Podcasts about Fenway Park

On the final Fenway Rundown of this week, the hosts are joined by renowned architect and urban planner Janet Marie Smith, who has overseen the construction and renovation of many of baseball's best ballparks, including Fenway Park, in recent years. Smith weighs in on the future of Fenway, talks about her time in Boston, gives a theory as to why ballparks hold such a special place in the American psyche and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of our listeners will get a chance to hear our Thanksgiving week show ... "Turkey Time Music" on Thanksgiving Day. However, for this show, we give you some last minute awesome Turkey ideas you can buy in case you want to fly some in! We've got some great music this week hot from the recording studios! New from Van Morrison 'You Are My Sunshine', '5x5' from Kelly O and The Dollyrots and Underground jock Michael Des Barres is backed by Kris Rodgers and The Dirty Gems from Maine from their 'Soul Shakin' sessions. Sam Cooke, the man who invented soul music is covered by the wonderful voice of Amy Winehouse in the Deuces are Wilder segment and another great singing pairing is ‘Rich Woman' by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. One of the more underappreciated bands in history is the Siegel-Schwall group ... listen to them doing 'Leavin' live! Finally, we go back east again to hear the Zac Brown Band covering The Who's 'Baba O'Riley' at Fenway Park in Boston. Shout outs this week go to Inside Self Storage and their inaugural ISS Roadshow in Dallas on Nov 29th !! Thanks for listening to RadioWilderLive.com!! #thanksgiving #happythanksgiving #moreturkeyideas #thewho #rockmusic #rocknroll #ISSRoadshow #selfstorage #turkeytime

Andrew Parker and Chris Henrique are back with guest Red Sox' reliever Joe Jacques. The guys chat with Joe on his 2023 season from his time with the WooSox to the Red Sox. The week he flew cross country.. twice. His mindset going into next season, thoughts on playing at Fenway Park and more.

This episode was recorded in front of a LIVE audience on the Van Freaks Roadshow! All the way from The Wilbur in Boston, we have "Order in Decor!" and Swift Justice! Plus GBH'S ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Executive Producer Marsha Bemko. And music from Laura Valk of Skout and Fenway Park's own Josh Kantor!Like this episode? You won't want to miss THE VAN FREAKS ROADSHOW STREAMING EVENT: From the Opera House in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Premiering November 18 at 8pm ET! Tickets are on sale NOW at stagepilot.com/jjh!Thanks to reddit user u/Junk_Mutluck for naming this week's case! To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at maximumfun.reddit.com!

Shohei Ohtani, apparently, "loves" Boston and has "fondness" for Fenway Park. We "love" that rumor and have a "fondness" for Shohei playing at Fenway Park, you better believe the Red Sox show from out of left field had a ball discussing that on their latest episode! (10:15) ALSO: -Rule 5 and prospect talk; who would you trade and keep? (25:30) -Catfishing a former Red Sox reliever? (50:08) -A real quick grid for ya (1:06:42) All of that and much, much more on this edition of Pod On Lansdowne! Go ahead and follow us on Twitter if you haven't already: the show is @PodOnLansdowne, and the fellas are @FitzyMoPena, @LiamFennessy_, and @JakeWallinger. If you have a question, comment, story, manifesto, or whatever for the show, give us a call on our voicemail line! It's 617-420-2431. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philip Bess joins me this week in a wide-ranging conversation about architecture, academia, and baseball. It's not the first time we've shared such a bizarre collection of topics. We didn't even get into localism, subsidiarity, and Georgism. We'll save that for next time, I suppose.Mr. Bess is retiring from a career in academia, at Andrews University and Notre Dame University. I also had one of my very first design charrette experiences with Phil, back in 1999 in Ada, Michigan. We talk about his experience in academia as someone with a fondness for traditional architecture and urban design (hint: it's not always popular), and we also mention the origin of the infamous “Dogbark Plan.”If you take anything away from this, understand the historical importance of the Fenway 7, and Philip's little book called “City Baseball Magic.” It's a gem that describes an alternate reality for (old?) New Comiskey Park in Chicago, and laid the groundwork for all of us ending up in Boston in the Summer of 2000 to help two local non-profits trying to save their beloved historic ballpark.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend” Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

We interview Rosanne Katon Walden, the mother of Adam Mandela Walden, a young man with autism with remarkable musical talent. At the age of 2 he taught himself harmonica, and to sign opera phonetically. Rosanne nurtured this budding talent and at age 6 bought Adam a thrift store cello, and Adam fell in love with it. Now after years of training and performance, Adam is a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he is further developing his skills, including composition and conducting. Jill and Roseanne discuss Adam's early years, the nature of his musical gifts, how, with help, he navigates college, and what the future might look like.Note: the opening music is Adam playing Bach at the recent Stars of the Spectrum concert at Fenway Park. Links:Fantastic Cellist's Deep Musical Connectionhttps://www.daily-joy.org/video/fantastic-cellists-deep-musical-connection/Cellist with autism finds his purpose, voice in musichttps://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-east/arts/2021/12/21/cellist-with-autism-finds-his-purpose-and-his-voice-in-music There are a lot of other videos and articles to see including Adam's interview in “From The Top” if you just google "Adam Mandela Walden"https://youtu.be/mLoGBJRxsZ4?si=oudW4TaShenEOq8h

Today on the podcast we talk about the 2-7 Patriots' increasingly dismal situation. We get caught up on the Celtics and Bruins. We have a new exciting "Pick One" segment. And last but not least we continue our re-watch of the 2004 Red Sox post-season. Today we discuss innings 13 and 14 of game 5 of the ALCS, played at Fenway Park on October 18, 2004.

From 'Baseball Isn't Boring' (subscribe here): The Craig Breslow introductory press conference was the first step in the Red Sox setting out on a path that they hope will lead them out of last-place and into relevancy. Team president Sam Kennedy and Chairman Tom Werner joined Rob Bradford to explain how they landed with Breslow, why they landed with Breslow and exactly how they envision convincing free agents and their fans that Fenway Park is the place to be. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

123 | Today we're discovering a farm on top of Fenway Park, the gross truth about fast food beverage dispensers and Harvard's new study linking diabetes and red meat. JOIN OUR DISCOVER NEWSLETTER HOSTS: @‌NatalieKovarik | @‌TaraVanderDussen THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: 1.) AMERICAN FARM BUREAU CONVENTION: Register for the 2024 American Farm Bureau Convention & get free swag using code “DISCOVER”. 2.) WAGBAR a 100% American Wagyu beef high protein snack. Every purchase helps deliver shelf-stable protein to the homeless around the globe. Code “DISCOVER” 3.) ARMRA COLOSTRUM SUPPLEMENT transform your health with ARMRA Colostrum™. Code “DISCOVER” 4.) CROWDHEALTH is not insurance, it is a health insurance alternative. With CrowdHealth, you'll get access to telemedicine visits, discounted prescriptions, and so much more. Code “DISCOVER” 5.) TOUPS & CO is a 100% natural skincare and makeup that uses organic ingredients like tallow, aloe vera and cold-pressed olive oil ands stays clear of synthetic chemicals, toxins, fillers etc. Code “DISCOVER” 6.) VOGT SILVERSMITHS hand engraved, hand tooled and solid sterling products that come with a lifetime warranty. Code “DISCOVER” 7.) GOOD RANCHERS is American Meat Company delivered. 100% of their meat is born, raised and harvested in the US & they donate back to families in need. Code “DISCOVER” 8.) RINGERS WESTERN WEAR is one of our favorite western wear brand & the epitome of country cool. Code "DISCOVER" 9.) ENCHANTMENT VINEYARDS is a family-owned winery in NM. 100% of their bottles are hand harvested and the only ingredient in their wine is grapes. No additives, no extras!!! Code “DISCOVER20” & THANK YOU TO OUR MAIN SPONSOR CASE IH. Case IH isn't just built by farmers. It's sold, supported and serviced by them, too. The men and women at your local Case IH dealerships understand what it takes to overcome the challenges of farming because they do it every day, just like you. Which means they're the right people to help you find the equipment you need. Visit Built By Farmers to learn more. Case IH is Built by Farmers. Please note this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

On this episode of Fenway Rundown, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam recap Craig Breslow's introductory press conference at Fenway Park after the Red Sox officially introduced him as the new chief baseball officer Thursday morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(00:00) Ty Anderson covers the Boston Bruins for 985thesportshub.com - He joins Toucher & Rich to talk about their 8-1 start, DeBrusk and much more. (15:57) Blink-182 are playing Fenway Park next summer. Plus, Fred made fun of the Used so much, the drummer's mom tried to get him fired. (31:06) Guy from Machine checks in and talks about Halloween! For the latest, Visit the Toucher & Rich page on 985thesportshub.com. Follow Boston's home for sports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! Visit our channels on Twitch and Youtube!

Hallowe'en sports stories including haunted team hotel, Ron Washington to Houston? World Series heroes & injuries to Texas stars, legendary Frank 'Hondo' Howard passes away, Dabo Swinney nuts up on Clemson fans, will Arthur Smith continue sticking with Ridder, Broncos stick it to Kelce, is Billy Napier over his head, is Georgia Tech for real, Dawg gets honor, Harbaugh loses $, Coach Prime's players get robbed, hockey player dies when skate slashes his throat, scary sports names, shark biting your arm off, cricket player killed in historic cavalry charge in WWI in Gaza, what do Larry Bird & Kim Kardashian have in common, a true teammate, Brian Piccolo birthday, Nick Saban bday, Fred McGriff bday, Red Sox GM in gorilla suit escapes Fenway Park media, multiple Braves enter Hall Of Fame, cremated remains found on field after 2013 Iron Bowl, plus Pete's Tweets, This Day in Sports History, Baseball Quotes, & Ripley's Believe It or Not

Bowling in a guinea pig costume, pumpkin decorating party, trick-or-treating inside Fenway Park and Truck-or-Treating for a cause!

Bowling in a guinea pig costume, pumpkin decorating party, trick-or-treating inside Fenway Park and Truck-or-Treating for a cause!

