POPULARITY
Categories
Pastor Mathew Lara | FAQ 6.24.26
Mark 6:1-13To learn more about Cahaba Park Church, visit our website, and follow our social media: Facebook Instagram YouTube
Introduction 1. Unappreciated at Home (v1-6a). • Familiarity breeds contempt. 2. Who Will Appreciate the Lord? (v6b-13) • No one likes to be told their life is offensive to God. • No one likes to be told they're wrong. • No one likes to be told they need to change. Conclusion • Are you undervaluing Jesus? • Have you downgraded your faith? • Is the Gospel in the 'bottom drawer' of your life – rattling around, half-forgotten and unappreciated? Stop! Say sorry to God and put Christ first. Treat your salvation as your most treasured possession.
Welcome to episode 251 of Grasp the Bible. In this episode, we will examine the topic of the danger of almost — why “almost persuaded” is the most perilous place a person can stand. Key takeaways: Almost saved is the same as completely lost. In matters of eternal destiny there is no middle ground, no partial credit, and no safe distance. Proximity to truth is not possession of truth. King Agrippa was educated in Scripture, personally evangelized by Paul, and intellectually convinced of the gospel's logic — and still walked away. Knowledge about Jesus is not relationship with Jesus. Understanding the gospel and surrendering to Christ are vastly different things. Agrippa grasped the argument. He simply refused to follow it to its conclusion. The gospel is not a subject for ongoing academic inquiry — it is a royal summons. Jesus does not say “Think it over.” He says “Come.” “Follow.” “Today is the day of salvation.” Repeated exposure to truth without response does not keep you neutral — it hardens you. Every time conviction is ignored, the conscience grows more calloused. What once stirred begins to bounce off. Agrippa could clearly see Paul's legal innocence yet was completely blind to his own spiritual guilt. Familiarity with the truth can create the illusion of standing in the light while still standing outside it. Agrippa's problem was not lack of information, opportunity, or evidence. His problem was unwillingness to submit. He calculated that the cost was too high and chose his kingdom over God's. Quotable: Tomorrow's decision is today's hardness. Every time you hear truth and walk away unchanged, it becomes easier to do it again. Don't let “almost persuaded” become your epitaph. Application: Examine what you are actually trusting. Many people have sat in church for years, can articulate the gospel, and still have never personally surrendered to Christ as Lord. Biblical literacy, church attendance, and theological knowledge are not substitutes for faith. If you are relying on any of those rather than Christ Himself, you are standing exactly where Agrippa stood. Stop treating faith as an ongoing inquiry. If you have been “still thinking about it” for years after repeated exposure to the gospel, honest seeking has become sophisticated resistance. The paralysis of perpetual deliberation is not neutrality — it is a decision. Today is the day of salvation. Take your decreasing conviction seriously. If you have heard the gospel many times and feel less moved than you once did, that is not a sign of maturity — it is a warning sign. Spiritual tolerance is real. Do not let familiarity with the message inoculate you against surrender to the One the message is about. For believers: remember you were once Agrippa. You were once almost persuaded. Use that memory to fuel your compassion for those who are still standing at that threshold. Pray for them. Pursue them. Paul wept over the people in that room. So should we. Connect with us: Web site: https://springbaptist.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) Need us to pray for you? Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ If you haven't already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider.
You may not be stuck because you're failing.You may be stuck because the cycle became comfortable.In our conversation with Frankie Capparelli, author of Stuckness: Within the Stronghold, we unpacked how people unknowingly fall into repeating patterns that limit growth, behavior, and opportunity.Some signs of stuckness: You're working hard but not progressing You've lost urgency and momentum Predictability feels safer than growth Your current identity is limiting your future possibilities Frankie shared a critical insight:⚠️ Familiarity is not the same as safety.⚠️ Comfort is not the same as progress.The path forward isn't “try harder.”It starts with:✔️ Awareness✔️ Responsibility✔️ Breaking the cycle intentionallyGrowth begins the moment you stop normalizing what's holding you back.Provided by Living Water Consulting
God meets us in the ordinary, but we must never treat His presence casually. Like Moses at the burning bush, discover how maintaining deep awe and reverence prevents familiarity from stealing your wonder and keeps your heart sensitive to His voice today.
The brain mistakes repetition for safety, comfort for understanding, and endurance for choice. This confusion runs deeper than personal relationships; it shapes entire careers, industries, and the inherited scripts we mistake for our own lives. What comes up: Why the decisions that change your life rarely feel safe at the time Why the brain is a prediction machine, not a happiness machine Liking things simply because we've seen them before The known wound vs. the unknown opening The music industry as an amplified version of everyone's life The starving artist: when suffering becomes a costume, then an identity Is this safe, or just recognised? Read the article. Free Artist Training Coaching + courses Music and Audio Production: www.everynowheremusic.com Episode Notes / Text : www.tlwrites.com
If you've ever said "I don't know why I keep doing this to myself," this one is for you. Most ambitious, self-aware women aren't actually stuck — they're loyal. Loyal to a version of themselves that used to keep them safe, but no longer fits where they're trying to go. In this episode, I unpack the four identities I see women silently loyal to (you'll recognize at least two), share a personal story about a loyalty that cost me more than I want to admit, and give you the one question that changes how you move from here forward.What You'll HearWhy "I don't know why I keep doing this to myself" is the wrong sentence — and what to say insteadStuck vs. loyal — the reframe that gives you your agency back, and why your nervous system picks familiar over free every single timeThe four loyalties — meet the Over-Functioner, the People-Pleaser, the Hyper-Independent Woman, and the Second-Guesser. See which one is sitting in the room with you right now.The loyalty that almost cost me everything — the personal story I've been scared to tell, the retreat that almost didn't happen, and the cost of staying loyal to who I used to beThe question that changes everything — swap "Why am I stuck?" for one better question and watch what shifts in real timeAwareness → Embodiment → Practice — why insight isn't the work, and what actually makes a new identity stickGo withdraw a loyalty — what to do this weekOne Line to Sit With"You're not stuck. You're loyal. And loyalty can be withdrawn."Your Invitation This WeekFor the next seven days, when you catch yourself mid-pattern — over-functioning, people-pleasing, refusing help, second-guessing — pause and ask one question instead of judging yourself: What pattern am I still loyal to? You don't have to fix it. Just name it. That's where the work starts.Clip-Worthy Moments"Most women aren't stuck. They're loyal.""Familiarity feels safer than expansion. Even when familiarity is killing you.""Hyper-independence isn't strength. It's a trauma response with a glow-up.""You weren't being fake. You were being strategic. But strategy has a shelf life.""Awareness without practice is just expensive insight.""Stop being loyal to a woman whose conditions no longer exist."Want to Go Deeper?DM me the word UNBLOCKED on Instagram and I'll send you more on how we do this work inside The Unblocked Method™.Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Unblocked Method™Upcoming Park City retreat details to come soon!If This Hit You in the ChestSave it. Send it to the woman in your life who needs to hear it. And hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.ConnectInstagram: @its.amysandersWebsite: www.amysanders.coEmail the show: support@amysanders.co
It's a special bonus episode this week! With Rift Wizard 3 launching in June 2026, I sat down with developer Dylan White to talk about the third game's evolution, how its distinguished itself from Rift Wizard 2, and what it takes to make a traditional roguelike game stand out in the ever evolving morass of games being released on Steam these days. Come for the discussion on PyGame, stay for the discussion on metal music band names as monsters! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:51 - Interview Start 2:49 - Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup as Primary Design Inspiration 6:15 - Original Concept: Not a Wizard Game at First 9:06 - Core Design Goal: Every Encounter High-Pressure & Unique 13:11 - Rift Wizard 2: Items System Added to Fight Forced Builds 16:46 - Dominions 5 Influence & Knowing Your Game's Identity 20:35 - Why Python/Pygame: Fast Prototyping & Fun to Code 22:38 - ASCII Prototype Origins & Discarded Pac-Man Mana Mechanic 32:22 - AI Coding Agents: Core Logic Hand-Coded, UI Outsourced 41:52 - Crafting System Design: Balancing Planning vs. Improvisation 47:31 - Rift Wizard 3 Art Direction: Ralph Bakshi & 70s Animation 56:36 - Grid Size Changes Across Versions & Rebalancing Challenges 1:02:14 - Sequel Philosophy: 75% Familiarity, 25% Novelty 1:07:17 - Switch & Steam Deck Portability: Mouse-Keyboard Dependency Problem 1:22:50 - Dylan's Favorite Roguelikes & Final Thoughts on Genre Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Rift Wizard 3 Title Theme Outro music: Rift Wizard 3 Boss Theme
510. Paradoxology: Truths that Make Us Sing - The Tragedy of Familiarity (Week 8) // Andre Tan by The City, Singapore
How to Know You Found the One: Why You Just KnowHow to know you found the one is the question everyone asks before getting married, and John and Echo break down what that feeling actually means. They tackle why clichés like "when you know, you know" and "it happens when you least expect it" are annoyingly true, and how full acceptance, comfort, and contrast help you recognize your person.From meeting on a dating app 2,000 miles apart with zero expectations to moving in together fast, John and Echo share their messy, real love story. They dig into why you need options to make a real choice, why finding the one is only 10% (the other 90% is building the relationship), how to tell toxicity from chemistry, and why your subconscious "tells" reveal what you actually feel about someone.In This EpisodeThe clichés are true — "when you know, you know" is frustrating but real, and you'll feel it differently than anything beforeYou need options and contrast to make a real choice; one-itis means you never actually choseHave zero expectations on dates — pressure makes you twist someone into being "the one" when they're notFinding the one is only 10% — the other 90% is the relationship you build, and you can absolutely screw up the right personWatch your subconscious tells — if small habits (like contacts left everywhere) actively turn you off, that's misalignment, not nitpickingDon't confuse toxicity for chemistry — anxious-avoidant patterns can feel like a pull, but that's the dysfunction drawing you inYou can't find the one if you're not living up to what you're looking for — work on yourself firstHonesty, full acceptance, and feeling like "one unit" through life's chaos are how you knowTimestamps0:00 — The Subconscious Tells That Reveal the Truth2:46 — Comfort, Familiarity, and the Signs You See in Hindsight5:00 — John's Perspective: Choosing Against All Odds8:36 — Dating With No Expectations12:13 — Full Acceptance and Moving in Together14:30 — Why You Need Options to Make a Real Choice17:55 — If You're Married, Make Them the One22:58 — You Can't Find the One Until You Work on Yourself27:44 — Being Open, Honest, and Becoming One Unit33:38 — Detecting When It's Not the One: Toxicity and Attraction38:37 — Synchronicities and Guideposts on the Right Path41:39 — You Can't Mess It Up: The Spiritual Side of Finding the One46:43 — Unconditional Love and Matching WeirdnessesConnect
Most growing companies are held together by spreadsheets that nobody fully understands — built by someone who left three jobs ago, maintained by someone who doesn't know why it exists, and quietly critical to daily operations. In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Garrett Fritz, co-founder of MetaCTO, a fractional CTO firm that helps mid-market companies transform outdated operational processes into custom, scalable software.Garrett breaks down why so many organizations are trapped in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset, how AI has lowered the barrier to custom software without eliminating the need for expertise, and when it actually makes sense to build your own tool versus buying off-the-shelf SaaS. He also shares how internal tools can evolve into white-labeled revenue generators — and the most common mistake founders make when they try to take that leap too fast.Whether you're drowning in manual processes, questioning your SaaS spend, or wondering how to implement AI responsibly, this episode delivers a practical, no-hype roadmap.Key Takeaways4:37 — **The #1 operational inefficiency Garrett sees:** Hundreds or thousands of employees running mission-critical operations on a spreadsheet built a decade ago by someone who's since been promoted — and nobody knows why it has the formulas it has. 6:15 — **What "turning spreadsheets into apps" actually means:** MetaCTO embeds in the business, decodes the spreadsheets, understands the workflows, and builds working software that can replace the internal process — or be taken to market as a SaaS product. 7:54 — **Profitable from day one:** Because Garrett and his partner came with a thick Rolodex from 15–20 years in tech leadership, MetaCTO launched with clients already lined up — no burning cash to find product-market fit. 13:27 — **70% of AI POCs never see the light of day:** The excitement dies when teams realize how much effort is involved. MetaCTO's focus is getting those 90%-done prototypes all the way to the finish line. 18:34 — **Build custom vs. buy SaaS — the real decision framework:** After 2–4 weeks embedded in a business, MetaCTO looks at licensing costs, actual feature utilization (often just 2% of the SaaS product), man-hours wasted, and growth trajectory to determine the ROI break-even point. 28:25 — **Niches win:** SaaS isn't dead — it's narrowing. The companies gaining ground are building hyper-specific tools for specific industries (think: Procore, but only for commercial plumbers) where the UI, reports, and workflows are built around exactly how that niche operates. 31:33 — **The #1 mistake when productizing internal software:** Not talking to the second customer. Your problems aren't always everyone else's problems. Validate outside your organization before building for market, or you risk six months of rework when the deltas turn out to be core to the platform. 33:40 — **How to actually quantify the ROI of custom software:** Bake usage analytics into every product from day one. Track utilization, time on platform, transactions processed, and revenue generated — then compare to the man-hour cost baseline captured during discovery. 39:14 — **Responsible AI implementation starts with one rule: Resist "Accept All."** Don't grant admin tokens to AI agents for convenience. Suffer through permissions early so you don't face irreparable reputation or business damage when a bad actor exploits an over-permissioned agent. 41:22 — **The smartest first step for any leader feeling stuck:** Use AI tools like Replit to build a prototype with fake data. Don't try to connect it to real systems — just use it to force yourself through the problem-solving process. Come to the conversation with a working wireframe and you'll skip weeks of expensive discovery.Tweetable QuotesAt the heart of it is some Excel spreadsheet that some employee made 10 years ago — and it is critical to the operation." — Garrett Fritz"70% of AI proof of concept projects have never seen the light of day. It's pretty common to get excited about something and then realize, oh, this is a lot more effort than we thought." — Garrett Fritz"You can't just give a layman a chainsaw and expect to be a carpenter. A little bit of finesse and experience goes a long way." — Garrett Fritz"The niches win. The companies gaining ground are building hyper-specific tools for specific industries — where the UI, reports, and workflows are built around exactly how that niche operates." — Garrett Fritz"We never build it and run away. And as you can imagine, anyone who's created a piece of software has never said 'I'm done' either." — Garrett Fritz"Resist 'Accept All.' Give the AI admin access for convenience, and you're one bad actor away from irreparable damage to your business." — Garrett Fritz"AI is most valuable when it's applied to real business friction — not just trendy experiments or chatbots. Nobody needs another one of those." — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership Lessons1. Familiarity is the enemy of efficiency. The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality keeps organizations locked in spreadsheet-driven operations for years — sometimes decades. The pain point has to get big enough to justify change, but by then the cost of switching is enormous. Don't wait for a crisis to modernize.2. The barrier to custom software has dropped — but expertise still matters. AI tools like Replit and Lovable have made it possible for non-developers to prototype software. But there's a massive gap between a 90%-done prototype and a production-ready, secure, maintainable application. Knowing what you're doing still matters.3. Don't buy features you'll never use. Most enterprise SaaS customers use 2% of the product's functionality — but pay for 100% of the license. When your team is only using 2% of the product and only 50% of the people who should be using it actually are, you're compounding inefficiency at every layer.4. Build for the second customer before you build for the market. If you think your internal tool has market potential, validate it with people outside your organization before investing further. Your problems are not automatically everyone else's problems. The cost of discovering core delta requirements after six months of development is enormous.5. Measure everything from day one. Custom software that doesn't have baked-in usage analytics is a black box. You can't demonstrate ROI, you can't justify ongoing investment, and you can't make intelligent roadmap decisions. Instrument every product with utilization metrics, transaction data, and performance monitoring from the start.6. AI governance isn't optional — it's the first conversation. The most dangerous thing you can do is grant your AI agents broad permissions during development and never revisit it. Treat AI like a junior employee: define its scope, limit its access, and require human approval for anything with downstream consequences. Someone always has to be the final buck.Guest Resourcesgarrett@metacto.comhttps://metacto.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/grfritz/https://www.linkedin.com/in/grfritz/Episode SponsorThe Futureproof Series - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfkXKUPZ5xuOqMPR7_gzGybncTtavyR1NThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel'Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/SaaS Fuel ResourcesWebsite - https://championleadership.com/Jeff Mains on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkmains/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jeffkmainsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesaasguy/Instagram - https://instagram.com/jeffkmains
Federal employees often have valuable benefits, but without the right guidance, they may not understand the rules, options, and decisions that shape their retirement. In this episode of The Registered Investment Advisor Podcast, host Seth Greene interviews Cassie Graves, Founder of Fed Options Consultants and Information Services, who explains how she entered the federal benefits space, why many employees misunderstand retirement eligibility, TSP rules, survivor benefits, and insurance decisions, and how advisors can better serve this specialized market. She also discusses how financial professionals can build credibility by leading with service, understanding federal benefit language, and helping employees make more informed retirement planning decisions. Key Takeaways: → Federal benefits involve unique rules around pensions, survivor benefits, TSP withdrawals, military service credits, and retirement eligibility that many advisors overlook. → Missing prior service history, part-time service adjustments, or military deposits can significantly impact projected retirement income. → Federal employees are highly sensitive to transactional sales approaches and respond better to advisors who lead with education and genuine support. → Recent workforce restructuring, early retirement programs, and shifting government policies have created confusion around retirement timing and financial readiness. → Familiarity with federal systems, terminology, and planning structures helps advisors establish credibility and improve client confidence. Cassie Graves founded Fed Options Consultants and Information Services, LLC to provide high-level back-office federal benefits support for seasoned financial professionals serving federal employees. As the spouse of a federal employee, and with many family and friends in federal service, she saw firsthand how often benefits are misunderstood, especially approaching retirement. That insight became her mission: help employees understand the real consequences of their benefit choices. Connect With Cassie: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fedoptions LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/fed-options/ LinkedIn (Personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassie-graves-623ba5132/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is my Episode #3 of my new relationship show podcast. Why Emotionally Unavailable People Attract Each Other: The emotional skills we were never taught about intimacy Emotionally unavailable people often attract each other because the relationship feels familiar, safe, and validating of their existing beliefs about intimacy. Familiarity feels like chemistry Neither person has to face deep vulnerability They reinforce each other's core beliefs The pursuit creates intensity Available partners can initially feel boring Intimacy requires the following five emotional skills: Emotional Awareness "How to identify and express emotions" Vulnerability "How to be vulnerable without feeling weak" Direct Communication of Needs "How to ask for what you need" Staying Connected During Conflict "How to stay present when emotions rise" Repair "How to come back together after hurt"
"The Scandal of Familiarity" Mark 6:1-13 Elder Vince Tong
The Gospel of Mark Mark 6:1-13 Elder Vince Tong
Episode 149 of 2 Minute Disciple Season 5 explores the sobering story of Jesus returning to His hometown in Mark 6:1–6. The people of Nazareth were amazed by His wisdom and miracles—until familiarity turned their amazement into offense. “Isn't this just the carpenter?” In this contemplative Christian podcast episode, Nick reflects on the danger of becoming so familiar with Jesus, church, Scripture, and spiritual language that we stop truly seeing Him. The people closest to Jesus struggled to receive Him because they thought they already knew Him. Their unbelief became a barrier to what He wanted to do among them. Through a peaceful rhythm of slowing down, reading Scripture, noticing, meditating, responding in prayer, and practicing a daily spiritual habit, listeners are encouraged to approach Jesus again with humility, openness, and wonder. This episode is for anyone feeling spiritually numb, disconnected, overly familiar with faith, or longing to encounter Jesus in a fresh way. It is a reminder that wonder keeps faith alive—and Jesus still desires to reveal Himself in the familiar places of our lives.
ABOUT THE EPISODEJoin David Schrock and Stephen Wellum as they interview Tony Costa on his COA Longform "The Challenge of Eastern Orthodoxy: Comparing Evangelical and Eastern Orthodox Theology"SponsorThis month's sponsor is Grimke Seminary. Pastors are called to care for the church of God that God called them to. So why do seminaries require men to leave their church to pursue theological studies? At Grimké Seminary, you can get Christ-centered, theological training in the Reformed, Protestant tradition, without leaving your local church. They offer a range of pastoral studies for students of all backgrounds to serve your growth in ministry, from a Bachelor's to a Doctor of Ministry.To apply, go to grimkeseminary.org and use the code “christoverall” to have your application fee waived.Timestamps00:31 – Intro04:30 – Dr. Costa's Ministry and Familiarity with Eastern Orthodoxy07:51 – What Did Dr. Costa See That Made Him Know that EO Would Be a Problem Today?09:40 – Has Dr. Wellum Had Any Engagement with EO?12:13 – The Vibe Online16:03 – What is the Protestant Way to Think through Tradition?19:25 – How EO Thinks of Scripture and Tradition26:40 – Who in the Church is the Final Authority?35:00 – Sponsor: Grimke Seminary36:10 – Is the Canon Closed for EO?41:40 – Do EO and Antisemetic Sentiment Correlate to One Another?43:27 – The Counsel of Jerusalem46:15 – What Will the Priest tell Catechumens to Read as They Join the Church?48:38 – The Doctrine of the Filioque51:37 – Why Would EO Still Deny the Filioque Today?55:25 – Understanding Justification in EO1:01:12 – Assurance & Atonement1:05:40 – Original Sin & Theosis1:08:03 – Counsel to Those Considering EO1:12:10 – Final Thoughts1:13:26 – OutroResources to Click“The Challenges of Eastern Orthodoxy: Comparing Evangelical and Eastern Orthodox Theology” – Tony Costa“Masculinity, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Search for Stability” – Alexander Breytenbach“A Protestant Appraisal of Rock & Sand: Sola Scriptura Properly Understood” – Tyler Cox“Frank Schaeffer, Former Evangelical Leader, is a Self-Declared Atheist Who Believes in God” – Huffington Post“'The Bible Answer Man' Turns East: An Unlikely Conversion” – Erwin Lutzer“Young Men Leaving Traditional Churches for ‘Masculine' Orthodox Christianity in Droves” – Rikki Schlott“Evangelical Pastors and the Challenge of Eastern Orthdoxy” – Scott Hurst and Christian Clement-Schlimm“Reality: Questions regarding the Authenticity of the Sigillion of 1583” – Joshua Schooping“The Sunday of Orthodoxy 2024”“Service of the Small Paraklesis”“Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple” – Orthodox Christianity“Debatable, Unnecessary, or Essential? The Virgin Birth and Mary as the Mother of God” – Michael Pereira“Confession of Dositheus”“What is Salvation?” – Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon“Divine Energies: Eastern Orthodoxy's Strangest and Most Important Doctrine” – Knox BrownTheme of the Month: Go West, Young Men: Evaluating the Drift toward Eastern OrthodoxyGive to Support the WorkBooks to ReadDancing Alone: The Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religion – Frank SchaefferThe Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity – Timothy WareThrough Western Eyes: Eastern Orthodoxy, A Reformed Perspective – Robert LethamThree Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism – ed. James J. StamoolisDisillusioned: Why I Left the Eastern Orthodox Priesthood and Church – Joshua SchoopingEastern Orthodoxy: Through the Lens of Sola Scriptura – Samuel S. FaragThe Holy Standards: The Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms of the Eastern Orthodox Church – Joshua SchoopingThe Filioque: History of a Doctrinal Controversy – A. Edward SiecienskiVindicating the Filioque: The Church Fathers at the Council of Florence – Thomas Crean, O.P.The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship – Robert Letham
In this episode of the podcast, 585, I talk about something that has come up in conversations several times over the past few weeks with different friends and colleagues: the challenge of photographing familiar places. There's a tendency in photography to believe the next great image exists somewhere else. So we travel to new cities, another country, or another landscape. We just want something new, but some of the most meaningful photographic work comes from returning to the same places over and over again until they begin to reveal something deeper. Familiarity can make us stop paying attention. We move through our neighborhoods, parks, and daily routines sort of zoned out and not really paying attention. As photographer, we become convinced there is nothing new left to see. Yet if we let it, the camera has a remarkable ability to slow us down and reconnect us with the ordinary. When we revisit a location repeatedly, our attention shifts away from novelty and toward nuance. We can start to see the changing light, the shift of the seasons, weather, mood, gesture, rhythm, and timing of a place. Over time, the work stops being about documenting a place and becomes more about understanding our relationship to it. The photographs become less about where it was taken and more about how we see it and feel about it.
So often in life, greatness surrounds us, but familiarity causes us to miss it. We stop noticing the beauty, the sacrifice, the people, and even the presence of God around us. Jesus experienced dishonor in His hometown. Familiarity caused people to see Him as common rather than Holy. What they failed to honor, they failed to receive from Him. Familiarity blinded them to His greatness. In this message, Pastor Danny calls us to "Bring Honor Back." Honor is more than respect, it's recognizing value and showing appreciation to God and others. "It's a mistake to honor with expectations from the people you show honor to." -Pastor Danny Green Join us Sundays at 9AM or 11AM! Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more messages on faith, discipleship, and following Jesus in everyday life. — If you accepted Christ we'd love to meet you! Click the link below to introduce yourself so we can help you along your faith journey! Click Here!
SHABBAT DAY LESSON — LEVITICUS 24Teachers: Kerry & Karen BattleWHAT WE COVERLeviticus 24 reveals the difference between maintained holiness and gradual covenant decay.This chapter is not merely about lamps, bread, punishment, or judicial law.The chapter exposes:continual covenant consciousnesscontinual maintenancecontinual remembrancethe weight of speechpublic corruptioninward decaydesensitization toward holinessequal justice before YahuahThe Continual Lamp and Maintained IlluminationLeviticus 24:1–4The lamp was commanded to burn continually before Yahuah.The oil had to remain pure.The priests were responsible for maintaining the light continually.This section reveals that holiness requires continual maintenance.The chapter exposes a terrifying reality:People rarely drift into darkness suddenly.Usually:maintenance weakens firstreverence weakens nextcompromise spreads quietlythen corruption manifests publiclyThe Holy Bread and Continual RemembranceLeviticus 24:5–9The bread remained continually before Yahuah as a memorial.This section teaches:continual remembrancecontinual dependencecovenant awarenessdisciplined orderThe chapter reveals that people often collapse because continual remembrance weakens over time.Familiarity slowly destroys reverence.What people stop honoring continually, they eventually begin treating casually.The Blasphemer and the Exposure of Inward CorruptionLeviticus 24:10–16The blasphemer did not begin with outward speech first.The mouth exposed corruption already forming inwardly.This section reveals:hardened dishonorpublic corruptioninward decayconflict exposing formationdesensitization toward holinessPressure exposed what had already been maintained secretly in the heart.The chapter teaches that public corruption is often the final visible stage of inward compromise long tolerated privately.Equal Justice and Covenant OrderLeviticus 24:17–23The same law applied equally.The same accountability applied equally.This section reveals:judicial consistencyrestrained justicecovenant orderequal standards before YahuahHoliness without justice becomes hypocrisy.Justice without holiness becomes brutality.WHY THIS MESSAGE MATTERSLeviticus 24 exposes how covenant decay develops gradually inside individuals and communities.The chapter teaches:what is continually maintained reveals what is truly honoredtolerated compromise reshapes consciencefamiliarity weakens reverenceneglected maintenance spreads darkness quietlyspeech eventually exposes inward formationcommunities decay collectively when corruption becomes normalizedThis chapter destroys emotional religion.Holiness is not occasional emotion.Holiness requires continual maintenance before Yahuah.SCRIPTURE REFERENCESLeviticus 24Leviticus 24:1–4Leviticus 24:5–9Leviticus 24:10–16Leviticus 24:17–23Exodus 27:20–21Psalm 119:105Proverbs 6:23Deuteronomy 8:11–14Matthew 12:34–37Matthew 12:31–32James 3Isaiah 5:201 Corinthians 5Galatians 6:7ABOUT AHAVA ~ LOVE ASSEMBLYWe teach the pure Word of Yahuah. No religion. No traditions. No compromise.Teaching is established by Scripture only: line upon line, precept upon precept, with covenant understanding rooted in the Hebrew thought-world of the text.SUPPORT THE WORK — GIVE VIA ZELLEZelle QR available at: ahavaloveministry.comZelle only.FINAL WORDHoliness rarely collapses suddenly.It usually decays gradually through:neglected maintenanceweakened remembrancetolerated compromisefamiliaritydesensitization toward holinessWhat is continually maintained reveals what is truly honored before Yahuah.FINAL HEART CHECKWhat are you continually maintaining?Has reverence become continual, or merely emotional?Have you slowly become desensitized toward holiness?What emerges from your mouth during pressure?What does your speech reveal has been growing inwardly for years?Are you preserving holiness collectively, or silently tolerating corruption?
So often in life, greatness surrounds us, but familiarity causes us to miss it. We stop noticing the beauty, the sacrifice, the people, and even the presence of God around us. Jesus experienced dishonor in His hometown. Familiarity caused people to see Him as common rather than Holy. What they failed to honor, they failed to receive from Him. Familiarity blinded them to His greatness. In this message, Pastor Danny calls us to "Bring Honor Back." Honor is more than respect, it's recognizing value and showing appreciation to God and others. "It's a mistake to honor with expectations from the people you show honor to." -Pastor Danny Green Join us Sundays at 9AM or 11AM! Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more messages on faith, discipleship, and following Jesus in everyday life. — If you accepted Christ we'd love to meet you! Click the link below to introduce yourself so we can help you along your faith journey! Click Here!
Most adults don't struggle because they lack people around them. They struggle because they no longer have a place where connection happens naturally. AJ and Johnny break down the power of the “third place” — the social environments outside of home and work where familiarity turns into friendship over time. From racquetball clubs and coffee shops to run clubs and volunteering, this episode explains why repeated exposure matters more than networking — and how becoming a regular quietly creates belonging, invitations, and community. Chapters00:00 – Why adult friendship feels so hard01:00 – What a “third place” actually is02:00 – Why repeated exposure builds connection03:00 – The loneliness of modern adulthood04:00 – How Sean built a social circle in New York05:00 – The 5 signs of a great third place07:00 – Why local scenes create real community08:00 – The 4-week plan to become a regular09:30 – Why social skill still matters10:30 – Familiarity turns into friendship Episode Resources: theartofcharm.com/status Unlockyourxfactor.com third place, friendship, social connection, loneliness, community, social skills, networking, belonging, relationships, human connection, conversation skills, confidence, social confidence, adult friendships, community building Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Want to build exclusively by referral? Book a discovery call to see if the 3-month group cohort is right for you.Have questions or need help?
Pastor Carolyn Haas, Emotional Intelligence Coach and author Irene Rollins, and author Andi Andrew join Susie on the Bible Talk Team. They're each sharing what the Lord has been teaching them. They talk about the power of breaking generational strongholds, the upside of having a thorn in your side, and the downside of being too familiar. Originally aired April 17, 2023 Check out Susie's new podcast God Impressions on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here
Dr. Mei Rui is a Yale-trained molecular biophysicist, concert pianist, and clinical researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she runs trials on the measurable effects of music on the human body. In this conversation, we explore what actually happens in the brain the moment music enters it, why the auditory system is the first sense to develop in the womb and the last to go when we die, and how something as accessible as a curated playlist can outperform FDA-approved pharmaceuticals in reducing cortisol.What We Dive Into:1. Music is not a supplement to healing. In the right context, it is the intervention.2. The brain responds differently when you actually show up for the music.3. A longitudinal study in twins showed that three to four years of musical training reduced the risk of Alzheimer's and cognitive decline by 64%, an effect size found in no other single activity.THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:Oneskin — Code KNOWTHYSELF for 15% off - Limited time only!https://oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELFBASED Body Works — Code KNOWTHYSELF for 20% and a free toiletry bag!https://www.basedbodyworks.com___________00:00 Introduction: Dr. Mei Rui01:44 A Life Between Music and Science05:26 What Happens When Music Enters the Brain07:26 How the Brain Processes Sound and Music11:32 Why Minor Keys Feel Sad: The Science of Tonality14:37 Live Piano Demo: Matching Music to Mood19:06 Music in the Operating Room27:41 Music as Medicine: Clinical Applications29:10 The 32% Cortisol Study31:19 The 16 Compositional Elements of Healing Music35:11 Oxytocin, Familiarity, and the Parasympathetic Response36:18 Timbre and the Cello's Resemblance to a Mother's Voice42:31 Cymatics: Sound Made Visible45:16 The Ancient Roots of Music as Healing47:09 Listening vs. Playing an Instrument55:33 The Musician's Brain: Structural Differences57:46 Music Training and Protection Against Alzheimer's59:44 Music, Empathy, and Neural Synchrony1:01:36 The EEG Experiment: Reading André's Brain Live1:18:21 What the EEG Data Revealed1:22:26 Music, Flow State, and the Disappearance of Self1:26:55 Music as Spiritual Medicine1:30:23 How to Listen More Intentionally___________MORE FROM MEI✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@meiruipianoMORE FROM KNOW THYSELF
Why did Jesus "could not do many miracles" in His hometown? In this powerful message from Gospel of Mark 6, we explore how familiarity, unbelief, and dishonor can limit spiritual breakthrough in our lives. This sermon challenges believers to move beyond complacency and become people who truly honor God through obedience, surrender, worship, and faith. If you've ever felt stuck, spiritually dry, held back by your past, or frustrated that you're not seeing God move the way you desire, this message is for you. Learn how honor attracts the activity of heaven and why God is looking for hearts fully committed to Him. Key Bible Verses: Gospel of Mark 6:1–6 Second Chronicles 16:9 Romans 12:1 Proverbs 3:9–10 James 4:8 This message covers: Familiarity breeds complacency How dishonor affects spiritual growth Breaking free from unhealthy cycles Faith, surrender, and obedience Hosting the presence of God Spiritual breakthrough and renewal Why honor matters in Christianity If this message encouraged you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs renewed faith and breakthrough today. #ChristianSermon #Mark6 #Faith #SpiritualGrowth #Jesus #BibleTeaching #ChristianMotivation
Familiarity with Jesus is not the same thing as following Jesus. Human beings love what is familiar. But familiarity can lead to complacency and apathy. The people of Jesus' hometown missed the miraculous power of God because they couldn't see past the ordinary carpenter they grew up with. In this sermon, we examine three ways to reject Jesus and what it means to actually receive his gracious authority.
Are you a skilled expert struggling to get noticed? Discover why your lack of structural authority is making you invisible to AI search engines.
Episode 460 of Friends Talking Nerdy dives deep into the emotional architecture of who we become, how we love, and why breaking unhealthy cycles is one of the hardest — and most important — forms of personal growth. In this powerful and educational discussion, The Reverend Tracy and Tim The Nerd have an honest conversation about motherhood, attachment theory, emotional regulation, trauma, and the invisible psychological patterns that quietly shape our relationships throughout life.Inspired by both modern psychology and lived experience, this episode examines how early childhood attachment influences adult behavior, why emotional co-regulation matters so much during development, and how parents often pass down emotional survival strategies without even realizing it. The conversation explores the neurological and emotional changes connected to motherhood while also expanding into broader discussions about identity, healing, and self-awareness for people both with and without children.The Reverend Tracy and Tim The Nerd unpack how familiarity bias can keep people trapped in unhealthy relationship dynamics simply because chaos feels emotionally recognizable. As The Reverend Tracy explains, “Familiarity feels safe, even when it's not.” Together, they explore how the brain clings to emotional patterns it recognizes, even when those patterns cause harm, and why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools available for healing and transformation.Throughout the episode, listeners will hear thoughtful discussions about:Early attachment and its long-term impact on adult relationshipsHow co-regulation teaches emotional safety and resilienceThe psychological roots of emotional rigidityWhy childhood experiences shape conflict styles and communication patternsThe role of neuroplasticity in healing and behavioral changeReparenting techniques for emotional recoveryHindsight bias in parenting and relationshipsBreaking generational cycles without shame or perfectionismThe importance of open conversations around mental health and emotional developmentThe episode also highlights the emotional complexity of parenting in modern society, including the pressure parents face to “get everything right” while navigating their own unresolved experiences. Rather than offering simplistic answers, the discussion emphasizes compassion, accountability, emotional curiosity, and growth.Some standout moments from the episode include:“Our brain prefers what it recognizes as safe.”“Emotional rigidity blocks healing.”A powerful discussion on how identity can feel threatened when people begin changing long-held emotional behaviorsAn exploration of reparenting as both grief work and liberationWhether you are a parent, healing from childhood trauma, navigating relationships, or simply trying to better understand yourself, Episode 460 offers an insightful and compassionate look into the psychology of connection and emotional health.Support Friends Talking Nerdy on Patreon.As always, we wish to thank Christopher Lazarek for his wonderful theme song. Head to his website for information on how to purchase his EP, Here's To You, which is available on all digital platforms.Head to Friends Talking Nerdy's website for more information on where to find us online.
Sunday Sermon by Kevin JensenJesus did not receive the best welcome when he preached in his hometown of Nazareth. After all, he was simply a young man who had grown up there. Why should anyone think he had authority from God? Jesus warned the people that no prophet is accepted in his hometown, and they would miss out on God's blessings if they did not respond to his call. Just as familiarity led them to treat Jesus with contempt, so our familiarity with Jesus and knowledge of his love might tempt us to take him for granted. But his warning to the people of Nazareth calls us to treat our Lord with great reverence and honor.Text: Luke 4:14-30
Today we have a bit of a different episode, where we are interviewing two actors from the Worldhopper Ball. First we have Savannah Carrasco, who played Shallan in 2024's ball (and returned in 2025 as a dancer), and Emily Whitcomb, who played Shan Elariel in 2025's. This was lots of fun, so we hope you enjoy. We also have Evgeni (Argent), Eric (Chaos), and Ene (Aon Ene)! Savannah Carrasco's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsavannahcarrasco/ Emily Whitcomb's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withsincerity_emilywhitcomb/ Lift the Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebridge/ 0:00:00 Introductions 0:04:03 Familiarity with cosmere 0:17:27 Savannah's experience 0:42:43 Emily's experience 1:13:09 Kliss and Shan 1:43:56 Embodying characters 1:55:30 What would you like to see in a future ball? If you like our content, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/17thshard Purchase merch here! https://store.17thshard.com/ For discussion, theories, games, and news, come to https://www.17thshard.com Come talk with us and the community on the 17th Shard Discord: https://discord.gg/17thshard Want to learn more about the cosmere and more? The Coppermind Wiki is where it's at: https://coppermind.net Read all Words of Brandon on Arcanum: https://wob.coppermind.net Subscribe to Shardcast: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:102123174/sounds.rss Send your Who's That Cosmere Characters to wtcc@17thshard.com
Why do some people experience miracles and healing… while others miss what God wants to do?In this powerful message from Mark 6, Pastor Ryan Visconti teaches through one of the most surprising moments in Jesus' ministry - when Jesus returned to His hometown and people rejected Him because they thought they already knew Him.Even though Jesus taught with authority and demonstrated miraculous power, many people in Nazareth took offense at Him and refused to believe. Their familiarity caused them to miss the miracles standing right in front of them.This message explores the connection between faith, healing, honor, and the power of Jesus and why unbelief can keep people from experiencing what God wants to do in their lives.If you've ever struggled with doubt, disappointment, offense, or feeling spiritually stuck, this message will challenge and encourage your faith.
It's easy to grow up around Christianity and begin to believe a lot about Jesus without truly believing in Him. This week, Kylen Perry points to Mark 6 to remind us how Jesus' own hometown was plagued by unbelief because they had reduced the life of Jesus into something mundanely familiar.
It's easy to grow up around Christianity and begin to believe a lot about Jesus without truly believing in Him. This week, Kylen Perry points to Mark 6 to remind us how Jesus' own hometown was plagued by unbelief because they had reduced the life of Jesus into something mundanely familiar.
The secret to better communication isn't adding more—it's knowing what to leave out.Communication isn't clearer when you say more — it's clearer when you say less. As David Epstein puts it, we're wired to keep adding, even when “the better solution is often what you take away.” The challenge isn't having ideas; it's choosing which one actually matters.Epstein is an author and investigative journalist known for his New York Times bestseller Range. In his latest book, Inside the Box, he explores how constraints can sharpen creativity and elevate thinking, a theme that reflects his broader work at the intersection of psychology, performance, and innovation. “If you assume someone will only remember one thing,” he explains, “decide what that is before you start talking.” That simple constraint forces clarity — and changes how we communicate entirely.In this episode of Think Fast Talk Smart, Epstein and host Matt Abrahams unpack why limits make us better communicators and thinkers. From the dangers of “featuritis” to the creative breakthroughs sparked by restriction, they explore how blocking familiar paths leads to more original ideas and communication. To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.Episode Reference Links:David EpsteinDavid's Book: Inside the BoxEp.108 All In: How Improv Helps You Show Up and Communicate Well Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (02:18) - Featuritis & Overload (03:57) - Constraints & Creativity (08:07) - Chunking Information (09:28) - Familiarity & Innovation (10:30) - Clarifying Through Feedback (13:01) - Defining the Problem (14:23) - Precluding Default Approaches (16:03) - The Final Three Questions (23:12) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.comJoin our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.
You can know Jesus by name and still miss His power. Familiarity with Jesus is not the same as following Him. In this message, Lead Pastor Aaron Brockett explores what it looks like to move beyond knowing about Jesus to truly knowing Him, and what it means to stay on mission when following Him costs something. Aaron Brockett • The Urgent Kingdom • Mark 6:1-13 CONNECT WITH US! Engage with this message: https://tpcc.org/messages Visit our website: https://tpcc.org We believe in the power of prayer: https://tpcc.org/prayer Instagram: https://instagram.com/traderspointcc/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/TradersPointCC/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@traderspointcc
Our two new books... STORY QUESTIONS is currently 10% off! - https://payhip.com/b/ZTvq9 and 17 Steps To Writing A Great Main Character - https://payhip.com/b/kCZGd Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbwuZGHSGM4 Film Director/Producer/Writer Keith Sutliff, originally from Florida, moved to Los Angeles in 2012. His award-winning work in film encompasses feature films, episodic narratives, short form content and commercial productions. Keith's original screenplays are the foundation for his creative projects. His original screenplay The Refuge (2019), acquired by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is included in the Margaret Herrick Library (The Oscars Library) permanent Core Collection there. His feature films held premieres at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood with theatrical releases to follow. Keith's creative vision has driven him to master the aspects of filmmaking, writing and now virtual production. He founded his production company, KS Pictures, in early 2016. He is now fully committed to virtual production, opening a film studio in the Arts District-Downtown area of Los Angeles called “Sutliff Studios: Virtual Productions.” The studio focuses on rental to companies for film, TV, commercial, and other related media content productions. The studio also focuses on in-house production of its own virtual productions. This is done using the latest cutting-edge software and equipment to bring productions together on a virtual stage. Gaming software such as Unreal Engine combined with a camera tracking solution to help bring real time rendering along with “parallax” on the LED volume wall to life. He is also heavily involved in the operation of the production and filming techniques used on a virtual stage and In-Camera VFX. Familiarity with 2D and 3D assets used on a LED volume and all the technical elements that goes into filming on these stages. MORE VIDEOS WITH KEITH SUTLIFF http://tinyurl.com/4v935nxp CONNECT WITH SUTLIFF STUDIOS: VIRTUAL PRODUCTIONS https://sutliffstudiosvp.com CONNECT WITH KEITH SUTLIFF https://sutliffstudiosvp.com http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5335962 / keith-sutliff-402714233 / sutliffstudiosvp / keithsutliff (Affiliates) ►FILMMAKER STARTER KIT BLACKMAGIC Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - https://amzn.to/4gDU0s9 ZOOM H4essential 4-Track Handy Recorder - https://amzn.to/3TIon6X SENNHEISER Professional Shotgun Microphone - https://amzn.to/3TEnLiE NEEWER CB300B 320W LED Video Light - https://amzn.to/3XEMK6F NEEWER 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power - https://amzn.to/3XX57VK ►WE USE THIS CAMERA (B&H) – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra ►WE USE THIS SOUND RECORDER (AMAZON) – http://amzn.to/2tbFlM9 ►Stuff we use: LENS - Most people ask us what camera we use, no one ever asks about the lens which filmmakers always tell us is more important. This lens was a big investment for us and one we wish we could have made sooner. Started using this lens at the end of 2013 - http://amzn.to/2tbtmOq AUDIO Rode VideoMic Pro - The Rode mic helps us capture our backup audio. It also helps us sync up our audio in post https://amzn.to/425k5rG Audio Recorder - If we had to do it all over again, this is probably the first item we would have bought - https://amzn.to/3WEuz0k LIGHTS - Although we like to use as much natural light as we can, we often enhance the lighting with this small portable light. We have two of them and they have saved us a number of times - http://amzn.to/2u5UnHv SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A PATRON https://www.patreon.com/filmcourage SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A MEMBER https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs8o1mdWAfefJkdBg632_tg/join *Disclaimer: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, we'll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!
Host Darryl Anderson (Man to Man 360) reflects on an Instagram clip and John 4:44 (“a prophet has no honor in his own country”) to discuss how familiarity can limit growth. He argues that people often aren't “hating” or jealous; they may simply see you through an old version of yourself, sometimes even as protection, but it can keep you stuck. Anderson urges men to avoid stagnation by networking, traveling, and intentionally forming new, genuine friendships—especially since many men stop building new relationships between ages 25–35. He emphasizes honoring roots without abandoning family and longtime friends while expanding beyond comfort zones. He proposes a “social ecosystem” with foundation, growth, accountability, and casual relationships, and challenges listeners to send two messages this week: reconnect with one person and reach out to one new person.00:00 Outgrowing Familiarity00:58 No Honor at Home02:36 Familiarity Trap Explained04:42 Networking for Growth06:20 Why Men Stop Connecting08:19 New Rooms New Vision13:50 Launch Pad or Landing Pad14:45 Expand Fellowship Circles16:26 Honor Roots Keep Growing18:49 Social Ecosystem Framework22:46 Built for Expansion23:49 Weekly Connection Challenge24:58 Wrap Up and Next StepsVideo Clip at the start: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXP0X5zAZxp/Show is Recorded, Edited and Produced by Darryl D Anderson of Ambassador Media GroupVoiceOvers by Christopher Bell and Allen Iverson (AI)Intro Theme Song Edited by Darryl Anderson (AMG) and Mixed by Damion Hill of E-Mix OnlineVISIT OUR WEBSITE for Man2Man 360PLEASE SUBSCRIBE YouTube Page: youtube.com/@man2man360Facebook Page: Facebook.com/Man2Man360Podcasts drop every Saturday at 9am EST.Full Episode Youtube drops every Saturday 8PM ESTLicensed to use song:Tough Kid https://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty-free-tracks/tough-kidIt's Raining Againhttps://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty-free-tracks/it-s-raining-againSFX - https://musicradiocreative.com/Try our NEW Fan Mail experience and send us a Text Message from HERE!
In this episode, Barbara discusses: In this episode, Dr. Barbara Hales breaks down why video is becoming the most powerful trust-building tool in modern medicine. While traditional advertising may create visibility, it often fails to build the one thing patients value most—trust. Dr. Hales explains how simple, authentic videos recorded on a smartphone can outperform high-budget productions by creating a sense of familiarity and human connection. Patients aren't just looking for credentials—they're looking for a doctor they feel comfortable with before they even walk into the clinic. You'll also learn why perfection is actually hurting your visibility, how familiarity bias influences patient decisions, and how even camera-shy physicians can start building authority and attracting better patients with short, consistent videos. If you're a physician (or any professional) looking to grow your practice, build credibility, and connect with your audience on a deeper level—this episode is a must-listen. Key Takeaways: “Stop chasing perfection and start showing up. Patients don't need a cinematic ad—they need a real doctor speaking clearly and calmly on camera.” -Dr. Barbara Hales Connect with Barbara Hales: Twitter: @DrBarbaraHales Facebook: facebook.com/theMedicalStrategist Business Website: TheMedicalStrategist.com Email: info@TheMedicalStrategist.com YouTube:@barbarahales LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/barbarahales Books: Content Copy Made Easy 14 Tactics to Triple Sales Power to the Patient: The Medical Strategist TRANSCRIPT (237) Introduction: The Power of Video for Doctors Dr. Barbara Hales 0:02 Welcome to another episode of marketing tips for doctors. I’m your host, Dr Barbara Hales, today, we are going to talk about why doctors should speak on camera. Let me start with a question: if you needed surgery tomorrow and had to choose between two surgeons, one had a beautiful website and glossy ads; the other had a simple website but dozens of short videos where you could see them explaining things calmly, intelligently, and clearly. Which doctor would you trust? Most people choose the second one, not because the ads were bad, but because video creates trust, and trust is the real currency in medicine. Today, we’re going to talk about something many physicians avoid speaking on camera, and here’s the truth: you do not need a studio, you do not need expensive equipment. You do not need to become an influencer. What you need is something far more powerful. You need to let patients see who you are, because when patients feel like they already know you, they walk into the office trusting you, and that changes everything. Today, I’ll show you why video builds trust faster than ads, why authenticity beats production quality, why doctors who speak on camera attract better patients, and how to start doing this, even if you hate being on camera, and along the way, I’ll share a few stories, because this shift is happening everywhere in medicine right now. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Patients don’t trust the medical system the way they used to, not because physicians are less competent, but because the system feels impersonal. Patients feel like numbers. Appointments are rushed, and doctors are overworked. Everything feels transactional, so patients go online looking for answers, and when they do, they’re looking for a human being, and They’re not looking for a brochure, not a marketing campaign, just a real person, someone who explains things clearly, someone who seems thoughtful, someone who actually cares. The Trust Gap in Modern Medicine Dr. Barbara Hales 3:24 Video does that instantly: when a patient watches you speak for two minutes, they subconsciously evaluate things like, “Does this doctor seem calm?” Do they explain things well? Do they seem rushed? Do they seem arrogant? Do they seem compassionate, and do they make a decision, not consciously, but emotionally? I once worked with two cardiologists in the same city, both excellent physicians, both highly trained, both board-certified. Dr. A had a massive marketing budget, Billboards, radio ads, and print ads. Dr. B did something simple. He started recording two-minute educational videos, nothing fancy, just his smartphone, talking about time. Topics like what chest pain actually feels like, when to worry about palpitations, and what a stress test really means. Within a year, patients were walking into his office saying something fascinating. I feel like I already know you think about that before the first appointment even started, the relationship already had trust, and that trust started with a video on his iPhone. If your physician is listening to this and thinking, I probably should be doing this. You’re right, and here’s the simplest place to start. Record one short video answering a question patients ask every day. That’s it, not perfect, just helpful, because education builds trust faster than advertising ever will. Why video works so perfectly, so powerfully, you think video communicates things that text never can: your tone, your pacing, your expressions, your calmness. Patients don’t just hear information; they experience your presence. And presence is powerful. There’s also something else happening psychologically. When patients repeatedly watch your videos, they experience a phenomenon called familiarity bias. The Brain prefers what feels familiar, which means when patients finally meet you in person, you already feel like the safe choice, and that’s incredibly powerful in medicine. I worked with a dermatologist who absolutely hated being on camera. She told me I went to medical school, not broadcasting School, which is fair, but she agreed to try something simple, one video per week, two minutes. That’s it. The first few were awkward. She was stiff. She looked nervous. But something interesting happened. Patients loved them. Why? Because she was authentic. Six months later, her new patient visits increased significantly, but the bigger change was this. Patients arrived educated. They already understood basic concepts. The visits became more efficient, with better conversations and better relationships, and she later told me something funny. I still hate being on camera, but I love what it does. Case Studies: Video vs. Traditional Marketing Many doctors delay video because they think it needs to look perfect, studio, lighting, professional editing, expensive equipment, but the truth is almost the opposite. Patients trust authenticity more than polish. In fact, overly produced content can feel like advertising, and patients are skeptical of advertising, but a doctor speaking calmly in their office that feels real, that feels human, and patients trust humans. An orthopedic surgeon once hired a production company. This was the $40,000 video that didn’t work. They created a beautiful promotional video, drone shots, cinematic music, and perfect lighting. It cost nearly $40,000, think of that. They spent $40,000 on these videos, and it looked amazing, but it didn’t move the needle. Why? Because it felt like marketing. Later, he started recording simple, one-minute educational clips, just explaining common injuries. ACL, tears, shoulder pain, and knee arthritis. Those videos started getting shared by patients, and suddenly, new patients were saying, I saw your video explaining knee pain. Not the $40,000 production, it was the 62nd explanation, because education builds trust. Advertising rarely does something interesting happen. Why Video Works: Presence, Familiarity, and Psychology When doctors start speaking publicly, they begin clarifying their thinking. Teaching forces clarity. Explaining medicine simply is a skill, and when physicians develop that skill, their authority increases. Patients see them as leaders. Colleagues see them as experts. Opportunities appear. Speaking leads to visibility. Visibility leads to authority. Authority leads to opportunity, and it often starts with something incredibly simple, a two-minute video. An internist started making short videos during COVID. He simply explained complex medical topics calmly, no drama, no politics, just clarity. People share them because they feel trustworthy. Within two years, he had a national following. He was invited to conferences, media interviews, and educational panels, and none of that was the goal. The goal was simply to help patients better understand medicine, but clarity and credibility have a way of spreading. Overcoming Fear and Perfectionism on Camera If you’re a physician considering this, here’s the good news. It’s much easier than you think. Start with simple topics that patients ask about every day. Examples: What causes fatigue? When should you worry about chest pain? What does high cholesterol actually mean? Keep videos short. One idea per video. Two Minutes is perfect. You don’t need perfection. You need sincerity and consistency; one video per week is enough, because over a year, that becomes 52 moments of trust. Practical Tips for Physicians If you are a physician who wants to build trust with patients, start speaking, not because you want to become famous, but because patients need doctors who explain things clearly. And if you’d like more ideas like this on how physicians can grow their practices, communicate better with patients and build more sustainable careers. Be sure to subscribe to marketing tips for doctors. And if you know a colleague who’s struggling with practice growth or patient engagement, share this episode with them, because sometimes one small idea, like recording a simple video, can completely change how a practice grows. Thanks for listening till next time. The post Smartphone Videos Beat Ads first appeared on The Medical Strategist.
Familiarity with the clinical, MRI, CSF, and serologic features of MOGAD can help neurologists recognize this condition in clinical practice. Awareness of the utility and pitfalls of the MOG antibody test is critical. The current therapeutic approach is guided by retrospective studies and the application of immunotherapies used in other autoimmune neurologic disorders. In this episode, Gordon Smith, MD, FAAN, speaks with Eoin P. Flanagan, MBBCh, coauthor of the article "Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody–Associated Disease" in the Continuum® April 2026 Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders issue. Dr. Smith is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and a professor and chair of neurology at Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chair in Clinical and Translational Research at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Flanagan is a professor of neurology and the division chair of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology in the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Additional Resources Read the article: Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody–Associated Disease Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @GordonSmithMD Full episode transcript available here Dr Smith: So, what neurological disorder can cause bilateral optic neuritis, transverse myelitis, ADEM, or can mimic acute flaccid myelitis, intracranial hypertension, viral encephalitis, or cause seizures? Sounds like the great imitator, perhaps. If you want to know and learn more about this syndrome and how you can treat it---and it is very treatable---keep listening. My name is Gordon Smith, and today I have the great opportunity to talk with Dr Eoin Flanagan from the Mayo Clinic on his article on myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated disease, or MOGAD, which is in the April 2026 issue of Continuum on Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Smith: This is Dr Gordon Smith. Today I'm interviewing Dr Eoin Flanagan about his article on myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein associated disease, or MOGAD, which appears in the April 2026 Continuum issue on multiple sclerosis and related disorders. Eoin, welcome to the podcast, and please introduce yourself to our audience. Dr Flanagan: Yeah, thanks so much. I'm Eoin Flanagan. I'm a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic. I'm originally from Ireland. I work in the neuroimmunology lab at the Mayo Clinic, and work and see patients with MS, MOG, and autoimmune disorders here in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr Smith: Your article is super interesting, I think, and this has been a really rapidly evolving area over the last, you know, many years. We have many more antibodies, and MOG is something that's been around for a while, but we've certainly learned a lot more about it. This is a topic that I think will be familiar to most of our listeners, but I wonder if maybe you can just begin by laying the foundation. Like, what is MOG? What's its typical presentation? Dr Flanagan: So, MOG is a protein on the surface of the oligodendrocyte or its CNS myelin, and it was always of interest as a potential antibody target, and initially it was investigated in multiple sclerosis. But subsequently, we recognized that the antibodies to MOG have a specific syndrome, of which about a quarter of patients are pediatric and then the remainder are adults. And they can present with a variety of syndromes, probably most commonly optic neuritis, but also acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM. Transverse myelitis can also occur, and then some other unusual brain and brainstem cerebellar syndromes can also occur. Dr Smith: I was really impressed in the very broad phenotypic spectrum of MOG. We'll talk more about that, of course. But I wonder if maybe you can tell us when we should be ordering MOG antibody? Given this broad variability, does anyone who has a CNS demyelinating disease need a MOG assay, only specific phenotypes? What guidance do you have for our listeners? Dr Flanagan: Yeah. It's a great question. So, I think you have to be a little bit careful because the MOG antibody test is a little bit sticky. So sometimes we can see some low-positive false positives. So, we don't wanna order it in every single patient with classical MS. So, I suppose we'll start with who not to order it in. I think it's also a very optic nerve- and optic neuritis-central disease, so I think you really need to be considering this in a patient with optic neuritis who does not have lesions in the brain suggestive of multiple sclerosis. And then we think about some of the features: if the lesion, the enhancement along the optic nerve is long, if it's bilateral, if there's a lot of optic disc edema accompanying that, we tend to think about MOG antibodies. And then children with demyelinating disease, MOG is over-represented in that cohort, so it accounts for about a third of those. So, if you have a child with CNS demyelinating disease, particularly if they're under twelve, with ADEM presentations or other presentations, you probably want to be ordering the MOG antibody test. And then a longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis in adults, certain types of cerebral phenotypes that we can get into, you would want to consider ordering MOG antibodies too. Dr Smith: Now, you point out in the article that it's really important that laboratories use the cell-based assay for MOG as opposed to an ELISA, for instance. Is this something folks need to be very attentive to, or are all of the commercial laboratories now using a cell-based assay? Dr Flanagan: Yeah. I think all of the commercial labs are using cell-based assays, so we don't really get into much of an issue. There are some differences between serum and CSF, so really, serum is the optimal sample to order. There is also some differences between the live cell-based assay and the fixed cell-based assay, where the live cell-based assay may have some advantages in terms of sensitivity. And then CSF is kind of still under evaluation about its role in the condition. So in general, it's a serum test. And then we have to remember that the antibody tends to be highest at the onset, and then it goes down over time. So, if you delay your testing or you're testing a patient long after the condition, it can go negative, for example. So it tends to be highest both around the relapses and particularly at the onset of the condition. Dr Smith: You mentioned earlier that the test is sticky, which I take to mean that there is some risk for low-titer false positives. How do you navigate that situation? When should we be suspicious about a false positive? Dr Flanagan: Yeah. I think there's some very useful features that can help you. You know, the main differential diagnosis is going to be multiple sclerosis, particularly in the US, in regions of the northern US where MS is particularly common. So, you really wanna be making sure that if you get a positive result, low positive, that it's not multiple sclerosis. And some of the best discriminating features are CSF oligoclonal bands. They're about 85% in MS and about 15% in MOG, so an easy number to remember, 85 and 15. And then the lesions in MOG, the brain lesions, tend to disappear over time. So, if you have the advantage of that follow-up MRI a year down the line, about 70% of lesions in MOGAD will resolve, while in MS, as we know, the term means multiple scars, so the MS lesions tend to persist over time. So, they are two quite useful features that can help discriminate. Dr Smith: And how about specific phenotypes or areas of involvement or imaging abnormalities that suggest MOG? One of the things I found really interesting in your article is there are a host of different syndromes that I think had largely been previously described, many of them, that became clear later that these were really tied to MOG antibodies. Presumably, that's helpful in interpreting the antibody assay in that patients who have, perhaps, a borderline low titer, for instance, but have a very typical phenotype are more likely to have MOG than those who have a more clearly MS-type phenotype. Dr Flanagan: Yeah, absolutely right. Yes. So, there's certain phenotypes that we don't tend to see with MS. The acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM, is one that's particularly common in children. And about half of people that have ADEM will be positive for the MOG antibody. So that's a syndrome you need to look out for, which would be often in children, encephalopathy, and they would have multifocal white matter lesions, sometimes involving the gray matter. A second syndrome that was an interesting discovery from a Japanese group was this unilateral cerebral cortical encephalitis, where patients can have this swelling and T2 hyperintensity, often just on one side of the brain. And it's in the cortex, and some of those patients won't have any white matter lesions. And in that situation, it's important to order the MOG antibody, and that seems to be a specific phenotype of MOGAD. But sometimes people don't think about it because the white matter is not involved. So, if you see these patients, they often present with seizures, sometimes they even have fever accompanied by it. And if you see those patients and see this radiological feature, then you really want to consider ordering the MOG antibody too. Dr Smith: Yeah, I found that really interesting. And I- actually, my next question is perhaps a good follow-up on that, is, what are the diagnostic pitfalls? You give a lot of examples of situations and I think some cases where it's easy to get tripped up and misdiagnose someone who has MOG with another fairly common neurological problem. Dr Flanagan: Yeah, I think some of the things that can help you when you're determining if the MOG is a true positive or false positive is the level of the antibodies. The super high titers, if it's a clear positive or very strong positive, the likelihood is that that is much more likely to be MOGAD than those low positives just above the cutoff. So that can be useful to help you discriminate from false positives. Those lesions, again, if all the lesions persist over time, that's going to be more suggestive of multiple sclerosis. Other diagnostic pitfalls, I suppose, if it's a syndrome that's not really associated with MOG, like peripheral neuropathy or other syndromes where we'll see some case reports, but usually I would be very cautious about those kind of presentations. So usually, having the antibody at a high level, and then also if they've had other symptoms suggestive of MOGAD, like if a patient has had recurrent optic neuritis and then they have an unusual brain syndrome, or they start out with an unusual brain syndrome and then have recurrent optic neuritis. You know, there are situations that make it more likely if they're having other typical phenotypes of the MOGAD where we can kind of expand the spectrum, but we have to be careful. Dr Smith: I was really curious about the dynamic imaging findings. And you point this out both in terms of the resolution of imaging findings, but also in that patients who have an acute MOG syndrome often have very rapid evolution of the imaging abnormalities. I'm just curious, you know, why is that, and what do you make of it? Does it have a mechanistic implication, do you think? Dr Flanagan: I don't think we know for sure. I think there's probably a lot more happening than we see on MRIs sometimes. What sometimes can happen in about 10% of patients is the initial MRI can be normal. We don't tend to see that with multiple sclerosis or NMOSD. Then what we see is it evolving over time. So, at that time, if you do a CSF, you'll often see inflammation, but we don't see the lesions. Now, that might be because the MRI is not very good at picking up cortical involvement. That can be difficult to see in MRI. Or there could be other factors. It could be a functional effect on the MOG but without frank demyelination yet, for example. Or there could be edema that you- myelin edema that you can't see as a lesion yet on MRI. But we do see that if you repeat the MRI, sometimes it'll change a lot. So, you may go from one or two lesions on the first MRI to twenty lesions on the second MRI a week later. So, it does tend to change a lot. And then over time, those lesions also resolve. So, what I say is if it's a very suspicious situation---like a child comes in with new-onset encephalitis, has inflammatory CSF---you might wanna consider repeating that MRI down the line and seeing if it's changing. And then over time, you know, a repeat MRI a year after the onset when there's brain or spinal cord lesions can be very helpful just to make sure you're on the right track, because lots of those lesions will then disappear, and that's a very clear discriminator from multiple sclerosis. Dr Smith: Yeah, thanks. I mean, I was wondering the same thing about whether that particular feature might imply, you know, a functional abnormality as opposed to more of a structural abnormality. So probably a lot more to learn as we move forward. There are now consensus diagnostic criteria that were published a couple of years ago. I think you've already touched on kind of the general approach, but do you want to speak to those? I found your summary pretty helpful. Dr Flanagan: Yeah, I think that those criteria are quite useful. They have three main parts to them. The first part is having a characteristic clinical syndrome. So, we talked about ADEM, we talked about cerebral cortical encephalitis, transverse myelitis that's often longitudinally extensive, and optic neuritis being the main syndromes, but sometimes other brainstem or cerebellar involvement can be seen. And then the second part is having a positive MOG antibody. And then there's some caveats there. So, if you have a high positive, then you don't really need any additional supportive criteria. On the other hand, if you're low positive, to get at those sticky antibodies that make sure it's not a false positive, you need some additional supportive clinical or MRI criteria. Or if you're only positive in CSF, you need that additional criteria. You also need to be negative for the aquaporin-4 antibody, because they can overlap clinically. And some of those supportive criteria are things that we talked about a little bit earlier, longer lesions within the optic nerve, bilateral involvement, involvement of the nerve sheath or optic disc edema. This is a situation, MOG antibody disease, where your fundoscope is useful and looking in the back of the eye and seeing swelling, because we don't tend to see that quite as often. It's less common in multiple sclerosis, but we often see prominent edema in MOGAD. And then in the spinal cord, the lesions tend to be central in the cord. Sometimes they form this H sign where it's restricted to the gray matter, and they tend to be longer, sometimes involving the conus. Patients will often have neurogenic bowel or bladder. And then in the brain, deep gray involvement, those large lesions along the cortex with swelling are some of the typical features. And then the final step is exclusion of another diagnosis. Just like with any test that we do in neurology, our final step is going to be to put that into context. So that's just a normal thing that we will always do when we get a group of test results back that we don't know what it means. We have to put it into context. So, make sure it's not multiple sclerosis, everything else does not look like multiple sclerosis, and then you can be on your way to make a diagnosis. Dr Smith: Definitely encourage listeners to read your article. I guess I say that with every time I- or with everyone I talk to for Continuum Audio, but the images are really fantastic and the cases are fantastic. So, everything you've described is well-illustrated, including really nice schematic sort of diagrams that help differentiate NMO from MOG and MS. So, if you like MRI scans and good imaging frameworks, then this is the article for you. Dr Flanagan: I think that's true, and the other thing is that the imaging is quite helpful because it takes a while for that antibody to come back. We're lucky at Mayo Clinic, if you work here, it, it comes back faster for you. But for many places, that time of sending it in, so a lot of times you don't know right away. So, looking at scrutinizing that MRI can be very helpful to guide you on your way and to know what you're dealing with and how to approach both the acute treatment and plans to have potentially a steroid taper after the acute treatment and those kind of things that can help guide you in that regard. Dr Smith: Yeah. So, let's talk about treatment. You know, what's your approach to treating a patient who has an acute demyelinating syndrome related to MOG? Dr Flanagan: So similar to other things, MOG is very steroid responsive. So, we use high-dose IV methylprednisolone in adults. That would be one gram IV for five days. And then we also will sometimes use oral steroids, twelve hundred and fifty milligrams. That's a bit of a hassle because it's twenty-five fifty-milligram tablets, it doesn't come in a larger tablet version. But it's very helpful to patients because they can get started on it right away. You don't have to set up an infusion center. So, we have used those oral steroids often in people who don't have access to an infusion center, are not in the hospital. And particularly as it's often optic neuritis, some of those patients are seen in the outpatient setting, so we can get in with treatment quickly. In patients where it's more severe, it doesn't recover quickly with steroids, then we would consider escalating to plasma exchange as our second-line treatment, and there's some retrospective data that suggests that plasma exchange can be useful. That's gonna be particularly for those people who don't have that quick response to steroids, or maybe more severe phenotypes like that brain involvement with ADEM or cerebral cortical encephalitis, where those patients might be in the hospital and quite unwell. I will say, we might get on to this, that sometimes MOG can be very, very severe and even fulminant, where there can be increased intracranial pressure, and these patients can be in the ICU, and it can be life-threatening. And so, it's really important to treat those patients aggressively, and some patients have even required hemicraniectomy or additional treatment. Sometimes IL-6 blocking medications have been used in that situation. So, monitoring and treating increased intracranial pressure in those rare patients, probably 2 or 3% that have the very severe attack, is important. Dr Smith: I think one of the things I found interesting, and then I'd love to get your feedback on this, is that most patients with MOG seem to have a very readily treatable disorder that's monophasic, right? You treat them with steroids, and they do well. On the other extreme, there are these patients that have a much more malignant presentation, and there are some that sound like they benefit from prophylactic or some chronic therapy. What's your approach, right? In MS, we do serial scans to monitor, and obviously, our patients are on, you know, chronic disease-modifying therapy. How do you decide when you're going to provide some sort of prophylactic therapy? How do you monitor it? How long do you continue it? Dr Flanagan: That's a great point. We don't know for sure yet, but I think for the most part, our approach has been if the patient has a single episode, they recover well from that episode. So, if that's optic neuritis, they're back to twenty/twenty vision. They have recovered well. We don't tend to use chronic maintenance immunotherapy. Sometimes after the first attack, we'll do a little bit of a slow taper, maybe over four, six weeks. We have done longer than that. And then we won't place them on any long-term treatment, because it's about 50% of patients that may have a monophasic disease, so we don't want to treat all those people who are destined never to have another relapse. On the other hand, if a patient had a very severe episode, they're in the ICU, they're intubated, some of those patients then afterwards we will start them at least temporarily on an attack prevention medication for at least a few years to get them through. Some patients will be very fearful of future relapses in that situation. Or if they don't recover well, if they're blind in one eye after an episode and then their other eye is vulnerable, or they're left with some residual deficits neurologically from a myelitis, then we would often sometimes put those patients after the first attack. But most of the time, we're gonna wait and see if they get that second attack, and then once they have the second attack, that is when we would consider a steroid-sparing medication. But I will say that there's no proven medications. We don't have any clinical trial data available yet. So some of those patients with relapsing disease, we'll either try to enroll them in a clinical trial, or we'll use an off-label treatment to try and manage their disease based on what we've learned from neuromyelitis optica or from multiple sclerosis. A few different options seem to be better, and we can maybe get into that too. Dr Smith: Yeah, let's go there. So, what options are there? You mentioned in more fulminant disease IL-6 inhibitors, and by that I assume you mean tocilizumab, but what are the options when you want to use prophylactic therapy? Dr Flanagan: So, that tocilizumab can be beneficial in the very acute situation, in that malignant situation. But also as an attack prevention treatment, the IL-6 blockers seem to- some of the retrospective data seems to look like it works reasonably well, so we work and see if we can get that approved. Another medication that can work well is IVIG or subcutaneous immunoglobulin as a maintenance treatment, so we would sometimes give that, like, at least one gram per kilogram once a month. The benefit of that is it doesn't lower your immune system, so there's some advantages there, particularly in people who may be more prone to infections, older people. So, we'll sometimes use that. But we do get into a lot of challenges with insurance coverage, and it can be difficult to get these approved by insurance because we only have retrospective data out there. So then for some patients, if they're in a region where there's a clinical trial available, we might try to enroll them in a clinical trial. And there are some clinical trials underway now, so hopefully in the future we'll be able to have some FDA-approved medications that can have some Class 1 data that we can follow. Because it's hard when you're just following retrospective data or anecdotal reports, it's a little bit difficult to know exactly how well you're doing with your treatments. Dr Smith: Well, Eoin, I wonder if we could finish up by just looking into the future, right? I mean, it sounds like a fun patient population to take care of because you've got lots of great therapies and can have a durable impact. But sure would be nice to have more evidence-based therapies and an FDA approval. What trials are going on? What's the future look like? Dr Flanagan: Yep. So, there's some trials going on in the- a couple of worldwide trials. One is on an FCRN blocker called rozanolixizumab, which is kind of like a plasma exchange-type treatment which removes your antibodies, and it's a weekly subcutaneous treatment where adults are enrolled. And the second one is called satralizumab, which is another IL-6 blocking medication. And again, that one's given once monthly under the skin. And the trial for that also includes children down to age eighteen, so for adolescents, too, that can be an option. There are trials, I believe, in Asia for tocilizumab too, and there's one starting in Australia for rituximab. So, the good news is that we're going to have some really good data down the line for lots of different agents, and we'll be able to figure out which treatments work. And this will be really of great benefit to our patients when we get that Class 1 data to kind of guide us on what we should be using and really build on the success of some of the other conditions like neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, where we now have four or five approved, medications that work very well. Dr Smith: Well, Eoin, thank you. This is a great conversation. I will say that it... the topic that I was a little intimidated about. I'm a simple peripheral nerve guy, as you know. But I think moreso than any other Continuum article I've read recently, I'm, like, loaded for bear. I can't wait to go back on the inpatient service and look for some MOG patients, because your article really left me feeling kind of prepared to think through this in a clinical setting. So, thank you for the conversation, and congratulations on a really wonderful piece for Continuum. Dr Flanagan: Yeah, thanks so much. Always a great honor to be involved in the Continuum, and thanks to all the readers out there. Dr Monteith: This is Dr. Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.
Hosts Renee Chiuchiarelli Julie Parks Episode Length ~10 minutes Episode Summary In this episode of Simply Trade Tips: Hammer & Heels, Renee and Julie tackle one of the toughest realities in transforming trade organizations:
SummaryIn this episode of The Compliance Guy, hosts Sean Weiss and Terry Fletcher explore the importance of internal audits, provider documentation, and maintaining objectivity in healthcare compliance. They discuss common pitfalls like over-familiarity with providers, the impact of personality on compliance, and the significance of external reviews to ensure practice integrity.Key TopicsInternal audits and their role in healthcare complianceThe phenomenon of spousal concordance and over-familiarityCommon documentation errors and their legal implicationsThe importance of objective external reviewsThe influence of personality and relationships on compliance behavior
Familiarity weakens your authority, whether you realize it or not. When I get too friendly and informal with people, I lose the ability to lead them because the line between us disappears. Command only works when there's clear separation and real consequences, otherwise it's just a title with no power behind it. I can't be both liked and in control at the same time, I have to choose what matters more. In this episode, I break down why leadership has a cost, and why being too close to people will quietly take your authority away. Show Notes: [04:04]#1 Familiarity erodes hierarchy. [10:13]#2 Familiarity invites negotiation instead of compliance. [13:36]#3 Familiarity removes perceived consequences. [23:48] Recap Episodes Mentioned: 301: You Cannot NEED and LEAD At The Same Time Next Steps: --- Power Presence is not taught. It is enforced. If you are operating in environments where hesitation costs money, authority, or leverage, the Power Presence Mastermind exists as a controlled setting for discipline, execution, and consequence-based decision-making. Details live here: http://PowerPresenceProtocol.com/Mastermind This Masterclass is the public record of standards. Private enforcement happens elsewhere. All episodes and the complete archive: → WorkOnYourGamePodcast.com
Dr. Richard Davidson, PhD, is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a pioneer in the scientific study of meditation. We discuss how meditation changes your brain and body, how just 5 minutes daily can improve focus, stress resilience and your overall health, and we cover different types of meditation. We also address common myths such as the idea that meditation is to "clear your mind." And we discuss common challenges with meditation and how to overcome them. This episode offers both the science and the practical tools to build a consistent meditation practice to improve your mental and physical health and help you flourish. The episode show notes are available at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Richard "Richie" Davidson (00:03:33) States of Mind vs Traits (00:09:06) Wakeful Brain Activity vs Deep Sleep (00:11:55) Sponsors: David & Eight Sleep (00:14:31) Brain Activity Across Sleep, Wakefulness, Meditation & Insight (00:19:27) Mediation & Sleep Compensation?; Meditation Timing & Liminal States (00:23:05) Types of Mediation, Shifting from Thinking to Being (00:28:32) Self-Monitoring, Undistracted Non-Mediation, "Stickiness" (00:35:30) Tool: Beginning Daily Meditation, "Richie's 5 Meditation"; Health Benefits (00:39:39) Meditation Practice History, Kindness & Nurturing Goodness (00:45:07) Sponsor: AG1 (00:46:31) Beginners, Expect Chaos in Mind, Exercise & Lactate Analogy (00:52:47) Tool: Beginning Mediation, Embrace Anxiety; Meta-Awareness, Flow (00:57:51) Creativity; Capturing Thoughts, Unconscious Mind (01:03:03) Meditation for Kids; Flourishing, Tool: Parent & Teacher Meditation (01:10:12) Sponsor: Joovv (01:11:34) Beyond Stimulus & Response (01:14:22) Meditation Need; Gaining Insight Into Mind, Transcendence (01:18:00) Contemplating Death, Long-Term Meditation (01:21:33) Richie's Meditation Practice; Tools: Pairing Meditation, Appreciation Practice (01:26:07) Consistency, Balancing Discipline vs Surrender (01:29:52) Social Media & Validating Existence, Digital Hygiene (01:37:31) Meditation & Impulsivity; Discipline & "No Go's", Phone (01:42:08) Physical Discomfort & Pain During Meditation; Retreat Practice (01:46:50) Phone Detox, Self-Control (01:52:07) Sponsor: Waking Up (01:53:29) Overcoming Resistance, Making Peace With Your Mind (01:58:37) Meditation & Connectivity; Consistency, Prayer; Sleepiness; Meta-Awareness (02:05:49) Tools: Pillars of Flourishing; Appreciation Practice, Loving-Kindness Practice (02:15:39) Awareness & Insight, Tools: Outside View; Task Connection (02:19:43) Cultivating Flourishing, Familiarity with Resistance (02:25:23) Psychedelics, Guides, Clinical vs Non-Clinical Use (02:32:15) Neuromodulation & Meditation, Sleep; Tool: Pre-Sleep Meditation (02:37:25) Open Monitoring Meditation & Creativity (02:41:12) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices