long time when you call 911 and they say, Hey Peter, that's my life. I've been a caregiver so long my idea of vacation is waiting in the car during surgery. And even Siri whispers to me, bless your heart. We are still in Denver, in the hospital. And Gracie now has to go back into surgery on Monday or Tuesday. This left leg just does not want to heal up. This will be her 93rd and her 6th during this particular 10-week stretch we pulled. So yeah, I know a little bit about the journey. And I've learned a few things. I'm going to give you some practical things right now. Okay? Just some practical. We're going to get into some heavy stuff later on in the program. But I've got some practical things. One of them is when you're in an elevator. A couple of points in an elevator. For elevator etiquette. And it's not what you think. But it's... I always let ladies exit and enter the elevator before me. I hold the door and make sure they go in properly. I told one guy, there was a bunch of them, and this guy tried to go in. I said, no, you wait for me. I was raised in the South. I'll help the ladies, but I'm not going to help you. You're a grown man. I actually told him that on the elevator. I mean, I've spent a lot of time in the hospital. So these are things I observed. But a lot of people will line up in front of the elevator on the bottom floor. Now, why is that problematic? Why? Well, I'll tell you why. Because there are people going to be getting off that elevator, and they can't get off if there's some yahoo standing right in front of them. And I'm like, has it not occurred to you maybe to wait over to the side? Another thing is, don't be on speakerphone and having a conversation while on the elevator. I understand being on the phone. I'm often on Bluetooth, giving updates and so forth. But when I get on the elevator, I will tell whoever I'm talking to, I'm getting ready to get on the elevator. You keep talking, I'll listen. I got a buddy of mine I was talking to back in Montana. And I said, all right, I'm getting on the elevator. You talk, I'll listen. So he started asking me questions. And I'm like, you didn't understand the point. The point is, I'm getting on the elevator. I'm not going to talk. You talk, I'll listen. Well, what do you want me to talk about? Oh, for heaven's sakes. And so I just kind of, you know, but that's another thing. People get on the elevator and they got speakerphone going. And I'm like, I jump into the conversation sometimes, you know, figured it's there. It's a public conversation now. And then here's something else. And I'm not faulting you for this, but be aware that Be aware of a few things when you're walking into a hospital, into a corridor. Number one is if you're going around corners, drive in the right lane. Okay? Drive in the right lane. We're not in Great Britain. We're in America. Drive in the right lane. So hug the wall on your right side. So when you go around a corner, you're not doing like in NASCAR when you're getting way down low there. You got to go up a little high and come around because there's somebody else coming around that corner and they're driving in their right lane. I have been involved in many near collisions because people were hugging the left corner. Now, that may sound stupid to you, but you spend 10 weeks in a hospital, and then you come back and tell me what you think, okay? And this ain't my first 10 weeks in the hospital with Gracie. So these are things I observed that people are, this is a very big hospital, a lot of people, and everybody's busy, and I understand that. Here's another little tidbit. Situational awareness is everything. Be aware of how you are in space and in time as you're moving in and out of this labyrinth of of a place there where a lot of people are. People are very busy. This is, again, a teaching hospital. So it's very busy. It's always going 24-7. And you have to be aware of where you are in space and in time. Not just, you know... ambling along. I was on the elevator with two women, and they were older women, but not that old. Well, now that I think about it, they're probably younger than me, which, now that's just kind of sad, isn't it? They looked older, but I realized they're probably younger than me. Okay, well, all right, let me just go and cry over that one in the pantry. But Regardless, they were on the elevator and one of them had a walker and they were very nicely dressed. They were very pleasant ladies. And I held the door and they started walking. Well, I was in a bit of a hurry. And these two women, one of them was rather large. I mean, she wasn't gargantuan, but she's a big woman. And the other one was a bit hefty as well. And she had a walker, but a little, not a walker, but one of those things with wheels on it. You know what I'm talking about. And she would sit down and into the elevator and then get up and start moving. That's fine. I live with somebody with mobility impairments. I understand it. But I am always aware of Gracie and me in time and space. Always. When I'm walking anywhere with her, I'm aware of who's behind me, who's in front of me, who's to my left. I'm always aware of things like that. That's just the way I kind of Some of it's my martial arts training, check your six, always look around, head on a swivel. I get that. Some of it's just common courtesy and some of it is just, I just don't want somebody to run into me or me run into someone else. And these two women were ambling along for a little afternoon stroll. But they took up the entire corridor. You couldn't get around them. It was just not a space where I could. And they walked wide, and they were wide. And it wasn't just because of the one with the mobility device. It was just because they were big and clueless. And they went along at their stroll, and I had to go with their pace behind them. And I was in a bit of a hurry. I was like... You know, do you have to take up the entire hallway? You know, because there's always little carts or something on the side of the thing, and you can't easily pass in certain places. And, you know, crash carts and things such as that scattered around the corridor there. So it was like... And you say, you know, Peter, you're being petty. Well, yes, I am. But I've been here for 10 weeks, and I've just, you know... Move it, people. That's what I'm talking about. Thank you for that. That's what it feels like. I'm telling you, that's what it feels like. Move it, people. There's nothing like being in a hospital for a lengthy period of time to... force you into a different kind of, I don't know. But I never cease to be amazed on how people amble and stroll and mosey in a place where there's a high traffic area. And it's a bit jarring because I'm moving quickly. And I'm not just sitting there with Gracie all day long doing nothing. I mean, oh, I think I'll stretch my legs and go down to the cafeteria. I'm working. I have to work all the time. I mean, I don't have to work all the time, but I have to work I can't put my life on hold for 10 weeks. And I've written, by the way, I've written quite a bit here, 40,000 plus words since I've been here. Five published articles and I finished a new book that's going to be out next year. Got one coming out this summer and we'll talk about that. And then I've got a new book that'll be out next year that I think you're going to really like. But I've been working and then I've gotten shipments over to Africa and so forth. I mean, I work. And then I'm looking after her. I'm back and forth to the hospital frequently. I come to do this radio program. I do a live show on Wednesdays. And that's one of the reasons I went in a hurry that day because I had to get back over to the hotel across the street where I do a live show on Wednesday afternoons. And so I was, you know, wanting these women to move a little faster or at least move over, you know, just same thing as being on a highway. You don't go on the interstate at 30 miles an hour. And they just, you know, were clueless. I mean, truly clueless. And I see this a lot in the hospital. If you have to go into the hospital for an extended period of time, be aware that you're going to see high traffic areas and stay to the right. And don't stand right in front of an elevator blocking it so people on the elevator can't get off. You're not getting on unless they get off. And so give them space to maneuver. My father used to always say that. He said, keep moving forward, but give space to maneuver. That was one of his trademark lines. And he was such a student of observing people and their behaviors that he would probably chuckle at this. I don't know if you are, but I'm sorry. I just had to take this moment to vent out because I'm tired of running into people by the elevators and through the hallways of this hospital. Listen, we got more to go. This is Peter Rosenberger, Hope for the Caregiver, hopeforthecaregiver.com. We'll be right back. Thank you. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. I am Peter Rosenberger, PeterRosenberger.com. PeterRosenberger.com. If you want to explore more of what I put out there for you as a family caregiver, I hope you'll take advantage of it. Right up at the top of the page, you say, check out Peter's Substack page. Well, what does that mean? Well, Substack is an online newsletter. And there are lots of different things that I put out there. You can put video and audio and print and so forth, and that's what I do. And On this page, my latest post is, what do you think? It's called What Do You Think? And it's from my book, A Minute for Caregivers, When Every Day Feels Like Monday. And I post these out every Monday. So if you go out today and subscribe to this, you'll get a missive on Monday to tell you about a new one. But right now, you can go out and read this today, look at it, and there's some other things out there. Some of it's behind a paywall, and you have to subscribe for that if that's your choice you want to do. But this I put out every Monday for free. And this is one I think that would connect deeply with you as a caregiver. I'll give you a bit of a preview of this, okay? And the concept behind it. That's the special bonus that you're going to get today on this program. Like I said, I've been here for a long time. I've devolved into elevator etiquette for a conversation topic. I mean, you get a little bit loopy here when you have these kinds of lengthy hospital stays. But I have often and embarrassingly inserted my opinion during Gracie's long medical journey. I know you're saying to yourself, no, Peter, that couldn't happen. You wouldn't give your opinion. You would be quiet and demure and genteel, and you would be a wallflower. I know you might think that. That may be your first inclination to go there, but... Let me dispel you of that and tell you that I have done this and I don't recall being frequently asked for my opinion, particularly by surgeons. Yet, as the team was observing Gracie's response during the recovery process of one of her surgeries, the lead surgeon looked at me and said, what do you think? All right, now think through that for just a moment. This guy is a serious surgeon, not a lightweight. You don't serve in this particular hospital, this teaching hospital. You don't serve in this capacity as a teacher, as the attending, unless you've got some real game to you. Let me just add, I don't let you work on my wife unless you have some real game to you. Okay? We're pretty hard on docs and surgeons. I had a resident tell me that, you know, I've never seen this before. They were looking at some stuff with Gracie and said, we've never seen this before. I looked at this surgeon and I said, you know, the first time I heard that from a surgeon, Ronald Reagan was president. And they couldn't believe it. I mean, they were stung it. They really don't know how to wrap their mind around that. So anyway, this surgeon looked at me, and he's not a lightweight surgeon. What do you think? Well, you know, four decades of living with Gracie, I understand nuances about her that no medical professional could ever hope to know. They don't have the kind of time to be brought up to speed on Gracie. I have a PhD in Gracie. And it came from the School of Hard Knocks. Most of them, she's knocked on my head. And I hear an amen from Gleason, Tennessee, where Betsy has just said amen. She listens to this program and she's saying amen. I've known Betsy and her husband Tommy for a very, very long time. They've known me since I was 14 or 15 years old. But anyway, the School of Hard Knocks, that's it. A lengthy list of unpleasant events, and I'm saying that with a great deal of diplomacy, has taught me and continues to teach me the value of keeping my opinion to myself and only sharing what I've witnessed and experienced to the best of my abilities. Now, sometimes it gets the best of me, I admit. But I try to stay with my experience. and what I've observed. So when the surgeon graciously sought my thoughts, I stayed on message. I shared what I've observed of my wife and her challenges and avoided speculating. Here's what I've observed. One of the things I've observed that post-operatively, when something can go wrong with a patient, it usually will go wrong with Gracie. That's what I've observed. And I went on to share with him some other things i've observed about her lengthy history nodding with understanding he ordered a few additional tests evidently in part based upon my response and he continued looking for solutions now as a caregiver i'm learning to stay in my lane i really am i don't Don't jump to conclusions that I'm not, even though I went on the whole elevator diatribe at the last block. I'm learning to stay in my lane while speaking with calm authority about what I know. recognizing that my experience is far worthier than my opinion. And I put a quote on there from Kurt Cobain. You may not know who he is. He's a particularly sad, tragic figure who was the lead singer, guitarist, songwriter for Nirvana, a very troubled young man who took his life when he was 27. He had been just a very sad, troubled man, but he was a very deep thinker. And he wrote something once that said, we have no right to express an opinion until we know all of the answers. And again, he was an extremely troubled young man. who sadly took his life. Many attempts tried to take his life before, dealt with drugs and so forth. But in the middle of his distress, he had such profound things that he said, the way he approached things. And I love that quote, we have no right to express an opinion until we know all the answers. And I think of my own life and how many times I have shot my mouth off with an opinion and I didn't even know what I was talking about. And I go back to what I said with this doctor. In my experience, this is what I've seen. This is what I've witnessed. This is what I've observed. And I thought that may be helpful to some of you as caregivers when dealing with your physicians and the medical providers treating your loved one or in general with anyone. Here's what I've witnessed. Here's what I've seen. Because your experience is unimpeachable. It's yours. You've experienced this. Your eyewitness is unimpeachable. This is what you saw. This is what you have encountered. And if you stay in that place, you're not going to get off into the weirdness of opinion. And I also think about that with our Christian faith. How many of us give our opinion versus, here's my experience. That's why I love going back to some of these hymns who have said it so beautifully, O God, our help in ages past. our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home. Well, that's saying, look, here's our experience. This is what we've seen, what he's done. You know, look at 1 Samuel 7, 12. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mitzvah and Shem and called its name Ebenezer. For he said, thus far the Lord has helped us. And the word Ebenezer means stone of help. Do you know the only hymn that uses the word Ebenezer? It's from Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I come, and I hope by thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It's such a great hymn. Sadly, the writer of that hymn, struggled with his faith. Even though he had that great line, bind my wandering heart to thee, prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it. And he struggled, I think, all of his life, or certainly later on in his life, and struggled with his faith. But at that time, he wrote that. Again, sometimes some of the best things can come from people who are struggling mightily with stuff. like Kurt Cobain or like the author of this hymn. His name was Robert Robertson. He wrote that hymn back in 1758. He was just a kid. He was just 22. Kurt Cobain was 27 when he killed himself. And I don't know if Robert Robertson ever... was able to resolve some of those issues in his life that he struggled with as he grew older, and he supposedly left the faith. I don't know. I have no idea. Somebody who knows more about him can maybe let me know. But he wrote this hymn, and it was a powerful hymn, and it's been sung all over the world. Here I raise my Ebenezer. Hither by thy help I've come. So far, thus far, the Lord has. This is my experience. You know, look at Revelation. They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their opinion. No, that's not what it says. It says they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, their experience. When I listen to preachers, one of the things I listen for is their experience. I'm not interested in really your opinion. Show me what the text says. Show me how you've seen this in your life or in others, what you've observed. And anchor me in this text. I'm not interested in your opinion that much. What I am interested in is understanding Scripture on an experiential level, to see these things fleshed out. And so when I talked to that surgeon, I said, look, in my experience, this is what I've watched with Gracie. I've seen this. I am testifying to this. And that was enough for this surgeon to use that in a protocol because it's firsthand experiential. That's the thing about our faith. We're not asked to take a leap of faith into the dark. We're invited by Scripture, asked, commanded by, to anchor our faith in the light. And this is the experience. I look at John, the Apostle John, when he's talking about Jesus being crucified. He said, I've witnessed this. Look at John 1935. He who saw it has borne witness. His testimony is true. And he knows that he is telling the truth that you may also believe. It's almost like John, and I don't know, if you're a theologian or scholar, you could tell me, but it's almost like he is saying this as an affidavit in court. Like, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? And he's saying, if you go back and look at the message, sometimes it helps me to understand it if you go back and look at different translations and paraphrases. In the message, it says, "...the eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you also will believe." I gave a firsthand account of credible witness to my wife's medical journey. The surgeon acted on that and made some changes in this. The Apostle John, the prophet Samuel, gave credible witness to what God has done. John gave witness to that. This is what happened to Jesus on the cross so that we will also believe. That's not stepping into the dark. That's acting on the light. And that is hope for the caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger, PeterRosenberger.com. We'll be right back. Peter Rosenberger. He's not a preacher, but he's got great hair. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. I am Peter Rosenberg. Glad to be with you today. And you know what? You may have just turned this show on midstream. You might be right here in the middle of the show. And you've been up all night having a conversation with the ceiling fan. And you wake up and you hear a program that's for family caregivers of all things. And you think, where has such a program been? Well, it's been right here. But I'm glad you're here with us now. And I've been doing this for 14 years. I've been on American Family Radio now for seven years. And I understand how difficult this journey is. I really do. And I understand what brings me comfort. And I ask you, think about that for just a moment. Most of you know my story. And if you're brand new to the audience and you're just coming in halfway through the show, that's okay. Four decades later. And on Monday or Tuesday, my wife will have her 93rd surgery. Car wreck back in 1983. Now think through the lengthy amount of time this is. How many hospitalizations? We've been here for this particular stretch for 10 weeks. Doesn't show, I don't know when we're going home. But we can't go home until this is done. And I understand how difficult this journey is. So what brings me comfort? What brings Gracie comfort in this? Is it anesthesia? Is it painkillers? Well, it helps ease her pain. But is that what brings her comfort? Is that what brings me comfort? What brings me comfort? I mean, think about it. I mean, I'm working out of a hotel room across the street in not the best part of town in Aurora, Colorado. I'd like to be at home. I could have been out on the snowmobile. and enjoying a beautiful Montana winter. Instead, I'm over here in a hotel, and sometimes I know the other night I had ramen noodle soup. I was tired. I didn't feel like going anywhere, so I just had ramen soup. I remember I was staying at a hotel down the road here. There's several hotels across the street, but now I've camped out at this one. I've been here now multiple times. We've been out here, and this is where I'm going to be permanently, but I don't think we're going to have to come back for another stretch. But I was staying at one down the road, and they got it messed up. This was some years ago. And they got it messed up in our room. But I was in the middle of Gracie's surgery, and I didn't do anything about it until about a week or two after she'd kind of stabilized. And I was checking out one. I mean, I was at the counter, and they had a little, you know how hotels do, they have a little place where you can buy overpriced items. And they had some soup. And I just, you know, it goes back to my college days, some ramen soup. And I had there on the counter my dinner that night because I was tired and I didn't feel like going anywhere. And I paid overpriced ramen soup, you know, and you know how much that stuff costs. But I mentioned the night manager. I said, look, I'm just now getting back with you. But when we got here, they were supposed to have this kind of room for my wife. They didn't have it. They really kind of messed it up and it was very difficult. And I just want to bring that to your attention. And she saw my soup on the counter there and she said, oh, I'm so sorry. Here, take that on us. It's the least we could do. And I used a great deal of restraint. You have no idea the torque involved in this. And I almost said, but I didn't say, it's ramen soup. There ain't no leaster. Of course, it's the least you could do. But she was very sincere, and I let it slide. Eventually, I talked to the daytime manager, and they worked out the problem and got it all squared away. So, you know, this is the way I'm living here. And Gracie's not certainly enjoying where she is. I mean, she's had now, this will be her sixth surgery in this 10-week stretch here. This leg just doesn't want to heal. And they have to go in there and redo something even different now. And so here we are. But we can't leave. This is for all the marbles. If we get this right, she has a better quality of life. If we get it wrong, she's in pretty dire circumstances for the rest of her life on earth. And so I get the journey. What brings me comfort? What has settled my heart down? What has given me the ability to focus and be clear-headed during this? And that is thinking on the things of God. Not abstractly. I'm talking about up close and personal, really contemplating these things. I've been studying. I've been going through the book of John while I'm here. And I am resolved to these things because I know that there's a greater work going on. And that I go back to what I've been saying over the last couple of weeks here with the Heidelberg Catechism. What is my only comfort in life and in death? And that is I belong to Christ. And in this world, he will see fit to allow us to go through very painful things, sometimes horrific things. I don't know why. I'm not really all that excited about it. I don't like it. But I am so committed to this because I see that he has saved me from something far worse. And I belong in his service. And that this is where he's asked us to go. And this is what Gracie said when I was praying for her. I mentioned this two weeks ago before her 91st surgery. And I was like, Lord, this is too many. Gracie said, no, it's not. This is how many he thinks is necessary. And we're going to do what he has led us to do. And I know that, I think it was Karl Marx or Stalin or somebody, one of those guys, who said that religion is the opioid for the masses, right? I can't say that I disagree with that. But I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about theology. Understanding and knowing, discovering, learning about God. Religion is man's attempt to do these things. Theology is studying what God has already shown us in His Word. That we can know Him. And I've said this before on this program, but I had a caller call in to the Wednesday live show that I do and asked, is suffering required in order to grow in our Christianity? And my answer was, suffering is required to be a human being. In this world, we're going to have it. I mean, it's part of the condition. And you can live your whole life without being afflicted by trauma or disease of any magnitude, not even approaching anywhere near where Gracie is. But you're still going to die. Your body's going to get old and die. Unless Christ returns, none of us are getting out of this thing alive. That's just part of the human condition. It's how we trust God in those things. That's where the difference is. And I go back to this surgical event that we're dealing with here in our life right now. Now, these surgeons that I've been working with here, and they're wonderful men. I've worked with them now for some time, and I've gotten to know them a little bit, but I don't know them all that well. I don't know, for example, her attending surgeons, wife and kids and all those kinds of things. I really don't know a lot of his background. I know where he's from, but that's pretty much about it. But this man, who I barely know, will take my wife into a room with a bunch of strangers who I do not know, and they will do ghastly things to her body with ghastly tools that I wouldn't want to even touch. And then when he comes out, I'll thank him. And Gracie does too. She took his hand one time. Thank you. How often do we do that to people who wear white lab coats or surgical scrubs? Thank you, doctor. Thank you, doctor. And we treat them with reverence and respect, and we barely know them. We don't know where their doctrinal stances are. We don't know what they believe, why they believe it. We don't know those things. We just know that they've been certified to do such and such by the governing authorities of the state and the medical licensing board, and this hospital has vetted them, and the teaching university they went to has properly instructed them. And we take that on faith, even though we've never looked at their transcripts. we've never looked at their grades we don't know anything about them but we will let them go in there and do things to our loved ones and we will thank them for it how much more can we approach the king of kings and lord of lords when he does these things how much more skilled is he and we can know him he has made it possible that's what theology is he's laid it all out this is who i am Now, we will never know Him absolutely because we're not infinite beings like He is. But we can know Him truly. He's immutable. His loving kindness never fails. His grace, His mercy, His wisdom, His justice, His wrath, all of those things laid out. Corrie Ten Boone once said, don't be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. What brings us comfort is that I am not trusting Gracie to a bunch of people in medical gear that I don't know. I'm trusting her to the one I do know. You're going to hear me do this probably for the rest of the time I have a program. But I love to quote my father. And mom told me this story about him one time. And I've seen this in his life. And I have so many great, wonderful memories of things that he has said and imparted to us. But she was struggling with something young into their marriage. And I don't know how young it was, mom. Mom listens every week. I don't know how young you were, but it was some time ago. And she kind of popped off. How do you know that? because dad was sharing something from scripture with her she said well how do you know this and dad responded very calmly because i know god because i know god what gives me comfort i know god he's told me who he is and i take him at his word And that's what strengthens me. That's what equips me. That's what settles me down. I can produce a lengthy line of people, some of them in this audience, who have known me for a very long time and would say, yeah, that ain't Peter. That's evidence of the redemptive work of Christ in Peter's life because that ain't him. We know Peter. We've seen his work. And that's not me. And thanks be to God, it isn't me. It doesn't have to be you either. We don't have to be reactive all the time. We are invited by Scripture to cast all our cares on Him. We're invited to walk in His statutes, to trust Him, to take Him in His Word. And He gives us all the evidence that we need of said step of faith. And like I said in the last block, we're not stepping by faith into the dark. We're stepping by faith into the light. The credible testimony of others who have observed this, who have walked this, like John himself said in the Gospel of John, I saw it. I was there. Like I said to that surgeon, here's what I've seen. And so when I look at people like my father and like so many who said, here's what I have observed. Here's what I know. Here's what I've experienced. That is what comforts and strengthens me and equips me and fortifies me. And then I could take that into Gracie's hospital room and offer her the same comfort that I myself have received from the God of all comfort. And you know what that is? That is hope for this caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. Do you know what that hymn is? That hymn is called Abide With Me. And it's from my CD, Songs for the Caregiver. I've always loved this hymn. This is my mother's favorite hymn. And I've played this countless times. You can see this, like I said, on my CD, Psalms for the Caregiver. You can download the whole thing wherever digital music is streamed, or you can call Logos Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee and get a copy of it. They're the only ones that care. It's all out at my website, PeterRosenberger.com, but that's not the purpose of me telling you all this. I used to play this hymn and many others in the sanctuary church where we attended in Nashville for many years and My pastor at the time asked me to play on Sunday mornings as people were coming in to help create a more reverent atmosphere for the church. So people would just talk, you know, yabber. They would come in and be more reflective. So I would work out a lot of these hymn arrangements that I did there. And during the week, I would practice this. And I noticed that I wasn't alone in the sanctuary. And at the back, there was a custodian there at the church And he would be putting hymnals back in the racks and sweeping and straightening it up, very much like my father used to do when he was a young man. And I've got a picture of my father when he was working at a church as a custodian. So I had a very special place in my heart for custodians of churches, and this man was no exception. And I would stop and ask him, I'd say, hey, do you want me to play something for you? And he said, no, just keep playing, just keep playing. So I'd play and sometimes I'd practice there for an hour, maybe more. And a beautiful Steinway up at the front of the church. And that's the cover of my CD is me playing in that sanctuary by myself. Except I have one picture of me playing there. It was taken from the choir loft area where I was. And you can make out Mike in the very back there. And that picture hangs on a wall in my parents' home. I gave that to my father and That picture is juxtaposed against the picture of my dad when he was in the sanctuary serving. Now, why am I telling you all this? Well, this week in the news, they released more of the writings from the shooter at the Covenant School there in Nashville. The first victim that she shot and killed was Mike, the custodian who used to listen to me play the piano. Two years ago this week, I went back to Nashville to play at his funeral And I played for him one last time. I look at the horrific things about that event, and it's still surreal. It's hard to believe. Hard to believe it happened. And the unspeakable tragedy with so many. I refuse, and if this gets me in trouble, you can write letters to peter at the internet dot Google. But I refuse to call this individual a transgender or a guy. was a girl it was a woman 28 years old i believe who was very very very disturbed according to the news reports she had been writing horrifically violent plans for some time and i don't know why it wasn't caught i don't know why nobody seemed to intercept this or say something, but I just know that from the facts, she showed up that day, and Mike was the first person in her path, and she shot and killed him. And I think about all the times that Mike said to me, just keep playing, just keep playing. So I do, and I played at his funeral two years ago this week, and I played, the opening hymn was Great Is Our Faithfulness, And I got to tell you all, I laid into it. I didn't hold back. I didn't play it like a mourner. Mike wouldn't have wanted me to. Play it with conviction. Play it like a believer. And he would want me to do so. I said, this time I was in the front of the church in the choir loft area, different sanctuary. But Mike's casket was just, instead of him being at the back of the church sitting there listening, His casket was right there up front, just 10, 15 feet away from me. And these are hard things. We don't have the words for it. We groan. But we're not alone in our groaning. And I just want to leave you with today. I know this is a bit of a somber note for the show, but I wanted to leave this with because I never forget that the reason why people listen to this program is because they're hurting. And the reason why people give me an hour of their time to listen to this is because they feel like they're drowning. And I understand that sometimes the person who understands you the most is the one who's bled like you have. And I have. Still do. Many times in that sanctuary when I was playing, I was pouring out my heart because I didn't have the words for some of the things that Gracie and I were going through. Mike kept saying, just keep playing. Just keep playing. Just keep playing. The Spirit groans on our behalf. Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. Just keep praying. Just keep praying. when we don't have the words. And that's why I'm grateful for music. I wish I had the caregiver keyboard here at this hotel while we're in this hospital visit, but I don't. So I have to make do. I look forward to being able to getting home and playing the piano some more. Just keep playing. It's a hard thing to read about that in the news. And this is the world we're in. And it's not going to get any better anytime soon. It doesn't look like. But we are not absolved from walking into that craziness and heartache with the confidence of the gospel. And that is what I am committed to doing. I've been writing a song when the shooting occurred. I've been writing a song that had it for about a month or two, but it wasn't finished. I finished it right after the shooting. In fact, I finished it within that evening because I was just so overwhelmed by watching this. And I had Gracie sing it. I titled the piece Covenant Lament. I really didn't know what else to call it. What else can you say? He's just lamenting. And I went to the words of Scripture that helped shape this. This is all Scripture. And I wanted to leave this with you all today. At the end of this program, some of you are groaning. Some of you are weeping. And I want you to know that there's one who weeps for us and groans for us. And we can trust him. Listen to Gracie sing as we take the show out today. And thank you for your time. I'm Peter Rosenberger. And I remember what my friend Mike told me. Keep playing. Just keep playing.

