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The US Supreme Court gives Donald Trump sweeping new powers to fire government employees, but sides against him in cases regarding the Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook and mail-in voting ballots. Judges also rejected President Trump's request to appeal against a $5m civil verdict that he'd sexually abused and defamed the journalist E. Jean Carroll. Also: the US military reopens Venezuela's La Guaira port to help aid deliveries after the earthquakes. The right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori wins Peru's presidential election. Six people are killed in a mass shooting in Germany. WhatsApp will soon give users the option to chat without revealing their phone numbers. Tennis players demand Wimbledon prize money is shared fairly, and the deadly fish with human-like teeth wreaking havoc on Greek fishermen. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.ukPhoto: People gather outside the Supreme Court as it prepares to release decisions in multiple cases in Washington, DC, USA, 29 June 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock
The Greek gods live high on Mount Olympus, and from time to time - they sing! As the gods celebrate Artemis and Apollo's triumph over the twin giants, they sing their Olympian anthem - "Look for Us!" CHORUS:In the sun, the moon, the starsNo matter where you areKeep us in your heart and look for usKnow that this is always trueAll our stories live in you APOLLO: In the rising sun, recall my melodies APHRODITE: I live in passion, desire and beautyARTEMIS: See me in the wild, in the light of the moonATHENA: You'll find me in wisdom, and freedom tooCHORUS:We're never far awayIn the sun, the moon, the stars No matter where you are Keep us in your heart and look for us Know that this is always trueAll our stories live in you They live in youLETO: In a mother's love , feel my presence there DIONYSUS: In the frenzy of a party , feel my joy in the air ZEUS: In the midst of a storm hear the power of my thunder HERA: In marriage, see my spirit HERMES: And in mischief know my wonderCHORUS 2:We're never far awayIn the sun, the moon, the stars No matter where you are Keep us in your heart and look for us Know that this is always trueAll our stories live in you We're never far awayJust look for us Olympus forever!Eric Berryman is Dionysus, Ato Blankson-Wood is Apollo, Jill Frutkin is Aphrodite, Libby King is Athena, Ian Lassiter is Zeus, Christina Liberus is Artemis; Kimberly Marable is Leto, Nedra Marie Taylor is Hera, and André De Shields is Hermes."Look for Us" (and all of Live from Mount Olympus music and songs) was composed, arranged and produced by Magdalini Giannikou. Lyrics and vocal production by Malena Marcase. Music performed by Banda Magda. Songs mixed and mastered by Tom Beuchel. Music direction by Magdalini Giannikou and Nehemiah Luckett.
The Gore of Battle and the Sanctity of the Dead. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The Iliad features vivid and gory battle scenes that Wilson rendered by consulting with combat veterans to understand the visceral nature of death. Homeremphasizes the specific details of how each man dies, often juxtaposing the brutality of a spear through an eyeball with beautiful similes from the natural world. A major theme is the treatment of the dead; the poem views the corpse as the person, requiring those who loved the warrior to wash, wrap, and lament him. Entire books are dedicated to the struggle of reclaiming a fallen comrade's body, as desecrating a corpse is seen as the ultimate victory over an enemy. Stripping the armor from a victim serves as both an economic prize and a symbol of total dominance. While the gods like Poseidon and Hera intervene to support the Greeks, they also remain distinct from mortals by "bleeding" a substance called ichor. These divine and human elements culminate in the pivotal death of Patroclus, which shifts the direction of the entire war. 6
The Plot Begins: Rage and Divine Bargains. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The plot of the Iliad is ignited by a clash of egos between Agamemnon and Achilles. When Agamemnon is forced to return his own war prize to appease Apollo, he seizes Achilles' enslaved woman, Briseis, to recoup his lost face. This action causes Achilles to withdraw from the fighting, perversely restoring his honor by demonstrating how much the Greeks suffer without him. This human conflict is mirrored by divine bargaining; for instance, Hera is so intent on destroying Troy that she offers to let Zeus destroy three of her own beloved cities, including Sparta, in exchange for his cooperation. The Greek audience would have recognized the historical weight of these fallen cities. Wilson interprets Agamemnon not as a simple villain, but as a weak and struggling leader who often blames his poor decisions on divine delusion rather than taking personal responsibility. Despite his flaws, the poem illustrates the immense difficulty of maintaining power and making decisions under the influence of manipulative gods. 5
The Fall of Patroclus and the Killing Machine. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The turning point of the epic occurs when Patroclus enters the battle wearing Achilles' armor to deceive the Trojans and save the Greek ships. Ignoring Achilles' warning to return quickly, Patroclus is driven by a desire for honor and continues his assault until he is stripped of his armor by Apollo and killed by Hector. This loss transforms Achilles into a terrifying "killing machine" who returns to the field for vengeance. Before re-entering the fray, his mother Thetis secures new magical armor from Hephaestus, the "tech god" of fire who works with robotic assistants. Achilles' subsequent rampage is so brutal that he violates human norms by killing unarmed suppliants and clogging the river Xanthus with so many corpses that the river god himself rises in protest. The narrative reaches its climax as Hector faces Achilles alone outside the city walls. The poem suggests that without proper burial, a spirit or psyche is doomed to wander, as seen when the spirit of Patroclus visits Achilles to plead for his funeral rites. 71890
Goddesses, Trophies, and the Bond of Achilles. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The gods in the Iliad often represent extreme human instincts, such as Aphrodite representing lust and Ares representing aggression. These deities are sometimes depicted as ridiculous because they flee the battlefield when wounded, whereas mortals must face their pain heroically. Within the Greek camp, the social structure is built around honor and "trophies," specifically enslaved women like Briseis, who are parceled out after military victories. While Briseis has a limited voice, she is shown to have a kind relationship with Patroclus, who is described as a multi-faceted character capable of both great kindness and brutal violence. Patroclus is not a "beta male" but a skilled warrior who mocks his victims as he kills them. The bond between Achilles and Patroclus is the most intimate and emotionally vulnerable relationship in the poem. Achilles' awareness of his own impending death and the violation of his honor by Agamemnon creates a deep-seated rage that drives the central plot. 41919
The Homeric Question and Epic Tradition. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The identity of Homer remains a subject of intense scholarly debate, as the Iliad emerged from a long oral tradition that existed before the return of literacy to Greece in the 8th century BCE. For centuries, performing poets developed stories of heroes like Achilles and Agamemnon, using dactylic hexameter to aid memory and performance. The Iliad is a monumental written poem that takes a sophisticated approach to these familiar tales, often subverting expectations. Interestingly, it omits many "famous hits" like the Trojan Horse, the judgment of Paris, and the actual fall of Troy. Instead, it focuses on a mere month and a half of the ten-year war, centering on internal Greek conflict rather than just a battle against Trojans. Wilson notes that while she translates the work into iambic pentameter to capture its drive, the poem itself possesses the narrative complexity of a modern novel, utilizing techniques like shifting perspectives and narrator omniscience. She also mentions lost epic poems like the Cypria, which provided more backstory on Zeus's plan to reduce the human population through war. 2
In the Studio enters the creative world of award-winning Irish-language poet Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh as she composes a new poem. We follow its journey from first draft to first public reading. Ailbhe writes exclusively in Irish. She is deeply rooted in the language's literary tradition yet unmistakably modern in outlook and has become one of the most distinctive literary voices of her generation. Working from the early-morning quiet of her kitchen table in Cork, the documentary centres on a new triptych inspired by her nine-year-old daughter's fascination with Greek mythology. Ailbhe takes Dualtagh Herr behind the scenes of her new work, reflecting on childhood imagination, motherhood, and the creative process.
Did Irenaeus really teach that Revelation was written during the reign of Domitian? In Episode 11 of the Revelation Series, Jay Rogers examines one of the most frequently cited arguments for the late date of Revelation and asks whether the evidence has been misunderstood for centuries. The famous statement from Irenaeus is often presented as the decisive proof that Revelation was written in the 90s AD. But what did Irenaeus actually mean? And does the original Greek support the common interpretation? In this episode: The famous "time of Domitian" statement The disputed Greek grammar behind the passage Why this quotation became so influential The implications for the dating of Revelation How the debate affects the identity of the Beast and the fall of Jerusalem Could the strongest argument for the late date actually be weaker than many assume?
A drifter set to die in the gas chamber for a murder he didn't commit offers one last gift to the man who framed him — never imagining what that gift might carry.Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTRCHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Second Sight” (February 27, 1978) ***WD00:46:14.838 = Origin of Superstition, “Three On A Match” (December 16, 1932) ***WD01:00:44.894 = Pat Novak For Hire, “Don't Tell Hilda” (February 27, 1949)01:29:14.739 = Peril, “Darkness Within” (1953) ***WD (LQ)01:58:15.099 = Mystery Playhouse, “Death is a Joker” (May 25, 1941) ***WD02:28:27.475 = Price of Fear, “Meeting In Athens” (July 07, 1973) ***WD02:55:48.036 = Ellery Queen, “Number Thirty-One” (September 07, 1947) ***WD03:24:14.186 = Quiet Please, “If I Should Die Before I Wake” (February 27, 1949)03:53:27.551 = Radio City Playhouse, “The Wind” (October 30, 1949) ***WD04:22:21.175 = Sam Spade, “Death of Dr. Denhoff Caper” (August 09, 1946) ***WD04:51:19.818 = Show Close(ADU) = Air Date Unknown(LQ) = Low Quality***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.This episode of #RetroRadio — Old Time Radio in the Dark, hosted by Darren Marlar at WeirdDarkness.com, runs ten classic mystery, crime, and horror broadcasts back to back, from a condemned man who donates his eyes to the very person who framed him to Ray Bradbury's tale of a living, intelligent wind that hunts a man across the globe.CBS Radio Mystery Theater opens the night with "Second Sight," a February 27, 1978 drama hosted by E.G. Marshall in which drifter Larry Millard, condemned to die in the gas chamber for the shotgun murder of farmer Jason Hadley, volunteers his own eyes for an anonymous corneal transplant — handing his sight to Glen Plaxton, the businessman who actually pulled the trigger and framed him to protect a secret reservoir land-grab. After the surgery, Plaxton and his partner Tip Foster begin to suspect that the dead man's eyes may have carried more than vision.Next, Origin of Superstition traces the famous taboo against lighting three cigarettes from a single flame in "Three On A Match," a December 16, 1932 sketch that carries listeners back to 1899 and the Boer War in South Africa, where British officer Captain Frank Mattox laughs off the fire-reading warning of a Zulu medicine man named Grumbo, who reads ruin in the ashes and cautions of "danger in three."In "Don't Tell Hilda," the hard-boiled Pat Novak For Hire (February 27, 1949, starring Jack Webb) finds the San Francisco waterfront boat-for-hire man tangled in murder when a beautiful blonde claiming amnesia collapses dead in a coffee joint after a fatal dose of sleeping pills. Hounded by Inspector Hellman and helped by boozy ex-doctor Jocko Madigan, Novak traces her to a long-vanished heiress named Marcia Halpern and a fortune up on Pacific Heights.Peril offers the 1953 psychological case "Darkness Within," where Mrs. Diana Carson walks into the office of psychiatrist Dr. James Bancroft insisting that her mild-mannered stockbroker husband, Lionel Carson, seized the fireplace tongs and tried to murder her — then woke with no memory of the attack, much like the family cat she found poisoned in the basement. Bancroft must decide whether Lionel suffers a blackout-driven split personality or something far more deliberate.Mystery Playhouse, hosted by Peter Lorre, stages "Death is a Joker" (May 25, 1941), the courtroom confession of Charles Luther, a homely stage comedian on trial for his life who recounts strangling his friend Robert Langwell in a fit of jealousy over the beautiful Julie Wenthoff — and then, hour by terrible hour, is forced to think and act like the cunning criminal he never meant to become.The Price of Fear sends Vincent Price into the August heat of Athens for "Meeting In Athens," a July 7, 1973 chiller in which he befriends young English couple Mark Haxton and Gillian Gilroy on the Acropolis. When Mark vanishes after a late-night seaside villa party arranged by a heavyset stranger named Yannis, Price and Greek police officer Costas Polides uncover a black-market horror in which a man's rarest possession — his AB Rhesus-negative blood, recorded in the diary he kept on everything — can be worth killing for.Ellery Queen investigates "Number Thirty-One" (September 7, 1947), in which suspected international diamond smuggler George Arcaris always books Cabin 31 aboard the steamship Aegea, and a Park Avenue butler from Harlem named Arthur Prine — who liked to play the number 31 in the numbers game — turns up dead in the East River. Ellery and Inspector Queen connect the recurring number to a smuggling ring involving wealthy socialites Pip Istram and Susu Mounting, with guest armchair detective Kent Smith invited to solve it first.Quiet Please turns apocalyptic with "If I Should Wake Before I Die" (February 27, 1949), Wyllis Cooper's parable of Dr. Anderson, a coldly rational scientist who cares only for pure knowledge and never for its uses — even after his own brother Edward dies alone in an orbiting satellite rocket, and even as Project Phaeton, an atomic-fission projectile fired at the moon, sets loose consequences no equation predicted.Radio City Playhouse adapts Ray Bradbury's "The Wind" (October 30, 1949), in which Allen Henderson telephones his friend Herb Thompson again and again, convinced that a living, intelligent wind — one that has stalked him from a crash in the Himalayas across every typhoon and hurricane he survived — has finally surrounded his lonely stone house to claim him, while Herb's wife Jane dismisses the whole thing as madness.Sam Spade closes the night with the "Death of Dr. Denhoff Caper" (August 9, 1946), as Howard Duff's wisecracking detective is hired by psychoanalyst Dr. Gregory Denhoff to fend off a blackmailer named Nicolaitis — only for Denhoff to plunge from his penthouse window, the police to rule it suicide, and a stolen, microfilmed case history on actress Constance Brent to throw suspicion across the grieving widow, a Vienna-trained rival named Dr. Zoya, and Brent's hot-tempered husband.CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0700
The Rise of the Dionysian Dynasty in Syracuse. Guest Author: Professor James Romm. Syracuse, a Corinthian colony, rose to power under Dionysius the Elder during the 4th century BCE. Starting as a clerk, he became a demagogue by attacking elite leaders accused of collaborating with Carthage. He fortified "the island," a strategic peninsula with a natural spring, to secure his power. Dionysius broke Greek custom by adopting Persian-style polygamy, marrying Doris and Aristomache on one day to appear superhuman. This created rival lineages that sparked future civil conflict. The court was famous for "Syracuse tables," characterized by excessive luxury and wine. Dionysius died in 367 BCE, with rumors suggesting he was poisoned. 1
For more than a thousand years, Delphi was considered a cultural centre of the ancient world. Every year a throng of pilgrims climbed the slopes of Mount Parnassus to seek the words of Apollo through the famous Oracle of Delphi.Today Tristan Hughes is joined by Michael Scott to uncover Delphi's story, the sanctuary that shaped the ancient Mediterranean. How did the Pythia become the most famous oracle of antiquity? Why did rulers travel from across the Greek world to seek its guidance? And what can Delphi's temples, monuments and Olympic-like festivals reveal about the power and influence of this extraordinary sacred site?MOREAthens vs Persia: The Legend of ThemistoclesListen on AppleListen on SpotifyKeros: Bronze Age MysteryListen on AppleListen on SpotifyWe're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2026 is: oracular aw-RAK-yuh-ler adjective Oracular is a formal word that can describe something used to forecast or prophesize, or something that resembles or relates to something used for such purposes. Oracular can also describe something that resembles an oracle—a person (such as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak; in this sense, an oracular statement, voice, etc. conveys wisdom or solemnity. // A few recordings of the famous speaker still exist, and though his language is formal to the point of sounding almost foreign to the modern listener, the oracular quality of his speech remains effective. See the entry > Examples: "The conversation that unfolds is some of [writer Ben] Lerner's most brilliant and daring writing to date, a mad, oracular burst of speech—about technology, parenthood, and dreaming—that flits effortlessly between prose and poetry." — Kevin Lozano, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2026 Did you know? When the ancient Greeks had questions or problems, they would turn to the gods for answers by consulting an oracle, a person through whom the gods communicated, usually in the form of cryptic verse. Oracle also referred to the god's answer or to the shrine that worshippers approached when seeking advice; the word's root is the Latin verb orare, which means "to speak." English speakers today can use oracle to simply refer to an authoritative pronouncement or to a person who makes such pronouncements—for example, "a designer who is an oracle of fashion." And the related adjective oracular is used in similar contexts: "a designer who is an oracular voice of fashion."
