Podcasts about for christian

A recent Jordan Peterson podcast has had me processing. He discussed having a multi-variant approach to truth claims. In our pluralizing and relativizing culture the more paths to a truth claim there are the more that claim is substantiated. What does that mean, inside and out, for a Christian worldview? For Christian mission? What does that personally mean for me?

Introduction The Goals:  We Catholics are to love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.   With every fiber of our being, every last little bit of ourselves.   To love God in every internal experience -- every thought, emotion, body sensation, intention, impulse attitude, belief, assumption, every desire -- every internal experience oriented toward loving God.  Nothing within us oriented any other way.  That's the challenge, that's what that commandment means.    Fr. Jacques Phillipe:   Searching for and Maintaining Peace  -- may be my most favorite book   In order that abandonment might be authentic and engender peace, it must be total.  Must put everything, without exception, into the hands of God, not seeking any longer to manage or” to save” ourselves by her own means: not in the material domain, nor the emotional, nor the spiritual.  We cannot divide human existence and the various sectors: certain sectors where it would be legitimate to surrender ourselves to God with confidence in others where, on the contrary, we feel we must manage exclusively on her own.  And one thing we know well: all reality that we have not surrendered to God, that we choose to manage by ourselves without giving carte blanche to God, will continue to make us more or less uneasy.  The measure of our interior piece will be that of our abandonment, consequently of our detachment.  Page 37 No-go Zones.  Wikipedia A "no-go area" or "no-go zone" is a neighborhood or other geographic area where some or all outsiders either are physically prevented from entering or can enter only at risk.  God doesn't come in here.  Compartmentalization, lack of integration.   Recreational time -- not when I'm watching football, not when I'm playing poker, not when I'm gossiping with my friends.   Work life -- dog eat dog world, highly competitive business, sometimes we have to do things we're not proud of… Sex life -- caught between my partner and my beliefs My private attachments -- drinking, flirting, shopping -- whatever we are attached to.   Deep shame.  Deep rage.  Deep Sadness,  Deep fear.  Inner darkness.   Trauma Zones -- betrayal, abandonment, terror, --attempts to seal that all off, from everything and everyone in order to keep functioning, to keep on with daily activities.   Intro -- Welcome to Interior Integration for Catholics  I'm clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here to help guide you toward  loving God, neighbor and yourself in an ordered, healthy, holy way.  And how do I do that?  By focusing on your natural level impediments, your psychological obstacles to tolerated being loved and to loving God, neighbor and ourselves in the best ways possible  it's all about your human formation  It's all about shoring up your natural foundation for the spiritual life  So many of our spiritual problems are really rooted in our human formation, our natural foundation for the spiritual life   This is Episode 73,  Released on June 21, 2021 and titled  Is Internal Family Systems Really Catholic? I get this question a lot -- Internal Family Systems or IFS has exploded on the therapy scene, especially in the last 10 years and especially as a modality for working with trauma.  It makes sense -- we don't want anything to keep us from God.   Great contribution --  Synthesis of two paradigms  Plural mind -- we all contain many different parts A mind in conversation with itself denotes a non-unitary, relational mind  Internal dilemmas   Systems thinking -- Dick was a therapist trained in family systems Bringing systems thinking inside is a tremendous advance for therapy  On a par with Freud's popularization of the unconscious.   God can reveal the glory of creation to people from all kinds of backgrounds Watson and Crick Discoverers of DNA -- very hostile toward Catholicism.   A core self, protected from harm rich in all kinds of naturally endowed resources.   But Richard Schwartz -- raised in an atheistic home, culturally Jewish -- he writes in the forward of Jenna Riemersma's Book "Altogether You."   My father was a scientist who taught us that religion was at the root of many of the world's conflicts and slaughters .  I maintained a skepticism about anything spiritual until I began exploring my clients' inner terrains and encountered their self Phenomenological approach Definition Phenomenology is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view .-- an approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience.   Setting aside preconceived notions -- "privileging data over pride" p. 19 IFS Therapy 2nd ed.  We can enter the unconscious and interact with it directly, asking questions about the desires, distortions, and agendas of the inner system.  In response, our parts will answer clearly, take the client directly to crucial scenes from the past, and explain what is most important about their experience, removing the need for us to speculate, reframe, interpret, or instruct.   This podcast -- authentically Catholic  Necessity for grounding our understanding of psychology and the human person in a Catholic anthropology Define Catholic anthropology  Wikipedia In the context of Christian theology, Christian anthropology is the study of the human ("anthropology") as it relates to God. It differs from the social science of anthropology, which primarily deals with the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity across times and places.  I am responsible for my words and my teaching.   Scripture verse about teaching Woe to anyone who leads little ones astray   My day of particular judgement  What I teach and what I don't teach.  Omissions.   Catholic with a small c:  The word is from the Greek katholikos, universal, literally in respect of (kata) the whole (holos); St. Augustine De Doctrina Christiana. Cjapter 40   is a theological text on how to interpret and teach the Scriptures. Moreover, if those who are called philosophers, and especially the Platonists, have said anything that is true and in harmony with our faith, we are not only not to shrink from it, but to claim it for our own use.  all branches of heathen learning have not only false and superstitious fancies and heavy burdens of unnecessary toil, which we ought to abhor and avoid; but they contain also liberal instruction which is better adapted to the use of the truth, and some most excellent precepts of morality; and some truths in regard even to the worship of the One God are found among them. Now these are, so to speak, their gold and silver, which they did not create themselves, but dug out of the mines of God's providence which are everywhere scattered abroad.   What is the cost of not exploring this? Omissions vs. Comissions.   Confidence in God -- we can try things Like little children  Can we trust we will be redirected -- or do we have parts that believe there are only offramps on the road to heaven, no onramps.   Harmonizing IFS with Catholicism, not the other way around Catholicism is a revealed religion.    Catherine Beyer learnreligions.com:   A revealed religion is one based on information communicated from the spiritual world to humanity through some sort of medium, most commonly through prophets. Thus, spiritual truth is revealed to believers because it is not something inherently obvious or something one could naturally conclude.  The Judeo-Christian religions are all strongly revealed religions. The Old Testament includes many stories of those whom God used to transmit knowledge of himself and his expectations. Their appearance comes at times when the Jewish people have significantly strayed from God's teachings, and the prophets remind them of his commandments and warn them of impending disaster as punishment. For Christian, Jesus arrived as God incarnate to directly minister to the community.  Church as the guardian of the deposit of faith CCC 889 In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a share in his own infallibility. By a "supernatural sense of faith" the People of God, under the guidance of the Church's living Magisterium, "unfailingly adheres to this faith."417 890 The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church's shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals.  Issues Spiral learning.  Definition  of Parts:  Separate, independently operating personalities within us, each with own unique prominent needs, roles in our lives, emotions, body sensations, guiding beliefs and assumptions, typical thoughts, intentions, desires, attitudes, impulses, interpersonal style, and world view.  Each part also has an image of God and also its own approach to sexuality.  Robert Falconer calls them insiders.   Gave examples of my ten parts in episode 71.  Examples also in episode 61.   Parts govern these nogo zones.  They defend these territories in an effort to help us -- actions can be really misguided Definition of Self  The core of the person, the center of the person.  This is who we sense ourselves to be in our best moments, and when our self is free, and unblended with any of our parts, it governs our whole being as an active, compassionate leader.   Issues --Bill Richardson's article Internal Family Systems Therapy Meets Evangelical Christianity: Integration of Diverse Communities and Theories 2007  Multiplicity  Trinitarian God.  God is one unity in three distinct Persons.  -- Unity and multiplicity And we are made in the image and likeness of God.   Self-relationship We can self-witness  We can communicate within ourselves   We are to love ourselves We have consciousness of self.   Example James 4:1:  Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? Example:  Romans 7:15-23  15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is go0 od. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.  In IFS, the self is "Seat of consciousness"   Self=soul  Really unclear how to compare the "self" with the soul.  This is a thorny question  Self is perfect, undamaged, in no need of development My read is that in IFS, the self is the redeemer of the parts   only the parts are in need of redemption -- the self needs no redemption Self as an internal attachment figure.  Attachment taken inside.   Peace, harmony and love reign internally when the self is leading the system   Originally straight out of the Enlightenment -- central focus on man. Secular Humanism   Self is occluded and overwhelmed by parts with burdens and extreme roles  And so the self is essentially rendered helpless -- IFS does not emphasize this, but it seems to be a correct inference.   Agency seems to be located in the parts, not in the self Parts need to willingly unblend to allow the self to be free  "We can't…command ourselves to be curious rather than contemptuous of our vulnerable parts.  We can't force ourselves to feel compassion, no matter how much we believe its benefits.   Self as Redeemer --  Self is capitalized Agency:   The self is the one who is to govern our whole systems, an active inner leader But the self often lacks agency, sometimes almost completely in IFS parts get to decide when and how to unblend  Negotiating with the parts   What happens when a part just won't cooperate Like a child not wanting to go to take necessary medicine or not wanting to go to bed.  So to Catholic ears, the self can sound like it's dominated by the passions.    Self as the agents Each part has a subparts and a self.   Infinite regress. Self=soul, so this means that each person has multiple souls, one soul -- the self, and a soul for each of his parts.  And because parts have subparts, there might even be subsouls.   Parts can be conflicted -- that is common Because I've been trained for decades in the study of personality, I can locate those conflicts within the personality of a part -- no need to invoke other parts.     Openness to Spiritual World IFS as a spirituality -- Frank Rogers -- IFS as a Compassionate Spiritual Path   Richard Schwartz:  2010 in Introduction to "The Spirit-Led Life" by Mary Steege I gradually shifted my view of what I called the Self from being an innate human capacity for self-healing to a being a spiritual essence comparable to Buddha Nature, Atman, the Tao, or the Ground of Being.  Correspondingly, my view of IFS evolved from being a form of psychotherapy to being an integration of spirituality and psychology, or even to being a form of spiritual practice.  (p. xi)  Shift from secular humanism to spirituality.   Lack of an understanding of sin Evil is acknowledged in IFS, origins are not explained.   Harm exists,  Committed by parts that blend with us.  They don't know better, they are seeking the good as they understand it but there is a lack of vision Acting out of self-protection  No possibility of malevolence, of freely saying no to the good.  Although Augustine's Christian forbears  believed that we are born blessed, Augustine chose to focus on a Biblical allegory of minor importance at the time, which his contemporaries considered embarrassing.   Poorly researched and written 11 page book chapter -- Richard Schwartz and Robert Falconer 2017 -- rife with errors.   Pearls such as  "Jesus wasn't a highly discipline ascetic"  How could he have suffered the Passion. The Eastern Christian Church never accepted original sin In general, Christianity has misidentified parts as sinful urges or tempting thoughts and has encouraged followers to develop managerial parts to fight them.   Confidence.  Confidence in who?  Confidence in Self vs. confidence in God.   Self has many gifts.  Natural level Clarity -- vision is clear when we see through the eyes of Self and it is distorted when we see through the eyes of extreme parts.  Role for revelation?  Wisdom? Lots of Buddhism.   Parts having varying levels of access to the faculties of the intellect and the will Parts having varying access to other faculties and Passions.   Social and Political Positions.   Bill Richardson:  The IFS trainers were definitely neither religiously nor politically conservative, nor evangelical believers.  Their world view was farther left than most of us knew existed.   Very LGBTQ+ friendly Political positions -- very progressive politically Patriarchy Driving with the headlights on - we see what we need to My experience -- desiring to have a philosophy and theology background.  God's response  Confidence in God.   If we are seeking in earnest -- Seek and ye shall find.   I could be wrong about a lot of these things.  In humility I have to admit that.   Talents So is IFS Catholic Two answers -- if you're looking for a model of therapy or human formation that you as a Catholic can embrace unthinkingly, without reservation, without any scrutiny or critical thinking -- just swallowing it whole. Lock, stock and barrell, IFS is not for you.   If you are willing to really make distinctions, parse out what is consistent -- absolute gold mine.    Implications for therapy   Aids  Two dissertations One from DMU, I am on the dissertation commuttee as a reader for that one.  DMU  Philosophers Cafe   Recommended reading Bill Richardson's article  Internal Family Systems Therapy Meets Evangelical Christianity:Integration of Diverse Communities and Theories 2007 Reformed Presbyterian tradition, heavily influenced by Calvin  -- total depravity Two Books Boundaries for Your Soul -- Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller  Altogether You Jenna Riermersma  Molly LaCroix Restoring Relationship: Transforming Fear into Love Through Connection   Possible Exercise.   Communities Blurb  Join Dr. Peter as in a deep look at how Internal Family Systems approaches to therapy and to human formation are consistent and inconsistent with the perennial teachings of the Catholic Church.  We explore the multiplicity and unity of the human psyche, the role of the core self, the nature of "parts" and the question of sin in this episode.      

For Christian parents, we want to pass on our faith and raise Godly children, help them grow spiritually, help our children grow emotionally, and fit in things like reading the bible, saying prayers, gratitude, memorizing scripture, and more, but it can be so hard when we are also super busy parents. I have been fitting these things in for years even when my husband and I were both working 50+ hours a week! How? Through habit stacking and being really intentional about our time! Watch this video for tons of tips and resources for helping your children grow spiritually and emotionally! **COMMENT HERE: https://www.youtube.com/c/WorkLifeGlue/community  **LINKS:Show Notes: http://www.worklifeglue.com/podcast/32 My 4AM Morning Routine: https://youtu.be/cBLyQ13BRu4 Atomic Habits: https://amzn.to/34jqqEy Simplicity Parenting: https://amzn.to/3fKCdRt Mealtime Devotional: https://amzn.to/34jqofU Dinner Question Cards: https://amzn.to/34fucii Indescribable Devotional: https://amzn.to/3vnJXPT How Great is Our God Devotional: https://amzn.to/2QTLT3V Work Life Glue Moms Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wlgmomsgroup/Work Life Glue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahwlg/Work Life Glue Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/worklifeglue/

Imagine that you’re in the hospital for surgery. This kind of procedure is always safe, and always successful — but it can take anywhere from one to ten hours. You can’t be knocked out for the operation, but because it’s so painful — you’ll be given a drug that makes you forget the experience. You wake up, not remembering going to sleep. You ask the nurse if you’ve had the operation yet. They look at the foot of your bed, and see two different charts for two patients. They say “Well, you’re one of these two — but I’m not sure which one. One of them had an operation yesterday that lasted ten hours. The other is set to have a one-hour operation later today.” So it’s either true that you already suffered for ten hours, or true that you’re about to suffer for one hour. Which patient would you rather be? Most people would be relieved to find out they’d already had the operation. Normally we prefer less pain rather than more pain, but in this case, we prefer ten times more pain — just because the pain would be in the past rather than the future. Christian Tarsney, a philosopher at Oxford University's Global Priorities Institute, has written a couple of papers about this ‘future bias’ — that is, that people seem to care more about their future experiences than about their past experiences. Links to learn more, summary and full transcript. That probably sounds perfectly normal to you. But do we actually have good reasons to prefer to have our positive experiences in the future, and our negative experiences in the past? One of Christian’s experiments found that when you ask people to imagine hypothetical scenarios where they can affect their own past experiences, they care about those experiences more — which suggests that our inability to affect the past is one reason why we feel mostly indifferent to it. But he points out that if that was the main reason, then we should also be indifferent to inevitable future experiences — if you know for sure that something bad is going to happen to you tomorrow, you shouldn't care about it. But if you found out you simply had to have a horribly painful operation tomorrow, it’s probably all you’d care about! Another explanation for future bias is that we have this intuition that time is like a videotape, where the things that haven't played yet are still on the way. If your future experiences really are ahead of you rather than behind you, that makes it rational to care more about the future than the past. But Christian says that, even though he shares this intuition, it’s actually very hard to make the case for time having a direction. It’s a live debate that’s playing out in the philosophy of time, as well as in physics. For Christian, there are two big practical implications of these past, present, and future ethical comparison cases. The first is for altruists: If we care about whether current people’s goals are realised, then maybe we should care about the realisation of people's past goals, including the goals of people who are now dead. The second is more personal: If we can’t actually justify caring more about the future than the past, should we really worry about death any more than we worry about all the years we spent not existing before we were born? Christian and Rob also cover several other big topics, including: • A possible solution to moral fanaticism • How much of humanity's resources we should spend on improving the long-term future • How large the expected value of the continued existence of Earth-originating civilization might be • How we should respond to uncertainty about the state of the world • The state of global priorities research • And much more Producer: Keiran Harris. Audio mastering: Ryan Kessler. Transcriptions: Sofia Davis-Fogel.

We are thankful for our teachers! As part of teacher appreciation Sunday, we looked at Christ’s response to the multitudes. For Christians, the call to compassion is a divine one. For Christian educators, then, Christ-like compassion is more than just a profession – it’s a way of life.

What is it costing me to always posture myself as The Smartest Guy in the Room? Today on the Power to Pivot Podcast, I am joined by cybersecurity expert and bestselling author, Christian Espinosa, talking about some of the biggest lessons he has learned working in cybersecurity. For Christian, being the smartest person in the room was costing him his own growth and development, because he found himself unable at that time to find and accept solutions that other people would offer. He shares why soft skills, the people skills, matter most in and out of the boardroom, and he talks about his book The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity, available on Amazon. Christian's Website: https://christianespinosa.com/about/ Purchase a copy of The Smartest Person in the Room: https://amzn.to/3eVYf58 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christian.espinosa.official Let's continue the conversation over on social media. Tell us your biggest takeaways from the episode, and let us know your thoughts on the book. I loved reading The Smartest Person in the Room, finding it to be very insightful on so many levels. I think you're gonna love it. Reach out to me: marchforthmediaco@gmail.com Website: www.marchforthmediacompany.com Instagram: instagram.com/marchforthmediaco Twitter: twitter.com/media_forth Facebook.com/marchforthmediacompany

Harry and Meghan have brought in some strong production talent to take charge of their content in Netflix and Spotify. Award winning producer Ben Browning, will be head of content for Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio.So, who is Ben Browning? Well I can’t really tell you as there is no Wikipedia page for him and many of the other on-line sources have not much by way of personal information about Ben. Maybe he prefers to keep his personal life private and  let his work to do the talking. And given the awards he has been nominated for, his work seems to be going just fine. So, moving on to the bad mouthing happening against Meghan regarding comments she made to Oprah, in the chicken coop at her Montecito home, about the fact she and Harry were secretly married by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with just he and Meghan and Harry there, ahead of the official marriage that we all watched on the TV.Meghan and Harry critics immediately jumped all over this. For Christian marriages in Britain, the law require two witnesses and an officiant to be present in order for a marriage to be legal, and the wedding has to take place in a location that has a special licence to hold weddings. In a bid to find the official status of Meghan and Harry’s pre-wedding exchange of vows, UK Newspapers contacted the Official Registrar and were informed that a wedding licence had been issued allowing Meghan and Harry to be married at Windsor on May 19th 2018, the one we all saw on the TV.  A clerk at the Registry mused that what Harry and Meghan likely did was to exchange some vows they had written themselves, which is fashionable, in front of the Archbishop, as a sort of spiritual wedding, or as a simple rehearsal.So no harm no foul you would think?  But just when you thought you might have heard the last from the Meghan and Harry villain Piers Morgan, up he pops to accuse Meghan of being a liar. So how popular are pre-wedding exchanges of vows? In an article published in July 2020 on the US Martha Stewart website called “Why You Should Consider Exchanging Personalized Vows Before Your Wedding Ceremony”, the author of the article, Blythe Copeland, wrote that  sharing your promises privately can help reduce nerves and make the experience more meaningful.Ms. Copeland interviewed Reverend Laura C. Cannon, a professional officiant who's overseen more than 1,000 weddings in the last 15 years. Reverend Cannon is often in favor of a couple exchanging their vows with each other before, or instead of, reciting them in front of their guests. Reverend Cannon said that she encourages her couples to do this for a number of reasons. It gives couples the chance to keep their own personal, custom-written vows just between the two of them instead of making them public.If a couple is sharing a religious ceremony with their guests, this adds a private, personal touch by incorporating custom vows without breaking tradition. Both parties need to understand what they're agreeing to. She says "your marriage vows are the entire reason you're getting married, they are the promises you make to one another that create the commitment of your marriage. "It seems that Harry and Meghan have put the matter to bed in just announcing that they were not married three days before their official ceremony, saying that they exchanged personal vows a few days before their official/legal wedding on May 19 2018. Thank you for rating my show. Please keep listening out for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. You can reach me through my blog at www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com or on Twitter. 