What if the people we care for had the microphone? What if—before we create another policy, schedule a medication, or make assumptions about what's “best”—we paused and simply asked: What do you want? How does this feel? What matters most to you today? In a world where caregiving often centers on doing for, we sometimes forget the power of simply being with. This episode is an invitation to slow down and listen to the voices that often go unheard—the ones on the receiving care.   Today, I'm sharing a conversation that is deeply personal and one that I've been wanting to have for some time. I sat down with four incredible residents from the Trails of Orono, an Ebenezer assisted living community. Mike D is 88 and carries stories from a rich life full of meaning. Gary J, who just turned 86 on March 30th, brings warmth and wisdom to every word. Marie H celebrated her 103rd birthday on March 27th—yes, 103!—and Lucia A, at 93, offers reflections that are both grounded and generous. These conversations aren't about statistics or systems. They're about humanity—what it feels like to age, to receive care, to be seen, to be missed, to be remembered.   You'll hear about their life, what brings them joy, how they feel well cared for and what it feels like to transition to being cared for. We talk about dignity, loss, autonomy, surprise, and love. And we ask the question at the heart of it all: How can we truly care well for people if we don't know what they are thinking, feeling, and needing? These voices—Mike, Gary, Marie, and Lucia—are the heartbeat of this episode. It's my hope that by listening to their stories, we'll become better listeners, better caregivers, and better humans.   Thank you to our Sponsors HeroGeneration empowers caregivers and families by providing innovative resources, education, and support to navigate the challenges of aging and caregiving with confidence and connection. It's free to start. Join now HERE. Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. creates engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.   Please follow for updates, rate & review! For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