Audio Transcript:This media has been made available by Mosaic BostonChurch. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston,or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are God overall, and even over those who don't yet confess Jesus Christ as Lord, You are Lord over them as well. Lord, we thank You for regulating revelation of Your holy truth. By Your Spirit, you're the one that illumines the truth into our hearts, and we pray for more revelation in our church. We pray for more revelation given to us, not just so we can store it, or hold it, or keep it unto ourselves, but so that we can share it with others. As we get light, as we get knowledge and discernment and wisdom, I pray that You give us the unction of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Spirit to then share it with others.As we come to know who You are, let us be a people that wants to testify to the greatness of Your holy name. Lord, You are so holy, even Your name is holy, and we pray that Your name will be hollowed in our church, in our hearts, and our lives, and we pray that Your name will be hollowed and considered holy and revered in the city. Lord, there are many who don't yet follow You, don't yet even believe in You, and we pray for a revival. We pray for an awakening. We do believe that Your kingdom is unstoppable.You promised that there was nothing that is going to remain hidden, You will reveal all truth, and we pray, Lord, use us in the process of this harvest of drawn many to Yourself. Give us a zeal, a burning zeal in our hearts to do everything we possibly can to see people whom we love, come to faith, to receive eternal life, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and to receive forgiveness of sins and a relationship with You. Lord, we pray that You instill a hope in us, a hope that is unshakeable so people around us do realize there's something different about these people, they do believe, and they build their life on this hope. And we pray all this in Christ's holy name. Amen.We're continuing our sermon series to do with the incredible gospel of Mark. We've called it Kingdom Come, the Gospel of Mark and the Secret of God's Kingdom, and the title today is the Unstoppable Kingdom. Question, "What's one thing that grows the more you share it? The more you give it to others, the more you test it, the more you share, what is that one thing that grows?," and I would submit to you, it's your faith. The more you share your faith, the deeper your faith gets.The more you testify to the truth of God, the deeper your understanding of that truth is. Jesus Christ told us, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. I'll make you compel people to come into the kingdom. I'm saving you as an instrument of salvation for others." That's part of our purpose.1 Peter 3:15 says, "But in your hearts honor Christ, the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect." We should be such hope-filled people, that people around us are like mesmerized by this hope that we have no matter what the circumstances. No matter what the situation in the world, we have an unshakable hope. Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Well, it's because the Lord sent someone to you at some point to sow the seeds of God's word into your heart, and the fact that you're following Jesus today is evidence that the seed was planted into fertile soil.The seed goes deep and it germinates, and a root system goes deep into your heart, and that seed grows as it is nourished by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit bears fruit through us, and the fruit that the Holy Spirit bears has seeds, and that's the seed of God's word, and we are then to take those seeds and we are to sow those seeds into the heart soils of other people. Then, by the power of God, they too are saved. They're saved from God's judgment. They're saved for God's kingdom and His mission, and the intention is clear from these parables that the Lord is giving us today. We are not only to receive knowledge, but do everything we can to impart that knowledge to others, and this is how the kingdom of God grows in your life and in the world.Today, we're in Mark 4:21-34. Would you look at the text with me? "And He said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest, nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.'""And He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.' And He said, 'The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear, but when the grain is ripe at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'""And He said, 'With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is the smallest of the seeds on the earth, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.' With many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples, He explained everything." This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word.May He write these truths on our hearts. Three points to frame up our time. First, love the light, hunger for truth, and share the gains, second, sow the seed, trust God for growth, harvest is coming, and third, there's room for all in the kingdom of God. First, love the light, hunger for truth, and share the gains. So Jesus, in the previous text, has interpreted the parable of the sower, and now, He gives us a few more parables, of the lamp, of the hidden in the manifest of having, and not having, and that the kingdom grows like seed.These parables, with their emphasis on revelation and the necessity of paying attention, extends the theme of the word and its hearers. Verse 21, "And He said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?'" Jesus uses very similar phrasing in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.""In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Now, the text in Matthew 5 is very clear. Don't hide your light. Be good witnesses to Jesus Christ, and this world do good works so people see the good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. It's tempting when you come across a text like ours to say, "Oh, there's a similar phrase that's used in a different text like Matthew 5," and just assume that Jesus means the same thing because He used the same phrase.Jesus, just like us, often uses the same expressions and different context to communicate different truths. So just because Jesus is using the same image, or the same expression, or the same phraseology doesn't automatically mean He's saying the same thing. We have to pay attention to the context. In Matthew 5:15, Jesus is urging us to do something. You shine your light to the world.Here, Jesus is promising us something wonderful. He's not just calling us to action, but He's giving us a promise, and the promise is about the destiny of the kingdom of God. The parable is teaching us that the future for the kingdom of God is bright, and I just want to point out a couple of things from the text. In our translation, the English standard, it just says a light. There's no definite article.The definite article is the. In the original Greek, there is a definite article before the word, lamp, so it's the lamp. A particular lamp is in view, and where the text says that the lamp is brought in, the Greek actually says, "Does the lamp come in?" It isn't brought in, it comes in all on its own. There's a personal agency ascribed to the lamp. Meaning, the lamp is a person.The lamp comes in. The lamp here is the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is what Jesus taught us about His identity in John 8:12. "Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, 'I, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" So probably, the best way to read verse 21 in our text is that the lamp is the revelation of God and His kingdom as has come in the person, the words, the works of Jesus Christ.It's a message, a revelation summarized in the message of the gospel. If the lamp is here and the gospel of the kingdom is here, Jesus is saying, "What's the intent?" It's here in order to be exposed. It's here in order to shine. This is what He's telling His disciples.He says, "Be patient. When it looks like the darkness in the world is oppressive, when it looks like there's so much darkness, that no light can penetrate that darkness, be patient. Continue to believe." Even with Christ, many were opposing Him. There was an antagonism that was growing amongst the Scribes and the Pharisees, and partially because they didn't want the light of God in their life.This is a lot of people, they want God's love, but they don't want God's light, but God is Love and He is Light, and you can't have one part of Him without all of Him. Many people love John 3:16, a verse that many have memorized even since Sunday school, but in the context about God loving the world, He does say like the world has rejected this love because they don't want the light, they want to continue living in darkness. Look at John 3:16-21, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.""And this is the judgment, the light has come into the world and people love the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed, but whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." He's saying the light has come and the light has come in the form of Jesus Christ, and people reject Him because people loved darkness. This is what the difference between a believer and non-believer. A believer has a brand new heart.You're regenerated. When you repent of your sin, you're given this brand new heart that longs for God's light. You want to love the light. You love standing in the light, living in the light. You love being a child of the Light, and you love God's word because God's word illuminates more of your life. It shows you more of the ways that you are to walk in and the ways that you are not to walk in light that shows the way to live.Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." So even in the short-term, God intends those outside even if He does intend that they misunderstand this word. It's not going to be hidden forever. The truth is here, and even if people suppress that truth, there will come a point where the suppression is no longer even possible. Mark 4:22, Jesus continues, says, "For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest, nor is anything secret except to come to light."He did not come to have His light hidden away, and the whole point of His coming in this veiled form, often rejected form, was so that the light might shine, undim to the ends of the earth. He came in weakness and suffering. He came as a seed to be buried in the ground. Look at Isaiah 53, one of the most powerful, prophetic passages about the person of Christ. "Who has believed what He has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?""For He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we esteemed Him not." Just as in the past, nothing was hidden except in order to become manifest, so Jesus is saying this is true.Even now, in the present, all the hiddenness of the current age will ultimately serve the purpose of revelation. This is exactly what happened with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus, who is God, the Son of God, King of kings, comes and He proclaims the word of the kingdom. "The kingdom is here. Repent and believe. Everyone who repents and believes is welcome."But the opponents of Jesus, they misunderstood His word, and they rejected it. The word didn't penetrate their hearts, it didn't transform them, but this rejection of the word led to Jesus' death, and as a result from the divine perspective, it led to ultimate revelation, more revelation. He was killed by those who refuse to believe His word, refuse to see His identity, but in this divinely will death, which is caused by their spiritual blindness, God ushers in a brand new age of revelation. After Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jesus now is proclaimed as the Messiah, as the Son of God, and after the Holy Spirit falls on Pentecost. Now, when the message of the gospel was proclaimed, the Holy Spirit takes that message and transforms people.He saves people. The obscurity of the word ultimately serves to lead to greater revelation. The lamp of God's word has come into the room and is casting its light into every crevice for everyone who would welcome the light into their heart. 1 John 2:8-11, "At the same time, it is a new commandment that I'm writing to you, which is true in Him and in you because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him, there is no cause for stumbling, but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." At the same time, we look around the world and we say, "Well, if the light has come and the light is revealing the kingdom of God, why aren't more people Christians? Why aren't more people following the word of God?," and Jesus here says, "There will come a time when everything is revealed, and at that point, it will be too late." The kingdom will not remain hidden forever. It is seemingly hidden now, in that its full power is not evident, it's concealed in some way, but there will be a day when the kingdom is completely revealed because the light of function is to expose the darkness.The kingdom of God, the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot stay hidden. Nothing can obscure it. No shadow can engulf it or eclipse it. Why are we believers? Because God shown His light into our heart so that the knowledge of the glory of Jesus Christ is understood.The light of the gospel is chasing away the shadows of unbelief, and the people who walked in darkness are beginning to see the light. And what's our job? Our job is to believe this promise, that the kingdom is unstoppable, that the gospel light will continue to shine and God will draw the elect, will draw His children to Himself. And what's our job in the process? We are to love the truth, hunger for the truth, and impart the truth for others. The light isn't just given to us so we enjoy our lives here on earth until we go to heaven.No. We have work to do to testify to Jesus Christ, that He alone is the Doctor of our souls, that He alone is the Way to salvation. There's no other name by which anyone will be saved. That day, the judgment day, or when Christ returns will reveal that to everybody, and for most people, will be too late then. I understand in a place like Boston, it's easy to lose your hope.You look around, you're like, "We are outnumbered. Big league, we are outnumbered. We are on the losing side," and that is a lie of the enemy. As soon as you begin to believe that lie, we lose the power. We are to believe that Jesus' kingdom is growing, will continue to grow, and sometimes it feels like our light just isn't enough.It feels like you're in Fenway Park, all the lights are out, you're by yourself, and you want to light up the night just a little bit. You take out your phone with a little flashlight, and you're like, "Yeah, the light of Jesus," and it looks pathetic, puny, flickering even. It seems like the darkness is absolute impenetrable. You say, "What can my little light do?," and then you realize, "It's not my light. It's not my light, it's not my lamp."The light is Jesus Christ Himself. The light is God. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Do you believe this? Do you believe that there is no one beyond the reach of Jesus Christ? Do you believe that there is no heart so hard, that grace cannot soften it and change it forever?The light will pierce the darkness. We just need to proclaim that Jesus is the Light. He is the only Way of salvation. I'm confident of that because of the promise here, that the light came not to be hidden, it came to blaze forth and to give light to the world, and nothing can stop Jesus Christ. Nothing can stop the King.Last week, I shared that I had a toothache, and thank you for all your condolences. It was supposed to be solved on Tuesday. I woke up the happiest person to get a root canal ever. I even got a shirt, buttoned. I was like, "I'm ready to go."Did my hair. I'm like, "I'm ready to go to the endodontist." I show up, and they say, "Thank you for coming for your consultation." I was like, "What? No."So my dental appointment is on Tuesday. Tuesday is coming. Praise be to God. And so I was at a staff meeting. I came into the staff meeting on Thursday. We were praying for one another, and I shared about my toothpaste, and Raquel was praying for me, and Raquel starts praying, and it's just powerful, and then she's like, "Lord, you see the decay in Pastor Jan's tooth, just decay.""Decay. He's decaying. He's fallen apart. Decay, decay, decay." And that's all I heard.I'm like, "I am ... Yup." I said, "Amen." We are all decaying. I just want to just share that tremendous news. We are all mortal.We are all going to die. Time will be up for each one of us. The Lord knows when that is, but I'm telling you, dear soul, dear eternal soul, that moment will come, and you will stand before Jesus Christ, and you will stand before Him as forgiven, welcome into the presence of God, or He will stand before you like a judge. It's one or the other. This is what Jesus is saying, that the kingdom is inevitable.This is true. This is the greatest truth that there is. This is the truth underneath every single truth, that Jesus Christ is King, and the only way that we can be forgiven of our law-breaking, of our insubordination, of our rebellion against the King, is to fall on our knees and say, "Lord Jesus, please forgive me of all my sins. Lord Jesus, I repent," and Jesus Christ says, "The love of God will be poured into your heart. The light of God will be poured into your mind, and you will be transformed."This has to be real for every believer. When we meet friends who are not Christians, who are not followers of Christ, you need to believe that they are on their way to hell, eternal damnation apart from Jesus Christ, and this is why we proclaim the gospel, this is why we do what we do. This is the truth, and our job is to sow the seed of the gospel, and not to be afraid of it, not to be afraid of speaking the truth. There are proponents of other religions who are 10 times, 100 times more courageous than most Christians today. I watched the UFC.A lot of Muslim fighters are in there, and they're all, "Inshallah," and they're just saying, "Praise be to God. If God wills ..." They're just throwing in God in every ... I'm like, "Imagine if believers did that, just on a daily basis, speaking the name of Christ every opportunity that we get, no matter what cost." Why? Because that's how important it is.In Mark 4:23, He says, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." He's saying that ears to hear this message are a gift from God. Repentance is a gift from God. Faith is a gift from God, but using the ears that God has given us, that's our responsibility. We are to say, "Lord, tune our ears to hear Your voice and give us grace to hear."In