Podcasts about Giving

Giving thanks is something that does not happen as often as it should. As we look at our lives, we need to make a point to thank the people around us who deserve our gratitude, and we need to thank God for all the blessings He gives.

Dr. Rich Rudowske, Executive Director of Lutheran Bible Translators, unpacks why Bible engagement is declining in America, what research says about its impact, and why Scripture is vital for the flourishing of the church. Together we explore the global 2033 Bible translation goal and the unique opportunity the LCMS has to play a key role. To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.Sponsor SectionToday's episode is brought to you by Red Letter Living. We create resources to help the church produce greater disciples. This season we are launching a series of videos on our YouTube channel called “The Voices of the LCMS,” where we are unpacking data from our survey of 1054 Lutheran leaders. These videos are opening up questions, conversations, and opportunities to help us walk together in the future.Rich's ChallengeRead your Bible every day, and take it a step further by reading with a group. Use an app like YouVersion, invite friends, and share comments to sharpen and encourage one another.Are You Following Jesus?Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don't know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going. In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it's free! You will receive your results immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here. Watch the Entire Season on YouTubeWe upload every episode of The Red Letter Disciple on our YouTube channel. Subscribe here.Resources Mentioned in the EpisodeLutheran Bible Translators (LBT)God Speaks Challenge BookYouVersion Bible App (1 billion downloads milestone)Collective Impact Alliance (global Bible translation collaboration)American Bible Society research on Scripture engagementAugsburg Confession and the Lutheran Confessions“Voices of the LCMS” VideosSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you ever feel like budgeting is impossible because your income changes from month to month? If you're self-employed, work on commission, or depend on tips, you're not alone. Living on a variable income can feel like riding a financial roller coaster—one month you're doing fine, and the next, you're wondering how to make ends meet.But the good news is that God's Word offers wisdom that applies even in seasons of financial uncertainty. Proverbs 21:5 reminds us:“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”No matter how steady—or unpredictable—your income is, a plan is essential.Build Your Budget on What You Know, Not What You HopeMany people make the mistake of budgeting around their best month. Wise stewardship means basing your plan on your lowest or average month, rather than your highest month.Start by reviewing your income over the past 6 to 12 months. Identify your lowest earning month, and use that as your “bare minimum” budget—what it takes to cover essentials like housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and basic giving.For example, if your income ranges from $3,000 to $6,000, plan your budget around $3,000. When you earn more, that extra income becomes your margin—money you can use to pay down debt, save, or plan ahead for slower seasons.This approach protects you from overcommitting when income drops and helps you live within your means.Create an Income-Holding AccountWhen your income arrives irregularly, timing can be just as stressful as the amount. One simple solution is to use an income-holding account.Here's how it works:Deposit all income into one central account—your “holding tank.”Once a month, transfer your budgeted amount into your regular spending account.This method smooths out your cash flow, allowing you to “pay yourself” a steady income each month. Proverbs 27:23 gives this timeless reminder:“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.”In today's world, that means knowing where your money is, where it's going, and when it's available.Also, if your income fluctuates, an emergency fund isn't optional—it's essential.Start by saving enough to cover one month's expenses, then aim for three to six months over time. Use “boom” months to grow your buffer before adding new spending. When slower seasons come, you'll be able to keep paying yourself consistently.Differentiate Between Fixed and Flexible ExpensesAnother key to managing a variable income is learning to distinguish between fixed and flexible expenses.Fixed expenses—like rent, insurance, and loan payments—stay the same.Flexible expenses—like dining out, entertainment, or travel—can adjust with your income.During lean months, trim flexible spending. When income increases, you can replenish your savings or increase your giving. Remember, self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), and that includes how we handle our finances.One of the easiest ways to get off track is through “surprise” expenses that shouldn't be surprises—car repairs, insurance premiums, or property taxes.List all your irregular expenses for the year and divide each by twelve. Set that amount aside monthly in a sinking fund, so when those bills come, you're ready. No scrambling. No stress. Just peace that comes from faithful planning.Trust the Provider, Not the PaycheckEven when your income is unpredictable, God is not. Matthew 6 reminds us that our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask. He feeds the birds and clothes the flowers—and He will provide for His children.So whether your income changes weekly or seasonally, rest in this truth: stability isn't found in your paycheck—it's found in God's faithful provision.If you're ready to build a flexible, faith-filled budget, the FaithFi app can help. It offers tools to manage cash flow, track spending, and grow as a faithful steward of God's resources.Learn more at FaithFi.com by clicking “App” or searching for FaithFi in your app store.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I've been able to save about $170,000 and add around $10,000 each month. Once I reach $200,000, I'd like to start investing $10,000 a month in something with greater growth potential, even if it carries a bit more risk. Right now, I'm earning about 4% at the bank. What would be a wise next step for that money?I've just moved into an independent living facility and am in the process of selling my condo, which should close soon. I'll need the proceeds to help cover my living expenses, but I'm wondering—how should I handle tithing on that money?I just wanted to express my gratitude for the way you and your team share wisdom so respectfully and thoughtfully. Listening to your program has really deepened my understanding and helped me grow.Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

you guys DM'ed us your situations & we're giving our opinions! (toxic friends, setting boundaries, work life balance, asking someone out, and more!) Thanks to our sponsors: Don't miss out on early Black Friday deals. Head to https://Wayfair.com now to shop Wayfair's Black Friday deals for up to 70% off! Whatever challenges you're facing, Grow Therapy is here to help. Visit https://GrowTherapy.com/TWIN today to get started! Ready to say yes to saying no? Make the switch at https://MINTMOBILE.com/TWIN!  Watch the video version on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@beautifultwinsisterspod⁠  Follow us on IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/beautifultwinsisters⁠   and TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@beautifultwinsisterspod⁠   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE FARR SIDE. We take your calls after the Dodgers repeat! Back to Back champs! Giving the fans to react to everything Dodgers! D'Marco gives us his inside experience on being a champion. GUEST Dodgers Legend Orel Hershiser joins the show! TIP OR NO TIP. Million Dollar Mondays we take caller # 7 and they give us their super bowl prediction. We take more calls on a Dodgers reaction Monday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Finest Hour: How the Assassination Attempt Secured Reaganomics and the Rise of the Baker-Deaver Troika.Max Boot discusses how on March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his administration, Ronald Reagan was shot after giving a speech in Washington and came very close to death. Boot describes the event as Reagan's "finest hour," as Reagan behaved heroically, maintaining his composure and humor, famously joking with doctors, "I hope you're all Republicans," and telling Nancy, "Honey, I forgot to duck." The immediate political benefit was a huge boost in popularity and a massive increase in the prospects for his first budget, which included tax and spending cuts (Reaganomics). Reagan's great strength was convincing people to see the world as he wished it to be, persuading himself that dramatically cutting taxes and raising defense spending would eliminate the budget deficit, though this proved incorrect as budget deficits grew. Reagan was a "great leader but a poor manager," requiring highly capable people to manage for him, particularly Jim Baker. Boot considers appointing Jim Baker as White House Chief of Staff Reagan's most important decision, creating the Troika structure with James Baker, Ed Meese, and Mike Deaver. Another significant first-term achievement was Reagan's appointment of Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court in August 1981, fulfilling a campaign promise to appoint a woman.

Managing your sellers doesn't have to feel like herding cats — or losing your mind. In this episode, we're diving deep into seller client management and giving you the tools (and mindset) to confidently take charge of every stage of the listing process. From deciding whether you even want the listing, to coaching your seller through prep, pricing, updates, negotiations, and closing — this episode covers it all. And yes, we even tackle what to do when your seller flat-out ignores your advice or refuses to clean up their clutter (it happens). This episode was born from your questions — we noticed a theme: y'all are struggling with seller management, and we are here to help. We structured this chat to walk through each step of the seller experience, from first contact to final key handoff, with mindset reminders and real-world solutions for the most common challenges agents face. If you've ever second-guessed whether to take a listing, worried about pricing too high, or stressed about communicating with a ghosting seller — this one's for you.     Here's what we cover in this episode: How to decide if you should even take the listing Why mindset matters more than you think Setting expectations around budget, prep, and condition Giving honest advice without hurting feelings Managing sellers during staging, photos, and price drops How to provide regular updates that actually work Key Quotes & Takeaways "Ask yourself: do you actually want this listing? If not, it's okay to walk away." — Katy "We're not here to be doormats. You can be kind and still be in charge." — Alissa "Your seller only moves every 10 years. You do this every day. Be the professional." — Katy "The market will tell you what the right price is. Don't be afraid of the data." — Alissa "If you're not updating your sellers, they think you've disappeared." — Katy Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned: Episode 183: How to Sell a House Episode 276: How to Stage Your House Episode 73: Building a Staging Closet Episode 65: Contingency Planning for Buyers/Sellers Email Templates 101 Transaction Checklists Want to toast someone on the show? Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you're toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com. Leave us a review at ratethispodcast.com/hustlehumbly Get your FREE Database Template  Email Templates 101: emailtemplates101.com Build Your Own Business 101: hustlehumblypodcast.com/byob Agent Systems 101: agentsystems101.com All Resources: hustlehumblypodcast.com Submit your topic ideas and toasts to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com   Music: Straight A's by Conner Price The Good Life by Summer Kennedy  

Andy and Randy talk about how the Falcons playmakers are stepping up but no role players are on offense and what's the perfect recipe for who gets the ball and how often.

I was about to title this episode "How I'm Actually Feeling About AI Right Now", because honestly? It's not all sunshine and robots over here.Look, you know me. I'm the AI girl. I teach it, I use it, I've built entire systems around it. But lately? Some stuff happening in the AI space is giving me the ick. And in some cases, I'm like... have we completely lost the plot?I'm still team AI—don't get me wrong. This tech has changed everything for entrepreneurs. It's opened up massive opportunities, saved me countless hours, helped me tighten up systems, create better content, and run a stronger company. But here's the thing: not everything coming out of this so-called "AI revolution" is smart. Not all of it is going to grow your business in the right way.So I'm flipping the mic on and getting real about a couple things that aren't sitting right with me. And honestly? I think you might agree.We're building personal brand businesses in this weird new AI-saturated world, and we need to be smart about it. Because your edge isn't in how many automations you have—your edge is YOU. Your stories, your opinions, your energy. That's what can't be replicated, even by a really good AI twin.What You'll Learn:Why AI twins and digital clones are giving me major ick (and why they might be killing your personal brand instead of building it)The problem with AI-generated podcasts and why they'll make your audience tune out fastHow to use AI to amplify yourself without replacing the human connection your audience cravesWhy you don't need to keep up with every single AI development (and how it's actually holding you back)The one thing that will always be your competitive edge as a personal brand entrepreneurHow to zig when everyone else zags—and why "ugly content" might be your secret weaponMy challenge to you: how to lean MORE into being human in your business, not lessResources Mentioned:The Personality Manifesto (FREE): https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/personalityYour Next Steps:Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programsWhat I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/toolsConnect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter Support the show

Losing a spouse can shake every part of life—but God promises to walk with you through each next step.When loss turns life upside down, even simple financial decisions can feel overwhelming. But with God's help—and a few practical steps forward—there is hope and healing ahead. Today, Valerie Hogan joins us to share guidance for navigating the financial journey after losing a spouse.Valerie Hogan is an attorney, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), a member of Kingdom Advisors, and the co-author of Wise Women Managing Money: Expert Advice on Debt, Wealth, Budgeting, and More with Miriam Neff. Grief and Finances Are Deeply ConnectedWhen grief hits, clarity often disappears. You may feel pressure to “get everything settled” or, on the other hand, find it impossible to make even small decisions. Both reactions are normal.Grief colors everything. It's difficult to separate financial choices from emotional pain. And that's okay. The key is to give yourself permission not to have all the answers right away.Statistics show that about 80% of women will outlive their husbands. That means most of us will one day find ourselves managing finances alone. And many women, especially from earlier generations, weren't as involved in financial decisions during marriage.After loss, that reality can be intimidating. Suddenly, you're faced with choices about investments, taxes, home maintenance, and budgets—often with less income and more years of life ahead. Those early months matter, but they shouldn't be rushed.Start with This Truth: God Owns It AllBefore any practical steps, I want to anchor you in a truth that has carried me and countless others through difficult seasons: God owns it all.Everything we have belongs to Him, and He is with us as we steward it. Remembering that doesn't erase the pain, but it reminds us we're not alone. It shifts the weight of control off our shoulders and invites God's wisdom into our decisions.That truth gives us permission to move slowly and prayerfully. Stewardship is not about perfection—it's about trust.Steps for Navigating the Early DaysHere are some guiding steps I often share with widows who ask, “Where do I even begin?”1. Take One Step at a TimeYou don't need to fix everything today. Unless a change is absolutely urgent, give yourself space to rest and recover. Grief has a way of making even simple tasks feel monumental. Be patient with yourself.2. Avoid Major Financial Moves Too SoonTry not to make significant financial decisions while emotions are raw. Some women have sold homes, moved away, or invested large sums during intense grief—only to regret it later. Wait until your heart is steadier before making big changes.3. Get Organized, Little by LittleLoss often leaves behind a mountain of paperwork. Start small—maybe one pile, one folder, one hour. Ask a trusted friend or advisor to help if it feels overwhelming. Progress comes one decision at a time.4. Track What's Coming In and Going OutAwareness brings peace. You don't have to overhaul your budget immediately—just begin noticing where money is going. Clarity grows with consistency.5. Lean on Trusted AdvisorsChoose people who will look out for your best interest—those with integrity and experience, not pressure or sales motives. A trusted financial planner, attorney, or advisor can help you think clearly when emotions run high.6. Anchor Everything in PrayerThis is the most important step. God cares deeply when His people are hurting. Invite Him into every conversation, every decision, every bill you open. He is your provider and your comforter.Build a “Personal Board of Directors”Form a personal board of directors—a small circle of wise people you can lean on for different kinds of counsel.You might include:A spiritually mature friend who prays with youA financial professional with integrityAn encourager who helps you stay hopefulA practical helper who can sit with you through paperworkEach one brings something valuable. Just remember: not every encourager is a financial guide, and not every advisor is a prayer partner. Surround yourself with a balanced mix of wisdom and compassion.Know It. Own It. Like It. Change It.In their book Wise Women Managing Money, Miriam Neff and Valerie Neff Hogan use a simple four-part framework that applies beautifully here:Know it—Gather the facts. What do you own? What do you owe?Own it—Accept responsibility for your new role as steward.Like it—Evaluate your current situation honestly.Change it—Begin making small, steady adjustments that align with your goals and faith.You don't need to have it all figured out. Start by knowing where you are—and trust that God will guide each next step.If you've recently lost your spouse, please hear this: there are brighter days ahead. It may not feel that way now, but God will give you strength and wisdom in time. I've seen hundreds of widows rebuild, heal, and even thrive again.Take one step at a time. Pray often. Surround yourself with wise, loving people. And remember—you're not alone.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:A friend once told me they only tip 10% at restaurants, so they don't end up giving a server more than they give to God. Now that's stuck with me—every time I eat out, I think about it. Am I looking at this the wrong way? What's the right, biblical way to think about tipping and giving?I recently set up a trust, and I own two homes—one's paid off and the other still has a mortgage. Both properties are titled in my name. Do I need to transfer or re-deed those homes into the trust, or can I leave them as they are since they're already in my name?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Wise Women Managing Money: Expert Advice on Debt, Wealth, Budgeting, and More by Miriam Neff and Valerie Neff Hogan, J.D. Widow ConnectionWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a textToday on Your Child Is Normal, I'm thrilled to re-air one of our most important conversations with Lenore Skenazy — author of Free‑Range Kids and president of the nonprofit Let Grow, which is leading a national movement to restore childhood independence.Lenore explains why when we trust kids to do more on their own, they grow stronger, more confident, and less anxious. She upends the “hover-parenting” norm and invites us to rethink what real childhood looks like.In this episode you'll hear:•How childhood became over-scheduled, over-monitored, and under-trusted.•Why giving kids more freedom isn't neglect—it's empowerment.•Practical steps you can take this week to let your child take the reins (just a little).•Lenore's latest work including her brand-new TED Talk, “Why You Should Spend Less Time With Your Kids.” (Watch it here ➜ https://www.ted.com/talks/lenore_skenazy_why_you_should_spend_less_time_with_your_kids?language=en)  Your Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube channel: Ask Dr Jessica If you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.-For a plant-based, USDA Organic certified vitamin supplement, check out : Llama Naturals Vitamin and use discount code: DRJESSICA20-To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only. She does not diagnose medical conditi...