“I Am He”.  Jeffrey R. Holland and The Tabernacle Choir Sings ‘Come Thou Font of Every Blessing'.  ACU Sunday Series.   “I Am He”.  Jeffrey R. Holland. October 2024 General Conference Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/wO_zZtt0Nmc?si=eKjEk7gAnBj1yhsu General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ 591K subscribers 199,536 views Oct 6, 2024 President Jeffrey R. Holland speaks at the 194th semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held on October 5-6, 2024. Christ's charity—evident in complete loyalty to divine will—persisted and continues to persist. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s...   Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (2011) | The Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square 902K subscribers 16,678,929 views Nov 1, 2012 Purchase "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" from the album "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing: American Folk Hymns and Spirituals": Amazon: http://amzn.to/WqlRyH iTunes: http://bit.ly/TV9N9q Deseret Book: http://bit.ly/Qob6tB LDS Store: http://bit.ly/R1mEEu   Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Lyrics: Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above; Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, Mount of thy redeeming love.   Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by thy help I'm come; And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above.   Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand'ring from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed his precious blood. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above.   O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be! Let thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above, Seal it for thy courts above.

How do we keep our eyes up and trusting God when the pain of life seems unrelenting? Why is it so important to remind ourselves of God's goodness especially in those moments of greatest heartache? For author, pastor and speaker Alexandra Hoover, navigating a lifetime of difficulty and trauma as a child and then experiencing the loss of her brother as an adult could have kept her from experiencing God's care and comfort, but instead, it led her to it. As she began to look back at all the moments in which God had showed up for her throughout her life, she was able to see points of remembrance of God's faithfulness, Ebenezer stones as Scripture calls them. It was in those places that she found herself continually returning to as new heartaches and challenges came her way. In her book Eyes Up: How to Trust God's Heart by Tracing His Hand, she helps readers learn how to find those similar moments in their own lives. In this conversation, Aubrey sits down with Alexandra and discusses the power of discipleship in showing young believers a faith filled life, why it is important to pay attention to the ways God has been faithful throughout our days, and how we can begin to surrender and learn to live loved, especially in our pain. If you find it hard to remember God's goodness in your suffering, know that you are not alone. This episode will encourage you to keep looking back so that you can look up and move forward through whatever struggles and hardships life throws at you. Website: alexandravhoover.com Instagram: instagram.com/alexandravhoover Book: Eyes Up: How to Trust God's Heart by Tracing His Hand https://a.co/d/hFvrGHZ Bible Study: Without Wavering: Resilient Faith Built on the Promises of Godhttps://a.co/d/e7zhLY0 Are you a ministry leader, first responder, counselor or someone who wants to help people in pain? The Biblical Trauma Care Specialist course will equip you as you serve those who have experienced trauma. Sign up today: nothingiswasted.com/btcs Has a recent loss, trauma or tragedy upended your world? Let us guide you through those early days: nothingiswasted.com/everythingchanges Looking for a tangible gift for a friend who is hurting? The restorbox is a beautifully curated gift box that will show your loved one you care: nothingiswasted.com/restorbox

Date: 05- Jan -2025Speaker: Ps. PrakashVenue: Bethesda Church Hyderabad

Date: 05- Jan -2025Speaker: Ps. PrakashVenue: Bethesda Church Hyderabad

"May we never tire of seeking the Ebenezer stones in our life. Big and small, tangible or otherwise, let's look for reminders of God's love and good gifts. May we never settle for good enough when God's good and perfect beckons. And may we tune our ears to listen for the still, small voice that guides our steps with wisdom to tell the difference."Leave a comment for Anna: https://incourage.me/?p=250966--Getting ready for Easter? At DaySpring, you'll find just the right resources to experience Jesus in a whole new way this season. From meaningful cards and gifts to Bibles and beautiful jewelry, DaySpring has just what you need to get your heart and home ready to celebrate. Shop now at DaySpring.com! The (in)courage podcast is brought to you by DaySpring. For over 50 years, DaySpring has created quality cards, books, and gifts that help you live your faith. Find out more at DaySpring.com.Connect with (in)courage: Facebook & Instagram for daily encouragement, videos, and more! Website for the (in)courage library, to meet our contributors, and to access the archives. Email us at incourage@dayspring.com. Leave a podcast review on Apple!

