Podcasts about Bethlehem

What started as a holiday workaround turned into a nationwide tour that's touched hundreds of lives. In this behind-the-scenes episode, Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell share the unfiltered origin story of the OPC Tour. From cross-country van trips to pandemic pivots, their journey proves that big dreams are built on small, intentional steps. Tune in to hear how messy action, community love, and a little bit of stubbornness made it all possible.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:How a simple book tour idea inspired a cross-country Pilates tour.Their first cross-country drive and unexpected Instagram interest from fans.The rough logistics and lessons from their 2019 tour across 8 cities.How COVID-19 disrupted plans—and why they still bought a van anyway.The importance of staying persistent and evolving with each tour.Episode References/Links:OPC Summer Tour - https://opc.me/eventsBalanced Body - https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/ Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  Just try the smallest version of the idea out that has the intentionality of what you want. We wanted to bring the community together, and we wanted to get across the country. Lesley Logan 0:09  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:52  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast with Brad as my guest. Brad Crowell 0:56  What? Who is here? Lesley Logan 0:57  Have we actually done it where you're my guest?Brad Crowell 1:00  Maybe. I mean, I've been on a couple of episodes where we've had, like, a group with some guests, but, like, has it just been you and I on them? Lesley Logan 1:07  But you're also, no, I don't think so. Brad Crowell 1:09  Maybe this is, I'm making a debut, people. Lesley Logan 1:11  All right, so here's the deal. We actually have to, like, do this as if I was introducing that episode, so that there can be an ad break. Brad Crowell 1:18  All right, go ahead. Lesley Logan 1:19  Hey guys. So today's episode is gonna be a little different, because, yes, as you heard, Brad's on the show, and we're gonna be talking a bit about the tour, and I thought it'd be really fun for us to actually take you back in the history of like, how the OPC tours started, why we do them, and just have some talk about the tour this week, because we're coming up on our eighth tour.Brad Crowell 1:40  I can't believe it's been eight. That's like mind blowing, actually. Lesley Logan 1:43  We're crazy people. Brad Crowell 1:44  Maybe a little bit, maybe just a little bit. Lesley Logan 1:46  Okay. So, Brad, do you remember when we did the first tour? Do you remember how the idea came to be?Brad Crowell 1:52  I do remember how the idea came to be. So you and I were in a coaching group, and there was another couple in the group who had written a book. They were very excited about this book, and they wanted to go around the cities and do a book tour launch slash hosting workshops while they were effectively selling their book. Lesley Logan 2:11  Yeah. And we were like, well, how can we go on a book tour? Because, I mean, yes, I have a book, but I didn't want to, like, go on a tour about the book. I was like, that doesn't really, I don't know if that's something I could do all the time. We're like, what if I, like, what, how can we go on a tour? And then, because you were a touring musician.Brad Crowell 2:25  Right, as soon as I, as soon as I heard them say that, and we started talking, I was like, we could just teach Pilates classes as we drive around on a tour. Like, hello. So obvious. Why did we not think of it before? Lesley Logan 2:37  The year, so we need to go back a year before that, Brad. So the only reason we actually thought we could do a tour in 2019 was because in 2018 I put my feet in the sand and said, I'm not flying home for the holidays. I'm not doing it. I love your family, but I can't do another flight. We've already done 150,000 miles of flying. I've been everywhere, and I hate flying at Christmas time. And also, for some reason, guys, LAX to Philly is almost impossible to find a nonstop flight. It's impossible to find a nonstop flight from Las Vegas to Philly, and so you have to fly red eyes, which is annoying because it's four and a half hours, not six hours, so you're not getting any sleep. And then you land there, and it's 11am somehow, and you're like, how?Brad Crowell 3:22  Yeah, you land at seven, by the time you get back to the house, it's 10:30, yeah, I mean, it's.Lesley Logan 3:26  Annoying. Brad Crowell 3:26  Not great. Lesley Logan 3:26  Anyways. Also, the last time we flew in 2017, I did finally fall asleep. And then, of course, the lights come on and they're like, is there a doctor on the plane? And I was just like, if they land this plane, if someone is not, of course, I want people to live. I'm not an asshole. But also I was finally asleep. So anyways, because we had done a cross-country tour. Brad Crowell 3:50  Trip. Lesley Logan 3:50  Trip, trip, in 2018. Brad Crowell 3:51  We just, we just rented a car, let's just go east, basically. And we didn't have an agenda other than we just had a couple of friends along the way that we were interested in seeing and saying hi to, and that was it. Lesley Logan 4:05  Just kind of based on, like, how many hours we thought, like, together we could drive. And, okay, that gets us here at night. And, oh, we have friends in St Louis. Okay, we can go here. So we have this tiny little car with the two dogs, and we drove. Brad Crowell 4:17  And we rented an SUV. But I was like, oh, you know, I don't need a, I don't need like a huge Tahoe or Chevy Suburban or anything. We could just get a regular SUV. It was so small, y'all. Lesley Logan 4:28  I don't know how they can call it an SUV. You guys, it was like, no, this is not an SUV. If you put a family of five in there, you couldn't have the groceries in the car, like it was so small. But anyways, it was just the two of us and the two dogs. And when we were on this trip, I was like, posting on Instagram, and this is before you really used Instagram for business, but I was posting like, oh, we're here. You know, I feel like, are you teaching here? And I was like, oh, people want us to teach here. I didn't know people would want your class on the holidays. So this had happened in 2018. Brad Crowell 4:56  That's right. Lesley Logan 4:57  Fast forward to October of 2019, and we are hearing this, and we're like, well, how can we do, so we had the, we knew.Brad Crowell 5:04  Kind of like had like I, like, we, we'd been prompted by our members from OPC, but that didn't actually turn into like we're going to do this tour thing next year, until this other couple was talking about their book launch, you're right. So, that was like, the second step to push us, if we're, like, to make it happen. Lesley Logan 5:21  Yeah and because we knew we could do the drive. Brad Crowell 5:22  Right, because we just done it the previous year, and we drove, you know, we drove both ways, you know, back and forth. Lesley Logan 5:28  Yeah. So we actually did the posters on the wall. I should have grabbed it for the visual, but we did, like, eight or nine cities, actually, we did on the very first we did Las Vegas. Brad Crowell 5:37  So that was 2019. Lesley Logan 5:39  We did Las Vegas, Denver, we did. Brad Crowell 5:43  Did we do St Louis? Lesley Logan 5:44  I don't know that we did St Louis. We did, no, we did Libertyville. So we did outside of Chicago, and then we did, like, some other ville, like, which was outside of Cleveland, but not Cleveland. Brad Crowell 5:55  Yeah, it was close to Cleveland, though. Lesley Logan 5:57  And then we did Lehigh Valley. Brad Crowell 6:00  Right, yeah, it was like, basically Bethlehem. Lesley Logan 6:03  And then we did Nashville, and then we did Atlanta. Brad Crowell 6:06  Oh, we did Nashville? Lesley Logan 6:07  Yeah. Brad Crowell 6:08  Oh. Lesley Logan 6:08  It was huge, like, 30 people, and that's why it's so, and people were like are you in Nashville, you guys are not, like, ever since then, not such a great follow up, you guys are not great. Love you. We want to go, trust me, we want to do Nashville. Um, then we did Atlanta, and then we did Austin, and then we did Phoenix. Brad Crowell 6:28  Geez, I don't even know how you remember these things. Lesley Logan 6:30  And then, I know, and then, and then, I don't know that we considered it part of the tour, although very much was. It was in January, we did Redlands, and then the world shut down. And then, so our first tour. Brad Crowell 6:46  We did Scottsdale. It was the last stop. Lesley Logan 6:48  Yeah, yeah, yeah. We did this really cool place in Scottsdale. Brad Crowell 6:51  Yeah. So I actually just pulled up the list. You nailed it, Vegas to Denver, to Chicago, which is Libertyville, to Cleveland, which is Strongsville, your second ville.Lesley Logan 6:58  I said it was another ville. Brad Crowell 6:59  I'm so impressed. Then Lehigh Valley, which is Bethlehem, and then Nashville, Austin and Scottsdale. Yeah. I am impressed. Lesley Logan 7:06  And then there was like, this little post tour stop in Redlands, which was not part of the tour. We added it in after the fact, but it was so fun. And it was like the true die hards, you know, the people who know the band before they make it to Coachella. It was like.Brad Crowell 7:20  Scottsdale was insane to me, that people even came out. It was like, negative 4 million degrees hot, and we had an outdoor venue. Lesley Logan 7:28  It was New Year's Eve. It was New Year's Eve at an outdoor venue. Brad Crowell 7:32  We literally had, like, it was, like, every three mats, there was a space heater, and everyone was like, oh my God, it's so cool. We're doing Pilates outside on January 1st. What are we doing? Lesley Logan 7:40  We all got warm enough, and it was super fun. And it was so great. Brad Crowell 7:44  It was so fun. Lesley Logan 7:45  It was sold out. It was such a great spot. And people, like, came from Canada, there, it was just like crazy. So, at any rate, it was so much fun, and we wanted new, we knew we want to do it again, but then, of course, the pandemic happened. But here's what got to happen, guys, so the pandemic happened, Brad and I still drove across the U.S., but we thought. Brad Crowell 8:01  I was just looking at the ticket sales, we had 133 tickets sold on that first tour.Lesley Logan 8:07  On the first tour, yeah. But we did that with a Tahoe, by the way. Brad Crowell 8:11  What, the second tour? After the first tour.Lesley Logan 8:15  No, no, we went to the Tahoe for the first tour. We went to the Tahoe. Brad Crowell 8:18  2019 yeah, you're right, yeah, because we knew that the tiny little SUV wasn't going to cut it, especially because we were bringing, like, stuff, and it was gonna be a little more of a robust tour. So we rented a Tahoe, and that was fine-ish, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't ideal, though, because, like, there was no real, yes, you could lay down on the back seat. We had this, the back, the middle seat was laid flat, but like, you know, it wasn't comfortable trying to sleep in the passenger seats sucks, like.Lesley Logan 8:45  Yeah, and also, you guys, we also, because we're going to places where we had clients, it wasn't necessarily places where we had friends, and so we were getting hotels. We had a hotel in Denver. We stayed in the financial district. Brad Crowell 8:57  Oh, I forgot we did. Lesley Logan 8:58  And then, in Libertyville we did stay at the host, like, basement, but Gaia had an accident. We're like, my God, we can't stay in people's houses, because Gaia's old. At any rate, it was really fun, and we, like, did it, but then with the pandemic, we obviously couldn't do it again. But what we did do during the year of 2020, was we actually bought the van, and because we knew we wanted a tour vehicle, and thank God we bought it, even though we weren't going on tour that year because they wanted to pay us what we paid for that van, like people were like, clamoring to get that van off our hands. But we got the van, you guys, we took it across the country in less than 48 hours. We drove from Las Vegas.Brad Crowell 9:34  That was 55 on the way home. Yep, 55 hours solid, from Philadelphia to Vegas. Lesley Logan 9:39  We, but on the way there, I don't think that van ever really stopped, because we tried to sleep in Vail on a mattress on the metal base of this cargo van. Brad Crowell 9:50  So okay, so here's what this looks like. We buy a cargo van. A cargo van is an empty box on wheels. Okay? And we bought the longest and the tallest, so it's 23 feet long, it's nine and change tall. And it's a big, it's a big, empty box. Lesley Logan 10:07  We've loaded it up. We have pictures of you and the empty box. Brad Crowell 10:09  The only thing that we did was throw things on the floor. There was nothing else in there. We literally had a mattress with six blankets on it, right? And then we had boxes and suitcases. Lesley Logan 10:21  Everything had to be tied on the walls. Brad Crowell 10:23  We took our, we took our, this is so fun, we raided our own laundry room because in the laundry room we have one of those wheelie situations where you could throw your dirty laundry, but then you could hang clean laundry up at the top. So I took that out of the laundry room, and I zip tied it to the wall of the van, bungee corded it to the wall of the van, and that became like, how did we store? How did we do our clothes, you know? So, like, that was our closet. Lesley Logan 10:49  It was crazy, because then we were driving back with all these boxes, I just felt like everything was gonna fly on us. Anyways, so, Erika Quest shout out to Erika Quest, she had a dream about us the night we were sleeping in Vail, because we're in the Walmart parking in Vail. So we pull into this Walmart parking lot in Vail, and I'm in the bed. Went into the six blankets. We got the three dogs. You're under the blankets. It's great. It's actually fine, because, like, we blasted the heat. Everything's fine. Brad Crowell 11:11  I mean, it was cold, like cold in your face, but it was like the mummy bags when you went camping as a kid. Lesley Logan 11:16  Yeah. So, so great. So anyways, we're halfway through the night, we're sleeping so good and then August stands up to turn around in the bed, and he basically just twists all the blankets off of us. And in that instant, you and I both were awake. Brad Crowell 11:29  I was so angry. Lesley Logan 11:29  And so angry and so cold. Brad Crowell 11:30  Because I had just gone to sleep. It was midnight when I pulled in, and then I was literally asleep for two hours, and then he pulled all the blankets off of all of us by twirling around. And I was so frustrated about it, and it was eight degrees out, and I was like, screw it, we're just gonna continue to drive to Denver.Lesley Logan 11:47  Erika Quest had a dream that night that we were cold. She had a dream that we were really cold. And I said, well, you don't have to worry, because Brad drove us to Denver, where it was a little bit warmer. Brad Crowell 11:56  It was 30 degrees in Denver, it was so much warmer. Lesley Logan 11:58  So much more tolerable to sleep in. At any rate, we, like, got across the country, and people are like, oh, I wish you were doing the tour. And it's like, yeah, well, it's COVID. It's very unsafe, we cannot do it. But we were able to plan how much driving is possible. What do we want to do, and how we want to do this. And then, we did in 2021.Brad Crowell 12:14  We suppose, oh, that was '21. Lesley Logan 12:17  Yeah. So then, 2021, we were vaccinated, we were ready. We planned this whole tour, but we planned a small one. It was actually, I don't think it was as big as our first one, because. Brad Crowell 12:28  No, it was only like. Lesley Logan 12:30  Seven cities or something like that, because we, we, I think our first stop was going to be Pennsylvania.Brad Crowell 12:34  It was Philly, New York, like, city, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas. We were talking about Providence, but we postponed it, so it was only five. Lesley Logan 12:45  It was really small. And we actually had to cancel Philly and New York City, because along the route, I was exposed to COVID. I didn't know that I had it. And thankfully, someone texted me, and everything was going crazy at the time that variant came up. So we still did the tour. It was quite small. The (inaudible) happened and. Brad Crowell 13:03  We have way more time at my parents house than we normally do.Lesley Logan 13:07  A lot of time it was super fun, but we knew we're like, like, we want these tours to be a thing. And I ought to share this with you, because when you're being it till you see it, way of doing things, this is how long goals can take. Brad Crowell 13:17  2018 was our first cross country drive. 