Podcasts about for simon

Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples - Are you Willing? - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - a2vc.org. Like us on fb.com/vineyardannarboror watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - vimeo.com/annarborvineyard Summary: This week, Pastor Donnell Wyche shared the story of Simon Peter's life-changing encounter with Jesus in Luke 5:1-11. As Jesus teaches from Simon's boat, He commands Simon to lower his nets into the deep water despite Simon's skepticism and prior fruitless efforts. The miraculous catch of fish that follows demonstrates both Jesus' divine authority and His personal care for Simon. Pastor Donnell highlighted how this moment challenges the false separation between the divine and the secular, showing that God's presence infuses every aspect of our lives, from our work to our relationships. Through the story, Pastor Donnell emphasized that Jesus meets us where we are, entering our world and using what we know to reveal God's kingdom. For Simon, this meant realizing that his skills as a fisherman had new meaning in the context of God's purposes. This encounter is not about Simon's worthiness but his willingness to trust and follow. Despite Simon's initial sarcasm and doubt, Jesus calls him into a deeper life of dependence on God, transforming his priorities and inviting him to join a mission far greater than himself. The sermon concluded with a reflection on the grace of God, who accepts us as we are but also calls us to live differently. Just as Jesus told Simon, “Don't be afraid,” He extends the same invitation to us, asking if we are willing to live in the fullness of God's kingdom. Pastor Donnell urged listeners to read and reflect on Luke 5:1-11, allowing the story to reveal how God's blessings and invitations meet us in our everyday lives.

In this Plot Twist episode of The Light Watkins Show, Light Watkins sits down with Simon Hill to uncover the pivotal moments that led him to become a leading voice in nutrition and wellness. For Simon, the journey began with a family crisis—a heart attack his father suffered at the age of 41. This health scare became a wake-up call, as a cardiologist warned Simon that, due to genetics and lifestyle, he might face the same fate. Although the warning lingered, Simon initially pursued a career in sports physiotherapy, enjoying the fulfillment of helping athletes heal and perform. But a persistent curiosity about nutrition and its connection to heart health gradually shifted his focus.After an eye-opening experience with his brother's dietary changes, Simon found himself compelled to dig deeper into nutrition science. What began as a personal journey to prove his diet was “right” turned into a full commitment to research, including earning a master's degree in nutrition science.In the episode, Simon breaks down why understanding nutrition is far from simple, explaining the science behind food studies and why it's challenging to determine what's truly healthy. He talks about the importance of rigorous research, the evidence hierarchy, and what it means to “do your own research” in a world of conflicting dietary advice.Listeners will walk away with new perspectives on nutrition and gain insights into the discipline it takes to uncover the truth in a sea of information. This episode is ideal for anyone curious about the role food plays in their long-term health and eager to make more informed choices.Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

In this moment, world-renowned author, entrepreneur, and optimist Simon Sinek discusses the importance of maintaining meaningful friendships throughout your life. For Simon, strong friendships are essential because they provide a support system during tough times. He also says it is important for friendships to offer companionship during moments of joy and success. According to Simon, there are several health benefits of close relationships, highlighting that in Blue Zones - regions where people live past 80 years old - a sense of community is key. From an evolutionary standpoint, our bodies seem to be designed to foster connection. He points out that the heart is our most vital organ, and that thigh muscles helped us socialise with others in our communities. Simon highlights that friendships should be approached with intention, and that one of the best ways to nurture your friendships is by supporting others, particularly through acts of service.  Listen to the full episode here - Spotify- https://g2ul0.app.link//Gaez34R3kOb Apple -https://g2ul0.app.link//WupI4dX3kOb Watch the Episodes On Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos Simon: https://simonsinek.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Simon Guérard, an ultra-runner and filmmaker with an unbroken streak of finishes. Fresh off his impressive runs at the Saddle 100 in Arizona and the Tor des Géants in the Italian Alps, Simon shares his unique approach to ultra-running. Known for his mental toughness, Simon has never experienced a DNF, and in this episode, he reveals some mental strategies and tricks he uses to keep pushing forward, even when the going gets tough. Simon's commitment to both the sport and spreading positivity through his films is at the heart of this conversation.Simon takes us through the mind games he plays with himself during races to stay focused and determined. Whether it's breaking a race into smaller, more manageable sections or convincing himself that the pain is temporary, Simon has honed his mental resilience to an art form. We explore how he stays positive in the face of extreme fatigue and how he uses these tricks to push through the darkest moments of a race. For Simon, it's not just about crossing the finish line—it's about mastering the mental aspect of ultra-running.Despite never having DNF'd, Simon opens up about the constant presence of that possibility and how he mentally prepares to avoid it. He shares insights into how staying adaptable, focusing on the next small goal, and maintaining a positive mindset allow him to stay in control, even in the most challenging conditions. His approach is a valuable lesson for runners of all levels looking to strengthen their mental game.Beyond running, Simon brings his adventures to life through filmmaking, using his creative work to share the positive and uplifting aspects of the sport. His films capture not only the beauty of the trails but also the powerful stories of perseverance, camaraderie, and joy that define ultra-running. Simon's passion for storytelling allows him to connect with the ultra community in a unique way, offering viewers a glimpse into the highs and lows of the sport while promoting a message of resilience and positivity.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen, and we always appreciate you leaving a good rate and review. Join the Facebook Group and follow us on Instagram and check out our website for the more episodes, posts and merchandise coming soon. Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed in depth, or a guest you'd like to nominate? Email us at info@happyendingstc.org

In this episode, we learn how being a member of The MSP Growth Hub helped influence the transformation Simon's business. Simon shares how revamping his business model, making strategic hires and implementing robust systems allowed him to step back without sacrificing service quality or business growth. His story is a testament to the power of strategic planning and the right support, proving that MSPs can indeed flourish financially whilst achieving a better work-life balance.  Simon's journey with The MSP Growth Hub began in 2019. At that point, his business, which had been operating for over two decades, was feeling the strain of a classic owner-operated model—intense, hands-on, and leaving little room for personal time or strategic development. Cipher IT was a typical lifestyle business until embracing the structured support at the Growth Hub, which helped propel it into the realm of a 7-figure MSP. Simon credits the Growth Hub with providing the insights and accountability needed to pivot from daily operations to a more strategic role.  A pivotal element of Simon's success was adopting the "Owner Not Needed" philosophy, which is central to our teachings at the MSP Growth Hub. This approach focuses on building a business that works for you, rather than you for it. For Simon, this meant restructuring his team, delegating technical tasks, and stepping into a more visionary role, focusing on sales and future growth while trusting his team with the operational reins.  Throughout the episode, Simon discusses the specific strategies and changes that facilitated his shift to a four-day work week without compromising business performance or client satisfaction. His ability to maintain a 7-figure MSP while enhancing his quality of life is inspiring. It highlights the effectiveness of having a reliable team, understanding your business metrics, and having a steady flow of leads—all ingredients for a successful MSP.  Listeners will gain insights into how structured off-grid times, strategic team meetings, and clear delegation can transform an MSP from a demanding day-to-day grind to a more balanced and profitable business. Simon's story is packed with practical tips for MSP owners who aspire to scale their operations while also reclaiming their time—making this episode a must-listen for ambitious entrepreneurs.  Simon's journey from hands-on technical work to strategic management showcases the growth potential within the MSP sector when driven by informed leadership and robust support systems like those provided by the MSP Growth Hub. His success story not only motivates but also serves as a blueprint for other MSP owners aiming to scale their businesses to 7-figure revenues without sacrificing their personal lives.  For those looking to replicate Simon's success, the key takeaway is the importance of aligning team roles with business goals, focusing on strategic delegation, and making time to work on the business rather than just in it. Simon's transformation into a 7-figure MSP leader who enjoys a four-day work week is not just aspirational but achievable with the right guidance and mindset.  Connect on LinkedIn HERE with Ian and also with Stuart by clicking this LINK  And when you're ready to take the next step in growing your MSP, come and take the Scale with Confidence MSP Mastery Quiz. In just three minutes, you'll get a 360-degree scan of your MSP and identify the one or two tactics that could help you find more time, engage & align your people and generate more leads.  OR   To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 400 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE  Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!   

On today's episode of Say It How It is, Ffion and Gwen are joined by Founder of Speakeasy Club and mental health advocate Simon Clarke.Simon founded Speakeasy Club following his own struggles with depression and anxiety over a number of years, with the aim of creating an environment where people feel comfortable to be vulnerable and open up about their own thoughts and feelings. For Simon, it took hitting rock bottom to find a way out. But it doesn't have to be this way. Through Speakeasy Club, resources and conversations are being made more readily available to access in your time of need. And through Simon sharing his own story on this episode, we hope you can see that no matter what you are going through and how you feel, you are not alone and there is always a way out.During this episode, expect to learn about the power of words and the lasting impact they can have on someone, the benefits and many forms of therapy, why being curious is so important, and so much more.You can find more information on Speakeasy Club and their resources here: https://speakeasyclub.co.uk/about-us/A big thank you to The Rugga Coffee Co. for sponsoring today's episode.You can get 15% off your order at checkout using code SAYIT15 - https://www.ruggacoffee.co.uk/Click the follow button to stay up to date on the latest episodes, and leave us a 5 star review!And remember… to keep saying it how it is!Instagram:@sayithowitisspodcast - https://instagram.com/sayithowitisspodcast?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==@ffionalicelewis - https://instagram.com/ffionalicelewis?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==@gwencrabb - https://instagram.com/gwencrabb?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr@speakeasyclub1 - https://www.instagram.com/speakeasyclub1?igsh=MWYwZWxjNDN1bzhkdQ==Tik tok:sayithowitiss - https://www.tiktok.com/@sayithowitisss?_t=8gcJlLFHuPg&_r=1ffionalicelewis - https://www.tiktok.com/@ffionalicelewis?_t=8gcJsxoYsAi&_r=1gwencrabb - https://www.tiktok.com/@gwencrabb?_t=8gcJtcqSJCC&_r=1Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-MartinezInstagram - @TheDaniellaMartinezhttps://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/www.instagram.com/grownuphustle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sermon Series: Dreaming in the Deep Water Sermon: Reality and Dreams Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Luke 5:1-11 Description: When we make the decision to trust and follow Jesus, we will come to better see and understand who Jesus really is. And in coming to better understand Jesus, it actually helps us to better understand ourselves. For Simon, this caused a moment of fear, but for Jesus, it was the moment he was waiting for to call him to be a disciple. 

In this episode of Behind The Mic we checked back in with UK band VICTORS for the third time. This time we checked in with Simon who plays lead guitar in the band. In this episode we discuss Simon's music journey and how he came to form the band with Harry who came on for Parts 1 and 2, playing in various indie-rock bands in his school days and a fond discussion over a shared love of the mid-00s UK pop-punk and rock scene. For industry issues, we discuss social media and the instability and unpredictability of the music industry. We also discuss the band's recent experience as headliners of Just Checking In Live #5 and the launch of their new single 'Nothing Seems to Matter Now', which was released the day before the show. For Simon's mental health, we discuss the death of a good friend of Simon's who took his own life on October 30th 2023. Simon had known Ben since childhood and they were part of a group who regularly went climbing together. We discuss the shock of his death, the grieving process and how we can stop other men like Ben from taking their own life and help them find the release valve that works for them. As always, #itsokaytovent Listen to VICTORS on streaming platforms below: Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/163g9TCjT…hwS7Gs2Ka3bPfubA YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCq-H6qmB1U59D2XqRNl2EcQ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/victorsofficial Follow VICTORS on social media platforms below: Instagram: www.instagram.com/victorsofficial/ Twitter: twitter.com/victorslive Facebook: www.facebook.com/victorsofficial/ You can listen to Parts 1 and 2 of VICTORS' journey below: Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/behind-the-mic-v-i-c-t-o-r-s?in=venthelpuk/sets/behind-the-mic Part 2: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/btm-victors-part-2 Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk Outro: VICTORS - Nothing Seems to Matter Now: https://open.spotify.com/track/3YktaxfQzXAAVY5utLFdKP?si=cea98896ea8a4d35

Stay informed on the latest in church crime by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, delivered every Monday. Sign up at https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch In this week's episode we dive into the essential read for anyone involved in church security "Converged Security Metrics" by Jim McConnell. It explores the integration of physical and information security and its importance in protecting our places of worship. Join us as we discuss with the author how these strategies can be applied within church security frameworks. Buy the book here https://a.co/d/exysuxs For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, threat assessment or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch" delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch An 18 year old Southern California student was arrested after police said they were able to determine that he was plotting a school shooting at Ontario Christian High School in San Bernardino County. Church Crime Watch delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, threat assessment or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch I've had the privilege of following Adam Davis's work for years, so it was truly an honor to meet him. As a best-selling author, devout Christian, and host of the "Live Unconquered" program, Adam has an inspiring journey. From a moment of near suicide in his police car to finding faith in Jesus, he now passionately shares the gospel. Tune in to our enriching conversation. Church Crime Watch Report delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch In this episode, we delve into a complex and troubling news story: a priest caught making sexual solicitations to a congregant during confession, who was also implicated in embezzling a significant sum of money, yet surprisingly remained active in his position. We'll thoroughly examine this unusual and concerning case, discussing the various layers and implications. Church Crime Watch Report delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Check out our free monthly webinars here: https://www.worshipsecurity.org/webinars In today's episode, I'll be discussing the transformative role of online training in both sustaining and expanding your church safety and security program. I will specifically guide you through our free monthly webinar series, highlighting how it can effectively bolster your church's security infrastructure. Join me as we explore the benefits and features of this innovative training solution. Check out our free monthly webinars here: https://www.worshipsecurity.org/webinars For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch In today's episode, we delve into the tragic story of a pastor who was fatally shot outside his home in Las Vegas, a consequence of a prolonged feud with a neighbor. We'll dissect the events leading up to this unfortunate incident and reflect on the important lessons that can be learned from such a tragic event. Church Crime Watch Report delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch In today's episode, we explore the heartbreaking incident of an Imam tragically shot and killed outside his Mosque in New Jersey at 6:15 AM. We'll discuss the details surrounding this event, the impact it has had on the local community, and the broader lessons we can learn from such a devastating occurrence. Church Crime Watch Report delivered to your email every Monday https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday: https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch In this episode, join us as we delve into the unique and impactful role of police chaplains with our guest, Jared Altic. Jared, both a pastor and a police chaplain, shares his insights on how chaplains provide essential support to law enforcement officers. Discover the ways in which these spiritual leaders contribute to the well-being of officers and enhance community relations. For Simon's personalized assistance with security risk assessments, emergency planning, or training, contact him at team@worshipsecurity.org

This year, I'm focusing on personal development and growth. My friend Barry Young from Serving Watchman invited me to his June conference in Kansas City. Here's my talk with Barry about his prevention-focused event, the Church Security: National Peer Support Chaplain & Safety Conference. Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday. https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance in risk assessments, emergency planning, or security training, contact Simon at team@worshipsecurity.org

Discussing a Bomb Threat at a Christmas Day Service: Why There Was No Immediate Evacuation and Key Lessons Learned. Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday. https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance in risk assessments, emergency planning, or security training, contact Simon at team@worshipsecurity.org

When Transformation Church in Oklahoma had to evacuate during their Christmas Eve service, it offered valuable insights. Let's examine the key lessons learned from this incident. Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" delivered to your email every Monday. https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance in risk assessments, emergency planning, or security training, contact Simon at team@worshipsecurity.org

Title: For Samaritans and Sorcerers Too Text: Acts 8:4-13 FCF: We often struggle playing our part in the scope of the gospel call. Prop: The gospel call is given for all men, so we must preach the true gospel to all men. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 8. In a moment I'll begin reading in verse 4 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1239 or in whatever version you prefer. Upon the conclusion of Stephen's sermon, the response was… extreme. His death was the match that lit the powder keg of persecution against the Nazarean sect of Judaism. In effect, the persecution affirmed in the eyes of the Jewish Religious leaders – that the Nazarean sect was not a sect at all. It was a cult. A perversion of Judaism. As such, Saul of Cilcia, from the city of Tarsus, would make a name for himself and seek to destroy this cult once and for all. Finding nowhere to hide in Jerusalem and having no hope for mercy from Saul and his bloodthirsty inquisition – the followers of Jesus of Nazareth were forced to flee Jerusalem. But as is verified by every persecution of the church since, God uses persecution to spread the gospel far and wide. Today, we see Luke transition into the next phase of the gospel ministry. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] In Luke 9, as Jesus approached Jerusalem for Passover and His crucifixion, He attempted to stay in a Samaritan village with the rest of His disciples. They sent messengers ahead to arrange for their lodging, but because they were headed to Jerusalem to worship, the Samaritans would not allow them to stay. The Samaritans thought Jews should only worship the Lord on Mount Gerizim. They were obviously wrong both to deny The Messiah, and also to think that Gerizim was the center of worship. James and John, upon hearing this, asked Jesus if they should command fire to come down from heaven and consume the village. But the Lord rebuked them and they carried on to another village. All too often you and I are more like James and John than we are like Jesus and His servant Philip. Let me show you what I mean. I.) The gospel call is available even to those in cults or false religions, so we must preach the true gospel to all men. (4-8) a. [Slide 3] 4 – Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word. i. As terrible as Saul's persecution on the church was – it did not deter true believers from proclaiming the truth of what they believed. ii. They did not scatter and cower in fear because of the persecution. iii. Instead, they scattered and continued to preach the gospel. iv. Now as an unintended consequence of persecution – the gospel has spread beyond Jerusalem. v. Rather than stamping it out – Saul has thrown water on an oil fire. It may have quenched some – but it has spread it far and wide. b. [Slide 4] 5 – Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them. i. There are two basic questions we need to ask before we continue on. ii. First, who is Philip? 1. We have three options available to us. a. First it could be Philip the apostle. He is listed in Acts 1. b. Second, it could be Philip the Deacon. He is listed in Acts 6. c. Third, it could be a Philip that we haven't seen yet in the book of Acts. 2. Because Luke introduces this Philip with no explanation or expansion, we can reasonably conclude that it is most likely one of the two Philips he has mentioned already. 3. Because he just said in verse 1 of chapter 8 that the apostles stayed in Jerusalem and because he will say later that the apostles are still in Jerusalem after these events (verse 14) We can deduce that this is NOT Philip the apostle. 4. This is Philip the Deacon. A Hellenistic Jew who went from serving tables to evangelizing. He went from Deacon to Missionary/Evangelist. iii. Our second basic question in this text is, to what city is Luke referring? 1. You might be thinking, well what are you blind Chris? It says the city of Samaria! 2. Well, although Samaria was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom when it existed, Samaria is no longer a city at this time. 3. On its ruins Herod had rebuilt a city called Sebaste, but this was a predominantly gentile city at the time of Luke's writing – and most likely not the city to which Luke refers. 4. Samaria at this time was a region and not a city, and Greek articles are imprecise when it comes to whether they are definite or indefinite. Meaning rather than saying “to THE city of Samaria” it could say “to A city of Samaria.” 5. All that being said, the city in question here could be one of many. 6. But it is not a particular city which Luke is after, but the people themselves. 7. The Samaritans were disliked by the Jews because they like the Hellenized Jews had adapted their lives to the culture -but to an even greater degree. 8. Samaritans are stuck in the middle between Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles would have classified them as Jewish since they had their own Pentateuch resembling that of the Jews. They were looking for their own deliverer known as the restorer, which is similar enough to the Jewish Messiah to be seen as the same. 9. But to the Jews the Samaritans would be viewed as Gentiles and pagans. They worship on a mountain that isn't Jerusalem. They are not looking for a Davidic King to reign forever in a new Kingdom. And they have incorporated pagan practices into their worship. 10. A modern comparison would be how we see Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses today. iv. Samaria would mean taking the gospel to non-pure Jews. Jews who had intermarried and intermixed with paganism. Jews who had long ago abandoned what God had told them to do. v. Thus, the gospel going to these half Jews half Gentiles is a fitting step between the gospel going to the Jews and the gospel going to the Gentiles. vi. Up to this point we've seen Jews in Jerusalem come to Christ. We've seen Jews from all over the Roman world come to Christ in Jerusalem. We've seen Hellenized Jews from Jerusalem come to Christ. We've seen proselytes from Jerusalem come to Christ. vii. But now Philip is preaching to people who are involved in a Jewish cult. They are Jewish lite. And they are not in Jerusalem but in Samaria. This represents a significant advancement in the gospel program. c. [Slide 5] 6-7 – And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip as they heard and saw the signs he was doing. 7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. i. Here again we see the gospel preached with the accompaniment of sign gifts. ii. But Philip is consistent with Stephen and the apostles before him, in that he uses sign gifts to authenticate and emphasize the gospel of Jesus Christ spoken through him. iii. The effect is a unified crowd who are marveling at the power displayed in him to cast out demons and heal paralysis. iv. They hear the screams of demons as they are cast out of their victims. They see those physically disabled, healed of their disability. v. So far, Luke does not record any conversions. But he records that Philip has the people's attention. vi. And… d. [Slide 6] 8 – So, there was great joy in that city. i. Well of course there was. ii. Why? iii. They were being freed from things that they didn't think they could be free of. They were being granted hope in a hopeless state. iv. Remember my friends that Acts is in the genre of scripture known as “Gospel.” v. That means that each narrative section has a particularly gospel centric teaching. That something is being conveyed about the gospel – even in the miracles. vi. People are being freed from demonic domination and permanent physical disabilities. What do you suppose the correlation to the gospel might be in this? vii. Can any of us free ourselves from the power of the forces of darkness, wielding death as a weapon against us? viii. Can any of us free ourselves from the incurable sickness of our hearts spoken of in Jeremiah 17:9? ix. We all are hopeless against our spiritual slavery to sin and incurable wickedness of our hearts. x. We need just as much of a miracle to be freed from these as we would demonic dominion and permanent physical disability. xi. And when true believers are freed from spiritual plights – there is an enduring joy that surpasses all understanding. xii. Their joy over their immediate needs being miraculously met will soon be surpassed by the joy of their greater spiritual need being met. More on that in a moment. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Jesus predicted and commanded that his apostles would be witnesses to Jerusalem, to all of Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. In this, Judea and Samaria were yoked together to represent the gospel's ability to reunify the people of Israel. A fractured nation would be reunited under a new banner. The banner of Jesus the Messiah. The problem? Most of Israel was not only fractured from one another nationally, but fractured from accurate teaching concerning God and His Messianic Kingdom. Samaritans were the furthest Jews away from rightly understanding God's ways and His Kingdom. They were a cult of the Jewish faith and despised by true Jews. But the gospel call goes even to them. The church did not fail or disobey. It obeys Jesus and takes the gospel… even to those who by all accounts – were too far gone. The church must continue in this mission to take the true gospel to all men. Even those who have twisted and perverted the scriptures. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] Certainly, we who are religiously inclined might balk at sharing the gospel with those who have twisted the word of God and created for themselves a different faith. But the gospel call must go forth – even to those who have been ensnared by false religions and cults. But what about those who outright blaspheme God? Those who hate God? Surely, they don't deserve to hear the truth of the gospel since they are obviously reprobates. II.) The gospel call is available even to blasphemers, so we must preach the true gospel to all men. (9-13) a. [Slide 9] 9 – Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; i. Luke keys us in on an important detail about the nature of Philip and the signs and wonders he was performing. ii. But before we get to that he first provides a little context about the area. In the time preceding Philip coming to Samaria, Simon was practicing magic in Samaria. iii. Specifically, he was practicing magic to a high level. To the extent that the people were astounded by him. iv. So many thought so highly of him that he was claiming to be a remarkable man. b. [Slide 10] 10 – and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” i. The expression smallest to greatest is designed to show us the kinds of people who were astounded. ii. Not only could it be said that the people of Samaria were astounded – but people from all walks of life. Peons to Princes. Rags to Riches. And everyone in between. iii. What did they conclude? iv. They concluded that this man is what is called the Great Power of God. v. This seems like a title that he gave to himself. Or at very least, he isn't in a hurry to correct them. vi. The Great Power is a title that Samaritans used to talk about Yahweh. vii. By saying that he was The Great Power of God, in effect he was claiming to be a demi-god. He was claiming to be a man-god or a divine man. viii. Perhaps your Christian senses are tingling. ix. Luke has expertly woven two stories together where one man sees the God-Man standing in a place of honor beside Yahweh the Father interceding on behalf of His people and in the next story a man claims to be the man-god and gaining quite a following from all kinds of people. x. But they couldn't be more different than one another. xi. For Jesus to be called the Son of Man at the right hand of God – is true – for He is. xii. For Simon to claim to be the power of God is false and is therefore… blasphemy. xiii. Stephen was stoned for blasphemy. But what will happen to Simon I wonder… c. [Slide 11] 11 – And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astounded them with his magic arts. i. There are two details here mentioned in verse 10 and 11 that contribute to a greater discussion. ii. Although there were many charlatans who used trickery to fleece people for money… Simon does not appear to be one of them. iii. He almost certainly earned his living from his magic arts. In that way he was like the charlatans. iv. But his magic seems… to be real. v. Why do I say that? vi. First, people smallest to greatest were giving him attention. Typically, Charlatans will prey upon the gullible, the simple, those with whom the need is great and they have become desperate enough to believe almost anything. vii. But usually, the inquisitive and the skeptic are able to poke holes in the tricks to reveal the man behind the curtain. Especially when they start talking monetary contribution. But here Luke records that people from all walks of life were astounded by Simon. viii. Second, hucksters typically don't stay in one place too long. The more often someone sees your schtick the easier it will be to figure out how it was done. So, they move to the next city and do the whole thing over again. But Simon has been “for a long time” astounding them in this city with his magic arts. ix. Both these combine together to indicate to us that this man was no charlatan. He did possess power from somewhere that enabled him to perform these magical arts. x. The early church father Justin Martyr, having been a Samaritan himself, wrote about Simon, that he was indeed powerful but that his power came from demons. xi. While this doesn't necessarily mean it was true, and Simon being a common name, there could have been another to which Justin was referring. It does seem to track with the details provided in Acts, that this Simon was the real deal. xii. Simon was a powerful Sorcerer… But… xiii. He didn't hold a candle to the power of God the Holy Spirit. d. [Slide 12] 12 – But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women. i. Although Luke does not say it as overtly as we might want him to… the implication is clear. ii. When Philip came to town and preached the gospel accompanied with signs… iii. When they heard demons screaming because they were being cast out of people against their will iv. When they saw those with permanent physical disabilities instantly and permanently healed, v. When they received the truth about the Eternal Davidic kingdom of God and the authority of the name of Jesus of Nazareth as the Jewish Messiah of God… vi. Simon became yesterday's news. vii. Simon no doubt contributed to some of them being dominated by demons. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip cast them out. viii. Simon no doubt healed certain ailments and difficulties among the people. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip healed them of conditions that Simon couldn't touch. ix. Simon either hid or was unaware of the source of his power and desired people to think he was something special. But Philip described exactly where the power he possessed came from and it wasn't from him. He gave all glory to Jesus because He was the Messiah of God who had come and established a kingdom for those who believe in Him. x. Simon didn't desire them to change course or have a different life. He simply wished them to think he was something great. xi. But Philip called them to repent and to follow Christ. So, the people believed that the kingdom of God had come and that Jesus was King and they were baptized into this new belief. They symbolically washed their former lives away and began following the Way of Jesus. xii. Now Simon is left with few if any followers. xiii. What is he to do? e. [Slide 13] 13 – Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly astounded. i. It would be extremely easy to be either incredibly cynical here or incredibly gullible. 1. If we were being cynical, we might severely doubt the belief and baptism of Simon. a. It seems as though he only believes and is baptized because he was losing his prominence. This might be a way for him to gain it back. b. His distance from Christ coupled with his former prominence among the people would instantly make his conversion head line news. c. He may also be attempting to gain the secret to Philip's power. Yeah yeah, he says it is Jesus… but what is it really. Once I learn it, I can exploit it. 2. If we were being gullible, we might accept his profession and baptism as all the evidence we need for his true faith. a. A person of Simon's kind coming to Christ is just the kind of thing that God's power can do. b. God can overcome even the most opposed to Him to prove He is the One True God. c. Philip baptized him. He obviously didn't see anything wrong with Simon's profession. ii. In the end we must choose a more calculated and biblical conclusion concerning Simon's conversion. In the flow of the narrative, Luke forces us to conclude that his belief was sincere and his baptism occurred. iii. Why? iv. Because that is how we see things. Philip had no reason to doubt the faith of Simon. He baptized him without error. Philip is only human. He can't see the heart of Simon. v. But one thing the scriptures are crystal clear on… is that neither the strength of our confession nor the fact of our baptism truly saves us. It is whether or not we have been gifted repentance and saving faith from the Lord. The evidence for that… is a life lived in enduring and progressing conformity to Christ. vi. That is what we will need to look for in the weeks to come in order to assess whether or not Simon's faith is saving. f. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: Setting aside the question of the validity of Simon's faith for this week, let us observe what this text adds to our understanding. Before we saw how the gospel call rang out for those who were far off. Those who had twisted and perverted their Jewish teachings and had yoked up with pagan practices. As astounding as this may be – to find a man who had the power of demons at his disposal, a man steeped in the occult, a man even claiming to be God Himself - my friends this is no mere cultist. This is blasphemy. We just saw the Jews stone a man to death for blasphemy. Now, we see a man actually claiming to be the GREAT POWER of God… and he is not stoned for it. My friends… he is given the gospel. Cultists and blasphemers alike are given the gospel. The church must continue to share the true gospel far and wide. Even to those who hate God. Even to those who claim to be God. Even to those who are our enemies. They must hear the gospel. Conclusion: So, CBC how shall we narrow down this point to a single doctrinal takeaway? Something revealing to us in a sentence or two what we have learned and how we should live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 15] When Jesus says that the apostles were to be witnesses of Him to the uttermost parts of the earth, this is no mere geographical destination. The Way of Jesus - belief in His atoning work as Savior and obedience to His commands as Lord – is a call given to all men everywhere. The gospel call is meant for every single man, woman, boy, girl, in all the world. Those poverty stricken in wealth, intelligence, wisdom, health, or doctrine and those flushed with riches, brilliance, charm, prowess and religion and every thing in between. All men must hear that they are sinners needing someone to save them. All men must hear they are lawless and in need of following a new Lord. All men must hear that they must repent and believe. And my friends, just as the Lord sent His apostles to do this – so they sent their disciples, who have sent their disciples, who have sent their disciples… all the way down until it gets to you and I, right here, in 21st century USA. We are to bear witnesses to all men that God is righteously angry with sin but has provided a redeemer to substitute for us and lead us in the way that is right. And even if they hate God… Even if they are swept away in a cult or false religion of demons… They must hear. And we must tell them. Let me improve upon this point in a few ways this morning, that we might put this into practical every day life. 1.) [Slide 16] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God is calling all men with the gospel. a. For clarity, we do not mean by this that God will save all men. There are two kinds of calls in the New Testament. i. We have the general call of God which rings out all men everywhere. 1. Of this Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14) 2. Of this Paul tells Timothy to pray that all men would come to repentance. (I Timothy 2:1-4) 3. Of this God is said to have loved the world by providing His Son so that believers would not perish. (John 3:16) 4. This is the call which we see in this text. ii. As a subpoint of the general call, there is also the effectual call of God. 1. Romans 1:6 Paul greets them as those who are called to belong to Christ 2. Romans 8:30 Paul gives us the golden chain of salvation. Those God foreknew or foreordained he also predestined or decided beforehand to become conformed to the image of His Son. And those whom He predestined for this He also called. Those whom He called He also Justified. Those whom He justified He also glorified. 3. Thus, we see that the difference between the effectual call and the general call is within the prerogative and by the planning of God and God alone. 4. What does this mean? iii. It means exactly what this application says. We must believe that God is calling all men with the gospel. b. Since the effectual call happens within the general call, and since the effectual call is solely up to the discretion and sovereign will of God – we as His people must be sure that the general call of the gospel goes out to all men. c. There are so very many men and women that we might desire to withhold the call of the gospel from. It sounds quite the dastardly thing to do, and indeed it is, but well within our sin's capabilities. d. We might withhold the gospel from those we are prejudiced against. i. Those who are too poor and too simple. ii. Those who are too wealthy in this life and we feel don't deserve a wealthy eternal existence in the next life also. iii. Those who are not a member of our particular race. iv. Those who have done awful things to us or harmed us or our families in some way. e. But thinking we know God's invisible will regarding those whom He has elected, we might withhold the gospel from those whom we have determined God would obviously not want. i. Those who are too young, too mentally incapable, too lacking in understanding. ii. Or those who have been too wicked, too evil, too sinful to receive grace. iii. And now we meet our text. We might actively resist sharing the general gospel call to those who have twisted God's Word or blasphemed His name. iv. We might convince ourselves that if anyone deserves eternal death – they do. f. But my friends - all of us deserve eternal death for all of us are guilty of High Treason against the God of all things. g. Our sins are so egregious that even if we were given an eternity to pay for them in a fiery, wrath filled existence, it would still not be enough to pay our sentence in full. h. What does that mean? i. Rather than thinking – shall the gospel go to such a wicked man? We should instead think, surely the gospel can go to this man, for the gospel came… even to me. j. There is not one person on earth too ___________________ to hear the general call of the gospel. 2.) [Slide 17] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that those in false religions or deep blasphemy are too far gone to be saved. a. On the surface, this may seem like a repeat of our first application. Indeed, I almost crossed this out. But there is a unique prickle to this application that the first did not touch. b. In the first point we must battle the urge for us to pick and choose who gets to hear the gospel. c. In this point, we must battle our tiny view of the power of God's grace. d. Just as we concluded that if the gospel can come to me, a wretched sinner, so also it can come to this poor blasphemer…. So, we must also conclude just as the gospel call was effective for even me… so also it could be effective for this poor devil too. e. God's grace can reach all. Not just those involved in the most wicked displays of pleasure and lust. Not only for those who are overcome by their own selfish and prideful tendencies. f. But my friends, God's grace can even cut through the darkness in a member of the occult. It can pierce the stony heart adorned with false Jesus' and false Jehovahs. The same lips who said there is no God, can be redeemed to extol the daily new mercies of the Great Ancient of Days. The same lips who exalted Mohammed or admired the Buddha, or praised Jospeh Smith, or heralded Charles Taze Russel – those lips can be seared with a coal from the Holy fire of God to proclaim with even greater fervency the authority and power of Jesus of Nazareth. g. God's grace is by definition an unstoppable force of God's favor. And no man… NO LIVING MAN is too lost, too wicked, or too antagonistic to the gospel of Jesus Christ for God's grace to not utterly undo him. h. When God's grace is shed… there is no man who can resist it. 3.) [Slide 18] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must preach the gospel to all whom the Lord has providentially led into our lives. a. So armed as we are with the first two points – let us make the bold assertion that every man, woman, and child that God brings into our lives by providence of His will, are those to whom we must give the call of the gospel. b. Though we as the church are united in this effort, we individually have mission fields which the Lord has providentially prepared for us to walk in. Though we could all drive to your work, or your family gathering, or your neighborhood, or your grocery store and we could all share the gospel together… c. It seems more in keeping with Philip the Deacon, Philip the evangelist, that you simply go and be a light, a beacon, a city on a hill shining for all to see. d. May you be quick to share the gospel wherever you go. May you be quick to speak of the holiness of God. e. May you take this gospel call with you and offer it to any who crosses your path, knowing that among those whom you offer the general call – there may be those whom the Lord is effectually calling. f. There are still several of His people in this city, in this state, in this nation. But they are lost. They are still blind. They are still dead. But the light of the gospel – the effectual call of the Lord can wake them to life. It can give them sight so they can see. It can find them and lead them home. g. My friends… be faithful to preach the gospel to all whom the Lord leads to you. And perhaps the Lord will allow you to see the new birth of a brother or sister in Christ. 4.) [Slide 19] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop being hasty to reject or receive conversions of prominent people. a. When we are hasty to reject these stories – we effectively deny the power of the grace of God and the scope of the gospel call, even the effectual call, to go to all kinds of men. b. Certainly, it is more difficult for those with power, prestige, wealth or influence to come to repentance and faith – but it is not impossible. Why? For it does not depend on men but on God. God's grace cannot be resisted. c. However, when we are hasty to receive conversions of prominent people – we effectively deny the power of the grace of God to change a person progressively into the image of Christ. d. By putting our stamp of “certified convert” on an untested plant that has sprung up among many weeds of the world… we seem to deny the possibility of false conversions or false belief. And we often end up looking like fools who have spent the money they would have earned on a harvest, but no harvest ever came. e. Over the last few years, we've seen people like Kat Von D, Hulk Hogan, Kanye West, Shia LaBeouf, and Eminem profess faith in Jesus. f. With each of those names – no doubt you had some sort of initial reaction. g. But Simon the sorcerer was a celebrity too. He was the bees knees in Samaria. And despite his later lack of fruit – all Philip saw was that he confessed Christ and so he baptized Simon. h. Just like Simon, with these other celebrities of our time, rather than being a cynic and always assuming their conversions are not genuine. And rather than being gullible and always assuming that they are a saved person regardless of what they do with the rest of their lives. Perhaps we can take a lesson from Luke here and simply say what we've seen. And rejoice in it. i. And if that is not sufficient, may we simply add our prayerful hope that the Lord will produce in them the fruit of repentance and righteousness. 5.) [Slide 20(end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The gospel is the power of God to save all who believe. a. There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. b. The gospel is God's power to save all who believe. c. There is none who have been united to Christ by true faith, who will be lost. d. Jesus said, all that the Father gives me are mine and I will by no means lose even one. e. That… is a marvelous and comforting thought to those who believe. f. No matter who they are or where they come from… God has decided before hand to conform His people into the image of His Son. That level of power… is comforting to those it saves. Let me close with a prayer by a Puritan by the name of Joseph Alleine. O Lord, how insufficient we are for this work. With what will we pierce the scales of Leviathan – or [with what will we] make our hearts, hard as a millstone, feel what you desire them to feel? Will we go and speak to the grave, and expect the dead to obey us and come forth? Will we make a speech to the rocks, or lecture the mountains, and move them with arguments? Will we make the blind see? From the beginning of the world no one has ever heard of opening the eyes of a person born blind. But, Lord, you can pierce the heart of the sinner. We can draw the bow at random, but you direct the arrow between the cracks of the armor. We come in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. We come forth, like David against Goliath, to wrestle, not with flesh and blood, but with rulers and cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil of this world. This day let the Lord defeat the Philistines, take away the armor from the strong man, and give us the captives out of his hand. Lord, choose our words. Choose our weapons for us. And when we put our hands into the bag, and take out a stone and sling it, and carry it to the mark, make it sink – not into the forehead, but into the heart of the unconverted sinner. Take him to the ground like Saul of Tarsus. Lord God, help! How can we leave them this way? If they will not hear us, still we pray that you will hear us. We pray that they might live in your sight! Lord, save them, or they perish. Our hearts would melt to see their houses on fire when they were fast asleep in their beds. So, are our souls moved within us to see them endlessly lost? Lord, have compassion, and save them out of the burning. Put forth your divine power, and the work will be done. Slay the sin, and save the soul of the sinner. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. In light of what the scriptures teach us in Isaiah 52:7 May Heaven's richest blessing come down on everyone who goes out, following the good and beautiful Shepherd Himself, to find the lost sheep and to love and care for them. For beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. Until we meet again… go in peace.

In this podcast episode, we explore 7 Tips to Boost Your Church's Security in the Upcoming Year. Don't miss our weekly "Church Crime Watch Report" every Monday. https://www.worshipsecurity.org/churchcrimewatch For Simon's personalized assistance in risk assessments, emergency planning, or security training, contact Simon at team@worshipsecurity.org

Simon Whitehead is a ferreter not a rockstar – but he is a ferreter with a public. He has suffered from the pressure. His new book, Pugs & Drummers, discusses not just ferreting but how ferreting saved his life. He explains it to Charlie Jacoby in the Carter Jonas Game Fair Theatre in July 2023. For Simon's new book, visit Simon-Whitehead.com/pugs-and-drummers-book For more ways to listen to this, visit FieldsportsChannel.tv/fieldsportschannelpodcast82 This podcast is brought to you by the British Shooting Show, the UK largest gun show, held at the NEC, Birmingham   

Barbie, patriarchy, and the culture wars with Professor Caroline Bainbridge This podcast came about in relation to Caroline and Simon's personal reactions to the Barbie movie and in recognition that this movie is a 'cultural event' that demands some thought. As Caroline says, 'this movie needs psychoanalysis': Freudians would say it's all about death, desire, and sexual difference. For anyone interested in object relations, themes of play, transitional spaces, and phenomena, aggression and pain make up the substance of the plot. For Caroline, a key part of the movie's pleasure is linked to its radical owning of the patriarchy as a fact, a given of contemporary society. It's the first time she can recall having seen this depicted on film in a mainstream movie in such a bold, incontrovertible way. This, in itself, makes the movie radical, she argues, despite its unevenness in parts. Caroline talks inspiringly about how her repeat viewings of the film revealed the extent of its play with ideas, and she shares her deep and thoughtful views on why this movie is important. Simon watched the movie once and found himself both very impressed and also very troubled: while he admires the outing of the patriarchy that Caroline mentions, this doesn't outweigh his concern about the portrayal of men as degrading, and he found the depiction of seemingly binary differences between men and women troubling. For Simon, this potentially feeds into the right-wing populist agenda that, in turn, feeds off the gender and culture wars. Caroline sees it a little differently, suggesting there are some subtle nuances built by director Greta Gerwig, especially in her play with the distinctive absence of genitalia in Barbie and Ken dolls. She suggests that the film centers this idea, the better to open up space to explore what non-binary, trans, and more fluid ideas of gender might be like. Similarly, Caroline notes that critics sometimes describe Barbieland as a matriarchy, but Gerwig actually does something novel here. There are no mothers in Barbieland, and no children either - in fact, the film goes to great lengths to show how maternal versions of the doll such as Midge have been discontinued, and narrator, Helen Mirren, plays with the idea of smashing associations between doll play and being a mother from the very beginning. The implication is that Barbieland is not so much a matriarchy as a woman-to-woman sociality, and this has important implications for how Gloria (America Ferrera) and Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) are able to find one another afresh and to re-navigate their complex relationship. Simon's Substack blog on the film which led to this podcast can be read here. Bio Caro Bainbridge is Emeritus Professor of Psychoanalysis and Culture and a former editor of Free Associations and of the film section at the International Journal of Psychoanalysis. She co-edits a book series on psychoanalysis and popular culture for Routledge. She's a Fellow of the RSA, a Founding Scholar of the British Psychoanalytic Council, Research Associate at the Freud Museum, London, and a member of ISPSO and Opus. Caro has recently co-founded the MiNDings consultancy (www.mindings.org), where she works in the organizational processes and leadership space. She is also a member of the Eco Leadership Institute, and she practices as an executive and personal coach. Outside work, she makes the most of living close to Another Place, an art installation on a beach that evokes edges and possibilities in equal measure.

“Being sustainable is a story of assumed negatives, but it's actually a story of discovered positives.” We were joined in this episode by Simon Garnett who has been on a personal journey with consumption, one which he started when he realised his own habits were unhealthy, a journey he continues and has taken into his professional life as well. Simon shares with us the moment he decided to reappraise his consumption with ‘new' and how after a year it moved to him reappraising his consumption overall. Simon explains, whenever he tells anyone his story he gets asked two questions “after a year of not consuming, what was the first things you bought and, what did you miss?” These questions only made it clearer for Simon that, “the engagement with this story, the engagement with the concept of not buying new, is absolutely, integrally rooted in a concept of loss. But, from his perspective and experience it was the total opposite, and as the headline to this episode highlights, “It's a story of assumed negatives, which is actually a story of discovered positives.” We go on to explore the tensions that exist once you embark on a more sustainable way of living and the challenge of taking what you've learned to influence others at scale. Simon explains that he wants to create meaning around consumption and highlight that is isn't about success and it definitely shouldn't be viewed as inconvenient if you decide to cut down or buy second-hand. For Simon, marketing has been primarily about “driving consumption of new, and consumption of new is what equals success.”  Sustainability is often associated with having less, or being told you can't have something and Simon acknowledges that the message we need to consume less is a strong one, but given how much we waste, how can that be a loss if we don't even use what we do buy.  Michelle shares a recent room refurbishment, something she found incredibly creative, down to the paint which she got through the sharing app, Olio. Through this journey Michelle discovered a number of services she didn't know existed and that sense of not just taking the convenient route brought a deeper feeling of fulfilment. However, she points out the reason she hadn't heard of these services, is because they are not being talked about enough. There are so many stories not yet being told. Simon worries that the sense of “build it and they will come” risks relying on platforms and infrastructure to deliver and make re-commerce successful with a great user experience but it's not, it's about the stories we need to be telling. Simon explains, “what we're competing with is not just inconvenience, but decades of messaging that new equals success and second hand is a bit dirty and undesirable.” Marketing has such an important role, and Simon believes we can rewrite the story. There are many discovered benefits to sustainable living. What is your experience? Tune in and listen to this episode and make it a personal objective to share your personal stories and experiences, after all, we all need to be shouting louder when it comes to the benefits. And to join the Re-commerce Revolution LinkedIn group Simon mentions - the link is here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14191082/ _______________________________________________________________________________________ You'll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We're all in this together. Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

“Being sustainable is a story of assumed negatives, but it's actually a story of discovered positives.”We were joined in this episode by Simon Garnett who has been on a personal journey with consumption, one which he started when he realised his own habits were unhealthy, a journey he continues and has taken into his professional life as well. Simon shares with us the moment he decided to reappraise his consumption with ‘new' and how after a year it moved to him reappraising his consumption overall. Simon explains, whenever he tells anyone his story he gets asked two questions “after a year of not consuming, what was the first things you bought and, what did you miss?” These questions only made it clearer for Simon that, “the engagement with this story, the engagement with the concept of not buying new, is absolutely, integrally rooted in a concept of loss. But, from his perspective and experience it was the total opposite, and as the headline to this episode highlights, “It's a story of assumed negatives, which is actually a story of discovered positives.”We go on to explore the tensions that exist once you embark on a more sustainable way of living and the challenge of taking what you've learned to influence others at scale. Simon explains that he wants to create meaning around consumption and highlight that is isn't about success and it definitely shouldn't be viewed as inconvenient if you decide to cut down or buy second-hand. For Simon, marketing has been primarily about “driving consumption of new, and consumption of new is what equals success.” Sustainability is often associated with having less, or being told you can't have something and Simon acknowledges that the message we need to consume less is a strong one, but given how much we waste, how can that be a loss if we don't even use what we do buy. Michelle shares a recent room refurbishment, something she found incredibly creative, down to the paint which she got through the sharing app, Olio. Through this journey Michelle discovered a number of services she didn't know existed and that sense of not just taking the convenient route brought a deeper feeling of fulfilment. However, she points out the reason she hadn't heard of these services, is because they are not being talked about enough. There are so many stories not yet being told.Simon worries that the sense of “build it and they will come” risks relying on platforms and infrastructure to deliver and make re-commerce successful with a great user experience but it's not, it's about the stories we need to be telling. Simon explains, “what we're competing with is not just inconvenience, but decades of messaging that new equals success and second hand is a bit dirty and undesirable.” Marketing has such an important role, and Simon believes we can rewrite the story.There are many discovered benefits to sustainable living. What is your experience? Tune in and listen to this episode and make it a personal objective to share your personal stories and experiences, after all, we all need to be shouting louder when it comes to the benefits. And to join the Re-commerce Revolution LinkedIn group Simon mentions - the link is here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14191082/_______________________________________________________________________________________You'll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player and via The Marketing Society. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We're all in this...

Join Ryan J Melton as he sits down with the ever-engaging Simon Walker, once fondly nicknamed "Simon Walker Cricket Talker" by his Year 4 teacher. From his early days of being the chatterbox in pre-school to his current role leading a dynamic team at Proposition, Simon's journey is a testament to passion and evolution. In this episode, they delve into the intricacies of 'deep work' and its transformative role in today's bustling work environment. Simon offers invaluable insights into the challenges of flexible work schedules and the unparalleled benefits of having dedicated focus days. But it's not all business. Simon's unwavering belief in the power of storytelling takes center stage. In our fast-paced world, he emphasizes the profound importance of human connection, especially in the tech industry. For Simon, it's not just about selling a product; it's about building genuine relationships through compelling narratives. If you've ever been curious about where storytelling intersects with technology and its potential to reshape our world, this episode promises a deep dive into the heart of the matter. So, grab your headphones and a cup of ☕️, and immerse yourself in this enlightening conversation. Proposition.co.nz

DESIRE DRIVES BOYS, DUTY DRIVES MEN.Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Resilient Dad Show. Today we speak with Simon Smart, a men's coach with a background in business, martial arts, and military combatives. He recalls growing up in Asia and his first exposure to rites of passage and growing into a man.Simon digs into a man's stages of growth, from being a baby to a boy and, finally, to a man. He talks about how a boy will grow in power, like in mobility and in strength, but also in duty and responsibility. For Simon, mature masculinity takes pride in duty, while juvenile masculinity is focused on desires.A man must be able to look at himself in the mirror and ask "am I a man worth following?" To guide this question, Simon shares his 4 V's: Vision, Vitality, Veritas (truth), and Virtus (courage). He also talks about fighting, defending the people you love, and gaining confidence through combat sports.WORDS OF RESILIENCEA guide is needed to teach a boy how to be a man - Simon: "There has to be a guide or a mentor. And in a lot of traditions, there's more than just the day or the night or the week of the rite of passage. There's training that comes before. A lot of the training for boys is around what is a man in our culture?"A man's vision for himself keeps him grounded - Simon: "When they have no grounding, I think this is an important point to make when you have a vision, quest, and thus a vision of yourself, you spend a lot of your time building yourself into that vision. When you don't have a vision, you spend your time building yourself into everyone else's vision of you. In other words, you worry a lot more about others' vision of who you are than your own, and that's when men drift into being people pleasers."Duty for others is what sets apart mature and juvenile masculinity - Simon: "What we can maybe make is a simple distinction between mature masculinity and juvenile masculinity is that distinction between living for others and living for your duties versus living for your attachments and your desires and whatever you want. I think that mature masculinity is what eventually ties into what I would call manhood. Juvenile masculinity may have a lot of masculine elements, but it doesn't access manhood in the way that mature masculinity does." Connect with Simon:LinkedInConnect with Pat:Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient DadIf you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

Resilience is not something to be learned, but something to be discovered. It requires an inner sense of knowing and can be developed through the experience of facing challenges and pressure. Whether it's conquering your day-to-day tasks or striving for a bigger goal, resilience is the key to success. Here's some of the great stuff that we cover in this show:Entrepreneurship is about more than just having a good idea--it's also about being confident and resilient. It can be difficult for entrepreneurs to find the right team members who complement their skillset, but it's essential in order to create a successful business. Resilience is key in entrepreneurship--without it, businesses are likely to fail.As an entrepreneur, it is important to be able to work in the front line and understand what the real problems are. It is also important to have a mind that is resilient and can tolerate ambiguity. Part of being an entrepreneur is learning to be a leader. A leader is someone who works in the front line and has enough capacity to take on other people's problems.Matt and Simon discuss the importance of core values and how they can help you understand when it is time to move on from a situation. For Simon, one of his core values is people. He loves being around people and finds them essential for success. However, he also recognises that as he gets older, he may need to find ways to recharge that don't require so much face-to-face interaction.----------------------------ABOUT SIMONSimon has spent over 40 years of creating and delivering projects and figuring out this whole entrepreneurial thing! Starting out life as a dentist, moving into the sun-bed and eventually the health spa game he sold it all and moved to NZ. Now he creates change and development in peoples lives and their business, with 1-2-1 coaching and mentoring. He's also been doing a lot of short-term change assignments in the health sector.----------------------------For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.pushtobemore.com.

The Chief of Staff role can be an incredible launch-pad to many other roles and career options. For Simon Rodrigues, he decided he wanted to work independently and start a newsletter after leaving his CoS role in 2022. For Simon, the decision was around wanting to work with a lot of autonomy. The Chief of Staff is often mis-understood and this episode will help better understand it and how you could get a CoS role. Excited for you to build and grow your Portfolio Career!This episode with notes is available on my website.Connect with Simon on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter

What happens when you lose it all? For Simon, it meant jumping on a bike and beginning his journey to travel the globe. The aim, to see every continent. At least to touch the ground with the front wheel of his mighty Africa Twin. This is part 1 of Simon's chat with us. Make sure you subscribe to enjoy the rest of the story in part 2. You can connect with Simon on his socials and youtube with the links below. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/globlwalkabout/ Gobal Walkabout YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/GlobalWalkabout Wanna support the channel? Follow our link to our Patreon for additional content and bonuses for being a champion. https://www.patreon.com/BikesBurgersBeers Find Australia's top motorcycle Podcast right now - Look up Bikes Burgers Beers and look out for our coupon codes for massive discounts on beer, and riding gear. Be sure to follow us on Instagram!!! https://www.instagram.com/bikes_burgers_beers/ Show sponsors who help offer you beautiful listeners some very generous discounts. Willie The Boatman 20% off code #bikesburgersbeers Johnny Reb 15% off code BIKES15 Aussie Moto Content Creators Meetup https://www.barberingbiker.com/about-4 MotoRides Australia https://www.instagram.com/motoridesaustralia/ Patreon Shout-OUTS to these legends! Rod Kinder Madam Rider Australasia - https://madamrideraustralasia.com/ Jovanka Filiposka Trevor Winfield PrestigeLiquidsWW - https://www.youtube.com/c/PrestigeLiquidsWW Fempro Armour (Formerly Miss MX Gear) - https://femproarmour.com Linda Mayer Anna Noyelle Kraken's Garage & Adventures - https://youtube.com/c/KrakensGarageAdventures

I en ny podcastserie på Radio MENA har du mulighed for at komme helt tæt på en række danske ildsjæle, der lever og ånder for at skabe positiv forandring i Mellemøsten og Nordafrika. Men i stedet for at spørge, hvordan de danske idealister har præget udviklingen i den her del af verden, så spørger vi, hvordan mødet med arabiske unge har sat sit tydelige præg på dem. I denne episode taler Anna Steen Hansen med medstifter og direktør i den danske gadeidrætsorganisation GAME, Simon Prahm. GAME har siden 2002 arbejdet for at skabe varige sociale forandringer gennem unge-ledet gadeidræt. For Simon har mødet med den unge fodboldspiller Raneem Abu Khalaf gjort et stort indtryk. Raneem brækkede sit bækkenben i en bilulykke i 2017 og har måttet erkende, at hun aldrig igen kommer til at spille fodbold på højt niveau. Men i stedet for at kaste håndklædet i ringen er hun blevet frivillig i GAME og er nu fodboldtræner og rollemodel for unge piger i Amman. Raneem er et tydeligt bevis på, at der ikke er nogen modsætning mellem at være kvinde og dyrke sport, og at man desuden sagtens kan spille fodbold i en lilla hijab. Hør hvad Simon har lært af Raneem. Tilrettelæggelse og produktion: Anton Kock Marcussen, Nidal Abu Arif og Anna Steen Hansen Vært: Anna Steen Hansen Musik: Daniel Birch -Memories in Color

I denne episode taler Anna Steen Hansen med medstifter og direktør i den danske gadeidrætsorganisation GAME, Simon Prahm. GAME har siden 2002 arbejdet for at skabe varige sociale forandringer gennem unge-ledet gadeidræt. For Simon har mødet med den unge fodboldspiller Raneem Abu Khalaf gjort et stort indtryk. Raneem brækkede sit bækkenben i en bilulykke i 2017 og har måttet erkende, at hun aldrig igen kommer til at spille fodbold på højt niveau. Men i stedet for at kaste håndklædet i ringen er hun blevet frivillig i GAME og er nu fodboldtræner og rollemodel for unge piger i Amman. Raneem er et tydeligt bevis på, at der ikke er nogen modsætning mellem at være kvinde og dyrke sport, og at man desuden sagtens kan spille fodbold i en lilla hijab. Hør hvad Simon har lært af Raneem.

We're back with our first episode of 2022. For Simon and Justin life and COVID got in the way. We discuss the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and new laws in Ireland allowing working from home. Should more employers embrace the working from home environment and what tech should you have in your home office or studio.

After boldly getting into the boat of Simon, Jesus boldly asks him to put out into the shallow waters so that Jesus can preach to the people on the shore. And then, even more boldly, Jesus commands Simon to go out into deep water. The symbolism here is that Jesus doesn't want to remain in the shallows with us but rather to bring us into the deep. Leaving our surface-level relationship and moving into a deeper relationship with Jesus our life can finally be fruitful. And it's there that we'll receive our mission from Jesus. For Simon, it was to become a fisher of men. What will it be for you?

It is easy to think we know more than someone else. Obedience is the key to unlocking God's blessings in our lives. For Simon and his fellow fisherman, Jesus said go out deep and cast your nets. Because they followed His instructions they had more than they could have ever imagined.

If you want to accelerate your recruitment agency growth, there are two key challenges you absolutely must solve. First, how to attract and recruit the right people. Secondly, how to develop your people into great billers. Consistently achieving both of these objectives will translate into better talent retention and faster business growth. Of course, that's easier said than done. How do you actually do it?  In this episode, my special guest, Simon Kouttis, gives a masterclass on how to hire, train and develop recruitment consultants. He reveals how they are able to take trainee recruiters and get them billing £500,000 in six months! Simon is an Executive Director and Partner in SOAP, a London-based executive search firm on a mission to revolutionize the cybersecurity recruitment industry. Simon also is a co-host of his own podcast, called Hunters and Unicorns. Episode Outline and Highlights [1:55] How SOAP is revolutionizing recruitment and what their differentiating factor looks like. [6:45] Allowing strategic conversations to take place with internal talent acquisition teams of your clients. [12:16] Simon talks about the SOAP Sales Playbook. [20:33] How to come up with culture and values that are not just lip service. [30:00] How SOAP empowers their employees: practical approach on rewards and compensation. [34:22] The value of training and development and how it works at SOAP. [38:49] Learn about SOAP's call-listening activity and how it adds to their culture of learning. [42:17] SOAP's approach to internal recruitment - hiring based on attributes instead of experience. [47:22] Simon shares about his podcast, Hunters + Unicorns The SOAP Sales Playbook One of the differentiating factors for Simon's firm is their commitment to continuous learning and development. To help their staff to reach their full potential, they came up with the SOAP Sales Playbook. For Simon, it is one of the most transformational things that they have come up in the recruitment business. “We are seeing recruiters that could barely bill doing five hundred thousand in a half a year.”  Simon shared that there are four playbooks on which the foundation is focused on how to influence the most high performing passive candidates in the market. If this idea appeals to you or if you are in the process of creating a developmental methodology for your organization, you will enjoy Simon's detailed explanation. Culture and Values - Not Just Lip Service Promoting culture and company values is critical for a growing business. For some recruitment companies, however, it can only be lip service. Culture may only be by default instead of by design. For Simon, from a values perspective, they spend three days when people join their business talking about values. Simon explains, “The reason for that is because everything we do as a business, every decision we ever make, comes from those values. Who we hire, who we fire, what process we are going to build, what strategies we are going to execute, everything comes with reference to those values.”  In line with this, Simon shared how their values affect their internal hiring process.  Investing Heavily in Training and Development As mentioned earlier, SOAP invests heavily in training and development of their employees. This is one of the key topics Simon and I discussed. I clearly remember when I started back in 1997, there was really no structured training plan in place. For successful recruitment business owners that I had the privilege of having as guests in this podcast, a common factor is how they value continuous learning for them and their team. SImon is no exception. This is how he puts it: “Learning and development is not something you do at the beginning. It is something that you do every single day every week.”  You will hear Simon reveal their methodology and approach in development, as well as how it has positively impacted their growth as a company.  What Would You Look for When Hiring Internally? Let's be honest, as ironic as it may sound,  effective recruiters are not always as effective when hiring internally compared to hiring for their clients. This is indeed a known challenge to those who have been around for a long time in this industry. So I had to ask Simon, when hiring internally, what are they looking for? SOAP does not only bank on recruitment experience when looking for clients. He discussed different methodologies they apply as well as their hiring process. What do they look for potential candidates? Here are the takeaways: The desire to learn  Coachability  Character and Resilience  Experience / tenure and performance based on previous role, not necessarily recruitment Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Simon Kouttis Bio and Contact Info From: https://huntersandunicorns.com/your-host/ Having graduated with a degree in mathematics, Simon's early career included property development and owning a hospitality business, before entering the world of executive search. With a decade of experience, Simon is now a Founding Executive Partner at SOAP where he leads the sales enablement function. He has developed industry-leading best practices that include the Trinity Search Methodology, the Candidate Spectrum of Motivations and is the author of the SOAP sales playbook built on MEDDIC. Simon straddles the technical and sales recruitment functions, in order to drive engagement on the largest and most complex global recruitment campaigns.  Simon is passionate about recruitment strategy, which has led to a focus on working with talent acquisition in order to identify the bottlenecks that can suffocate the effectiveness of attracting the highest calibre individuals. Simon kindles his creative spark through his love of art and music.  He is a golf addict, although his first love is Liverpool football club. He is a father to boy-girl twins that keep him away from many of his hobbies. Simon on LinkedIn SOAP website link Simon's podcast, Hunters + Unicorns website link SOAP on YouTube SOAP on Instagram People and Resources Mentioned Leanne Sara Jones Hunt on LinkedIn Traction, by Gino Wickman Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#66 How to Grow Your Recruitment Business by Hiring Top Recruiters, with Leanne Sara Jones Hunt Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

All round angler and good guy, Simon Hartop has known Keith for many years. He angles for most species but carp fishing takes him into the wild which is where he's most at home. For Simon, who does a bit of teaching now and again (!) angling is a way of life. In this Strange Boat chat, Keith reveals Simon's musical tastes which had a very strong midlands mod influence but turned to rock when he heard his Dad's copy of Deep Purple in Rock!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strange-boat. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest on the Mads Singers Management Podcast is Simon Kardynal, a Canadian Air Force veteran and the host of Trench Leadership: A Podcast from the Front. With his background in the military, Simon is no stranger to leadership; however, after 26 years of service, some people still get intimidated by his experience. Simon also had a hard time communicating with people after leaving the military. He had to make many adjustments, especially when he had to share and reach out to people. But this challenge didn't stop Simon from achieving his goals. He used this challenge as leverage to start his podcast to help upcoming leaders learn to communicate effectively.Simon and I subscribe to the view that great leaders are built, not made. Because every leader was once a beginner who also struggled to get where they are today, they were once clueless and confused. Some had to go through complex challenges to achieve their goals.For Simon, it's okay not to know everything. We shouldn't be afraid to ask for help from others, especially if we aren't familiar with something. This also applies to reaching out to people whenever you are faced with difficulties in life. Let's face it, we humans thrive on interaction, but because we all have our unique way of dealing with things, we need to consider how we should approach another person. Key Learning Points:1.Simon shares about a program he was accepted into and how it taught him that leadership isn't about just leading with your brain but also with your heart. - 04:462. Simon says that a leader should be a blend of both intelligence and empathy. - 05:083. Mads shares that he is more of a logical person than an emotional person and admits he struggles connecting with people emotionally. Still, he doesn't let this stop him from reaching out to people or offering his support in a time of need. - 07:284. Simon shares how mingling with others became difficult for him as a leader. - 08:085. Mads says that you need different types of people in your company, you need people who can talk to other people, people who can make sales. Having people who are like you is ideal. However, it doesn't apply to every aspect. - 10:096. Simon shares that honesty will ensure that things will get done if you're honest and forthright with your people. - 12:177. Mads says that it's essential to recognize the different kinds of people you have in your company. - 15:358. Simon says that it's easier to build connections than understand when to push someone and read their body language. - 17:319. Simon shares a recent experience a few months ago when he realized that different environments require different things. Because of this, Simon's relationship with the people around him drastically increased. - 20:2410. Simon talks about the importance of reaching out to talk to someone you trust when you find yourself in a difficult situation or don't have all the answers (and it's okay not to have all the answers all the time). - 28:29Connect with Simon:EmailPodcast: Trench Leadership: A Podcast from the FrontFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

***JOIN AMANTHA IN A LIVE TAPING OF HOW I WORK***I'm going to be doing a live taping of How I work at the Melbourne Podcast Festival on Saturday July 31 at 2.30pm.http://melbournepodcastfestival.com/podcast/how-i-work/For this very special live taping, Amantha will be speaking to Christian O'Connell. Christian was Britain's best known and most awarded breakfast radio presenter, hosting his own top rating national breakfast shows and collecting more industry awards than any other presenter and becoming the youngest radio presenter ever inducted into the UK Radio Hall of Fame. And then he moved out to Australia where no one knew him. Australian Radio Network took a punt on bringing him to Melbourne's Gold FM – a move that has paid dividends.In this interview, we will be exploring:what goes on behind the scenes of breakfast radioChristian's strategies for overcoming mental health challenges that plagued him in the competitive world of commercial radiohow Christian finds ideas and inspiration to fill three hours of live radio every single daywhy Christian once wore a death watch, which reminded him how much longer he had to livethe biggest things he learnt from being in therapy for several yearshow he prepares for interviews with some of the world's biggest celebritieshow he picked himself up after dismal ratings when he first started on GOLD FMAnd much, much more.Book your tickets here: http://melbournepodcastfestival.com/podcast/how-i-work/***When Simon Griffiths chose to cover your toilet paper stack with a cheeky sense of fun and delight, the Who Gives a Crap founder cracked open a whole new world of creative possibilities for the business. For Simon, that meant delivering something unexpected to his customers and creating a culture of quirky fun in the workplace, all while delivering decoration to your dunny.That sense of humour has even filtered through to the company's recruitment process. Connect with Simon on Twitter or Linkedin You can find the full interview here: https://www.amantha.com/podcasts/who-gives-a-craps-simon-griffiths-on-driving-a-team-through-greater-purpose/ Connect with me on the socials:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimberTwitter: https://twitter.com/amanthaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanthai/ If you're looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au CREDITSProduced by... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sermon ManuscriptI'm going to wade into the world of politics for a moment. It's a risk, but I hope you'll see the point as it relates to Acts 8. And let me say this up font. I'm about to critique our current president's views on Christianity… but don't misunderstand me… a similar critique could be said of our former president… just with a different focus. involving his character.Last week, the New York Times published an article, essentially praising our new president's Christianity. The author wrote that we now have “perhaps the most religiously observant commander in chief in half a century.” That he's “spent a lifetime steeped in Christian rituals and practices.” It goes on to elevate his form of Christianity, one that is pro-abortion and less about limiting sexual identity… a Christianity, it says, “that is defined by love, rather than… exclusion.” It talks about religious synergy with “humanists, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and the spectrum of faith traditions.” Meaning a belief that there are multiple paths to God. The article promotes this progressive Christianity which it calls “ascendant” or rising in prominence… over and above different forms of conservative Christianity, which are disparaged.There's plenty in the article that we could discuss for a long time. My point in bringing it up is not talk about conservative politics – no, I think we sometimes muddy the waters between our politics and faith. To be sure, our faith needs to inform our politics, just not the other way around. Rather, what I'm concerned with in this version of Christianity – is its disconnect from Biblical teaching.The Scriptures are clear about salvation in Christ alone – we've already seen that in Acts. The Bible teaches that all human life is created in God's image – Psalm 139 “I knit you in your mother's womb. I saw your unformed body” The Scriptures teach that God made man and woman, and we are created in God's image. that sin has affected our desires, and we shouldn't confuse those sinful desires with our identity.Going back to this New York Times article, Acts 8 speaks against its form of Christianity. In the first half of the chapter, we have a man here named Simon, who was very prominent. He professed faith and was even baptized. But he was exposed for having a false faith. A faith without a true belief in Christ. Rather, it was more about himself… and it intermixed his worldview and culture and desires. Simon thought they could be part of his belief. But they couldn't. It's similar to today when we form God into what we think he is, and what we think his commands should be, and what we think salvation looks like. When that happens, it's no longer about God and His Word, it's about us.Now, there's a lot going on in these verses. You probably picked up on that. The largest part of it, though is about Simon, so we'll spend most of our time on that.But I don't want to overlook what else is going on here. There are some significant events in the life of the early church. Earlier this week I was trying to come up with a sermon title. Honestly, I don't spend a lot of time on them. Our bulletins are printed on Wednesday, so by Sunday they sometimes don't line up anyway. I had a few different titles in mind for this chapter. Such as…• To Samaria and beyond! That's the Toy Story title• Or Simon's Selfish Spirit Search• Or, maybe I should have gone with this creative one: Acts 8:4-25I settled on “The Joy of Belief; The Bitterness of Unbelief” Because look at verse 8. There was much joy in the city. Joy because of true faith in Christ and all that was happening. But down in verse 23, after Peter rebuked Simon for his lack of faith, he said “you are in the gall of bitterness.” His heart was bitter in unbelief.To the Ends of the Earth Part 2: SamariaOk, before we get to Simon in more detail, a big thing had happened. The early church was scattered and many believers went to Samaria. This takes us back to Acts 1:8. Jesus' call to the early church that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth!We've already seen the church grow in Judea, where Jerusalem is, and now… the expansion reached Samaria. Samaria was the region north of Jerusalem heading up past the sea of Galilee. It used to be part of the northern tribes of Israel. But by this time, over 900 years had passed since Israel in the north was overthrown. Different nations had come in with different religions and beliefs. There were some fragments of Jewish history and belief, but it was mixed in with other gods and practices. The people of Samaria were very superstitious, they had lots of idols, with these vestiges of Hebrew ideas.We call this kind of culture syncretistic – meaning that Samaria was a melting pot of different religions that somewhat blended together. Well, here's the good news! The Gospel had come to Samaria. And not in a small way. God had been preparing these people. God's Spirit had been at work. Jesus and his disciples had been to Samaria. So when the Christians who were scattered arrived and began preaching the good news of the Gospel, there was a great response! And everyone was involved. All the believers who moved there preached the Word, verse 4. Philip, who a couple chapters earlier had been appointed to serve the church… he lead the preaching effort, verses 6 and 7 and 10. Peter and John, two of the disciples, heard about the great response, so they came down. They also participated in preaching. Verse 25.The principle is this: Faithful preaching of the Word is a shared responsibility. We're all called to proclaim the hope of Christ. The word “preach” is used in a couple of different ways – it has a specific use, declaring God's word in worship…. And it has a general use - anyone attesting to the Gospel. When we are with our friends and family and neighbors sharing the hope of Christ, we are preaching the Word. And it's not an optional thing. It's part of God's plan for the word to go forth. God uses the testimony of His people, through his Spirit to bring Salvation.Now, part of the expansion of the church also involved these signs and healing. That was part of Gospel frontier work. You may have some questions about it. In a couple weeks, near the end of chapter 9, we'll see more healing and even someone raised from the dead. We'll discuss the particulars then.The giving of the Holy SpiritThe big event in these verses in chapter 8 is this: The Gospel had come to the Samaria. But before we get to Simon, something else happened related to this Gospel expansion. The Holy Spirit was given. Now, you may remember, when Stephen was killed for his faith, a great persecution arose. All the people scattered, but the apostles stayed in Jerusalem. Well, they heard about what was happening in Samaria, verse 14. So Peter and John travelled north to Samaria.And in verses 15-17, They pray for and lay hands on these new believers - and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit. Now, they had already been baptized in the name of Christ. In other words, water baptism, the outward sign. But they had not yet received the Holy Spirit.Well, these three verses have caused a lot of disagreement over the years. The question is this: Is this a second baptism or second blessing that believers are to seek? OR is this a special event for the believers in Samaria?Now, I want to remind you of some things about Pentecost back in chapter 2. The case I made from the Scriptures is that Pentecost was a one-time event in the life of the church. A one-time event in the history of salvation… like Jesus dying on the cross, and his resurrection. The giving of the Holy Spirit was the inauguration of Jesus' exaltation in Heaven, and his continuing work here on earth. In Acts 2, they received the ongoing ministry of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. In other words, Pentecost was not a pattern that each believer should be seeking. All believers in Christ benefit from Pentecost. When you believe, you receive the Holy Spirit. It's a package deal. If you are interested, you can go back and listen to that sermon either on YouTube or our Tucker Pres Podcast.But that doesn't answer the question of what was happening here in Samaria. Because it sure sounds like there is a second baptism. And if so, then it seems like we should be seeking this second baptism. However, I want you to think about this in the paradigm of Acts 1:8. “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This giving of the Holy Spirit in Samaria is an extension of Pentecost. In fact, we'll see this again in chapter 10 when the apostles get to the Gentiles… and we'll see it again in chapter 19 in Ephesus. The pattern is similar.Have you ever thrown a stone into a lake? After the big splash, these ripples form in the water, these concentric circles that extend out and then dissipate. Well, that's like what was happening here in Acts 8 and 10 and 19. But those are the only places in the New Testament where this pattern happens. There are no other examples. And these instances line up with Acts 1:8.So what we're seeing here is this expansion of Pentecost… and not patterns of what individual Christians should expect or seek. So, in Samaria, the people who believed received the outward sign of baptism, verse 16 being baptized in the name of Jesus. That would involve water to symbolize it. They were already believers, just like the apostles and 120 other believers in Acts 2 before Pentecost. Then next these new Samaritan believers received the outpouring of the Spirit – verse 17. The inward reality of baptism. Today, when someone receives Christ by faith, that's when they received the Holy Spirit. Every true believer by faith in Christ receives the Holy Spirit. We'll come back to this in more depth in chapter 10. It's important for the life of a Christian.Simon the MagicianOk, that bring us to this man, Simon. He was called Simon the Magician or Simon the great. There are even a couple of sources outside the Bible that refer to him given his fame. And I think you can understand now why he was so revered. Because the Samaritans were so superstitious and religious, they were enthralled by his magic. We're not told whether he was one of those slight of hand magicians who knew how to play mind games, or whether there was some legitimate demonic power at work. Whatever it was, the people were amazed, verse 11.And this Simon is himself amazed at Philip because of the great miracles he was performing, same word “amazed” - verse 13. And on the outside, Simon claimed to believe in Jesus. Just like all the others. Philip thought that Simon was being authentic, so he baptized him.But Simon's true heart was revealed when Peter and John arrived. If Simon was amazed at Philip, he was overwhelmed with Peter and John. They had this power. They would lay hand on people – and these people would receive the Holy Spirit. Well, it all comes out in verses 18 and 19. Simon offered the disciples money to have this power.Let me ask, Did Peter say, “well, that's so kind of you to offer us money… that's not how it works, but bless your little heart.” No, no no! In Peter's standard confrontational style, he says, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” One English translation literally says, “may you and your money go to hell for thinking that.” Peter then points out the heart of the problem. “your heart is not right before God” verse 21. “Repent,” he says, “turn from your wickedness… and pray that the Lord would forgive the intent of your heart.” And Peter concludes, “I see you are in the gall of bitterness.” That's likely a figure of speech meaning Simon had a bitter envy for the disciples.There's a lot for us to learn here – both about true faith and true Gospel response.• First of all, God knows all the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. He knows everything you think before you think them. He knows your fears, your worries, the true motivations of your heart. Nothing is hidden from him. He is your creator. While Philip couldn't see into Simon's heart, God could. And related to this point… what's in our heart eventually works its way out in our words and actions. And that's what happened to Simon. Peter heard and realized the state of Simon's heart.• Second, the Holy Spirit is not a force to be had or a power to obtain. God's Spirit is not an impersonal power. No, the Holy Spirit is a person - one of the three persons of the one true God. When you turn to God in Christ, in true faith in Him and repent, you are given the Holy Spirit. He dwells in you as a helper, a revealer of truth and righteousness. He brings conviction and He enables you to pursue God in Christ. This was one of the misunderstandings of Simon. He wanted the power that the apostles had…. To Simon, the Holy Spirit was like the magic that he would perform. But the Spirit was not to him the intimate God – who brings us to God in Christ.• Third, Faith in Christ is not something to be bought or earned. In this case, Simon was seeking the ability that God had uniquely given to the apostles. But it's the same thing for faith in Christ – We don't earn faith. That's implied in verse 20 “the gift of God” …cannot be obtained with money! You can't buy faith in Christ… you can't be good enough… you can't do enough good things… you can't know enough and be accepted by God. No, God offers faith in Christ as a gift to be received. And the Holy Spirit enables us to receive this grace. That's what the word grace means. A unmerited gift from God.• And the last thing we learn here is this: Someone may profess faith in Christ and be baptized, but may not be a true believer in Christ. That's what was going on with Simon. People follow movements and feel pressure to conform or have ulterior motivations. For Simon, likely he had several motivations that caused him to profess on the outside even though his heart was not right with God on the inside. For one, he was well known. People called him great. Simon had thought he himself was great. verse 9. There had been a pride within. And this new Christian thing was drawing a crowd – verse 12. And Simon was following. But that wasn't his usual position – he was used to being followed, not following. You see, these false motivations of his heart drew him to Christianity, but they weren't heart motivation to truly believe.Simon's faith was a selfish faith of convenience, not a true faith. Today, that can be the case in so many different ways. My opening example was in the realm of politics. An outward profession, but heart motivations revealed by a rejection of God's Word and His Gospel, or not living out the faith that one claims. That's one of many examples in our culture….and this progressive Christianity is seen all over the place. It intermixes the secular religion of our culture, which is a self-centered and consumeristic culture which exalts certain kinds of sin, rather than seeking God in Christ and repentance… His Word and forgiveness in Him. It forms God in the image of man, not the other way around. It's a hollow religion like Simon's.Other kinds of false Christian faiths are exposed for their desire for money. We see that in false prosperity messages… that if you claim it in Jesus name, God will give it to you. It's about comfort and this life, but not about reconciliation with God and the hope of eternity. That's not the Gospel of grace. We see another kind of false Christian faith in “healing” focused ministries. Certainly, we believe that God can heal. And we pray for healing. But there are high-profile Christian leaders who hold healing services… plant people in the crowds to pretend to be healed. There's no eternal difference between this fake healing and Simon's magic. That's not the Gospel of grace.The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Simon's heart was not right with God, verse 21. And Peter tells Simon and tells us what needed to change. Verse 22. He said, “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” A true faith in Christ begins with an understanding of our sinful hearts - our need to be forgiven. It requires repentance. That means turning from our wickedness to God. That's a necessary step of saving faith. And it required believing that Christ died for you, in your place. And in that faith and repentance, God then blesses you with the gift of His Spirit.ConclusionIn closing, there's both a warning here and a hope. The warning is probably more obvious… the warning of an empty faith which is really no faith. As you've been listening, maybe it's crossed your mind to think about your faith. Is your faith a faith of convenience like Simon's? Saying you are a Christian on the outside or trying to buy or work your way to God in whatever way possible, but your heart isn't right with Him. That's the warning – a warning of perishing. If that's you, verse 22 is for you. Repent and get your heart right before God.Now, did Simon eventually repent and believe? I don't think we truly know. Verse 24 perhaps gives us a glimpse of hope for him. But it's also inconclusive. Could he have really turned to Christ? Yes! Of course.But beloved in Christ… here's the true hope. If you turn your life to him – your whole heart to him… believing that Christ saved you through no work of your own. And if your heart's desire is to seek God and His truth and His righteousness even through struggles of sin. If you truly believe or if you've already put your trust in Christ…. I want you to hear me. You have great assurance. You are a true believer in Christ. Your hope is secure in Him. The testimony of your faith and your pursuit of God and His Word in an ongoing way in your life shows that you have the Holy Spirit in you. Nothing can take that away from you. May we pursue God in Christ with our whole heart with and truly believe.

For World Introvert Day 2021, Kim Beasley brought together 14 industry leaders, which included Dr. Simon Raybould. Listen in to the full podcast as Dr. Simon shares tips that will help you grow your business online. His tips center in on creating a marketing strategy and figuring out your business "why". About Dr. SimonSimon started his working life as a research scientist and his PhD looked at the environmental causes of childhood leukemias. He's also been an author, a playwright, a lighting designer for dance companies, an opera director, and a fire eater! He's one of the UK's recognised authorities on making better presentations and has written several books on the subject. His latest - Presentation Genius - debuted at number six on the high street best sellers list. What makes him special as a trainer is his scientific background. He rarely "does opinion" and never says "do it like me". For Simon, it's about the science of what works best for most of the people, most of the time. (Sorry but nothing works all the time for everyone - get over it!) Final ThoughtsThanks for listening in as I shared about my end of the year plans and for joining me today for the Creative Introvert Entrepreneur podcast. Check the show notes to connect with me online via my website or to follow me on social media! If you like this episode, please share it with your friends and family. Remember Introverts Unite! Be sure to tune in for our next episode! See you next time! Find Kim online:Website: https://kimbeasley.com (https://kimbeasley.com)  Training Website: https://kbctraining.com (https://kbctraining.com)  Instagram: https://instagram.com/kimbeasley (https://instagram.com/kimbeasley)  Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimbeasley (https://twitter.com/kimbeasley)  Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/kimbeasleyconsulting (https://facebook.com/kimbeasleyconsulting)  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/kimbeasley (https://linkedin.com/company/kimbeasley)  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KimBeasley/ (https://www.youtube.com/c/KimBeasley/) Find Simon online:https://presentationgenius.info (Website) https://twitter.com/presentations (Twitter) https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-raybould-presentations/ (LinkedIn) https://www.facebook.com/PresentationGenius/ (Facebook)   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy Support this podcast

In this month's episode of The Tudor Travel Show: Extra! Sarah is in conversation with Professor Simon Thurley, a pre-eminent architectural historian, specialising in Britain's built environment. Sarah talks to Simon about the Boleyn properties of the early sixteenth century when the family was at the height of its power. She also explores with Simon the delights of his most recent book on Tudor buildings: Houses of Power.   Thank you to all those listeners who support my work by becoming a patron of the show. I am deeply grateful as it helps me to continue to create great content. If you have enjoyed this particular episode and you prefer to make a one-off contribution, you can do so via my PayPal.me tip jar, Just click here. Thank you!   LINKS: For Simon's up-and-coming Gresham lecture on the Cecils on 4 November 2020, click here to book your place. To buy The Royal Palaces of Tudor England, click here for Amazon UK and here for Amazon US. To buy Houses of Power online click here for Amazon UK and here for Amazon US. To buy a signed copy click here. For Simon's website: 'Royal Palaces' click here.   In the meantime, if you want to keep up to date with all the Tudor Travel Guide's adventures, as well as top tips for planning your own Tudor road trip, don't forget to subscribe to the blog via www.thetudortravelguide.com.   This podcast now has an accompanying closed Facebook group, dedicated to discussing the places and artefacts discussed in each episode. it is also a place to ask your fellow Tudor time travellers questions about visiting Tudor locations or planning your Tudor-themed vacation or sharing your top tips to help others get the most out of their Tudor adventures on the road. Go to The Tudor Travel Show: Hitting the Road to join the community.    You can also find The Tudor Travel Guide on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.   Credits: Presenter: Sarah Morris   Music by Jon Sayles Produced by Cutting Crew Productions

For Simon what started as a thing to do during the cold months became an addiction into the world of astrophotography. Connect with Simon on: https://www.instagram.com/simon2940/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/spaceexplr/support

Simon Cambers studied government and sociology at university, but his professional life has seen him cross the globe as a sportswriter, spending most his time as a freelancer. Over the years, his coverage has included cricket, golf and soccer, with the most recent years being dedicated to writing about tennis.  Being a freelancer is a different animal than simply being on assignment for a single publication. For Simon, being opportunistic has been a key to building a successful career as a freelancer. He does share that there is certainly a little bit of luck that comes into play as well.   In this episode, Simon talks about the challenges of balancing multiple assignments for a variety of outlets during a single event, how he generates ideas to pitch to editors, his preparation for interviews and touches on what Americans should know about gambling on sports. 

Tim Burton's first feature as director sees the eponymous Pee-wee Herman on a road trip to recover his beloved lost bike in one of the strangest "kids" movies ever made. For Simon the film has so many associations with his childhood, from Large Marge to behind the wheel to Amazing Larry's mohican, but will the slick script, inventive stop-motion animation be enough to convince Ed of its worth?

This podcast episode will fascinate all those who work in trading and investing roles. In this excellent interview with co-hosts Steve and Mark, their guest Simon Garcia bares his soul, describes his experience, and shares his views about trading, dealing with the mental and emotional challenges of trading and describing some of the pressures the job entails. This podcast episode will also be of interest to those curious about mental health in the workplace. It highlights how the pressures placed on people in traumatic workplace environments can lead to detachment from family and loved ones, as well as to one's core values. It also emphasises how this can in turn impact well-being and lead to impaired mental health, with serious consequences for the individual and heightened business risks for the firm. The guest, Simon Garcia, is someone who has won, lost, and won again, the mental battle of trading. Simon has experienced the highs, the big highs, the lows, the deepest of all lows, and then come back to win again. By the early 2000s, Simon achieved great success as a bond trader working at Natwest Markets and Deutsche Bank, before moving to Lehman Brothers where he was running a Convertible Bond trading team. Then one day the strains and stresses of trading hit him and hit him hard. For Simon, the lights went out. Simon had suffered a mental breakdown. At this point in his life, Simon was achieving great success, was earning big money, had a good marriage and a wonderful young family. To the outside world Simon had everything. But inside, he felt like he had nothing. He was at the point where life had become so painful and traumatic that he was contemplating ending it.In the financial markets this is an all to familiar story. Simon was fortunate however. The firm, through their HR team, came through for him. He got the support and the help he needed and made a full recovery. Simon was able to continue as a trader after a break and went to achieve great success for another decade at Nomura and then Societe Generale. Simon's story didn't end there though. Following his experience, and whilst working as a trader, Simon started studying to be a psychotherapist. To get his hours of practice and training, Simon spent his evenings and weekends, working in hospitals and for local charities. Last year, after almost 3 decades, Simon left the markets to set-up his own private therapy practice. He is now helping others. I hope listening to this episode will give people pause to think about how they approach their work and how they can ensure they create the psychological safety which ensures they care for themselves, and those around them. _______________________________________________________________________You can find out more about the AlphaMind podcast and the show’s co-hosts Steven Goldstein and Mark Randall on the AlphaMind podcast website https://alpha-mind.net.You can also follow them on twitter https://twitter.com/AlphaMind101 or visit their blog page https://alphamindblog.blogspot.com/If you are interested in AlphaMind Trader Performance Coaching you can find out more at https://alphamindblog.blogspot.com/p/the-alphamind-private-trader.html

This week on the podcast we are excited to be talking with Simon from Freedomsurfer.com! Simon is a location independent entrepreneur who has been traveling the world non-stop since 2012, running his businesses remotely. For Simon, traveling full-time was never a goal and he was living a stable life in Canada, working in finance, until he found a radio show about how living as a nomad can your taxes. He fell down the wormhole and has been traveling 12 months a year since then! On the show, we find out more about Simon's travel journey and learn more about some of the options digital nomads have to secure more of their income. We also get into detail talking about residency and taxes and banking, so if that is not your area of interest, this may not be the episode for you. In this episode: * The round-about journey that led Simon to buy a one-way ticket to Singapore and traveling full-time* What the process of changing your residency is like* What does "planting flags" mean when you're talking about residency and tax optimization * Having a different country where a business is based, where your banking is based, where your personal residency is, where you spend your time, and where your a citizen of* Why Simon felt motivated to collect all the residency, visa, bank, business, and tax information from so many countries to create freedomsurfer.com* Where Simon bases himself, his businesses, and banking* How Simon decides where he wants to go and how much time he wants to spend in each place* How traveling helps you discover more and more places you want to travel * Since he has spent so long traveling, does he ever crave moving back home and going back to a stable, more normal life? * Simon had also recently been spending time in Hong Kong through the fall, so we checked in with him about what it has been like during the period of protests* Is traveling and going nomadic for tax benefits something that makes sense for freelancers? Or is it only advantageous for traders and finance professionals* For people interested in changing their residency, what are some of the best countries to explore? * How people that aren't from the US can take advantage of US Credit Cards that give a lot of travel benefits* What Simon's upcoming travel goals are* Follow Simon and IG at simon.around.the.worldMusic Credit: Bensound.com

Sidst vi så en Quentin Tarantino film sammen var hans seneste Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (https://www.filmogsoen.dk/2). Og det var vi jo rigtig glade for, så nu er det tid til at se det som de fleste er enige om er Tarantinos bedste film: Pulp Fiction (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/reference) fra 1994. Hvad er det der er i kufferten? Og hvorfor er Jules så glad for sin pung? Og kan Vincent danse? Hvordan opfatter en teenager som Carl den specielle fortællestil som Tarantino bruger. For Simon var den meget banebrydende da han så den i biffen i 1994. Lyt med i ugens afsnit og hør vores dom over den. Og så kommer vi lidt omkring de film og TV serier vi har set siden sidste afsnit og om hvad vi skal se næste gang. Husk at du kan følge os på Facebook, hvor du også kan skrive beskeder og kommentarer til os: https://www.facebook.com/filmogson Hvis du synes godt om vores podcast kan du hjælpe os på to måder: * Skriv en lille anmeldelse inde på iTunes * Fortæl dine venner om vores podcast Begge ting vil gøre at vi kan komme ud til mange flere lyttere.

Song and Sermon from Sunday March 17th 2019 "A Place for Healing Grace" by Heather Sorenson Choral Directors: Marisa Bradfield & Matthew A. Kessell Accompanists: Suzanne Recer & Vicente Ditto streaming permission under CCLI license #CSPL141755 sermon by Pastor Ioan Ittu Luke 5:1-11 Jesus’ teaching of God’s word has begun to draw great crowds. For Simon, James, and John, Jesus’ teaching inspires hospitality, then obedience, and then risk. After Jesus’ creative power is revealed, fear and amazement lead these three fishermen to leave everything behind in order to become apostles. Bethlehem Lutheran Church Granada Hills, CA www.bethlehemlutheran.net

Luke 5:1-11Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church from the Gospel of Luke:One day, Jesus was standing by Lake Gennesaret, and the crowd pressed in on him to hear the word of God. 2 He saw two boats moored by the side of the lake; the fishers had disembarked and were washing their nets. 3 Jesus stepped into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a short distance from the shore; then, remaining seated, he continued to teach the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Pull out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Rabbi, we’ve been working hard all night long and have caught nothing; but if you say so, I’ll lower the nets.” 6 Upon doing so, they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were at the breaking point. 7 They signaled to their mates in the other boat to come and help them, and together they filled the two boats until they both nearly sank. 8 After Simon saw what happened, he was filled with awe and fell down before Jesus, saying, “Leave me, Rabbi, for I’m a sinner.” 9 For Simon and his shipmates were astonished at the size of the catch they had made, 10 as were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you’ll fish among humankind.” 11 And when they brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

GUEST BIO: Simon Maple is the Director of Developer Relations at Snyk, a Java Champion since 2014 and was a JavaOneRockstar speaker in 2014 and 2017.  Simon is also a Duke’s Choice award winner, the founder and organizer of Virtual JUG, co-leader of the London Java Community and a regular conference speaker. EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Phil’s guest on today’s show is Simon Maple. He is a developer advocate who spent 20 years working with IBM and is now involved with start-ups. Simon is well known for setting up vJUG, the Virtual Java User Group, which now has 16,000 members. He is also the co-leader of the London Java Community and a Java Champion. On a regular basis, Simon presents at major conferences, including, Devooxx Fr and UK, JavaOne, JavaZone, JAX, JavaLand and many more. KEY TAKEAWAYS: ­(1.02) – So Simon, can you expand on that brief introduction and tell us a little bit more about yourself? Simon started his career as a developer for IBM, 20 years ago. After 10 years, he moved into what IBM called technical evangelism, which is also known as developer advocacy. It was a big change. Suddenly, he had to do public speaking, customer engagement and blogging. Developer advocacy, for Simon, is all about helping developers with the day to day issues that they have. He does this in many different ways. Mostly, by introducing tools and techniques that can be used to make things easier for the developer. Part of his role is to educate developers about different issues, for example security. (2.50) Do you find that there are certain subjects that people ask questions about more than others? Simon says that is more to do with the number of questions people ask rather than specific topics. When a developer has the confidence to start asking you more questions, you know you have hit the right level in terms of the information you are giving out as an advocate. If you overwhelm people they clam up because they are having trouble keeping up. Give them too little information and they find it impossible to piece things together and understand what you are trying to say. When you get the balance right, you know because the conversation flows and the questions come. People will talk more about topics that interest them or that resonate with them. Also, after speaking about a topic a few times you will pick up on the questions that most people want to be answered. (4.22) – Phil asks Simon for a unique IT career tip. Simon explains that his role is basically to communicate something to someone. Over the years, he has learned that it is important to share the information your audience wants to consume. This is the case whether you are talking to one person or a thousand, or more. When you empathize with the person you are speaking to, you naturally adjust what you say and make it as relevant to the audience as possible. Empathy will also help you to change the way you say things, so that it easier for them to digest the information you are sharing. When you do that, regardless of what your role is, you will progress in your career. (6.26) – Simon is asked to share his worst career moment with the I.T. Career Energizer audience. For Simon this was more of a personal situation rather than a professional one. As humans it is hard to keep up with all of the social pressure that comes with change. The developer world moves very quickly. You are doing your job in a certain way following a known path. Suddenly, Agile comes along and everything moves far faster. Testing has to be done in 2 weeks. Then you have to take on DevOps and SecOps as well as your main role of developing. Basically, the work keeps on being piled onto your plate. In that situation, it is all too easy to take on too much too quickly. When you do that, you burn out physically and mentally. That has happened to Simon twice, which put him in a bad place and stopped his career in its tracks. He is now careful about what he takes on and has got into the habit of prioritizing things properly.  Simon has found that taking things out of his head and feeding them into a “to do” type tool helps him a lot. He finds that getting everything out of his head and into the tool enables him to concentrate once again on his work. Phil described it as removing clutter from his brain. (9.23) – Phil asks Simon what his best career moment was. Simon feels that the best inventions come about when someone is trying to solve a problem. His best career moment came about because Simon was struggling to see enough of his family and still fulfill all of his work responsibilities. He wanted to attend the London Java group events, they were very beneficial, but he was very short on time. So, he came up with the idea of setting up a virtual Java group. At the time, this way of bringing people together was very rarely done. Now user groups stream their events so everyone can benefit, regardless of where they are in the world. Today, the virtual community that he set up, vJUG has 16,000 members. It has helped tens of thousands of people to collaborate and become more successful. His work with the group has helped Simon to become well-known something which has greatly helped his career. He thinks that setting up and running the group is the main reason he got the Java Champion award. (12.23) – Phil asks what excites Simon about the future of the industry and IT careers. Simon finds the pace of change exciting, because it represents an incredible learning opportunity. Although, the pace of change means that just learning technical skills is no longer enough. Every developer now needs to develop additional skill sets to ensure they can keep up and remain relevant. (14.44) – What first attracted you to a career in IT? Simon’s dad was a developer, so he gave Simon a book on C and the rest was history. He was hooked. (15.02) – What is the best career advice you’ve ever received? Simon said always ask questions. There are no stupid questions and the sooner you ask them the less likely you are to think it is a stupid question. (15.18) – If you were to start your IT career again, now, what would you do? Simon says he would have taken something like a computer science and cybernetics or AI degree instead of pure computer science. He would still choose to work in software development, but would move more quickly from working for a large company to joining a startup. (16.01) – Phil asks Simon what he is currently focusing on. Right now, Simon is learning how to grow high performing teams and ensure that each individual in them reaches their full potential. So, that they can grow and so can the team. (16.32) – What is the No. 1 non-technical skill that has helped you the most in your IT career? Simon says the way he has learned to communicate with others has really helped him to progress. When you are happy and friendly people enjoy talking to you, which means that you can learn more. (17.05) – Phil asks Simon to share a final piece of career advice. Never look at what you want to be in 10 to 15 years. Instead, make sure you enjoy what you are doing and who you are working with. If you are not happy, do not be frightened to follow your gut and change your career. BEST MOMENTS: (5.19) SIMON – “Always make sure that the information that you’re giving is the information that person wants to actually consume.” (9.44) SIMON - “The best kind of inventions come from problems or issues.” (15.08) SIMON – “The earlier you ask a question the less likely it will be that you will think it’s a stupid question.” (17.35) SIMON – “Always make sure that you’re enjoying the job you are doing.” CONTACT SIMON MAPLE: Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjmaple LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmaple/ Website: https://www.devangelist.blogspot.com

People literally ask me this one question ALL THE TIME… “Allen, how did come up with such a lucrative, safe, and easy way to trade?” I explain it all in my new book Passive Trading, get your free book here  https://www.passivetrading.com/free-book! Option Genius was built with you...the individual trader, the breadwinner, the dreamer, the rock your family depends on ...in mind. Because we know what it takes to become a successful and profitable trader. And that’s exactly what we help you do best. Get your $1 trial of Simon Says Options, our most conservative and profitable trading service here https://simonsaysoptions.com/stockslist-ss-trial-offer.  -- Buenos dias genius nation, como estas. How you doing? This episode we're going to call it The Ultimate Options Trading Strategy. Really what I wanted to do is I want to talk about option strategies and which one is the best. I got the idea for this episode thanks to a couple guys on the Options Traders Alliance Group which is our free Facebook group. If you want information about that just search on Facebook for Option Traders Alliance or look in the show notes, we'll have a link to it there. Thanks to Dan Gibson and Ken Gilstrup for that. From what I could tell, these guys they were just, one of them asked a question, the other one responding, just a couple guys. They're on the lower end of the option continuum, a couple of lower traders just looking for some kind of direction. If you don't know what the option continuum is or where you are on the continuum, you can check out Episode 21 and hear all about it. It's a great question, which is the best option strategy, because when it comes to selling options there are well over a dozen strategies that you can use. You've heard all the names, all the crazy names, some of them; the iron condor, the credit spread, the calendar spread which is also the time spread, the butterfly, then there's the iron butterfly, and then there's the broken wing butterfly, there's the covered claw which can also be called the buy right. There are naked options so there's naked puts, naked calls, the straddle, the strangle, the ratio, the back spread, the box, the bag, the double diagonal, on and on and on, and that's just to name a few. Then, each of these strategies can be manipulated so that there are unlimited variations. You have, let's say the iron condor. You have the, some people call it the high probability iron condor and then there's the low probability iron condor. Then, there's the unbalanced condor, and then there's, some people have been calling it the weirdor which is like a mix of the iron condor and the butterfly together. There's so many different strategies out there. The question becomes which one is the best, which one do I trade because you can't do all of them, you'd be crazy. It would take you decades and decades to actually learn all of them and become good at any of them really. If you're a new trader and you just want to quickly get up to speed which is the easiest, the fastest, the most money making, that's what we need to know. Before I tell you the answer I want to talk about Simon. You see, Simon was a lot like you. He was trying to figure out all this trading stuff and he had tried all the different techniques, different types of trading, and he was pretty fed up. When you spend lots of money on courses, when you spend hours and hours learning about Greeks, and probabilities, and volatility, and all that stuff and you still cannot make it work you get pretty upset, am I right? You guys know what I'm talking about because you've probably done the same things; taking courses, watching videos, listening to podcasts like this one, I know there's a whole bunch of them out there because none of them give you the secret and then you get really, really upset about it. You just want the answer, why don't they just give you the answer. Boy, I wish it was that easy. For Simon, by the time our paths had crossed he had spent close to three years learning about options. In fact, he was much more knowledgeable about certain aspects of options than I was. To this day, honestly, maybe I shouldn't say this but to this day if you ask me to describe to you what Gamma is I don't think I could. I know it's important, I know it's one of the Greeks, and there's ... I know what it is, in my head I can, I just can't put it down on paper.  I'd have to look it up and look for the ways to explain it, I'd have to show you on a screen. I couldn't just simply tell you what it is but Simon, he can do that. Simon knows all the differences, what is implied vs historical volatility and what the numbers should be, and how to set up the different probabilities. He knows all about that stuff because he spent all that time learning about it because that's what he though was the answer. The more he learned the more complicated he made his trading, the more complicated he made his trades, the more intricate. He added in different indicators, some that nobody's ever heard of before. He added in all these rules. He added all this other stuff to make his trading better, to give him a better edge. That makes sense, when you think about it. You take a strategy and you improve it, you put your own spin on it, you craft it so that it works better. Then when you come up with something that you think is awesome you back test it over and over and over again. If you can't do that then you do paper trading and you have to do it hundreds of times. If you can't do that, if you don't want to do that, then you have to use real money to test it and hopefully it works. Usually though it doesn't and then you end up back on the drawing board. I remember when I first got started I wanted one simple trade that I could do month after month after month like the holy grail. I found ... I really like butterflies so I tried to do a butterfly on McDonald's, and I came up with some rules and then I started back testing it. I think I back tested it for four years, month after month after month after money after month, say about 40, 50 trades, whatever that is, 4 x 12, 48 trades. It was profitable and I was ecstatic. "Oh man, this is awesome, this is going to be so awesome." Then I did it with real money and I ended up losing, I don't know how many, I think it was $8,000 really quickly. That's what Simon was doing as well and for him it wasn't working, and that's when he came to me. That was his main question. He's like, "Allen, I know so much but I still can't make it work. Am I doing something wrong or does this stuff just not work? Please Allen, tell me that all my hours and years of trying to learn this stuff has not been in vain because my brain is just going to explode, I can't take it anymore. My self-confidence is in the gutter but I know so much about options, I know more about the people who write these option books, I could probably teach a college course on options. Allen, please help me." Well I got to tell you, if this stuff didn't work, this job option stuff didn't work, I would be flat broke. I can say, for those of you who are still skeptical, that yes, yes it does, in fact, does work. I can point out to dozens, and hundreds, and even thousands of people who have made it work and who it's working for. The problem ... If it's not the trading then maybe the problem's with Simon. It's either the trading work or the person doesn't work. Well, the person was Simon and the problem was not Simon either. The problem was all the nonsense that we as traders and learning traders get bombarded with every single day. We get bombarded on the financial media, we get bombarded in our emails. We get bombarded on Facebook, and Twitter, and all over social media. The ads are all over the place and all the ads are people pretending that they are amazing traders making oodles and oodles of money, and the only way to get the same results is to pay them to teach us what they're doing, that's the only way to do it. It's the magic bullet, it's the new thing. There's this new trading system or this new indicator or there's this new chart pattern or this new whatever that we have to pay to learn how to use so that we can also become wonderfully rich and super successful. It's like everybody else out there is so smart, and rich, and successful but we are not. No matter what we try it doesn't work, am I right? Do you feel that frustration? Have you been through this or am I by myself? I don't think, I'm not by myself because we get emails every day from people. Ken and Dan were talking about this same exact thing in the group today so you know what I'm talking about. Here is what you need to do, here is how you overcome this. You stop listening to the noise, stop believing all the crap. Go back to the basics, back to the fundamentals. The truth is that every single strategy that I mentioned earlier works. There are people out there making money with each one so you can make money if you only trade covered calls. Yes you can, you can be profitable consistently if you only trade covered calls. You can do the same thing if you only do strangles. You can do the same thing if you only do ratio spreads, and on, and on, and on. You don't need to be a master in everything, you don't need to understand 14 different ways to adjust your trade, you only need one strategy and that's the answer, that is the ultimate strategy. That's the best strategy, it's the one that you choose, the one that makes the most sense to you. There are lots of different strategies out there because they have different uses, that's true. Once you become a very advanced trader, once you are on the upper end of the continuum if you're on level nine or level 10 and you are already consistently making money then yes, go into the other strategies. Until then, you stick to the one strategy that makes the most sense to you, that's the one you start with or for many of you that's the one you re-start with. That is the one you keep doing until you figure it out because that's what I had Simon do. We identified together out of all the different strategies he preferred to trade credit spreads so that is what he focused on. That's what his time on to figure out. He spent time on figuring out the best way to enter a credit spread, he tested dozens of ways to adjust, and then he tested exit strategies, a whole host of different exit strategies. Eventually, he discovered the best way to trade credit spreads that worked for him. Now, maybe his way won't work for you but that's okay with him because it works for him. That is all he does now, he only does credit spreads. He doesn't bother with iron condors or naked puts, he only does the spreads, the credit spreads his way. He has molded the strategy so that now he calls them layup spreads. A layup spread basically is a credit spread but with Simon's special magic, his method to enter, to manage, and to exit.  If you want more information about the layup spread and why they work so amazingly well you can do so at simonsaysoptions.com. Now, I hope this makes sense to you. The best strategy is the one that makes the most sense to you and the best way to learn how to trade is to just focus on it until it works for you. Now, it might get boring, it might get repetitious, it might get monotonous, yes maybe but that's still what you need to do. I know we think that trading is all sexy and high flying and buy this, sell that, do this, do that. The reality is, if you trade well most of it is extremely boring and then there are certain pockets of craziness but most of your trading should be boring. If you are consistently making money then you know what I'm talking about. If you're flying by the seat of your pants, and if you're putting on dozens and dozens of trades, all different types, all different strategies on all different stocks that you never even heard of before because the chart looks good, then you are in for a very wild ride and so is your account balance. With our account balance what do we want? Do we want up and down roller coasters? No, we want slow and steady increase. In order to have that you have to be trading in a way that is actually boring because you know what you're doing, that's why it's boring. You've mastered it, because you've excelled at it. The alternative is to do what you're doing right now jumping around from strategy to strategy. I know what you thinking. Say, "Hey Allen, what about diversification, don't I need to diversify? If I have maybe some earnings trades over here or maybe I have some naked calls over here or maybe I have some box spreads over here." Yeah, you should diversify if you have an account that is well over six figures and you are already consistent and profitable. That's it right there. If you are over six figures, and I'm talking about mid-six figures; $400,000, $500,000, more than that, and you are already consistent and profitable then you can diversify as much as you want. If you're on the top end of the continuum, level's nine, level 10, then you are making money so you are going to stick with what you know automatically. You're going to go to the bread and butter and you're going to do those every month or every week or whatever your timeframe is. Then with a little bit of extra cash you're going to try other stuff. That's the smart way to do it. If you don't have over six figures, if you're not consistent, if you're not profitable already, then forget about diversification. Until you can make money with one strategy month after month, trade after trade. You have to be consistently profitable before you add another strategy to your arsenal, are you getting this? Is this sinking in? Yes? Hope so. Anybody that tells you otherwise is full of it and probably just wants to sell you something, that's the truth. Stop all the noise, stop listening, stop jumping around, because the noise is there, the offers will always be there. If it's not options it'll be Bitcoin. If it's not Bitcoin it's going to be marijuana stocks. If it's not marijuana stocks it's going to be sports betting, that's the newest thing that's going to come on, right? The Supreme Court just announced on Monday that states can now make it legal to bet on sports. Well, guess what? There's going to be stocks on sports betting and they might even have options on sports and betting and all this stuff. Who knows what they're going to come out with in future? That's going to be the new hottest thing. If you keep jumping from one to another, to the another, to the another, you're never going to get good at anything, you're never going to be profitable, you're never going to be consistent. Go back to the basics, back to the fundamentals. Choose one strategy and work on it until you know it inside out and you are profitable because that is the name of the game, that is the goal. That is the only thing that matters. I don't care what strategy you use, I don't care how you do it, I don't care when you do it. If you are profitable you are winning. That's the only way to know if you are winning, I don't care how much you know. I don't care if you know more than me, I don't know if you know more history than me, I don't care if you know more math than me, more about statistics, more about options, more about everything. If you are not profitable it doesn't matter so go back to the fundamentals, go back to the basics, one strategy. You focus on it, you work on it, you back test it, you paper trade it, you real money trade it until you are profitable. That's it, that's the answer. Now, if you can't figure it out, if you already tried, you tried your best and you can't do it, then reach out to me, maybe I can point you in the right direction. Maybe I can work with you like I did with Simon and we can identify what it was that works best for you or that makes the most sense for you, and then how to actually implement it. In the beginning you don't need complicated stuff, you don't need complicated indicators. You don't need complicated chart patterns, you need a strategy that you understand, that makes sense to you and you need to do it in a way where you can explain it to the third grader. Then if you can do that then you tweak it. Then you work on it. Then you look at, like Simon did, you look at the entrance of the trade, you look at the management of the trade, you look at the exit of the trade, and then you improve your percentages. That's how it works. Right now, Simon, like I said, he's only doing one strategy and, yes, he is well over six figures in his trading account. That's okay, it doesn't matter. He doesn't need to be doing anything else. I know people who only do one iron condor every single month. They do it on the same underlying, they do it on an index, and they trade literally over $100,000 worth of one iron condor every month. That's the entire trade, that's the whole strategy, one iron condor, six figures in that condor, every month. I hope this makes sense, I hope this is sinking in. I hope you got to this this. Then finally, no matter which strategy you choose, whether it's the condor, the credit spread, the ratio, the butterfly, I don't care what it is, whatever it is, no matter which one you choose make sure that the odds are in your favor. Peace. Resources mentioned in this episode: Option Traders Alliance Facebook Group SimonSaysOptions.com Podcast – Episode 021- The Option Continuum -- LOVE ALLEN SAMA - OPTION GENIUS AND WANT TO LEARN MORE TRADING TIPS  AND TRICKS? HERE ARE SOME NEXT STEPS... SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST FREE 9 LESSON COURSE: https://optiongenius.com/ WATCH THIS FREE TRAINING: https://passivetrading.com JOIN OUR PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://optiongenius.com/alliance Like our show? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps.  

Morgan Simon has been a leader in impact investment for the past seventeen years and has managed over $150 billion in capital. She is the author of the book, Real Impact: The Economics of Social Change and spent some time to talk with us about impact investment. Venture Vignette host Riana Shah sat down with her at her offices in Oakland, CA and here are five things to take away from the conversation. 1. Go after your passion and turn it into an opportunity not just for yourself, but for others as well. Simon discovered impact investment through her passion for social justice. She started by working with a lot of neighboring immigrant communities and discovered that many of the challenges they faced had to do with economic autonomy and economic opportunity. As a result, she turned her attention to impact investment because it was the perfect intersection where she could apply her education in finance with her passion for social justice while helping underserved communities. 2. Build a network of people outside of your normal social group. Building a network and making friends is not as hard as you think! It's as easy as calling up a local organization whose mission you care about and asking whether you could volunteer for them. Not only will you get to know your fellow neighbors and learn more about ongoing issues, but you never know when these relationships might turn themselves into job opportunities or to tap into underserved markets. 3. You don't have to be a millionaire investor to influence capital. Feel empowered to demand increased transparency from the resource rich organizations (e.g. your alma mater) to which you are connected! Many people think that in order to influence capital, they need to have some amount of wealth to begin with. In reality, that's not the case. Asking institutions (like your alma mater) where money is being invested and writing to them about where you would like to see your contributions go are easy ways to make an impact. If you're looking for more ways to influence capital, think about breaking up with your bank and get involved with local institutions and look into social opportunities to make a difference. The more you are involved with organizations and institutions, the more opportunities there will be for you to influence capital. 4. For entrepreneurs who want to be involved in impact investment and uphold their values for a more just world, remember to be transparent with your investors. What Simon means by this is to be clear and open about what your values and intentions are in the context of your business model. Ask yourself who are the people you want to engage and benefit, are you adding more value than you extract and finally, with everyone taking on a risk in the investment transaction, are they all being rewarded in that process? 5. If you're the only minority person in the room, don't be intimidated. Use this moment as an opportunity to show that being a woman, a person of color, LGBTQ+ has nothing to do how well you do your job and show that you are just as good (if not better!) as your counterparts. Show your voice in this space and how much your unique experiences and perspective can benefit others. 6. In whatever you do, never be afraid to ask questions! For Simon, her entire job revolves around asking questions because there are always going to be things that she doesn't know and there are experts out there who will know more than she does. Same for you, there are things you will know and now know, and by asking questions, you'll learn things from different fields that you can bring to the table for your next exciting project! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/venture-vignettes/support

Se noter og links på sivp.dk/11 Uopfordret vs. opfordrede ansøgninger Der kommer en strøm af uopfordrede ansøgninger, men har for Simon ikke de den store værdi. Har han ikke en stilling åben, vil ansøgninger kun sjældent give anledning til en samtale. Simon vil ofte slå en stillingen op selvom han i forvejen har kendskab til kvalificerede ansøgere. Han ønsker på den måde at afsøge hvad markedet kan tilbyde. Uopfordrede ansøgninger har selvfølgelig en effekt, men ikke den store effekt i Odense. Ansøgningen skal naturligvis være pænt sat op, så den præsentere sig godt. Og der må godt være et billede med. Simon ser ikke selv stavefejl, men det er der andre, der gør og de må ikke være der. Og så skal kliniknavnet være stavet rigtigt. Det skal være tydeligt at ansøgeren brænder for at arbejde på lige netop Odense Dyrehospital. Og det skal ikke være synligt at du bare har sendt den samme ansøgning ud til 10 forskellige steder. Du må gerne vise at du har sat dig ind i virksomheden og som minimum har været inde på hjemmesiden. Simon springer hurtigt til CV’et da man ikke kan løbe fra hvad man lavet. Man kan i princippet have fået andre til at skrive ansøgningen. Simon anbefaler at du sender et billede med til din ansøgningen. Det behøver ikke at professionelt taget billede. Det kan godt være et mere almindelige billede, men lad nu være med at tage profilbilledet fra Facebook med trutmund og dyb udskæring. Det virker ikke. Et spændende menneske Et langt og flot CV kan selvfølgelig vække interesse, men du kan også være interessant på andre måder. Du kan også vise, at du er et interessant menneske. Du skal dog ikke tegne et glansbillede, for så falder du igennem til samtalen. Simon kigger efter om du har prøvet at lave andre ting før og under studiet. Det er vigtigt at du har prøvet at være ude i det virkelige liv. Du får en fordel ved at have erfaringer fra det virkelige liv. Det tæller aldrig ned at have gode karaktere, men det er ikke afgørende om du har været længere tid om at komme igennem studiet. Det kan dog godt give Simon en bekymring, hvis du alene har 10- og 12-taller og CV’et samtidig viser, at man ikke har lavet andet end sit skolearbejde. Aktiviteter i dit CV Simon anbefaler at du har lyst til at opleve verden og viser det. Samtidig skal du også finde noget, der viser, at du er stabil. Faglige relevante aktiviteter tæller selvfølgelig mere og et ophold på et universitet i udlandet er også godt. Det er dog ikke nødvendigvis afgørende. Grundlæggende er Simons anbefaling, at dine aktiviteter viser, at du har engagement. Få for eksempel en praktikdag eller to, bare for at komme ud og snakke med folk og undgå at blive for rusten. Jobsamtalen Simon anbefaler, at du optræder som dén du er. Du skal selvfølgelig komme til tiden og også være helt almindelig påklædt. Du må gerne være fint klædt på, men din påklædning må ikke forvirre intervieweren. Det er bedre at være neutral. Du skal være dig selv – også i din påklædning. Du skal være ordentlig forberedt og have undersøgt noget om virksomheden, og Simon siger at det er godt lige at have været inde på hjemmesiden og eventuelt på Facebook. Simon fortæller også at han med årene er blevet mere tro imod sin mavefornemmelse. Hvis der er en kant ved ansøgeren, vil Simon hellere tage en samtale nummer to. Som ansøger bør man prøve at være opmærksom på hvilken stemning intervieweren lægger op til. Simon kan godt lide en afslappet og humoristisk tone, men det kan virke useriøst for andre. Du skal altså prøve at lure den anden af og fange tonen. For Simon er en god samtale én hvor 3 kvarter er gået uden at man kan huske om alle spørgsmål er blevet stillet. Dine fortrin, når du ikke har erfaring Simon fortæller at han og alle andre godt ved at man kan ikke have erfaring, når man lige er kommet ud fra studiet. Nogle kan have prøvet lidt mere end andre, og på den måde have et fortrin, men meget bliver afgjort af om du har engagement. Simon anbefaler at du viser lyst til at udfordring din egen grænse og viser at du har prøvet nogle ting på egen hånd. Du skal selvfølgelig samtidig kunne kende dine begrænsninger, men også kunne vise at du har prøvet nogle ting på egen hånd. Hvis du har gåpåmod og engagement til at lære faget, kan du en ny dyrlæge sagtens tjene sin løn ind.