In this powerful exploration of 1 Samuel 7, we're reminded of the transformative power of genuine repentance. The Israelites' journey from spiritual complacency to heartfelt lament teaches us that true change requires more than just emotion – it demands action. We're challenged to examine our own lives and identify the 'foreign gods' we may be harboring. Are we willing to put away our idols and redirect our hearts to God? This message urges us to move beyond surface-level sorrow for our sins and embrace a repentance that leads to real behavioral change. As we reflect on our own struggles, particularly with persistent sins like sexual temptation, we're encouraged to see that victory comes not through our own strength, but through desperate dependence on God's power. The Ebenezer stone Samuel raised serves as a powerful reminder for us to cultivate a 'memory of mercy' – to look back and see God's faithfulness even in our darkest moments. This practice of remembrance can fortify our faith and keep us anchored in times of trial.

Sermon Series: “Be Bold & Courageous: The Gospel According to Joshua” Sermon Text: Joshua 4:1-24 Sermon Title: “Here I Raise My Ebenezer” Sermon Slides: SLIDE 1 – Sermon Title Slide SLIDE 2 – 1 Samuel 7:12 – “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the Lord has helped us.'” SLIDE 3 – Rev. John Trapp (1601-69) – “This is an ancient practice to propagate and perpetuate the memory of special mercies … that they grow not stale … and excite us to duty.” SLIDE 4 – Today's Big Idea: We Also Must Raise Our Ebenezer … for God is our Helper. For God Has Lifted Us Up … So That We Might Lift Him Up. SLIDE 5 – Point 1: The Purpose of the Ebenezer … Celebrating Inside the Promised Land. (vv. 1-19) SLIDE 6 – Principle 1 (from vv. 1-13): “Fidelity is a Prerequisite for Victory. We won't have spiritual victory … if we fail to follow intentionally.” SLIDE 7 – Principle 2 (from vv. 1-13): “Unity is a Prerequisite for Fidelity. Unity is the foundation … but divisions cause decay.” SLIDE 8 – Insert a Copy of Point #1 of Sermon SLIDE 9 – Galatians 5:15 – “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” SLIDE 10 – Principle 3 (from vv. 1-13): “We can't win against the enemy if we keep inflicting friendly fire.” SLIDE 11 – Insert a Copy of Point #1 of Sermon SLIDE 12 – Principle 1 (from vv. 14-19): “The Law can't take you into the New Creation, it can only break you. Only the Gospel can bring you in.” SLIDE 13 – Insert a Copy of Point #1 of Sermon SLIDE 14 – Conclusion: “The raising of this Ebenezer is an enduring sermon which celebrates Israel's Obedient Participation, Joshua's Full Elevation, but most importantly, God's Covenant Salvation which led them into Canaan.” SLIDE 15 – Rev. Dale Ralph Davis (1944-Present): “The greatest enemy of faith may be forgetfulness.” SLIDE 16 – Point 2: The Meaning of the Ebenezer … Lifting Up our Promise-Keeping God. (vv. 20-24) SLIDE 17 – Sermon Use 1: We Lift God Up … by Teaching His Truth. SLIDE 18 – The Ebenezer Principle: Truth must be taught to all believers in general, but particular attention must be given to ourselves and our children. SLIDE 19 – Insert a Copy of Sermon Use #1 SLIDE 20 – Sermon Use 2: We Lift God Up … by Showing His Character. SLIDE 21 – The Ebenezer Principle: The Gospel is to be used not only by unbelievers for their salvation, but by believers for their sanctification. SLIDE 22 – Sermon Use 3: We Lift God Up … by Worshipping His Name. SLIDE 23 – The Ebenezer Principle: Our hope is not in lifeless stones, but in the living God.

What does it take to be shaped into greatness when life seems to be falling apart? In this series, we're diving deep into the 7 Pillars of Formation, exploring how Joseph's journey—from betrayal to prison—was actually the furnace where his character was forged. Like Joseph, we all face seasons where our integrity is tested, and the world seems to mistreat us. But what if those 'hidden' moments of suffering and silence are actually the most crucial in forming us for our calling? Join us as we uncover how God uses the darkest valleys to build strength, patience, and purpose—preparing us for the greatness we're called to walk into.

Por Pr. Eduardo Pena. | 1 Samuel 4 | https://bbcst.net/V9192

Sermon by Vaughn Winslett Join us as Pastor Vaughn Winslett explores the profound significance of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, as recorded in Matthew 2. This small town in Judea, foretold by the prophets, became the birthplace of the Savior, fulfilling ancient promises and changing the course of history. Tune in now and be blessed by […]

What does it take to be shaped into greatness when life seems to be falling apart? In this series, we're diving deep into the 7 Pillars of Formation, exploring how Joseph's journey—from betrayal to prison—was actually the furnace where his character was forged. Like Joseph, we all face seasons where our integrity is tested, and the world seems to mistreat us. But what if those 'hidden' moments of suffering and silence are actually the most crucial in forming us for our calling? Join us as we uncover how God uses the darkest valleys to build strength, patience, and purpose—preparing us for the greatness we're called to walk into.

Alun Ebenezer talks to Tom Rogers about recent media coverage of his claims that we are 'hiding behind words like wellbeing and safe spaces' and 'mollycoddling kids'. Alun also shares his own behaviour philosophy as well as key behaviour policies in the classrooms in his school. 

What if the best version of yourself isn't the one everyone sees, but the one you quietly prepare in secret? In this series, we'll dive into the 7 Pillars of Formation but here's the catch: we're focusing on the unseen work—the internal habits, the quiet practices, and the hidden growth that transforms us from the inside out. Because real change doesn't happen in public. It begins in secret. Ready to discover the strength that's built behind closed doors?

Series: Midweek MessagesService: N/AType: PodcastSpeaker: Josh McKibben

Samuel's faithful preaching to Israel called God's people to repentance for their idolatry, and Israel listened. As Samuel led the people in confession of their sins, the Philistines used the opportunity to attack. This time, Israel implored Samuel to pray for them and sought the LORD's counsel. After the LORD won the victory over the Philistines for Israel, Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer as a remembrance of the LORD's help for Israel.  Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Samuel 7:3-17.  "A Kingdom Unlike All the Nations” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Samuel. This time in Israel's history has its highs and lows, but the LORD's faithfulness never wavers. He provides His Word to be proclaimed faithfully through prophets like Samuel and Nathan. Even as princes like Saul and David sit on an earthly throne, the LORD remains King over His people, even as He does now and forever through the Lord Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

In this episode, we celebrate eight years of abiding together with you! We want to celebrate what God has done and is doing in not only our lives, but also in yours. We reflect on why we started the podcast and how our hearts still echo with a desire to help women grow closer to our Lord through communion with others. We share why we surrender the podcast to the Holy Spirit, how we've navigated supporting each other through different seasons of life, and what our hopes are for the future of the podcast. Most of all, we want to thank you for how you've received our vulnerability, your openness to us and the Lord, and your steadfastness in journeying with us along the way. Heather's One Thing - Jubilee Spotify Playlist Sister Miriam's One Thing - Our very first episode - Coffee, Unity, and Companionship Michelle's One Thing - Our listeners! We are so grateful for you!   Announcement: Join us for our Lenten Study beginning March 5th, 2025 as we journey through “Jesus and the Jubilee: The Biblical Roots of the Year of God's Favor“ by Dr. John Bergsma. We look forward to sitting at the feet of a leading scholar as we unpack what the Lord has in store for us in the year of Jubilee. Order your copy at the St. Paul Center with promo code “ABIDE15” for 15% off. There are also bulk discounts available. While “Jesus and the Jubilee” is currently backordered, the St. Paul Center expects a new shipment of books later this week and plans to fulfill your orders by late February.   Journal Questions: Have I experienced friendships and relationships that have been anointed by the Lord? How can I steward my relationships, gifts, time, and opportunities well? When have I seen the difference between success and fruitfulness?   Discussion Questions: When did you first start listening to the podcast? Do you have a favorite episode, season, series, or study? How did it bless you? What areas of your life can you surrender to the Lord to give growth?   Quote to Ponder: "To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference." (Thomas Merton)   Scripture for Lectio: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'" (1 Samuel 7:12)   Sponsor - The Little Rose Shop: Discover the beauty of integrating faith into your everyday life with The Little Rose Shop. Our Morning Offering Prayer Mug the perfect companion for your morning routine, allowing you to start each day with a heartfelt prayer, focusing your thoughts on Christ. Plus, explore our Quiet Books collection, including the Mass Quiet Book, Rosary Quiet Book, the Where is Jesus Quiet Book, and Wrapped in Mary's Mantle Quiet Book. These engaging books are designed for babies and toddlers, making it easy to introduce them to the wonders of faith in a quiet and interactive way—perfect for adoration or Mass. As a special treat for Abiding Together listeners, use promo code ABIDING15 for an exclusive 15% discount at checkout. Enrich your spiritual journey and bring the joy of faith into your home with The Little Rose Shop.   Timestamps: 00:00 - The Little Rose Shop 01:17 - Intro 02:09 - Lenten Book Announcement 02:54 - Welcome 04:40 - Guiding Quote and Scripture Verse 05:53 - Born Out of Friendship 09:19 - Surrendering Everything Back 10:39 - Honest Conversations 12:05 - Stewarding Well 15:22 - Thankfulness 18:23 - Hearing from Listeners 20:35 - A Collaboration 22:47 - Your Starting Point 24:26 - Hope for the Future 28:29 - One Things 31:12  - Lenten Book Study Reminder  

Do you ever struggle to remember God's faithfulness in your life? In this powerful sermon, The Practice of Remembering, we explore why remembering God's goodness is essential for building faith, enduring trials, and deepening our relationship with Him. Through Psalm 103 and 1 Samuel 7, we learn how spiritual remembrance fosters gratitude, motivates worship, and strengthens our trust in God's promises. Just as Samuel raised an Ebenezer stone to mark God's help, we, too, can create reminders of God's faithfulness in our lives. Join us as we discover how the Holy Spirit empowers us to recall God's blessings, turning past struggles into testimonies of His grace. If you're looking for inspiration, encouragement, and practical ways to grow in your walk with Christ, this message is for you!