2019 was the first tour, 2020 was canceled. 2021 was, was. Lesley Logan 13:25  Was already going to be a smaller tour, because of the pandemic. Brad Crowell 13:29  It was five stops max. Lesley Logan 13:31  And by the way, every stop we picked were like huge spaces that's why they were picked.Brad Crowell 13:35  Yeah, we actually picked large rooms. Lesley Logan 13:37  Huge spaces. The Philly one was like softball, baseball, indoor practice arena, it was like 3000 square feet.Brad Crowell 13:42  I think they only started vaccinating people a couple months prior. Lesley Logan 13:45  No, this summer we got vaccinated. Brad Crowell 13:47  It was the summer, yeah. Six months.Lesley Logan 13:49  Yeah, so, but there was the booster, and then there's the thing. Anyways, because it was the holidays, we wanted to be conscientious. We want to make sure people felt safe. So we're like, these studios are massive, and we're only filling half the spaces. So at any rate, we really kind of got sidelined on that first half of that tour, but we got to do it. We got to do the second half, and we got to do Miami, Atlanta and Dallas, but then we were able to meet up with Balanced Body in the march of the next year. We got to tell them what we were doing. Got to get them really excited, and that's when we actually got to actually start to make our tours even bigger and better and add the Summer Tour.Brad Crowell 14:25  So that was tour number four. Lesley Logan 14:27  Tour number four was our first Summer Tour.Brad Crowell 14:28  It was the first with Balanced Body. That was the first Summer Tour. And we've been telling Balanced Body about these tours from the beginning. Lesley Logan 14:35  October of 2019, I told them what we were doing, and Ken and Al were like, oh, can you put a Reformer in that van? Anyways, all this to say this was like years in the making. And we'll, and next episode, we'll actually go into a bit about, like, why we work with a sponsor, what our tours have like become because they are bigger. They used to be, like, two weeks long, eight cities, five cities, and then they became 14 and 18 and 22 and and now we're getting like, 800 people to come and some amazing things. Lesley Logan 15:05  I want to wrap this up with some, be it action items, because I think that that's what is really important. So you'll do some, Brad, I'll do some. We never get to do, but that's, this will buy me time, because I didn't prepare you for this. One of the best things I could say is take a note of when those little things go, oh, I want to do something like that, even if you're like, wow, that's crazy. Why would I even think of that idea? It's such a crazy idea. Pay attention to those crazy nudges and then make it something that's possible to do now, because a lot of people come with an idea, oh, I'm gonna go on a book tour and I'm gonna have sponsors, and have this, and have this. We literally had like, two prizes. We had no sponsors. Brad Crowell 15:44  Yeah, I think, I think you might have got called Toesox and, or, you know, like.Lesley Logan 15:48  Yeah, I called Toesox and Carbon38. Brad Crowell 15:50  And we just said, hey, can you give us some socks? That was the cool thing. We want to do a giveaway. Lesley Logan 15:55  We didn't have any paid sponsors. We didn't have local vendors coming through. We did not make anything bigger. Brad Crowell 16:01  We also didn't even know that that was what we should turn into. It was more like, initially, it was an excuse to not fly and drive across the country, and then it grew. And each tour became more complex. Lesley Logan 16:16  I think the Be It Action Item was like, don't over complicate something, just try the smallest version of the idea out that has the intentionality of what you want. We wanted to bring the community together, and we wanted to get across the country. And the original tours basically paid for the gas.Brad Crowell 16:32  Not even exaggerating, they paid for the gas. And the one hotel that we stayed at. Initially, that was the vision. It was literally like, how do we pay for gas? Oh, let's teach a class. Great. We made $200 on it, let's pay the gas.Lesley Logan 16:45  How do we make sure the holiday trip is a write off? Let's work a few to have, you, technically it's some work 50% of the trip, and then it's a write off. So make sure you talk to your accountant. But anyways, so my Be It Action Item is do the least complex version of the idea and see if you'd like it. Because each time we did the tour, we'd get from like Philly to Nashville in a night, that was insane we're like we're never doing that again. Lesley Logan 17:09  Like Texarkana or something weird. I remember that. Lesley Logan 17:11  Yes, and we've like 12 hours to get from Nashville to there. Brad Crowell 17:14  We drove 14 hours in one day. That was brutal. Lesley Logan 17:17  Yeah, that was brutal, because we had to teach so, so we learned from by making it not complex, we actually got to learn a lot more. That's really helped us. You'll hear about how the tours have changed. What's your Be It Action Item?Brad Crowell 17:28  Okay. So my Be It Action Item, with that, I was gonna say take messy action but I mean, that's, we're pretty famous for that. I think that persistency, you know, like we didn't know the studio owners that we were trying to teach at? It wasn't like we were calling our friends in random cities and being like, hey, can we teach there? We started just reaching out to people and saying here's what our idea is. Is this of interest to you? And it was because we were persistent that we even found a location. Because I remember it was like, No. It was like, oh, okay, all right. Well, I guess this is the wrong location. No problem. We'll find another. Because for us, we knew, okay, this is the right stop, you know, this is approximately when we would want to be stopping driving for the day, when we should be teaching somewhere near here. How do we find a spot? You know, and working backwards, there's some logic there. But also we still have to find the people. We still have to meet the people, and then we have to be creative with the marketing. I remember at first we were like, We don't know anybody in Libertyville, Ohio. How can we, you know, connect with people, or Strongsville, Ohio, sorry, yeah, you're right. And I remember we started using Instagram hashtags to just hunt down Pilates people in the area and just leave it in voice notes, like. Lesley Logan 18:45  That was very, we were very persistent. You're correct, very persistent. And then I think, just to tack onto that, and then we'll wrap this up, because we'll tell you more on the next episode, not being afraid of rejection. One of the things we had to do was, like, you're gonna have stops turn you away. Like, no, I don't want to do that. We had people go, why are you doing that? They were like, really sketchy about us. Brad Crowell 19:04  We just had it happen yesterday with our eighth tour coming up, where someone you know was like, actually, this is the wrong time of the year for my clients. So no, he's like, oh, okay. Lesley Logan 19:14  It's not personal,. All right, loves. Well, stay tuned for how these tours have gotten to be bigger and even better and better for you, and better for my sleep and all those things in our next episode. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 19:29  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 19:31  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 20:13  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 20:18  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 20:23  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 20:30  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 20:33  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Week 2 of SUMMER AT BETHLEHEM with Executive Pastor Matt Piland. Pastor Matt reminds us that God is always moving us from faith to faithfulness.

What does it take to build a church culture where every person feels seen, valued, and included? In this episode of Beyond Sunday, we sit down with Nan Britt, our Special Needs Church Ministry Consultant, and Brad Carter, our Executive Pastor of Operations, to explore both the heart and the how of starting an inclusive special needs ministry. You'll hear the "why" behind Bethlehem's commitment to accessibility—from building design to volunteer culture—and learn practical strategies for risk management, legal considerations, and meeting individual needs. Whether you're in leadership, volunteering, or have a heart for inclusion, we believe this conversation will be an excellent resource for other churches looking to start a special needs ministry.

In this episode, the finale of the Touring the Holy Land Series, Jen has a conversation with Saleem Anfous. As they reflect on the tourism series as a whole and the importance of these conversations in the current context, Saleem shares from his experience as a tour guide in Palestine and Across the Divide's producer. Saleem reflects on the opportunities for mutual transformation that he has witnessed through guiding Christians in the Holy Land. This episode also features excerpts from interviews with Palestinian Christians that explore the impact of tourism on Palestinian Christian communities. At the end of the episode, Jen and Saleem make a special announcement about a unique opportunity to travel with Across the Divide in 2026.In their extended conversation for our Patreon supporters, Jen and Salem chat about Saleem's hometown Aboud, and its rich Christian history and present realities in the context of occupation. To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠. Saleem Anfous is a tour guide in Bethlehem and the West Bank, a Project Manager for the Muslim/Christian Young Adults program at Musalaha, and serves as the producer of the Across the Divide podcast.If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our work on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/AcrosstheDivide Follow Across the Divide on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠‪@AcrosstheDividePodcast‬⁠⁠⁠Across the Divide partners with Peace Catalyst International to amplify the pursuit of peace and explore the vital intersection of Christian faith and social justice in Palestine-Israel.

It's no surprise that the Mediterranean diet was ranked as the best overall diet by U.S. News & World Report for the eighth year in a row. This style of eating focuses more on fueling your body with the right foods and enjoying healthy meals with others rather than following a restrictive plan.  Listen to the latest episode of The Healthiest You podcast, where we talk about the Mediterranean diet with dietitian Alexa Roseberry with Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health.  Can following the Mediterranean diet make you live longer? What if you don't like fish and you aren't a fan of vegetables? How can you make healthier choices going out to eat? Which one is better – the Mediterranean diet or the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet? Are there ways to stop the post-lunch slump? We answer these questions and more on The Healthiest You podcast this month.Chapters:     · 0:01 - Intro     · 1:13 - About the Mediterranean diet     · 3:54 - Mediterranean diet pyramid     · 6:41 - Meals with others     · 10:05 - If you don't like fish or vegetables     · 12:01 - Healthy fats     · 17:14 - Meal ideas     · 18:49 - Snack ideas     · 21:12 - Dessert ideas     · 24:41 - Budget and meal planning tips     · 30:48 - Live longer on the Mediterranean diet     · 34:54 - Daily fiber intake     · 35:32 - Mediterranean diet and PCOS     · 36:42 - DASH diet vs. Mediterranean diet     · 38:52 - High-protein, low-carb diet     · 41:26 - Nutrition tips if you've had a colectomy and have an ileostomy      · 44:03 - Gaining strength back after surgery     · 47:45 - Signs you're not eating enough protein     · 49:44 - How to make healthier choices at restaurants      · 52:38 - Stop the post-lunch slump     · 54:30 - Nutrition advice

In this message, I look at the prayer of true pastors – that the people he preaches to will stand in the truths they are taught. 06.01.25.A.Pastors.Prayer.Tim.McCool.mp3

In this Morning Prayer session, Pastor Sean Pinder delivers a moving message titled “A Glimmer of Hope,” taught from Ruth 1:10–22. This powerful passage tells the story of Naomi and Ruth—two women who faced unimaginable loss, yet only one clung to faith in the midst of sorrow. Though Naomi believed her life was over and all hope was gone, God was quietly working behind the scenes to write a greater story.Pastor Sean unpacks how, even when everything seems to be falling apart, God can spark a glimmer of hope that leads to restoration, provision, and purpose. Ruth's loyalty and Naomi's return to Bethlehem set the stage for divine turnaround—proof that your lowest moment can be the beginning of your comeback.Be encouraged as Pastor Sean prays and ministers God's Word over your life. No matter how difficult your situation may seem, God still has a plan. Hold on—a glimmer of hope is all He needs to start something new.

Welcome to the Christmas series! As the weary couple arrives in Bethlehem, there is no family or friends willing to help them. Everywhere they turn, they are turned away. They must find shelter quick… Mary is feeling the pangs of labor…  Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get More LVWITHLOVE Content at LVwithLOVE.com The SouthSide Film Festival is proud to present Rooted — a new documentary tracing 50 years of creative life in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In this episode, George Wacker sits down with three of the artists featured in the film: Bill George of Touchstone Theatre, Doug Roysdon of Mock Turtle Marionette Theatre, and Dave Fry of Godfrey Daniels. Together, they reflect on what it means to create and collaborate in a post-industrial city shaped by both hardship and hope. We talk about the early days of the Lehigh Valley arts scene, the personal and cultural challenges that defined their work, and how a community of artists helped transform Bethlehem from a steel town into a space for bold, grassroots creativity. Rooted Screening: Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 2:00 PM Location: Baker Hall at Zoellner Arts Center Tickets: Get them here Listen to the podcast: www.lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com/podcast/rooted Southside Film Festival Dates: June 10–14, 2025 (with a showing of Rooted on the 15th!) Locations: Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Touchstone Theatre, PBS39, and more Info & Tickets: ssff.org Watch Episode Thank you to our Partners! L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs WDIY Lehigh Valley Health Network Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub Banko Beverage Company

Welcome to the Christmas series! Joseph and Mary are almost to Bethlehem, but a storm has come to knock them off course. They endure a near-death experience to finally arrive where they are meant to be. Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Christmas series! Joseph reels in hurt, anger, and confusion. Joseph and Mary have been robbed of everything. They continue their journey, losing hope and patience with each other. What will bring them back to each other? Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Christmas series! Joseph and Mary embark on a treacherous journey to Bethlehem. Joseph struggles to keep up his strength, and Mary makes a mistake that may cost them the entire journey.  Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-28-25 Wed PM

Everyone is looking for happiness. Being happy is a wonderful way to feel. But the reality of life is that happiness can be difficult to achieve and more difficult to hang onto. In this message, I look at how to find happiness in the context of Peter’s clear teaching on discipleship. 05.28.25.How.to.Find.Happiness.Tim.McCool

Today Dot and Cara kick off a new series exploring the book of Ruth through Naomi's eyes. Reflecting on Ruth 1:19-21, they discuss how grief, if left unchecked, can spiral into bitterness. They remind us that gratitude is a powerful tool that helps us move through grief and guards our hearts against bitterness. Pull up a chair and join this insightful conversation!Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode recap:Start by writing down Ruth 1:19-21 (0:13)At some point in our lives, we can all relate to Naomi (3:03)Grieving is natural when life doesn't turn out the way we expect (5:20)If we don't deal with what's in our hearts, we're going to end up bitter (8:50)Bitter individuals are consumed by themselves (13:27)When you're in a dark place, community helps (17:00)Naomi and Ruth both had a choice to make in their grief (21:04)Gratitude helps pull us through grief (28:25)In pain, it is difficult to see a way out of our difficult situations (33:06)Ruth is being the hands and feet of Jesus to Naomi (38:04)Ask God, “Am I bitter?” (41:44)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook Scripture Verse:  Ruth 1:19-21 (ESV) “So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

Welcome to the Christmas series! Caesar's decree for a nationwide census couldn't come at a worse time for Mary and Joseph. But perhaps this journey to Bethlehem is exactly what God planned all along.  Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesus tells us that in order for a man to find his life he must first lose it. That might seem like an unusual statement if we only look at it from a superficial perspective. In this sermon, Brother Luke looks at the life of Paul to get a better understanding of what it means …

Today's Scripture passages are Judges 21 | Ruth 1 - 2 | Luke 10:38 - 11:32.Read by Ekemini Uwan.Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. For 75 years, IVP has published and created thoughtful Christian books for the university, church, and the world. Our Bible reading plan is adapted from Bible Study Together, and the Bible version is the New English Translation, used by permission.SPECIAL OFFER | As a listener of this podcast, use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode at ivpress.com.Additional Credits:Song production: Seaux ChillSong lyrics written by: Seaux Chill, Ekemini Uwan, and Christina EdmondsonPodcast art: Kate LillardPhotography: Shelly EveBible consultant: JM SmithSound engineering: Podastery StudiosCreative producers: Ekemini Uwan and Christina EdmondsonAssistant producer: Christine Pelliccio MeloExecutive producer: Helen LeeDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

This is Week 1 of our SUMMER AT BETHLEHEM series with Executive Pastor Matt Piland. Pastor Matt reminded us that our job is to do the natural; Jesus' responsibility is the supernatural.

Everyone agrees that the plant you grow will always be the same as the seed you plant. Corn seeds don’t yield apple trees. The Bible is clear that we will reap what we sow. If we sow to the flesh we will reap destruction. Our problem as children of God is not a lack of understanding this, but it comes …

In the series from I Thessalonians, I look at a statement made by the Apostle Paul. He says that the church at Thessalonica was appointed to afflictions. When we are in the fire of afflictions, the heat shows what is in our heart. In this message, I look at how we face affliction and how …

Send us a textIn the premiere of Israeli-Palestinian Head On, Joseph Cohen, founder of the Israel Advocacy Movement, sits down with Noor Awad, a Palestinian peace advocate from Bethlehem, for an unfiltered, face-to-face conversation.No shouting. No scripts. Just honest dialogue between two people on opposite sides of the conflict.Want more than just watching?Connect with Israelis, Palestinians, and global voices having real conversations every day - https://discord.gg/MSTfuhnj8SSupport the show

Luke Looks Back Chapter 2 Not all the stories commonly believed about the birth of Jesus are true to the actual facts. He was born before Herod died in 4 BC ,in Bethlehem, which was not his parent's home village, probably in an ordinary house (the word translated 'inn' can mean a guest room or just the sleeping area in a house; the manger would be between the family area and the livestock area). Not all the stories commonly believed about the birth of Jesus are true to the actual facts. He was born before Herod died in 4 BC ,in Bethlehem, which was not his parent's home village, probably in an ordinary house (the word translated 'inn' can mean a guest room or just the sleeping area in a house; the manger would be between the family area and the livestock area). Luke 1:1-20 Question 1. Luke carefully says the birth of King Jesus occurred during the reign of Caesar Augustus (v 1), who was a great and good Roman Emperor who brought lasting peace to a world in which there had been many wars. What does he want us to learn from this? One of the main themes of this, as all the Gospels, is the collision between the kingdom of Caesar and the kingdom of God. Luke was writing to Christians who might be martyred for refusing to say Caesar is Lord because they believed Jesus is Lord. Luke wants us to understand the enormous significance of what was happening. Question 2. Why does Luke choose to focus on the low caste shepherds rather than Matthew's high caste Wise Men? As we noted in the first study Luke emphasises the poor, the weak and the lost; not the rich, the healthy and the found. The title 'Christ the Lord' appears only here in the NT. The word 'Christ' has two meanings. It is a Greek word of the New Testament equivalent to the Hebrew word 'Messiah' of the Old Testament. Here, and generally in the Gospels, it is a title meaning 'the Anointed One'; later, in the Epistles it becomes part of Jesus' name. The most recent English versions use 'Messiah' when it is a title; 'Christ' when it is a name. Here it should be "the Lord Messiah". Our nearest translation in everyday words is "King Jesus". It is important to remember that when Luke uses this title he means 'the very special God-appointed Anointed One'. Question 3. A lot of people travelled to Bethlehem: Joseph and Mary, the shepherds, the Wise Men. Why did each of them go? What did they intend to do when they got there? Why are we told these things? What are we meant to learn from what happened? They all travelled in the purposes of God. It was important that those from both the top and the bottom of the society of those days should be there to see the baby King. They probably had only the vaguest idea of why they were there; they were there for our benefit - so we could be told about them and marvel at the stories. Luke 2: 21-52 Question 4. What does Simeon say (v 30 - 32) which introduces a new and important idea that neither Zechariah nor Mary mentioned? Simeon relates what is happening to the lives of ordinary people. They will experience salvation and the promise made to Abraham long ago that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" will finally come true. Question 5. Remembering that the Romans occupied their country, what did Anna mean when she spoke about the 'redemption of Jerusalem' (v 38)? She was probably thinking in a very practical way that the Romans would be thrown out of Jerusalem. It wasn't going to work like that! She spoke something that was a true prophecy but not in the way she thought. Question 6. In order to emphasise that Jesus came for both men and women Luke pairs up a story involving a man with one involving a woman at least 27 times in his gospel. Identify where he does this in these first two chapters. Which is the most important member of the pair on each of these occasions? Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, Simeon and Anna. The men and the women are about evenly balanced in importance. Question 7. What do the episodes from the childhood of Jesus (v 40, 46 - 48, 51, 52) tell us about Jesus? What are we being told here: he was God or he was a man? Which do you find it most difficult to believe? Why? His life as a human being is being emphasised here. Jesus appears to have been a particularly bright and intelligent lad. Right mouse click or tap here to download as an audio mp3 Right mouse click or tap here to download as a PDF

Stay In Bethlehem • 6-1-25 AM • Pastor Grant Garber

Twin Peaks: the Return: the DECODE episode 4.SONNY JIM IS BACK IN. Full stop. June 1st, 2025 has arrived. We all knew this day would come. 2000 years ago, when the first western savior was born to a virgin in a manger beneath the Star of Bethlehem, the prophecy was set in motion: "Yay, verily, a special child would rise again when the world of shadows most needs him. This savior of the 3rd age wouldst appear impossibly from behind the door of red, in the Court of Lancelot. His name shalt be known only as "Sonny Jim." And Sonny Jim shalt be back on in. " And now it has finally come to pass....Join Post Relevant Podcast hosts Phil Ristaino and Justin Epifanio as we decode Twin Peaks: the Return episode 4. We seek to understand the adventures of Dougie Jones, aka Mr Jackpots, as he wins $425,000.00 and then pees, fails to dress himself, stares in the mirror, eats pancakes, and most importantly, amuses his angel of a son, the impossible boy known to one and all as Sonny Jim.Also: We marvel over Michael Cera as Marlin Brando. We ponder the color yellow. We remember the owls (are not what they seem. ) We talk extra low. We are exonerated in Courts of Law. We watch "A Boy and His Atom" while failing to observe electrons. And we try to fix our hearts or die.And, in the extra secret end section, we debate what might happen if we met ETs in a Dark Forest.But really, I'm just being coy, because this episode is all about the debut of the spanking new smash hit song (in Sweden) entitled "Sonny Jim (Is Back In)." It will change your life and show you how your heart can also be 'so full.'Prepare the way, young warrior! The moment of Post Relevance hath finally arrived! The End of the End of Time is Nigh! Prepare ye! Prepare ye! Just do it already....Listen to all episodes of the PRP at www.PostRelevant.comCheck out Phil's acting/art/music at www.TheseAreDreams.comGet the full 5-D PRP experience: https://www.instagram.com/philristaino/Get the PRP "Under the Silver Lake" tribute shirt at Spyrodon Apparel:https://spyrodon.store/products/phil-ristaino-artist-edition-for-the-post-relevant-podcast-under-the-silverlakeenter 'postrelevant' at checkout for 10% off.Donate to the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/postrelevantJustin's doc: www.instagram.com/heyoka.documentary/All the songs on this episode come from the Polypores albums "ECCO."Get Polypores albums  on Bandcamp: https://polypores.bandcamp.com/"Sonny Jim (Is Back In)" written by Phil Ristaino with Justin Epifanio. The musical track for this song is called "Savior Above" and was written by Ketsa. Find all Ketsa's music at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/PRP theme song by Agents of Venus: https://agentsofvenus.bandcamp.com/David Lynch forever...

Did the Catholic Church ever teach reincarnation? Some claim early Christians believed in it, but what does history actually say? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, we examine the origins of this myth, what the Church Fathers believed, and how Catholic doctrine on the soul and resurrection firmly rejects reincarnation. Karlo Broussard sets the record straight with clarity and charity. Help us reach our goal by donating! Catholicanswersradio.com Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 02:32 – If Joseph had a home in Bethlehem, why would he need to find a place to stay? 11:17 – Is it true that at one point the Church taught reincarnation? 14:58 – What is the new Jerusalem and the new heaven in Rev. 21? 20:20 – What are your thoughts about pursuing a career in the Church? What jobs with a theology degree do you think are out there where one could raise a family? 23:34 – Was Mark 16:9-20 originally part of the canon? 35:57 – Since DNA is all different, will there be a point when DNA sequences will start repeating, if this happens will it be the end time? 39:15 – How does one self-verify visions that one experiences? 45:30 – What is the bottom line on demons?

Most of the rhetoric today uses the second coming of Christ to strike fear in our minds. If a preacher says, “Are you ready for His coming?”, it usually refers to making sure you are eternally saved, so when He shows, you will be ready in that way. But the Bible teaches eternal salvation is …

In this episode of The Nancy Grandquist Podcast we continue our series, "We Worship One God," with this discussion with Pastor Nathaniel Haney.The conversation delves into the concept of the oneness of God, exploring the identity and image of Jesus Christ both before and after Bethlehem. [27:56] Pastor Haney articulates the idea that God has always had a visible image, which was present even before the creation of the world, and this image is the same as Jesus Christ. He explains how this image was the focal point for communication with God, serving as the visible representation of the invisible God. The discussion covers various biblical passages, including Colossians, Philippians, and John, to support the idea that Jesus is the image of God and the creator of all things. [21:36] Pastor Haney also touches on the theological implications of understanding Jesus as the fullness of God, emphasizing the importance of this revelation for worship and prayer.------------Timestamped Chapters Chapter 1: Introduction and Historical Context  00:13 - 01:43Chapter 2: The Oneness Truth and Vision  01:43 - 02:40Chapter 3: The Identity of Jesus Before and After Bethlehem 02:40 - 06:14Chapter 4: The Magnitude of God and His Spirit 06:14 - 10:33Chapter 5: The Image of God and Its Role 10:33 - 19:03Chapter 6: Biblical References to the Image of God 19:03 - 29:41Chapter 7: The Word Made Flesh 29:41 - 39:47Chapter 8: Personal Experiences and Revelations 39:47 - 48:41Chapter 9: The Role of Angels and Spiritual Battles 48:41 - 50:37 Chapter 10: Conclusion and Call to Action 50:37 - 01:03:32

King David desired to bring the ark of the covenant home to his new house in Jerusalem. This was a good thing. But the way David went about it, displeased the Lord. How many times do we have issues we deal with, and we go about it the wrong way? In this message, I look …

Tune in as we triple collabo once again (now a semi-annual tradition) to discuss this summer's music festivals and concerts that are sure fire ways to find your next favorite band and shout to the world "yo...that's my jawn!"As is customary, I will be joined by Nate Runkel from Yo! That's My Jawn and Dan Drago from 25 O'Clock Pod - who is now long distance, joining us all the way from Hong Kong!Together we will explore the line-ups available throughout the Philly/Lehigh Valley area, but these are bands who'll be headed out on tour and will be coming to a stage near you almost certainly.  And not quite in the short term, they will be certainly worth your time to check out.This episode provides highlights of the livestream that surrounded the interviews with Jesse Lundy of Rising Sun Presents, and Mel Harris, Katie Hackett and Shona Carr, 3 of the founders of Sweet Juice Fest.  As well as our dedicated time focused on the Levitt SteelStacks line-up for this summer.Join us as we explore the Levitt SteelStacks line-up supported by the amazing Levitt Foundation and headed up by Shayna Super here for the Bethlehem location.  We highlight  @oceanavenuestompers ,  @MeltTheBand ,  @AlexisCunninghamMusic , and  @SierraGreenandtheGiants but the entire line-up is full of amazing artists.We'll sprinkle in many other exciting performances on tap for this summer, and even preview what's down the road a bit like Musikfest, XPoNential and Philly Music Fest.Come along for the ride with us and get pumped for what's available!#nextfavband #livemusic #music #musicinterview #musician  #singer  #guitar  #song  #newmusic  #explorepage  #instamusic #bestmusic #musicismylife #musicindustry #musiclife  #songwriter #musiclover #musicfestivalText us your thoughts on this episode, and who should be OUR #NextFavBand...As always, our hope is to bring you "your next favorite band". If you tuned in today because you already knew this musician - thank you very much! We hope that you enjoyed it and would consider following us and subscribing so we can bring you your #nextfavband in the future. And check out nextfavband.com for our entire catalog of interviews!If you have a recommendation on who you think OUR next favorite band should be, hit us up on social media (@nextfavband everywhere) or send us an email at nextfavband@stereophiliastudio.com.Thank you to Carver Commodore, argonaut&wasp, and Blair Crimmins for allowing us to use their music in the show open and close. It makes everything sound so much better! Let's catch a live show together soon!#nextfavband #livemusic #music #musicinterview #musician #singer #guitar #song #newmusic #explorepage #instamusic #bestmusic #musicismylife #musicindustry #musiclife #songwriter #musiclover #musicfestival

Tune in as we triple collabo once again (now a semi-annual tradition) to discuss this summer's music festivals and concerts that are sure fire ways to find your next favorite band and shout to the world "yo...that's my jawn!"As is customary, I will be joined by Nate Runkel from Yo! That's My Jawn and Dan Drago from 25 O'Clock Pod - who is now long distance, joining us all the way from Hong Kong!Together we will explore the line-ups available throughout the Philly/Lehigh Valley area, but these are bands who'll be headed out on tour and will be coming to a stage near you almost certainly.  And not quite in the short term, they will be certainly worth your time to check out.Included will be a guest appearance from 3 of the founders of Sweet Juice Fest - Mel Harris, Katie Hackett, and Shona Carr and learn more about where this amazing festival was inspired in to being, and how it has evolved over time, including what's in store this year.The 3 of us will also explore the Levitt SteelStacks line-up supported by the amazing Levitt Foundation and headed up by Shayna Super here for the Bethlehem location.  We'll sprinkle in many other exciting performances on tap for this summer, and even preview what's down the road a bit like Musikfest, XPoNential and Philly Music Fest.Come along for the ride with us and get pumped for what's available!#sweetjuicefest #nextfavband #livemusic #music #musicinterview #musician  #singer  #guitar  #song  #newmusic  #explorepage  #instamusic #bestmusic #musicismylife #musicindustry #musiclife  #songwriter Text us your thoughts on this episode, and who should be OUR #NextFavBand...As always, our hope is to bring you "your next favorite band". If you tuned in today because you already knew this musician - thank you very much! We hope that you enjoyed it and would consider following us and subscribing so we can bring you your #nextfavband in the future. And check out nextfavband.com for our entire catalog of interviews!If you have a recommendation on who you think OUR next favorite band should be, hit us up on social media (@nextfavband everywhere) or send us an email at nextfavband@stereophiliastudio.com.Thank you to Carver Commodore, argonaut&wasp, and Blair Crimmins for allowing us to use their music in the show open and close. It makes everything sound so much better! Let's catch a live show together soon!#nextfavband #livemusic #music #musicinterview #musician #singer #guitar #song #newmusic #explorepage #instamusic #bestmusic #musicismylife #musicindustry #musiclife #songwriter #musiclover #musicfestival

Greg considers prophecy and fake news.   Episode 1272 Greg's new book: Inspired Imperfection Dan's new book: Confident Humility Send Questions To: Dan: @thatdankentTwitter: @reKnewOrg Facebook: ReKnew Email: askgregboyd@gmail.com Links: Greg's book:"Crucifixion of the Warrior God" Website: ReKnew.org  

In the final message of the May meeting, Elder Graham Sims speaks about the ways in which the Lord restores vision. Sometimes it can be in a physical way like Jesus did with the blind, but sometimes it can be spiritual vision. 05.04.25.Restoring.Vision.Graham.Sims

Have we been affected by worldwide deceptions like global warming or evolution? Or have we been affected by lying? Or what about slander or gossip? Have we experienced personal attacks during opportunities to minister? Have we ever dealt with betrayal? Have we refused to forgive others? Has our family been attacked in some way? Has …

In the first message of our recent annual meeting, Elder Tim Lawrence of Bethel PBC near Nashville, preaches about sticking to the script, or scriptures. The Lord has preserved for us in His Word everything we need to know about Him and about how to navigate the pitfalls of this fallen world. 05.03.25.Sticking.to.the.Script.Tim.Lawrence

Do you love hiking and exploring the outdoors? Then hear about Nature Bus, a great FREE service offered each Saturday by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) that takes folks on routes from downtown Albany to parks and trails in the region. The "Beaver" route goes to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Bethlehem (pictured), Six Mile Waterworks, and other locations each Saturday through 9/27. The new "Warbler" route heads from downtown Albany and on to Thacher Park each Saturday through 10/4. For details on the routes, the many other nature destinations, and the many points where you can get on, check the bus 872 schedule at cdta.org. The Nature Bus is run in conjunction with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy (www.mohawkhudson.org). Jonathan Scherzer, CDTA Director of Business Development, also notes three other special CDTA services: Flex on Demand, bike sharing, and electric-car sharing. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

In this episode, we explore the story of Elimelech from Ruth Chapter 1—a man whose decision to flee famine in Bethlehem for Moab seemed logical, even necessary. But what started as a temporary fix quickly spiraled into long-term tragedy, leaving behind brokenness, loss, and bitterness. Christian leaders today face similar moments of pressure—times when expediency seems like the only option. But Elimelech's story serves as a timeless warning: choosing the convenient path over the faithful one can have devastating consequences. We'll unpack the historical and spiritual context of Elimelech's choice, explore what Scripture does—and doesn't—say about his decision, and draw out powerful leadership lessons for today. You'll learn how to avoid the trap of making fear-based decisions, how to seek God's direction in hard times, and why obedience often requires staying put when the world says to run. Whether you're leading a business, a ministry, or your family, this episode will challenge you to consider whether you're leading by faith or reacting out of expediency.

Where was Jesus Christ going? Today we talk about the potential routes that Jesus walked and even look into interesting events like Jesus's time in Bethlehem, archaeological findings in Nazareth, archaeological discoveries in Galilee, Jacob's Well, and many more exciting topics…WELCOME TO RELIGION CAMP

The Birthplace of Jesus Is in Palestine: A Memoir (Wipf and Stock, 2024) is a narrative of a Christian family in Bethlehem in the West Bank. Based on diary entries and interviews from 2000 to 2023, the Dutch author--an anthropologist and peace activist--chronicles the spontaneous reactions of his Palestinian children and wife navigating the challenges posed by curfews and checkpoints. Problems of Palestinian school life are shown from the perspective of teachers and students. Against the background of Israeli occupation and settlement building, the intricacies of Palestinian culture in its daily rhythms and domestic spaces come to life. Throughout the pages, the key Palestinian concept of sumud, or steadfastness, is explored. The memoir details acts of creative nonviolent resistance, individual protests, affirmations of cultural identity, and inspiring examples of Muslim-Christian community. The book also reveals unexpected connections between Palestinian culture in the Bethlehem area and broader Christian values and traditions. An afterword reflects upon implications of Israel's war in Gaza. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

The Birthplace of Jesus Is in Palestine: A Memoir (Wipf and Stock, 2024) is a narrative of a Christian family in Bethlehem in the West Bank. Based on diary entries and interviews from 2000 to 2023, the Dutch author--an anthropologist and peace activist--chronicles the spontaneous reactions of his Palestinian children and wife navigating the challenges posed by curfews and checkpoints. Problems of Palestinian school life are shown from the perspective of teachers and students. Against the background of Israeli occupation and settlement building, the intricacies of Palestinian culture in its daily rhythms and domestic spaces come to life. Throughout the pages, the key Palestinian concept of sumud, or steadfastness, is explored. The memoir details acts of creative nonviolent resistance, individual protests, affirmations of cultural identity, and inspiring examples of Muslim-Christian community. The book also reveals unexpected connections between Palestinian culture in the Bethlehem area and broader Christian values and traditions. An afterword reflects upon implications of Israel's war in Gaza. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Birthplace of Jesus Is in Palestine: A Memoir (Wipf and Stock, 2024) is a narrative of a Christian family in Bethlehem in the West Bank. Based on diary entries and interviews from 2000 to 2023, the Dutch author--an anthropologist and peace activist--chronicles the spontaneous reactions of his Palestinian children and wife navigating the challenges posed by curfews and checkpoints. Problems of Palestinian school life are shown from the perspective of teachers and students. Against the background of Israeli occupation and settlement building, the intricacies of Palestinian culture in its daily rhythms and domestic spaces come to life. Throughout the pages, the key Palestinian concept of sumud, or steadfastness, is explored. The memoir details acts of creative nonviolent resistance, individual protests, affirmations of cultural identity, and inspiring examples of Muslim-Christian community. The book also reveals unexpected connections between Palestinian culture in the Bethlehem area and broader Christian values and traditions. An afterword reflects upon implications of Israel's war in Gaza. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

The Birthplace of Jesus Is in Palestine: A Memoir (Wipf and Stock, 2024) is a narrative of a Christian family in Bethlehem in the West Bank. Based on diary entries and interviews from 2000 to 2023, the Dutch author--an anthropologist and peace activist--chronicles the spontaneous reactions of his Palestinian children and wife navigating the challenges posed by curfews and checkpoints. Problems of Palestinian school life are shown from the perspective of teachers and students. Against the background of Israeli occupation and settlement building, the intricacies of Palestinian culture in its daily rhythms and domestic spaces come to life. Throughout the pages, the key Palestinian concept of sumud, or steadfastness, is explored. The memoir details acts of creative nonviolent resistance, individual protests, affirmations of cultural identity, and inspiring examples of Muslim-Christian community. The book also reveals unexpected connections between Palestinian culture in the Bethlehem area and broader Christian values and traditions. An afterword reflects upon implications of Israel's war in Gaza. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Listeners, this episode is a out of chronological order in our study of Luke, but the message is so good we included it anyway! People suffer hardship and rejection for different reasons. Sometimes we reap the bitter fruit of our own mistakes or rebellion. Sometimes we reap the bitter fruit of others' mistakes or rebellion. Yet, sometimes we suffer precisely because we are doing what God has asked us to do. Obedience to Him can bring hostility from people and oppression from the devil, and these can leave us feeling deeply discouraged. But if God's will has led us into hardship, then we can be sure He won't forsake us in the middle of it. In this passage for today, we see Mary giving birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, and it appears she's having to do this alone. Under these circumstances it's hard to imagine Mary wasn't discouraged as she had to wrap her own baby and put Him in a feeding trough for a crib. So, God did a wonderful miracle to encourage her. He found a group of godly shepherds still awake at that time of night and let them see the joy that heaven felt over the birth of her Son. In effect He sent the shepherds as prophets to encourage and comfort her in those dark moments. And we learn from this that God will also encourage us when His will has gotten us into trouble. He'll let us know He loves us and hasn't forgotten us, and His plan is right on track. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge!  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

Bring Back the Bulldogs! The Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling (Lead Pastor, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St Louis, MO) and the Rev. Chris Kneppe (Pastor of Community Engagement, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO) join Andy and Sarah to talk about the revitalization of Bethlehem Lutheran School in St. Louis, including Bethlehem's long history, the community where Bethlehem Lutheran is and serves today, how a Lutheran school is in a unique position to serve this community, what individualized learning looks like in Bethlehem's setting, how they have seen children grow and thrive through their micro school, and the outlook for the 2025-2026 school year. Learn more about Bethlehem and how you can support the school at bethlehemstlouis.org. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Get More LVWITHLOVE Content Guests: Mike Cunningham, voice actor, conference organizer, VP of the SOKOL Club Jen Taphoney, professional voice actor, co-host of VO Booth Besties In this episode of the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast, host George Wacker sits down with the organizers of Get Outta Your Booth!, a new kind of voiceover conference happening June 27–29, 2025 at SOKOL Club in Bethlehem, PA. This isn't your average industry meetup — Get Outta Your Booth! is designed around accessibility and community. With just 100 attendees, sessions led by working pros, a six-lane bowling alley, karaoke socials, and zero profit motive, it's built to bring voice actors together without the pressure or price tag of larger events. Why voiceover is about more than “having a good voice” How to go pro from your home studio — no LA or NYC required Building community in a solo-heavy career The scary reality of AI voice theft — yes, it's happening What most beginners get wrong (and how to do it right) Learn more + get tickets → getouttayourbooth.com Listen to the full episode → lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com/podcast/getouttayourbooth Watch Episode https://youtu.be/1_E-uufQJl4———-www.lvwithlove.com Thank you to our Partners! L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs WDIY Lehigh Valley Health Network Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub Banko Beverage Company Get Outta Your Booth! — A Voiceover Conference with Community (and Karaoke) at Its Core “It's a crock pot career. It's not a drive-through.” — Jen Taphoney That quote pretty much says it all. In this companion piece to the latest episode of the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast, we dive into the story behind Get Outta Your Booth!, a voiceover conference built on community, accessibility, and a whole lot of real-world wisdom. Hosted by George Wacker, the episode features co-organizers Mike Cunningham and Jen Taphoney, who share how the idea for the event came to life—and why it's so different from your typical industry gathering. Listen to the Episode https://lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com/podcast/getouttayourbooth Conference Info https://www.getouttayourbooth.com From Pottsville Attic to Microsoft Explainers Jen Taphoney's journey started in a 1928 house in Schuylkill County. After years in radio, she built a studio in her attic and began producing commercials for $100 a pop. “When I left the radio station, I still had clients who wanted me on their commercials,” she says. “So I put a studio in my attic… sound treatment was super awesome. Yeah.” She's since built a thriving VO career with clients like Microsoft. “They do a little explainer thing. I've been working with them for eight years now. They just send me the copy.” Getting In (and Getting Real) Mike Cunningham's path to voiceover started in the military and IT. Then the pandemic hit. “My friend was like, ‘Why don't you do voiceover?' The pandemic is happening. There's nothing else to do,” he recalls. He joined a program, trained, and stuck with it—turning his home setup into a launchpad for commercial work, video games, and narration. “It kind of grew into an obsession out of spite… I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it work. And I don't care what it's going to take.” Why Beginners Struggle “A lot of people come in and say, ‘My friend told me I have a good voice,'” Jen says. “That's not enough.” “There's a certain amount of instinct involved,” Mike adds, “but it takes training. And you have to be prepared to not hear back at all.” “You don't often get, ‘Sorry, we went with somebody else,'” Jen explains. “You just have to keep going. Audition after audition, day after day, year after year.” Mike sums it up: “Most people start out trying too hard. Just be you.” AI, Stolen Voices, and the Future of the Industry Both guests have strong words about AI's impact on the industry. “It undermines our entire industry,” Jen says. “Whether it's music production or art or writing or voiceover… it's not human.” Mike's voice was actually cloned by a foreign studio and used in a live service video game—without his consent. “I heard it. I'm like, ‘I didn't say that,'” he says. “The falsification of humanity is not something I'm a fan of.” So What Is Get Outta Your Booth? The conference is designed to be small (100 people max), affordable, and stress-free—held at SOKOL Club in Bethlehem, a venue with a bar, shuffleboard, and a bowling alley. “There's no pressure,” Mike says. “If you want to bowl all day, go bowl all day. If you want to sit and drink, do that. If you want to watch sessions and learn something, do that too.” The sessions cover: VO genres and niches Branding your VO business in Canva Making vocal efforts How to construct your own sound panel “We're not trying to make money,” Mike adds. “Everything we get goes right back into the event—for food, prizes, drinks. That's the point.” Why It Matters This episode isn't just about voiceover—it's about building something that helps people connect. “We're all stuck in little booths,” Mike says. “It's a lonely kind of existence.” Jen adds, “Having that community to connect with and ask questions instead of trying to figure it out on your own… it makes such a big difference.” George wraps it up: “It's really cool that you're doing this. If somebody had just given me this piece of advice a couple years ago, it would've saved me months.” Mike replies, “Or thousands of dollars.”

Chapter 05 of Heroes in the Bible: David with Dr. Tony Evans is inspired by 1 Samuel 16. The Forgotten Son - In the small town of Bethlehem, in the rolling green pastures of his father’s house, a hero tends to his sheep, completely unaware of the journey God has for him. Today's opening prayer is inspired by Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things. Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Sign up for Heroes in the Bible devotionals at https://www.heroesinthebible.com/ Learn more about Dr. Tony Evans at https://tonyevans.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 05 of Heroes in the Bible: David with Dr. Tony Evans is inspired by 1 Samuel 16. The Forgotten Son - In the small town of Bethlehem, in the rolling green pastures of his father’s house, a hero tends to his sheep, completely unaware of the journey God has for him. Today's opening prayer is inspired by Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things. Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Sign up for Heroes in the Bible devotionals at https://www.heroesinthebible.com/ Learn more about Dr. Tony Evans at https://tonyevans.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 05 of Heroes in the Bible: David with Dr. Tony Evans is inspired by 1 Samuel 16. The Forgotten Son - In the small town of Bethlehem, in the rolling green pastures of his father’s house, a hero tends to his sheep, completely unaware of the journey God has for him. Today's opening prayer is inspired by Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things. Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Sign up for Heroes in the Bible devotionals at https://www.heroesinthebible.com/ Learn more about Dr. Tony Evans at https://tonyevans.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.