How 5,000 Reporters Changed Everything!Sam Anthony of YourNews.com Rebuilding Trust in Media | Diversified Game Podcast

2025 has been a rough year for charities. Economic uncertainty, decreased federal funding, political polarization – in many ways, nonprofits are facing a lot of the same challenges they did during Covid, as well as a few new ones. Charitable organizations need your donations now more than ever.  In this episode, we're joined by former OFF THE WALL co-host and Partner at Monument, Jessica Gibbs, CFP® as she highlights three current trends in charitable giving and how you can adjust your giving strategy to help make a bigger impact. If you're currently looking at end-of-year giving or planning ahead for next year, be sure to tune in for the full episode.       Please see important podcast disclosure information at https://monumentwealthmanagement.com/disclosures   Episode Timeline/Key Highlights:   0:00 Disclosure 0:24 The Future of Giving 3:13 The State of Nonprofits Today 8:26 Funding Pressures and the Power of Flexibility 14:17 Burnout, Morale, and Donor ROI 21:01 Sustaining Impact Through Multi-Year Giving 26:09 How to Give with Intention 30:42 Closing Thoughts and Resources Resources Mentioned: Check out our sister podcast, Between Sips: https://monumentwealthmanagement.com/between-sips-podcast/   Watch 75th Episode of OFF THE WALL on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pc_3Z7f7CY8   Connect with Monument Wealth Management:    Visit our website: https://monumentwealthmanagement.com/   Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monumentwealth/#   Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monument-wealth-management/   Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonumentWealthManagement   Connect on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MonumentWealth#Fit   Subscribe to our Private Wealth Newsletter: https://monumentwealthmanagement.com/subscribe/   About "OFF THE WALL":    Markets move fast. OFF THE WALL helps you stay one step ahead. Hosts David B. Armstrong, CFA, and Nate Tonsager, CIPM, are talking about the things that Wall Street isn't: breaking down what's really happening in the markets and economy, how it impacts your wealth, and the smart moves to consider right now.    Learn more on our website at https://monumentwealthmanagement.com/off-the-wall-podcast/

We will journey through some of the most powerful short stories ever told–stories that have shaped Christian faith for centuries. These are not just simple moral lessons. These are Kingdom revelations. With simple images– a tree, a lost coin, a house being built– Jesus opens our eyes to the beauty of God's heart, our need for salvation, and what it means to live in His Kingdom under His reign. The parables are how Jesus invites us in. They are windows into the heart of God and mirrors revealing our own. They confront us, comfort us, and ultimately call us to respond to the good news that God's Kingdom has drawn near in Jesus.This week, Pastor John Crawford teaches out of Luke 16:19-31.WEBSITETo learn more about Redemption Tempe, find ways to get involved,  or opportunities to serve, visit our website: https://tempe.redemptionaz.com.OUR APPDownload our app redtem.in/tempeappOR text "tempe app" to 77977STAY CONNECTEDFacebook:    / redemptiontempe.  .Twitter:    / redemptiontem  Instagram:    / redemptiontempe..  .GIVINGEverything we have is a gift from the Lord because He owns it all. Therefore giving should be a priority for us who have received all we have. Giving cheerfully, sacrificially, and consistently is a part of our worship.Give Online: https://pushpay.com/g/redemptiontempe

Any Questions Or Advice You Want the Chicos Tóxicos to Answer? Shop the merch here!⬇️https://chicostoxico.comFollow the chicos toxicos here! https://youtube.com/@Chicostoxicos?si=uwEqk208eMa9WlyL​⁠​Diego's personal YT:    /  ​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠ @Diegovnoboa ​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠   Felipe's personal YT:    / ​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠ ​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠ @felipito967 Chicos Toxicos YT: ​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠ @Chicostoxicos ​⁠ @IntoxicadosPodcast  FOLLOW FELIPE ON:INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/felipit096/...SNAPCHAT: ITSSS.FELIPETIKTOK: FELIPITO96FOLLOW DIEGO ON:INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/diegovnoboa...SNAPCHAT: DIEGONOBOAATIKTOK: DIEGOVNOBOA  / discord  FOLLOW BRANDON ON:INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/donbrandom/

This week we talk about: Zoho CRM: Workflow and Actions APIs Released Zoho Analytics: October 2025 Updates Zoho Desk: Incoming Threads Report Our Implementation, Read, Code Share, and Tip of the Week Read the show notes: https://zenatta.com/episode-379/   

"...No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted...."For some ancient wisdom about donors who don't give, this week, I'm reading a story from Aesop's Fables, titled the Lion and the Mouse as told sometime between 620 and 564 BC.Reflection question:What kindness can you give to a donor who have previously said no to the capital project?Reflection on quote:Last week, we discussed building communities of donors during the campaign. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the relationship with donors is only about asking or thanking.  A donor gives, and we thank them and report back on the impact their gifts has.  What are those donors to your organization who aren't interested in giving to the capital project? Relationships with donors must be more than just their status during the campaign. When a donors chooses not to give to the capital campaign, it can feel like a personal rejection and there can be a pulling back from that donor, which can then feel like rejection to that donor.  Instead, in that moment, it's important to lean into kindness. It's looking for the opportunities to give a kind word.  It's the giving space to the donor to find more meaning in their lives through the other aspects of our cause. It's the time we spend getting to know them and showing them that we see them for who they are.  A kindness is never wasted in our relationships with donors.What do you think? Send me a text. To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper and to schedule an free explore coaching call, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Send us a textWhat if the most crowded parts of your week are actually the doorway to deeper peace? We step straight into the rush—kid drop-offs, work sprints, grocery runs, weekend marathons—and ask a harder, better question: where is the space for God when every square of the calendar is filled? The answer isn't to tidy up first. It's to bring the whole mess—exhaustion, pressure, deadlines, and all—and let God meet you there.We unpack a simple, strong framework from James 1: count it all joy, let steadfastness grow, ask boldly for wisdom, and pursue righteousness that shows up in everyday choices. Joy in trials sounds impossible until you see what it really is: perspective anchored in promise. Steadfastness isn't a heroic moment; it's the daily habit that readies you for the tests you didn't plan for. Wisdom isn't scarce; God gives it generously to those who ask. And righteousness isn't earned; it's received in Christ, then expressed as being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.To make this real, we walk through imperfect heroes—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samson—people who stumbled and still stepped into God's purpose. Their stories remind us that failure isn't final and your past doesn't get the last word. We get honest about anger and bitterness, how they masquerade as protection but function like chains. Freedom comes when we lay them down and invite the Holy Spirit to form new reflexes. We talk practical rhythms too: putting God first before the phone, building community that keeps you grounded, and creating small, repeatable practices that hold when life gets loud.If your life feels messy, you're not disqualified—you're ready. Listen, share it with a friend who needs the reminder, and subscribe so you never miss a conversation that brings peace into the middle of real life. And if this spoke to you, leave a review with one insight you're putting into practice this week.Cornerstonehttps://www.cornerstoneaz.org/Follow Jesushttps://www.cornerstoneaz.org/follow-...Life Groups https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/life-gr...Giving https://cornerstoneaz.churchcenter.co...Church Center App - Download then add Cornerstone Christian Center in Avondale, AZiOShttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-ch...Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...----Instagram cornerstoneaz Facebook cornerstoneaz.org Twitter cornerstoneaz.org