OPEN HEAVENSMATALA LE LAGI MO LE ASO TOONAI 15 FEPUARI  2025(tusia e Pastor EA Adeboye) Manatu Autu: Epenesa (Ebenezer) Tauloto -Tusi Paia–Salamo 46:1  ”O le Atua, o lo tatou malu ia ma lo tatou malosi; e fai o ia ma fesoasoani silisili i puapuagā.”Faitauga – Tusi Paia – Salamo 60:11-12I le 1 Samuelu 7:12, ina ua faapea mai Samuelu, ‘Epenesa' o lona uiga ‘ua fesoasoani le Alii iai tatou e o'o mai i lenei mamao', ua ia silafia le uiga o ana faamatalaga. Ua ia silafia na fesoasoani le Atua ia Isaraelu i le Esoto 12:1-51, ina ua ia faamaualalolina Farao o ē na faapologa iai latou, ma faasaoloto ai I lana fanau. I le suafa e sili I suafa uma, o soo se malosiaga o loo taotaomia oe I lalo, o le a latou faasaoloto ia te oe. Afai latou te lē fia faamaamulu ia te oe lemū, o le a faamalosia latou e faamaamulu ia te oe, i le suafa o Iesu. Na silafia e Samuelu na fesoasoani le Atua ia Isaraelu e sopoia le sami ulaula i le Esoto 14. Na ia silafia na fetalai le Atua e ala ia Mose ma faapea atu ia te ia e latou te lē toe vaai I ō latou fili na vaai iai I lenā po. Na ia silafia na fesoasoani le Atua iai latou i le Esoto 15:22-26 ao latou iai i Mara ina ua le mafai ona feinu i le vai māi. Na muai saunia le fesoasoani mo I latou ae latou te lē I o'o atu iai, ma ua liua le vai mai i le vaiinu lelei. O so'o se mea e faatupuina oe e te tagi, o le a faamuta I le asō, I le suafa o Iesu. Na silafia foi e Samuelu na fesoasoani le Atua ia Isaraelu i le Esoto 17:1-6 ina ua fia feinu, na auina mai e le Atua matautia le vai mai le papa. Na ia aumaia se mea lelei mai se tulaga e leai se mea. E foliga e matuā faigata mea uma I nisi o le toatele o tagata, peitai ou te fia faailoa le talalelei mo oe, o le tausaga lenei, o le a e tofo I le fesoasoani a le Atua e sili atu muamua I le suafa o Iesu. O Epenesa o le faailoga o le faamoemoe. Ou te lē iloa poo le a le mamao o lau malaga, peitai o le a solo lelei ma manuia mea uma. Afai lava o loo e fesootai pea i le Atua na taitaina mai oe e o'o mai I lenei mamao, e fesoasoani pea o ia ia te oe. Fai mai le Failauga e 9:4, afai lava o loo e manava, e iai le faamoemoe mo oe. E lei auina mai oe e le Atua I lenei mamao e lafoai ia te oe. E faamaoni tele o ia  ma e na te lē tuulafoai ia te oe. Ua e faavaivai, faanoanoa po'o fememeai ona o le naunau ia maua se tali? Tuu ese le fefe, fememeai ma faanoanoaga, ae fai ou laei o le faamoemoe aua ua iinei Epenesa, ua afio mai e fesoasoani ia te oe. Fai mai le Eperu 13:5-6“……‘Ou te lē tu‘ua lava oe, ‘ou te lē tu‘ulafoa‘i lava ‘iā te oe.” O le mea lea tatou te mafai ai ‘ona fai atu ma le fa‘amalosi, “O le Ali‘i o lo‘u fesoasoani ia, ‘ou te lē fefe lava, i se mea e faia e tagata ‘iā te a‘u.”O soo se tagata e faamoemoe ia Epenesa, o le a ataata loa aua e o'o mai lava lana fesoasoani. Amata loa ona e ataata ma fiafia aua ua o'o mai lou fesoasoani. TataloEpenesa, ou te faamoemoe ia te oe, faamolemole tulai ma fesoasoani mai ia te au, i le asō, I le suafa o Iesu, Amene. 

"Ichabod" - The glory of the Lord has departed from this place "Ebenezer" - Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. What will be your legacy?

Ebenezer

What if the best version of yourself isn't the one everyone sees, but the one you quietly prepare in secret? In this series, we'll dive into the 7 Pillars of Formation but here's the catch: we're focusing on the unseen work—the internal habits, the quiet practices, and the hidden growth that transforms us from the inside out. Because real change doesn't happen in public. It begins in secret. Ready to discover the strength that's built behind closed doors?

Ever feel like life's challenges are too much to handle? In this episode, we're diving deep into the reality of trials and tribulations, exploring how they shape our faith and character. Through struggles, we find strength. Through hardship, we discover purpose. We'll discuss how God uses our toughest moments to refine us, and why it's in the fire that we're truly tested. Tune in to find hope and resilience in the midst of life's storms!

In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss Joseph Lee Robinson and the Book of Covenants. Joseph Lee Robinson was Nicole's husband's 4th-great-grandfather, who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1836. He wrote an autobiography in 1883, where he described his conversion and testimony. The hosts explain the religious fervor in the United States during that time, known as the Second Great Awakening. They discuss Joseph's conversion experience, his brother Ebenezer's role in introducing him to the Church, and Joseph receiving a copy of the Book of Covenants. The podcast then explores the history of the Book of Covenants, its original name, and the process of its compilation and publication. Listeners will learn about the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the significance of the Book of Covenants, and gain insights into the personal experiences of one of their early converts. This summary was generated by Google Gemini. Links Joseph Lee Robinson and the Book of Covenants - https://familylocket.com/joseph-lee-robinson-and-the-book-of-covenants/ Joseph Smith Papers - https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/ Church History Catalog - https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/ Sponsor – Newspapers.com For listeners of this podcast, Newspapers.com is offering new subscribers 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription so you can start exploring today. Just use the code “FamilyLocket” at checkout.  Research Like a Pro Resources Airtable Universe - Nicole's Airtable Templates - https://www.airtable.com/universe/creator/usrsBSDhwHyLNnP4O/nicole-dyer Airtable Research Logs Quick Reference - by Nicole Dyer - https://familylocket.com/product-tag/airtable/ Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide book by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/2x0ku3d 14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge Workbook - digital - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-digital-only/ and spiral bound - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-spiral-bound/ Research Like a Pro Webinar Series 2024 - monthly case study webinars including documentary evidence and many with DNA evidence - https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-webinar-series-2024/ Research Like a Pro eCourse - independent study course -  https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-e-course/ RLP Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-study-group/ Research Like a Pro with DNA Resources Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence book by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthlin - https://amzn.to/3gn0hKx Research Like a Pro with DNA eCourse - independent study course -  https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-ecourse/ RLP with DNA Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-study-group/ Thank you Thanks for listening! We hope that you will share your thoughts about our podcast and help us out by doing the following: Write a review on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. If you leave a review, we will read it on the podcast and answer any questions that you bring up in your review. Thank you! Leave a comment in the comment or question in the comment section below. Share the episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. Sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications of new episodes - https://familylocket.com/sign-up/ Check out this list of genealogy podcasts from Feedspot: Best Genealogy Podcasts - https://blog.feedspot.com/genealogy_podcasts/

Ever feel like life's challenges are too much to handle? In this episode, we're diving deep into the reality of trials and tribulations, exploring how they shape our faith and character. Through struggles, we find strength. Through hardship, we discover purpose. We'll discuss how God uses our toughest moments to refine us, and why it's in the fire that we're truly tested. Tune in to find hope and resilience in the midst of life's storms!

In this very special episode of The Criminologist Podcast, we bring you a transformative tale inspired by Charles Dickens' timeless classic, A Christmas Carol. Through the story of Ebenezer Rouge, a man entrenched in harm and isolation, we explore the powerful journey of desistance from crime-revealing how change is not only possible...but essential. Guided by the Ghost of Desistance Past, Present, and Yet to Come, Ebenezer confronts the ripple effects of his actions, the potential for identity transformation, and the importance of belonging and generativity in building new a life.  Along the way, we will uncover the deeper truths behind desistance theory and the practical application of the TIDES Supervision Model-a trauma informed framework designed to support real and lasting change.  What You'll Discover in this Episode: The three stages of desistance-behavioral change, identity transformation, and belonging...and how they intersect with Ebenezer's journey.   How the principles of TIDES (Trauma-Informed Desistance) can empower probation officers and practitioners to facilitate meaningful client transformation.  Practical insights into fostering hope, resilience, and accountability in the criminal justice system. Ready to take the next step!?  Visit The Tides website to learn more about the TIDES Supervision Model, our training opportunities, and how we are helping practitioners worldwide create meaningful impact!  Don't miss this thought-provoking Christmas episode that bridges timeless storytelling with cutting-edge desistance practices. Listen now, and join the conversation on HOPE, CHANGE, and the SPIRIT of giving back!           

1 Samuel 7:2–17 || Ebenezer! || Josh King by Meridian Church

As people in Atlanta prepare to remember Martin Luther King, Jr., on the weekend after MLK would have turned 96, let's also remember Cornelius Taylor, who was run over by a municipal vehicle on Thursday which was "sweeping" a homeless encampment across the street from Ebenezer Baptist Church. This remix comes from Chet Gardiner's studio on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Cornelius Taylor was killed by a municipal vehicle while sleeping in his tent, across the street from Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, the day after Martin Luther King's birthday, as the Department of Public Works was tidying up the neighborhood in preparation for MLK weekend events.

What if the foundation of your spiritual life started right at home? In this episode, we dive into the 7 Pillars of Formation, starting with the powerful truth from 2 Timothy 2:20 – where your spiritual journey is shaped by what you build in your own house. Let's explore how these core principles can strengthen your faith, and why the foundation you lay today can transform your future. Ready to build? Tune in now!

Well hey there, hello and a very warm welcome to this episode.  No need to dilly-dally or make small talk…let's just jump right in and talk about God's promises.         Link to the devotional mentioned in this episode     Link to the free No More Worrying digital download mentioned in this episode   You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, which can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, as well as on the Edifi app, a unique podcast app featuring Christian content only. That's EDIFI, available in the app store. This is episode number 202. The Promise of a New Year - God's Promises for You.   New year, new you? Ever heard that phrase? How does that usually work for ya? Dive into a new year, do the prep for whatever needs prepping in order to make the new you a reality. Plan it, map it out, might even pray over it. This time! This time, for sure!  Sound familiar?  Let me ask again, how does that usually work out for you?   It works so well for (can you hear my sarcasm) that I have decided not to do that anymore. New year, same God, not going to fixate on a new and improve me. He can mold me, shape me, make me again another as it says in Jeremiah 18:4, do His sanctifying work in me for His glory and His purposes and I've decided that's enough for me. More than enough, because thus far has the Lord helped me, declaring my Ebenezer (not like A Christmas Carol, but like 1 Samuel 7:12 and the hymn “Come Thou Fount” which holds the line, “Here I raise my Ebenezer”. A far, far better way to start a new calendar year, in my opinion. I gain so much peace, I bend the knee and bend my will to God, I can rest in Him and also be expectant of all He will do in the coming weeks and months. As John the Baptist said, “I must decrease and He must increase.” Yes, please. This usually (or always) works well for me, whereas new year, new me…not so much.   The title of episode number 202 is “The Promise of  New Year - God's Promises for You” because there is so much promise in every new season when we walk out said season with the Lord. A new calendar on the wall counts as a new season, and the promises I'm about to share today fit this new season. As always, these promises are God's promises, taken directly from the Bible, and they are for you, my friend. Y.O.U.   Psalm 125, verses 1 and 2, from the NLT:   Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forever.   Now of course this psalm, which is a psalm of ascent, has to do with Israel and her people. No doubt about that. And it also is an encouragement for us, not as Jewish people, but as Christ followers. 2 Timothy 3:16 says all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, reproof, instruction, correction. Knowing what Scripture says matters, and that's why Psalm 125 matters for you right here in this season.  In  Zechariah 14:4-11, Revelation 19:11-16 and Revelation 20:1-6, we read about the Messiah, Jesus, standing on Mount Zion when He returns the second time. So when Psalm 125 says that those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion, well that's pretty secure, I'd say. If that is the place where Jesus' feet will land, where He will stand, it's an iron-clad guarantee that Mount Zion is going to be there right til the very end… If we trust in the Lord, we're secure like Mount Zion is secure. This is an amazing promise. It's an immovable promise. They will not be defeated, but will endure forever. God surrounds you like those mountains surround Jerusalem, both now and forever. Huge, huge promise. If the only promise I shared with you today was this one, it would be more than enough for the entire year. Isn't God good? What a promise! You are as secure as that mount on which Jesus will stand at His return, and I do not know what more could be said to ensure that you trust God and know this promised security is yours. Amen?   John 14:1 from the NLT says: “Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me.” This is Jesus speaking.  We all have things that trouble our hearts, and the things that fall into that category, the heart troubling category, well those aren't the small things that get in our craw, that annoy us, the little irksome frustrations. No, anything we describe as heart troubling, well, that's the real hard stuff in life. We can't just brush it off, ignore it, say a quick prayer and have it dissipate, talk ourselves out of it, or anything like that. And Jesus says to you and to me about those things that are the big, hard things, He says, “Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God (as it says in Psalm 125 verse 1) and trust also in Me.” Do you trust in God? Do you trust Jesus? Your answer is probably, “YES”. Do you trust Him with the things that give you a troubled heart? Do you trust Him in the midst of those things, in spite of things, trusting and trusting again and again, until your faith becomes sight, until you have the peace that passes all understanding, perfect peace as it says in Isaiah? This year, trust Him like that. Trust Him more fully, more completely, with more abandonment and more certainty that He's got you, you are so secure in Him, more than you ever have before. Because He keeps all His promises, nobody is more trustworthy than our God, and perhaps no one's trustworthiness has been questioned more than our God. Let's not be among those who question Him, not today, not this time. Let's choose, let's opt in, to not let our hearts be troubled, but to trust God, to trust Jesus.    Let's ponder God's utter faithfulness for a moment, because it's worth the reminder…when we are so dug in, all in, certain of who our God is and of His absolute inability to be anything but perfectly faithful and a perfect promise keeper, well then we believe all of His promises on a better, deeper level. Malachi 3:6 from the CSB says, “Because I, the LORD, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.” The Lord does not change. He doesn't! But sometimes the lack of belief we exhibit reveals that we think it's somehow okay to act like He does change, like He might change this time, He might do us dirty. We're fickle, we're selfish, we're mercurial, and we're not often the least be ashamed by that.  James 1:17 also from the CSB, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  Just to reiterate the truth that God does not change, has never changed, will never change, it just is not going to happen so let's go all in and believe what He has promised in the Bible.  John 8:12, NLT - Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  Want to be challenged and encouraged and bolstered and blown away by Jesus' words and promises? Read John chapter 8. That'll do it! Feel like you need to expand the boundaries of your faith in the Lord? Read John 8 and oh those boundaries will sure enough expand! In a good way, in the best way.    We don't have to walk in darkness. There are no areas of life that don't fall under this promise. So when we walk in darkness, maybe we're forgetting this promise. Maybe we are in a place of unbelief for whatever reason. Maybe we just need to be reminded that Jesus IS, present tense, right now He is the light of the world - He is the light of your world right now. You don't have to walk in darkness, in confusion, with a clouded mind, because you have the mind of Christ 1 Corinthians 2:16 promises. You have the light that leads to life. Don't overanalyze, don't think yourself out of believing it, just opt in and agree that what Jesus said in John 8:12 is true, and is true for you. Right now. No matter what. It's a true promise for you today.   Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT, say - Trust in the LORD with all your heart (with some of your heart? Most of your heart? Or all of your heart? We need regular heart check ups to make sure our trust level is aligned with this verse) Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding (Do Not! When mom or dad says do not do that, well, the wise child listens and even the ornery child usually listens because a stern “Do not do that” warning from a parent…that gets your ears perked up. This is God, your Father, saying Do Not…and we think little to nothing about doing exactly what He says not to do. Let's read again and keep that do not directive in mind). Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do (in most of what you do? Nope - in all you do) and He will show you which path to take.   Wondering which direction to go? Then seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take. We don't just want these promises to be fulfilled in our lives, we NEED them to be fulfilled. And when we see something we've been missing, let's make those adjustments and get on board with the Lord. The Good Shepherd leads His sheep well, and we're safe when we listen to Him and not to any other voices. So, let's listen up and heed His words.   Have you seen the animated film Over the Hedge? In one scene, the character R.J. says to another character, Hammie (and Hammie is sort of spacey, not all there, and Hammie is trying to eat a cookie that is broken in two and being held together with a band aid…kind of gross, right? Well, that's us sometimes.) RJ says, “You don't want that cookie, Hammie. That cookie's junk.” What band aid cookie are you trying for and where is God saying, No, that's junk? Trust in Him with all your heart, and do not depend on your own band-aid cookie version of understanding. He has better for you than you might have for yourself. You don't want that cookie, my friend, because that cookie is junk.   Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT - The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with My word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.   Did you hear that?  His word will never return to Him void. It always produces fruit, always accomplishes what He wants it to, and will always prosper everywhere He sends it. Today, via this podcast, He is sending it to you and it will not return to Him void or empty or ineffective. It works. It can't not work. It's His word, and it does as He wishes. That's the truth, right there. Believe it. (And this verse says will…it will accomplish all He wants it to and it will prosper everywhere He sends it. Will means WILL! My devotional The Power of God's WILL - 40 Days of God's Promises is all about this exact thing and you can find that on Amazon).    The last few weeks God has been laying on my heart the need to daily crucify my flesh. Now listen, I do not claim to be a prophet, and so maybe this is just for me personally, but I have a sense that I, and other disciples of Jesus, are going to need to be Spirit led, Spirit dependent, on a whole new level in the coming months. I really think that's true. We might go through hard times, we may be tempted with prosperity (and that's often harder to walk through and stay close to the Lord than poverty, truth be told). Crucifying my flesh keeps me close to the Lord. The flesh, well, it isn't going with me into eternity and so it is in its last days, so to speak, it's getting near its deathbed and it's temperamental, it's demanding, it's a brat. So as I seek to do as the Lord has put on my heart to do in my own life, Romans 8 verses five and six are what I've been pondering. These are the verses I'll leave you with today. From the NLT - Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.  The flesh makes me want to make a snarky comment when I get my feelings hurt. Crucify that, Jan. My flesh gets annoyed when my coffee maker goes kaput during blizzard weather and I want to be able to go get a coffee since I can't make any coffee but I can't cuz there's half an inch of ice on my car and the driveway is a disaster and I can't get out. Crucify that, Jan. So crucifying the flesh doesn't always look like those huge and terrible sins that come to mind. It can be a bad attitude. Or maybe that's just me. Either way, these verses remind us that our life belongs to Jesus now. And we can both believe all His promises to us and crucify our pesky flesh at the same time.    Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I have something free for ya today. If you ever struggle with worry, this is for you. It's a digital download, a pdf, with 40 Bible passages that will combat worry in your life, and the way you utilize it is super simple. For 40 days, you just write Do Not Worry at the top of your daily to-do list (or set it as a reminder in your phone that will ping each morning). You read the verse or verses for that day, while bearing in mind that for the next forty days, just for forty days, you will not worry. You'll hand those worries to God, and they're not your burden to bear for forty days. Doesn't mean you quit your job and run up the credit cards because Jan said so… that's not at all what Jan said. You keep on living your life, but when you catch yourself worrying about something, about anything, you remind yourself that for forty days, you won't give in to worry. You'll lay that worry, that concern, at the feet of Jesus whenever it crops up, and you keep moving on without the stress of worrying. Do it for forty days. Seriously, this is a really great faith grower. Grab yours for free at JanLBurt . com     I hope you do that as this new year begins. Lord bless you, thanks for listening. I'll see you next time. Bye bye   The Power of God's Will: 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional: Burt, Jan L.: 9798573528939: Amazon.com: Books JanLBurt.com Home Page

What if the foundation of your spiritual life started right at home? In this episode, we dive into the 7 Pillars of Formation, starting with the powerful truth from 2 Timothy 2:20 – where your spiritual journey is shaped by what you build in your own house. Let's explore how these core principles can strengthen your faith, and why the foundation you lay today can transform your future. Ready to build? Tune in now!

Raise An Ebenezer  1 Samuel 7:7-13 (ESV)“Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people of Israel said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.' So, Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.” “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer, for he said, ‘Till now, the Lord has helped us.' So, the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”  Ebenezer Means “Stone of Help”  Joshua 4:21-24 (ESV)“And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”  Remembering 2024  What Remembrance Does1.     Remembrance guards you from straying from the Lord. 2.     Remembrance anchors you in the truth about God's character.   Romans 8:28 (ESV)And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called to according to His purposes.  Now it's your turn. What things do you need to take a closer look at, and intentionally remember?  Ways we can set up an “Ebenezer” in our lives:•      Write it down in a Journal.•      Buy a memento and place it in a visible place or a keepsake box.•      Create a video blog and tell the story of his faithfulness. •      Find a relevant scripture and highlight, date, and annotate it with memorable information. •      Put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror.•      Print a photo book and keep it out where you can see it. •      Collect songs and make a playlist (Mix Tape) •      Paint a painting or create a piece of art. •      Plant a tree.•      For next year: Set aside a Memory Jar, write down the good and bad things that happen on a regular basis, and review these at the end of the year.  Ultimately, the goal is that we take the time to reflect on God's goodness and his character, highlighting his abundant goodness and desire for the situations we have had to walk through.

Last week, AJC CEO Ted Deutch traveled to Philadelphia to meet with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for an in-depth discussion on combating antisemitism, ensuring the future vitality of Jewish communities in Pennsylvania and beyond, and addressing the challenges posed by rising political polarization both locally and nationally. “When it comes to antisemitism . . . there is no nuance. Antisemitism, bigotry, and hatred in all forms is not okay. Everyone in a position of public trust . . . has a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity and speak out against it,” said Governor Shapiro. AJC is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. AJC neither supports nor opposes candidates for elective office. Watch: AJC CEO Ted Deutch, Gov. Josh Shapiro Say Fight Against Antisemitism Must Be Bipartisan Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: with Hen Mazzig, Einat Admony, and more. People of the Pod:  Mijal Bitton on What It Means to Be a Jew Today The Next Chapter in Catholic-Jewish Relations What's Next for the Abraham Accords Under President Trump? Honoring Israel's Lone Soldiers This Thanksgiving: Celebrating Service and Sacrifice Away from Home The ICC Issues Arrest Warrants: What You Need to Know Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. __ Transcript of Conversation with Ted Detuch and Josh Shapiro: Manya Brachear Pashman: Last week, AJC CEO Ted Deutch traveled to Philadelphia and sat down with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for a conversation about antisemitism, the future of Jewish communities in Pennsylvania and across the nation, and growing political polarization not only in Philadelphia but throughout the country. The conversation was so powerful, we wanted to share it with a wider audience. So, I turn it over to Ted and Governor Shapiro.  Ted Deutch:   I'm going to start just by fessing up to something that I tried to do, that I fortunately failed at. I don't often tout my failure, but there was a time some number of years ago, Governor, where I thought that your future should take you to the United States House of Representatives. I tried to convince you to run for Congress, and you had other plans. Fast forward many years, thank God I was wrong, and thank you for the remarkable job you've done as governor of Pennsylvania.  Josh Shapiro:   Thank you. It's so good to be with you.  Ted Deutch:   Obviously, it's a really great to be with you. But I had, I wanted to break the ice just a little bit, if I may, with just some quick questions, just to lose, just to loosen you up a little, if that's alright. Josh Shapiro:   Do I not seem loose? I feel pretty loose.  Ted Deutch:   Alright, very quickly. Favorite eagle of all time? Josh Shapiro:   You know what I was on Eagles pregame live just yesterday, before the Birds played the Steelers. Birds beat the Steelers, by the way. And I got to sit next to Jaws. Ron Jaworski, and like, it was just a normal day. I was a little bit starstruck. So I guess I'd go with Jaws. Yeah.  Ted Deutch:   Alright. Better play-by-play announcer– Merrill Reese, Gene Hart? Josh Shapiro:   Oh my God, come on. All right. That's like asking me to pick between my kids. Ted Deutch:   Alright, I'll move on. Moving on, moving on, moving on. Some people here who don't, the handful who don't really get this at all, and my staff, who's saying, why are you doing this. Josh Shapiro:   Merrill Reese by the way is about to get inducted into the Hall of Fame for, they do once a year, they do an announcer, and Merrill just won that award this year. Pretty amazing.  Ted Deutch:   He is amazing. Best Philly movie ever made?  Josh Shapiro:   Rocky. Ted Deutch:   Easy. Thank you. Inappropriate question, perhaps at an AJC dinner, provolone or swiss? Josh Shapiro:   I do enjoy provolone, but I'm not a cheesesteak guy, so. We have a kosher governor's residence. I can't be out eating cheesesteaks.  Ted Deutch:   It was a bit of a trick question, I'll admit. And then we'll just finish this off. Favorite Israeli food? Josh Shapiro:   Falafel, but not from some fancy restaurant, though I do love Goldies and I love Michael, but on some like stand in the middle of nowhere in Israel, it's always delicious. Ted Deutch:   This also gives me an opportunity to acknowledge Tsach Saar, who is the Consul General of Israel. Thank you very much for being here. All right, I tried. Thanks for playing along.  Josh Shapiro:   Did I not do well? You did try.  Ted Deutch:  You did great. You did great. Thank you.  Josh Shapiro:   No more lightning round? Ted Deutch:  I have more. Josh Shapiro:   Now we got to do this serious stuff? Ted Deutch:   We do. And frankly, look, your answer to the silly question about cheesesteaks is the perfect lead in to my first question for you. The first governor, I grew up in Bethlehem, the first governor I remember was governor Milton Shapp, who was born Milton Shapiro. So in that respect, you're actually the second Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania's history. He was governor from 1971 to 79.  But you are Governor Shapiro. You're a proud Jew who dismisses a question about cheesesteaks because you have a kosher home. You quote Pirkei Avot in your life as governor and the speeches that you give. It's so clear, and we and everyone has come to know how important Shabbat dinner is for you, with your family. Your Judaism matters to you a lot, and for those of us who are so involved in the community, it's something that obviously we admire. But I would love to hear a little bit more about how it informs what you do and why it's so important. Josh Shapiro:   I want to just say on a serious note, how grateful I am to AJC for the important work that you do every day, how grateful I am to Ted, who's been a friend for more than a decade. How thankful I am to the leaders here who raise money and do this important work. For Mark, who I think asked me to do this like a year ago, and has checked in with me each month to make sure he's going to do it. I'm proud to do it, and to the Liebmans, and everyone, I appreciate what you all do.  I just celebrated, Lori noted the other night that I've been in public office for 20 years, and I'm a proud public servant. I think public service is a noble profession, and the reason I am in public service, it's fitting that my dad is here tonight, is because of my family and because of my faith. Both draw me to service. Our faith teaches us that, as you mentioned, I quote Pirkei Avot. I quote it in a synagogue. I'll quote it at a Kiwanis Club. I was proud to quote it from the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, just a couple months ago, that no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it. Meaning each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, get in the game and do our part.  Now, doing our part can come in a lot of different ways. Some people do their part in a courtroom. Some people do their part in a business. Some people do their part through charitable work, like here at AJC. For me, my part is through public service. My part is through serving my community, and I'm honored to do it. I share that with you because as I was getting ready to launch my campaign for governor, you may recall I was attorney general at the time, a group of us came together and said, Well, how do we want to kind of reintroduce you to the good people of Pennsylvania as you launch your campaign? You could start by talking about a policy or for some initiative you want to get past, but actually what I wanted to do was talk about the issue I just mentioned to you, what drew me to want to serve in the first place. Why I was even contemplating running to be your governor.  And so we had a long conversation about what motivates me, Ted, and why I do this. To me, being able to bring together family and faith was really important, and the best way to show that is by doing what I do every single Friday night since I was a kid, and what we continue to do, and that is having Shabbat dinner with my family.  And so the first ad in my campaign was all of us sitting around the Shabbat dinner table. Now, fun fact for all of you, I think we filmed it like on a Tuesday, so it really wasn't Shabbat. My kids remind me of that, but we did have everything on the table. And what was so interesting about it was, after the ad started running, and I would show up in communities where there aren't a lot of Jews, if any Jews, in Pennsylvania. Folks would grab me and say, Hey, I saw your ad. That was great. I want to tell you what Sunday lunch is like after I get home from church. I want to tell you what Christmas dinner is like in our family. I want you to know what we experience when we leave our place of worship.  And in a lot of ways, it actually brought me closer together with the community. We were able to see one another in a deeper way. I think faith has allowed me to get into living rooms and conversations and communities in a much deeper way than perhaps I ever could before, as I think it is critically important if you want to be a public servant, to be true to who you are and express that to folks. So I'm proud of who I am. I'm proud of the way I've lived my life. I'm proud of the way Lori and I are raising our four children, and I appreciate the fact that the good people of Pennsylvania acknowledge that and open themselves up and share that back with me as I go out serving them as their governor.  Ted Deutch:   The importance of Shabbat dinner, part of it, obviously is your Judaism, but it also anchoring for your family. And for everyone that you interact with to know that on Friday nights, that's the time for your family. There's something there in a time of really polarizing politics and fragmentation of society, there's something there that we should learn from, right? Josh Shapiro:   I just think making sure you're committed to family, you're committed to yourself at some key moments, each day, each week, is really important. Lori and I live crazy lives right now, running all over the place. I'm not complaining. I asked for this, and I love what I do. I hope you can tell the joy that I have every day in serving you as your governor. And no matter where we are during the week, we always know, Friday night we're going to be together. We always know that it's going to be a moment where we can be with the kids and have conversations with them.  And I'll be honest with you, Ted. I mean, some of it, of course, is the prayers and the rituals and the religious aspect of it, but so much of it is just the family part of it, and being grounded in that, and knowing that that will be our moment during the week, whether we're at the governor's residence or our home in Montgomery County, we are always together Friday night, and it's something we don't compromise on. I think it's important that you've got to set those boundaries. You got to say what's important. And that's exactly what we do. Ted Deutch:   It's especially important to have time to be together in this period where, for almost 15 months, the community has really, in so many ways, struggled. We had the deadliest attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust, the equivalent, just in terms that people in America can try to understand. The 1200 people, the equivalent of 45,000 Americans, God forbid, if you use the same ratios, the equivalent of 7000 people being taken hostage. Now still, 100 hostages still being held beneath Gaza. It's been really hard for the community.  And yes, Israel has fortunately made advances, and from a geostrategic standpoint, is doing better. But this has still been really difficult for the community, for those of us who care about Israel, and then layer on top of that, the antisemitism that we've seen, that you've been so outspoken about in the work that you do. How, again, given what's at your core, is it hard sometimes with the way that we're feeling, the way that you feel as a committed Jew, in the face of all this, to speak about it? Do you ever feel that you need to hold back because this is all so personal to you? Josh Shapiro:   I never feel like I need to hold back. I think it is always important to speak out. But I also think it is important that we have two separate conversations, one about antisemitism and the other about Israel. When it comes to antisemitism, I think it is critically important that folks understand: there is no nuance in that conversation. Antisemitism, hatred, bigotry in all forms. It is not okay.  And everyone, everyone in a position of public trust, everyone has a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity, to speak out against it, and it doesn't matter who is sharing those sentiments. If they're members of your own party, if they're people who you otherwise might agree with on some other issue, we have a responsibility to speak out against it, and we have a responsibility as a community to be unified against antisemitism, hatred, bigotry, in all forms. There is no nuance on that.  When it comes to the issue of Israel and foreign policy and Middle East policy, that's a far more gray area. And I think it is important to continue to speak out in support of Israel, and I think it is also acceptable, if one wants to respectfully criticize a policy coming from the Israeli government, there is a difference there. And so what I try and do is not hold back in any way, but to make sure folks understand we are having two different conversations.  We got to speak out and stop antisemitism in our communities, and yes, we can express an opinion as it relates to the policies in Israel or by the Israeli government. And I think it is also critically important to acknowledge the very real fact that there is antisemitism in this country. There is antisemitism in this Commonwealth, and it is on the left and it is on the right, and there is no one party that has a clean record on it, and we've got to make sure that no matter who is putting forth those words of hate, they are condemned. Ted Deutch:   AJC is fiercely non-partisan in the way that we do our work and recognize and talk constantly, try to make the point exactly the way you have. That there's antisemitism, wherever it is, we have to call it out. But that it's harder for some to see it or to call it out when it's among their friends, in their own party, than if it's in the other party. This was something that I dealt with as a member of Congress. But when it when conversations turn to you during the election and people refer to you as Genocide Josh. Josh Shapiro:   Yeah, I saw that.  Ted Deutch: Yeah. There are those, I think we have to acknowledge it's on both sides. And clearly there are those on the far left who don't want to criticize Israel, but have now taken the position that Israel essentially has no right to exist. That then bring that into that kind of language, which is clearly antisemitic in the way it's applied. How do you deal with that?  Josh Shapiro:   I must tell you, it did not upset me and it didn't affect me. What did upset me was the way those attacks against me made other people feel. As I was traveling across this commonwealth, across the country, folks would come over to me and tell me, you know, I saw what they said about you, and it was making them feel less safe in their communities. It was making them feel less safe in their schools or on their college campuses. That upset me.  And on that I felt a responsibility to try and lift them up and strengthen them, and let them know that they should be proud of who they are. I'm proud of who I am, and sort of help them brush off the noise and recognizing and I think this is an important point, that while a lot of that noise did exist, and it is empirically true that antisemitism is on the rise, and thank God for groups like AJC doing this work. The vast, vast, vast majority of people that I come across every day, they're good people. They're not bigots, they're not spewing hate, they're actually looking to try and figure out ways in which we can bring people together. That is what I see.  And so I'm comforted by that every day. I'm not offended or upset by the attacks that people make against me, even the antisemitic attacks against me. What I get upset about, what I worry about, is how it makes other people feel, and whether that causes them to retreat or causes them to maybe not do something they were going to do or not, go somewhere where they were going to go. That is upsetting to me, and I try and spend as much time as I can with the people who are affected by that, to try and make sure they have the strength to continue to go forward and lead by example in a way that gives them the strength that they need to move forward.  Ted Deutch:   And sometimes, while the overwhelming majority of people are good, I agree with you, and I think it's important for us to realize that the data tells us that the vast majority of Americans are supportive of Israel as well, and are overwhelmingly opposed to antisemitism. Small numbers can do real damage. And that's what we saw on a number of college campuses, where the the protests, some of them going back to October 8, which were not protests about, obviously, about the Israeli government, but just protests in support of Hamas, some of these protests in support of a terror group, really put people at risk.  And you were very clear in the way that you approach that, right here in Philadelphia and around the state. How should, now that we're 15 months in, AJC has worked with universities around the country to try to ensure that they're doing what they need to to fight antisemitism. From your perspective, how are they doing, how are we doing, 15 months later?  Josh Shapiro:   I commend AJC for the important work they've done on college campuses. And I don't know if John Fry is still here, the president of Temple University, and an outstanding leader who was at Drexel University for some time and now is at Temple. He's an example of a strong leader dealing with these challenges on campus. And there are others to be sure.  Look, I think it is critically important that we protect people's first amendment rights to be able to protest on campus, protest on our streets, they of course, have to follow the rules of the road, whether on campus or in a city, Commonwealth, you name it, but they should be able to express themselves. But that expression is not okay if you're violating the rules of the campus, the rules of the city or the community. It's also not okay if it puts other people at risk. Universities have a moral and a legal responsibility to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to this country to keep all students safe on campus. And for some universities, I think they were willing to forgo that responsibility, or it got a little bit out of balance. Some universities were willing to accept a little bit of hate over here, but no hate over here, and that's not okay. Hate and bigotry in all forms, needs to be condemned. All students need to be safe on campus, and yes, there should be places where students can express themselves and have their views heard. So while I realize there's a lot of gray area when it comes to figuring out exactly where that line is, I do think it's important everybody adhere to those basic principles.  And there are many colleges and universities here in Pennsylvania that are. I think, candidly, Penn lost its way. They are working to get back. I think Susanna Lachs-Adler and others. Susanna has done really wonderful work, and there's some important work there happening under their interim president. I think they are moving in the right direction there, and many other universities are as well.  And so I hope, to get to the heart of your question, 15 months later, we're in a position where students feel safe, to be able to both go to class and to be able to protest within the bounds of the rules on campus, and that we continue to be balanced in our approach there.  Ted Deutch:   When there is messaging sent, whether from faculty or from student groups or from other places on campus that say you are not welcome in this group, or, frankly, in this classroom, simply because you are a Zionist, simply because you believe in the modern state of Israel, that that also can't be acceptable because of what it says, the message that it sends to students, and how it puts people at risk. Josh Shapiro:   Without question. I mean, if you're a student on one of these campuses, you literally have a legal right to be safe in these communities and on these campuses. And university leaders have to remember that. I gotta tell you, these students, they're scared. You know, Hanukkah last year was sort of right around the time that these protests were really kicking up and students were incredibly scared. I heard from a number of students at Penn who reached out to me, reached out to my wife, and we decided to forgo lighting our hanukkiah for the first night at the governor's residence. Got in the trucks, drove to Penn, and we lit the hanukkiot at Penn's Hillel with those students. We wanted to make sure that they knew their governor, their first lady, had their backs, and that they were going to be safe on campus.  And that we were going to make sure that university leaders ensured their safety and their well being on campus. Again, I want to be really clear. Students have a right to protest. Their voices should be heard. I think students have helped usher in change in this country for generations. We want to hear their voices, but not at the expense of the safety and well being of any other student. That's where you got to draw a line. Ted Deutch:   You have, you've talked a lot about building a coalition to combat hatred, and you've invoked Rabbi Heschel, and you've invoked his work with Dr. King during the Civil Rights era. And it's, I think it's true for so many of us, that having invested so much time in those really important relationships, there was some disappointment with response after October 7, and yet, the only option, from our perspective, is to double down. One, because it's the right thing to do, and two, because the Jewish community represents .02% of the population in the world. We need allies. And this has been really central to AJC. And I know Stephanie Sun is here, co-chair of Papaja, and I think Anthony Rosado, co-chair of the Latino Jewish Coalition is here. And I appreciate their being here and their leadership. This is a really important way to continue to combat antisemitism and simultaneously to make sure that Zionists, the people who believe in Israel, aren't excluded.  Can you just talk about, I know this is important to you. Can you talk about how to build those kinds of coalitions that will help our community and and beyond? Josh Shapiro:   You have to build coalitions if you want to make any progress here in this Commonwealth and in the country. I'm actually the only governor in the entire country with a divided legislature, right? So I've got a State Senate led by Republicans, State House led by Democrats. I literally can't get a bill to my desk unless some number of Democrats and some number of Republicans support it.  And so you're forced to have dialogue. You're forced to come together. That's naturally who I am, trying to bring people together. But I want you to know it is. It is required here in Pennsylvania if we want to make progress. We made a hell of a lot of progress, fixing an unconstitutional education system, cutting taxes six times, hiring over 1000 new state troopers and police officers in Pennsylvania, and passing some of the most sweeping criminal justice reforms ever in the history of Pennsylvania. At the same time, we've been able to invest $3 billion in private capital investment to create over 130,000 new jobs. I've only been governor two years. We're getting a lot of stuff done.  I share this with you because we understand the critical importance of building coalitions. Now I'll tell you who else understood that, the person whose portrait hangs in my office right above my desk, William Penn. I share that with you because when William Penn helped build what is now the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he built this as a place that would be warm and welcoming for all, where people of all different faiths would be forced together to actually work together to make progress in this commonwealth. That was his vision, and I view it as my responsibility, as someone who's been handed the baton from William Penn, and actually a whole lot of people in between, of course, to pick up on the work that was done before I got here and to continue it, in the spirit that that Penn started. A spirit where we want to make sure we respect people, no matter what they look like, where they come from, who they love, who they pray to, and that those folks are represented around the table.  And when they're around the table, and they feel like they have the freedom and the safety to be able to talk and to share their ideas and their views and their policies, that's what's going to allow us to build a coalition, to be able to get meaningful things done, to be able to make progress. You mentioned Heschel and King. I've had a lot of conversations about Heschel and King with Reverend Warnock, who I think is one of the great leaders in our country.  He gave me the privilege of being able to speak at the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King was, of course, the prayer leader there. We spoke about Heschel and King from Ebenezer, the need to be able to bring the black community and the Jewish community closer together, to be able to do this important work. My friend David's here. He's done work with Operation Understanding and other organizations like that, that bring people from different walks of life together.  And if we can do that more, we can understand one another, we can reduce the amount of hate and bigotry in our community, and we can make progress in the spirit of William Penn, to fill in the work that Heschel and King started, and to be able to create a safer community for all of us. Ted Deutch:   I want to follow up on this note of bipartisanship. You talked about the division and the legislature in Harrisburg, and I want to just focus on Israel for a moment. We have, you have, sorry, it's been a long time since I lived in Pennsylvania. Josh Shapiro:   You're still one of us. You're a Birds fan.  Ted Deutch:  Thank you. Thank you very much.  Josh Shapiro:   And he went to Camp Ramah. This guy's got a whole pedigree. Ted Deutch:   Lehigh Valley, in my blood. Look, if you think about support for Israel in Pennsylvania, there were two pro Israel Democratic senators. There will now be a pro Israel Democratic senator in Senator Fetterman, whose support has been nothing short of spectacular. You have strong Republican support, including from my good friend, Congressman Fitzpatrick from the area as well. And in many ways, it's a good reminder of the importance of bipartisan support for Israel.  As we look into the future, given the challenges that Israel faces, is that Pennsylvania model of bipartisan support from both senators and bipartisan support from House members and a Democratic governor, is that the model that we should continue to expect to see around the country and will both parties continue to be as strongly pro Israel as they could be? Josh Shapiro:   Look, I'm a proud Democrat, and I want to make sure that the Democratic Party continues to stand with Israel, and I'm going to continue to do my part to raise my voice, to ensure that it does. I lament the fact that in recent years, the issue of Israel, so to speak, has become weaponized in our political system. I think Israel is far safer and far stronger when the relationship that elected officials in America have is on a really bipartisan or nonpartisan basis. And I think there have been some organizations, quite candidly, that have tried to throw a monkey wrench in that idea, and instead have injected too much partisanship into that relationship. In the long run that makes Israel less safe. Maybe in the short run, given the way the political dynamics are in the country today, it could work to Israel's advantage. But mark my words, in the long run, politicizing America's relationship with Israel is not in the best interest of Israel long term, from a safety and a security standpoint.  And so I believe the Pennsylvania model is the right way, where we've got Republicans and Democrats alike standing up and speaking out in support of Israel, and by the way, challenging Israel, where Israel needs to be challenged, and also making sure that we are speaking with a unified bipartisan voice against antisemitism, and where antisemitism rears its ugly head, no matter what political party or affiliation or left leaning or right leaning person said it, or group said it, that we join together in standing up and speaking out against it. I think there's something to our Pennsylvania model, and I'd like to see it more across the country.  Ted Deutch:   I want to thank you really so much for this conversation, and I want to give you a chance to end with this, for all of the challenges that we're facing, it's kind of a heavy conversation. What is it that you're most hopeful about at this moment, thinking about our community and the future and your life and your world? Josh Shapiro:   You know, I get asked a lot like, how do you stay so optimistic and so upbeat, given all the challenges there are out in the world, and there are so many challenges, there's challenges like what we're talking about here tonight with antisemitism. There's other challenges that the world is confronting, and probably in another 40 days or so, we're going to confront even more challenges in this country.  But what, what I think keeps me so up and so hopeful every day is the privilege I have to serve as your governor and travel around to different communities and different neighborhoods and just meet people who are doing remarkable things every day. It is a privilege I wish every Pennsylvanian had. To go and to see these nonprofits who are doing life saving and life changing work. To see the incredible work that's happening in some of our skyscrapers here in Philly and our farmlands out in rural communities across Pennsylvania. There are so many people who are literally changing the world, doing tikkun olam in their neighborhoods.  And you know what? They're not down by the news cycle that I know really can bum a lot of people out. These people give me hope, and these people fuel my energy every day to go out and do this work as governor, and they make me optimistic and hopeful. And so while I leave you with this, while I understand the critically important role AJC plays to continue to combat hatred and bigotry and antisemitism, and you do a great job doing that work, while we're focused on those negative things that we've got to combat, I hope you'll also take a moment to appreciate the positive in our communities and understand that there is so much good out there and so many people doing so much good. And that is what fuels me. That's what keeps me up and excited.  And that is what I think you know, really, in many ways, in the spirit of Penn, we get to see every day in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. So we need to continue to do this hard work that AJC calls us to do. But let's never lose sight of the positivity that's out there that fuels my optimism every day. Ted Deutch:   We're so grateful. Governor Shapiro, thank you very, very much.  Josh Shapiro:   Thank you. Thank you, Ted.   

Southside Tribe! In this episode, joined by our good friend Pastor Ebenezer of the Shaping The Culture Podcast, we talk about the freedom that comes from acknowledging our brokenness and the messy realities of life, both as believers and as leaders. In a culture that often demands perfection, vulnerability can feel like a risk too big to take. But true ministry and growth happens in the trenches of life, where we can be fully known and fully loved—a reality far greater than merely being impressive. We discuss leaning on Jesus for our righteousness, and building authentic community, by stepping away from the facade of perfection, and creating safe spaces that allow God's strength to shine through our weakness and create deeper, more meaningful connections with others. Join us for a powerful conversation about the risks and rewards of vulnerability in faith and leadership. Full episode on all audio platforms, video and bonus content on our Patreon community!! Become a Patreon member for Early Access & Exclusive Content - https://patreon.com/Southsiderabbi Follow us Online: Southsiderabbipodcast.com https://linktr.ee/southsiderabbi Email us at Southsiderabbipodcast@gmail.com Southside Rabbi is proudly sponsored by Native Supply - grab SR merch there! https://www.native.supply https://native.supply/collections/southside-rabbi Intro music produced by Randeaux- https://www.instagram.com/randeauxbandeaux/ Contact at randeauxbandeaux@gmail.com All rights reserved by their respective owners.

Are you prone to wander? Does God care about oppression? Do you have an Ebenezer? In today's episode, Tanya shares how Psalm 129 reminds us that we are blessed even when oppressed because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Prepare your heart this Advent with the 2024 TMBT Advent Calendar! Each day, receive a new prompt for Scripture, prayer, and reflection—designed to help you slow down and reflect on the Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy that Jesus offers. Sign up now to receive your free Advent calendar! Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 129