In this episode we continue to discuss the all too common sexual sin of lust and specifically the dangers of pornography. For Christian men the statistics of those who are addicted to pornography are startling. We want to address this issue and hopefully provide some counsel. Join Jared and Daniel as they tackle the male struggle with pornography.

(Part 2) The Need to Humanize Healthcare: Stephanie Tait"Find ways to show up intentionally for your right now life, and don’t lose yourself to 'someday when.'"- Stephanie TaitBio: Stephanie Tait is a disabled disability advocate with Lyme disease. In the fourteen years it took her to get a diagnosis, she struggled with miscarriages, medical indifference and sexism, and the birth of her two sons. Her book, The View from Rock Bottom, is a tale of her struggles with chronic illness along with messages about faith, pain, suffering, joy, and hope. In this episode, Tait discusses her calls for change and the importance of centering the chronically ill in discussions about necessary changes to the medical community and healthcare system.In this episode Stephanie and Eva discuss:Gender bias in medicineFallibility and medical testingPatient-provider dialoguesAccess to careInsurance and quality of care issuesCall to action - the need for cultural shift and advocacy in healthcareStephanie links: Stephanie’s WebsiteTwitter: stephtaitwritesFacebookInstagram: @stephanietaitwritesBONUS QUESTIONSWhat is your illness(es)? -I had Lyme disease and other coinfections for 15 years before they got it correctly diagnosed. As a result I have permanent heart damage, permanent neurological damage (causing a variety of symptoms including an intermittent tremor, neuropathy, balance issues, aphasia, memory problems, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and more,) epilepsy, arthritis, and a variety of immune dysfunctions. -I also have Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) stemming from childhood trauma but exacerbated by some additional trauma I experienced later in life.What’s your business/initiative?- I’m an author and speaker. Earlier this year I released my first book, The View From Rock Bottom, in which I advocated for a deeper and more robust Christian theology of suffering, grief, and lament.What conditions/audiences do you cater to primarily?- My audience is super diverse, likely because I speak to a variety of issues in my work, ranging from disability advocacy, adoption related issues (from my adoptee perspective,) mental health & trauma, Christian theology, social justice, and more. A large percentage of my audience is either disabled or chronically ill though. How did your illness shape your career? - In essence, my career sprung directly out of my illness. I tried for many years to hold down a number of “traditional jobs” as people would think of them, but every time I ended up either let go or I had to quit - because my health would make it all but impossible to show up consistently and keep up with my work. Eventually my health got to the point where I spent a lot of time effectively bedridden, which was really difficult for a super extroverted personality like me. I started relying on social media as a tool to connect with the outside world and to seek relationship with others. I’m a natural over-sharer, so I would end up sharing a lot of details of what was happening with both my health and with the financial struggles that my healthcare costs (and inability to work) created. I never really set out to “grow a platform” as people call it, it just sort of happened organically out of my attempts to share my stories and connect with people while stuck in bed. Eventually I started a lifestyle blog, because that was one of the clearest avenues at the time for a woman with a social media following to try to monetize that platform and support themselves. But after a couple of years it became pretty apparent to me that I didn’t want to have to keep playing the blogger game, in terms of generating Pinterest worthy content to supplement the important writing. I started pitching more freelance articles to more serious outlets, and took a number of jobs as a public speaker. An attendee at one of those speaking jobs ended up being the connection that introduced me to a publisher, and ultimately led to my book deal.- Ironically though, as much as my career sprang directly out of my illnesses, it is those same illnesses that have been the biggest catalyst to growth in that same career. My body already struggles with the small amount of travel I do right now, it make it hard to book a lot of better speaking jobs in other locations. My neurological problems can make it hard for me to write on many days, so my work schedule can be super unpredictable and I often find myself overwhelmed with how behind I feel. Because of my immune dysfunctions, I get sick constantly, especially in the winter, which provides additional challenges as well. I have so many big goals and ideas and ways I’d like to grow my career, but the two biggest challenges to that are my health, and the financial difficulties created by the enormous cost of my healthcare. What makes your mission as an “influencer” unique?- I’m an open book, with virtually no division between my public and private life, which makes me a pretty big anomaly not just in the world of internet personas, but more specifically in the Christian author/speaker world. For Christian women especially, there is a particular “type” of woman you generally see writing and speaking, and I’m pretty far from the stereotype in just about every way. I’m politically liberal, I share candidly about my struggles (whether that be my physical health, my mental health, our finances, or whatever they may be,) and I lack the polish and branding you would usually expect. I don’t have a clearly defined “niche” with my work, and have resisted any attempt to streamline myself into one specific label at the expense of other areas I want to speak into. I get into trouble a lot because I’m unwilling to edit myself or my stories to make audiences more comfortable or to make myself more appealing to the market. But I think that’s exactly what people respond to most in my work: so many of us are tired of the branded and inauthentic world of influencers and “thought leaders,” and we’re craving something different. Something shockingly real. Something we can relate to.What’s your latest project/post/feature that you are most excited about?- My book just came out back at the beginning of August, and I’m really REALLY proud of the work I did there. That book was essentially 3 years worth of work, sweat, and tears (SO many tears,) and it’s been amazing to see the responses I’m getting from readers, and the conversations the book has inspired.What are you most passionate about in regard to your work/helping people?- I want people to learn how to show up completely for their lives RIGHT NOW TODAY, and not wait for “someday when.” Too much of our lives are wasted on the “someday when” lie. “Someday when” I get better, “someday when” I’m out of debt, “someday when” I have a spouse or kids or that career goal or I can buy a house or whatever the arbitrary line of “then I’ll have arrived” looks like for us - THEN I can allow myself to do all these things I want to do. THEN I can let myself have more than bare minimum survival. THEN I can be happy. Except “someday when” is a lie. Sometimes those goals will never happen for us. Sometimes they work out, but we are surprised to find a new “someday when” pop up in its place. And in the end, we lose years of our lives chasing the “someday when,” instead of allowing ourselves enjoyment today.How do/did you handle flares while working?-Poorly? (lol) But seriously though, I’m the worst. I have a downright predictable tendency to dramatically overdo it the *second* I have a little bit of energy, and then find myself paying for it for days or weeks afterwards. One of the things I’ve learned in trauma therapy is that for many of us with chronic illnesses and/or disability, we tend to disconnect ourselves from our body’s signals as a survival mechanism. In order to keep up with even the bare minimum demands of life, we often have to train ourselves to ignore our body’s signals of pain, fatigue, etc. The problem is that the more we disconnect from those signals, the more difficult it can be to register ANY of our body’s cues. The biggest component of trauma therapy for me has been learning tools for better embodiment, trying to connect my cognizant brain back to my physical body, so I can pursue a healthier sense of wholeness. I’m still learning, and there are years and years of unhealthy habits to unwind, so I would be lying if I said I have it all figured out now. But I’m trying to create more intentional routines of rest, and learn how to respect my body’s limitations without shame or guilt. I’m also trying to advocate for myself better with outlets I write articles for or places that ask me to come speak. That can look like asking for longer deadlines to build in more cushion, or requiring speaking gigs to pay for an additional overnight hotel stay either before or after the event so that I can space out the work from the travel to give my body a better chance of managing it all.If you had one message to send out to every chronic illness warrior out there, what would it be?- Find ways to show up intentionally for your right now life, and don’t lose yourself to “someday when.” Ask yourself, what would it look like to find happiness, purpose, fulfillment, and even joy in your life as a chronically ill/disabled person? Let yourself have more than just survival mode. You deserve happiness now, not “someday when” or even if you can get all the right ducks in a row.What was your journey like finding the right care? Did you find good practitioners? (Diagnosis, treatment, management, etc.)https://www.today.com/health/living-chronic-lyme-disease-symptoms-after-misdiagnosis-t148747 I think that piece I did with the Today Show helps answer this question best. I could so easily fill up like 12 pages here just trying to answer this question. Why do you think the patient-practitioner relationship is important?- Because many MANY illnesses don’t have a simple test with an easy yes/no result to read, they require a practitioner to really listen to their patients to get a clear picture of what’s going on, and more important to believe us. Too many healthcare providers are dismissive of the symptoms their patient’s are describing (especially when those patients are women and/or people of color,) and are quick to assume it’s all in our heads if the tests can’t point to a simple answer.What does “trust” mean to you in the patient-practitioner relationship? - Believe us. Reaffirm us. Validate us. LISTEN to us. And then treat us the way you would want to be treated in our shoes. Trust is earned by the way respect us, not simply by giving us the correct tests or treatments. CLICK HERE FOR FULL TRANSCRIPT.PLEASE SUPPORT US BY: SHARING WITH LOVED ONES

The Need to Humanize Healthcare: Stephanie Tait“We can encourage the conversation” - Stephanie TaitSummary: Stephanie Tait is a disabled disability advocate with Lyme disease. In the fourteen years it took her to get a diagnosis, she struggled with miscarriages, medical indifference and sexism, and the birth of her two sons. Her book, The View from Rock Bottom, is a tale of her struggles with chronic illness along with messages about faith, pain, suffering, joy, and hope. In this episode, Tait discusses her calls for change and the importance of centering the chronically ill in discussions about necessary changes to the medical community and healthcare system.In this episode Stephanie and Eva discuss:Gender bias in medicineFallibility and medical testingPatient-provider dialoguesAccess to careInsurance and quality of care issuesCall to action - the need for cultural shift and advocacy in healthcareStephanie links: Stephanie’s WebsiteTwitter: stephtaitwritesFacebookInstagram: @stephanietaitwritesBONUS QUESTIONSWhat is your illness(es)? -I had Lyme disease and other coinfections for 15 years before they got it correctly diagnosed. As a result I have permanent heart damage, permanent neurological damage (causing a variety of symptoms including an intermittent tremor, neuropathy, balance issues, aphasia, memory problems, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and more,) epilepsy, arthritis, and a variety of immune dysfunctions. -I also have Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) stemming from childhood trauma but exacerbated by some additional trauma I experienced later in life.What’s your business/initiative?- I’m an author and speaker. Earlier this year I released my first book, The View From Rock Bottom, in which I advocated for a deeper and more robust Christian theology of suffering, grief, and lament.What conditions/audiences do you cater to primarily?- My audience is super diverse, likely because I speak to a variety of issues in my work, ranging from disability advocacy, adoption related issues (from my adoptee perspective,) mental health & trauma, Christian theology, social justice, and more. A large percentage of my audience is either disabled or chronically ill though. How did your illness shape your career? - In essence, my career sprung directly out of my illness. I tried for many years to hold down a number of “traditional jobs” as people would think of them, but every time I ended up either let go or I had to quit - because my health would make it all but impossible to show up consistently and keep up with my work. Eventually my health got to the point where I spent a lot of time effectively bedridden, which was really difficult for a super extroverted personality like me. I started relying on social media as a tool to connect with the outside world and to seek relationship with others. I’m a natural over-sharer, so I would end up sharing a lot of details of what was happening with both my health and with the financial struggles that my healthcare costs (and inability to work) created. I never really set out to “grow a platform” as people call it, it just sort of happened organically out of my attempts to share my stories and connect with people while stuck in bed. Eventually I started a lifestyle blog, because that was one of the clearest avenues at the time for a woman with a social media following to try to monetize that platform and support themselves. But after a couple of years it became pretty apparent to me that I didn’t want to have to keep playing the blogger game, in terms of generating Pinterest worthy content to supplement the important writing. I started pitching more freelance articles to more serious outlets, and took a number of jobs as a public speaker. An attendee at one of those speaking jobs ended up being the connection that introduced me to a publisher, and ultimately led to my book deal.- Ironically though, as much as my career sprang directly out of my illnesses, it is those same illnesses that have been the biggest catalyst to growth in that same career. My body already struggles with the small amount of travel I do right now, it make it hard to book a lot of better speaking jobs in other locations. My neurological problems can make it hard for me to write on many days, so my work schedule can be super unpredictable and I often find myself overwhelmed with how behind I feel. Because of my immune dysfunctions, I get sick constantly, especially in the winter, which provides additional challenges as well. I have so many big goals and ideas and ways I’d like to grow my career, but the two biggest challenges to that are my health, and the financial difficulties created by the enormous cost of my healthcare. What makes your mission as an “influencer” unique?- I’m an open book, with virtually no division between my public and private life, which makes me a pretty big anomaly not just in the world of internet personas, but more specifically in the Christian author/speaker world. For Christian women especially, there is a particular “type” of woman you generally see writing and speaking, and I’m pretty far from the stereotype in just about every way. I’m politically liberal, I share candidly about my struggles (whether that be my physical health, my mental health, our finances, or whatever they may be,) and I lack the polish and branding you would usually expect. I don’t have a clearly defined “niche” with my work, and have resisted any attempt to streamline myself into one specific label at the expense of other areas I want to speak into. I get into trouble a lot because I’m unwilling to edit myself or my stories to make audiences more comfortable or to make myself more appealing to the market. But I think that’s exactly what people respond to most in my work: so many of us are tired of the branded and inauthentic world of influencers and “thought leaders,” and we’re craving something different. Something shockingly real. Something we can relate to.What’s your latest project/post/feature that you are most excited about?- My book just came out back at the beginning of August, and I’m really REALLY proud of the work I did there. That book was essentially 3 years worth of work, sweat, and tears (SO many tears,) and it’s been amazing to see the responses I’m getting from readers, and the conversations the book has inspired.What are you most passionate about in regard to your work/helping people?- I want people to learn how to show up completely for their lives RIGHT NOW TODAY, and not wait for “someday when.” Too much of our lives are wasted on the “someday when” lie. “Someday when” I get better, “someday when” I’m out of debt, “someday when” I have a spouse or kids or that career goal or I can buy a house or whatever the arbitrary line of “then I’ll have arrived” looks like for us - THEN I can allow myself to do all these things I want to do. THEN I can let myself have more than bare minimum survival. THEN I can be happy. Except “someday when” is a lie. Sometimes those goals will never happen for us. Sometimes they work out, but we are surprised to find a new “someday when” pop up in its place. And in the end, we lose years of our lives chasing the “someday when,” instead of allowing ourselves enjoyment today.How do/did you handle flares while working?-Poorly? (lol) But seriously though, I’m the worst. I have a downright predictable tendency to dramatically overdo it the *second* I have a little bit of energy, and then find myself paying for it for days or weeks afterwards. One of the things I’ve learned in trauma therapy is that for many of us with chronic illnesses and/or disability, we tend to disconnect ourselves from our body’s signals as a survival mechanism. In order to keep up with even the bare minimum demands of life, we often have to train ourselves to ignore our body’s signals of pain, fatigue, etc. The problem is that the more we disconnect from those signals, the more difficult it can be to register ANY of our body’s cues. The biggest component of trauma therapy for me has been learning tools for better embodiment, trying to connect my cognizant brain back to my physical body, so I can pursue a healthier sense of wholeness. I’m still learning, and there are years and years of unhealthy habits to unwind, so I would be lying if I said I have it all figured out now. But I’m trying to create more intentional routines of rest, and learn how to respect my body’s limitations without shame or guilt. I’m also trying to advocate for myself better with outlets I write articles for or places that ask me to come speak. That can look like asking for longer deadlines to build in more cushion, or requiring speaking gigs to pay for an additional overnight hotel stay either before or after the event so that I can space out the work from the travel to give my body a better chance of managing it all.If you had one message to send out to every chronic illness warrior out there, what would it be?- Find ways to show up intentionally for your right now life, and don’t lose yourself to “someday when.” Ask yourself, what would it look like to find happiness, purpose, fulfillment, and even joy in your life as a chronically ill/disabled person? Let yourself have more than just survival mode. You deserve happiness now, not “someday when” or even if you can get all the right ducks in a row.What was your journey like finding the right care? Did you find good practitioners? (Diagnosis, treatment, management, etc.)https://www.today.com/health/living-chronic-lyme-disease-symptoms-after-misdiagnosis-t148747 I think that piece I did with the Today Show helps answer this question best. I could so easily fill up like 12 pages here just trying to answer this question. Why do you think the patient-practitioner relationship is important?- Because many MANY illnesses don’t have a simple test with an easy yes/no result to read, they require a practitioner to really listen to their patients to get a clear picture of what’s going on, and more important to believe us. Too many healthcare providers are dismissive of the symptoms their patient’s are describing (especially when those patients are women and/or people of color,) and are quick to assume it’s all in our heads if the tests can’t point to a simple answer.What does “trust” mean to you in the patient-practitioner relationship? - Believe us. Reaffirm us. Validate us. LISTEN to us. And then treat us the way you would want to be treated in our shoes. Trust is earned by the way respect us, not simply by giving us the correct tests or treatments. CLICK HERE FOR FULL TRANSCRIPT.PLEASE SUPPORT US BY: SHARING WITH LOVED ONES

PSA encouragement to grow in Christ. For more on the church of Christ, go to: https://www.church-of-christ.org/. For McDermott Road church of Christ message on Jesus, go to: https://youtu.be/jxAVqDewYfY . For the Radically Christian podcast, go to: https://radicallychristian.com/category/podcast . For Christian maturity message from Ave F church of Christ, go to: https://youtu.be/OwwsUQH5gzk --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Christians have enjoyed majority status in the West for many years but in many ways this appears to be changing. What does it look like for us to live among people that are hostile to our values, morals, and principles? While these are new questions for Western Christians, they are very old questions for Western Jews. Today I talk with Rabbi Juan Marcos Bejarano-Gutierrez about how Jews have navigated being a religious minority over the centuries and what the implications might be for Christians today. We also talk about the ancient Jewish context of the New Testament and how understanding this history adds color to the Christian experience of reading scripture. Rabbi Juan is an author who has written extensively on the history of Judaism and on Jewish engagement with the Christian majority throughout the years. Rabbi Juan recommended two of his books during this podcast: For Christian listeners: Divine Fragmentation For Jewish listeners: Killing the Torah I also discussed the writings of Christian theologian NT Wright on the ancient Jewish context of the New Testament. A great book to understand this would be his, "New Testament and the People of God."

Jesus Guides His Church With a Powerful Promise, Week 2, September 13, 2020 Readings for this Week:First Lesson: Judges 16:22-31: Samson had the world: strength, fame, power, leadership, love. Yet he was losing his soul. But the God grace humbled him. Samson repented and took up his cross and followed. He lost his life, but died in faith.Psalm 121: Psalm 121 reminds us that our help comes from the LORD; He will keep us from all harm.Second Lesson Galatians 6:12-16: Christians will be temped to give in to license or legalism in order to escape persecution. But Christ told us to expect persecution and burdens that come from carrying his cross.Gospel and Sermon text: Matthew 16:21-26: Jesus had come to fulfill the redemptive mission for which he was anointed; he had not come to fulfill Israel’s earthbound views of the Messiah. He couldn’t be the Messiah they wanted, and still be the Savior they needed. Cross and death were first necessary. For Christian followers, cross comes before crown as well. We die to self, but gain Christ, the Life.Sermon: Jesus Guides His Church through Cross and Trial: Matthew 16:21-26.As we read Matthew chapter 16, this was Jesus’ first time telling the disciples about his coming death and resurrection and see that, as we contemplate the scripture, we need to keep in mind the things of God and continually deny our sinful selves.As hard as it may be to continually deny our sinful self, what is to come from it is worth all the trouble, for we will find a life that is with our God, accompanied by our brothers and sisters in the faith, and assured of the peace we have with God himself because of his forgiveness.And, when that life transitions to its eternity in heaven, we will finally have rest from the crosses and trials we endure in this life and find life with Christ forever in heaven.Pastor Tim Patoka