John Luke's attempt to turn a four-foot rat snake into a calm teaching moment for campers goes sideways fast, leaving the kids panicked and John Luke woozy at the sight of his own blood. Al, Zach, John Luke, and Christian use Augustine's story to dig into why modern people are so restless, why getting what we want still doesn't satisfy us, and how our appetites quietly train our hearts. The guys contrast Augustine's confession of sin with today's culture of self-worship. Al points to history's examples of Christianity's tendency to bring order, healing, and hope out of cultural chaos. In this episode: Romans 7, verses 21–25; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 9, verses 24–27; Philippians 2, verses 5–11; Genesis 1, verse 31 Today's conversation is about Lesson 11 of Ancient Christianity taught by visiting Hillsdale Professor of History Kenneth Calvert. Take the course with us at no cost to you! Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/. More about Ancient Christianity: Christ entered the world during the reign of Caesar Augustus. The tensions between Christianity and the Roman Empire shaped the daily practice of the Christian faith and led many Romans to distrust and persecute the early Christians. But Christianity also benefitted from the Roman world. And when Rome collapsed in the West, Christianity provided the hope for preserving civilization. In this free, eleven-lecture course, Professor Kenneth Calvert will explore: How the Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures all contributed to preparing the world to hear the Gospel. Why many Romans distrusted and persecuted the early Christians. The inspiring stories of Christ, His apostles, and faithful ones throughout the first four centuries of Christianity. The arguments of key early Christian apologists—Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin, Athanasius, and more—who defended and defined the Christian faith amidst the animosity of the Roman world. The conversion of Constantine and how he brought stability to Rome, and how the rivalry between his sons almost returned Rome to paganism. How Augustine's writings helped preserve the message of Christianity during the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. You will discover the uncertainties, trials, and triumphs of the earliest Christians as they confronted controversies within the faith and persecutions from outside it. Join us today to discover the improbable and miraculous story of Christianity. Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters 00:00 Summer Camp Chaos & ER Trips 05:54 Everyone Wants a Beach Photo 10:43 Augustine's Influence on the Church 16:10 Augustine's Wild Past and Conversion 22:23 The Beach Ball Picture of Human Design 29:11 Appetite, Discipline & Reordered Desires 35:05 Augustine vs. Rousseau on Human Nature 43:10 Christianity Brings Order to Chaos — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we’ve studied what our lives looks like without the Holy Spirit. Without God’s influence, without God’s direction over our life, we naturally drift toward dysfunction, selfishness, broken relationships, and sin. Left to ourselves, our sinful nature becomes the driving force behind our decisions, our attitudes, and our actions. That’s exactly what Paul describes in Galatians 5. He paints an honest picture of what life looks like when the flesh is in control. It’s not a list meant to shame us – it’s a mirror showing us what every one of us is capable of apart from God. But thank God, we’re not left there. The good news is that God didn’t simply save us from our sin; He gave us His very presence. When we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. We are no longer left to navigate this life in our own strength. We have a Helper, a Guide, a Teacher, and the very power of God at work in us. So before we can understand the fruit of the Spirit, we have to understand the Spirit Himself. Who is the Holy Spirit? Why did God give Him to us? What is His purpose in our lives? And what does it actually look like to live under His influence every day? The fruit of the Spirit isn’t about trying harder to become a better person. It’s about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out. I spent many years not understanding who the Holy Spirit is and what it mean to have this influence in my life. Maybe you’re in that place. This doesn’t quite make sense to you. It can be a little confusing, so lets slow down to understand. Quite simply, the Holy Spirit is God HIMSELF. God reveals himself to us in 3 ways which we call the trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – all God. Think of it this way, the Father loved us, the Son saved us, the Spirit changes us. The Holy Spirit is God’s very own presence dwelling within us. Before Jesus returned to Heaven after his crucifixion, he made an incredible promise. In John 14: 16-17, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. You will know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” In verse 23, Jesus says, “We will come and make our home in each one who loves me.” Jesus had been walking with his disciples. He had been living with them, teaching them, guiding them. In flesh, he was there with them. Now, before he returns to Heaven, he is promising for everyone who loves him, they will be given ANOTHER who will actually live in you and never leave you. The Greek, word translated “another” means another of the same kind. So we have been given someone exactly like Jesus in nature and purpose to live inside of us. That’s the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit makes God’s presence permanent in everyone who believes in him. As real as Jesus walked this earth as God in human form, God now lives within us in Spirit form. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live like Jesus. So this isn’t about trying harder and harder, this is about allowing God to live through us. In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit dwelt in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Occasionally his Spirit would come upon specific people for specific purposes. Through the cleansing power of Jesus to make us holy and righteous, God Spirit is now available to each of us and we become his temple. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God.” For real, God now lives within us! My mind can’t comprehend that, but by faith I choose to believe it. Do you? Let’s look at 3 things the Holy Spirit does: He teaches us, empowers us and transforms us. The Holy Spirit teaches us. When you read the Bible and actually understand it, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. When you listen to this podcast or a sermon and it hits just right, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. When you’re living your regular life and you remember what God said about it, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. What a lot of people describe as a “gut feeling” is actually the prompting of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit empowers us. Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Have you ever been stronger than you ever thought you could be? Girl, that was the Holy Spirit. Have you ever had the power to do things you never thought you could do? That’s the power from the Holy Spirit. We’re so quick to think we’re weak and incapable, but as a believer, remember who is living within you. God himself is inside of you! His power is in you! So yes, you do have the strength for this through the Holy Spirit. Yes, you are good enough. Yes, you are capable. Remember what’s in you! And ultimately what the Holy Spirit does within us is he transforms us. That’s where the Fruit of the Spirit comes in in Galatians 5. WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, we are changed naturally. This change isn’t something we have to force and will, it’s a change that grows in us and makes us more like Jesus. That’s the goal of the Holy Spirit, to make us more and more like Jesus. As we move to the right side of our list and begin to see what it looks like to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit, rather than without him, think of it like this: If you are under the influence of alcohol, you think different, you talk different, you walk different, you have different emotions, and you make different decisions. Why? Because you’re under the influence of that alcohol so you operate different. Now, think of the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. It changes everything. You think different under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The way you see things changes. The way you see people changes. Your thought process is changed. You talk different under the influence of the Holy Spirit. You don’t even want to be in the conversations you were once in. You walk different with different emotions, making different decisions. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, your desires are literally changed. Your heart begins to align with God’s heart and you begin to pursue the things he created you for. And what happens when there’s a different life within us – FRUIT! Fruit is evidence of life. An apple tree doesn’t struggle to tape apples to its branches to look more like an apple tree. An apple tree just naturally produces apples. When the Holy Spirit lives within us, we don’t have to struggle and strive, we just surrender and then we naturally produce the Fruit of the Spirit. This is what makes us more and more like Jesus. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2026 is: symbiosis sim-bee-OH-sis noun Symbiosis is a formal word that refers to a relationship between two people or groups that work with and depend on each other. In biology, symbiosis refers to the relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other. // The new playground is the result of symbiosis between multiple stakeholders, including residents, donors, and town officials. // The bacteria exist in symbiosis with the plant's roots. See the entry > Examples: “In the old days, which weren't that long ago ... there was that ritual moment when a rock ‘n' roll idol, in the midst of delivering a classic anthem, would point the mic away from himself and into the arena, indicating that it was time for the audience to take over and sing the lines. It might be Springsteen doing ‘Thunder Road,' or Madonna doing ‘Holiday.' ... The loving symbiosis of pop star and pop audience doesn't get much more reverent than that.” — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 May 2026 Did you know? Symbiosis was adopted by the scientific community in the late 1800s, coming ultimately (via German) from the Greek symbíōsis, meaning “living together, companionship.” Of course, there are a lot of ways to live together and, accordingly, several flavors of symbiosis. When a biological symbiosis between two organisms is mutually beneficial, it is termed mutualism. For example, oxpeckers are birds so named because they “peck” ticks off of infested cattle and wild mammals, a likely satisfying arrangement for both parties, and textbook mutualism. When one organism lives off another at the other's expense, however (as, for one icky instance, head lice do), it's called parasitism. If only parents of elementary school students could call upon an equivalent of oxpeckers to engage in mutualistic symbiosis when the need arose, but alas.
In this talk recorded at TGC's 2018 women's conference, Don Carson considers four New Testament passages that talk about the Law in relation to Jesus. He considers the Greek meaning of the word “fulfill,” explains the theological concept called the three-fold division of the law (moral, civil, and ceremonial), and discusses Old Testament typologies and trajectories. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Reformed Brotherhood | Sound Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Brotherly Love
In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal walks through Jonah 1–2, focusing on the remarkable prayer Jonah offers from the belly of the great fish. Far from a simple morality tale, the Book of Jonah presents a complex, deeply theological portrait of a disobedient prophet who nonetheless clings to the Lord in his darkest moment. Tony explores the Hebrew literary features that shape how we read Jonah's prayer, the doctrine of divine sovereignty as it operates through human agency, and the rich typological connections between Jonah and the death and resurrection of Christ. Most importantly, the episode grounds Jonah's experience in the Westminster Confession's teaching on sanctification — offering genuine hope to believers who feel buried under besetting sin, assuring them that salvation, from beginning to end, belongs entirely to the Lord. Key Takeaways Jonah is not the hero of his own story — he functions more as an anti-hero whose failures actually make him a more useful and relatable example for ordinary believers. Divine sovereignty operates through, not apart from, human agency — the sailors freely threw Jonah overboard, and yet Jonah rightly says God cast him into the deep; both are simultaneously true. The sequence debate in Jonah 2 matters theologically — whether Jonah prayed before or after being swallowed affects how we read the book; reading it as a strict cause-and-effect sequence risks turning the gospel into a quid pro quo transaction with God. Jonah's "yet I will see your holy temple" is a confession of eschatological faith — in the midst of near-certain death, Jonah expresses confidence not merely in earthly rescue, but in his ultimate destiny as one of God's people. The deep is a Genesis image — Jonah's descent into the primordial waters deliberately echoes the formless void of Genesis 1 and the undoing of creation in the flood, placing his experience within the grand arc of biblical cosmology. Jonah is a prophetic type of Christ's death and resurrection — his three days in the belly of the fish, his descent into the pit, and his emergence onto dry land anticipate and foreshadow the resurrection, as Jesus himself confirms in Matthew 12. Sanctification is real but imperfect — drawing from Westminster Confession Chapter 13, Tony argues that the up-and-down nature of Jonah's spiritual life is not an aberration but a description of the normal Christian life, in which the flesh and spirit remain in perpetual war until glory. Key Concepts Eschatological Faith in the Pit One of the most striking moments in Jonah's prayer is his declaration in 2:4 — "Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple." Tony argues that this is not merely a hope of physical rescue and a return to Jerusalem. Jonah believed he was dying. The waters had closed in to take his life; he was being dragged into underwater trenches that the ancient Semitic mind associated with the very gates of Sheol. In this context, Jonah's declaration is better understood as eschatological faith — a confession that even if God takes his life in judgment, he will still see the Lord face to face in the heavenly temple. It mirrors Job's cry, "Yet in my flesh I shall see God," and anticipates the kind of faith that says, with the father in Mark 9, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." Sovereignty and Human Agency Working Together Tony uses Jonah's descent as a teaching moment on the Reformed doctrine of concurrence — the truth that God's sovereign decree and human free will are not in competition but operate simultaneously on different levels. The sailors made a free, agonized decision to throw Jonah overboard; and yet Jonah rightly attributes his casting into the sea to God himself. Tony draws the parallel to Joseph's words to his brothers in Genesis 50: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." This is not a philosophical sleight of hand. It is the consistent testimony of Scripture that God governs all things — including the underwater currents that dragged Jonah to the ocean floor — without reducing human beings to puppets or eliminating their moral responsibility. Sanctification Is Real, Imperfect, and Guaranteed Perhaps the most pastorally significant thread of the episode is Tony's application of Westminster Confession Chapter 13 to Jonah's experience. Jonah makes genuine progress in faith — his prayer is theologically rich and demonstrates real trust in God — and yet he almost immediately slips back behind the curve, making vows the sailors had already made before him, and later in chapter 4, sulking over a dead plant. Tony refuses to read this as a failure of the text. Instead, it is the text faithfully portraying the reality of sanctification: real throughout the whole person, yet imperfect in this life, with an irreconcilable war between flesh and spirit. The hope is not that we will finally overcome that war on our own, but that through the continual supply of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part will overcome. Salvation — including sanctification — belongs entirely to the Lord. Memorable Quotes Jonah is constantly behind the curve, but for this little moment, for this glimpse in the very center of the book, the pinnacle of the book is Jonah finally catching up to the sailors. All outside visible indicators said he was going to die and he was going to hell. Yet he trusted in the Lord that he would see his holy temple again. God redeems our life from the pit. From the very depths of hell itself, he snatched us like brands from the fire. Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it. For their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. [00:01:24] Storm and Sailors [00:01:24] Tony Arsenal: But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him and said, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god. Perhaps the god will give us a thought that we may not perish." And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and of what people are you?" And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, "What is this that you have done?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. [00:02:36] Cast Into Sea [00:02:36] Tony Arsenal: He said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will quiet down for you. For I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you." Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to the dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, "O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood. For you, O Lord, has done as it pleased you." So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea. And the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. [00:03:15] Fish and Prayer [00:03:15] Tony Arsenal: And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the dep-- into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me. All your waves and billows passed over me." Then he said, "I am driven away from your sight. Yet I shall look again upon your holy temple. The waters closed in over me to take my life. The deep surrounded me. Weeds were wrapped around my head." At the root of the mountain I went to the land, whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When I-- when my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord. [00:04:23] Jonah Not the Hero [00:04:23] Tony Arsenal: And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land Jonah is an interesting book because, as I commented a year ago, Jonah is not necessarily the hero of the story. Uh, if anything, he is kind of the villain in, in some senses. But nevertheless, I think as we'll see today, Jonah still gives us a good example to follow in a sense, and that I think is really the centerpiece of this prayer, is that even as Jonah's going through all of this, his prayer is still remarkably filled with faithful sayings and trust in the Lord. We learned early on in Jonah that Jonah was a prophet during the time of the kings. Uh, he, uh, he seemed to have been a sort of a court temple. He was in the presence of the kings in Jerusalem itself, and he received a calling from the word of the Lord, and this phrase, "the word of the Lord," seems to imply a pre-incarnate, uh, visible manifestation of the second person of the Trinity. So we're not just talking about a, a disembodied voice. We're not just talking about some sort of sense or impression, but the word of the Lord itself, himself, came to give Jonah this mission, to give Jonah this task, to commission him as a prophet to Nineveh. And Jonah gets up and says, "No, thank you," and he goes the opposite direction. We see in that first section there the repeated phrase, "He goes to Tarshish. He boards a ship in Tarshish." The author here, who we, we think is Jonah, is hammering that he did not go where he was supposed to. He went the opposite direction. He went to Tarshish instead of Nineveh, which is 180 degrees the other direction from, uh, from Nineveh on the map. And he boards the, he boards the ship in order to flee the presence of the Lord. He pays, probably buys out the entire ship itself. He pays the fare for the whole ship, and the Lord hurls a great wave, uses the language of weapons. He hurls this storm like a spear. He weaponizes nature itself to correct and chastise and judge Jonah for his disobedience We get to verses seven through 17, and everyone on the boat is crying out to their chosen deity except Jonah. Jonah is asleep in the hold of the ship, oblivious to everything, totally dead to the world and dead to his Lord. The sailors begin to seek divine li- divine wisdom after they wake Jonah. He comes to the deck of the ship, and they cast lots to identify by divine, uh, revelation, sort of a strange practice in the Old Testament or the old, uh, world. Divine revelation that shows them Jonah is the source of this wickedness that is being wrought upon them, at least their impression of it. So they ask Jonah, "Who are you? Tell us who it is that has caused this great calamity." And he says emphatically, "A Hebrew am I." He identifies himself with God's people, and he says, "The Lord is my God, and he made the heaven and the earth and the sea." There's no small amount of irony, and it explains why the sailors are so afraid when he says that God created the heavens where the storm was. He created the sea where they were about to die, and he created the dry land where they were trying to get to. And so this one phrase that Jonah uses almost casually demonstrates that the Lord has total and utter sovereignty over what is going on, which is a theme that we'll see come back again and again through the book The sailors say, "Well, what do we do about this?" And Jonah says, "Throw me into the ocean, because I know that if you do so, then the storm will calm down and you will be saved." Whether he knew this because he's a prophet and it had been revealed to him, or whether he just was surmising that this was the case, we don't know. But the, uh, sailors are hesitant to do so, and we talked about how it was a little bit strange that these, uh, pagan sailors from cultures that d- had no qualms about human sacrifice were suddenly, uh, unwilling to throw Jonah over the sea a- as a, an appeasement offering to this Lord. And we came to the conclusion that they had been regenerated. They had come to faith in this God who created the heavens and the sea and the dry ground. And so they knew intrinsically that this was wrong, that there was a moral imperative not to do this. So they tried to row back to the land. They jettisoned all of their, uh, all of their goods, all of their cargo. They were making for land as best they could, and when it finally became clear that they couldn't do this, they sought the Lord's mercy in saying, essentially, "We don't understand how this is, but please don't put this man's blood on us, because you, Lord, have done as you please," right? The sovereignty of the Lord again comes to the forefront. They finally cast Jonah into the sea, and this is, this is important. They cast Jonah into the sea, and then they worship, they vow vows, and they vow to sacrifice. They offer sacrifices. They seek the Lord, they acknowledge his s- his sovereignty, and they worship him with what they have left. And then rounding out the chapter, the Lord appoints a great fish to come and swallow up Jonah. And we talked about how this, this swallowing of Jonah, although our popular children's books and VeggieTales and other stories we might read to our kids paints the fish often as the vehicle of judgment, it's actually a vehicle of deliverance for Jonah. There's this interesting grammatical feature that happens where in 1:17 the fish is masculine. The, the, the gender of the word is masculine, and then when we get to 2:1 it switches over to the feminine, almost as if to indicate that the whale was pregnant with Jonah, that Jonah was in the whale and was about to be reborn into the world in a new way And that brings us to our passage here today. [00:10:21] Sequence Debate [00:10:21] Tony Arsenal: I'm gonna read, uh, 1:17 even though that's a little bit outside of our scope. I'm gonna read it along with 2:1 to, to make the point here. It says, "The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the whale, of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish." When you look at the Hebrew text, 1:17 is actually verse 2:1 and 2:1 is then 2:2 and so on and so forth. In the original Hebrew mindset of how this book goes together, these two things were linked together, him being swallowed by the whale and being in the belly of the fish and then him praying was linked together in this sequence. There's a feature in the Hebrew that's called a vav consecutive. You don't need to remember that. Nobody is gonna care about that. But it's, it's a little grammatical feature where it adds this little character to the front of the verb and it indicates a sequence. It's the narrative storytelling. When you look at Genesis 1 it's, "And then God said, 'Let there be light,' and then there was light." It tells you the sequence of events. Sometimes it indicates that it is a strict sequence of events. This happened and then that finished and then the next thing happened and then that finished. And many of the commentators use this passage to justify a perspective of Jonah where Jonah is this rebellious, stubborn prophet who holds out his stubbornness until the very last minute. He's swallowed by the whale, he's getting digested by stomach acid and he sort of finally relents to the Lord and cries out for deliverance and the Lord acquiesces in response to his prayer. That's certainly a possible interpretation. There's lots of good reasons in the, the text here to think Jonah was kind of a chucklehead and was not paying too much attention to what the Lord had for him The other option is to see this as a way for the author of the text to situate this prayer in contrast to other prayers that are not necessarily talked about directly in this text. And I'm gonna take that later view here, and I think it's important. This makes good sense of the text, and we'll explain exactly why that is when we get to the next little section here. But it also protects us theologically if we understand it this way. Jonah is already a book, uh, as I've alluded to, that tends towards a sort of crass moralism or fabulism. We tend to read it as sort of an allegory of if you do the wrong thing, God punishes you, and when you finally do the right thing, He blesses you. And there's a certain level of common grace wisdom to that approach, right? The whole book of Proverbs is-- are these proverbial sayings that if you do this, then the God-- then God will do this. If you raise up your children in the way they will go, they will not depart when they are older. But we also learn in the Book of Job and the Book of Ecclesiastes that those proverbial sayings, although generally true, it's not a magic formula. And so we have this tendency to read Old Testament literature as though it was this sort of like equation, that God punishes us when we're bad. He, uh, He relents from His punishment when we say we're sorry, and we have to be careful about that. If we understand what I'm about to teach from the next section here, that this is not a strict sequence of events, that Jonah began praying before he was swallowed by the whale, and this is simply recording the prayer that was actually within the whale. It helps protect us from seeing Jonah in this sort of quid pro quo, this for that kind of thing. I think we should simply understand this as saying Jonah was in the water, he got swallowed by the whale, and then when he was in the whale, he prayed. It doesn't say anything about whether he was overly stubborn or whether his stubbornness held out. It simply tells us that he was in the pray-- in the whale when this prayer occurred [00:14:23] Sheol and Descent [00:14:23] Tony Arsenal: He says in verse two, he calls out to the Lord out of his distress. He, and God answers him. Out of the belly of Sheol, Jonah cries, and God hears his voice This here tells us that he began praying, right? He was in the water, he was in the deep. All of this descriptive language we're gonna see later on about how deep he was, how quickly the current took him. He was wrapped up in seaweed, his life was fading from him. It was in the midst of all of that that he cries out in his distress. It's a pretty distressing situation. And Jonah, like all of us would, like even most atheists would, cries out to the Lord, even just out of instinct. I think it's kind of crazy for us to think that this man who's now been cast overboard and is being swept to the bottom of the ocean is sure he's gonna die. Somehow, he overrides all of his instinct and his entire life teaching and refuses to pray to the Lord. It just doesn't make sense, and it doesn't make sense of what the text presents here Jonah was in the belly of Sheol. He was in the very, the very womb of Sheol. And there is this interesting contrast that he goes from the belly of Sheol into the belly of the whale. This phrase, the belly of Sheol, is probably roughly equivalent to our phrase about being at death's door, right? It, it may or may not come from some sort of Mesopotamian, um, mythology. It may be a phrase of sort of co-opted into Hebrew, kinda like our phrase at death's door is actually co-opted in from Greek mythology, where there were actually literal doors to the underworld, and people would go there and when they were about to die. Jonah's point is that this was not a small thing. When we watch VeggieTales, he gets thrown in the water, and, like, 13 seconds later, the, the whale comes up and takes him. Jonah was swept down into the water almost supernaturally quick. He was drawn down to the very bottom of the ocean. We talk about the miracle of him surviving in the whale, and it was miraculous for sure, but the miracle of him being swept to the bottom of the ocean and not being crushed by the weight of the water, by the pressure, is equally miraculous. It's no more difficult for God to do that than it is for Him to preserve him in the whale or to raise Jesus from the dead or to create everything from nothing He finally starts to catch up with the pagan sailors. A theme in Jonah is that everyone around Jonah who shouldn't know any better somehow gets to the right conclusion before he does, right? The sailors begin to worship the Lord. They recognize this is divine wrath while Jonah is still asleep in the hold. Later, we'll see that, uh, the, the Ninevites recognize God's mercy and grace and thank Him for it, and Jonah is still mad because the plant he was sitting on d- uh, dies, right? Jonah is constantly behind the curve, but for this little moment, for this glimpse in the very center of the book, the pinnacle of the book is Jonah finally catching up to the sailors. [00:17:34] Sovereignty Explained [00:17:34] Tony Arsenal: He recognizes that it was God who cast him into the depths. This teaches us something about the doctrine of sovereignty and how it relates to human freedom, right? We, we often ask the question, what, what causes rain? Well, you can answer that by saying tiny particles of dust collect water in the air, and once they have enough weight, they fall out of the sky 'cause the air can't hold them up anymore. That's true, and it's good, and that's what nature teaches us. It's also equally true that God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike, and those two things are not contradictory. So when Jonah says, "You cast me into the sea," he's recognizing, like Joseph does in the Book of Genesis, that what the sailors in this case meant for good but what the brothers meant for evil, God purposed and caused for good. What the sailors did by their own volition, their own free will, they exercised their own, uh, autonomy in the, the horizontal sense to cast Jonah into the sea, God also cast him into the sea As I said, the text here uses language that we may not catch in our English translations to indicate that it's not just the sea here that's the problem. God's sovereignty continues to affect and act on Jonah. The word that we read here as the, the water or the flood, other places refers to the current of a river. The, um, the Euphrates itself is sometimes referred to this, the large- sort of the largest river apart from the Nile that the Egyptian or the, um, Israelite mind would have is the Euphrates, right? This underwater river, this underwater current, the undertow sucks him to the bottom of the ocean. It's like if you're swimming at the beach at the ocean and you get caught in the undercurrent. There's not a lot you can do about it. Y- sometimes even the strongest swimmers can't overcome this, and Jonah in all of his Middle Eastern robes, all of this stuff, probably with all of his baggage, his, his own equipment, things he had on him, is caught in this undercurrent that sucks him to the bottom of the ocean. And it's not just below the surface of the water. He's dropped down into the heart of the sea, the very core. We're seeing this language of him being pulled to the depths. In, in chapter one he goes down, down, down, and now he's being drawn into the belly of the ocean, into the pit of Sheol, into the heart of the waters The picture here is that Jonah doesn't just get thrown in the water and sink. He is actively pulled down to the bottom. This is not just a judgment where perhaps he can swim to the top. Just as the mariners hopelessly tried to reach land, Jonah would've been hopelessly trying to swim against this. We don't actually have any indication he tried, but had he tried, there would've been no chance He goes on to say that the God's breakers and his waves roll him. This is the picture we see if you ever watch surfing competitions on the ocean, where a surfer will get hit by the wave and he just gets rolled over and rolled over and rolled over, and it can be incredibly dangerous. That's why they have like the little lifeguards on the jet skis that zip out there to get them. Because when you get caught in that breaker, you just get rolled over and rolled over and rolled over, and soon you lose track of which direction is up, and even if you did, you couldn't get out This process is not just the forces of nature doing what they do. This is, again, the Lord weaponizing the forces of nature to execute judgment on Jonah This tumultuous and supernatural rapid descent showed Jonah that this is not only the moment in which God wanted to take his life, but was actively casting him away from the g- from the presence of the Lord [00:21:47] Yet I Will See [00:21:47] Tony Arsenal: It says here, um, in verse four, Jonah says, "I am driven away from your sight If you do a word study on this, you start to see that Jonah is pulling language from the creation account. He's pulling language from the fall. He's pulling a lot of language from Genesis itself. He's also pulling from the Psalms, which are pulling from the Genesis account. This word driven away could also be tran- translated as banished. He's cast out of the presence of the Lord. Just as in Genesis 3, we read, "God drove the man out at the east of the Garden of Eden. He placed cherubim and flaming swords." He drove the man out. Genesis 4:14, Cain says, "You have driven me away from the ground." And in Jonah 1:3, we see that Jonah was trying to get away from the presence of the Lord. And I wonder if there was this moment where he goes, "Ooh, I guess I got what I was looking for." Now, the second half of Jonah f- 2:4 here does something a little bit weird, and it's hard to translate. I think we should be honest at times. Hebrew is a language that in some senses is mysterious to us at times. There are still parts of the Hebrew Bible that we're not always 100% sure of. This verse here could be translated... In, in Hebrew it's just a statement. It's, "I, um, I shall again see the holy temple, or your holy temple." How that fits into the text itself is tricky. Some read it as, uh, as a question. "How shall I see your holy temple?" It's actually a statement kind of reaffirming the doubt and the fear and the idea that God was banishing him Most translations translate it as sort of a contrast. He says, "I was driven away from your sight, yet I shall again look on your holy temple." The force of this is even though you're driving me away, even though you're casting me out of your presence, I have faith, I have confidence that I will again see your holy temple The question here, and this is where I think Jonah becomes our example It's certainly possible that Jonah was asserting his belief that he would be rescued from this calamity and he would make his way back to Jerusalem and he would return to the holy temple. I think that what he says in the rest of this, he's recounting what he was praying. What he was praying in this context is not that he would return to the temple. He was confident God was taking his life. He says in verse five, "The waters closed in over me to take my life. The deep surrounded me. Weeds were wrapped around my head." The other way that the phrase holy temple is used in the Old Testament is to refer to the place that God lives in heaven. Jonah was asserting faith that even though he was being cast out of the presence of the Lord in this life, even though he was being justly punished for his sin, even though he was about to enter the belly of Sheol and to enter the pit, the very abyss, that he would see God again in His holy temple. This is a statement of Jonah's belief in his own destiny as one of God's people, destined to be saved by faith in God. In this moment, Jonah trusts the Lord despite all of the appearances that God was out to get him It's not all that different than when we read in Mark chapter 9, where this father brings his, uh, demon-possessed child to Jesus, and Jesus says, "I can heal him." And he says, "If you can do anything, Lord," I'm paraphrasing here. He says, "If you can do it, please, Lord." And he says, "If? All things are possible for me." And the father desperately cries out, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." It's this raw, unfiltered statement of just the human condition on this side of glory, right? I believe in the Lord, but there's always that little part in the back of my head that isn't sure, because we're never going to be perfect. Now, I've said before, and, and this is becoming my new catchphrase, I think, I'm not here to rob you of your assurance of faith. Our, our confession, the Bible, this church, our Reform, broader Reform tradition, the assurance of faith of the Christian is the rightful possession inheritance of every person in this room who trusts the Lord. But it is a reality that at times that assurance is shaken. And if there's ever a time for your assurance to be shaken, it's when you're being dragged to the bottom of the ocean, right? One of the words in here, I don't have it-- I don't actually have it in my notes for some reason, but one of the note, words here, uh, s- about the roots of the mountain, I believe, in the next verse. It's not just that he was dragged to the bottom of the ocean. This word root of the mountain is like the word that's used to cut. He's not just being dragged to the bottom of the sea, he's being dragged to the bottom of a deep sea crevasse. He's literally being pulled into the pit, right? Many, uh, in the ancient Semitic world would have seen these underwater pits. They would have theorized or thought about these underwater crevasses as the actual entry into Sheol. And Jonah sees himself being drawn down into these things. Yet, he believes he will see the good presence of the Lord We read a similar statement, I won't, uh, I won't make us go there for time. We read a similar statement in Job. Job goes through this long speech about all the things that God has done to him, and at the very end of it, he says, "Yet I will see the Lord with my eyes, and he will stand up next to me on, on the earth." Right? Even though Job was going through this unimaginable grief, and we know that Job didn't deserve it in the strict sense, he still was saying, "I'm gonna be destroyed. God is shooting arrows at me," right? "His sword is in my side. He's targeting me. He's sending hornets after me." All of these terrible, vibrant images that he's using to show what God is doing to him, and yet he still trusts. I would say that he trusts that he would see the Lord in the flesh. This is not only Jonah's faith, it's a-- or Job's faith, it's a prophecy of Christ This is alien to our modern mindset. We've been talking about this in the Psalms. Weston's been leading us through the, the lament Psalms We often think that suffering and trials and difficulties are the opposite of blessing and favor. And we might recognize that in some sort of way that in God's economy, one thing leads to another. And again, there's an element of truth to that. James says, "Count it all joy when you face trials of every kind." He's not saying that the trials you're facing are in themselves joyful. You don't have to love when you get sick. You don't have to, you don't have to man up and put a smile on or s- pull yourself up by your bootstraps or whatever analogy you wanna use. It's okay to be sad when bad things happen. It's actually good, right? If we're to weep with those who weep, there's an element of sadness that must come with that, not to mention the one who's weeping is not chastised. But the idea that that only leads to this, that that's just one step in the chain, that's not really the mindset the Bible has. All across the Psalms, in the lament Psalms, all across the prophetic literature, the Book of Lamentations, Habakkuk has this long prayer at the end that's very similar, the entire Book of Job, suffering and sanctification, trials and joy and restoration, they're all sandwiched right there, and there is usually this statement in the middle of it that God will do what is right This is Jonah's example for us, and what an example it is. We'll talk in a little bit about all the ways that this whole scenario is typological of Christ. We'll, we'll get to that. But just for a minute in the middle of this book, Jonah is not such a bad guy. And it's because he still has all his faults that he can be this example for us [00:30:26] Genesis Deep Imagery [00:30:26] Tony Arsenal: As though it wasn't clear enough, Jonah in verse five says that the purpose of the waters closing over him was explicitly to take his life. He's now in the belly of the sea. He's being dragged down to the very roots of the mountain, to the very core of the earth in his mind. He, he thinks he's going to hell in the, the Hebrew mind. There's both this idea that God is dragging him to hell in a very real sense. The Hebrew mind, Sheol was a physical place that people went to, and we learn more about it and that becomes clarified as revelation is progressive, not contradictory, but as, as it's clarified But he uses this word deep, and this is where he's drawing again from Genesis. Genesis 1:2, he says, "The earth was without form and void. The darkness was over the face of the deep." The deep is this sort of like unformed chaotic water. It's what exists before God makes everything orderly and good. And in the fall, and especially in the flood in chapter seven, uh, chapter seven verse 11, the f- the flood itself is a sort of undoing of the order. God opens the floods from beneath, from the bottom of the earth, from the wellspring of the deep, as well as the chaotic waters from outside the firmament, and it all pours back in together and the entire world becomes again this deep, primordial, chaotic water And just as in Genesis God separates the land, in, in Genesis 7 or in Genesis 8, he separates out the land by drying it up, drying up the water. We also see that Jonah has this trust that he will return to the dry land. Again, he's the God of heaven and sea and