Podcasts about Hidden Treasure

On a visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands in winter 2018, we took the pulse of the national music of St. Croix – quelbe. Rarely recorded, rarely exported, quelbe is an energetic form, led by sax or flute with percussion and banjo, and it fuels the traditional dance style, quadrille. St Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and sits alone 42 miles south of St. Thomas and St. John. That's part of why traditional music and dance forms have remained strong on St. Croix. Meet bandleaders Stanley Jacobs of Stanley and the 10 Sleepless Knights, and Dmitri Copemann of the Renaissance Band, who are cultivating a vibrant next generation. Produced by Marika Partridge and Banning Eyre APWW #782

Fluent Fiction - Korean: Unveiling Secrets: The Hidden Treasure of Changdeokgung Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ko/episode/2025-11-21-08-38-20-ko Story Transcript:Ko: 노란 잎이 춤추듯 떨어지는 창덕궁 후원. 진우와 민지가 천천히 걸었다.En: The secret garden of Changdeokgung, where yellow leaves fell like dancing, was the setting as Jin-woo and Min-ji walked slowly.Ko: 가을의 정취가 가득한 비밀 정원에는 고요함과 신비로움이 감돌았다.En: The garden, filled with the atmosphere of autumn, was enveloped in tranquility and mystery.Ko: 진우는 헤어진 연인을 잊기 위해 이곳을 찾았다.En: Jin-woo visited the place to forget a past lover.Ko: 민지는 새로운 예술 프로젝트 주제를 찾고 있었다.En: Min-ji was searching for a new theme for her art project.Ko: 둘은 나란히 걷다 뜻밖의 발견을 했다.En: While walking side by side, they made an unexpected discovery.Ko: 낡은 벤치 아래에서 종이가 삐져나와 있었다.En: Under an old bench, a piece of paper was sticking out.Ko: 조심스럽게 살펴보니, 오래된 편지였다.En: On careful inspection, it was an old letter.Ko: 진우는 호기심에 두근거렸고, 민지는 주위의 모습을 스케치하기 시작했다.En: Jin-woo's heart pounded with curiosity, and Min-ji began to sketch the surrounding scenery.Ko: “이건 과거의 편지 같아,” 진우가 말했다.En: "This looks like a letter from the past," said Jin-woo.Ko: 하지만 글자가 낯설었다.En: However, the script was unfamiliar.Ko: 고어로 쓰여 있어 완전히 이해할 수 없었다.En: It was written in archaic language and they could not fully understand it.Ko: 진우의 마음이 두근거리기 시작했다.En: Jin-woo's heart began to race.Ko: “이걸 풀면 모험이 펼쳐질지도 몰라.”En: "Solving this could lead to an adventure."Ko: 민지는 그림의 세밀한 부분을 포착하고 있었다.En: Min-ji captured the fine details of her drawing.Ko: 그녀는 편지와 주변 풍경을 상세히 그렸다.En: She sketched the letter and the surrounding landscape in detail.Ko: 마침내 비가 내리기 시작했다.En: Finally, it began to rain.Ko: 비가 편지를 적셔 더 망가질까 걱정됐다.En: They were worried that the rain might further damage the letter.Ko: 진우는 급히 편지를 사진으로 찍었다.En: Jin-woo quickly took photos of the letter.Ko: 민지도 스케치를 서둘러 마무리했다.En: Min-ji hastily finished her sketch.Ko: “다시 와서 이 수수께끼를 풀어보자,” 진우가 말했다.En: "Let's come back and solve this mystery," said Jin-woo.Ko: 민지는 동의했다.En: Min-ji agreed.Ko: 그녀에게도 이번 경험은 깊은 영감을 주고 있었다.En: This experience was deeply inspiring for her as well.Ko: 해가 질 무렵, 정원의 폐장 시간 안내 방송이 들려왔다.En: As the sun set, they heard the announcement for the garden's closing time.Ko: 둘은 서둘러 출구로 향했다.En: They hurried to the exit.Ko: 정원을 떠나기 전, 마침내 편지의 일부 의미를 풀었다.En: Before leaving the garden, they finally deciphered part of the letter's meaning.Ko: 편지는 정원 어딘가에 숨겨진 역사적 보물을 암시하고 있었다.En: The letter hinted at a historical treasure hidden somewhere in the garden.Ko: “다음에는 준비를 더 철저히 하자,” 민지가 말했다.En: "Next time, let's prepare more thoroughly," Min-ji said.Ko: 진우는 미소 지었다.En: Jin-woo smiled.Ko: 그는 새로운 목적을 찾았다.En: He found a new purpose.Ko: 새로운 추억이 과거에서 벗어나는 방법임을 깨달았다.En: He realized that new memories were a way to break away from the past.Ko: 민지도 이 신비로운 경험을 통해 예술 프로젝트 주제를 찾았다.En: Min-ji also found a theme for her art project through this mysterious experience.Ko: 정문을 나서며 둘은 돌아올 날을 기약했다.En: As they left through the main gate, they promised to return.Ko: 마음 한편이 더욱 풍성해졌다.En: Their hearts felt more enriched.Ko: 민지는 캔버스에 이 순간을 담을 생각에 들떠 있었고, 진우는 새로운 시작에 용기를 얻었다.En: Min-ji was excited at the thought of capturing this moment on canvas, and Jin-woo gained courage for a new beginning.Ko: 창덕궁의 신비는 아직 끝나지 않았다.En: The mystery of Changdeokgung was not yet over.Ko: 그들의 이야기가 다시 시작될 것이었다.En: Their story would start again. Vocabulary Words:tranquility: 고요함mystery: 신비로움discovery: 발견inspection: 조사curiosity: 호기심script: 글자unfamiliar: 낯설다archaic: 고어solving: 풀다adventure: 모험sketch: 스케치landscape: 풍경decipher: 해독하다historical: 역사적treasure: 보물thoroughly: 철저히purpose: 목적memories: 추억enriched: 풍성해진canvas: 캔버스courage: 용기beginning: 시작experience: 경험envelope: 감돌다announced: 안내 방송unexpected: 뜻밖의bench: 벤치damage: 망가지다capture: 포착하다theme: 주제

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! Explore how this healthy reverence guides you on your spiritual journey and listen to powerful takeaways on how to seek wisdom actively and intentionally.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Hidden Treasures: Unveiling Hanukkah Mysteries in Old Jerusalem Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-11-20-23-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: ברחובות הצרים של העיר העתיקה בירושלים, בערב הקריר של סוף הסתיו, אי אפשר היה לפספס את אווירת החנוכה.En: In the narrow streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, on the cool evening at the end of autumn, it was impossible to miss the Hanukkah atmosphere.He: נרות המאירים מחלונות הבתים ומשלבים שירים ושמחה ברחובות.En: Candles illuminating from the windows of houses mixed with songs and joy in the streets.He: אריאל ושירה, שני חברי ילדות, עמדו בפתח סמטה צרה, כשהם מביטים סביבם בהתרגשות ובדאגה.En: Ariel and Shira, two childhood friends, stood at the entrance of a narrow alley, looking around with excitement and concern.He: אריאל היה סטודנט לארכיאולוגיה מלא תשוקה.En: Ariel was a passionate archaeology student.He: מאז ומתמיד רצה לגלות משהו היסטורי ומשמעותי.En: He had always wanted to discover something historical and significant.He: שירה, חברתו, אהבה היסטוריה אך הייתה זהירה הרבה יותר.En: Shira, his friend, loved history but was much more cautious.He: היא הייתה שם כדי לתמוך, וגם אולי כדי למצוא קצת הרפתקה, עמוק בתוכה.En: She was there to support and maybe also to find a bit of adventure, deep inside.He: "זו ההזדמנות שלנו," אמר אריאל בשקט כשהוא מצביע על קיר אבן עתיק.En: "This is our chance," Ariel said quietly as he pointed at an ancient stone wall.He: "אני בטוח שיש משהו מאחוריו."En: "I'm sure there's something behind it."He: שירה הסתכלה בשעון.En: Shira looked at her watch.He: "אבל אנחנו צריכים להזדרז. החברה להתחיל בשיפוצים."En: "But we need to hurry. The company is about to start renovations."He: אריאל התקרב ומשך את שירה יחד איתו.En: Ariel approached and pulled Shira along with him.He: הם החלו לנבור באבן, לבנה אחרי לבנה, עד שפניהם האיר זיק של ההצלחה.En: They began to dig into the stone, brick by brick, until a spark of success lit up their faces.He: מעבר לקיר היה פתח קטן.En: Behind the wall was a small opening.He: ברגע זה עיניהם נצצו.En: At that moment, their eyes sparkled.He: הם לחצו על האבן, ובזהירות היא זזה.En: They pressed on the stone, and carefully it moved.He: פתח גדול יותר התגלה לפניהם, ובתוכו חדר סודי.En: A larger entrance was revealed before them, and inside, a secret room.He: החדר היה מלא בפסלים קדומים וכלים יקרי ערך.En: The room was filled with ancient statues and valuable artifacts.He: עבר זמנים נשכחים שב אליהם.En: A forgotten past returned to them.He: בדיוק כשעמדו להיכנס פנימה, שמעו קול.En: Just as they were about to enter, they heard a voice.He: "היי, מה אתם עושים שם?" זה היה שומר הביטחון של האתר.En: "Hey, what are you doing there?" It was the security guard of the site.He: שירה נשמה עמוק והתקרבה אליו.En: Shira took a deep breath and approached him.He: "אנחנו סטודנטים להיסטוריה וארכיאולוגיה. מצאנו כאן משהו חשוב מאוד."En: "We are students of history and archaeology. We found something very important here."He: השומר הביט בהם, בעיניים מבינות.En: The guard looked at them, with understanding eyes.He: "החנוכה וזה. תראו, אני מבין שאתם אוהבים היסטוריה," הוא אמר.En: "Hanukkah and all that. Look, I understand you love history," he said.He: "אנחנו יכולים לדווח על זה ולוודא שזה יתועד בצורה ראויה לפני השיפוצים."En: "We can report this and ensure it is documented properly before the renovations."He: בהרגע הזה, אריאל הבין את כוח שיתוף הפעולה, ושירה מצאה התרגשות חדשה בגילוי סיפורים לא מסופרים.En: At that moment, Ariel realized the power of collaboration, and Shira found new excitement in uncovering untold stories.He: החגיגות בחוץ המשיכו, אז השניים, לצד השומר מסור, החלו לתעד את כל מה שמצאו בחדר.En: The celebrations outside continued, so the two of them, alongside the dedicated guard, began to document everything they found in the room.He: הנרות המשיכו להאיר, והחדר המסתורי שמר בתוכו סיפור שהשתמר שוב לתוך ההיסטוריה הגדולה של ירושלים.En: The candles continued to illuminate, and the mysterious room preserved within it a story that was once again preserved into the great history of Jerusalem. Vocabulary Words:narrow: צריםalley: סמטהpassionate: מלא תשוקהarchaeology: ארכיאולוגיהsignificant: משמעותיdestroy: לנבורancient: עתיקsparkled: נצצוrenovations: שיפוציםvaluable: יקרי ערךartifacts: כליםuncharted: לא מסופריםpreserved: השתמרforgotten: נשכחיםstatues: פסליםdocument: לתעדsupport: לתמוךsecurity guard: שומר הביטחוןunderstanding: מבינותcollaboration: שיתוף פעולהadventurous: הרפתקהconcern: דאגהhidden: נסתרilluminating: מאיריםentrance: פתחexcitement: התרגשותrevealed: התגלוcautious: זהירהopportunity: הזדמנותspark: זיקBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Mystery in the Mist: Guilin's Hidden Treasure Unveiled Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-11-19-08-38-20-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在桂林的一个宁静村庄，秋天的清晨，阳光透过山间薄雾，洒在村里的石板路上。En: In a tranquil village in Guilin, on an autumn morning, sunlight streamed through the mountain mist, spilling over the cobblestone paths of the village.Zh: 村子四周是雄伟的喀斯特山脉，仿佛大自然的守护者。En: The village was surrounded by the majestic karst mountains, standing as if they were nature's guardians.Zh: 蒋毅站在村口，手里捧着一本泛黄的老书。En: Jiang Yi stood at the village entrance, holding a yellowed old book.Zh: 他对村里的古老传说着迷，尤其是关于村庙里那件价值连城的古文物的故事。En: He was fascinated by the village's ancient legends, especially the story about the priceless artifact in the village temple.Zh: 中秋节将至，村子充满了欢庆的气氛，但村子里也弥漫着一丝紧张感。En: As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the village was filled with a celebratory atmosphere, but there was also a hint of tension.Zh: 因为那件文物，最近不见了。En: The artifact had recently disappeared.Zh: 他的好友美琳走过来，手里拿着一盏纸灯笼。En: His friend Mei Lin walked over, carrying a paper lantern.Zh: 美琳是个重视传统的人，总能在蒋毅异想天开时给予冷静的建议。En: Mei Lin was someone who valued tradition and was always able to provide calm advice when Jiang Yi had whimsical ideas.Zh: “蒋毅，你别再看那些传说了，村里的长老们可不喜欢我们调查。”美琳提醒道。En: “Jiang Yi, stop reading those legends; the village elders don't like us investigating,” Mei Lin reminded him.Zh: 然而，蒋毅不想放弃，En: However, Jiang Yi did not want to give up.Zh: 他对美琳说：“也许传说里有真的秘密呢。我们去找找线索吧。”En: He told Mei Lin, “Maybe there is a real secret in the legends. Let's go look for clues.”Zh: 村子里来了个陌生人，名叫魏辰。En: A stranger named Wei Chen had come to the village.Zh: 他带着丰富的古文物知识，然而对他过去的故事，没人了解太多。En: He brought with him a wealth of knowledge about ancient artifacts, but no one knew much about his past.Zh: 村民们有些怀疑他。En: The villagers were a bit suspicious of him.Zh: “魏辰来了之后，文物就不见了。”村民们耳语道。En: “After Wei Chen arrived, the artifact disappeared,” the villagers whispered.Zh: 蒋毅和美琳决定秘密调查。En: Jiang Yi and Mei Lin decided to investigate secretly.Zh: 他们注意到魏辰很少与人交谈，却似乎对村庙异常关注。En: They noticed that Wei Chen seldom talked to people, yet seemed unusually interested in the village temple.Zh: 中秋节的晚上，村子举行了一场大型庆祝会。En: On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the village held a large celebration.Zh: 月饼飘香，灯笼高挂，村中小孩嬉戏，增添了欢乐的气氛。En: The aroma of mooncakes filled the air, lanterns hung high, and the children playing added to the joyous atmosphere.Zh: 就在此时，蒋毅无意中在一个月饼里发现了一张古老的地图。En: It was at this time that Jiang Yi accidentally discovered an old map inside a mooncake.Zh: 地图上标记着一个隐蔽的房间。En: The map marked a hidden room.Zh: 蒋毅和美琳按照地图的指示，悄悄进入了村庙的地下室。En: Following its directions, Jiang Yi and Mei Lin quietly entered the temple's basement.Zh: 他们点亮了带来的灯笼，隐约看见一个秘室的入口。En: They lit the lantern they brought and faintly saw the entrance to a secret room.Zh: 推开石门，丢失的文物静静地摆在石台上。En: Pushing open the stone door, the missing artifact sat quietly on a stone platform.Zh: 蒋毅和美琳心中无比震惊，却同时松了一口气。En: Jiang Yi and Mei Lin were stunned, yet they breathed a sigh of relief.Zh: 村子里的长老们惊讶地看着被完好无损的文物。En: The village elders were astonished to see the artifact intact.Zh: 然而，他们更惊讶的是魏辰的无辜。En: However, they were even more surprised by Wei Chen's innocence.Zh: 在他的帮助下，文物背后的古老传说得以完整解开，揭示了村子的历史，也是靖江通往更美好未来的桥梁。En: With his help, the ancient legend behind the artifact was fully unraveled, revealing the village's history and serving as a bridge to a brighter future for Jingjiang.Zh: “看吧，传说有时也是真实的。”蒋毅轻声对美琳说。En: “See, sometimes legends are true,” Jiang Yi softly said to Mei Lin.Zh: 他明白了信任与友谊的可贵，村民们也用敬佩的眼光看着他。En: He understood the value of trust and friendship, and the villagers looked at him with admiration.Zh: 桂林的秋风轻轻吹过，带来了新的开始。En: The autumn wind of Guilin gently blew, bringing a new beginning. Vocabulary Words:tranquil: 宁静cobblestone: 石板majestic: 雄伟guardian: 守护者fascinated: 着迷artifact: 文物celebratory: 欢庆tension: 紧张whimsical: 异想天开investigating: 调查secretly: 秘密地suspicious: 怀疑aroma: 飘香joyous: 欢乐accidentally: 无意中basement: 地下室faintly: 隐约entrance: 入口astonished: 惊讶intact: 完好无损innocence: 无辜unraveled: 解开legend: 传说admiration: 敬佩whispered: 耳语hidden: 隐蔽platform: 石台tradition: 传统mooncake: 月饼sigh of relief: 松了一口气

You might feel stuck or uncertain, but what if God's greatest miracles are hidden in plain sight? This message will reignite your faith and remind you that the wilderness isn't wasted. It's where treasure is waiting to be found. Lean in and discover what's been hidden for you all along. ----more---- ABOUT UNION CHURCH We exist for one thing: to help unite people with purpose. At Union Church, we believe that heaven can be experienced on earth when people live intentional and purposeful lives, submitted to God's word. We fulfill our mission by helping people know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. We are one church in multiple locations through Maryland, Virginia and Charlotte North Carolina. Find a Union location near you: www.theunionchurch.com/findalocation    FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: www.facebook.com/weareunionchurch  Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareunionchurch  Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephenrchandler YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weareunionchurch  Website: https://theunionchurch.com

Fluent Fiction - French: Unveiling Secrets: Art, Mystery, and a Hidden Treasure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2025-11-17-23-34-02-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Par une journée d'automne à Montmartre, les feuilles dorées tourbillonnaient dans les rues pavées.En: On an autumn day in Montmartre, the golden leaves swirled through the cobblestone streets.Fr: Lucien, un jeune écrivain curieux, flânait dans un magasin d'antiquités.En: Lucien, a curious young writer, was strolling through an antique shop.Fr: C'était petit, mais plein de trésors.En: It was small but full of treasures.Fr: Les vieilles étagères boisaient des objets poussiéreux, des livres anciens, et même un vieux bureau.En: The old shelves were laden with dusty objects, ancient books, and even an old desk.Fr: Maëlle, une étudiante en art au sourire timide, l'avait rejoint.En: Maëlle, an art student with a shy smile, had joined him.Fr: Elle était là pour s'inspirer, ses crayons à la main.En: She was there for inspiration, her pencils in hand.Fr: Lucien et elle se connaissaient depuis peu, mais partageaient une passion pour le mystère.En: Lucien and she had not known each other long, but they shared a passion for mystery.Fr: C'est alors que Lucien remarqua un tiroir verrouillé dans le bureau.En: That's when Lucien noticed a locked drawer in the desk.Fr: Après avoir demandé au propriétaire du magasin, il parvint à ouvrir le tiroir avec un peu d'aide.En: After asking the shop owner, he managed to open the drawer with a bit of help.Fr: Dedans, se trouvait une lettre mystérieuse.En: Inside, there was a mysterious letter.Fr: Elle était codée, remplie de symboles étranges.En: It was coded, filled with strange symbols.Fr: Lucien voulait à tout prix déchiffrer ce mystère, mais les références dans la lettre le déconcertaient.En: Lucien was eager to decipher this mystery, but the references in the letter puzzled him.Fr: Il parla à Maëlle, plein d'espoir qu'elle pourrait l'aider.En: He spoke to Maëlle, hopeful that she could help him.Fr: Maëlle hésita.En: Maëlle hesitated.Fr: Elle avait un projet d'art urgent.En: She had an urgent art project.Fr: Mais la curiosité l'emporta, et elle décida de joindre Lucien dans son enquête.En: But curiosity won out, and she decided to join Lucien in his investigation.Fr: Ensemble, ils arpentaient Paris, se perdant parfois dans des ruelles oubliées.En: Together, they roamed Paris, sometimes getting lost in forgotten alleys.Fr: Ils retournèrent souvent à l'antiquaire pour étudier la lettre.En: They often returned to the antique shop to study the letter.Fr: Un jour, en explorant plus loin le magasin, ils découvrirent un passage caché derrière une étagère.En: One day, while exploring the shop further, they discovered a hidden passage behind a shelf.Fr: Une salle secrète apparut, remplie d'artefacts reliés à la lettre.En: A secret room appeared, filled with artifacts related to the letter.Fr: Sous un tableau poussiéreux, ils trouvèrent une autre lettre non codée.En: Under a dusty painting, they found another uncoded letter.Fr: Elle décrivait l'emplacement des dernières peintures jamais découvertes d'un artiste célèbre.En: It described the location of the last paintings ever discovered by a famous artist.Fr: C'était un trésor inestimable.En: It was an invaluable treasure.Fr: Lucien et Maëlle étaient abasourdis.En: Lucien and Maëlle were astonished.Fr: Grâce à cette découverte, Lucien comprit l'importance de collaborer.En: Thanks to this discovery, Lucien understood the importance of collaboration.Fr: Maëlle, elle, se découvrit des talents d'enquêtrice qu'elle ignorait.En: As for Maëlle, she discovered investigative talents she never knew she had.Fr: En sortant du magasin, ils se promirent de ne jamais oublier cette aventure étonnante à Montmartre, où l'art et le mystère se mêlent.En: As they left the shop, they promised never to forget this amazing adventure in Montmartre, where art and mystery intertwine.Fr: La collaboration avait éclairci leur chemin, et les feuilles continuaient à danser autour d'eux.En: The collaboration had illuminated their path, and the leaves continued to dance around them. Vocabulary Words:autumn: l'automneday: la journéeleaves: les feuillescobblestone: pavéestreasures: les trésorsshelves: les étagèresantique shop: le magasin d'antiquitésshelf: l'étagèredesk: le bureauart student: l'étudiante en artshy smile: le sourire timideinspiration: l'inspirationmystery: le mystèredrawer: le tiroirowner: le propriétairehelp: l'aideletter: la lettresymbols: les symbolesreferences: les référencesinvestigation: l'enquêtealleys: les ruellespassage: le passagehidden: cachéroom: la salleartifacts: les artefactspainting: le tableaulocation: l'emplacementtalents: les talentscollaboration: la collaborationpath: le chemin

In this thought-provoking episode, Tony and Jesse delve into Jesus's twin parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price from Matthew 13:44-46. They explore the profound economic metaphor Jesus uses to illustrate the incomparable value of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through careful examination of both parables, they discuss what it means to "count the cost" of following Christ while simultaneously recognizing that no earthly sacrifice can compare to the infinite worth of gaining Christ. The conversation moves between practical application—considering how believers assess value in their spiritual lives—and deeper theological reflections on Christ's perfect sacrifice that makes our entrance into the Kingdom possible in the first place. Key Takeaways The Kingdom of Heaven has such surpassing value that sacrificing everything to obtain it is considered a joyful exchange, not a loss. Both parables show different paths to discovering the Kingdom (unexpected finding vs. intentional seeking), but identical responses: selling everything to obtain the treasure. The parables are not primarily commanding material poverty, but rather illustrating the "sold-outness" required in pursuing the Kingdom of God. Counting the cost of discipleship is not only permissible but necessary to fully appreciate the value of what we gain in Christ. The ultimate treasure we receive in salvation is not merely benefits like eternal life, but God Himself—union with Christ and fellowship with the Trinity. Christ Himself is the one who ultimately fulfills these parables perfectly, giving everything to purchase us as His treasure. The irresistible draw of the Kingdom illustrates how God's grace works in the heart of believers, compelling joyful surrender. Exploring the Incomparable Value of the Kingdom The economic metaphor Jesus employs in these parables is striking—both the hidden treasure and the pearl are deemed so valuable that the discoverers "sell all they have" to obtain them. As Tony and Jesse point out, this transaction reveals something profound about how we should view the Kingdom of Heaven. It's not simply that the Kingdom is valuable; it's that its value so far exceeds anything else we possess that the comparison becomes almost absurd. As Tony notes, "For sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine... there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how worthwhile it is." This perspective transforms how we understand sacrifice in the Christian life. When opportunities or comforts are foregone because of our faith, we're not simply losing something—we're experiencing the reality that we've chosen something infinitely more valuable. The parables teach us to view these moments not with regret but with a clearer vision of the treasure we've received in Christ. The Ultimate Prize: God Himself Perhaps the most powerful insight from the discussion is the realization that the ultimate treasure of salvation is not the benefits we receive, but God Himself. As Tony eloquently states: "All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God... we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." This perspective reshapes how we understand the value proposition of the gospel. It's not merely that we receive eternal life, freedom from suffering, or other benefits—though these are real. The pearl of great price is relationship with God Himself. This helps explain why both men in the parables respond with such dramatic, all-encompassing sacrifice. When we truly grasp what's being offered, nothing seems too great a price to pay. Memorable Quotes "What we get in salvation ultimately is we get God. We get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." — Tony Arsenal "I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value... it's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We'll just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it." — Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. We get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. [00:00:47] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 469 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Discussing the Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:01:00] Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of ears to hear, we're back at it again with a whole new, or let's say different parable from our Lord and Savior Jesus. And we've been talking about how really these parables give us this view of the face of heaven through these earthly glasses. And I am pretty interested in our conversation about what's coming up because sometimes we don't like to put too fine a points to our, our point of question to our faith. And in this case, we're gonna get to ask the question, what is it all worth, this kingdom of heaven, this rule and reign of Christ? What is it all about? Who are the beneficiaries of it? And what is it all actually worth? There's a little bit of economics in this, so we're gonna get there. And while we talk and do a little affirming or denying, you should just go ahead write to just skip, go. Do not collect $200 or maybe. Pass, go and collect $200. I dunno. But just go to Matthew chapter 13 and hang out there for just a second. Affirmations and Denials [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: But first, I'm always curious to know whenever we talk, are you gonna affirm with something or are you gonna die against something? We've been on a string of lots of affirmations, but I'd like to think that's just because we're fun, loving, optimistic people. But there was a day where we had to do both. And now that I only have to choose one, I do find myself gravitating almost naturally toward the affirming width. But I leave it to you, Tony, are you affirming with or denying against? [00:02:22] Tony Arsenal: I, unfortunately am denying tonight. Technical Issues with Apple Podcasts [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: So you and I already talked about it a little bit, but uh, I'm denying Apple Podcast Connect. Oh yes. So, uh, I. Obviously, like if you're affected by this, you're not hearing the episode 'cause it's not updating for you. But, uh, if you happen to be using Apple to listen to the podcast and for some reason you're listening somewhere else, maybe you realize that the podcast has not been updating for several weeks. And so you went to a different podcast catcher. Um, apple just decided for some reason that none of our feeds were gonna update. No good reason. So I've got a ticket out to Apple and hopefully we'll get it fixed. Uh, if you do know someone who listens to the show and they use Apple, please tell them to subscribe to something else or to, uh, go to the website. You can get all of the, all of the episodes on our website. You could go to Spotify, you could do something like, uh, overcast or PocketCasts. Um, it really is just Apple. It's, it's the actual account that we use to, uh, to access. Apple's Directory is not pulling new episodes and it's not pulling new episodes on another show that I run as well. So, uh, it's not just this show, it's not our RSS feed. These things happen. It'll, you know, you'll get four or five episodes all at one time. When it, when it corrects itself, usually they're pretty quick. I put in a ticket like late on Friday afternoon, so I didn't expect them to get to it on, uh, Saturday or Sunday. So hopefully by the time you're hearing this, uh, it's resolved. I would hope so, because that means it would be about a week from today. Um, so hopefully they'll have a resolve. But yeah, it's just th thorns and thistles. This is our own, our own, uh, manifestation of the curse here in this little labor that we do. It's, it's thorns and thistles right now, but no big deal. Just, uh, catch up when you can. And, uh, yeah, so denying Apple Podcasts now, really, it's, it's a great service and this is a, a little glitch. It's, it's just a little frustrating. [00:04:20] Jesse Schwamb: The sweat of our brow. Yes. Here it is. We're just toiling over getting Apple to please release our episodes. Well, it'll be your happy day if you use Apple Podcasts and then get a bunch of them all at once. That's fantastic. It's like the gift that is over in abundance. Supporting The Reformed Brotherhood [00:04:36] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it is a good reminder that you just said, Tony, that everybody should go, just take some time. Head on over to our form brotherhood.com. You can find all the other 400 some odd episodes living over there. And while you're over there and you're perusing or searching by topic to see what we've talked about before, you're probably gonna think to yourself, this is so incredible. How is this compendium, this omnibus of all these episodes just hanging out here free of cost? And I'm so glad you're thinking about that because there are so many lovely brothers and sisters who have decided just to give a little bit to make sure that all that stuff gets hosted for free for you Yeah. And for us, so that anybody can go and explore it and find content that we hope will be edifying. So if that's something you're interested in, maybe you've been listening for a while and thought, you know what? I would like to give a little bit one time or reoccurring, we would love to, for you to join us in that mission. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood, and there's all the information for you to give if that's something that you feel you would like to do, and we would be grateful for you to do it. [00:05:32] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. We, we have a group of people who support the show. They make it possible for your, uh, your ear holes to be filled with our voices. And, uh, but again, you know, the costs are going up all around and, and we would, uh, certainly love to have people partner with us. Um, we've committed to making show that the, making sure that the show is free and available. Um, it's never our intention to put anything behind a paywall or to, to barrier and in that way, but we can only do that if there's people who are supporting the show and making, making sure that we've got the funding that we need to, to keep going. So, thank you to everybody who gives, thank you to anyone who's considering it, uh, and thanking anybody who decides to, uh, jump on board with that. [00:06:11] Jesse Schwamb: Right on. We're appreciative who we really are. [00:06:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today? Exploring Open Webcam DB [00:06:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, this is what I've kind of done before, but I think I've found a new place for it. I just am continually impressed and fall in love with how great and big and lovely God's world is. So I love these types of sites that give you insight into this great big world, even if it's in unexpected places or maybe in strange places. So I'm affirming with a website called Open webcam db.com. Open webcam db.com. And it's exactly like what it sounds like. It's a database that has something like 2000 live cameras streaming daily from over 50 countries, all searchable by a category. So you can find natural landscapes, airports, construction sites, and one of my recent favorites, honestly, and this is. It's so strange, but kind of awesome is this warehouse, it's called Chinese Robotic Warehouse Buzz, and it's just robots moving pallets around or like stacks of all of these items. It's mesmerizing. But I would encourage you go to open webcam db.com, search for like your stage or your country. You'll find so many amazing things. So I've sat and just watched, you know, between tasks or when you know you just need a break or you're just curious about the world. Like I look, I watched the Krakow Maine Market Square quite a bit because it's. Beautiful and brilliant, and to think about the people moving to and fro and what they're doing, what their lives are like. There's some great scenes from San Francisco Bay. There is a bird feeder in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that I often watch. So of course, like go out as we've said, and live and breathe and be in your own communities. And as well, if you're looking at scratch that itch of just seeing all these different places, all the different things that are happening in God's created world, I can firmly and unreservedly recommend open webcam db.com for that. [00:07:58] Tony Arsenal: Nice, nice, uh, little known fact at one point, Dartmouth Hitchcock, which is the hospital that I worked for, had to block a penguin cam, uh, because it was causing such a productivity drain combined with an actual measurable decrease in internet bandwidth at the hospital. 'cause so many people were watching this little penguin cam at some zoo in Boston. I think it probably was. Yeah, I, I love this kind of stuff. I think this kind of stuff is great. Uh, I use, uh, Dartmouth College has a, like a live one that I use all the time, especially when we're trying to figure out what the weather's gonna do. You can see it on the camera. Uh, we, we often will, you know, see, especially as we get closer to the season when we're talking about traveling to the beach and whatnot, uh, often look at the ocean grove. Oh, that's right. Uh, pier cam. So yeah, check it out. Uh, sounds like a fun time. Do not share it with too many of your friends at work. Or it may crash the network and Yeah. But [00:08:53] Jesse Schwamb: yeah, for [00:08:54] Tony Arsenal: sure. That was a funny email that they had to send out. I remember that [00:08:57] Jesse Schwamb: for sure. Use, use the penguin cam responsibly. I just did a quick search. There are four different penguin cams. Uh, three of them are in the United States, one is in New Zealand, and you better believe I'm gonna be checking those bad boys out. Yes. I didn't even think about. The penguin feature here and penguins are an amazing animal. Like we could stop right now and just shift our topic to penguins if you want to. [00:09:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. ' [00:09:16] Jesse Schwamb: cause there's so much there. And the spiritual truths are so broad and deep, but I just think penguins are kind of undervalued. Birds. Everybody should go check them out. [00:09:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. They're, they're pretty cool. [00:09:28] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Um, I'm like, I will watch any Penguin documentary and just be astounded by Penguin. Like, whether they're Emperor Penguins or South African Penguin, wherever. I just think they're phenomenal and hilarious and seem to be living the dream. And he doesn't want a little bit of that. [00:09:46] Tony Arsenal: You just gotta get Morgan Freeman to do the voiceover in any documentary or, or nature documentary is better with Morgan Freeman doing the voiceover. [00:09:55] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I all, this might be a deep cut real quick, but I just learned this, and I'm guessing some of our listening brothers and sisters probably already know this. Maybe you do too, Tony. So, Benedict Cumberbatch, do you know where I'm going with this? Yep, [00:10:06] Tony Arsenal: yep. Pen wing. [00:10:07] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I didn't. I cannot say that word or stumbles over its pronunciation. He did some kind of big documentary in which Penguins played at least some part. Yeah. And they were in an interview. They were giving him such a hard time because they played his reading of it like within the same kind of five minutes. And his, the word just kept degenerating in his mouth every time he said it. So it became like almost undistinguishable from the actual word. And it's like initial pronunciation. It was so hilarious. Apparently it's a big joke on the internet and I just didn't know it. [00:10:38] Tony Arsenal: Especially for someone like Bent Cumberbatch who just is, uh, like he's a world-class voice actor. [00:10:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:10:45] Tony Arsenal: And like a super smart ude guy and he just can't say the word penguin and penguin. Yeah. [00:10:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. He said, you got everybody go look it up. 'cause it is super hilarious. And now it's kind of gotten stuck in my head. But um, again, this suddenly became like the All Penguin episode all of a sudden. [00:11:01] Tony Arsenal: I mean like, he can pronounce his own last name just fine, but the word penguin escapes him. I like to call 'em blueberry crumble bottom or whatever. Crumble bunch. [00:11:11] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, see that's the good stuff right there. That's what everybody we know. This is what you all tune in for. This is what you're missing when Apple Podcast doesn't send everything out on time. Yeah. You're welcome. [00:11:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl [00:11:23] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, why don't we, why don't we get into it? Because you know it, it's interesting. Let's [00:11:27] Jesse Schwamb: get into it. [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: Well, it's interesting because when you, you know, you kind of, we, we sort of do the little lead to the episode and I, I suddenly realized that I think I've been interpreting this parable very differently than maybe you have or other people. Great. Do, uh, because I, I think I, I think I might have a different take on it. Let, let's do it. Yeah. So let's get into it. Uh, do you have the, the text in friend you wanna read? Uh, why don't we just do 44 all the way through 46? We'll do both parables in one reading. We'll come back and talk about it. [00:11:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Sorry, everybody. So here's a two for one for you. Beginning in where we're in verse 44 of Matthew chapter 13. This is Jesus speaking. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field again. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Interpreting the Parables [00:12:22] Tony Arsenal: I think maybe this is the, like the beauty of parables, uh, when Christ doesn't give us a interpretation. I, I think we're, we're, we're not free to like make up whatever we want, but these kinds of teaching tools are useful because the fact that there can be multiple interpretations actually is, is probably intentional. [00:12:43] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:12:43] Tony Arsenal: So it's funny because I think when you intro the episode here, it sounds like you're going to the kingdom of Heaven being a treasure hidden in a field, being something that we should sell everything we have and go after. And when I read this, I read it as the kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden a field. And the man who is Jesus goes and sells all that. He has. He gives all that he has and buys the field. So, and I, I think this is one of those ones where like. Probably both of those things are in play. Sure. But it's interesting 'cause I've never, I've never really read this and thought about myself as the person who buys the field. [00:13:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Interesting. [00:13:20] Tony Arsenal: I've probably heard sermons or read devotionals where people have said that and it just never clicked. And it didn't register until just now. And you were, when you were, uh, introing the parable that maybe you are the, maybe your way of introing your, your interpretation. Maybe that's the dominant one. So I, I looked at a couple quick, um, commentaries while you were speaking and I didn't get a chance to do my commentary reading before the episode. It seems like I'm the weird one. So, but it's interesting, um, 'cause again, I think that's the, kind of the beauty of parables is that sometimes the, the, um. Ambiguity of what the possible meaning could be, probably plays into the, the, um, teaching technique itself. [00:13:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I, I think that's fair. I totally can take and understand what your perspective is on this. What I find interesting is that these, we've got these two abutting each other, like the cheek to cheek parallel approach here, and in doing so, there seems to be like kind of an interesting comparison between the two. Actors in this. And I think we should get into that. Like why in one case Jesus is talking about a person who finds this in a field, which by the way, I think the, the thing that jumps out to me first about that person is this person doesn't actually own the field at first. Right. That the treasure is in. So that is interesting. I'm totally with you. But then the second one, so in the first one there's kinda almost like this sense, and I don't wanna like push this too far, but that this person who finds this treasure does so very unexpectedly, perhaps like he's even the hired hand and of course not the one who owns the field. [00:14:48] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:14:49] Jesse Schwamb: And in the second case, we have somebody who almost is volitionally looking for this thing of great value, but finds the one thing above all the other things that they're used to looking for that clearly has the greatest and most. You know, essential worth and therefore the end is always the same in both of 'em. They give everything they have. They're willing for forsake all other things with great joy, recognizing the great value that's in front of them. I think there is a place to understand that as Christ acting in those ways. I think there's also interesting, again, this comparison between these two people. So I'm seeing this as we've got these varied beneficiaries of the kingdom. They both come to this place of the incomparable value of the kingdom, but then there's also like this expulsive power of the kingdom. All, all of that's, I think in there, and again, these are really, really, really brilliant, I think, because the more that you spend time meditating on these, the layers just kind of come and they fall away and you start to really consider, well, why again is Jesus using these two different characters? Why is he using this kinda different sense of things of, of worth what the people are actually after? I think all of it's in play. You're totally right. [00:15:54] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. The Cost and Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:15:55] Tony Arsenal: So I think, you know, when we think about the kingdom of heaven, when we think about these perils, we made this point last week, we shouldn't, um, we shouldn't restrict, we have to be careful not to restrict the comparison to just like the first noun that comes up, [00:16:08] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:16:08] Tony Arsenal: So it's not just that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, it, it is like a treasure, but it's like a treasure that's hidden in a field. Yes. And it's not just like a treasure that's hidden in a field, it's a treasure that's hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Right? So, so like we have to look at that whole sequence. And I think, I think, um, you know, obviously like the, the interpretation that we are the, we're the man who finds the kingdom of heaven and we, you know, we go and buy the field. Um, that, that obviously makes perfect sense now that I'm looking at a few different commentaries. It seems to be the predominant way that this gets interpreted. And we, we look at it and we say, what, well, what does this mean for like our Christian life? Like. What does it mean? Do we have to, do we have to give everything away? Do we have to sell everything we have? Is that the point of the parable? I think some people make that the point of the parable. Um, I'm not convinced that that actually is the point of the parable. Um, because it, you know, it, it, it just, there's lots in the scripture that, that, uh, doesn't seem to require that Christians automatically like, give away everything they have. Um, maybe that's your calling. Maybe it is something that God's calling you to do to sort of, um, divest yourself of your, your belongings, either to sort of fight materialism or greed or, or just because like you're gonna need to have that fluidity and liquidity to your assets 'cause you're gonna need to move around or whatever it is. But I don't think we look at this parable and have like a, like a, a command for a life of poverty or something like that. Right. Um, really this is more about the. Utter sold outness of the Christian to pursue and seek the kingdom of God. [00:17:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right? Right. [00:17:49] Tony Arsenal: And and I think that that's the same in both, even though the way that the person in the parables comes a, comes across the kingdom or they come across this, this thing of great value or thing of great price, that they find their response in both parables is the same. And to me, that that actually tells me that that's more the point of these parables. Um, or, or maybe we shouldn't even think of these as two parables, right? Some of the introductory language that we see in when we transition from one parable to another, we don't really see that here. Uh, and if, if we're gonna follow that, actually we would be going to the next parable would also kind of fall into this. But he says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. And then in 45 he says, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. We're gonna run into something like this later on when we get to like the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of lost coins. Where there are these distinct parables, but they're kind of stacked on top of each other in order to make a specific point. All of the parables that are sort of in these parable stacks are making the same point. And so I think it's not so much about like, how do we find the Kingdom of Heaven or how do we come upon the kingdom of heaven? It's more about what do we do once we've come upon it? Once we've thrown it's, that's the point of the parable that we need to unpack. [00:19:03] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. And I would add to that, like who is it that is the beneficiary of this kingdom? We have two different, very different individuals, which I, again, I think, we'll, we'll talk a little bit about, but I'm totally with you. I, I think it's, it's easier, it's almost too narrow and too easy to say. Well, this is really just about like physical ma or about wealth. Like in some way the, what we're being taught here is that you have to get rid of everything of value in exchange for this. In some ways, that almost feels too transactional, doesn't it? As if like what, what we need to do is really buy the kingdom. We express our seriousness about this kingdom or the rule and reign of God by somehow just giving up everything that we own as if to prove that we're really worthy of receiving that kingdom that we prayed enough. Right. That we've done enough, even though that we're contrite enough. Yeah. And all that stands like in direct opposition to the mercy and grace, which God gives to us through his son by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us into this kingdom. So we know it can't really be about that. And so that leads me back again to just like the lovely details here. And like you've already said in the first case, here's what really strikes me is. For probably most of us in the West, this idea of treasure is novel and maybe romantic. There's a adventure and an energy to it. Because we've all heard stories about this, whether it's like, I don't know, pirates of the Caribbean or the county Mount Cristo. Like there's something about treasure finding some kind of, or national treasure. Sorry, that just came to my mind. Like I couldn't go any further without mentioning Nick Cage. So you know, like there's something there that pulls us in that finding this thing almost unexpectedly in a hidden place of immense worth and value is, has a real draw to it. But I imagine that in Palestine being like a war torn region in Jesus' day, in the way people might store goods of great value in the fields they own. And then of course the owner may never be able to achieve for lots of reasons, including death. And then somebody might stumble upon it. And as I understand the, the laws there, of course, if you were to stumble upon something. I was in somebody else's property and and on earth that thing take it out of the ground. In this case, you would be by law required to bring that back to the person who owned the field. So there's something interesting here that this first person, probably the more meager and humble of the two with they at least respected, like their socioeconomic status is let's, we could presume maybe going about their normal work. They find this unexpectedly in the field and it's immediately recognized to be something of great value that it is to stop and to, again, there's like a measuring that happens behind the scenes. This person at least is measuring of all the things that I own, all things I could possibly own. The better thing for me to do is to consolidate all the rest of my wealth. And this case, again, it's not the message of the story to do this, it's the exemplification of what's happening here. This person is so sold out to ensure that they acquire this great treasure that they stumbled upon, that they will take literally everything else of value that they own to exchange it for this very thing. So I'm totally with you because I think the predominant message here is not like take all your wealth and make sure that you give it to the church or that it goes to ministry or to missions. That may all be well and good and it may all be the kind of calling that you receive. However, I think the principle message here is the kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything on earth, but getting the kingdom is a happy trade off. Like that's actually a really, really good deal. And so having the omnipotent saving reign of Christ in our lives is so valuable that if, if we lose everything in order to have it, it would be a joyful sacrifice. [00:22:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think, um, I think there is a level of. Encouragement in Sacrifice and Joy in the Kingdom [00:22:27] Tony Arsenal: Sacrifice that happens for every Christian and. I mean, I, I know there's a lot of people who they, uh, come to faith as young children and we've kind of talked about that as like, that's that testimony that, you know, I think everybody really wants is like they wish they never had a time that they didn't know Jesus and Right. I don't know any parent that I've ever spoken to, and I'm certainly not any different here that doesn't want that testimony for Jesus, but, or for, for their kids in their relationship with Jesus. But. I think most people who come to faith at some point in their life when they're able to remember it, like they, they have a conscious memory of their conversion experience. There is this sort of sense of sacrifice and e even a sort of a sense of loss. Um, I think there, there are times where, and, and you know, I think maybe, um, even people who've always been in the faith, um, they probably can resonate with this. I think there are times when we might look at how our lives could have been different or could be different if we weren't in the faith. Um, and, and sometimes there's a sort of wistfulness to that. Like being a Christian can sometimes be difficult right On, um, you know, maybe you miss a promotion opportunity because you're not willing to work on the Lord's day or because you're not willing to do something unethical. Like you, you miss out on some sort of advancement and you think, well, if I could just, you know, if I could have just gotten past that, like my life would be much different. And what this parable teaches us is. That's an understandable, like that's an understandable emotion or response. Um, and there is this weighing of the cost. And in the parable here, he, like you said, there's this calculation that goes on in the background. He finds this treasure, he makes the calculation that to have this treasure is worth. Everything it's worth everything he has. He sells everything he has, and he buys the field in order to get the treasure right. And, and there's some interesting textual dynamics going on through this chapter. We've talked about how the parables kind of like the imagery across the parables in chapter 13 here of Matthew, they kind of flip certain figures around and almost, it's almost intentional because he is getting the treasure and the treasure. The kingdom of heaven here is like the treasure, but he's also getting the field right. And the kingdom of heaven is, is the field in other parables. Um, but this, this calculation that happens, um. I don't know, maybe my heart is just sensitive to this right now. I, I, I, I feel like a lot of times we look at that sort of wis wistful second glance at what could have been if we were not Christians, and we automatically feel like that's gotta be a sinful impulse. Like, how could I ever even consider what life might have been? Like this parable implies that that's the thing we actually have to do. You have to know and consider what it is you've sacrificed or will be sacrificing in order to make this transaction happen. You can't just blanketly say like, oh, of course. You know, you've gotta, you've gotta count the cost, as it were, and then you have to actually make the purchase. So I think we should look at this as a source of encouragement. Um, like I said, I'm not sure why. I feel like maybe there's, maybe there's just a, a. I dunno, I'm feeling a little weird and charismatic right now. I feel like this is something that I definitely need to be saying, like, I feel like someone needs to hear this. Maybe it's just me that needs to hear this. And that's, I'm tricking myself by thinking of someone else. But we are able, as Christians, I think God permits us and in some sense, maybe even expects and commands us to recognize what we have given to be Christians in order that we might realize how much we have gained with that transaction. It's not just this like remorse or regret, um, for the sake of remorse or regret. It's to be able to see how good and how beautiful and how worth it is the kingdom of God, uh, to, to, to claim that. [00:26:23] Jesse Schwamb: I like that there is a great discipline and a great joy in remembering worth and worthiness. So there's gonna be times, like you said, when it's hard and if you look back, look back at the ministry of Jesus, I've often thought that he's like a poor evangelizer from like modern standards. Yeah. Because often people come to him and say things like. I, I wanna be part of the kingdom of God. Well, what do I need to do to enter the kingdom of God? And here you have like a seemingly a willing convert. And he always says things like this, like, you gotta go count the cost. Yeah. Like is, is this worth it to you? Like you have to deny yourself, you have to hate your own father and your mother, and your wife and children, and brothers and sisters, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. And in this kind of language, it's clear that Jesus is saying you fail often. And maybe this goes back like you're saying, Tony, it's like the parable of the soil that you fail to really take into account what it means to follow with full fidelity, to commit yourself in a fully unencumbered way. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to consider that? And as human beings, we're just not good often at counting costs. We're not good at thinking about opportunity costs. And it's interesting here that we're called out to say, even if you've already purchased the field as so to speak, that as if you've been saved by Christ, to continue to remember how good it is to be in the kingdom of God. And that the joy. Of knowing as like the Heidelberg Catechism says in the first question that all things are subservient to our salvation. Yeah. That incredible worth of, that should be a source of encouragement in times of great trial and tribulation, no matter how big or small, so that this joy that this person has when they go and sells everything he has and he buys this field, you know those details, like you're saying, do press us. It really comes to us with this idea that we should be able to see plainly why having Christ is more valuable than all other things. If the omnipotence all wise, God is ruling, ruling over all things for our joy, then everything must be working for our good, no matter how painful and in the end, God is gonna triumph over all evil and all pain. So this kingdom is a real treasure. Like it is a, it is a real. A real quantity in our life and our wellbeing and in our spiritual consistency, that'll ought demand some reflection of how valuable it truly is. And then knowing that in our minds, that like influencing our behavior, our other thought patterns, and then our actual feelings about stuff. So that when, like you said, we're passed over, we're looked over, we're ridiculed for something, we go back and we count it all joy to be worthy of being part of God's kingdom, knowing that it was because of the entrance and acceptability and the identity in that kingdom that we experience. Those things, those hardships begin with. [00:29:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And, and I, um, I don't want us to miss out on the fact that even as the parable may be encouraging or forcing us to think about. The cost. It, it really is trying to emphasize the great value of the kingdom. Right? Right. We, like I said, we, we don't just count the cost. In order to count the cost for its own sake. We count the cost in order to understand the great blessing that is ours in Christ. Right. All I, I count all that I have as a loss compared to the greatness of Christ Jesus. And, um, I think we just don't often do that. I, I, I think as Christians, that's probably a thought that is in our head more as young Christians, especially if we come to the faith in, in a time in our life where we're aware of things like that. We think about things like that. Reflecting on the Cost of Faith [00:29:59] Tony Arsenal: You know, I was 15 when I first came to faith and, um, I, I don't think I was in a frame of mind as a 15-year-old boy to think about, like. The cost of what I was doing, right? It's not like I was a particularly popular kid. I didn't have a, you know, I didn't, I wasn't unpopular, but it wasn't like I lost a ton of friends when I became a Christian. I didn't really lose anything that was measurable. Um, but I do think that, as, you know, someone now in my forties, looking back at, you know, 15, 20, 25 years of, of Christian life, it's easy to see that things could have been different on a sort of temporal scale. Like my, my life could probably be more comfortable in terms of wealth or opportunities or other things that might, uh, aren't, aren't even bad things necessarily. There is a sense of sacrifice. But again, God has brought us into this kingdom and he's given us parables like this and given us the ability to recognize. That we do have a cost, that there is a cost to be counted in order that we might now look at it and praise him for how great and glorious and valuable the gift that he's given us is. Understanding the Parable of the Pearl [00:31:08] Tony Arsenal: And so I think, you know, I think that's the same basic meaning of this second, second half of the same parable. I guess the, the pearl of great price or the pearl of great value. But it's not exactly the same, right? It's not like Christ is just repeating the same ver, you know, parable with, with different words for variation. Um, every word is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching correction, reproof, and training and righteousness. And I had a, I had a prophet in, uh, in Bible college who would say like, difference means difference. And he was often talking about like minute things, like the difference, um, or why, why is this word used instead of that word? This word would've worked. And, and the author chose that one. There's a reason for that. Difference means difference, but. Christ here chooses to, to tell the parable a second time, um, in a slightly different way. Uh, and Matthew chooses to record these in the same sense next to each other in slightly different ways. So what, what do we, what do we wanna pull out of this second parable that's different and what do we think it's telling us that's a little bit different than the first version Y? [00:32:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's a great question. Diverse Approaches to the Kingdom of Heaven [00:32:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, I love this idea because not until really, I was thinking about it this week when I read through them, was I really, again, drawn to the differences between these two main characters. Interestingly, I think in both, and we can make the case that the, the treasure, the kingdom of heaven here represented in both this pearl or in this literal treasure is in a way hidden. Certainly the first man is not necessarily looking for, it's still revealed to him, but the second in a way. And on the other hand, he knew this guy knows treasure. He's been seeking it with diligence in vigor, or at least like this is what he does for a living in his vocational career. He's out there trading pearls, presumably, and he knows something about them and how to evaluate them effectively. And so it's his business and he's dedicated himself to finding them. And apparently he's seen plenty of them over the years. But then all of a sudden, and this is wild, the beautiful, all of a sudden, clearly the search comes to like an abrupt end because he finds this one of immeasurable value, so much beauty exceeding and value exceeding all the other ones. And he doesn't need to search anymore. He just finds the one pearl that he can retire on a pearl with more than everything else. Or anything else that he's ever possessed and he gets it again. He does. And this brings him into symbol two with the first man. He does the same thing, then liquidate everything else and go after this one. Great pearl. So to me, and I'm curious your perspective on this, I'm not necessarily promulgating that. Well, the first one is not a seeker and the second one is like a seeker of of God things. Right? There is though, like you said, a difference in their approach and what they're after. And so I think what we can take from this, at the very least, is that there is diversity in these beneficiaries of the kingdom of God that's covering everybody. And just by these two kind of bookended or polar examples, that's what Jesus draws us to. But I would turn the question back to you. What do you think about this second guy? What do you think about the fact that his business is searching after these things? What? What do we take away from that? [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Ultimate Value of the Kingdom [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: And you know, the thing that drop that jumps out to me immediately in the first parable, the kingdom of heaven is, is like the treasure hidden in the field, [00:34:16] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:16] Tony Arsenal: In the second one, the kingdom of heaven is the merchant who's searching, [00:34:20] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:20] Tony Arsenal: Right. The kingdom of heaven is like the merchant in search of fine pearls who finds one. That's right. And so I think that they kind of are like, almost like mirror images of each other, right? One of them is about the treasure and what it takes to come upon it and then obtain it. The second is about the person who is coming upon the treasure and, and finding it. And then what it takes again to obtain that treasure. And I think, I think you're right, there is an element here that. Um, in this second parable, the person who is seeking for this treasure is one he's seeking for the treasure, right? Right. You get the image in this, in this first parable that the dude just kind of stumbles upon it. Um, I've heard this Todd as like, it's actually more like a guy who's just walking through a field rather than like a person working the field. And I'm not sure that matters that much, but there is this sense in the first parable that the guy kind of stumbles upon it. He wasn't looking, it wasn't what he was trying to do, but you're right in the second one, the kingdom of heaven, and this is where I, this is where I think I need to think more about it, is what does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be like a merchant searching for fine pearls right [00:35:23] Jesse Schwamb: on. [00:35:23] Tony Arsenal: Rather than the pearls being the kingdom of heaven, which is what we see in the first bearable. Um, and I don't know the answer to that question. I think I need to, need to think about it and study it a little bit more. But I do like this distinction that in, in the first case, it's sort of a happy accident. And in the second case, this is, this is the life, this man's life work. He finds he's, he's in search of fine pearls. I'm not sure I know exactly what he's trying to do with the fine pearls. It seems like it implies that he's a pearl merchant or a pearl trader, but then he finds this pearl. He doesn't seek to sell it. He buys it. Right. [00:36:00] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:36:00] Tony Arsenal: And, and the, the, the fact that the parable stops with him buying it sort of implies that like. He actually is not going to sell it. He's just gonna keep this pearl. Now before the, the pearls, the, the source of the value of the pearls was kind of in the, the financial gain that selling or trading them could bring. But now he suddenly finds this pearl that is so valuable. It's so great, it's so beautiful. Everything he was working to obtain before all of the money he's gathered by finding and selling pearls in the previous like mode of living. He now gets rid of all of that just to purchase this one pearl and presumably to keep it. And I think that again, is kind of a, kind of a, um, statement on our Christian life is that we, we probably have all sorts of things that we've been doing our whole life and we are seeking to, to move forward in our life. And the kingdom of heaven is kind of the ultimate goal of all of that, for those who are in Christ, for those who are called according to his purpose. The purpose is not just to accumulate wealth. It's not even necessarily, uh, in and of itself to like grow in righteousness. It's to be transformed to the, uh, to the image of God's glory son, for the purpose of making him great, making his name renowned. Right. When we look at that passage in Romans that have kind alluded to, he's, he would transform into the image of Christ so that he might be the first born among many brothers. The Incomparable Worth of Salvation [00:37:24] Tony Arsenal: Ultimately, our, our sanctification and glorification is about making Jesus great and glorified, um, to give him glory, to have our glorification reflect his already intrinsic glory and the gift that he gives us, and I think that's kind of, kind of in play here, is that. Uh, we might have all sorts of goals in our life. We might have goals in our Christian life, um, that are good things that we should strive for, but at the end of the day, all of those things only serve to bring us to the kingdom of heaven, which is this pearl of great price that we, we purchase, we buy it and we just kind of hang onto it. It is its own treasure and it's, it's not about what this, this treasure can bring to us, right? Which is what the fine pearls were before they were about what the merchant can find and sell. It's, it's now about just obtaining the pearl and enjoying that pearl. Um, which I think is a little bit different than, than, um, what I would've thought of with the par before. [00:38:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think, I think you're actually onto something with the distinction because I think of. So much of my career has been spent in financial services among people who are buyers and sellers of things. They're traders. And the way I read this was very similar to what you were saying to me. What resonated was if this gentleman or this person is. Trading, collecting these pearls. Presumably they have appreciation for the beauty of the pearl itself. So there is like something innate that draws them to this particular thing. And with that experience and with that knowledge and with that, that appreciation of that beauty. I think when they see this other pearl, it moves from, well, why would I ever sell that? I've seen everything. This is the most beautiful pearl I've ever laid my eyes on. And now I want to keep it for me. I want to have it in my possession. I want to cherish it and not just keep it in the inventory and then turn around and sell it for markup, presumably, because there is no nothing that would be of greater value to this person. 'cause they just sold everything else that they had. So they, it's appreciation for the pearl itself. It's going after that finding and seeking that great beauty. And then that led me right into Philippians chapter four, where Paul writes the church in Philippi, beginning of verse eight. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever's honorable, whatever's just whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever's commendable. If there's any excellence, if there. Anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things and the god of peace will be with you. So this idea, like you and I, Tony, have talked about like the world has great wisdom, it has great knowledge, it has things that can lead us by way of common grace into certain amounts of peace. But the pearl of great price, the seeking after the going after all these great things is to find the gospel, to be given the gospel it revealed to you. And then say everything else I count as a loss. Everything else is worthless compared to this thing. And if you're a person that can appreciate even just by turn of mind or God's influence in your life, you know, knowledge and wisdom, and you're seeking after that, which is the ultimate expression and representation of those things, and then you find you come upon this pearl of great price, the gospel wisdom and the beauty of God represented in his son Jesus Christ. And you say, this is it. I, I know enough to know, again, by the regeneration that comes through the spirit, this is the real deal. Then I think the message still stands. We come through two different directions into the same final culminating point, which is there is a condition for having this kingdom of God, for having the king on your side as your friend, but the condition isn't like wealth or power or negotiating or intelligence or even good trading behavior or going out and finding the right thing. The condition is that we prize the kingdom more than anything else we own. The point of selling everything in these parables is to simply show where our hearts are at. And so I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value. Actually, it's true for everything that we. We presumably spend our time or our money on cost only matters in the absence of value. And I think like you and I could do a fun little experiment where I don't know, you ever talking to somebody about something and you're paying a cost to have that service delivered to you and you're, and you're just like totally worth it, like I would do totally worth it. Like, yeah, that's kind of the vibe I'm getting here. It's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We're just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it, that that's what we'll be saying for all of eternity as we worship him. [00:41:45] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think even more than saying, totally worth it. I think when we are given our new eyes to see, and we no longer see through a da a glass dimly, we're gonna recognize saying that it was worth, it is is like it's a pale, like it's a faulty answer to begin with because the, for sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine. And in our, you know, locked in little meat brains that we have now, we're kind of com we're just comparing it to. You know, like what, what we could have had or what we, what we've given up. Um, it, it's gonna be an incomparable comparison. Like there's no, there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how, how worthwhile it is. And, you know, we've, we've made a point of it, like the, the blessing of salvation and, and really like what it is that we're getting, uh, in, in the. You know, the Christian understanding of salvation, it's not, it's not an eternal destiny. It's not bigger mansions in heaven. It's not freedom from death. All of those things come with it. All of those things are attending gifts. That's right. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. Uh, not, not in the, you know, like. Eastern Orthodox deification sense, although I think there's a proper way we can talk about deification. Um, but we get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. There's nothing that we could ever point to. Um, it's funny, my, my wife and I, um, this is a little corny, but, um, we'll often say to, to each other instead of saying, I love you more than anything, we'll say, I love you more than everything. Right. And, and it's, it's a way to say like. You could take all that there is in the world, everything that I have that I could possibly consider and sum up the value. And I love my wife more than that. I love my children more than that. So it's not that I love them more than any one thing, it's that I love them more than everything combined. And this is even greater than that, right? We, we will look back at our lives and if, if it's even in our mind, if we even can, can comprehend anymore. The idea of thinking about what it costs us to obtain this pearl of great value, which is the kingdom of heaven, which is just another way to say, is just fellowship with the God of the universe. Um, we'll look at it and say no matter what it was. No matter what it could have been, I would give everything I, I love God more than everything. Right. Right. There's nothing that could ever possibly be considered that even comes close to what we gain in, in Christ Jesus, in union with, with God. And I think that's the point of this, like I think the guy who, um. Christ's Perfect Sacrifice and Our Response [00:44:58] Tony Arsenal: I think about what it would take for me to even like to sell everything, like the concept of selling everything I own. I'm not even sure how I would do that, to be honest with you. Like, I don't even know the mechanism for that kind of thing. But the idea that there's anything that could be valuable enough that I would just sell every piece of human property that I have, there's probably nothing like that in this world. Like, there probably isn't. And to, to take that comparison and then basically say like, that's just what the kingdom of God is like. 'cause that's the other thing I think we miss about parables is you, you only make a comparison when you can't describe something, um, analytically, right? There's the difference between analogically and analytically Ana lot analytically means we're able to actually quantify and explain it kind of in strict terms, right? I can, I can say that, um, uh, a heavy object ways, X number of grams or it, you know, or, um. Pounds or whatever. I can, I can measure that and make an analytical statement, or I can make an analogy, an analogy that is comparative. Uh, but by definition, or almost by by nature of the thing, when you make that comparison, you're kind of saying like, not only is it like this, but it's actually it, like it's more like this than I can even describe. Right? So when we're talking about the kingdom of Heaven here, and we say it's, it's like, it's like a man who goes, he finds a treasure and then he sells everything. He has to get that treasure. It's infinitely more like that than it actually can be described. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm rambling on that a little bit. Maybe trying to describe something that can't be described is, is hard to do. [00:46:35] Jesse Schwamb: It's, that's, yeah. But yeah, that's, that's very difficult to do. I'm actually totally with you on this. I think I understand clearly what you mean, this idea that no matter how hard we actually try to value it, we'll be incapable of doing so. Yes. And at best, it almost seems like this is a strange command in a way because it's, it's asking us to do in some ways a thing that is impossible for us to do. However, I think what you're saying is it doesn't mean that we shouldn't turn our minds toward that. We're a bit like people who, I don't know if this show is still on PBS, but like, do you know that show, remember that show The Antiques Road Show? Yeah. Where people would like come, they'd ran ransack their homes or their garages with these old antique items and they bring them to this road show where there'd be experts who would value them. And inevitably we'll be like those people who come with what we think is like a. A thousand dollars clock that we got at a garage sale thinking, wouldn't it be great? I know this is valuable. It's probably a thousand dollars. It'll be, look at the return, tenfold return, I'll get on this item, and then instead finding that it's worth $10 million when it's appraised. Yeah, I assume it'll be just like that in the Beautific vision that even maybe for all of eternity will be growing in our appreciation for just how valuable this great salvation is. And yet at the same time, I think what this should encourage us to do is to pray things like God make us real in seeing and savoring Christ in his saving work above all the other things. Yeah. So that, as you said in your example, we would cherish him above everything, above all things that you have that right place in our hearts or that we be inclined to undertake that posture, which says, God, though I cannot understand it in full. Would you help me to see that? Encouragement in Our Spiritual Journey [00:48:08] Jesse Schwamb: And I wanna just say like, as a word of encouragement, maybe I'm speaking more to myself here so everybody else can disregard this if you like, but I think sometimes there can be a little bit of intimidation then when you hear these things and say like, ah, I'm just not, I just dunno if I love God enough, like I wanna love him, or I want to want to love him more. And I think even that posture is appropriate. Yeah. Sometimes there, oftentimes in my personal life, I'll pray something like, God, help me to know how much you love me and would you give me the strength to love you back? So that even that awareness, that energy, that volition, that vitality, that, that heat, all of that, that fire itself is kindled by the Holy Spirit. It's not like we need to like try to again manufacture here. Because the point of these, these stories is not again, that we just find the means to do a transactional exchange here, but that instead we really just sit in the full promises of God. And of course to that, I would say we always need to go back to, to something like Romans eight. I mean, I know that we should, like you said, Tony, the. The standard description we give for the Bible is the one that gives itself, which is that all of it, all of it's is carried along by the Holy Spirit. All of it is God breathe. All of it is useful for something. And yet, of course, I say somewhat tongue in cheek that, you know, if I have 10 minutes to live, I'm probably not gonna the s descriptions of reading a genealogy, I'm going straight from Roman and say, Romans say, I think it's just like the pinnacle of the scriptures. And so just a couple of verses at the end there, because I think this is, this is leading us into what is this great treasure? What is the kingdom of God? Why do we value it so much? What is the saving power? And uh, these verses, I mean, always just entirely get me ready to run through a wall. So this is the end of, of Romans eight beginning verse 35. Who shall separate us from the law of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake. We are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from a love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [00:50:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's a good word. And I, I, I like what you're saying too, is, is I think we, we can. There's this paradoxical thing that happens when the scriptures is trying to encourage us to do something, is we often like to get our, in our own way. And, and actually that becomes a source of discouragement for us. The Bible calls us to something and we know we can't live up to it. And that's actually like part and parcel of, of reform theology to recognize that this is law, like the, the, the, the, you know, maybe not in like the strict sense, like when we talk about dividing the scripture into law and gospel, um. It may not be that this particular passage would fall under that rubric of law normally, but this idea that we need to count the cost and that we need to be treasuring Christ more and more, and then when we feel like I'm just not getting it. I'm just not there. Like, I don't, I don't treasure Christ as much as I so should. Um, that Yeah, that's right. Nobody does. Nobody can, like, that's, that's kind of the point of this, and that's why it's law is it's, it shouldn't drive you in Christ. It should not drive you to despair. Right. It should not drive you to discouragement. It should drive you to gratitude that God saved you anyways. That, that this pearl of great value is still yours even though you can't possibly deserve it. Um, you know, we're, we're a little bit different than the, the merchant and the man who finds the treasure in the field in that we can't sell everything we have and obtain it like they have the ability to do that in the, in the parables. Right. Um, we, we don't, and we never will. And so rather than let that drive you to being discouraged that like you're just not getting. I recognize God is of infinite value and we are finite creatures. So we, we could, uh, value God perfectly. Like whatever that means, and I don't even know what that means, but we could value and cherish and love God perfectly as far as our capacities are concerned, and it still would not be enough to sufficiently merit God's favor for us. Like as much as we can, even in, even in eternity. As much as we can value and worship and love and praise Jesus, he is worth infinitely more than we could ever give, even when we do it perfectly. And this is, this is why you know Christ coming to die, to live on our behalf, to die in our place. Why that's necessary is because only this is a, maybe a different take on it. We, I think we talk a lot about how, um. Only God could, could carry, bear the wrath of God and not be destroyed. Right. Right. Only God could, um, could stand up under his own wrath, could stand up under the wrath of God and bear that punishment and not be destroyed. And so therefore, um, Christ had to be not just a man, but had to be God. But on the flip side. And God requires perfect perpetual obedience, which involves loving the Lord your God, perfectly with your whole heart at all times. Right? Only God can do that too. So it's not just that God. It's not just that G

In week two of our Parables series, Pastor Eric Sebastian dives into Jesus' teaching on the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. These two short parables reveal a powerful truth - that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth more than anything we could ever own or pursue. When we truly see the value of knowing Christ, surrender stops feeling like loss and starts looking like joy. Discover what it means to treasure the Kingdom above all else and find lasting joy in following Jesus.

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Foggy Adventures: Unveiling Autumn's Hidden Treasures Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2025-11-10-08-38-20-sr Story Transcript:Sr: У срцу Националног парка Тара, јесен је доносила свој живописни спектакл.En: In the heart of National Park Tara, autumn was bringing its vivid spectacle.Sr: Лазар, Милица и Бојан решили су кренути на путовање како би доживели ову спектакуларну смотру боја и посетили историјску дрвену цркву.En: Lazar, Milica, and Bojan decided to set off on a journey to experience this spectacular display of colors and visit the historic wooden church.Sr: Док су пролазили стазом окруженом дрвећем које се блистало у црвеним и жутим нијансама, свако је имао своје циљеве.En: As they walked along a path surrounded by trees shining in red and yellow hues, each had their own goals.Sr: Лазар, фотограф у потрази за савршеним снимком, био је одлучан да ухвати лепоту цркве на позадини јесењег лишћа.En: Lazar, a photographer in search of the perfect shot, was determined to capture the beauty of the church against the backdrop of autumn foliage.Sr: Његова жеља за савршеним кадром често га је усмеравала далеко од овоземаљских брига.En: His desire for the perfect frame often led him far away from mundane worries.Sr: Милица је, пак, дуго сањала о томе да види ту стару цркву, чувену по својој историји и лепоти.En: Milica, on the other hand, had long dreamed of seeing that old church, renowned for its history and beauty.Sr: Иако стрпљива, знала је да се може пожурити само до одређене мере.En: Though patient, she knew they could only hurry to a certain extent.Sr: Бојан, са великим интересовањем за ботанику, радовао се упознавању са јединственом флором парка.En: Bojan, with a great interest in botany, was looking forward to getting to know the unique flora of the park.Sr: Његово предузетно дух га је понекад водило с утабаног пута.En: His enterprising spirit sometimes led him off the beaten path.Sr: Док су се шетали, изненада је почела да пада густа магла која је завила цео пејзаж у мистерију.En: As they strolled, a thick fog suddenly began to fall, shrouding the entire landscape in mystery.Sr: Видљивост је постала ограничена и страхови су почели да се јављају.En: Visibility became limited, and fears started to arise.Sr: Милица је предлагала да се врате, забринута да ће се изгубити, али Лазар је инсистирао да наставе.En: Milica suggested returning, worried they would get lost, but Lazar insisted they continue.Sr: Бојан је без оклевања подржао Лазара, нудећи да их води својим познавањем парка.En: Bojan supported Lazar without hesitation, offering to guide them with his knowledge of the park.Sr: Како су даље корачали, тензије су се подизале, а пут је изгледао све више неразумљив.En: As they walked further, tensions rose, and the path seemed increasingly incomprehensible.Sr: Магла је обгрлила све око њих, чинећи да црква пркосно избегава њихов поглед.En: The fog enveloped everything around them, causing the church to defiantly elude their view.Sr: Управо када су почели да губе наду, магла се кратко подигла, откривајући пред њима величанствени призор.En: Just when they began to lose hope, the fog briefly lifted, revealing a magnificent sight before them.Sr: Црква је стајала величанствена пред њима, окружена ватреним шарама јесењих боја.En: The church stood majestically before them, surrounded by fiery patterns of autumn colors.Sr: Лазар је брзо извукао свој фотоапарат и ухватио тај савршен тренутак, док су Милица и Бојан стајали у тишини, занети лепотом призора.En: Lazar quickly pulled out his camera and captured that perfect moment, while Milica and Bojan stood in silence, entranced by the beauty of the scene.Sr: Када се магла поново спустила, Бојан је успешно водио групу натраг, пратећи познате трагове до излаза из парка.En: When the fog descended again, Bojan successfully led the group back, following familiar tracks to the park's exit.Sr: Успели су безбедно да се врате, захваљујући Бојановој сналажљивости.En: They managed to return safely, thanks to Bojan's resourcefulness.Sr: Лазар је научио да је понекад важно слушати забринутости својих пријатеља, чак и кад страст захвати сву пажњу.En: Lazar learned that it's sometimes important to heed his friends' concerns, even when passion consumes all attention.Sr: Милица је постала спремнија да прихвати неочекивано, схвативши да спонтаност носи своје лепоте.En: Milica became more willing to embrace the unexpected, realizing that spontaneity carries its own beauty.Sr: Бојан је схватио да његове импулсивне одлуке могу имати последице, али такође ценио је важност равнотеже између опреза и авантуре.En: Bojan understood that his impulsive decisions could have consequences, but he also appreciated the importance of balancing caution and adventure.Sr: На крају, путовање им је донело више него што су очекивали.En: In the end, the journey brought them more than they expected.Sr: Сваки од њих понео је кући нешто више од фотографије - понео је искуство које је обогатило њихова срца и њихова пријатељства.En: Each of them carried home something more than just a photograph—they carried an experience that enriched their hearts and their friendships. Vocabulary Words:vivid: живописниspectacle: спектаклembody: отелотворитиhues: нијансеfoliage: лишћеmundane: овоземаљскиrenowned: чувенуflora: флораenterprising: предузетноbeaten path: утабани путshroud: завитиvisibility: видљивостhesitation: оклевањеtensions: тензијеincomprehensible: неразумљивdefiantly: пркосноmagnificent: величанствениentranced: занетиresourcefulness: сналажљивостheed: слушатиspontaneity: спонтаностimpulsive: импулсивнеconsequences: последицеcaution: опрезbalance: равнотежаenriched: обогатилоfears: страховиpath: стазаmajestic: величанственаfiery: ватреним

In this message, Alisha Wiseman explores Jesus' parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl — two short stories about discovering something so valuable it reshapes your whole life. Through themes of discovery, sacrifice, and joy, Alisha reminds us that the Kingdom is a treasure worth giving everything for—and that in Jesus' eyes, we are the treasure He joyfully gave everything to have.

Thank you for joining as we livestream our services. Please let us know if there is a way we can improve your experience.Weekly Guide, outline, and parish notes are all together in the bulletinLet us know you are joining us by completing the virtual Who's Who in the Pew:  https://stmfw.org/iamhereOur ministries continue to run through your faithful giving and financial generosity: https://stmfw.fellowshiponego.com/external/form/ff107cf8-b5de-4153-bdd0-b17e0827154e

Eyolf Dale - The Space Between Two Notes Edition Records | Octubre 18, 2024 1. The Wayfarer 4:51 2. Hidden Treasures 5:20 3. Woodland Walk 5:26 4. Hvileskjær 3:51 5. Curtains Intermezzo 2:23 6. Behind the Curtains 3:54 7. The Lonely Banker 4:16 8. The Pondering 6:25 Piano – Eyolf Dale Bass – Per Zanussi Drums – Audun Kleive Orchestra – Norwegian Radio Orchestra Conductor – Miho Hazama Composer credits: The Wayfarer (Eyolf Dale, arr: Petter Winroth) Hidden Treasures (Eyolf Dale, arr: Helge Sunde) Woodland Walk (Eyolf Dale, arr Petter Winroth) Hvileskjær (Audun Kleive, arr: Eyolf Dale) The Lonely Banker (Eyolf Dale, arr: Helge Sunde) Curtains Intermezzo (Eyolf Dale, arr: Eyolf Dale) Behind the Curtains (Eyolf Dale, arr: Eyolf Dale) The Pondering (Eyolf Dale, arr: Miho Hazama) Produced by Eyolf Dale Recorded live in concert by Terje Hellem and Øystein Halvorsen at NRK Store Studio 2nd of June 2023 Mixed by August Wanngren at Virkeligheden, Copenhagen 5th-10th of April 2024 Mastered by Sofia von Hage and Thomas Eberger at Stockholm Mastering, 15th of April 2024 Album artwork & letterpress printing by Oli Bentley, Split Eyolf Dale is a Yamaha artist and plays a Yamaha CFX concert grand /////////////////////////////////////////////// CORTINA FINAL Furet Wolf Valley Eyolf Dale Edition Records | Junio 10, 2016 /////////////////////////////////////////////// DISCO COMPLETO The Space Between Two Notes Eyolf Dale Edition Records | Octubre 18, 2024 https://www.aldemedianoche.com.ar/completos-1/ http://radiofmraices.com.ar/ ///////////////////////////////////////////////

In this message, Dr. Curt Bradford will continue teaching in our series, UNEXPECTED The Parables of Jesus. Curt was Lead Pastor at Riverbluff from 1988-2014.  The LORD has multiplied Curt's mentoring ministry, as he now mentors pastors all around our state. He is currently serving as Point Leader for the Steward Team of the Charleston Baptist Association. Joyfully welcome Curt back to his teaching role with us! Curt will explore the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price and the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, found in Matthew 13:44-45.

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: A Skytree Mystery: Unveiling Tokyo's Hidden Treasure Clue Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2025-10-24-07-38-20-ja Story Transcript:Ja: ハロウィーンの夜、東京スカイツリーは美しく輝いていました。En: On Halloween night, the Tokyo Skytree was beautifully illuminated.Ja: 秋の冷たい空気が心地よく、下ではたくさんの人々が祭りを楽しんでいました。En: The crisp autumn air was pleasant, and below, many people were enjoying the festival.Ja: 祐人は宝探しが大好きな青年でした。En: Yuto was a young man who loved treasure hunting.Ja: ある日、彼の携帯に不思議なメッセージが届きました。En: One day, a mysterious message arrived on his phone.Ja: 「スカイツリーの頂上に宝が隠されている」と。En: It said, "A treasure is hidden at the top of the Skytree."Ja: 彼は興奮し、すぐに友人の愛子に話しました。En: He got excited and immediately told his friend Aiko.Ja: 「これはきっといたずらよ。」愛子は言いましたが、祐人の情熱に心を動かされ、「一緒に行ってみよう」と言いました。En: "This must be a prank," Aiko said, but moved by Yuto's enthusiasm, she added, "Let's go together and check it out."Ja: スカイツリーに到着した二人は、エレベーターで頂上に向かいました。En: Once the two arrived at the Skytree, they headed to the top via the elevator.Ja: 頂上からは東京の夜景が美しく広がっていました。En: From the top, the night view of Tokyo spread out beautifully.Ja: しかし、祐人の目的は景色ではありませんでした。En: However, Yuto's goal wasn't the scenery.Ja: 「メッセージにあった宝って、どこにあるのかな？」祐人は言いました。En: "Where could the treasure mentioned in the message be?" Yuto wondered aloud.Ja: 「探してみると、あそこに何か特別なものがあるよ。」En: "If we search around, there's something special over there."Ja: 二人は小さな錠のかかった仕掛けを見つけました。En: The two of them found a small mechanism with a lock on it.Ja: 鍵に繋がったヒントがありました。それがパズルでした。En: There was a clue attached to the key, which turned out to be a puzzle.Ja: 祐人はじっと考えました。En: Yuto contemplated it intently.Ja: 時間が経つにつれ、セキュリティが周囲を見回る音が聞こえてきました。En: As time passed, they heard the sound of security making rounds nearby.Ja: 「早く、解かないと。」愛子がそっと言いました。En: "Quick, we have to solve it," Aiko whispered.Ja: ついに祐人は答えを見つけ、鍵が開きました。En: Finally, Yuto found the answer and unlocked the key.Ja: 中には宝ではなく、次の手掛かりが示された地図が入っていました。En: Inside, there wasn't a treasure but a map indicating the next clue.Ja: 祐人はがっかりするかと思いましたが、むしろ自信を得ました。En: One might expect Yuto to be disappointed, but instead, he felt confident.Ja: 「次の冒険が楽しみだ！」En: "I'm excited for the next adventure!"Ja: 愛子も微笑みました。En: Aiko smiled as well.Ja: 「私ももう少し謎を楽しんでみようかな。」En: "I think I'll enjoy the mysteries a bit more myself."Ja: その夜、二人は東京の景色を楽しみつつ、次の冒険に心を躍らせました。En: That night, as the two enjoyed the view of Tokyo, their hearts were thrilled with the anticipation of the next adventure.Ja: スカイツリーから見下ろす風景は、これからの冒険を祝福しているようでした。En: The scene from the Skytree seemed to be celebrating their future adventures. Vocabulary Words:illuminated: 輝いていましたcrisp: 冷たいpleasant: 心地よくtreasure hunting: 宝探しmysterious: 不思議なarrived: 届きましたprank: いたずらenthusiasm: 情熱headed: 向かいましたscenery: 景色mechanism: 仕掛けcontemplated: 考えましたintently: じっとsecurity: セキュリティmaking rounds: 見回るwhispered: そっと言いましたunlocked: 開きましたclue: 手掛かりdisappointed: がっかりconfident: 自信anticipation: 心を躍らせましたcelebrating: 祝福しているpuzzle: パズルattached: 繋がったthrilled: 心を躍らせましたadventure: 冒険view: 夜景indicating: 示されたmechanism: 仕掛け

Daniel Clouthier • Selected Scriptures • Sojourners

Daniel Clouthier • Selected Scriptures

Fluent Fiction - Danish: Discovering Hidden Treasures in Tivoli's Autumn Glow Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2025-10-15-22-34-02-da Story Transcript:Da: Tivoli Gardens var fyldt med glade mennesker.En: Tivoli Gardens was filled with happy people.Da: Efteråret havde lagt et smukt tæppe af brune og røde blade over parken.En: Autumn had laid a beautiful carpet of brown and red leaves over the park.Da: Mikkel og Freja gik hånd i hånd ned ad stierne.En: Mikkel and Freja walked hand in hand down the paths.Da: Luften var kold, men ikke ubehagelig.En: The air was cold but not unpleasant.Da: "Vi skal finde nogle flotte Halloween-dekorationer," sagde Mikkel med et fast blik på sin liste.En: "We need to find some beautiful Halloween decorations," said Mikkel with a determined look at his list.Da: Freja blinkede til Mikkel.En: Freja winked at Mikkel.Da: "Vi kunne også bare kigge rundt og se, hvad vi finder," foreslog hun.En: "We could also just look around and see what we find," she suggested.Da: Mikkel rystede på hovedet.En: Mikkel shook his head.Da: "Vi har en plan, Freja.En: "We have a plan, Freja.Da: Vi skal holde os til den."En: We must stick to it."Da: Freja lo og trak Mikkel i armen.En: Freja laughed and pulled Mikkel by the arm.Da: "Kom, lad os kigge herovre," sagde hun og pegede på en lille butik.En: "Come on, let's look over here," she said, pointing at a small shop.Da: Mikkel sukkede, men fulgte efter hende.En: Mikkel sighed but followed her.Da: Inde i butikken var der farverige græskar og sorte lys.En: Inside the shop, there were colorful pumpkins and black candles.Da: Freja holdt en lille heks op.En: Freja held up a small witch.Da: "Se, Mikkel!En: "Look, Mikkel!Da: Hun er perfekt!"En: She's perfect!"Da: Mikkel kiggede rundt og fandt en samling af spøgelseslys.En: Mikkel looked around and found a collection of ghost candles.Da: "Disse er på min liste," sagde han tilfreds.En: "These are on my list," he said, pleased.Da: Men Freja havde øje på noget andet.En: But Freja had her eye on something else.Da: Hun fandt en lille, skjult dør i hjørnet.En: She found a small, hidden door in the corner.Da: "Lad os se derinde," sagde hun spændt.En: "Let's see in there," she said excitedly.Da: Mikkel tøvede, men han gik med hende.En: Mikkel hesitated, but he went with her.Da: Bag døren var der en skjult skatkammer med håndlavede dekorationer.En: Behind the door was a hidden treasure room with handmade decorations.Da: Der var små flagermus lavet af stof og lysende kødædende planter.En: There were little bats made of fabric and glowing carnivorous plants.Da: Begge var betagede.En: Both were captivated.Da: "Dette er nu noget særligt," indrømmede Mikkel.En: "This is something special," admitted Mikkel.Da: Freja nikkede.En: Freja nodded.Da: "Det er perfekt.En: "It's perfect.Da: Vi skal have dem til festen," sagde hun.En: We have to have them for the party," she said.Da: De valgte det bedste fra begge verdener.En: They chose the best of both worlds.Da: Til sidst gik de begge ud af butikken, glade og tilfredse.En: Finally, they both left the shop, happy and satisfied.Da: Mikkel lærte, at spontanitet kunne føre til fantastiske opdagelser.En: Mikkel learned that spontaneity could lead to amazing discoveries.Da: Freja forstod betydningen af ​​planlægning for at holde styr på tingene.En: Freja understood the importance of planning to keep things on track.Da: De gik videre gennem Tivoli, hånd i hånd, mens de talte om, hvordan de ville dekorere til deres Halloween-fest.En: They continued through Tivoli, hand in hand, as they talked about how they would decorate for their Halloween party.Da: En blanding af Mikkels struktur og Frejas nysgerrighed ville gøre det til en nat at huske.En: A mix of Mikkel's structure and Freja's curiosity would make it a night to remember. Vocabulary Words:unpleasant: ubehageligdetermined: fastplan: planwinked: blinkedesuggested: foreslogshook: rystedelaughed: losighed: sukkedefollowed: fulgtecolorful: farverigecandles: lyscollection: samlingpleased: tilfredshesitated: tøvedetreasure: skatkammerhandmade: håndlavedebats: flagermusfabric: stofglowing: lysendecarnivorous: kødædendecaptivated: betagedeadmitted: indrømmedespontaneity: spontanitetdiscoveries: opdagelserimportance: betydningcuriosity: nysgerrighedsatisfied: tilfredsestructure: strukturmixture: blandingdecorate: dekorere

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Discovering Hidden Treasures in the Maritime Maze Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-10-15-07-38-20-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Det var en klar höstdag i Karlskrona, och löven dansade i vinden utanför Marinmuseets stora glasfönster.En: It was a clear autumn day in Karlskrona, and the leaves danced in the wind outside the large glass windows of the Marinmuseum.Sv: Elin och Nils hade bestämt sig för att spendera dagen på museet för att förbereda en presentation om den svenska flottans roll i globala handelsvägar.En: Elin and Nils had decided to spend the day at the museum to prepare a presentation on the Swedish navy's role in global trade routes.Sv: Medan solens strålar långsamt bleknade, kände Elin en nervös pirrande känsla i magen.En: As the sun's rays slowly faded, Elin felt a nervous tingling in her stomach.Sv: Inne i museet var det livligt.En: Inside the museum, it was lively.Sv: Besökare rörde sig mellan utställningar där historiska skepp och navigationsinstrument stod stolt.En: Visitors moved between exhibits where historical ships and navigation instruments stood proudly.Sv: Elin tittade på Nils, som verkade mer intresserad av de stora modellfartygen än av informationstavlorna.En: Elin looked at Nils, who seemed more interested in the large model ships than the information boards.Sv: Hon visste att det skulle bli en utmaning att hålla hans fokus.En: She knew it would be a challenge to keep his focus.Sv: "Vi måste hitta en tystare plats," sa Elin bestämt.En: "We need to find a quieter place," said Elin determinedly.Sv: Hon hade noterat hur grupper av turister skapade ett sorl som gjorde det svårt att tänka.En: She had noticed how groups of tourists created a murmur that made it hard to think.Sv: De gick bort från huvudutställningen och in i de lugnare delarna av museet.En: They moved away from the main exhibition and into the quieter parts of the museum.Sv: Elin la märke till några gamla kartor och pekade på dem.En: Elin noticed some old maps and pointed at them.Sv: "Nils, kan du rita en karta baserad på den här modellen?En: "Nils, could you draw a map based on this model?Sv: Det kan hjälpa oss att visa hur handelsvägarna såg ut."En: It might help us show what the trade routes looked like."Sv: Nils nickade och satte sig på golvet med sitt skissblock.En: Nils nodded and sat on the floor with his sketchpad.Sv: Han började skapa linjer och former medan Elin fortsatte leta efter mer information.En: He started creating lines and shapes while Elin continued to search for more information.Sv: Hon gick från monter till monter, försökte läsa varje liten text där hon kunde få ett nytt perspektiv till deras presentation.En: She went from display to display, trying to read every little text where she might gain a new perspective for their presentation.Sv: Men snart kände hon att tiden rann ut och de inte hade nog material.En: But soon she felt that time was running out and that they didn't have enough material.Sv: Precis när hopplösheten började krypa in, stötte de på en nästan osynlig dörr.En: Just as hopelessness began to creep in, they stumbled upon an almost invisible door.Sv: Nyfiken drog Elin i handtaget, och dörren gled upp.En: Curious, Elin pulled the handle, and the door slid open.Sv: Bakom dörren fanns ett rum med sällsynta föremål och detaljerade berättelser om den svenska flottan och deras resor till fjärran länder.En: Behind the door was a room with rare objects and detailed stories about the Swedish navy and their journeys to distant lands.Sv: Elin's hjärta slog av upphetsning när hon insåg att detta var exakt vad de behövde.En: Elin's heart raced with excitement when she realized that this was exactly what they needed.Sv: Elin och Nils gick igenom hela utställningen och samlade informationen de hade saknat.En: Elin and Nils went through the entire exhibition and gathered the information they had been missing.Sv: När dagen närmade sig sitt slut var deras anteckningsblock fyllda med fakta och berättelser.En: As the day drew to a close, their notebooks were filled with facts and stories.Sv: Tillbaka i klassrummet presenterade de sitt arbete.En: Back in the classroom, they presented their work.Sv: Deras presentation blev inte bara informativ utan också färgstark och engagerande.En: Their presentation was not only informative but also colorful and engaging.Sv: Klasskamraterna applåderade, och läraren log stolt.En: Classmates applauded, and the teacher smiled proudly.Sv: Elin lärde sig att anpassa sig till utmaningar och värdesätta oväntade upptäckter.En: Elin learned to adapt to challenges and appreciate unexpected discoveries.Sv: Nils upptäckte att han kunde använda sin kreativitet till stor nytta.En: Nils discovered that he could use his creativity to great effect.Sv: Tillsammans hade de inte bara klarat av uppgiften, utan hade också lärt sig viktiga lärdomar för framtiden.En: Together, they not only completed the task but also learned important lessons for the future. Vocabulary Words:autumn: höstpresentation: presentationnervous: nervöstingling: pirrandelively: livligtexhibits: utställningarnavigation: navigationsinstruments: instrumentdeterminedly: bestämtmurmur: sorlperspective: perspektivhopelessness: hopplöshetcreep: krypainvisible: osynlighandle: handtagraced: slogexhibition: utställninggathered: samladeengaging: engagerandeapplauded: applåderadeproudly: stoltadapt: anpassachallenges: utmaningarappreciate: värdesättadiscoveries: upptäcktercreativity: kreativiteteffect: nyttacomplete: klara avlessons: lärdomarfuture: framtiden

685 - Recorded live on October 07, 2025 Ambience for the night: Skhemty - Goddess of the Nighttime Sky & Hidden Treasures of Egypt https://skhemty.bandcamp.com **Playlist** 1) Gegenentwurf - Første nattefrost 2) Niveous - Glacial Kingdom: Frozen Utopia 3) Evil Tree - Snorting for Satan 4) Ofermod - Belialistic Gra'al Codex **talk** 5) Withered Land - Dark Pale Winter 6) Desert Eagle - III 7) Fin - Insignia 8) Valac - Envisioning Desolate Idols **talk** 9) Svartrit - Pandemia Live every Tuesday at 9pm ET on NSTMRadio.com

Half of us don't realise our old phones and laptops contain critical raw materials needed for new tech and green energy. That's according to new research from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Ireland. We discuss further with Leo Donovan is the CEO of WEEE Ireland.

10-12-25

“Stories of an Alternative Reality: The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl”

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Unearthing Hidden Treasures: Sanne's Santorini Adventure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-10-11-22-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De zon scheen helder op het eiland Santorini.En: The sun shone brightly on the island of Santorini.Nl: De lucht was strakblauw en de zee kabbelde zachtjes tegen de rotsen.En: The sky was clear blue, and the sea lapped gently against the rocks.Nl: Het was herfst, maar het voelde als een perfecte zomerdag.En: It was autumn, but it felt like a perfect summer day.Nl: Sanne, een enthousiaste reiziger, liep samen met haar vrienden Bram en Lotte door de wirwar van smalle straatjes in het bruisende marktgebied.En: Sanne, an enthusiastic traveler, walked with her friends Bram and Lotte through the maze of narrow streets in the bustling market area.Nl: De markten waren een feest voor de zintuigen.En: The markets were a feast for the senses.Nl: Overal waren felle kleuren van groente- en fruitstalletjes.En: Everywhere there were bright colors from vegetable and fruit stalls.Nl: De geur van versgebakken brood en kruiden vulde de lucht.En: The smell of freshly baked bread and spices filled the air.Nl: De verkopers riepen luid hun koopwaar aan en de stemmen van toeristen klonken door de nauwe straatjes.En: The vendors loudly advertised their goods, and the voices of tourists echoed through the narrow streets.Nl: Sanne zocht naar een speciaal souvenir, iets dat Santorini's charme zou vangen.En: Sanne was searching for a special souvenir, something that would capture Santorini's charm.Nl: Maar Sanne voelde zich overweldigd.En: But Sanne felt overwhelmed.Nl: De drukte, de hitte en de vele toeristische prullaria maakten het moeilijk om iets bijzonders te vinden.En: The crowds, the heat, and the many tourist trinkets made it difficult to find something special.Nl: Ze wist dat de tijd drong.En: She knew that time was running out.Nl: Over een paar uur moesten ze hun ferry halen.En: In a few hours, they had to catch their ferry.Nl: "Misschien moeten we een andere route proberen," stelde Bram voor, terwijl hij naar een smalle zijstraat wees.En: “Maybe we should try a different route,” Bram suggested, pointing to a narrow side street.Nl: Lotte knikte instemmend.En: Lotte nodded in agreement.Nl: "Ja, laten we het daar proberen," zei ze.En: “Yes, let's try there,” she said.Nl: Sanne besloot het advies te volgen en leidde de groep de rustiger zijstraat in.En: Sanne decided to follow the advice and led the group into the quieter side street.Nl: De drukte verdween langzaam terwijl ze verder liepen.En: The hustle and bustle faded slowly as they walked further.Nl: Uiteindelijk kwamen ze bij een klein, ietwat verborgen winkeltje.En: Eventually, they came upon a small, somewhat hidden shop.Nl: Voor de deur zat een oude man, zijn handen bezig met het beschilderen van een schaal.En: In front of the door sat an old man, his hands busy painting a bowl.Nl: Sanne stapte naar binnen en keek ademloos rond.En: Sanne stepped inside and looked around breathlessly.Nl: De muren waren vol met prachtige handgemaakte keramische stukken.En: The walls were full of beautiful handmade ceramic pieces.Nl: Een bordje met de woorden "Handgemaakt met liefde" hing boven de ingang.En: A sign with the words "Handgemaakt met liefde" ("Handmade with love") hung above the entrance.Nl: "Wat een vondst," fluisterde ze tegen zichzelf.En: “What a find,” she whispered to herself.Nl: Haar ogen vielen op een prachtige, handgeschilderde keramische schaal.En: Her eyes fell on a beautiful, hand-painted ceramic bowl.Nl: De blauwe en witte tinten van Santorini sprongen eruit.En: The blue and white tones of Santorini stood out.Nl: Ze voelde dat dit het perfecte aandenken was aan haar reis.En: She felt that this was the perfect memento of her trip.Nl: "Dit is precies wat ik zocht," zei Sanne tegen de winkelier.En: “This is exactly what I was looking for,” said Sanne to the shopkeeper.Nl: Ze sprak met de man en ontdekte dat hij al vijftig jaar bezig was met keramiek.En: She spoke with the man and discovered that he had been working with ceramics for fifty years.Nl: Ze kocht de schaal, verheugd om iets authentieks mee naar huis te nemen.En: She bought the bowl, delighted to take something authentic home with her.Nl: Terwijl ze richting de haven liepen, hield Sanne de schaal voorzichtig vast.En: As they walked toward the harbor, Sanne held the bowl carefully.Nl: Ze was blij en tevreden.En: She was happy and content.Nl: Het avontuur in de rustige steegjes had haar iets kostbaars opgeleverd.En: The adventure in the quiet alleys had given her something precious.Nl: Niet alleen een souvenir, maar ook een herinnering aan de rijkdom van lokale cultuur en ambacht.En: Not just a souvenir, but also a memory of the wealth of local culture and craftsmanship.Nl: Sanne glimlachte naar Bram en Lotte.En: Sanne smiled at Bram and Lotte.Nl: "Ik zal dit nooit vergeten," zei ze.En: “I will never forget this,” she said.Nl: Door dit kleine avontuur leerde Sanne de waarde van echte ontdekkingen kennen, iets wat haar reis nog specialer maakte.En: Through this small adventure, Sanne learned the value of true discoveries, something that made her journey even more special. Vocabulary Words:shone: scheenmaze: wirwarbustling: bruisendefeast: feestsenses: zintuigenstalls: stalletjesfreshly: versgebakkenadvertised: riepenechoed: klonkensouvenir: souvenircharm: charmeoverwhelmed: overweldigdtrinkets: prullariaroute: routenarrow: smallefade: verdwenensomewhat: ietwathidden: verborgenbowl: schaalbreathlessly: ademlooshandmade: handgemaaktememento: aandenkenauthentic: authentiekscarefully: voorzichtigcontent: tevredenadventure: avontuurprecious: kostbaarscraftsmanship: ambachtsmiled: glimlachtediscoveries: ontdekkingen

Fluent Fiction - Italian: Unearthing Tuscany: The Hidden Treasure Beneath Olive Trees Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2025-10-11-07-38-20-it Story Transcript:It: Nel cuore dell'autunno, gli alberi d'olivo ondeggiavano nel vento dolce e fresco delle colline toscane.En: In the heart of autumn, the olive trees swayed in the sweet and cool wind of the Tuscan hills.It: Le foglie d'argento brillavano sotto il sole dorato, stendendo lunghe ombre sulla terra.En: The silver leaves shone under the golden sun, casting long shadows on the ground.It: Uno scenario calmo e sereno, ma oggi qualcosa di straordinario stava per accadere.En: A calm and serene scene, but today something extraordinary was about to happen.It: Elena, una storica appassionata, camminava con attenzione tra le file di olivi.En: Elena, a passionate historian, walked carefully between the rows of olive trees.It: Il nonno le aveva sempre raccontato storie di tesori nascosti sotto questi alberi antichi.En: Her grandfather had always told her stories of treasures hidden beneath these ancient trees.It: Era determinata a dimostrare che non erano solo fantasticherie.En: She was determined to prove that they were not just fantasies.It: Marco, il contadino, la osservava da lontano.En: Marco, the farmer, watched her from a distance.It: Non credeva a queste storie, ma la speranza di un terremoto economico per la sua tenuta in difficoltà lo spingeva a non interrompere la ricerca di Elena.En: He did not believe these stories, but the hope of an economic earthquake for his struggling estate pushed him not to interrupt Elena's search.It: Mentre Elena scavava con cura vicino a uno degli alberi più vecchi, qualcosa di duro bloccò la pala.En: While Elena dug carefully near one of the oldest trees, something hard stopped the shovel.It: Con il cuore che batteva forte, si chinò per vedere di cosa si trattasse.En: With her heart pounding, she bent down to see what it was.It: Era un pezzo di metallo antico, un artefatto, perduto nel tempo.En: It was a piece of ancient metal, an artifact lost in time.It: Le notizie si diffusero velocemente.En: The news spread quickly.It: Giovanni, un collezionista con un interesse troppo grande per il denaro e troppo poco per la storia, arrivò in fretta.En: Giovanni, a collector with too much interest in money and too little in history, arrived in haste.It: "Dobbiamo fare un patto," propose a Elena e Marco con un sorriso ambiguo.En: "We must make a deal," he proposed to Elena and Marco with an ambiguous smile.It: "Io posso farvi guadagnare molto."En: "I can make you earn a lot."It: Ma Elena non era convinta.En: But Elena was not convinced.It: Si consultò con Marco, il quale, dopo riflettere, decise di fidarsi di lei.En: She consulted with Marco, who, after reflecting, decided to trust her.It: Giovanni diventava insistente, minacciando di coinvolgere le autorità se non fosse stato incluso.En: Giovanni became insistent, threatening to involve the authorities if he wasn't included.It: L'aria tra di loro era tesa come una corda di violino.En: The air between them was tense as a violin string.It: Ma nel profondo, Elena sapeva che doveva fare la cosa giusta.En: But deep down, Elena knew she had to do the right thing.It: "Non abbiamo bisogno dei tuoi piani," disse Giovanni con fermezza.En: "We don't need your plans," she said with firmness.It: Decisero di contattare loro stessi le autorità.En: They decided to contact the authorities themselves.It: Le autorità arrivarono e l'artefatto fu portato via per essere studiato, ma la scoperta portò fama alla zona.En: The authorities arrived, and the artifact was taken away to be studied, but the discovery brought fame to the area.It: Marco vide un nuovo inizio per la sua fattoria grazie all'arrivo di turisti e studiosi attratti dalla scoperta.En: Marco saw a new beginning for his farm thanks to the arrival of tourists and scholars attracted by the discovery.It: Elena si rese conto che la vera vittoria risiedeva nella protezione della storia, non nella gloria personale.En: Elena realized that the true victory lay in protecting history, not in personal glory.It: Anche Giovanni imparò una lezione.En: Even Giovanni learned a lesson.It: Il suo approccio egoistico non aveva portato nulla se non l'ostracismo.En: His selfish approach had brought nothing but ostracism.It: Elena e Marco divennero alleati, dimostrando che il lavoro di squadra e l'integrità vincono sempre sulle sole aspirazioni personali.En: Elena and Marco became allies, proving that teamwork and integrity always win over personal aspirations.It: E mentre il sole tramontava ancora una volta sulle colline toscane, il campo di olivi era più ricco che mai, non solo per la scoperta, ma per le nuove amicizie coltivate nel tempo.En: And as the sun set once again over the Tuscan hills, the olive field was richer than ever, not just for the discovery, but for the new friendships cultivated over time. Vocabulary Words:the historian: la storicato sway: ondeggiarethe leaf: la fogliato shine: brillarethe shadow: l'ombraextraordinary: straordinariothe treasure: il tesoroto prove: dimostrarethe fantasy: la fantasticheriathe earthquake: il terremototo struggle: avere difficoltàthe shovel: la palato pound: batterethe artifact: l'artefattoto insist: insistereambiguous: ambiguoto consult: consultareto threaten: minacciarethe authority: l'autoritàtense: tesothe string: la cordathe integrity: l'integritàto cultivate: coltivarethe fame: la famathe scholar: lo studiosoto attract: attrarreselfish: egoisticothe ostracism: l'ostracismothe ally: l'alleatopersonal aspirations: le aspirazioni personali

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Unearthing Amalfi: The Hidden Treasures of Folklore Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-10-11-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: समुद्र की लहरों की सुगंध और पत्तों के सरसराहट के बीच, अमाल्फी कोस्ट का खूबसूरत नजारा अपनी ओर खींच रहा था।En: Amidst the fragrance of the ocean waves and the rustling of leaves, the beautiful view of the Amalfi Coast was drawing Rohan in.Hi: ऋतु थी पतझड़ की, जब पर्यटकों की भीड़ घटने लगती है, पर जगह की सुंदरता बनी रहती है।En: It was the season of autumn, when the crowd of tourists begins to dwindle, but the beauty of the place remains.Hi: यहाँ, इस शांतिपूर्ण स्थान में, रोहन अपने जीवन का अगला बड़ा किस्सा ढूंढ रहा था।En: Here, in this peaceful environment, Rohan was searching for the next big story of his life.Hi: रोहन एक यात्रा पत्रकार था, जो तथ्यों को ही सत्य मानता था।En: Rohan was a travel journalist who believed only in facts.Hi: उसके साथ उसके मित्र अर्जुन भी था, जो पुरातत्व और इतिहास में रुचि रखता था।En: Accompanying him was his friend Arjun, who had an interest in archaeology and history.Hi: उनका लक्ष्य एक पुरानी, रहस्यमयी नक्शे के पीछे की सच्चाई जानना था, जिसे उन्होंने संयोग से खोजा था।En: Their goal was to uncover the truth behind an old, mysterious map they had stumbled upon by chance.Hi: इस यात्रा में उनका साथ देने वाली थी मीरा, जो स्थानीय इतिहासकार थी।En: Joining them on this journey was Meera, a local historian.Hi: मीरा को उस नक्शे पर विश्वास था और वह उसके लोककथाओं से जुड़ी थी।En: Meera believed in the map, as it was connected to local folklore.Hi: रोहन को मीरा का यह विश्वास शुरुआत में थोड़ा अजीब लगा, लेकिन अर्जुन ने उसे समझाया कि कभी-कभी रहस्य की खोज हमारे प्रश्नों को नए अर्थ देती है।En: Initially, Rohan found Meera's belief a bit strange, but Arjun explained to him that sometimes the pursuit of mystery gives new meaning to our questions.Hi: एक शाम, तेज़ लहरों की गूंज के बीच, मीरा ने बताया कि यह नक्शा एक प्राचीन खजाने का है, जो स्थानीय कहानियों में वर्णित था।En: One evening, amidst the echoes of the crashing waves, Meera revealed that this map was of an ancient treasure described in local tales.Hi: भले ही रोहन को इस पर विश्वास नहीं हुआ, लेकिन उसने तय किया कि वह मीरा के साथ इस यात्रा को आगे बढ़ाएगा।En: Even though Rohan didn't believe it at first, he decided to continue this journey with Meera.Hi: तीनों मिलकर नक्शे को समझने निकल पड़े।En: The three of them set out to understand the map.Hi: चट्टानों के किनारे चलते हुए, वो उस स्थान के करीब पहुँचे जहाँ नक्शे के अनुसार कुछ छिपा हुआ था।En: Walking alongside the cliffs, they reached the area where, according to the map, something was hidden.Hi: एकांत स्थल पर, उन्होंने एक छोटी सी गुफा देखी।En: In a secluded spot, they saw a small cave.Hi: अंदर जाते ही, धूप की किरणों से एक प्राचीन मूर्ति चमकने लगी।En: Once inside, a beam of sunlight made an ancient statue glow.Hi: वो मूर्ति वही थी, जो स्थानीय कथाओं में सालों से गुम थी।En: The statue was the very one that had been missing from local legends for years.Hi: इस खोज ने रोहन के विचारों को बदल दिया।En: This discovery changed Rohan's perspective.Hi: उसने न सिर्फ एक कथा पाई थी, बल्कि उसने यह भी समझा कि कभी-कभी सत्य और कहानी के बीच एक सुंदर सामंजस्य होता है।En: He found not just a tale, but also understood that sometimes there's a beautiful harmony between truth and story.Hi: उसने अपने लेख में इस यथार्थ को शामिल किया और पाया कि कहानियों का जादू कभी-कभी तथ्यों से ज्यादा सजीव हो सकता है।En: He included this reality in his article and realized that the magic of stories can sometimes be more vivid than facts.Hi: अंत में, रोहन ने अपनी पत्रकारिता में एक नए दृष्टिकोण को शामिल किया।En: In the end, Rohan incorporated a new perspective into his journalism.Hi: उसने समझ लिया था कि हर कहानी में एक हिस्सा रहस्य का भी होना चाहिए।En: He understood that every story should have an element of mystery.Hi: इस यात्रा ने उसे दिखाया कि सुंदरता का अर्थ सिर्फ असली या नकली में नहीं होता, बल्कि इस बात में होता है कि हम हर कथा को किस नज़रिये से देखते हैं।En: This journey showed him that the meaning of beauty doesn't lie merely in whether something is real or fake, but in the perspective from which we view each tale.Hi: अमाल्फी कोस्ट का यह अनुभव उसकी ज़िन्दगी का एक महत्वपूर्ण मोड़ साबित हुआ।En: This experience at the Amalfi Coast proved to be a significant turning point in his life. Vocabulary Words:fragrance: सुगंधrustling: सरसराहटdwindle: घटनेjournalist: पत्रकारarchaeology: पुरातत्वuncover: अनावरणfolklore: लोककथाओंpursuit: खोजmystery: रहस्यमयीechoes: गूंजtreasure: खजानाsecluded: एकांतcave: गुफाbeam: किरणharmonious: सामंजस्यincorporated: शामिलvivid: सजीवsignificant: महत्वपूर्णperspective: नज़रियेocean: समुद्रview: नजाराpeaceful: शांतिपूर्णenvironment: स्थानancient: प्राचीनstatue: मूर्तिrealize: समझाbeauty: सुंदरताtale: कथाओंmoment: क्षणtruth: सत्य

Jillian Kettley joins the Exchange. She's the curator at the Crater Rock Museum in Central Point, Oregon.

The book of Job is included in that section of the Bible titled “Wisdom Literature” for a reason. 

Scripture:Matthew 13:44

Museums usually keep art behind glass or tucked in storage, but one Lawrence museum lets people get closer. We'll take a trip to “Open Fridays” at the Spencer Museum.

What do you think of when you hear the words, hidden treasure? They carry the idea that something special is waiting for you, but you have to look for it. Join us for a deep dive into finding the hidden treasure of God's redemption in all our pains, griefs, losses, and suffering, aka, life.Resources: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality WorkbookMake a list of your major experiences of grief and loss throughout your life.What were your emotional responses (both then and even now)?How have you learned to handle those emotions?Have you taken each of these to God?How is God growing you or even growing something new in you as you process these experiences and see his redemption in each one?

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Finding Solitude: A Young Photographer's Hidden Treasure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-09-29-07-38-20-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De zachte herfstwind ruist over de tulpenvelden, die zich eindeloos uitstrekken onder een heldere lucht.En: The soft autumn wind rustles over the tulpenvelden, stretching endlessly under a clear sky.Nl: De herfstzon werpt een warm licht op de kleurrijke bloemen.En: The autumn sun casts a warm light on the colorful flowers.Nl: Het is de perfecte dag voor een schooluitstapje.En: It's the perfect day for a school outing.Nl: De leerlingen van klas 5A stappen uit de bus en haasten zich naar de velden.En: The students of class 5A step off the bus and rush to the fields.Nl: Te midden van al die scholieren staat Sanne, met haar camera stevig vastgehouden in haar handen.En: Amidst all those students stands Sanne, holding her camera firmly in her hands.Nl: Ze is stil en kijkt rond, terwijl haar klasgenoten, Bram en Lotte, luid om haar heen praten.En: She is quiet and looks around while her classmates, Bram and Lotte, chat loudly around her.Nl: Bram en Lotte zijn blij.En: Bram and Lotte are happy.Nl: Ze rennen rond in het zonlicht en vertellen grapjes.En: They run around in the sunlight and tell jokes.Nl: Sanne glimlacht afwezig.En: Sanne smiles absentmindedly.Nl: Haar gedachten dwalen af naar de fotowedstrijd op school.En: Her thoughts drift to the photo contest at school.Nl: Ze wil het perfecte plaatje maken.En: She wants to capture the perfect picture.Nl: "Lukt het, Sanne?"En: "Is it working, Sanne?"Nl: roept Lotte over het veld.En: Lotte calls across the field.Nl: Sanne knikt, hoewel ze zich niet kan concentreren.En: Sanne nods, even though she cannot concentrate.Nl: De beste plekken, de plekken waar de tulpen het felst bloeien, zijn al volgepakt met studenten en hun camera's.En: The best spots, the places where the tulips are in full bloom, are already crowded with students and their cameras.Nl: Bram en Lotte beginnen te zingen, wat haar nog verder afleidt.En: Bram and Lotte start singing, distracting her even more.Nl: Sanne weet dat ze iets anders moet doen.En: Sanne knows she needs to do something different.Nl: Ze besluit weg te lopen van het lawaai.En: She decides to walk away from the noise.Nl: Met elke stap wordt het stiller.En: With each step, it gets quieter.Nl: Ze loopt naar het einde van het veld, waar minder mensen zijn.En: She walks to the end of the field, where there are fewer people.Nl: En daar vindt ze een geheime plek, verborgen tussen de rijen tulpen.En: And there, she finds a secret spot, hidden among the rows of tulips.Nl: Hier bloeien tulpen in een kleur die ze nog nooit heeft gezien.En: Here, tulips bloom in a color she has never seen before.Nl: Ze zijn dieper en levendiger dan ergens anders.En: They are deeper and more vibrant than anywhere else.Nl: Het is alsof de herfstzon alleen hier nog net iets meer glanst.En: It's as if the autumn sun shines just a bit brighter here.Nl: Sanne ademt diep in en haalt haar camera tevoorschijn.En: Sanne takes a deep breath and brings out her camera.Nl: Klik, klik.En: Click, click.Nl: Ze maakt foto's vanuit elke hoek.En: She takes photos from every angle.Nl: Haar hart klopt sneller van opwinding.En: Her heart beats faster with excitement.Nl: Ze weet dat ze iets speciaals heeft vastgelegd.En: She knows she's captured something special.Nl: Wanneer de tijd om is, keert Sanne terug naar de bus.En: When the time is up, Sanne returns to the bus.Nl: Ze is op tijd om Bram en Lotte te ontmoeten, die enthousiast zwaaien.En: She's in time to meet Bram and Lotte, who wave enthusiastically.Nl: "Waar was je?"En: "Where were you?"Nl: vraagt Bram nieuwsgierig.En: Bram asks curiously.Nl: Sanne glimlacht alleen maar mysterieus.En: Sanne just smiles mysteriously.Nl: Bij de prijsuitreiking op school hangt de spanning in de lucht.En: At the prize-giving ceremony at school, tension fills the air.Nl: Wanneer de winnaar wordt aangekondigd, is het Sannes foto die gekozen wordt als de beste.En: When the winner is announced, it's Sanne's photo that is chosen as the best.Nl: De juf prijst haar voor de bijzondere kleuren en de manier waarop ze het licht heeft gevangen.En: The teacher praises her for the extraordinary colors and the way she captured the light.Nl: Die dag verandert er iets in Sanne.En: Something changes in Sanne that day.Nl: Ze voelt zich zekerder, trots dat ze haar eigen weg ging.En: She feels more confident, proud that she took her own path.Nl: Ze glimlacht als Bram en Lotte haar feliciteren.En: She smiles as Bram and Lotte congratulate her.Nl: Sanne weet nu dat ze goed heeft gekozen door de drukte te vermijden en haar eigen plekje te vinden.En: Sanne now knows she made the right choice by avoiding the crowd and finding her own little spot.Nl: Ze heeft geleerd dat ze op zichzelf kan vertrouwen, en dat is het mooiste cadeau van allemaal.En: She has learned that she can trust herself, and that is the most beautiful gift of all. Vocabulary Words:rustles: ruistendlessly: eindeloostension: spanningcast: werptouting: uitstapjeamidst: te midden vanabsentmindedly: afwezigdrift: dwalenconcentrate: concentrerencrowded: volgepaktdistracting: afleidtsecret: geheimevibrant: levendigerangle: hoekexcitement: opwindingenthusiastically: enthousiastmysteriously: mysterieusannounced: aangekondigdextraordinary: bijzonderecaptured: vastgelegdconfident: zekerderproud: trotsavoiding: vermijdencongratulate: feliciterentrust: vertrouwenprize-giving ceremony: prijsuitreikingpraise: prijzenextraordinary: bijzonderecaptured: gevangengift: cadeau

In this free-for-all-Friday Trent reveals why you're old box TV in the garage is worth more than it looks.

Geocaching is a decades-old treasure hunting game that combines outdoor fun and environmental awareness. With over 3 million physical “caches” worldwide — including 10,000 in the state of Missouri, there is no shortage of places to explore. John Layman, vice president of the St. Louis Area Geocaching Association, and Nan Dabler, the group's treasurer, discuss the importance of respecting the environment as a geocacher and how the game got its start.

This episode I'm joined again by the brilliant Ian Watson. Ian is one of those rare teachers who can tilt your view a few degrees and suddenly the whole landscape looks different. We go new places together. From the day a book literally fell off a shelf in Watkins and opened the door to Australian Bush Flower Essences, to the lost Arborivital tinctures of Dr Thomas Cooper that may well have inspired Dr Bach. It's a tour through forgotten treasure and living practice.We talk about why simplicity beats overload. What Hahnemann might say about where homeopathy sits today. LM potencies and why higher isn't always higher. Ferrum phos as the great clarifier when an acute is just brewing. Hawthorn as a classic heart tonic with stories that give you chills. Dowsing, remedy machines, and how on earth any of this works in the first place. And we circle back to why acute prescribing can be the most preventative medicine we have.Ian is also guest teaching on my new practitioner-level PIHAP course. The link to my new Academy is in the show notes, along with Ian's books. Settle in for a grounded, generous conversation that moves from hidden corners of homeopathic history to the simple truths that change lives today.Key takeawaysSimplicity over overload: depth with polychrests.Potencies: LMs designed to minimise aggravations; and “higher” ≠ harsher.Ferrum phos: clarifies vague acutes and often resolves the “something's brewing.”Hawthorn (Crataegus) tincture: a time-tested heart ally with jaw-dropping cases.Arborivital tinctures & Bach: the living-plant, sunlight-infused lineage.Inner authority: insight changes behaviour faster than information.Acute prescribing as prevention: treat the spark, avoid the wildfire.We also talk aboutVaccine-linked themes showing up unexpectedly in polychrest prescribingWhy some methods fade (unless a new generation carries the torch)Gentle prescribing: reducing aggravations without losing momentumDowsing and machine-made remedies — what works, what to watchResources MentionedIan's website: Click here'The Blue Book' The Homeopathic Miasms - A Modern View by Ian Watson- USA, UK, Australia'The Green Book' A Guide to the Methodologies of Homeopathy by Ian Watson - USA, UK, AustraliaWant the inside scoop on Lisa's game-changing Practitioner-level course launching in January 2026? Sign up hereSend us a textJoin Lisa's brand new global homeopathy community for homeopathy lovers here.

Ray White speaks with Dawn Robertson from Jozi My Jozi about the walking tours breathing new life into Johannesburg’s streets. Far more than just traffic and skyscrapers, Joburg is a city of stories, culture, and hidden gems — and #JoziMyJoziWalks is helping residents and visitors alike rediscover it. From Hillbrow to Soweto, Alexandra to Melville, these tours are led by locals who share personal insights and community pride. For just R67.50, participants get a taste of authentic Joburg through food, history, and art — all on foot. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rev. John Bothof - Scripture: Matthew 13:44 Text: Matthew 13:44

This edition revisits a delightful mix of genres. Recently, we learned about the sad passing of Mark Dwane, so it was a shock to hear that Mathias Grassow, a leading figure in the drone genre known for his extensive studio and live work, recently lost his life while swimming in the Rhine. Our thoughts are with his family after this tragic accident. Download Bios: https://we.tl/t-DWbeURD1Ef Playlist 277 02.25 D*Time 'Shadows Of Time' (album Shadows Of Time) https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-of-time-cyd-0137 09.26 D*Time ‘On The Still Horizon' 16.19 Paul Ellis ‘The Shadow Of Silver Star' (De Lumière et d'Obscurité) www.groove.dl 22.14 Erik Tavis ‘Orion' (MP3 album So Far So Close)https://eriktavis.bandcamp.com 28.18 Christian Fiesel ‘Picknick By The Wayside' (album Full Of Light) https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/full-of-light-cyd-0138 40.24 Matthias Lehmann ‘Green Man Returns' (album Spring Reveals) https://matthiaslehmann.bandcamp.com 48.06 Matthias Lehmann ‘Deilbach' 53.39 Matthias Lehmann ‘Lake Of Dreams' (album Summer Flow) 58.37 Matthias Lehmann 'Something Passes By' 01.01.17 Matthias Lehmann ‘Do You Remember' 01.05.34Jim Ottaway ‘Citadel Of The Stars' (album Cosmic Odyssey) https://jimottaway.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-odyssey 01.11.33 Jim Ottaway 'Supernova' 01.17.37 ʞu¡0ɹʞS ‘Deep' (album Deep Recorded live on RadioSpiral 19th July 2025) *** https://skroink.bandcamp.com/album/blessed-ordinariness 01.29.06 Michael Neil ‘The Church On The Hill' (album A Moorland Suite) https://michaelneil.bandcamp.com/album/a-moorland-suite 01.32.49 Michael Neil ‘Foales Arrishes' 01.36.38 Lutz Graf-Ulbrich ‘Oasis' (album Lüüls Lab) https://www.kulturkaufhaus.de/de/deta... 01.42.52 Lutz Graf-Ulbrich ‘Mystical Road' 01.50.04 Encounters ‘Limbo' (album Veil Of Echoes) https://encountersmusic.bandcamp.com 01.55.00 Encounters/Kaya Project 'Soothsayer' 01.59.46 Art of Infinity ‘All Galaxies Sun' (album Fly Lounge) www.bscmusic.com 02.01.53 Karmacosmic ‘The Divine Light' 02.05.34 Vamadeva ‘Dreaming Clouds' 02.07.32 Mathias Grassow ‘Fugata' (album The Hidden Treasure 1990) https://mathiasgrassow.bandcamp.com 02.15.09 SÍLENÍ ‘Remain Sane To The Hideous End' (album The Lost Themes) https://sileniproject.bandcamp.com/album/the-lost-themes 02.18.43 SÍLENÍ ‘Shadows of a Holy Past' 02.21.58 Phoanegramma ‘Desertus Dei' (Music For Abandoned Monasteries) https://eighthtowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-abandoned-monasteries 02.27.42 NamKhar 'Nalanda' 02,38.32 Kloob ‘Echoes From The Crypt' 02.44.37 Marina Mello ‘ponto de vista' (album Deságua) https://buhrecords.bandcamp.com 02.46.58 Marina Mello ‘caminhos' 02.49.57 Shall Remain Nameless ‘Mask 5' (album Oh, I didn't know it was you!) https://shallremainnameless.bandcamp.com/ 02.53.45 Shall Remain Nameless ‘Mask 6' 02.56.08 Ryan Huber ‘Burrower' (album Subterrane) https://ryanhuber.bandcamp.com/album/subterrane Edit ***

Jillian Kettley joins the Exchange. She's the curator at the Crater Rock Museum in Central Point, Oregon.

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Hidden Treasure: A Mysterious Journey to Trust and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-09-01-22-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De herfstbladeren ritselden onder mijn voeten terwijl ik het pad naar de oude studentenflat volgde.En: The autumn leaves rustled beneath my feet as I followed the path to the old student apartment.Nl: De rode bakstenen muren waren begroeid met klimop, alsof de natuur de tijdloze sfeer van het gebouw wilde omarmen.En: The red brick walls were covered in ivy, as if nature wanted to embrace the building's timeless atmosphere.Nl: Binnen was het warm en een beetje rommelig, met bonte posters en een verzameling meubels die diepte gaven aan de studentensfeer.En: Inside, it was warm and a bit cluttered, with colorful posters and an assortment of furniture that added depth to the student vibe.Nl: Ik, Sanne, stond in de gezamenlijke woonkamer, een zachte bries blazend door het geopende raam.En: I, Sanne, stood in the shared living room, a gentle breeze blowing through the open window.Nl: Mijn ogen tuurden naar de lege plek op mijn bureau waar ooit het hangertje van mijn oma had gelegen.En: My eyes wandered to the empty spot on my desk where my grandmother's pendant had once lain.Nl: Het was verdwenen, en ik kon het niet zomaar accepteren.En: It was gone, and I couldn't just accept that.Nl: Ik sloot mijn ogen en haalde diep adem.En: I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.Nl: "Oké, Sanne," murmelde ik tegen mezelf, "je kunt dit oplossen."En: "Okay, Sanne," I murmured to myself, "you can solve this."Nl: Maar diep vanbinnen twijfelde ik nog steeds.En: But deep down, I still had doubts.Nl: Wat als iemand het gestolen had?En: What if someone had stolen it?Nl: Wat als ik mijn vrienden aan het verkeerd beschuldigen was?En: What if I was wrongfully accusing my friends?Nl: Joris, mijn kamermaat, zat op de bank met een kom chips op zijn schoot.En: Joris, my roommate, sat on the couch with a bowl of chips on his lap.Nl: Zijn alledaagse glimlach had iets speels, maar zijn ogen verborgen vaak meer dan hij liet zien.En: His everyday smile had something playful about it, but his eyes often hid more than he showed.Nl: "Hee, Sanne, heb je het hangertje al gevonden?"En: "Hey, Sanne, have you found the pendant yet?"Nl: "Nog niet," antwoordde ik, terwijl ik probeerde niet verdacht te klinken.En: "Not yet," I replied, trying not to sound suspicious.Nl: "Maar ik ga het vinden."En: "But I'm going to find it."Nl: Ik besloot om subtiel te zijn in mijn vragen.En: I decided to be subtle with my questions.Nl: "Heb jij toevallig iets gezien?"En: "Have you seen anything?"Nl: Hij schudde zijn hoofd, zijn blik kort op mij gericht voor hij weer naar de televisie keek.En: He shook his head, his gaze briefly meeting mine before looking back at the television.Nl: "Niet echt.En: "Not really.Nl: Misschien heb je het ergens anders neergelegd?"En: Maybe you put it somewhere else?"Nl: Ik knikte, hoewel ik zeker wist dat dat niet zo was.En: I nodded, though I was sure that wasn't the case.Nl: Daarna ging ik naar Anouk.En: Then I went to Anouk.Nl: Ze zat in een hoek, verdiept in een boek, zoals altijd omringd door een mysterie.En: She was sitting in a corner, engrossed in a book, as always surrounded by a mystery.Nl: Haar glimlach was oprecht, maar er was een stille geheimzinnigheid in haar ogen die me nieuwsgierig maakte.En: Her smile was genuine, but there was a quiet secrecy in her eyes that made me curious.Nl: "Anouk, ik mis mijn oma's hangertje.En: "Anouk, I'm missing my grandmother's pendant.Nl: Heb jij iets gezien?"En: Have you seen anything?"Nl: vroeg ik, terwijl ik haar reactie zorgvuldig observeerde.En: I asked, carefully observing her reaction.Nl: Haar ogen ontmoetten de mijne en ze aarzelde een moment.En: Her eyes met mine, and she hesitated for a moment.Nl: "Nee, sorry, Sanne.En: "No, sorry, Sanne.Nl: Maar ik kan helpen zoeken."En: But I can help you look."Nl: Ik vond het een vreemd antwoord, maar liep toch met haar langs de gangen.En: I found it a strange response, but I walked with her down the halls anyway.Nl: Mijn hoofd tolde van de vragen.En: My head was spinning with questions.Nl: Waarom zou iemand het hangertje pakken?En: Why would someone take the pendant?Nl: Was het überhaupt gestolen?En: Was it even stolen?Nl: De dagen gingen voorbij en ik kreeg steeds meer moed.En: Days passed, and I grew more courageous.Nl: In de gemeenschappelijke zithoek zag ik op een avond een kleine glinstering tussen de kussens.En: In the communal lounge one evening, I noticed a small glimmer between the cushions.Nl: Een broche?En: A brooch?Nl: Nee, het was een knoop, maar wel eentje die ik herkende.En: No, it was a button, but one I recognized.Nl: Joris' favoriete trui?En: Joris' favorite sweater?Nl: Waarom zou er een knoop uit zijn trui hier liggen?En: Why would a button from his sweater be lying here?Nl: Ik besloot Joris nog een keer aan te spreken, deze keer directer.En: I decided to approach Joris again, this time more directly.Nl: "Joris, ik heb iets gevonden in de gemeenschappelijke ruimte.En: "Joris, I found something in the common area.Nl: Iets vaags over jouw knoop."En: Something vague about your button."Nl: Hij lachte kort.En: He chuckled briefly.Nl: "Oh, die knoop!En: "Oh, that button!Nl: Ja, ik was daar met Anouk laatst.En: Yeah, I was there with Anouk last time.Nl: Ze had een verrassing voor je voorbereid."En: She had a surprise prepared for you."Nl: Mijn wenkbrauwen schoten omhoog.En: My eyebrows shot up.Nl: "Een verrassing?"En: "A surprise?"Nl: "Ja, ze wilde het hangertje in een doosje stoppen en het speciaal voor je maken," legde hij uit.En: "Yes, she wanted to put the pendant in a box and make it special for you," he explained.Nl: Verbaasd en een beetje beschaamd, ging ik terug naar Anouk.En: Surprised and a little embarrassed, I went back to Anouk.Nl: Ze haalde een klein, prachtig ingepakt doosje tevoorschijn.En: She produced a small, beautifully wrapped box.Nl: "Ik wilde het je maandag geven, Sanne," zei ze zacht.En: "I wanted to give it to you on Monday, Sanne," she said softly.Nl: Ik opende het doosje voorzichtig en daar, veilig en glanzend, lag het kettinkje van mijn oma.En: I carefully opened the box and there, safe and shining, lay my grandmother's necklace.Nl: Tranen van opluchting en blijdschap vulden mijn ogen.En: Tears of relief and joy filled my eyes.Nl: "Dank je, Anouk."En: "Thank you, Anouk."Nl: Het misverstand bleek een prachtige verrassing te zijn.En: The misunderstanding turned out to be a beautiful surprise.Nl: We lachten erom, en ik realiseerde me dat open communicatie met vrienden belangrijk is.En: We laughed about it, and I realized that open communication with friends is important.Nl: We kwamen die avond nog dichter tot elkaar.En: We grew even closer that evening.Nl: Ik had mijn hangertje terug en meer vertrouwen in mezelf én mijn vrienden.En: I had my pendant back and more confidence in myself and my friends.Nl: Soms is het leven net een puzzel, en het oplossen ervan brengt je dichter bij diegenen die ertoe doen.En: Sometimes life is just like a puzzle, and solving it brings you closer to those who matter. Vocabulary Words:rustled: ritseldencluttered: rommeligivy: klimopassortment: verzamelingvibe: sfeerpendant: hangertjemurmured: murmeldedoubts: twijfeldesuspicious: verdachtsubtle: subtielengrossed: verdieptsecrecy: geheimzinnigheidcourageous: moedcommunal: gemeenschappelijkeglimmer: glinsteringbrooch: brochevague: vaagsembarrassed: beschaamdbeautifully: prachtigwrapped: ingepaktrelief: opgeluchtingmisunderstanding: misverstandcommunication: communicatieconfidence: vertrouwenaccusing: beschuldigengaze: blikprepared: voorbereidcurious: nieuwsgierigobserving: observerenhesitated: aarzelde

What is your relationship with God worth to you?   ---    Jesus told stories to help anyone willing to listen better understand life in the Kingdom of God. These stories meet us where we are and take us to deeper places in our faith. Join us as we listen to Jesus' stories and ask Him to help us grow.    Sermon Notes: http://bible.com/events/49483198 Submit a Question: bit.ly/BeyondSundayQuestions

A new MP3 sermon from Antioch Reformed Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Hidden Treasures Speaker: Paul Sauve Broadcaster: Antioch Reformed Baptist Church Event: Devotional Date: 8/27/2025 Bible: Psalm 143 Length: 20 min.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure 44The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value 45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

This week, we continue through our "Parables" series. Have a blessed Sunday!

Habitation ChurchThank you for listening to The Habitation Podcast! Click above to stay up to date on news, events, and how you can partner with the ministry.  School of Habitation Sign up today to be a student member at School of Habitation! Click the link above to find out more! • $50.00/monthly membership• Join live teachings from Pastor William via zoom and participate in Q&As, prayer, & discussions• Sign up at anytime• Pause at any time• Option to participate in bi-weekly discipleship groups• Private links to prayer & worship rooms Follow us on YouTubeFollow us on Instagram

Welcome to episode 708. We have one tale for you this week, about a grieving mother desperate for relief from her parental responsibilities who seeks sanctuary at a play centre built on buried secrets.COMING UPGood Evening: Submissions and Patreon Interview Series: 00:01:06[Trigger] Anne Wilkins' Hidden Treasure as read by AJ Fitzwater: 00:04:28TRIGGER WARNINGSHidden Treasure contains scenes of Animal Death and Child Death.PERTINENT LINKSSupport us on Patreon! Spread the darkness.Shop Tales to Terrify MerchAnne WilkinsAnne Wilkins on FacebookAJ FitzwaterAJ Fitzwater on BlueskyOriginal Score by Nebulus EntertainmentNebulus on FacebookNebulus on InstagramSPECIAL THANKS TOAmanda CarrilloLestle BaxterOrion D. HegreSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/talestoterrify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pathfinder Church | August 10, 2025 | AJ MasticIn the USA, Christians often shy away from standing out. How could it be helpful to be seen as extreme or puritanical? Not to mention, those don't sound like much fun! And yet, is there more to be gained by being “strange” than we think? Website | https://pathfinderstl.orgOnline Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/givePodcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcastsFacebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstlInstagram | https://instagram.com/pathfinderstlSt. John School | https://stjls.orgContact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org

Most people read Philippians like a devotional—but it's a treasure map. Right in chapter 1, Paul drops secrets on supernatural joy, divine partnership, how to access the power of grace—and why persecution might actually be your promotion. If you've been feeling stuck, tired, or spiritually flat, stay with me—I'll show you how to dig up the treasure buried in this chapter and unlock the power that's been waiting for you.

Pathfinder Church | August 3, 2025 | Dion GarrettWhen we invest in something, we expect it to pay dividends, and for many of us, that's true of how we see church. While it seems rational to move away from a church that's no longer meeting your needs, could that be detrimental to one of the things we need most? Website | https://pathfinderstl.orgOnline Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/givePodcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcastsFacebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstlInstagram |  https://instagram.com/pathfinderstlSt. John School | http://stjls.orgContact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.orgWebsite | https://pathfinderstl.orgOnline Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/givePodcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcastsFacebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstlInstagram | https://instagram.com/pathfinderstlSt. John School | https://stjls.orgContact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org

Pathfinder Church | July 27, 2025 | Doug MaussThe Bible contains some wild stories that our scientific minds don't exactly know what to do with. Stories of miracles, angels, and evil spirits fill the Bible, and even Jesus validates their existence, so how did we come to a faith where those things are rarely mentioned in polite company?Website | https://pathfinderstl.orgOnline Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/givePodcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcastsFacebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstlInstagram | https://instagram.com/pathfinderstlSt. John School | https://stjls.orgContact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org