As long as Biblical Storytellers are willing to be guests for this podcast, I want to have an ongoing series that enables you to enjoy this art form. There are multiple reasons why I enjoy this art form, but one of the main reasons is that it combines two ancient practices--storytelling and the public reading of scripture. Throughout human history storytelling has played a fundamental role in human culture. It is one of humanity's oldest art forms. There has always been an entertainment dimension in story telling, but story has used to do so much more. Stories have been used to give people their sense of identity, their understanding of reality, the notion of their place in the world. Stories been used to teach, guide, enlighten, reveal, change minds, and motivate. This is only a small list of the ways story has been used. For the Jewish and Christian heritage, story is the primary dimension of scripture. As such it is understood to be a primary means by which Jews and Christians claim to understand and experience God. Both Jews and Christians see as a central to their obligation to God the task of bearing witness to God and God's deeds. In order to fulfill that task, storytelling is necessary. Since story makes up the primary dimension of Jewish and Christian scripture, it is not surprising that the public reading of scripture has been integral to both traditions. From the time of Moses forward, the public reading of scripture has been a part of Jewish worship, and since Christianity was birthed within Judaism, that tradition carried over has continued. For Christian's the biblical story has an interplay of two components relating to the task of witness--the prophetic and the Gospel. In light of God's holiness and justice, the prophetic holds up a standard that calls us into question and accountability for the sinfulness, brokenness, and evil we choose to create. In light of God's loving nature, the Gospel gives reveals to us the good news that God reaches out to us for reconciliation, healing, and redemption. Christian witness to God is thus an interplay of being prophetic and proclaiming the Gospel. To give us an example of how biblical storytelling is a means of the interplay of these two components, especially as the biblical story relates to present circumstances and events is my guest, Drew Willard. Drew Willard is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, seeking to be what Dennis Dewey of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, Int. calls a “storyvangelist”. Biblical storytelling and graphic arts have been important interpretive skills he brings to ministry. Since the 1990s, he has been performing his own paraphrased translations of the Gospels – notably at 19 venues while on a roadtrip in 2007. He has used his drawings for PowerPoint presentations to accompany Lenten readings, as well as for bulletin cover illustrations. He has organized and participated in interfaith worship events – including “Evenings of Sacred Storytelling” with Jewish and Muslim storytellers. While on sabbatical in 2017, he was an artist-in-residence at the Grunewald Guild in Washington state. In the winter of 2019, he was a Fringe Teller at the Florida Storytelling Association annual festival in Mt Dora, FL and that summer, he performed as a Co-Creator at the Wild Goose Festival in Asheville, NC. A collection of Drew’s paraphrased translations and artwork Gospel Pilgrimage Stories was published in 2017 by Westbow. He is available for preaching, teaching, drawing & storytelling by mutual agreement.   Gospel Pilgrim Storyteller (website) https://www.gospelpilgrimstoryteller.com/     Drew Willard - Youtube (sample stories) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-H-9FKwcydjBhTKcI9-7hg    Gospel Pilgrimage Storytelling (program recitations) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdkJueeuyOQ&list=PLP3PRBPVgY6WuGjmoD-UwVSEtMMtbPF5c   Gospel Pilgrimage Stories (book) Westbow [ISBN-13: 978-1512777222] https://www.

I first learned about Christian Howard via De Angela Duff, and while it may have taken a few years, I’m glad we finally had a chance to sit down for a conversation because I find his career path extremely fascinating.Christian is a narrative design strategist, and we discussed how he uses storytelling to help guide companies through times of huge transformations. We also talked about his time teaching at NYU, how he found his way into narrative strategy via game design, the difference between strategists and designers, and what he’s doing now to help build a more equitable future. For Christian, his myriad work and life experiences have led him to design, and I think his story is captivating and will inspire you to consider what paths you can take in the future with the skills you possess. Enjoy!LinksChristian Howard’s WebsiteChristian Howard on LinkedInChristian Howard on Twitter Like this episode? Then subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite shows. Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating and a review! Thanks so much to all of you who have already rated and reviewed us! Revision Path is brought to you by Lunch, a multidisciplinary creative studio in Atlanta, GA. Looking for some creative consulting for your next project? Then let's do lunch! You can also follow Revision Path on Instagram and Twitter. Come chat with us! And thank you for listening!

Today we talk about salvation--who can be saved, how, what happens after, and when do we get to heaven. For Christian writers, we're talking villains--how to create and use them to address evil and sin in the world in a way that pleases people, and--I believe--God.Support the show (https://ko-fi.com/danieldydek)

The Lords Prayer in five languages. Five uses of the word WORLD in the New Testament. Praying for the World.  Matthew 5 begins the beatitudes, and later in them Jesus teaches the multitude how to pray (Matt. 6:6-13). In another instance (Luke 11:1-4), the disciples ask Him to teach them and He does.  The Lords Prayer in Spanish, English, Brazilian Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Mandarin,  YouTube Andrea Bocelli - The Lord's Prayer. World  The meaning of words is derived from the context in which they are used. For example, what does the word "blue" mean?  It can mean color or depression. It can mean profanity, as in comedy.  The context determines meaning. Likewise, there are words in Scripture that have a variety of meanings depending on the context. A study of the word WORLD gives  hundreds of instances in the New Testament of the occurrence of the English word. You will see that there are different meanings and I have categorize them into five. As Christians we should never impose our understanding on scripture.  It should impose its values and understanding on us. The word world, has at least five different meanings in the New Testament:  Every Individual: Acts 17:31; Romans 3:6; 1 John 2:2; Limited Area: Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28; Romans 1:8; Colossians 1:6; All Nations: Matthew 26:13; John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; Revelation 3:10; 16:14. Secular Realm: Matt. 5:14; 18:7; John 1:10; 15:18; Rom. 12:2; Gal. 6:14; 1 Tim. 1:15; James 1:27; 1 Pet. 1:9; 1 John 2:15; The Earth: Luke 12:30; John 1:10; Acts 17:24; Ephesians 1:11; first Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 5:9; 2 Peter 3:6   This week Pray:   1. For the sick and infected: God, heal and help. Sustain bodies and spirits. Contain the spread of infection. 2. For our vulnerable populations: God, protect our elderly and those suffering from chronic disease. Provide for the poor, especially the uninsured. 3. For the young and the strong: God, give them the necessary caution to keep them from unwittingly spreading this disease. Inspire them to help. 4. For our local, state, and federal governments: God, help our elected officials as they allocate the necessary resources for combatting this pandemic. Help them to provide more tests. 5. For our scientific community, leading the charge to understand the disease and communicate its gravity: God, give them knowledge, wisdom, and a persuasive voice. 6. For the media, committed to providing up-to-date information: God, help them to communicate with appropriate seriousness without causing panic. 7. For consumers of media, looking to be well-informed: God, help us find the most helpful local information to equip us to be good neighbors. Keep us from anxiety and panic, and enable us to implement the recommended strategies, even at a cost to ourselves.     8. For those with mental health challenges who feel isolated, anxious, and helpless: God, provide them every necessary support. 9. For the homeless, unable to practice the protocols of social distancing in the shelter system: Protect them from disease, and provide isolation shelters in every city. 10. For international travelers stuck in foreign countries: God, help them return home safely and quickly. 11. For Christian missionaries throughout the world, especially in areas with high rates of infection: God, provide them with words of hope, and equip them to love and serve those around them. 12. For workers in a variety of industries facing layoffs and financial hardship: God, keep them from panic, and inspire your church to generously support them. 13. For families with young children at home for the foreseeable future: God, help mothers and fathers to partner together creatively for the care and flourishing of their children. For single mothers and fathers, grow their networks of support. 14. For parents who cannot stay home from work but must find care for their children: God, present them with creative solutions.   15. For those in need of regular therapies and treatments that must now be postponed: God, help them to stay patient and positive. 16. For business leaders making difficult decisions that affect the lives of their employees: God, give these women and men wisdom, and help them to lead self-sacrificially. 17. For pastors and church leaders faced with the challenges of social distancing: God, help them to creatively imagine how to pastor their congregants and love their cities well. 18. For college and university students, whose courses of study are changing, whose placements are canceled, whose graduation is uncertain: God, show them that while life is uncertain, their trust is in you. 19. For Christians in every neighborhood, community, and city: May your Holy Spirit inspire us to pray, to give, to love, to serve, and to proclaim the gospel, that the name of Jesus Christ might be glorified around the world. 20. For frontline health care workers, we thank you for their vocational call to serve us. We also pray: God, keep them safe and healthy. Keep their families safe and healthy. God, help them to be knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as well as the changing protocols. God, help them to stay clear-minded in the midst of the surrounding panic. God, deliver them from anxiety for their own loved ones (aging parents, children, spouses, roommates). God, give them compassion for every patient in their care. God, provide for them financially, especially if they fall ill and are unable to work God, help Christians in health care to exhibit extraordinary peace, so that many would ask about the reason for their hope. Give them opportunities to proclaim the gospel. God, we trust that you are good and do good. Teach us to be your faithful people in this time of global crisis. Help us to follow in the footsteps of our faithful shepherd, Jesus, who laid down his life for the sake of love.  Glorify his name as you equip us with everything needed for doing your will. Amen.   Support this ministry, please.  Still trying to pay for my new computer, and the hosting, etc.    https://giv.li/p2nj61    https://www.patreon.com/speaklifechurchpodcast   https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/computer-campaign   Thanks, Rev. Kenn Blanchard  pastor@speaklifechurch.net    Check out the podcast, all episodes available, you can listen on Pandora.  https://pandora.app.link/0teeHWBPw5   

Today we had the awesome opportunity to spend an hour with Christian author Beckie Lindsey. If I had to sum up Beckie in a sentence or two I would say that if Christianity was country Beckie would be the mayor of the town of Realville. Beckie is as real as it gets and her love for God and sharing Him is infectious. Beckie has won numerous awards as a writer and is currently adding another novel to her young adult series called Beauties from Ashes. If you have a daughter her series is a must get and is for mom's and dad's as well. Visit Beckie’s website and blog at https://beckielindsey.com/ For Christian news in SoCal https://socalchristianvoice.com/Follow Beckie on social mediahttps://twitter.com/BeckieLindsey_https://www.facebook.com/BeckieLindseyauthor/https://www.instagram.com/beckielindseyauthor/

In the next few episodes of Serving Today, Andrew Cook speaks with Jim Sayers who brings some helpful pointers on preaching from the stories contained in the Old Testament. This will be useful for anyone involved in teaching the Bible to the young and not so young!Derek French and Dr John Hall open up what the Bible teaches about testifying or witnessing. For Christian believers, this is a privilege and a responsibility.

Most of us know and understand the fact that too much screen time can affect our lives. Some would say screens are frying our brains, but we won't go that far. Media affects us emotionally as well, to the point some people simply have to unplug for a while. Kids need to do this even more so as they are forming life habits - including a worldview - and social media and technology does affect their young minds and behavior. For Christian parents, the importance of protecting your children from all the dangers, seductions, and perversions on social media cannot be overstated. All parents must go the extra mile and take this very seriously. We catch up with Counter Culture Mom, Tina Marie Griffin to talk about the dangers of social media and today's 'accepted' forms of entertainment. Daily podcast, relevant articles on issues pertaining to Christians and more can be found on Stand Up For The Truth.

For Christian leaders, the gospel is kind of a big deal. But most of us have it wrong. Matthew Bates helps us see what the gospel is, and why it matters. The post Matthew Bates on How We Get the Gospel Wrong appeared first on Gravity Leadership.

Find ways to show up intentionally for your right now life, and don’t lose yourself to “someday when.” - Stephanie TaitWebsite: stephanietaitwrites.com--> Her interview on The Today ShowWhat is your illness(es)? -I had Lyme disease and other co-infections for 15 years before they got it correctly diagnosed. As a result I have permanent heart damage, permanent neurological damage (causing a variety of symptoms including an intermittent tremor, neuropathy, balance issues, aphasia, memory problems, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and more,) epilepsy, arthritis, and a variety of immune dysfunctions. -I also have Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) stemming from childhood trauma but exacerbated by some additional trauma I experienced later in life. How did your illness shape your career? - I am an author and speaker. Earlier this year I released my first book, The View From Rock Bottom, in which I advocated for a deeper and more robust Christian theology of suffering, grief, and lament. In essence, my career sprung directly out of my illness. I tried for many years to hold down a number of “traditional jobs” as people would think of them, but every time I ended up either let go or I had to quit - because my health would make it all but impossible to show up consistently and keep up with my work. Eventually my health got to the point where I spent a lot of time effectively bedridden, which was really difficult for a super extroverted personality like me. I started relying on social media as a tool to connect with the outside world and to seek relationship with others. I’m a natural over-sharer, so I would end up sharing a lot of details of what was happening with both my health and with the financial struggles that my healthcare costs (and inability to work) created. I never really set out to “grow a platform” as people call it, it just sort of happened organically out of my attempts to share my stories and connect with people while stuck in bed. Eventually I started a lifestyle blog, because that was one of the clearest avenues at the time for a woman with a social media following to try to monetize that platform and support themselves. But after a couple of years it became pretty apparent to me that I didn’t want to have to keep playing the blogger game, in terms of generating Pinterest worthy content to supplement the important writing. I started pitching more freelance articles to more serious outlets, and took a number of jobs as a public speaker. An attendee at one of those speaking jobs ended up being the connection that introduced me to a publisher, and ultimately led to my book deal. - Ironically though, as much as my career sprang directly out of my illnesses, it is those same illnesses that have been the biggest catalyst to growth in that same career. My body already struggles with the small amount of travel I do right now, it make it hard to book a lot of better speaking jobs in other locations. My neurological problems can make it hard for me to write on many days, so my work schedule can be super unpredictable and I often find myself overwhelmed with how behind I feel. Because of my immune dysfunctions, I get sick constantly, especially in the winter, which provides additional challenges as well. I have so many big goals and ideas and ways I’d like to grow my career, but the two biggest challenges to that are my health, and the financial difficulties created by the enormous cost of my healthcare. What makes your mission as an “influencer” unique? - I’m an open book, with virtually no division between my public and private life, which makes me a pretty big anomaly not just in the world of internet personas, but more specifically in the Christian author/speaker world. For Christian women especially, there is a particular “type” of woman you generally see writing and speaking, and I’m pretty far from the stereotype in just about every way. I’m politically liberal, I share candidly about my struggles (whether that be my physical health, my mental health, our finances, or whatever they may be,) and I lack the polish and branding you would usually expect. I don’t have a clearly defined “niche” with my work, and have resisted any attempt to streamline myself into one specific label at the expense of other areas I want to speak into. I get into trouble a lot because I’m unwilling to edit myself or my stories to make audiences more comfortable or to make myself more appealing to the market. But I think that’s exactly what people respond to most in my work: so many of us are tired of the branded and inauthentic world of influencers and “thought leaders,” and we’re craving something different. Something shockingly real. Something we can relate to. What’s your latest project/post/feature that you are most excited about?My book just came out back at the beginning of August, and I’m really REALLY proud of the work I did there. That book was essentially 3 years worth of work, sweat, and tears (SO many tears,) and it’s been amazing to see the responses I’m getting from readers, and the conversations the book has inspired. What are you most passionate about in regard to your work/helping people? - I want people to learn how to show up completely for their lives RIGHT NOW TODAY, and not wait for “someday when.” Too much of our lives are wasted on the “someday when” lie. “Someday when” I get better, “someday when” I’m out of debt, “someday when” I have a spouse or kids or that career goal or I can buy a house or whatever the arbitrary line of “then I’ll have arrived” looks like for us - THEN I can allow myself to do all these things I want to do. THEN I can let myself have more than bare minimum survival. THEN I can be happy. Except “someday when” is a lie. Sometimes those goals will never happen for us. Sometimes they work out, but we are surprised to find a new “someday when” pop up in its place. And in the end, we lose years of our lives chasing the “someday when,” instead of allowing ourselves enjoyment today. How do/did you handle flares while working? -Poorly? (lol) But seriously though, I’m the worst. I have a downright predictable tendency to dramatically overdo it the *second* I have a little bit of energy, and then find myself paying for it for days or weeks afterwards. One of the things I’ve learned in trauma therapy is that for many of us with chronic illnesses and/or disability, we tend to disconnect ourselves from our body’s signals as a survival mechanism. In order to keep up with even the bare minimum demands of life, we often have to train ourselves to ignore our body’s signals of pain, fatigue, etc. The problem is that the more we disconnect from those signals, the more difficult it can be to register ANY of our body’s cues. The biggest component of trauma therapy for me has been learning tools for better embodiment, trying to connect my cognizant brain back to my physical body, so I can pursue a healthier sense of wholeness. I’m still learning, and there are years and years of unhealthy habits to unwind, so I would be lying if I said I have it all figured out now. But I’m trying to create more intentional routines of rest, and learn how to respect my body’s limitations without shame or guilt. I’m also trying to advocate for myself better with outlets I write articles for or places that ask me to come speak. That can look like asking for longer deadlines to build in more cushion, or requiring speaking gigs to pay for an additional overnight hotel stay either before or after the event so that I can space out the work from the travel to give my body a better chance of managing it all. If you had one message to send out to every chronic illness warrior out there, what would it be? - Find ways to show up intentionally for your right now life, and don’t lose yourself to “someday when.” Ask yourself, what would it look like to find happiness, purpose, fulfillment, and even joy in your life as a chronically ill/disabled person? Let yourself have more than just survival mode. You deserve happiness now, not “someday when” or even if you can get all the right ducks in a row. Why do you think the patient-practitioner relationship is important? - Because many MANY illnesses don’t have a simple test with an easy yes/no result to read, they require a practitioner to really listen to their patients to get a clear picture of what’s going on, and more important to believe us. Too many healthcare providers are dismissive of the symptoms their patient’s are describing (especially when those patients are women and/or people of color,) and are quick to assume it’s all in our heads if the tests can’t point to a simple answer. What does “trust” mean to you in the patient-practitioner relationship?Believe us. Reaffirm us. Validate us. LISTEN to us. And then treat us the way you would want to be treated in our shoes. Trust is earned by the way respect us, not simply by giving us the correct tests or treatments.Links from the show:Twitter: @stephtaitwritesFacebook: www.facebook.com/stephanietait Instagram: @stephanietaitwritesstephanietaitwrites.comHer interview on The Today ShowIGeneX: Lyme Disease Testing | Tick-Borne Disease Testing See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the Friday August 23 edition of BangTheBook Radio, host Adam Burke was joined by handicapper Christian Pina of the Sports Gambling Podcast to chat about MLB betting and some college football wagering tips. The guys focused on Christian’s strengths in the niche prop market and the derivative market for Major League Baseball and college football.We’ve made it a point to showcase on BangTheBook Radio that there are a lot of ways to win betting on sports. For Christian, those ways are in looking at the props and derivatives markets, looking at things like strikeout props and team totals. The guys had some back and forth about their specific strategies, how they differ, and about ways to diversify your bets to make money.

On the Friday August 23 edition of BangTheBook Radio, host Adam Burke was joined by handicapper Christian Pina of the Sports Gambling Podcast to chat about MLB betting and some college football wagering tips. The guys focused on Christian’s strengths in the niche prop market and the derivative market for Major League Baseball and college football. We’ve made it a point to showcase on BangTheBook Radio that there are a lot of ways to win betting on sports. For Christian, those ways are in looking at the props and derivatives markets, looking at things like strikeout props and team totals. The guys had some back and forth about their specific strategies, how they differ, and about ways to diversify your bets to make money.

Cybertrusler er her, der og alle vegne. De vokser år for år. Og også helt almindelige danske virksomheder er i fare for at blive ramt – også selvom de reelt bare er tilfældige forbipasserende. Udfordringer er der nok af. Og det samme gælder it-sikkerhedsløsninger, som du hurtigt kan købe dig fattig i. Derfor har vi skabt Security Central, en podcast hvor vi sammen med en række eksperter giver gode råd om de it-sikkerhedsudfordringer, som helt almindelige danske virksomheder oplever. I denne første episode stiller vi skarpt på det aktuelle trusselsbillede. For hvordan ser it-trusselsbilledet ud lige nu for en almindelig dansk virksomhed? Er virus stadig et problem? Og hvad med cryptolockers, politisk motiverede angreb, defacing, DDOS og alle de andre sikkerhedsklassikere? Det ved denne episodes gæst, Christian Dinesen. For Christian arbejder som Senior Security Architect hos NNIT – et af Danmarks største it-firmaer – så læn dig tilbage og lyt med når Christian deler ud af sin store viden om it-sikkerhed. Værter er chefredaktør for Computerworld, Lars Jacobsen og Thomas Damsgaard, Head of Enterprise for Norden og Benelux hos Kaspersky.

One of the primary tasks of a leader is to create a healthy culture with healthy teams. For Christian leaders, this task is even more demanding because the kind of culture and teams we create are to be radically different than those of the world. Pete builds on the four characteristics of emotionally healthy culture and team building from The Emotionally Healthy Leader, expanding on each with personal examples and specific ways he has integrated them into his work over the last 23 years.

Encourage Every day you are busy. Emails fill your inbox, some of them might even matter. Your todo list gets ticked off... or not. You attend meetings, deal with clients, chat with the boss, communicate with colleagues, deal with crises, handle problems, worry about tomorrow, think about yesterday, fret over a sick child ... and the list goes on. If you are disciplined, you get to the gym or exercise at least 3 times a week and keep a wary eye on your diet, and make sure that you get enough rest at night. If you don't do these then you know that your body is more likely to break down. You know that you have to make time to look after your body and put in some effort. But do you look after your brain as well? Taking time to pause and meditate or be mindful is perhaps the most critical instrument to cultivate peak performance. You train your body to grow muscles and keep your weight in check. Well, taking time to pause, meditate or be mindful is like training your brain and taking control of the five types of brain waves so that you can be in charge of your life. Develop At the root of all your thinking, emotions and behaviours is the electrical and chemical communication between neurons inside your brain. And all that electrical activity is measured in the form of brainwaves. Brainwaves are grouped into five distinct categories, each associated with specific tasks and mental state. At our highest frequency we have gamma waves. These are associated with insight, peak focus, and expanded consciousness. If you are currently sharply concentrating on this new information, it'll be gamma waves that are helping you store this learning and associating it with existing knowledge and experience. A little slower in frequency and we have beta waves. This is the state you probably spend most of your active day especially in the urban jungle and our always-on society. Fabulously, beta waves allow us to concentrate hard on the task at hand and they are critical when we read, write and socialise but there is a cost in that beta waves can sap our energy and reduce emotional awareness and creativity. Once you get home and relax and reflect quietly your brain waves slow down to alpha waves. If you suffer from insomnia, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms you likely don't switch down to alpha and you need help. If on the other hand, you keep on socialising, watching fast-paced television or studying, you are keeping your brain in beta or even gamma state. And that's simply exhausting you. When you nod off into the world of dreaming, you experience theta waves. Interestingly, theta waves are also present when you are in that elusive, brilliant, effortless state often called being in the "flow" of peak performance. It's that autopilot type state you've been in when driving home on a familiar route, arriving home and wondering how you got there. It's in this state that many people get their flashes of insight or bursts of creativity. Lastly, we have delta waves which are associated with deep dreamless sleep. Some people can meditate themselves into this state whilst remaining alert and awake. These waves are the source of empathy, healing and regeneration - hence why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process. Manipulating brainwaves The biggest issue for most people in this modern, always-on, hustle and busyness lifestyle is that we rarely make time to allow our brains to slow down. We get stressed and perhaps anxious, and the mind is whirring away at a fast pace zapping through energy and leaving the body exhausted. So how do we alter our brainwaves? Any process that changes your perception, changes your brain waves! Our brainwaves change according to what we are doing and how we are feeling. When slower brainwaves are dominant, we can feel tired, slow, sluggish or dreamy. When higher frequencies are prevalent, we feel wired, hyper or "buzzed". So, change what you are doing, and your brainwaves soon respond. It can take some degree of effort to force yourself to jog when you are feeling sluggish, but it will do the trick. Of course, chemical interventions such as medications or recreational drugs are the most common methods to alter brain function. Beta-blockers, for example, commonly used by people like me with serious heart conditions, slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure and block crucial chemicals like norepiphrine or adrenaline (terrifically useful in the flight or fight response and memory consolidation). This makes it difficult to lift brainwaves into the high beta frequencies and tougher still getting to gamma waves. ONE thing that everyone can do is choose to control their brainwaves to a greater extent. Since most people spend most of their waking time in beta state, what is truly needed is to biohack their brain and slow down their brain waves. Though you can, biohack to get into gamma state. And you have two simple choices to start gaining control of your brain and hence, your life. Both of which, by the way, you've been doing since day zero. The first is "The Easy Way", and the second is "The Easier Way". https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/what-are-brainwaveshttps://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/brainwaves-biohack-sleep-health-focus/slide/4/ This Is How Meditation Actually Works Guide The Easy Way Take One deep breath. Bring your full completely focussed attention to your breathing for two minutes. Just two to start. You'll get up to seven within a week. Become aware that you are breathing and then pay attention to the process of breathing. Anytime your attention wanders, just bring it back to your breathing. The Easier Way Just Pause Find a quiet spot (or plug in your earphones and tune in to relaxing, restful meditative music played softly). Sit without agenda for two minutes. Stare into space, or close your eyes. Just remain awake but completely relaxed. Any moment your attention wanders just wipe it away and go back to nothingness. And you can switch between the easy and easier way anytime you wish. Empower Hold on John, you said the most powerful seven minutes. This is just two. True. Research tells us that seven minutes is the sweetspot for habitually choosing to take control and biohack our brainwaves. Two minutes is just your easy starting point. You can either extend your practice of this by, say, one minute each day until the end of the week. Or, if you find more time just too difficult right now, then do three or four two minute breaks throughout the day. Cannot do a full two minutes, you say? Then just take ONE MINDFUL DEEP BREATH. Just one. If you can, take another. Every time you are waiting for something or someone. Waiting at the traffic light. Waiting for your computer to start. Waiting for a webpage to load. Waiting in a queue. Just take ONE mindful, deep breath and practice. Want to have some help? If you want to delve more deeply into meditation or mindfulness there are a whole bunch of resources out there. Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan is by the Singaporean-born Google Engineer is one I can recommend. There are a bunch of apps out there that come recommended. My personal recommendation for binaural beats is brain.fm For Christian guided meditation, I like Abide.co Others Ive tried and found to be good, "Calm", "Headspace", "Stop, Breathe and Think" and the Singaporean made "MindFi". There are also wearables to assist with your successful bio-hacking. As at writing, I have not yet tried any. Most appear to be aimed at reducing stress or helping you sleep better. The Muse headband looks particularly interesting.

Join Richard Boyd as he speaks with his guests on five things , that men idolize more then God. Things we find hard to admit as an idol, in our lives. For Christian man idol worship is anything we elevate above God. The Bible teaches to put God first in our hearts. In the book of Colossians 3:5 , "Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

For Christian. Tracklisting: 01 - Mr. Eclectic - Clouded Judgement 02 - Paso Doble, Andyboi - Never Forget Your Roots (Paso Doble & Madoras Mezcla) 03 - Oscar P & FNX - Filtered African Blues (FNX Remix) 04 - Manoo - Kromosome X 05 - Wicked_Men Do Wicked Things (Coflo Remix) 06 - Infinite Souls ft. Kaleem - Kokula (Caiiro's Obeah Remix) 07 - Nyaruach - Gatluak (Hyenah Beat Version) 08 - Saint Evo Feat. Idd Aziz - Kamulole (Original Mix) 09 - Yotam Avni - Jorniel 10 - DJ Satalite - Abantu (FNX Remix) 11 - Hallex M - Oggun (feat Carlos Mena) 12 - Caiiro & Black Motion feat. Tabia - Prayer for Rain 13 - Ancient Deep - Titles (Original MIx) 14 - The Heavy Quarterz - Hungry Hyenas (Original MIx) And there you have it, my first upload since late 2017... working on soulful joint as well. Stay blessed. Love. KAS

Having a fight with your spouse is a stressful, upsetting experience that can leave you bewildered, frustrated and feeling stuck. In this episode, we want to give you a straightforward strategy that you can use to help break yourselves out of a downward spiral of increasing conflict and unhappiness. The Issue: Rumination and Negative Cycles A single argument is unlikely to have huge negative effects on a marriage. The problem is that after an argument couples tend to ruminate over it for a long time. You might keep going over and reliving the arguments in your minds, causing you to feel upset and angry with your spouse all over again. Sometimes you will get "stuck" in this rumination to the point where a single fight can continue to affect you for a long time afterwards[i]. That’s an issue because this leads to negative reciprocity. Meaning, next time there is the possibility of conflict, one or both of you are still feeling angry about the previous fight. You therefore react more strongly to the current issue and you may bring up past hurts as well, causing the conflict to escalate. Perhaps your spouse says something hurtful or brings up a past annoyance, and you retaliate in kind. This happens more and more as time goes on[ii]. Don’t miss this point: this pattern of negative rumination and reciprocity has been identified as the biggest reason that marital quality declines over time as a result of conflict[iii]. It’s not the fight itself that damages your marriage: it’s the way you hold onto the hurt and keep bringing it up again and again. Rumination and holding on to past hurts also has negative personal consequences such as low mood, higher stress levels, higher blood pressure and reduced physical health[iv]. So it has cascading effects to other parts of your wellbeing. The Best Thing To Do After a Fight: Break This Negative Cycle Stopping this cycle of rumination and reciprocity lets the negative feelings end when the fight ends. This means that the negativity and upset stop affecting your mood and will not influence how you react next time a potential conflict situation arises. Letting go of rumination also makes it much easier to make up with your spouse and resolve the conflict issue[v]. You will not always be able to prevent conflict from happening, but by breaking this cycle you can "draw a line" after it happens to ensure it does not keep affecting you. Ok, you’re sold: now, how do you do this? How To Break The Negative Cycle 1) Cool Off Immediately after a fight our brains tend to be in self defense "fight or flight" mode, which makes thinking calmly and rationally very difficult. That’s the normal physiological response to a distressing event. To compensate for that, give yourselves time to cool off before you come back together to resolve the issue[vi]. For Christian couples, prayer can be a good way to help cool off from an argument as well. Research has shown that this can also make conflict resolution easier[vii]. Praying Through Conflict Once again we’ve created a bonus guide for our much-appreciated supporters. This one looks more closely at how you can use prayer to strategically intervene in the conflict you’re experiencing by bringing you a healthier mindset, calming yourself down, and finding the wisdom you need in order to reconcile. You can get this by becoming a patron of The Marriage Podcast for Smart People. Get the Guide! 2) Reappraise The Conflict The best way to stop yourself getting stuck in rumination and bitterness is to think back over the argument from a different perspective and reappraise what happened. A research study from 2013[viii] tested this by training couples to imagine what their argument would have looked like if a neutral friend was watching them. Here’s what they taught their study participants: "Think about this disagreement with your partner from the perspective of a neutral third party

For Christian believers many things are pretty darn clear in the bible regarding how we should live our lives, but there are also many gray areas. How do you navigate those things? Join me as I explore this sticky-wicket topic! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/on-purpose-faith/support

For Christian parents, the task of raising kids is even more challenging given that we are seeking to raise our kids in a cultural environment that is more often than not antithetical to our beliefs and convictions. One preacher told us that we are “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13) and made for a “better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). If that is the case, it is no wonder that we, as Christian parents, feel a dissonance with the culture around us and battle the influences on our kids on a daily basis as the world’s values flood our lives and influence our homes. But God has not left us without guidance and without help. The Word of God informs us in the midst of this battle for the hearts and minds of our own kids. And the Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom, courage, and strength we need to raise our kids with godly character, to give them Jesus, and thus to have a family and a home that is awesome. We are continuing The Fam: God’s Plan for Your Home to be Awesome with message #4, “Raising Kids with Character,” as we look at three key passages that speak to our task as parents, teachers, small group leaders, and church family members who all have a role in instructing and discipling the children entrusted to us by God. As a bonus, this Sunday I will be dialoguing with our children’s ministry director, Jeannie Coros, in the last part of the message as she brings us up to speed on some generational insights I know we will all find helpful. Be sure to visit our resource page with books, articles, videos, and the series messages. Downloads Reactive/Corrective Discipline (PDF) 12 Sure-fire Ways to Provoke Your Kids and Cause Them to Sin (PDF) Parenting Events March 7 - Parenting with Purpose: A BSC Dessert Night March 30 - At My House: Practical Tips for Parenting April 7 - At My House: Practical Tips for Parenting Sermon Notes The Fam: God’s Plan for Your Home to Be Awesome Raising Kids with Character February 3, 2019 Raising kids with godly character requires you to have... • A clear perspective: Grasp what you have been entrusted with as a parent (Psalm 127:3–5) • A relentless commitment: Saturate your home with the Word of God (Deuteronomy 6:4–9) • A loving submission: Do what is best for your kids (Ephesians 6:4) • Proactively train them • Reactively correct them Access further resources at harvestbarrie.ca/thefam Email questions to thefam@harvestbarrie.ca or text to 705.999.7788

According to a recent survey, one in eight couples (or 12%) have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. (2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, CDC) Approximately one-third of infertility is attributed to the female partner, one-third attributed to the male partner and one-third is caused by a combination of problems in both partners or, is unexplained.  For Christian couples facing this difficult journey, how does God see this situation? Can the miraculous happen?  Blogger and infertility warrior, Elisha Kearns joins Dr. Carol to describe her own story and provides insight to couples who need hope and support.   Resources mentioned in the podcast: Connect with Elisha Kearns: - on her website - on Facebook - on Instagram

  Encourage Every day you are busy. Emails fill your inbox, some of them might even matter. Your todo list gets ticked off... or not. You attend meetings, deal with clients, chat with the boss, communicate with colleagues, deal with crises, handle problems, worry about tomorrow, think about yesterday, fret over a sick child ... and the list goes on. If you are disciplined, you get to the gym or exercise at least 3 times a week and keep a wary eye on your diet, and make sure that you get enough rest at night. If you don't do these then you know that your body is more likely to break down. You know that you have to make time to look after your body and put in some effort. But do you look after your brain as well? Taking time to pause and meditate or be mindful is perhaps the most critical instrument to cultivate peak performance. You train your body to grow muscles and keep your weight in check. Well, taking time to pause, meditate or be mindful is like training your brain and taking control of the five types of brain waves so that you can be in charge of your life. Develop At the root of all your thinking, emotions and behaviours is the electrical and chemical communication between neurons inside your brain. And all that electrical activity is measured in the form of brainwaves. Brainwaves are grouped into five distinct categories, each associated with specific tasks and mental state. At our highest frequency we have gamma waves. These are associated with insight, peak focus, and expanded consciousness. If you are currently sharply concentrating on this new information, it'll be gamma waves that are helping you store this learning and associating it with existing knowledge and experience. A little slower in frequency and we have beta waves. This is the state you probably spend most of your active day especially in the urban jungle and our always-on society. Fabulously, beta waves allow us to concentrate hard on the task at hand and they are critical when we read, write and socialise but there is a cost in that beta waves can sap our energy and reduce emotional awareness and creativity. Once you get home and relax and reflect quietly your brain waves slow down to alpha waves. If you suffer from insomnia, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms you likely don't switch down to alpha and you need help. If on the other hand, you keep on socialising, watching fast-paced television or studying, you are keeping your brain in beta or even gamma state. And that's simply exhausting you. When you nod off into the world of dreaming, you experience theta waves. Interestingly, theta waves are also present when you are in that elusive, brilliant, effortless state often called being in the "flow" of peak performance. It's that autopilot type state you've been in when driving home on a familiar route, arriving home and wondering how you got there. It's in this state that many people get their flashes of insight or bursts of creativity. Lastly, we have delta waves which are associated with deep dreamless sleep. Some people can meditate themselves into this state whilst remaining alert and awake. These waves are the source of empathy, healing and regeneration - hence why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process. Manipulating brainwaves The biggest issue for most people in this modern, always-on, hustle and busyness lifestyle is that we rarely make time to allow our brains to slow down. We get stressed and perhaps anxious, and the mind is whirring away at a fast pace zapping through energy and leaving the body exhausted. So how do we alter our brainwaves? Any process that changes your perception, changes your brain waves! Our brainwaves change according to what we are doing and how we are feeling. When slower brainwaves are dominant, we can feel tired, slow, sluggish or dreamy. When higher frequencies are prevalent, we feel wired, hyper or "buzzed". So, change what you are doing, and your brainwaves soon respond. It can take some degree of effort to force yourself to jog when you are feeling sluggish, but it will do the trick. Of course, chemical interventions such as medications or recreational drugs are the most common methods to alter brain function. Beta-blockers, for example, commonly used by people like me with serious heart conditions, slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure and block crucial chemicals like norepiphrine or adrenaline (terrifically useful in the flight or fight response and memory consolidation). This makes it difficult to lift brainwaves into the high beta frequencies and tougher still getting to gamma waves. ONE thing that everyone can do is choose to control their brainwaves to a greater extent. Since most people spend most of their waking time in beta state, what is truly needed is to biohack their brain and slow down their brain waves. Though you can, biohack to get into gamma state. And you have two simple choices to start gaining control of your brain and hence, your life. Both of which, by the way, you've been doing since day zero. The first is "The Easy Way", and the second is "The Easier Way". https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/what-are-brainwaveshttps://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/brainwaves-biohack-sleep-health-focus/slide/4/ This Is How Meditation Actually Works Guide The Easy Way Take One deep breath. Bring your full completely focussed attention to your breathing for two minutes. Just two to start. You'll get up to seven within a week. Become aware that you are breathing and then pay attention to the process of breathing. Anytime your attention wanders, just bring it back to your breathing. The Easier Way Just Pause Find a quiet spot (or plug in your earphones and tune in to relaxing, restful meditative music played softly). Sit without agenda for two minutes. Stare into space, or close your eyes. Just remain awake but completely relaxed. Any moment your attention wanders just wipe it away and go back to nothingness. And you can switch between the easy and easier way anytime you wish. Empower Hold on John, you said the most powerful seven minutes. This is just two. True. Research tells us that seven minutes is the sweetspot for habitually choosing to take control and biohack our brainwaves. Two minutes is just your easy starting point. You can either extend your practice of this by, say, one minute each day until the end of the week. Or, if you find more time just too difficult right now, then do three or four two minute breaks throughout the day. Cannot do a full two minutes, you say? Then just take ONE MINDFUL DEEP BREATH. Just one. If you can, take another. Every time you are waiting for something or someone. Waiting at the traffic light. Waiting for your computer to start. Waiting for a webpage to load. Waiting in a queue. Just take ONE mindful, deep breath and practice. Want to have some help? If you want to delve more deeply into meditation or mindfulness there are a whole bunch of resources out there. Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan is by the Singaporean-born Google Engineer is one I can recommend. There are a bunch of apps out there that come recommended. My personal recommendation for binaural beats is brain.fm For Christian guided meditation, I like Abide.co Others Ive tried and found to be good, "Calm", "Headspace", "Stop, Breathe and Think" and the Singaporean made "MindFi". There are also wearables to assist with your successful bio-hacking. As at writing, I have not yet tried any. Most appear to be aimed at reducing stress or helping you sleep better. The Muse headband looks particularly interesting.

Methinks I am a prophet new inspired And thus expiring do foretell of him: His rash fierce blaze of riot cannot last, For violent fires soon burn out themselves; Small showers last long, but sudden storms are short; He tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes; With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder: Light vanity, insatiate cormorant, Consuming means, soon preys upon itself. This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth, Renowned for their deeds as far from home, For Christian service and true chivalry, As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry, Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son, This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, Dear for her reputation through the world, Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it, Like to a tenement or pelting farm: England, bound in with the triumphant sea Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame, With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds: That England, that was wont to conquer others, Hath made a shameful conquest of itself. Ah, would the scandal vanish with my life, How happy then were my ensuing death!

Christian Evans is a trained chef and a weight loss blogger who lost 187 lbs in just ten months. For Christian, losing weight starts in the mind. It isn’t about diet, going to the gym, or someone else’s program. It’s about the way you think. His blog christiansweightsuccess.net offers solid and helpful advice to people embarking on their weight loss journey. Being hailed as “Sex and the City for Food,” The Food Heals Podcast brings together experts in the field of nutrition, health and healing to teach you the best-kept natural secrets to being a hotter, healthier, happier YOU! The Food Heals Podcast is hosted by Allison Melody and Suzy Hardy – two self-proclaimed natural chicks who will rock your world and change your beliefs about health! This sexy, savvy duo provides eco-friendly advice on a variety of issues including the healing power of nutrition, living authentically, turning your passion into your career, choosing the best natural health and beauty products, the benefits of a plant-based diet and so much more!

Meals are mile-markers. They carry memories and help us locate where we are in the journey. For Christian?s, the Lord?s Supper is a place where we remember Christ?s death and resurrection, anticipate the great feast when creation is made new, and encounter the Spirit here and now. As a practice, coming to the Table in our weekly worship services keeps Jesus as the center and the Gospel as the story.

The Cooligans are angry this week. Much more than usual. We are normally very chill dudes, but Everton has caused Christian to feel every range of emotion that he might be clinically bipolar by now. For Christian, this is his first season supporting a team in the Premier League, and he expected to have a fun time supporting a soccer team instead of what is currently happening, which is him being taken on an emotional journey more tumultuous than The Notebook. I: Christian rants about Everton BREAK 1: @RapidsRabbi gives us a Colorado Rapids update II: Alexis rants about Jordan Morris BREAK 2: Greg Orlandini @GFO1025 Philly Union update III: Kirby reads the news! Ramsey is killing everyone but Javier Mascherano is going to jail. Follow The Cooligans on all social media @soccercooligans @notalexis @chrispolanco