Podcasts about hecks

This week, one dad dips into Minecraft again, but by himself while another brings his son down to heck with the free Diablo 4 Beta Weekend.  Welcome to New Dad Ron, and thanks for writing to us from our website newdadgaming.com Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-dad-gaming/id1107330772 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/434cj9ksKBnX6aY2aBZ6Uw Others on Our Website: https://newdadgaming.com/

your stories are a gift. your time is a gift. your attention is a gift. and when you share generously with others it can feel like you’re making a connection. but over time, if there isn’t reciprocity, it can start to feel bad and you realize how one sided it’s been. i don’t think that every action requires a response in kind, and we don’t give gifts expecting a return, but when you receive very little it’s hard to keep trying.i’m thinking about where i want to put my energy. and i’m not yet sure how to make that decision, but my energy is limited. and although i feel pulled strongly towards new connections and excited about exploring possibilities, i also want to be better at celebrating my existing connections. particularly the ones that make the effort. and in the same way that i don’t expect every connection i investigate to be mutual, i shouldn’t respond just to respond. i could simply prioritize the ones that i know already feel good and save some energy to continue exploring others.i’m writing this here, and i’m going to try, but damn that allure of potential. perhaps it’s not so simple.DOWNLOAD/STREAM RECORDING00:00 (intro by omar)00:20 LOS JAMBOS “Chico formal” Chicos formales02:12 The Hecks “Flash” My Star07:00 Options “Easy Try” Pacific Notion II08:53 ILL “Bus Shelter” We Are ILL13:34 Simon Joyner “Yellow Jacket” Pocket Moon17:22 Shana Falana “Who We Are” Darkest Light20:42 Dogbreth “Took My Time” Ever Loving23:40 MOURN “Via” Mixtape28:03 Ex-Void “Only One” Only One30:37 HOT SHORTS “Don’t Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before” I Understand And I Wish To Continue33:12 The reds, pinks and purples “Anxiety art” Anxiety art35:21 San Cha “Soy Tuya” La Luz de la Esperanza40:44 Banana “Tiny Bones” Post-Grunge Revival44:15 Public Practice “Extra-Ordinary” Disposable & Extra-Ordinary47:52 Water From Your Eyes “Adeleine” Somebody Else’s Song52:05 Amaringo “Sacred” I Woke Up This Morning After a Dream56:46 coastal car “world” are you scared to get happy?59:34 Snail Polish “best you” im worth somthing62:54 Allumette “Somnifuge” Soleil du Gouffre65:56 Cop Circles “Big Business Monkey” Vacation for Hurt69:33 J Camden “Hold Your Breath” The View from Inside the Sun72:13 The Gonks “I’m A Leaker” Five Things You Didn’t Know About The Gonks73:35 Charly Bliss “Supermoon” Supermoon76:39 Telecult “Two Kinds of Escape” Phases78:58 Panoramic “Bug Bites” Spiders // Bug Bites82:27 Mallard “Wubalubadubdub” Believing in Ghosts

On this edition of THE SETH WILLIAMS SHOW w/Mike Cheselka, Seth and Mike have a filled Wednesday night. First Jim Isabella returns to give an update on his mayoral run. Restaurant reporter Tony Musachio joins the show from Hecks in Beachwood. You have to check out the food there. Joe Burdick from Burdick Custom Flags joins the show to talk about his American Flags and his new line of t-shirts which includes a Sethell shirt. Then the guys talk about the latest Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame nominations. Who got snubbed again and who should be on the new list of inductions. Why are country and pop stars getting in to a ROCK hall?. Be sure to catch all the episodes, get your shirts and much more at http://www.thesethwilliamsshow.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cmspn/message

Hello...thanks for listening! Einstein has a quote "You don't fail until you stop trying".... This is one of my favorite quotes yet, only now am I allowing myself to really follow this idea. You see...the word 'failure' gives me anxiety even typing it out. I hate this word! And with my hating of this word, it's making me question...why do I/have I put so much power into this word (?). I'm realizing that this "F" word should be considered a "bad" word for me. Just like when I was a kid there were cuss/curse words that I was told not to say because they were "bad" words. I'm starting to feel like this for the word Failure. What's sad is that since I was so afraid to 'fail'...it also made me afraid to 'fly'! Wha??? Not good. When I think back to when I was a kid, and also being too young to know what a word like 'failure' was let alone what it meant, I was as free as a bird! I would climb trees, and play in the dirt, and just anything really without a thought or care in the world! Being a 'tomboy' most of what I did was very risky, climbing big trees, playing on the rings and the bars in the local playground and getting all kinds of dirt all over my clothes. Haha! (Oh, the good ole days!) I could've easily fell off of any of those 'structures' and gotten severely hurt or injured but was I afraid? Hecks no! I never was and guess what I never fell either! From now on, I'm gonna start to flip my thoughts on this horrible word and instead of 'failure' I'm gonna 'flip' it to 'finding the answers' or 'finding the solutions'. For a visual Failure = Finding the Answers and/or Finding the Solutions because isn't that what we're really doing most of the time anyway? Unless of course we do 'stop' trying. In my realization of my anxiety with this word I'm also realizing that even though I've felt like a failure with many things in my life, I really haven't, because I never stopped trying. Excuse me while I allow my mind to be blown about this concept and also 'fly' at the same time! :) If this episode was of value to you, please share, follow and/or review it here->

Hello...thanks for listening! Einstein has a quote "You don't fail until you stop trying".... This is one of my favorite quotes yet, only now am I allowing myself to really follow this idea. You see...the word 'failure' gives me anxiety even typing it out. I hate this word! And with my hating of this word, it's making me question...why do I/have I put so much power into this word (?). I'm realizing that this "F" word should be considered a "bad" word for me. Just like when I was a kid there were cuss/curse words that I was told not to say because they were "bad" words. I'm starting to feel like this for the word Failure. What's sad is that since I was so afraid to 'fail'...it also made me afraid to 'fly'! Wha??? Not good. When I think back to when I was a kid, and also being too young to know what a word like 'failure' was let alone what it meant, I was as free as a bird! I would climb trees, and play in the dirt, and just anything really without a thought or care in the world! Being a 'tomboy' most of what I did was very risky, climbing big trees, playing on the rings and the bars in the local playground and getting all kinds of dirt all over my clothes. Haha! (Oh, the good ole days!) I could've easily fell off of any of those 'structures' and gotten severely hurt or injured but was I afraid? Hecks no! I never was and guess what I never fell either! From now on, I'm gonna start to flip my thoughts on this horrible word and instead of 'failure' I'm gonna 'flip' it to 'finding the answers' or 'finding the solutions'. For a visual Failure = Finding the Answers and/or Finding the Solutions because isn't that what we're really doing most of the time anyway? Unless of course we do 'stop' trying. In my realization of my anxiety with this word I'm also realizing that even though I've felt like a failure with many things in my life, I really haven't, because I never stopped trying. Excuse me while I allow my mind to be blown about this concept and also 'fly' at the same time! :)If this episode was of value to you, please share, follow and/or review it here->

- Awesomecon and the 24 hours of driving- Mish and Kev run down HELL IN A CELL 2022- Cody Rhodes injury looked bad but wasnt life threatening- Edge out Balor in? - Speculation of the new stable - The MJF shoot/work continues

It's that time of year to pop some bubbly, so why not find out how the Korbel brothers eventually created "champagne" 139 years ago. It's a multi-layered history full of drama and perserverance. The Hecks are only the second family to run the business, and because of their decades of determination the brand can be found across the U.S. and internationally.  Click Play to hear the story of California Champagne.  

L'entrevue de Nicolas Ouellet avec Munya; Efy Hecks présente ses chansons préférées du moment; Marie-Ange Zibi présente l'artiste de 24 ans Magi Merlin; Émilie Pelletier Grenier fait état des plus récentes nouvelles musicales et culturelles, notamment l'affaire Ward-Gabriel.

Raina Douris (NPR's World Cafe) joins the show to hearken back to her old days as a Toronto resident, as she tangles with one of the resident dirt-kickers over at Toronto's worst newspaper, the Sun. We also manage to get into chatter about one of our favourite Canadians, Frank D'Angelo, before moving on to talk The Grateful Dead, anti-vaxxers, protesting, getting punched, and hippies. Plus, we find out that Raina is on Wikifeet, John updates us on the Milk Crate Challenge, and Stefan introduces us to a detestable Republican candidate.   If you want to complete a challenge, you can head on over to patreon.com/blockedparty and complete the "donate to your one of your favourite podcasts" challenge. It's easy to do and gets you access to THREE bonus episodes every single month. This week, we have the first instalment of our quest to conquer the world of Paranoia, the RPG where ourselves and Carlos Maza, Carla Mah, and Racquel Belmonte come together to try to complete an impossible mission. Or something. It's a blast. Plus, we've got another parental mailbag on the way with the Hecks and more, so check it out! Raina Douris is the host of NPR's World Cafe and can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @RahRahRaina.

Was machst Du den ganzen Tag, womit verbringst Du Deine Zeit?  Kannst Du manche Sachen vielleicht weglassen oder zusammenfassen?  Tim Ferris zeigt in seinen Büchern mit den 4 Stunde Titeln eindrucksvoll auf, was möglich ist, um mehr Effizienz in den Tag zu bekommen.  Du könntest auch eine Nagelfeile, zum Baum fällen wählen und kommst mit dieser Maßnahme Deinem Ziel näher. Du könntest aber auch die Kettensäge nutzen, um den Baum zu fällen. So kommst Du mit geringstem Aufwand, schnell an Dein Ziel. Die Tipps von Tim Ferris sind gut umsetzbar und am Ende ist auch die Frage des Willens, diese Veränderungen auch durchzuziehen.  ********************************************************************* In eigener Sache, wie Du vielleicht weißt, bekleide ich Menschen um sie dabei zu unterstützen die 4 Lebenskonten auszugleichen. Zeit Emotionen Geld und Gesundheit Diese Konten sollten für ein glückliches Leben im Ausgleich sein! Nachfolgend für Dich ein paar meiner Tools, mit denen ich arbeite. Wenn Du Dich davon etwas anspricht, kontaktiere mich gerne! info@frankreiher.com Biohacking:  Du willst wieder jünger und leistungsfähiger werden?   https://detox-home.com  https://dnarepair.com https://biohacking.mynuskin.com   ...oder endlich mit Keto starten?   https://lazyketo.com   Du suchst noch eine Anlageform, dann habe ich hier einen funkelnden Geheimtipp: Sicherer als Gold - Osmium Nichts ist so sicher wie Gold. Registriere Dich kosten los und kaufe Gold direkt von der Mine!  Gold-Direkt Die Zunkuft ist sicher in der Krypto-Welt zu finden, da habe ich für mich einen verlässlichen Partner gefunden: Blockchain-Revolution ...und wenn Du noch nie in Schweinfurt warst oder einfach eine schöne Unterkunft suchst, dann komm hier hin. Executive Living Schweinfurt  ********************************************************************* Transcription: Speaker1: [00:00:00] Servus! Ich möchte euch heute mal eine kleine Geschichte erzählen, und zwar wenn ich das damals schon gewusst hätte, wenn ich das damals schon gewusst hätte, wie einfach es sein könnte und wie viel Stress man sich ersparen hätte können und was für. Ineffizienz man an den Tag gelegt hat, was eigentlich völligst der Quatsch ist und war und ich bis heute so keiner mehr empfehlen kann und auch niemanden somit an die Hand gebe. Das ist so ein Learning, was ich vor. Nicht allzu langer Zeit durch den coolen Buchst gemacht habe, dass es viel effizienter ist und produktiver ist, wenn man manchmal etwas weniger macht. Etwas weniger macht, etwas zurückstellt, etwas zurückgeschraubt und auch mal den Körper die Möglichkeit gibt, zu regenerieren. Bei mir war es so und ich möchte da mal ein Beispiel geben aus meiner frühesten Jugend schon circa 20 Jahre her. Da war ich noch aktiver Fußballer. Montag, Mittwoch Fußballtraining, Sonntag Fußballspiel und nebenher habe ich als junger Mann damals auch noch in einer großen Industrie hier bei uns gearbeitet. Im drei Schichtbetrieb und das war nicht immer einfach. So war es dann eben so, dass sich auf Twitter Schicht für eine Schicht ist von 22 Uhr abends bis sechs Uhr früh morgen, dort, wo eigentlich alles schläft, was auch so ein Ding ist. Heute als als Gesundheitsbewusstsein Mensch, als Körper Optimierer könnte ich mir das gar nicht vorstellen. Tagein, tagaus in der Nacht zu arbeiten.   Speaker1: [00:01:46] Aber das Thema Schlaf behandeln wir jetzt hier nicht ausführlicher. Nur ich möchte immer darauf hinweisen, dass es schon einen Grund hat, warum es nachts dunkel ist und warum nachts jedes Tier eigentlich schläft. Ich hatte nahezu jedes natürlich gibt es auch Ausnahmen. So zurück zu meiner Geschichte. Also ich war früher Fußballer und habe eben auch mit dem Leistungssport Leistungssport, mit dem Gewichtheben angefangen. Und ja, das war mein Alltag ausgesehen. Ich bin früh um 6 Uhr von der Arbeit nach Hause gekommen. Hab mich ins Bett gelegt, hab nach dem Schlafen, das war dann meistens so. Gegen 14 Uhr bin ich etwa erwacht ohne Wecker und dann war das erste Mal ein Frühstück, was dann eigentlich schon a Mittagessen ist oder ein Abendessen für manche vielleicht zu wesshalb? Und dann hab ich mir was besorgt, was ich essen konnte. Das war dann meistens nichts besonders Gesundes, nichts besonders Nachhaltiges. Das hast du dir reingeschoben. Als junger Mann habe ich mir da auch noch keine Gedanken drüber gemacht, ob jetzt viele Kontrolle, viel viel Eiweiß, viel Fett das war. Das war noch gar nicht so tief drin und so gar nicht so verwurzelt und hatte mir auch keine große Rolle gespielt, weil ich war schlank und hatte auch keine Gewichtsprobleme damals zur damaligen Zeit. Es hat mich immer gestört und es war auch der Grund, dass ich keine Gewichts Probleme hatte, weil ich einfach von früh bis abends ohne Strom stande.   Speaker1: [00:03:13] Ich bin nach der Arbeit wie gesagt aufgestanden, hab gefrühstückt, dann hat es ein bisschen gedauert. Dann war schon Fußballtraining ratzfatz Stufe zurück. Also vor dem Fußballtraining habe ich immer geschaut und ich bin nach dem Frühstücken so eine 1/2 Stunden später zum Fitnessstudio gegangen und hab fünfmal die Woche gewichtige pumpt. Montag Brust, Dienstag Rücken, Mittwoch Beine, Arme und dann wieder von vorne angefangen, je nachdem, was für ein Splitt kann angesetzt war und eben dann Mittwoch zum Fußballtraining und auch am Freitag zum Fußballtraining. Und es hat dann so ausgeschaut, dass ich mittwochs zum Fußballtraining bin und dann nach dem Fußballtraining direkt auf die Arbeit. Dann gab's nichts mehr zum Essen. Der Körper musste quasi die Regeneration ausarbeiten, aus dem Fitnessstudio herstellen und musste dann die Regeneration ausarbeiten, aus dem Fußballtraining herstellen. Also da waren die Speicher leer und gefüllt wurden die net. Mein Credo war es damals schon so ein Stück weit auch zu sagen Hey, normalerweise würde ich jetzt schlafen, wenn der Zeit, wo ich jetzt arbeite. Also gab es für mich nur eine Devise Von 6 von 22 Uhr bis 6 Uhr morgens gibt's da auch nichts zu essen. Wie gesagt, es hat schon einen Grund, warum der Körper eigentlich schlafen soll, in der Nacht und am Tag aktiv ist. Und da gibt's eine innere Uhr. Das wusste ich damals zwar auch noch nicht, aber die gibt es. Und die hat auch Einfluss darauf, wie wir in der Nacht eben Sachen verstoffwechseln.   Speaker1: [00:04:43] Dadurch intuitiv das richtig schon erkannt habe, dass über nachts nichts gegessen habe. Nur leider konnte mein Körper von nichts zehren. Erst wieder am nächsten Tag, als er einmal am Tag zu essen bekommen. Das ist nicht besonders. Mit einer hohen Nährstoff Dichte. Und dann ist es irgendwo klar, dass die Baustellen, die aufgerissen wurden durch das tägliche Krafttraining und durch das Fußballtraining und Fußballspielen obendrein, dass sie nie richtig zugeschüttet wurden und somit war das ganze Training nicht hundertprozentig effektiv, sondern nur 50 prozent effektiv, weil du dich selber durch diese viele Anstrengung den eigenen Fortschritt boykottiert hast. So sagt man z.B. auch, dass man. Wenn man heute trainiert, kann man eine Woche manche sprechen, sondern von 10 Tagen warten, bis man wieder zum Training geht. Also um die Prozesse für sich optimal auszuschöpfen, kann es sogar bei manchen der Fall sein, dass sie einfach einmal in der Woche trainieren und es reicht völlig aus. Weil der Muskel, wie es so schön heißt, wächst auf der Couch. Und dieses Wissen, wo dieses Wissen jetzt hab, hab ich aus der 4 Stundenwoche von Timothy Ferris Timothy Ferris ist vielen wahrscheinlich von euch bekannt aus dem Buch wie ihr Stundenwoche und dazu hat er eben auch ein Buch geschrieben. Der vier Stunden Körper und das kann ich wirklich nur empfehlen ist ein geiles Buch mit geilen Hecks. Also das hat mir wirklich in manchen Sachen die Augen geöffnet, wie schnell und wie viel leichter man doch an sein Ziel kommen kann.   Speaker1: [00:06:23] Also produktiv und effektiv an einer Sache arbeiten und auch vorankommen. Weil was nützt es mir, wenn ich den ganzen Tag umherrenne renne und am Ende des Tages nichts geschafft habe? Und so ähnlich ist es auch mit dem Kraftsport und mit dem Konditions-Ausdauersport Ausdauersport. Es ist überall dasselbe. Also man kann diese Geschichten optimieren und auf ein gewisses Mindestmaß herunterschrauben, auch Suppenlimitieren. Es nützt heute nichts, wenn ich zuviel Magnesium, Vitamin C oder was auch immer den Körper rein baller, wenn es gar nicht braucht und gar nicht zur Verfügung aufnehmen kann, der Magen absorbieren kann. Dann hast du da zwar Supplements reingeschrieben, aber am Ende hast du nur teure Wiessie produziert und das ist ja auch wieder uneffektiv. Genau das wollte ich euch mal mit auf den Weg geben. Schaut einfach mal für euch selbst. Wo könnt ihr Sachen für euch produktiver und einfacher gestalten, damit ihr schneller an das Ziel kommt, wo eigentlich hinkommt? Und wichtig ist davor natürlich auch. Was ist überhaupt mein Ziel? Wo möchte ich denn hinkommen? Weil ohne Ziel. Gibt's keinen Weg dorthin? Also das ist ja ähnlich, wie wenn ich ins Taxi einsteigen sagt. Fahren Sie mich mal.. Fahren Sie mich mal! Der Taxifahrer sich anschauen und wird sich fragen wohin. Und so ähnlich ist es mit allem. Ohne Ziel gibt's keinen klaren Weg und du wirst irgendwo herumeiern, rum schlängeln.   Speaker1: [00:07:54] Ist aber überlang kommen, nur nicht dort, wo du ankommen willst. Also definieren. Klar, das Ziel. Schau, was du erreichen möchtest. Richtig runter und arbeite möglichst produktiv effektiv daran kontrolliere ich selber den Tag. Über wie viel Zeit verbringst du auf Social Media? Hier nun eine Story. Hier noch einen Post, hier noch ein Bildchen, ah, noch ein Katzenvideos und schwupp, ist schon wieder eine Stunde rum. Was hast du geleistet? Bist du deinem Ziel nähergekommen? Wahrscheinlich nicht. Und am Ende? Macht und macht uns doch nur das stolz, was wir auch wirklich geschaffen haben. Also sei auf das stolz, was du erreicht hast und finde, hinterfrage nicht und prüfe sie dich ab, was du, womit du deine Zeit verbringst. Soviel zu dem Thema. Also die 4 Stunden Woche ist ein geiles Buch und was ich auf jeden Fall auch empfehlen kann ist der 4 Stunden Körper hat mir einiges an neuen Erkenntnissen eingebracht und es wird dir auch sicher weiterhelfen, wenn du es nicht lesen möchtest und lieber die Abkürzung haben möchtest. Frag mich, ich bin hier. Hast du ihr Reigen unter der E-Mailadresse, die hier eingeblendet ist unter dem Link? Und dann können wir einfach ein kurzes 45 Minuten gratis Beratungsgespräch vereinbaren, weil ich bei mir und wir schauen mal, ob ich dir helfen kann und ob das zwischen uns auch funkt. Also bis dahin mach's gut. Schau, ich bin weg.    

[The Sickly Hecks are] like Beethoven, if he wasn't a total f******* nerd." On this episode Ray, Nick, Zach, and Stevie Heck sit down with Asher and open up about their experience with Social Distancing, going underground, postponing a record, fears from the pandemic, and being placed on hiatus. The following message is a direct statement from drummer, Stevie [Hartman] Heck: "We started isolating ourselves in December (back before isolation was cool) in order to write new songs for a full length album. For the most part, this meant not playing shows except for a couple that we had booked before we went underground. When we are regularly playing shows it is hard to divide up our practice time and energy between rehearsing a set list of older songs and writing new material. We wrote about 12 songs that we were pleased with and planned on recording them between mid-March and early-April. Ray, Nick, and I were very excited to produce and record this album ourselves as we have done some recordings in the past where someone else is recording/producing it and in my opinion, and I think Ray and Nick would agree, it makes the final product feel somewhat alien from us. It's like you are creating this thing and you have ideas of how it sounds and feels in that moment, but you also are hearing some things and have some ideas that are floating around in the ether and are transitory. I think being able to transform those ephemeral moments into tangible parts of a song is an extremely valuable and rewarding piece of the creative process. Sometimes when you have an outside producer or recording engineer working with you, you resign this creative function to them (explicitly or implicitly) and they may pull some things from the ether that are amazing or sometimes not so amazing. Suffice it to say, we wanted complete creative control as a part of our development and transformation as musicians, as friends, and as persons, both in a group and individual sense. But I digress... Anyways, we were set to record the drum tracks during this week (Spring Break). At first, COVID-19 seemed to be simplifying things and clearing our schedules for us. We were supposed to have a show in Denver, Ray and I were supposed to play our last show with Janet Earth before AJ moved, and Zach (Visconti) and I were supposed to play an EP release show and then go on tour with our other band safekeeper. But everything was canceled. Ray and I were working out a bunch of details for spending a few days at my house to record drums and then more information developed about the coronavirus. So we made the decision to postpone recording until this was all over. Special thanks to Matt Gusmerotti for producing this series.

This week on Nation I want to talk about the people ruining our industry. I know it isnt you, your small business skills and poise can only help our window cleaning industry, BUT there are cleaners out there that will hurt the industry with taboos. And the truth of the matter is our service businesses are fragile enough without having to worry about our industry having it out for us too. Let's talk about some of the issues that I see, and hopefully, you aren't doing any of these! Do you need to get some window cleaning supplies ordered? Hecks yeah you do. Well shoot me a text, or call me up and let me be your personal rep! 862-312-2026

What the Hecks-burg is Kecksburg. Its got an amazing backstory and located in Southwest Pennaylvania where one night in 1965 A Large Acorn like vehicle/ship landed. Who or what was inside? Why did it land in Kecksburg? Answers await inside... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lockdown-universe/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lockdown-universe/support

On March 9th, 2020, The Sickly Hecks came into the KCSU studio to play some songs and talk about heck house and the possibility of new music on the horizon. The post Live In-Studio: The Sickly Hecks appeared first on KCSU FM.

Assistant Director Ari Mejia chats at the Chirp studios with Andrew, Zach, and Jeff of Chicago band The Hecks. They revisit their last interview with Chirp from 2015, talk about why their incredible album My Star took 3 years to make, and the way memory influences their sound. Produced by Ari Mejia Photo credit: Ashleigh Dye

remind me to pay rent tomorrow.DOWNLOAD RECORDINGsubscribe to the podcast here:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/5432fun(intro by omar)Bloody Show “bell hooks” from Root NerveThe Hecks “The Thaw” from The HecksKISSING IS A CRIME “Nervous Conditions” from Kissing Is A CrimeSLOTHRUST “Rotten Pumpkin” from Everyone ElseTick Boss “We Belong to the Sun” from Let Go Let Tick BossPile “leaning on a wheel” from A Hairshirt of PurposeJoy Again “Mistakes” from EPYou’ll Never Get To Heaven “Images” from Imagesthanks for coming “i h8 florida” from welcome to the post-dadcore revolutionDois “Dinosaurio” from Está BienSneaks “Look Like That” from It’s a MythMono Lisa “Jump Off A Bridge” from New World SimulatorBENT “Mattress Springs” from mattress springsTURN TO CRIME “Secondary” from SecondaryMount Sharp “Whiskey Ginger” from Weird FearsThe Groans “Lives On The Line” from Everything For EveryoneJOEL JASPER “Impression” from Spring-BodyBaby Jessica “Perfect Yawn” from Jeans to Scream inxenon superstar “it happens” from dreams are for babiesGuy Capecelatro III “Such Possibility” Hope is the Thing with Feathers

One week in, and the NBA keeps making their China kowtow worse. Will the backlash from all sides force American companies to stop taking a knee for the Commies? The intro/outro song and Jon's song of the week is “Chopper” by The Hecks. Stephen's song of the week is “Magic Marker” by Craig Finn. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist! Source

One week in, and the NBA keeps making their China kowtow worse. Will the backlash from all sides force American companies to stop taking a knee for the Commies? The intro/outro song and Jon’s song of the week is “Chopper” by The Hecks. Stephen’s song of the week is “Magic Marker” by Craig Finn. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist! Source

In this episode, Ollie and I take a look at a once-forgotten, now-remembered Hammer Classic, “The Plague of the Zombies!” Is there a plague? No! Are there zombies? Hecks to the yes! Is it good? Oh, you betcha! https://ia601503.us.archive.org/19/items/deltoroplaguezombies/DelToro-PlagueZombies.mp3

In this episode, Ollie and I take a look at a once-forgotten, now-remembered Hammer Classic, “The Plague of the Zombies!” Is there a plague? No! Are there zombies? Hecks to the yes! Is it good? Oh, you betcha! https://ia601503.us.archive.org/19/items/deltoroplaguezombies/DelToro-PlagueZombies.mp3

Hagridden is an adjective that means tormented by anxiety or stress. From Old Norse, the word hexe (HECKS uh) means witch. It’s also a distant cousin of the word ‘hag.’ Combine this with ridden and you get an adjective — hagridden — that means tormented by stress or anxiety, as if haunted by a witch. Doris was hagridden by all the paperwork needed to make the new sale. She felt like a trail of paper was haunting her every step. Hagridden is spelled H-A-G-R-I-D-D-E-N.

This week on Nation let's talk about the first time I hired an employee. Maybe you have never hired an employee for your business. Maybe you have hired and fired hundreds. It's always fun to look back at how you did something when you knew nothing about it. And thats what we will do. Even if your window cleaning company or pressure washing company, or heck, ANY small business there are always tips and tricks in how to move the ball forward. Employee's are something that helps you grow and make more money. You need employees if you want to scale your company. That is the truth of the matter. Lets talk about that. Want to buy window cleaning supplies? Hecks ya you do. Call me 862-312-2026

This episode is the the second in the series of interviews exploring how entrepreneurs scale up their Serviced Accommodation businesses. In this episode Chris interviews Graham Lindley as he talks through moving from being a mobile engineer to forex and crypto trading, and then finding his passion in Serviced Accommodation and Property. Chris and Graham then look at how the journey Graham has been seen him scaling up his Serviced Accommodation business, and how it has happened. Graham is managing director of Prim Short Stays in Nottingham, UK.   Show Notes: The Serviced Accommodation Podcast is a show brought to you by Chris Poulter and Ritchie Mazivanhanga aimed at new and experienced property investors alike. With each show we help you Start, Systemise and Scale your Serviced Accommodation Business. If you would like to ask us a question or discuss anything in this episode, please join The Serviced Accommodation Podcast Community on Facebook, and ask away. To listen to more episodes or get more information go to www.thesapodcast.com. Find out more about Graham’s business here: https://www.primshortstays.com/     Transcription: Chris: Hi, I am Chris. Graham:  And I am Graham. Chris: And welcome to the Serviced Accommodation podcast.   Chris: For continuing our series on scaling up and how to scale up your Serviced Accommodation business successful, today I am going to talk to Graham Lindley. So Graham, thanks for joining us. Graham:  Hi, thanks very much, it’s my pleasure. I have been listening since the beginning, so it’s quite strange to now be inside here. Chris: The strangest thing is when the podcast is released and you sat in your car listening back, and it’s like, that’s my voice. Graham:  Oh really. Chris: Yeah, I am sure. Graham:  I have got all that to look forward to. Chris: You do. Absolutely. So could you give our listeners just a little bit background on yourself, like where you kind of came from, from a profession, and where you are based in the country. Graham:  Okay. I live in Nottingham, being there around eleven years, after growing up in Kent. And I have been an engineer all my life, since I left school, in fact, I started when I was still at school — and that was very good, I enjoyed it very much. I was always in different places, meeting different people, whether a country man or a council or state, I always find a way of getting on with everyone, and really finding ways to help people and being resourceful. And so I was a mobile engineer with my van and that’s what I did. Chris: So when you say engineer; what type of engineering was that? Graham:  So I did security and fire, I guess the technical term would be a technician. In the trade we all call each other engineers. So for the first part I was mostly installing and then transitioned more towards maintenance side of it, so I didn’t really have to call around lots of space and things like that anymore. Chris: No, but at the same time I imagine like, diagnosing and repairing stuff is a lot more difficult than installing in the first place. Graham:  Yeah. Really it was the thing of diagnosing and fault finding was something that I did excel at and that is a matter of just breaking things down and working out process of elimination, really. If you have got a huge fire system of course, a massive factory, with a random fault in it you can just keep breaking the system down into half and then walk out where the fault is and then go to that half and split it again — you know, it is possible. And I think once you get the idea of how to find faults then really you can apply that to anything, and that’s something I had really try and teach my apprentices was, focus very much on the process not on the kind of particulars; if that makes sense. So you can then apply that skill to any system, whether you have seen it or not before — you can compare working parts with non-working parts and just work out where the fault lies. So yeah, that was something I enjoyed doing but it also meant I had more time on the road and a lot of people wouldn’t like that, but for me, if I had to go and help someone on an installation I would really notice actually being on site for ten, twelve hours, something like that, and then a little driving at the side of the day. I had noticed the difference really in the fact that I couldn’t listen to all my podcast in audio but a lot of sites now have banned earphones, so even doing that was impossible. So for years I have been doing the job that I could do and to be honest with you, I had got to the highest point I could without then going more office based or more managerial, and I kind of knew it was something I had always done and so I could do it easily but not necessarily something I always wanted to carry on doing. So I kind of consciously decided to plateau, I guess, and have that quite nice space in the fact that, I was entrusted and I did do a good job and I did the very best I could, but it allowed me to focus a lot of time or mental energy — at least — on other things — my real passions — and that was initially a lot of forex trading, and stocks and shares, crypto, and later I have got into property and that’s when I really found my true passion. So listening to business development podcasts and various audio books, I really started to kind of get an idea that that’s what I wanted to do and it certainly wasn’t going to be carrying on being an engineer, and I couldn’t see myself starting my own business in that field either because it’s quite a mature market and you have to start very small, you know, it would take a good ten years, I think, to start scaling in that industry I was in. So yeah, that’s where property really started to make a lot of send to me. Chris: So when did you first become interested in property then? Graham:  I have always been interested in property: definitely. I mean my dad certainly always was. And I made a big mistake and I bought my first home, it must have been around ’06/’07, I spend a lot of money doing (it out). And then we just moved to Nottingham, we weren’t that familiar with the areas and it turned out to not be a great area and we weren’t very there at all. And we put it on the market and the end we just wanted to get out of there, I mean I briefly consider renting it out but we just wanted to wipe our hands off it, so we sold it for a loss. And then went into renting, supposedly just for six months. And five years, I am (certain), I think (the one after), you know, trying to kick myself away from what the value would have been, what my mortgage would have been if I had put tenants in. So it did turn out to be a really good thing and they do say everything for a reason and certainly I won’t be where I am or living where I am now if I hadn’t made that decision but yeah, in the end it was six years of being in rented — which initially, you know, it was very nice, but once we had started a family and we wanted to settle and I only wanted to focus on the business, it didn’t make much sense. The actual trigger for really deciding to become a property investor and focus some more time on that space was… I guess was really be committed to being a successful-professional forex trader and I was spending a lot of time on self-discipline, on proper strategy — that was my root financial freedom, as I thought. But also the guy, my mentor, the guy that I was learning from, he was maybe thirty-six/thirty-seven, gone fully grey from the stress, sitting in front of six PC monitors for twelve hours a day — you know, it would be a Sunday afternoon; his family would be out, having a barbecue he would be preparing for the markets to open the next day. And I am starting to think, you know, I am not really sure this is the future kind of future I want. And my wife asked me a funny question — she was reading some book — and she said; “what is it you are doing when you lose track of time, because that’s where your true passion is?” And I didn’t much over it, I was just thinking yeah, forex, but only when I am winning, when I am not I am kind of getting up at 01:00 AM to check the yen against the dollar and you know it wasn’t healthy. So we got offered single buy to let property, and at the time I didn’t know about property education, I didn’t know about the courses, and didn’t know a lot really. However, I knew it was something that we wanted to do and we were still at the time, so I was a strange. When I spoke to the broker he said well, there is not many people that don’t own their own home already and they are trying to get into buy to let, in fact, there was only two lenders that would even consider us — Natwest being the one that we went with. And yeah we got offered buy to let, and that was, I nearly bought a dud actually, my whole strategy was going to be buying twenty percent below market value — I think I might have heard something someone was doing — and my way of doing that was going to be finding what had been on Rightmove for the very longest and of course I had been the most desperate, so I am more likely to accept an offer. And I thought I had found a gem and I would start to hold it up in my head that I was going to be buying it at a twenty percent below, I didn’t even consider that you might not want to go for that. But my main concern was why I hadn’t been on the market so long, I really thought it was a Call KA, and you know, I had accepted at face value what the agent was telling me for rental figures. And yeah, I was just putting up the word about, you know, I was speaking to people saying, look, I am going to be going into property, I want to get a buy to let. And having that random conversation with someone he said to me, very randomly, I think there is something going on at Trent bridge cricket ground at the business centre there, I think it was a property event on tonight, you ought to pop along. So I went down to that — and I guess technically that was my first property meeting — but it was out on by state agents and really they were just talking about the state of the property market — this was 2015 — and I found it very interesting. And I just reached out to a guy, he was in a suit, and I said, I am looking at getting into property — I have seen a property I think it’s call KA, I am not sure entirely why it’s still in the market. He said, “you know what, I love looking at property, (focus on viewing), and I am just going to come down and join you, you know, I will just do that”. It really was a nice thing for him to do. And he came down, and he pointed out a lot of defects. And a year later, I found all his notes that he had given me and he was absolutely right and everything he was saying was just… I understand why I would have done very badly if I had went for that. So, well forwards, we got a different property: bought well. And we got quite lucky, we bought one that was (Hecks) house and association, and it was just a matter of treating a state agent professionally as potential business partners almost, if you are buying property you are going into business with that person, so having respect for conversations with them and also involving the when you are doing viewings. And I was doing that and I think we had already kind of made enough to own a place because I am naturally (knee jerk) because of them, and then I thought hang on, let’s just see what else is out there, we went for another viewing, mentioned the (impulse) that we were scaling up and we were going to be buying our portfolio, just telling the agent everything they needed to hear. To then say, I might have something you are going to be interested in, it’s not gone on the market yet but we have just put the sign on the outside and the neighbours asked for a viewing, I am going there now and I said, “I am coming with you.” It was great, (Hecks) housing and association. Fuchsia pink all over. It hasn’t been touched since the seventies, and yeah, very good price. So we had the agreement and principle done, we had the deposit proof of funds on the desk of the agent by 09:00 AM that next morning, they couldn’t really go to market with t at that point, so we didn’t have to complete. And as I understand it was about two hundred investors that are after this (Hecks) housing and association properties, where they are offloading their old stock and buying newer stuff, and so we were very lucky there. So yeah, well forwards, it took a while to get through conveyancing, throughout that whole time I was on eBay and I had gone through every night and buying stuff that I thought I would need for the renovation. I was an engineer, I had a big van, I had tools, and we had the company van as well, so it meant we could quickly — if we sort of (bargain) — go and get stuff. I think the best part was we got a brand new bathroom suite from B&Q, it was the guy that bought it, left it in the garage, didn’t need it. Put it on eBay with a spelling mistake and we got the whole lot for thirteen pound, just amazing. The next first thing we got a second hand kitchen, but it was a high-end kitchen, with grounded worktops, appliances included — that cost £250. And then we sold the old one which was horrible, 1970’a kitchen; we just though you know what, we will try it on Gumtree for a hundred pound, someone bought it. And then we are just going to use it in the garage, you know, art studio, and for them it was perfect. So net it was a hundred and fifty pound grounded worktop kitchen. But at the time I knew, I had no concept of leverage or anything like that, I did all the work myself, so I was working every day and then going to the property at night, working from 05:00/06:00 PM till 10:00 or 11:00 PM — annoying the neighbours — and yeah, it was hard gruelling work. Chris: Was it annoying the neighbours who wanted to buy the property? Graham:  Maybe that’s why they gave me such a hard time. Chris: Possibly. Graham:  No, I was pretty respectful, but it was hard work, and I would probably age myself five years during that process. I got to the point where I was actually resenting the property, I was going in and just feeling empty; it was horrible. My wife thankfully… I just wanted to sell it, it wasn’t even ready and I said look, let’s just put it on the market I have had enough. And we had an agent man that said look, you at ninety-nine percent, just finish it and then we would value it properly. And my wife said look, you didn’t do this to sell it and really after legals, forget home under the armour, when you look at what you are going to make after everything, even though we had only spent maybe four grand (£4,000) and had done everything, and we have made a very nice home for someone. We won’t have made much money at all, it certainly wasn’t worth all that effort I had gone through, and she said look, this isn’t why you did this, it was to start in your property journey so let’s just it, find a tenant. So thankfully we did that, it took us two months, we were very (fassy), more (fassy) than we needed to be, but of course it was our precious first ever property. Chris: Absolutely. Graham:  So we got a couple of teachers and then we went for a year. That was nice actually. And after that whole endeavour, I had totally had enough of properties though, we got tenants in and I was like forget about that for at least a year, let’s see what happens to the market and I will start thinking about it; the (tiling) for next year. And that was my time to really then start getting into forex and really double down and focus very hard. The biggest thing I have got out of that was the self-discipline. My mentor, he did meditate before even looking at any charts in the morning, he was very, very disciplined and focused and so I really kind of started to develop that side of myself, which I had never known before — to be honest with you — and that was really useful. So I was really trying hard to be a very successful forex trader, and I wasn’t losing a lot to be honest with you but I was really trying to hone my skill before putting any significant amount of money in, but whether you are twenty pounds down or twenty grand (£20,000) down, I think once the emotions kick in they are very, very dangerous. So I was just learning to try and separate decision making from emotions. And I think the truth is I wasn’t really enjoying it and my wife asked e the question of; where do you lose track of time the most? And I wanted to answer forex but I didn’t really know the answer. Coincidentally, that night I had seen on meetup.com, a weird thing I had never heard of before, it said property networking event — I was like not really so interested in that but I am quite interested in listening to the guy that retired in his early thirties using other people’s money. I thought well, he is either a corny man or he has got something that I could learn, so let’s go and hear him. And I would never forget, I said to my wife, you know what, it says networking from 09:00, I will be home just after 09:00, I am not interested in all of that. And I went along and it was quite a forced thing, there was the ringing of bell every couple of minutes and making you go and talk to someone else. Chris: Be networking… Graham:  I had never known anything like it, and you know what, I met some really good people, some people that hadn’t gone into property, so I had advice to offer them and people that had been in it twenty years and twenty plus properties, and I loved it, I absolutely loved it. I met some good people, I met a plumber that I was getting on really well with him and you know people have been on these courses and I was arguing with them, you know; why would you do that. When that can be out towards a deposit and they were arguing with me saying well, how long I it going to take you to save another deposit before you can buy another property. And that’s how far detached I was with being a real property investor. But the guy, you know what, the guy spoke — he was good — I wanted to say hi to him, there was a couple of people I wanted to follow up conversation with, afterwards. 11:00 PM we were getting kicked out of the bar, at 11:30 PM we were still kind of raveting on — to be honest with you. And I was really energized, I was buzzing, and I went home and say, I know where my true passion is, I lost track of time and I could have talked all night with those guys, though I have never met before and it was all around property. And I really knew my passion from there on, and in fact, this is it, this is what I am going to be doing, and it was very nice to have that kind of inspiration, if you like. Chris: Yeah, definitely. So you kind of find your direction and in terms of property; and what was it really that attracted you to SA, you know, how did you go from this point where you go right this is what I want to do to actually establishing Serviced Accommodation, would sit you write well? Graham:  There was a guy that actually was doing a thing called Serviced Accommodation, not really heard of but I have heard of Airbnb, so I kind of understood it. We have been doing Airbnb from our spare room at times, it wasn’t something we enjoyed doing, but my grew up in a guest in New York and so for her it was always kind of a dream to go back to that, whereas for me that was just a nightmare that I do lots of strangers in your home and I was just not ever enjoying that, whereas Airbnb can be a bit more picky and choosy, enquiry only, for example, I was travelling a lot for work so we did have women only if we let it out at all while I was away. And so I was exposed to that and then I had met a guy that was doing it more professionally, I just assumed with his own property. And I was aware of this thing that everyone at the time was doing rent-to-rent and HMOs, and it was quite funny actually because I had heard about that when it first… Well, when I first heard about it, it was getting going in London quite big and it was around 2013, and my mind-set is to show mind-set shift, at the time I just thought I went on too late, these people are already doing that, you have to be the first, otherwise, no point. And that’s where my head was out at the time. And a while forwards, years and years, and everyone is talking about rent-to-rent, I am like oh yeah I know what that is. And I don’t really know, I don’t know if it’s arrogant, but I thought I had a brainwave, I thought I had a really good idea that no one else had had, what about if you combine these two strategies: rent-to-rent, but instead of putting HMOs, what about rent-to-rent for Serviced Apartments. And I spoke to someone, I then got to go another couple of networking events and I said to someone, oh I have got this idea and they kind of laughed at me, and they went yeah that’s what everyone is looking to do, I was like oh okay, cool, cool, cool. So that was it. I will go back to an agent I met — the guy who first helped me out with that property I nearly bought — me and him kept in touch, I involved him in the buying of the successful purchase and the renovation, in fact, I invited him around when it was complete so I could show him everything and also he had me help him. He had a couple of offices and I did security lamp, CCTV, that kind of thing, so we got a business relationship going on and so that was good and keeping in touch, and we enjoyed each other’s company. I do remember being at one of his offices and doing a repair, and (seeding) of the Serviced Accommodation thing, I said have you heard of this thing that people are doing and he said that sounds similar to the corporate lets, but you know that sublettings are kind of not allowed and it’s definitely frowned upon, I said oh yeah, I know. But I didn’t really move it forwards from there. Well forwards many months and I get a phone call from him, I was his go to guy I guess and looking back — having now read Daniel Priestley’s book –his key person of influence within anything that was technical. And he had just acquired a block of apartments, just four apartments, and he was going to be giving the block management. And he asked me, he phoned me up, and he said look; what’s going to be my requirement for fire safety? And I said what have you got? And he explained. And I said you know what, it would be easier if I come down and meet you in person. Chris: Of course it will be. I’ll have a look! Graham:  Yeah, brand new renovation in a listed building, not in the market yet, four high-end one bed apartment. I thought yeah, you know what, I am going to pop down. So I went down in the afternoon and I had a look round and it really was stunning — very, very nice, oak everywhere, massive windows; very, very central in Nottingham; fantastic location, and yeah the place was stunning. And I said to him you know what, I am interested. And he said “what do you mean?” Is everything alright Graham? If you didn’t split up with your wife, why do you want a one-bed flat in the centre of the town? I said no, no, no, I am interested in taking the block. And so he kind of looked at me and he… I was a little bit gone out to be honest with you; to let you know no offence, eighteen months ago you were about to buy your first dod property; and now this? I was like yeah, you know, Serviced Accommodation; do remember that thing I was telling you about? So he was the first challenge, to honest with you, and my knee-jack thing was to phone that guy I had met at that very first networking event that was doing that thing called Serviced Accommodation, and he very quickly recognized it as a good opportunity and was right in my house that night. And actually we met with the agent quite quickly afterwards and you know what, he did a very, very good job of… He had been on the courses, he knew what he was doing and it just was getting going and he is very, very prepared, and he did a perfect job of convincing the agent that it was first of all a legitimate thing to be doing with the building but second of all, it was actually the better thing to be doing with that property, it would have worked better as SA a it would have worked under AST, which the owners were looking at. So that was fantastic, you know, the idea was to be doing some form of JV, it didn’t end up working out mostly because the guy really had to focus on his own properties which was quite a sensible thing and that was he advice he had received at the time from his mentor. Now, I also saw the importance of having a mentor, and I wasn’t sure about doing the course, so I bypassed doing the course and I actually reached out to Mark Stokes — at the time he was quite heavily involved in Serviced Accommodation — and I said to him; would you mind mentoring me on the side? And from there that was very useful and I was getting to learn a lot. And the way I have always been is I do real deep dive in any subject. I would never forget; I wanted  to buy s mountain bike, I had spent three months researching, I had to know about every single component, every single (back) on the market, the price points, the pros and cons, everything — and that’s just how I am, and of course then started my journey into Serviced Accommodation really. And it was a bit of a blessing really, the owners weren’t too interested, they (popped) some cash in this big block and their main focus was on their business which needed their attention, so nothing was happening for months actually; however, the agent was fully on board and was representing us, he was the guy selling it to the owners, not us — and so that was very, very useful. Well forwards, I was probably at risk of being the most qualified bystander in all of Serviced Accommodation in the UK and every day I was working towards it, no matter what; whether it was researching, or testing software, or reading books, and I was really focused on business development, I wasn’t using this as a property strategy. And I think, looking back now that was a sensible thing to do and I think that’s possibly not what everyone in the space has done — they have got their single lets, they have got their HMOs, and then they have jumped into Serviced Accommodation as the next best thing to do. And possibly some people might not have the right mind-set around everything when taking that journey; whereas, I was very much focused on, okay we are going to be starting a business here; how do we do this successfully. And yeah, I was using the time very wisely but it took a very long time before we finally got that call the agents saying, “make yourself available 08:00 AM next week.” And Mark was kind enough to join me but it was like Alan Sugar’s boardroom and talking some very big successful guys about (capital allowances), it was a little but intimidating, so I was glad to have a partner by my side. And long story short, we got the block — they didn’t trust us — we had proper business plans and everything, we have done a lot work towards it and they could recognize that. Equally, I recognize that we were taking a chance, we really were. We hit the ground running, we opened up and we were prepared and did everything right, and very quickly we were getting very good reviews and getting a good turnover. And we got offered quite quickly — by the guy we nearly did a JV with — another property. Chris: Yeah, I did say what’s quite interesting there was these three key events which kind of happened prior to getting going which some people would call luck, but I think if you examine closely, it’s not really luck at all, it’s kind of point yourself out there and being in the right place at the right time. The first of all was being saved from buying the (dead, few at first) buy to let property. And you could say yeah, it stroke a lot but at the same time if you hadn’t been in that network building, if you hadn’t put yourself out there you wouldn’t meet the person that you then come along and say, actual you need to worry about this. Similarly with the agent who kind of brought you your first single let property, it was kind of lucky, but again if you hadn’t been there, if you hadn’t been putting yourself out there, talking to the agents, being in that position with then when they said oh yeah, I got this one, you know, you might be interested in, then it would happen. And very similarly with when the block came through; exactly the same situation, if you hadn’t been building that relationship, maintaining that relationship with that person over time then it just never would have come through, really. And I think it just highlights the importance in property, it’s a cliché to say but it’s completely a people business; isn’t it. Graham:  One hundred percent, yeah. Chris: You know it’s not about (a person motto) at all, it’s completely about people. Graham:  Yeah, a hundred percent. Even we didn’t talk about tenants but a big part of my success was is having really good tenants and looking after them. So yeah, it’s definitely a people business. Chris: Yeah, absolutely. So when you kind of started out then, what was this thing that you struggled with the most — do you think? Graham:  Initially, when I was still working, my hand was fun… Chris: Struggle when you were running full properties. Graham:  Full properties and a full time job which was very demanding, there were long-long hours, I was doing sometimes eighty hours a week. A lot of those hours where on the road, I could make phone calls, but my hand was forced quite quickly to get help, so, it was a struggle but it was also what I needed, it was a kind of blessing really. Chris: One of those blessings in disguise is what it’s like because you can’t do everything yourself, you are then forced to kind of leverage early; right. Graham:  Absolutely. So I found a UK based VA, and I was struggling to find one. Again, my wife was instrumental in helping me find my first VA. And she persuaded me to reach out to a contact in London who was growing a multi-million pound, massive, very successful business. And she said, “why don’t you ask Lauren?” And I said well, we are at very different places, I am not really sure he is the best person to ask. But you know what I did; and he said my very-very best PA has left, very annoyingly she has left to have a baby and she has now had a baby and is wanting to start working from home which I can’t do, I need someone in the office in London; and so why don’t I connect you. And I said, thank you very much. And so that was Emma, so Emma joined us very-very early, initially just for a few hours a week, and it was research and it was this and it was that, and quite quickly I got her trained up on some of the software we were using, and it became a more regular position for her, and she enjoyed it. And it was something different for her — she had always been a PA — PA’s are fantastic at organizing things. However, she always wanted to double check everything, which was fine, you know, I was available in the phone most of the time, so having that job and being able to do it quite easily because I had always done it, allowed me to have the mental capacity to say well do this, now do that, and I almost micromanaged but it meant I had someone there available — and that went very well. So that was that was the struggle. I am trying to think of something else but that was probably the main thing at the time. Absolutely. Chris: Yeah, because I mean you were quite well prepared. I love that phrase: “the most qualified bystander” and all of those accommodation. Because you basically spend about a year working on that deal before it came to a (finish). Graham:  Probably a good nine months. And really towards the end actually, certainly by the time mentor, I mean during that process as well we actually bought our first home, so that was going on, I renovated that, I had learned the concepts of leverage and using other people’s time while I was going off at doing what I was good at. And also we had got our second buy to let as well by refinancing the first one with the added value. So by doing all that work myself in the first place, it did build in the value, and so, looking back it was the right thing to do but it’s not something — I am not sure — I would like to do it again, if I am honest. Chris: So the three stages that we talk about like start, systemize, scale, so you obviously got started, it sounds like very early on you had to start leveraging and to leverage you really need the systems in place; don’t you? Graham:  Yeah. Chris: That was absolutely key if you are going to be working with other people, you are not just handing responsibility over to someone, you are putting the systems in place, you are plugging the right people into those systems and then you are kind of monitoring their performance on them. So at what point did you then start scaling the business from these four guaranteed rent properties you have taken on? Graham:  Well, very-very quickly actually, the guy that we nearly did the JV with, he introduced me to a landlord, at the time he was at full capacity himself and this other landlord he needed some investment in the property, he needed furnishing and decorating — nothing too major — but he didn’t have any. And it was his first buy to let, he was a London investor and he had had experience with Serviced Accommodation, so he knew what he wanted to do, and he needed help bringing it to standards which we were in a position to do. However, my whole conversation was around how much rent do you want, and he just didn’t want to do that. So he wanted the reward from Serviced Accommodation, that’s why he wanted to do Serviced Accommodation. So really, we ended up doing management for him, and looking back we did actually set it up perfectly, he was an accountant by trade anyway, and it was a very simple management contract. But yeah with the gentleman’s agreement on the side, you know, of a zero percent loan, so you get going, so that loan was going to get paid back from the income of running it as a Serviced Apartment. Chris: And what party was that to, was that from you to him to get it going or…? Graham:  Yes. Chris: Okay, cool. Graham:  And so, it was very quickly, we were adding some portfolio, I think that was within the first couple of months. In fact, I think we had only just gone live when I first met him, I remember him coming, I did an introduction and showed him around our first block, and we had literally just furnished it and started getting guests at that point, so it was very-very early, we were adding to it. So very quickly, I recognised the importance of systemizing and I knew that was going to be essential. I have got another friend who was local to me in Nottingham, who was growing a very-very successful business completely separate, they are coders, they are in the games industry. But he put a book unto me, The E-myth. For him, as a developer, it’s what he needed to stop developing and look at the high picture, and look at the chaos around him, and starts putting things in order, and from there that’s when his business started getting successful. So he said to me right from the get go, read this book and follow it — and really if you have not read it, it’s about really the franchise model and looking at what’s good about that, lost franchises succeed, most small businesses fail, and the main difference is the fact that franchises are systemized, you are buying a system and that is a set of instructions really. And if you are to break your business down and everything you do in that down into a set of instructions, then you can start to then give those instructions to others. And so I had to do that very early, I had no choice. And that’s where we started to really build our own systems and processes and found our way of doing it. I had someone build me a flow diagram, I showed them everything I was doing, and they build me a flow diagram of — we called it guest work flow — and from initial enquiry all the way through to check out. And you know what, there were so many kind ifs and buts, you know, if it was an Airbnb, can we do this; and if it was a high value (booking), can we do that — and there was a lot of variables. And I also very quickly realized the flow diagram was not the best way of doing it. For example, if a guest and we have to 4.1 in the flow diagram and then no action to take for three months, you know, how are you going to record where they are on that journey and trigger the next action? And so we looked at alternatives and that’s where, really, I started to build something and teach it to Emma and have her run it for me. And so yeah, that was how we got going for the whole systemization. Chris: That’s cool. I think when we started working together; do you remember you have the four properties on the block plus one on the management, and you were going a bit crazy at that point looking (at those) different stuff, where you going to have a look at a hotel when we first had our meeting? Graham:  Yeah. I got to know a property sourcer who is based in Manchester and he had a contact that was struggling with a very small boutique hotel, near Manchester airport. And, I thought yeah, you know; why not? Chris: In fact, it’s a couple of hours journey, yeah, whatever. Graham:  Yeah, sort of that. Don’t worry. He was quite local too, where it was located, and it would have had an office space which was what he needed — so he was going to be my guy on the ground. So there was some logic around it, like teach him the systems and the processes, and actually I was going to be sharing the management with him, and there was that, but also I had started to speak to some large property investors around my area in Nottingham. And one of them had muted the idea of just testing market with twenty-five studio apartments. And so, I was like okay, I need a mentor because my time with Mark is always going to be just three months — that was just to help kick-start me — and that was months previous really. And so at the time I was then thinking I need a mentor. And so, I was just thinking, okay, I need to say yes to everything but I don’t know how I am going to do it; we have got systems but they are not ready for this amount of scale — we can’t go from five to thirty apartments in one hotel. One of which was in Manchester. So I reached out to Chris after listening to the podcast and after hearing him advocate management which by the way really started to recognize the benefits of that. Because everything we were doing was scalable, our systems were scalable, our processes were scalable. But also, I had been advised against taking the block because it was a big risk to take on the liability — you know, for me and my wage, it was more than what I was earning, so if it didn’t work, it was going to be very-very costly, especially after buying my own property. So I did recognize that that sort of things was not scalable. And so management landed in my lap, if you like, and from there I recognized it as being a much more scalable strategy. Yes, we (are making) less per property of course, but yes it was scalable. So my mind was on that, I then was listening to this podcast and I heard about how great management was from you, Chris, I remember I reached out to you and said look, I have ended up doing management and I would like to learn a bit more about it, and also I am not sure I am going to kind of take on all these new properties that are coming my way. So I still remember, it was here in Heathrow actually, first ever board room session with other operators. And the advice was quite strong, Manchester does not sound like a good idea at all. And there was a few red flags around it, which I was maybe glancing over. Chris: Yeah. The key one I remember was that the guy who was still going to be living on site and that to me sounds like an absolute nightmare because when you do management, there is got to be a real clear distinction, what the roles are and who is doing what. If your person is still living on site, then clearly you are going to get involved and basically with everything that you are doing, so that was the biggest one for me. But there are some other ones around it, (not a list of all) like I say, Nottingham to Manchester is not a short journey, it’s not very close and having had experience running hotel before, it’s not very much fun. You are going have to be doing quite a lot of work around it, very hands-on, even hands-off hotels were remarkably hands-on, so there is a lot of stuff to do around there. So I think that was kind of clear, kind of realigning of focus a little bit and obviously you realize that scaling up using the management model was going to be the way to go for you. Now, generally, the challenge with management is… Although the model works brilliantly for you, as a management business; it works brilliantly for like an operator, developer, landlord — at the same time it’s a lot harder to kind of come across the deal; isn’t it. Because you are having to push people a lot out  of their comfort zone to kind of understand how it works, compared to; oh yeah just give me this and that rent each month. Instead of saying well, I am going to manage it for you, it can go up, it can go down, you are probably going to make more money, but at the same time you are then going to be the actual operator, so you have got some liability around that etcetera. Well, like I say that the management model is brilliant, the challenge most people have with scaling that up is; where do I find my clients? So how have you found your clients as you have scaled up the management model? Graham:  Well, it was actually a long while, so although we went from four to five very quickly, going beyond five took a long time and it was — I am trying to think really — it was a random comment on one of the Facebook groups, and it was an operator in London asking for cleaners in Nottingham. And so I reached out then I just asked how I could help, and they explained that they were actually trying to help someone else that was doing rent to rent in Nottingham. And so that’s how I got introduced to another London investor, this time instead of buying property in Nottingham he was renting property in Nottingham to run serviced accommodation. So I met him and he had actually been using another agent and they already had one property of his and then he acquired a second property –giving them the keys — and it had taken a month for not much had happened and he was getting frustrated. He met me on the Saturday, on the Monday we had contracts drawn up and signed, and by Friday we were furnished and live, and Saturday night we got out first guest, so he was very-very happy with that. Chris: No messing around then. Graham:  That’s it just kind of being ready to just absolutely hit the ground running, you know, and I guess that’s where having systems really helps as well; step one do this, step two do that. To be fair, the on boarding process — as I call it — was chaotic, but everything else was just what we were already doing, so that bit was quite easy. It came naturally and I also had people that could do that and I could focus on the on boarding. But yeah, in my mind, probably a bit more chaotic that it should have been and it’s a bit like oh yeah we need to do that definitely. So I was already thinking this needs systemizing. But from there we got to know another operator who was also using another agent, the same other agent, and yeah, they weren’t doing the very best job actually and although they have been growing for about a year on a block of apartments, the actual owner of the apartments haven’t really made much money. And the difference in the way that we structured, you know, complete transparency, and almost an open policy versus the setup he had, it looked like a breath of fresh air. Furthermore, the owner, he was a developer, he wanted to focus on development, he had a team in place to help with the development, although he had given the block to a management agency. A lot of his resources and time was continued to be used on looking after his block, and it’s because the agency was in a completely different part of the country, trying to manage something in Nottingham. Chris: And that’s a fundamental issue with the national management companies; isn’t it? It’s actually very hard to have people on the ground and to have the same level of local knowledge with a local business. Graham:  Yeah, a hundred percent. So issues with cleaner, you need to find a new cleaner (please). You know, light bulbs going in the bedroom, a cleaner can’t reach; do you want us to send the call-out engineer, a hundred and forty pounds, or do you want to go down and sort tell light bulb and you know, it just comes through things like that. And then with the potential, I would say, just lack of clarity around other things as well. I guess my introduction to him was a breath of fresh air for him and it was just what we needed as well, I was already kind of getting to the point where it was going to be handing my (notice in) at work. And so, it all happened together to be honest with you, we went from six properties to me handing in my (notice in) and on boarding another seven properties and it all happened very quickly. From there we also got the second property from the first guy as well. So yeah we were then really putting our systems to the test and on boarding more staff at that point as well, we had separated out the companies of course — operations with the first block and management — and that happened quite a bit earlier actually. Chris: You mentioned like creating your job there, so that was something you have been putting off for a while; what impact do you think that had on your growth? Graham:  Yeah, massive. And I think it changed from; can I do everything? To should I be doing everything? So yes, I could do everything, I could have a full time job but I was at work for twelve to fourteen hours a day and run as successful business because of having the help and people, the very-very good people. Emma by now, by the way you know she had come on to working six hours per day, I think at that point, and she was a very-very high standard, high calibre. Initially her only weakness wasn’t really a weakness, it’s where she has always been a PA and she just want to double check things  and that’s what being a PA is; should I do this, should I do that? And entrusted her, I said look, this is your thing. And I guess for me, going back to the whole fault finding, when things went wrong it wasn’t a matter of like whose fault was it, it was more like well, which bit of this system is broken, and how can we stop that happening again. Chris: I think that’s really critical. Most people when something goes wrong they inclination is to kind of blame someone. My first question is; what didn’t we do which would have stopped this from happening? As opposed to it’s this person’s fault. So if you have a cleaner that doesn’t turn up at your property, for instance, to create that massive problem in an SA business — now, most people turn on to blame the cleaner and go… Graham:  Well, we had it happen. Chris: Yeah, absolutely, and that’s the thing. The correct response to that is okay; what haven’t I done which would have stopped this from happening and it might be that you didn’t have clear enough communication around, when you didn’t give the assistance to make it very-very easy, to see exactly what it is, you didn’t have the confirmations in place so that you knew a hundred percent that they knew about it etcetera. And it’s a very different response, of course, in way that’s kind of a natural because that kind of human nature just wanting to blame someone straight away. But once you kind of take that step back and start looking at things like that, you start developing your business very quickly; don’t you. Graham:  You have got to take responsibility and that’s it, it’s your business, it’s your responsibility, and it’s your fault if something goes wrong like maybe it’s the wrong person role but… Chris: But you appointed them in that role. Graham:  Who appointed them? Chris: It’s definitely your mistake. Graham:  Have you given them clear instructions then ask them to follow them and have they gone against those. And if they have gone against them, is it because you haven’t trained them well enough. So it might be the person but most of the time it’s not, actually. You know, that cleaner that did forget a second time as well, and that’s ends being a (full wave) onto the guest and moving yet if you can; it’s really embarrassing. But yeah we have got much more solid systems around the turnarounds now, things cannot get missed, and if it looks like they may have been missed, we have got four hours warning and everyone in the company is getting alerted to the fact that maybe we have got a cleaner that is not of the cleaning today. And so it’s very-very… Good systems we have got around that and those only come off the back of something going wrong, otherwise we would have just carried on, we (are) just letting them know when their cleans were, without any feedback knowing that they were aware of the cleaning the first place and knowing that they (off from) site. Chris: Yeah, I think that kind of feedback in the business is critical, whether it’s things going wrong, whether it’s listening to your guests, listening to your staff as well, of course, but that feedback is critical to really grow and improve your businesses into. Graham:  Yeah, absolutely. Chris: There is one thing I just wanted to pick up there. And with management you have really got two kind of different (avatars): one is focusing on people within — you might call it the property education community, the people who are kind of active and involved in what we are doing like this — and the other is people who are more kind of traditional landlords and developers. Now, how will your clients spot between those two and how do you find those two different (avatars) to work with? Graham:  Actually, I think the first avatar, as you call it, the guys that are in the industry already, that’s word of mouth, people get to know. And that developer that moved over to us he did a lot of due diligence with us and I think people really trusted him and of course then got his feedback as well — we had done a good job and that did reach other people. And actually coincidentally, that first guy that I was going to be doing a JV with ended up being one of our clients, it was great for us and it was great for him. And that’s what real business is about, it’s creating win wins, and Serviced Accommodation is a win, win, it can be a win for the property owner, a win for the guests — getting much nice accommodation than hotels — and it’s a win for us, as much more it can be a much better cash flow strategy. And that for me is a real win, win and that’s where real business is. And so creating ways for other operators to come to us, to leverage our systems and our team, to then really help them kind of focused on what they want to do — whether it is acquiring more Serviced Apartments or focusing their other businesses or their other property strategies — really by enabling that connection to happen and finding a way that it really will be to the true mutual benefit, that’s where we have grown a lot to be honest with you. So we have had four, I guess… Other operators join us now as clients, which is great. Yeah, working with the landlords is… We don’t really do any marketing, I mean we are getting a big and better name for ourselves now, and so we are becoming the kind of go to guys within Nottingham. So it’s much more about personal connections rather than random marketing to be honest with you. Chris: Yeah. And what has been your experience with the developer market; has that been something hard to break into? Graham:  Yes. Quite often because a lot of developers in Nottingham are building to sell right now, and you can’t blame them with the (passes) they have been getting, and actually if they are building to keep, they are then looking to refinance off the back of that and so it’s more difficult to then convince there lenders that Serviced Accommodation is a legitimate way of kind of having this work. And you see, because we are not offering any sort of guaranteed rents to developers, they really then kind of struggle. So yes, it needs much bigger developers to be honest with you; who don’t need to finance out of the back of each deal and can park some cash, or have got better and bigger relationships with lenders. Chris: Yeah. And if my understanding is right, so you haven’t done any deals with developers outside the property education community, so far, but you have been working on these relationships for a few years now and you have got stuff now coming up the pipeline; is that right. Graham:  Yeah, absolutely. We have got two blocks of sixteen apartments in different areas of the city. Chris: That’s sixteen each block. Graham:  Sixteen each. Yes. And we have got another block coming, it’s really early days but it will be a block of twenty-eight, we will get first (refuse) the number of apartments we would want to take in that block — and again, at a completely different part of the city. And so I think we will definitely be taking fourteen there because of the way he building is split, but we are going to be able to adjust the market there and potentially take more from that point as well, even if some go to (YST). But those relationships take a long time and I think developers will tell you their deals take a long time, a lot longer than they anticipate as well. So whether that’s the acquisition, the legals, or the kind of planning process, or even getting contract as on site to then finishing the site. Everything takes much longer than anticipated. One of those blocks of sixteen was going to be ready before Christmas and it’s isn’t now, here we are in June, six months. So it’s just a couple of weeks away, so we will see on that one. Chris: So it sounds like the kind of process you have gone through scaling up, it has been working with other operators, helping local people who were already involved in SA, and then continuing those relationships of course. But starting to build the relationships with the developers, which is really going to then escalate and take the growth to another level, you know, if you are taking on blocks of sixteen to twenty-eight at a time, as opposed to maybe individual properties at blocks of four/five, that type of thing. Graham:  Yeah, absolutely.  But you see a lot of individual ones as well in much bigger blocks… Chris: More issues around it, isn’t it. (Free holes), neighbours, etcetera. Graham:  Access. And look it is where we are very much found above board and everything is being done right and so, if you are not meant to do it in a big block then just don’t do it, it’s not really worth it. Chris: There enough places out there which you can do it legitimately and it’s not worth the time, or effort, or money, which you are essentially going to waste if someone turns around and says, you can’t do this right. Graham:  Yeah. And look (Riggs) are coming, (Access Riggs) are going to be getting tightened up and you have got to be prepared for that. And I think doing SA where it’s not really allowed is going to be one of the first areas of attention from the authority, so it’s just not worth it. Chris: Brilliant. So you have kind of taken us through the whole journey and show people how you scaled up, which I think would be really useful for people to hear. So what would you say was the most important elements to start scaling successfully? Graham:  Definitely the systems and processes. I mean we were absolutely over (queue), initially, on our processes and our systems. I mean I remember showing someone and he said, “well, you have just got five properties and you are doing all that.” And it’s like yes, but this will handle fifty easily without even thinking twice, and really we just need to plug the staff in. And that really is breaking everything down into like, step one do this, step two do that. And all those variables and having that system in place where we have got accountability within it, we know who has done well and when, so if there was something that’s going wrong, we can go back and just have a look again at the training and so on and so forth. But also if we need to slot more staff in, we have systemized the training now as well, and so we can just add people, (as in when). Emma, she is ops manager now, so she is absolutely full time, plus, plus. Chris: But you say she is ops manager but kind of really, she is more of, almost, general manager (to help you out); isn’t she. She is kind of essentially running the business for you with some oversight from you I would say. Graham:  Yes, certainly more recently. I think initially she came on full time as ops manager but I think… Chris: It’s a role which is developed often, I have been absolutely critical with having one person who has that kind of responsibility for overseeing; right. Graham:  Absolutely. Chris: And it kind of almost started as a PA role and then it evolved into an ops manager and now it has evolved into a kind of general manager. Graham:  Absolutely yeah. So she is handling all the girls: the coms assistants, the bookkeepers. Although I have got a relationship within, they know I am very open, an easy to speak to guy. You know there, I don’t have much to do, if I am to be honest with you. Chris: You are not their line manager. Graham:  I am not their line manager. I mean I have a very much instilled company values of team work and we are all equal. I have taken my cleaners out to dinner, multiple times. We wouldn’t have a successful business if it weren’t for the cleaners doing a very-very good job in turning up. Chris: And most people only appreciate that, when they do a bad job and they see the impact it has on the business. So, it is really-really important when the staff (going well), and to also appreciate the importance they have in the business and then reward that when that’s having it’s impact on what you are doing. Graham:  Yeah. So systems but also the team work, it has been essential. Emma has had, I have asked her what she wanted, and we have created the wall around her family life and requirements. So it meant that she is much happier in her role, she is being more responsibilities all the time, but she is rising to the challenge (at hand); the amount of money she can earn also rises with that. So it is a good thing to have. And really instilling in everyone that if they have got good suggestions, make them, and if it’s an improvement, we are going to implement it across the business. Chris: So kind of feeding on from that; what advice would you give to someone who is scaling up their business? Graham:  I don’t want to keep saying systemizing. Chris: You can keep saying systemizing, that’s absolutely fine. Graham:  Well, how do you systemize? I guess that’s the question. Chris: Yeah. Graham:  It’s teach someone. Even if you have got no one to teach, maybe do a screen recording on your laptop and read out the instructions of what you are doing. Because actually you will find those little bits in your head that you are just doing them without much thought, and maybe you have got three ways of doing the same thing, and it depends which day of the week and what mood you are in, as to the one you are doing. So actually; what criteria would you do this or do that. And when you really break it down, I would say do ten minute videos, I aim to do lots of ten minutes videos and then you can even get a VA off People Per Hour or such like and get them to write a set of instructions from that video. And that’s the start of the systemizing, that’s getting it out of your own head and putting it into a process, do this if that, and so on and so forth. And that’s absolutely essential because if you are going to add staff as you start scaling, they need to know what to do. And so you can then start identifying the higher value stuff and the lower value stuff. You know how Emma is being instructed to leave most of the comms and focus on the high value stuffs, so when we have got guests requesting a late check-out, it’s a science — you go to the cleaners, and you check their schedule, you check the next check-in, and you speak to the guest. And that’s a science where there was great management, maybe that’s a bit more of an art, and that’s high value. Chris: Art-science; isn’t it. Graham:  Yeah. And so that’s a high value task. So we wanted to be able to focus on that without keep getting distracted about having an extra hour in the apartment. Chris: I think when we look at how you have been able to scale up that quickly, I think it has been three elements really, and it’s again the things that we always all about when we talk about leverage it, putting systems in place — and you have clearly had those basically from day one — and getting the right team around it with the right culture and the right attitude, and tell following up with the accountability. And again, a lot of the accountability with what you are doing comes from the systems you have in place: using things like Slack where you can communicate easily with the team, you can also see if something hasn’t been done, if there is a problem, etcetera. So it’s getting all the three elements right, which has allowed you to scale quite quickly; isn’t it? Graham:  Absolutely. Yeah. Definitely. Chris: Brilliant. Well, hopefully that has been very useful for everyone and thank you for joining us today Graham. Graham:  It has been my pleasure. Thank you very much indeed. Chris: Cheers.   Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast, to hear the latest on Serviced Accommodation. If you are looking to start systemize or scale your serviced accommodation business, visit www.thesapodcast.com to see how we could help you further.    

Start the new year with some Japanese-y goodness. Do the 30 day challenge. Today we talk again about Ga が and Wa は and how they work, and we delve into some sentence structure.manga-sensei.com/30daysmusic by Gizmo

In this episode Lindsay and Nicholas have an engaging conversation about curses and hexes. We also catch up on life and talk about some listener mail. Feel free to write to us at twobadpaganspodcast@gmail.com!Right click here to download the show.

ABC's The Middle makes our kids laugh. They like to watch episode after episode chronicling the trials and tribulations of the Heck family.  If you hadn't heard, the Hecks will depart into TV retirement following this final season. When Jack heard this fact, he wanted to make his first podcast about how much he likes The Middle and why you should watch it. The Middle is on ABC on Tuesday nights. Don't be surprised if Jack's language gets a little saltier than you might expect. As he'll tell anyone that stares: he has Autism and Tourette syndrome. So, sometimes he can get a little more colorful with his descriptions than other kids. I'm sure our audience can roll with it.  

www.segelpodcast.com SBF Binnen Fragebogen 14 Hier kannst du dir vom SBF Binnen Fragebogen 14 herunter laden: FB14 SBF Binnen Fragen- und Antwortenkatalog für den amtlichen Sportbootführerschein-Binnen, gültig für Prüfungen ab 16.01.2013 Fragebogen 14 Antwort a. ist immer richtig  Wann müssen die Lichter von Fahrzeugen geführt oder gezeigt werden? Von Sonnenuntergang bis Sonnenaufgang und bei verminderter Sicht. Von Sonnenaufgang bis Sonnenuntergang und bei verminderter Sicht. Von abends 18:00 Uhr bis morgens 06:00 Uhr und bei verminderter Sicht. Bei Dunkelheit, schlechtem Wetter und verminderter Sicht. Zwei Motorboote nähern sich auf kreuzenden Kursen. Es besteht die Gefahr eines Zusammenstoßes. Wer ist ausweichpflichtig? Dasjenige Fahrzeug muss ausweichen, welches das Andere an seiner Steuerbordseite hat. Dasjenige Fahrzeug muss ausweichen, welches das Andere an seiner Backbordseite hat. Es muss das luvwärtige Fahrzeug dem leewärtigen Fahrzeug ausweichen. Es muss das leewärtige Fahrzeug dem luvwärtigen Fahrzeug ausweichen. Welche Bedeutung hat folgendes Tafelzeichen? Mindestabstand in Metern, der in der nachfolgenden Strecke vom Aufstellungsort der Tafel an eingehalten werden muss. Maximalgeschwindigkeit in km/h, die auf der in Fahrtrichtung rechten Fahrwasserseite nicht überschritten werden darf. Maximalabstand in Metern, der in der nachfolgenden Strecke vom Aufstellungsort der Tafel an eingehalten werden muss. Verengung des Fahrwassers auf 40 m. Warum sollte man sich von Schilf- und Röhrichtzonen sowie von dicht bewachsenen Uferzonen möglichst weit fernhalten? Weil diese Zonen vielfach Rast- und Brutplätze besonders schutzwürdiger Vögel oder Fischlaichplätze sind. Weil in diesen Zonen die Gefahr von Grundberührungen besteht. Weil durch die Pflanzen der Propeller blockiert werden könnte. Weil in diesen Zonen badende Personen schwer zu erkennen sind. Was ist unter der indirekten Ruderwirkung (Radeffekt) des Propellers zu verstehen? Das seitliche Versetzen des Hecks. Das Versetzen nach vorne. Das Versetzen nach hinten. Das seitliche Versetzen des Bugs. Welcher Feuerlöscher ist für Sportboote zweckmäßig und wie oft muss man einen Feuerlöscher überprüfen lassen? ABC-Pulver- und Schaumlöscher, mindestens alle 2 Jahre. Feuerlöscher mit Löschschaum, mindestens einmal pro Jahr. CO2-Feuerlöscher, mindestens alle 2 Jahre. ABC-Pulverlöscher, mindestens einmal pro Jahr. In welcher Situation dürfen Notsignale gegeben werden? Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen besteht und daher Hilfe benötigt wird. Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen besteht oder das Schiff nicht mehr sicher manövriert werden kann. Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen oder erhebliche Sachwerte besteht und daher Hilfe benötigt wird. Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen, erhebliche Sachwerte oder die maritime Umwelt besteht. Für welche Sportboote ist der Sportbootführerschein-Binnen vorgeschrieben? Für Sportboote von mehr als 11,03 kW (15 PS) Nutzleistung, auf dem Rhein von mehr als 3,68 kW (5 PS) Nutzleistung, und weniger als 15 m Länge. Für Sportboote von weniger als 11,03 kW (15 PS) Nutzleistung und mehr als 15 m Länge. Für Sportboote von mehr als 11,03 kW (15 PS) Nutzleistung und mehr als 15 m Länge. Für Sportboote von weniger als 11,03 kW (15 PS) Nutzleistung und weniger als 15 m Länge. Aus welchen Gründen muss der Sportbootführerschein-Binnen entzogen werden? Bei fehlender Tauglichkeit oder fehlender Zuverlässigkeit. Bei zweifelhafter Tauglichkeit wegen Alkoholmissbrauch. Bei zweifelhafter Zuverlässigkeit aus Altersgründen. Bei fehlender Zuverlässigkeit wegen einer Ordnungswidrigkeit. Wie wird die Schifffahrt vom Erreichen bestimmter Wasserstände und Hochwassermarken informiert? Durch Nautischen Informationsfunk, Information im Rundfunk, im Fernsehen und im Internet. Durch Aushang bei Hafenämtern und Schleusen. Durch Aushang bei Wasserschutzpolizei-Stationen. Durch Bekanntgaben der Hochwasserschutzzentrale. In welche Richtung werden bei Flüssen die Uferseiten als rechtes bzw. linkes Ufer bezeichnet? ... www.segelpodcast.com  

www.segelpodcast.com SBF Binnen Fragebogen 13 Hier kannst du dir vom SBF Binnen Fragebogen 13 herunter laden: FB13 SBF Binnen Fragen- und Antwortenkatalog für den amtlichen Sportbootführerschein-Binnen, gültig für Prüfungen ab 16.01.2013 Fragebogen 13 Antwort a. ist immer richtig Wozu dient die Lichterführung? Sie zeigt Fahrtrichtung und Lage eines Fahrzeugs an. Sie zeigt Kurs und Geschwindigkeit eines Fahrzeugs an. Sie zeigt Fahrtrichtung und Position eines Fahrzeugs an. Sie zeigt Fahrtrichtung und Kurs eines Fahrzeugs an. Welche Bedeutung hat folgendes Schallsignal: Bleib-weg-Signal, Gefahrenbereich sofort verlassen. Allgemeines Gefahr- und Warnsignal. Ankerlieger über 100 m Länge. Manövrierbehinderter Schleppverband über 200 m Länge. Welche Bedeutung hat folgendes Tafelzeichen? Ankern verboten für alle Fahrzeuge. Ankern verboten für Kleinfahrzeuge unter 12 m Länge. Ankern verboten für Kleinfahrzeuge ab 12 m Länge. Ankern und Festmachen verboten. Warum soll ein kleines Fahrzeug nicht dicht an ein großes in Fahrt befindliches Fahrzeug heranfahren? Es kann durch dessen Bug- oder Heckwelle kentern oder durch den Sog mit dem Fahrzeug kollidieren. Dichtes Heranfahren ist ein Verstoß gegen die Grundregeln für das Verhalten im Verkehr. Da es dem großen in Fahrt befindlichen Fahrzeug sonst nicht ausweichen kann. Es kann durch dessen Bug- oder Heckwelle Seeschlag erleiden. Was ist unter der indirekten Ruderwirkung (Radeffekt) des Propellers zu verstehen? Das seitliche Versetzen des Hecks. Das Versetzen nach vorne. Das Versetzen nach hinten. Das seitliche Versetzen des Bugs. Der Motor ist gestartet worden. Was kann die Ursache sein, wenn nach dem Einkuppeln der Antriebswelle der Motor stehenbleibt? Blockierter Propeller. Blockierte Kraftstoffzufuhr. Verschmutzter Ölfilter. Verschmutzter Luftfilter. Was ist vor Inbetriebnahme einer Flüssiggasanlage zu prüfen? Die Anlage muss abgenommen sein, Leitungen und Anschlüsse müssen dicht sein. Haupthahn und andere Absperrventile sind zu öffnen. Die Anlage muss abgenommen sein, die Inbetriebnahme darf nur durch eine besonders geprüfte Person erfolgen. Die Anlage muss abgenommen sein und jährlich überprüft werden. Die Inbetriebnahme darf nur durch eine besonders geprüfte Person erfolgen. Die Abnahme der Anlage darf nicht länger als drei Jahre zurückliegen. Haupthahn und andere Absperrventile sind zu öffnen. Auf welchen Gewässern gilt der Sportbootführerschein-Binnen? Auf den Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen. Auf allen Landesgewässern. Auf den Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen und allen Landesgewässern. Auf allen Wasserstraßen im Binnenbereich. Wo kann der Sportbootfahrer vor Ort das Erreichen bestimmter Wasserstände und Hochwassermarken feststellen? An den Pegeln und ausgewiesenen Hochwassermarken. An den Aushängen bei Hafenämtern und Schleusen. An den Aushängen bei Wasserschutzpolizei-Stationen. An den Pegeln und den Einsenkungsmarken der Fahrzeuge. Was kennzeichnet eine grün-weiß gestreifte Schwimmstange mit grünem Kegel, Spitze nach oben, oder eine grüne Tonne mit grün-weiß gestreiftem Aufsatz mit grünem Kegel, Spitze nach oben? Hindernis an der linken Seite der Wasserstraße. Fahrrinnenrand an der linken Seite der Wasserstraße. Hindernis an der rechten Seite der Wasserstraße. Fahrrinnenrand an der rechten Seite der Wasserstraße. Welches Licht setzt ein stillliegendes Fahrzeug?... www.segelpodcast.com  

Less talk, more rock. For the second episode of the Tome to the Weather Machine Podcast I delve into some of 2016's unsung heroes of Indie Rock. Intro - Fly Ashtray – Coefficient of Haze – We Buy Everything You Have (Old Gold) 019 - Talk Break 03:43 - Fly Ashtray - "Coefficient of Haze" - We Buy Everything You Have (Old Gold) 06:12 -Jerusalem and the Star Baskets - "Golden Green" - L.A. Freeze (Hitt Records) 09:26 - Graham Repulski – "Typhoon Reform" - I'm Even Younger Now (Self-Released) 11:27 -Soda Lillies – "Honey Wire" – Love Cemetary (RokLok) 14:08 - pills - "Make U Cry" - sleepy pills (demo) - (Self-Released) 17:01 - Turnip King – "Carsong" – Laika (Fire Talk Records). Talk Break 22:18 - All Your Sisters – "Open Wide" – Uncomfortable Skin (The Flenser) 26:27 - Terminus Cursus – "Enthroned" – On/Of – (Self-Released) 30:41 - Behavior – "New Postures" – Split with Maxwell Genders (Squid Records) Talk Break 34:12 - Silent Tongues – "Painted Blood" – Creatures of Habit / Habits of Creatures (Self-Released) 38:16 - Stronger Sex – "K in a Sunbeam" – Blight Makes Right (Blight) 44:27 - Supplier – "Birth Daing" – Supplier I (Floordoor Records) 47:45 - Graffiti Trials – Excerpt from Side B – No Dancing (Split Pursuit Tapes) Talk Break 55:08 - The Hecks – "The Thaw" – S/T – (Trouble in Mind) 57:58 - The Furr – "Aeroplane" – Human Too (Fleure Tapes) 1:01:39 - Blueblack – "Don't Call Me Girl" – Destroy (RokLok Records) 1:04:20 - The National Park Service – "Knowing 1" – Secret Wind (Lily Discs and Tapes)

www.segelpodcast.com SBF See Fragebogen 14 Hier kannst du dir vom SBF See Fragebogen 14 herunter laden: FB14 SBF-See Fragen- und Antwortenkatalog für den amtlichen Sportbootführerschein-See, gültig für Prüfungen ab Mai 2012 bzw. 16.01.2013 Fragebogen 14 Antwort a. bzw. 1 ist immer richtig Wann müssen die Lichter von Fahrzeugen geführt oder gezeigt werden? Von Sonnenuntergang bis Sonnenaufgang und bei verminderter Sicht. Von Sonnenaufgang bis Sonnenuntergang und bei verminderter Sicht. Von abends 18:00 Uhr bis morgens 06:00 Uhr und bei verminderter Sicht. Bei Dunkelheit, schlechtem Wetter und verminderter Sicht. Zwei Motorboote nähern sich auf kreuzenden Kursen. Es besteht die Gefahr eines Zusammenstoßes. Wer ist ausweichpflichtig? Dasjenige Fahrzeug muss ausweichen, welches das Andere an seiner Steuerbordseite hat. Dasjenige Fahrzeug muss ausweichen, welches das Andere an seiner Backbordseite hat. Es muss das luvwärtige Fahrzeug dem leewärtigen Fahrzeug ausweichen. Es muss das leewärtige Fahrzeug dem luvwärtigen Fahrzeug ausweichen. Welche Bedeutung hat folgendes Tafelzeichen? Mindestabstand in Metern, der in der nachfolgenden Strecke vom Aufstellungsort der Tafel an eingehalten werden muss. Maximalgeschwindigkeit in km/h, die auf der in Fahrtrichtung rechten Fahrwasserseite nicht überschritten werden darf. Maximalabstand in Metern, der in der nachfolgenden Strecke vom Aufstellungsort der Tafel an eingehalten werden muss. Verengung des Fahrwassers auf 40 m. Warum sollte man sich von Schilf- und Röhrichtzonen sowie von dicht bewachsenen Uferzonen möglichst weit fernhalten? Weil diese Zonen vielfach Rast- und Brutplätze besonders schutzwürdiger Vögel oder Fischlaichplätze sind. Weil in diesen Zonen die Gefahr von Grundberührungen besteht. Weil durch die Pflanzen der Propeller blockiert werden könnte. Weil in diesen Zonen badende Personen schwer zu erkennen sind. Was ist unter der indirekten Ruderwirkung (Radeffekt) des Propellers zu verstehen? Das seitliche Versetzen des Hecks. Das Versetzen nach vorne. Das Versetzen nach hinten. Das seitliche Versetzen des Bugs. Welcher Feuerlöscher ist für Sportboote zweckmäßig und wie oft muss man einen Feuerlöscher überprüfen lassen? ABC-Pulver- und Schaumlöscher, mindestens alle 2 Jahre. Feuerlöscher mit Löschschaum, mindestens einmal pro Jahr. CO2-Feuerlöscher, mindestens alle 2 Jahre. ABC-Pulverlöscher, mindestens einmal pro Jahr. In welcher Situation dürfen Notsignale gegeben werden? Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen besteht und daher Hilfe benötigt wird. Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen besteht oder das Schiff nicht mehr sicher manövriert werden kann. Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen oder erhebliche Sachwerte besteht und daher Hilfe benötigt wird. Wenn Gefahr für Leib oder Leben von Personen, erhebliche Sachwerte oder die maritime Umwelt besteht. Welche Positionslaternen und Schallsignalanlagen dürfen auf Sportbooten unter deutscher Flagge verwendet werden?   ... www.segelpodcast.com  

Grant and Craig discuss their favorite albums of 2016.

www.segelpodcast.com SBF See Fragebogen 13 Hier kannst du dir vom SBF See Fragebogen 13 herunter laden: FB13 SBF-See Fragen- und Antwortenkatalog für den amtlichen Sportbootführerschein-See, gültig für Prüfungen ab Mai 2012 bzw. 16.01.2013 Fragebogen 13 Antwort a. bzw. 1 ist immer richtig Wozu dient die Lichterführung? Sie zeigt Fahrtrichtung und Lage eines Fahrzeugs an. Sie zeigt Kurs und Geschwindigkeit eines Fahrzeugs an. Sie zeigt Fahrtrichtung und Position eines Fahrzeugs an. Sie zeigt Fahrtrichtung und Kurs eines Fahrzeugs an. Welche Bedeutung hat folgendes Schallsignal: Bleib-weg-Signal, Gefahrenbereich sofort verlassen. Allgemeines Gefahr- und Warnsignal. Ankerlieger über 100 m Länge. Manövrierbehinderter Schleppverband über 200 m Länge. Welche Bedeutung hat folgendes Tafelzeichen? Ankern verboten für alle Fahrzeuge. Ankern verboten für Kleinfahrzeuge unter 12 m Länge. Ankern verboten für Kleinfahrzeuge ab 12 m Länge. Ankern und Festmachen verboten. Warum soll ein kleines Fahrzeug nicht dicht an ein großes in Fahrt befindliches Fahrzeug heranfahren? Es kann durch dessen Bug- oder Heckwelle kentern oder durch den Sog mit dem Fahrzeug kollidieren. Dichtes Heranfahren ist ein Verstoß gegen die Grundregeln für das Verhalten im Verkehr. Da es dem großen in Fahrt befindlichen Fahrzeug sonst nicht ausweichen kann. Es kann durch dessen Bug- oder Heckwelle Seeschlag erleiden. Was ist unter der indirekten Ruderwirkung (Radeffekt) des Propellers zu verstehen? Das seitliche Versetzen des Hecks. Das Versetzen nach vorne. Das Versetzen nach hinten. Das seitliche Versetzen des Bugs. Der Motor ist gestartet worden. Was kann die Ursache sein, wenn nach dem Einkuppeln der Antriebswelle der Motor stehenbleibt? Blockierter Propeller. Blockierte Kraftstoffzufuhr. Verschmutzter Ölfilter. Verschmutzter Luftfilter. Was ist vor Inbetriebnahme einer Flüssiggasanlage zu prüfen? Die Anlage muss abgenommen sein, Leitungen und Anschlüsse müssen dicht sein. Haupthahn und andere Absperrventile sind zu öffnen. Die Anlage muss abgenommen sein, die Inbetriebnahme darf nur durch eine besonders geprüfte Person erfolgen. Die Anlage muss abgenommen sein und jährlich überprüft werden. Die Inbetriebnahme darf nur durch eine besonders geprüfte Person erfolgen. Die Abnahme der Anlage darf nicht länger als drei Jahre zurückliegen. Haupthahn und andere Absperrventile sind zu öffnen. Welche Vorschriften regeln die Ausrüstung, Anordnung und Anbringung der Positionslaternen, Sichtzeichen und Schallsignalanlagen auf Fahrzeugen? Die Kollisionsverhütungsregeln (KVR), die Seeschifffahrtsstraßen-Ordnung (SeeSchStrO) und die Schifffahrtsordnung Emsmündung (EmsSchO). Die Kollisionsverhütungsregeln (KVR), die Seeschifffahrtsstraßen-Ordnung (SeeSchStrO) und die Sportbootführerscheinverordnung-See. Die Kollisionsverhütungsregeln (KVR), die Seeschifffahrtsstraßen-Ordnung (SeeSchStrO) und die Schiffssicherheitsverordnung. Die Kollisionsverhütungsregeln (KVR), die Seeschifffahrtsstraßen-Ordnung (SeeSchStrO) und die Verordnung zur Sicherung der Seefahrt. Welches Fahrzeug führt diese Lichter? Ein manövrierbehindertes Fahrzeug in Fahrt. Ein manövrierunfähiges Fahrzeug in Fahrt. Ein fischendes Fahrzeug in Fahrt. Ein Grundsitzer von weniger als 50 m Länge. Welches Fahrzeug muss diese Lichter führen? Ein fischender Trawler (Fischereifahrzeug) mit Fahrt durch das Wasser von 50 und mehr Meter Länge. Ein fischendes Fahrzeug in Fahrt, das nicht trawlt, z. B. Treibnetzfischer... www.segelpodcast.com  

Will and Grant discuss new music by Preoccupations, Chook Race, the Hecks, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Earring, plus a Mekons live report.

The Show Notes How well was music performed in the past?Intro Dismissing the musicianship of 90125Ask George     - Non PFA gigs? from Lee in Ontario     - Hats? from Stuart in OsloSpiritual Healing and Balance Through Colonic Regularity     - Chapter 23: TrumpOne Twitter user’s epiphany regarding Caitlin JennerReligious Moron of the Week     - Franklin GrahamMad Max Fury Road / Montage of HeckS’more birthdays and Happy Father's DayShow close ................................... Mentioned in the Show Mark Hogancamp's site:marwencol ................................... Geologic Podcast PatronageSubscribe and information on subscription levels. ................................... Sign up for the mailing list: Write to Geo! A reminder that the portal to the Geologic Universe is at GeorgeHrab.com. Score more data from the Geologic Universe! Get George's Non-Coloring Book at Lulu, both as and E-BOOK and PRINT editions. Check out Geo's wiki page thanks to Tim Farley. Have a comment on the show, a Religious Moron tip, or a question for Ask George? Drop George a line and write to Geo's Mom, too!    

Having become fresh outta hecks, Marcus... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

"Verlassen" oder "Abandoned" heißt diese Episode. Und verlassen ist Shannon, sowohl in den Flashbacks, als auch auf der Insel. Sie sieht erneut Walt. Sayid glaubt ihr aber nicht. Die Überlebenden des Hecks versuchen sich inzwischen zum Strand durchzuschlagen, während es Sawyers Schulter immer schlechter geht...

One of our family routines is we watch a show called "The Middle". Tonight, the Hecks won a trip to New York City, yet were besieged by challenges in getting there to the point that their flight was rerouted to the nearest non-snowed in city, which happened to be Pittsburgh. As they landed in Pittsburgh, everyone but Sue Heck, the middle daughter, wanted to quit and go home. She stood firm, determined to celebrate the biggest thing that ever happened to her and not let her dream die in Pittsburgh. In the closing voice over, the Mom said these fateful words.... "Luck will get you to Pittsburgh...perseverance will get you to New York City" How many times in your life has "luck" gotten you to your own personal Pittsburgh and left you a 9 hour bus ride from your dream destination, your New York City? The difference between your dream dying in Pittsburgh and living your dream in New York City is simply perseverance, discipline, and hard work.

sermon transcript The Heritage of Christmas Let me ask you a question. Are you looking forward to tomorrow morning? Come on, tell me the truth. What are you looking forward to? Already we have some gifts under the tree. There’s one in particular that has piqued my interest. I’m looking forward to opening it. I’ll admit it, it’s true. I think we enjoy Christmas gifts, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Of course, to a point. I think any good gifts of God can become an idol, and we have to watch that all the time. Our hearts are so idolatrous. We’re always moving toward that, and we have to fight it every day. But it says in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavily lights.” He’s the one who’s shown us how to give, and lavishly too. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? Lesser blessings. It says in 1 Timothy 6 that God has given us all things richly to enjoy. So that’s fine. The question is, are we idolatrous? That’s something we have to watch all the time. This morning I want to try to beguile you away from considering what might be in some of those mysterious packages that are under the tree right now, to consider the infinitely greater gifts that Christ came to give. And I’m going to begin by considering just a time that I spent overseas a few years ago. In the summer of 2003, I had the privilege of going to the Czech Republic. I was there with Mike Waters who’s listening to me. We had a wonderful time, and what he said, and it was true, although I gave a little trouble at the time, “The most beautiful city we had ever seen.” Now it’s true, I think, that Prague, at this point, is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. I know in the end, it won’t be. I think the new Jerusalem will top it. I’m looking forward to that. But Prague was a beautiful city. We went into the old town, and we were near the magnificent castle. It’s just a huge castle. And there, in the square outside the castle, was a bronze statue of a warrior on a horse, and it was King Wenceslas, whom they considered the patron saint of Bohemia. Now, every Christmas we sing a song that was written in 1853 by John Mason Neale, Good King Wenceslas. As I looked into the lyrics of the song and the truth behind it and the story behind it, I became more intrigued and drawn in. You see, Christmas is a time for giving gifts, but for the most part, throughout history, Christmas at its best has been a time for those who are rich and powerful and able, to bless those who are poor and needy and without and not able. That’s its heritage. That’s the heritage of Christmas. Now, all along, it’s had to battle that pagan Bacchanalia mid-winter thing that’s always been there too. It’s so for us as well. But at its best Christmas was a time for those who were able and those who were wealthy in positions of power to give and to bless those who weren’t. The ultimate pattern, of course, is Jesus Christ. Good King Wenceslas Who is this King Wenceslas? He was born (we think) in 907 AD. He lived just 22 years. Isn’t it amazing how God in his providence cut short the lives of so many of his choice servants, men and women, and takes them home? This man was assassinated by his own brother Boleslav, who wanted to be king of Bohemia in his place. But in his brief life, he used his influence and his power to spread Christianity through that part of Europe, where it hadn’t really taken root up to that point. Now, John Mason Neale found a story about Wenceslas. We don’t know whether it’s true or not, but it was consistent with his character, and he wrote about it in the hymn that we sing, Good King Wenceslas. He looked out on the feast of Stephen. It’s a story in which he’s standing—you envision him—on a cold bitter winter night looking out from his castle and down on the snow below, he sees a peasant scrambling around for firewood. He asks one of his pages, a servant, to come and says, “Who is this?” And he knows who he is, and he knows precisely where he lives. This King leaves the warmth and comfort and security and luxury, probably, of his castle and goes down with his servant into the snow and follows this man a good distance, a long way away from the castle, to bring him food and wine and firewood, and just to bless his home. I thought this was a tremendous picture of Christmas. I mean, there is Jesus in the ultimate place of security and pleasure and comfort, his heavenly castle. He looks down and what does he see? He sees us, the poor and needy, scrambling around and scrubbing around for firewood, in effect. In the song it’s a stormy bitter cold night and he enters into the howling storm of our sinful world, and he comes to bless us. He comes to bless us with infinite gifts. I want to talk about those gifts. You look at verse 14, it says, “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, from the Father full of grace and truth.” And then in verse 16, which is going to be basically our meditation this morning, “From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another,” or literally “grace in the place of grace.” Christ came to give us Christmas presents. What I want to do is I want to just kind of, like I said, beguile your minds away from whatever it is that you might be wondering about under your tree to think about the far greater gifts that Christ came to give us in Himself. I think it’s easy for us to lose sight given the deluge of material prosperity and of comfort that God has given us. It’s easy for us to become idolatrous. Lavish Christmas Gifts Statistics show that, based on a study recently, somewhere between 38 and 40 billion dollars were spent over the last month on children between the ages of 4 and 12. Well, I don’t know how much it is for everybody, I guess multiply that by three. We might be heading toward $100 billion spent on Christmas. That’s pretty lavish, isn’t it? But some of us, at least, are old enough to know that a vanishingly small percentage of those things that are waiting for you under the tree will even be part of your lives in five years. You know what I’m talking about? It could be a Christmas sweater that might still be there in five years, but there may be some other things. The fruit cake is definitely… Well, that might be here too as well. [Laughter] But anyway, the toys and many other things will be gone. For all men are like grass and all their glory is like the flower of the field. And the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the God stands forever. So also do the gifts that Christ has come to give us. So, we’re going to focus on what those gifts are. The Supernatural Fullness of Christ Christ’s Supernatural Fullness I want to begin with the supernatural fullness of Christ. I want to talk about the fullness that’s in this verse. “From the fullness of his grace,” it says, “we have all received one blessing after another.” Christ was and is fully God. Colossians 1:19 says, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” God is a full being. In him there is no lack at all. He is full of joy, full of wisdom, full of power, full of love, full of mercy, full of everything that He is. He’s full of, all of those things. We, on the other hand, are so used to lack and emptiness that we can’t know really what ultimate fullness is. Christ before the foundation of the world was fully God, with as in our language, a capital G. Fully God. In the beginning, verse 1, was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And thus, Christ fully participated in all the deity of God the father. He was fully joyful, fully powerful, fully holy, fully wise, fully loving and fully as righteous as the father. He is a full being. Nothing was lacking in the person of Christ. God the Father, and God the Son equally shared deity from the beginning, and they shared glory together equally as well. Then, God became man. Jesus took on a human body, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Fullness Became Flesh Look what it says, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, who came from the Father,” and here’s this word, “Full of grace and truth.” Jesus, in taking on a human body, didn’t lose any of his fullness. I know it says in Philippians 2, “He emptied himself and made himself nothing.” I think we have a sense of that. He didn’t lose any of his deity in doing that, fully God still. It says in Colossians 2:9, “For in Christ, all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form.” So when taking on a body, he didn’t lose any of his fullness. Thus, Christ was the perfect display of God’s fullness in bodily form. “Full of grace and truth,” says John. Full of grace. Now, I don’t mean gracefulness. That’s not what I’m talking about. That’s not something most males aspire to, okay. We’re not looking necessarily to be graceful and it’s hopeless anyway, isn’t it guys? For the most part even if we wanted it, but we don’t. We don’t, okay. We’re not looking for it, you know, like Anna Pavlova up on point, like some ethereal angel floating across the stage. That is better for the women and that’s wonderful. Or like a figure skater, that’s fine. Delightful. That’s not what we mean, full of grace. Really, what we mean there is theologically, that God is lavishly generous to people who deserve his wrath. That’s what grace is about, and Jesus was full of grace. You see it in his bodily life, you see it in the things that happen to him, and the things He did in his reactions. He’s just full of grace in dealing. You just see the way he dealt with children, the way that children felt comfortable to come and sit on his lap and just wanted to be with him. You can’t fool a child and they knew he was full of grace. They wanted to be with him. You can see it in his kind and gentle manner to a leper from whom most people would run screaming, who is ceremonially unclean because of his disease. He said, “Lord, if you’re willing, you can make me clean.” “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean.” There’s just such a fullness of grace there. Or in his kind and gentle demeanor toward the parents of a dead girl, Jairus and his wife, and they were mourning over their dead 12-year-old daughter. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid, only believe. And she is not dead, she’s just sleeping.” And he has the power to wake her up, and then gentle with her when he says talitha cumi, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” You see the fullness of grace there in Jesus, in his tenderness. Filled with compassion over hungry people, 5,000 and more of them, and said, “They don’t need to go away, you give them something to eat.” You just see Jesus as an open conduit of God’s grace to a needy world. Then full of grace as he’s nailed to the cross and says, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” You see, Jesus filled with grace, full of grace. And it also says, full of truth as well. Jesus was truth embodied. But he always spoke the truth, even if I got him into great trouble. “I charge you under oath by the living God,” said the high priest, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “I am,” he said, “And in the future, you’ll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tears his robes and condemns him to death, as if Jesus didn’t know what would happen. Of course, he knew, he was just telling the truth. And he would also give the good confession in front of Pilate as well: “For this reason, I was born and for this, I came into the world to testify to the truth. All on the side of truth. Listen to me.” Jesus is full of grace and full of truth. He told his disciples the truth. Like Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You’re a stumbling block to me.” Oh, that’s a sharp word of rebuke to a good friend. Satan is using you right now—stop it. He always told the truth, whatever it is we needed to hear. In all of these ways, we see Christ full of grace, full of truth. Christ Did Not Come to Receive but to Give He’s a full being in the flesh, and thus Christ had not come to receive but to give. He didn’t need anything. He wasn’t coming to receive. Now, I know the magi offered him gifts, gold, incense, and myrrh. I know that Mary anointed his feet with perfume worth over a year’s wages. I know they wanted to come and take him by force and make him king and give them all the lavish honor that they could. I know that. I know people gave him gifts and tried to give him gifts but let me tell you something. The gold in the new Jerusalem is infinitely superior to anything that magi brought. The worship that the hundred million angels give him, surrounding is thrown all the time, it’s better than even what Mary poured out on his feet. Purer, more perfect. The kingdom that he will reign over forever and ever, it’s infinitely superior to what those people who are just eating their fill of bread wanted to give him that day. Jesus didn’t come to receive these things. We weren’t in a position to give. Those gifts really, in an absolute sense, are pathetic. He only receives them because of the faith that’s behind them, or he doesn’t receive them if there’s no faith behind them. Jesus didn’t come to receive gifts rather he came to give them. He came to give gifts of grace. He was rich, infinitely richer than good King Wenceslas. Infinitely richer than any man that has ever lived, than any king that’s ever lived. We can’t imagine how wealthy he was. And so, it says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. So that you, through his poverty, might become rich.” Jesus didn’t come into the world to get richer. He didn’t come in the world to receive any gifts from us; rather he came to give. Again, Mark 10:45. It says, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The giving, the giving. He came to give. To give his life. Jesus, as well, served in Heaven. He doesn’t need us, as we learned from Psalm 50, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you.” I have all my needs met. Even if I wanted to meet them, I wouldn’t meet them your way. Just like he said to Simon Peter, “Put your sword away. If I wanted to fight, I’d ask the angels.” They’d do it just fine. He doesn’t need us to serve him. He didn’t come to receive. He was full and he came to give. The Natural Emptiness of Humanity “We Are All Beggars” Now we, on the other hand, we are naturally empty. That’s what we are. We’re naturally empty. Martin Luther on his deathbed said in German, “We are all beggars.” Wir sind alle Bettler. That’s what we’re all, beggars. Then he said in Latin, “This is true.” Now, that’s the end of his theology. He knows he’s about to face his judge and maker, but he’s doing it unafraid, and why? Because he’s justified by faith alone apart from works. But we’re beggars. I think for this reason, Jesus began the greatest sermon that has ever been preached, the Sermon on the Mount, with this statement: “Blessed are the spiritual beggars, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” We’re beggars. We’re naturally empty. We don’t have anything to give. Universal Emptiness We’re universally empty. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received. Find yourself in that word all. We’re in the receiver place. We’re in the place to receive, not to give to Jesus. Even the wealthiest, most powerful, most envied people in the world, the lifestyles of the rich and famous people, even those who have nothing to give, naturally empty. John Wesley in a journal entry, December 23rd, two days before Christmas, 1755, he wrote this: “I was in the robe chamber, adjoining to the House of Lords, when the king put on his robes. His brow was much furrowed with age and quite clouded with care. Is this all the world can give even to a king? All the grandeur it can afford, a blanket of ermine around his shoulders so heavy and cumbersome he can scarcely move under it, a huge heap of borrowed hair and a few plates of gold and glittering stones upon his head. Alas! What a babble, is human greatness, and even this will not endure.” Is that the best the 18th century could have given to Jesus if we wanted to give our best to him. That’s the best the nation of England could give to King George II, who was a man at the height of his power and who probably wanted to be done with all of it, and two years later, he was. His aorta ruptured while he was using the toilet. What a disgusting way for even a king to die. We’re all beggars. We don’t have anything to offer naturally. That’s what I’m saying. Is this all the world can give even to a king? Jesus isn’t looking for that from us. We’re naturally empty. This is a universal emptiness, and I mean that from the poorest to the richest. The poorest beggar living in Kolkata (Calcutta) who’s barely scraping by and doesn’t even know if he’s going to be alive a year from then, six months from then, who doesn’t know Jesus, is empty before God. It’s not like God naturally loves the poor. If they don’t have Christ, they’re empty. And so, also the wealthiest captain of industry who’s making billions of dollars in the stock market or in the petroleum industry or in high tech, empty if they don’t have Christ. Emptiness Proven by the Law of Moses This emptiness is proven by the law of Moses. If you look at verse 17, “The law came through Moses, and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” But what does the law tell us? It tells us of our emptiness. That’s what it says. In Romans 3:20, it says, “Therefore, no one will be justified or declared righteous in his sight by observing the law, rather through the law we become conscious of sins.” The law uncovers our emptiness. It uncovers our empty hearts and our empty lives. The emptiness is especially proven in comparison with Christ. Here is this perfectly full being, full of grace and truth, and here we are just side by side. How do you do? How have you done the last year? Take your best day, how’s it doing? You line it up next to Jesus, you see your emptiness there. Martin Lloyd Jones was dealing with this question of “blessed are the spiritual beggars” and he was dealing with the question, “What if I don’t feel like a spiritual beggar?” You know what he said to do? Look at Jesus and keep looking. And keep looking. After a while, you will see. Here is this being filled with grace and truth, filled with love, filled with holiness, filled with power, filled with God through the Holy Spirit and here we are by contrast. Soon, you’ll realize that we are spiritual beggars. Emptiness Especially Proven by Comparison with Christ One of the bitterest aspects of our emptiness is we don’t know how empty we are. As a matter of fact, the impurer you are the less empty you think you are. Jesus said to the church at Laodicea, “You say, ‘I am rich. I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” “You do not realize,” is the essence of our problem, although the word of God tells us the truth. We are all beggars, apart from Christ. But it doesn’t end there. Thanks be to God we don’t end up as spiritual beggars. Look at the verse again, verse 16, “From the fullness of His grace,” we have all what? “Received grace upon grace.” That’s what we were. What are we now? We are wealthy in Christ, with gifts of grace. The Lavish Generosity of Christ’s Gifts Generous in Quality: From His Fullness Now we see the lavish generosity of Christ’s gifts, generous in quality. It’s like when you pick up that gift and you’re holding it, and it’s just weighty and you’re excited, you think, “What could it be?” It’s not likely to be a granite boulder that someone got out of their backyard and wrapped up as a gift. It’s like, “What could it be?” There’s a weightiness to it. It’s even better if the weightiness is in a really small box. That’s really exciting when it’s really weighty in a small box, especially for ladies. There’s something really dense in here, something exciting. There’s a weightiness to the quality. Feel then the weight of the quality of Jesus’s gifts. From the fullness of his grace, he gives them. There are wonderful gifts, better than anything we could buy at Macy’s or JCPenney’s or Hecks, or at South Point, or North Square or what… I don’t know all of them. I always mess up. North Gate, I guess it is. Nothing you buy there can compare with the gifts that Jesus has come to give to you. They are lavish and generous in scope from the fullness of his grace, we have all received. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. It doesn’t matter to me if this is your first time in church in the last year. Well, in one sense it matters, but for this, it doesn’t matter. Because Christ is willing to be very generous to you right now. Just call on his name. Trust in him for the salvation of your soul. Receive the first gift from him, and that’s full forgiveness of sins. Bring your sinfulness and your sin to the cross and receive from him the gift of grace. Generous in Scope: We Have All Received Ask him to be your savior, and he will. Call on the name of the Lord. It’s a universal thing. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received. And by this, I don’t mean every single human being on the face of the Earth, he already covered that in John 1:12. But to those who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born, not of natural descent or a human decision or the will of a husband but born of God. That’s it. Generous in Cost: At the Price of His Body and Blood By simply trusting in Christ, you have full forgiveness, generous in scope and generous in cost too. I don’t think we should… I know the word grace means a free gift. Well, it is free to us. He doesn’t want your price. He doesn’t want you paying for it. But don’t imagine for a moment that it didn’t have a price. It did. It was infinitely costly to bring to you the gifts I’m about to describe to you. Infinitely expensive, these gifts. They came at the blood, the precious blood. 1 Peter 1:18 and 19, the precious blood of a lamb without blemish or defect, Jesus Christ. He shed his blood to purchase your Christmas gifts. There’s no one here who has sacrificed that much for Christmas. It was Jesus who did it. Generous in Quantity: Grace Instead of Grace Generous also in quantity. I know Jesus Himself is the central gift, and that’s enough. But I think it’s good to kind of unfold his gifts and just look at them. Suppose, for example, you woke up and some person or a group of people had put 54 gifts with your name on it under the tree. 54. I’d be embarrassed for myself, especially if everyone else got five or six. I’d feel like, “Oh boy.” If everybody in my family had 54 gifts, that would be the 360… I don’t know. Some huge number. We have a lot of people in our family. Christy would not be able to get into the den, I think. 54 gifts. I think we’d have ought to open each one and look at it. Generous in quality. Look what the verse says. I know it doesn’t come across necessarily, but literally in the Greek, it says, “From the fullness of His grace, we have all received, grace instead of grace.” In other words, it’s grace, then another grace than another grace than another grace. I imagine a train. I remember reading on a Christmas morning, “The Little Engine that Could.” I never thought I’d use that in a sermon. It teaches human works and effort, and I can get to Heaven, that’s not what I’m saying. I just want you to imagine a train laden with gifts. Think like a child. I’m thinking, the gifts looked really good back then, now they look like… Not so good. But at that time, they looked really good. And I thought, “Wow, wouldn’t that be great?” And of course, because it’s just a little engine that they could there are only so many cars. The longest train in history is 682 cars. It was a coal car. I don’t want that much coal. But it was four and a half miles long and it moved very slowly, so imagine coming to the intersection and you see the first of the 682 cars going by. But imagine if you would, let’s get out and let’s just stand by the railway track and watch one gift of grace after another, come. Because that’s what it is. It’s just generous, generous. Grace instead of Grace, instead of Grace, instead of grace, day after day after day, on into eternity, friends. We are incredibly rich, and whatever you have under that tree tomorrow, it doesn’t even compare with the good things that God has already given you, is giving you now, and will give you up into the future. Or like what? Grace upon Grace The Past Blessings of Grace 0:25:40.9 S1: Well, let’s start way back. Let’s not start at the birth of Christ. Let’s start before the foundation of the world. When God worked out his salvation plan. He worked it out with you in mind. And the next gift of grace, he chose you. If you’re a Christian, he chose you by name before the foundation of the world. And the next gift of grace, he created a beautiful world for you and others like you to live in. He created the heavens and the earth and made them beautiful and lush and lavish. And he put Adam and Eve, created in the image of God, in that garden. The next gift of grace, after Adam’s fall, he didn’t kill the human race as we deserved, but he allowed history to continue, and he even promised a redeemer who would crush the serpent’s head. The next gift of grace, at the time of the flood, he didn’t kill the human race as we deserved then, but he preserved a remnant in Noah’s Ark, so that we would be able to survive. Then the next gift of grace, he called Abraham, so that salvation would come from the Jews. And the next gift of grace, the Exodus under Moses, in which He took the two million perhaps Jews out of Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land, a beautiful picture of our salvation. And the next gift of grace, the Law of Moses, to expose our emptiness, as I’ve already said. But also, to point ahead to the future through animal sacrifice, when we would understand the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross, so we would know how we would be saved. The next gift of grace, the kingship of David, a perfect picture of Jesus, our ruler, our savior. And Jesus is the son of David. And the next gift of grace, the words of the prophets. The servants and messengers of the covenant, who came with a lawsuit against the people of God and showed them how they had violated the Law of Moses, but they also spoke of redemption, of renewal, of restoration, and ultimately, of the Christ. The next gift of grace, the birth of Christ Himself. Born of a virgin, born under the law, born in the fullness of time. At just the right time, Jesus was born. And Mary wrapped him and swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn. The next gift of grace, Christ’s perfect sinless life that he made it through 30 plus years of life and temptation and never once yielded. And his righteousness will be and is your righteousness. The next gift of grace, powerful miracles. Healing a man born blind, healing any disease and sickness brought to him, healing Lazarus, dead in the tomb for four days, pictures of his resurrecting power. The next gift of grace, his perfect teaching ministry, parables, and teachings. No one ever talked like this man, no one ever taught like this man, perfect teachings, and we have a record of some of them, not all of them, but some of them. The next gift of grace, His redemptive death on the cross, His blood shed on the cross before you were even born. His blood shed for all of your sins, if you’re a Christian. And the next gift of grace, God didn’t leave him in the tomb, but raised him from the dead on the third day and gave him a resurrection body that will be like your body or yours like his forever and ever. He will be the first fruit from the dead, and there will be a huge harvest. The next gift of grace, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit of God on Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit has come to inspire the writing of the New Testament, the next gift of grace. And to convict the world of sin and judgment and righteousness. And the next gift of Grace, the steady, irresistible advance of the gospel for 2,000 years. Satan has been trying to stop it, but he can’t, and the gospel has spread from the Upper Room, 120 believers to a multitude greater than we are able to number from every tribe and language, almost every tribe, and language, and people and nation. The spread of the gospel. The next gift of grace, the way that God has sovereignly ruled over the nations to accomplish his historical purposes. To watch over the rise of this empire and the fall of that one, and to watch over the inventions and medical discoveries and the discovery of the New World with Columbus, and to watch over all of history to accomplish his ends. Part of which is saving your soul. Isn’t that beautiful? And the next gift of grace, a bunch of brothers and sisters, most of them who we have not met, who were martyrs and witnesses, and missionaries and pastors, and godly women and men who are your brothers and sisters. A royal heritage for 2,000 years. And the next gift of grace, your personal family lineage, your great-great-grandparents and your great-grandparents and grandparents and parents. And how each of them met and what kind of people they were, and what their strengths and weaknesses were, what their sins were, and what their godliness was, if there was any. All of that. Before you were born. What about since you’ve been born? Well, God watched over you and cared for you. He gave you parents to care for you, to look after you. He gave you a series of people to tell you about Christ, to teach you the Bible. The Present Blessings of Grace Long before you ever trusted in Christ, you’d heard of him many, many times, and God sent different people, whether parents, brothers and sisters, college roommates, pastors, Sunday school teachers, missionaries, who knows? But he sent them to you. And he’s given you beauty. You’ve seen beautiful things in the world, mountains and oceans, and different things. And each one of us has a different set of postcards in our minds of the beauty of the Earth, and it’s nothing compared to the future beauty of the new Earth. But it’s there, and you’ve seen it. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received. One gift of a blessing, one grace after another. And then at the right time, the Holy Spirit opened your eyes to your own emptiness. And he showed you what you’ve been unable, unwilling to face, up to that moment. You needed a savior, you needed Jesus, you needed him to shed his blood on the cross in your place or you would deserve to go to hell. At some point, you came to realize that, and you were regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. You were given the gift of faith. At that moment, God justified you of all of your sins, forgave you of all of your sins, past, present and future, and he gave you the indwelling Spirit, and He adopted you into his own family from which you will never depart. He gave you spiritual gifts in a ministry and opportunities one after the other, day after day to live a life worthy of his calling and of his name, and he’s kept a careful record of everything you’ve done by faith, and he’ll reward you for it someday. And he’s going to give you continued opportunities to serve him, and he’s going to watch over you the rest of your life, in the future. He’s going to protect you, and he’s going to keep you safe and there will be no combination of temptations that will separate you from Christ, because he will sovereignly not allow it to happen. He will protect you until the day you die. And then that day, he’ll give you grace to die well and to his glory. You may die at 93 years old in a hospital, you may die in a car wreck, you may die of a heart attack, you may die of a disease. If the Lord doesn’t return in our generation, you will die. And he will give you grace to get through it. And then on the other side, is he done being gracious to you? No. He will take that soul that has been separated from your body, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven anyway. The Future Blessings of Grace So good riddance, I think at that point. I want to see what he does with my body. But I’ll be separated at that point, and he will also separate me from all wickedness and all sin in my soul, and I will love only righteousness. And I will hate all wickedness, and I will be made perfect and holy. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received grace upon grace, upon grace, upon grace. And then judgment day, he will give me grace. He will give me grace to survive the day of wrath, and I will get through it, and so will any who call on his name. We will survive that day. And we will even thrive on that day, because on the other side of it, we will be in resurrection bodies, and we will live in a perfect kingdom, a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness and we qualify. How did that happen? But Jesus’s righteousness was given to us. And then will it end? No. There are your 54 gifts. He intends far more than 54, friends. And a good thing too, you kind of like to get to Christmas tomorrow, wouldn’t you? I’ll stop here, but I think you could meditate far more than I have over the past and present and future gifts of his grace. And so, you will do forever, and of the increase of his government, there’ll be no end, because you will continually see more and more of his grace. He has more to show you. If you came to that intersection of the 682-car train, and you’re looking at your watch and wondering, “When is this ever going to be done?” This train, you are not going to want to end. You want to just see a gift of grace after gift to grace to keep on going past you for eternity. And you will be filled with a sense of gratitude, you can’t even imagine. Application What application do we take from this? Well, I think it’s good to open the gifts that somebody else took the time to wrap. I think you ought to do it. I think you ought to. But let your heart be already filled with light and glory of the things we’ve talked about today. Meditate on the generosity of God through Christ. If you haven’t come to Christ yet, don’t miss it, because none of these gifts of grace are yours, if you’re not a Christian. None of them. Just a fiery expectation of judgment, of raging fire that’ll consume the enemies of God. I would rather have this than that, wouldn’t you? Why will you die? Turn and repent and believe and trust in him. Don’t leave this room without receiving that first as far as you’re concerned gift, forgiveness of sins. But for those of you that have already made that commitment, then meditate on God’s goodness. Let me say one more thing. As I’ve studied Christmas, I had a whole bunch of stuff about Christmas and decided to get rid of it. If you want to know more about the history of Christmas and how it has had a rich heritage of the rich blessing the poor, find out more. The History Channel had a history thing on Christmas, look it up. There’s a lot of stuff on Christmas. Consistently, the wealthy and the positioned folks used it to bless the poor. I have talked to so many people this Christmas, saying, “They are weary of the treadmill. The Christmas treadmill.” As a matter of fact, I haven’t talked to anybody who’s not. The thing is, why don’t we change it? How do we change it? How do we get off? If you feel it’s become to idolatrous, how do you stop it? And so, I would urge that you enjoy whatever you have planned to enjoy tomorrow. Enjoy it with a free heart, but make plans to make 2007, a year from now different than any Christmas you’ve ever enjoyed. Our small group, what we did was we gave to the Persecution Project in Samaritan’s Purse. They have different ways. You can buy little chicks. You can buy a well dug in a village. You can buy all kinds of stuff for people who are barely making it, barely surviving. Maybe instead of giving gifts to people who don’t need what you’re going to give them anyway, that’s why you’re having such a hard time finding what to give them, because they don’t need anything. And if they need something, they bought it already. So, what do you give? I would urge think differently, a year from now. No, no, think differently seven or eight months from now. Make plans. Make plans. Close with me in prayer.