Can AI truly transform how patients access healthcare? In this episode, Ben is joined by Dr Hannan Chaudery, Chief Technology Officer of GP Triage, to explore how autonomous AI is reshaping patient care across the NHS. Hannan explains how GP Triage's innovative system prioritises appointments based on clinical urgency, easing the pressure on receptionists and clinicians while improving patient outcomes. With the NHS now requiring online consultations, GP Triage's AI powered triage is leading the way in managing surging demand efficiently and effectively, and adapting seamlessly to the needs of each individual practice. Introduction (00:08)  Autonomous AI triage (00:18)  Are requirements increasing demand? (01:08)  More about Dr Hannan Chaudery.. (02:02)  More about GP Triage Ltd.. (02:58)  The tools learning (05:42) The risks.. (06:35) Your tool doesn't make mistakes? (07:59) Giving patients the choice (08:53) Evolving your tool over time (12:29)  The accuracy of the tool (13:26)  Coverage in England and beyond.. (14:48) Implementing change.. (15:40)  How do you define success? (17:34)  Online vs telephone (20:22) How it all works and what it costs.. (22:00)  What's next? (24:31) Visit the GP Triage website here. For all enquiries about the Ockham podcast, please contact Ben Gowland here.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 24 Eve of the New Order In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Earned leadership is a blessing; assigned leadership is a burden   "Am I going to have to spank this little kitty to teach you a lesson?" Rio asked sweetly. Mercy vigorously shook her head in denial. "So you don't want me to do this?" Rio began energetically rubbing her fingers over the moist cunt. I was distracted from the rest of that exchange by Barbie Lynn's recovery. She climbed up my body, cheeks still full of my cum and staring at me with a mischievous hunger. At the moment I thought we were going to mimic the cum-swapping trick Ms. Lane and I had done, she went in another direction. Barbie Lynn leaned forward within inches of Vivian's face. Vivian reacted by pulling away, knocking the back of her skull against the headboard of the bed. "Barbie Lynn, I am not kissing you, and I am certainly not kissing you with Zane's, seed/semen in your mouth," Vivian insisted. Barbie Lynn mumbled something that sounded somewhat like 'but you'll like it' and did her best to look sexy, innocent, and inviting all at once. She would have had me convinced that brushing my teeth with uranium hexafluoride was the best thing for long term dental health too. Barbie Lynn pressed forward, Vivian held her back by putting a hand on each shoulder, and then Barbie Lynn transferred one of Vivian's hands so that it now supported one of Barbie Lynn's dangling tits. Realistically, Vivian was better at Karate than Barbie Lynn and could have blocked/resisted the blow, but Vivian had the ability to be remarkably compliant at the weirdest of times, like right now. Barbie Lynn was really close to doing as promised. "Please don't," Vivian asked softly. Barbie Lynn went one step further; she tapped her forehead to Vivian's forehead, smiled at her, and sat up, ready to swallow at last. "Wait, don't!" Rio cried out. She switched direction so that she was beside Barbie Lynn and they were the ones now actually kissing and letting my semen travel from tongue to tongue. When Rio got her share and then some, she spun rapidly back to Mercy and slapped that girl's thigh, motioning her up on her knees facing Rio. As Mercy reached the appointed position, Rio took her head in both hands and bore into a powerful oral exchange. One blowjob with three recipients, not my normal wake-up routine. That aforementioned bunch of guys is going to crucify me, upside down. Mercy went from slightly hesitant to rather animated in seconds, keeping tight to Rio as Rio tried to withdraw. Mercy's tongue lashed Rio's mouth a few more times before Rio pushed her back. "You like that, my Bang-bunny?" Rio taunted Mercy. "Do you like Zane's cream on your tongue and going down your throat?" "Yes," Mercy responded shyly, "yes, I like it very much." I waited for 'can I have another' and an inappropriate chorus from 'Oliver'. Rio didn't see things that way. She wrapped Mercy up by the waist and kissed her once more. "Okay, but since you are such a lousy cocksucker I am going to make you practice on Zane every night at eleven until you get it right, at least until the end of the semester," Rio scolded Mercy. "If that is what you want!" Mercy beamed. "Lord Jesus, save me," Vivian prayed for sanity to return to the room. "Oh, no, you are not," Barbie Lynn challenged Mercy and Rio's little scheme as she rushed to my rescue. "Not every night, anyway," she added. Maybe not rushing to my rescue after all. "The next lady to lay claim to my sexual favors, I'm going to make French kiss Ms. Marlowe during breakfast at the Dining Hall," I threatened. "Spread the word." "How is that going to work?" Rio snickered. "I don't know, but I've done every other inconceivable thing I've set out to do so why should this be any different?" I gave her a lopsided grin. "Yes, all of this is very nice," Vivian lectured, "but Zane only has seven minutes left to take a shower downstairs." We started to stampede for the exit. "Robes, towels," Vivian reminded us. She was rapidly learning many of the important skills one needs to become a mother to teenagers, a cat wrangler, or a prison guard. The Dawn of the New Order, like it or not.   It started at 6:45 as we began filing out of the dorm toward the dining hall and breakfast. We received texts, or our dorm mothers received them if we didn't have that function, assigning us a tribe we belonged to. What was a tribe? No one seemed to have a clue what this entailed for us.   "So," Iona was the first to ask me, "What tribe are you part of?"   "My tribe's called the Mediator tribe," I responded. "What lame-ass name does your tribe have?" Iona blinked at me, took my phone from my hands, and looked at it while we walked.   "Mercy and I are in 17," Rio sneered. "Why did your group merit a name and ours didn't?"   "Because Zane doesn't have a tribe," Iona figured. "He is not of the mediator tribe; he's a mediator. The real question is, how many mediators are there and what is their responsibility?"   "I'm in tribe three," Vivian volunteered. "I do have a notation but no indication who to see about it." The conversations around us were going in the same general direction, the girls trying to figure what sort of disruptions this would cause. The teachers put a kibosh on students walking around and finding out where their friends were placed so the text and phone messages being tossed around were obscene.   The surprise going to breakfast had saved virtually all of the freshmen from Handmaiden's Duty but they snapped us up heading for Assembly. I had Frederica Nicholas who decided to make a game of her giving me a word and me having to create a poetic verse. I rapidly learned the more risqu my verse, the more touchy-feely she became. (And she is a Rhaine supporter, huh?) I am a glutton for sexual foreplay no matter where it comes from.   Entry into the Assembly Hall brought its own special form of confusion. All the seats had numbers for the tribes that could sit there. I didn't find my group anywhere but I did catch the fact that Christina's group had been broken up. I stopped by Heaven to put a comforting hand on her shoulder because she looked terribly unsettled before I approached Ms. Goodswell on the stage.   My spiritual advisor stood up, walked to the edge of the stage, and knelt down so we could talk privately.   "Hi, Teach. I can't seem to find my groups/tribe's area," I said pleasantly. "Can you help me out? Hell, can you tell me what's going on?"   "Zane, your seat is right over there," she said, pointing to a chair on the front row, aisle seat. She smiled sadly. "All I can tell you about this program right now is that I trust you." Oh crap, that didn't sound good. Sitting on the front row, the region normally reserved for seniors, was just as disturbing. I sensed an epic boning in my future and I was sure I knew who the chick with the strap-on was.   Chancellor Bazz came to the podium and led us through the first ten minutes of the session. I could tell she was simmering with anger and resentment over whatever the upcoming fiasco was, and she showed it. She introduced Vice Chancellor Scarlett, then sat down abruptly. Her enthusiasm wasn't muted; it was buried in the core of the earth.   "Greetings, students of Freedom Fellowship University; I believe we stand at the first step to a great, glorious, and blessed experiment," Vice Chancellor Doctor Victoria Scarlett began. Her plan did sound grandiose, was certainly going to be famous (or infamous), and whichever supernatural powers put their mark on this train wreck, I was sure we'd discover the Arch-angel Morningstar also had his sulfuric fingerprints on it when the CSI's were finally brought in.   The basics of the scheme: There would be eighteen tribes of fifty or more members. Each tribe had all four grades in it but was focused on declared majors so that the girls could support one another. Each tribe would internally determine how they would regulate themselves as well. Externally, relations would be overseen by the Mediator, yes, that was in the singular, as in one: me.   At this point, I was wondering if jumping up, shooting Scarlett in the heart, and crying 'Sic semper tyrannis' was appropriate. I didn't have a gun and realistically, Victoria didn't deserve death for what she was putting all of us through. A few days in a pillory would suffice. No, she was making me be the 'Man' of our academic community, our judge and arbitrator.   As for my job qualifications, or lack thereof; I am considered morally loose, if not downright deviant. I'm an eighteen-year-old boy telling twenty-one-year-old women what to do, I have no legal experience, oh, yes, and half the campus hates my guts. I almost missed it when Doctor Scarlett added that Vivian would remain my guardian.   Maybe Vivian would throw herself in the path of a sharpened pencil, pen, or stylus aimed at my heart by any number of the young ladies that wanted me dead, just like a Secret Service Agent.   "You will be informed of the location of your first meetings. Each tribe will meet at eight o'clock tonight and tomorrow night to create the foundations of your group," Doctor Scarlett informed us.   "Tribes five and seventeen will be meeting in the Solarium of Alan Smithee dorm, if that is okay with Mr. Braxton." Victoria looked my way. I stood up in case anyone missed my discomfort for being called out and actually asked by a lead educator for anything resembling permission on this campus.   "Eight o'clock tonight?" I questioned. "I don't know if that works for me. I have a Brazilian body wax at eight and have scheduled my eyebrows to be plucked at 8:45, plus there is a new episode of NCIs: Los Angeles at nine."   "How about they promise to keep the noise level down?" Victoria volleyed right back at me without missing a beat.   "Very well, Doctor Scarlett, if you personally guarantee their behavior, I'm okay with them using my room," I allowed. I couldn't provoke Scarlett and I couldn't embarrass her, so I was back to facing her rear-bound artificial cock catching up with my behind. I sat back down. Victoria quickly exited center stage and a bitter Chancellor ushered us through the last of the service.   I waited outside the Assembly Hall for my friends and my Handmaiden for the moment, Theresa Yates. Christina and Chastity caught up with me first, both giving me a curious look.   "Bro," Rio sneered as she and Mercy joined us, "we need to discuss your future abuse of power, bribes and kick-backs you are going to get. Nice banter with ol' Scarlett too."   "Yes," Christina said sarcastically, "being flippant with the Vice Chancellor backfired so spectacularly the first time, it definitely needed repeating." Her criticism really sucked because I always secretly wanted her to think well of me.   "What's your plan?" Chastity prodded me. She was always helping me out when she got the chance. As she finished, Iona, Hope, Faith, and Heaven showed up.   "They split us up," growled Heaven. "Do something, Zane."   "He just found out about this," Iona responded before I could. "Give it time and combined, we will come up with a solution together." I sighed with some relief at her assistance and then I blinked. The powerful kiss I planted on Iona's lips caught everyone off-guard.   "Freaking brilliant!" I complimented her gaily, giddy with glee. I didn't have an actual plan yet but I had a direction to propel my thought toward. With my mind awhirl, I caught sight of Theresa moving past me on her way to class.   "Hey, Theresa," I called out. "What are you having me do today?" She looked a bit shocked.   "Zane, we are no longer allowed to call on you for Handmaiden's Duty," she informed me.   "Oh, He, ck no," I choked out. "Who says?"   "The Vice-Chancellor declared you to be outside the tradition," she stated sadly. I wasn't going to stand for this. Victoria was building a wedge between me and the rest of the student body.   "Iona, do that tech-thing that you do and inform the ladies that by the authority vested in me as mediator, I am reinstating myself as part of the Handmaiden's duty until, over half of the tribal leaders petition that I do otherwise," I announced.   "By tech-thing, do you mean send a text message with an accompanying e-mail to all the students on the school registry?" Iona regarded me quizzically.   "Zane," Chastity worried, "are you sure you have the authority?"   "Of course he has the authority," Rio declared. "He's the freaking mediator." Sometimes I would really like to get a word in before the conversation runs away from me.   I swatted Iona on the ass, she squawked.   "Chastity, this is clearly a game of chicken, so why not see how far Scarlett is willing to go," I replied. The look Christina gave me restored my faith in me; her eyes beamed at me, alight with an intellectual fire. I had one last thing to do while the chaos boiled one last time before the ebb: I hugged Rio.   "I want you to break into Gabrielle's place," I whispered in her ear, "wait for her to come get you, and tell her this: There is no Cordelia Dresden."   "Back off, Joker," Rio punched me. Rio trusted me not to put her in harm's way if I had another choice and Gabrielle knew that Rio would be the last person any sane individual would trust to do this.   She gave no hint of a reply to my request. The assumption was, if Cordelia didn't know what we were up to, she couldn't figure out a way to stop us, and right now I wanted a way for us out of her little game here at FFU. My current theory was that the girl I knew as Cordelia didn't exist before she came here, she was an invented personality, and I wanted to know who the inventor was.   Oh yeah, back to my actual life where my academic and social lives were in upheaval because my current nemesis (or one of them anyway) was a crusading idealist. I swear to God, if I survive this place, I will never forgive Aunt Jill for not sending me to the University of Hawaii, which was my first choice for college. All I had to worry about there was hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and the wrath of the island spirits for despoiling virgins, simple shit.   "Zane, you will discuss the merits and sins of the concubines of King Solomon with me," Theresa said, as she passed me her backpack to carry. Life rolled back to semi-normal and we separated to make our way to our first classes of the day. That illusion took another ill turn when I entered English class with Ms. Goodswell. She gestured for me to come to her desk before the lesson began.   "Zane," she informed me softly, "none of the female teachers or administrators at this school can give you orders, only suggestions. Only Doctor Jennings may truly compel you to do anything."   This bombshell was the reason she said she trusted me back in Assembly. The only one making me do the right thing was me. I had never considered me Mr. Responsibility before so I was in for a crash course in having authority over 900 students and 100 teachers. I told Virginia Goodswell about my decision concerning my Handmaiden's Duty to get her input, then compelled her to treat me as any other student, because apparently, I'm in charge of students now.   "There are old soldiers and there are bold soldiers, but there are very few old, bold soldiers," she reminded me. "Never forget, no matter how dark it may seem, Zane, you are never alone."   "I could always use a picture of you in a white, low-cut bikini to inspire me," I hinted.   "Mr. Braxton, by the authority vested in me by the mediator, I order you to take your seat so we can begin classes," she smirked. Oh, the irony: stymied by my own hubris.   Celia Wanamaker snapped me up coming out of English class. Vivian was waiting for me and Raven was in tow, right up until Paige snapped her up. Celia had me name a biblical character for each letter of the alphabet. Paige had Raven quote bible verses, backwards. As if there was any doubt my day could get worse, it did so immediately.   "Oh, the great Priest-King approaches!" screeched Rio on seeing me. "We all must genuflect, that's kneel down until your head touches the ground for you stupid bitches, until the Mediator passes." The horrible, horrible thing was that dozens of confused girls started doing just that.   "Hold on," I held up my hands for attention, "Hold on. Rio is mistaken. Genuflecting is only done during the Holy Days of Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter."   Okay, I made that up off the fly and I figured that I wouldn't be at school for Christmas, and Good Friday and Easter were next year and I'd worry about that then. For now:   "Emily, Rebecca, Henrietta, and Magdalena, please carry Rio to her next class, by the legs and arms," I instructed some of the closest students. "If a door or other object gets in the way, don't hesitate to use her head as a battering ram."   "Damn, Bro, that's harsh," Rio giggled from the floor. I knelt beside her.   "Yeah," I whispered, "like being man-handled by four girls isn't going to turn you on."   "Don't tell them that," she whispered back. I rose and continued on to class. A wiggling, squirming, cursing, and fighting Rio followed us.   I went through the same rigmarole in Biblical Archeology. I told the teacher that using my authority over students, I was instructing her to instruct me as if I was any other student, because I was a student and this was the area of my authority; right? She bought into my reasoning with some relief.   "How was it?" I mouthed to Rio once class was well on the way.   "Two hands all the way up the thigh, one knows I forgot my undies and was thoroughly soaked, two titties grabbed," Rio described what she'd been subjected to, "and I got to bite Magdalena's ass. I love those soccer player asses. You are most likely the best friend I will ever know; thank you."   "Always willing to help a fellow pervert out," I grinned back. Rio winked, then returned to work. I needed all the humor I could get because it was going to be a long damn day. By the time I made Marksmanship at three o'clock, I was damn happy to shoot something. I got some relief by having my best day ever, scoring a 53 (out of a possible 100) at the range. When I finished, I noticed a large number of my club mates standing close by.   WOMEN and the WORLD at LARGE   "Yes?" I questioned the ladies clustered behind me at the firing line.   "Oh, we are huddling behind your manliness," Daphne, one of the better shooters, joked.   "Manliness? Daphne, you just shot an 87. Hell, if you ladies want to be safe, stand in front of me, because apparently that's the one place my bullets don't go," I chided her.   That was a slight exaggeration. I was a pretty good shot out to 50 meters, but when I have to use binoculars to even see the target some of these girls are nailing, I know I have a long way to go.   "Zane, police your station," Hope instructed me. "Everyone, it is time for field training." This was the other part of marksmanship, sneaking around and spotting targets in the woods. We didn't use live rounds but it was still fun stuff.   "Gung-ho!" I responded to Hope. I'd heard that this was the battle cry of an Asian-American unit in World War II; Japanese I think.   "I'm Korean, Zane," Hope tried not to chuckle. "We are not exactly friends with the Japanese."   "If I stop saying it will you ask your Daddy not to come?" I inquired hopefully.   "If you keep saying it, I'll stop telling my Father I can't live without you," she countered.   "You can't live without me?" I questioned.   "Of course I can live without you, but I had to think of something to stop him from parachuting here in the dead of night and slitting your throat," she confided.   "You are joking; right?" I worried. Hope was nonresponsive as we got our gear together for the hike. "Hope, tell me that was a joke." Once we passed into the forest, Hope was quiet, business-like and nothing but. We were a mile into our trek when Hope settled down to study the environs. Per procedure, Hope watched to her front and left; I crouched at her back, facing away, and watched to our rear and Hope's right.   We would stay this way until Hope set up on the target, which was when I became her spotter. Since we weren't there yet, I scanned my area one more time, then cupped my right hand and reached behind me until I touched Hope's ass. I waited for a reaction of any kind but none came. Three seconds later I began to gently coast along her posterior, lightly squeezing her buttocks and rubbing along her cleft.   With a careful ear, I caught Hope's breath gaining in intensity. A few seconds later, she reached back and tapped my arm lightly so I stopped. Hope then rose carefully and we continued on our way. During the entire encounter, neither one of us had deviated from our watchfulness, which gave the whole situation a greater erotic appeal for me.   "Zane," Hope caught my attention as the last rifle and bullet was secured away, "I really wasn't sure how you would deal with me, being better than you. How do you do it?"   "All the training and skill in the world isn't worth a damn if you won't fight," I tried to explain. "A willingness to fight without talent is a waste. Hope, you didn't defeat me; you beat me."   She seemed to be searching for my definition of those two terms.   "Let's walk over to Orienteering before Heaven pops," I suggested. "We can both pin Heaven down but short of killing her, I'm not sure how to stop her." Hope chuckled at that assessment and nodded. "Hope, you put me on the mat and made me tap out, you beat me. You haven't discouraged me from coming at you when I feel I'm more capable, you haven't defeated me."   "Beating implies physical dominance but defeat is a state of mind," Hope replied as she stripped my definitions bare. I swung back my hand to spank her ass. Hope flinched slightly as instinct recognized the incoming blow and dictated a menu of responses, most of which involved causing me pain. I spanked her left ass cheek; Hope yelped and glared over her shoulder at me in feigned annoyance.   "You are a very verbose wench," I shook my finger at her.   "Do you want them to perform an extensive autopsy to figure out where I stuck that finger or are you going to remove it from my face right now?" she challenged me mirthfully. I stepped to her side, draped an arm around her waist; a second later she hesitantly echoed the gesture.   When we got to Orienteering, Hope and I parted company and I joined my fellow students as Heaven stood before us. The silence dragged on, and on until I finally felt compelled to raise my hand.   "Yes, Zane?" Heaven asked sweetly. You know; that 'sweetly' that says, I have an iron skillet to the head in my immediate future.   "Class? Are we going to have class today? Please?" I mumbled.   "I don't know, Zane," Heaven glared at me with a vicious smile stitched to her face. "Do we have your permission to have class today? Apparently we need to." Oh, fuck-buckets; Hope had probably had the same instructions and blown them off; Heaven was going a different way.   "I understand," I announced with dignity as I stood and walked up beside Heaven before facing the rest of the class. "As your appointed mediator, I think we should come forth and pray on the matter. All of you come to the front and kneel in a semi-circle; you too Heaven." I put a hand on her shoulder and put pressure on her to kneel beside me, right beside me.   The girls gathered around, Heaven was on her knees only inches from my crotch with her eyes flickering from my hard cock (I'm giving strong consideration to slamming that bastard in the middle of the US Tax Code to make it calm down) to my eyes. Soon I was in the center of a waist-level sea of slightly swaying female heads.   "Let us pray," I intoned. "Lord, guide us and give us strength to be true to ourselves, have faith in the gifts of insight, determination, and self-worth you have given us. Also, give us the vision to see what is wrong, the knowledge to understand when we hear things that are nonsense, and the will to forge past those words so that we find our own voice. In Jesus Christ's name we pray; Amen." "Amen," the girls said, at varying volumes and with varying conviction. They were all there, on their knees, staring at me. I swear to God, if one of them had 'Bahhed, I'd have died on the spot. "Okay, who believes I'm more qualified to teach this class than Heaven?" I began. Two girls started to raise their hands then self-consciously reversed direction. "You are all correct; I am totally unqualified to teach this class. I am totally unqualified to tell any of you to do virtually anything. I don't know more about life than any of the rest of you do. At eighteen, I'm younger than most of you. I'm a guy, nothing more. You ladies don't need me. Really, do any of you have any need of me whatsoever?" "Sex," blurted out of the mouth of Ruth, one of the senior club members. No one said anything for a few seconds. Okay, I could deal with this. "Fine, sex. With the Purity Pledge here, do any of you think you would need me for sex?" Twelve of the fourteen girls raised their hands; counting Heaven made it thirteen. I wanted to be anywhere else but in the deathtrap of my own creation. Screw that; I wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and pull the dirt in behind me. "We hear you are really good at it," Benios tried to explain things to me. "Brandi told us all about blowjobs. Those seem safe enough with the Pledge," Michelle added. Heaven started snickering at my expense. "All right, everyone," Heaven raised her voice as she stood up, accidentally squeezing my cock through my pants as she did so, "let's get started, and if no one screws up today, we can have Thursday's class in Zane's bedroom." We finished the last class for the day and started leaving our outdoor classroom when Ruth put her hand on my lower arm. "Zane, does a blowjob violate the Purity Pledge?" she asked. That wasn't really what she was asking. Why would I know the specifics of a pledge that everyone knew I hadn't taken? No, what she was asking was if she could experiment with oral sex with me. The other girls were not so surreptitiously hanging around for the answer. "Honestly, I don't believe that fellatio is an acceptable alternative to vaginal sex unless it includes cunnilingus," I bullshitted. I believed that, but I was hoping the lingo would buy me an exit. "What?" Ruth stammered. "Oh, I know that," Michelle giggled. "Fellatio is when you take a man's phallus and put it in your mouth, and cunnilingus is when a man puts his mouth, down there," she pointed at her crotch. "Zane, do you do that too? Put your mouth, Ruth hounded me. "Sure," I confessed. "Every man should, but in reality, it is more than tongue work", I wiggled my tongue, "but finger work too. All you have to do is think how your fingers feel down there, except this time they are under someone else's control and you have a strong, flexible muscle added to the mix." I instantly knew I was missing something with this audience. "You touch yourself; right?" I questioned. By many of the guilty looks, I could tell that most of the class had, but a surprising number hadn't, Ruth included. "I never have," Ruth replied. "I was afraid I'd stop being a virgin." I nodded, walked over to the closest tree, and banged my head against it. "That's enough for today," Heaven intervened. "We can pick up this wonderful, non-orienteering discussion next time." She ushered me away. I was rather thankful to get away and into the company of someone I trusted. "Are you ready for tonight?" "You mean am I waiting to pack your tight ass and drag my fingernails over your back until I draw blood? Yes," I grinned down at her. "Evil!" she giggled. "You are sinister, vile, and an aberration to all that is pure in the world." "Well, you are purely wonderful," I countered. "So is this a case of opposites attract?" "Do you like to see me that way?" my transvestite lover teased. "Your legs on my shoulders as I drive into you; on your hands and knees; you looking down at me as you slide down that first time, your ass cheeks bouncing, with my hands kneading them as you face away, but most of all, with your head on my chest, asleep, your hair spilling over your eyes as you lay there, that's the best," I related. "How can you be lusty and sweet at the same time?" she murmured. "It's how you make me feel, Heaven," I explained. "It is no mystery, you are that good to me." "Best boyfriend ever," she whispered, as she hugged my arm tight. On the final approach to Heaven's dorm, she gave me a nudge. "So, how did you beat the ten-second rule?" Heaven prodded me. "We have a ten-second rule?" I questioned. "We don't, silly; it's Hope's rule," Heaven grinned. "No one holds her for more than ten seconds. She has, had proximity issues." "We were intimate," I pointed out. "That probably helps." "I hope so," Heaven laughed. "The first time Christina and I barged into her room, we found ourselves staring down the barrel of a gun. Chastity was her roommate and she nearly freaked because she didn't know Hope had an automatic, much less slept with one under her pillow." "Note to self: never climb in Hope's window looking for a midnight hook-up," I sighed. "Hey," Heaven playfully grumbled, "if you are crawling in anyone's window for some late-night booty, it had better be my window and my booty you are after, Mister." "Or what?" I teased. "Are we back to me being in a deep, dark hole, you with the only key, dressed up for me in black strips of leather?" That description dated back to our first day on campus together when she hated my very existence. "Bitch," Heaven growled with frustrated desire. "I'll see you at the car in ten minutes, then." I gave a double pump of the eyebrows and left. We had been invited by Officer Danica Campbell of the Lancaster PD for a barbeque so we could get reacquainted. It was something Heaven was really looking forward to (not that I minded). Danica's house needed a little yard work but was otherwise an unremarkable ranch style house with an attached carport. Heaven's hands kept fluttering at her sides and straightening out her skirt. Me; I was in a long-sleeved pull-over and jeans and was having a much easier time of it emotionally. My only problem was our timetable; I had to be back before nine. We could smell the burning charcoal from the front yard but I indicated to Heaven that we weren't friends enough to simply walk around back unannounced. We rang the doorbell, then rang it again. Heaven was going for a third, nervous try when Danica opened the door. "Hey, you two, come on in," she greeted us, and stepped aside so we could enter. The first aura I detected in Danica's home was of benign neglect; the house was inhabited but no one actually lived here. Everything looked old but not worn, except for one chair and the cabinet around the TV which had VHS tapes (?) and scores of DVDs from the past ten years. Danica was in a lumberjack shirt, jeans, and deck shoes with a noticeable lack of bra, panties, and socks. "I'm glad you two showed up," Danica said, talking to us as we followed her through the living room to the kitchen. We could see the grill cooking away on a concrete patio through a sliding glass door. "I almost showed up last night," Heaven blurted out, then looked mortified. "You would have had to wait a while," Danica joked. "I worked last night." "I would have put her to sleep on the doorstep, covered her in a blanket, and given her a garden gnome to use as a pillow," I joked. Heaven blushed furiously and punched me in the arm. "Be careful, Mister Braxton," Danica threatened me with a wink, "I have handcuffs, pepper spray, and a taser, behave." I was hoping that comical exchange would have reduced the tension. It almost worked. As Danica opened the sliding glass door, she turned to say something. I have no idea what it was that got into her but at that point, Heaven threw herself at our hostess, wrapped her arms around Danica's neck, and kissed the lady cop. Danica staggered out the door onto the patio, grabbed the doorsill before they toppled over, and after her obvious moment of panic, put her other arm around Heaven's waist. Third Wheel Syndrome was kicking in for a while as the two kept tickling each other's tonsils and rubbing their bodies together. "I, ah, wanted to kiss you since I talked to you on the phone," Heaven finally said. Danica stroked a finger along Heaven's left earlobe, wiggling it back and forth. "Mission accomplished," Danica smiled. "You don't date much, do you? That's not a condemnation; it's just, you have a raw intensity I haven't seen in a while. I like it." Heaven looked ready to dive into another lip frenzy when our hostess held her up. "Let's check on the grill, unless you like your pork chops and chicken burnt as hard as the coals that made 'em." Heaven gave Danica enough lead to make it to the grill and open it up. My friend coughed and choked as the smoke billowed out; it was Heaven's first outdoor barbeque, or at least the first that didn't involve a professional pit master and a whole steer. "Give her some room," I cautioned Heaven. "I hear those things are hot." It was my first time too, but they had similar things in Thailand so I wasn't totally lost. Eventually, I was forced to wrap my arms around Heaven from behind to keep her from bouncing all over the place. Her enthusiasm didn't bother me; she was fun and felt she had a lot of catching up to do. We chatted about her work and our school machinations. Danica made a crack about me and women putting me on my back, funny like a crutch. We gathered in her living room; it was the only room that had the seats to meet our needs with the meat, coleslaw, hush puppies, and lima beans to eat. There was the promise of sherbet if dinner didn't fill us up. Things were going so smoothly that I almost missed Danica's little ploy. "Heaven, since you are getting a beer, would you get me one too," Danica off-handedly mentioned. We were finishing up the meal and washing it down with the appropriate beverage, lemonade in my case and beer in theirs. "Sure," Heaven smiled warmly, and off she went. She didn't hear Danica get up and follow her into the kitchen, though Danica did give me a wink. The moment Heaven pulled the two lagers out of the refrigerator, Danica slipped up behind her and pressed her body into Heaven's. For a second, Heaven thought it was me and was looking over her shoulder to chastise me. I was following but was hanging back. "Zane, then she noticed it was Danica, "Huh?" "Hey, Precious," Danica purred to her, "it seems your hands are occupied;" gesturing to the beer in each. Danica stretched her arms around and cupped Heaven's breasts and began massaging them. Heaven tried to twist around but Danica didn't let her. She bit into Heaven's neck instead, sucking up and down from ear to shoulder. "The last time you snuck up on me; now it is my turn. How does it feel?" Danica continued. She pressed Heaven up against the refrigerator door, grinding her there for a while before letting Heaven turn and faced her. "It feels good," Heaven gulped, "but I know some other things I want to do to you that are better." Danica answered that by sensually sliding down Heaven's body until she was kneeling. From there she lifted Heaven's skirt, pulled down her double panties and started making kissing/slurping noises that made Heaven shudder in anticipation. Danica was bobbing in a slow, languid style that was pushing the tranny toward her own internal blaze. I saw the opportunity to come up and relieve Heaven of her beers before she dropped them. Heaven's hands dropped immediately to Danica's head and trembled with the desire to push Danica farther and farther down her cock. Danica held her off, having more blowjob experience than Heaven and I combined. I took the time offered to remove all our shirts and Heaven's bra before alternating kissing Danica's neck and back while playing with her tits, and going to Heaven and kissing her and teasing her nipples with my teeth. She was over-eager and was tapping Danica's crown inside a minute, indicating the shortness of her fuse. Heaven gave a muted squeak followed by, "Oh, God, that's so fucking good, take it, oh, God, take it!" Danica did a masterful job of soaking up everything Heaven had to give and draining her dry afterwards. Danica had to hold Heaven's hips to stop my lover from sliding to the ground on her ass. "I think we will all be passing on the sherbet," Danica grinned while licking her lips. Heaven nodded, first shakily but soon with much more assurance. I kicked off my shoes in my own endorsement of this plan and we were soon all migrating to Danica's bedroom. Heaven, new to the romantic aspects of sexuality, dove straight onto the bed and shimmied out of her skirt. Danica and I stopped at the foot of said bed and shed our pants (and underwear for me). As Heaven looked at us, I pulled Danica's hair aside and began kissing her from right beneath her ear down to the nape of her neck. Danica responded by pressing her backside into me and gyrating her ass on my crotch. Danica ran her left hand behind her back and began moving it sensually along my stomach to the base of my cock and up again. Her right hand stroked my thigh and hip on the other side. I countered by moving my left to her left breast, mauling it but leaving the nipple unmolested for now. My right hand went in a serpentine fashion to her crotch and hovered right above her clitoris. We played tag with our intimate parts long enough for Danica to start sweating and moaning against me. "Why aren't you married, again?" she snickered. "Oh, yeah, you being eighteen and all." "Are you too much woman for one man?" I countered. "Actually, I've been looking for someone special," she confessed, but she wasn't looking at me when she said it. That wasn't lost on Heaven either; her jaw dropped. "Don't freak," Danica reassured her. "I know we don't have much in common, I'm a townie and you're a rich girl from somewhere else, but we have until spring if you want to hang out." It took Heaven a few moments to digest that. "I'd like that, Danica; I'd like that a lot," she smiled. "Well, I'd like it if you came over here and kissed me before your boyfriend drives me totally nuts," Danica teased her. Heaven got on her knees and waddled to the end of the bed to join us. "Wait," Heaven said at the last second, eyes wide with surprise. "I have a boyfriend and a girlfriend, I rock!" and then she dove into Danica's lips. Danica was propelled into me by Heaven's passionate embrace. She reciprocated by moving her hand off my hip and onto Heaven's semi-rigid cock. Heaven's phallus hardened quickly enough and she upped the tempo by buoying up her breasts and initiating a nipple fight between her tits and Danica's, wow, a freaking advantage I hadn't thought of. "Let s, Danica gulped for air " get on, the bed. I want some, of this, in me," she pulled on Heaven's cock. Oh, yeah, this was the Heaven-Danica show and I was second fiddle, and I felt it was glorious. 'You are known not by what you do but by what you leave behind,' or so yet another saying goes. Danica and Heaven were happy with one another, even if only for a little while. That 'while' included Heaven retreating up the bed as Danica followed and I pursued her. "Have you been a good girl?" Danica quizzed Heaven. "Do we need a condom?" clarified the issue. "No, no, I've only been with Zane," Heaven answered. "That's hardly a ringing endorsement for safe sex," Danica chuckled. "Damn, that's just cold," I groaned. "For your information, if my partner wasn't a virgin, she was someone I know intimately." "So you are not doing it with that Warlord chick living in your house now?" Danica persisted. "How do you even know about that? It happened Sunday," I wondered. "Zane," Danica sighed patiently, "I'm a cop and your house is like two miles away." "Can we get back to concentrating on the sex?" Heaven grumbled. "I'll wear a condom if you want. I'll wear a harem girl outfit if you want, as long as it leads to sex with you." "That won't be, necessary," Danica murmured as she positioned Heaven's cock between her labia then began to push down. I was working out what my place in this could be when I spotted the bottle of lubricant (generic) boldly sitting on Danica's nightstand, not very subtle at all. I shifted over, got the bottle, then got around behind them once more. "Can I join in?" I asked. "I trust you," Danica purred. Silly her; I'm behind her with a source of lube and a passion to use it. I poured some out on Danica's cleft and let it ooze down toward her cunt. I let it cascade over three fingers before sealing it up again. With my left hand, I began working a finger into Danica's anus, and with my right, I worked another into Heaven's. "Oh," Danica grunted, as I slipped past her sphincter. Heaven's response was to moan sensually. It took me a little while to not only work a finger in but a second one in as well; then the fun began. With Heaven, I began both pumping and making a series of circular motions; with Danica, though, I pressed down until I was counter-massaging Heaven's cock through the walls of her rectum and cunt. "Oh, my fucking God!" shouted Danica. "That feels great; she's really grinding against me." "Keep that up," gasped Heaven. "I, I can feel your fingers." Okay, I got this one right. I could also feel the sympathetic impulses growing between Danica's vaginal walls and Heaven's cock; they weren't going to last long. Drilling Heaven's butthole in rapid-fire fashion sent her crashing ahead of the wave. "Dan, Dan, Danica, Hell, yeah!" Heaven screamed as she slammed upward into the lady cop. Danica's back bowed and a low growling noise reverberated through her body. Both tried to use their anal muscles to grind my finger bones together; for the orgasms they were riding through, it was worth it. Danica shivered through one last orgasmic burst then settled gently down on Heaven. Heaven reached around with her arms and ran them up and down Danica's back. Our hostess pushed off her lover's body with her elbows on the mattress and kissed her nose. "That felt wonderful," she smiled down at Heaven. Heaven didn't immediately respond. "Is something wrong?" Danica worried. "I, um, it was really nice, Danica, but, Heaven worked through the words. "But?" Danica asked. "But I think I'm into guys," Heaven gave her worried confession. "I'm sorry; what we did felt good but what sent me over the top was, " "Oh," Danica seemed to deflate. "Hold on," I intervened, even as my fingers were still slowly working them both. "Heaven, you liked Danica's blowjob; right?" "Yes. It was wonderful," Heaven brightened up. "She's, you are, she looked into Danica's eyes " the best I've ever had." "Still, you like it up your ass, don't you?" I prodded. Heaven bit her lip and rolled her head to the side. Danica pushed herself onto all fours and sighed. "Well, damn," she sighed, "I was sort of hoping, " "Danica, would you consider screwing Heaven's ass? Giving it a chance?" I hazarded. "I'd give it a shot," Danica replied after a moment's hesitation. Being with a girl was new; being with a transgender was new; and now being the driving force in anal sex was going to be new too. "I'll get dressed and go out to the car," I winked. "Surprise, surprise; I worried something like this would happen so I brought a few things along." I was afraid that when I got back from the car with my backpack holding the strap-on, that a chill would have set in. I shouldn't have worried; Danica was surprisingly passionate and Heaven was sheer surprise itself. They were cuddled face to face exchanging small kisses and stroking each other's hair. "I just want you both to know," Danica held up a warding hand, "if that thing is longer than my arm, I'm calling this off." I presented the device for her approval and while it could be intimidating, it wasn't scarier than Heaven's normal equipment. "I'm glad that's going into you and not me," Danica ended up teasing Heaven. Not to be outdone, Heaven rolled onto her stomach and wiggled her upraised ass in the air. "Oh, she's begging for it," Danica laughed. "Yes, she does, and if you think that's sweet, imagine how nice it is to wake up with her ramming that pole in while riding you," I painted the picture. "Is there any position she doesn't like?" Danica inquired. "I'm right here, my ass up in the air. Please, somebody do something," Heaven whined. "Not that I know of," I ignored Heaven's plea. "You could try it in the shower, bent over the sofa, heels up in the La-Z-Boy, or hanging from the pull-up bar, she's quite strong." "Oh, hmm, thanks, Zane; I'll explore those opportunities," Danica grinned. "Hello, ass here, needs stuffing," Heaven became more insistent. "She's shameless," Danica teased happily. "Absolutely," I laughed, "but if one of us doesn't fulfill her needs real soon, violence will ensue." "Zane, you warm her up and I'll figure out how to put this thing on," Danica instructed me as she took hold of her sexual toy. "About damn time," Heaven panted as I worked my first finger in again. I'd oiled up several fingers before handing the lube to Danica to prepare her artificial cock with. Heaven's anus was already pliable from our activity so it took only two minutes to work the second and third finger in. By that time, both Danica and Heaven were ready. "This is weird," Danica mumbled, as she placed her phallic head against Heaven's sphincter. "Let me know if this, she got out before Heaven pushed back and gasped. "Doesn't that hurt?" "Makes me feel full," Heaven gasped. "Push." Danica did indeed push, and spanked Heaven for good measure. Now that I was freed up again, I elected to recline beside Heaven and watch her get fucked by Danica. Heaven and I made eye contact; that totally free, blissful look was exceptionally special for me. I'd seen Heaven afraid far too often. I'd seen her furious far too often as well. "Zane," Heaven perked up, "get over here. I want your cock. I want it coming and going." "Revenge," taunted Danica. Heaven and I had given Officer Campbell simultaneous oral and anal sex, and now Heaven was getting the same treatment. I sat my ass on the pillow in front of Heaven's face, legs spread wide. She grabbed my cock in both hands (my cock is so massive, its ability to block out the Sun often cows primitive tribes, or maybe Heaven has small hands) and yanked it forward somewhat painfully until she could lick the tip. "Come on, Zane," Danica egged me on, "take hold of her head and fuck her like a cheap slut." A shudder passed head to foot through Heaven's body and she gave out a small sob. "Heaven," I asked cautiously, "do you want to stop?" "I'm being fucked like a slut, Zane," she replied tearfully. "I'm being fucked like a slut." You never know with some people. Danica gave me a worried look so I gave her a quick smile and a nod. Heaven wanted to be a woman, but almost as important was that she wanted to be seen and treated like a woman. It may have played out in Heaven's imagination that she had gone to some seedy bar looking all hot and sexy, then a couple had picked her up so they could treat her like a bad little girl. I raised my hips, feeding more of my cock into Heaven's mouth. "Spank your bitch's ass," I teased Danica. She responded by alternating noisy but not very painful slaps to our tranny's buttocks. Heaven wanted the tease, not the real pain, and Danica was right there for her. Once we had a good rhythm going, I could feel Danica's cock slamming at its deepest impact, Heaven squirming and squealing with the pleasure and her tongue and throat swirling around my oral intrusion. She slurped and sucked desperately while a small amount of drool marked her cheek and jaw. Heaven began making whimpering noises along with the grunts when Danica drove in deeper. All the sizzling sex I'd been forced (yeah, right) to watch sent me over the edge first. "Heaven, babe, here it comes," I chanted several times before I finally did shoot gobs and gobs, so much it shot out her nose and mouth. Okay, not really that much, but I certainly felt some relief. &l

Believe, Love, Do by Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Song- Just be Held by Casting Crowns. ACU Sunday Series.    Believe, Love, Do https://youtu.be/vBohNauzMmo?si=7ltZ7w9ApkT6GVhO General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ 684K subscribers 119,317 views Oct 7, 2018 October 2018 General Conference Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf - We achieve the abundant life by becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ—by following in His ways and engaging in His work. - https://www.lds.org/general-conferenc... October 2018 General Conference.   Song- Just be Held by Casting Crowns. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------   For over 10 ACU shows from our archives on the Atonement of Jesus Christ visit- https://acupodcast.podbean.com/?s=atonement   From ACU- For Come Follow Me lesson manual and materials visit- Come, Follow Me For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-new-testament-2023?lang=eng   For a list of 100+ episodes of ACU Sunday Series visit- https://www.podbean.com/site/search/index?kdsowie31j4k1jlf913=85cb8104bdb182c048b714ad4385f9e82a3aeb49&v=ACU+Sunday+Series+ Note- Click on “100 Episodes Found” in upper right corner.   For many different Podcasts based on the ‘Come Follow Me' program visit- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=come+follow+me+   Subscribe to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the latest videos: http://bit.ly/1M0iPwY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchofjesu... Twitter: @Ch_JesusChrist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChurchOfJes... Website: ChurchOfJesusChrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints   BYUEducationWeek Get a Free Book of Mormon | ComeUntoChrist Church of Jesus Christ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org › requests › free-...   The Book of Mormon brings you closer to Jesus. Click to download a free digital copy of the Book of Mormon and learn about it with online missionaries.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Strength of Youth To help you find the Way and to help you make Christ's doctrine the guiding influence in your life, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has prepared a new resource, a revised version of For the Strength of Youth.   For over 50 years, For the Strength of Youth has been a guide for generations of Latter-day Saint youth. I always keep a copy in my pocket, and I share it with people who are curious about our standards. It has been updated and refreshed to better cope with the challenges and temptations of our day. The new version of For the Strength of Youth is available online in 50 different languages and will also be available in print. It will be a significant help for making choices in your life. Please embrace it as your own and share it with your friends. This new version of For the Strength of Youth is subtitled A Guide for Making Choices. To be very clear, the best guide you can possibly have for making choices is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the strength of youth. So the purpose of For the Strength of Youth is to point you to Him. It teaches you eternal truths of His restored gospel—truths about who you are, who He is, and what you can accomplish with His strength. It teaches you how to make righteous choices based on those eternal truths.13 It's also important to know what For the Strength of Youth does not do. It doesn't make decisions for you. It doesn't give you a “yes” or “no” about every choice you might ever face. For the Strength of Youth focuses on the foundation for your choices. It focuses on values, principles, and doctrine instead of every specific behavior. The Lord, through His prophets, has always been guiding us in that direction. He is pleading with us to “increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”14 He is inviting us to “hear Him.”15 He is calling us to follow Him in higher and holier ways.16 And we are learning in a similar way every week in Come, Follow Me.   American Conservative University Podcast (ACU) is not an official representative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. All opinions, selections and commentary are solely those of ACU.  We post a variety of selections from various Christian denominations.   ACU Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For The Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. 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Śrīla Prabhupāda once said something that stuck in my mind. He said, “You have to cheat death before death cheats you.” And for those who are financial accountants (I don't know if there are any other kinds, I guess there are).we know the tax codes. Generally speaking, rich people don't have anything. If you look at their financials, you'll see they look like they don't own anything. They fly in jets that are not theirs. They live in an apartment that is not theirs. They have a huge fund of money, but that belongs to the company. “They don't have anything.” So, how much tax do they pay, Accountants? Zero! Because they don't have anything. This is the idea of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in one sense also: I don't have anything. It's all Kṛṣṇa's. And whatever I hold on to will be taken, and then I'm cheated by the process of material nature, but if I preemptively donate it all to Kṛṣṇa, whatever I have, it all belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura talks about this: "manasa deho geho jo kichu mor." He is saying, "All this stuff—house, what else does he name? My mind, my family—donated. It all belongs to Kṛṣṇa." Then that's reality, and one is situated properly. Bhaktivinoda is also saying, "jīv kṛṣṇa dās e biśvas korle to ār duḥkha nai." If you want to be free from unhappinéss, then just preemptively sign everything off to Kṛṣṇa. Say, "it all belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and I'm just a servant. I just work here, but nothing is mine." (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #preemptivegiving #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

An instant classic of a World Series is in the books and we're encouraging all the gloating and the saltiness that came from it. We also talk about everyone giving worse and worse sports jerseys to the pope and what to expect from us in the offseason. Support the show by going to Patreon.com/BattingAround and signing up at the Slapdick Prospect level.

"Prioritise what matters. You can't be everywhere, do everything, and have everything!" That's a quote from Oprah Winfrey, and it captures the essence of this week's question.  You can subscribe to this podcast on:  Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | TUNEIN Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin Join the Time And Life Mastery Programme here. Use the coupon code: codisgreat to get 50% off. Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Time Sector System 5th Year Anniversary The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page Script | 391 Hello, and welcome to episode 391 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show.  You arrive at your desk, open up your Teams messages or email, and your screen fills with line after line of unread (and read) messages. One message grabs your attention, it's from your boss and you feel compelled to open it.  And from that one action, your whole day is destroyed.  And while I am sure that message from your boss was important and potentially urgent, but did it really warrant destroying your day?  That scenario is happening every day to millions of people, and it makes deciding what your priorities are for the day practically impossible.  So, what can you do to ensure you are acting on your priorities and not being distracted by what appears to be both urgent and important? Giving some reflection, putting aside that so-called urgent message might actually be the best thing you can do.  So, with that said, let me read out this week's question (The Mystery Podcast Voice is on holiday this week).  This week's question comes from Michael. Michael asks, hi Carl, I really struggle to decide what I should be working on each day. My work is very dynamic; a lot can be thrown at me each day, and whenever I plan my week or day, none of it ever gets done. What's the best way to prioritise?  Hi Michael, thank you for your question. In many ways, what you describe is what I see as the curse of the modern world. The incredible advances in technology have enabled us to do seemingly impossible things, yet they have also sped everything up.  I remember just twenty-three years ago when I worked in a Law office in the UK, and if we received a letter (remember them?) from another lawyer, we effectively had around twenty-four hours to compose our response—even if what was being asked was urgent.  We relied on the postal service, and no matter how fast we responded to that letter, it would not leave our office until 4:00 pm at the earliest on that day.  And if we missed the 4:00 pm deadline, tough. It would have to wait until 4:00 pm the next day—which incidentally gave us a wonderful excuse for anything arriving late.  The expectations from the “other side”, as we called them, were that they would receive the reply two days later.  Today, just twenty-three years later, those two days seem to have fallen to just two minutes. What went wrong?  The problem is that no matter how well planned our days and weeks may be, owing to others' expectations, we are “expected” to respond within hours, sometimes minutes, not days. This has blurred the line between what we know is important and what is simply urgent noise.  This is why it's more critical today to be absolutely clear about what is important to you. And I emphasise the words “to you”.  What's important to you is not necessarily important to another person. When someone requires you to do something for them urgently, it's urgent to them, not necessarily to you.  You may have twenty similar urgent requests waiting for you. You are expected to decide what is the most urgent. That's an almost impossible decision to make—if you don't know what's important to you. So, the important place to start, Michael, is to establish your areas of focus. These are the things that are important to you, and they are based on eight areas: Family and relationships Health and fitness Finances Career and business Lifestyle and life experiences Self development Spirituality And your life's purpose.  The first step is to define what each one means to you and then pull out what action steps you need to take to keep everything in balance.  These are the higher-level priorities in your life.  There's a little more to it than that, and if you want to learn more about developing your areas of focus, you can download my free Areas of Focus Workbook from my website; the link is in the show notes.  Next, what is your core work? This is the work you are employed to do.  Now, most people can describe their jobs. For example, I'm an architect, a doctor, a nurse, a bricklayer, a teacher, or a TV presenter. Yet, there's another step here. What does doing what you do look like at a task level?  I know what architects do—they design buildings—but I don't know what they do at a task level.  I've seen building blueprints, so I guess they create those, but I don't know how they do that. Is it with a pencil and a ruler, or is it done on a computer?  Those tasks that you identify as being critical to the work you are employed to do will always form your priorities each day when at work.  After all, if you are not doing the work you were hired to do, you're not likely to be in your job for very long.  Now this makes your life a little easier. Once you know what you need to do each day, or week, for your job, you will also be able to make a reasonably accurate estimate how long each of those tasks will take you.  This will tell you how much time you need to perform your work each week.  Now, you can only work with averages here. There are some external factors that could throw off your timings. Things such as poor sleep or a crisis at work.  Yet, on the whole, you'll find you manage to get all the essential work done each week.  Now the clever part is to protect time for doing your most important work.  I've found that if you can dedicate two hours each morning to your critical work for the day, you will be on top by the end of the week.  From a professional perspective, if you are writing off two hours a day for doing your most important work, that still leaves you with around six hours to deal with anything else.  I grew up on a farm. It was an arable farm with some animals. Each harvest time, when it was time to combine the corn fields, my father would never entertain the thought of meeting with the bank manager, tax inspector or representatives from the seed company.  And to make things more complicated, my father farmed in the UK, which has notoriously unpredictable weather. When the corn was ready and the weather was dry, it was out! Out! Out!  I remember my mother frequently calling dentists, doctors, the bank, and anyone else my father was scheduled to see to cancel appointments.  Harvesting the crops was core work. Nothing got in the way of bringing the barley and wheat in.  And that's the approach you need to have with your core work. No matter who requests your time, when it's time to get on with your core work, it's no. No, No. Come back in an hour and I'll be able to help you.  Now, I began by telling you to establish your areas of focus. Because these are the higher-level areas of your life, it's important to adopt the same approach to protecting time for the things that matter. For example, I have many clients who prioritise being home in time for dinner with their spouse or partner and kids. This means if the family sits down for dinner at seven and it takes thirty minutes to get home, then no matter what, you leave the office at 6:00 to 6:15 pm.  It's a non-negotiable. The good thing about this kind of constraint is that it invokes Parkinson's Law, that is where the work will fill up the time available.  If I have thirty minutes to finish writing this script, I'm certain I will do it. Similarly, if I had ninety minutes it would take me precisely ninety minutes. It's a weird law that works.  The sense of time pressure focuses your brain to filter out what would usually distracts you.  When it comes to priorities, knowing what is most important to you makes deciding what to work on first much easier.  Now, imagine you had ten pieces of work to complete, all equally important, urgent, and connected to your core work. How would you decide? Well, your only option is to follow the principle of first in, first out. Begin with the oldest one and work from there.  Incidentally, I suggest you do the same with your actionable email. Begin by replying to the oldest first. In Outlook and Apple Mail, you can reverse the order of messages in each folder. By default, these will show you the newest at the top. Change that to show you the oldest first.  That might be a little uncomfortable at first because it will remind you how far behind you are with your email. But stick with it. You will soon find that your response times to emails speed up without any extra effort.  Another level you may wish to add here is to create some “if this… Then that” rules.  For example, if there are certain people whom you know you must respond to immediately, then apply a rule. “If I get a request from X, then I will prioritise that request” However, be careful with that one. It's easy to take the easy way out and add bosses, supervisors and pretty much anyone to this list.  For me, there are only two people: my wife and my mother, I would do that for. That's because my Family and relationships are the most important area for me. (And because my father doesn't have a phone, hahaha)  At a work level, I will prioritise anything related to money or lost passwords. I know how concerned people are about money—they bought the wrong course, or a refund needs processing.  Beyond that, any other request will have to wait its turn.  I know this will be difficult for some of you at first. It certainly was for me. But I can promise you that if you work at it and drill down into learning what is important to you, you will find making these decisions easy.  I hope that has helped, Michael. Thank you for your question, and thank you to you too for listening.  It just remains for me now to wish you all a very, very productive week.   

In this episode of the A Wiser Retirement® Podcast, Shawna Theriault, CFP®, CPA, CDFA®, and William Medcalf, CFP® discuss how year-end is the perfect time to be strategic with charitable giving. They explore smarter ways to give, instead of just writing a check, to reduce your tax burden. Related Podcast Episodes: Ep 307: Unlocking the Power of Trusts: 10 Different Trusts & How to Use ThemEp 180: How does a Charitable Trust work?Ep 190: Year-End Tax Moves: Planning Ahead for a Stress-Free Tax Season with Jordan Sute Norton, CPARelated Financial Education Videos:What is a charitable remainder trust (CRT)? Reduce Your Taxes and AGI by Giving to Charity Learn More:- About Wiser Wealth Management- Schedule a Complimentary Consultation: Discover how we can help you achieve financial freedom.- Access Our Free Guides: Gain valuable insights on building a financial legacy, the importance of a financial advisor for business owners, post-divorce financial planning, and more! Stay Connected: - Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter- A Wiser Retirement® YouTube Channel This podcast was produced by Wiser Wealth Management. Thanks for listening!

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazaros teaches us that our salvation will be determined by our generosity with the gifts and blessings we have received from God. If we wish to avoid the torment of hell, we must change our hearts to be generous to the Church for the work of the God.

The message "God Gave Most" explores the spirit of generosity. Generosity flows freely from the heart, expanding above and beyond expectations, positively impacting life with joy and contentment. Resources provided support CLC's Godsized Vision and the Above and Beyond Fund, funding global missions and local outreach efforts. Reject the world's scarcity mindset and embrace sacrificial giving, using time, talent, and treasure to finish the work of the gospel. Welcome to Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio.   Pastor: Jordan Hansen Series: Freely Given (2) Title: God Gave MOST Date: 2025.11.01+02 YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVQVNGAqiDEsUZ-zgMJz4kRGW9boHXalr   LINKS:

Money isn't just currency – it's a window into our souls, revealing what we truly treasure and worship. Join us in exploring how generosity habits can reshape our hearts and dethrone the idols in our lives.Stay up to date by following us on your favorite social networks.Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Have questions or comments? Email us at contact@kingofkings.org. Thanks for listening!

The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 8: The Body; Giving Life to the Spirit Soul MESSAGE SUMMARY: It is important to understand the Spirit in our inner beings. The Spirit is that part of us which enables us to commune with the Lord – it is that part of us in which the Holy Spirit indwells when we become a Christian and through which God speaks to us. Without Jesus, we are not fully alive because, without Jesus one has a dead Spirit. The Spirit, body and soul are all interconnected; and neglecting one adversely effects the other two. The Psalmist defines this interconnection in Psalms 63:1: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.". If our bodies are out of sorts, our Spirits and Souls can be adversely impacted. To optimize the effect of our bodies on our Souls and Spirits, we need to consider: 1) an eating plan that helps us live; 2) exercise so that we can be all that we can be for the Lord; 3) adequate sleep and rest; and 4) righteousness. Paul tells about God's perspective of our bodies in 1 Corinthians 6:19 20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.". If we want to maintain our interior life, we must maintain our earth suits; this body that God has given us. Don't ignore the power of prayer to help in keeping our body, Soul, and Spirit interconnected and in positive rhythm. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  Scripture Reference (ESV): Psalms 104:14; Psalms 145:15-16; 1 Corinthians 9:26; Psalms 127:2; Proverbs 20:13; Ecclesiastes 5:12; Romans 7:22-25; Proverbs 4:21; Proverbs 14:30; 1 Corinthians 6:13-20. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.). A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God's Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life's Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Kevin Crow, Senior Pastor 

Kevin Crow, Senior Pastor

Serving, Giving, and Promotion - Mike Hudgins 11.2.2025 https://vccgn.org/s/2511Serving.pdf Continue reading →

Comedian Leonarda Jonie. EBT Americans LOSE It! With the government shutdown and the looming threat of SNAP benefits being interrupted, EBT recipients have taken to TikTok, threatening to rob, steal, and even m^rder White Americans. Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/snmT03lNRNc?si=smiSzAM2mQn4Wg7N Leonarda Jonie 312K subscribers 10/31/25  We cover it all. Visit our sponsor: https://antelopehillpublishing.com/ Promo Code: LEO TOUR: LEONARDAISFUNNY.COM Ventura County, CA | Nov. 7th Hunting Beach, CA | Nov. 8th Phoenix, AZ | Nov. 15 Ft. Worth, TX | Dec. 31 Chicago, IL |Jan. 16 Detroit, MI | Jan. 17 Denver, CO | Feb. 21 Boston, MA | Mar. 13 --------------------------------------------------------------------  Check out our ACU Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/ACUPodcast   HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD!  Please go to Apple Podcasts and give ACU a 5 star rating. Apple canceled us and now we are clawing our way back to the top. Don't let the Leftist win. Do it now! Thanks. Also Rate us on any platform you follow us on. It helps a lot. Forward this show to friends. Ways to subscribe to the American Conservative University Podcast Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher FM Player Podcast Addict Tune-in Podcasts Pandora Look us up on Amazon Prime …And Many Other Podcast Aggregators and sites ACU on Twitter- https://twitter.com/AmerConU . Warning- Explicit and Violent video content.   Please help ACU by submitting your Show ideas. Email us at americanconservativeuniversity@americanconservativeuniversity.com   Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510   -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

#655 What if the secret to financial freedom isn't about how much money you have — but how you think about it? In this final episode of our three-part series hosted by Kirsten Tyrrel, Jeff and Rhonna Farrer share how shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset transformed their financial future — and their marriage. From giving away $100 a day as a spiritual practice to building a business that helps families design their financial futures, Jeff and Rhonna reveal the mindset shifts and strategic changes that led to lasting success. They also discuss their new book, Design Your Life, and share the seven principles that helped them align their life, business, and money goals. If you've ever struggled with financial confidence or want to learn how to sell with authenticity, this episode is for you! (Original Air Date - 4/3/25) What we discuss with Jeff and Rhonna: + Shifting from scarcity to abundance mindset + Giving away $100 a day as a practice + How abundance impacts financial confidence + Designing life through seven core principles + Building a business as a couple + Overcoming fear of rejection in sales + Selling through authenticity, not pressure + Finding alignment in work and purpose + Creating generational wealth strategies + Importance of having a strong "why" Thank you, Jeff and Rhonna! Check out Rhonna Designs at ⁠RhonnaDesigns.com⁠. Follow Rhonna on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Pinterest⁠. Follow Jeff on ⁠Instagram⁠. To get access to our FREE Business Training course go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/training⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And follow us on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS: Organizations as Ecosystems — Understanding Complexity, Innovation, and the Three-Body Problem at Work In this fascinating conversation about complex adaptive systems, Simon Holzapfel helps us understand why traditional planning and control methods fail in knowledge work — and what we can do instead. Understanding Ecosystems vs. Systems "Complex adaptive systems are complex in nature and adaptive in that they evolve over time. That's different from a static system." — Simon Holzapfel   Simon introduces the crucial distinction between mechanical systems and ecosystems. While mechanical systems are predictable and static, ecosystems — like teams and organizations — are complex, adaptive, and constantly evolving. The key difference lies in the interactions among team members, which create emergent properties that cannot be predicted by analyzing individuals separately. Managers often fall into the trap of focusing on individuals rather than the interactions between them, missing where the real magic happens. This is why understanding your organization as an ecosystem, not a machine, fundamentally changes how you lead. In this segment, we refer to the Stella systems modeling application. The Journey from Planning to Emergence "I used to come into class with a lesson plan — doop, doop, doop, minute by minute agenda. And then what I realized is that I would just completely squash those questions that would often emerge from the class." — Simon Holzapfel   Simon shares his transformation from rigid classroom planning to embracing emergence. As a history and economics teacher for 10 years, he learned that over-planning kills the spontaneous insights that make learning powerful. The same principle applies to leadership: planning is essential, but over-planning wastes time and prevents novelty from emerging. The key is separating strategic planning (the "where" and "why") from tactical execution (the "how"), letting teams make local decisions while leaders focus on alignment with the bigger picture. "Innovation Arrives Stochastically" "Simply by noticing the locations where you've had your best ideas, we notice the stochasticness of arrival. Might be the shower, might be on a bike ride, might be sitting in traffic, might be at your desk — but often not." — Simon Holzapfel   Simon unpacks the concept of stochastic emergence — the idea that innovation cannot be scheduled or predicted in advance. Stochastic means something is predictable over large datasets but not in any given moment. You know you'll have ideas if you give yourself time and space, but you can't predict when or where they'll arrive. This has profound implications for managers who try to control when and how innovation happens. Knowledge work is about creating things that haven't existed before, so emergence is what we rely on. Try to squash it with too much control, and it simply won't happen. In this segment, we refer to the Systems Innovation YouTube channel. The Three-Body Problem: A Metaphor for Teams "When you have three nonlinear functions working at the same time within a system, you have almost no ability to predict its future state beyond just some of the shortest time series data." — Simon Holzapfel   Simon uses the three-body problem from physics as a powerful metaphor for organizational complexity. In physics, when you have three bodies (like planets) influencing each other, prediction becomes nearly impossible. The same is true in business — think of R&D, manufacturing, and sales as three interacting forces. The lesson: don't think you can master this complexity. Work with it. Understand it's a system. Most variability comes from the system itself, not from any individual person. This allows us to depersonalize problems — people aren't good or bad, systems can be improved. When teams understand this, they can relax and stop treating every unpredictable moment as an emergency. Coaching Leaders to Embrace Uncertainty "I'll start by trying to read their comfort level. I'll ask about their favorite teachers, their most hated teachers, and I'll really try to bring them back to moments in time that were pivotal in their own development." — Simon Holzapfel   How do you help analytical, control-oriented leaders embrace complexity and emergence? Simon's approach is to build rapport first, then gently introduce concepts based on each leader's background. For technical people who prefer math, he'll discuss narrow tail distributions and fat tails. For humanities-oriented leaders, he uses narrative and storytelling. The goal is to get leaders to open up to possibilities without feeling diminished. He might suggest small experiments: "Hold your tongue once in a meeting" or "Ask questions instead of making statements." These incremental changes help managers realize they don't have to be superhuman problem-solvers who control everything. Giving the Board a Number: The Paradox of Prediction "Managers say we want scientific management, but they don't actually want that. They want predictive management." — Simon Holzapfel   Simon addresses one of the biggest tensions in agile adoption: leaders who say "I just need to give the board a number" while also wanting innovation and adaptability. The paradox is clear — you cannot simultaneously be open to innovation and emergent possibilities while executing a predetermined plan with perfect accuracy. This is an artifact of management literature that promoted the "philosopher king" manager who knows everything. But markets are too movable, consumer tastes vary too much, and knowledge work is too complex for any single person to control. The burnout we see in leaders often comes from trying to achieve an impossible standard. In this segment, we refer to the episodes with David Marquet.  Resources for Understanding Complexity "Eric Beinhocker's book called 'The Origin of Wealth' is wonderful. It's a very approachable and well-researched piece that shows where we've been and where we're going in this area." — Simon Holzapfel   Simon recommends two key resources for anyone wanting to understand complexity and ecosystems. First, Eric Beinhocker's "The Origin of Wealth" explains how we developed flawed economic assumptions based on 19th-century Newtonian physics, and why we need to evolve our understanding. Second, the Systems Innovation YouTube channel offers brilliant short videos perfect for curious, open-minded managers. Simon suggests a practical approach: have someone on your team watch a video and share what they learned. This creates shared language around complexity and makes the concepts less personal and less threatening. The Path Forward: Systems Over Individuals "As a manager, our goal is to constantly evaluate the performance of the system, not the people. We can always put better systems in place. We can always improve existing systems. But you can't tell people what to do — it's not possible." — Simon Holzapfel   The conversation concludes with a powerful insight from Deming's work: about 95% of a system's productivity is linked to the system itself, not individual performance. This reframes the manager's role entirely. Instead of trying to control people, focus on improving systems. Instead of treating burnout as individual failure, see it as information that something in the system isn't working. Organizations are ever-changing ecosystems with dynamic properties that can only be observed, never fully predicted. This requires a completely different way of thinking about management — one that embraces uncertainty, values emergence, and trusts teams to figure things out within clear strategic boundaries. Recommended Resources As recommended resources for further reading, Simon suggests:  The Origin of Wealth, by Eric Beinhocker The Systems Innovation YouTube channel   About Simon Holzapfel   Simon Holzapfel is an educator, coach, and learning innovator who helps teams work with greater clarity, speed, and purpose. He specializes in separating strategy from tactics, enabling short-cycle decision-making and higher-value workflows. Simon has spent his career coaching individuals and teams to achieve performance with deeper meaning and joy. Simon is also the author of the Equonomist newsletter on Substack, where he explores the intersection of economics, equality, and equanimity in the workplace.   You can link with Simon Holzapfel on LinkedIn.

In this episode, John Q. Khosravi, Esq. sits down with Ruby Powers, Esq., founder of Powers Law Group, to talk about leadership, technology, and scaling a law firm in today's immigration landscape. Ruby shares her experiences with AI adoption, remote teams, and strategic growth, offering practical advice for immigration lawyers building efficient, future-ready practices.

Top Stories for November 1st Publish Date: November 1st From the BG AD Group Studio Welcome to the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. Today is Saturday, November 1st and Happy Birthday to Lyle Lovett I’m Peyton Spurlock and here are your top stories presented by Gwinnett KIA Mall of Georgia. More than 300 apartments OKed near Gas South District Peachtree Corners to hold dedication ceremony for historic Jones Bridge marker Atlanta area schools win $85,000 in great band challenge All of this and more is coming up on the Gwinnett Daily Post podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen daily and subscribe! Break 1: KIA Mall of Georgia STORY 1: More than 300 apartments OKed near Gas South District Big changes are coming near the Gas South District—more than 300 new apartments, to be exact. Last week, Gwinnett County commissioners gave Hanover Company the green light to build a 306-unit complex at 1855 Satellite Boulevard, right across from Cross Pointe Church. The site? It’s currently home to two aging office buildings, one of which will be torn down to make room. The new apartments will include four five-story buildings, with 190 one-bedroom units and 116 two-bedrooms. Plans also feature a pool, fire pits, outdoor gathering spaces, and even resort-style patios. Access will be from Satellite Boulevard and the Kroger shopping center nearby. Brick and fiber cement exteriors, plus detached garages and carports, round out the design. Change is definitely on the horizon. STORY 2: Peachtree Corners to hold dedication ceremony for historic Jones Bridge marker Peachtree Corners is honoring a piece of its past with a new historical marker dedicated to the original Jones Bridge—the inspiration behind the city’s iconic pedestrian bridge. In partnership with PTC Arts, a nonprofit focused on bringing the community together through the arts, the city will unveil the marker on Friday, Nov. 7, at 11 a.m., right at the pedestrian bridge by Town Center. The original Jones Bridge, built in 1904, was more than just steel and wood—it was a lifeline, connecting farmers, merchants, and travelers across the Chattahoochee River. But time wasn’t kind. By the Great Depression, it was falling apart, and in 1945, most of the structure was dismantled and sold off under shady circumstances. The final piece collapsed into the river in 2018, ending its story—or so we thought. The pedestrian bridge, opened in 2020, keeps that legacy alive with its design, and now, the marker will ensure future generations know the history. Funded by PTC Arts, it tells the story of connection, resilience, and a bridge that once brought two counties together. The public’s welcome to join the ceremony. Details? Check out peachtreecornersga.gov. STORY 3: Atlanta area schools win $85,000 in great band challenge Ten Atlanta-area high school bands just walked away with a total of $85,000 in prizes, thanks to the fifth annual Great Atlanta Band Challenge. Sponsored by 1-800TruckWreck and Witherite Law Group, alongside Hot 107.9 and Majic 107.5/97.5, the competition celebrated the grit and talent of student musicians. South Gwinnett High snagged first place—and $20,000. Griffin High and Douglas County High followed, earning $15,000 each. The other seven finalists? They didn’t leave empty-handed, each taking home $5,000. Winners were announced on Oct. 24 with pep rally check presentations, complete with Hot 107.9’s Partyboi Deuce hyping up the crowd. This challenge, now in its fifth year, has become a lifeline for local music programs, helping fund instruments, uniforms, and more. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. We’ll be right back Break 2: Ingles Markets STORY 4: Carr joins other attorneys general in call for crackdown on intoxicating hemp products Georgia lawmakers are weighing tighter rules on intoxicating hemp products, but Attorney General Chris Carr? He’s going bigger—joining 38 other Attorney General’s in calling for a federal crackdown to pull these products off shelves entirely. Here’s the issue: gas stations and convenience stores are selling gummies, vapes, and drinks made from hemp that can get you just as high as marijuana. Why? A loophole in the 2018 federal law that legalized industrial hemp. Carr and his peers say bad actors are exploiting this “inadvertent ambiguity” to flood the market with unregulated, high-THC products. Carr’s office sounded the alarm Wednesday, citing a rise in kids accidentally ingesting these substances. But not everyone’s on board. Christopher Lackner, CEO of the Hemp Beverage Alliance, called the Attorney Generals’ letter “concerning.” He agrees dangerous, kid-targeted products need to go but argues that banning all intoxicating hemp products could crush a thriving industry. Meanwhile, Georgia lawmakers are trying to balance public safety with supporting the state’s growing hemp industry. It’s a messy debate. STORY 5: Housing Matters: Data says few housing options for Gwinnett’s poorest Skyrocketing housing costs are pushing Gwinnett residents into impossible situations—cramped hotels, couch-surfing, even homelessness. A new report from Builders Patch Housing Count shows just how bad it is: for every 100 renters in Gwinnett’s lowest income bracket (earning less than 30% of the area’s median income, or about $89,000), there are only 9 affordable units. Nine. And it doesn’t get much better as incomes rise—12 units for very-low income renters, 5 for low-income, and just 1 for middle-income families. The county needs 100,000 affordable units to close the gap. Meanwhile, rents are down 13% this year, but still average $1,900 for a two-bedroom. Median home prices? $412,000. STORY 6: Political shutdown fight over food stamps comes to Georgia The federal shutdown is about to hit hard. Starting today, over a million Georgians, many of them kids, could lose access to food stamps. No federal funding, no groceries. Governor Brian Kemp? He’s not budging. Despite $14 billion in state reserves, he’s refused to step in, calling it a “Schumer shutdown” and blaming Democrats in Congress. Meanwhile, families are bracing for empty plates. Food pantries like Feeding GA Families are already overwhelmed, with demand up 50%. Thanksgiving? It’s looking grim. And the blame game? It’s in full swing. Republicans point fingers at Democrats for blocking a funding resolution, while Democrats say Republicans are holding SNAP hostage over tax credits. STORY 7: Gwinnett SWAT team captures Marietta murder suspect A man accused of killing his stepfather in a Marietta apartment shooting is now in custody after a SWAT team arrested him in Gwinnett County. Pharron Carlos Banks, 26, had been on the run since Monday night, when police say he shot and killed 58-year-old Michael Jackson during a domestic dispute at the Briggs at Power Park apartments on Franklin Gateway. Officers arrived to find Jackson with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital but didn’t make it. Banks had already fled. His car turned up in Atlanta near the university center, but Banks wasn’t with it. By Wednesday, Marietta police tracked him to a home in Gwinnett. After securing a warrant, Gwinnett’s SWAT team moved in, ordering Banks to surrender. He came out just after 5 p.m. and was taken into custody without incident. We’ll have closing comments after this Break 4: Ingles Markets Signoff – Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.gwinnettdailypost.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 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Come to a Dehoarding Accountability Zoom Session: http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/ticket Subscribe to the podcast: https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/subscribe Podcast show notes, links and transcript: http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/  In this episode, I talk about the idea of "acting as if" - taking action before you fully believe you can, and using that to chip away at compulsive hoarding behaviours. I share stories from my own life, including how channelling others' confidence helped me move through paralysing shyness, and how small steps can help shift thinking around possessions and habits. It's all about behaving your way to progress, even when your feelings haven't caught up yet. Listen in to find out more, including how to go about it without burning out or being retraumatised. Introduction to "Acting As If" Explanation of the “acting as if” concept: taking action before you truly believe in it Shyness in childhood, learning to appreciate autumn) Psychological Basis for "Acting As If" Theory that action creates motivation Contrast with waiting for motivation or readiness Clarification: distinction from toxic positivity Application to Hoarding Disorder Connection between repeated cycles and hoarding behaviour How new actions create evidence and lead to belief changes Importance of breaking cycles of hoarding through behaviour change Practical Strategies for Acting As If Imagining how another person (someone without hoarding disorder) would act Acting as if items are already gone to help with psychological closure Acting as if you trust the process or expert advice Acting as if you deserve a nicer home and greater self-worth Acting as if letting go of items won't be as painful as feared Acting as if you can tolerate discomfort Common Obstacles and Challenges Feeling like a fraud or being inauthentic New actions feeling unnatural Comparison to physiotherapy exercises: discomfort as a sign of change Intensification of difficult feelings and memories Panic, grief, anger, fear Navigating emotional responses and learning from them Separating intense emotions from actual danger Distinguishing between productive discomfort and harmful pushing Productive discomfort vs. burnout or retraumatisation Importance of support and learning moderation Slipping up after success with “acting as if” Giving yourself permission to start again Using setbacks as data, not failure Benefits of Acting As If Reduction of analysis paralysis and cognitive overload Achieving small wins and momentum Disproving fears through new evidence Gradual adaptation of beliefs and feelings to new behaviours Brain's capacity to notice new patterns and adapt Tips and Encouragement for Trying “Acting As If” Suggests listeners identify one area to test acting as if Reassurance that belief is not required to begin Details about the Chirp Your Home decluttering course Links Come to a Dehoarding Accountability Zoom session: Accountability Booking Form Website: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding Become a Dehoarding Darling Submit a topic for the podcast to cover Questions to ask when dehoarding: https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podquestions Instagram: @thathoarderpodcast Twitter: @ThatHoarder Mastodon: @ThatHoarder@mastodon.online TikTok: @thathoarderpodcast Facebook: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding with That Hoarder Pinterest: That Hoarder YouTube: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding with That Hoarder Reddit: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding with That Hoarder subreddit Help out: Support this project Sponsor the podcast Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to the podcast here

Theme: Obedience, Trust, and Consecration — Lessons from Jericho and Ai Pastor Matthew continued his teaching series in the Book of Joshua, focusing on chapters 6 and 7—the fall of Jericho and the sin of Achan. The message contrasts the victory that comes through obedience with the defeat that follows disobedience. The Battle of Jericho — Obedience Brings Victory Text: Joshua 6 God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to march around Jericho once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, with seven priests blowing seven rams' horns before the Ark of the Covenant. Though God could have destroyed Jericho instantly, He required faithful obedience—teaching Israel to trust His word above their understanding. The people were instructed to remain completely silent until the final trumpet blast—a picture of disciplined obedience and dependence on God's timing. On the seventh day, after the final trumpet blast, the people shouted, and the walls of Jericho collapsed—a miraculous victory marking the Israelites' first conquest in the Promised Land. Key Lesson: Faith requires obedience even when instructions make no sense. The Israelites' victory came not by strength but by submission to God's word. The Principle of First fruits — The Tithe of Jericho Jericho represented the first fruits of the Promised Land; all spoils from the city were devoted to God as holy and untouchable. Joshua reminded the people that everything belongs to God, and the first portion of increase is His (Proverbs 3:9–10). This first conquest was to be fully dedicated to the Lord, symbolizing that everything that follows is blessed when the first portion is consecrated. God instructed that silver, gold, and bronze be placed in His treasury—no individual was to take from it. Application: The first belongs to God—whether it's time, talent, or treasure. Giving back to Him is not about pressure, but about trust and honor. The Fall at Ai — Disobedience Brings Defeat Text: Joshua 7 A man named Achan from the tribe of Judah secretly took a Babylonian garment, silver, and gold from Jericho, violating God's command. Because of this hidden sin, Israel was defeated at Ai, losing 36 men. Joshua fell before God in despair, questioning why the defeat happened, but God told him plainly: “Get up! Israel has sinned... They have stolen, deceived, and put it among their own stuff.” The nation's defeat was not due to lack of skill but due to sin in the camp. Until the accursed thing was removed, they could not stand before their enemies. Key Principle: Even private disobedience can bring corporate consequence. God's presence and power dwell with purity and obedience. The Judgment of Achan Achan confessed that he coveted and stole the forbidden items. He and his household were brought to the Valley of Achor (“trouble”) and were executed—serving as a solemn reminder that sin contaminates the whole body. The judgment restored Israel's standing before God and removed the curse from the camp. Spiritual Lesson: We must remove the “accursed things”—anything that dishonors God or competes with Him for first place in our lives. The Call to Generosity and Trust Pastor Matthew used the story of Achan to teach about honoring God with our resources: Tithing and giving predate the Law—first modeled by Abraham and Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18–20). Malachi 3:8–10 calls believers to “bring all the tithes into the storehouse” and test God's promise to open the windows of heaven. Luke 11:42 shows Jesus affirmed tithing while calling believers to practice it with justice and love. Hebrews 7:5–9 demonstrates that giving honors God across generations, as Levi was blessed through Abraham's obedience. He emphasized that giving is not about compulsion, but about faith and partnership with God's purpose. “You'll trust Him with your eternal salvation—why not trust Him with your finances?” Illustration: He shared a testimony of a man who began tithing in hardship and later prospered abundantly, learning firsthand that God honors faithfulness. Spiritual and National Lessons The defeat at Ai mirrors spiritual decline in modern times—a warning for America: great power and knowledge cannot replace obedience to God. Pastor urged believers to sanctify themselves and remove what is cursed—anything that keeps them from God's favor. He reminded that sin, disobedience, or misplaced loyalty (even cultural compromise) brings spiritual defeat, but repentance restores God's presence. Closing Application Check with God in everything—even after victory. Success can easily lead to complacency. Consecrate your life—make sure God is first in your time, finances, priorities, and heart. Trust God's Word, not your feelings. Faith grows when obedience is consistent. Remember that obedience brings blessing, while disobedience brings loss and distance from God. Core Takeaway Faith obeys when it doesn't understand. Victory requires consecration. Disobedience endangers everyone. God's power flows through purity, obedience, and trust.

Documentary- AN INCONVENIENT STUDY - FEATURE FILM. The Vaxxed vs. Unvaxxed Study. In 2016, journalist Del Bigtree issued a challenge to the head of infectious disease at one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world: conduct the most thorough vaxxed vs. unvaxxed study that has ever been done. The expert took up the challenge and ran the study to prove Del wrong. That study never saw the light of day... until now. An Inconvenient Study Watch this documentary at-   https://youtu.be/mvEuMMAafF8?si=1UJR2TWmtXxSHbV3 4.3K subscribers 126,072 views Oct 12, 2025   An Inconvenient Study - Official Trailer An Inconvenient Study https://youtu.be/YApw1GONJZc?si=P6Mej-gnRjKS-mHV 4.38K subscribers 7,909 views Oct 7, 2025 AN INCONVENIENT STUDY — OFFICIAL TRAILER Hidden camera footage revealed! This could change EVERYTHING. Share this everywhere. Sign up at aninconvenientstudy.com for more information.   --------------------------------------------------------------------  Check out our ACU Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/ACUPodcast   HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD!  Please go to Apple Podcasts and give ACU a 5 star rating. Apple canceled us and now we are clawing our way back to the top. Don't let the Leftist win. Do it now! Thanks. Also Rate us on any platform you follow us on. It helps a lot. Forward this show to friends. Ways to subscribe to the American Conservative University Podcast Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher FM Player Podcast Addict Tune-in Podcasts Pandora Look us up on Amazon Prime …And Many Other Podcast Aggregators and sites ACU on Twitter- https://twitter.com/AmerConU . Warning- Explicit and Violent video content.   Please help ACU by submitting your Show ideas. Email us at americanconservativeuniversity@americanconservativeuniversity.com   Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510   -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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Where have we experienced hurt in the church, whether from our sexuality or otherwise? How do we continue in spiritual communities after experiencing church hurt? Join Tom, Ryan, and Matt for a raw discussion on our community's church hurt stories. We'll dive into the other side of hurt in a follow-up episode, but for now, we want to honor the pain, the loneliness, the frustration, the rejection, the abuse, the trauma, and the injustice of experiencing hurt in a place and with a people where we should have experienced life. If one of us hurts, may we all hurt together. COMMENT ON THIS EPISODE Where have you experienced hurt in the church? PODCAST EPISODE PAGE YOBcast 110: Church Hurt LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE Kalan's rap remix of "Wood" by Taylor Swift The Carpenter's Son trailer with Nicolas Cage Owen Cooper Finally Meets Jake Gyllenhaal! "Church Hurt" by Hannah Kerr RATE/REVIEW US Apple Podcasts FOLLOW THE CAST Tom's posts Ryan's posts Matt's posts GET IN TOUCH Call the YOFline: 1.706.389.8009 Email Tom: tom@yourotherfamily.org Mail us: Your Other Family / P.O. Box 843 / Asheville, NC 28802 SUPPORT YOF General giving (for non-members) Giving toward membership in YOB Giving toward membership in YOS FOLLOW YOF YOF: YouTube | Facebook | Instagram YOB: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok YOS: Facebook | Instagram MUSIC CREDIT Intro/outro theme: “Borderland” by John Mark McMillan Benediction theme: "Feel it All" by sød ven 100% clearance through Musicbed you are not alone; even the sparrow finds a home

In this week's episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show from five years ago (10-30-2020), PWTorch editor Wade Keller was joined by PWTorch's Rich Fann. They discussed WWE Friday Night Smackdown on Fox with callers and emails including Roman Reigns gives Jey Uso the ultimatum and Jey responds, Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Street Profits, and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wade-keller-pro-wrestling-post-shows--3275545/support.

If you've ever wished your giving could be both simpler and more strategic, there's a powerful tool worth knowing about: the donor-advised fund, or DAF for short.Generosity isn't just about how much you give—it's about the heart behind it. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”Wise stewardship allows us to align our giving with God's purposes, using tools that help us maximize our Kingdom impact. A donor-advised fund—when used rightly—can help you do both: give joyfully and steward resources efficiently.What Is a Donor-Advised Fund?Think of a DAF as a charitable checking account designed to support the causes you care about. You contribute cash, stock, or other assets, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to ministries or charities on your timetable.In other words, it separates the act of giving from the act of distributing. You might contribute during a high-income year or before selling an asset to take advantage of tax benefits, while taking time to decide where those dollars should go prayerfully.Behind the scenes, your DAF is managed by a sponsoring organization. At FaithFi, we recommend the National Christian Foundation (NCF)—one of the largest and most trusted Christian providers, founded by Larry Burkett and Ron Blue. NCF handles the record-keeping, issues the grants, and provides online tools to manage your giving.Suppose you plan to sell a business or a piece of real estate that would normally result in a significant capital gain. By donating it to your donor-advised fund before the sale, you can avoid paying capital gains tax, allowing more of the donation to go directly to Kingdom purposes.You receive an immediate tax deduction for the full value of your gift since it's considered an irrevocable charitable contribution. The funds can be invested for potential growth while you prayerfully decide which ministries to support—or you can give immediately.When you're ready, you simply recommend a grant, such as $10,000, to your church or a mission organization. The DAF sponsor verifies the charity and then sends the gift—either in your name or anonymously.The Benefits of a Donor-Advised FundDonor-advised funds have become the fastest-growing vehicle for charitable giving in America, and for good reason. They combine flexibility, simplicity, and intentionality—all with a focus on Kingdom impact.Here are some of the key advantages:Simplicity – One contribution can fund all your charitable giving, with a single tax receipt and one dashboard to track every grant.Tax Efficiency – Receive your deduction when you contribute, not when you give. Donating appreciated assets can help avoid capital gains taxes, increasing the amount that goes to ministry.Flexibility – Give now and decide later where the funds should go, allowing generosity even as you discern where God is leading.Legacy Planning – Name successors—such as children or grandchildren—to carry on your legacy of generosity.Focus on Mission – Since the administration is handled for you, you can focus your energy on prayerfully deciding where to give.Important Limitations to ConsiderNo giving tool is perfect. Here are a few things to keep in mind:Irrevocability – Once you contribute to a DAF, it's a completed gift—you can't take the funds back.Qualified Recipients – Grants can only be made to IRS-approved charities, not individuals or political causes.Timing of Impact – Funds can remain in the account for years, which may delay charitable impact.At FaithFi, we encourage believers to use DAFs for timely generosity rather than indefinite storage. A DAF is meant to organize your giving, not to hold back what God has already called you to release.Why FaithFi Recommends NCFThere are many donor-advised fund providers—but not all share your faith commitments. That's why we recommend the National Christian Foundation (NCF).NCF doesn't just process gifts; they walk with donors in prayer and biblical wisdom. Their Giving Funds simplify generosity, reduce tax burdens, and amplify Kingdom impact. They can even accept complex, non-cash gifts, such as real estate, business interests, or agricultural assets.More importantly, NCF's team seeks to help every believer become a joyful, generous steward who advances the Gospel through wise giving.To learn more or to open your own Giving Fund, visit FaithFi.com/NCF. You can set up your fund in just minutes. And if you'd like a trusted financial advisor to guide you in the process, visit FindaCKA.com.At the end of the day, a donor-advised fund is just a tool—but in the hands of a faithful steward, it becomes a powerful way to partner with God in His work.When our giving flows from gratitude and trust, every dollar becomes a declaration: God owns it all, and we are His stewards.That's what it means to give with joy, wisdom, and eternal purpose.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:My husband was recently diagnosed with a serious health condition, and we're trying to decide whether it's wise to downsize our home. We currently owe about $198,000, but we're also looking at another house for $137,500. With today's interest rates, we could do a 15-, 20-, or 30-year loan. If my husband's income were to go away, would it be smarter to stay where we are or move to the smaller home with a lower payment?I'm 61 and wondering whether I should withdraw money from my 401(k) to pay off my car loan instead of taking out a new one. I've been looking at my budget and income, and I'm not sure if that's the best move. What do you think?My husband recently passed away. He had an IRA worth a little under $70,000, and I have one too. My financial advisor suggested that I roll his IRA into mine—can I do that, and would that be the best approach? Also, our home is in an irrevocable living trust. Am I allowed to sell it, or does it have to stay in the trust?Our term life insurance policy is set to expire soon. We could cash it out or roll it into a whole life policy, but we already have enough life insurance. With a child heading to college in about a year and a half, we're wondering if there's a smart way to put that money into savings for college without taking a big tax hit.Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)National Christian Foundation (NCF)Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

===== MDJ Script/ Top Stories for October 31st Publish Date:  October 31st    Commercial: From the BG AD Group Studio, Welcome to the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast.    Today is Friday, October 31st and Happy Birthday to John Candy I’m Keith Ippolito and here are the stories Cobb is talking about, presented by Times Journal Superior Plumbing Taste of Kennesaw is Saturday Marietta honors Rev. Dr. Nelson Price with Roswell Street commemorative naming Students can apply to over 60 Georgia colleges and universities for free in November Plus, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on carrots All of this and more is coming up on the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen and subscribe!  BREAK: Ingles Markets 4 STORY 1: Superior Plumbing Taste of Kennesaw is Saturday  Mark your calendars—The Superior Plumbing Taste of Kennesaw is back! On Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., downtown Kennesaw (2829 Cherokee Street) will transform into a foodie’s paradise. Picture this: over 30 local restaurants serving up their best bites, a Beer Garden for the grown-ups, live music all day, and even a big screen for catching the games. Kids? They’ll be busy with inflatable slides and bounces while you stroll through the Georgia Grown Member Village. Restaurants like The Melting Pot, Gus’s Fried Chicken, and Williamson Brothers BBQ are just a few of the highlights. Admission’s free, and food samples range from $1 to $10. Proceeds benefit local charities like Shop with a Mustang and KSU Cares. Parking? Plenty—downtown, Adams Park, or First Baptist Church. Questions? Call 770-423-1330 or visit kennesawbusiness.org. Don’t miss it! STORY 2: Marietta honors Rev. Dr. Nelson Price with Roswell Street commemorative naming  For 35 years, Rev. Dr. Nelson Price stood at the pulpit of Roswell Street Baptist Church, drawing thousands to hear his sermons. Now, the stretch of Roswell Street from Marietta Square to Cobb Parkway—yes, past the Big Chicken—will honor his legacy as the “Rev. Nelson L. Price Memorial Pathway.” The name of the road isn’t changing, but two signs will mark the tribute. At Wednesday’s dedication, Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin called it a “joyous occasion,” adding, “He wasn’t just a road; he was a pathway—a lamp to our feet.” Price, who passed away in August at 94, left an indelible mark on Cobb County. He mentored students, counseled presidents, baptized thousands, and even delivered Jimmy Carter’s 1977 inauguration address. The church he led grew from 700 members to a 10,000-strong congregation, filling a 4,000-seat sanctuary every Sunday. At the unveiling, friends and family shared stories. Former Braves pitcher Jim Nash recalled meeting Price in 1969: “My wife made me go to church. Best decision ever.” Price’s wife, “Miss Trudy,” thanked everyone, saying Nelson would’ve been humbled. STORY 3: Students can apply to over 60 Georgia colleges and universities for free in November  Good news for Georgia high school seniors: college application fees? Waived. Yep, over 60 colleges and universities across the state are letting seniors apply for free this November, thanks to a partnership between the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC), the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and private schools. No limits, either—apply to as many schools as you want. Fees can add up fast, so this is a big deal for families. If you use the GEORGIA MATCH admissions dashboard, the fee waivers are automatic. Curious? Head to GAfutures.org for the full list of schools and details. GSFC’s goal? Making college more affordable, plain and simple. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.799.6810 for more info.  We’ll be right back. Break: Ingles Markets 4 STORY 4: Gwinnett SWAT team captures Marietta murder suspect A man accused of killing his stepfather in a Marietta apartment shooting is now in custody after a SWAT team arrested him in Gwinnett County. Pharron Carlos Banks, 26, had been on the run since Monday night, when police say he fatally shot 58-year-old Michael Jackson during a domestic dispute at the Briggs at Power Park apartments on Franklin Gateway. Officers arrived just after 6:30 p.m. to find Jackson with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital but didn’t survive. Banks fled before police arrived. His car was later found near the Atlanta University Center and brought back to Marietta for evidence processing. On Wednesday, Marietta police tracked Banks to a home in Gwinnett. With a search warrant in hand, Gwinnett’s SWAT team surrounded the house, issued commands, and arrested Banks just after 5 p.m. “Our hearts go out to the family and everyone affected by this tragedy,” Marietta police said, thanking Gwinnett officers for their help. STORY 5: Marietta council tabling measure that would require permit to protest The Marietta City Council hit pause on a proposed ordinance that would require permits for protests, opting to send it back for legal review. Councilwoman Cheryl Richardson made the motion, saying the city needs a constitutional law expert to weigh in. The ordinance, as written, would require groups of five or more to get a permit for an “expression event,” limit protest locations and times, and restrict sound amplification like megaphones. “Expression’s not the issue—it’s volume,” said Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin. Richardson wasn’t sold. “Five people? That’s too small. If seven of us wave on a corner, we’d need a permit? That’s not right,” she said, adding the term “expression” felt off. The committee unanimously agreed to table it. Next meetings: Nov. 10 (work session) and Nov. 12 (voting). And now here is Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on carrots We’ll have closing comments after this. Break: Ingles Markets 4 Signoff-   Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Marietta Daily Journal Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at mdjonline.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network Show Sponsors: www.ingles-markets.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SEASON 4 EPISODE 29: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (2:30) SPECIAL COMMENT: The correct question has been lying there, invisible in the forest, for the trees. It was Mary Trump who finally saw it – and asked it: “Why the hell (do) they KEEP giving him cognitive tests?” That’s IT - isn’t it? THAT'S the question. None of the details, none of the giraffes versus elephants, none of his stupid boastful insults about it, none of the small stuff. It's the big picture. Why the hell DO they keep giving him cognitive tests? And I’ll add a corollary to Mary Trump's burst of simple genius: Why the hell do they KEEP giving him cognitive tests almost exactly six months apart? Friday October 10, 2015 at Walter Reed, which he boasted about on board Air Force One this week. And Friday April 11, 2015, which he had also boasted about on board Air Force One last spring. Those dates are almost six months apart. 182 days. If they’re not giving him pre-scheduled cognitive tests every six months that’s a helluva coincidence. Why the hell do they keep giving him cognitive tests? And I’ll add a second corollary to Mary Trump’s question: why did they give him an MRI? Is it the first MRI to accompany a cognitive test? What was it an MRI of? I mean it may be irrelevant (I once had an MRI to see how my sinuses were draining correctly). You really CAN get MRIs for almost trivial stuff. But you don’t get cognitive tests for trivial stuff. Why the hell do they keep giving him cognitive tests? PLUS: Trump says the Constitution prohibits him from running for president again. Again, mid-flight, after boasting about things that aren't real, he said: “If you read it it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run." So that’s that, huh? That’s what all the experts say. The same experts who said there was no Presidential Immunity. So – what happens next? He just changes his mind? Or decides this term is eight years not four? Or he just cancels the 2028 election? This isn't bluster and it isn't trolling. They might get away with it and they might not, but there are plans. And the more we're convinced they can never pull them off, the more likely we are to see another "presidential immunity" ruling from The Supreme Court. Or another Aileen Cannon. Or another January 6. B-Block (24:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Steve Bannon wants to expel Zohran Mamdani from this country. Hell, we should expel Bannon. If we can find a truck that can carry that much blubber. There's a media writer named Rich Greenfield who has extrapolated from the possibility that Comcast might buy CNN and merge it with MSNBC and he has the exact right person to run it: Charlie Kirk's widow (a bible student). And as ludicrous as that sounds, the guy now running CNN wasn't even home from his visit to the White House to try to butter up Trump and the Trumpists when one of the Trumpists mocked him on twitter for visiting. Today, appeasers not only lose, they get flamed on social media. C-Block (36:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: With the Dodgers in the World Series again it is time to hurry back to the greatest moment in their Los Angeles history: Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit homer even though three-quarters of his body was barely movable, to win Game One of the 1988 World Series and set them on the path to one of the greatest upsets in baseball history, over the vaunted Oakland A's. Gibson's homer was a surprise to everybody. Except me. Because I predicted it just before the first pitch of that final inning began. And there's a WITNESS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Generosity encompasses time, energy, resources, and prayers, shaping how we live, serve, and influence the world around us. Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar remind believers that God is the ultimate standard of generosity and that everything we have comes from Him, from spiritual blessings to everyday provisions. The guys emphasize that giving is rooted in being fully satisfied in the Lord, recognizing that our most profound joy and fulfillment flow from His hand. When we hunger for Him, our time, talents, and treasures naturally become instruments to bless others, build community, and point people toward God's goodness.The guys explore generosity in daily life, encouraging believers to offer their skills, invest time in relationships, and give with grace and thoughtfulness. Giving is not limited to finances; it can mean lending possessions, offering gifts of service, mentoring the next generation, or using influence for the good of others. True generosity is sacrificial, not just a matter of convenience or abundance. It extends to sharing the gospel even in the face of rejection or persecution. The generous soul is made rich as it reflects God's heart, mirrors the ultimate gift of Christ giving His life for humanity, and points others to the joy of living under His provision.Generosity also shapes our finances, relationships, and daily choices. Money and resources amplify what is already in the heart, revealing whether we trust God or cling to security in material things. The guys explain that cheerful, sacrificial giving requires faith, humility, and awareness of the heart, going beyond money to include time, attention, and intentional priorities. Forgiveness is a vital expression of generosity, reflecting the gospel by offering mercy even without reconciliation or recognition. By esteeming others, freely giving of ourselves, and modeling grace, believers demonstrate the transforming power of Christ in both ordinary moments and extraordinary acts.The guys remind believers that generosity is central to the gospel and has historically distinguished Christians in the world. Early believers revolutionized society through radical giving, serving those who hated them, and standing apart through sacrificial love. Generosity continues to witness to both Christians and the unsaved, speaking volumes where words alone cannot reach. It is a freeing practice grounded in trust in the living God. True generosity flows from hearts devoted to Him, willing to give freely and abundantly because His love compels us to reflect His character in every aspect of life.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro