Podcasts about every christmas

A Taste of PanforteI still remember the first time I held a slice of panforte in my hands. It was a cold December afternoon in Siena, and the air smelled of woodsmoke and winter. Someone handed me a small, dense wedge dusted with white sugar, and when I bit into it the world seemed to slow down. Honey, toasted almonds, candied orange, cinnamon, and a quiet heat of pepper unfolded all at once. It was not soft like cake. It was firm, almost chewy, and it stayed with me long after the last crumb was gone.I later learned that this strange, beautiful sweet had been born in these same streets more than eight hundred years ago. In 1205 the nuns of the Abbey of Montecelso already received gifts of “panes melati et pepati” — honeyed and peppered breads — from local farmers. Spices were precious then, carried along the Via Francigena from distant lands, and only the wealthy or the monasteries could afford them. Over time the recipe grew richer. Nuts, candied citron, orange peel, cloves, nutmeg, and coriander joined the honey and flour. What began as a way to preserve fruit and celebrate abundance became the proud specialty of Siena.They say the name “panforte,” strong bread, came from its intense, almost medicinal character. In the nineteenth century the poet Ugo Foscolo wrote of receiving panforti as gifts. Later, when Queen Margherita visited Siena for the Palio, the bakers created a milder version dusted with powdered sugar and named it in her honor. That is the panforte most of us know today — still dense with almonds and candied fruit, still fragrant with spice, but gentler than the old panpepato.I have watched it being made. Almonds are toasted until their skins blister. Candied orange and citron are chopped into glistening jewels. Honey and sugar are melted together until they form a dark, fragrant syrup. Flour and a secret blend of spices are stirred in, and the whole mixture is pressed into shallow rounds lined with edible wafer. After a short time in the oven the surface sets, and once cooled it is showered with sugar like fresh snow.Every Christmas in Siena the shops fill with round boxes decorated with medieval scenes. Families still give panforte as gifts. I keep a wedge in my kitchen all winter. When I cut a thin slice and let it rest on my tongue, I taste more than sweetness. I taste the patience of monks, the daring of merchants, the pride of a city that turned expensive spices into something humble and lasting. Panforte does not try to be light or fashionable. It is heavy with history, and that is exactly why I love it.Each bite reminds me that some things are meant to endure — dense, spiced, and quietly magnificent — just like Siena itself.More Podcasts

In this episode of The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, my guest is therapist Morgan Pommells. We explore the lasting impact of having an emotionally immature parent (EIP), including how to begin healing and how we can break the cycle with our own kids. We also talk about boundaries with our EIP parent, why children's big emotions aren't personal attacks, and what every child truly needs to thrive.Know someone who might appreciate this episode? Share it with them!And if you love the podcast, FREE ways to help us out:1- Rate and review the podcast in your podcast player app2- “Like” this post by tapping the heart icon ♥️3- Share this with a friend. THANK YOU!You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or check out the fully edited transcript of our interview at the bottom of this post.We talk about:00:00 – Introduction to Morgan Pommells02:30 – What is an emotionally immature parent?07:15 – Emotional immaturity vs. narcissism: What's the difference?09:00 – Why emotionally immature parents are often critical10:30 – The biggest impact on children: Growing up without a strong sense of self12:00 – How childhood with an EIP affects adult relationships and self-worth, and our own parenting15:30 – Healing from emotionally immature parenting18:30 – Why your child's big emotions are actually a sign of safety19:00 – Navigating relationships with emotionally immature parents as an adult27:00 – Teaching children that feelings aren't dangerous27:45 – Emotionally immature grandparents: Do the patterns continue?29:15 – The power of delighting in your child32:45 – What if your parenting partner is emotionally immature?35:00 – The parenting mistake we all make: Taking children's emotions personally36:00 – Morgan's advice for every parent: Heal your own wounds before they parent your children38:00 – Where to find Morgan and closing thoughtsResources mentioned in this episode:* Morgan's Masterclass Protect Your Peace * Morgan's IG @morganpommellsConnect with Sarah Rosensweet:* Instagram* Facebook Group* YouTube* Website* Join us on Substack* Newsletter* Book a short consult or coaching session callxx Sarah and CoreyYour peaceful parenting team- click here for a free short consult or a coaching sessionVisit our website for free resources, podcast, coaching, membership and more!>> Please support us!!! Please consider becoming a supporter to help support our free content, including The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, our free parenting support Facebook group, and our weekly parenting emails, “Weekend Reflections” and “Weekend Support” - plus our Flourish With Your Complex Child Summit (coming back in the fall for the 3rd year!) All of this free support for you takes a lot of time and energy from me and my team. If it has been helpful or meaningful for you, your support would help us to continue to provide support for free, for you and for others.In addition to knowing you are supporting our mission to support parents and children, you get the podcast ad free and access to a monthly ‘ask me anything' session.Sarah: Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Peaceful Parenting Podcast.Today's guest is Morgan Pommells. Morgan is a therapist and coach who helps the adult children of emotionally immature parents stop seeing themselves through their parents' eyes and finally come home to who they really are.Morgan and I discuss what an emotionally immature parent is, how that is—and isn't—different from narcissism, and how people grow up to parent this way. Morgan also shares how having an emotionally immature parent affects us as children, how it continues to affect us once we've grown up, and how we can heal from having been raised by an emotionally immature parent.We also talk about the opposite of emotionally immature parenting and what our kids need in order to grow up whole and healthy.Morgan has so much wisdom, and so much of our work overlaps. I think you're going to learn a lot from this conversation, and I think you're really going to enjoy it.If you like this episode, please share it with a friend so more parents can learn about peaceful parenting. If you're a fan of the podcast, you can also help us out by leaving a five-star rating and review in your podcast app. While you're there, don't forget to follow the show so you don't miss an episode.Let's meet Morgan.Sarah: Hi, Morgan. Welcome to the podcast.Morgan: Hi! Thank you for having me.Sarah: I'm so glad to have you on. We've been trying to schedule this for a while, and I think this is such an important topic for parents. I'm so glad we finally got to sit down and have this conversation.Morgan: Me too. It's a super important topic for parents.Sarah: Tell us a little about who you are and what you do.Morgan: I'm a therapist and coach in Ontario, Canada, and I specialize exclusively in working with the adult children of emotionally immature parents. Whether that's through workshops or one-to-one work, everything I do revolves around helping people heal from having emotionally immature parents.Sarah: So tell us: what is an emotionally immature parent?Morgan: Great question.An emotionally immature parent is someone who really struggles to manage their own painful internal emotions. Those emotions tend to spill out onto everyone around them instead of being worked through internally. These are parents who might struggle with shame, rage, or fear of abandonment, and instead of taking responsibility for those feelings and working through them themselves, they become everyone else's problem.They take those emotions out on their children. They may recruit their children into never leaving them because they're terrified of being abandoned. The child becomes responsible for soothing and managing the parent's anxiety, which is really the opposite of what a healthy parent-child relationship is meant to be.Sarah: Yeah.What causes somebody... I guess you don't become emotionally immature—you just never emotionally mature. What causes that lack of emotional maturation? How does somebody become an emotionally immature parent?Morgan: There are a couple of different pathways.A lot of emotionally immature parents have their own relational trauma. If we experience something deeply overwhelming at a young age and don't have the capacity to metabolize it at the time, we can become emotionally stuck there. Our biological age keeps moving forward, but our emotional development doesn't necessarily come with us. Our emotional defenses stay frozen at that younger age.In other cases, someone may have had the capacity to become emotionally mature, but emotional immaturity was all that was ever modeled for them. They don't have another template. They don't know a different kind of parenting exists because they're simply working from the script they inherited.Sarah: So far we've been talking about this in psychological terms, but what does that actually look like in real life?Let's focus on an adult child. What would a familiar interaction look like between an emotionally immature parent and their grown child?Morgan: One of the biggest dynamics is fear of abandonment.When their child grows up, goes away to university, finds a partner, or simply starts building their own life, emotionally immature parents can become very controlling. They can become very mean. They can use shame to pull their child back toward them and keep them emotionally close because they're so afraid of being abandoned.When children are younger, it usually looks like a lot of control. That parent has a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety, but instead of working through it themselves, they try to control their child. As a result, the parent feels safer, but the child feels controlled and suffocated.Sarah: So they're almost externalizing their own feelings?They feel scared, so they make their child feel scared? Or is that too simplified?Morgan: No, in some cases that's exactly what's happening.If you have a parent who's very anxious or very fearful, it can actually feel safer if everyone around them is afraid too. You don't want to be the only person who's scared of the big, bad threat you believe is coming. So if you can get everyone else to be afraid, at least you have company in that fear.When children are younger, though, it often looks a little different. A parent might be deeply worried about how their child is doing at school or how they're perceived by other people, so they try to control what the child says, wears, or does because that helps soothe the parent's own fear.Sarah: So that's because they're worried about what people think of their child because it reflects back on them?Morgan: Yes, that's certainly part of it.There can be a real element of impression management with emotionally immature parents. Many of them are very concerned with how they appear to other people. Sometimes they experienced a genuine threat in their own childhood because some important family rule was broken. As a result, they become determined that their own child will never break that same rule because they believe that's what keeps both of them safe.Sarah: I also think it's about attachment.If people don't think well of you, then you don't get your needs met.Morgan: Exactly.If someone doesn't think well of you, if they see you as a threat, or if they see you as different, that can feel incredibly dangerous.Emotionally immature parents tend to like sameness. They want their children to think the same way they do and view the world the same way they do. They often use different techniques to influence their child's thinking because differences feel threatening.Ultimately, we're talking about people who are acting from a deep desire to feel emotionally and psychologically safe. The tragedy is that the methods they use to create that safety can be profoundly damaging to their children.Sarah: How is this different from narcissism—or is it?Morgan: That's a huge question.You can absolutely have an emotionally immature parent who is also quite narcissistic, but you can also have an emotionally immature parent who isn't narcissistic at all.A narcissistic personality structure is just one presentation. Another emotionally immature parent might be incredibly anxious. There are different expressions of emotional immaturity, so it isn't an either-or situation.It's also important to remember that emotional immaturity exists on a spectrum. You can have very mild emotional immaturity—and, honestly, all of us demonstrate emotional immaturity at certain moments in our lives. Then, at the more severe end of the spectrum, you might see something like narcissistic personality disorder, where someone relies heavily on emotionally immature defenses.So it isn't that emotional immaturity and narcissism are the same thing. Narcissism is one possible way emotional immaturity can present, but it's certainly not the only one.Sarah: Are there people who are emotionally immature all the time?Morgan: Yes. When we talk about EIPs—emotionally immature parents—we're talking about people for whom emotional immaturity is the rule rather than the exception.All of us are going to have emotionally immature moments. Usually, those happen when something feels very threatening because we're trying to keep ourselves safe. We want control in that moment. One very common emotionally immature defense is denial. Think about hearing that someone has passed away. One of the first things people often say is, “No.” That's denial. We're trying to metabolize something incredibly painful.But those are moments. They're moments we can eventually reflect on, learn from, and grow through. We can become more emotionally mature if we choose to do that. With emotionally immature parents, though, emotional immaturity isn't just a reaction to certain situations—it's their baseline, regardless of the context or the type of threat they're facing.Sarah: That makes sense.One thing you talk about is emotionally immature parents being critical. Tell me about the critical parent.Morgan: There are really two different versions of that.One type of emotionally immature parent is highly critical because they're deeply afraid that their child won't be okay if they don't follow the parent's rules. They believe, “You need to get into a really good university. You need a really good job. You need perfect manners because otherwise people will be mean to you. They won't give you opportunities.” Underneath all of that criticism is genuine terror and, in many cases, genuine love for their child. The problem is that the way they're trying to soothe that fear creates rupture and disconnection in the relationship.Then there's another group of emotionally immature parents who have internalized a tremendous amount of self-hatred through their own trauma. They don't know how to metabolize that pain because growing up hating yourself is incredibly painful. Instead, they project it onto their child.They might notice a quality in their child that reminds them of something they've decided is ugly or unacceptable in themselves. It can actually feel satisfying to try to eliminate that quality in their child through criticism or shame—to make sure their child never becomes that way. In those cases, the criticism is really an expression of their own self-hatred.Sarah: What are the effects on a child growing up with an emotionally immature parent?Morgan: By far, the biggest effect is a lack of sense of self.These are children who never really had the opportunity to discover who they are because they didn't have a parent who was deeply curious about them. They didn't have a parent who took a genuine interest in them, asked meaningful questions, or reflected their inner world back to them.As children, we develop our identity in relationship with another person. We need someone to act as a mirror. But for the adult children of emotionally immature parents, you don't receive a mirror—you receive a distortion.Instead of hearing, “Tell me about yourself,” or, “I want to understand you,” you hear messages like, “There's something wrong with you,” “I'm not interested in you,” or, “Your thoughts are weird, wrong, or shameful.” Over time, your sense of self becomes organized around those messages.Sometimes the experience isn't criticism so much as neglect. In those cases, it's not even that you grow up believing you're bad or shameful. You grow up feeling like you barely exist. Like you aren't even a full person.At the core of this wound is not really knowing who you are.Sarah: Obviously that's painful in and of itself, but how does that affect someone's adult life?How does it show up in the choices we make, the relationships we enter into, or the partners we choose? And maybe that's actually a separate question, but I'm also curious about how growing up with an emotionally immature parent affects the way we parent our own children.Morgan: They're really connected.The first thing is that when you reach adulthood without a solid sense of self, there's almost this hunger inside you—a hunger that never feels fully satisfied. You don't really know what you want. Sometimes you think you know what you want, and then you finally achieve it, only to discover it doesn't feel the way you expected because something more fundamental is missing.There's this constant sense of never quite arriving.Without a strong sense of self, it's also much easier to end up in unhealthy or even abusive relationships. If you don't know who you are, how do you know what you want? How do you know what's safe? How do you know what your needs are? How do you stay connected to yourself?Instead, many people become what we often call codependent. They become incredibly focused on making sure everyone else is okay. They're wonderful caretakers, but meanwhile, none of their own needs are being met. Their own joy, happiness, and sense of aliveness get left behind.There's a deep emptiness because there's nothing inside that feels solid enough to connect with.Sarah: What about parenting? How does this affect the way we parent our own children?Morgan: Growing up with an emotionally immature parent affects parenting in so many different ways.For one thing, if you don't have a strong sense of self, it's easy to make parenting your entire identity. It becomes, “I'm just a mom,” or, “I'm just a dad,” as though there's nothing else to you beyond that role.But another really important piece is that emotionally immature parents tend to have very rigid rules. They hold strong expectations, and they genuinely believe terrible things will happen if those rules are broken.If you grow up in that environment—especially without a strong sense of self—you internalize those rules. You come to believe that's simply how the world works.Then you become a parent, your children start doing what children naturally do, and they break those rules. They talk back. They get angry. They push limits. Those are completely developmentally appropriate behaviors, but they activate tremendous fear inside you.You don't necessarily realize that's what's happening. You may even feel your reactions are completely justified. But underneath those reactions is the terror you learned as a child. Because those behaviors weren't allowed in your own home, seeing your children do them feels profoundly threatening.Without realizing it, you begin responding to your child as though they're doing something terribly wrong.Sarah: I see that all the time with the parents I work with.If your child does something that would have been dangerous for you to do as a child—whether literally dangerous or emotionally dangerous—it becomes a huge trigger.Your five-year-old self is saying, “Kids aren't allowed to do that. Kids shouldn't do that. If you do that, you're not going to get the love you need.”Morgan: Exactly.Your nervous system remembers, “Bad things happen when this happens.”Another piece of this wound is that we often don't realize we've grown up. A part of us still feels eight years old.So when your own child is screaming, getting angry, or breaking the rules, part of your body reacts as though you're the child who's about to get in trouble. It says, “We're not allowed to do this. Last time this happened, I got hurt. You need to stop. You need to be quiet.”The difference is that now we're the adult. We're bigger. We're more powerful. So we may respond with that same power to shut our child down.For many parents, that reaction comes from a very real place of, “I get hurt when people scream. I get hurt when these rules are broken. This has to stop.”Sarah: Yeah. Shut it down.How does someone heal from having been raised by an emotionally immature parent? I realize that's your life's work, so it's not a simple question, but where does healing begin?Morgan: The biggest thing to understand is that this is a relational trauma, so it has to heal in the context of relationship.As a therapist, I'm obviously biased toward therapy, but healing can happen through a coaching relationship, a healthy romantic relationship, or any relationship that offers consistent corrective experiences.We need experiences where we express our emotions and someone stays. We need experiences where we express a need and someone genuinely wants to meet that need.We have to update the template.Insight alone isn't enough. Reading about it isn't enough. We actually have to experience someone caring about us.Sarah: So it's almost like reprogramming.Morgan: Exactly.It's a real reprogramming process.Our children can certainly be part of that healing journey, but they can't become the people who heal us. We have to be very careful not to recruit them into that role.Sarah: Can we heal ourselves by being a different parent to our children than we had? Do you know what I mean? Can it work in that direction? Could that be part of the healing process?Morgan: Absolutely. There is something deeply healing about getting down on your child's level and offering them the validation that you never received yourself.At the same time, we have to be very careful not to parent our children as though they needed the parent that we needed.Sarah: Because they're their own people.Morgan: Exactly. They're their own people. They need the parent they need.If we get caught in the idea that, “I just need to give my children what I never had,” we actually end up missing a lot about who our child is. We stop learning about them because we've already decided what they need. We think, “They're crying because of this,” or, “They're upset with me because of that,” or, “They're struggling in school because of this. I know exactly what's happening because this is what I didn't get, so I'll just keep doing the opposite.”Meanwhile, our children are giving us a million different communications about who they are, what they're feeling, and what's actually going on for them, and we're missing all of it because we're so committed to this one version of parenting.Sarah: I also find it can make parents pretty reactive.I work with a lot of parents who grew up with neglect. They're actually wonderful parents, but then their child behaves like a perfectly typical five-year-old and, internally, they're thinking, “Wait a minute. I'm giving you everything I never got. How can you still be crying, yelling, and telling me I'm the worst mother in the world?”Their own experience of believing, “If only I'd had this...” creates an unrealistic expectation of how their child should behave.Morgan: Totally.Where there's been a lot of neglect, there's often an internalized rule that says, “Don't be seen. Don't be heard. Be quiet. Take up as little space as possible.”So when your own child takes up a lot of space—expressing big emotions, having big reactions—that can feel incredibly frightening.What we don't realize in those moments is that your child's willingness to express their feelings, even to tell you they hate you, is actually a sign that they feel safe enough to do that.It's not your job to talk them out of their feelings. It's your job to help them metabolize those feelings—to help make those emotions digestible for them—rather than trying to change them or shame them out of having them. They don't need you to erase their feelings. They need you to help them move through them.Sarah: In peaceful parenting, we talk about welcoming feelings.What about maintaining a relationship with an emotionally immature parent? I actually kind of know the answer because I've taken your masterclass. What's it called again?Morgan: Protect Your Peace.Sarah: Protect Your Peace. Yes. It's wonderful. We'll link to it because I recommend it for everyone.But how do you think about having—or not having—a relationship with an emotionally immature parent?Morgan: It really depends on whether you genuinely want that relationship.Emotionally immature parents often raise their children using obligation and guilt, so you grow up without even realizing that you have choices. You're recruited into following their expectations, and then one day you become an adult and realize you actually don't enjoy this relationship with your parent—or maybe you don't even want one—but it doesn't feel like that's an option.So the first step is taking it up with yourself.Do I actually want this relationship? And if I do, why?Not from a place of pressure or with some hidden agenda. Even when people come to work with me one-on-one, unless someone is experiencing ongoing abuse, I don't have an opinion about whether they should stay in contact with their parent. The healing work is learning to reconnect with your own sense of self, your own needs, and your own desires. I'm not going to become another authority figure telling someone what they should do.Instead, I encourage people to ask themselves, “If I do want this relationship, what do I want it to look like?”Boundaries don't really exist in emotionally immature family systems. If you grew up with an emotionally immature parent, chances are you struggle with boundaries. So I ask people to imagine what it would look like if they actually got to customize this relationship.Would you call as often as you do now? Would you attend every family gathering? Would you have a separate phone number just for them? What would you put in place to protect yourself while still maintaining the relationship, if that's what you genuinely wanted?Sarah: Because there may be reasons to continue the relationship.Maybe you have a wonderful relationship with your other parent and you want to preserve that. I can imagine there are very thoughtful—not in a negative sense, but very intentional—reasons someone might choose to stay in a relationship they otherwise wouldn't.Morgan: One hundred percent.And sometimes people don't really have a choice. They may still be living with their parents. There may be financial realities to consider.There's also a very real psychological cost to going no-contact with a parent. It's not an easy decision, even though a lot of online conversations make it sound simple. For the adult children of emotionally immature parents, that decision is often something they've wrestled with internally for years before they even consider it.Most people don't want to jump straight to no contact.Instead, they'll often begin by saying, “Let me see what happens if I put some boundaries in place first. If I'm going to have this relationship, here's what I need it to look like.”Sarah: Can you give an example of what one of those boundaries or parameters might look like?Morgan: Sure.It might be something like, “I'll have one twenty-minute phone call every Sunday.” Or, “I don't answer the phone during my workday because I'm working.”Some people even block their parent's number and only unblock it when they're ready to call. Others use a second phone line app where all of their parent's texts and calls go, but they turn off the notifications so they only check it when they choose to.Boundaries can also involve where you go and what you participate in. Do you attend every wedding? Every Christmas dinner? Every family event?Or they might involve what happens when you're together. Maybe you've decided that if a certain topic comes up, you'll say, “I don't want to talk about that.” If your parent continues, you might say, “If we're going to keep talking about this, I'm going to leave.” And if they continue, you actually leave.That's what makes it a boundary—you follow through.Ultimately, it comes back to recognizing that this is someone you don't feel emotionally or psychologically safe around. Once you accept that, it becomes much easier to ask yourself what you need in order to protect your peace.People start realizing things like, “I don't want to discuss this topic,” or, “I don't want to stay on the phone for an hour because all they do is talk at me,” or, “I can't answer calls in the middle of my workday.” Once you start giving yourself permission to prioritize your own safety, those answers often become surprisingly clear.Sarah: And just to be clear, I know this is what you mean, but for anyone listening, a boundary is something you do. It's not something you make another person do.Morgan: Exactly.A boundary is really an if-then statement.“If you continue criticizing my body, then I'm going to leave.”Sarah: Right. The boundary isn't, “You're not allowed to criticize my body,” because you can't control another person. You can only decide what you're going to do if they continue.Morgan: Exactly. We have zero control over another person's behavior.Once we reconnect with ourselves, we stop asking, “How do I make my parent stop doing this?” and start asking, “Given that I can't control them, what control do I actually have?”I can hang up the phone. I can leave. I can tell them I didn't appreciate what they said. I can choose not to attend the next family event. I can change the subject.It's always about what I'm going to do rather than trying to control someone else.Sarah: Do you ever see emotionally immature parents genuinely change?Morgan: Is it common? No.Does it happen? Absolutely.I've seen it happen in my own practice, and I've had clients tell me about meaningful changes they've experienced with their parents.If someone is on the milder end of emotional immaturity and they truly realize they're at risk of losing their relationship with their children, some parents do choose to go to therapy. They do the work. They genuinely try to repair.But, in my experience, they're the minority.It takes an enormous amount of self-awareness. It requires being willing to recognize that you've caused harm.Sarah: Which is exactly what's so difficult in the first place, right? That lack of self-awareness is part of what created the problem.Morgan: Exactly.It's a lack of self-awareness, but it's also a lack of capacity to tolerate being the “bad guy.”Emotionally immature parents often play a game of trying to identify who the bad person is, and somehow it's always someone else.When their adult child says, “You really hurt me when you did this,” or, “I'm still struggling because of the way you treated me growing up,” some parents become incredibly skilled at finding explanations for why it wasn't actually their fault—why circumstances made them do it, or why the child was really the problem.Those are parents who, at least in that moment, aren't able to repair because they simply can't tolerate the idea that they've done something wrong.There can be an enormous amount of shame underneath that, especially if they're already carrying years of unresolved shame from their own childhood experiences.It takes a tremendous amount of emotional capacity to stay present with that and choose repair instead.Sarah: One thing I saw on your Instagram really caught my attention. You were talking about how people often say, “Well, I was doing the best I could,” and you took issue with that.I always teach that people are doing the best they can. That's genuinely a philosophy I hold. But I would add, “Sometimes your best still wasn't good enough.”Would you agree with that?Morgan: One hundred percent.The issue I take with the phrase, “They were doing the best they could,” or, “I was doing the best I could,” is that, all of a sudden, we've left the adult child's experience and shifted entirely into the parent's experience.The child has just brought you mountains of pain about things you've done, and suddenly the conversation becomes a justification. It becomes a rationalization. We're no longer learning anything about the child's experience because the conversation has been shut down by the statement, “I was doing the best I could.”In that moment, it isn't actually helpful. It's functioning to protect the parent, which is exactly what that family system has always been organized around.At its core, it's almost a semantic argument. What does “doing your best” actually mean? Is it Olympic-level effort every single day? That's not really the point.The point is that we've once again centered the parent's experience and stopped being curious about the child's.Sarah: Right. I think if a parent could say, “I did the best I could, and I realize it wasn't good enough,” that could actually be very healing for everyone involved.Morgan: Totally.As long as the next sentence is, “Tell me more... and I can take it.”That's really the crucial part.More than anything else, children need to know that their parent can survive their feelings. Whether a parent is emotionally immature or not, if a child grows up believing, “My parent can handle my emotions,” that child is much more likely to become emotionally healthy.Too often, though, emotionally immature parents experience their child's feelings as personal attacks. The child learns that their parent can't survive those feelings.And if Mom can't survive my anger, or Dad can't survive my frustration, then how am I supposed to survive these enormous feelings?Sarah: That makes so much sense.That's exactly what we teach in peaceful parenting, too—that by staying grounded when our children have big emotions, we're teaching them that feelings aren't emergencies. They learn emotional regulation by watching us not become overwhelmed by their feelings.Tell me about emotionally immature parents as grandparents. Do you see the same patterns showing up, or is the relationship with grandchildren different?Morgan: In my experience, emotionally immature parents often try much harder with their grandchildren.Sometimes I think that's still connected to image management. They want to be seen as the wonderful grandparent. But they're also older by that stage, and grandchildren represent something of a fresh start.Here's someone who doesn't yet have years of hurt or disappointment with them. Here's another opportunity to be liked, to be admired, to build a relationship. So I often see them showing up with more effort and a little more tolerance than they had with their own children. They also tend to feel less threatened because these aren't their children to raise.That said, many adult children become very protective of their own kids. They may decide, “Even if you're somewhat better than you used to be, you still aren't emotionally safe for my child.”Sarah: Right. They're still centering themselves.Morgan: Exactly.It's still coming from a place of wanting to be seen as a certain kind of grandparent. Sometimes grandchildren become another bargaining chip—another thing the adult child supposedly owes them. Access to the grandchildren becomes another arena where the family drama can play out.Sarah: Yeah. Holy heck.You and I both talk about delighting in your child.When I teach it, I explain that children learn to see themselves through our eyes, and delight is also such a powerful way to build connection. For anyone listening who hasn't heard either of us talk about it, I describe it as letting the love you already feel in your heart actually show on your face.Talk to me about the role delight plays in your work.Morgan: This is something that the adult children of emotionally immature parents yearn for more than almost anything else—to simply be delighted in.For me, delight looks like a parent who genuinely wonders about their child. A parent who lets themselves be amazed by who their child is, especially in the places where that child is different from them.Imagine an incredibly athletic parent raising a deeply artistic child. Instead of trying to change them, that parent watches with curiosity and wonder. They're moved by who their child naturally is.That communicates something incredibly powerful: You matter to me exactly as you are.There's no agenda. There's no performance required. Your authentic, messy, imperfect self moves me.Every child needs that experience because it's permission to keep exploring who they are. It's permission to feel worthy of love, connection, and care. It creates this deeply rooted sense of, “I belong here. I exist. Who I am is good enough for this world.”That's the template we want our children growing up with.For emotionally immature parents, that kind of delight can feel threatening because it requires surrendering control. But it's really the sweetest part of parenting. It's what children are longing for at their core.Sarah: It's the best.There's a quote—I think it's from Pam Leo—that says every child needs to know there's one person who thinks they're the sun, the moon, and the stars all wrapped up into one wonderful human being.Sometimes parents ask me, “Shouldn't my child have a more realistic understanding of how the world works?”And I always tell them, “The world will teach them that. You don't have to.”Morgan: Exactly.The world is going to be hard enough. Your child doesn't need you to prepare them by becoming another source of that hardness.They're going to encounter disappointment, rejection, and criticism out in the world. What they need is a safe place to come back to.Knowing there's always someone in their corner allows them to face that big, scary world much more confidently. Eventually, it isn't even a conscious thought of, “If everything falls apart, I can always go home.”Instead, it becomes a felt sense.“I'll be okay.”That feeling becomes woven into who they are because, throughout their life, someone consistently had their back.Sarah: I've interviewed several adults on the podcast who were bullied as children.One man told me, “My parents loved me so much. I always knew they liked me. They genuinely thought I was wonderful.”He said he was bullied terribly, especially in middle school, but it never really damaged his self-esteem because he always had that foundation at home. His parents carried him through those experiences, and they didn't leave lasting scars.Morgan: That gives me goosebumps.I work with so many childhood trauma survivors and adult children of emotionally immature parents who say something very different. They'll tell me, “I know my parent loved me, but I never felt like they liked me.”They felt looked at with disgust, contempt, disappointment, or criticism. They didn't feel enjoyed.Being liked by your parent is profoundly different from simply being loved by them.I completely agree with your guest. There really is something deeply protective—almost insulating—about growing up knowing your parent genuinely likes who you are.Sarah: What if you recognize that your partner is an emotionally immature parent?Morgan: The first step is to honestly assess the capacity for communication within the relationship.Like we've talked about, all of us have emotionally immature moments. That's why these conversations are worth having. You want to be on the same page about parenting. How are we going to respond when our child has big emotions? What are we going to do when discipline is needed? Can we agree on the kind of parents we want to be?The way your partner responds to those conversations gives you important information.If you're consistently met with defensiveness, denial, minimization, or ridicule, that may be a sign that couples therapy would be helpful, assuming you're continuing the relationship.At the same time, your responsibility is to protect your child. You want to make sure that, regardless of what's happening elsewhere, your child feels emotionally safe with you.It always begins with trying to have those conversations and seeing whether your partner demonstrates a willingness to grow in emotional maturity—or whether you're continually running into defenses and distortions that make genuine change very difficult.Sarah: Is it possible for one parent's influence to be enough to protect a child from the other parent's influence?Morgan: “Enough” is an interesting word because I'd want to know what metric we're using.Is one emotionally healthy parent better than none? Absolutely. Without question.If a child has even one safe base, that alone provides an incredible amount of protection. It creates a buffer. It creates insulation.That doesn't mean the other parent's emotional immaturity won't affect them. It certainly can.But we also know that one of the biggest factors in whether a painful experience becomes traumatic isn't just what happened—it's whether there's anyone afterward to help you process it. Trauma isn't only about going through something painful. It's also about having no one afterward to help you make sense of it, regulate it, or feel supported through it.So if a child has one parent who can help them process what happened, who can reconnect with them after those difficult moments, they're in a much better position.Sarah: Yeah, absolutely.Okay, what should I have asked you that I didn't? Is there anything important we missed?Morgan: One thing I'm often talking about is helping parents stop taking their child's emotions as personal attacks.Parents frequently make these automatic connections: My child is angry, therefore they're being disrespectful. Or, My child is shutting down, therefore I'm a bad mom or dad.The reality is that children have a million different reasons for feeling what they're feeling.It's incredibly helpful if, in those moments, you can temporarily remove yourself from the equation. Instead of immediately assuming it's about you, get curious. Stay with your child. Ask questions. Try to understand what's happening in their world before creating a story about what's happening in yours.We often assume we already know why our child feels the way they do, but we usually don't.Step into their world with curiosity instead.If it is about you, and you're a safe parent, they'll tell you.Then you can take that information up with yourself, talk about it together, and repair if necessary. But first, we have to give children the freedom to have their feelings.That's incredibly important.Sarah: That's beautiful.Our work is so aligned. I'm really grateful you came on the podcast today. I'm sure parents are going to learn a lot from this conversation and want to learn more.Where's the best place for people to find you and your work?Morgan: You can find me on Instagram at @morganpommells. My last name is spelled P-O-M-M-E-L-L-S.Come on over. We talk about emotionally immature parents all the time.Sarah: We'll put all the links in the show notes, including your masterclass.Is that available all the time now?Morgan: Yes. Protect Your Peace is available anytime.Sarah: Perfect.Okay, final question.What's one thing you wish every parent knew?Morgan: I wish every parent knew that they need to work their own s**t out, or else their s**t is going to raise their kids.More often than not, the reaction you're having, the story you're telling yourself, the urgency you feel to immediately fix or stop something—that's about your stuff.Before turning toward your child, pause and turn toward yourself first.Ask yourself, What just happened inside me? Why is this particular behavior so triggering? Why is this reaction bringing up something so intense?That's incredibly important data about you. In that moment, it's usually much more about you than it is about your child.Sarah: It's so hard because I think a lot of people believe they've already done a tremendous amount of personal work before they have kids.But in my own experience, and from years of coaching parents, there's a whole layer you simply can't access until you become a parent.My husband and I were talking about this the other day. We had our first child when we were thirty, and we've often joked that if we'd started younger, maybe we would've had more children.He said, “I don't know. I probably needed more time to work on my stuff.”And I said, “I don't actually think your stuff would've shown up. Whether we'd had kids at twenty-five, thirty-five, or forty, there's a whole layer that simply doesn't emerge until you become a parent.”Morgan: Exactly.The portal hasn't been unlocked yet.Parenthood opens an entirely different window into yourself. It activates parts of you that often stay completely dormant until you have children.There are aspects of yourself that may never become activated at all if you don't become a parent. Parenting has a unique way of bringing those hidden parts to the surface.Sarah: Think of all those blissfully happy people out there without children who don't even know what their issues are.Morgan: They're living a very blissful life.Sarah: Well, thank you so much, Morgan. It's been such a pleasure.We'll put links to all of your work in the show notes, and thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sarahrosensweet.substack.com/subscribe

The Tiede family had been looking forward to their annual tradition. Every Christmas, they'd venture up to their remote cabin in the thick, snowy woods where they would decorate a Christmas tree and exchange gifts. But in December of 1990, their place of serenity and peace would be forever changed by two men that had recently escaped a halfway house.Instagram: @CousinsonCrimePodcastEmail: CousinsonCrime@gmail.comTheme Music by AleXZavesaJoin our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/CousinsOnCrimeCheck out our merch store! https://cousinsoncrime-shop.fourthwall.com/?Sources:https://youtu.be/9cjNwCcwtns?si=1gx2Ere0ByJVgeHWhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Tiede_cabin_murdershttps://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/crime-scene-photos-deadly-home-invasion/33/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sisters-survive-deadly-attack-at-utah-cabin/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61106561/rolf-tiedehttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23286850/kaye-tiede

It's better than ol' Mamma Donaldson's roasties, I'll give it that - PeteAbroadInJapanPodcast@gmail.com - use this email to get your story or question on the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Christmas, we like to share a favorite poem. This year it's 'Priest' by Knut Ødegård.We'll be back with our regularly scheduled episodes on January 8th. Happy Holidays! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Christmas, a short story makes its return—one without a known author, but with a lasting impact. The Man and the Birds was famously shared each holiday season by Paul Harvey on the radio, and for years, it's become an annual tradition on 7 Minute Stories. In this special holiday episode, Aaron revisits the quiet, timeless parable about belief, humility, and what it means to truly see one another. Recorded live during Night Stories Live! this retelling invites listeners to slow down, listen closely, and carry a simple truth with them into Christmas. A story passed hand to hand, voice to voice—now shared once again.

Every Christmas season, A Christmas Carol returns to our screens and pages as a story of generosity, redemption, and hope. But beneath the familiar narrative, Charles Dickens was also making a powerful argument—one that challenges how society views the poor, children, and human worth itself.In today's Christmas episode of Faith & Finance, we sat down with Jerry Bowyer, our resident economist and president of Bowyer Research, to explore the deeper economic and theological message Dickens embedded in this classic tale.The Meaning Behind “Surplus Population”One of the most disturbing lines in A Christmas Carol comes from Ebenezer Scrooge, who suggests that the poor might be better off dying to reduce the “surplus population.”Jerry explained that this phrase wasn't casual or poetic—it was loaded with meaning in Dickens' day. It reflected the influence of Thomas Malthus, an economist whose ideas shaped early 19th-century thinking. Malthus believed population growth would always outpace food and resources, making widespread poverty inevitable. His conclusion? Society should discourage the poor from having children.Dickens deliberately places this language in the mouth of his villain. Scrooge isn't just cruel—he's the embodiment of a philosophy that treats people as economic problems rather than human beings made in God's image.Jerry noted that Dickens was, in effect, writing A Christmas Carol as a rebuttal to Malthus.By the time Dickens wrote the story, Britain was entering what economists now call the Great Takeoff—a period of unprecedented growth in productivity, trade, and human flourishing. Malthus had predicted catastrophe just before abundance exploded.Dickens highlights this abundance through scenes overflowing with food, trade goods, and celebration. The message is clear: people don't merely consume resources—they create them.Scarcity, Trauma, and Scrooge's PastDickens doesn't excuse Scrooge's cruelty, but he does explain it. Through the Ghost of Christmas Past, we see a lonely boy shaped by hunger, cold, and deprivation.Jerry pointed out that Scrooge's scarcity mindset is rooted in trauma. His fear of lack leads him to believe that God—if He exists at all—is stingy. That fear shapes his economics, his relationships, and his resistance to generosity.The turning point comes when Scrooge encounters the Ghost of Christmas Present. When told the spirit has over 1,800 brothers—each representing a Christmas—Scrooge responds, “What a large family to provide for.”It's another glimpse of his scarcity thinking. And it draws sharp rebuke.Jerry emphasized that Dickens is confronting the idea that more people mean less provision. In contrast, Scripture reveals a God who is generous, creative, and abundant—and who commands humanity to fill the earth, not fear it.No One Is DisposableBy the end of the story, Scrooge is transformed. He becomes generous, relational, and deeply concerned for others—especially children like Tiny Tim.Jerry observed that in a Malthusian worldview, Tiny Tim is expendable. But Dickens—and the gospel—say otherwise. There are no surplus people.Even Jesus Himself, Jerry noted, would have been classified as “surplus population” by such a system—born poor, dependent, and unwanted by the powerful.The language may have changed, but the ideas persist. Whenever society treats children as burdens, the poor as problems, or human life as expendable in the name of efficiency or sustainability, we are hearing echoes of Scrooge before his redemption.Dickens reminds us that economics is always moral—and theology always shapes how we view people.Watching With New EyesAs Jerry put it, A Christmas Carol isn't just a holiday story. It's a challenge to scarcity, fear, and dehumanization—and an invitation to generosity rooted in trust.As families watch this story together, it becomes a powerful opportunity to talk with our children about God's abundance, human dignity, and what it truly means to love our neighbor.Because the real miracle of Christmas isn't simply changed behavior—it's a changed heart.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I have a substantial amount of savings sitting in the bank and want to protect it from inflation. I live primarily on Social Security, have no debt or investments, and need to keep some funds available for emergencies. What's a wise way to invest the rest?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)The Life of Our Lord: Written for His Children During the Years 1846 to 1849 by Charles DickensA Christmas Carol by Charles DickensThe Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Money From a Biblical Perspective by Austin Pryor with Mark BillerThe Maker Versus the Takers: What Jesus Really Said About Social Justice and Economics by Jerry BowyerWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every Christmas morning since 1864 (with only one modern break), a hardy band of swimmers has plunged into the icy Serpentine in Hyde Park for a 100-yard dash that has become London's most extraordinary yuletide tradition. Born from Victorian bravado, crowned with the Peter Pan Cup, and often surrounded by ice and applause, this event is part challenge, part spectacle and utterly festive – a cold-water ritual that defines Christmas in the capital.

Every Christmas season, pop stars far and wide throw their Santa hats into the ring to see who has the next "All I Want for Christmas Is You," and this year is no exception. It's a yearly tradition on Switched On Pop to explore the deluge of holiday hits, and 2025 sees formidable entries to the canon from folks like Kylie Minogue, Leon Bridges, and Willie Nelson. Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube Songs discussed: Ariana Grande – Santa Tell Me Kelly Clarkson – Underneath the Tree Cher – Christmas Is Here Cher – Believe Kylie Minogue – Hot in December Zach Top – For You For Christmas Willie Nelson – Christmas Love Song Mickey Guyton – Sugar Cookie Meghan Trainor – Gifts For Me The Ronettes – Sleigh Ride Gwen Stefani – Hot Cocoa Train – Let's Stay in Tonight Brenda Lee – Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Leon Bridges, Norah Jones – This Christmas I'm Coming Home Elysia Biro – The Christmas Song Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In today's episode, Mike Renner and former NFL QB Ben DiNucci recap the Monday Night Football matchup between the 49ers and Colts. They also go through the current playoff picture, play fact or fiction and preview EVERY Christmas Day game! (00:00) Intro (00:52) MNF Recap (7:15) Updated Playoff Bracket (10:33) Bucs New Coach Next Season? (14:14) Most Surprising Team This Season? (16:50) NFC West Champ Will Win Super Bowl? (19:25) Tyler Shough OROY? (23:17) Malik Willis Top Free Agent QB? (28:08) Curt Cignetti To The NFL? (30:37) Netflix Exec Will Be Fired? (32:20) Christmas Day Preview Pushing the Pile is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pushingthepile Download and Follow Pushing the Pile on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2RFkEgdbFxbPBDU5F5xEjJ?si=1062d40c04e24fd5 Follow our PTP team on Twitter: @mikerenner_, @Ky1eLong, @acosta32_jp, @pushingthepile Sign up for the Pick Six Newsletter at https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters For more NFL coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ Visit the betting arena on CBSSports.com for all the latest sportsbook reviews and sportsbook promos. You can listen to Pushing the Pile on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Pushing the Pile podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Pushing the Pile podcast." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for the annua Christmas Sessions here on The 46 of 46 Podcast.Every Christmas we put an Adirondack spin on an old Christmas classic. This year we'll hear the story of Van Hoevy the Snowman of Marcy Dam. A friend to everyone in the Adirondack High PeaksI've also added the other Christmas specials to this episode so you can enjoy the entire series which includes:- Marlowe the Blue Antlered Moose- How Crank the Adirondack Hermit Stole Christmas- The Night Before Christmas in the Adirondack MountainsMerry Christmas everyone!Tired of physically struggling on your hikes? Looking for help to improve your your fitness for hiking? Here are 2 ways I can help you do that:1.) Work with James 1-on-1 (online)Apply to work with directy with James 1-on-1 in his Seek To Do More program where he'll help you build the right kind of strength & conditioning for better hiking adventures, along with the nutrition and daily habits needed to support long term transformation. Book a call with James to see if it's the right fit for you HEREwww.seektodomore.com 2.) Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team training programA 6-week online fitness program to help you imporve your strength and endurance for hiking mountains. Train alongside a likeminded team of fellow hikers who will give you the support, guidance, and accountability you need to succeed.Over 200 hikers worldwide have joined the Great Range Athlete team program with great sucesss from first time hikers to multi-round Adirondack 46'ers and everywhere inbetween. Plus, enjoy an Adirondack group hike at the end of the program with your coach and teammatesJoin the next team HEREwww.GreatRangeAthlete.comFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my Adirondack hiking books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue Line3.) Pick up my digital eBook "From 1-to-46" instantly HEREVisit my websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

Every Christmas is an opportunity to celebrate that God made a way where there was no way. God sent Jesus to save those that are lost and o bring them home, and because of this, the world can have great joy! Pastor Brandon reminds us that the manger held a baby that was born to die so that we may live. Drawing inspiration from the shepherds in the advent of Jesus, we are shown what it means to love others... and that is to tell others what we know. Ultimately showing that if we know the Way, we should show the Way. - Key Verses // Luke 2:10-18 - For Sermon Notes, the Connect Card, and our other online resources: https://linktr.ee/Celebrationchurchlive

Every night, join Father Joseph Matlak as he ends the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, and using the Douay-Rheims psalter for his reflections, Father Matlak guides you in prayer and shares a brief reflection and a thorough examination of conscience providing you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. ________________

Every Christmas is an opportunity to celebrate that God made a way where there was no way. God sent Jesus to save those that are lost and o bring them home, and because of this, the world can have great joy! Pastor Brandon reminds us that the manger held a baby that was born to die so that we may live. Drawing inspiration from the shepherds in the advent of Jesus, we are shown what it means to love others... and that is to tell others what we know. Ultimately showing that if we know the Way, we should show the Way. - Key Verses // Luke 2:10-18 - For Sermon Notes, the Connect Card, and our other online resources: https://linktr.ee/Celebrationchurchlive

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Join us this week as we go from Secret Santa turning way more dramatic than planned, to unhinged Christmas opinions and Would You Rather questions that fully derailed the episode. There were tears (don't ask), questionable Christmas food takes, family pressure chat, and at least one moment where we definitely overshared. We talk regifting crimes, awkward Christmas questions, festive flirting, naughty vs nice behaviour, and why Christmas dinner is basically a high-stress endurance sport. All wrapped up in pyjamas, and classic Sisters chaos.

Send us a textOn this episode, Tom and Bert select, review and discuss their Honorable Mentions and their TOP 10 + 1 Greatest Holiday Song Favorites of all time!It's the "SONG" that makes the criteria for their selections then theor favorite/best renditions by their favorites singers complete their lists.Some are the traditional Classics and some are newer originals with a few surprise sleeper hits that make up their lists.Some highlights:"Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer" (9:21) by Dean Martin"Merry Christmas Baby" (13:35) by the Carpenters"Happy Holidays/Holiday Season" (21:03) by Andy Williams"Feliz Navidad" (23:30) by Jose Feliciano"Every Year, Every Christmas" (25:52) by Luther Vandross"The Christmas Song" (27:24) by Nat King Cole"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (32:03) by Frank Sinatra"Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" (38:45) by Burl Ives"Peace on Earth"/"Little Drummer Boy" (41:30) by Bing Crosby and David Bowie"Gloria" (51:06) by Michael W. Smith"Santa Baby" (53:45) by Eartha Kitt"Baby It's Cold Outside" (1h 01m) by Dean Martin"Same Old Lang Syne" (1h 12m) by Dan Fogelberg"All I want for Christmas is You" (1h 15m) by Mariah CareyHave a Great Holiday Season and we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year.Enjoy the Show!You can email us at reeldealzmoviesandmusic@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page, Reel Dealz Podcast: Movies & Music Thru The Decades to leave comments and/or TEXT us at 843-855-1704 as well.

Every Christmas, Christians sing a nativity story shaped as much by hymnody as by the Gospels themselves. In this Christmas special, Helen and Lloyd take a closer look at four of their favourite Christmas carols to ask the question: how do their depictions of Jesus' birth compare with the gospel accounts?For the first time ever, you will also be able to watch the Biblical Time Machine on YouTube. Subscribe to the Biblical Time Machine channel for upcoming content and conversations, including this conversation between Helen and Lloyd. For more on the 'Plygain' Christmas tradition, see here. SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINEIf you enjoy the podcast, please (pretty please!) consider supporting the show through the Time Travellers Club, our Patreon. We are an independent, listener-supported show (no ads!), so please help us continue to showcase high-quality biblical scholarship with a monthly subscription.DOWNLOAD OUR STUDY GUIDE: MARK AS ANCIENT BIOGRAPHYCheck out our 4-part audio study guide called "The Gospel of Mark as an Ancient Biography." While you're there, get yourself a Biblical Time Machine mug or a cool sticker for your water bottle.Support the showTheme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 produced by John Nelson.

In this vAuto podcast, Jeremiah Mowry, operations director at Atlanta Auto Brokers, details how a drive-to-school conversation with his daughter in 2017 helped him find his “happy place”—giving away Christmas trees and gifts every December to families in his local community. Hear how Jeremiah and his team turned an idea for a cash-making side hustle into a popular holiday-giving tradition; partner with local schools, a church, a women's shelter and area businesses to develop wish lists for needy families; reinvest cash/credit card donations for trees to fund gift-giving; and build goodwill and trust that helps drive future business at the dealership.

Every Christmas, we send and receive invitations.  Parties, dinners, fruit cake exchanges (yuck). But what if this season, God had an invitation for you?  Long before Jesus was born, God was already extending the invite through prophets, angels, and promises of hope. Join us as we discover what happens when we RSVP “yes” to God's invitation.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: CLICK HEREABOUT FEARLESS CHURCHFearless Church is here to help you live boldly for Jesus. Wherever you are in your faith journey, we'll walk with you as you grow, take your next step, and make a difference. Let's pursue a movement of faith together that changes lives—starting with yours! LOCATION & TIMES2601 E. Alex Bell Road, Dayton, OH 45459 Sundays - On-campus: 9:30 & 11 AM | Online: Facebook & YouTube at 11 AM. Get more info about us at befearless.org.FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FearlessChurchOhioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlesschurchohio/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FearlessChurchOhio

As a little kid, I always slept terribly on Christmas eve. I'd try and go to bed early. I'd tell myself that the sooner I went to sleep, the sooner I'd wake on Christmas morning. But sure as anything I'd be up all night, listening for any sound of activity on the roof. Together with my three little brothers and sisters, we'd be desperate for mum and dad to throw open our bedroom doors at first light, and we'd scramble down to our spindly-and-slightly-off-centred Christmas tree to see if Dad's old football socks had been attended to by Santa. I suspect this Christmas eve will be another poor sleep. Not because I'll be excitedly listening for the sound of shuffling reindeer on corrugated iron, but because it's my first Christmas morning with our ten-month-old son. We're taking both our boys to their cousins' place. Five kids. Average age: four-and-a-half. Our eldest is already fizzing. Our baby will have absolutely no idea what's going on but will sure as anything wake up a minimum of three times in the night to demand cuddles and a feed. Christmas is a kind of touchstone for our family. Like many Kiwi families, it's the one time of year when all of us (or at least as many of us as possible) are in one place at the same time. Weddings, funerals and Christmas are the only occasions we're all together. And Christmas is the only regular date. As a child you never think of this stuff, but as you grow older you are gently confronted by the reality that for better or worse, the numbers in the room change. The grandparents whom I shared Christmas day with as a little boy are no longer with us, no longer sitting on the couch, sipping their coffees and wryly commentating as the kids tear into the wrapping paper. Granny was a very active woman. Every Christmas morning after we'd stuffed ourselves with chocolates and junk, she'd lead a brisk stroll through the neighbourhood as we worked up an appetite for lunch. Dad and my grandad would stay at home and race through a cryptic crossword. Now it's different. For the kids it's more or less the same. All magic. A whirlwind. A blur. But for the rest of us, a new baby just reinforces our awareness of having stepped up a generation. Where once I was struggling to sleep through the night on Christmas Eve, now it's my boys and their cousins. My parents have become the grandparents sitting on the couch, sipping their coffees, wryly commentating proceedings. My siblings have become the parents, the aunts and uncles. People who once were there, are not. New, excited little bodies have taken their place. There's sadness in it. But there's something quite beautiful about it too, placing yourself in a generational context like that. It's a circle of life thing. It's funny that it comes at Christmas. Other cultures and religions probably have many more of these moments. But we're a bit short on touchstone traditions. For me at least, Christmas is a short little window every year where the busy lives in my family are about as aligned as they're going to be. It's a touchstone where if you want to, you can step back and observe what's changed in the family. My son's first Christmas will mean seeing myself in a slightly different light… not as a kid, or a gift-giver, or someone setting stocking sunder the tree, but as a bridge between different generations of the same family, hoping the spirit of these traditions will continue for many years to come. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Lifeday folks. Every Christmas we record a watchalong of something holiday related; this year we chose The Star Wars Holiday Special. Josh somehow "forgot" we were recording this and missed the experience that is the holiday special and so it's just Ren and Sara. If you want to watch along you'll find the video we watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxtSX1lg8rE&t=47sWishing you a Merry Frelling Christmas and a Drad Holiday Season from all your friends at Muppets, Sex, & TraumaGuest:Ren (she/they)Creator: Ren the Barbarianhttps://www.youtube.com/c/RenTheBarbarian/featuredhttps://www.instagram.com/renthebarbarian/https://www.tumblr.com/victorian-sexstachehttps://bsky.app/profile/renthebarbarian.bsky.socialPodcast socialshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz-9cHDhut44XA-hQ-RMw6Qhttps://www.patreon.com/muppetssexandtraumahttps://muppetsexandtrauma@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/Muppets-Sex-and-Trauma-a-Farscape-Podcast-114029207450715Discord:https://discord.com/invite/CqnhYFVRzXOur vital info:Sara Ezzat (she /her)Creator: The Fat Culture Critichttps://www.youtube.com/c/TheCostumeCodexhttps://bsky.app/profile/saraezzat.bsky.socialJosh Gosdin (he/him)Nerd and lover of all things Star Trekhttps://www.instagram.com/joshgosdin/

Pastor Jack Graham concludes the series “The Christ of Every Christmas” with the message “The Christ of Christmas Future.” He reminds us that Jesus' appearances are as Prophet, or Christmas Past; as Priest, or Christmas Present; and as King, or Christmas Future. Jesus was King before He was born, He was King at His birth, and He is forever King To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/395/29?v=20251111

It was a heartbreaking weekend as word of the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner broke over the weekend. Jeff and Sean remember Rob's Hollywood legacy, the impact of his incredible movies and what made them iconic. New Movies this Week Ella McCay Directed by James L. Brooks Starring Emma Mackey, Albert Brooks, Jamie Lee Curtis At 34 years old, Ella McCay becomes the governor of the state she was born and raised in. However, navigating relationships with her husband, father and brother may just be her biggest challenge yet. Silent Night Deadly Night Directed by Mike P. Nelson Starring Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine When Billy witnesses his parents' grisly murder at the hands of Santa, it ignites a lifelong mission to spread holiday fear. Every Christmas, he dons the red suit and embarks on a blood-soaked massacre to feed his twisted sense of justice. Classic Silent Night Deadly Night 1 & 2 Silent Night Deadly Night 1 and 2 are sleezy, gross, disgusting movies that are so bad they are kind of good. Not genuinely good, but ironically good. We talk about all of the Silent Night Deadly Night movies in the end.

Through the series, “The Christ of Every Christmas,” Pastor Jack Graham continues our study in the book of Hebrews with the message “The Christ of Christmas Present.” Pastor Graham teaches that Christ is always near; He's always dear; He's perpetually present. He's given us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit within us. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/395/29?v=20251111

Every Christmas, we send and receive invitations.  Parties, dinners, fruit cake exchanges (yuck). But what if this season, God had an invitation for you?  Long before Jesus was born, God was already extending the invite through prophets, angels, and promises of hope. Join us as we discover what happens when we RSVP “yes” to God's invitation.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: CLICK HEREABOUT FEARLESS CHURCHFearless Church is here to help you live boldly for Jesus. Wherever you are in your faith journey, we'll walk with you as you grow, take your next step, and make a difference. Let's pursue a movement of faith together that changes lives—starting with yours! LOCATION & TIMES2601 E. Alex Bell Road, Dayton, OH 45459 Sundays - On-campus: 9:30 & 11 AM | Online: Facebook & YouTube at 11 AM. Get more info about us at befearless.org.FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FearlessChurchOhioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlesschurchohio/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FearlessChurchOhio

Every Christmas, well-meaning advice gets thrown around like confetti. Swap wine for gin. Skip meals so you can enjoy later. But this advice isn't helping. In fact, it's the reason so many women stay stuck in the same December–January cycle year after year. In this episode, I talk about the advice I will never give over Christmas — and why quick fixes, swaps, and control-based thinking don't work long term. We'll look at how diet culture sneaks in during the festive season, why all-or-nothing thinking ramps up, and what actually helps you stay steady, grounded, and well. This isn't about being perfect over Christmas. It's about breaking patterns, staying connected to yourself, and moving through the season without losing your footing. If you've ever thought, “I'll just get back on track in January,” this episode is for you. Click play and let's dive in.

Two centuries ago, a desperate young servant girl buried a piece of amber in the frozen Nova Scotia earth and summoned something with rows of gleaming teeth and an ungodly stench. Every Christmas Eve since, it returns to collect its payment — in flesh.STORY AND MUSIC CREDITS/SOURCES…“Mary Culhane and the Dead Man”: http://bit.ly/2PbAYPa“The Stench of Christmas” by Lea Story: https://amzn.to/3487uWMAll music used with permission of the artists. Spooky Santa theme by Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ). All other music by Nicolas Gasparini (http://bit.ly/2LykK0g).I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use. If I somehow overlooked doing that for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I'll rectify it the show notes as quickly as possible.***Spooky Santa™ and Weird Darkness® are creations and trademarks of Marlar House Productions and Weird Darkness, LLC. Copyright © Weird Darkness, 2025."I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46https://weirddarkness.com/spookysanta1214Originally aired: December, 2019EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/SpookySanta1214Weird Darkness and Spooky Santa can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.#SpookySanta #WeirdDarkness #ChristmasHorror #ScaryStories #HolidayHorror #CreepyChristmas #FamilyCurse #TrueScaryStories #CreatureFeature #DarkChristmas #HorrorStories

Today on PowerPoint, Pastor Jack Graham begins a three-part series from the book of Hebrews titled, “The Christ of Every Christmas.” With his message “The Christ of Christmas Past,” he teaches that although much has changed since the birth of Christ, He is the Savior for all seasons “the same yesterday, today and forever!” To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/395/29?v=20251111

Based on the 1984 horror classic of the same name, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT tells the story of Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), a young man who witnessed the brutal murder of his parents a on Christmas Eve s a child. Understandably traumatized by the experience, the now adult Billy is transformed into a Killer Santa who takes his naughty list extremely seriously. Every Christmas season, Billy's mission becomes one of retribution to bad people in the neighbourhood. But, this year, something's different. Having fallen for a young woman who makes him re-examine his inner darkness, Billy is finally forced to ask himself what it means to be naughty and nice. In this 1on1, we speak to Nelson about our love of holiday horror and what makes an 'evil person'.SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is available in theatres on December 12th, 2025.

Every Christmas we celebrate the coming of” the Light” into the world—candles glow, streets shine, and hearts lift with hope. Yet long before shepherds stood under Bethlehem's dark sky, the promise of that “Light”  was already spoken. Isaiah 9:2 declares, “The people who walk in darkness shall see a great Light—a Light that will shine on all those who live in the land of the shadow of death.”  This ancient prophecy forms one of the clearest bridges between the Old Testament and the Christmas story. Isaiah first spoke these words into a world marked by political fear, military threat, and spiritual confusion. Israel was surrounded by powerful enemies, its future uncertain, and its faith often fragile. Darkness, in every sense, defined their experience. Yet into that bleak reality God promised “Light” —not merely survival, but renewal; not just relief, but redemption. The people walking in despair would not be left there. God Himself would act! Centuries later, Matthew's Gospel explicitly connects this prophecy to the birth and early ministry of Jesus.  Matthew writes that this happened “to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah” (Matthew 4:14–16). In other words, Christmas is not an isolated miracle; it is the long-anticipated fulfillment of God's promise to bring “Light” to a darkened world. Christmas celebrates the moment when that promised “Light” took on flesh. The baby in the manger was not simply a symbol of hope; He was hope embodied. The “Light” Isaiah foretold was not an idea or a political reform, but a Person. Jesus steps into human darkness—sin, fear, suffering, and death—and illuminates a new way forward. His birth declares that darkness does not have the final word. I'm praying that you're making plans now to join us every Sunday in the month of December for our Christmas Teaching Series: CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. I'm also praying that the “Light” of our LORD JESUS will bring brightness and healing into your life this Christmas, and I'm hopeful you'll be inviting folks to join you as we gather every Sunday this month and celebrate the Birth of KING JESUS, the “Light” of the World! Pastor Joe Still

Every Christmas, Christian parents face the same question: How should we handle Santa? In today's episode, Elizabeth Urbanowicz takes a thoughtful, biblical look at this cultural tradition and explores what Scripture has to say as we seek to shepherd our children well.Whether your family already has established Christmas rhythms or you're still deciding how to approach the season, this episode will equip you to think wisely, intentionally, and biblically about Santa, and how to keep your family's focus rooted in the true hope of Christmas.Join us for a gentle, Scripture-anchored conversation designed to help you make the best decision for your home this season.

Every Christmas, believers have a unique opportunity to share about the JOY of Christmas. Even if you don't feel "qualified" to do that, know that you can! See how as Tom Pounder shares from Luke 1-2 today. 00:00 - Introduction01:02 - One of the things I love about Christmas03:55 - Luke 105:58 - Luke 209:42 - ConclusionShare your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below.If you would like to know more about New Life, who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

Today in 1970, the release of the Donny Hathaway song "This Christmas." It's become a holiday classic, even if it took a couple decades to get there. Plus: in the Czech Republic you can get an Advent calendar that's made of salami. Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" (Chicago Sun-Times via Archive.org) Salami Advent Calendar, Czech Republic (Present & Correct via Bluesky) Get to know our show better as a backer on Patreon

Every Christmas, believers have a unique opportunity to share about the JOY of Christmas. Even if you don't feel "qualified" to do that, know that you can! See how as Tom Pounder shares from Luke 1-2 today. 00:00 - Introduction01:02 - One of the things I love about Christmas03:55 - Luke 105:58 - Luke 209:42 - ConclusionShare your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below.If you would like to know more about New Life, who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

Welcome back to The Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T., where we empower women to step into strength, resilience, and purpose — body, mind, and spirit. Today, we're celebrating one of the most beloved holiday films of all time with someone who lived it from the inside out. Jimmy Hawkins — who played Tommy Bailey, the youngest son of George and Mary Bailey — joins us to share the heart, history, humor, and humanity behind It's a Wonderful Life. Now, nearly 80 years after its release, Jimmy has gathered decades of interviews, rare photos, cast and crew insights, and untold behind-the-scenes stories in his brand-new book, The Heart of It's a Wonderful Life, releasing September 23rd. Jimmy opens up about what Frank Capra poured into the film, how Jimmy Stewart used the emotional scars of World War II to shape his performance, and why the message — one life touches so many others — is more important now than ever. Whether you've watched the film a hundred times or you're seeing it for the first time this season, this conversation will remind you that you matter, your life has meaning, and you make a difference. Key Themes The universal message that every life has value Why viewers in today's world need that reminder more than ever How the film teaches us that ordinary acts have extraordinary impact Jimmy's story about showing the film in Attica Prison Inmates recognizing themselves in George Bailey's journey How the movie inspires personal change in unexpected places Capra refused the studio system so he could make the film his way Why the movie originally failed — and how TV saved it in 1974 The idea that "God had a plan" for when the world would discover the film How his experience in WWII shaped the raw intensity of George Bailey Why Stewart said he could not perform certain scenes twice Capra's sensitive direction and deep understanding of trauma How being part of the cast shaped his purpose The journey behind writing his new book Why the story continues to guide him personally and professionally "One Life Makes a Difference" — The Core Message The film teaches us: You matter. Your life has purpose. You are impacting others in ways you may never know. Questions Asked What has kept the message of "It's a Wonderful Life" so relevant for nearly 80 years? Why does the film resonate so deeply with generation after generation? What inspired your new book, and what did you want readers to experience? How did Frank Capra's independent vision shape the final film? What mattered most to Frank Capra in creating this story? Can you share more about Jimmy Stewart's emotional preparation and depth? How has being part of this film shaped your life? Why do you think the movie failed at release but exploded decades later? Quotes: "The movie never changed — the people changed. They need that message now more than ever." — Jimmy Hawkins "George Bailey didn't think he did anything for anyone. And look what he did." "You were born to do something in this life. Maybe you haven't done it yet — but you will." "Frank Capra didn't believe in the committee way of making movies. He wanted to make his film his way." "God had a plan. The pieces weren't there in 1946 — but they were in 1974." "This movie tells everybody: you're important. Go get your dream." "We don't think we're making a difference. But we are. What you do does matter." — Linda Mitchell Jimmy Hawkins & Book Links Book — The Heart of It's a Wonderful Life by Jimmy Hawkins — available for preorder/release: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400255104  Book (audiobook / digital) on Google Play Books / Audiobooks — https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/AQAAAEAqmWHZWM  Information & Announcement about the Book Release (2025) — https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250729801695/en/Its-a-Wonderful-Life-Actor-Jimmy-Hawkins-to-Release-His-New-Book  Where to Stream "It's a Wonderful Life" As of now, "It's a Wonderful Life" is available on: Amazon Prime Video — stream or rent the film  Xumo Play, Plex, Hoopla, and other free-with-ads platforms — depending on your region. 

Every Christmas, we send and receive invitations.  Parties, dinners, fruit cake exchanges (yuck). But what if this season, God had an invitation for you?  Long before Jesus was born, God was already extending the invite through prophets, angels, and promises of hope. Join us as we discover what happens when we RSVP “yes” to God's invitation.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: CLICK HEREABOUT FEARLESS CHURCHFearless Church is here to help you live boldly for Jesus. Wherever you are in your faith journey, we'll walk with you as you grow, take your next step, and make a difference. Let's pursue a movement of faith together that changes lives—starting with yours! LOCATION & TIMES2601 E. Alex Bell Road, Dayton, OH 45459 Sundays - On-campus: 9:30 & 11 AM | Online: Facebook & YouTube at 11 AM. Get more info about us at befearless.org.FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FearlessChurchOhioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlesschurchohio/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FearlessChurchOhio

Every Christmas it is a time of celebration and joy! See how you can celebrate and be joyful while also sharing the good news of great joy to others as Tom Pounder shares. 00:00 - Introduction01:11 - Luke 203:05 - Some practical ways you can share08:53 - ConclusionShare your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below.If you would like to know more about New Life, who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

Every Christmas it is a time of celebration and joy! See how you can celebrate and be joyful while also sharing the good news of great joy to others as Tom Pounder shares. 00:00 - Introduction01:11 - Luke 203:05 - Some practical ways you can share08:53 - ConclusionShare your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below.If you would like to know more about New Life, who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

A Maine man allegedly squeezed through a bathroom window, carefully unwrapped all of a family's Christmas gifts a full month early, then fell asleep on their couch — and when confronted, couldn't explain why.READ or SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/maine-grinch-unwraps-christmas-presentsWeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.#WeirdDarkness #TrueCrime #MaineCrime #ChristmasGrinch #BizarreCrime #HolidayCrime #StrangeNews #RealLifeGrinch #WeirdNews #CrimeStories

Every Christmas, for no apparent reason, there's something that your kids will really want. These kinds of fads happen all the time in the digital age, but before the world wide web, Cabbage Patch Kids became a huge craze around the festive season.Joining Seán to discuss is Greg McKevitt, Journalist with The BBC.Image: Cabbage Patch Kids

Introduction: Philippians 2:3-7 – Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 3 Reasons I Want to Fight for Unity (1 Corinthians 1:10-17) Because I Am RESPONSIBLE for the Church's REPUTATION. (1 Cor 1:11) John 13:35 – By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 17:20–21 – I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Because FIGHTING is FOOLISH. (1 Cor 1:12–13) Because DISUNITY DISTRACTS from the Mission. (1 Cor 1:14–17) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 1:10-17What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What are some specific doctrines church members must agree on (1 Cor 1:10)? What are some doctrines that are okay to not all agree on? What makes the difference?What are some ways people overly attach themselves to certain preachers today (1 Cor 1:12)? Why do you think many Christians do this?Why was Paul thankful that he didn't baptize the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:14)? Is Paul saying baptism isn't important? Why or why not?How exactly do “words of eloquent wisdom” end up “emptying the cross of its power” (1 Cor 1:17)? What does this say about how we should evaluate a sermon?BreakoutPray for one another. Pray for unity at HBC among elders, staff, ministry leaders, and members. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open up those Bibles.The first Corinthians in chapter 1.But as we turn to God's Word, I'm going to ask,we just pause for a second and please pray for meto faithfully communicate what God has said in His Word,and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receivewhat it is that the Lord wants to teach us from His Word today.Alright, let's pray.Father, just now we're turning to Your Word,and I pray that our minds and hearts would be just so focusedon what You said,and that we are eager to obey what it is You've laid out for usin Your Word.We pray in Jesus' name.And all of God's people said,"Amen."The first Corinthians, chapter 1.You know, every so often at harvest Bible chapel,we do a Q&A day where we take questions from the congregationand answer them,and I think it was the last Q&A day.We had a very - a question that kind of threw me for a loop.I was wondering who asked it and why.But the question was, do the leaders of the church like each other?Well, you know, we're working on seeking the Lordon building a church building on a piece of propertyup in New Sewickley.And there is wind of opposition to building,which probably means building is of the Lord,because that's what happens, right?Read the book of Nehemiah.But in our staff meeting,in my office around the conference tables,we were in a staff meeting,and our children's director, Missy Howes,I got permission to tell this story, by the way.But our children's director was telling us aboutone of the individuals who is sort of against us buildinga building on that property.And then Missy capped off her updateby turning to Pastor Rich,and she said, "Yeah, she's really going after you people."And I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.You people."I said, "Well, at what point, Melissa,did you go from staff memberof the biggest demographic of our churchto now it's you people?"And we have been laughing about that ever since.And if you know Missy, it's even funnier.But how quickly some people actually seriouslydetached themselves from the church?How quickly people detach themselves,and they don't see themselves as part of the body,don't see themselves as wanting what's actually bestfor the body as a whole.How many people show of handshave ever been involved in a churchwhere there's been fighting?Raise your hand.All right?How many people have ever been involved in a churchwhere there was a split?Raise your hand.Way too many of you.All right? Way too many.But listen, it's nothing new.It's been happening from the very beginning of the church.And it just seems common nowbecause there's more churchesand there's easier ways to communicate in our day.But it happens.Fighting and divisions in the churchis unfortunately one of the sinsthat the church has been dealing with since day one.Last week as we started 1 Corinthians,the Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church,look, the foundation for unityhas to be in knowing your salvation.That has to be the foundation.You have to know the grace of Godby which you're saved.You have to know that He has gifted you to serve.You have to know that you are guiltlessin the day of Christ Jesus.He will sustain you.That's how Paul starts the letter.In Jesus Christ.Now, act like it.And that's the theme of the whole book of 1 Corinthians.You know, the Corinthian church,they had a lot of problems.Have you read this book?They had a lot of problems.They had a lot of problems concerning sexualityand marriage and libertyand worship and spiritual giftsand the resurrection of Jesusand money.And Paul wrote this book.He wrote them this letter to correcttheir sinful problems.But you know,Paul must have thoughtthat their biggest problemwas disunity.The fighting.Because this is what he addresses firstin the letter.Look at verse 10.And really, verse 10 could have beenthe only thing he wrote in the whole book.And this is like the point.He says, "I appeal to you brothersby the name of our Lord Jesus Christthat all of you agreeand that there be no divisions among youbut that you be united in the same mindand the same judgment."Now, verse 10 obviously flows from verse 9.And verse 9, he tells the church that they,by extension, we are called into the fellowshipof His Son.And that's a foundation herefor the Corinthian church and for Harvest Bible Chapel.This is not my church.This is not Pastor Taylor's church.Corinth was not Paul's churchor Apollos' church.Harvest Bible Chapel,it's not your church.Whose church is it?It's God's church.And you're like, "Man Pastor Jeff,if only there was a way that you could remind us of thaton the regular."What do you think this is?Do you know what this is?It's an arrow.That's all it is.It's a fancy arrow.But that's, people ask me,"What's this symbol mean?"It's just an arrow.And this is to remind us why we're here.We're here for God.We're here to exalt His Son.We're here to proclaim His Word.That's all that is.It's a constant reminder.It's not about me.It's about Him.So Paul says he's appealing that what?He says that all of you agree.Like, "All right, agree."Agree on what?Agree on politics.Agree on who is the best football team.Agree on who makes the best pizza.What are we agreeing on?Well, there's two things, church,that we have to absolutely agree on.And number one is doctrine.We should all agree on what we believe.Now listen, we might have different viewson things like an eschatological timelineor the doctrine of election or whatever, whatever.But on the major points of doctrine, we must agree.If you're like, "I'm not sure if I should agree on thisor if I should fight about this."Well, there's things that there are hills to die on.Things like the authority of God's Word.That's something we should all agree on.Things like the person and work of Jesus Christ.We should all agree on that.He is God who became man, who died to take away sin,who rose from the dead to give eternal life,who is coming again.We should all agree on that.Speaking of, we should all agree on salvation.How does somebody get saved?It's through faith in Jesus Christ.It's receiving the gift of eternal lifethat God has given through Jesus.We should all agree on that.All the stuff we talked about last week,we should all agree that is how a person gets saved.We should all agree on the mission of the church.We're not here to scratch itchy ears.We're not here to make a nice social club.We are here to make disciples.Those are things we should agree on.And that's what Paul goes on to say,that there will be no divisions among you.Literally, divisions in the Greekcan be translated no difference of opinion.Paul says, you should not have a difference of opinion.We should all have the same opinion.And you're like, what? Jeff, yours?No.We should all have God's opinion.See, that should be the mindset of this church.It's like, well, what do you think about abortion?What does God think about abortion?What do you think about marriage?What does God think about marriage?That should be our opinion too.What do you think about work?What does God say about work?What should share His opinion?What do you think about parenting?You got any opinions about parenting?Yeah, I do got opinions about parenting.It's God's opinion about parenting.What does the Bible say?We should all be agreeing on doctrine.And another thing we should all be agreeing on is submission.Look at verse 10.He says that you be united in the same mindand the same judgments.You see, doctrine speaks to what we believe.Submission speaks to how we act.In other words, unity - listen, unity will occur naturallywhen we agree on doctrine and live in submission to one another.Now, I hesitated to even bark up this treebut I felt like we had tobecause this could be a whole other sermon series.But look at what Paul told the Philippian church.What is the attitude that we're supposed to have,this attitude of submissionthat's going to result in unity?He tells the Philippians,he says, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.Each of you look not only to his own interestsbut also to the interests of others.Have this mind among yourselveswhich is yours in Christ Jesus.Though he was in the form of God,did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped.He got emptied himself by taking the form of a servantbeing born in the likeness of man."That's saying a lot.There's a couple of things I want to highlight from that.Regarding submission that unifies us,unity is destroyed when we start thinking,"It's all about me.My ideas are the best.My ideas are the smartest.Everyone should do what I want in the churchand the church will be good."He says, "Each of us, we have to humble ourselvesthat we consider others more important than you.That you walk in the doors and you're like,"Everybody here is more important than me."Unity comes when we all share that mindset.How do we do that?Well, he tells us in Philippians,"We have to have the mind of Christ."He says a lot like I said.We've preached on this a couple of times in past time.Look at that next to last statement.That's the one that really jumps out to me.Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, took the form of a servant.This is where the attitude of submission comes.When you walk in the doors, not to say,"Okay, things need to happen my way.I'm going to set everything straight.You need to walk in the doors and say,"I'm here to serve.I'm a servant."If God was willing to make Himself a servant,as an example, I should have the same mindset, right?So are you?Are you a servant?Well, we'll know when somebody treats you like one,whether you are or not.We'll know when you don't get your own wayif you really see yourself as a servant.Really, Paul could have stopped it.Verse 10 says so much here in 1 Corinthians 1.He could have stopped there.But he goes on to lay out three reasons whywe should each do our part for unity.So on your outline, I want you to jot some things down.Three reasons I want to fight for unity.Like, you want to fight about something?You want to fight? Okay.Let's fight for unity.Let's fight for that.You're like, "Well, why do I want to do that?"Well, Paul tells us, number one,because I am responsible for the church's reputation.Because I am responsible for the church's reputation.Look at verse 11.He says, "For it has been reported to me by Chloe's peoplethat there is quarreling among you, my brothers."There are Chloe's people.Do you know what we call them today?Whistleblowers. Right?Do you know what we called them when I was a kid?Do you know what we called whistleblowers when I was a kid?A "nark."How many people remember "nark"?Okay, somebody tattles to the teacher on you."You nark."They weren't getting. They weren't being narks.They weren't being narks. No.I don't know who Chloe's people are.The Bible doesn't really tell us.But here's what we do know.They were so concerned over the fighting that was happening in the churchthat they had to get a message to Paul.And it would have been a lot harder in that day.They couldn't have just posted something on Instaor sent Paul a text. Right?So Chloe's people were concerned.And Paul's like, "This is the reputation that's getting back to me."Chloe's people says, "All you do is fight."Not good.I heard a commercial just the other dayfor a product that I didn't even know existed.It's called the Reputation Defender.How many people have heard of the Reputation Defender?Okay, Randy. Okay, me and Randy.Okay, so only a few of us heard that commercial.All right? The Reputation Defender.Do you know what this is? I had to look it up online.I was so intrigued by the commercial, Randy.I had to look it up online.Since 2006, a leader in online reputation management.What they do is they - and again, this is from their website -they fix online search results and remove personal information.Meaning, if there's bad stuff about you on the Internet, they erase it.If somebody, you know, whether you're applying for a jobor you just want to sort of clean up your reputation,it's just, whoop, it's erased from the Internet.It's gone. Like, that part of you no longer exists.It's just, whoop, gone.And I heard that commercial.And I'm like, man, I wish we had this for other things.You know what I mean?You know what I mean? Like, I do something stupid at homeand I upset Aaron.I wish that I could just be like, whoop, gone.Or, have you ever been like at a partyand you meet somebody and you say something really awkwardand stupid and you're like, why did I say that?Wouldn't it be nice to just be like, whoop, now nobody remembers that?Right?Or you got ejected from the church softball gamebecause you lost your temper.Whoop.Well, you know, there is no such service for the church.I think with the church more than probably just about any organization on the planet,the reputation sticks.For better or for worse, the reputation sticks.And if you're like, well, I really don't care what people think about me.Okay, do you care what people think about Jesus?Because this unity doesn't just affect the church's reputation.It reflects on Jesus himself.Look at John 13.35 here. We're going to have it on the screen.Jesus said, by this all people will know that you are my disciplesif you have love for one another.Now, you know what I want to think Jesus said here?My mind wants to make it say that Jesus was like,the world is going to know that you love the worldby the way that you love the world.That's not what he said.He said the world is going to know that we are disciples of Jesus,not by how we love them,but by how we love each other.Our reputation for unity, according to our Lord,confirms our discipleship to the world,and it also directly affects our witness.Jesus, again, you jump over to John 17.Jesus praying specifically for us, for Harvest Bible Chapel.You see it right here. Jesus is praying.I do not ask for these only,but also for those who will believe in me through their Word.That's us.We believe through the Word.He says that they may all be one,just as you, Father, are in me and I and you,that they also may be in us.Why does Jesus want us to be one?Here's a reason.He says so that the world may believe that you have sent me.Our witness church is directly affected by our oneness.I mean, that just makes sense, doesn't it?I mean, it just follows.I mean, if you're talking to your neighbor about churchand you say things like,"Well, you know what at Harvest Bible Chapel,our worship leader can't stand our children's director."I mean, our children's director is constantly throwing fire at staff meetings,and the worship leader just has had enough.And then you tell your neighbor,"Oh, he is way too aggressive with people."And you're like, "Well, how's the youth group?"And they say, "How's the youth group?"You're like, "Well, youth group is nice, but you know what those youth group moms,all they do is fight."That's all they do.They're just constantly fighting and arguing and bickering about everything.And then you turn to your neighbor and say,"Hey, would you like to come to our church sometime?"And they're like,"Not a chance.Why would I want to walk into that circus?"Our witness is affected by our reputation.Jesus prayed that we would be one.He died so that we would be one.So our reputation that we should have is that we are one.So, nix the clicks.Alright?Nix the clicks.Why?Because you're responsible for our reputation.You're responsible for our reputation.Number two, why I want to fight for unity?Why I want to nix the clicks?Number two, because fighting is foolish.Fighting is foolish.Look at verses 12 and 13.Paul is calling them out on their foolish immaturity.He says, "What I mean is that each one of you says,'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,'that's Peter, or 'I follow Christ.'"Is Christ divided?Was Paul crucified for you?Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?See what he's doing?He's pointing out how stupid this is.Why are you fighting about this stuff?Verse 12, he says, "Each one of you,each one of you, you should have that underlined."Why?Because when there's this unity, who do we blame?Everybody else, right?Paul's like, "This is not an everybody else problem.This is a you problem."Stop blaming everybody else.What are you doing for unity at the church?And you see, they were boasting about which ministerthey identified with.Some people were like, "I follow Paul."I mean, Paul was pretty great, huh?Like, what an awesome missionary, right?Apostle to the Gentiles and endured so much hardshipand was so faithful in his ministry.And it's easy to see why there were people that loved Paul.But some maybe overly attached to him, right?But then you have the people that were like, "Paul, okay."Paul's okay.But you know who really is the best minister is Apollos.Apollos was known for his eloquence.Apollos was a fantastic speaker.We learned about that in the book of Acts.And I'm sure that there were people here that were like,"You know what? Paul might have good theology,but there ain't nobody that preaches a sermonas beautifully as Apollos.He is the best preacher I've ever heard."And then you had people that are like,"You both are whack."Paul?Apollos?No, no, no, no, no, no.Cephas.That's Peter, right?Like, how can we even be arguing about this?Peter!OG!Peter!Right?Like, he wasn't just like one of the disciples.He was like one of Jesus' besties.And he was there for all of it.And he had some ups and downs.And look at what, look at like Pentecost.And Peter is the man.And then you had people that just had the Jesus Duke, everybody,that are like, "Oh, you like human ministers?"Well, I follow Christ.Doesn't that just sound so pious?I follow Christ.You see what the Corinthian church was doing?It was the adult version, the church version,of, "My dad can beat up your dad."Right?It's, "My pastor cannot preach your pastor."Aren't all four of these men preaching the same gospel?Oh, by the way, the last group there, I follow Christ.You're like, "Wait, wait, wait.Isn't that who we want to follow?"Yes.Jesus.Obviously.But somehow they turned even thatinto an occasion for fighting.And you're like, "Well, how in the world could somebody pull that off?"Well, people still do it today.People still do that today.Like, what do you mean?You heard these people that are like,"Oh, I don't need to go to churchbecause I have a relationship with Jesus.So I don't need church."You can't defend that biblically.There is no such thing as a Christian detached from a church body.There is no such thing.Several years ago, there was the whole short-lived15 minutes of fame of the whole,"I love Jesus but hate the church."You remember that?"I love Jesus but I hate the church."Doesn't that just sound so pious?It sounds so obnoxious."I love Jesus but I hate the church."Bad idea.You know what the church is?The church is the bride of Christ.And if you came to me and you said,"I love you, Pastor Jeff, but I hate your wife,"we're going to have some problems.I think that's what was going on here.That there were people that were like,"Oh, I don't need churches and preachersbecause I have Jesus."And look, there are some things,as we said earlier, that are worth fighting for.There are some things I will fight to the death for.Things like preaching the Word of God.Things like biblical music.Things like confronting unrepentant sin.Those are the things that the church should be fighting for.But sadly, when there's fighting in the church,those aren't usually the kinds of thingsthat people are fighting over.Honestly, church, we find weird things to divide over,just like the Corinthians.We just come up with all kinds of stupid things to fight about.You want to hear some examples of some of the stupidest things?I don't have time to give all of them.But over the years, I've heard so many stupid thingsthat people fight about.Here's one.I had a friend that attended a church.And I'm like, "Hey, how things are going at your church?"And he goes, "Oh, Jeff, we're really in a bad spot right now.Everybody's fighting."Like, what's the problem?People are really upset with each otherand people are not talking to each other.And it's gotten really ugly.I'm like, "What are we fighting about at this church?"He says, "Well, when you walk in the entryway,there's a bulletin board.And they're fighting about how to divide it up among the ministries.Because the Sunday school thought they were getting all of it,and they were told they can get half,and they wanted to divide it this way.But no, no, no, the mission department wanted to divide it this way, blah, blah, blah."And he goes, "It is nasty."I'm like, "Are you serious?"He's like, "Yeah."He goes, "What do you think we should do?"I said, "I think you should rip that bulletin board off the walland throw it in the garbage.That's what I think you should do."He's like, "Well, that's evangelism."I said, "No, it's not.The only people are seeing itare the people who are walking in the door."I said, "If it's causing that much division, trash it."Isn't that dumb?Here's another one.My old church, there was a familythat had four daughters at the timethey were early adolescents to teenage years.And there were people at the churchthat were upset with this family.They said, "Those girls are a clique.Those girls are a clique.Those girls are sisters."And now we're demonizing thembecause they like each other?There were people angry at thembecause they got along.Isn't that stupid?This might be the stupidestthat I have a pastor friend.He was a pastor for a church up in Canada.Every Christmas they had a tradition.Like, for years,at the end of the Christmas service,this is true, and I can't say without laughing,but this is true,at the end of the Christmas service every year,they sang "Feliz Navidad."You know that horrible song?You know the one I'm talking about?"Feliz Navidad.""Feliz Navidad."Oh, that's so cringe.Well, this new pastor cameand he's like, "You know what?There's not really spiritual contentin that song,and let's really focus our attentionof worship towards, I don't know, Jesus."So let's not sing that song this year.It caused a church split.And my pastor friend said,"I've never seen people so angry."Over one of the worst songs ever written.Isn't that dumb?We find such weird things to divide over.That was the Corinthians.They had their dumb thing too.He was the best preacher.That's why in verse 13,Paul gives some questions that we can unify here, right?Because these questions require us allto give the same answer.Right? Let's try it.Let's see if we get the same answer.Question number one.I'm going to ask the question,you shout out the answer.Is Christ divided?No. Obviously not, right?Christ is not divided.Alright, question two.And now they get harder.Was Paul crucified for you?No.Alright, final question.Were you baptized in the name of Paul?No.Meatballs.Alright, look.I want you to hear me very closely here.There is nothing wrong with having a favorite preacher.I do.There's a preacher who's podcast I listen to all the time.There is nothing wrong with that.Okay? We clear on that.There's nothing wrong with that.I encourage you to do that.But can we at the same time admitthat some people get strangely attachedto preachers and messengers?Like go back a generation to the Bill Gawthard people.Look, I used to go to Bill Gawthard conferences all the time.And you know what I saw there?There were people that were very strangely attached to him.They were like the "I follow Apollo's" people.Alright?And there were people that are like that with John Piper.There were people that are like that with Jack Hibbs.That we attach to these people so much so that we saythe gospel isn't the gospel unless you gospel their way.And when we do that,we're just as foolish as the Corinthians.So these men that you're attached to on what basis are you attached?Right? Paul would say,"Was Jack Hibbs crucified for you?"Were you baptized in the name of John Piper?No.Our union is in Jesus and with Jesus.So Nick's the Clicks.Paul shows us fighting is foolish.Fighting is foolish.And finally, number three.Why do I want to fight for unity?Because this unity distracts from the mission.This unity distracts from the mission.Look at verse 14.Paul says,"I thank God that I baptize none of you,except Christmas and Gaius,so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name."I did baptize also the household of Staphanos.Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.Listen, Paul is not diminishing baptism.Paul's not saying baptism isn't important.This is all Paul is saying.Corinthians, if you're going to fight about this stuff,I am so glad I didn't baptize more of you.If you're going to act like childrenbecause of who baptized you,I'll thank you God that I didn't baptize more of you.In verse 17, he says,"For Christ did not send me to baptizeto preach the gospel and not with words of eloquent wisdom,lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."Paul is saying, "I was sent to preach to make men one in Christ,not baptize to make teams."When you praise the messenger,you miss the message.When you praise the missionary,you miss the mission.And harvest Satan would want anything,anything to distract us from the mission of making disciples.Nothing's changed.Read the book of Acts.In the book of Acts, the church is born.Satan tried to destroy the church from the outsidethrough Acts chapter 4.From the outside attacks.What happened to the churchwhen Satan tried to attack from the outside?What happened?It got bigger and stronger.Kind of like the Charlie Kirk thing that happened recently.The outside attack resulted in getting bigger and stronger.But do you know Acts chapter 5, Acts chapter 6,Satan changes his strategy.Instead of attacking the church from the outside,he attacks the church from the inside,and he found out to be so much more effectiveto distract the church from the mission.And Satan will do that to us.You see, if Satan can get us dividedand fighting with each other,then we're distracted from doing what we're supposed to be doing.The gospel of Jesus Christhas to be the core of everything that we do here.It has to be the cause of everything that we do here.It has to be the motivation of everything that this church does.A pure focus on a pure gospel.Not with words of eloquent wisdom.In other words, we're not sugarcoating it.We're not dressing it up.We're not making it a performance.The power is in the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.So next the clicks.Why?Because disunity distracts from the mission.Our worship team will make their way forward.I'd like you to just buy your heads for a moment.Excuse me.I'd like you to just buy your heads.As we said at the onset,when there's any kind of disunity,when there's any kind of fighting,it's so easy to blame the other guy.God's Word tells us that we need to look at ourselves first.I just want you to buy your heads.I just want you to do a little self-examination.I want you to consider your role in this church,your interactions with people in this church.And I want you to ask yourself,am I an agent of unity or disunity in this church?Am I trying to bring people together?Or am I dividing people?Oh, another question that goes with that.Ask yourself this.If everyone in the church acted like I do,what kind of church would this be?And then finally ask yourself this.Am I committed to the pure doctrine of the gospeland submission to our Lord and to one another?Or have I really made lesser things my focus?Father in heaven,you have called us to unity.Father, it's real easy for us to sit in this roomand sort of laugh at the foolishnessthat was happening in the Corinthian church,bragging about which preacher is the best.It just seems so silly to us,but Father, we fight about thingsthat are much more silly than that.Father, I just pray for the unity in this church.We believe, Father, that Christ died to make us one.And I pray, Father, that we would do everything we canon our part to strive for unity in the body of Christ.Father, if there's any complaining,negative, divisive attitude within any of us,Father, I pray that you would grant repentanceand bring us to the place that we care moreabout your reputation and the ministryto reach the lost and to build up the saved.I pray that we would be so focusedon what you've called us to,that we're not distracted with personal preferences.So thank you, God.Thank you, God, for what you've clearly laid outfor us in your Word.Have us faithful to do it, Father.We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have you ever had a divine encounter with someone who came into your life at just the right time, and you knew it was a “God thing”?I heard about a family that had a flat tire at Christmastime. They pulled into the closest repair shop they could find. The technician who came out to help them was named “Emmanuel.” He agreed to fix the flat even though the shop had just closed. Every Christmas, this family tells their “Emmanuel” story as a reminder that God is always with us.God orchestrates every meeting you have with someone for a purpose. Sometimes, that purpose is life-changing; other times, not so much. But they are all divine appointments.For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Every Christmas, Kristen's family does a scavenger hunt to reveal a family gift or trip. This past year they decided to give the gift early, and we got to follow along on her Facebook page. We loved the idea so much we wanted to bring her on the podcast to tell us all about it. … Continue reading Episode 535: Kristen’s Family Scavenger Hunt →

Every Christmas, we like to share a favorite poem. This year it's 'Snowy Night' by Mary Oliver.We'll be back with our regularly scheduled episodes on January 9th. Happy Holidays! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Christmas dinner with extended family inevitably involves the timeless question, “So, what are you doing for work these days?” or “What do you do, again?” This can be a daunting challenge when your job description sounds like a cryptic corporate riddle that would require a PowerPoint presentation and therapy hand puppets to explain. In this episode, Ross and Natalie vividly portray their family holiday experiences, accurately predicting the chaos that awaits each other's households. They engage in a role-playing scenario where Natalie attempts to explain her job to her Grandpa Jack. Additionally, they offer valuable tips on how to effectively communicate your esoteric corporate role to your family in a manner they can comprehend, or at least sufficiently to deter follow-up questions. Prepare yourself for a fresh wave of holiday party confessions, including an intern who vomits on the CEO's wife, a showdown between a “work husband” and a real husband, and a heartfelt tribute to Melvin, a disgruntled manager who purposefully drove his car into the company building. Stay tuned for hazy recollections of SantaCon, childhood encounters with the terrifying mall Santa, and the enigma that is the Elf on the Shelf. Get up to 50% off Masterclass by going to https://masterclass.com/demoted Email contact@demotedpodcast.com with your Corporate Confessions and Dear Demoted advice requests. Or use the anonymous submission form on our website, https://www.demotedpodcast.com. Now accepting voice memos!

Every Christmas we try to do a call in show to talk to listners about the holiday, the year, next year, their history and relationship with waterbeds, and much, much more. Take us on your next long run.   We'll keep you company and make you laugh.  I promise. Sign up for the races here: https://www.tenjunkmilesracing.com   Support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/tenjunkmiles   Website: http://www.tenjunkmiles.com/   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tenjunkmiles   Twitter: https://twitter.com/tenjunkmiles   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenjunkmiles/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TenJunkMiles/  

Every Christmas, we celebrate the greatest gift ever given—Jesus. But Christmas isn't just about receiving; it's about exchanging gifts with the King. Discover the deeper meaning behind the gifts of the wise men—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—and how they symbolize the gifts we can give to Jesus: our obedience, worship, and even our sin. Let God exchange your stress, fear, and shame for His peace, freedom, and hope. Don't miss this powerful message of purpose and generosity.

Every Christmas, Christians worldwide hear Isaiah's prophecies about a child called "Immanuel." Seth and David talk about one of the best-known prophecies in Scripture and how it prepares us for the birth of Jesus.