dry earth. We could even read this phrase, depending on the context, as the abyss, which is this, a- again, is some borrowed language from Greek here that the Hebrews use. But it's this deep, watery, murky place th- full of shadows and darkness. Sounds familiar, I think, right? Christ says that those who are apart from him who refuse to obey will be cast into the outer darkness. This is the imagery that Jonah is seeing. All outside visible indicators was that he was gonna die and he was going to hell. Yet he trusted in the Lord that he would see his holy temple again Apart from God's gracious intervention, Jonah was right. So although God is the one that's bringing him to the depth, bringing him to the pit, dragging him down, using the very currents of the sea, weaponizing these underwater currents that only thousands of years later do we understand, and even then only this much, he also graciously rescues him from this by miraculously appointing a whale or a great fish who comes and swallows Jonah, takes him whole, and keeps him there in his own belly, keeps him there in her own womb when we get to chapter 2. In chapter six, or in verse six, Jonah makes this pivot. Again, he says he's brought to the very bottom of the sea, to the roots of the mountain, which is these deep underwater trenches. He conceptualizes himself now in this locked city behind bars. Again, this jail imagery, this pit imagery, it's all meant to evoke this idea of the final punishment of the wicked. This place of murky, gross water, this place of darkness and, uh, limitations of freedom, he's being taken there. This is the section here where people would actually argue that Jonah dies. He actually dies and is resurrected when he's swallowed by the whale. This comes from language where it says God does not prevent him from going to the pit. God actually draws him to the pit and then raises his life up from the pit. Now, I'm not convinced, um, that we should think that Jonah actually died. I don't, I don't think that the text fully supports that. But it certainly is using this imagery [00:34:45] Christ Typology [00:34:45] Tony Arsenal: This is where we get to some typology about Christ. This is where Jonah really shines as a prophet. Sometimes people wonder why the Book of Jonah is considered a prophetic book, and this along with it is part of that. Jonah, although the sign of Jonah in Matthew and in the other Gospels refers to the belly of the whale, that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so also Christ will be in the heart of the earth, the pit, for three days and three nights. When we're talking about typology, we can't get too tripped up on the details. We're not talking about strict allegory where this figure is that person and this signpost represents that thing. This isn't Pilgrim's Progress or Chronicles of Narnia, which is not allegory, but it's similar. Topology functions often on sort of these big picture concepts, right? Although there are some typological references that are super detailed, there are also some that are just sort of evocative The idea that Jonah died and was raised to life and sort of incubated in the earth, in- incubated in the whale and sort of reborn into the world, that certainly sounds a lot like a picture of the resurrection And I think we should see it that way. When Christ says that the sign of Jonah is roughly His resurrection, He is tying it to the three days and three nights, but He's not limiting to that Jonah comes to this pivot, and now he starts to reflect on the context of his deliverance. This whole s- this whole prayer should be seen sort of in the light of the thanksgiving psalms. There's a situation in which Jonah is in, and then God rescues him, and he begins to praise him for it. There's elements of lament, but it's really a thanksgiving psalm that he's drawing on here or that he's, he's writing In 2:7, Jonah is either dead or he's actively dying. I don't know about you, but if you've ever, uh, dove into a pool and got a little deeper than you thought you were, and you-- there's that, like, two seconds before you get to the top where you're sure the lights are going out and you've really only been underwater for, like, 45 seconds, but everything in you tells you if you don't get there, you're gonna die. Every instinct you have is to scramble for the surface. Think about how long it took Jonah to be dragged to the bottom of the ocean. Even at this accelerated pace, we're talking about a long time. And we have no reason to believe, and lots of reasons to think otherwise, Jonah was not preserved from the pain and the terror and the difficulty of feeling like you're drowning because he was drowning. He was without oxygen. His life was fading away. And it is in this context of him being on the brink of death, at death's door, in the belly of Sheol, being drawn into the very pit itself, that his prayer reaches the Lord in His holy temple. Right? This gives further evidence to the thought that Jonah is not talking about the temple in Jerusalem. There was, there was theology, and I, I think it's fine theology, that God lived in the temple in a special way. This is the reason that Daniel faces Jerusalem when he prays. There is a sense in the Old Testament that God's special place of presence is the temple in Jerusalem, and that the prayers of the people physically go to that place to be received by God. But Jonah doesn't know which direction the temple is. He's underwater. He's been tossed around by breakers. He has no sense of geography at this point He knows that his prayers are reaching the Lord in his heavenly temple. And they reach him in his heavenly temple just as his life is being lost in the pit. And it is from this moment that God raises him to life, or preserves his life, depending how you read it, and appoints the well to come reach him And some read this next verse as a little bit of a step back for Jonah, and it may be. [00:39:02] Vows and Idols [00:39:02] Tony Arsenal: He reads, "Those who pay vain regard to i- regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. And what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord." Jonah didn't see the sailors on the ship vow their vows and offer their sacrifices. That happened after they threw him into the pit and the current sucked him under So we may read this with a little bit of a, "Thank God I'm not like that tax collector," kind of a lens. And there's probably some wisdom for us in that, to recognize that Jonah still hasn't quite gotten there. But it's also very common in the Old Testament to recognize that God treats His people differently because they are different. God brings people to a place of sanctification, and through that process of sanctification, they cease to worship vain idols. And it is absolutely true that those who worship vain idols forfeit their hope of steadfast love from the Lord. That's straight out of the Ten Commandments, right? He visits the iniquity of, specifically of idolatry. He visits the iniquity unto the children to the third and fourth generation. But for those who love the Lord, He loves them with a steadfast love unto thousands We can recognize in Jonah that although he had made great progress in faith, that he still wasn't there yet. And we can recognize that in him because we can recognize that in ourselves. Jonah is the example in this because he is not perfect, because he has not arrived, 'cause he doesn't do a 180 about-face and get everything right going forward We can read this in light of Jonah in chapter four, where he takes big steps back Or we can read this as the regular up and down progress of sanctification in the life of all believers everywhere It is also ironic again, we're back now to Jonah being a little bit behind the curve. He was sent to Nineveh to evangelize the heathens, some of the worst enemies that Israel was going to face, and he ignores that call. And he, instead of going to Nineveh, he goes to Tarshish. He goes the opposite direction, and he does something that would be unthinkable to most Israelites. He goes out on the open ocean. That's just insanity to someone living in the ancient world He should have recognized that the sailors were fearing the Lord when they refused to throw him overboard. I think we all have a sort of innate sense when someone's behavior suddenly changes, and I think most of us, and not in some sort of strange, kooky, charismatic sense, but I think most of us can sort of go, "I think I know why that is." Right, when you, when you see someone at work that suddenly stops lying about everything and stops backbiting and stops taking credit for other people's work, and then you find out a little while linger- longer that they've come to faith in Christ, if we're being honest, we're not all that surprised. But Jonah doesn't get it. Jonah here promises the same things that the sailors already did, so now we're again back behind the curve [00:42:37] Sanctification Confession [00:42:37] Tony Arsenal: To wrap this out, I, I wanna, um, I wanna ground this in something that I think is really vital for us to understand. As I said, Jonah is an example to us because he demonstrates the limited nature of sanctification, but he also demonstrates in a certain sense the fact that sanctification is real and has real effects. So this is a little out of the ordinary, but grab your Trinity Hymnal from the pew in front of you. If you happen to have a copy of the Confession, you could use that if you'd prefer. But open with me to page 927 I have, um, I've been, uh, broadly Reformed most of my Christian life and didn't realize it until I got to seminary. And since I discovered the Westminster Confession of Faith a decade ago, it's not new, uh, not new to me, um, I realized how valuable this resource was. This is essentially a search engine without the internet. And so I wanna just read a little bit out of chapter 13 here, which is our Confessions chapter on sanctification. I'm not gonna read the whole thing, but the, the first, uh, the first section here essentially says that sanctification is real, and it happens throughout the whole person. We talk about total depravity, and there is a sense in which the Christian remains totally depraved after regeneration, in that there still is, there still is corruption within our entire being, uh, that is depraved. There's also an equal sense in which we can say we are totally sanctified in Christ because sanctification is throughout the whole man in which we are renewed after the image of God. So that's section one. And then section two says, "This sanctification is throughout," again, throughout the whole man, "in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life. There abiding still some remnant of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irre- irreconcilable war, the flesh left lusting after the spirit, and the spirit lusting after the flesh." Now, that may feel like just a crushing burden if you stop reading there, but it lines up with our experience, right? This is Paul in Romans 7, "The good things I wanna do, I do not, and the bad things that I, I kn- I do not want to do, I somehow do. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." We shouldn't read that as though somehow our spirits are purified entirely and our bodies are what's really causing us to sin. This is a picture of the spirit being, uh, our, our spiritual part of us. The part of us that's regenerated is willing, but the part of us that remains corrupt is our flesh And our confession goes on to say, "In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet through the continual supply of strength from the sanctification- sanctifying spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome." And so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. This is revolutionary in our broader evangelical world. The storybook Bible, Jonah did a bad thing and he gets punished, and he did a good thing and so he gets better, cannot understand this concept. This is why I think we have to be so careful when we choose what books to give to our little ones, right? I, I make jokes about VeggieTales. I loved VeggieTales when I was in VeggieTales age range. I probably would sit down and watch VeggieTales with Augie when he gets old enough. But we have to be so careful not to let those messages come to our children, or to ourselves for that matter, uninterpreted by the scriptures first and foremost, and our Reformed tradition that we all believe. Amen. [00:46:49] Assurance in the Pit [00:46:49] Tony Arsenal: This is vital for us When all is said and done, salvation, whether we're talking about justification, sanctification, glorification, resurrection, all of the different stages and phases of our salvation, it is entirely of the Lord. And it's for this reason that Jonah says, "I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will pay." Salvation belongs to the Lord So this is the application of the sermon, loved ones. No matter how close to or actually into the pit itself we have fallen The, the chapter on assurance of faith, I won't go there, but the chapter in our confession on assurance of faith is very honest with us that our assurance will be shaken, and at times we may not feel as though we have any assurance at all But even when we have fallen that deep into the pit of despair, even when we feel as though we are in the very depths of hell No matter how much our spiritual or physical life is fainting away as we starve for spiritual breath, as we feel that impulse in us that recognizes we're moments away from losing the faith entirely. No matter how much the remnants of corruption in every part swirl around our heads like seaweed, how often do we feel wrapped up in sin? Whatever it is, I don't need to get specific 'cause I'm sure all of you are thinking of something in your head right now that has been swirling around you for years. Maybe it's months, maybe it's years. Maybe you've never felt, since coming to Christ, you've never felt like it wasn't wrapped up around you like seaweed. Besetting sin is something that we need to be serious about, and it's a good cause for us to think hard and deep about our status as Christians, and to go to our pastor and seek the elders' assistance in this. But besetting sin is not, is not a mark that excludes you from, from Christianity. Right? We're justified by faith alone, in Christ alone, by His grace alone. Not because we've overcome our besetting sin alone, right? That's not one of the five solas God redeems our life from the pit. From the very depths of hell itself, he snatched us like brands from the fire And though it is the case that we often are shaken, and at times God, just as he let Jonah, he let Jonah go to Tarshish. God had every ability to stop him from doing a stupid thing, and sometimes he does that, right? I'm sure there's plenty of times we can think about in our lives where we were heading towards sin and God just pulled a U-turn on us, and we are thankful for that. But there are times that he does not, and he lets us, he lets us do that. He lets us suffer the consequences, and he does that to chastise us and bring us back to him And even in the context of that, it is through this continual supply of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, right? [00:50:19] God Beautifies His Bride [00:50:19] Tony Arsenal: Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit from the womb beyond measure. That's in the Book of John. There was never a time where Christ did not have the totality of the infinite sanctifying Spirit of the God, of God. We do not have the totality of the sanctifying Spirit of God. Now, we can get into a discussion after the service about divine simplicity and all the complexity of that, but the reality is that God sanctifies us more and more and more, and He does it by giving us the Spirit more and more. Might be more accurate to say He gives more of us to the Spirit. He gives us to the Spirit more and more. He gives us to Jesus more and more. We are Christ's inheritance. We are His bride. And just as the bride, as they're approaching the wedding, is made more and more beautiful, they start their, their beauty treatments weeks and months ahead of time, right? They're already making their hair appointments. They're already doing what they need to do to feel as beautiful as they can and to be as beautiful as they can on their wedding day. If that's the way we treat human weddings; guys do it too, just not as much. If that's the way we treat human weddings, how much more does God treat the heavenly wedding of His Son to His beloved bride? He's beautifying us, Church. Doesn't always feel like it. Doesn't always look like it, but He is.
Looking for the best sports betting picks today? Welcome to WagerTalk Today, your daily betting show covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLB, WNBA, CFL, and the biggest betting opportunities across the sports world.Intro 00:00WTT Play of the Day (32-21 Record) 00:41Gianni the Greek 3:20Quick Financial Market Talk 4:00World Cup Power Ratings 4:51Today's World Cup Steam 6:05Norway Resting Players 11:00MLB Steam 17:29UFC Preview & Must Bets 19:10Gianni's Best Bets Up NOW 26:15Andy's Best Bets 27:29Teddy Covers 28:50Favorite Betting Angles 29:12Yankees vs Red Sox 31:00Cubs vs Brewers 36:17Teddy's Season Win Report 41:36Andy's Dog Days of Summer 43:40Marco D'Angelo 44:53Churchill Downs 45:00Dodgers vs Padres 47:40WNBA: Dream vs Valkyries 51:20Marco's Best Bets 56:23BKFC Free Picks 1:00:00World Cup Run Down 1:00:49
Today, we’re wrapping it up – the yuck list of what our lives can become when we are not under the influence of the Holy Spirit and following his guidance. So far in Galatians 5: 19-21 we’ve seen the sexual sins we so easily fall into, then the attitudes and behaviors that damage our relationship with God and others. It’s been a real yuck fest hanging out on the wrong side under the wrong influence. What we’ve learned so far is that’s not what we want, nor is that who we want to be. Now finally in verse 21, we have our final things to add to the column on the left labeled ‘Without the Holy Spirit’ – “Drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.” Before you push away and think the Holy Spirit would never allow you to have fun, that’s not what this is about. This isn’t about making your life boring. This is truly about taking away every imitation of happiness the enemy has tried to entangle you in. God offers us immense joy and overflowing happiness, then Satan swoops in and tries to twist that into a pursuit of things that simply aren’t good for you. Do you realize when God calls something a sin it’s because it’s not good for you. He created you with a specific design, and as your creator he knows what is harmful to your design, so he warns you, “Hey, my child, don’t do this … it’s not good for you.” It’s like the warning label on a hair dryer that says don’t put this in water … Why fight that? We have warning labels on us, why are we fighting it? Understand what is specifically being said—drunkenness and wild parties. The sin is not drinking. The problem is not a party. Jesus was once at a wedding celebration where the wine ran out, so His first public miracle was turning water into wine for the wedding feast (John 2). The sin is intoxication that masters the person. The problem is the party that celebrates the loss of self-control, encourages excess, and creates an atmosphere where people cast off moral restraint. The concern here is not with joy or celebration; the concern is with a culture of indulgence where people surrender themselves to their desires rather than submit themselves to the Spirit. The problem is the party that is built around excess. The Greek word kōmoi used in this scripture refers to revelries—wild, drunken celebrations where restraint is abandoned and sinful behavior is encouraged. This is not a condemnation on gatherings, celebrations, or even the enjoying good things. This is about the kind of partying where intoxication and reckless behavior become the purpose of the event. You know that, “We’re gonna get drunk tonight! Get lit! Let loose!” … yeah that is NOT from the Holy Spirit. It’s hard for me to talk about these things because I have to be honest with you – I have absolutely no experience with it. At 50 years old, I’ve never been drunk a single time in my life. I’ve never been to the club or a bar. I’ve never gotten tipsy and let loose. So no, I really don’t know what that is like. But let me tell you what I’m qualified to talk about – I’m absolutely certain you can have fun and be 100% sober. There’s not a gathering I don’t have fun at. There’s not a celebration where I can’t laugh and enjoy. You can throw a party and it not become wild and wreckless. You can dance, you can sing, you can celebrate, and you can be the life of the party without a single regret. Think about how Jesus must have been when he walked this Earth. The gospels are full of accounts of Jesus being invited to weddings, invited to celebrations and gatherings, continually invited to come over for dinner. Children loved to be around Jesus. You know what this tells me – this tells me Jesus wasn’t boring. He wasn’t a stick in the mud. He wasn’t a downer. He was LITERALLY the life of the party in every sense of the word. Now we carry his spirit within us as his followers. He lives within us. We are empowered to be the life of the party with what he has put within us through our connection with him – and we’ve gotten it all twisted thinking in order for us to be fun and have fun we have to get drunk? That’s just straight from Hell right there. Tomorrow is opening day of my 111th BIG Life Retreat. It’s a girls weekend on the lake where we will tie together all of our floaties and float in the sunshine on the lake. We’ll be playing music and singing. There will be dancing. There will be uncontrollable laughter. There will be random last minute competitions of floating obstacle courses, relays of nonsense, and cheering team mates like we’re winning real gold medals. It will be a full on celebration of happiness. And there won’t be a drop of alcohol. None. When I first started hosting retreats, a whole lot of people didn’t come because they thought it would be impossible to have fun at a gathering without something to loosen them up. How could a girls weekend be a good time without the good stuff? Now, we know THE GOOD STUFF isn’t found in a bottle. The GOOD STUFF is found in God showing us how to celebrate life with pure joy and no regrets. Drunkenness and wild parties intentionally lower restraint with a celebration of impulsiveness, excess and indulgence. That’s the problem. A drunken person often pulls others into the same behavior. It becomes a chain effect. One person gets stupid, then the next person gets stupid. And with a bunch of stupid people not thinking right, sin becomes normalized. That’s not under the direction of the Holy Spirit. God says, “That’s not good for my creation.” So, we come with a warning label just like the hair dryer that’s not to be put in water – we’re vessels for the Holy Spirit and we are not to be drunk going to wild parties. It’s simply not good for us. This isn’t a matter of having all our fun taken away from us. Actually quite the opposite – this is a matter of not being fooled by the enemy and living in such a deeper level of fun offered by God. A fun with no regrets. A fun with full awareness. A fun that represents the joy of the Lord. This week, I’ve given the girls I mentor a challenge – a challenge to be the Ambassador of Fun wherever they are. Fun is a ministry. Really think about that. Fun shows the goodness of God and draws others into him. Misery doesn’t do that. Boring doesn’t do that. But fun sure does. Fun is a breath of fresh air for the soul who questions how much longer they can carry their burden. Fun invites them to see the good in life again. Fun is warfare against darkness, pushing back what the enemy has tried to use to overwhelm. And we can literally minister to others through our holy fun. Walk into every room asking, “How can I leave this place lighter than I found it?” My friend, THAT IS MINISTRY! Do you think I’m a fun person? Do you think I know how to enjoy life? Do you think I know how to throw a party others really want to come to? I can promise you there’s something better than alcohol and stupidity … there’s the Holy Spirit and genuine fun! After the past 4 days of studying the list on the wrong side, maybe you’re breathing lighter because your specific sin hasn’t been listed. That’s why I love it’s all wrapped up with a “and other sins like these.” Yip, it’s covered. Anything not under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is not producing goodness in our lives. It is hurting us or hurting others. It’s not God’s best for us. There’s a song called “Search Me” by Kristian Stanfill that has given me the words to pray. Each morning during my time with God on my knees, I pray these song lyrics: Search me, Lord, and know me Purify my life Find in me anything That doesn't bow to You as King I'm not ok to stay the same From now until life's through Jesus, make me more like You Do whatever You have to do That’s what it’s about – Allow the Holy Spirit to search you and know you. Allow him to find anything within you that doesn’t bow to him as King. Decide right now you’re not okay with just staying the same. You want more – let the Holy Spirit set you free to experience the fullness of life Jesus came to offer you! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Looking for the best sports betting picks today? Welcome to WagerTalk Today, your daily betting show covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLB, WNBA, CFL, and the biggest betting opportunities across the sports world.Intro 00:00WTT Play of the Day (32-21) 00:31Gianni the Greek 3:00World Cup Sharp Action 4:00Parlays 8:00MLB Action 12:50WNBA Sharp Action 13:40UFC 16:44Thursday Hammer 20:00Andy's Best Bets 25:20Joe Raineri 25:40NBA Gross Trade 26:29Yankees vs Red Sox 28:40Diamondbacks vs Cardinals 32:00Best Betting Show Ever 34:45Andrew McInnis 36:57CFL OVER MACHINE 37:30Edmonton vs Winnipeg 39:37Argonauts vs Roughriders 42:40World Cup 46:37
Veteran performer Paul Capsis on his strict upbringing and the strong female role models who helped him stay in school despite the brutality.A powerful and expressive voice, flamboyant physical presence, and mane of dark hair have become his trademarks as a performer.But when Paul was growing up in inner-city Sydney as the child of Greek and Maltese parents, these same qualities brought him a world of trouble. At school he was relentlessly ridiculed and beaten.The love of his Maltese grandmother, Angela, and other family members, helped Paul stay in school despite the brutality; as did immersing himself in the music of his favourite singers, Janis Joplin and Billie Holiday.This episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2018The producer was Michelle Ransom Hughes and the Executive Producer was Pam O'Brien.It explores performing, singing, homophobia, bullying, Maltese heritage, Greek heritage, strong female role models, Janis Joplin, cabaret, grandmas, women, inner-city Sydney.
We delve into the concept of the "Circumcision of the Heart" as described by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy. In the conclusion of his speech to the people, Moses outlines the severe consequences of disobedience, including exile and suffering, but also offers hope for future restoration if the people return to God wholeheartedly. Through stark warnings, Moses illustrates the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2026 is: pantheon PAN-thee-ahn noun Pantheon usually refers to a group of famous or notable people or things. It also refers to the officially recognized gods of a particular people, as well as to the Roman Pantheon, the domed temple begun in 27 B.C. and rebuilt circa 118-128 A.D. // With her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the distinguished bassist and songwriter joined a pantheon of musical legends. // His research is primarily dedicated to the Greek and Roman pantheons. See the entry > Examples: "From cheeky shots of celebrities like Jane Fonda and Arnold Schwarzenegger to extravagant, sensual portfolios of America's Olympic squads, the magazine's pantheon of photographers have helped to define the genre of sports portraiture." — Kahina Sekkaï, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026 Did you know? Some of the earliest uses of pantheon in the English language refer to the most famous Pantheon, the circular domed temple built in Rome more than 19 centuries ago (and still standing). We can easily identify the origins of the temple's name, which the Romans borrowed from the Greek word for a temple honoring all their gods. That Greek word, pantheion, combines pan- ("all") and theos ("god"). In today's English, pantheon often refers to all the gods of a particular people (as in "the Egyptian pantheon"), a sense that arose in the 16th century but was rarely used until the 19th century. More often, though, pantheon bears a meaning developed later to refer to the eminent company of the highly venerated, be they human or not. A pantheon of this type includes no deities; it is a group of famous or notable people or things, as in "a book joining the pantheon of great world literature."
Church attendance in America is in free fall — the average Christian only goes to church once a month. In this episode, Pastor Landon Schott unpacks what the Bible says about neglecting the gathering of the Saints and why that word in the Greek implies something far more intentional than just a busy weekend. He defines what a real, biblical, presence-driven church looks like — not control, not manipulation, not legalism — but a healthy community built around God's presence, sound teaching, and real accountability. He explains why so many Christians are spiritually stuck, why COVID exposed who actually valued church, and gives 5 practical steps to turn it around. This is a wake-up call. Stop missing church.
Max completed his PhD at Boston College in spring 2025 and currently teach philosophy at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He primarily work in the history of philosophy, with my primary area of specialization in ancient Greek and Roman metaphysics and natural philosophy. He has also done work on medieval philosophy and cosmology, and is generally interested in exploring pre-modern conceptions of nature, the heavenly bodies and their interactions with terrestrial life, and the artificial-natural divide. His dissertation was on Plotinus' ontology of artifacts.Wade's site: https://maxwade.online/---Become part of the Hermitix community:Hermitix Twitter - x.com/hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix:Patreon - patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpodHermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLKEthereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9
We explore the spiritual significance behind the physical act of circumcision as commanded by God to Abraham and reiterated by Moses. We delve into the difference between external religious symbols and genuine faith, emphasizing that faith is the root of obedient fruit. Through an examination of biblical passages, we uncover how Moses urged the Israelites to circumcise their hearts.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...
Long before modern economics, the Greek philosophers were laying the groundwork for understanding human cooperation in a social setting, helping to give birth to economic thinking.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-greek-merchants-and-philosophers-discovered-economics
According to “mortality curmudgeon” Dr. Stephen Cave, humans have been inventing stories about immortality since the beginning of time. On a quest to unravel some of these myths, Mangesh finds himself wrestling with a literal fountain of youth in Chicago, playing left-handed tennis with an ambidexterity expert in San Diego, and discovering the Greek way of life with an old friend from last season. Plus: Meet Mr. Wonderful. Watch Stephen Cave’s TED Talk and get his book, Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization Check out Jim Houlistan’s website, AmbiLife, and learn more about Ambidex Fitness Check out George Aivaliotis’s comedy on Instagram Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score. Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When you live under the influence of the Holy Spirit, beautiful things naturally grow in your life. However, when you lack the things that grow in our lives under the direction of the Holy Spirit it’s because you’re NOT under the direction of the Holy Spirit. You’re not connected to Jesus. You’re connected to the world and you’re under the influence of your flesh. Yesterday we began creating 2 columns on our piece of paper. Grab that paper today as we continually refer to it. The left column is labeled “Without the Holy Spirit”. The scripture is Galatians 5: 19-21. The right column is labeled “With the Holy Spirit. The scripture is Galatians 5: 22-23. Before we get to the right side, we must see the left side. Galatians 5: 19-21, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: (Yesterday we talked about the first 4 on the list) • Sexual immorality • Impurity • Lustful pleasures • Idolatry Today, let’s move on down the list. Remember, this is what happens in our lives when we are NOT led by the Holy Spirit. When we receive our guidance from the world, when we are under the influence of our flesh, these are the things we begin to battle and fall into. • Sorcery Are we talking about some hocus pocus? Magic? Spells? Witchcraft. Yes … but more than that actually. The Greek word translated into sorcery is ‘pharakeia’. This is actually where we get the word pharmacy. Sorcery is an attempt to gain power, knowledge or experiences apart from God. Drugs to alter your mind, to numb you, to achieve a euphoric feeling, or to reach a higher level of creativity … NOT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. I assure you of this, the Holy Spirit has the power to raise your thinking. The Holy Spirit has the power to heal you. The Holy Spirit is far greater than any drug the world can produce. 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind.” Why? Because “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I’ve seen people I love absolutely consumed by sorcery. Again, not witchcraft, but using drugs to alter their mind. I’ve seen addiction take over their lives. I’ve seen it literally take their lives. The roaring lion found a way in and he indeed devoured. So God warns us, don’t even open that door. Don’t play around with it. This is dangerous. If it’s not from the Holy Spirit, you don’t want it. Don’t live on the left side of the list, it’s the wrong side. 1 Corinthians 6:12 is like a step into our mind that tries to argue for the things we want on the wrong side of the list. “You say ‘I am allowed to do anything’ – but not everything is good for you. And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything’, I must not become a slave to anything.” The truth is, some of us have become slaves to the drugs we have come to depend on. It may have started off innocent, but it has grown to an addiction and now you need it. You need it to relax. You need it to focus. You need it to be creative. You need it to have fun. You need it to sleep. You can argue that you’re allowed to, but God’s word asks “IS THIS GOOD FOR YOU? ARE YOU A SLAVE TO THIS?” Would you be willing to ask the Holy Spirit if you’re taking anything to feel good or better or happier that has taken his place? Here’s what I am NOT saying – I’m not saying medication is bad. I’m not saying there’s not a place for medical intervention, there absolutely is. But what I am saying is for some, it’s become sorcery. It’s the potion you depend on that is spiritually problematic. Pray about this. Ask yourself why. Why are you seeking this altered state? Is this drawing you towards God or away from him? Has this replaced your dependence on God? If you’re not willing to ask these questions, then there might be a reason. I’m not your Holy Spirit. I’m not here to provide conviction. I share God’s word and the meaning behind it that applies to our lives today. And here’s what I know, every single thing on the left side of the list under the heading of “WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT” is not what we want in our lives. Next on the yuck list, we go into a series of sins that damage relationships. Let me tell you, God cares about how we treat each other. He has called us above everything else to love him and love others and sometimes that gets messy. Here are the things that get in the way of loving others: • Hostility • Quarreling • Jealousy Yuck, yuck, and more yuck. But honestly, there are a whole lot of us living on this side without the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our relationships. We feel the way we feel, act the way we act, and excuse it all. Stop excusing it. If it’s on the wrong side, then it’s wrong for us and we must seek the Holy Spirit to change. Your flesh will always lead you to hostility. Hostility is a heart issue where you have decided certain people are your enemy. You are hostile towards them. Maybe even without them knowing it, you’ve set up a position of you against them. There’s bitterness, unforgiveness and resentment. You’re cold and harsh towards them because YOU have put them in the enemy category. Think about that – is there anyone you have just decided you’re against? Anyone you’re harsh towards? Anyone you just don’t like so they get the worst of you? Yeah, that’s not from the Holy Spirit. Even more than that being bad for the other person, my friend, that’s really bad for you. That’s not who God created you to be. That’s not his best for your heart. You can surrender that hostility to God and ask him to heal your heart issue – or you can choose not to. That’s up to you. I bet I know what the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do. It’s your choice to listen or not, and your choice will determine just how free your heart is. Quarreling is the behavior that flows from hostility. It’s the outward expression of an inward twisting. Some people seem energized by disagreement. They have to win every discussion. That’s not by God’s design, nor is it under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Which side of the list is it on? The left side – the wrong side. When you turn every conversation into a debate, start arguments online, create tension wherever you are, and become more interested in winning than understanding, you are QUARRELING. God cares about how you treat others. Knock that crap off. Proverbs 21:23, “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” Sometimes we partner with the devil with our tongue. He comes to kill, steal and destroy, and we’re killing spirits, stealing hope and destroying hearts with our quarreling. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. But we don’t have to keep doing that. At absolutely any point we can seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and receive a completely different influence in our lives. We can change. We can be filled with a different source and create radically different results. Finally today on the yuck list is jealousy. Jealousy hides behind comparison. It’s wanting what someone else has. It’s a feeling of resentment over another person’s blessings, gifts, opportunities, relationships or recognition. Jealousy is rooting in thinking God is limited and what he has given someone else will shortchange you – and you couldn’t be more wrong. My blessings do not steal from your blessings. Your gifts do not threaten my gifts. But the one who would love to destroy our relationship with one another wants to stir up an unnecessary competition between the two of us to compete for it. It’s simply NOT a competition. I wonder what the world of social media has done to our overall jealousy. We simply weren’t created to see all these things. We weren’t created to hold all of this awareness and details on the lives of others. I’ve noticed a radical shift in my contentment since completely eliminating social media in December. I’m no longer in some unspoken competition against everyone else. I don’t have to have what they have because I don’t know what they have. I don’t have to try to look how they look because unless I spend real life time with you, I don’t know how you look. And if I’m spending real life time with you, there are a million things more important about that time than how either of us look. The enemy has done a real work on our hearts and minds through the jealousy created in social media. He turned it into a competition of likes, shares, comments and follows. And we’ve played right into it. Here we sit on the wrong side of the list, wondering why we feel so empty inside. The Holy Spirit has something so much better for us. On the other side is a list of real offerings we can live in every day under his influence. These things are not found in the world. They are not found in our flesh. They are not found in social media. They are the fruits of the spirit. They are love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. With these growing in our lives, we treat each other totally different. May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to any of the ploys of the enemy to be on the wrong side, living in the wrong feelings, dabbling with the wrong things, where he gets our hearts and minds all twisted. May the influence of the Holy Spirit cause you to jump ship and get on the right side of living, starting today! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
This week, Ryan and Brian try again to understand the ides, to pronounce things in Greek, and to offer more crossword content than food content -- and likely fail at all three. Also, between recording and releasing, it was confirmed that Brian was not, in fact, going to prepare steaks. Stuff to click: Anna Karenina, the musical The Coinage Act of 1792 The results of Scott Weiss's latest Anti-Match Quiz If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the Fill Me In wiki. And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon. Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you'll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club. Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we'd love to hear from you. Helpful links: Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980 Amazon/Audible link: https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B08JJRM927 RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Instagram / Bluesky
We delve into one of the most significant speeches in history—Moses' final address to Israel in the book of Deuteronomy. Moses urges the Israelites to believe in Yahweh, follow the Law, and take the Promised Land. Additionally, we unpack Moses' prophecy about a future prophet like him, who will speak God's words and mediate between God and the people. This speech, remembered for over 3,000 years, not only recaps Israel's past but also looks forward to the coming of a prophet greater than Moses.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...
In this message, Pastor Sam Picken from C3 Assembly in Toronto unpacks a robust, biblical vision of discipleship and equipping in the local church, drawing primarily from Ephesians 4 and the “net‑mending” call on every believer.Built around Ephesians 4:11–16, this sermon explores how Christ gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Pastor Sam clarifies that:Christians are born again in a moment (John 3:3–7; 2 Corinthians 5:17), fully righteous in Christ (Romans 3:21–26),But disciples are made over time, moving from spiritual infancy to maturity (Hebrews 5:12–14; 1 Corinthians 3:1–3).Using the language of Ephesians 4:14, he contrasts mature disciples with “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves” of culture, ideology, and deceitful schemes (John 10:10; Colossians 2:8). The message calls believers to resist a me‑centered, consumer Christianity (Luke 9:23–25; Mark 8:34–36) and embrace a life of surrender, holiness, and mission.Pastor Sam lays out a holistic view of discipleship that includes:Personal devotion and prayer (Matthew 6:5–13; Acts 2:42)Weekend services and corporate worship (Hebrews 10:24–25; Psalm 122:1)Godly friendships and groups (Proverbs 13:20; Acts 2:46–47)Serving on teams and submitting to leadership (Mark 10:43–45; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 4:10)Drawing on the Greek word for “equip” (katartismos) in Ephesians 4:12, he illustrates discipleship as mending, repairing, and strengthening nets—restoring people to purpose (Matthew 4:18–22), arranging their lives according to God's design (Romans 12:1–2), and helping them become “useful to the Master” (2 Timothy 2:20–21).Throughout the sermon you'll hear:A prophetic encouragement for a young couple to step into calling and strict training (1 Corinthians 9:24–27)A challenge to shift priorities—finances, time, and relationships—toward the kingdom (Matthew 6:19–24, 33; 2 Corinthians 9:6–8)A call for every believer to move from only receiving to also pouring out (John 7:37–38; Acts 20:35)Anchored in John 6:35, Jesus as the “bread of life,” Pastor Sam describes discipleship as one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread. Every conversation, text, coffee, and small group becomes an act of sharing that bread and mending the net so others can step into fullness of life in Christ (John 10:10; Colossians 1:28–29).The message closes with Romans 15:13, praying that the God of hope would fill believers “with all joy and peace as you trust in him,” so they overflow with confident hope through the Holy Spirit—and join God's work of equipping everyone to equip everyone.
This 6/7/26 sermon by Mike Gowens is based on Philippians 3:17-21 and is #26 in the "Exposition of Philippians" study. Using the fact that Philippi was a Roman colony although a distance of 800 miles separated the capital city from its Greek city-state, Paul reminds the saints of the need to think of our lives in this world in terms of our heavenly home, and to prioritize that ultimate, political reality in the way we think about the present life.
The popular thing to do in the Greek world of the 490s BC was to revolt against the PersiansHaving launched their revolt in the name of freedom, the Ionian "freedom fighters" soon discover that the Persian Empire has no intention of quietly accepting rebellion. Bernie and Dan follow the next stage of the conflict as the Great King's forces begin to recover the initiative and the fortunes of Aristagoras take an increasingly uncertain turn.But the plucky rebels are putting up quite a fight. Can they pull it off?We've got naval battles, biting horses, ambushes, and pull out your Fan of History bingo card because you might hear "Gyges".Links:How to Build, Sail, and Ram and Ancient Greek Trireme Maritime History Podcast:https://music.youtube.com/podcast/cGp0EeB-Jm4PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO WHAT'S NEW IN HISTORY YOUTUBE CHANNELhttps://www.youtube.com/@whatsnewinhistoryThis is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this inspiring episode I sit down with Dr. C. L. Max Nikias, renowned academic, engineer, author, and former President of the University of Southern California (USC).Born in Cyprus, Dr. Nikias' story is one of resilience, determination, and the transformative power of education. From humble beginnings on a small Mediterranean island to leading one of the world's most prestigious universities, his journey embodies the belief that our circumstances do not define our destiny.During this fascinating conversation, Dr. Nikias reflects on his childhood in Cyprus, the values instilled in him by his family, and the experiences that shaped his character and ambitions. He shares the challenges and opportunities that accompanied his move to the United States, where he pursued higher education and built an extraordinary academic career.As an internationally recognized expert in engineering and innovation, Dr. Nikias rose through the academic ranks to become the 11th President of USC, overseeing a period of unprecedented growth, academic excellence, and global impact. Yet behind the impressive titles and achievements lies a deeply personal story of perseverance, vision, and gratitude.In this episode, we discuss:Growing up in Cyprus and the lessons learned from his early yearsThe immigrant experience and adapting to a new countryThe role of education in transforming livesLeadership, vision, and building a legacyThe importance of innovation and lifelong learningThe values that guided him throughout his remarkable careerHis reflections on success, purpose, and giving backHis love for Greek history and philosophy and his favorite town in the worldDr. Nikias also shares insights from his memoir, American Trojan, a powerful account of his journey from Cyprus to the highest levels of academia and leadership in the United States.This episode is a testament to the power of dreams, hard work, and the courage to embrace new horizons.About Dr. Max NikiasDr. C. L. Max Nikias was born in Cyprus and went on to become a distinguished engineer, professor, university leader, and the 11th President of the University of Southern California. Recognized internationally for his contributions to engineering, education, and leadership, he has inspired generations of students and professionals around the world.
In this episode of Discovering Truth with Dan Duval, Dan tackles one of the most contested questions in the body of Christ: Does the Bible endorse women as preachers, teachers, pastors, apostles and prophets? Dan cuts straight to the chase — he believes in ministry through men and women of God and embraces it fully at Bride Ministries. But the question is why, and for those wrestling with specific passages in Scripture, he walks through the biblical evidence step by step.This teaching examines the two primary passages used to restrict women in ministry — 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2 — unpacking the original Greek, the cultural context Paul was addressing, and what "keep silent" actually means. Dan then moves through both Testaments to show that every office of the fivefold ministry has been occupied by women, from Miriam and Deborah in the Old Testament to Priscilla, Dorcas, the woman at the well, Philip's daughters, and Junia in the New. If you've sat in a seat wondering why women are in ministry, or you've just gone along with it without a solid biblical foundation — this episode gives you that foundation.Learn more about Bride Ministries Institute here:https://www.bridemovement.com/instituteThen weENCOURAGE you to do 4 QUICK THINGS!!Sign up to be a podcast memberwww.danduval.comBe sure to check out and like our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveringTruthNetworkSubscribe to the new podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nxloF2rt7-dXkjppGHdFAAND Subscribe to our Rumble Channel, where we will post all of our interviews that are TOO HOT for YouTube! DiscoveringTruthNetwork (rumble.com)
Anna and Geoff react to the 2026 Women's Prize winners: Virginia Evans' THE CORRESPONDENT for Fiction, which prompts Geoff to recommend 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, and Lyse Doucet's THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL for Non-Fiction. Our book of the week is JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart, the Booker Prize-winning author of SHUGGIE BAIN. Set in the remote Scottish Hebrides among a weaving community, this story of John and his son Cal was an Oprah Book Club pick, a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and picked by many as a Most Anticipated Book of 2026. Is it more Brokeback Mountain or Greek tragedy, or something else? Coming up: HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Can your genes influence what you eat, how your gut works, and even why coriander tastes like soap to some people? This week on Well, food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett cuts through the noise around gut health and explains what the science actually says. From probiotics and Greek yoghurt to taste receptors hidden throughout your gut, we unpack the surprising ways genetics shape our relationship with food. Dr Beckett reveals why one-size-fits-all nutrition advice doesn't work, what the microbiome can (and can't) tell us about health, and why the wellness industry's obsession with gut hacks may be missing the point. Plus, Dr Mariam answers a listener's question about constipation, ageing and menopause, and explains why some gut symptoms deserve a closer look. GET IN TOUCH Sign up to the Well Newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trusted health expertise without the medical jargon. Email here or leave us a voice note here. Ask The Doc: Ask us a question in The Waiting Room. Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok. Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. CREDITS Hosts: Grace Rouvray & Dr Mariam Guests: Dr Emma Beckett Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Producer: Jacob Round Social Producer: Elly Moore Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on. Information discussed in Well. is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide professional medical advice. Listeners should seek their own medical advice, specific to their circumstances, from their treating doctor or health care professional.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Does It REALLY Mean to Believe? - Covenant Faith, the Remnant & Going Deeper with God | KWR0061 Description What does it actually mean to believe in Jesus Christ? In this powerful episode of the Kingdom War Room, Dr. Michael Lake, Dr. Mike Spaulding, and Pastor Corby Shuey tackle one of the most misunderstood words in modern Christianity: belief. Starting with an exegetical study of John 3:16 from the original Greek, the discussion quickly expands into the nature of biblical faith, covenant fidelity, discipleship, repentance, and the dangerous rise of easy-believism within the modern church. The panel examines the difference between intellectual agreement and covenant commitment, why many churches have abandoned true discipleship for entertainment, and how the Holy Spirit is calling the Remnant into deeper levels of spiritual maturity and biblical literacy in these last days. Topics include the Hebrew understanding of faith, the restoration of the image of God in believers, the importance of divine visitations, biblical authority, discipleship, the dangers of pagan influence in Christianity, and practical ways believers can begin going deeper in the Word of God. This is a challenging and encouraging conversation for believers who are serious about walking in covenant faithfulness and preparing for the days ahead. In This Episode ✔ What the Greek word for "believe" really means in John 3:16 ✔ Why easy-believism is producing weak Christianity ✔ The difference between biblical faith and intellectual agreement ✔ Covenant fidelity versus cultural Christianity ✔ Why James said faith without works is dead ✔ The restoration of the image of God in the believer ✔ The dangers of pagan influences in the modern church ✔ Divine visitations and genuine encounters with God ✔ The need for biblical literacy in the last days ✔ Why the Remnant must go deeper in Scripture ✔ The role of discipleship and spiritual maturity ✔ Practical tools for studying the Bible more effectively Support the Ministry Your faithful prayers and support help us continue equipping the Remnant around the world with biblical teaching, spiritual warfare training, and Kingdom preparation for the days ahead. To support Biblical Life TV:
Looking for the best sports betting picks today? Welcome to WagerTalk Today, your daily betting show covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLB, WNBA, CFL, and the biggest betting opportunities across the sports world.Intro 00:00WTT Play of the Day (31-20) 1:00Gianni the Greek 2:39World Cup Overview 3:45World Cup Sharp Action 6:50MLB Sharp Action 9:30WNBA Action 12:00NFL Future Bets 15:00Bill krackman 24:17NFL Season Win Totals 24:20Splash vs Circa 28:00Krack's Free WNBA Prop Play 31:24Get Bill's Best Bets NOW 35:32Carmine Bianco 35:20Argentina vs Austria 37:14Norway vs Senegal 39:52Carm's Best Bets 42:00
We explore the final days of Moses as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land. Despite his enduring physical strength, Moses faces the reality that he cannot cross the Jordan River due to his past disobedience. Joshua is appointed as his successor to lead the people into Canaan. We delve into the challenges Moses faces, including requests from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to settle outside Canaan, and God's command to drive out the inhabitants of the land. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...
The boys return for another week to discuss the latest in Greek football, the gift that keeps on giving.UEFA QualifiersPAOK & Panathinaikos were involved in the UEL & UECL draws, respectively.Manageial changesRazvan Lusescu leaves PAOKNikos Papadopoulos joins APOEL from LevadiakosTransfersChristos Tzolis linked with a mega move to ArsenalPanathinaikos have a busy startOlympiakos is linked with everyoneKalamata have a strong start to the windowGive us a follow on:X: https://twitter.com/HellasfootyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellasfooty/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@HellasFootyRead our blogs on: https://hellasfooty.blogspot.com/Intro music credit to George Prokopiou (Ermou Street)
In this Father's Day message, Pastor Morgan Ervin unpacks one of the most overlooked gifts the Spirit ever placed inside a believer: self-control. Far from the joyless, white-knuckled restraint we imagine, the Greek word egkrateia means "power within" — inner strength, dominion over yourself. But this strength can't be manufactured by self-effort. It's a fruit of the Spirit, and fruit only grows from a root. That root is the fear of the Lord — not a slave's terror, but a son's awe of a Father he adores. Drawing on his own story of a broken first picture of "father" and the good man who later adopted him, Pastor Morgan shows how a wounded view of fatherhood shapes the way we relate to God, leaving us stuck as either the Performer who tries to earn love or the Rebel who storms out of the house. Both are orphans. The way home is sonship — letting the Father reorder our disordered loves until we actually want what's good. From the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus' greatest act of self-control began with the word "Abba," to four practical handles for living like a son on an ordinary Tuesday, this message is an invitation to stop striving and start trusting the Father who is already in the room — already running toward you.
Hear about travel to Western Crete as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jonty Crane from jontytravels.com about his hiking adventure around the villages and in the mountains of the largest Greek island. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel here. Why should you visit Western Crete? Jonty says, "Crete is a diverse Greek island, home to excellent hiking, dramatic gorges, atmospheric villages, epic coastlines, and ancient history." Jonty spent around a week hiking in western Crete, village walks in the north, the White Mountains in the center, and along the south coast. He did a self-guided trip with the Natural Adventure and their local operator, S-Cape. They organize the logistics, including accommodation, bag transfers, and provide GPS walking routes. Many of the sights can be seen without hiking, though, in fewer days with a car. ... https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-western-crete/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Al, Zach, John Luke, and Christian connect the hidden influence of faithful mothers from Constantine's mom to Miss Kay with the way one unknown believer can change history through a single faithful conversation. The guys look at Constantine's complicated legacy, from the Nicene Creed and the spread of Christianity to his violent family history and deathbed baptism. They also connect ancient Rome's struggle over faith, power, and paganism to modern America's temptation to make Jesus smaller than politics, party loyalty, personal peace, or cultural identity. In this episode: 1 John 4, verse 8; 1 John 4, verse 10; John 1, verses 1–14; Philippians 2, verses 5–11; 1 John 2, verses 18–23; 2 John 1, verse 7; John 17, verse 3; Acts 17, verse 24 Today's conversation is about Lesson 10 of Ancient Christianity taught by visiting Hillsdale Professor of History Kenneth Calvert. Take the course with us at no cost to you! Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/. More about Ancient Christianity: Christ entered the world during the reign of Caesar Augustus. The tensions between Christianity and the Roman Empire shaped the daily practice of the Christian faith and led many Romans to distrust and persecute the early Christians. But Christianity also benefitted from the Roman world. And when Rome collapsed in the West, Christianity provided the hope for preserving civilization. In this free, eleven-lecture course, Professor Kenneth Calvert will explore: How the Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures all contributed to preparing the world to hear the Gospel. Why many Romans distrusted and persecuted the early Christians. The inspiring stories of Christ, His apostles, and faithful ones throughout the first four centuries of Christianity. The arguments of key early Christian apologists—Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin, Athanasius, and more—who defended and defined the Christian faith amidst the animosity of the Roman world. The conversion of Constantine and how he brought stability to Rome, and how the rivalry between his sons almost returned Rome to paganism. How Augustine's writings helped preserve the message of Christianity during the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. You will discover the uncertainties, trials, and triumphs of the earliest Christians as they confronted controversies within the faith and persecutions from outside it. Join us today to discover the improbable and miraculous story of Christianity. Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters 00:00 Constantine's Mom & the Holy Sites 06:07 Unknown Christians Who Changed History 12:09 Constantine's Deathbed Baptism 16:57 A Violent Empire After Constantine 23:20 Arianism, Paganism & the Fight over Jesus 28:17 Politics without God Turns Tyrannical 34:04 America's Debt to the Nicene Creed 39:14 Athanasius Stands for the Incarnation 44:10 Jesus Is Bigger Than Any Government — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What if your struggles, heartbreaks, illnesses, relationships, and biggest challenges were never random, but lessons your soul chose before you were born?In this very special episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Mayim and Jonathan investigate one of the most controversial spiritual ideas ever discussed: Earth School — the theory that Earth is a classroom for the soul, and that every experience in your life has a deeper purpose.Near death experiencers around the world report strikingly similar revelations:- Choosing their lives before birth- Seeing a life review after death- Discovering a hidden purpose behind suffering- Learning that consciousness may survive physical deathBut that's only the beginning.Ancient civilizations separated by oceans, languages, and thousands of years all appear to describe the same mysterious journey of the soul. Could Plato, Tibetan mystics, Kabbalists, Buddhists, Hindu sages, and modern NDE survivors all be pointing toward the same hidden truth?We're breaking down:- Shocking NDEs that reveal life as a "school"- Why many NDE survivors return convinced they chose their challenges- ncient story of a man who died, returned, and described souls selecting their next lives- Forgotten biblical teachings about reincarnation that were later rejected by church authorities- Tibetan, Buddhist, Hindu, Greek, and Kabbalistic traditions that describe the soul's evolution- Mysterious phenomenon of children who remember previous lives- Scientific research investigating NDEs & consciousness beyond death- Why suffering may be a lesson, not a punishment- Theory that humanity may be part of a much larger cosmic experiment- Whether Earth School is spiritual truth...or humanity's greatest coping mechanismWhether you're a skeptic, spiritual seeker, philosopher, or simply wondering why you're here, this conversation will challenge everything you think you know about life, death, and the journey of the soul.If life isn't happening TO you—but FOR you—what lesson are you here to learn?Class is in session.Full episode with Betty Guadagno: https://art19.com/shows/mayim-bialiks-breakdown/episodes/19072ff3-528c-4247-bb6e-b90d26a58212Full episode with Dr. Raymond Moody: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/2560c428-3814-4dbf-9a10-aacc692ae0d8.mp3Full episode with Dr. Bruce Greyson: https://art19.com/shows/mayim-bialiks-breakdown/episodes/4e43ce85-fa70-4dbd-b379-3d27e4a5e4c9Full episode with Dr. Jim Tucker: https://art19.com/shows/mayim-bialiks-breakdown/episodes/51710fc8-a5df-4302-bdc9-ef2fb67ddda8If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/BREAKGet 15% off OneSkin with the code BREAK at https://www.oneskin.co/BREAK #oneskinpodStart your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code BREAK at https://www.mudwtr.com/BREAK ! #mudwtrpodGo to https://tidd.ly/4uVltMe and use the code MAYIM50 to get $50 off your Elastique order.Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/BialikBreakdown.comYouTube.com/mayimbialikSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“What did Jesus mean by losing your life?” This question opens a discussion on the profound implications of self-sacrifice in faith. The episode also addresses interpretations of the commandment regarding other gods, the Vatican’s stance on supernatural phenomena, and the availability of grace for salvation, showcasing a rich variety of theological insights. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 02:55 – What did Jesus mean when he said, “if you lose your life, you will find it” in Mt 16:25? 13:30 – Can we interpret having “no other gods before me” as not having any angels and saints before God’s presence? 24:20 – Do the new norms of the Vatican exploring supernatural phenomena abrogate the belief in Medjugorje? 32:10 – Does Catholic teaching allow us to tell anyone at any time that grace is sufficient for salvation as always available or is it more limited to certain times? 43:15 – What are your thoughts on the three days of darkness? 47:42 – Is the idea that life begins as conception an idea based on Greek philosophy and not an original Christian principle?
In this episode of our Fruit of the Spirit series, we're talking about peace—what it is, where it comes from, and why so many of us struggle to experience it. The world tells us peace comes from having the right circumstances, enough money, a perfect schedule, or freedom from stress. But the Bible offers a very different picture. Biblical peace isn't the absence of problems—it's the presence of God in the middle of them. We explore the meaning of the Hebrew word shalom and the Greek word eirēnē, discuss the difference between worldly peace and God's peace, and look at what Scripture teaches about living with confidence, rest, and trust in Christ even when life feels uncertain. Whether you're battling anxiety, walking through a difficult season, or simply longing for more peace in your everyday life, this conversation will encourage you to fix your eyes on the One who is our peace. What peace actually means in the Bible The difference between worldly peace and biblical peace Why peace is a Fruit of the Spirit How anxiety and peace compete for our attention What Jesus promised about peace in John 14 and John 16 How prayer unlocks peace according to Philippians 4 Why peace is found in surrender, not control Practical ways to cultivate peace in your daily life Galatians 5:22–23 Isaiah 26:3 John 14:27 John 16:33 Romans 5:1 Philippians 4:6–7 Colossians 3:15 Ephesians 2:14 "The world defines peace as the absence of conflict. The Bible defines peace as the presence of God." What is stealing your peace right now—and have you surrendered it to God?
When a leaflet advertising a decrepit factory for sale lands in the office of struggling entrepreneur Hamdi Ulukaya, it sets him on a quest to make America fall in love with Greek yogurt. But to succeed, he must not just beat yogurt giants Yoplait and Dannon, but change the American diet.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.