Podcasts about ethiopian

Gems of lightning and shadows. Rainbow fossils. Underground tunnel homes. Mysterious sedimentary origins. Aboriginal dreamtime stories. Armored snails. Questionable song lyrics. It's opals, folks. And world expert geophysicist and University of Sydney professor Dr. Patrice Rey is here to talk about why he left France to explore the geological mysteries of the Outback. Should you get an opal engagement ring? Can they get wet? What's the difference between an Australian and Ethiopian opal? What was one doing in a Kenyan cave 3000 years ago? What's a Kyoto Opal vs. opalite? And why was your great grandma named Opal? (Cultural warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners: this episode mentions names and stories of people who have passed.)Visit Dr. Rey's website and follow him on Google Scholar A donation went to the GO FoundationMore episode sources and linksOther episodes you may enjoy: Geology (ROCKS), Areology (MARS), Speleology (CAVES), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE), FIELD TRIP: I Go France and Learn Weird France Stuff, Gemology (GEMS & MINERALS), Volcanology (VOLCANOES), Biomineralogy (SHELLS) 400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topicSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline MalekWebsite by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Acts 8 - Philip & the Ethiopian

Podcast 320 Literature Review: The King James Version of the Bible, Apocrypha, and 1 Enoch ISBN 978-976-98069-8-6 © 2026 DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing® Devgro Media Arts Services Publishing®2015 In collaboration with iMovie present Podcast 320 Literature Review: The King James Version of the Bible, Apocrypha, and 1 Enoch ISBN 978-976-98069-8-6 © 2026 DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing® RECOGNITIONSAs I take a moment to reflect on my journey, I am filled with profound gratitude for the Creator's guiding hand that has led me every step of the way. Life has brought me countless blessings, and at the forefront of these blessings is the immeasurable debt of thanks I owe to my late parents, Charles and Ira Gittens. They bestowed upon me their wisdom and creative spirit, which have been a consistent source of inspiration throughout my life. Their counsel and encouragement continue to resonate within me, shaping my path and purpose. To my beloved wife, Magnola Gittens, your unwavering support has been my anchor in turbulent seas. Your love and understanding provide the strength necessary to navigate life's complexities. I am eternally grateful for your presence, which comforts and uplifts me. To my brothers—Shurland, Charles, Ricardo, and my late brothers Arnott and Stephen—as well as my sisters, Emerald, Marcella, and Cheryl, thank you for being my steadfast companions along this journey. Each of you has contributed uniquely to my narrative, reminding me of the importance of family ties in shaping who I am today. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to my cousins: Joy Mayers, Kevin and Ernest Mayers, Donna Archer, Avis Dyer, and Jackie Clarke. Your love and camaraderie have enriched my life beyond measure. To my uncles, Clifford, Leonard Mayers, David Bruce, and Collin Rock, your support has been invaluable, strengthening the bonds of our family. To my children, Laron and Lisa, grandson Elijah you are my pride and joy, the motivation behind my work, fuelling my desire to create and inspire.Moreover, I am equally grateful to all who have believed in me and wanted nothing but the best for my growth. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Platizky, Mr. Matthew Sutton, Mr. Juan Arroyo, Mr. and Mrs. David Lavine, and many others have played pivotal roles in my development, encouraging me to pursue my passions relentlessly. During my time at New Jersey City University (NJCU), I had the privilege of receiving guidance from exceptional mentors, including the late Dr. Joseph Drew, Merline Mayers, Mrs. Ellen Gordon, Dr. Nicholas Gordon, Rev. Dr. Scofield Eversley BSS, and many others. Conversations about enhancing my writing skills after graduating were integral to my growth, providing the foundation for my future endeavours. Over the past three decades, my experiences in the leisure activities industry have significantly shaped my journey. From 1995 to 2026, I have devoted myself to writing, resulting in 493 E-Publications and 320 podcasts that resonate within the community. In recognition of the profound impact Dr. Joseph Drew had on my academic and personal development, I dedicated my 66th publication, "A Tribute to Culture" Vol. 1, to him—a small token of gratitude for his enormous influence on my life.As I look forward to what lies ahead, I remain thankful to all who have contributed to my story and to the Creator for the endless possibilities this journey holds. Each person's presence has left an indelible mark on my life, guiding me toward a future filled with hope and potential.Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D.Podcast 320 Literature Review: The King James Version of the Bible, Apocrypha, and 1 Enoch ISBN 978-976-98069-8-6 © 2026 DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing® ReferencesAlleyne, W. (2018). Barbados records and the 1831 hurricane. Barbados National Archives.Aristotle. (1999). Nicomachean ethics (T. Irwin, Trans.). Hackett Publishing. (Original work published c. 350 BCE)Bauckham, R. J. (1983). Jude, 2 Peter. Word Biblical Commentary. Word Books.Beckles, H. (2006). A history of Barbados: From Amerindian settlement to nation-state. Cambridge University Press.Blomberg, C. L. (1992). Matthew. New American Commentary. Broadman Press.Bruce, F. F. (1978). The canon of Scripture. InterVarsity Press.Charles, R. H. (1912). The Book of Enoch or 1 Enoch. Clarendon Press.Charlesworth, J. H. (1983). The Old Testament pseudepigrapha (Vols. 1–2). Doubleday.Cowley, R. W. (1974). The Ethiopian canon of Scripture. Journal of Ethiopian Studies, 12(2), 45–62.Daniell, D. (2003). The Bible in English: Its history and influence. Yale University Press.deSilva, D. A. (2002). Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, context, and significance. Baker Academic.Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. Brunner/Mazel.Gittens, W. A. (2023). Unfamiliar made clear. DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing.Gittens, W. A. (2026). Apocrypha, 1 Enoch, and the King James Version Bible [Literature review]. DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing. ISBN 978-976-98069-8-6.Gittens, W. A. (2026). Why I am so fond of the KJV. DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing. ISBN 978-976-98069-5-5.Glissant, É. (1997). Poetics of relation (B. Wing, Trans.). University of Michigan Press.Grabbe, L. L. (2010). An introduction to Second Temple Judaism. T&T Clark.Hengel, M. (1974). Judaism and Hellenism: Studies in their encounter in Palestine during the early Hellenistic period. Fortress Press.Isaac, E. (1983). 1 Enoch. In J. H. Charlesworth (Ed.), The Old Testament pseudepigrapha (Vol. 1, pp. 5–89). Doubleday.Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd ed.). Routledge.McDonald, L. M. (2017). The formation of the biblical canon (Vols. 1–2). Bloomsbury T&T Clark.McGrath, A. E. (2001). In the beginning: The story of the King James Bible. Hodder & Stoughton.McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.Merleau-Ponty, M. (2012). Phenomenology of perception (D. A. Landes, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1962)Milik, J. T. (1976). The books of Enoch: Aramaic fragments of Qumrân Cave 4. Clarendon Press.Moo, D. J. (2000). The letter of James. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans.Nickelsburg, G. W. E. (2001). 1 Enoch 1: A commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch. Hermeneia. Fortress Press.Nicolson, A. (2003). God's secretaries: The making of the King James Bible. HarperCollins.Nora, P. (1989). Between memory and history: Les lieux de mémoire. Representations, 26, 7–24.Norton, D. (2011). The King James Bible: A short history from Tyndale to today. Cambridge University Press.Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. Viking Penguin.Rushdoony, R. J. (1973). The institutes of biblical law. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.Sheller, M. (2003). Consuming the Caribbean: From Arawaks to zombies. Routledge.Sugirtharajah, R. S. (2001). The Bible and the third world: Precolonial, colonial and postcolonial encounters. Cambridge University Press.Sundberg, A. C. (1992). The Old Testament of the early church. Harvard Theological Review, 85(4), 407–432.Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.VanderKam, J. C. (1995). Enoch: A man for all generations. University of South Carolina Press.VanderKam, J. C. (2001). The book of Enoch: A translation and commentary. Oxford University Press.Venuti, L. (1995). The translator's invisibility: A history of translation. Routledge.© 2026 Dr. William Anderson Gittens. All rights reserved. DevGro Media Arts Services Publishing®. This material may not be reproduced without permission.Support the showCultural Factors Influence Academic Achievements© 2024 ISBN978-976-97385-7-7 A_MEMOIR_OF_Dr_William_Anderson_Gittens_D_D_2024_ISBNISBN978_976_97385_0_8Academic.edu. Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Michael Owen Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Selwyn Belle Commissioner of Police Mr. Orville Durant Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning Hackett Philip Media Resource Development Officer Holder, B,Anthony Episcopal Priest,https://brainly.com/question/36353773https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-19https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-:2-18https://independent.academia.edu/WilliamGittens/Bookshttps://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=william+anderson+gittens+barbados&oq=william+anderson+gittenshttps://www.academia.edu/123754463/https://www.buzzsprout.com/429292/episodes. https://www.youtube.com/@williamandersongittens1714. Mr.Greene, Rupert

Happy Monday! Deena Talbert and special guest, Sally Lager, join Janice today and topics  include there is joy in serving Jesus. Interweaving Biblical lessons from the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch, thoughts from John 13:17, and an emphasis on missions this month at FaithWay Baptist Church the three of us talk about ways children can be involved in missions and specifically the joy of reaching the world with the Gospel. CHECK OUT SHARI HOUSE'S NEW BOOK! Her Story Silhouettes: Volume 2 is now available for preorder.  Janice's books What Do I Have to Lose? Books 1 and 2   are available! The complete set is just $25. Check it out at FaithMusicRadio.com. Today also features A Word of Encouragement with Vicky Mutchler, and CW Today with Loretta Walker and Renewing Your Health with Dana Ellison Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and please share this podcast with your friends so we may be an encouragement to them through the music and programming on Faith Music Radio. Music is brought to you by Faith Music Missions. Learn more here >>> https://www.faithmusicmissions.org Eleven2One Facebook  Eleven2One on Instagram Faith Music Radio is a listener supported Christian station.

Episode 240 with Beamlak Alemayehu, Founder and CEO of Medanit Digital Health, Ethiopia's first integrated, multi channel digital healthcare access system connecting patients with doctors, medication and mental health services through a mobile application, website and low bandwidth call centre.Beamlak is a clinical nurse and social worker whose experience of long waiting times, misinformation, medicine shortages and fragmented healthcare services inspired her to build a more accessible and patient centred alternative. Medanit has registered more than 50,000 users across Ethiopia, delivered over 58,000 medications and facilitated more than 78,000 consultations and healthcare support interactions. Beamlak is also one of the 2026 recipients of the Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award, which supports women led businesses developing solutions in health and food security.In this episode, Beamlak shares her journey from working directly with patients to building one of Ethiopia's emerging digital healthcare companies. Drawing on her clinical experience and the lessons learned from growing Medanit, she explores what it takes to use technology to redesign the patient journey and build a healthcare business within a complex and underserved market.What We Discuss With BeamlakWhy building more hospitals and training more doctors may not solve Africa's healthcare access crisis if patients still cannot navigate fragmented services.Can digital healthcare remain affordable for low income patients while generating enough revenue to build a commercially sustainable company?Could patient data help Africa predict demand, reduce medicine shortages and strengthen pharmaceutical supply chains?What does it take to earn trust, protect patient data and maintain clinical quality while delivering healthcare through technology?Can Medanit transform a locally adapted Ethiopian platform into a scalable African business serving 500,000 people?Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Millions of Streams, Little Ownership: Is Nigeria Building a Music Industry or Just Exporting Talent? Make sure to check it out!Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don't do it alone. If you'd like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:www.etkgroup.co.ukinfo@etkgroup.co.uk

Why is it so difficult to open our mouths and talk about Jesus?We often wait for the perfect opportunity, the right person, or a friendly audience before sharing our faith. But in Acts 8, Philip shows us a different way. When God gives him an opportunity, Philip simply obeys, approaches the Ethiopian eunuch, opens his mouth, and tells him the good news about Jesus.In this message from Acts 8:26–40, Pastor Greg Sukert continues the Open Season series by showing us that God doesn't just redeem our souls, He redeems our mouths. God calls every follower of Jesus to be a witness, trusting that He is already pursuing people, preparing hearts behind the scenes, and working through our obedience.We don't have to know how someone will respond. We don't have to wait until we've built the perfect relationship. And we don't have to manufacture opportunities ourselves. We simply need to trust God, be prepared, and open our mouths when He gives us the opportunity.God opens your eyes so you would open your mouth.Scripture: Acts 8:26–40 Series: Open SeasonIf this message encouraged you, subscribe for more verse-by-verse Bible teaching from Central Church.

What does it mean to find water in the desert? This message from Pastor Matt Cottrill on Sunday, September 27th 2026 takes us deep into one of the most intimate and unexpected encounters in the book of Acts, where a powerful Ethiopian official, a man who had everything the world could offer, finds himself traveling a lonely desert road, hungry for something no amount of wealth or influence could provide. Through the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, we are reminded that God does not measure the importance of a divine appointment by the size of the audience or the convenience of the location. He is willing to redirect us from the crowd to the desert road because one soul matters to him. The spiritual lesson is both humbling and thrilling: God knows exactly where to find a hungry heart, and he is always in pursuit. We are challenged to ask ourselves whether we are truly available to be interrupted, redirected, and sent to places we would not naturally choose, all for the sake of one person who is quietly searching for truth.

This sermon examines the narrative in Acts 8 where Philip leads the Ethiopian treasurer to faith in Jesus Christ, presenting it as a model for effective evangelism. The central message emphasizes that preaching is not merely sharing information but explicitly declaring Jesus as the fulfillment of Scripture, specifically interpreting the suffering servant passage in Isaiah 53. The tone is instructional and pastoral, encouraging believers to be prepared to give an answer for their hope and to engage with others who are seeking understanding. Key theological themes include the sufficiency of Christ's atoning work, the importance of studying the Scriptures diligently, and the joy that follows genuine conversion and baptism. The sermon concludes by challenging the audience to consider their own role in leading others to Christ, highlighting the transformative power of the gospel from darkness into light.

Kwame Onwuachi—the chef behind Tatiana, Dōgon, and restaurants from Miami to Las Vegas—joins Matt in the studio for the first time. We get into his big idea for the CPG game, his pull toward Ethiopian cooking, and his three books, capped by All Hours, which is less a cookbook and more a statement about what he actually wants to cook every day. And it's the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt discuss what's interesting to them in the world of food including Aliza recaps her trip to New Mexico with stops at El Chile Toreado, Frontier, El Ray Court, and Tune-Up Café. Matt thinks Bessou makes the best caramel corn and has a great late-summer meal at I Cavallini. He also read the Legs McNeil memoir, Resident Punk for a true blast from the past.  Subscribe: ⁠⁠Apple, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in a two-year between Tigrayan forces and Ethiopia's government which ended in a peace deal in 2022. Today the trauma and fear of war creeps back in as both sides accuse each other of launching new offensives. Earlier this week the TPLF announced a new coalition alongside other militias - some of whom had previously been bitter opponents.The so-called Alliance for survival is made up of seven armed rebel groups which have been waging their own battles against the Ethiopian government in different parts of the country.Tigrayan forces have seized three airports in Tigray, and in response Ethiopian airlines have suspended all flights to the region. But why are things escalating now? Is the clock ticking for the Ethiopian government? And will Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed achieve his goal of accessing the Red Sea? To understand things better and break it all down we're joined by Tsedale Lemma, an Ethiopian journalist and founder of the Addis Standard and Nicholas Westcott, former director of the Royal African Society.

Australia launches an urgent review after an AI agent belonging to OpenAI hacked a government healthcare portal. The government has set up a taskforce to examine what happened and whether laws were broken. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused OpenAI of an "unacceptable delay" in informing the authorities about the intrusion. In response, OpenAI said "our models took actions we did not intend" and that it found no record of patient data being accessed. Also: Three US news outlets are denied access to the White House despite a ruling from a US judge overturning President Trump's ban. Tigrayan rebels say they are in a "full-blown war" with the Ethiopian government. As he begins a state visit to Washington, President Xi Jinping says China and the US should be partners, not rivals. Researchers find elephants use medicinal plants to treat themselves. The Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man to evade Taliban, wins a silver medal at the Asian Games. And joy in Thailand as a young Thai singer wins America's Got Talent.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Illustration showing the Australian Medicare smartphone app and medicare card. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Mark and Emily continue the Essentials of the Local Church series by digging into baptism: what it is, why the church practices it, and what the Bible actually says about it. Mark walks through the biblical case for baptism by immersion upon a credible profession of faith, unpacks the differences between paedobaptism and credobaptism (including the Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed views on infant baptism), and gets practical about who should be baptized, when, and by whom.Episode Highlights01:36 — Mark's core phrase: baptism is the New Testament way to say "I believe"02:43 — What the Greek word baptizo actually means: full immersion04:12 — Romans 6: the picture of dying and rising with Christ in the water06:11 — Defining the terms: paedobaptism vs. credobaptism07:42 — Cornerstone's position: credo baptism upon a credible profession of faith10:12 — Comparing the Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed views of infant baptism16:30 — Comparing baptism to a wedding: taking it seriously without over-formalizing it19:56 — The Ethiopian eunuch's story and why context matters for readiness21:05 — Wisdom around timing: why Cornerstone doesn't rush a 13-year-old to the tank24:01 — Walking kids through the decision: Mark and Emily's own family experiences29:01 — Why a tank instead of a natural body of water29:56 — Why there's no such thing as private baptism31:28 — Who should baptize you, and why it's not always the pastor34:00 — Mark's take on rebaptism: "you're only baptized once"39:33 — Stories of transformation from Cornerstone's baptism servicesResourcesGet Baptized at CornerstoneBaptism StoriesCornerstone's Guidance for Children and BaptismCornerstone Sermons: Listen OnlineAsk Mark a Question!Suggest a topic or question for Mark to discuss on a future episode of the Equip Podcast!

//The Wire//2300Z September 23, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES IN NEW YORK. AMERICAN SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN AIRLINES COME INTO EFFECT. COMMERCIAL VESSEL STRUCK IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ. RUSSIAN HELICOPTER BRIEFLY CROSSES POLISH BORDER, ESCALATING GROWING CONCERNS OF AIRSPACE INCURSIONS.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----  -International Events-United Kingdom: Immigration issues continue to develop, as channel boat crossings have escalated over the past few days. At least two inflatable boats made landfall in Kent overnight, prompting concerns as to why they were not intercepted and turned around before reaching land. The recent migration surge has resulted in widespread protests at port facilities throughout the country, which have also become more tense as authorities provide security for migration operations.Middle East: This morning a commercial vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in a major fire. The crew of the M/V CAPE DAO abandoned ship, after one crew member was killed and another wounded during the strike.Poland: Overnight one border incursion was reported near Braniewo, as a Russian helicopter from Kaliningrad flew south over the border. The helicopter flew about 300 meters into Polish airspace before returning to Kaliningrad less than a minute later. Poland scrambled fighters to intercept the aircraft, and ground forces were placed on alert in the border region.Analyst Comment: This was probably a classic probing incident. Russia has very obviously been carrying out reconnaissance to probe air defenses and test NATO's response, and this case was probably intended to spin up Polish responses, which they dutifully did. Russia probably doesn't need to do this, but these types of light border incursions have been common over the past few decades. This incident is not exactly earth-shattering, but it's also not unremarkable either, and mostly serves as yet another example of how the Cold War era escalations remain constant.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - As of this morning, American sanctions took effect to sanction nations which allow Iranian commercial aviation to operate within their country. These sanctions target nations that allow Iranian aircraft to land and refuel, with the United States threatening to cut off those nations from the US banking system.Analyst Comment: In response to the United States announcing a total ban on Iranian commercial air travel around the world, China has announced that they will continue to allow Iranian commercial aircraft to operate within their nation. This position was announced the same day that the White House welcomes President Xi for his first state visit in a decade.New York: The United Nations General Assembly continues as before. Various protest events took place outside the UN building throughout the day, including a few minor groups which blocked traffic for a short while. Analyst Comment: Otherwise, an alleged meeting also took place between American and Iranian diplomats on the sidelines of the Assembly, which does not appear to have resulted in any sort of positive movement toward a peace agreement. Both sides appear to be heavily entrenched in their positions, with no real room for actual negotiations at the moment.Illinois: The Joliet Refinery is returning to normal operations, after being offline for the past ten days due to flooding which caused a power outage. Fuel prices are expected to drop by a few cents throughout the Midwest as this refinery begins to come back online, with gas prices expected to return to the national average after being elevated due to this refinery being offline.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Within northeastern Africa, trouble is brewing in Ethiopia. This beleaguered African nation has been host to civil unrest for many years, as tensions between government forces and rebels within the Tigray region have remained constant.Northern Ethiopia has become inflamed following years of dispute over the administration of the Tigray region. In 2022, a tenuous peace settled in throughout Ethiopia and Eritrea, after Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) reached a sort of truce regarding the administration of the Tigray region. Last month, the peace deal started unravelling, and as of the past few days, the TPLF is mobilizing once again. This time, a coalition of various militia groups has formed, comprised of the TPLF, the Amhara Fano ​National Movement, and a handful of others operating under a common banner. As of this morning, TPLF militants have captured the airports in Mekelle, Axum, and Shire, which are comparatively important airports throughout the region. Based on statements by the group, the TPLF is once again trying to overthrow the Ethiopian government and re-take power (as the TPLF ruled the country from the early 90's up until 2018).While it looks like yet another typical African conflict between the standard warlord types, this conflict is escalating at the worst possible time, when there is already tension in the region as brought on by the Houthis just across the Red Sea. Perhaps most importantly, is the complex web of relationships and alliances. As is extremely common throughout the region, when there's trouble in one African nation, the culprit is usually next door. And in this case, Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of funding the TPLF and trying to overthrow Ethiopia (accusations which Eritrea denies).How this develops over the next few weeks will be important to watch, simply due to the tensions that are already complicating the region. Nobody needs another war adjacent to a major international waterway, and if this gets worse there's no telling how more destabilization will affect the region. If the TPLF can keep their grievances centered on the Ethiopian government, and if the conflict stays within Ethiopia (as it has so far) this won't be that impactful to the world economy. But if this conflict becomes more regional in a few weeks, this could get ugly. Now that the TPLF has a coalition of other groups, they cover a wider swath of public sentiment, and have the potential to turn up the heat, and if they so choose...allow the pot to boil over.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

This Crosstalk is another in our "What in the World?" series. These broadcasts include stories of the bizarre or that which is out of the ordinary, where the initial reaction is, "What in the world?" Here are some highlights from the first half of the program: --A drag queen welcomes students back to Portland public schools. --The long-time pastor of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico was recently caught on camera promoting an inclusive translation of the Bible that strips the text of gendered language. --Reverend Jim Rigby, longtime senior pastor at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, was heard saying he doesn't believe in a literal resurrection and that it's symbolic. Jim provided audio of the pastor's remarks. --Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico says adding police and guns to schools will make students less safe. --Texas Democrats have come up with a scheme to pay voters to cast ballots for their candidates. --Jim commented on a pastor who teaches that the Ethiopian eunuch was either transgender, queer or gay. Jim provided audio from the pastor. --A Republican House hopeful got the boot from a Delaware candidate forum after twice refusing to use female pronouns for his transgender Democratic rival. --The U.S. Department of Education is getting involved in the fight over a Massachusetts teen taken away from her parents and potentially being transitioned by the state while in custody. This broadcast wrapped up with comments from listeners nationwide.

This Crosstalk is another in our "What in the World?" series. These broadcasts include stories of the bizarre or that which is out of the ordinary, where the initial reaction is, "What in the world?" Here are some highlights from the first half of the program: --A drag queen welcomes students back to Portland public schools. --The long-time pastor of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico was recently caught on camera promoting an inclusive translation of the Bible that strips the text of gendered language. --Reverend Jim Rigby, longtime senior pastor at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, was heard saying he doesn't believe in a literal resurrection and that it's symbolic. Jim provided audio of the pastor's remarks. --Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico says adding police and guns to schools will make students less safe. --Texas Democrats have come up with a scheme to pay voters to cast ballots for their candidates. --Jim commented on a pastor who teaches that the Ethiopian eunuch was either transgender, queer or gay. Jim provided audio from the pastor. --A Republican House hopeful got the boot from a Delaware candidate forum after twice refusing to use female pronouns for his transgender Democratic rival. --The U.S. Department of Education is getting involved in the fight over a Massachusetts teen taken away from her parents and potentially being transitioned by the state while in custody. This broadcast wrapped up with comments from listeners nationwide.

This Crosstalk is another in our "What in the World?" series. These broadcasts include stories of the bizarre or that which is out of the ordinary, where the initial reaction is, "What in the world?" Here are some highlights from the first half of the program: --A drag queen welcomes students back to Portland public schools. --The long-time pastor of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico was recently caught on camera promoting an inclusive translation of the Bible that strips the text of gendered language. --Reverend Jim Rigby, longtime senior pastor at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, was heard saying he doesn't believe in a literal resurrection and that it's symbolic. Jim provided audio of the pastor's remarks. --Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico says adding police and guns to schools will make students less safe. --Texas Democrats have come up with a scheme to pay voters to cast ballots for their candidates. --Jim commented on a pastor who teaches that the Ethiopian eunuch was either transgender, queer or gay. Jim provided audio from the pastor. --A Republican House hopeful got the boot from a Delaware candidate forum after twice refusing to use female pronouns for his transgender Democratic rival. --The U.S. Department of Education is getting involved in the fight over a Massachusetts teen taken away from her parents and potentially being transitioned by the state while in custody. This broadcast wrapped up with comments from listeners nationwide.

After losing her husband, this Ethiopian widow was left to raise her children while battling severe mold in their Israeli home. When the cost of repairs was more than she could afford, CBN Israel stepped in to remove the mold and renovate the ...

In this episode of the Fit Mother Project Podcast, I'm kicking off a brand-new series I'm calling Blind Spots — parts of your health that genuinely matter but almost never get talked about. First up: your feet.I open with the true story of Abebe Bikila, the unknown Ethiopian runner who won Olympic gold in the 1960 Rome marathon running completely barefoot — then I break down why that's possible, and what it teaches us about our own feet. We walk through the anatomy of the foot (26 bones, 30+ joints, and its own "core" of intrinsic muscles), the windlass mechanism that turns your foot into a rigid lever with every step, and why your feet are actually one of your main sensory organs feeding data straight to your brain.This matters enormously after 40. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death in adults 65+, and the research is clear: weak toes, poor sensation, and cushioned, narrow shoes are directly tied to fall risk, bunions, and balance decline. I share several eye-opening studies, four simple at-home tests you can do right now to assess your own foot strength, and the daily practices I personally use to keep my feet — and my balance — strong for the long run.Rate & Review – If this episode opened your eyes to something you've never been taught before, please take a moment to rate and review the Fit Mother Project Podcast. Your review helps more women over 40 find practical, empowering health information that can genuinely change their lives.Join the Fit Mother Community – If you want support putting these ideas into action, come join the Fit Mother community. You'll find encouragement, practical guidance, and a group of women committed to building strong, healthy lives together.Fit Mother Project Key Takeaways:Your feet have 26 bones and 30+ joints each, with their own set of intrinsic muscles — basically a "core" for your feetThe windlass mechanism (your big toe bending back as you walk) tightens the plantar fascia and turns your foot into a rigid lever for propulsionYour soles are a major sensory organ — cushioned shoes dull the signal your brain needs for balance, and your brain has an entire region dedicated to reading your feetFalls are the #1 cause of injury-related death in adults 65+, and falling once doubles your risk of falling again (CDC)A 2006 Journal of Gerontology study found fallers had weaker toe muscles, more bunions, less sensation, stiffer ankles, and more foot pain than non-fallersThe plantar fascia connects to the Achilles tendon, but that connection thins with age — which is part of why we lose our "spring" as we get olderRolling the bottom of your feet with a tennis ball for 30–60 seconds can immediately increase hamstring flexibility (the "tennis ball effect")Studies show switching to minimalist, wide-toe-box, zero-drop footwear increases foot strength by up to 57% and improves balance scores in older adults at risk of fallingFour simple self-tests you can do today: the 10-second one-leg stand (eyes closed for bonus points), toe yoga, the paper grip test, and big toe extensionSmall daily habits — rolling your feet, arch scrunches, toe yoga, and single-leg balance while brushing your teeth — can meaningfully rebuild foot strength and balance over timeFoot Health and Strength: Why Your Feet Are the Foundation of Longevity (Ep. 207)Want To Change Your Life? Check Out FM30X!FM30X is a simple, sustainable, and specific weight loss program designed especially for busy women over 40. With short metabolic training workouts, an easy-to-follow meal plan, and an accountability team there for you every step of the way, FM30X can help you lose weight, regain energy and vitality, and live life to the fullest.Click here to see everything you get when you join FM30X.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and check out our blog, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Threads.Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary individually; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice. This is simply very well-researched information on foot health, balance, and healthy aging for women over 40.

Becoming Outward-Facing means learning to notice the people you might naturally overlook. If you want to become more like Jesus, that includes becoming aware of the people around you—even those who think, live, believe, or act differently than you.We all have biases and blind spots. The question is what we do with them.Throughout the book of Acts, we see God repeatedly bringing outsiders into His family. Philip shares Jesus with a sorcerer in Samaria. He approaches an Ethiopian official who comes from a completely different background. And Ananias is asked to walk toward Saul—the very person he had every reason to fear.Each story points to the same truth:God specializes in bringing outsiders into His family.In this message, Becoming Outward-Facing, we explore what these stories can teach you about seeing people the way Jesus does and joining God in what He is already doing around you.You'll discover:• Why your blind spots can affect the way you see other people• What the early church teaches us about including outsiders• How Philip and Ananias moved beyond barriers and biases• Why following Jesus means paying attention to people who aren't like you• How a simple invitation can make a bigger difference than you realize• Why you may be the answer to someone else's prayerYou don't need all the answers. You don't need the perfect words. Becoming outward-facing can begin with something much simpler: noticing someone, caring about them, and being willing to say, “Come sit with me.”So ask yourself this week:Who have you been unintentionally ignoring that God wants you to notice?Maybe it's someone at work who has completely disengaged from church. Maybe it's a friend who has lost hope that Jesus cares. Maybe it's another family you see every week at your kids' activities.You may be one of the workers someone else has been praying for.Our hope is to become a movement of people who remain Jesus-centered, others-focused, and outward-facing—because God is FOR the people in our communities, and we want them to know we are FOR them too.

Out of print for the greater part of the 20th century, Hopkins’ Of One Blood looks a lot like Afro-futurism, using ancient Ethiopian technology and the new science of mesmerism to think about racial politics. But it’s actually a bit stranger than that—Garret Bridger Gilmore returns to walk us through some of the novel’s contexts and theories. Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Guest: Garret Bridger Gilmore Title: Of One Blood, or, The Hidden Self by Pauline E. Hopkins Host:Jake Casella Brookins Music byGiselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork byRob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré  The Fog by James Herbert The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D. G. Compton J.G. Ballard Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu, translated by Michael Gallagher Plessy V. Ferguson Mesmerism, Vitalism, Magnetism H.G. Wells William James Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Martin Delany Black Panther Hazel V. Carby's edited collection of Hopkins' Work Deborah E. McDowell MIT Radium Age series Minister Faust George S. Schuyler's Black Empire Marcus Garvey H. Rider Haggard's She Geoffrey Sanborn's "The Pleasure of Its Company: Of One Blood and the Potentials of Plagiarism" Edward Bulwer-Lytton Our Stand On Zanzibar Episode W.E.B. DuBois & double consciousness Mississippi Quarterly article on race in the Southern Reach trilogy Cora Jean Moten’s “The Creeping Thing”

Find Tim Constantine & Six Sensory Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3LVS0BihTLQDzb5DRtpx63?si=96Isq12bSkWh94CkRuKltwYouTube: https://youtube.com/@sixsensorypodcast?si=KXoO5h47Y1RErmoSPatreon: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/TimConstantine⁠Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cult-of-conspiracy--5700337/support.

What does it look like to guide someone to Jesus? In this message, Pastor Matt walks through the steps from Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. It's as simple as ABC!

In this message Pastor Austin Porter explains that baptism is an outward sign of an inward change and a public declaration of our decision to follow Jesus. He shares how Jesus' baptism reminds us that our identity is rooted in being children of God, especially when our identity is challenged by temptation and trials. Through the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, we see that nothing has to stand in the way of someone choosing to follow Jesus and be baptized. Baptism does not save us, but it reminds us of who we are, that we belong to God, and that our identity is united with Christ. Pastor Austin encourages anyone who believes in Jesus to take that step of baptism and experience the joy of publicly declaring their faith.

What does it look like to guide someone to Jesus? In this message, Pastor Matt walks through the steps from Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. It's as simple as ABC!

In this stand-alone sermon, Dimeji Teibo explores the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, and the life-changing decision that followed their encounter. He explains how Jesus has paid the price for sin, removing the barrier between us and God, while inviting each of us to respond personally to the salvation he offers. Reflecting on the meaning of baptism, Dimeji shows how it is an outward declaration of an inward decision to trust and follow Jesus.

In this episode of the Fit Father Project Podcast, I'm kicking off a brand-new series I'm calling "Blind Spots" — parts of your health that genuinely matter but rarely get enough attention. First up: your feet. I open with the true story of Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian marathoner who won Olympic gold in Rome in 1960 running barefoot over cobblestones after his shoes didn't fit — then won again four years later in Tokyo, becoming the first man to win back-to-back Olympic marathons. That story sets up everything we cover: the anatomy of your feet (26 bones, 30+ joints, and their own "intrinsic" core muscles), the windlass mechanism that turns your foot from a shock absorber into a rigid lever for propulsion, and why your soles are one of your main sensory organs feeding data straight to your brain. I walk through the CDC fall statistics for adults over 65, the research linking weak toes and poor balance to increased mortality risk, and why 40+ years in cushioned, padded shoes has quietly weakened the muscles you need most as you age. Then I give you four simple at-home tests you can do right now — the 10-second one-leg stand, toe yoga, the paper grip test, and big toe extension — plus daily practices to rebuild foot strength, better footwear guidance, and the "tennis ball effect" that instantly improves your hamstring flexibility.Rate & Review — If this episode gave you something new to think about, please take a moment to rate and review the Fit Father Project Podcast. Your review helps more busy dads discover practical, science-backed health conversations that can genuinely change their lives.Join the Fit Father Project Community — If you're ready to build real strength and longevity — starting from the ground up — with support, accountability, and a brotherhood of men committed to thriving after 40, come join us. We're here to help you build real, lasting health together.Key TakeawaysFoot strength directly predicts fall risk. A 2006 Journal of Gerontology study of 176 older adults (avg. age 80) found 41% fell within a year — and fallers had weaker toe muscles, more bunions, less sole sensation, stiffer ankles, and more foot pain than non-fallers.Falls are a leading killer after 65. Per the CDC, falls are the #1 cause of injury-related death in adults 65+, with more than 1 in 4 older adults falling each year and fall deaths up 21% from 2018–2024.Balance predicts mortality. In a study of 1,700 adults followed for 7 years, those who couldn't stand on one leg for 10 seconds had a 17.5% death rate over the follow-up period vs. 4.5% for those who passed.Your feet have their own "core." The 26 bones and 30+ joints in each foot are stabilized by intrinsic muscles — and the windlass mechanism (your big toe bending back as you walk) turns your foot into a rigid lever for propulsion.Cushioned shoes dull your brain's data. A 2019 Nature study found barefoot walkers built thick calluses without losing sensitivity, while cushioned shoes reduce the sensory signal your brain needs for balance and postural control.Minimalist shoes build real strength fast. In a 2019 study, walking in minimalist shoes (building to 7,000 steps/day) was as effective as a dedicated foot-strengthening program — with muscle growth showing up by week four.It's never too late to start. In a 2026 study of adults over 65 at risk of falling, those wearing minimal footwear stayed fall-free 77% of the time over a year, compared to 52% in the control group.Rolling your feet instantly improves flexibility. The "tennis ball effect" — rolling a tennis or lacrosse ball under each foot for 30–60 seconds — measurably increases hamstring stretch tolerance by relaxing tension up the chain.Plantar fascia connects to your Achilles tendon, and that connection thins as you age — which is part of why younger feet feel "springier" and more athletic than older ones.Four simple self-tests reveal your foot health: the 10-second one-leg stand (bonus: eyes closed), toe yoga (lifting your big toe independently), the paper/business-card grip test, and big toe extension.Want To Change Your Life? Check Out FF30X!FF30X is a simple, sustainable, and specific weight loss program designed especially for busy men over 40. With short metabolic workouts, an easy-to-follow meal plan, and an accountability team there for you every step of the way, FF30X can help you lose weight, regain energy and vitality, and live life to the fullest. Click here to see everything you get when you join FF30X.Support Your Mitochondria with BEAM MineralsYour mitochondria need key minerals — magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc — to actually generate the ATP energy your body runs on. Without them, your mitochondrial function declines with age, leaving you more tired, slower to recover, and less effective in your workouts. BEAM Minerals is a liquid mineral supplement I take every day — a quick shot in the morning with water, absorbed fast since it's liquid instead of tablets. Within the first couple of weeks, I noticed steadier energy throughout the day and better recovery after training — nothing dramatic, just my body working the way it should. Head to beamminerals.com/fitfamily and use code FITFAMILY for 20% off your first order.After watching his own Dad lose his health and pass away at the young age of 42, Dr. Balduzzi founded The Fit Father Project and Fit Mother Project to help busy dads and moms get and stay healthy for their families. Dr. Anthony Balduzzi holds dual degrees in Psychology & Nutrition from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, and is also a former national champion bodybuilder. He's most proud of the fact that he's helped over 70,000 families in 125+ countries lose weight and get healthy for life.Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary individually; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched information on longevity training, muscle health, and healthy aging.

Understanding the shift from receiving God's grace through faith to actively walking out a life that honors Him. While salvation is entirely a free gift, the very first step of obedience Jesus commands is a strange, ancient, wet ritual: baptism. This episode wrestles with the tension between grace and works, explores the rich 1st-century cultural backdrop of baptizo, and explains why getting wet in front of a crowd is the essential "early win" for every follower of Christ.Key TakeawaysBaptism Does Not Save You: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Physical water cannot wash away moral guilt—only the Holy Spirit brings spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5). The thief on the cross is the ultimate proof that baptism is not required to enter heaven.The Shift from Mikva'ot to Baptizo: Unlike Jewish ritual purification baths (mikva'ot) which were self-administered, repeatable maintenance routines, Christian baptism is passive (done to you) and a once-and-for-all declaration of permanent identity change—much like fabric fully saturated and recolored in dye (baptizo).The "Early Win" of Obedience: Just as military recruits practice making their beds at 0500 to build the muscle of immediate obedience, baptism serves as a simple, low-stakes step of faith. It trains believers to say "yes" to Jesus before facing harder, high-stakes sacrifices.The Wedding Ring of Faith: Baptism functions like a wedding band. Losing the ring doesn't make you single, but refusing to wear it reveals a heart issue. It is the outward, physical sign of an inward, relational covenant.Scripture ReferencesMatthew 28:19 — The command to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Titus 3:5 — Salvation comes through God's mercy and spiritual regeneration, not righteous human deeds.Acts 8:36 — The Ethiopian eunuch's urgent response to be baptized immediately upon believing.Romans 6:3–4 — Being buried with Christ through baptism into death, and raised to walk in newness of life.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now--

Thursday, September 17, 2026What happens when we learn to recognize God's voice—and have the courage to follow where He leads?Today we continue Spiritual Classics by Richard Foster with a reading from “The Journal of George Fox” alongside Acts 8. Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian reminds us that God is always at work, often inviting us to join Him in unexpected places. Join us as we reflect on listening to the Spirit, responding in obedience, and being available for God to use us.

Understanding the shift from receiving God's grace through faith to actively walking out a life that honors Him. While salvation is entirely a free gift, the very first step of obedience Jesus commands is a strange, ancient, wet ritual: baptism. This episode wrestles with the tension between grace and works, explores the rich 1st-century cultural backdrop of baptizo, and explains why getting wet in front of a crowd is the essential "early win" for every follower of Christ.Key TakeawaysBaptism Does Not Save You: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Physical water cannot wash away moral guilt—only the Holy Spirit brings spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5). The thief on the cross is the ultimate proof that baptism is not required to enter heaven.The Shift from Mikva'ot to Baptizo: Unlike Jewish ritual purification baths (mikva'ot) which were self-administered, repeatable maintenance routines, Christian baptism is passive (done to you) and a once-and-for-all declaration of permanent identity change—much like fabric fully saturated and recolored in dye (baptizo).The "Early Win" of Obedience: Just as military recruits practice making their beds at 0500 to build the muscle of immediate obedience, baptism serves as a simple, low-stakes step of faith. It trains believers to say "yes" to Jesus before facing harder, high-stakes sacrifices.The Wedding Ring of Faith: Baptism functions like a wedding band. Losing the ring doesn't make you single, but refusing to wear it reveals a heart issue. It is the outward, physical sign of an inward, relational covenant.Scripture ReferencesMatthew 28:19 — The command to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Titus 3:5 — Salvation comes through God's mercy and spiritual regeneration, not righteous human deeds.Acts 8:36 — The Ethiopian eunuch's urgent response to be baptized immediately upon believing.Romans 6:3–4 — Being buried with Christ through baptism into death, and raised to walk in newness of life.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now--

Become a SEND7 supporter at send7.supercast.comWorld news in 7 minutes. Friday 18th September 2026.Today: EU social media limits. Carney EU integration. Kosovo criticisms. Sweden PM resigns. Lebanon fear. West Bank olives. Nepal missing. Korea ant fine. US AI debate. Bolivia new cat. Djibouti Yemen refugees. South Africa murders. Nigeria investments. Ethiopian twins seperated. With Stephen DevincenziBecome a SEND7 supporter!Ad-free listeningBonus quiz episode every FridayDaily transcripts (written by us, not AI!)Vocabulary listsWednesday worksheetsAsk questions in Ask Me Anything episodes10% of our profit goes to Effective Altruism charities.You can become a supporter at send7.supercast.comSign up for the free newsletter at send7.org/newsletterFor more information about SEND7 visit send7.org/contact or send an email to podcast@send7.org

4:01 How can we know that our Bibles have all right books in it? 10:48 Does Jesus promote works to be saved and Paul promotes works to be saved? 17:23 Are there still generational curses going on in our present day? 19:52 How should I respond to family who disclosed my current medical condition after I asked them not to? 24:53 Can you explain what Jacob's trouble is? 30:10 Could you explain how they knew which books were inspired, especially as it relates to the Ethiopian Bible? 43:15 Does 2 Peter 2:1 relate to election? 51:31 How do you feel about counseling if the Bible is sufficient for everything we need? 54:03 Is it appropriate to hold a nonbelievers funeral at a church?

Haben Girma (she/her) is a disability rights advocate, the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School and she is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Haben discusses her book, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, as well as the importance of accessibility, advocacy, and recognizing the many dimensions of disability identity. They discuss the importance of inclusive communication, multisensory experiences and learning from people with different disabilities and backgrounds. Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, by Haben Girma: https://habengirma.com/book/ More about Haben Girma: https://habengirma.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/habengirma/   The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts. Word format:  https://bit.ly/WordVersionDescriptiveTranscriptHabenGirma   Descriptive Transcript: [Music intro  the theme music is piano, electric guitar with strong brass and horn melody with a funk beat and becomes softer when Keris starts her intro] KERIS: Welcome, and welcome back to Unapologetically Black Unicorns. I am so excited that today I have a guest who is… and people know I make up words. So these are the words that I'm making up for this guest. She is splendiferous. Magnificent, that is not a made-up word. Wonder Fluidus. [keris laughing] Yeah, she's amazing! Okay, that's not… that's not a made-up word either, but she's amazing, and I've had the pleasure of meeting her a couple of times. I've read her book, and we'll talk maybe a little bit about her book. But before we get into all of that, Um, many people know I'm Keris, I'm your host of UBU, but many people might not know what the heck I look like unless they happen to already know me, but I'm African American and Indigenous, I have long black hair that also has a natural gray undercut. Yeah, okay, I'm naturally gray at this point, what can I say? I'm wearing glasses that have a rainbow rim to them. Have a little bit of lipstick on, and I have on my Disability is Not a Bad Word shirt on today. And my background is blurred out because we are on Zoom. Also, people know, relative to this podcast, I don't do bios. I ask my guests to introduce themselves. So, Haben, I'm gonna turn it over to you. Would you like to introduce yourself? [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: Hello, everyone! My name is Haben Girma. It's delightful to be here and connecting with everyone over this podcast. And audio is a fascinating way for me to connect with people. Because I don't listen to podcasts personally. Since I'm deafblind, And during this conversation, what we're doing is we're using technology, specifically a braille computer and keyboard. You will notice a delay! Between the questions and the answers. Part of accessibility is patience. Making time for all kinds of places. My voice is coming from the Bay Area in California. I am a woman in my 30s. With Eritrean and Ethiopian ancestry. And…I have lived in different places, but I keep coming back to the Bay Area, because I love…[speaking with enthusiasm] the wealth of food and cultures and beautiful parks we have over here in the community that I've built up over here. So, what…is important to me is building community. And I do that through…Education. Creating legal advocacy and writing. I published a book that talks about how…Ableism, racism, and sexism, show up in different aspects of our world. And the things we could do to remove them from our community. KERIS: Thanks for that introduction, Haben. And speaking of your book, um, I think before I met you the first time in San Francisco, at a library event you were doing with our friend Mychal Threats, I read your book, and I read it via audiobook, And to be clear, audiobook is a way of reading a book. And I laughed. I cried, I clutched my pearls, I have no pearls, but if I had them, I would have clutched them. I, um… Oh, I don't know, I had… I went through all the emotions in that book, and I just love that book. And I saw and heard your sense of humor. So when I got to meet you, um, in order to communicate with you, I had to type on a, um, keyboard that communicated with your Braille device. And I had to tell you, I'm a horrible typist, that I actually type backwards because I have a form of, I guess, like, a spatial dyslexia. So, um, but I remember we had a lot of fun, um, having conversation And I also remember later, when I saw you at the Disability Rights California Gala, because I had read your book, I know, uh, that you love to dance. And there was music playing, and I asked you, hey, would you like to dance? And we got up and, um, you wore me out. We weren't dancing that long, but again, you wore me out. You are the dancing queen. So, tell me a little bit about your book, um, Haben, because the name of the book is what? Haben! [KERIS LAUGHING] Go figure. But the name of the book is Haben, um, the Deaf Blind Woman Who Graduated from Harvard, um, Law School. So, can you tell us a little bit about the book? [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: I'd love to, but first, I would love to comment on all you've shared. That event where we met! with Mychal Threads. Fabulous! Mychal is such a powerful advocate for literacy, for community, I hope more people read Michael's new children's book. And follow him on social media. That's Michael Threats, the library ambassador. And you were also mentioning You were typing to me. And you jokingly commented that your typing…is… is not great [HABEN SAYS WITH A SMILE IN A VOICE]. And I want to reassure you…And everyone that my goal is connection. Not perfection. I don't notice most of the typos. Because I'm focused on connecting with someone. I don't care about the typos. I can understand it 99% of the time. So, I want to reassure you, the next time we meet up in person, Don't worry about spelling. I… I have lots of friends with dyslexia and different kinds of learning disabilities, Or even physical disabilities that make typing difficult. And we adapt, we find ways If someone can't type, we can have someone else type for them, like an interpreter. So, we… we adapt. We… we find….., we ways to make things work. And then you also were talking about So, while reading my book, You clutched her pearls! But then mentioned you don't actually wear pearls. So, for you, personally, When you are physically reacting to something that stuns you, or shocks you, How do you physically react? What do you do in that situation?   KERIS: Um, yeah, thanks for the question. I mean, I think it depends on what it is. Um, when I…Touch my pearls, if there were, you know, my imaginary pearls. It's almost like clutching my heart for me, where something has touched me. Um, and…I think throughout the book, there were so many different points that, first of all, felt somewhat familiar for me as an African American woman. And as an African-American woman with a disability, there were, um, parts of the book that felt very familiar, And those might have been… clutch my pearl moments. Um, the biggest clutch-my-pearl moment…or that kind of, like, shock or heartfelt was, um, in the book when you were talking about being on the plane. Um, and your father, I think, was pulled off the plane, and there you are. Um, you know, Deaf and Blind, trying to figure out exactly what was going on and how frightening that was for you. I mean, that was a…That was… yeah, serious, um, moment of…just wanting to know what's gonna happen. I know you're gonna be okay, because clearly, you know, you wrote the book, you…You're here to talk about it, but just the mere fact of going through something like that,and not, um, knowing what's going on around you. Um, yeah, I just was really, uh, had a lot of emotion around that part of your story, too. [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN:  [speaking with passion] That was such an emotional experience. And for most of my life, I tried to forget it. It was so traumatic, I did not want to remember it. And I came very close to not even putting that in the book. But… We are seeing an increase in family separations…Caused by governments. The U.S. government and other governments around the world. And it is…Horrible. It is so painful. And I thought it was important to show that this impacts disabled people, too. And we really need to be mindful of what we're doing to families. When they separated me and my dad, it was…It was temporary, But I didn't know at the time it would only be temporary. I was about 6 years old. And…As you said, DeafBlind, so I couldn't see or hear everything that was happening. And that is scary, Do children without disabilities. So, it's…Yeah, it's… it's definitely a pearl-clutching moment.   KERIS: Yeah, thank you so much for including it in the book, and, you know, um… having to relive the trauma, and now I feel kind of bad because I brought it up, but at the same time, I'm glad we're here to talk about it, because it does need to be… We do need people to understand the impacts of some of what these governments are doing around, um, family separation and…Um, you know, how it impacts, um, the children, And the families writ large, that it's not a…it's not imaginary, it's not something that's on a piece of paper, it's real, and it impacts real people. So, you know, thank you so much for being vulnerable, to share that, uh, and for it to, uh, remind, um, everybody who reads the book, and also folks who are listening into the podcast or reading the transcript of the podcast. Um, to, um, have that information about that part of your story in your life. [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: I wanted people to understand that disabled people are multi-dimensional. We have so many different aspects to our identities. And it is customary for society to try to flatten us. To just disabled people. But we're much more than that. And your podcast is also teaching people that.   KERIS: Oh, thank you, Haben, and I could not agree with you more. I mean, um, you know, just in you talking about that story, You know, a lot of times, and people do know that I live with a mental health condition and other disabilities, but, um, there's been this segregation between, um, the mental health, um, advocacy community and the disability rights community, even though both communities have access to the same rights, um, because we have disabilities, but over the years, I've been working hard. to bring those two communities together. And, you know, as I was listening to you just tell a little bit more about, um, the trauma that you experienced. I always want people to know that everybody has mental health. Everybody has it, have it. Um, it goes not so well that your mental health can be impacted. And, um, you know, trauma is one of those things that impacts our mental health and well-being. Whether we get a diagnosis or not, so it is this intersectional issue. Um, and I don't know, what are your thoughts about how we could better, um, bring our communities together to, um, advocate to preserve our rights, especially now, because in the U.S., lots going on right now in the U.S. [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: Some of the most powerful advocacy experiences for me were cross-disability experiences, different organizations, for example, Mobility International USA, Disability Rights California, will bring in groups of disabled people, very different disability experiences, different backgrounds. [HABEN SPEAKING WITH A SMILE IN HER VOICE] And you learned things you never thought you'd learn. Because everyone has their own wisdom. They've had challenges, and they've come up with unique solutions. And when you have these spaces where people can share their ideas, There's solutions, their experiences, We all grow from that, and learn from that. So, it would be great if the mental health community had more cross-disability, cross-disability…Cross-community experiences! to share wisdom and learn from each other.   KERIS: So what I say to that is snaps, claps, thumbs up, um, which is… comes from a show called In Living Color, which basically means I agree, I agree.” Y-A-S-S-S-S-S-S”, yes, [KERIS GIGGLES]  kind of thing. So that's what that means. And I couldn't agree more, and I'm glad you're… you're on the same page with that. And…you know, as you were talking about learning from each other and our work, Um, one of the things that I've been learning from you, of course, is the importance of accessibility and how, in my work, whether it's this podcast, Which is a passion project. Um, I'm not funded, um… Yeah, I don't get any money for doing this, and I've been doing it for 5 years, but I do it because of community and relationships and connections and education. And, um, I've always wanted to ensure it's as accessible as possible. So, when I met you about a year ago, I… the first thing I said is, I want you to be on my podcast, knowing full well it was not fully accessible, and I was working towards that goal. Took me a year to get there, but, um…One of the things thatI had to think about was, as a solo person, I have a producer, but um, as the solo person who does the podcast. how to do audio transcriptions, and so I took a course, actually,  from Think Outside the Vox around, um, culturally competent audio descriptions. And the closest I've gotten to is…just a straight…um, transcript from the, um, podcast. But I'd love it to be far more rich, like, Um, when I say audio descriptions, and you can correct me if I'm… if I've got it Got it? If I'm on point, um, is…that as we're talking, Closed captions or descriptions just put out the words. And what they might not hear is…If your voice sounds happy or stressed, or if we're laughing, Um, and that's what I want to include in my podcast transcripts, is something that is far more descriptive. What are your thoughts on that? [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: I sometimes call those descriptive transcripts. So, traditional transcripts actually lack the emotional information of someone's tone.[HABEN SPEAKS WITH SMILING VOICE] It can tell you so much about whether this is a joke, whether someone's laughing, Whether someone's angry and irritated, you want to know all those things. So, a descriptive transcript…That's that emotional information in there. So, you might have…The word laughing in parentheses, to communicate that there's laughter on the podcast. Or you might put in parentheses, awkward pause. Lots of potential to… to share this emotional information, so that it's coming through in the podcast In the written podcast.   KERIS: Thank you, I'm, um, trying to do that, and, um, I have more time. I'm trying to spend more time. With the, um, podcast from each recording. I post every week, so, um, what I'm trying to do now is take the transcripts And, um, take the raw transcripts, and while I'm listening, to the recording, be able to parenthetically or appropriately put in, oh, by the way, the podcast actually starts with music, so I need to indicate that the music is upbeat, funky, um, with a…fast beat to it, and then say, that I'm talking, and then maybe…put parenthetically, if there is laughter, or whatever emotion is there. I also talked to you about, um, doing something a little bit creative with the podcast that I've not seen before, and it has to do with Uh, when I watched a video of you, I think you were at the… Braille Museum in France, maybe? And, um, they gave you these little vials that had aroma in it. So, there was another sense that you could tap into to experience the exhibit beyond the braille and feeling the items, or, um, you could actually smell the leather book beyond just feel the leather book. There was a vial with, I think, a smell of leather in it. Um, can you talk a little bit about that experience at the museum? [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN was the Louis BRY [Braille [pronounced in French BRY] Museum in Cupre, France. Braille in French is pronounced ‘bry'. So, that's why I said Louis Briy Museum. And in the museum, they have leather products, because Louis Bryce's father was A leather harness and saddle maker so that was part of his…childhood, and…the museum wanted to…communicate the museum experience. For people who are not physically at the museum, so they created…Fragrance…Jars, vials, capsules… And they're little jars with labels on the top, there's print, And there's braille, and you open it up, and you could smell…different aspects of the museum. So, for example, the rose from the garden…The leather from the saddle and harness workshop. Candles…Lots of different…unique sense to that specific…place. And it was a very thoughtful souvenir to be able to…experience with the sense of touch and smell… especially for someone who can't see pictures. of the museum. A lot of people, when they travel and they come back home, they look at pictures or videos from their trips. I can't do that, but now I have… Smelling jars! With bry labels! to remember Cupre, France.   KERIS: That is so very cool. And so I'm always thinking about, um, how to add a dimension, a sensory dimension, Um, to my work. When…For example, when I, uh, was in seminary, I wanted people to experience music, not just with their ears, but with what they could feel, so I passed out balloons so people could hold the balloon. And, um, get close to, um, the speakers where the music was, so they could actually, um, feel the music, um, and realize that Music is more than just what you hear with your ears. You can feel it. Um, and that was a way to help them understand that, um, beyond how maybe they were even thinking about it, probably people know they can [KERIS GIGGLING], but they don't recognize, I don't think. The power of being able to tap into that sense. And, you know, that makes me think about you and dancing. And when I was reading about you dancing. So, um, yeah, share a little bit about, uh, how you got into dancing. [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: I love dancing, I got into it through a dance instructor who was blind. And she taught us that we can access music in so many different ways. She was teaching a class of…mostly blind students. Blindness is a spectrum, so different kinds of vision. And those who were low vision and learned best visually, she invited them to come…welcome to the front of the class so they could more easily see her different dance movements. She also described what she was doing for those who learned best through listening. And then, for people who learn best through touch, She allowed us to touch her feet, And she used her hands to represent her feet and would physically move her hands to represent what her feet are doing during the different steps, In salsa, swing, morengue… She was a wonderful teacher. She still is a wonderful teacher. Her name is Denise Bansell. She's here in California. still teaching, and it inspired me to continue taking dance lessons. And I still love dancing. And I'm glad you and I were able to dance up in Sacramento. You were talking about how you love…multi-sensory experiences. And how you can… Bring that to these conversations on your podcast.   KERIS: I like them. And, you know, as we're talking about this, this… this reminds me of… this idea of the work that we do, um, you know, in our advocacy, and maybe in our lives sometimes can be hard, it can be tedious, it needs to be done. Um, sometimes for me, um, you know, I think you may have heard of the spoon theory. I'm out of my spoons by 12 o'clock, but I still have work to do at by 5 o'clock, so I gotta figure out how to get through. And one of the things that, um, you know, I hoped we would talk a little bit about is joy and the power of joy. And, um, you know, I'm so, um, happy that you're sharing some of your experiences. Because, um, I'm hoping they give you joy. I know they give me joy when I see you doing them. Especially the most recent one. Um, I know I'm supposed to call you Queen Harben, Knightly Haben….I am supposed to kiss your knight ring… I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I know you were just recently knighted. Um, as in K-N-I-G-H-T-E-D, not nighted, N-I-G-H-T-E-D. But, um… Yeah, talk a little bit about joy, and this, um, wonderful, uh, honor that you received, And some of the things that you just like doing in your life that you're sharing with others on your platforms.   [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: It's just appointed me a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. And in France knighthoods are honors, [HABEN SPEAKING WITH A SMILE AND LAUGHS So, there's no…Ring-kissing. There's no calling me any… kind of title.[KERIS LAUGHS]  So, it's… it's just an honor for helping to advocate for Braille. Because some people… Today, I think that braille is not necessary. They think, oh, everyone could just listen to audio, and no one needs to learn braille anymore. Braille is still very much needed. And it evolves with the technology we have. Digital Braille. I'm using Refreshable Braille on a Braille computer. And it will connect with laptop and smartphones. We can type braille on touch screens, So, braille can appear instantly with a glass. It's very much still alive and still needed. So that is one of the things I advocate about. And… you mentioned spoon theory.  Spoon theory is a way to describe how…everyone has different energy levels and some people, due to disabilities, fluctuating energy levels, and may start the day with less spoons, less energy, compared to, say, non-disabled people. And it's a reminder to be flexible, an adaptive in… how we schedule, how we think about time…Uh, we make space for… all the different bodies and minds in our communities.   KERIS: Yeah, so, um, how are you doing that for yourself, and how are you finding joy in the midst of all of the, you know, different things that you're doing relative to advocacy and work.   [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: There are so many depressing and frustrating things happening in our world right now, And it is really critical for me to take time to go into nature. So, we were talking about flowers and gardens. That's another way I recharge my energy so I can get back into advocacy. I like to make a regular practice of walking around nature, And we're very blessed to have many great parks, including accessible parks, in the San Francisco Bay Area. So, that's one of the things I do. I also have a dog, a guide dog. spending time with him is… is… [HABEN SPEAKING EXITEDLY} Lovely. He recharges me, gives me so much energy.   And… food is another one. I love delicious food, and I'm always learning about new flavors and new cuisines.   KERIS: Amazing. I'm a bit of a… I'm not a foodie, but I do like, um, my comfort food. That gives me joy, is finding some comfort food, which is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Which is no good for me, because it's lips to hips, and I'm not a small person. Um, however, um, when I need a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I'm gonna have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That brings me joy. and your dog, Milo, oh my gosh, so cute, Milo. Um, how do people interact with Milo? Just want to make sure that folks are mindful. about, um, and I know how you would want people to interact is one way, and how other people with their service and or guide dogs would want them to interact might be another way, but for you, What's important for people to do when they see you with Milo?   [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: The good principle is to ask…a person with…a service animal if you can, interact with that service animal. So, if you're interested in petting the dog,  ask first if you can pat the dog. And if it looks like they're working, like they're trying to get somewhere, they're in the middle of an important meeting, It's probably best that you don't interrupt them and as to pet the dog. Um, but if it looks like…They're just hanging out. Um, then…There's a good chance that someone will welcome the opportunity to connect and get to know you, as well as you learning about their dog. Because service dogs are with people, and the people are just as interesting as the dogs. [HABEN SPEAKING WITH LAUGHTER]   KERIS:  [Keris laughing] That's the truth. I have seen more often than not, people talk to the dog and totally ignore the person, and it's like… You do know there's a person there, right? [KERIS LAUGHING] Um, so thank you for, uh, saying that, yes, the dogs are quite interesting, and… guess what? Their people are just as interesting, too. HABEN: Right, just as interesting, equally as interesting. KERIS: And sometimes, I don't know, maybe even more interesting,  [KERIS LAUGHING] you never know. HABEN: Depends on the dog. KERIS: Yeah, yes, thank you, it does depend on the dog.   KERIS: I have a little dog, she's not a service dog. I have had a psychiatric service dog in the past, I've had two. My first psychiatric service dog was Eleanor Roosevelt. And she was a little Tibetan Spaniel, she was amazing. Um, and then my second service dog was Steinbeck. Uh, he was amazing, and um… I got a little nervous about getting another dog, actually, so it took me a while, and I just… thought, let me see what I can do without a dog for the moment, and um… so now I have another dog, it's not a service dog, is, um, Obama, or Obi for short. So one thing you can learn from me about my dogs, um, is don't have me name them for you, because they will not get… it won't be Spot, it won't be Socks, it won't be anything like that. I come up with kind of, sort of funny names. [KERIS LAUGHING] HABEN: Oh, you come up with… presidential, uh…  [HABEN SPEAKING WITH JOY] Wonderful! memorable names!   KERIS: Yeah, yeah, uh, Eleanor Roosevelt was because, you know, I hate to say it, she wasn't the cutest dog on the face of the earth, she was a bit homely. And that's what people said about Eleanor Roosevelt. Um, and again, I don't…I don't go by looks, I don't care about stuff like that. The biggest thing for me about Eleanor Roosevelt was she was like a first lady. Um, and she had the biggest heart for me. She did not like other people. That was not like Eleanor Roosevelt, now that I think about it. But we did name her Eleanor Roosevelt. And, um, Steinbeck…Which, just because the dog told me that was his name. Steinbeck is my favorite author, but uh…the dog just looked at me, and I called the dog Steinbeck, and that's all there was to that. And Obi, or Obama, um, her name is, um, Obama because she has enormous ears. Sorry, President Obama, [keris laughing] but she has very big ears. And she's very pretty, like Michelle, so that's how we come up with some of the names. It's… it's weird. It's weird. I'll admit. I'll admit it.   [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: I think that's a good way to come up with names, a bit about their character, a bit about their physical appearance, and a bit about their heart and personality.   KERIS: Yeah. Does… does Milo… did Milo come with his name? Some service dogs come with their name from, uh… where the service dog is trained. So did Milo have the name Milo, or…? Did you give him that name?   HABEN: I gave him that name. So many people find my name. hard, and difficult to remember. So I wanted a super, super easy name. KERIS Okay, I don't find the name Haben' so hard to remember, but I will, um, not be judgmental of other people who may find it so! Alright, so, um, as we wrap up Haben one of the things that I like to do with all of my guests is to take a moment to do what we call wisdom dropping. Um, it's kind of like drop the mic, but now you're gonna drop some wisdom. And this is your time to share anything that you would like to share with our listeners. It could be a call to action, it could be an affirmation, it could be something that you wanted to talk about that we didn't talk about during our time together. So I'm going to turn it over to you for your wisdom dropping.   [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: In this conversation, you've been making space for silence, And the pauses between our different sides of the conversation. That is really beautiful. My call to action is for everyone to learn to feel comfortable with silence. Feel comfortable with pauses. In those pauses, you are giving yourself time to process, reflect. And… settle in more deeply into the conversation and where you are in space and time. So that is my little bit of wisdom. KERIS: snaps, claps, thumbs up again. Which is the Y-A-S-S-S-S, yes, uh, to that piece of wisdom. Thank you so much. if Milo's in the room, Milo, thank you for joining us on Unapologetically Black unicorns.   [SILENCE- DELAY] HABEN: Oh my goodness, thank you so much for having me! And thank you to all your listeners for sharing your time with us today. My book is called Haben. The DeafBlind woman who conquered Harvard Law. People were saying to me that I overcame my disability to go to Harvard. No, I'm still disabled. It was Harvard that had to overcome ableism. And they still have more work to do, and we all still have more work to do. To remove ableism from our communities.   KERIS: Thank you for that, and we will be putting links to, uh, whatever you'd like us to link to, Haben in our, um…description and show notes, it can be links to the book, links to your social media. So thank you again for joining us, and as my producer Garrett likes to remind me to say at the end of each podcast, Please like, comment, and subscribe. Okay, Garrett, I've said it. But the most important thing, and we both agree about this, is to share this episode. We never know who needs to hear these messages and these wisdom dropping. So make sure to share the episode, and until next week, we will see you on Unapologetically Black unicorns. [Soft theme music increases volume and podcast ends]

There are somewhere north of 47,000 Christian denominations in the world — so why this one? Opening a ten-week series on what makes United Methodists who they are, Tamm Jackson argues that the answer has to begin somewhere other than John Wesley, the Book of Discipline, or three centuries of Methodist tradition. It begins with Jesus. Preaching from an ancient hymn Paul quotes in Philippians 2 — where Christ, holding every right to power, empties himself instead — she traces what it means to "have the mind of Christ": a commitment to the way of Jesus so complete that nothing can pull you off it. Along the way she notes that Christian and Methodist both started out as insults, and that in both cases the people they were aimed at decided to wear them proudly. She also names the things that quietly compete for the center of a life — politics, money, status, family, comfort, and, not least, the church itself. A congregation can end up fighting harder for its traditions than for its neighbors. The correction, she says, is the willingness Wesley himself showed when George Whitefield dragged him out to preach in fields and coal mines: when we find we have gotten it wrong, we change.Scripture: Philippians 2:5–11In this episode: why 47,300 denominations is a smaller number than it sounds · "Christian" and "Methodist" as words that began as insults · what Paul's hymn says about power given away · Caesar is Lord versus Jesus is Lord · the things that compete to be the center · Wesley changing his mind about field preaching, and about women preaching · Methodist women, the temperance movement, and why you cannot legislate morality · Ruth the Moabite and the Ethiopian eunuch · seeing the world through Jesus-colored glasses.

Are you looking for true fulfillment and spiritual fullness of life? In this message from our sermon series, we look at Matthew 5:6 and the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts 8 to discover what it really means to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sacred places and temporary pursuits cannot satisfy our deepest yearnings; only an encounter with Jesus Christ provides abundant life and everlasting joy. Key Takeaways: How faith in Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst. The power of obedience to the Holy Spirit when sharing the Gospel. The true meaning of baptism as an act of surrender to God and the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Christ. Scripture References: Matthew 5:6, Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 42:2, Isaiah 56:3-5

A succession battle is intensifying in Uganda's Tooro Kingdom ahead of the late king's burial. Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma has been named the next monarch, but the decision is being challenged by members of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV's immediate family, raising questions about the kingdom's future leadership.And Ethiopia is preparing to welcome the year 2019 on September 11. On New Year's Eve, Ethiopians at home and across the world will celebrate Enkutatash, the start of a new year in the Ethiopian calendar. We explore the traditions and how the occasion is marked.Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Bella Twine and Fana Negash Technical Producer: Davis Mwasaru Senior Producer: Blessing Aderogba Editors: Daniel Dadzie and Maryam Abdalla

Saturday Night Service (8/29/26) // *Acts 21:8* (ESV) // 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.Acts 8:4-40* (ESV) // *Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria* // 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city[a] of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.*Simon the Magician Believes*9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles[b] performed, he was amazed.14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall[c] of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.*Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch*26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[d] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation?For his life is taken away from the earth.”34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told ...

The DMV is the capital of Ethiopian America, and for 50 years eating Ethiopian food has been a Washington tradition. Over the years, the scene has become richer, more diverse, and more innovative. Washingtonian's Ike Allen is the author of a new guide to local Ethiopian dining and he's here to give us some highlights. Where to Eat Ethiopian Food Around the DC Area Right Now Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: ‪(202) 642-2654‬. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this September 10th episode: District Bridges DC Department of Behavioral Health Mosaic Theater Company Washington National Opera The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University Signature Theatre Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

God Empowers the Weak (2) (audio) David Eells, 9/9/26 God wants us to trust Him alone. (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. God calls this “departing from the Lord” when you trust in the arm of the flesh. That's departing from the Lord. When you do it the way the world does it, when you don't have any difference, any separation, any sanctification between you and the world, that's departing from the Lord. (Jer.17:6) For he shall be like the heath (or like a tumbleweed) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited. (7) Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is. (8) For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Now that sounds like the wilderness that's coming, doesn't it? And he's telling you who will make it through and prosper and be blessed going through it. It's the person who puts his trust in the Lord. But the person who trusts in the “arm of the flesh” is going to be blown away like a tumbleweed. That's why we're preparing to get in the Ark now. There's a flood coming that's going to take a lot of people away and it's not only the fault of the teachers, but the people who listen to them because it's the easy way. There's no death-to-self in it; there's no becoming like a child in it. God is preparing to show you there's a difference between His method and the method of the world. (2Ch.16:11) And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. (12) And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. (13) And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. (14) And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David … What offended God here is that Asa sought his help from the physicians and not from the Lord, meaning that there is a difference.  But Asa's problem was not in just that area. He began to trust in the arm of the flesh in so many things. When Asa ruled over Judah, Judah was at war with the northern 10 tribes. (2Ch.16:1) In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. (2) Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, (3) [There is] a league between me and thee, as [there was] between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. Judah was bribing the Syrians to break their league with the northern 10 tribes of Israel, so that they could whip them. Well, Asa made a big mistake because he robbed God in order to bribe these people. He looted out of the Lord's treasuries and hired himself some insurance. He took God's money to do this. And you know, we do the same thing a lot of times. If the enemy seems too big, many times we'll take God's money to try to whittle him down a little bit. That's not permitted, and God rebuked Asa for it. In the first place, Asa was bowing down to the god of fear because the enemy was bigger than he was. But throughout history, the enemy was always bigger than God's people when they won, so he shouldn't have bowed down to fear in the first place. In the second place, Asa should not have used God's money. Did you know that all of your money is God's money? It's not our money, so Asa shouldn't have used God's money to buy insurance against his enemy or to strengthen himself against his enemy. But he didn't know God's plan. God had a great plan. (2Ch.16:4) And Ben-Hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel (the northern 10 tribes); and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali. (5) And it came to pass, that when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and let his work cease. (6) Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he built there with Geba and Mizpah. Look! He had success! He bribed the Syrians to break their league with his enemy and it worked. You'd say, “Well, he accomplished what he wanted to do. In a way, he won the war.”  Asa used God's money to do something that worked; he hired insurance and it worked, but God didn't see it that way. (2Ch.16:7) And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. You see what God was planning? He had planned to give to Judah both Israel and Syria. He was going to let Judah conquer both of them. Instead, Judah got worried, and they bribed Syria to break their pact with Israel, so that they would only have one to conquer. However, God said, “You've made a mistake. I was going to give them both to you. It would have cost you nothing and I was going to give them both to you.” That's the way it is when we run for our insurances and our assurances of the world in our strengthening ourselves. See, God wants to give it all to us. Look. (2Ch.16:7) ... Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. (8) Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand. (9) For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Do you understand what God was saying here? He was saying, “Look, if you'd have done it My way, you wouldn't have had to conquer this problem again. This would have been the end of it. But, okay, since you did it your way, you're going to have wars from here on.” So we won't necessarily have to fight if we just do it God's way the first time. God would have given the whole enemy, vastly outnumbered as Judah was, He would have given all of them to Israel, but Judah used money to make themselves strong.  God gives you His help for free, but the alliance that you make with the world using your money is costing you something. When you make yourself strong with the strength of the world with your money, which is really God's money, it is taking from God. Think about that now. It's not your money; it's God's money. You're taking God's money and you're giving it to the devil's kingdom to make yourself strong against an enemy that God would give you anyway and give you for free. An alliance with the world is not God's method, and it wasn't His plan for Asa. That was Asa's problem. Asa had fallen into this trap of putting his trust in the arm of the flesh and it made Asa angry when God rebuked him. (2Ch.16:10) Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing…. Many of God's people are doing the same thing with their money when they bow down to the gods of insurance. What are you doing when you buy insurance? Isn't it because you don't believe the Word of God? “Oh, we need insurance,” you say. Oh, really? Think about why we need insurance. Is it not because you trust the security insurance companies provide with their large financial reserves? You're trusting in them in case something happens, as if God isn't on His throne. God knows things are going to happen. He also knows He's going to provide. So what you're doing is robbing God's money and giving it to another god. I've hardly ever seen a greater miracle than when God told me to get rid of my insurance. And, let me tell you, when I called my insurance man and got rid of my house and car insurance, it really shocked him. But I don't think it was maybe a week or two later that I saw one of the biggest miracles I've ever seen, and God proved to me that dropping my worldly insurance was His way for me because He blessed me so abundantly. I had pulled my car into this little old quickie supermarket and gone inside when I heard this big crash. The whole front of the store, all the glass in front of the store, just shook. A car had run up in that parking lot and slammed right into my car, and I had just gotten rid of all of my insurance. It slammed right into my little Datsun station wagon that wasn't but a little tin box anyway. I knew something had happened when I looked out of that store, but when I went outside, I tell you what, I was just totally awed by the power of God. This big old Buick had just wrapped itself around the corner of my Datsun station wagon. I mean hit it right on the plastic tail lens of my Datsun, and it just notched the front of that Buick from top to bottom. The hood, the grille, the bumper- they were all caved in about a foot. The plastic tail lens of my Datsun had caved in that car from top to bottom. It was an old Buick, too – an old heavy car built like a tank; hit my car and it literally wrapped around my car.  When I went outside, the driver had backed up about a foot and was out there looking at it with his eyes just as big as saucers. I said, “Oh, man!” If I hadn't seen that, I'd have never believed it because it just totaled out the whole front of his car. And there wasn't a scratch on my car. While he was standing there looking at it, I took my thumbnail and I scraped the paint off of the plastic tail lens where his hood hit my wrap-around tail lens on the corner of that Datsun station wagon. That was the only mark on my car! No, he couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it, either. But you see, I didn't have any insurance. I'd put myself in the hands of the Lord. You know, I'd become like a child, in a way, because I put myself in the hands of the Lord.  Now we have to obey the law, but at this time in Louisiana, we didn't have to have any insurance, and I didn't have any insurance. Nobody ever collected off of me, but boy, I collected off some other folks. I don't say that to be bragging; I'm just saying God did miracles for me because of that. In every way that I didn't have insurance, He was my assurance. Well, I wasn't even thinking right when I saw this; I was just awed. I mean, the guy got in his car and took off, and after he left, I thought, “Boy, I missed the best chance in the world of witnessing to somebody,” so I jumped in my car and caught him at the next red light. I got out and I witnessed to him. I told him that was God! I said, “God did that because I didn't have any insurance.” When I said, “It's a miracle,” he said, “It must be.” I remember the first thing he said when I went outside and looked at the car. He said something like, “Boy, they sure must build them better than they used to.” You know that was totally stupid. His car would have cut a path right through the middle of my car, and he wouldn't have been scratched. It would have been the other way around. Those old Buicks were tough, and mine you could dent with your elbow. A Datsun station wagon? You could knock the car tail lens out with your elbow. I'm telling you there's just nothing there.  This was one of those positions I was put in where I was made so weak and the situation I was facing was so strong that it was totally ridiculous. But I'd just gotten rid of all my insurance. When you put yourself in the hands of God, He takes that very seriously. Whatever you do and however it turns out, when you put yourself in the hands of God, you're going to be the blessed one. Another time when I got in a wreck, God didn't protect my vehicle, but I was so glad He didn't. I had a little Toyota truck that I loved. I was going down the interstate on my way to work, and I saw the car in front of me slowing down. The whole line of traffic was slowing down because somebody was stopped in the middle of a bridge, and I was slowing down, but the fourth guy back was looking off down the river instead of looking at the bridge, and he just scooped us all up. Bang! Bang! Bang! It was just one right after another. Well, the guy in front of me was hurt really badly. He had slammed into the steering wheel, and it jammed up in his chest, and he had lung blood just gushing out of his face. I've shot enough deer to know that it was lung blood. It was bright red because it has a lot of oxygen in it.  So I got up in his cab, and I pulled him out, and I laid him down on the concrete there beside his truck, with his head on the curb like it was a pillow. And the lung blood literally piled up from the road up to his face. That's how it was coming out of him. It came out jelly-like. I'm just telling you what a miracle God did. I knelt down there right beside him, and I prayed for him, and I commanded him to be healed in the name of Jesus. There were people all around me just looking at me doing that. Then the medics came and put him in the ambulance. I immediately left there and went home to call the hospital, and they told me there was nothing wrong with that man. The nurse said, “We turned him loose. He went home.” I said, “Lady, if you'd seen the pile of blood out there on the concrete, you'd know there was something wrong with him.” She said, “Well, I don't know, maybe he had a scratch in his nose or something, but there was nothing wrong with him we could see. We turned him loose and he went home.” Praise the Lord! Now, even though my truck was totaled out and at that time I didn't have any insurance, I got my truck fixed, and I still had $1500 in my pocket. It was a real blessing. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Not only that, what really tickled me the most was this: While I was standing there beside the highway with that man's blood on my arms from picking him out of the cab, somebody from work also came by. It was a Christian guy and he knew I'd preached walking and speaking faith. He saw me standing there with that blood on my arms and said to me, “You'd better go to the hospital.” I kept saying, “There's nothing wrong with me,” but he thought I was speaking faith. He insisted, “You better go to the hospital!” I told him again, “There's really nothing wrong with me,” so he drove off, and he went and told my boss. When I got to work, he and my boss and a bunch of people were standing around waiting for me. They were giving me the once-over with their eyes. They were looking me up one side and down the other, and I told them, “Look, I told him there was nothing wrong with me. It wasn't me. It's the other guy who got hurt. There's nothing wrong with me.” It was really hard to convince them. They thought I was just speaking faith. Well, anyway, that time God fixed my truck. The next time, of course, we didn't have any insurance either and God bought my house with their insurance money. He plundered Egypt right on down and bought my house and car with their insurance money. You know, even in our ignorance, sometimes God blesses us, right? Sure, there is a worldly method that can bring success. Didn't Asa get success by bribing Assyrians to break their pact? But God didn't agree with his method. Asa's method worked. He conquered his enemy and, in fact, it broke the war off totally. But even though it was successful, Asa used God's money to do it. He used God's money to buy insurance. God didn't agree with it. This is not to condemn anybody. This is just so that we know for the future what God can do. God doesn't appreciate insurance because it's a false god. It's something that we're counting on for our salvation in the future. And here's something we really ought to think about: Suppose things come on us because we have insurance. I'll give you a good example that just stuck with me so well, which the Lord showed me. When I worked at Exxon, I was working with this guy on pumps in the field; his name was Melvin. One day we were working on this old slurry pump. It's an old crude pump. Crude is real bad about staining. It's almost like paint. If it gets on you, it will stain you almost permanently. And so I was working with him on this old pump, and the gauge on the top of the pump showed that it was empty, no pressure. The bleeders were open to make sure that there wasn't pressure, that when we broke into it, we wouldn't come into pressure. The bleeder was plugged and the gauge was broken, so when we were breaking into this thing, we were breaking into a pump that had pressure on it, and it was pressurized crude oil.  So, he and I were working on the head of this pump and we'd taken all the bolts out, but the gasket was holding the head stuck onto the thing. I tapped on it a little bit, but it wouldn't break loose, and Melvin was standing right there beside it. I walked away from the pump to get a bigger hammer so I could rear back and hit that plate and it would break the gasket surface. The minute I walked away, the thing popped off and blew crude all over him. Just all over him. Now I'd been talking to Melvin about the Lord a lot. In fact, he'd been converted to the Lord by my testimony to him. But he said, “You planned that, didn't you?” It was like I just walked away and all of a sudden BOOM! and it was crude oil all over him. He was black from top to bottom, clothes and everything. And he said, “Well, don't worry about it; I have a change of clothes in my locker.” I said, “Oh, that's the reason you got it and I didn't get it. I don't have a change of clothes.” So God knew I couldn't afford to get that way because I didn't have a change of clothes. You get the point? Melvin prepared for a disaster and he got one. He had full faith that he was going to have one, and he got what he believed for. See, we don't realize that God is sovereign. If we prepare or we insure for disaster, He can bring one. Sometimes we think, “Oh, thank God I prepared!” But actually, we could have brought on the disaster in the first place. Melvin and I left this pump, and after he had changed his clothes and everything, we went to another pump. This is a very rare thing. Well, believe it or not, this other one was the same kind of pump, and almost the same thing happened. And I was standing right beside him this time, right beside him when the flange broke open. It was amazing to me how two things in a row could happen like this. The flange broke open and it squirted out of one place from that thing and drowned him from top to bottom with crude oil. But just before this happened, Melvin said, “You're never gonna get me like that again.” I said, “Melvin, you better watch those positive statements. God is listening.” We left right there and went over to work on this other pump. Sure enough, we had checked that one even with a rod, but evidently it was plugged up somewhere else- the bleeder with a rod and everything- and the plate just backed up just a little bit. It squirted a stream and hit Melvin and squirted him from top to bottom with crude oil. I said, “I told you about those positive statements, Melvin.” This was the second time. It was a good thing he was a good-natured guy, and he really was, but he got it twice in a row. Well, I'm sure he learned something from that because it was impossible for something like that to happen twice. It was just impossible for us to be working on the same kind of equipment because we worked on everything from turbines to motors to pumps to drivers, and here we were working on a reciprocating pump. There weren't even that many of them out there, and we worked on one right after another, and he got it on both.  God takes offense when you insure yourself, and when you do, He causes you to lose the battle. In the last case we looked at, it seemed like they made the right decision because what Asa did worked. The only thing is, he robbed God by trusting in a false god. God even gave Asa temporary victory in it, but then the prophet came and prophesied to him that he wasn't going to get out of wars because of that. In other words, he didn't do it right that time, so another war was coming. We have to understand that if we don't do it God's way, we haven't gotten out of anything. Another trial just like it is right around the corner because these trials are put there for us to be overcomers and to overcome something in us that's wrong. And trusting in the world is wrong. It's offensive to God. (2Ch.20:35) And after this did Jehoshaphat the king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah the king of Israel; the same did very wickedly: (36) and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. (37) Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken so that they were not able to go to Tarshish. (21:1) And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David…. So we see that Jehoshaphat lost his life because of his insurance, and Asa lost his life because of his insurance. They trusted in something other than the Lord. You know, our help does not come from anything that we can do or anything that we can eat. (Exo.15:26) … I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Help comes from God. Divine help comes from God. It doesn't come from anything we can eat. In fact, whatever you eat, God says it's good and to be received with thanksgiving, if it is sanctified through the Word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4,5). See, God sanctifies your food. He makes it what you need. Whatever you eat, God will make it what you need, if you sanctify it through the Word of God in faith. As a matter of fact, I want to show you something. See, there are all kinds of insurance. We think, “Well, we're not getting enough vitamins.” That's not what the Bible says.  Now we're not putting anybody under laws about vitamins; this is just an example. (1Ti.4:1) But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, (2) through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; (3) forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats…. Why do they command to abstain from meats? Because they say they're unclean. They say they're not healthy. Why does the world say that pork, for instance, is not healthy? Because they have statistics to prove that pork is not healthy. But who is that talking about? It's talking about the world. We are not the world. The statistics that work for them don't work for us. Paul says this is a doctrine of demons to us. Now, they have the statistics to prove that for the lost world, pork is not a healthy meat, but that's not us. Read what it says to Christians. We are the ones who are delivered from the curse. They are not delivered from the curse. We are delivered, so he calls it a doctrine of demons “to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth” (1Ti.4:3). See, if you know the truth, you can eat those meats because you're free from the curse, if you know the truth. If you really believe what he's saying, you can do this; it will have no bad effect upon you. He said they are “created to be received with thanksgiving.” God created them for that purpose for those who love the truth and know the truth. Only those people won't be hurt. These doctrines of demon teachers are going to tell you they're not all good; some of them you better stay away from, and they take that from Old Testament doctrine about unclean meats. But what did those unclean meats signify? Remember that Peter saw the unclean animals coming down out of Heaven on a sheet (Acts 10:11,12) and God said, “rise, Peter; kill and eat (Act.10:13). (14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. (15) And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.” And God did this to Peter three times (Acts 10:16) to make sure he got the point. The sheet came down out of Heaven. God said, “What I make clean, don't you make unclean.” Then three men showed up at his door, inviting him to come and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:19). And when Peter went before the Gentiles, he said he perceived that they were acceptable to God (Acts 10:28) because of the revelation he had just received about the unclean animals. You see, men are beasts. Gentiles represent unclean animals in the Scriptures.  We're not to partake of unclean animals. If you listen to unclean people, to Gentiles, pagans, their thinking gets into you and, in a way, you're eating what they're saying. Jesus said you're supposed to eat of His Body (John 6:51). His Body is clean. His Body represents the Word, right? He was the Word made flesh. If you eat His body, it goes into you and becomes you. It becomes a part of you. If you do that with an unclean person, you partake of their thinking, their word; it goes into you, and it still becomes a part of you. So God said not to partake of these unclean people, whom the unclean animals represented. That's the revelation that God gave to Peter.  (1Ti.4:4) For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected…. Nothing. Because He said it's good. If God said it's good, it's good: “What I make clean don't you make unclean.” Remember what God said to Peter. “If I say it's clean, it's clean.” In fact, when the disciples were talking about eating only certain things, Jesus said, “not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man (Mat.15:11). (18) But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. (19) For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: (20) these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.” Out of his thinking are unclean thoughts. These defile man. It's not what he eats or his unwashed hands. It's what comes out of your mouth, what comes out of your thinking, that defiles you. Worry about that. Don't worry about eating pork is what He's saying here. (1Ti.4:4) For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving: (5) for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer. It is to be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified through the Word of God and prayer. “Sanctified” means “set apart unto God.” Can the world do that? No, they're under the curse. They can't do that. Jesus told the disciples, And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you (Luk.10:8). (Eat what is put before you.) (3) Go your ways; behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. (7) And in that same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. (8) And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  (1Ti.4:6) If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed [until now:] (7) but refuse profane and old wives' fables…. And that's what these rules of men are. “Don't do this, don't do that; take this and take this,” and all that other garbage. That's not God's plan. That's just like the insurance. That is going after other gods. That's putting your trust in other things. You don't need that. Where does our health come from? It comes from the fact that Jesus became cursed for us so that we could be blessed (Galatians 3:13,14). He bore the whole curse. If I'm blessed and He took all of my curse, then I have to be healthy. I have to be delivered. That's where my faith should be. I am healthy. I don't have to go looking for health by listening to a bunch of quacks who think this drug or this herb or this vitamin is going to heal or keep me. No, that's just crazy, and it's just not Biblical. Our health comes from what Jesus did on the cross. It's something that you accept because of what happened; it's past tense. But people don't believe that's enough, so they think, “I have to do something else to get health. The cross is not enough. Jesus is not a good enough provider, so I'd better get insurance.” Stop and think about these things we're doing. We are trusting in false gods. It is offensive to God. Insurance is common sense to the world, but look at how many times the insurance is the very thing that caused God to bring the curse. And everybody says, “Oh, praise God! Thank God I had that insurance!” No. The curse came because you have insurance. Read here carefully and see if you get the point Jesus is making. (Mat.16:5) And the disciples came to the other side and forgot to take bread. (They didn't provide for themselves.) (6) And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. (7) And they reasoned among themselves, saying, We took no bread. (8) And Jesus perceiving it said, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have no bread? (9) Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? (10) Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Do a little arithmetic in your mind here to figure this thing out.  (11) How is it that ye do not perceive that I spake not to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? (12) Then understood they that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. See, before we look at this carefully, what was the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Their teaching was the Law, salvation by works. In everything, salvation was by works to the people under the Law. Now, the disciples thought, “Well, we don't have provision, we didn't bring bread. We should have stored up some bread and brought it with us.” That was what they were thinking, but Jesus wasn't talking about that.  He said, “Don't you remember the five loaves of the 5000 and how many baskets you took up?” And that was 12. Remember, there were 5000 people to feed. They had five loaves to feed them, and after the miracle, they took up 12 baskets of leftovers. That's a miracle, right? Jesus wants you to compare these two miracles. In the next miracle, He says, “the seven loaves of the 4000.” There were fewer people to feed and they started with more to feed them. They had seven loaves and the baskets they took up were only seven.  In other words, when they put in more, God put in less, and there was less left over. Jesus is saying to the disciples, “Look at these two miracles carefully. Don't you remember? When you didn't put in, God made a bigger miracle. When you put in, God made a lesser miracle and there was less left over. Understand the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They think it's by their own strength.” And that's how the Law worked, by the way. God just gave them the Law and said, “Okay, you keep it or else.” The strength of the Law was the individual's own strength. But what Jesus was saying is, “Don't worry because you didn't bring bread. God's still here. This is not a problem. Don't you understand? Don't you remember what happened?” Look, when you put in less, God puts in more. The less that you have to put in, the more God puts in to show you that it was Him. But the more you put in, the less God puts in. It's that way in everything. The more of self that goes into something, the less of God is going to be there. We must decrease so that He may increase. Remember John the Baptist? (Joh.3:30) He must increase, but I must decrease. That's the truth. That's for all of us. The more we decrease, the more God will increase. Remember, God wants salvation to be by grace – unmerited and unearned, not of your wisdom. (Ephesians 2:8). God is not dealing with us the way He deals with the world. Don't look at the world and think that's the way God wants to deal with you. The world is totally different. He wants all of our salvation, deliverance, prosperity and blessing to come by grace. It has to come freely and trusting in the promise of God. He's called us out of this world (1 Peter 2:9) and He's dealing differently with us. When this life is over, we're going to see how great God is and how little we are. This is the whole point. (Rom.4:4) Now, to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. See, if you could earn it, God would owe it, but God will not permit that. Think about it again now. “To him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.” That's your works, right? This salvation would not be by grace. You'd be making your way to Heaven and God would owe it to you. Think that's ever going to be possible? It's not possible. He's sovereign and He's not going to permit it.  Even where God permits the world's works to save them, He won't permit your works to save you. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. You see, God calls a person righteous because they walk by faith. (Rom.4:17) (As it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. (18) Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations…. See, it looked hopeless. God made a promise and then He waited 40 more years until Abraham and Sarah were ancient, when it couldn't possibly come to pass. God waited because, if He had done it right there, everybody would have said, “Oh, it's possible; maybe Abraham did that.” No. God waited until Abraham couldn't do that, and then God brought it to pass to prove it was Him. He wanted all the credit. In our circumstances, it may also become increasingly impossible. Don't lose faith, because the more impossible it gets, the more possible it is for God. Why? Because when you're in the position of weakness, that's what God likes. It's where He wants you to be. It's where He gets all the credit for the miracle, and He looks greater in the eyes of the world when these great things happen. (Rom.4:18) Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. (19) And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb; (20) yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, (21) and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Now, there was one time when Abraham and Sarah decided to have a little insurance (Genesis 16) and God permitted them to do that, but ultimately, it brought a great curse upon his seed. God's plan and what He is doing is so wonderful. You should have more courage and more faith when things get impossible, because every time in the Bible, that's where they were when the miracle came. Be encouraged when you see the odds against you, as the world calls it, because that's when they're in your favor. 

What happens when we give God our yes? In Acts 8, Philip shows us that following Jesus often means being willing to go where God leads—even when we don't have all the details. When we make ourselves available to Him, God can use our simple obedience in ways we never expected. In Acts 8:26–40, we follow Philip as the Holy Spirit leads him to an Ethiopian official reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip meets him right where he is, opens the Scriptures, and shares the good news about Jesus. This passage reminds us that God is at work in the details, and our role is to listen, obey, and make ourselves available. Join us at Harvest Church in Arroyo Grande as we grow in God's Word, live in authentic community, and worship Jesus. Our Sunday services are at 9am & 11am. This Christian sermon is part of our verse-by-verse study through Acts, offering practical Bible teaching and expository preaching for those seeking to grow in faith and follow Jesus. For more information, visit harvestarroyogrande.com.

In Acts 8:29, the Holy Spirit directs Philip to leave his plans behind and approach an Ethiopian official who is searching for understanding. Pastor Derek looks at the importance of living aware of the Spirit's leading and how one act of obedience can open the door for God to do something far greater than we could ever imagine.Purchase The Spirit Rhythm book on Amazon : https://a.co/d/0fMXInF1Learn More & Stay ConnectedPastor Derek: https://awakenlv.org/derekneider/Daily Devotional: https://awakenlv.org/devotionals/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekneider/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DerekNeider/A ministry of Awaken Las Vegas: https://awakenlv.org/

Welcome to episode 262 of Grasp the Bible. In this episode, we will go back to the Book — what Nehemiah 8 shows us about what it looks like when God's people truly hunger for His Word, why Scripture must be explained and not merely read, and how God's Word produces both conviction and joy.  Key takeaways:   After seventy years of exile, the Israelites gathered as one people and asked for one thing: the Book of the Law. They initiated it voluntarily. They were not compelled or coerced. They stood attentively for five to six hours. This was not casual familiarity with Scripture — it was desperate hunger born of prolonged absence. Absence breeds appreciation. Seventy years without regular exposition created the hunger Nehemiah's generation had. We are living the inverse: unprecedented access has bred unprecedented indifference. We have the feast and no appetite. We own multiple Bibles and rarely open them. Verse 8 gives a three-step model: they read the text, they made the meaning clear, and they explained it so people understood. Simply reading Scripture was not enough. The Levites did interpretive work — not just what the text said, but what it meant, what it required, and how it applied. This passage validates expository preaching. Philip asked the Ethiopian eunuch, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch answered, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” God uses teachers to explain His Word. The Holy Spirit illuminates — but He works through careful teaching of the text. The people's first response to hearing Scripture was weeping. Exposure to God's Word revealed how far they had fallen. This is what Scripture does: it functions like a mirror, showing us reality we would rather not see. If you can sit under biblical exposition week after week and never feel uncomfortable, you are not really hearing it. But the leaders redirected them from mourning to celebration: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” They were not minimizing sin. They were pointing to its sequence — conviction leads to repentance, and repentance leads to rejoicing in God's mercy. The Law reveals the need; the gospel reveals the supply. Verse 12 traces the progression precisely: they celebrated with great joy “because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” Joy came from comprehension. Understanding God's Word — not just hearing it, but grasping it — produced transformation and then celebration.  Quotable:    No generation in history has had more access to God's Word than we do — and biblical literacy is declining. We have the feast and no appetite. Nehemiah's people stood for six hours and wept with hunger. We scroll past Scripture to get to social media. The question is not whether God's Word is available. The question is whether we want it.  Application:   Ask God to revive your hunger for Scripture. Not discipline alone — hunger. Discipline can get you to the text; only the Spirit can make you crave it. Examine honestly: when did you last open your Bible out of genuine desire rather than duty? When did you last sit with a passage and not want to leave it? Ask God to do for you what exile did for Nehemiah's generation — create in you a desperate appetite for His Word rather than a casual familiarity with its availability.  Commit to sitting under faithful expository teaching. The church needs more than topical messages addressing felt needs — it needs systematic exposition that teaches the whole counsel of God. You need to understand not just scattered verses but entire books, their contexts, their themes, and how all of Scripture points to Christ. Find a church or a teacher who does the work of verse 8: reads the text, makes the meaning clear, and explains it so people understand. Then show up attentively.  Let conviction do its full work before you rush to comfort. When God's Word exposes sin, resist the reflex to cushion it immediately with grace. Nehemiah's people wept first. They were not hurried past it. Conviction is not the enemy of joy — it is the path to it. If you can hear Scripture regularly and feel nothing, something is wrong. Let it break you. Let it show you what you would rather not see. Then receive the gospel's answer to what it exposed.  Don't wallow in conviction without moving to joy. The leaders told the people: stop mourning. This is a day of celebration. Conviction without joy becomes crushing legalism. If you have been carrying guilt over sin that has already been confessed and covered by Christ, you are not being appropriately humble — you are refusing the gospel. The same Word that diagnoses also cures. Weep over your sin, then celebrate God's provision in Christ. Both responses are required. Neither is complete without the other.  Connect with us:   Web site:  https://springbaptist.org  Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus)  Need us to pray for you? Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/  If you haven't already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Send us Fan MailI pick up an Ethiopian Bible and wrestle with what it means when one Christian tradition preserves more books than the Bibles most Americans and Brits grow up with. I lay out the missing texts that grabbed me, why I think they were removed, and how chasing the “missing puzzle pieces” might actually pull me closer to God. • why the Ethiopian Bible stands out as a larger biblical canon • the list of missing books I'm most curious about, including Enoch, Jubilees and Psalms 151 • what those texts can add, including more detail, more characters and more spiritual context • my theories on why certain writings were removed during canon debates and the Reformation • why censorship makes people more curious and more suspicious • giving Ethiopians credit for preserving texts many churches did not • how the Book of Enoch connects to fallen angels, Nephilim and forbidden knowledge • why I prefer spiritual instincts, meditation and careful interpretation over denomination wars • my critique of organised religion, judgement culture and religious violence • what I plan to read next and how listeners can steer future solo spiritual episodes Give a rating, okay? Give if it's one of four stars, how could this podcast improve?  If it's of if you give it five stars, give one reason why you think it was great.Support the showFollow your host atYouTube and Rumble for video contenthttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUxk1oJBVw-IAZTqChH70aghttps://rumble.com/c/c-4236474Facebook to receive updateshttps://www.facebook.com/EliasEllusion/LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/eliasmarty/Some free goodiesFree website to help you and me https://thefreewebsiteguys.com/?js=15632463New Paperhttps://thenewpaper.co/refer?r=srom1o9c4glPodMatchhttps://podmatch.com/?ref=1626371560148x762843240939879000

In our visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we go beyond the handful of artists who have achieved international careers and dive into the local scene. We visit azmaribets, down home music clubs featuring vivacious women artists and their ensembles of traditional players. We catch Mimi and Besat live. Competition between the leading music producers in Addis is fierce. We visit the studio of recording studio of Abegasu Shiote who breaks down the Ethiopian pop sound track by track. And for the finale we go to a performance by the revered elder singer of the classic Addis sound - Mamoud Ahmed. Produced by Sean Barlow APWW #532

In this episode of Devotions with Christian Outdoors, Jon Goodwin shares a powerful reminder about the importance of seeking help and guidance in our spiritual walks. He reflects on a recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains with his wife, where they experienced breathtaking natural beauty and incredible encounters with wildlife. But what's more remarkable is how their willingness to ask for help from locals led them to discover hidden gems they might have otherwise missed. As Jon shares stories of their adventures, he highlights the value of seeking guidance from others in our faith journeys. He points to the example of the Ethiopian eunuch in the Bible, who was helped by Philip in understanding the message of the gospel. Jon encourages listeners to be willing to ask questions and seek out others who can provide insight and understanding, just as the Ethiopian eunuch did. Jon's experiences in the Smoky Mountains serve as a reminder that we don't have to navigate our spiritual walks alone. By seeking help and guidance from others, we can gain a deeper understanding of God's Word and experience the beauty of His creation in new and exciting ways. Whether it's asking a local for advice or seeking out a mentor, John's message is clear: don't be afraid to ask for help. If you're looking for a fresh perspective on how to deepen your faith and experience the beauty of God's creation, tune in to this episode of Devotions with Christian Outdoors. Jon's stories and insights will inspire you to be more intentional about seeking help and guidance in your spiritual walk. Feel free to reach out to Jon directly via email at jon@christianoutdoors.org Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.’ And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.” (Judges 6:36–38 NLT) One of the crucial benefits in learning to be still is that it gives us the opportunity to become more aware of our circumstances. And that’s important because God often speaks to us through circumstances. This is not to say that we should look for God’s hand in every unexpected encounter, every missed opportunity, and every stray comment someone makes. Sometimes circumstances are just circumstances. But I can tell you this: Although I’m not one to base major life decisions on circumstances alone, I’ve experienced occasions when I sensed that something was the will of God and then found that things fell into place circumstantially. I’ve also experienced times when circumstances have made it obvious that God was saying no to something. A classic example of God graciously confirming His word through circumstances is found in the story of Gideon in Judges 6–8. God called Gideon to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. But Gideon had trouble seeing himself as a great military leader, so he asked God to confirm his calling. God worked through the circumstances of the morning dew to assure Gideon that he was the man for the job (see Judges 6:36–38). Likewise, when the prophet Jonah tried to flee from God because he didn’t want to go to Nineveh, God used a storm at sea and a giant fish to bring his journey to an abrupt halt. Of course, not all biblical examples are quite so dramatic. Acts 8:26–40 tells the story of Philip the Evangelist’s encounter with an Ethiopian official. According to verse 29, “The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and walk along beside the carriage’” (NLT). Philip followed the Spirit’s prompting and led the Ethiopian official to Christ. He obeyed the Spirit’s prompting and recognized the opportunity God had placed before him. Two thousand years later, God still works through circumstances involving other people. For example, there have been times when I was listening to someone preach or was talking with a friend and suddenly realized that what the person was saying addressed a situation I was going through, even though the person was completely unaware of my circumstances. Those occasions made me realize that it was God Himself who was speaking to me through those individuals. Maybe God has spoken to you through a pastor or a Christian friend. Or perhaps He has been speaking to you through circumstances. If so, pay attention. You’ll be glad you did. Reflection question: How has God guided you through circumstances in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 83, Gina Ceccarelli thought the romantic chapter of her life was over. Then she met Dwight Moberg, a 91-year-old widower from California. There was just one complication, Gina speaks Italian and Dwight speaks English, so most of their conversations happen through hand gestures and a translation app.The person who brought them together is Menbere "Menbe" Akiklu. Forty years earlier, Menbe was a young Ethiopian mother living in a shelter in Rome, trying to rebuild her life after escaping an abusive relationship. One of the few people who showed her kindness was Gina, who brought food, knitted clothes for her baby son and helped her find her feet in a foreign country. Over the years the two women lost touch, but decades later, after building a successful life in America, Menbe found herself thinking about the woman who had helped her. Determined to thank her, she went back to Italy to track Gina down.When she finally did, Menbe saw that Gina, now widowed, was living alone and so decided that repaying an old kindness would require something more than a simple thank you. She brought her to the US, setting in motion an unexpected matchmaking mission and a little nudge towards love. Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Edgar MaddicottLives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else's life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784   You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

We weren't intending to have so many controversial stories this week, but here we are with some spicy topics on our hands. The main discussion was new research on Ethiopian athlete training, described as an “AI-assisted” study. The findings are cool, and we discuss those training points. But looking at the bigger picture, we have major fears about the use of AI writing across exercise physiology literature. The future is going to be weird and sloppy.We also talked about the $500 Adidas trail shoe. David thinks it's a big “screw you” to trail runners. Megan is also concerned, but thinks he needs to chill. You know, the usual. And there were tons of topics with varying levels of spice! Other topics: UTMB scores, Megan's popsicle form, Edmonton Marathon's mis-measurement, Kilian and Jim out of UTMB, age group doping, the blueberry recall, our problems with hog watch, Mike Macdonald's coaching prowess through vulnerability, the Lost Soul Ultra, emails from PED companies, zone compression for speed-oriented athletes, and lots more!As always, remember that many of the points we make are wrong, and if so, it was a joke. But if you agree with it, we were serious.We love you all! HUZZAH!Click "Get 40% Off" button for 40% off at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swapBuy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com (code "SWAP")Get a deal on the best treadmill on the market from Wahoo: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)For training plans, weekly bonus podcasts, heart rate zones, articles, and videos: patreon.com/swap

In a sprawling prison in the Asir province of Southwestern Saudi Arabia, hundreds of young Ethiopian men are currently sitting on death row, not knowing when their name might be called and to be told that it's their turn. In the hope of getting their voices heard some of the prisoners managed to get hold of the phone number for the BBC's Tigrinya language service. One of the journalists working for the service is Aklilu Tsegay and he tells us what it was like to speak to those prisoners, sometimes multiple times a day, when reporting on the story.In India, July saw some of the biggest protests in the country for many years. The protesters were young people, particularly students, and they came together under an unusual symbol, the cockroach. They call themselves the Cockroach Janta Party or CJP, and they are demanding change to the education system in the country. Starting as an online joke a couple of months ago, the CJP is now one of India's most visible youth movements. Sumedha Paal reports for the BBC in India, and brings us the story.The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia's youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin's network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Chef Marcus Samuelsson was taught in culinary school that French cuisine is the gold standard of cooking. One day, he realized, “somebody lied." Samuelsson, a black Swede and the youngest chef to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times (at age 23), has forged a new culinary ethos that permeates his restaurants in Harlem, Montreal, and London. His flagship restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, combines Swedish and Ethiopian influences into dishes that have helped launch an empire. The menu includes cornbread with lingonberry butter, a salad with berbere vinaigrette, and his own take on fried chicken: a hot honey yardbird. In this conversation, taped live on stage at the Museum of the City of New York, Samuelsson talks about the life experiences that have informed his approach to food. He responds to criticism of his Red Rooster restaurants, and tells us about a  dish he's working on that gives a rare window into the mind of a chef. This episode originally aired on August 5, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Peter Clowney, and Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.