verse 24, "And He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you." The wake-up call is repeated and reinforced, pay attention to what you hear. He's not saying that it's just hearing per se, you hear. No. It's hearing to understand.It's hearing with the commitment to obey no matter what it says. Also, he says, "See what you hear." That's the original. It's the sense of hearing doubled by the sense of sight, suggesting we're going to use all of our faculties to listen to the word of God, and significant in the wording, the call is to pay attention not just to how we hear, but to what we listen to. Be careful in the voices you'll allow into your life and to your heart in a world that is still, in some sense, Satan's house and his dominion.Not all voices who claim to be speaking on behalf of God really are. Many of the voices are deceitful, perhaps even satanic in claiming to be God's word. Later on in Mark 13, Jesus says that, "Satan does everything he can to lead astray if possible, even the elect." So we, as believers need to be careful, careful of the voices we allow. Listening sermons is important.You should listen to sermons, but I want you versed in the scriptures more than you are in sermons so that you can discern, "Is this truly the word of God or not?" On the other hand, when we listen to God's word with the intent to obey, God gives us more revelation, and as He does, He continues to draw us to the calling that He has for us to go and preach the gospel, to receive, and then also share the gains that we have. Romans 10:14, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed, and how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?,' but they have not all believed the gospel, for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what He has heard from us?'""So faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ." In Ephesians 1:13, "In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory." He says, "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you." Mark here takes a phrase that was known in ancient literature, a phrase that had to do with giving. If you give to others, whatever you give will return to you, but here, he applies it to epistemology, knowledge of God, in particular.What He's saying is if you receive insight from the Lord, if you receive it with a welcome heart and a pure heart, you will get more insight, and the measure of our engagement with the word, the way we respond, our desire to grasp its message and digest its truth, no matter how hard to chew, will determine the measure of blessing we enjoy from it. Do you want more blessing? Of course we do. He says, "Pay closer attention." The word teaches clearly that if you come close to God, He will come close to you.He will draw near to you. If you take a tiny step toward God, God will more than match the movement. In verse 25, He says, "For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Now, Proverbs 13:4 says, "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." Diligence.Are you diligent about your faith? The Christians that I know, that I've seen them grow spiritually by leaps and bounds, and the ones that have grown in spiritual prosperity are those who are diligent, diligent in their study of scripture on a daily basis, diligent over private devotions and private prayer, diligent over attending worship services and community groups, in the same way that exercise and use of muscles are strengthened with exercise so that the soul is strengthened when we exercise the means of grace that God has given us, and we are to expend all energy to listen to the word and the promises that we will be proportionally rewarded. Those who heed the message get more understanding of the message, get more revelation, get more blessing. Those who do not heed the message end up with nothing, and the idea of the rich getting richer applies to truth, that God gives wisdom to the wise, and He gives grace to those who long for insight and knowledge. For example, Daniel 2:19-23, "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.""Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.""He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him. To You, O God, of my fathers that give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for You have made known to us the kings matter." So we are to pay careful attention to how we listen, to what we listen in terms of the word of God, and let the measure of your response to the word be full, and complete, and heartfelt, and diligent, and real, and those who give themselves to the word like this, they gain much. What do you gain when you pay attention to the word?You gain eternal life. You gain a relationship with God. You gain energy and strength to persevere despite trials. You gain comforts that the world cannot even imagine and you gain a hope that no tragedy can touch, and you gain heaven itself. But to those who hear the word and do not respond like this, but respond with tepid indifference, "Oh, yeah, God," "Oh, yeah, God's word," "Oh, yeah, Christ dying on the cross, bleeding, crucifixion," "Oh, yeah, Jan, I've heard that before," well, Jesus says those who listen like that, even what they have will be taken away.So the word of God when proclaimed, no matter how familiar you are with the word, you can't ignore it. What a joy and peace we have in the word. In particular, watch for those texts in holy scripture where you are tempted to plug your ears with your fingers. "No, that's not for me. Yeah, they say that that's God's word, but that's not for me."Pay close attention to those texts. Some of you have been walking with Christ for years, and your relationship with the Lord has just grown cold. There's no obvious rebellion in your life, but it just feels like your faith is like stale bread, left out too long, dry, crusty, and moldy. The word used to come to you like fresh water from a rock in the desert, like manna from heaven, and now you just sit in services or you're reading scripture, and there's just nothing. There's no life, there's no interest.There's just boredom. At these moments, the Lord is speaking to you and say, "Pay attention. Pay attention to what you hear, how you hear because the stakes are that high," and Jesus today invites you to turn away from your lukewarmness and draw near to Him, and ask the, "Lord, send me this hunger. Send me a thirst for Your presence and for Your word, and give me this attentiveness, this desire to hear it no matter what and to obey," and the Lord will meet you there. Second, sow the seed, trust God for growth, and harvest is coming.Mark 4:26-27, "And He said, 'The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how." The emphasis in this parable is that God grows His kingdom, that God is the One that gives the growth. The farmer, all he does is plant the seed, and then how it grows eludes his comprehension. It's beyond his control.He can't control how it grows. All he does is cast the seed and weight, and the seed germinates and develops by itself even while he is sleeping. He has no idea how it grows, and the Lord here is saying, "I give the growth." This is from 1 Corinthians. Paul says, "I planted, Apollos watered it, but God gave the growth."Verse 28, "The Earth produces by itself, first, the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear, and when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come." Our job is to preach the word. Our job is to sow the seed of God's word. What God does with His word is His business. It's only for us to make sure we're faithful in our sowing.This is our responsibility, but God is the One that gives the growth. The soil can't produce life apart from the seed, but why? Because humans are dead in sin. Life must come from the outside, and it comes from the word of God. He says, "First, the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."The children of God are not born in perfect faith or perfect hope, or perfect knowledge or experience, but the moment you become a child of God, even the weakest child of God is a true child of God, and the true child of God is expected by God to grow. If God began the process of salvation, He's promised He's going to complete it, and the process of salvation includes maturity and growth. Philippians 1:6, "And I'm sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." He's the one that starts the work, and He will bring it to completion. What's our job?We are to grow ... In 1 Peter 3:18 says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him, be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. This is how the reign of God grows in your life.You grow in grace, grow in grace by the means of grace, studying scripture, and praying, and worshiping the Lord. We receive grace when we recognize that we've sinned. "Lord, give me more grace and power me with that grace," and that's how maturity, that's how growth come. The real cause of agent of the words fruition isn't the farmer, it's the seed. It's God Himself.He says, "Keep sowing, keep sowing, keep sowing until the day of harvest comes." The day of harvest in scripture from Joel, from Revelation we see, the day of harvest is actually an image of judgment. A time when evil is judged and righteousness is vindicated. For example, Revelation 14:15, "And another angel came out of the temple calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, 'Out in your sickle and reap for the hour to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.'" The harvest is, in the Lord's parable, is a symbol of the end of the age, the last judgment, the consummation of history, and we have the same text in Joel 3:13, "Put in the stickle for the harvest is ripe.""Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great." Jesus here is showing us a picture of the whole period of world history from the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ, from His first advent to the next, and Jesus is saying that, "Kingdom is growing. The kingdom is growing. The kingdom is growing.Sow the seed, the kingdom is growing, but a day will come when finally, it's time for reaping and the harvest." Our job is to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. Were to sow the seed of the word of God. Our task is not to attempt to manipulate the seed, or force growth, or change the seed somehow. No, Jesus wants us to have complete confidence, that there's life in the seed itself, the word of God is living inactive, and the word of God is going to accomplish the work that God has for it.We are to trust in it, hope in it, and recognize that the kingdom of God is unstoppable, the kingdom of God is inevitable, and God is going to save all of the elect. Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season, we will reap if we do not give up." One of the reasons why this church even exists is because we believe this. We've believed this from the very beginning when we establish the church. We said, "What kind of church do we ..."We want to be a church that's faithful of God's word, and we want to do God's work God's way. Sometimes it does feel like the soil here isn't really soil, but it's kind of like concrete, and I remember a while back, I was walking my daughters to school, and I saw the pavement of a sidewalk with a little sprout growing. I was like, "Oh, that's cute," and I just walked by, and then a few weeks later, I'm walking ... I look at it, I'm like, "I can't believe it." It was a tomato plant, a tomato plant just out of the sidewalk with a little tomato, and I should have plucked it.I should have plucked it. I should have had it. I didn't plant it, though, and it was just an image of like, "No matter what, God's seeds can break through even the hardness of payment." Can God save people in Boston, Massachusetts? Of course He can, and He does, and we see it at this church, and we see it in the other gospel proclaiming ministries we support.The point of, and this is what Jesus closed it with, there's room for all in the kingdom of God. Mark 4:30, and He said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? How do we understand the kingdom of God?" Here, He's quoting from Isaiah, "To whom will we liken God or what likeness compare with Him?" Jesus is saying that the kingdom is a kingdom that's going to grow.It starts and it looks like a tiny, little seed, as tiny even as a mustard seed, but it's going to grow because God promised the. Previous parable is a call to patience. The seed's going to grow surely, slowly, but surely. This parable is a call to hope. It's not only going to grow, it's going to grow massively, so we can confidently sow and not grow weary and not grow discouraged, not lose heart.But remember, the promise that God said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it." We are to be content with the growth that God sends us, but we are never complacent. We are thankful for all the people that God saved here in and through this church, and sanctify, but we're not complacent. We do believe that God wants this church to grow. He wants the kingdom of God to grow.We are a kingdom building force, and how do we build the kingdom? By sowing the seed, and the seed can be even as small as a grain of mustard seed. Verse 31, "It's like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth," and here, Jesus is hyperbolic. He's comparing something very tiny, mustard seed to something great, and that's the growth that comes from the mustard seed, over 700 mustard seeds to a gram, and the height of the bush or the tree can grow to 10 feet. What He's saying is that the kingdom of God grows like this.In the beginnings, there's small, paltry in appearance, but there's tremendous power, divine potency in the word of God. The mustard seed is chosen because of its commonness, and because of its smallness, but it grows into something vast and incredible. What is Jesus here saying? He's saying, "Well, look how the kingdom came into the world initially, and weakness." How did the King of kings, the King of the universe come into this world?He came as a baby, born in a manger, at Bethlehem, without riches, without armies, without attendance, without power. And who are the men that God chose to build His church? Who were the appointed apostles? Just average men. What was the last public act of Jesus' earthly ministry as the King of kings?Well, He was crucified between two criminals, between two thieves, and He was forsaken by His disciples, betrayed by one, denied by another. What was the doctrine that the first apostles, the first builders of the church ... What was the doctrine they preached? They preached Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and to Greeks. It was foolishness, but because of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit took that message, that we have all sinned, we have all transgressed the commandments of God, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life on our behalf, and then He died on a cross as our substitutionary atonement, and then He rose in the third day, and whoever believes in Christ has all of their sins blotted out, forgiven.It's as if God cast our sins as far from us, says the east is from the west. He chooses to not just forgive, but forget our sins. When that message was proclaimed and the Holy Spirit took and applied to people's hearts, lives were changed. The world was changed, in the same way that the gospel changed people's lives, then He does so today. In all this, the mind of man can only look at Christ, can only look at His disciples and see weakness and feebleness, but we, as believers, we understand that beyond the feebleness, beyond the weakness, is the power of God, a power that can truly save. Mark 4:32, "Yet, when it is sown, it grows up and it becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."Now, this phrase, birds of the air is used in Ezekiel 31 and Daniel 4. It's to represent the multitude of the nations, that the kingdom grows and it's going to grow in vastness, and then people of all nations are going to come and build nests within this tree. Ezekiel 17:23, "On the mountain height of Israel, will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar, and under it will dwell every kind of bird in the shadow of its branches, birds of every sort will nest." Every time this phrase is used in the Old Testament, describing a mighty kingdom, be it Israel or Egypt or Babylon, the kingdoms will gross in vastness, that the other nations will come and seek refuge in this kingdom. What Jesus is saying here is, "My kingdom is like that.""My kingdom, the kingdom of God is like this, though its beginnings are improbable, a small seed, a crucified Messiah, suffering church, preaching, baptizing, and holding holy communion, praying. Its beginnings are improbable, but its destiny is vast, and there's room for all." In the kingdom of God, there's room for every single one of you, there's room for every single one of your families, there's room for everyone in the world that will come and repent, and to build a nest. I like the idea of just building a little nest with your loved ones. In the kingdom of God, He's like, "Make sure you're building this home that you have in the kingdom of God.""Come and find shelter," Jesus is saying, "In the shade of this kingdom." The parable emphasizes the shelter that the kingdom brings. In Psalm 91, "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust, for He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings, you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and a buckler.'"Jesus concludes our text in Mark 4:33. "With many such parables, He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately, to His own disciples, He explained everything," as they were able to hear according to their God-given ability to hear. What He's saying is, and He concludes with this, if you want more revelation, you do it by spending more time with Christ, by following Christ, by communing with Him and abiding in Him. Three points to summarize, and then we'll close with prayer, love the light, hunger for truth, and then share the gains.Sow the seed, trust God for growth, harvest is coming, and there's room for all in the kingdom of God. Let us pray. Lord, we thank You for continuing to build Your kingdom in and through us in this city, in a place of stifling darkness, sometimes it seems, but Lord, You are the Light, and You're the Light that shines in the darkness. Lord, as you saved us, we believe that You can save others, and we pray that You use us in the process, even this week, Lord. Give us opportunities to speak of You, speak of the gospel, speak of Your grace.We pray that You open the door for the proclamation of the gospel here. We pray for revival in this city and beyond. We pray for an awakening, and we pray that, Lord, You save many and draw them to yourself and to Your incredible kingdom, and we pray this in Christ's holy name. Amen.

Audio Transcript:This media has been made available by Mosaic BostonChurch. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston,or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are God overall, and even over those who don't yet confess Jesus Christ as Lord, You are Lord over them as well. Lord, we thank You for regulating revelation of Your holy truth. By Your Spirit, you're the one that illumines the truth into our hearts, and we pray for more revelation in our church. We pray for more revelation given to us, not just so we can store it, or hold it, or keep it unto ourselves, but so that we can share it with others. As we get light, as we get knowledge and discernment and wisdom, I pray that You give us the unction of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Spirit to then share it with others.As we come to know who You are, let us be a people that wants to testify to the greatness of Your holy name. Lord, You are so holy, even Your name is holy, and we pray that Your name will be hollowed in our church, in our hearts, and our lives, and we pray that Your name will be hollowed and considered holy and revered in the city. Lord, there are many who don't yet follow You, don't yet even believe in You, and we pray for a revival. We pray for an awakening. We do believe that Your kingdom is unstoppable.You promised that there was nothing that is going to remain hidden, You will reveal all truth, and we pray, Lord, use us in the process of this harvest of drawn many to Yourself. Give us a zeal, a burning zeal in our hearts to do everything we possibly can to see people whom we love, come to faith, to receive eternal life, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and to receive forgiveness of sins and a relationship with You. Lord, we pray that You instill a hope in us, a hope that is unshakeable so people around us do realize there's something different about these people, they do believe, and they build their life on this hope. And we pray all this in Christ's holy name. Amen.We're continuing our sermon series to do with the incredible gospel of Mark. We've called it Kingdom Come, the Gospel of Mark and the Secret of God's Kingdom, and the title today is the Unstoppable Kingdom. Question, "What's one thing that grows the more you share it? The more you give it to others, the more you test it, the more you share, what is that one thing that grows?," and I would submit to you, it's your faith. The more you share your faith, the deeper your faith gets.The more you testify to the truth of God, the deeper your understanding of that truth is. Jesus Christ told us, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. I'll make you compel people to come into the kingdom. I'm saving you as an instrument of salvation for others." That's part of our purpose.1 Peter 3:15 says, "But in your hearts honor Christ, the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect." We should be such hope-filled people, that people around us are like mesmerized by this hope that we have no matter what the circumstances. No matter what the situation in the world, we have an unshakable hope. Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Well, it's because the Lord sent someone to you at some point to sow the seeds of God's word into your heart, and the fact that you're following Jesus today is evidence that the seed was planted into fertile soil.The seed goes deep and it germinates, and a root system goes deep into your heart, and that seed grows as it is nourished by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit bears fruit through us, and the fruit that the Holy Spirit bears has seeds, and that's the seed of God's word, and we are then to take those seeds and we are to sow those seeds into the heart soils of other people. Then, by the power of God, they too are saved. They're saved from God's judgment. They're saved for God's kingdom and His mission, and the intention is clear from these parables that the Lord is giving us today. We are not only to receive knowledge, but do everything we can to impart that knowledge to others, and this is how the kingdom of God grows in your life and in the world.Today, we're in Mark 4:21-34. Would you look at the text with me? "And He said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest, nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.'""And He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.' And He said, 'The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear, but when the grain is ripe at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'""And He said, 'With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is the smallest of the seeds on the earth, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.' With many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples, He explained everything." This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word.May He write these truths on our hearts. Three points to frame up our time. First, love the light, hunger for truth, and share the gains, second, sow the seed, trust God for growth, harvest is coming, and third, there's room for all in the kingdom of God. First, love the light, hunger for truth, and share the gains. So Jesus, in the previous text, has interpreted the parable of the sower, and now, He gives us a few more parables, of the lamp, of the hidden in the manifest of having, and not having, and that the kingdom grows like seed.These parables, with their emphasis on revelation and the necessity of paying attention, extends the theme of the word and its hearers. Verse 21, "And He said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?'" Jesus uses very similar phrasing in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.""In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Now, the text in Matthew 5 is very clear. Don't hide your light. Be good witnesses to Jesus Christ, and this world do good works so people see the good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. It's tempting when you come across a text like ours to say, "Oh, there's a similar phrase that's used in a different text like Matthew 5," and just assume that Jesus means the same thing because He used the same phrase.Jesus, just like us, often uses the same expressions and different context to communicate different truths. So just because Jesus is using the same image, or the same expression, or the same phraseology doesn't automatically mean He's saying the same thing. We have to pay attention to the context. In Matthew 5:15, Jesus is urging us to do something. You shine your light to the world.Here, Jesus is promising us something wonderful. He's not just calling us to action, but He's giving us a promise, and the promise is about the destiny of the kingdom of God. The parable is teaching us that the future for the kingdom of God is bright, and I just want to point out a couple of things from the text. In our translation, the English standard, it just says a light. There's no definite article.The definite article is the. In the original Greek, there is a definite article before the word, lamp, so it's the lamp. A particular lamp is in view, and where the text says that the lamp is brought in, the Greek actually says, "Does the lamp come in?" It isn't brought in, it comes in all on its own. There's a personal agency ascribed to the lamp. Meaning, the lamp is a person.The lamp comes in. The lamp here is the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is what Jesus taught us about His identity in John 8:12. "Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, 'I, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" So probably, the best way to read verse 21 in our text is that the lamp is the revelation of God and His kingdom as has come in the person, the words, the works of Jesus Christ.It's a message, a revelation summarized in the message of the gospel. If the lamp is here and the gospel of the kingdom is here, Jesus is saying, "What's the intent?" It's here in order to be exposed. It's here in order to shine. This is what He's telling His disciples.He says, "Be patient. When it looks like the darkness in the world is oppressive, when it looks like there's so much darkness, that no light can penetrate that darkness, be patient. Continue to believe." Even with Christ, many were opposing Him. There was an antagonism that was growing amongst the Scribes and the Pharisees, and partially because they didn't want the light of God in their life.This is a lot of people, they want God's love, but they don't want God's light, but God is Love and He is Light, and you can't have one part of Him without all of Him. Many people love John 3:16, a verse that many have memorized even since Sunday school, but in the context about God loving the world, He does say like the world has rejected this love because they don't want the light, they want to continue living in darkness. Look at John 3:16-21, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.""And this is the judgment, the light has come into the world and people love the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed, but whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." He's saying the light has come and the light has come in the form of Jesus Christ, and people reject Him because people loved darkness. This is what the difference between a believer and non-believer. A believer has a brand new heart.You're regenerated. When you repent of your sin, you're given this brand new heart that longs for God's light. You want to love the light. You love standing in the light, living in the light. You love being a child of the Light, and you love God's word because God's word illuminates more of your life. It shows you more of the ways that you are to walk in and the ways that you are not to walk in light that shows the way to live.Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." So even in the short-term, God intends those outside even if He does intend that they misunderstand this word. It's not going to be hidden forever. The truth is here, and even if people suppress that truth, there will come a point where the suppression is no longer even possible. Mark 4:22, Jesus continues, says, "For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest, nor is anything secret except to come to light."He did not come to have His light hidden away, and the whole point of His coming in this veiled form, often rejected form, was so that the light might shine, undim to the ends of the earth. He came in weakness and suffering. He came as a seed to be buried in the ground. Look at Isaiah 53, one of the most powerful, prophetic passages about the person of Christ. "Who has believed what He has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?""For He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we esteemed Him not." Just as in the past, nothing was hidden except in order to become manifest, so Jesus is saying this is true.Even now, in the present, all the hiddenness of the current age will ultimately serve the purpose of revelation. This is exactly what happened with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus, who is God, the Son of God, King of kings, comes and He proclaims the word of the kingdom. "The kingdom is here. Repent and believe. Everyone who repents and believes is welcome."But the opponents of Jesus, they misunderstood His word, and they rejected it. The word didn't penetrate their hearts, it didn't transform them, but this rejection of the word led to Jesus' death, and as a result from the divine perspective, it led to ultimate revelation, more revelation. He was killed by those who refuse to believe His word, refuse to see His identity, but in this divinely will death, which is caused by their spiritual blindness, God ushers in a brand new age of revelation. After Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jesus now is proclaimed as the Messiah, as the Son of God, and after the Holy Spirit falls on Pentecost. Now, when the message of the gospel was proclaimed, the Holy Spirit takes that message and transforms people.He saves people. The obscurity of the word ultimately serves to lead to greater revelation. The lamp of God's word has come into the room and is casting its light into every crevice for everyone who would welcome the light into their heart. 1 John 2:8-11, "At the same time, it is a new commandment that I'm writing to you, which is true in Him and in you because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him, there is no cause for stumbling, but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." At the same time, we look around the world and we say, "Well, if the light has come and the light is revealing the kingdom of God, why aren't more people Christians? Why aren't more people following the word of God?," and Jesus here says, "There will come a time when everything is revealed, and at that point, it will be too late." The kingdom will not remain hidden forever. It is seemingly hidden now, in that its full power is not evident, it's concealed in some way, but there will be a day when the kingdom is completely revealed because the light of function is to expose the darkness.The kingdom of God, the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot stay hidden. Nothing can obscure it. No shadow can engulf it or eclipse it. Why are we believers? Because God shown His light into our heart so that the knowledge of the glory of Jesus Christ is understood.The light of the gospel is chasing away the shadows of unbelief, and the people who walked in darkness are beginning to see the light. And what's our job? Our job is to believe this promise, that the kingdom is unstoppable, that the gospel light will continue to shine and God will draw the elect, will draw His children to Himself. And what's our job in the process? We are to love the truth, hunger for the truth, and impart the truth for others. The light isn't just given to us so we enjoy our lives here on earth until we go to heaven.No. We have work to do to testify to Jesus Christ, that He alone is the Doctor of our souls, that He alone is the Way to salvation. There's no other name by which anyone will be saved. That day, the judgment day, or when Christ returns will reveal that to everybody, and for most people, will be too late then. I understand in a place like Boston, it's easy to lose your hope.You look around, you're like, "We are outnumbered. Big league, we are outnumbered. We are on the losing side," and that is a lie of the enemy. As soon as you begin to believe that lie, we lose the power. We are to believe that Jesus' kingdom is growing, will continue to grow, and sometimes it feels like our light just isn't enough.It feels like you're in Fenway Park, all the lights are out, you're by yourself, and you want to light up the night just a little bit. You take out your phone with a little flashlight, and you're like, "Yeah, the light of Jesus," and it looks pathetic, puny, flickering even. It seems like the darkness is absolute impenetrable. You say, "What can my little light do?," and then you realize, "It's not my light. It's not my light, it's not my lamp."The light is Jesus Christ Himself. The light is God. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Do you believe this? Do you believe that there is no one beyond the reach of Jesus Christ? Do you believe that there is no heart so hard, that grace cannot soften it and change it forever?The light will pierce the darkness. We just need to proclaim that Jesus is the Light. He is the only Way of salvation. I'm confident of that because of the promise here, that the light came not to be hidden, it came to blaze forth and to give light to the world, and nothing can stop Jesus Christ. Nothing can stop the King.Last week, I shared that I had a toothache, and thank you for all your condolences. It was supposed to be solved on Tuesday. I woke up the happiest person to get a root canal ever. I even got a shirt, buttoned. I was like, "I'm ready to go."Did my hair. I'm like, "I'm ready to go to the endodontist." I show up, and they say, "Thank you for coming for your consultation." I was like, "What? No."So my dental appointment is on Tuesday. Tuesday is coming. Praise be to God. And so I was at a staff meeting. I came into the staff meeting on Thursday. We were praying for one another, and I shared about my toothpaste, and Raquel was praying for me, and Raquel starts praying, and it's just powerful, and then she's like, "Lord, you see the decay in Pastor Jan's tooth, just decay.""Decay. He's decaying. He's fallen apart. Decay, decay, decay." And that's all I heard.I'm like, "I am ... Yup." I said, "Amen." We are all decaying. I just want to just share that tremendous news. We are all mortal.We are all going to die. Time will be up for each one of us. The Lord knows when that is, but I'm telling you, dear soul, dear eternal soul, that moment will come, and you will stand before Jesus Christ, and you will stand before Him as forgiven, welcome into the presence of God, or He will stand before you like a judge. It's one or the other. This is what Jesus is saying, that the kingdom is inevitable.This is true. This is the greatest truth that there is. This is the truth underneath every single truth, that Jesus Christ is King, and the only way that we can be forgiven of our law-breaking, of our insubordination, of our rebellion against the King, is to fall on our knees and say, "Lord Jesus, please forgive me of all my sins. Lord Jesus, I repent," and Jesus Christ says, "The love of God will be poured into your heart. The light of God will be poured into your mind, and you will be transformed."This has to be real for every believer. When we meet friends who are not Christians, who are not followers of Christ, you need to believe that they are on their way to hell, eternal damnation apart from Jesus Christ, and this is why we proclaim the gospel, this is why we do what we do. This is the truth, and our job is to sow the seed of the gospel, and not to be afraid of it, not to be afraid of speaking the truth. There are proponents of other religions who are 10 times, 100 times more courageous than most Christians today. I watched the UFC.A lot of Muslim fighters are in there, and they're all, "Inshallah," and they're just saying, "Praise be to God. If God wills ..." They're just throwing in God in every ... I'm like, "Imagine if believers did that, just on a daily basis, speaking the name of Christ every opportunity that we get, no matter what cost." Why? Because that's how important it is.In Mark 4:23, He says, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." He's saying that ears to hear this message are a gift from God. Repentance is a gift from God. Faith is a gift from God, but using the ears that God has given us, that's our responsibility. We are to say, "Lord, tune our ears to hear Your voice and give us grace to hear."In verse 24, "And He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you." The wake-up call is repeated and reinforced, pay attention to what you hear. He's not saying that it's just hearing per se, you hear. No. It's hearing to understand.It's hearing with the commitment to obey no matter what it says. Also, he says, "See what you hear." That's the original. It's the sense of hearing doubled by the sense of sight, suggesting we're going to use all of our faculties to listen to the word of God, and significant in the wording, the call is to pay attention not just to how we hear, but to what we listen to. Be careful in the voices you'll allow into your life and to your heart in a world that is still, in some sense, Satan's house and his dominion.Not all voices who claim to be speaking on behalf of God really are. Many of the voices are deceitful, perhaps even satanic in claiming to be God's word. Later on in Mark 13, Jesus says that, "Satan does everything he can to lead astray if possible, even the elect." So we, as believers need to be careful, careful of the voices we allow. Listening sermons is important.You should listen to sermons, but I want you versed in the scriptures more than you are in sermons so that you can discern, "Is this truly the word of God or not?" On the other hand, when we listen to God's word with the intent to obey, God gives us more revelation, and as He does, He continues to draw us to the calling that He has for us to go and preach the gospel, to receive, and then also share the gains that we have. Romans 10:14, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed, and how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?,' but they have not all believed the gospel, for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what He has heard from us?'""So faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ." In Ephesians 1:13, "In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory." He says, "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you." Mark here takes a phrase that was known in ancient literature, a phrase that had to do with giving. If you give to others, whatever you give will return to you, but here, he applies it to epistemology, knowledge of God, in particular.What He's saying is if you receive insight from the Lord, if you receive it with a welcome heart and a pure heart, you will get more insight, and the measure of our engagement with the word, the way we respond, our desire to grasp its message and digest its truth, no matter how hard to chew, will determine the measure of blessing we enjoy from it. Do you want more blessing? Of course we do. He says, "Pay closer attention." The word teaches clearly that if you come close to God, He will come close to you.He will draw near to you. If you take a tiny step toward God, God will more than match the movement. In verse 25, He says, "For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Now, Proverbs 13:4 says, "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." Diligence.Are you diligent about your faith? The Christians that I know, that I've seen them grow spiritually by leaps and bounds, and the ones that have grown in spiritual prosperity are those who are diligent, diligent in their study of scripture on a daily basis, diligent over private devotions and private prayer, diligent over attending worship services and community groups, in the same way that exercise and use of muscles are strengthened with exercise so that the soul is strengthened when we exercise the means of grace that God has given us, and we are to expend all energy to listen to the word and the promises that we will be proportionally rewarded. Those who heed the message get more understanding of the message, get more revelation, get more blessing. Those who do not heed the message end up with nothing, and the idea of the rich getting richer applies to truth, that God gives wisdom to the wise, and He gives grace to those who long for insight and knowledge. For example, Daniel 2:19-23, "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.""Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.""He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him. To You, O God, of my fathers that give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for You have made known to us the kings matter." So we are to pay careful attention to how we listen, to what we listen in terms of the word of God, and let the measure of your response to the word be full, and complete, and heartfelt, and diligent, and real, and those who give themselves to the word like this, they gain much. What do you gain when you pay attention to the word?You gain eternal life. You gain a relationship with God. You gain energy and strength to persevere despite trials. You gain comforts that the world cannot even imagine and you gain a hope that no tragedy can touch, and you gain heaven itself. But to those who hear the word and do not respond like this, but respond with tepid indifference, "Oh, yeah, God," "Oh, yeah, God's word," "Oh, yeah, Christ dying on the cross, bleeding, crucifixion," "Oh, yeah, Jan, I've heard that before," well, Jesus says those who listen like that, even what they have will be taken away.So the word of God when proclaimed, no matter how familiar you are with the word, you can't ignore it. What a joy and peace we have in the word. In particular, watch for those texts in holy scripture where you are tempted to plug your ears with your fingers. "No, that's not for me. Yeah, they say that that's God's word, but that's not for me."Pay close attention to those texts. Some of you have been walking with Christ for years, and your relationship with the Lord has just grown cold. There's no obvious rebellion in your life, but it just feels like your faith is like stale bread, left out too long, dry, crusty, and moldy. The word used to come to you like fresh water from a rock in the desert, like manna from heaven, and now you just sit in services or you're reading scripture, and there's just nothing. There's no life, there's no interest.There's just boredom. At these moments, the Lord is speaking to you and say, "Pay attention. Pay attention to what you hear, how you hear because the stakes are that high," and Jesus today invites you to turn away from your lukewarmness and draw near to Him, and ask the, "Lord, send me this hunger. Send me a thirst for Your presence and for Your word, and give me this attentiveness, this desire to hear it no matter what and to obey," and the Lord will meet you there. Second, sow the seed, trust God for growth, and harvest is coming.Mark 4:26-27, "And He said, 'The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how." The emphasis in this parable is that God grows His kingdom, that God is the One that gives the growth. The farmer, all he does is plant the seed, and then how it grows eludes his comprehension. It's beyond his control.He can't control how it grows. All he does is cast the seed and weight, and the seed germinates and develops by itself even while he is sleeping. He has no idea how it grows, and the Lord here is saying, "I give the growth." This is from 1 Corinthians. Paul says, "I planted, Apollos watered it, but God gave the growth."Verse 28, "The Earth produces by itself, first, the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear, and when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come." Our job is to preach the word. Our job is to sow the seed of God's word. What God does with His word is His business. It's only for us to make sure we're faithful in our sowing.This is our responsibility, but God is the One that gives the growth. The soil can't produce life apart from the seed, but why? Because humans are dead in sin. Life must come from the outside, and it comes from the word of God. He says, "First, the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."The children of God are not born in perfect faith or perfect hope, or perfect knowledge or experience, but the moment you become a child of God, even the weakest child of God is a true child of God, and the true child of God is expected by God to grow. If God began the process of salvation, He's promised He's going to complete it, and the process of salvation includes maturity and growth. Philippians 1:6, "And I'm sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." He's the one that starts the work, and He will bring it to completion. What's our job?We are to grow ... In 1 Peter 3:18 says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him, be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. This is how the reign of God grows in your life.You grow in grace, grow in grace by the means of grace, studying scripture, and praying, and worshiping the Lord. We receive grace when we recognize that we've sinned. "Lord, give me more grace and power me with that grace," and that's how maturity, that's how growth come. The real cause of agent of the words fruition isn't the farmer, it's the seed. It's God Himself.He says, "Keep sowing, keep sowing, keep sowing until the day of harvest comes." The day of harvest in scripture from Joel, from Revelation we see, the day of harvest is actually an image of judgment. A time when evil is judged and righteousness is vindicated. For example, Revelation 14:15, "And another angel came out of the temple calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, 'Out in your sickle and reap for the hour to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.'" The harvest is, in the Lord's parable, is a symbol of the end of the age, the last judgment, the consummation of history, and we have the same text in Joel 3:13, "Put in the stickle for the harvest is ripe.""Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great." Jesus here is showing us a picture of the whole period of world history from the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ, from His first advent to the next, and Jesus is saying that, "Kingdom is growing. The kingdom is growing. The kingdom is growing.Sow the seed, the kingdom is growing, but a day will come when finally, it's time for reaping and the harvest." Our job is to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. Were to sow the seed of the word of God. Our task is not to attempt to manipulate the seed, or force growth, or change the seed somehow. No, Jesus wants us to have complete confidence, that there's life in the seed itself, the word of God is living inactive, and the word of God is going to accomplish the work that God has for it.We are to trust in it, hope in it, and recognize that the kingdom of God is unstoppable, the kingdom of God is inevitable, and God is going to save all of the elect. Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season, we will reap if we do not give up." One of the reasons why this church even exists is because we believe this. We've believed this from the very beginning when we establish the church. We said, "What kind of church do we ..."We want to be a church that's faithful of God's word, and we want to do God's work God's way. Sometimes it does feel like the soil here isn't really soil, but it's kind of like concrete, and I remember a while back, I was walking my daughters to school, and I saw the pavement of a sidewalk with a little sprout growing. I was like, "Oh, that's cute," and I just walked by, and then a few weeks later, I'm walking ... I look at it, I'm like, "I can't believe it." It was a tomato plant, a tomato plant just out of the sidewalk with a little tomato, and I should have plucked it.I should have plucked it. I should have had it. I didn't plant it, though, and it was just an image of like, "No matter what, God's seeds can break through even the hardness of payment." Can God save people in Boston, Massachusetts? Of course He can, and He does, and we see it at this church, and we see it in the other gospel proclaiming ministries we support.The point of, and this is what Jesus closed it with, there's room for all in the kingdom of God. Mark 4:30, and He said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? How do we understand the kingdom of God?" Here, He's quoting from Isaiah, "To whom will we liken God or what likeness compare with Him?" Jesus is saying that the kingdom is a kingdom that's going to grow.It starts and it looks like a tiny, little seed, as tiny even as a mustard seed, but it's going to grow because God promised the. Previous parable is a call to patience. The seed's going to grow surely, slowly, but surely. This parable is a call to hope. It's not only going to grow, it's going to grow massively, so we can confidently sow and not grow weary and not grow discouraged, not lose heart.But remember, the promise that God said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it." We are to be content with the growth that God sends us, but we are never complacent. We are thankful for all the people that God saved here in and through this church, and sanctify, but we're not complacent. We do believe that God wants this church to grow. He wants the kingdom of God to grow.We are a kingdom building force, and how do we build the kingdom? By sowing the seed, and the seed can be even as small as a grain of mustard seed. Verse 31, "It's like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth," and here, Jesus is hyperbolic. He's comparing something very tiny, mustard seed to something great, and that's the growth that comes from the mustard seed, over 700 mustard seeds to a gram, and the height of the bush or the tree can grow to 10 feet. What He's saying is that the kingdom of God grows like this.In the beginnings, there's small, paltry in appearance, but there's tremendous power, divine potency in the word of God. The mustard seed is chosen because of its commonness, and because of its smallness, but it grows into something vast and incredible. What is Jesus here saying? He's saying, "Well, look how the kingdom came into the world initially, and weakness." How did the King of kings, the King of the universe come into this world?He came as a baby, born in a manger, at Bethlehem, without riches, without armies, without attendance, without power. And who are the men that God chose to build His church? Who were the appointed apostles? Just average men. What was the last public act of Jesus' earthly ministry as the King of kings?Well, He was crucified between two criminals, between two thieves, and He was forsaken by His disciples, betrayed by one, denied by another. What was the doctrine that the first apostles, the first builders of the church ... What was the doctrine they preached? They preached Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and to Greeks. It was foolishness, but because of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit took that message, that we have all sinned, we have all transgressed the commandments of God, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life on our behalf, and then He died on a cross as our substitutionary atonement, and then He rose in the third day, and whoever believes in Christ has all of their sins blotted out, forgiven.It's as if God cast our sins as far from us, says the east is from the west. He chooses to not just forgive, but forget our sins. When that message was proclaimed and the Holy Spirit took and applied to people's hearts, lives were changed. The world was changed, in the same way that the gospel changed people's lives, then He does so today. In all this, the mind of man can only look at Christ, can only look at His disciples and see weakness and feebleness, but we, as believers, we understand that beyond the feebleness, beyond the weakness, is the power of God, a power that can truly save. Mark 4:32, "Yet, when it is sown, it grows up and it becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."Now, this phrase, birds of the air is used in Ezekiel 31 and Daniel 4. It's to represent the multitude of the nations, that the kingdom grows and it's going to grow in vastness, and then people of all nations are going to come and build nests within this tree. Ezekiel 17:23, "On the mountain height of Israel, will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar, and under it will dwell every kind of bird in the shadow of its branches, birds of every sort will nest." Every time this phrase is used in the Old Testament, describing a mighty kingdom, be it Israel or Egypt or Babylon, the kingdoms will gross in vastness, that the other nations will come and seek refuge in this kingdom. What Jesus is saying here is, "My kingdom is like that.""My kingdom, the kingdom of God is like this, though its beginnings are improbable, a small seed, a crucified Messiah, suffering church, preaching, baptizing, and holding holy communion, praying. Its beginnings are improbable, but its destiny is vast, and there's room for all." In the kingdom of God, there's room for every single one of you, there's room for every single one of your families, there's room for everyone in the world that will come and repent, and to build a nest. I like the idea of just building a little nest with your loved ones. In the kingdom of God, He's like, "Make sure you're building this home that you have in the kingdom of God.""Come and find shelter," Jesus is saying, "In the shade of this kingdom." The parable emphasizes the shelter that the kingdom brings. In Psalm 91, "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust, for He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings, you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and a buckler.'"Jesus concludes our text in Mark 4:33. "With many such parables, He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately, to His own disciples, He explained everything," as they were able to hear according to their God-given ability to hear. What He's saying is, and He concludes with this, if you want more revelation, you do it by spending more time with Christ, by following Christ, by communing with Him and abiding in Him. Three points to summarize, and then we'll close with prayer, love the light, hunger for truth, and then share the gains.Sow the seed, trust God for growth, harvest is coming, and there's room for all in the kingdom of God. Let us pray. Lord, we thank You for continuing to build Your kingdom in and through us in this city, in a place of stifling darkness, sometimes it seems, but Lord, You are the Light, and You're the Light that shines in the darkness. Lord, as you saved us, we believe that You can save others, and we pray that You use us in the process, even this week, Lord. Give us opportunities to speak of You, speak of the gospel, speak of Your grace.We pray that You open the door for the proclamation of the gospel here. We pray for revival in this city and beyond. We pray for an awakening, and we pray that, Lord, You save many and draw them to yourself and to Your incredible kingdom, and we pray this in Christ's holy name. Amen.

A new ladies' golf tournament will be debuting in Massachusetts next year. The announcement was made at the 521 Overlook at Fenway Park. That's where we find WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe.

Andrew Parker is joined by Chris Henrique as they chat with Red Sox 2023 second round pick Nazzan Zanetello. The guys talk about his first season in the Sox system, STL, foods he loves to eat, what he would chose as his walk up song would be to bat at Fenway Park and more.

WBZ's Ben Parker reports:

The development of new sports stadiums and facilities can bring regeneration to deprived areas. They hold a special place in the hearts of sports and live music fans. But have some of the new ones lost their spark? In this edition of Business Daily, Sam Fenwick asks, what gives a stadium its atmosphere and can it be designed in? Sam speaks to Christopher Lee, whose architecture practice, Populous, has designed 3000 arenas all over the world. He shares his experience of designing iconic grounds like the Yankee Stadium, Wembley Stadium, and Olympic stadiums in Sydney, London and Sochi. And we hear from BBC World Service listeners, who tell us what makes their favourite sports grounds so special. (Picture: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the third inning at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts. Credit: David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports) Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick

October 16th 2004 The Yankees lead the ALCS two games to noneover the Red Sox with Game 3 in Fenway Park. As in the first two games, theYankees began by scoring in the first and quickly building a 3-0 lead. The RedSox answered in the second inning with a leadoff walk by Jason Varitek and aTrot Nixon home run to right field. A double by Bill Mueller, an infield hit byJohnny Damon (his first hit of the series), and a Derek Jeter error led to twomore runs. The Red Sox led for the first time in the series, 4–3. This lead wasshort-lived as ARod led off the third inning with a home run over the GreenMonster and the Yankees would build a 6-4 lead. By the end of the third, theSox would even things up at 6 apiece off a double by Orlando Cabrera. That wasas good as it would get for the Sox for the rest of the night. When it was allover, the two teams combined for 37 hits and 20 extra-base hits, bothpostseason records. At four hours and twenty minutes, the game was the longestnine-inning postseason game ever played. The Yankees destroyed Boston, 19 -8 ,amidst chants from Yankee fans of“Nine-teen -Eight-teen”...the last time the Red Sox won a World Series. With a3 game to none, lead things looked bleak for the Red Sox.October 16, 1969 - The New York Mets win theirfourth straight game from the Baltimore Orioles with a 5 - 3 triumph behindpitcher Jerry Koosman, who throws a five-hitter, to take the World Series infive games. In the third inning, Baltimore takes a 3 - 0 advantage after homeruns by pitcher Dave McNally and outfielder Frank Robinson. After a strongargument by Mets manager GilHodges in the bottom of thesixth inning, Cleon Jones is awarded first base when shoe polish on the ballproves he was hit by a pitch, and Jones scores on a home run by Donn Clendenon.An inning later, Al Weis ties the game 3 - 3 with a solo home run, and in theeighth, Ron Swoboda's double and two Baltimore errors give New York two moreruns and the World Championship. Clendenon is named Series MVP.

[00:00:00] Whitney Martin: We were talking about this with my son the other day, he had heard a Malcolm Gladwell podcast that said you have to have 10,000 hours to really do well on something. John and I started to talk to him about that, that looks like maybe four years, being in a role, a professional role, eight hours a day, five days a week. And I think that probably rings true in a fundraising position. It takes about three to four years to really get up and rolling, getting to know the landscape, the mission, and the important people that will support the work that you're doing. ++++++++++++++++++++++ [00:00:44] Tommy Thomas: Any time I question the value of all the time I spend conducting candidate research on LinkedIn, all I have to do is remember how I met our guest today. I was conducting a search for a major donor rep, and the position was located in the Carolinas or Virginia. So, I was looking for a seasoned professional who lived in that area. And one of the names that came from the research was Whitney Martin. On paper, she seemed like a solid candidate, so I contacted her. As it turned out, the overnight travel component of the job was a bit much for her and her family's season of life, so she passed on the opportunity. But as I do with every strong candidate I meet, I added her to the JobfitMatters database, and we've remained in touch. Whitney took her undergraduate degree in French and International Studies from UNC Chapel Hill and her Master's in Modern Foreign Language Instruction from Boston University. As you might imagine, she's fluent in French and has more than a passing proficiency in Spanish. She recently joined the Advancement Team at Duke Divinity School. Prior to this, she was Senior Director of Development for Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs. Whitney, welcome to NextGen Nonprofit Leadership. [00:01:56] Whitney Martin: Thank you, Tommy. It is such a privilege to know you, and thank you for such a kind introduction. [00:02:03] Tommy Thomas: I think I'm remembering right from our conversations a year or two ago, but there was a time in your life when you thought you might be wearing Auburn burnt orange and navy blue instead of Carolina blue.  Is there a short story there? [00:02:16] Whitney Martin: That's exactly right. I even think I said War Eagle to you. And I know Toomer's well, even had a shirt from there, but you're right. As a child, growing up in Charlotte, I was thinking about spreading my wings and heading out of North Carolina and Auburn was one of those schools that I saw a couple of the graduates from my high school attend and thought, let me go check that out, until my parents made me drive the entire way from Charlotte to Auburn. Did I realize that's a little too far? I think they had that in the back of their minds that, let's show her how far it really is. But I still have a fondness for Auburn and love watching their football games. [00:03:04] Tommy Thomas: Take me back into your childhood. You grew up in Charlotte. What was it like? [00:03:09] Whitney Martin: It was a great place to live. We had a wonderful community, our church community, wonderful schools to attend. At that time, there was a lot of desire to make sure that there was diversity in our schools, and so during that time in my life, I was actually taking a bus an hour from my home to uptown Charlotte to attend elementary school so that I could be with people from all walks of life. And that value was instilled at an early age by my parents and my community. And in that respect, I think it was a great place to grow and learn and really try to figure out how to be in the world, but also how to care for others in our community. So it was great. [00:03:57] Tommy Thomas: What do you think may be the greatest gift your parents gave you? [00:04:01] Whitney Martin: Gosh, the greatest gift. I think trying to create an opportunity for me to develop a worldview and understand what generosity looks like, of time being relational and also providing resources to those who need it. They were always very generous. And I think that was one of the best gifts that they gave me. [00:04:27] Tommy Thomas:  How did you get into foreign languages? [00:04:31] Whitney Martin: Gosh, I had a really challenging French teacher in high school at East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte. She was so challenging that I actually fell in love with the language and decided during my time at UNC Chapel Hill that I wanted to expand that worldview, get out of my comfort zone. That's always been a theme in my life, and so I had an opportunity to study abroad and was able to really get excited about the language in a new way. And after that experience in my sophomore year, I decided to make sure that was one of my majors in college. [00:05:10] Tommy Thomas: And where does the international studies piece come in? [00:05:13] Whitney Martin: My husband laughs at this, but there was a test called the Grammar Slammer that was required to get into the communications school at UNC, and I could not pass the Grammar Slammer, ironically, if it were in French, perhaps I could have, but that pivot was at the same time I did the study abroad opportunity. And so once I started to see there are other options for a degree at UNC, I realized, okay, what is something that is interdisciplinary in nature that pulls history, poli sci, languages, and gives me some flexibility to explore? And that was actually the most flexible major at UNC at that time and so I was one of the first students to actually get that degree at UNC. [00:06:06] Tommy Thomas: So what's something that people are always surprised to learn about you? [00:06:11] Whitney Martin: That's a good question. Whenever we do an icebreaker and somebody says, what is the funniest job you've ever had, some people might not guess that I've had, I actually was a hot dog temperature tester at Fenway Park while I was a grad student at Boston. So that might be something that somebody would be surprised that I had found myself doing. [00:06:37] Tommy Thomas: How did you get to Boston? [00:06:40] Whitney Martin: There were two really great teaching programs that I thought would be a great fit for me and that was the University of Florida and Boston University. I visited both locations and ultimately decided on Boston.  The city really was attractive and I met with the faculty and really thrived in that environment. They knew all of their students and really took the time to develop relationships with their students and help them and so that's ultimately how I ended up in Boston. ++++++++++++++ [00:07:17] Tommy Thomas: So how does somebody with all this language skill and knowledge get into fundraising? [00:07:22] Whitney Martin: That's a great question. I think the nature of language learners or, even in my case, I became not only a language learner, but a teacher, is that ability to want to translate, desires to be a good listener, tries to be relational with the language, and also a connector. And so I think those values and those skills that I had on the language side were very valuable as I moved into the fundraising side. I rely on those skills and tools every day as a fundraiser. So that's the way I would describe it, but it is unusual.  [00:08:04] Tommy Thomas: What was your first foray into fundraising? [00:08:07] Whitney Martin: This was a great opportunity back at UNC. I found myself leaving Boston and coming back to North Carolina to get married to my husband. And so, when I landed at Chapel Hill, I reached out to my network, and it happened to produce an opportunity to work in the humanities - a program called Carolina Performing Arts. Emil Kang was my supervisor at that time, and he was really trying to get a huge program off the ground at UNC. It was a very expansive interdisciplinary program to incorporate the arts into campus life in a new way. And so, donors kept calling and saying we want to meet you, we want to talk to you, we have some ideas. And he would pass the phone to me and say, can you just take care of this? Or can you talk to these people and figure out a way to get them engaged? And so, I felt very comfortable talking to these individuals and, connecting them, being the bridge to the larger vision. And that's really how I landed in fundraising. [00:09:18] Tommy Thomas: Who's played the biggest role in mentoring you in fundraising? And was that formal or informal? [00:09:25] Whitney Martin: And I have to say that is probably the most important piece to my career in fundraising. I think Rob Parker, who after I left Carolina Performing Arts, I realized, oh, this is an area I really enjoy, and I love academic higher ed. I wanted to get further into that, so Rob Parker hired me at UNC to be a major gift officer for the UNC Arts and Sciences Foundation. He really trained me formally but then also he has kept in touch with me over the years over 15 years. He'll check in with me and give me advice or he's my source to check in with him as well. So I'd say Rob Parker and then so many others. Donors have also been that for me too. [00:10:14] Tommy Thomas: So how has the donor mentored you? [00:10:18] Whitney Martin: There have been several donors that have really asked me questions about, how can they partner. How can they serve? I didn't always know the answer to how to plug them in appropriately. And my goal was always fundraising. And really trying to refine my role in those relationships was always a learning experience. But I have a couple of donors that have always kept in touch no matter where I went and wanted to make sure that I was being successful and challenging me and asking me questions and I think they also are great stakeholders, as we develop relationships with them. [00:11:06] Tommy Thomas: Give me some words and phrases to describe a great chief development officer, or in your case, a great boss. [00:11:14] Whitney Martin:  I think about that a lot because I always think about the people who have mentored me, but also how can I pay that forward because I would love to be that for someone else. Having a nurturing presence and being president is what stands out to me as attributes of a great Chief Development Officer And I think that the goal is to get mentored and then you pass that along. So, I think the most important perhaps is just being relational and being able to care in a nurturing way, and nurturing looks different for everybody. But I think having a nurturing presence and being present is what stands out to me as a great chief development officer. They're showing up for their donors. They're showing up for those that they supervise. And really just making sure that you have everything in your toolbox that you need and challenging you to perhaps improve or shape those areas that you might not be as equipped to do. [00:12:26] Tommy Thomas: You've seen people probably come and go, although you're still a young professional fundraiser. You've been around a little bit. What causes people to wash out? [00:12:37] Whitney Martin: A loss of being mission-focused. In today's environment, metrics are huge and that can overshadow the missional aspect of the work.  If you can't connect the donor with the mission, there is potential for burnout. Maybe the mission is not clear anymore. Maybe in our environment right now, metrics are such a big piece and sometimes I think that overshadows the missional aspect of our work because I think our work is to connect the donor with the mission and have an impact. If you're not connected to that, then you do wash out, you do get burned out. And I think losing that relationship with a mentor or a guide who can be a sounding board and draw you back to the mission is important too. So, it's easy. It happens all the time, but I think that's the key is to keep that connection to the mission strong. [00:13:31] Tommy Thomas: What have you and your husband learned about a two-parent working household? [00:13:38] Whitney Martin: Oh my goodness. I have to say, I think we've accepted that it's challenging and not perfect, right? That it's going to be changing as our children grow, as we grow as individuals, and as our professional lives grow. And I think we debunked the myth of this idea of having a balance. You hear that all the time. Oh, I need a work-life balance. And for us, it was always a myth. It's more or less, what are we prioritizing as a family? And sometimes we did great at doing that. Sometimes we've messed up. But I think for us, communication has been key. Keeping a calendar, and a schedule. Taking breaks. That might be that John needs a break, I need a break. Brene Brown likened it to percentages, and so that you as a couple bring 200%. And there are days that she would show up and say to her husband, I have 25%. And so that meant that her husband had to make up a hundred and seventy-five percent. John and I look for resources like that to really affirm what we're trying to accomplish, but also tools that keep that communication going, [00:15:01] Tommy Thomas: Going back to the fundraising, maybe some of the nuts and bolts, and this may not be a fair question because you're not a Chief Development Officer, but you probably have some notions. What do you think is a reasonable expectation for the amount of time it takes a major donor rep to learn the field, begin to cover their expenses, and be a net asset to the organization? [00:15:21] Whitney Martin: We were talking about this with my son the other day, he had heard a Malcolm Gladwell podcast that said you have to have 10,000 hours to really do well on something. And John and I started to talk to him about that, that looks like maybe four years, being in a role, a professional role eight hours a day, five days a week. And I think that probably rings true in a fundraising position. It takes about three to four years to really get up and rolling, getting to know the landscape, the mission, and the important people who will support the work that you're doing. [00:16:01] Tommy Thomas: What's the hardest part for you major donor reps? [00:16:07] Whitney Martin: I think it's trying to do two things simultaneously. Really getting to know the mission and the people who do the core business, in our circumstances, who are the students receiving scholarships? Who are the faculty that are teaching? And I think the second, at the same time, is developing relationships with donors, the key stakeholders who have been giving or are new, and holding both of those at one time can be tricky. And so I think you have to be comfortable in that dynamic and know that at some point you will become the expert, you'll be the bridge that really helps the donor create impact. But I think sometimes that discomfort lasts for a while. And so I think sometimes people get discouraged and might leave before they reach that third year or that fourth year of really the fruit of their hard work. ++++++++++++++++++ [00:17:21] Tommy Thomas: You mentioned, I guess in a conversation we had a couple of weeks ago, the difference between the relatively fast pace of raising money in a medical community versus the relatively slow pace of working back in the academy. Can you unpack that? [00:17:38] Whitney Martin: Yes, it's so interesting the culture at Duke Medicine and then at Duke Divinity and I think you know, in the medical side, the pace, there's urgency in health care, helping someone who received a diagnosis redeem that in some way by using their philanthropy to impact others downstream. There's an urgency there. On the academic side, while there is an urgency to make sure that our professors and students are equipped and cared for, there's a longer road map that we can be on. I think for me, trying to develop relationships that are not as transactional, but transformative to the mission. I'm enjoying at Duke Divinity the opportunity to have a little bit more of a road to do that. We did that a lot on the health side, but the pace was just more urgent because of the nature of the health care system and diseases that we were dealing with the same, that they're similar in that there's this urgency to heal, right? Heal our communities through healthcare or equipping leaders who graduate from the Divinity School to go out and heal others in the community. They're the same in that way, but the pace and the nature is different for me in making that transition. [00:19:19] Tommy Thomas: My friend Jeff Jowdy wrote an article called Mastering the In-Person Fundraising Ask. And he makes a statement, the role of the person making the ask is to get closure on a conversation that's been occurring over many months, if not years. Can you take us into maybe one of those kinds of experiences you've had, obviously without breaking any confidences of the donor, but take us into a long-term ask. [00:19:47] Whitney Martin: Yes I love that quote. It's so true, and it really names this idea of having a transactional relationship versus a transformational one, right? If it happens over a month, that might be transactional. If it takes months and years, there's a transformation that can occur. And that's where I get really excited. Inviting donors to have an impact and not just make a deposit in an annual fund account. One example, and this happens to be on the health side, was an opportunity to fundraise for an ALS professorship. There's a dynamic physician Dr. Rick Bedlack, who started and runs the Duke ALS Clinic, and he had a group of very generous donors who had been giving to research for ALS. And then there were some new donors that wanted to make an impact and it turns out that the priority was we need someone to be dedicated 100 percent to research and training and equipping new ALS doctors in the future. Duke did not have someone dedicated 100 percent to that mission. And so all of these donors who had that urgent need to make an impact because of their diagnosis came together and I think that these were conversations that we'd been having for a while with some of our previous donors. And the new donors that came along said, we want to help you get to that challenge. We want to raise the 3.5 million to help you get there. And so that invitation really invited people who were complete strangers and had a new focus that they came together to do. And it actually happened over about two years and there were even peer solicitations. Donors who had been giving challenged the new donors. The new donors challenged the ones who had been giving. And in the end, we had about five to six. And then we had another group of individuals that gave a good amount as well. So, it was a very meaningful effort and in the end was very successful, and now that person is appointed. It is Rick Bedlack and he's in that role now. It's very exciting to watch what they were able to accomplish together. [00:22:29] Tommy Thomas: One of the people that I wanted to interview in my podcast but I didn't get to was the late Peb Jackson of Young Life. And I read one of the tributes that someone said about Peb. The person making the tribute commented one day, he asked Peb something like, “How do you know if you'll be a good fundraiser?” Peb's response was, “Do people enjoy being around you?” [00:22:52] Whitney Martin: I love Peb. I remember being at a Young Life conference and he and his wife came, and it was like they were famous in the crowd. Everybody wanted to talk to them. I love that quote. I think he's exactly right.  You absolutely have to be relational. You have to be a good fundraiser, in my mind, or a chief development officer, you have to be motivated to have and care for relationships with others. And development is just relational at its heart and its core. There are often times when I don't perhaps have the same perspective as a donor, but we certainly can find a place to enjoy being around each other and enjoy making an impact on the mission. When I've interviewed individuals who might be interested in this role, the first thing I ask is, are you relational? And tell me a good story about a relationship that you have. Not how do you do your work in the database or how do you make an ask because a lot of that develops over years of investment, right? So yeah, I think that's a wonderful quote from Peb Jackson. [00:24:10] Tommy Thomas: So let me close this out with a little bit of a lightning round. These may or may not have longer answers. I'll let you decide that. I get this idea from Alan Alda's podcast and he always closes out with seven questions having to do with communication. I haven't quite got the number seven nailed down and I'm not sure what all mine relate to quite yet, but I'm working on that. What is one small act of kindness that you were shown that you'll never forget? [00:24:38] Whitney Martin: Oh, gosh, lightning rounds are hard for me. Generosity of time. Being able to sit with me. And show up in a way that just was able to listen. Generosity of time. [00:24:55] Tommy Thomas: What's the best compliment anybody's ever paid you? [00:25:00] Whitney Martin: That I take the time to have a deep relationship with someone. [00:25:08] Tommy Thomas: If you could go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would you say? [00:25:14] Whitney Martin: Don't stress. Life will come and it will be beautiful. [00:25:22] Tommy Thomas: If you're sitting beside a total stranger at a dinner party and you want to have a meaningful conversation, how do you start? [00:25:30] Whitney Martin: I always say, tell me about XYZ. I want to hear what they have to say. So, tell me about it. [00:25:41] Tommy Thomas: What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done? Aside from being a hot dog tester. [00:25:48] Whitney Martin: Exactly. I actually went on a mission trip to Kenya and that was a very formative experience but felt crazy at the time. I was 19, so can't believe my parents let me go. [00:26:02] Tommy Thomas: What do you think is the greatest invention of your lifetime? [00:26:07] Whitney Martin: Oh, I think it's social media, but gosh, I wouldn't call it great. But technology has just soared since I graduated from college. [00:26:20] Tommy Thomas:   If you could meet any historical figure and ask them only one question, who would it be, and what would you ask? [00:26:30] Whitney Martin: I've always wanted to meet Amelia Earhart, and I've always wanted to know her story and why she wanted to do what she did. And I've always wanted to know what happened to her.  [00:26:45] Tommy Thomas: Any parting words of counsel you would give to rising fundraisers? [00:26:54] Whitney Martin: I would say, take the time to relish the discomfort of those early days. And just, find a great mentor. Find a great mentor. That can be someone who's a peer or someone who's been in the field for a while. ++++++++++++++++++++ [00:27:14] Tommy Thomas: I'm grateful to Whitney for being our guest today. We've had several seasoned fundraisers as guests in the past. So I thought it was time to have a younger development professional. This conversation with Whitney turned out so good that I planned to have a couple of additional younger professionals as guests in the future. Although Whitney has been in the fundraising field for 15-plus years, she's still learning and growing. I hope that our younger listeners can learn from her candor and this conversation.  Join us next week as we continue our journey to make the nonprofit sector more effective and sustainable. ++++++++++++++++   Links & Resources JobfitMatters Website Next Gen Nonprofit Leadership with Tommy Thomas   Connect tthomas@jobfitmatters.com Follow Tommy on LinkedIn

Tonight's guest is my friend Jim Webb. Jim is a former war photographer, Marine, and journalist. Jim and I met during his stint working for @blackriflecoffee at @coffeeordiemag. And from there, we hit it off with our shared love for baseball and military history. Episode 33 features a discussion about Jim's life story from childhood to present day, including his fondest memories alongside his dad James Webb Sr. — who famously authored Fields of Fire about his time serving as a Marine in the Vietnam War. Jim's dad later became Secretary of the US Navy and has had an instrumental influence on his life. Jim discusses fishing trips alongside his dad's Vietnam War buddies and how he continues the family tradition with his Marine teammates. Next, Jim shares what it was like as a war photographer — leaving Penn State early to journey to Afghanistan alongside his dad, ultimately to take a detour on the trip back home to Vietnam to walk the same patrol routes his dad once walked decades before. Ironically, Jim would later join the same exact unit he covered as a war photographer in Afghanistan, except serving as a Marine for a tour in Iraq. Towards the end of the show, we nerd out on some baseball history, including the iconic Pizza Affair at Fenway Park that's enshrined in @redsox lore; how @bluemoonbrewco became a ballpark beer; and, how some of baseball's greatest stars left their prime years behind to fight in war and conflict i.e. Teddy Ballgame, Jerry Coleman, and Ty Cobb. Follow Late Night History on Instagram and make sure to leave a rating of a 5-star review.

In today's podcast we set the record for earliest in the morning we have ever done a show. We talk about the untimely passing of Tim Wakefield, the NFL week 4 games, MLB playoffs, and a new segment gets rolled out! We finish this episode with our 2004 Red Sox post-season re-watch. Today we analyze innings 7-9 of game 5 of the ALCS from Fenway Park.  

SEASON 2 EPISODE 48: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: Kevin McCarthy is out and the ensuing chaos mainlines directly back to an episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." House Republican Radicals caught that proverbial car they've been chasing and they had no idea what to do next and they look like idiots. The offing of Kevin McCarthy is actually notable only because a) it underscores the reality that the Republicans have bluster and the novelty of having opened the pandora's box of fascism and political violence, but they don't have any leaders, as evidenced by b) Kevin McCarthy saying on Face The Nation, two days before they garroted him, that he'd survive and they should bring it on and now THAT'S probably the worst political TV interview of our time leading to c) his epic news conference last night in which he compared Vladimir Putin to Hitler in the ‘30s and concluding with d) McCarthy's only actual accomplishment – he lasted 270 days in the job, 12 more than the record holder for shortest speakership. But the REAL lead story did not happen in Washington yesterday. WHICH idiot Republican becomes the NEW Future Former Speaker of the House doesn't much matter. Because the real lead story is summarized by the phrase AND NOW WE WAIT. Turns out that not only did Judge Arthur Engoron issue a gag order against Trump hours after Trump attacked the clerk of Engoron's court room yesterday, but he issued a gag order against Trump less than a day after he WARNED Trump's lawyers informally that their client needed to shut the eff up. Engoron – of whom they should be installing a statue outside his courtroom – provided a template for Judge Tonya Chutkan for a week from next Monday. Judge Engoron not only gagged Trump but HOW he gagged him ALSO gags Junior Trump and Eric Trump: “Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate, and I won't tolerate it. Consider this statement a gag order forbidding all parties from posting, emailing or speaking publicly about any of my staff.” But this trial is ultimately MOST valuable because what we just saw was the if-then scenario play out. Engoron didn't just issue a gag order because Trump attacked the clerk. He had WARNED HIM, via his lawyers, informally but clearly. And twelve hours later Trump did it anyway. Memo to Judge Chutkan: Get ready to issue a gag order, on penalty of revoking his bail, after that hearing October 16. And get ready to have to enforce it. B-Block (24:15) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Campbell Brown is out as news chief at Meta/Facebook so I have to tell you the story of how CNN's president was forced to hire her instead of me at 8 PM there (and they then all got fired), which in turn means I have to tell the story of how Brown's Meta colleague Anne Kornblut wound up being interviewed by the MSNBC anchor (Savannah Guthrie) her husband left her for. And then there's Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who apologized for referencing Nazis in the Republican Party. Why? There ARE Nazis in the Republican Party. We call them...Nazis. C-Block (33:25) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: It's baseball playoff time again, so it's time for me to tell you about the year I was in the middle of a riot in Fenway Park, and I overheard a Yankee swearing at his manager in the clubhouse, and I bought - and chose not to air - videotape of Roger Clemens nearly getting into a fistfight with a Yankee fan before Game 3 of the World Series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Herzlich played seven seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants. He was a member of the 2011 team that won Super Bowl XLVI over the Patriots. Herzlich retired following the 2017 season and is currently a football analyst with the ACC Network. Undrafted in 2011 out of Boston College, Herzlich was the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and named first-team All-American at linebacker that same season. The next year, he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He was able to overcome and return to the field in 2010, and he won the Rudy Award and the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award after starting 13 games and finishing third on the team in tackles. Today on the podcast, we talk to Herzlich about serving with IJM and combatting human trafficking. He also shares recent experiences of playing pickleball at Fenway Park and having dinner with former President George W. Bush in Maine. Sign up for our Sports Spectrum Magazine and receive 15% off a 1-year subscription by using the code PODCAST15 http://SportsSpectrum.com/magazine 

October 2, 1978 - Bucky “Bleeping” Dent's unlikely homerun helps the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox in a dramatic one-gameplayoff at Fenway Park. Trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, Dent smacksa three-run shot against pitcher Mike Torrez into the screen above the GreenMonster. The Yankees hold on for a 5 - 4 victory en route to face the Royals inthe ALCS and the Dodgers in the World Series. Dent would go on to hit .417 with7 RBI in a six-game Yankee triumph over LA. October 2, 1963 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgerssets a World Series record by striking out 15 batters in Game One against theNew York Yankees, beating the record set by Carl Erskine 10 years ago on thisday. The Dodgers win the game, 5 - 2, behind Koufax' six-hitpitching performance.October 2, 1968 - In one of the most memorable WorldSeries performances ever, Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals strikes out 17Detroit Tigers. Gibson sets the World Series record formost strikeouts in a single game, set on this day in 1963by Sandy Koufax, and leads theCardinals to a 4 - 0 victory over Tigers ace and Cy YoungAward winner, Denny McLain.October 2, 1966 - Sandy Koufax of the LosAngeles Dodgers wins his 27th game of the season and the final game of hiscareer. Koufax's 6 - 3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies clinches theNational League pennant for the Dodgers. October 2, 1974 Hank Aaron hits his final home run asa member of the Atlanta Braves, who defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 13 - 0. PhilNiekro pitches the shutout for his 20th win of the seasonHistorical Recap performed by:Robyn Newton from - Robyn Says

MAILBAG EPISODE! The Rays swept the two games against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Their record is 97-62. The Rays have 3 games left in the 2023 season, a road series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays have secured the top Wild Card spot as a host but have yet to find out who they will be facing. Topics that will be talked about during this mailbag:-What will be future revenue from Bally's to the Rays with this new stadium?-What else does Austin Shenton need to do in order to get more hype? -Who gets to be the 26th man in the roster to be used for their speed?As a FUN FRIDAY episode, enjoy Baseball Trivia and ‘Name That WAR!'. Follow Kevin Weiss @KevinWeiss_ Follow Ulises Sambrano @SambranoUlises Follow the show @LockedOnRaysFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…

What happens when an entire city— an entire region, even — claims a century-old patch of grass as its backyard? The answer is dividing Red Sox fans and residents.

The Red Sox played their final games of the 2023 campaign at Fenway Park. Steve and Joey were in attendance to say their farewells to the old ballyard until next year, and break down the biggest headlines including Justin Turner's potential goodbye to Boston, Alex Verdugo not getting the same courtesy, Bobby Valentine's heartfelt birthday message to Joey, the tankathon effecting the Red Sox' draft position, the major difference in feeling between last year's conclusion and this one, and much more!Use code ITM for $20 off your first SeatGeek orderhttps://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/ITM

The Rays swept the two games against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Their record is 97-62. They are 2.5 GB from the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East Division. The Rays have 3 games left in the 2023 season, a road series against the Toronto Blue Jays. They have an off-day on Thursday after they celebrated in the clubhouse their great run this season. The Rays have secured the top Wild Card spot as a host but have yet to find out who they will be facing. Follow Kevin Weiss @KevinWeiss_ Follow Ulises Sambrano @SambranoUlises Follow the show @LockedOnRaysFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…

In this episode we look back at the NFL week 3 games, and PJ updates his power rankings. We also take a look at the MLB playoff races and MVP/CY/ROY contenders as the regular season enters its final weekend. Plus we continue our 2004 Red Sox post-season re-watch. Today we are discussing innings 4-6 of game 5 of the ALCS, played at Fenway Park vs the Yankees. The Red Sox trail the best of 7 series series 3 games to 1.

In December of 2022 10 year old Ramie Darling Jr. was diagnosed with the Pediatric Liver Cancer Hepatoblastoma. HIs father Ramie will talk about his son's diagnosis which occurred in a hospital near their Florida home, but subsequently both father and son moved up to Boston where for the past 8 months  Ramie Jr. has undergone a very successful treatment protocol under the direction of Dr. Allison O'Neill at Boston Children's Hospital.Ramie will talk about his treatment and how well the Darling family, which includes his wife Katie and their 13 and 15 year old daughters, has been treated. Ramie Jr. has spent time at Patriots Training Camp with Quarterback Mac Jones and at Fenway Park with pitcher Garret Whitlock.

This week, we talk baseball! The Barbie movie has seeped into historic Fenway Park, the A's ownership continues to just suck, Rowdy Tellez makes a late push for the Cy Young, and a random Bob Gibson sighting. Our main story this week centers on the captains of the New York Yankees. There haven't been many in the storied franchises history, but some of them have some great stories. One Yankee legend got screwed out of his captaincy while two others passed the baton and an iron-man streak at the same time. First person to contact us and tell us they read the show notes gets 100 Schrute Bucks and we'll throw in some Stanley nickels as a bonus. This week's Wax Pack Heroes we dive into some AAA cards from 1991 but find some very familiar names! Don't forget, you can leave us a message at 607-216-8811.  Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/TwoStrikeNoise/ Instagram - @twostrikenoise Bluesky - @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Threads - @twostrikenoise Twitter - @twostrikenoise Two Strike Noise on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvh7epD-mqT9qCIV7CNqhog Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise E-mail - twostrikenoise@gmail.com We pull ALOT of commons in Wax Pack Heroes. If you've got those Tom Foley or Ernest Riles cards just sitting around you can donate those commons to charity and maybe spark a child's interest in baseball and collecting. Find out more here: http://commons4kids.org/ #podernfamily #podnation #baseball #mlb #history #podcast #baseballcards

The final episode of the Red Sox show from out of left field where Fitz is filled legally as "single" on his taxes! Let's be honest, folks: Boston baseball hasn't been much of a hoot as of late. As the 2023 season winds down, the fellas give one word to describe this season. Spoiler alert: none of them were all too positive (3:30) ALSO: -Let's pick what bandwagons we're hopping on for the MLB playoffs! (23:05) -Juan Soto is gonna love Fenway Park (33:25) -Perhaps the worst game of Immaculate Grid ever (44:00) All of that and much more on this edition of Pod On Lansdowne! We're on Twitter, baybeeeeeeeeeee. The show's @PodOnLansdowne, and the co-hosts are @FitzyMoPena, @LiamFennessy_, and @JakeWallinger. Got a question or for us? Call us at 617-420-2431 and we'll address it on the program! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora joined the show for the final time of the season to discuss the last couple weeks of the season, the season's struggles, Rafael Devers' future at third base, ways to improve the team's baserunning, other fanbases invading Fenway Park, adjustments he's could've made during the season, what makes the general manager opening appealing, and his future with the team.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora joined the show for the final time of the season to discuss the last couple weeks of the season, the season's struggles, Rafael Devers' future at third base, ways to improve the team's baserunning, other fanbases invading Fenway Park, adjustments he's could've made during the season, what makes the general manager opening appealing, and his future with the team.   To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Rays won the first of two games against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park starting tonight. Zack Eflin started the game and provided 5 innings of solid baseball, only surrounding a three-run shot to spoil his scoreless outing. A lineup of almost all Durham Bulls at the start of the 2023 season had their way and put up almost ten runs, seven of which came in the first three innings of the game against Tanner Houck. Their record is 96-62. They are 2.5 GB from the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East Division. The Rays have 4 games left in the 2023 season. The Rays have secured the top Wild Card spot as a host. Follow Kevin Weiss @KevinWeiss_ Follow Ulises Sambrano @SambranoUlises Follow the show @LockedOnRaysFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…

The Tampa Bay Rays will start a quick two-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Rays have 5 games left left in the regular season and it seems that the hopes for the AL East Crown are all but over. As the Rays had an off-day Monday, let's look at the Rays attendance now that all regular season games have been played. How much was the increase? What led to the jump in attendance? Listener comments will also be read regarding the new stadium and what they hope it can be called and who could possibly still be on the team in 2028. Follow Kevin Weiss @KevinWeiss_ Follow Ulises Sambrano @SambranoUlises Follow the show @LockedOnRaysFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…

In a dreary, rainy series at Fenway Park, the Red Sox lose 2 of 3 to the Chicago White Sox. Steve and Joey take a look at the headlines of the week including a surprising attendance at Fenway, what to do with Justin Turner in the final 6 games of the season, some quotes from Kenley Jansen, when the Sox will name a new GM, take a look at some of the potential GM candidates, and much more! Plus, the guys answeer your Slide in the DM questions!Use code ITM for $20 off your first SeatGeek orderhttps://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/ITM

The Chicago White Sox defeated the Boston Red Sox in the finale of their series Sunday afternoon in a rain-shortened game. Luis Robert Jr. left the game early after injuring himself on a slide at 2nd base. In more injury news, Michael Kopech underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. In more uplifting news, Dylan Cease recaptured his form from last season in an impressive start versus the Red Sox on Saturday. Cease pitched 7 scoreless innings and struck out 11 batters in his outing. Join Herb Lawrence, Vinnie Duber and Sean Anderson as they recap Cease's impressive outing, provide injury updates and take you through the rain-delayed win on Sunday on the CHGO White Sox LIVE Postgame Podcast. An ALLCITY Network Production PARTY WITH US: https://bit.ly/3SRS03z  SUBSCRIBE:    / chgosports   ALL THINGS CHGO: https://linktr.ee/chgosports  WEBSITE: http://allCHGO.com/ BUY MERCH:  http://CHGOLocker.com  FOLLOW ON SOCIAL:  Twitter: @CHGO_Sports Instagram: @CHGO_Sports GET OUR FREE NEWSLETTER:  http://www.allchgo.com/newsletter WATCH YOUR FAVORITE TEAMS: https://www.fubotv.com/chgo  WIN MONEY THROUGH SPLASH SPORTS: https://splashsports.com/chgo  Head to https://www.sunnyside.shop/ and use code CHGO25 for 25% off your total order at check out for everything you need to elevate your Summer! Must be 21+ or an Illinois med card holder.  Head to https://factormeals.com/chgosox50 and use code chgosox50 to get 50% off. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CHGO for $20 off your first purchase. Check out FOCO for merch and collectibles here https://foco.vegb.net/CHGO and use promo code “CHGO” for 10% off your order on all non Pre Order items. AG1 is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. Just visit https://drinkAG1.com/CHGOSox  https://shadyrays.com: use code ‘CHGO' for 50% OFF 2+ pairs of polarized sunglasses! Visit https://dkng.co/chgo to sign up for DraftKings Sportsbook using the code “CHGO” If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling, and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). 21+. IL only. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. Eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. Terms at sportsbook dot draftkings dot com slash football terms. When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. #WhiteSox #ChicagoWhiteSox #ChangeTheGame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From 'The PBP: Voices of Baseball' (subscribe here): In this week's episode of "The PBP: Voices of Baseball", Red Sox radio voice Will Flemming discussed the meaning of Fenway Park becoming his home ballpark. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(0:00) Felger and Murray open the show on an Agenda Free Friday with thoughts on the Red Sox and Patriots. (13:21) Is there a changing of the guard going on in the AFC East?  (23:12) Will the Bruins have a chip on their shoulder in the 2023-24 season? (33:34) Some thoughts on the Boston Celtics ahead of their 2023-24 season.

From 'The PBP: Voices of Baseball' (subscribe here): In this week's episode of "The PBP: Voices of Baseball", Boston Red Sox radio voice Will Flemming joined Matt Spiegel to discuss his journey to the big leagues, which included many years in the minor leagues. He also detailed his close relationship with brother, Dave, current voice for the San Francisco Giants, and what it's like to do his job at Fenway Park. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From 'The PBP: Voices of Baseball' (subscribe here): In this week's episode of "The PBP: Voices of Baseball", Boston Red Sox radio voice Will Flemming joined Matt Spiegel to discuss his journey to the big leagues, which included many years in the minor leagues. He also detailed his close relationship with brother, Dave, current voice for the San Francisco Giants, and what it's like to do his job at Fenway Park. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 24 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger discuss a 37-foot-tall New England monster that's been witnessed by many millions of people from all over the world. But what makes this more than a historical curiosity, and a true legend? Listen to find out! This episode first aired October 5, 2017.

The MLB Gambling Podcast drops its daily episode for the Tuesday slate as Munaf Manji, Scott Reichel, and Lonte Smith share their MLB Betting Picks on each game. There is an extremely important series between the Blue Jays and the Rangers that is worth keeping an eye on. Plus, the Yankees and the Red Sox face off in Fenway Park. As usual, the episode wraps up with lock and dog picks! CHECK OUT OUR FREE MLB PICKS HERE! FREEROLL FOOTBALL NFL PICKEM CONTEST w/ $3000 IN PRIZES + AUTOGRAPHED SUPER BOWL SGP HELMET - https://sgpn.app FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONTEST w/ $3000 IN PRIZES - https://sg.pn/bankroll Join the SGPN community #DegensOnly Exclusive Merch, Contests and Bonus Episodes ONLY on Patreon - https://sg.pn/patreon Discuss with fellow degens on Discord - https://sg.pn/discord SGPN Merch Store - https://sg.pn/store Download The Free SGPN App - https://sgpn.app Check out the Sports Gambling Podcast on YouTube - https://sg.pn/YouTube Check out our website - http://sportsgamblingpodcast.com Support us by supporting our partners Gametime code SGPN - Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code SGPN for $20 off your first purchase - https://gametime.co/ DraftKings code SGP - $5 bet gets you $200 in bonus bets - https://www.draftkings.com Factor Meals code SGPN50 - 50% off Factor Meals - https://www.factormeals.com/sgpn50 Underdog Fantasy code SGPN - 100% Deposit Match up to $100 - https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-sgpn Hall Of Fame Bets code SGPN - 50% off your first month today - https://hof-bets.app.link/sgpn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the last remaining World War II Victory Gardens in the U.S is quietly growing across from Boston's Fenway Park. 

Tim Kurkjian and Buster discuss the Mariners taking first place in the AL West, Felix Bautista going down, the confusing timeline around Shohei Ohtani's injury, the Braves' confidence and Mookie Betts' returning to Fenway Park. Then, Sarah Langs on seeing Ohtani at Citi Field, another amazing throw from Elly de La Cruz, another Julio Rodríguez stat and Alex Vertigo's leadoff home runs. Plus, ESPN Radio interviews with Austin Riley, Paul DeJong and Gabe Kapler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices