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Moreover, the Lord said to Job,2 Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with God, let him answer it.3 Then Job replied to the Lord:4 Behold, I am of small account and vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth.5 I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—indeed, twice [have I answered], but I will proceed no further.6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying,7 Gird up your loins now like a man; I will demand of you, and you answer Me.8 Will you also annul (set aside and render void) My judgment? Will you condemn Me [your God], that you may [appear] righteous and justified?9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?10 [Since you question the manner of the Almighty's rule] deck yourself now with the excellency and dignity [of the Supreme Ruler, and yourself undertake the government of the world if you are so wise], and array yourself with honor and majesty.11 Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him;12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job].13 [Bury and] hide them all in the dust together; [and] shut them up [in the prison house of death].14 [If you can do all this, Job, proving yourself of divine might] then will I [God] praise you also [and acknowledge that] your own right hand can save you.15 Behold now the behemoth (the hippopotamus), which I created as I did you; he eats grass like an ox.16 See now, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the sinews of his belly.17 He moves his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are twisted together [like a rope].18 His bones are like tubes of bronze; his limbs [or ribs] are like bars of iron.19 [The hippopotamus] is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God [in animal life]; [only] He Who made him provides him with his [swordlike tusks, or only God Who made him can bring near His sword to master him].20 Surely the mountains bring him food, where all the wild animals play.21 He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reeds in the marsh.22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook compass him about.23 Behold, if a river is violent and overflows, he does not tremble; he is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.24 Can any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?FAITHBUCKS.COM

faithbucks.comAmplified Bible, Classic Edition40 Moreover, the Lord said to Job,2 Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with God, let him answer it.3 Then Job replied to the Lord:4 Behold, I am of small account and vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth.5 I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—indeed, twice [have I answered], but I will proceed no further.6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying,7 Gird up your loins now like a man; I will demand of you, and you answer Me.8 Will you also annul (set aside and render void) My judgment? Will you condemn Me [your God], that you may [appear] righteous and justified?9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?10 [Since you question the manner of the Almighty's rule] deck yourself now with the excellency and dignity [of the Supreme Ruler, and yourself undertake the government of the world if you are so wise], and array yourself with honor and majesty.11 Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him;12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job].13 [Bury and] hide them all in the dust together; [and] shut them up [in the prison house of death].14 [If you can do all this, Job, proving yourself of divine might] then will I [God] praise you also [and acknowledge that] your own right hand can save you.15 Behold now the behemoth (the hippopotamus), which I created as I did you; he eats grass like an ox.16 See now, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the sinews of his belly.17 He moves his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are twisted together [like a rope].18 His bones are like tubes of bronze; his limbs [or ribs] are like bars of iron.19 [The hippopotamus] is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God [in animal life]; [only] He Who made him provides him with his [swordlike tusks, or only God Who made him can bring near His sword to master him].20 Surely the mountains bring him food, where all the wild animals play.21 He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reeds in the marsh.22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook compass him about.23 Behold, if a river is violent and overflows, he does not tremble; he is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.24 Can any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?

Genesis 28:10-22Jacob and Esau, twin sons of Isaac, struggled for dominance even from thewomb, but it was Jacob, who by deceptive means, steals the firstborn birthright from Esau, with their mother's help: What a soap opera story(See Genesis 27). Jacob, whose name means “Deceiver or supplanter” is then forced to escape to Haran the birthplace of his grandfather Abraham. It was during this fleeing for sin committed that God manifests His grace via a supernatural dream, in a most unexpected place: a “certain(ordinary desert) place”(28:10). Jacob was not described as seeking God, or praying, lamenting to God, asking for forgiveness, he was just escaping a bad situation he and his mother caused. He was not looking for a calling from God but only to survive Esau's wrath.. Here in a nondescript place, with no religious significance, no sacred altars around (Compare to Isaiah's call while in the temple Isaiah 6:1-13) God encounters Jacob: a Theophany. In fact as stated in Romans 8:28, God worked all that happens for His purposes and the benefit of Jacob. Jacob's unbeknownst to the other characters in this narrative, was chosen by God, not Esau, to be the last patriarch father to the future 12 tribes of Israel(See also Romans 9:13 “Jacob I loved, I chose for aparticular service, Esau I hated = I preferred Jacob) Why? Since his name means “Deceiver, supplanter”, None of our business, Godis sovereign! What can we learn from this story?I) God came in a context of duplicity: no goodness here (See Genesis 27) Toattract God's Involvement. But God in many ways intervenes where He is not called upon because He is Sovereign. Circumstances don't have to be perfect for Him to intervene: (John 3:16; Romans 5:8 etc)II) God came unexpectedly in a very ordinary place: during a rest-stage(28:10-11); “Just a certain place”, but in God's chosen time and manner. There were no altars around or during a prayer meeting etc. And there was nothing that Jacob did to prepare or to earn this revelation.III) God came in a special revelation via the use of dream but not any ordinarydream but a revelatory dream with a message: In 28:12 The text presents what Jacob saw and what the Lord said 28:13-15. A vision for Jacob in his present situation and beyond his time. This was only the beginning of his transformation, finalized by a 2nd theophany in chapter 32, where he wrestles with God and as a result his name waschanged, from Jacob to Israel (he struggled with God and was transformed: but noperfect IV) God came, his transformation process begins 28:16-22God came sovereignly, Jacob was unaware that He was in that place(28:16)A new fear and awe for the Lord verse 17He commits himself with a vow verse 19He prays to return victories to his father's house, after his journey, and hedoes (Chapter 32) But all of the above was not without hardship and wrestling with God.Amen

Pastor Andrew Carnell continues our "Encounter" church-wide series with "Seeker". Are you seeking something deeper? How can we grow? What does it mean "to be born again"? How does this happen? I God calling you?Today's passages: John 3: 1-8, 14-17Date: 23.02.2025Please send prayer requests to prayer@bridgeman.org.au or on our website: www.bridgeman.org.au/prayer/To contact Bridgeman Baptist Community Church please email hello@bridgeman.org.auIf you would like to give at Bridgeman Baptist Community Church please go to www.bridgeman.org.au/giving/Please view our Sermon List if you would like to order from our back catalogue, please email bridgemedia@bridgeman.org.au 

Spiritual life failure has consequences—our nation is in decline and under God's discipline. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). It starts with you if you want God to guarantee His blessing on America, and your children and grandchildren. As your spiritual life goes, so goes your life, family, and the nation. “I [God] searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it” (Ezek 22:30). Will you be the one God finds to stand in the gap? Click for Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/spiritual-life-6cd12d

OK, so there are more bills to pay than you've got money to pay them. You have to make some choices. What you probably won't do is decide not to pay the electric bill and certain other bills like that. Those bills where, if you don't pay, they can cut off your service. You get this little notice: "If you don't pay your bill right away, your service will be cut off." It's amazing how a service cutoff can help you set your priorities! I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why Your Service Has Been Interrupted." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from some of the most preached on words in the Bible...and maybe some of the least acted on. 2 Chronicles 7:14, with the introduction of verse 13, "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among My people, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." To be in a position to receive God's healing of what's hurting and broken, we have to humbly pray; we have to seek His face. But let's focus on that last and maybe most neglected step. A lot of people get that far. They humble themselves, they pray, and they seek His face. It's that last step where a lot of us fall short, "If My people... will turn from their wicked ways, then will I." God seems to be saying, "As long as you're hanging onto that sinful practice, that sinful attitude, or that sinful way you treat people, I can't open up heaven and bless you." In other words, your service will be interrupted until that outstanding spiritual bill is settled. Maybe you've wondered why that repeated prayer hasn't been answered, or why things have come unglued, or why you're going through the pain you're facing, or why things don't change! Maybe it's because you haven't changed! Now, there can be other reasons God hasn't seemed to answer, for sure. Maybe He's asking you to wait, or He's taking His time to enlarge your faith in Him, or He's preparing to do a larger miracle than the one you even asked for. But the first explanation we should consider is this: "Is there a sinful action, a sinful attitude, or a wrong relationship that I haven't let go of? Am I hanging onto a stubborn sin? Am I excusing what God wants me to be refusing?" God accepts only one response to sin, not rationalizing it, not excusing it, not comparing yourself to other people. He says, "Turn from it!" Do you want God's best? Then deal with the "wicked ways" that are holding back the very answers you're seeking. The Lord has so much He wants to give you, so much He's ready to fix, and so many mountains He wants to move in your life. But His holy hand may be held back by some unrepented, unforsaken sin. The difficulties you've been experiencing might be God's warning notice! If it seems like God's service in your life has been interrupted, check your account with Him and settle what's come between you.

I God is Sovereign, how can man be free? Truth Be Told Radio is a conservative reformed Christian talk/variety show that shines the light of truth from a biblical perspective and a unique blend of special guests, humor, critiques, sermons, clips, and news. Here is a list of channels and ministries we use: WWUTT (When We Understand The Text on Youtube. Also another channel of Pastor Gabriel Hugh's called WWUTText. R.C. Sproul lessons from Ligonier Ministries, Wretched on the Wretched channel (on Youtube) and their site for their radio and tv show at: www.wretched.org, Melissa Dougherty on Youtube, Dr. Voddie Baucham with Youtube channel Grace Family Baptist. Church and, Joni Eareckson Tada, "Diamonds in the Dust," also Voddie Baucham via Grace Baptist Church Youtube page and James White via Apologia Studios. One Minute Apologetics by The Gospel Coalition and another called Debunked (videos) can be seen on Youtube

Dr. Stephanie Foster joins me on this episode to share how we can choose reflection and embrace being the beloved of God. Get your copy of I Am A Beloved Daughter Of God: 90 Day Reflection Journal and get her free resources.   Show Notes: Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Welcome, everyone. This is Dr. Saundra, and you're listening to I Choose My Best Life. Today we're chatting with Dr. Stephanie Foster. She's a leadership strategist who's going to help us understand how we can choose reflection as a part of our own personal leadership. So Dr. Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us. I'd love to learn a little bit more about who you are and the type of work that you do. Dr. Stephanie Foster: Wonderful. Thank you. I'm so happy to be here, Dr. Saundra. I'll start simply. I am a doer, an encourager, and a builder. More specifically, if people want to know about my background, I have a military background. I am now an entrepreneur. As a leadership strategist, what I do is that I help leaders solve hard And innovative problems and do everything from the lens of leadership, whether that's personal or collective leadership. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: That's who I am. Now, when I hear the word leadership strategist, I think some of us might be like, I'm not exactly sure what that means. Does that mean you work with corporations, or do you work with individuals, or do you do both? What exactly does a leadership strategist do? Dr. Stephanie Foster: In my way of doing it and being a leadership strategist. I do both. So with individuals, I relish being able to work with our emerging leaders who are already in positions of leadership and they aspire to go to higher levels of leadership their specific questions may include what do I need to do to gain the visibility that I need to have the others understand what I bring in terms of value to the organization. So we come up with strategies for that. Or some may say, I need a particular kind of experience with education, training, or whatever else. So I may help individual leaders move from one level of performance to the next with corporations and companies. I relish having those problems that come that have not been solved before or that are different. And you're as a leader, you have that expectation of being able to take your team. Through whatever it is, the chaos, whatever the situation may call for, and coming to some desired end state. So I work the entire spectrum, but the bottom line is just being able to team with a leader or group of leaders. Understanding what strengths they have, understanding the problem they're facing, and then coming up with strategies for them to use what they have to get to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: where they desire. I love how you take your business and leadership knowledge and you bring it in with the word of God to actually help men and women better understand. Their own personal leadership journeys through the word of God. I know you have quite a few versions of Bible plans that are out there, and you've recently released a new book titled I Am a Beloved Daughter of God. It's a 90-day reflective journal. And I want to know a little bit about that. Where did you decide that the topic of being a daughter of God needed further evaluation? Dr. Stephanie Foster: Dr. Saundra, can I ask you a question? Absolutely. Today, how many positive messages, if you don't mind answering the question, have you received about yourself as an individual? Wow. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Today, none as of right now that I can think of. Dr. Stephanie Foster: And when I think about your sphere, you deal with a lot of people in different places. And if I think of someone else who's watching TV or whatever else, and she is doing her best to be that believer, but there are so many times where we have just a barrage of messages coming towards us that would have us think that we are not. And wonderful as we are made and our uniqueness is not a strength, but there's always something that needs to be fixed. You're not quite there, something that is not right. Where do we get that messaging that there is someone who looks at you on your best days, your worst days and all the in-betweens? And every day, he is looking at you from the eyes of love and acceptance. Understanding and being for you. And what does that do for you to think that no matter what the day presents, you can face it from a position of knowing that you are loved. That is so good. And I wrote it for anyone else who is dealing with those times when you just want to know that you're not alone, that someone is for you, and that someone is someone who can do so much about your situation and get you through. So it was for me and for all women of all ages who want to have that journey of looking at their lives and seeing how no matter where they are and what's going on, their life matters as it is each day, and that they are loved. And that gives them access to the source who can help them get from where they are to where they're going for that next day, next month, next year, whatever the case may be. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Does that make sense? It does, and that's such a great point because I never really think about it like that, but you're right today, I didn't really do much and go very many places so, so I haven't been around a lot of people, but even then it's very it's only certain situations where I get affirming or get congratulations or kudos or those kinds of things certain places certain people, and I realize just as you're stating there are a lot of people, a lot of women who are doing a lot of great things in the world for their family, for their communities, wherever sphere God has them in, who may not hear those words of appreciation. And so being reminded. That we have a father, we have a lover of our soul. We have we are able to get to a place of accepting the belovedness of that relationship, that there is a lot of value in that. When you were writing this book, what did you personally learn from your times of reflection? Dr. Stephanie Foster: I need to think about what I'm thinking about. Dr. Saundra, too often, we, especially me, can just let thoughts run through our minds, and we don't check them. Some of these thoughts, Dr. Saundra, are bad thoughts that we should not allow within the porch of our house if I were to use that illustration of a house. And in the South here, you welcome people to the porch, blah, blah, blah. And if someone comes inside the house to come into the front room, there are different degrees of access. So you let people into your space, but there are some thoughts that we should not even allow on the street in front of the house of our mind. But if we don't think about what we're thinking about, we can nurture those thoughts. That becomes actions and behaviors that don't do us good. That could be harmful. That could be toxic. So what I learned for myself is that as I'm thinking about reflecting and thinking about what is going on in my life and assessing that I'm becoming more aware of those thoughts that are rogue and that are not helping me. And saying stop and do something about it. So that's what I learned this practice of being more aware of what I'm thinking about and then doing something about those thoughts. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: I'm still stuck on the first thing you just said. It has my brain all wrapped around the first topic. But yeah, you're so right. I think the way we talk to ourselves and the thoughts we allow to run around our mind, we don't police them; we let them do whatever they want to do. Or, we let our self-talk go in whatever direction it wants to go. And I think, yeah, your very first question to me it made me start thinking also about do I compliment myself. What is my self-talk to myself, about me? I would love to go down that path a little bit. Because I'm sure there are women who are listening, who, as I stated, who maybe no one else has said this week a compliment or something that congratulates them for something they've done. I would love for both of us to think about what is the best compliment we can say about ourselves. Dr. Stephanie Foster: That is so rich. As I think about this topic. I think about us showing up. To me, that is so profound because Many times we may wonder if we have what it takes for whatever the situation may be, but again, understanding the beloved and our relationship with our father, he takes what we give and he can put all of his what extra on that so that what we give and share permits him to have something to do the amazing with. I immediately think of the young boy who brought his lunch to the meeting that was there in the wilderness. for joining us. Now, in my mind's eye, Mom was there, showing up doing what she did. Mom may not have felt particularly happy about it. All right, let me go ahead and get these fish in these loaves. Hey, you're going to take what we got. Go on, baby boy, go to the meeting, blah, blah, blah. But that mom's faithfulness had this little boy with the only food that they had there in that particular situation that Jesus took. Lifted it up, blessed it, and that became that miraculous meal for the 5,000 men. This is one of the several occasions when the 5,000 men plus the family members who were there ate to their fill and then had 12 baskets of food left over. But I go back to someone who was there in that home that provided that young child with that lunch. Probably didn't get a lot of, great job, mom, blah, blah, blah, or, or cheering or whatever else, but that mom was there. So often, I think we are like that in our daily lives. There are things that we do that sometimes you wonder what's the worth of it. But in the big picture, you never know how that is used; that seed of being there to get that harvest of benefits and whoever knows whatever else God will do with it for those on the other side of us being in our places and doing what we did. Yeah, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: I love that. There are so many opportunities for us to look at ourselves and always be in judgment mode, to be in self-improvement, so to speak, mode, looking at what needs to be better, rather than taking an account and reflecting on what already needs to be celebrated. When God looked back at the end of each of the days of creation, He didn't say, Oh, that needs to be improved, and that needs to be better. And I could have done that a little bit better. It was, it is good. And I don't think there's enough. There are good moments in our lives when we stop and reflect at that level of really appreciating goodness. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 23, and it ends, with goodness and mercy will follow you all of the days of your life. Something's following you. How do you see it? You don't really appreciate it till you stop and turn and look to reflect on it. So I love this. I love how your journal, I am a beloved daughter of God, is really based around taking 90 days of doing just that, reflecting on the goodness of God, being loved, and reflecting on how God views us. What would you say is the benefit of having a Life motto or a life verse that you're using during these times of reflection? Dr. Stephanie Foster: It prompts me to, do something about it is one of my life challenges. It's easy to hear accounts of different things that are happening and to say, wow, that's sad. Wow, that's bad, you fill in the blank, but it takes. It's another level when you think about, okay, that's not right. That should not be. And the next part is, what can I do about this? What am I going to do about this? If I am touched by this, particularly if it moves me to great lengths. Anger, sometimes sadness, you fill in the blank. What am I going to do about that? Because someone is being impacted by that. So am I God's heart in that situation of being able to say I know someone who can do this, or I know that I can do blah, blah, blah. Do something about it. Don't leave it that same way. So, for me, it makes me more engaged. With my faith, because so many people ask about it, how relevant is your faith in your daily life? Oh, it is so relevant. For example, if you go to a hospital, I don't know if anyone has had this particular situation, but I guess if you have and if you go there. You've got a loved one who's in a serious situation, and you happen to see one of those healthcare professionals, and they look at you, really look at you, and see you. And they do something as simple as offering you a warm blanket. I come to love that. When I had family members who were there, there's nothing like being in a cool hospital room; you're there with your loved one, one of those healthcare professionals said, look, I just got this warm blanket for you and put it around your shoulders. And it's just that simple. Gesture makes you know that, wow, I matter. My family matters simple things. No one said you must pull out your Bible and quote scriptures and everything else. That's wonderful and amazing, but you could do something as simple as smiling, whatever it is that lets someone know that their presence matters. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: One of the things that I loved from your work and this devotional is the ability to help us to see how God's super comes onto our natural, as you mentioned, even with something as simple as. Just showing some kindness to someone within the hospital or or doing what some people would look at as a very small act. But that actually can help people feel connected, comforted, and like God has seen them and that God cares through our small natural acts that we do when he brings his super on top of it. So I would love to hear from you about one of that. You have some questions that you have as part of your reflection process. And I'd love to hear your answer to a couple of these questions. And one of them is what your superpower is. What would you say is your superpower? What's the thing God puts his super upon that you to do in the natural? Dr. Stephanie Foster:  Getting things done, Dr. Saundra, and that's part of me as a leadership strategist. And I think that's just how he created me. And that's why I say I'm a doer. All of that fits together. So if it's something that I haven't done before, I will seek help and all. But even if I get with a group of professionals and they say, we don't know how to do this or whatever else. I'm not going to stop there. It's okay, what do we know? And let's take some steps, and let's move out. Let's figure this out. We'll pray. We'll move. We'll pray. We'll move. But I am one who if given a mission or something to do, I am going to do my absolute best to team with my people to get it done. Us working together. How do we get it done? Understanding what we have and that's a big thing, too. I'm really good at looking at what I have, looking at what it is I need to get to, and figuring out how we're going to make this work. It may not always be pretty, but that's okay. We're working together, we're growing, and we are progressing. That's what I do. I get things done. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: I love that. I looked at that question, and I thought, what is my superpower? It really makes you think. It makes you stop and evaluate your past, your present, your gifts, your talents, the things you like to do, and the things you don't like doing. And the things where you see God's grace come upon it, which I really believe is what is at the core of a superpower. God's grace and his. anointing, his power comes upon something that for you feels like just what you do. And I would probably say for myself, when I looked at that, I was like, what is my superpower? The thing that came to mind, my superpower, is communication. I love communicating hard stuff in a way that is easier for people to understand. That's been part of my success as a physician because people come in. I live in a small town where not everybody's PhD. Some people literally will say, I didn't make it out of grade school. And. To be able to communicate health care issues and different things to them in a way that they understand, I truly believe that's not something that I do in my own strength, but it's something that God's grace comes upon, and it makes it that superpower. So here's another question for you. How would you describe yourself in one word? Doer. Dr. Stephanie Foster: Doer. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: I agree with that. Knowing you, Dr. Stephanie, I do agree with that. You have a can-do attitude. I'm trying to think of one word. It's hard. It's, and you had the benefit of writing the book. Reflecting on some of these questions. Honestly, some of these questions really take a moment. To step back and really ponder. I have seen that question just recently, I have to think about that one for a minute. It's hard to describe yourself in one word in your book. When someone is going through these 90 days of reflection, what did you hope for them to come away with so they could finish up those 90 days of your devotional? I am a beloved daughter of God. One Dr. Stephanie Foster: of the takeaways I want for them is to have had this time to look at certain dimensions of their life and be able to see the good in it. I didn't say the perfect. I didn't say the best, but to see the good in it and then how they were able to deal with this, because if you had some situations where you wanted particular change, did you do it? Many people say you can go through that three-step thing of the what, what's going on. The so what? And then the now what? And so if they could make it through those three steps, I'd be just cheering them on from the book and everything else because that's what it's about. That's personal leadership, where you look at your life and evaluate, assess, and identify. Are there some self-limiting aspects to that? Do I want to stay in the same place? The choice is so huge. I have the ability to choose to think and do differently. So if they take that journey from the what, the so what, and the now what, that would be absolutely amazing. But the main thing among all of that, though, is to know that it's all anchored in God's love. He loves me as I am today. He knows me completely. He sees me. No filters, and he accepts me completely. I just want to get to one page here to let them know it's like a love sandwich if you will, because the beginning of it has Psalms 139 18, and this is the passion translation. It says every moment you are thinking of me, how precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought. When I awake each morning, you're still with me. So, in the beginning, you, as you start your day out, start with love. God is saying, I love you. My thoughts towards you are wonderful. At the end of the day, it's a reminder of God's steadfast love for me. Isaiah 54:10 is from the new living translation for the mountains may move, and the hills disappear. But even then, my faithful love for you will remain. So as you close your eyes, no matter what you've done that day, he's saying, I love you. Start out the day. I love you. You go through the day in the day. I love you. That's what's so beautiful to me about it. I call it a love sandwich. No matter what's in between, that love has not changed. It's not going away. You are his Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: beloved child. Amen. We arise with love, and we go to bed with love. We've been chatting with Dr. Stephanie Foster. She's the author of the book. I am a beloved daughter of God. I want to make sure people know how to contact you, Dr. Stephanie, and how to get a copy of your newest book. Wonderful. Dr. Stephanie Foster: It's on Amazon. So all you have to do is you could put in my name. Dr. Stephanie L. Foster at the first drop down, and with the books, it'll take you there. I believe it's the first one of the entries. Also, my website has the information: https://www.intentionallymellc.org/  Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: We will link to Dr. Stephanie's book as well as to her website in the show notes so that you'll be able to get in contact with her as well as learn about some of the many different plans that she has for your version and her latest book, her 90-day reflective journal. I am a beloved daughter of God. Dr. Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us today. Dr. Stephanie Foster: Thank you for this opportunity. It has been my pleasure. Thank you, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Dr. Saundra. Until next time, everyone live fully, love boldly and rest intentionally. I Choose My Best Life Podcast is one of the  Top 20 Christian Women Podcasts I Choose My Best Life Books: Colorful Connections, Sacred Rest, Come Empty, Set Free to Live Free Connect with Saundra: Twitter: @DrDaltonSmith Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drdaltonsmith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSaundraDaltonSmith

A Look at Our Current SituationThere is so much bloodshed and brutality taking place between Israel and Hamas, that many have been looking for comparisons between what's happening today and the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel found in Ezekiel 38 and 39. And the similarities are striking.Ezekiel foretells an end-times invasion of Israel led by Gog, ruler of Magog, along with Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and other nations. It also reveals that God providentially brings this vast alliance down to invade Israel, only to judge them harshly. And I mean, really harshly. Sodom and Gomorrah harshly.Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops— many people are with you” (Ezekiel 38:1-6).And when you identify the people groups involved with their related nations today, it's like a primer on the beginning of World War 3.• Gog – Leader (Demonic)• Land of Magog (Scythians) – Central Asia, the countries that made up the former Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan)• The Prince of Rosh – Russia• Meshech and Tubal – Modern Turkey• Persia – Iran• Ethiopia (Cush) – Modern Sudan, nations south of Egypt• Libya (Put or Phut) – Modern Libya, possibly as far as Algeria and Tunisia, those west of Egypt• Gomer (Cimmerians) – Central Turkey• House of Togarmah – Modern Turkey, North of IsraelArab Nations Against God's PeopleLet's look at Ezekiel 38:1-6 again, only with the current nations included.Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog (Central Asia, the countries that made up the former Soviet Union), the prince of Rosh (Russia), Meshech, and Tubal (modern Turkey) and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I (God's actions) will turn you (Gog from Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal) around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out (again, God's actions), with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia (Iran), Ethiopia (modern Sudan), and Libya (modern Libya, including Algeria and Tunisia) are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer (central Turkey) and all its troops; the house of Togarmah (modern Turkey, north of Israel) from the far north and all its troops— many people are with you” (Ezekiel 38:1-6).Can you see the chess pieces being sovereignly moved into place for this prophecy to be fulfilled before our very eyes? I sure can. So join us as we look deeper into the Gog and Magog conflict, which is a key indicator the end is near.And keep looking up, for our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).To

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Lekh L'kha [Genesis 12:1–17:27] is the third parashah in the Book of Genesis. It opens with God's dramatic call to Avram, instructing him to leave “his land, his birthplace, his father's house, to go to the land that I [God] will show you”. Because this is the opening verse of the new parashah, it is easy to forget that Avram has already left his land and his birthplace with his father Terah, his nephew Lot, and his wife Sarai for the land of Canaan, making it as far as Haran, just two verses ago. This call to Avram is the beginning of Jewish peoplehood [if we allow for anachronism]. What distinguishes the journey in chapter 12 from the one at the end of chapter 11 is the voice of God. Avram not only hears the voice of God, he follows it. He allows God to lead him. What follows in the parashah are a number of events both in and out of the land, events of moral complexity which lead Avram to Egypt, to a war in the neighborhood, a separation from his nephew Lot, and a covenant with the promise of an heir for the renamed Avraham and his heretofore barren wife. With such a rich parashah, we could not get to everything, but we did talk for quite a while! We hope you enjoy it. Shabbat Shalom!

In this episode of Dangerous Misinformation, host Rodney Smith dives into a whirlwind of topics, covering everything from Christian dating sites and mass migration to AI advancements and the music industry. Rodney starts the episode with a quirky introduction, welcoming listeners to his world of "Dangerous Misinformation" and promising a jolly old time for the entire family. Video Episode available here https://youtu.be/6Gy64NT878A Find all social and product links here https://linktr.ee/rodneywrites Rodney shares his thoughts on various global events, expressing skepticism about political figures and discussing the complexities of international politics, especially in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict. He delves into his own spiritual journey, sharing his experiences with religion and his recent exploration of a Christian dating app called Upward. He humorously recounts his adventures on the app, describing it as a digital heaven filled with conservative angels, and reflects on his desire for a more meaningful connection in a seemingly degenerate world. The episode takes an unexpected turn as Rodney delves into the world of music production and the incredible advancements in AI technology. He marvels at the ability of AI to isolate and manipulate individual tracks from old recordings, revolutionizing the art of sampling. Rodney expresses both awe and concern about the rapid progress of AI, highlighting its potential to reshape creative industries and our understanding of reality. The episode concludes with Rodney bidding farewell to listeners, encouraging them to take care and promising to return with more intriguing content on the next episode of Dangerous Misinformation.     Transcription    1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:16,940 Hey everybody! Thank you for tuning in a dangerous misinformation. Join us today as we will be discussing pressing topics such as Christian dating sites, mass migration, Ais, effects on the music industry, and much, much, much more for the whole entire family. This is dangerous misinformation.  2 00:00:27,320 --> 00:01:25,560 Yes yes welcome everybody! Welcome to Dangerous Misinformation. My little safe haven of dangerous misinformation coming from all of us together, all of us together, moving through space and time. Appreciate you being here. This is the number one source in the world for dangerous misinformation on popular opinions and overall just the jolly old time. It is Sunday night for me right now and I just remembered I had not done Mondays episode yet and we're pushing through the resistance. He has ever read that book, uh, the War of Art where they talk about resistance and the Muse and all that. Meanwhile, my cat. I just cleaned all these carpets in this room. I just cleaned all these carpets because the cat pissed in the corner and once a cat pisses in a corner they keep going back to piss on it and I don't know what makes some piss in the first place, but if this bitch doesn't figure it out she's gonna be a stray here pretty soon, but she she has this separation anxiety, so  3 00:01:26,320 --> 00:02:26,040 she just always has to be around me, you know people and this is people talk about cats people talk about cats like. There is these antisocial creatures that hate you. Any cat that I've ever had has been just super fucking clingy to me and they have very feminine energy. So I think a big red flag is that if cats don't like you it curls probably don't like you either, but that might. You know. There's probably people that hate cats who really got the bops going brazy out here, so I shouldn't say that I shouldn't say a lot of things, but I still say them, and if you didn't know this is I already said this is dangerous misinformation, but my name is Rodney Smith. I'm your humble narrator if this is your first time tuning in welcome greeting you with open pasty Deutsche arms and if you're a returning petty person, dangerous misinformation lover, thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Um, this is where you can come tap in quick 20 minutes for you to just get caught up a little bit.  4 00:02:26,040 --> 00:03:25,500 What's going on in the world and hopefully get a little truckles and zone out of your own BS for a couple of minutes for a couple of minutos. So let's get into it. Let's get into some current world events. The world is exploding as we all know and hope you hug your loved ones tight at night. Um, I'm just kidding, but actually I think I guess China is moving ships this whole Palestine Israel thing man, I don't fully understand it. I try to refuse to understand it, and I think the most we have to know is that the world is on the brink of war. And everything they said about Big 45, everything they said that was gonna happen, the fears of Trump are all coming true 2 years now after Butthole Biden, but who would have thought okay, who would have thought that a guy with dementia and a diversity hire would not do a good job running the most powerful economy military in the world? I would have never guessed that. Personally, personally I would have never seen that coming from a mile away, you know, 81,000,000 votes uh  5 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:42,420 the popular vote people. If everybody if everybody thinks, hey this guy, he's he's good. We're gonna be alright and we're gonna be alright and it's kind of crazy if you really think it' so, the president has so much more power over global politics than he does.  6 00:03:44,920 --> 00:04:44,120 Uh, national politics because with the national politics you have all the different state level, the federal. You have all these checks and balances the way the founding father set it up. So buddle couldn't just buddle so buddle by and couldn't just come in and you know bulldoze it which is a good thing, but when you look at the geopolitics right? Unless it's like full on waging warning, you need to get that approved by Congress in Yanayata. I mean the president controls the military in America is. The most powerful country in the world and so the president can do a bunch of shit abroad, just they have a lot of power globally, where in the United States itself we have all like I said, we have all these checks and balances just the way things are set up. And yeah, that's why these war mongerers the war mongerers are back at it and I do feel I just think it's so. You know we talk about freeing Palestine and how fucked up Gaza is, but it seems I don't know if it's just like Islamic people in general are gathering or if it's Palestinians all around the globe are gathering, but it's like if they can't get out,  7 00:04:44,120 --> 00:05:41,140 if they're trapped in this prison, like how are they getting anywhere so and how are they just? It's crazy. You see videos of like Sweden and all these places in Europe like London and shit like that. They're having all these just huge pro Palestine rallies and their name is as much prophelistine as they are anti Israel and it's just getting really kind of weird again. You know what I mean as a German as a little German boy. Things are weird me out in the sense of how you know. I'm the last person say people shouldn't say things about different races and whatnot right? Like I'm the last person on the plant that would want to silence anybody's voice. I just think it's weird how. We're getting very clicky again as the human race and it's weird because it's all in the West. I wonder this all the time. Okay, if everybody's migrating to the Western countries because that's where the economic prosperity is with the evil white people, right?  8 00:05:42,080 --> 00:06:14,980 Where are? Like I don't remember we we talk. We use the term minorities right? I don't remember the last time that I was not a minority. I can't remember the last time I went somewhere and it was just like a bunch of white people am I just like the only broke white person? Am I the only poor white person and all the white people are hanging out and these like maybe that is the deal, you know, maybe that is what's going on, but as far as in my world what I've experienced, um yeah, it's just always very, very heavily influence, which that's not a bad thing. I'm just saying,  9 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:16,480 um,  10 00:06:17,360 --> 00:07:17,320 anyways, dude, get the bops going real brazy out here. Um, I God has been speaking to me in strange ways. You guys god has been caught, so my mother bought me a book called conversations with God by this guy called Neil Donald Walsh, and the book itself is kind of fu fu to me for the fact that it's a guy writing the book as if he's having a conversation with God like he's asking God and he says, well, God just started speaking through me and it's. Kinda like eh, you know? Cause God is everything, so God is also him and you and I and blah blah blah and so it's really painting. It talks a lot about it was written in like 95. I think if it were to come out today the Internet would rip it shreds, but my mom really loved the book so I've been reading it. She bought it for me for my birthday. It's like this big white hardcover. It's a 3 part book and so I've been getting, you know. So I've been reading it and so I've just been getting kind of interested in there's certain things that peak my interest that I'm not smart enough for one of them is religion, the other one is geopolitics,  11 00:07:17,320 --> 00:08:16,520 the other one is medicine. When I say like the field of medicine like the study of medicine. The shit that doctors do that shit's fascinating to me because they're basically body mechanics. You know when you see somebody working on a car, you know, and in my wealth see, you know, very smart airplane engineers and shit like that. I'm thinking, oh fuck, you know, we're building all these things plain you think about like the human body is the most complicated thing of all that. And there's people out here' just like surgeons and shit and like neuroscientists, and that's crazy to me, you know. It's that's way beyond my beyond my comprehensions, but it's very interesting to me. Okay, but so one thing I've been getting interested in again is uh, just religion and uh, and so I've been googling on my phone and then so the way it works because everybody's selling your information because all your phone is they get as addicted to these stupid phones and all it is is a way to just tap into our brain to sell us more shit, right? And so they just are constantly selling our information amongst each other which should be highly highly illegal.  12 00:08:16,520 --> 00:09:14,400 How that's not illegal? I don't know everybody's just selling information. All the all the important things we're already done in the early 19 hundreds, all the steel and railroads and building ships and inventing airplanes and getting electricity and building freeways and buildings you know like the guy sitting on the Empire State Building, even their sandwiches and shit. All the important things have already been done now all the rich people to get rich you're just selling information and all the infos there. All the information's already saturated, everything is saturated. It doesn't even matter anymore, but anyways god has been calling to me through the advertisers cause God is everything. So through the advertisers I got an ad for a Christian dating app and I thought you know what? I am tired of all this haram and Degeneres degeneracy in the world, so I'm gonna download this Christian dating app called what is it called upward which is a very.  13 00:09:14,400 --> 00:10:13,160 Good name, you know Upward because yeah, everything about it. That's a great name and I download it embra. Let me tell you the bops are going brazy on there. Okay, I've never seen and maybe this is a Texas thing. Okay, it is literally no pun intended. It is like digital heaven. Just have all these fucking conservative beautiful fucking angels on there and I've been swiping dog. I've been swiping, but you know I might and ask you all these and ask you all these questions like your denomination and your favorite Bible verse and stuff like that I don't know, so it sounds like the Lord is calling to me in a certain way because he knows at the end of the day the only few things in this life that I love is bops when they're going brazy and talking shit. Those are my 2 favorite things in the world.  14 00:10:13,160 --> 00:11:10,900 That's all I want to do. All I want to do is talk shit and hang out with Bops and hope they go brazy and this Christian Upward app has all of it. It's all that entangled. These women are gorgeous. I mean, I can't talk shit. I shouldn't say everything's entangled, but uh yeah dude, fuck fuck tender, fuck all these dating apps dude. Fuck even going out to a Bard. I don't even want to go out. Dude. I was so hung over today every time I hang out with this one group of. Friends, which is weird because I'm one of the relatively younger guys. I think I'm the second youngest one and they just all just absolutely drink me under the table and I cannot function the next day. Um, but yeah, went out yesterday it was fun, went and did some go carting. Uh, didn't do too well on that because to to tall an anti aerodynamic, which by the way, did you know that a cow is more aerodynamic than a Jeep wrangler?  15 00:11:11,080 --> 00:12:09,480 Fun fact that the day so you come to this podcast it's entertainment, it's education, it's information, it's a social social thing all in all it's all just packaged into one big thing especially for the Bups, especially especially especially for the bops to be going brazy dude, but yeah, so I would recommend to anybody out there to find the Lord and to download upward and don't be a scumbag cause you're gonna go to hell. You know what I mean like I've been taking this serious. I've been searching for my faith. I've been trying to find it for a long time. I can't fully lean into any sort of scripture, but I you know I believe in God and I have a spiritual side and I'm looking for him and maybe one of these angels can guide me, help guide me to where my spiritual self needs to be. Maybe you can go me up with them and we won't like I'm just I'm tired of a degenerate world, I can't talk right now.  16 00:12:09,480 --> 00:13:08,520 I gotta be kind of quiet cause it's Sunday night. Usually you know, there's probably like these walls are probably paper thin and there's probably like children sleeping around me. I'm just you're talking about the bob's going brazy on upward and yeah, I don't want to disturb people's little sleep. I took a nap earlier, man, and I was having the weirdest dreams. I was having a dream. I was having a dream that this bear was following me and but the and the bear moved really slow, but nothing could stop it. So everywhere I went and for some reason I could fly and the bear could fly too, and I was going through like these compounds and like climbing up stuff and the bear would just maneuver everything. I thought if I got the high ground the bear couldn't reach me, so I don't know what my subconscious was trying to tell me. Maybe the bear was the burden of doing all this Internet shit where I should in reality like my my Daydrop skill pays about $50 an hour if I go like a couple minutes outside of town and I'm not working it right now. I'm just focusing on this fully  17 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:27,020 because that enough money saved and I was like yeah, let me just go all in, but um, maybe the bear is my subconscious saying, hey, why are you doing this stupid Internet thing? That everybody's doing. We could just go have a you know, just like a good career. Go buy a house Bebe Bebe cause San Antonio is cheap as fuck like that's so much money out here in San Antonio.  18 00:13:29,320 --> 00:14:29,000 And yeah, if you're curious what it is it's you can message me if you're curious about you don't need a college degree or anything, but I don't want to really talk too much about what I would. I deal on here cause I don't want it traced back to me even though I I stand behind my shit, you know this is one thing. I also think of people that don't show their face right. This is why I got out of the memoial because I don't like all the faceless meme accounts and just in general, whenever you think about people that don't show their face, they're never the good guy. So all these like anti fit people you know like the terrorist people and you know the crazy lips wearing the masks on their face, hiding whenever somebody's hiding their face you know. Think about a robber. Hiding your face is not a good thing whenever somebody's hide in their face traditionally and just common sense wise. It's never the good guys. So whenever you're looking at conflicts right? If you're looking at conflicts and disagreements, look at the people who are cover in their face and ask yourself why are they cover in their face? So I stand behind.  19 00:14:29,000 --> 00:15:28,720 Everything that I say I'd probably will change my mind on a lot of things. I'm sure some things will come back to haunt me at some point that I've said just casually trying to. You know, I'm sitting here doing a monologue so I don't have much time to really chew over what exactly it's gonna come out of my mouth. So I'm sure there's gonna be things that are gonna come back and haunt me in a certain way that I don't fully agree with down the line because that's what we do we grow as people all right, we grow we change our paintings, doesn't we supposed to do you come to this world? You don't know anything, but you actually know everything. You're rediscovering yourself your soul. So you come on your little journey before you go into the other rounds, right? And meanwhile you say some dumb shit like think about. I'll talk about this before we come after. Like the Founding Fathers. We come after people in history for things they said or did from hundreds of years ago, but then a lot of times us ours, us ourselves. We can't stand on the things we did like 5 years ago or even a year ago look at the person you were a year ago, you know, maybe even 6 months ago, maybe last week.  20 00:15:28,720 --> 00:16:09,100 Maybe you're a completely different person from when you are last week. Maybe some life event happened where you've. Completely switched up your opinion on or just overall everything about yourself and that's fine. That's what you should be doing, dude, that is what you should be doing alright. This next little bit is for my before we start winding down here for my music nerds. So if you're not kind of a music nerd tune out. It was great to have you on this episode. Appreciate shall be sure to leave the rating. Alright music nerds. Let's keep going. If you're a music nerd you' should know what sampling is, but if you're sticking around just for the curiosity. So sampling is when you take a existing piece of music and you flip it into something else, right? It's kind of like  21 00:16:11,520 --> 00:17:09,060 I don't know how to comp how to compare, but you often hear songs you know you know what it is. You'll hear a song where they like a remix where they remix the old song. They take a little bit of an old song. It's like Nicki Minaj is Anaconda right? They used a little bit of the Surmix a lot song. They made the Nicki Minaj song out of it right. So now you know what I'm talking about. That shit is going to get crazy because as a former I don't know if I can carry that title any more music producer when I would sample things what I would have to try to do like if I heard a little like violin. Or something like that in a song and you're just using the one file for the song. You have to try to isolate that violin alright, so you got to find just like a perfect little loop of it where there's nothing else or ekie while the other shit out you know. I mean you're trying to remove the sounds you' don't want and boost the sounds you do want and then hide the shit you don't want with us. It's like it's you gotta bake this little cake, you know, you gotta put the right amount of ingredients and to make it sound right, mix it and all that, but now  22 00:17:09,160 --> 00:18:08,800 you can take one file like if you wanna samples the AI, the AI is getting out of fucking control and I found out about this because the 30th anniversary of a Nirvana album of In Utero is coming out and they were able to take old ratchet ass like nineties concert footage and the AI is so smart that it can distinguish the vocals, the guitar, the base and the drums and put them all on different tracks. And then an audio engineer can go in there and clean up that individual track and then remix it, put it together so you can hear the live performance cleaned up so it sounds like you were actually there. So it's not just and this is like shit that was just recorded on, you know, fucking 90's cameras and. So basically was Samplin. So if you can get your hands on this AI which I'm sure it's not hard to do and you'd get like an old record right? Like sometimes you'll see. I mean just go on YouTube or something like that. I'm talking like somebody's sampling a record. They'll find an old vinyl, they'll put they'll drop the needle, they'll take a little snip it  23 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:54,560 if it put it in the computer, chop it up and make something out of it right. But now you can do that with anything you can take any you don't have to find the right place, you can just be like, oh, I want to sample this. Then the AI will give you stems that will give you individual stems of an existing song and that is fucking nuts, did that is fucking nuts and the AI is scaring me is legitimately scaring me the abilities that we are starting to have with the AI and yeah, that's that' wow, excuse me anyways. Thank you for tuning in happy Monday. Hope you guys are starting your week off strong. Appreciate your being here. I'm gonna make sure my cat isn't gonna piss in this room and y'all take care of yourselves and I'll see you tomorrow.  24 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:55,360 peace.

I read from Efik to egg and dart.     There are almost 750,000 Efik people in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efik_people     Not much is known about where "egad" came from other than "I God" which is a "softened oath".  https://www.etymonline.com/word/egad#etymonline_v_1031     Now I want to walk around the city and just say "Look at the egg-and-dart!" (AKA: egg-and-tongue, egg-and-anchor, egg-and-star) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg-and-dart     The word of the episode is "egalité".     Theme music from Tom Maslowski https://zestysol.com/     Merchandising! https://www.teepublic.com/user/spejampar     "The Dictionary - Letter A" on YouTube   "The Dictionary - Letter B" on YouTube   "The Dictionary - Letter C" on YouTube   "The Dictionary - Letter D" on YouTube     Featured in a Top 10 Dictionary Podcasts list! https://blog.feedspot.com/dictionary_podcasts/     Backwards Talking on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmIujMwEDbgZUexyR90jaTEEVmAYcCzuq     dictionarypod@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/thedictionarypod/ https://www.threads.net/@dictionarypod https://twitter.com/dictionarypod https://www.instagram.com/dictionarypod/ https://www.patreon.com/spejampar https://www.tiktok.com/@spejampar 917-727-5757

Sunday Worship October 8th, 2023   “Power Perfected Through Weakness” Judges 17 Mr. Tennant Brastow   Sermon Audio   Sermon Outline: Introduction Idolatry Image Of The Invisible God Reflection Questions: What is the danger of reducing God, even as opposed to rejecting Him? Psalm 50:21 says, “You thought that I (God) was one like yourself.” […] The post Power Perfected Through Weakness appeared first on East Charlotte Pres.

It doesn’t matter if you’re “pagan” or “righteous” (appearing), we’re all guilty and salvation for all is only by grace through faith. There are two sides: the law, which says “you must,” “you will;” and the promise, which says “I (God) will,” “have faith”, “believe.” The law promotes sin because If you know it’s wrong you want to do it all the more. It’s critical to understand that faith is not a meritorious work; it’s just allowing yourself to be rescued. Grace gives and faith takes.

I Am the Core of you, the Joy that was poured into you at the beginning. When you recognize Me in you, the Crucifixion is over. The struggle, the suffering is over. And we can begin. We can rise. We win.  There is power in My Name,  which is (Y)our Name.  Chant It, speak It, hear It, sing It, cry It. Yeshua, or Jesus, or Christ, or Yahweh, or Jehovah, or Allah, or Rama, or Krishna.  It doesn't matter which Name, which language,  or which story you most relate to of (Y)ours.  When I say take My Name,  I mean take this Feeling. Melt into Me. Dissolve in Me.  And let Me take over today.  Let Me speak today.  You don't have to worry about what to say. Let Me do it.  Let Me pray.  Silence is my prayer. "Thank you, Father," is my prayer. "It is done." "It's finished." is my prayer. And all of my prayers are answered instantly. So what do you have left to worry about? What do you have left to think about? To doubt about? Stop running. You're home. Say, "I'm home." The Christ is saying I'm Home, in this temple,  and it's time to finish what We started.  I Love You I Am You nik  To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com!  Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम "How can I know God's Will? When you begin to unravel those layers of fear that have given you a sense of safety and identity in your world, you will find that you and God are one. You will know God's will then, for it will be your own." - Emmanuel, Book 2 "Peace rushes in the moment we remember it's not on us to figure it all out." -@proverbs31ministries via IG "When I  wanted to give up,I God told me to get up!" - Livingchristian.org "Stopping is the basic Buddhist practice of meditation. You stop running. You stop struggling. You allow yourself to rest, to heal, to calm." - Thich Nhat Hanh "Jesus and love are synonymous. If you say love, you need not say Jesus and when you say Jesus, it means love. Whatever glimpses you may get here and there indicates that fullness, the ultimate expression of the inexpressible that life is striving to express throughout time." - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar "Divine God, Beloved Guru, You have a divine destiny for me, A purpose which is mine alone.  Give me the grace to attend to the burning bush in my Soul." -Isha das  "Maharajji is not further away from you at this moment than the thought you're thinking now and I f you were capable of completely stopping this thought or transcending it or being centered from the inside behind it, He and You would then be One." - Ram Dass 

Thanks for jo inging me for a bonus, special prophetic edition of the podcast. … On August 28th, while driving to an appointment, I was crying out to the Lord for many in my circle who have been hit with disappointment and discouragement. I was even lamenting over my own problems and struggles with disappointment and discouragement from the previous weeks. For many, the challenges seem to keep intensifying week after week, and there seems to be no justice or relief in sight.   I was seeking to know God's heart and get direction and, yes, correction if needed. I and others I so desperately love and care for need to see God move or respond.  We need a breakthrough. After pouring all this out, I was left with no more words to speak, and I drove in silence, waiting for a response.  I was waiting, but honestly, I wasn't expecting a quick response. Then suddenly I heard:   When the enemy comes in like a flood, I (God), ALWAYS raise a standard!”   God's response to my lamenting is found in Isaiah 59:19. Upon reading the entirety of Isaiah 59 I knew this is a RIGHT NOW Word, not just for America, but for the Nations.  I have been in prayer, processing what the Lord has been speaking to me regarding this passage of scripture.   I highly encourage you to read Isaiah 59 in its entirety in a few different translations. As you read, ask God to speak to you and show you even more revelation about the time and season we are in and are about to enter. You can find the word and all the scripture references in written form on my website at: www.debbiekitterman.com/blog   You can find the previous words I mention here: https://debbiekitterman.com/choose-this-day/   and here: https://debbiekitterman.com/cling-to-me-in-2023-tune-in-thursday-284/   Special Announcements:    Dream Big with God Seminar is  Saturday, November 4, 20023, from 10 AM - 5 PM Eastern Time ~ LIVE ON ZOOM   It's time to access and amplify the God-given dreams placed with you! David Jeremiah says, “God plants dreams in our hearts to fulfill His purpose on earth.”    God has specific blueprints and plans for each one of us. But how do we access them?   Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” ESV   It's time to awaken to the dreams He has for your life and take a BIG step of faith to dream with God.  Join me, my husband John, and 3 of my powerfully gifted friends, Robin Fields, Amie Rogers, and Shelly Vargo, as we help you embark on a journey of Dreaming BIG with God.   Not only will we have teaching and activation exercises designed to help you dream BIG with God, but Shelly will lead us in a creative Exercise called: Vision Board Paint Session This is Not your traditional vision board. Using the modality of Art Therapy, this is an expressive painting journey to (re)ignite vision.    You don't want to miss this power-packed One Day Seminar. Early Bird Registration is open now. Price increases October 20, 2023   If you can't attend live, you will be emailed a link to watch the replay.  To Register or for full details, schedule, pricing, and more, click here:  www.debbiekitterman.com/shop

This summer, we're exploring stories together that can shape our spirituality and reveal the truth of God. After all, you never know who you will meet and what you will hear while sitting around the campfire.__What's the Issue Anyway? (Matthew 8:18-22)The call to ________________ ______________ just might be an ___________________ to embrace ___________________.Following Jesus is more ___________________ than our ________________ ________________ and our ________________ _____________ in this life.We only get ___________ ___________; nobody gets ___________. What are you going to do with your ___________?What Wisdom Does Scripture Offer Us?We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been CALLED according to His purpose. Romans 8:28Every person has a ________________.God, by grace through Christ, has CALLED you to become God's people. Gal. 1:6 (NCV)The Greek word translated CALLED is ______________. It is about your ___________________ inlife, your ________________, your ________________ in life.Before you saw the light of day, I (God) had holy plans for you. Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG)Your CALLING is ___________________ to ______________ ______________.For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10God is good. Psalm 73:1“We are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.” –Mother Theresa...comfort those who are frightened, take tender care of those who are weak. 1 Thess. 5:14 (LV) When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. Romans 12:13 (NLT)Don't Miss This!Your CALLING will ___________ the ______________ of your ______________ and ___________________.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph. 6:12Although Jesus was ________________, he had this ________________ to ___________.“Jesus promised those who would follow him only three things: that they would be absurdly happy,entirely fearless and always in trouble.” –Greg LevoyYour CALLING will ________________ the greatest ___________________ and ________________ in your life.How can I live this in my everyday, normal life?Get _______________ about your CALLING for your ________________.What is God inviting you into today?Thought Provoking Questions:If following Jesus may be an invitation to poverty, hardship and distress, why doesn't the church teach it more?How clear are you about God's calling or challenge for your life right now; not what it may have been 5 or 10 years ago, but now?When you hear Jesus says you are salt and light is it hard for you to imagine it being true? Why or why not?How has following Jesus tested the limits of your faith? Give specific examples.Do you resonate with Greg Levoy's words about what followers of Jesus will experience in life? Whyor why not?

"Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness." Ps 37:3 AMPCSometimes when we have problems, we withdraw from normal life and spend all our time obsessing and trying to solve them. We talk about them to anyone who will listen. All this is unproductive activity which prevents us from doing what we should be doing, which is "doing good." If you want to experience the benefits of God's faithfulness, you must do two things: (1) "Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord." (2) "And do good." When we have problems, it feels counterintuitive to focus on blessing others. But it's not; it's actually a very powerful thing to do. It takes your mind off you and your problem. Plus, you're sowing good seed that ultimately brings your good harvest. Falling into self-pity, fretting, and talking negatively preventGod from helping you. But trusting Him and persisting in doing good for others release Him to work on your behalf. We may know it's wrong to worry and yet continue worrying. We must realize that none of God's promises work for us until we actually obey His Word. Knowledge alone won't solve your problems; you must take action and be obedient no matter how you feel. You might not feel like keeping a commitment or doing something to help someone else, but when you do it, God goes to work on your behalf. So, one of the keys to overcoming fear and worry is doing what God has told you to do regardless of how you feel.I God goes to work on your behalf.Support the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 49:14-15; Matthew 6:9-13"It's time to dismiss our class, but before we go, let's pray to God using the prayer Jesus taught us," said Mrs. Mac. "Last week we talked about the meaning of the words and phrases. Think about them as you say them today." The kids in the Sunday school class stood up and together recited the Lord's Prayer.As the children were leaving, Mrs. Mac smiled warmly at Ben, a new boy in the class. "We're so glad you came today," she said. "We hope you'll come again."Ben shrugged. "You all said that prayer just now--that one that begins, 'Our Father in heaven.' Well, I don't want to have anything to do with God if He's a father!""What makes you say that, Ben?" asked Mrs. Mac.Ben scowled. "Because fathers don't treat people right, so I don't want one," he said angrily, but his eyes filled with tears. "You know what my father did? He left my mom and sister and me when I was five years old. Who wants another father like that?""Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry." Mrs. Mac was quiet for a few moments as she silently prayed for the right words to say. "Ben," she said at last, "we compare God to many things. But because God is perfect, no human example can ever describe Him properly." Ben still looked glum. "Ben, tell me about your mom," said Mrs. Mac.Ben's face lit up as he thought about his mother. "Mom's great! She loves me and my sister, and she takes good care of us.""Well, think of God as someone who loves you and cares about you even more than your mom does," said Mrs. Mac. "The Bible tells us that even if a mother forgets her child, God does not forget us. I'm so sorry your dad left you, but I want you to know that God will never leave His children.""Really?" asked Ben, hope shining in his eyes."Yes, really. God loves you so much that Jesus became human and died for your sins so you could have a relationship with Him. He wants to be with you through the pain your dad caused you, and He won't ever abandon you. Jesus came to save you so you could be part of His family forever." -Tanya FerdinanduszHow About You?Has God blessed you with a loving mom and dad? Then thank Him, and remember that He is even more loving than your parents. Perhaps you've been abandoned by your father or mother. Be assured that God, who is the perfect Father, will never forget His children. He loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to provide the way for you to become part of His family. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)Today's Key Verse:Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I [God] would not forget you! (NLT) (Isaiah 49:15 )Today's Key Thought:God is a perfect Father

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The spirit of Jacob their father revived." Ge45:27 NKJVIf the dream you believe God gave you seems dead, read this: "And they told him, saying, 'Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.' And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But...when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived" (vv. 26-27 NKJV). For years Jacob believed his son, the dreamer, was dead. But it was a lie. In his old age, wagons loaded with riches came to carrv him back to see his son who was now the prince of Egypt. Notice, when Jacob first heard it, "he did not believe them" (v. 26NKJV). When you have lived in defeat and discouragement for years, it's hard to anticipate victory. No problem; God is patient. He will keep working with you. He will demonstrate His grace and goodness in such a way that you will start to trust Him again: "When he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived" (v. 27 NKJV). Don't believe your dream is dead and will never be fulfilled. And don't believe those who tell you that you're too old to fulfill the dream God gave you. God can pack more into the last chapters of your life than all those that preceded them. "Your old men [and women] shall dream dreams" (Joel 2:28). God is the giver of dreams. And He doesn't just give them, He resurrects them and empowers you to fulfill them.It's not too late. You're not too old. What God did for Jacob-He can do for you.I God is the giver of dreams.Support the show

Do I really truly believe I God's goodness?

Siv Ashley has a survival story. From a child captured and enslaved in Cambodia, she loses her family and then escapes to Thailand. Rescued in the mountains by an American soldier, this faith story continues as part two of this podcast shares the miraculous hand of God who never let Siv go. Faith in Christ was instilled from her father at an early age and is the underlying key of this incredible journey to and now in, the United States of America. *** Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to Empowering Lives with Purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs, I am founder of Women World Leaders. We are so grateful that you have decided to join in with us today. Today we have part two of the Siv Ashley story which is an incredible story of faith of survival. And we are just so grateful to be able to share with you today Siv's story. Siv welcome, Siv Ashley   Thank you, thank you for having me. And as a blessing to be on this show. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen, amen I love, love the joy and are the people that come on to be interviewed because to share their God's story. It is so joyful to them just to be able to help you and encourage you the listener that you are not alone in many things in your life. And even though we walk through different valleys, we walk through different storms. And our stories look very different. There is a thread that runs through that by sharing our God's stories with the world and gives others hope. And that's why so many of our guests come on here so joyful because they know where their hope lies, and they have seen it alive in their life. And sieve has seen how her strong faith got her through a time that we can't even comprehend in our lives that can be endured by a person. So we're gonna share with you a little bit about it to recap what has happened and how Civ got to America. So at first I want to just share a little bit about Civ who's from Hampton Ville, North Carolina. And then prior to that she was from Cambodia. Sylvia Ashley began her life as a normal child in an average happy family in Cambodia. She was surrounded by loving family members. And on April 6 1975, everything changed for her. Read soldiers came in and evacuated her family with 1000s of Cambodians and they were marched to camps to work in the government rice fields. Children had to work over 12 hours a day. They were fed only rice and water to live and nearly starved to death. Sieve witnessed red soldiers killed countless children and also adults. For four years sieve faced the possibility of eminent death daily herself. civs father clung to faith no matter what happened to him, no matter what he saw, no matter what he endured, and reminded sieve God is always with you sieve if you believe it with all your heart. He stressed to her about faith, seven doors, faith and prayers. And that is what helped her survive against all odds. Today sieve is going to share her story of faith and survival with you. Siv, you are going to recap right now about your story. So those that may have missed out on part one can hear a little bit about your story before you go we go into part two. So be ready. The story is incredible. And remarkable to me. Just powerful Civ Go ahead. Let's hear your story. Siv Ashley   Well, thank you for having me, Kimberly. Part one, I was talking about, you know the story of my life. And it it started out with my father going from a country town to a capital meeting with a missionary and, and I at that moment he accepted Christ as his personal Savior. I heard it one time. Jesus Christ is a beautiful name. And he came home to us and he applied that to us and and during that time when he did and we all accepted Christ and a family of five plus the grandmother and so and my father, and so we was a happy family. ain't gonna be okay. But the red soldiers came in the poor port soldier. And they separate our family, not just our family, everybody else, children was being separated the kid, I was in a concentration camp with my brother, being a little boy, instead of a little girl. Because my dad cut my hair and so that all can be not being seen as a little girl. And so during the camp, if we were good, we was being able to go see the adult camp to, to visit your parents or your loved one. And each time when I visit the camp, each one of my family have passed away, either tortured to death or beaten to death. And the last time was my dad, my dad have been beaten and am shot at one of his leg as I can see it. And I will be just wondering what he gonna do. I mean, what what are we gonna take care of me who's going to take care of me. And he keeps telling me Believe in the Lord Jesus class. And one day, you will go to a place called America. And that his fight, which is so strong, and he died in prison. And during this time, I was, didn't know what to do. I want to hurt myself, I want to kill myself. I don't want to live anymore. Why should that, but I keep remembering my dad keeps saying keeping your faith, you keep your faith, I still have a brother that are in a sick care, that are just not going to make it. And then a group of people came up to us and said, If you want to escape the camp, you better leave tonight. And if you have some loved one, you need to and in the in the camp where you can just actually can leave that night if you can go get your brother. And so I didn't see the body of my brother. And so I pray about it. And I pray really hard. And God gave me a sign to leave. So I left with a group of people got to a place called Sam NiP. Is is mountain war between Thailand and Cambodia. And that's when I was rescued by one this man I don't know what his name is. All I know is a beautiful, beautiful and his shoulder. Red, White and Blue. snores all around it. And he was he was so kind. He was taking me to a refugee camp. At that moment, I knew his mind Angel. And I bought me the refugee camp in Thailand. During Thailand, I was united with my my aunt. And she said, we're gonna go to a place called America and in the church, and then in that thing 79 A church in Jefferson United Methodist Church decided to bought a family not just anywhere, a family from Cambodia. Wow, with God. I hope things possible. Yes, you work a mysterious way. And he bought God bought our family to Jefferson United Methodist Church, and that thing's 79. And at this time, I was back 15 years old. And my birthday was on September 5 18. And I came in July, so they have to put me in school. Wow, wow. Yeah, that's how I was at, you know, but to their and that's what's important too, that we en that we came to a safe home in America. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. As much as you endured sieve and, and honestly if you go back to part one, you will hear all the details of what she endured because it it's on comprehendible that a person can endure what sieved did as a child as a child. But God said when you need courage, don't be afraid for I am with you. Don't be discouraged for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you I will hold you up my with my victorious right hand. That's Isaiah 4110. He holds all of us up with his victorious right hand. Sieve he held you up in times where you just wanted you said You didn't want to live anymore. But from somewhere that strength kept pouring into you pouring into you because God knew there is a plan and a purpose that He created you for. Just like our listeners, there is a plan and a purpose listeners that God has created you for. Do not give up. Don't be discouraged. Don't be afraid God is with you. And so as you came to America, this family, God provided them for you. He allowed them to pay and help with money to give you a life here in America, you went to church. So now that you're in America, 15 years old, you'd started to give us a glimpse that you had to go to school? And can you tell us what you thought about America? What What? What was it like when you first got here? Siv Ashley   Well, um, I started a school and kindergarten I was 15 years old. Never been in school before and never hold a pencil never know what what you know, anything is I have to learn ABC 123. Well, my very first book that I read was in the Bible, because I didn't know how to read. But my very first book was run Spot Run over and over and over fine too. And so I learned at the age of 15, and coming going from within six years, I was able to graduate from kindergarten all the way to high school. And then I was able to go to college, and I went to college. And yeah, and went to college got a two years degree, Hotel Restaurant Management, and got art degree as well and to a degree and I was able to get hell a job in Boone, North Carolina, restaurant managers, and I was making money and I was doing really well and I was looking at the cultures of how American culture is and how beautiful it is and and everything else and at this moment my focus was making much more money to live a good life and an hour just but I was just really upset steel and did not know what to do. I want to hurt myself sometime because I just like, you know, I don't know what uses it by making all this money and all that. And then I look at other people that have a family that loving family and and all that and at this moment I was going up teenagers and now I want to think that American culture is God and look at why boys like girls and girl like why what's wrong with me and I were just hanging on in the long crowds and and just didn't care. And at this moment, I would just forget about God. And, and, and when I forgot about God, I would just like the stress again and just going from one end to another and just want to in my life again at this time and just yeah Kimberly Hobbs   it was it was I can't imagine you know like now that you're here you're free in America and you are integrated into society a new society a new culture, the pain and the trauma from your past had to be dealt with and you were hurting you were running you wanted to end your life again. And you started running far away from God because of the you know the anger and the different things in your heart that you know you forgot about him so So can you talk about Civ that how did guy get your attention to get back on track when you forgot about him? Siv Ashley   You know, I thought about at this point, were my life just 90 degree turn. And I forgot about God and we're just like, God, did you just don't love me anymore? And one day, I was just running on a streak and I was just like going around and, and at that time were the person I was dating is my husband now. And he texts me and he said, you know, you need to turn back to God and you need God directions. And that was Masane, saying, you know, I need to get back to God. And, and I thought about the scripture that I open up, and that in my Bible and, and in Matthew tablatures 14, where Peter glade gaze into Jesus, when he was walking in a water and fan, when he lose his love fate, what happened to Peter, he fell in the water. And every one of us are like, Peter, we got all these little thing. And then, and then what, what the next thing we need to do is that we just forget about God, and we just don't know that, that God has been holding on to us all these time. So I thought about that scripture over and over and reading about eater, and God pull my attention and say, Look, serve are protected you for all this time. And I bought you to America for a reason that tells a story about me. I just go and over and over. And then I began, and then the church car for me. And the chart responds to us. Call for me. And got me to speak for the first time at that turn. That's awesome. Wow, wow. Kimberly Hobbs   So God started getting your attention. And the Lord God is merciful and forgiving, forgiving, even though we've rebelled against Him. That's Daniel nine, nine, even though you are far from God, he never was far from you. And he kept getting your attention. And when you went into that street to take your life, your husband shows up and all of a sudden he's he was that sign again, that you need that faith back in God, you need to turn to him serve. And I love that and all the way through to church, you know, they, they've heard your story they're asking you to speak. Ladies, there's so much so much healing when we speak out loud when we share our stories when we write our stories and share it with others and serve had that opportunity. So sieve what began inside of you through sharing your story and speaking it out loud in the different churches that you were called to. Siv Ashley   So when God called me and my first church was Detroit that sponsor me and ask begin to tell my story. And when I begin to tell my story about how I God rescue me, from Cambodia to America, and I feel that we leave just came all over me I said no matter what, God loved me, no matter what anybody said anything to anybody else don't love me, God loved me man, like John 316 That my father always reminded me about that. And so ever since that, I've been going from one chart to another and to do mission work and I've been going from from state to stay speak at women's conference. I was God call me for all this to share. And, and and from from United State to out of the country to share my story and to around the world to women that are been beaten and then then abused then Amy Cana and they hurt to store it and that's what God wanted me. Every cent that I have been we leave out of you know, you just have that burden sometime. And you just feel that we leave every cent that and just it's just like God never forgot about me. It was me that forgot about him. Yes, yes, that Peter. So yeah. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow. Exactly. And God was protecting you all the way through this, but he was building you to that calling that he had on your life. And so different people would come in asking you to speak and share, like you said, women's conferences, you're speaking at churches, you're sharing and the Scripture, Revelation 1211, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. And as you grew in strength, as God poured that strength into you serve, and you were able to proclaim the story that God gave you, you were able to overcome what was trying to pull you away from God, you overcame the enemy. And I love that so. So now, God's Word says, You have allowed me to suffer hardships, but you will restore me and lift me to life again, and lift me from the depths of the earth, you will receive, store me to even greater honor and comfort to me once again, that Psalm 7120 to 21. And listeners that are hearing that verse applies to you that scripture applies to sieve, all of us because we've all suffered hardships, right. And God is a restoring God, He wants to bring us back to the fullness of Him and Him in our life. We just have to surrender to Him and be willing to go where He sends us and you are on the mission field sieve. I love it. I love it. So everybody has a story. Some of us have suffering stories. And if there's those of you listening right now that are suffering, you've heard sieves, part one and two, which is an incredible powerful story. Civ. There is the listener right now that is suffering. She wants to hear a word she's praying for a word. Are you praying right now ladies? Are you praying for that word of encouragement, sieve, pour into her that word of encouragement from your heart right now that is advice to help them through their time of suffering right now and even pray with them if you so feel led? Siv Ashley   You know, I'm all the listener out there. And I want you all to know that God never forget about you. We forget about God. And my encouragement is that the first thing you need to do, open your Bible. That's what that's what the Bible is for. And open that Bible and read a scripture. And it all will come to you at that moment. Like I said, you know, in Romans 828. And we know that we all doing our work together for good to them that love God, and to them that who are called according to His purpose. Yes. Ah, that treasures that verse to me. And when that moment come, God will put your life in a place that you will never imagine. And God knows you before you even born in your mother's wounds. And so, in that and out, can I pray for y'all right now, just to say, thank you all for listening. Okay, and thank you, God, Father, although we're in heaven, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On our side, this is heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive us those treasures passes against us, will deliver us from the evil For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. And thank you, Jesus for teaching us how to pray this pray, lore. I pray for the one right now that are hurting and the one that are suffering on all sorts of thing. But if we can just think about what you suffer for us, that you gave your life to us. Beaten and hurting spurred on and all the boosts the scar that you've gone through just for Cinder, like me. Know, thank you for giving your Son, Jesus Christ to us that we can look up in heaven. I say, lor, thank you for saving a worthless like me. In Jesus name, I pray in the precious name in your holy name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Kimberly Hobbs   That's so beautiful. Thank you. So thank you for sharing from your heart. And God's Word says, Call on me when you're in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory. That's Psalm 50, verse five, rescue me and you will give me glory. And this is civs life right now she has given back to the Lord and complete surrender, to give Him the glory, for rescuing her life from saving her from sin, forgiving her sin and bringing her to this new life in Christ. Revelation 21 Five says, Behold, I am making everything new. And he did that in sieves life, it was a journey. She had to endure so many things. I'm sure if you ask her that through her story. If one person accepted Jesus as their Savior because of it, she would endure it all over again. Because that's the value that Civ has. In her salvation. She knows who her savior is, she knows who she serves and lives for. And we pray that for you that you have that faith, that faith that God talks about in his work, that if you have that faith of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain to be cast in the sea, and it will be done. We can't comprehend that. So what is your mountain? What is that overwhelming fear or trouble that you're going through right now? God wants your faith, your faith in him that only He can do it. And he will strengthen you and equip you to go on and press on and get through it will get saved. Look at her life, what she endured things that us we can't even comprehend what this child endured. Growing up in the memory she had to deal with with losing every buddy she loved everybody and being beat and hurt herself. She endured because God gave her the strength. And she kept hearing the word faith that her father instilled in her believe Civ believe Civ. Oh, dear Lord, we are so grateful. So grateful for your mercies that are new every day. Save any closing word you want to share with the ladies, tell them how they that they can receive your book. A teenager's survival, it's beautiful. Yeah. How can they receive that? Siv Ashley   The book will tell a little bit more details into my life. You can receive that book from Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. And I believe it's like $11. That's it. And most of the poussette BOCES go into the mission fields. And well, actually, the whole thing go into mission. So yeah, you can go through their Amazon and there'll be a Barnes and Noble to get them and I'm a warrant encouragement. Look, everyone listening right now. Just don't look behind you. Look for to God, what he can give you. Because when you look behind is always sad. Live in front of you. With God. Always. Always with you. He always never doubt. Never doubt he loves you. Love you. And if y'all need to get in touch with me or need to talk to me. I'll be there for you. You can You know, going sieve Ashley srv.ashley@aol.com, and shoot me an email, you want to go to my website, WWE dot save ashley.com Shoot me an email, I'll get to you as soon as I can. And we all I'm there to help you Kimberly's there to help you with the war woman, website and any anything that we can help you we'll be happy to shoot you back an email or even give you a car. And don't worry, look for them one of you will God, how so much for you to ask Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. You are so lovely, Siv. And I'm just thankful that we've become sisters in Christ. I think thankful that you are part of women, world leaders and listeners, this is the heart of the women that are within this ministry. They just want to be there and help you. We were all going through different things. And, you know, just hardships are no respecter of persons, they happen and they hit us all. But we need that community to come around us. And that's who we are at women, world leaders, we come around you and inspire you encourage you try to support you how we can through things that you go through. But we have opportunities here for all of you to serve, and be a part and plug in to this wonderful, amazing ministry that God has provided. And there's different ways you can connect with us through zoom. We have leadership Connect meetings every every month, please go to our website at women world leaders.com. And check out how you can get involved in the ministry. We'll reach out to you we want you here we want you to be a part. It is fun to serve God together from where we are all over the world right Civ like, wow, he's connecting us in all these different countries. So please just Just don't be afraid. Just reach out, step out. If God is nudging your heart right now, just be a part come on board with us. And remember with God all things are possible. You may not feel worthy, you may not feel you may have be self conscious, so who knows what's holding you back. But pray and ask God to help you through that and then plug in with us be part of us. We're on Facebook. You can follow us that way. We have devotions every day on our website, there's things that you can do that will keep you engaged. And these podcasts are available to you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through women world leaders podcast. So please just join in. We are in all different platforms all over the world. We're in 70 countries and we are thankful that God is propelling his message of truth throughout the world. So ladies, thank you again, sieve Ashley, thank you for being with us today ladies, from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders all content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you all and have the most beautiful day.

Why stop at 15MW when you can make 18MW turbines? That's a good question to ask Vestas. In the 150th Uptime podcast (wow!), Allen, Joel and Rosemary discuss the CEO's surprising announcement and the market demands, risks, and potentially sneaky corporate strategy behind the scenes. Also in this show, we consider how those 115M blades will hold up at RWE's Thor wind farm, which will be Denmark's largest offshore development. And on Mt. Santis, researchers have shown that "massive" lasers can protect wind turbines from lightning. Is it scalable, and if so, does it make sense? Meanwhile, in Oklahoma and Colorado, two turbines toppled and the internet raced for the best headline - but we want to know how OEMs, insurers, and asset owners will respond. Can they work together to keep wind energy moving forward? Finally, don't miss a special bonus episode highlighting some surprises places to find US Wind Technicians. Visit Pardalote Consulting at https://www.pardaloteconsulting.com Wind Power Lab - https://windpowerlab.com Weather Guard Lightning Tech - www.weatherguardwind.com Intelstor - https://www.intelstor.com PES Wind Article - https://pes.eu.com/exclusive-article/driven-by-data-2/ Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes' YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!  Uptime 150 Allen Hall: We have a special double bonus episode this week. So now you're gonna get this great episode, your weekly episode. We have a a, a bonus coming behind this, so it's a super great week for uptime. We're gonna talk about R W B E, selecting Siemens sch MEA for the Thor Wind Farm. Now isn't that the coolest name for a wind farm? Thor. Now, why does America have some cool offshore wind turbine names? Rosemary  Rosemary Barnes: and then we're gonna talk about ve who are claiming that they're going to stop at 15 megawatts for their offshore wind turbine, whilst at the same time Ming Yang is already pushing out to 18 megawatts.  Joel Saxum: So in, in Switzerland we're gonna visit some of later laser-guided lightning. We've seen this floater on LinkedIn quite a bit where they're firing lasers to, to get lightning to track down the laser. And Alan will kind of give us a brief overview of why he does or does not think, That it's commercially viable for wind turbines. And then jumping into a little bit of a review of GEs finances from the fourth quarter, what we think they mean and then a Bloomberg article about wind turbines taller than the Statue of Liberty falling over. Wanting to understand what that means for the global market.  Allen Hall: I'm Allen Hall, president of Weather Guard Lightning Tech, and I'm here with my good friend from Wind Power Lab, Joel Saxum, and soon to be guest host of the fully charged live event in Australia, Rosemary Barnes. And this is the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. All right. R d B has chosen Siemens ESA 14 dash 2 36 DD offshore Wind turbines. I God, I love that name. And they're sticking with it. Joel? They have not changed the name of their wind turbines, and I can't figure out if someone hasn't like told them, but, all right.  Joel Saxum: That's the king out there,  Allen Hall: so yeah. So the the r w has chosen them for the Thor Wind Farm in the Danish North Sea, and the Thor farm will be Denmark's largest. Offshore wind farm at roughly one gigawatt capacity once it's completed. So those Siemens ga Mesa turbines are using their patented integral blades. So it's all one piece cast as one piece. Rosemary, I don't know if El ever tried that, but Siemens is doing it and they're 115 meters in length now.

Leadership begins with being a good listener. Today's guest, Nancy Sabato, is a TV and Podcast show host and producer of "The Call." Through years of God directing her path into communicating with people, Nancy shares great encouragement of stepping into a leadership role in life. **** Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to Empowering Lives with Purpose. I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women World Leaders. And we are so happy that you joined with us today to listen in. And I am honored to welcome our guest today. Nancy Sebato. From the call. Welcome, Nancy, Nancy Sabato   Thank you so much for having me on this wonderful program. I'm so happy to be here to serve all the women that's in your ministry that are watching right now. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh thank you, Nancy. Nancy is going to talk today about leadership, ladies. And we're, I'm really excited. I was actually a guest on her podcast show where she interviews amazing people from around the country, famous people. And so I was just honored that you had asked me and I thought, wow, she must have a story to be able to interview so many people and guests around the world. And I asked her if she would be a guest on our show empowering lives with purpose. And she gladly accepted. So thank you, Nancy. Nancy Sabato   Wonderful to be here. Thank you so much. Kimberly Hobbs   Thank you. So ladies, it is our hopes that today and listening that you can be strengthened and encouraged to walk after the Lord leadership. Of course, in women were leaders, it's just something that we are passionate about. So whenever we have the opportunity, which is today to talk about leadership, and how important it is, we're going to seize that opportunity and hopefully, just empower you with it. And that is our hope today. The Bible says every believer has received grace gifts. So use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many color tapestries of God's grace. First, Peter 410. Ladies we can be the leaders in so many different ways in our homes in our communities, and our ministries are so many ways to be leaders. We're all created with different giftings because of different talents. So I hope that as you listen in today, as Nancy and I get to share back and forth that you will just have something in you that is sparked by the Lord because that's what we prayed for Nancy and I prayed before we began this podcast that you would be inspired by something that you hear. So I want to share a little bit about Nancy before we begin and she's just as I said pleasant, and I am tickled that we are both kind of in the same in the same passion of what we do, which is to empower others to walk after Jesus. Nancy is a TV and podcast show host and producer of the call with Nancy sabato. For over two years now, the show is an entertaining and informative program that covers a variety of topics from addiction and human trafficking, to salvation and transform lives. Nancy has interviewed a wide range of guests, including world renowned authors, Christian actors, Bible teachers and theologians. Her show is designed to help listeners find answers they need to a transformed life through seeking Jesus. So Nancy, as we get to dive into leadership today, and we know that your life has a calling, obviously, because of what you do and how you are called by God. And you do it so beautifully, Nancy, but prior to the calling by God, can you share with us a little bit about your personal story about your past before TV, and podcasting? Nancy Sabato   Of course, you know, my mother always told me be a leader, not a follower. And that stuck with me as a child. So God was just so merciful to me, because he had this plan of me being a leader. And that was my passion. And I couldn't help doing it wherever I was. So if I was going to, you know, it being in a group of people, I would have to lead. It was just a natural thing for me. And I just always, you know, wanted to step into that. But God shaped me for leading others through various roles in work and volunteer work. He's always looking for someone to step up into that and take control and I was one of those people. So he, he ended up putting me in a work position. I was working under someone and I would say in my pride this is before I knew Jesus, I would say my pride. No, I can do that job, and I can do it better. But once I stepped into it, boy, did God have a lot for me to answer because I was just I couldn't believe some of the things that I had encountered and the people that I had to lead and the people that I had to supervise. He gave me so much strength. And he put me through a lot of trials, a lot of tribulation, a lot of like trying to figure it out. And, you know, maybe even had someone mentor me because I didn't know what I was doing. But God was shaping me then. So you know, anybody out there who is, you know, in a leader, leadership position or not, you know, that it's, it's, you know, it's, it's, first of all, it's a lot of work. But the rewards are amazing, the work, the rewards are awesome. And so then I just want to let everybody know that people will fail you. It's part of training God has for you. So like I said, in that work position, I had people that would not show up, and I would have to, you know, take action. And that was a hard role to play. But then I came into my church roles, which is where the love of God really started to work on my heart yet, I was not born again. And I was taking on a lot of roles in leadership. And I don't think it was good for me. Because I was overloaded, and I burned out really quick. And that's what happens in leadership, it's easy to burn out, because you take on too much. So, but in my church roles, what I did was, I gathered people together, I God had given me the ability to, to rally people together, and to talk to them and beyond their level, because sometimes people are just, they really just need somebody to listen to them, and not to judge them. So being a leader, you need to learn how to listen. And you need to learn how to not just, you know, stop talking, right. And so, and you also need to lead. And so that's when I fast forward to a women's ministry. That was amazing, where, once a month, we would get these women together, and have a breakfast, and a woman from the church would come in, and she would tell her story. So we gathered together and fellowship, we had the speaker come up, and these women loved it. We did it every month. It was a wonderful experience. I don't know. Kimberly, do you ever do something like this before? Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, absolutely. Like I think of my past too, and in the little things that God had just sprinkled in my life that gave me the indication that I may step into a leadership role in the future. But however, you know, it wasn't on my radar whatsoever. So, but just little things that you're saying, it takes me back to think about my past. And, you know, here I am in a major leadership role, you know, but there's a scripture The Bible says, we can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps that you proverbs 69, nine, and he definitely years Nancy's mind, but he puts different things in our path ladies that he is the one that's going to determine our steps. And we need to keep looking to Him to say, Okay, God, what does this mean for my future going forward? So yeah, talk more, Nancy about now, how did God nudge you like, so you had all these indications about leadership, but you were doing things your way? Right? Like you were you were not thinking I'm gonna do this for God. One day, that was the furthest thing from your mind. But you know, ladies, just like Nancy, God works all things together for good. Absolutely. Those who love Him and those who are called according to His purpose. And so, we know God has a calling on your life, ladies that are listening. God had a call on Nancy's life, and now she is doing the call, but how did he nudged you like into serving him? Where was that point? Nancy Sabato   Okay, so now I'm serving him in this church. And I've taken on a lot of roles, too many roles, including the women's ministry, which I loved, and I love the church I was going to, but I took on too many roles, and I got burned out. And I fled the church. And I ended up sitting in a balcony and another church, just being under the teaching of someone who was in full gospel message. And he talked about the works and how we aren't we don't you know, we don't use the works to get ourselves into heaven. And I think all along I was like, I want to please God, I want to please God. I want to keep taking on these roles. I want to keep leading I want to keep doing this But doing it almost in vain, cried all the flesh, the things of the flesh. I wasn't doing the things of the Lord. I wasn't. It wasn't, it wasn't getting to my heart. As much as I loved all those ladies, they'll do everything that was going on. It wasn't getting to my heart. So all right now, I left that church. But then I also lost a job in the interim, and was got, you know, had dental work ahead, things were going on. And it was just a really bad year. But God had a purpose and all that fast forward, brings me to this woman from the church I left tells me about a Bible study that's happening locally, and women go to it. Okay, I'll go I'll try. I'd like to learn more about the Lord. While I didn't realize it's a Bible Study Fellowship, which is the biggest Bible, international big Bible study, that women and men all over the world, they study one book, and it starts in September ends in May. And everybody is studying at the same time. It's, it's amazing. So I get there. And enlist Amanda, the teaching of Moses now, right? So she did, she's the speaker is talking about Moses, I'm like, I didn't know God was that big, and literally did not realize that the Lord was working on my heart, and showing me what he really can do. So I'm doing it now I'm going every week. And of course, I'm sitting in it, my vainness I'm sitting in, I'm thinking to myself, you know, what, this group leader, this is good. But you know, I could do it too. And I could do it. I think I could do it better. This is my flesh, you know, you well, the leaders are all awesome. So, fast forward a year and a half later, they call me up, God calls me up. And you know, I did not hesitate and some people will be I'll pray for it. I'll pray about that. Let you know, you know, no, I said, okay, right away, there's no stopping me. So I go, right, I go right in and I start to train, they, you know, the following September, I'm, I'm training and, and I'm learning how to be with these women. And it's a totally different dynamic, where you are not you are you have to learn not only to be compassionate, but you have to be understanding, and you cannot, cannot overlook someone, when if they even if they said something wrong, you can't overlook them, you can't bypass them, because it breaks their heart. So many women have broken hearts to begin with, when they're walking into a women's ministry, anything like that any Bible study, there's a brokenness that we all have, and we carry, you know, that we need, we don't need to be like, pushed down any more. We need people to understand and to be open to us and to hear us. And so this is where I learned where everybody is important. And, and it just took me, like many years of like, really listening and understanding and seeing the heart of a woman during this time. So that was my, that was my biggest that was my biggest takeaway. And that's how God really led me all those years, you know, to this, but, you know, just just to backtrack, just once is that many, many years ago, I had a dream of of, you know, doing this podcast that I do that as you do. And that and God stopped that dream. And I often said, God, you know, I don't know why you stopped me from that dream. But little did I know, he had a plan. He had a plan to put God's word in my heart. And he and he had a plan to have me minister to women, and to to know them and to seek their hearts and see them. Like that's the thing. I don't see someone when I look at them physically. I see their heart. Beautiful. I love their heart. I love them when they walk in. And I know they know I see their heart because I tell them I know I know your heart today. You know what's going on with you. And I look at look at women that way. Kimberly Hobbs   And I love that about you, Nancy and that's that's beautiful and leadership because they are not going people are not going to follow you or listen to what you say. Unless they respect you unless they know that you genuinely care. You can stand up all day and tomorrow and talk talk talk talk talk and it's gonna go in one ear and out the other but until you can hear the heart. That's so important. Nancy and you touched on that is it that they have to know that you truly care. And so God took you through Bible study, fellowship, into leadership, he was pouring in His Word into your life, and you were living it and making it real. And then you had the opportunity to start to use it for His glory, where you're taking what you learned, and now you're pouring is a leader into others. So he was grooming you. And ladies, you may be on that grooming process where you can look at little things in your past that may be God's hand was moving you gently along and guiding you to where you are right now. And you're ready to take that step forward. Because we all can be leaders, right where we are, it starts where we are, absolutely. And we just need to have that heart and compassion for other people. And to know that it's not all about you getting the limelight, it is about you pouring into someone else, and them accepting that, you know, you genuinely care, and then they're going to start to follow you and they're going to trust you and you build that trust. And that doesn't happen overnight. So Nancy, so the person that's listening right now that you are sharing about different things in leadership that you felt were takeaways to you, before you got into what you do. And television and podcasting, you said, there were three three things in leadership that really stuck out in you. Can you share that with the ladies listening? Nancy Sabato   Yes, well, there's three characteristics of a good leader, lead people like Jesus, that with compassion and understanding, it's so important, because they just like I said, they just want to, they want to love they want to love on you, you know, and you want to show them, that you love them, too. And so if you if you listen, and you understand, and Kimberly was hitting on that, as well, you know, they're, they're more apt to, to want to trust you and understand them. And to know when people you know, to win, and to know when to talk and when to listen. You know, sometimes you I, you know, during Bible Study Fellowship will have such a lot of chatter going on, you know, there's just a lot of women, they just want to talk to some and I want to talk to so but sometimes I have to like, hunker back, and just let somebody talk. And then you can get the full picture of what they're trying to say, sometimes you want to jump in, jump in on what they're saying. But, you know, sometimes you gotta listen to the full thing of where they're going with what they're telling you. And so that is another good characteristic, listen. And then the third would be lead like you were bringing them to heaven. Because this is such an important task. We as believers in Jesus Christ, must lead people, as if they were going to heaven, we need to share Christ with other people. And when we lead them, we need to constantly tell them, Jesus did for them at the cross, it was so important. What he did for them at the cross was a life changer for them when they came to be the believer that they are. So even people that don't believe that you need to be the light of Christ in their life. Because if there's anybody out there that has a family, and there's many of us that do, that don't believe in Jesus, like we do, and we get, it gets really tough for us, because we really want them to know Jesus, like we do. Just be a light in their life and meet them where they are, it's important to meet them there. Okay, so those are the three things that I would say. And also that God, you know, if you if you don't think that you're a leader, you know, God will make it clear when he calls you up for leadership because like Kimberly said, there's a lot of people that are leading in their own way, it doesn't necessarily have to be in some position. It can be, you know, writing your own home, you know, you know, he calls you up for leadership, you know, in your heart, that that's the direction he wants you to go when you feel like he's leading you there. So like I said, like we were saying, like, there are many ways to lead first your children train them up in the way they must go, that's proverbs 22. Six, show them that you can lead them well, through making decisions, you know, when you're helping them through their life, the decisions that you help them make our life changers. So this is something that you that you really want to do you want to groom them in knowing who Jesus is groom him and making the right decision. surgeons and point them to the Bible, because that's the truth. If they want to know truth, go to that page, you know where it is, look it up, if you can't find it, just Google it, you will find the thing in your heart that the Holy Spirit wants you to know, to just to put that on them and to look that passage up. While so you know what, it could be as simple as being a prayer partner, leading in that way, call somebody up and say, hey, you know, how would you like to pray once a week? How about once a month, you know, you can lead in simple ways. But just you know, people look for leaders, people want to know that they can go to you, if they you know, have a problem, that's where you lead as well. Being good counsel. Right. So um, so those are some of the things that that I would say to, you know, your audience right out there. Kimberly Hobbs   I love that. And I love what you said, that really stood out to me, Nancy, because we live in a world where everybody is judging one another. And you said, meet them where they are. That is beautiful. And I know in women, world leaders, that is one of the things that we encourage our ladies as leaders, meet the person where they are, we are all sinners. And prayerfully saved by God's grace, that you've come to know Jesus as your Savior. But we all had to have that moment where we come to Jesus as we are right, those sinners, and so meet that person where they are and know that they may be in a broken place and, and then listen, like Nancy said, that was another thing of being a good leader is listening. So don't just right away, throw all your advice and think you're gonna save the world because you are just giving them all the right advice, listen and hear where their heart is at that moment, so that you can offer the right advice when they trust you. When you meet them where they are, right. There's it's all entwined together, there is so much that you have to again, learn and put into place before you jump out there and just say, I'm going to be the perfect leader. And I'm going to just stand in front of 1000s and lead, right. So yes, God has to take us all through those grooming stages. And I love your advice. And those three helpful hints, Nancy, so God says, commit everything you do to the Lord, trust Him, and He will help you. So if this is an area where you want so badly to lead, you want to lead in your home, because you have unruly kids, you want to lead outside in your business, wherever it is, if you commit those ways to the Lord ladies. God's gonna help you he says it in His Word in Psalm 37, five, just commit those things to the Lord, release the control, surrender your life to Him, and He you're going to be an amazing leader, right? Because all of those things are going to come into your life that he pours in, through the Holy Spirit leading and guiding you, Nancy, how you now are, you're in television, you are doing podcasts interviews on the call, you've written a book, you are now leading with such a voice in this world. And I love that. And I think that's why you and I connected so much because we know what it takes to be a leader in this world. And how can people find you find your book, if they want to reach out to you? Nancy Sabato   Well, you can just go to you can go to my website, which is the call with Nancy sebadoh.com. You can also go on, you know, Facebook, Instagram, or you can just google google me. And my Yeah, it's just easy. Just, and my book is day by day grace. And it's a it's a prayer journaling. And that also is on my website. So it's wonderful and I'm just happy I'm so happy to be here with you Kimberly, it's it's wonderful to just be able to sit and talk about God and talk about how God can you know work in your life and make you great because everybody out there God has put talents in your in your soul, whether it's leadership, it whether it's you know, hospitality, whatever the fruit of the Spirit gives you. Ladies don't shy back from that because it's so important. So important that you pray and ask God to lead you to serve him on Earth. We're here for short time, short time. Make it great. Be that servant to him. Be that servant. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. I love that. I love that you have a prayer journal out because it starts with prayer. Ladies, that is vital when we He founded women, world leaders. I have a team of founding leaders that came on board that saw the vision and said, Yes, I want to be part of it. Well, the first thing that we did was take it to the Lord in prayer. Every single part and aspect of this ministry we put to the Lord in prayer. And they it's not just a one time prayer, God, help this ministry grow, know, this ministry grew because of prayer, because of communication constantly, day by day by day. And so Nancy, this prayer journal, I'm sure is such a helpful tool, that it takes you through praying because you need to pray for anything you set out to do remember, commit your plans to the Lord. Well, if you're committing them to the Lord, you got to talk to him about that. Okay. So if you're talking to Him through prayer, then he says that, trust me, and I will help you. Psalm 37. Five, put it on your refrigerator. Look at that scripture, because he is he's not gonna leave you floundering. That's wrong. He's gonna move you in your gifts and talents to whatever it takes to serve him. Yeah. So is we have to close I'm scripture, ladies. Jeremiah 2911. I know the plans I have for us as the Lord. And so many people use the Scripture, but it's so true. God has a plan for you. And it's the plans I have for you says the Lord plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope, and a future. He wants you to have that hope and future but with him, not doing it on your own, like Nancy set out to do it all on her own. And she was wanting to be this great leader on her own. But God had other plans, right, Nancy, and it was so beautiful, how he honed you in to his word, and groomed you and taught you through these Bible studies that you went through which is so beautiful. Ladies, at women were leaders, we do have those tools for you. And we asked you to be part of it come in deeper with us. There are so many opportunities for you to serve God and be a leader here with us. But right where you are through zoom and technology and all the things that we have, we can be working with you encouraging you, you might want to write in our in one of our books that we have all of our books, praise God have gone to number one bestseller. And there's a reason for that. And you go on a journey. And it's a journey with some other women and God to put out books that will change the world through your stories. We also have voice of truth, we want you to be a voice in this world. That's a magazine and publication we put out every quarter. It's beautiful, ladies, you can read it digitally online for free, you can get the printed version. If you become a monthly donor to women, we're leaders have any mount it doesn't matter. We'll send you the printed version of voice of truth. It is gorgeous, 100 pages, no advertising in it, it is just pure blessing to bless the woman and so many areas of her life. So, ladies, we want you to be part of women, world leaders. And again, that's how Nancy and I connected was I was able to share my story on the call with Nancy Roboto. And I am just thrilled. And now she's here. And she hopefully dropped a little bit of encouragement to you about leadership and being a leader. So thank you again, Nancy, for being on today. Nancy Sabato   Thank you so much for having me. Ladies, listen, I'm just gonna put a little plug in, go if you want to do some leadership and here's a great place to start women, world leaders. How could you go wrong, you have someone who is going to encourage you as someone who's going to teach you so you don't have to be afraid. And even if you're not, you know, not ready for leadership. Maybe there's something in there that that's perfect for you. This is a great place to start. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Women world leaders.com Ladies and just go through the website and see all the areas where you could plug in and and let leave us your information. We Don't bombard you with stuff all the time. It's just to let you know when things in the ministry are happening and how you can plug in and be a part. So ladies, we have to close Thank you, Nancy. Remember all copyright all content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. We thank you for joining us today. God bless you and have a beautiful day ladies  

This episode enters the mystical world of Saint John of the Cross and his contemplative description of God's graceful presence and the gift of death. To access Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book iGod, in which Saint John of the Cross' Spiritual Canticle is featured (chapter 7), see: https://www.amazon.com/iGod-Fragmentary-Autobiography-Donald-Wallenfang-ebook/dp/B09QGT77YL/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672238240&sr=8-4 For Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book on Carmelite spirituality, see: https://www.amazon.com/Shoeless-Carmelite-Spirituality-Disquieted-World-ebook/dp/B098BD814F/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1670392231&sr=8-1 For a self-paced mini course on Saint John of the Cross and the dark night of the soul, see: https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/offers/oijqWzoc/checkout For a previous podcast episode on Saint John of the Cross and the dark night of the soul, see: https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/podcasts/catholic-fragments-podcast-2/episodes/2147775841 For a previous podcast episode on the Interior Castle of Saint Teresa of Ávila, see: https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/podcasts/catholic-fragments-podcast-2/episodes/2147744068 For a previous podcast episode on the poetry of American Discalced Carmelite nun, Jessica Powers, see: https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/podcasts/catholic-fragments-podcast-2/episodes/2147831772 For more rich content in Catholic theology, philosophy and spirituality, visit https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/store Follow us on Social Media- Facebook at "Donald Wallenfang" Twitter- @septimasmoradas Instagram- myinteriorcastle313 YouTube at "Donald Wallenfang" or @myinteriorcastle313

Bible Reading: Isaiah 1:18; Titus 3:3-7"Ugh! I'm so tired of this cold weather. What's the use of winter anyway?" Josh grumbled as he put on his heavy coat and snow boots.Josh's mom handed him his lunch and said, "We can talk more about it tonight, but pay attention to how clean the new fallen snow looks as you walk out to the bus stop."As he walked down the sidewalk, Josh dragged his boots through the snow, thinking about what his mom had said. When he got on the bus, he told his best friend Marcus about it."What does not liking winter have to do with clean snow?" Marcus asked.Josh shrugged. "I don't know, but Mom said we'd talk more about it tonight."Josh and Marcus didn't think any more about it the rest of the day, until Josh's mom picked them both up after school. It was Friday, and Marcus was spending the night.Josh's dad picked up pizza for dinner on his way home from work. As they ate, Josh said, "Hey, Mom, Marcus and I are wondering what you meant this morning when you told me to pay attention to how clean the new fallen snow looked.""Well, I used to complain about winter too because I can't stand to be cold," Mom replied. "But on one winter morning when I was having my devotions, I read Isaiah 1:18, which says, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.'" Mom smiled at the boys. "Now, don't get me wrong--I still can't stand being cold! But thinking of how Jesus loved me so much He died on the cross for my sins and made me clean like freshly fallen snow--well, that changed my perspective. Winter is cold, but the snow is beautiful."Marcus took a bite of his pizza. "Would you tell me some more about Jesus?" he asked. "My mom and dad don't take me to church, and I really don't know much about Him."Josh smiled and listened as his parents told Marcus more about Jesus. Winter still isn't my favorite season, he thought, but Mom's right--the snow really is beautiful. -Lisa FullerHow About You?Is winter your favorite season? It might not be, but this year, if you see snow, think of Jesus. The Bible reminds us that Jesus washes away our sins and makes us pure like newly fallen snow. What a beautiful picture--clean and beautiful not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us. Do you know Him as your Savior? If not, trust in Him today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)Today's Key Verse:Though your sins are like scarlet, I [God] will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. (NLT) (Isaiah 1:18)Today's Key Thought:Jesus makes us clean

This episode considers the divine call for each one of us to become holy by God's grace. With special reference to the writings of Pope Francis and the Second Vatican Council, our vision of holiness comes into clearer view. To read Pope Francis' 2018 apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness in today's world, Gaudete et exsultate, see: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html To read the Vatican II document quoted in this podcast episode, Lumen gentium, go to: https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html To watch an inspiring video about holiness by the Bible Project, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9vn5UvsHvM&t=8s To access Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book iGod, see: https://www.amazon.com/iGod-Fragmentary-Autobiography-Donald-Wallenfang-ebook/dp/B09QGT77YL/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672238240&sr=8-4 To access Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book on the work of Emmanuel Levinas, see: https://www.amazon.com/Emmanuel-Levinas-Variations-God-Us-ebook/dp/B09V39ZXKB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= For Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book on Carmelite spirituality, see: https://www.amazon.com/Shoeless-Carmelite-Spirituality-Disquieted-World-ebook/dp/B098BD814F/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1670392231&sr=8-1 To access Dr. Wallenfang's 2022 book on outreach in today's culture, Motown Evangelization, see: https://www.amazon.com/Motown-Evangelization-Sharing-Detroit-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B0B81DVLSJ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672775251&sr=8-1 For more rich content in Catholic theology, philosophy and spirituality, visit https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/store Follow us on Social Media- Facebook at "Donald Wallenfang" Twitter- @septimasmoradas Instagram- myinteriorcastle313 YouTube at "Donald Wallenfang" or @myinteriorcastle313

This episode explores the meaning of autobiography and liturgical anamnesis within the context of Christian evangelization, with reference to Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book iGod. To access Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book iGod, see: https://www.amazon.com/iGod-Fragmentary-Autobiography-Donald-Wallenfang-ebook/dp/B09QGT77YL/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672238240&sr=8-4 To access Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book on the work of Emmanuel Levinas, see: https://www.amazon.com/Emmanuel-Levinas-Variations-God-Us-ebook/dp/B09V39ZXKB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= For Dr. Wallenfang's 2021 book on Carmelite spirituality, see: https://www.amazon.com/Shoeless-Carmelite-Spirituality-Disquieted-World-ebook/dp/B098BD814F/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1670392231&sr=8-1 For more rich content in Catholic theology, philosophy and spirituality, visit https://www.myinteriorcastle.com/store Follow us on Social Media- Facebook at "Donald Wallenfang" Twitter- @septimasmoradas Instagram- myinteriorcastle313 YouTube at "Donald Wallenfang" or @myinteriorcastle313

If these teachings have been a blessing to you, please consider supporting this channel: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=F3UNXXWFRHAG4This chapter deals with bearing false witness (e.g. is a system of justice/court); Sabbath rules; the institution of three national festivals; God's promise to bring them into the Promised Land and the prohibition against idolatry. 00:00 - Review01:21 - Bearing false witness04:39 - Helping your enemies09:49 - Do not abuse the helpless in justice14:54 - Command against taking bribes15:37 - Do not oppress foreigners16:35 - Again, responsibility of property for another17:52 - Sabbath for the land22:29 - Sabbath for man and beast26:11 - Command to observe three festival times34:47 - Honor God and no idolatry42:12 - The guiding angel46:19 - In your obedience, I (God) will bless you and give you the Land54:11 - Continued blessing and victory over the Canaanites for obedience55:16 - Promise of victory over the Canaanites58:15 - God promises boundaries for the new Israelite nation and warns against idolatry61:06 - Final ThoughtsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lets-talk-scripture/donations

Jen Gilchrist, Speaker + Transformational Success Mentor + Spiritual Teacher An Entrepreneur for 22 years and a Spiritual Mentor for 11 years, Jen Gilchrist has gone from Struggling Single Mom to growing a multiple 6-figure Business making money doing what she loves and empowering others to do the same. She works with “Highly Sensitive” and Spiritual Entrepreneurs on a deep level, helping them to reclaim the confidence, trust, and tools needed to harness their intuition, align with their purpose and step into their next level of leadership in their business and life, so they make a bigger impact in the world while experiencing new levels of freedom of time, energy and money in their purpose-driven business. Connect with Jen here: www.soulsuccessunleashed.com   Jen's message is around believing in yourself. 1:31 What was the catalyst that led you to become a psychic? 8:38 The pain and emptiness of not fulfilling your purpose. 15:22 Why you can't lead with spirituality, you can lead with straight transformation. 21:45 You have to be your own authority -. 25:47 Cultivating a connection with your spiritual support team and trusting your intuition. 29:59 The importance of listening to your intuition and being open to miracles. 34:40 Be honest with yourself about the fear that is holding you back. 37:12 The importance of having a network of support. 42:11 How to bring awareness to your breath and body. 46:32 How do you get into the present moment? 49:17 What is your one wish for the world? 53:02 Intro Guy 0:00 Your journey has been an interesting one up to hear you've questioned so much more than those around you. You've even questioned yourself as to how you could have grown into these thoughts. Am I crazy? When did I begin to think differently? Why do people in general appear so limited? Thought Process? Rest assured, you are not alone. The world is slowly waking up to what you already no inside yet can't quite verbalize. Welcome to the spiritual dough podcast, the show that answers the question you never even knew to ask, but knew the answers to questions about you this world the people in it? Most importantly, how do I proceed? Now moving forward? We don't even have all the answers, but we sure do love living in the question some time for another spiritual day with your host, Brandon Handley. Let's get right into today's episode. Brandon Handley 0:43 Spiritual dope. I'm on here today with Jen Gilchrist. She is a speaker and transformational success mentor and spiritual teacher. As an entrepreneur for 22 years as a spiritual mentor for 11 years, Jen has gone from struggling single mom to growing multiple, six figure businesses making money doing what she loves, and empowering others to do the same. She works with highly sensitive and spiritual entrepreneurs on a deep level, helping them to reclaim the confidence, trust and tools needed to harness their intuition, align with their purpose and step into their next level of leadership in their business and life. So they make a bigger impact in the world while experiencing new levels of freedom, time, energy and money and their purpose driven business. Shannon, thanks for being on today. How are you? Jen Gilchrist 1:31 I'm wonderful. Thanks for having me. Very excited to be here. Brandon Handley 1:34 I'll tell you what was kind of funny, Jen is like, I forget exactly how we connected. But it was a while ago, first of all been a while since you're already talking to beginning here. But I got a second outreach from I think your agency or whoever you're working with. I was like, well, that's funny. But I'm talking to her this week that like, Would you be interested in that app. So I'm still interested in we're still doing it. But you know, it's kind of like one of those things where I guess it's a fit, right? So thanks for being on. Typically like to start off with the whole idea that you and I were vessels for source energy, as it were, and this conversation while you and I will have our dialogue, and I'm sure we'll come away with something amazing and great. There's going to be somebody else tuning in, that's really going to resonate with your message. And it can only be delivered through you at this time on this podcast. So that person, what's that message. Jen Gilchrist 2:35 The message is coming through for your audience is is around believing in yourself. It's about having that that ultimate trust and belief in yourself and your vision and your dream. And to know that you are worthy of what it is that you desire. And what it is you see for yourself and that you don't have to do it all. So reach outside about tuning into that trusting yourself trusting the process and trusting your spiritual support to see you through. Brandon Handley 3:00 I think that's a big piece of love the message, a big piece of I guess ourselves as humans, is trying to do it all ourselves. Right? When you say you don't do it all yourself? Are you talking about like, spiritual assistance or just from other people? Like, what are you? How do you like to look at that? Unknown Speaker 3:24 I think it's both really, um, when I was speaking to that message, it was feeling more about tuning in and really working with your spiritual support, right? Meaning connecting with your higher self with your angels, your guides, source, like utilizing that larger part of who you are to be a guidance for you. That's something that I believe in a lot. It's helped me a lot in my life and my business, for sure. But also, I think that also extends to the physical world, you know, oftentimes, we try to do it all as solopreneurs, you know, and at a certain point, it's difficult to manifest or create the business with the vision that you might have if you're trying to do it all on your own. And so just allowing that support in as well be it a virtual assistant or your team, there might be a time and place where you need to actually allow some physical support in but definitely having that spiritual support being your driving factor to help you figure out the how, for sure, for sure, I find that people have a big vision and then it gets so overwhelming, like how am I going to do this, that they either don't stop, they don't start it to begin with, or they start but they stay kind of stuck playing small, because they're not allowing that support. And so I think that that is something to to really lean into. Brandon Handley 4:30 For sure. I would love you to talk about this. I mean, let's talk about this too. One thing that I think I find frustrating in this entrepreneur I'm gonna coach you space is you didn't get here like overnight. Right? You had successful businesses and you were successful in business before coming into the spiritual space, and you've flourished through that as well but like you know, where were you Before now and like how did you get to where you are? Jen Gilchrist 5:03 Definitely I like to say my life is now a spiritual retreat. And what I mean by that is I feel like, you know, massages, Zumba meditation, you know, for six years in a row I've swam, it's wild dolphins, you know, it is a way to, to rejuvenate myself and find that balance. And I do believe that now that you know, the balance of really that divinity, and that actionable action in life together create sustainable success, and it definitely wasn't always that way for me. By the age of 30, I was on that hamster wheels of society's version of success. You know, I was wearing all the hats, I was a single mom, I had built a six figure business doing hair and makeup by the time I was in my 20s, actually, but my first home when I was 30. And I was like on the outside of society's version of things I looked put together, things were amazing. But on the inside, I was extremely overwhelmed. I had no way to manage my stress, but wine and chocolate was tended to be what I would go towards. And eventually, you know, that caught up with me, that lifestyle caught up with me. I had been a verta friend's birthday party, it's been about 12 or 13 years now that I was at my friend's birthday celebrating her party and had a couple glasses of wine. Next thing you know, I was on my way home. And I ended up rolling my car, looking at twice ending in a ditch. And it was really at this crashing moment that everything came to a halt. And I realized that I couldn't go on this way couldn't be so frazzled, I couldn't have wine be the only way to like de stress my mind. But I was really afraid at that time. Because I didn't have any other idea how to do life, like how to do life without this. And so I was very afraid. And I had a lot of shame at that time around everything, of course, because we're putting up that facade to the world that it's all great. You know, but on the inside, I was feeling you know, how am I going to do this differently? Well, that's when everything really changed. For me, I prayed I didn't know what to do. But I just prayed to be at peace and to be happy. Because at that time, though, on the outside, everything looks great. It's like I had relationships that were toxic. I had my bank account money was coming in, but it was going right back out. And everything, you know, was really just a shambles. And so I prayed. And my grandfather came to me in a dream. And it was really special. He had been like my anchor point really for the whole family. And he died when I was about 10. And so at this time for him to come to me so viscerally in the stream. I just remember feeling his presence and him showing me that I wasn't alone in this world that I might have all these things going off and, you know, problems to fix and relationships that were going awry, and all the things but that I wasn't actually alone and that he was there God, the angels universe, you know, was there to support me. And I remember waking up from that dream, feeling like, wow, you know, I don't have all the answers. But I had this sense of peace and hope in my heart that I had never felt before. And I knew that everything was going to be okay. And it was at that point that I started to really just have the synchronicities. I wouldn't have had that language for it. At the time, I was raised in a very conservative Christian upbringing. But I started to have these synchronicities that were guiding me to like every self help book, I probably spent the next nine months reading every self help book imaginable. And before you know it, I just my intuition opened up when I started becoming aware of the spiritual side of things, my angels, my guides, and I started really going on this quest, and I realized that, you know, everything was going to be okay. And this is really a big turning point for me in my in my life at that time. Brandon Handley 8:38 So he had like, this kind of awakening moment, right? You know, predicated by the roll in the car, right? I mean, that's definitely a wake up call. Right? Like, you're like, I can't continue to live this way. You got a whole bunch of shame kind of definitely tied up in that too, right? Because like it was, are we gonna think, you know, I'm trying to do this thing and keep it all together, but I'm a mess. I saw really great. We live in memes these days, don't we? It was a meme just kind of talking about, like, you know, the life that we're living now, like, trying to do it all by ourselves, like, we have, we still literally have health, right? Like, I mean, there were, you know, even even in the industrial age, we would have somebody else in the house helping us keep it together, right there was paid paid out. Right. And now we're just trying to do it by ourselves. And as to keep up this, I got it all together and I can do this thing and it's a lot and having a single mother myself growing up. It's too much right? To try and just keep together. So you go through all that. And then you're having these revelations I love that you connected with like your spirit guides, as it were right angels, your grandfather and somebody come in there to help you and you're, you're coming out and you decide to kind of embrace this right now. and move forward into this space. And tell me a little bit about like, what that look like, what was the catalyst there? So you've got this hair and makeup businesses you've been doing. But now you're like, feeling it? And you're like, I want to lean into it. But I don't like you, like you said to like, you didn't even have the language or like know what it was. Right? So yeah, talk to me a little bit about that. Jen Gilchrist 10:23 Yeah, so it was kind of like this point where now I was awakened, right. And I, and I was excited about that. But then I was also pretty much awake in the dark, I hadn't remember going to my first psychic reading. And at that point, I didn't know if I believed in psychics, but a friend of mine said goes this lady, you know, she was really great. And she told me that I would be doing what she was doing in five years. And I'm like, but that sounds cool. But I can't imagine I'm barely even, you know, carrying my grandparents talk to me. So I went on this quest, and really got clear that my deeper inner calling was, in fact to help other people awaken their purpose and their spiritual gifts. And so I created a second, a second business, I was still doing my hair and makeup business, of course, full time. But I began a second business called divine spark within, which was my first iteration of my spiritual work. And it really never took off. And there was two big reasons for that. And one of them I feel was that although I was awakened, I was in the spiritual closet big time. I mean, heaven forbid, my family, my wedding professional friends, my hair clients, or anybody would know about this newly awakened psychic healer, past life, mediumship, angel card reading self, it was like, No way. So I had this really compartmentalised in my life. And the second reason was, I was extremely petrified of public speaking. So much so that I convinced all of my high school teachers to actually let me do all of my oral reports, before or after school, when I was this quiet on her students, they let me do it. I didn't even join a networking group for two years, because I had to stand up and say, like, 30 seconds of my name, even though I knew it would grow my business, like I was petrified. And so Brandon Handley 11:59 let me jump in there real quick. Let me jump in there real quick, because this is so funny. I had to do a stand in for BNI, this paddling at networking business networking group this past weekend, and like, I've been really trying to promote myself, but I didn't really have anything else to say. So I was like, Yeah, I'm doing you know, spiritual coaching, whatever and like, but just like you're saying, I was like, the 30 seconds. I'm like, listen, just give, you're just giving references to Dave, I'm just filling in for him. I'm just here for the breakfast. I'm good. But I totally understand what you're saying. Jen Gilchrist 12:30 Yeah, for sure. Especially, I think, you know, it was the two aspects of it that was keeping you really hidden and small and, and it got really clear that this was keeping me hidden in small my business, right, these visibility fears, this fear of public speaking, my my compartmentalization of my spiritual path, and all those things. But of course, God has a funny sense of humor. And the next thing, you know, I find myself at a conference for attracting clients and like, Well, yeah, that's what I need, I need to attract clients. And so the next thing I know that we're talking about speaking, to attract clients, and I'm like, Oh, of course, right. And I, and I remember, you know, feeling this pain of emptiness of not getting my message out. But I was arguing with my angels. I was like, Why, like, there's no way like, that's in the future. I saw this vision of speaking on stages and writing books, but I'm like, that's way down the road. And my angels were like, wow, you know, are you sure? Because I mean, you could make it down the road. And that's when I realized that I was fighting for my fears. When I was arguing with my angels, I realized, so Brandon Handley 13:28 what's, what's this? It's like that Marianne Williamson line, right? Or, you know, I'm not sure if you're an Abraham Hicks fan. You know, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna sit here and argue for your limitations, right? There you are kind of like, you're basically arguing for your limitations. In that sense. Yeah. Jen Gilchrist 13:45 And that kind of caught myself, right. And I called myself out on it. And I took myself outside because here I was in this room of like, 300, other highly sensitive, empathic people trying to make this big decision about money and investing in their business. And I, you know, I've never done that much before. And so here it was, and I took myself outside and I walked myself through a practice that I could perhaps share with you later, but it was the TLC body meditation that I use with my clients, talk to your body, listen to your body, and commit to this needs. And so I tuned in and I just thought, okay, is this really aligned for me? Like, what is my best aligned step? Because I knew I was triggered in a lot of fear about the financial investment about having to speak, you know, all these things. And so I got really clear that, you know, the pain and emptiness of not filling my purpose was bigger than my fear of public speaking. And so I ended up, you know, tuning into the fact that I also learned that my listen to my mind and logic, fear will stop me versus my heart. I can feel that intuition and trust and leap. And so I leaned into that, and I did that. I went ahead and I signed up for basically it was a $22,000 investment at that time was a lot for me. I didn't even have my mortgage payment in the bank account, so I couldn't use it as an excuse, you know, and I'm not going how am I going to pay for 22 months but I've been working with my angels long enough to know that I'm always supported in this way. And so I leaned in, and I decided to listen to that to that voice inside of me and not put it off any longer face those fears head on. And now I get to be here sharing with all of you and all of your community and people like this, which I love, supporting others to really know, their conscious creative power themselves and to feel, you know, unstoppable and whatever it is that they're feeling called to do. So that's Brandon Handley 15:22 literally into like the other a couple of other pieces to like. Taking that time to review and inspect your life, and it resonates with me so hard, the pain and emptiness of not fulfilling your purpose, right? That's just like, a gut punch. Right? Because I still remember I saw my first investment in like, coaching, it was substantial, right? And it was into, like, the podcast, Robin doing it. And my wife and I did not agree on it initially, like that, that was going to be a good idea. Right? And I just sank, right, like, I just felt like, MTT. And, you know, we turn that around later. And, you know, again, you know, it's not like, I started to, I started to, you know, just find out, okay, she was right in from her perspective as like, you're right. I agree with you. Listen, I wanted to appreciate the way she was approaching it right? At the same time, like, you know, it took me a minute to get there. And then as soon as I kind of got there myself mentally, and I'm okay with it. She's like, No, go ahead and go do it, you got to do it. But like, you know, that pain and emptiness of not fulfilling your purpose? Like, that's huge. Right? So that's, my guess, is what said to you, like, you know, what, I'm gonna do a substantial investment 22k I'm gonna go ahead and go do that. I mean, who were you talking to about that when you did it? Or should you just do it? And then later told people like, you know, when you decided to make this big change? You know, how did that go over? How'd you accomplish that? Jen Gilchrist 17:11 Well, I definitely did it on my own. I was still somewhat compartmentalize, you know, I kind of this is coming out of the spiritual closet was like an evolutionary journey. Up to this point, by the time I went to that conference and invested it, it was about five years after, or maybe, no, I guess it's about three years after I first started my divine spark within business. That didn't work too well. Right. And I recognize that a lot of my fear about signing up. If I took money out of the equation, I tended to myself and my body. And then of course, my guys, but more it was about what am I actually feeling here? Am I afraid of moving through my comfort zone? Or is it that it's misaligned? And so in that moment, I realized that it was really moving to my comfort zone, like I was afraid if money wasn't an object, would I show up for what I owe? Now I would actually have to speak if I do this program. Well, now we'll actually have to go on stages, I'll have to actually get up in front of people, my family will actually know about my spiritual work, if I get big, and I actually write a book, you know, like, how can I deal with that. And so I really did have to lean into filling that fear and then doing it anyways. And so to me, it's was an unfolding process that that was a big stake in the claim, a big investment. And then it continued to have me lean into my fears, and feel my fears and work through my fears, at different steps along my journey, for sure, in order to really just keep showing up for myself and not put other people's opinions or judgments, or fear of what their judgments might be above what it is, I knew in my heart, I was feeling called to do, just really getting that to that place of not needing other people's approval, in order to follow what I need to be right for me. And that was that took some time, you know, it's something that's, you know, an evolutionary day by day choice that I continued to choose. And, and my parents, you know, they don't, they don't, and I love what you said about you and your wife, too. It's like, when you had that internal fear and resistance, in some ways you are met with it. And that was sort of the same with me and my family, you know, they were raised very much in a Christian upbringing. So they, they were really afraid, at first about, oh, the devil is tricking you, or we know, whatever their religious programming was around it, like seriously, that was this way and I love my family, we're close. And so that was hard. And I think that kept me sort of wanting to keep it small and hidden and separate for a long time. But eventually, once I got okay with not having to meet their judgment with judging them or not having to need their approval, and I did that in our work on myself, it really dissolved. It's like, here we are, I see them all the time. Now my business is flourishing, and I'm not hiding it per se. But at the same time, it's you know, I don't feel Brandon Handley 19:42 like was, I'm not hiding it per se, like, what's that? I mean? Jen Gilchrist 19:47 No, I, we it's not like we're our topic of conversation. They know, this is my full time work for sure. 100%. But what I was, what I was gonna say is it's not like the topic of every dinner table conversation because it's not something that we relate on exactly, but it's an longer that before I was hiding it, right, which triggered this bubble of resistance. And as soon as I got over the need to hide it, and I just let that dissolve because it was okay, whatever their opinion, wasn't it, it didn't have to mean anything about me or our relationship, if they didn't approve, when I let that part go. I wasn't that without resistance from them anymore. I mean, it's not going to ever be something that's our favorite topic of choice, because it's not their interest, but it doesn't get in the way anymore. Does that make sense? Brandon Handley 20:32 Yeah, let's talk about to like, how, how does your business open up after you let go that, like, tell me a bit about that? Jen Gilchrist 20:42 Well, in so many ways, right? Because I think that fear of public speaking was a big one. Because, you know, then I began doing videos, I started learning, I learned that I love doing videos, I love teaching online. You know, I began to accept podcasts, interviews, you know, I allowed myself as soon as I got out of just trying to compartmentalize and control who knew what about what's in my life, as soon as I let myself just be more integrated, and I'll parts of me coming in, and all areas of my life and business. That's when opportunities started coming in. I wasn't blocking them anymore, through my fears. Instead, you know, opportunities of podcasts of speaking of, you know, teaching larger group programs, having higher exposures, more people showing up to my workshops, all of those things began to happen. When I began to shed my visibility fears, because that was literally cloaking me from the people that I was meant to serve. It might have stopped me from having people it didn't want to know about my business. I've got it. But it also stopped me from having my people find me. So now I can be seen at a much larger level and make a much bigger impact. For Brandon Handley 21:45 sure. No, and I asked that because similar process on this end, right. I had a spiritual kind of awakening scenario. And then I wanted to do, I wanted to share all that stuff out. But I wanted to, I did it by leveraging the, some what they want, give them what they need. So my first one was called, like, prosperity practice, right? Where it's like, let's talk about getting new money making successful there. But I knew like that I still wasn't sharing the truth of the message. And then, and I had, like, it was just kind of there was almost like this resistance that you're talking about, right? And there's just kind of like, some type of ethereal friction, as it were, right? And as soon as, as soon as I flipped over and a spiritual dope, like, it just opened up, right? Just like, and I was, like, you know what, I'm just gonna leave a spirituality. And I was like, but I also get, you know, my, when my wife told my inlaws, I was doing a podcast on spiritual I was like, What are you doing? Like, they don't care, they're not interested. And some other stuff opened up in there, but you know, so I get that part too. You know, we want to speak to our audience, right? We don't want to, we don't want to be in your you're talking about kind of being super empathetic, right? You take on energies very strongly. So surrounding yourself with people that are kind of aligned with your message, that's not really a benefit to you. Jen Gilchrist 23:24 Right, and it takes a little like I can relate with that part of your journey as well because you know, when I first started my business, and it's like, I realized okay, I gotta learn about marketing there's a whole learning curve about how to get in front of your people I mean, there's there's a whole learning curves are different from my other business for sure. And and I started trying to put myself in like figuring it out. And before you know it, my spirituality it was empowered women's leadership was like the next major iteration of my business, which was a safer version, oh, well, they can handle this and I can go to a network and that could be a sale and I wasn't trying to be fake it in ways that it felt aligned in what I taught with intuition and masculine and feminine energy and like how to how to be aligned but but my message but I got watered down in the process, trying to put myself into the square peg of marketing. Sometimes for scripture, entrepreneurs, especially your your message can start to get diluted and actually contorted in a way that isn't even sounding like what you do, even though it kind of is, you know what I mean? And so I spent my wheels quite a few years trying to figure that out because I wasn't going to own well actually, I listened to a lot of coaches that basically said, you can't lead with spirituality you can't lead with with straight transformation. You can't lead as a psychic or as a psychic teacher. And it's like I knew I was called to teach people to develop their intuition. Like that felt right to me. So I kept trying to find other ways to make it more adaptable to marketing standards. And it just didn't, it never worked until I switched and rebranded and just decided, you know, I don't care. I'm doing what feels totally good to me. And I'm just gonna start fresh and I've kind of tore that brand down rebranded, and fully started teaching, intuitive and psychic Development and everything flourished, you know, and it was just that little bit of marketing tweak that makes a difference. And I think, you know, there is a learning curve to it. But part of it was, I think, still me learning to own that final piece of just really owning that higher truth of who I was, and also not peddling other people's information above my own and saying, oh, you know, you're making you're making you're making an impact doing your souls work, I should listen to you. And in that process, you know, I spent a few years figuring out that that's not actually true. We do know, I think learning from others is great. But when you start to consciously abandon yourself a little bit in the process, trying to figure it out. That misalignment will show up in not creating the impact or money that you're that you're called for. Right? Brandon Handley 25:48 Yeah, no. So you've got to be your own authority. Right? You've got to be your own authority. And I think in that process, you were finding your voice you're finding, how do I express the truths of like, what's coming through me? And you had to go through those iterations? Right. I mean, I think that, you know, the people that came before us, like, if you tune into like some old Alan Watts stuff, right, you see, like, you know, there is like as kind of the teacher buttoned up in the beginning, because that's where he's accepted. But in the end, like there is as a shaggy, like beatnik smoking pipe guy, right? Like he turned into who he was. And he had to go through those iterations develop his voice in the same way like for you, you've got to go through. I mean, it's a process, you've got to develop and find the truth of who you are. Jen Gilchrist 26:39 I think in that process, yeah, it's like, to me, your spiritual work is like, you have your big dark night of soul, which is a big whammy for most people, whether it's health or relationships, or, in my case, a car accident, you know, it's like, boom, you have that kind of initial spiritual awakening that's jolting because you go from unconscious to conscious. But then like, to me, the building of my spiritual business is actually the biggest spiritual work I've done. Because you have to really dig into your own self worth your own feeling safe being seen your own, you know, confidence and certainty in your gifts. And like, you have to constantly move through that inner fear in order to step out of your comfort zone over and over again, to realize and manifest something that's an idea and to form. And so I have found it to be deep spiritual work to to build this business and a bit in a way, kind of beautiful, how it works out, right, it kind of forces us to keep aligning with ourselves in order to show up for who we're meant to be. Brandon Handley 27:33 know for sure. What would you say the scariest part of leaning into this space was for you? How did you overcome it? Jen Gilchrist 27:44 I think the scariest part, well, here's those two pieces, honestly, this the judgment of my family, I think the spiritual closet piece was a really, really big one initially, for sure, just because there's I didn't know any, but I didn't even know the word New Age, when until I was 32. Until this whole thing happened. Like I was in a bubble of what I was raised with, and my family, there were good, like, we have a great relationship, you know, it's not like I'm estranged from them. And that way, and so to disappoint and to see their fear and their shame, and like all of that was, you know, having to figure out how to move through that that kind of discipline, like when I felt like I was bringing them shame and pain and fear in that way, choosing what I was choosing, that I think was the hardest part was being okay with me and not needing their approval, and being willing to let them have their opinion and have their response, whatever that might be, in order to not betray myself. I think that took a lot of courage. And it took a period of time for me to actually move through that. And I would say that this honestly, the spiritual, you know, public speaking piece is part of that as well. Being sensitive, I didn't know I was highly sensitive or empathic. And a lot of my fear of public speaking was having to do with being very hyper aware of, you know, in high school, that deadpan stare, and all the judgments and you're like, Oh, they're all thinking these things, and you feel so self conscious, you know, and feeling and being hyper aware of that judgment. You know, it really does come down to just loving myself and not needing the approval of others, whether it's my family, or whether it's the people I'm speaking to a group that doesn't get it or, you know, whatever it might be, it's about me being okay with me. So I think that was the biggest, like, chunk of my journey. Brandon Handley 29:24 For sure. So I think somewhere along the journey, right, we come to learn that we are creators of our own lives, right? That we're kind of like a hunt that kind of we're we're 100% responsible for the life that we have. Talk to me about like just kind of stumbling on that for yourself and where that dawned on you and what you've done with that information. Jen Gilchrist 29:51 Yeah, I mean, of course, I think it started with you know, the initial some of the first books I read, you know, the, the secret the law of attraction, all those things kind of gave me a taste of it. And so I started recognizing and seeing the synchronicities, seeing sort of the the universe, how the universe gives us signs. And that way and for me, the angels, working with my spiritual support team, especially the archangels, was the one of the first things that came into my, into my awareness early on in my spiritual path. And so cultivating that connection and communication with that with my spiritual support team, and really just learning how to trust my intuition knowing that, you know, first of all, I think it's about being aware of seeing the signs that when things are working for you, or not working for you that there's an impact about how you're thinking and what your actions are taking, that are driving that reality. Right. So being able to take personal responsibility is a huge piece of it, for sure. But within that it was about how do I cultivate that communication and trust that I don't have to know the how right to me working with my spiritual team was so liberating, because I can have this really big vision and dream that I did that I saw was possible that I felt called to do, but no idea how to accomplish it. So knowing that I can just tap in and ask my angels and guides to support me in helping guide my path, helping to figure out what steps to take, as opposed to my mind trying to figure it out, really helped me feel more free and actually allowed me to, to go after bigger dreams, because I knew I didn't have to figure it out all on my own, I knew I was supported, I knew I just had to hold that vision, asked for the steps and then trust myself to take the Guided Action. And in that process, you will be in a completely different place in a very short period of time, you'll start to see the act, the reality that, that when you start to take action on this intuitive guidance is that you have whether you're just listening to your higher self to God to source to your angels, that line of communication is gonna guide you through. And so to me that taking those little steps is what, and cultivating that relationship. And knowing that I actually wasn't alone, which was interesting how that was part of our first message, you know, it's like leaning into that, that support. And knowing I was guided was the most powerful piece for me, I think when you Brandon Handley 32:01 and and so the spiritual support team, I love just kind of how you categorize that. When when you're talking I love I love you don't have to know thou, right. I'm a big fan. When I try to explain if I don't have to know the how, right you don't know, yeah. I struggle sharing that with other people who are in this space. How do you like to translate that into? I've never heard of the law of attraction. I've never seen the secret people. Jen Gilchrist 32:37 I think it's sometimes it's about surrender. So sometimes I'll speak to if simplicity is trying to control the House or control the situation or for something to happen, then it's to me, it's about well, leaning into that faith and surrender, learning how to let go and trust yourself. So let's see when it comes to not knowing the how I think most of the people that are attracted to me are definitely more on the blue side. Definitely one on the open spiritually slide. But really, it comes to talk about intuition, to me your intuition, and what I think sometimes surprises people because I do attract a lot of people who are new on their spiritual path and awakening that I do believe that we all have this aren't our gifts, right? Our intuition is simply the medium of our human self, being aware of our higher self or aware of our angels or of source, right, it's just the human awareness. It's the human communication, like the awareness of our communication between our higher self or spiritual support team. And so when you can start to play with that in the day to day, you know, I teach people just to start to take play with that and the day to day, how can you know, Guy help guide me? Angels guides, Higher Self source? You know, how can you help me align with my higher capacity I'm inviting you in and then invite them to just start to pay attention to what kind of nudges or feelings ideas or thoughts they get. And as they start to play with that, they'll start to see the evidence of that, oh, wow, I had this idea or thought, and I took action. And in that action, a miracle happened. That's so exciting, right? And so they start to see that. And as you start to build that little bit of cultivating that trust and faith in your day to day with the small things, when you're asked to make a big investment, like the $22,000 business investment, that wasn't my first time leaning into not knowing now, right? I did that by cultivating that on a daily basis by asking every day and figuring out what's the quickest way to get to, to the shopping mall, what's the what can I do in the little things, you know, and following and building that bridge in that and that trust muscle and that cultivation muscle of new recognizing the signs. And then when I'm asked to take bigger actions, I know that I can lean in and let go and I know that it's going to be supported. So that makes sense. So I started Brandon Handley 34:40 listening. So it's real similar, I think to what I expressed to a lot of people to write, you know, to start to trust your intuition. Right. Start to believe that you don't have to know the how and just see the vision of the whatever that you're trying to accomplish. And I'm looking for the evidence that that what you're looking for is kind of already there and coming to you. And I like that you talked about being open to miracles, right, like accept that there are miracles in your life and being open to them. So that's a, that's a great piece. And building building that muscle, right? I think that's really important. How you stated like, I didn't start with, I'm gonna go all in on 22k. I built my way up to that, right, like, because there's gonna be a lot of people that, you know, I certainly been involved in, kind of like a high pressure sales environment, right? Like, you really need to do this, like, you really need to back off. Right? Like, I mean, because I think that some people can get caught in the middle of this right in the middle of seeing the evidence being opened in a miracle, but not quite being ready. Right? So what you're talking about, grow into that space? Until, like, what you said earlier, too, is like, Am I in alignment or not? Right? Is this in alignment or not? And trust yourself there. Right? If Now's not the time, guess what? There's gonna be plenty of those moments open to you in the future, right? You're not going to miss out on kind of like your soul calling. Because you didn't invest in 22 Kids Day per se. Right, you know, but so that's what I think is really important, though, that you would up to that, right? Jen Gilchrist 36:35 Yeah, I think you do have to build that muscle. And that's kind of what I asked myself when I was trying to make that decision. At first, I'm like, Oh, my first money is the easy scapegoat. Right? Because it's right there. It's real. But I'm like, you know, I don't have the money in my mortgage payment, How I can't do it. And I thought, well, and I could feel that was kind of not all the stories I'm like, Well, if money wasn't the problem, what is underneath? Like, oh, I would be afraid would I even show up? For what if I invest in this? And I don't show up for it? Or what if I if I do show up for it. And then I gotta stand up there to make a fool of myself for you know, so I started getting into the fear of the reality was, was really coming more down to that fear of public speaking more than anything else, because I'd already learned and known that. I'm always guided, I'm always, you know, there's always I know, I've already seen the miracles happen. And so sometimes it does require us to just to look inside and be honest with ourself about, well, what is the fear that I'm allowing, you know, to hold me back from receiving this or blocking myself from having the opportunity for what it is that I'm asking for, you know, where is it that I'm not allowing myself to receive it, or where is there that I'm afraid of what how this might change my life, or my relationships, if I do, and you have to start to really address those in or, you know, be honest with yourself and really assess that because the more and more we get out of alignment, eventually, you just start to feel more loose and like the lack of fulfillment, we kind of got to at that point in our life, the more out of alignment we get, eventually, we can't suppress and numb and avoid that anymore, kind of snapped back until we just have to move forward. But we always have free will of choice, of course. But the more that we take actions against ourselves, the more miserable we'll be over. Right? And eventually, you just have to feel the fear and Brandon Handley 38:12 call the hero, right? Like, I mean, it's never gonna go away, it's gonna keep popping up, you're gonna keep saying No, put, it's gonna keep knocking on your door, right? And until you, you have two choices, right, you can keep pushing it away and numb out, right? Or you can kind of get into it and see where it takes you, which is, you know, sounds like kind of what you've done, and it's worked out. Jen Gilchrist 38:39 Yeah, and I think that another important thing to say, just because you mentioned this, too, it's true there every second, every moment of every time every day, we have an opportunity to realign so if we miss an opportunity, or we, or we don't say yes to something that was for us that could have propelled us forward, we can always align to something no matter how messed up your situation is, you can always align to a highest path again, we always have the opportunity. And the more that we say no to those things, the more that we push it off, the more that we push off our piece, the more that we push off our happiness, the more that we push off our prosperity and all those things so at a certain point, I think it's not necessarily guaranteed that we'll live our higher path and purpose that's an opportunity available but we have to meet it ASHRAE we have to choose it and if we don't choose it then it will always be in the future Brandon Handley 39:25 no 100% You know, Jen Gilchrist 39:26 so there's kind of that balance there and not beating ourselves up for what the past but also realizing the more we push it off the the longer we prolong the longer Brandon Handley 39:34 you stay where you're at, right yeah. Who is like your ideal client? Like who's to be reached out to you Jen, like, what do you like? Somebody calls you Who do you want to hear from like, what lights you like? Jen Gilchrist 39:51 I love supporting people who are willing and who are willing to do the work who who. So people that come to me are usually sent highly sensitive, empathic people who have gone through a level of spiritual awake thing, who are ready to go in and say, You know what I know that I can consciously create the life of desire, I know, I feel the soul's calling inside of me, and I'm ready to move through those fears and doubts and blocks within me. And I'm no longer willing to have those things stop me and I'm ready to push up my sleeves and do that in our work, so that I can align with my best life so that I can fulfill on my life's purpose. And so I can really make that impact that I feel called to do. Because I believe that I'm here to support and really equip those who know they're here to make an impact in the world with the confidence and the courage and really awaken their gifts so that they can go out and make that ripple effect of healing and change with their unique gifts, as well. And so I'm ready to empower those people who have a calling, but need a little bit of support, maybe getting aligned with that, and the confidence and the trust in their spiritual gifts in order to make that happen. Brandon Handley 40:46 It's hard, right? Especially like you found if you don't have somebody else around you that's already in that space, right to support you and going forward. So having somebody like you when you know, that person is ready, and they feel like they're ready. Is there anybody you stop? Like, and you say, You know what, you're just not ready, like, how do you know that that person is ready? How's that go? Jen Gilchrist 41:14 I mean, usually we'll have usually within a few conversations, you can start to see if they're blaming, you know, I think when people are willing to accept responsibility for their life and for their situation that I know that they're able to learn the skill set, because I can teach people the skill sets of how to do the shadow work, how to actually dig in, you know, I teach tools and processes and support you, I'll support you. And I teach you tools and processes to forevermore support yourself and your future clients, perhaps if you feel called to clear those root patterns to clear those fears and blocks at the core cause that are stopping you. Right, I can teach you how to do that. If you're willing to accept responsibility and want to actually implement those things. And so for me, it's usually in the languaging of, of if they're ready to, to kind of dig into that and feel the fears and look at what's actually going on within and be honest and want to move forward. So if I have that desire, I feel we can work together because mostly I work in group program settings at this point. I'm not doing one on one work. But and that's powerful too, because like you mentioned, most people, a lot of people I would say majority that come in don't have a large network of people that understand what's happened, you know, they've gone through this awakening, and so their old life or their old, or the people that are most around them may not fully get it. And so one of the hidden blessings that comes from the the communities and the programs that I share is that they create life meal soul family, you know, they have friends, they have people that they can come in and celebrate these miracles with the other people might kind of go, oh, that's a coincidence, or you're crazy, or that's a little weird, you know, no, they can come in and they can celebrate these things so that they don't get stuck in their head about it. And so they can feel seen and validated. And and so that people can hold that vision that you know what you are capable that is possible for you. And I think having that network of community support is pretty essential. Because most of us feel like the lone wolf in our family, we often feel like the odd man in charge we kind of are the ones who are chained breaking the patterns of comfort zones of those around us. And so having other people understand that journey, I think is self healing and of itself and also resolving the competition, right when you can be with people who want to celebrate you and that you have permission to celebrate yourself in front of I think all of those things, cultivate so much within you in terms of a healing and a confidence level that you will keep moving forward because it's not easy to live that life. It's not easy to was I could have stayed with my 15 Hour Workweek six figure business, you know, not working very hard in my business. But no, I felt the calling to move forward. Right. But it wasn't the easier path that's for sure. And so I think you need to have those people around you because there's going to be days that are easier than others and some days they're going to be harder. And so I think knowing that you have that support key to going forward Brandon Handley 44:00 100% definitely makes it easier what I'm going for you but what's Yeah, that's what it was the extra stuff like what's an exercise right that like you'd like to start people off with or you know, kind of get them in tune with themselves? Jen Gilchrist 44:22 Well, I have a couple that are coming to mind. First thing I think having the intention to thing with free will of choice. So if you're open if people are open to I always suggest asking you know, stepping in so our angels and our guides, right and even just making that agreement with your higher self right you're kind of setting yourself up for the beginning of the day that you're hey this is my intention. So setting the intention asking you have to invite in that spiritual support because we do have free will of choice. So asking you know, hey, help me see help me show me loud clear signs I can easily understand to either align with my higher path today or live my purpose or to whatever your intention is inviting and your angels your guides. And making that intention with yourself, I think is important. Because then you can start to, you'll start to trigger the synchronicities to happen, and will start to train you into being aware of all of the miracles and opportunities that are around you every second of every day, if we can just be present see them. So to me, a small meditation practice, even 10 minutes in the morning is going to be an imperative piece of that, right, some kind of tuning into your body, your breath, which I can give a short guided one for that as well. And then asking your spiritual support team, your angels, your guides, your higher self to be invited in to actually guide you throughout your day and start to notice what happens that that right there can be a very powerful way to begin to cultivate that communication and to start to instigate those synchronicities and to start to gain the inspiration, the ideas that you're being called to take in order to have that vision come to fruition. So that's the main thing. Yeah. And then a quick meditation I suggest people to do is that TLC meditation, that might be something I could quickly share, and I can actually even get, I can also give a short, free guided, you know, one for them to appreciate the concept. Brandon Handley 46:13 So there was definitely appreciate the audience definitely appreciate that. For sure. Thank you. Jen Gilchrist 46:17 Yeah, well, the TLC, because I know a lot of people I don't know, this is me. And I think a lot of people when you first start meditating, like I can't meditate my head, my mind is going like I think there's just no way you know, it's like, trust me is try you know, but the T just stands for talk to your body. So you know, just closing your eyes and being deep into your, into your body into your breasts. And just remembering that you just follow the process, you take those nice deep breaths, it starts to give your mind somewhere to focus, so that you're not trying to just clear your thoughts altogether, right, you want to give yourself something to focus on in your body is always in the present moment. And so that's one way to start to just bring that awareness to your breath, and your body. And so, in, for instance, if you're hitting anything, really could use this in many ways, but maybe you're feeling like you're procrastinating on a project. And you're like, why I keep procrastinating? Well, you can ask your body, right tune in and just say, okay, so talk to your body as well. Where's this procrastination? Or where's this anxiety? In my body? Right now? Where's this core of this in my body? And then you just start to notice and you'll be present with feeling? Is there a constriction? Is there an area? Do you have an idea or a vision? Like, where is it in your body, that you're actually feeling the core of this anxiety? And then you can start to ask, you know, well, what is? What is this trying to tell me? Right? What is it that I can do in order to be in alignment with peace, maybe that's what you want to bring in. And then you have to listen. So the L stands for listening. And so that's when you just get quiet and present and be open to what ideas, thoughts or visions might be coming to you in that moment. Even just placing your hands on that area, like if you notice, I feel tension in my neck, that starts to give awareness and presence to something you've been ignoring within your field. And it will start to give that that part of yourself that stuck energy that that emotion or whatever it is, that's that's there, that's kind of calling your attention to that moment as a block, it'll start to allow it to begin to dissipate. So then once you listen, you know what, what next step can I take, start training yourself into asking this open ended questions to be aligned or to be at peace right now. And then you just notice is that a glass of water is that taking a walk, what small little vision thoughts or ideas are coming to you, because often, it's just in those small little things that will start to bring you back into that alignment that will change the course of actions and mindset that you'll have for the day. And so then c is commit to those guided actions. So I kind of like the acronym TLC, right? It's easy to remember. But it's also just kind of bringing that awareness to first you have to ask, then you have to quiet and listen. And then you have to commit to taking the action. And if you start practicing a quick meditation like that, you'll start to cultivate the awareness that you may have been overlooking previously, because your intuition speaks to you much more quietly than your ego or your mind, right? We have to get up present enough to actually recognize those signs. Brandon Handley 49:17 For sure. Now's a great, that's a great meditation. I love it. You know, tuning in getting quiet, following your breath. And not just having those kinds of epiphanies, but you know, actually taking action on them, right? loves the idea to commit to it. I've got this idea, and I'm actually gonna do something with it. And I think that that's pretty cool. I enjoy that. Well, thanks for sharing that. I've got a little section here that I basically think of this podcast is called like spiritual speed dating. Right? Like somebody's gonna tune in today and they've had enough of me, and they're moving on, and they could be moving on to like you Jan right. Like, you know, so if you're open to it, I got a couple of questions I'd like to ask you. Sure. So I like to say spiritual Bachelorette number one, how does one obtain true peace? Jen Gilchrist 50:17 Truth peace. I believe true peace comes from being in the present, you know, when we're when we're not to me, when you're not in peace, your mind is thinking either usually into the future worrying about something that hasn't happened. Or it's in the past, ruminating, feeling guilty, resentful, or frustrated with something that's happened in the past that you wish you could do differently or you're angry about. And so both of those kind of steal your joy and steal your peace. So for me being about peace is about getting into that present moment getting out of resistance to what is having acceptance of what is. So taking those, you know, calming breaths could be one way, but then just being in that space of accepting of what is that's the first step of being able to change your situation, when we can accept what is and not full responsibility, it allows us to now begin to take new action that will liberate us long term. Does that make sense? So it's about kind of really being present, being surrendered? Being in acceptance, and just asking, you know, what is it that I can do today to feel more at peace or to be more aligned with myself so that I can experience more joy, more joy, and start taking those, you know, quick, day to day habits will start to shift things a lot Brandon Handley 51:28 less, I think that as it pertains to what you've already talked about, you know, set the expectation that joy could show up, right, the peace can show up and start again, seeing the evidence and be open to miracles. Like if you've never felt that peace before, and you feel it just for a moment, that could be a miracle in your own life. Jen Gilchrist 51:51 Gratitude journaling is kind of under looked at sometimes I think that's one of the quickest, very quick way, if you're feeling down in the dumps about something, or you're feeling overwhelmed, you know, doing a gratitude list of just rampaging out a bunch of everything you can be grateful for the first time somebody told me this literally, the only things I could think of was, I'm grateful for my mom, my family, my daughter, my dog and my house, like I was in the dumps, I could not that like, literally, that was my list. And she's like, You know what, put, I'm grateful for myself, I'm grateful for you your name on the top of that list. And then every day, I would start adding to my list. And then I started reading the whole thing, and then I'd add some more things. And before you know it, I was like, wow, I have a lot to be grateful for. And that really starts to shift and your energy and your happiness. And it allows you to start to attract a lot more miracles and a lot more Brandon Handley 52:42 like it. It's like you've got a coral reef of gratitude. Right? As far as I've ever heard of expanding on the list, so I like that's good concept. Um, doo doo doo doo. One more, one more. What is your one wish for the world. Jen Gilchrist 53:07 I wish everybody to just know that they are conscious creators, that they are powerful beings that can create the life that they desire, I want them to just know that they do not have to stay stuck in situations that do not serve them that do not make them happy that they absolutely have the power to create a life they Brandon Handley 53:22 love. So I think this is one of the one that I agree. But it's also tough to share with people, right? Who haven't stepped into that space. Right? Who haven't kind of seen evidence because you're gonna be like, well, what am I God? Right? You know, I'm just gonna just manifest Brandon. Right? You know? So how do you, you know, take that to the next level, what are some steps somebody can do to start to see that for themselves. Jen Gilchrist 53:57 I think first you have to have the awareness and the desire and then it has to be present the awareness and the desire to change the situation. To me personal responsibility has a lot to do with it. And it doesn't ever mean that we are accepting bad behavior from others, it doesn't mean that, you know, we deserved to whatever sickness or bad thing that might have happened our life, whatever we're at, it's about just acceptance and self responsibility of, of that awareness. Like I choose to have things differently, I'm going to be present with what is and I'm gonna second responsibility for my part within it. So that way, to me, that's the first step of the creation process, that's that's clearing the space for you to be able to start to want something different and it's just about, you know, getting to the bottom of knowing that you deserve more a lot of times, you know, realizing that, that you do deserve more and that more is available to you. So I think for me, it just people have to be aware and open to it agree to set that precedence and then taking that responsibility to know that if I can say okay, what is my part within it? It's not to say that something was okay if there was a wrongdoing, but it's about to say, how can I get underneath at this root cause of like, Why did I allow that? Why did I allow that kind of behavior in my job or relationship? Why is, you know, hmm, that's interesting. Well, now I choose that I have more self worth, I choose to have a boundary, right, I'm choosing to not make a new decision. And those little steps will very quickly start to empower a person to realizing that they don't have to keep their past does not have to dictate their future, if we don't allow it. So it's kind of like creating that clean slate pivot, when we can do that, Brandon Handley 55:35 like that, right, you know, kind of breaking away from your default mode network of thinking and start to make these conscious choices and decisions and taking that 100% responsibility for yourself and seeing how that begins to change your life. Right. It's so powerful. So thanks for sharing that I liked I liked it walkthrough that. You mentioned, you had something that you would like to give to the audience. What was that? Jen Gilchrist 56:06 Oh, yes, definitely. So I have I have the masterclass series for those that this is resonating with, I think you're really gonna love it, there's probably over six hours worth of content and video training. It's a masterclass series that starts to teach you, there's four days, and it teaches you about how to communicate how your intuition works, how to communicate with your spiritual team, how to start to actually cultivate that and bring that now each day I'll give practical implementable exercise exercises that you can bring into your life to start to work with your spirit team to recognize your intuition. And then I teach you some healing tools as well as that TLC body meditation I spoke up like how can I start to get present? How can I start to now move that energy that might be stuck, maybe old emotions, or fears or doubts that are holding me back. And then I'd get a little bit deeper into how to how to utilize your intuition as a way to guide your life. So it starts to move you into being able to have the confidence and courage to take action on your intuitive guidance. And then there's a lot of healing. So each day, there's also healing work around clearing your fears and doubts around around things that we talked about today, the confidence and trust of your intuition, you're coming out of the spiritual closet, those types of things often come up as well as a lot of tools for the highly sensitive empathic person to not absorb everybody else's energy around them, which is ultimately what led me to my burnout. And I did show it. So I think it's in that series people walk away. I've had, you know, hundreds 1000s Actually, of comments, when I've run this live from people who have just taken, you know, big life changes for themselves away from this series. And so I'm excited to extend that to all of you there is that meditation that I spoke of as well, that daily practice that I think that they will enjoy. Brandon Handley 57:47 Megan, find that on your website. Jen Gilchrist 57:51 Yes, I can give you the link for that. It's soul success. unleashed.com is my website. But I think I would have to give you in the show notes, Brandon Handley 58:01 the meditations and the course on the master class. Thank you so much, Jen, thanks for being on today. Really enjoyed ourselves today. Jen Gilchrist 58:12 Awesome. Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure, and I'm super excited to connect with your audience. Bye for now. I Intro Guy 58:18 really hope you enjoyed this episode of the spiritual dove podcast. Stay connected with us directly through spiritual dove.co. You can also join the discussion on Facebook, spiritual and Instagram at spiritual underscore Joe. If you would like to speak with us, send us an email to Brandon at spiritual dough.co And as always, thank you for cultivating your mindset and creating a better reality. This i

Welcome to another episode of #FeminineFridays. This episode is very powerful today. As many of you know, I dealt with quite a bit of childhood trauma that left me with a spirit of rejection and fear. I lived in bondage until God freed me. I know many others struggle with these same spirits or some may not even know this is what is operating in their life, so I want you to listen to this today. Our basis scripture is Romans 8:15. And I believe, that as you listen to this, the same presence that I felt recording this will invade wherever you are. Let's get into these three points on deliverance from the spirit of fear and rejection and get back to the original design God has for our lives.{4:52} Be free from the orphan spirit and receive the Spirit of adoption from our Heavenly Father. Some of you have encountered lots of rejection and most of our problems as adults come from rejection. Studies have shown rejection can even be felt as a a baby. There's a difference between being rejected and receiving rejection. Growing up I knew that my mom loved me, but I felt very distant. Some of you may feel that same way - not receiving hugs, or having been affirmed or even able to cry as a child leads to rejection.  Once rejection is received it shows up as loneliness, not being able to connect with people and retreating within, but God is here to deliver you today. It's time to crossover to the new you and ask God if you are dealing with the spirit of rejection and be free. Wherever you are right now, receive God's love. {16:51} Embrace inner healing and deliverance. As a child, I remember my Mom was fasting and praying. A woman came over and said she wanted to talk to her. During this visit, the woman began to manifest demons and what I witnessed was terrifying - her body began to contort and she let out a scream.  What I witnessed caused me to be so fearful, I couldn't be in a room by myself. The spirit of fear gripped me so bad that even my hair began to fall out. I even developed skin problems at this time. That incident was the door the spirit of fear crept into and I struggled with it into adulthood, until I was delivered when I begged God to deliver me from the spirit of fear.  Once God delivered me from the spirit spirit of fear, he also delivered me from rejection. Rejection is the dominant spirit that hides behind fear when we aren't rooted in God's love and haven't full accepted the Spirit of adoption. {29:08} Embrace safe people, healthy people and those you can trust. There is healing there. One of my favorite verses, is Psalm 68:6. It says that God will set the lonely in families. You may not be close with your parents or family members, but God will supernaturally give you what you don't have. I've experienced this in my own life with my spiritual father. I God is going to give you a place to go and a people where you can lay you shoulder on express your pain. Today is a new day for you and I believe that angels of joy are coming to bring life into your atmosphere and you'll receive double for your trouble.ScripturesRomans 8:15Psalm 68:6Isaiah 61:7Psalm 27:10   

It's time to revel in the new hardcore punk, d-beat, metal punk and grindcore releases issued from August and September 2022. Grind 'til death!! (0:00) "Antisystem" DEPOPULATION DEPARTMENT - Starvation Starvation | Depopulation Department | Loner Cult (bandcamp.com) (2:12) "24" SYSTEMA - Muerte Muerte 7" | SYSTEMA | Symphony of destruction (bandcamp.com) (3:59) "Enimigos De La Razon" ABYECTA - Enimigos de La Razon Enemigos De La Razón 7" | ABYECTA | Symphony of destruction (bandcamp.com) (6:38) "Death Bringer" WOLVEN - War Poisoned Cult WOLVEN War Poisoned Cult | The Nox Entity (bandcamp.com) (10:13) "Freedom/Disarm" BLESS - War Hero War Hero | Bless (bandcamp.com) (12:24) "IGod" + "Grave Justice" MAXXPOWER - Split with SIDETRACKED MAXXPOWER (bandcamp.com) (14:28) "What Excuse" ULTOR - Planned Obsolescence Ultor (bandcamp.com) (17:33) "Future" WALK DON'T RUN - Loud Enough LOUD ENOUGH | walk don't run (bandcamp.com) (19:07) "Totaalinen Kaamos" VIVISEKTIO - Uusi Normaali Uusi normaali | VIVISEKTIO (bandcamp.com) (21:17) "Metal Taxation" INDUSTRIAL PUKE - Where Life Crisis Starts Where Life Crisis Starts | Industrial Puke | Suicide Records (bandcamp.com) (23:54) "Tensions Heightened" PULVINAR - Excessive Suffering Excessive Suffering | Pulvinar (bandcamp.com)

Just me on this one revealing how I had to let go of some things in order to move forward in my personal and work life. A huge revelation in how taking steps towards my purpose is leading to the future I God has for me.

Hello, and welcome to Beauty and the Biz where we talk about the business and marketing side of plastic surgery and how Sheila Barbarino, MD has practices in LA and Austin. I'm your host, Catherine Maley, author of Your Aesthetic Practice – What your patients are saying, as well as consultant to plastic surgeons, to get them more patients and more profits. Now, today's episode is called “Practices in LA and Austin. How? - with Sheila Barbarino, MD". When life throws you a curve ball, you have the choice to duck, run away or figure it out. That's what Sheila Barbarino, MD did. She figured it out. Dr. Barbarino, a cosmetic surgeon of the face and body has a thriving practice in LA with celebrity clientele, lots of PR media opportunities and a great reputation as the go-to source for expert techniques for injectables, laser and aesthetic devices. All was well until she experienced a pull to set up another practice in Austin, TX (you have to listen in to find out).    This week's Beauty and the Biz Podcast is my interview with Dr. Barbarino describing her journey from LA to Austin to worldwide lecturer, innovator and industry thought leader.  It's quite a ride! Visit Dr. Barbarino's Website  

00:00.00 Max Shank Us folk who call up customer support not knowing what to do sometimes turning it off and on again solves the problem and that's pretty weird. 00:10.23 mikebledsoe Yeah I worked in I t in my late teens early 20 s and 9 times out of 10 that was the solution. So. 00:22.98 Max Shank I remember recently maybe like a year ago getting a new router installed and like a wireless thing a router and a modem I suppose and trying to understand how that shit works is. Really there's a lot of shit going on back and forth between a lot of different places with that little box. It's insane. Um, sadly, it's one of those things I really don't feel like I've made much progress on I feel like I made a little bit of progress learning about. 00:44.89 mikebledsoe Yeah. 00:50.27 mikebledsoe It. 01:02.30 Max Shank Computer coding plumbing that sort of thing. But as soon as you start getting into the the cell signals and the wireless linkups and where everything's going. It gets a little hard to follow. 01:14.10 mikebledsoe Yeah I think ah well the basis of troubleshooting to be a good troubleshoter. Is you just have to understand how the system works in the None place it is binary all the way through it's it. But anytime like when I help Ashley with something. 01:25.13 Max Shank Binary all the way through. Yeah, that's what's so interesting. 01:33.72 mikebledsoe Some type of troubleshooting thing. Ah, it's ah it's basically because she doesn't understand how the whole system works. You don't know if check this and then this and then this um but we had um, we had a loss of water in our house a couple months ago I call the I call the city all this stuff. Guy comes out tells me I just need to clean my you know the filters and my faucets. Whatever that didn't work and come to find out that my hot water heater has some type of sensor that gets triggered when I have heavy rain that turns off the hot water heater. So. 02:07.95 Max Shank Aha. 02:10.64 mikebledsoe And' have I had cold water I didn't have hot water but I didn't didn you figure it out but there was a part of the system in which I didn't even know existed that I ended up discovering because there was an alarm going off in my attic where the hot water heaters at and it was faint. 02:11.92 Max Shank Ah, hi yeah. 02:27.52 Max Shank Aha. 02:29.81 mikebledsoe So yeah, troubleshooting is an interesting thing if you don't if you don't know the system knows detail. It's going to be difficult to figure out what's going on but sometimes when you need the troubleshoot. That's when we figure out how something actually works. 02:43.18 Max Shank Well, it's like the Layman doesn't even know what to check? let alone how to fix it. He he doesn't even have a checklist. You know if you at least have a checklist then you can maybe start somewhere and I think that's how I approach fitness. It's a little bit mechanical. Still. 02:49.69 mikebledsoe Um. 03:03.20 Max Shank Um, I feel like I'm torn. A lot of the time between just telling people to like go hike and dance and if you occasionally carry something heavy while you're hiking and climb on stuff. It'll all work out and then there are other times where I think of ah, a checklist for ah daily. Um. Movements that you might want to focus on like roll bounce balance crawl climb carry rub squeeze shake these different like little things that you can just check off None at a time and I guess it's good. It works for different personality types. But it's funny how they're sometimes very analytical like none you have this topic you have these 3 movements per topic boom boom boom very regimented and then other times I'm like yeah if you bounce around and shake your arms out. You'll you'll move your lymph so you're not in this stagnant toxicity. 03:41.88 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah. 03:56.54 Max Shank And then ah you know throw £20 in a backpack and go hike and climb on some stuff and you'll be relatively good enough. Just go enjoy that. 04:03.12 mikebledsoe Yeah I think that um you know this brings out the topic for me is structure and flow and if you don't have enough structure in place then finding flow is gonna be like flow that actually works So There's people who you know. Ah I'll see people preaching online about intuitive eating and and I go that actually doesn't work until someone has done some pretty like I'm an intuitive eater but I've done a bunch of hardcore diets where I've restricted myself heavily and I. 04:36.72 Max Shank Right. 04:41.57 mikebledsoe Tuned into when my body needs something or doesn't need something but the only you know if you were living off ice cream bars and and snickerdooodles then he's triggered folks then. 04:49.68 Max Shank I Feel attacked. 04:58.55 mikebledsoe Like your your a ability to tap into what your body actually needs is is diminished and so I think the same thing happens with with fitness like you and I both have a really deep understanding of like we've gone through like really structured stuff for so long that we worked on stuff. We would not normally have worked on. But now that we have we can tell like when I go in the gym I go yeah I don't work this this skill or this part of my body feels weak like I need to I need to shore it up and and do some stuff but I'm preparing for a spartan race. And run the beast at the end of September by the way anyone I'm doing a spartan race doing the world championships in Tahoe September Twenty Fourth anyone who or yeah, love ta ha any excuse to go so I'm gonna run the race and. 05:36.85 Max Shank Is this a real story. You're gonna be doing a Spartan race. 05:45.60 Max Shank I was just there last week oh my god get out of here. 05:55.19 mikebledsoe Ceo of Spartan Joe Decenna he gave me an unlimited amount of free registrations for my friends who all want to run it with me. He said I could have 200 people if I want and so ah, by the way if anyone wants to go run that race with me the. 06:02.30 Max Shank Wow in Lake Tahill oh my god. 06:14.75 mikebledsoe Will be the strong coach team will be just Dm me I'll send you the links to to get registered and yeah I want to have like 200 people running that race. All of us start together finish together. 06:24.29 Max Shank Wow Same t-shirts on everybody like a excellent little ah tribe cult something or other I mean look it's a group. There are a lot of words for group Cult is a bit of a trigger word right. 06:33.17 mikebledsoe You know what? I just ordered a bunch of t-shirts we can do. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, our cult is the best and ah so we're. 06:42.69 Max Shank But that's what it is None rule in every cult. Our cult is the best thou shalt have no other cults or cult masters above me god the beakram yoga guy same same same rules. 06:50.53 mikebledsoe Yes. 06:55.33 mikebledsoe Ah, yeah, ah yeah, probably so I'm preparing for that race and I've run it a couple times with very little preparation I did okay but I noticed that every time I run the race. The thing that bothers me the most is my knees hurt the last. 07:04.11 Max Shank Or. 07:13.16 Max Shank Of. 07:14.60 mikebledsoe Quarter of it lot of downhill on rocks but I can make my knees stronger. There's things I can do to improve that My grip strength is definitely a limiter near the end. There's so much climbing so much picking and carrying things and um, like. 07:27.46 Max Shank Interesting I am. 07:34.39 mikebledsoe Overall cardio doesn't seem to be that big of ah a limiter I mean it it is but compared to just ah yeah, because near the end of the race you're picking up a None tire too. So you've run a dozen miles up and down hills carrying sandbags and buckets of sands and shit. 07:50.20 Max Shank The. 07:52.00 mikebledsoe And then it's like okay now flip this tire. So yeah, the the things I notice I'm like oh what I need to train for is I need to improve my grip strength endurance I need to improve my knee health and strength and I need to be able to pick up just heavy shit. And need to pick up something heavy every once in a while in in I say about three hundred pounds three hundred 08:11.78 Max Shank How heavy we talking I think it's I think it's a great topic that we just touched on here because it's nice to get practical because kind of like it. It all comes full circle. It's very similar to. Knowing how to make a great recipe so you go from a guy who just chops up the vegetables to the guy who's assembling everything together the line cook and then you got the head Chef who's doing you know flavor profiles and combinations and he's the artist and that kind of ties us back to that intuitive eating. 08:44.69 mikebledsoe Yeah. Yeah, yeah. 08:50.26 Max Shank You were talking about if you have no intuition to intuit like what the fuck are you doing like I've I've been really mindfully eating these twinkies and I'm really intuitively you know I feel like I could walk about None steps and burn these up that seems like a reasonable. Exchange you will never you I'm still surprised how efficient we are at utilizing at saving calories. Anyway. 09:13.33 mikebledsoe Yeah, what you can um ho that makes me think you can hone intuition and the only way to hone it is you got to be paying attention to the results. So so the twinkie 10 steps thing. It's a great idea. But say someone eats twinkies does ten steps day after day after day and they just get fatter and fatter. Then if you're paying you go? Oh well so the intuition is something that gets calibrated and it gets calibrated by results. So the people who lack intuition. 09:38.35 Max Shank Totally. 09:50.96 mikebledsoe I find just aren't paying attention to the results because if you're paying attention to the inputs and the outputs then you're going to be honing that intuition. But if you're not paying attention to those things then you'll never have it and you'll just suffer and struggle through life. 10:05.50 Max Shank Is it I think of it like intuition is a certain openness and then the way to hone it like you said is to take that intuition and harmonize it with your wisdom which is. 10:23.31 mikebledsoe You know. 10:23.90 Max Shank All the stuff that you've learned with respect to who you authentically are which which is some combination of your genes and your experiences and the weird stories you believe. But I think it's about harmonizing that like openness gut. Instinct Raw like Curiosity spark of inspiration. Whatever and then passing it through okay is this is this congruent on some level with what I have experienced and then from there having the openness to try something new or having the resolve to. Go is something that you have good experience with so ah, intuitive training is where I was going with it so we went intuitive cooking to eating to training now. 11:00.42 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, agreed but going back going back to Spartan Race and intuition and I I know that yeah yeah so now it's I know that I need to work on a handful of things if I want to enjoy myself on the race more I'll experience less pain and suffering I know I'm Goingnna finish. But how much pain how much pain am I going to finish it. So yeah, so. 11:18.67 Max Shank Oh. 11:29.90 Max Shank We all want that for you. 11:37.15 mikebledsoe Basically just start mapping it out and I have an idea for like what things I'm going to train on one day's but I'm not writing out the specific exercises and if I get to that day and I realize I still haven't recovered from this or that or whatever I'm making adjustments along the way. So I got ten weeks 11:37.78 Max Shank Um. 11:47.50 Max Shank Um, so so you'll so you'll have ten weeks until that I mean look I'll take any excuse almost any excuse to go back to Lake Tahoe ah although as a rule I typically only run when I'm chasing something or being chased could I be a chaser I feel like that's more my nature honestly. 12:05.13 mikebledsoe We can. We could make that work I think we should just find a really fast hot girl to run in front of you and. 12:17.96 Max Shank I'll catch her so fast. It will be game over I'll I'll run one fortieth of the race. Um, no, but so is your checklist then for. 12:26.31 mikebledsoe Oh. 12:34.75 Max Shank You're let's say you're like filling in the gaps right? And that's another thing I would love to talk about at some point is the difference in mentality between just fluffing up your ego and a few certain things versus really looking for like really looking for. Where you have the ability to improve right? Ah, it's It's a checkup. 12:54.71 mikebledsoe Well, that's why I run the spartan race every year I go to tahoe every fall and I run it. It's and it's an annual checkup I only have to go once a year and I know yeah. 13:04.31 Max Shank Um, Dr Spartan Doctor Spartan Dr Spartan says he fucking suck it hanging. 13:11.19 mikebledsoe Yeah, So it's like well it's a good check because there's very few skills that you're not going to practice out there. Um, So there's some that are going to be left off for sure. But in ah in a single day you're going to know a lot about yourself. And so I really love it for that. 13:30.39 Max Shank Well here's ah, here's a little phrase I like it's ah done today able tomorrow done today able tomorrow and it's kind of a shorter version of if you don't use it. You lose it. 13:39.60 mikebledsoe M. 13:49.53 Max Shank And ah, a positive version. So I'm guessing for your annual tahoe checkup that you do almost nothing related to the spartan race for about ten months and then you do two months of like. Very dedicated training for it is that would you say that's correct. 14:11.46 mikebledsoe Yeah, you're spot on. Maybe even let maybe more like eleven months typically this is is it's 10 weeks I'm I'm um, this is the most prepared I've gone in so far I even ran this past weekend. 14:17.24 Max Shank Ah, you did just say eight weeks so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. But. Are. 14:30.72 mikebledsoe And um I don't do that ah very often at all. 14:33.79 Max Shank I I feel like you have this knowing that you can do nothing activity wise and still finish that Spartan race. Yeah I see it. 14:46.24 mikebledsoe That's the problem. Yeah. 14:50.67 Max Shank I Wish you guys could see his face right now. 14:53.28 mikebledsoe Ah, ah. 14:56.80 Max Shank Ah I was just thinking strategically if I were going to recommend to someone how to prepare for such an experience. Ah it wouldn't be the way that you're talking about. It's far from optimal in terms of a progressive. 15:03.82 mikebledsoe No, no, no, it's definitely far from optimal. Yeah I Just want to not hurt I Want to see because last time my knees. 15:15.50 Max Shank Adaptation right? So but not that bad right? like like ten months off a year hey I think that's totally a fair trade quite honestly, it's. 15:23.31 mikebledsoe Yeah, like it's only one day of pain one one day of pain. Yeah. 15:33.36 Max Shank It would be a lot of hours throughout the year otherwise but let's say you train five days a week for the next ten weeks is that about right. 15:42.37 mikebledsoe Ah, we'll call it 4 But yeah, None is aggressive for me I'm ah I need a lot of time to recover. 15:45.15 Max Shank Um, okay, so none a lot I was just thinking though if instead of forty days out of sixty days if you did. Fifty two days out of none what the difference in bet because that would be once a week just thinking mathematically, that's probably what I would recommend somebody do. But then again the thing I really recommend is move around a little bit every day. Why wouldn't you. It's like. 16:04.20 mikebledsoe A. 16:18.66 mikebledsoe Do yeah well I already do that. So that's why the that's why I liked. That's what I do I I move nice and easy every day and then when it comes to something like this do some sports specific training ramp it up. 16:21.87 Max Shank It's like you get to make it's like you get to make deposits and compound daily instead of weekly. E. 16:36.26 mikebledsoe And then I go back to being lazy. It's great. Definitely not running too far. 16:38.76 Max Shank And not running too far I can I can run after a tennis ball or like a soccer ball or frisbee or something like that. But when it's like hey just run over there. Part of me is like why. 16:51.93 mikebledsoe Yeah I like to I like to eat a little bit of mushrooms at the starting line and hang. You know it's a time to hang out with my friends in nature. That's that's really the way to go don't tell Joe that I do that the start of his race. 17:01.50 Max Shank Nice and it. 17:08.64 mikebledsoe Take performance enhancing mushrooms. 17:09.54 Max Shank Yeah I won't tell him on our public podcast. 17:14.44 mikebledsoe This is the members only section. What do you want to talk about today up out showing the nipple. 17:17.25 Max Shank Oh there's the members only section hang on that's the nipples Lefty writing. Okay, if you have a formula that works you stick with it. 17:31.47 mikebledsoe That's right, still don't have the membership side up you but we'll get there. Um, it's probably good that have a number of these banked since they' probably 15 toy minutes piece ah topics for today 1 um. 17:33.80 Max Shank Perfect. It's coming. 17:46.73 mikebledsoe 1 that is on top of my mind is ah I don't know that's what fit in maybe this will be just good for the members only to to hear but my brother is currently in Washington d c on trial for January six yeah Yeah 18:03.10 Max Shank Bumbom bum. 18:05.51 mikebledsoe He is according to some bumbling idiots a domestic terrorist that is a very scary phrase. 18:11.77 Max Shank Oh good God That's a scary phrase I've hey ah you're you're breaking up I I can't be seen talking to you anymore I'm out of here. 18:20.31 mikebledsoe Um, ah anyways, yeah, um, he he got caught up in the crowd that walked into the the ah was it called the capitol building and ah. 18:31.80 Max Shank Point life. 18:39.49 mikebledsoe Yeah I was. 18:40.18 Max Shank I'm sure that happened exactly the way they say it happened right? Sure it happened. However, folks say it happened come on I Hope he's okay I hope it works out. Okay for him. 18:44.99 mikebledsoe Whoever they are. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so it. So that's he's in good spirits. He's um, yeah, he's my mom's up there with him and it's It's hard of my mom. That's the worst part. 19:02.20 Max Shank Oh yeah. 19:02.80 mikebledsoe Because I my brother. He's even my brother hat here's the thing is everything that I know that if justice prevails he walks away scott free but I don't yeah, we're not witnessing justice and you know that the United States department of justice. 19:08.60 Max Shank Ah, but. 19:22.89 mikebledsoe Doesn't It's like the opposite of that. So. 19:23.60 Max Shank That was a big weight off my shoulders when I stopped expecting Justice to happen and then getting frustrated when it didn't now it's more like if it does I'm pleasantly surprised but I kind of have this understanding that it's a doggy dog world and some people use. 19:28.18 mikebledsoe Um, to bonus. 19:41.99 Max Shank Dicks and some people use language and really people are just trying to help some help each other out fuck each other over dog eat dog. Whatever it's fine like but don't don't live your life expecting like oh that's not fair. Someone should make this fair. It's like yo don't don't expect that. 19:59.20 mikebledsoe That's you're gonna be miserable if you think if you want things to be fair. 20:01.74 Max Shank I lived that I lived that life a man in search of Justice got fucking idiot. 20:06.71 mikebledsoe Ah, yeah, so that's going on this week so I'm going to be I'm lucky that I'll be spending the majority of my time this week hunting. So I won't be cut up and I'll be off off grid for a few days. 20:19.51 Max Shank A. 20:24.50 mikebledsoe I mean I wish I could do something support him I Really don't have any like he's kind of like where he's at. There's not really much I can do at this point. So. 20:33.49 Max Shank There's a lot of situations like that where people say what's going on. You really have nothing to add. You're like I guess talk to an attorney and no one else and don't say anything and that's it like what else can you do. 20:43.74 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, um, yeah, have no idea. So yeah, that's an interesting thing So I'll be I'll be witnessing that and probably getting messages through the family text message thread. Yeah. 20:47.64 Max Shank Yeah. 20:56.21 Max Shank While while you're hunting What are you hunting for. 21:01.54 mikebledsoe Wild boar. So um. 21:02.71 Max Shank And your true self. 21:07.64 mikebledsoe My truest self I ought for sure. So yeah I don't know that really I mean that's not really a topic I think I part I already said everything that there is but it's all my mind. So no. 21:10.13 Max Shank Ah. 21:18.38 Max Shank Um, definitely something on your mind though Yo that's a man, especially for your mom too. That's tough. 21:28.20 mikebledsoe Yeah, real tough. Well he he also has 2 daughters. So yeah, yeah, it's ah. 21:32.20 Max Shank Oh my God they opened the door for him did he knock down a door. No come on you walk through a door. What's the big deal. 21:40.83 mikebledsoe No, no, they walked through a door that police officers were holding open. There's it's ah it's pretty ridiculous. That's and it's ridiculous. 21:52.12 Max Shank Yeah, that's what I mean it's like let some lawyer do that I realize it's like ah mathematics is so that you can explain more with less and law is so you can explain less with more. It's like the exact opposite. 22:08.38 mikebledsoe Yeah. 22:12.40 Max Shank Of the language of the universe. It's such a fucking cluster fuck. It's disgusting that that's where my shadow self comes out. It's like oh let's just skin those fuckers alive for abusing the language to rape the people. 22:17.11 mikebledsoe It's it's disgusting. 22:24.68 mikebledsoe Yeah, well if you if you're initiating violence then I think that it's in who are you know whoever is experiencing the violence from somebody else has a right to defend themselves and I think what we have is a bunch of people who've twisted up some words that. 22:37.36 Max Shank Hundred percent 22:43.76 mikebledsoe And then convinced these people who are supposed to be peace officers to go conduct violence and it's ah it's really frustrating. It's really frustrating situation. Yeah, it is outrageous. Yeah. 22:50.10 Max Shank Um, it's outrageous. Yeah I mean it all depends what you compare it to like before the King could just say off with his head and you're like huh This is I get this is better than that for sure like it's way better for a lot of reasons. But. 23:04.58 mikebledsoe It is better than that. Yeah, the the principles the same. The principle is the same. Yeah. 23:09.48 Max Shank You know, still you got to hold the line on some level right? and I think that's what you and I that's kind of what you and I talk about right is it's not that like we want to help people free themselves like I often say I don't want to be your mama like I don't want to control anybody I don't want to be responsible for them either. Like I don't think that's a ah good trade. That's what makes these folks who think they know best for everybody their existence So sad is they believe that at some point they will finally feel safe or good enough or whatever when they tell enough other people what to do with their meddling ways. But. You know it's just never enough and they're always feeling totally um at odds or at War within the present Moment. It's pretty fucked up actually. 23:56.63 mikebledsoe It makes and makes it for those of us folks that just mind our own business. Just yeah, it can be irritating. But if you get really good at mining your own business. They usually leave you alone. 24:10.64 Max Shank Yeah I would agree with that I think ah like most people that just leave alone I mean minus like the the fractional. Slavery that we all participated but there are positive aspects undeniably. So It's done horribly bad but there are positive aspects so you like got to keep that optimism though. Maybe no no opt fuck man. 24:24.00 mikebledsoe Um, yeah. 24:34.10 mikebledsoe Yeah, maybe we'll see yeah walk. Yeah. 24:41.37 Max Shank If you have no optimism you just don't do anything. That's that's the line is if you don't feel like there's a hope or belief for something positive in the future. Even if it's like I'm going to paint a picture later make ah sausage macaroni and cheese. You know you you got to have some. Ah. 24:58.57 mikebledsoe Yeah, what I I think I think the reality of it is is like we we look at the entire system and it's and it's really gross, but the what I look at like the the way we got here is because people didn't stand on principle. 25:00.71 Max Shank Belief or hope for the future. 25:17.49 mikebledsoe Ah, long time ago and so this thing is blood so far in and if you try to take it back on principle all the way back to where it should be to where the consent you know I give consent or not if you take it all the way back to the principle which is what happens is people snap out of it and go oh my God I never gave consent. 25:24.37 Max Shank Um, right. 25:35.44 Max Shank Right. 25:37.19 mikebledsoe And ah, you know they realize they're being rape and they then they go Oh I'm going to draw the line back where it should be and that's jarring like Society Society has a really hard time going adjusting to where things should be. 25:47.86 Max Shank Right. Oh Man So true. 25:54.97 mikebledsoe And yeah, so we got to like when I look at I go. How do we like stare step this thing back gradually the same way it got in which is going to be way harder to do than how we got here. It's kind of like losing weight so much easier to get fat. 26:10.27 Max Shank Yo you know what? it's like it's exactly like someone finally drawing boundaries with another person and the person who has been infringing on the boundaries unknowingly. 26:20.20 mikebledsoe Right. 26:27.67 Max Shank Because that None person has not been drawing those boundaries. They're totally shocked. They're like whoa this is a completely different person because it's such a big separation from that false ah boundary that you had that false front. Um. 26:40.91 mikebledsoe Yeah I what do you want? Do the show today. You want to do boundaries I know if we did boundaries or not yet. 26:48.35 Max Shank Ah, probably I mean I think the the power of no is like None of my favorite none principles concepts and um, ah. Feel like I almost drone on about that all the time but that's almost the only important thing is like can you say no and then can you can you hear No the no callous. Um I don't know if that's a full topic but we could talk about tahoe. 27:15.30 mikebledsoe Yeah, all right I like that the power of no, we don't have to go. You know we have to go like an hour hou hour hou hour fifteen every time we can just say the power of no and we got the. 27:31.38 Max Shank Have we done the power of no before. 27:31.97 mikebledsoe This section which is almost a half hour already I don't think so I don't remember writing that one down. Yeah. 27:37.43 Max Shank Ah, okay, well let's let's try a power of no slash like tahoe. Yeah, sure. 27:44.79 mikebledsoe Yeah, all right? you want can get off. 27:52.65 Max Shank Oh you mean like right now. Okay hey everybody welcome back to Monday mornings with max and Mike Today we're gonna talk to you about the power of no and the power of 1 of the most beautiful places ever. Lake. 27:53.70 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, like right now. 28:12.56 Max Shank Tahoe on the border of Nevada and California thanks for tuning in everybody mikey. Thanks for joining me again. 28:19.00 mikebledsoe of course. of course so um we're going to get that power of no, but yeah, just a quick quick note I will be arriving in tahoe the week of September Twenty four to run a spartan race. 28:26.98 Max Shank Are. 28:36.90 mikebledsoe And anybody who wants to join me. They get a free registration Joe Decena the Ceo of Spartan Race basically gifted us as many registrants as we want. So if you want to run the race with me shoot me up in the Dms and ah I'll be prepping for that I don't know if I'll be posting my training. Ah, hate posting training online but people fucking. Love it. 28:57.25 Max Shank I want to see tupper wares fully your food all lined up in a row for this I want to see you get serious like 1 of those like actual you know, athlete folks. Ah. 29:11.60 mikebledsoe I I kind of enjoy I enjoy that I don't have to do that and I'll still beat some of those people like I remember I remember. 29:20.57 Max Shank Um, oh yeah, we know? ah. 29:26.24 mikebledsoe Remember 4 was it four years ago I was running the race and I had ah None my buddies with me and 1 of the guys he bought and sold cannabis for a living so he may or may not have been classified as a drug dealer now we halfway through the race. My edible. Was wearing off and I was like oh no I'm feeling sober and he looks over and pulls out a little plastic wrapped joint and whips it out on the trail we blaze it halfway through gets me through the end of the race and um. 29:55.36 Max Shank Wow. Um, how long is this race. Oh a spartan race is eighteen miles holy god 30:03.46 mikebledsoe Eighteen miles well they have different links but this 1 is eighteen miles with four thousand feet of elevation climb. So. 30:15.96 Max Shank Sounds horrible. 30:18.84 mikebledsoe Yeah, it's pretty largerous and you're gonna do a swim at the top. It's it's like ° at this pond at the top of the hill they say 21 k but it could be as long as some years. It's longer than others but the year they. 30:22.68 Max Shank Jesus None obstacles for this spartan race. Um, good god. 30:35.26 mikebledsoe The year that they told me it was gonna be thirteen miles and end up being 18 Ah so at least well it's 30 obstacles. So it's we'll say it's thirteen miles so hop marathon plus thirty obstacles. 30:42.96 Max Shank Dude, that's that's like a None marathon at least is what we're talking. We're talking about a None marathon. 30:52.92 Max Shank Oh. 30:54.39 mikebledsoe Where you're carrying heavy things up and down the mountain. Ah, you know, maybe a hundred to two hundred yards at a time. So it's. 30:58.73 Max Shank Wow I'm interested to look into the obstacles a little bit more it sounds exciting but it doesn't sound like what I would want to actually do it. It does seem more fun. 31:12.67 mikebledsoe Yeah I mean that's why I. 31:17.99 Max Shank Then a race I saw that went through Death Valley 120 or something miles finished started in Death Valley hottest place in the world and then finished at the base of Mount Whitney in California and I just happened to we just drove through it. On the way back from tahoe and we saw these ah skeletons covered in ah bright white underarmor clothing from head to toe stumbling. It was just I was just thinking I can't think of a worse. Ah, athletic event than. Ah, hundred plus mile run through Death Valley that's obscene to me amazing that we can do it amazing that people can push to that limit. 31:57.25 mikebledsoe Yeah, it's tough. It's tough. It is obscene. Yeah, yeah, but yeah, well anyways, yeah, a few years ago I ran the race. We peeled off smoke the joint and there were half the people running by were jealous and the other half were disgusted. 32:21.87 Max Shank Yeah I think it'll be a different percentage now. Probably I think less discussed more more jealousy. It's one of those things. 32:23.28 mikebledsoe That we would do such a thing during a race.. What do you think?? What do you think it's going to be probably probably people people are having to learn how to enjoy themselves and the people that are gonna come out in race right now. Probably. Ah, a little bit looser. 32:46.89 Max Shank I'm surprised that ah Spartan had that many prudes Anyway I think it's more of a judgment call because I bet there are a bunch of booze bags judging that right. 32:53.20 mikebledsoe I Don't you know I don't know I don't think so I think a lot of them are pretty clean. 32:58.29 Max Shank I Mean not personally like you know I'm not into kink shaming like whatever you want to do coffee ah cocoa puffs like that's a cereal right? Coco puffs like chocolate Chocolate Mu Balls essentially. 33:15.61 mikebledsoe It's a it's a dessert disguised as a breakfast. 33:17.67 Max Shank But food is drugs. Coffee is drugs alcohol is drugs weed is drugs you might as well take something that's going to make your endurance better I mean that's that's definitely something right? That's what you're talking about that's what weed's for endurance. Wow. 33:30.70 mikebledsoe That's what the weeds for yeah oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, um, t hc binds the same receptor as ah, the name of it is eskating me but it's up. It's it's what causes the runners high and so Tc binds are the same one so you basically fall into that groove a lot sooner and the more time you spend in that groove the better your endurance is going to be because your nervous system is in a rhythm and it's. 33:48.80 Max Shank 1 34:03.29 Max Shank Um. 34:04.90 mikebledsoe It's calm and you're breathing really well and so ah, yeah, cannabis is ah you know amongst the people who know about it. There's a lot of endurance athletes who use it and it's it's great for that. Not great for picking up something heavy None time or moving incredibly fast. But for for repetitive motion over a long period of time. It's ah it's a wonderful substance. 34:31.63 Max Shank Um, definitely an endurance performance enhancer. 34:36.51 mikebledsoe Yeah, one of my favorite things to do when I was living in California was eating edible wait an hour and then just go run on the beach until I got tired I like go run on the beach I'd get tired I'd go swimming I'd run a little more go swimming crawl around. 34:53.80 Max Shank Um, sounds pretty complex and scientific ah program design there. Ah. 34:53.88 mikebledsoe Ah, was fucking weird about there. 35:03.81 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, um, you do we want to get in the power of no. 35:09.15 Max Shank Yeah, because you need to set some boundaries so that you can make your spartan race training a little bit more serious none of this like I'm going to sit on my ass for ten months and then just train for two months we need. We need to set boundaries. For spartan training year-round. It's time for you to take this seriously. 35:30.56 mikebledsoe Yeah, Well I Think what you're getting at is you know when I when I think about boundaries and the power of no like boundaries is your ability to say no and there's internal boundaries and then external Boundaries. So Most people I find that I get ah angry when I. When I cross my internal boundaries I might project that out on somebody else, but the yeah the internal boundaries I got to tell myself no to staying up late when I know I'm gonna train the next day I gotta be able to tell myself no to eating that donut or whatever it is and. 36:00.44 Max Shank On here. 36:07.55 mikebledsoe That can be really really difficult. But I think that at the core of that is really good I'm surrounded by good stuff. It's um, it's unfair. 36:08.92 Max Shank Especially if the stuff is really good like like saying no to broccoli is way easier than saying no to crack probably probably I think ah. 36:18.94 mikebledsoe Yeah I. Oh Man I Once had a friend who had tried crackout and he was like dude you should definitely try it because it's so good and don't know like make sure you don't know where to get more because you'll go get more. Oh go. Okay. 36:43.00 Max Shank Um, I mean he clearly doesn't think you're a very good detective but like you have this mind altertering experience. That's like nothing you've ever had and you're. 36:43.61 mikebledsoe That sounds like I'm not going to try it. Yeah. 37:00.30 Max Shank Willingness to do some detective work to find someone is like 0 I mean you could find crack. 37:02.96 mikebledsoe That's what you got like have someone drop you off on a desert island for like a week and then you know hit it on the first day. So I think that's the way that's how you have to go. 37:11.92 Max Shank Um, how to do crack by Mike Blood so how to ah. 37:17.74 mikebledsoe Um, but yeah, going back to the boundaries. The no is like telling yourself no is basically parenting yourself most people don't have good internal boundaries and they do a bunch of shit that they know that if they let children do that same thing. They would be doing that child a disservice. 37:41.20 Max Shank I've heard that when you can parent yourself is when you are considered an adult. That's one definition that I like of it I'm I'm not there yet myself. Um. 37:46.79 mikebledsoe Yep. Um, that's a definition I like to run around with. 37:56.50 Max Shank With everything ah or or or am I I mean something I think about is like you're really just making bets cost benefit analysis. So as long as you're getting what you want out of it. That's. 37:56.51 mikebledsoe No, not with everything I think it's a lifelong thing adulting. 38:15.15 mikebledsoe Yeah, and over time though. 38:15.58 Max Shank It's all good like do I drink too much coffee. That's that's a question I've been thinking about lately because I drink a lot of coffee maybe like four four ah diluted cups a day. 38:22.32 mikebledsoe Why have you been thinking about it. 38:30.70 mikebledsoe So what? What? What? What? Why could that? be bad for you. 38:33.12 Max Shank Pour in oh I have no idea I mean I've I've read into like some of the reasons why but I just wonder if it's if it's worth being such a regular part of the routine and and there's not really ah, a clear and definitive answer on it. 38:49.00 mikebledsoe I think that coffee was popularized as a healthy thing by bulletproof Dave Asprey did a really good job of making it. Okay, um oh yeah. 39:00.88 Max Shank Um, you think so I thought I thought it was like reasonably healthy before. 39:06.71 mikebledsoe Um I don't think it was held on the same pedestal I mean it's considered like a health product. At this point if you buy the right coffee you're drink you're drinking the smart intelligent healthy coffee. But if you drink the other coffee. You're just a. 39:14.91 Max Shank In. 39:20.99 Max Shank Um, well, it's like how about smart water. How about that brand Are you kidding me as Genius The bottles are very liked by hikers because they're pretty sturdy and very lightweight but we were thinking about the branding of smart water. 39:25.66 mikebledsoe Yeah, muggle. 39:31.57 mikebledsoe Blew it away. 39:40.92 Max Shank That that takes a lot of balls right? Smart I mean you would think someone must have thought of that before but look at that smartwater the smart coach. 39:48.50 mikebledsoe Maybe maybe I should have called my business. The smart coach instead of the strong coach. 39:58.97 Max Shank I Mean technically that's more what you would want. 39:59.00 mikebledsoe Ah, the smart Coach fuck. 40:03.36 Max Shank You just have you just have pictures of these like really buff idiots. Ah I ah man. Okay, so look boundaries being able to say no. 40:12.35 mikebledsoe Ah, er. 40:23.30 Max Shank To yourself is that's basically wisdom right? because you're not going purely off instinct and we talked a little bit about intuition and instinct in the pre-show today right? Well, there's a pre-show and you'll see my nipples. 40:34.10 mikebledsoe Ah, we didn't mention the pre-show. 40:42.69 Max Shank I at least show them on camera. So if you're listening, you'll know when they're there and we talk about some pretty cool stuff I liked the pre-show today. 40:50.17 mikebledsoe Yeah, the pre-show was loaded with good content today and and personal sharing information. so yeah yeah yeah so um at some point. 40:59.95 Max Shank That's true. There was some good personal sharing. It's like a little therapy session for all of us there. 41:07.75 mikebledsoe The bloodsideher dot Com I'll have a link set up so that you can get access to the ah the membership site which will be donation based. That's all all back to boundaries. 41:13.65 Max Shank Um, Boom back to boundaries boundaries with yourself say no to drugs such a funny phrase right? I mean that's why I always love coffee as the example, right? they're they're talking about like crack and that stuff. Um. Being able to say no to other people is not a skill that everyone has. They're really concerned that people won't like them anymore if they draw the boundary they actually want and what's funny is sometimes that's true because you're growing up. People are pretty immature. And then you're an adult and people are still pretty immature and if you do something that someone doesn't like they'll treat you different. So It's normal that you would try to be either accommodating or more dominating in order to get.. It's like whatever ah strategy you learned. And so if you're one of the accommodating Types. You're going to feel really nervous to say no to people and I can I can take a lot to get back into the rotation and like I said earlier the people who you draw those boundaries with suddenly are going to feel ah like whiplash. 42:14.92 mikebledsoe Yeah. 42:29.12 mikebledsoe Yeah, the um yeah, you're you're when you set a new boundary or you know, maybe it's a boundary that you've had internally that you've never communicated and then you say you know what I'm going to communicate this boundary right now and people. 42:29.30 Max Shank There's gonna be a shock. 42:48.33 mikebledsoe Are expecting you to behave a certain way and when you verbalize a boundary for the None time you break that expectation and when people expect something to happen and it doesn't happen. They get they get attached to whatever story that. They have you in and when you when you fuck that story up by setting a new boundary. They yeah is really interesting how they might respond I think that's one of those things where ah that I've learned through a lot of the personal development work I've done is. I I might come out of a workshop and go. Oh Yeah I I have not been I discovered this boundary I've had I haven't been communicating it and then now my homework is to go communicate it and the process of and it takes a lot of courage to do that because the process of of. The unknown like by doing that you're stepping into the unknown you have no idea how the other person is going to respond and it's going to cause that person some level of stress consciously or or subconsciously and that's to me the practice of surrender is really. Saying what's true for you and then just again, we go back to paying attention paying attention to what how people respond to that and then adjust from there but there's no way to predict how someone's gonna ah respond to a new boundary I say most of the time when I'm. When I have a worst case scenario in my head about how someone's gonna respond to me. It almost never comes True. It's like that. The anticipation of how this person might respond to this is way worse. 44:31.54 Max Shank Right. Well I've been holding back a lot. Actually I don't want to hurt your feelings you seem sensitive to me. Ah, all joking aside, um I agree with you completely. 44:43.47 mikebledsoe Ah I am very sensitive. Yeah. 44:55.10 Max Shank I think that when you are used to being accommodating and I'm not saying it's bad to be accommodating, but basically you fall into what I call a predictable strategy. It's just a predictable strategy or predictable plan. I learned that if I do this thing then I get this response and like you were saying we prefer that known pain or discomfort of not being true to ourselves to the unknown of holy fuck will will this person say that they hate me will they tell me to go fuck myself if i. Draw the boundary that I actually want to draw and there's even that that Mark Twain quote because I know you're big fan of Twain. He said that his tailor was the only reasonable man he ever met because he took my measurement new each time while everybody else. Measured me against who I was and I always thought that was a really nice None expectations not being met is kind of the root of all disappointment necessarily right? So people get mad when their expectations are not met. They get sad and their expectations are not. Matt but really, it's just an attachment to this future outcome and if you can get curious about the future to me. That's the best forward thinking mentality because it has a little bit of. Joy a little bit of excitement and it also kind of I think harmonizes the relationship with the unknown a little bit. It makes it a little more of a positive thing like when you say oh the storms can be unpredictable. You're like whoa. It's like a scary unknown almost. But. You're like I'm curious to see um, what the what the weather is like tomorrow. It feels very different. Yeah, so basically you're. 46:53.82 mikebledsoe Very different energy. 47:01.72 Max Shank By not drawing your boundary. You're admitting that you're attached to the response of the other person and and you think that is actually more valuable in your cost benefit analysis than saying what you really feel which would be drawing a boundary. 47:06.14 mikebledsoe Yeah. 47:17.71 mikebledsoe Saying No yeah I think I think um, ah yeah, big big part of the the pinch we're in in the world right? now is a lack of people I think sought out. 47:21.19 Max Shank Yeah, it's pretty big. It's big month. 47:37.55 mikebledsoe To be to to harmonize and to not rock the boat and so there's kind of like a death by a thousand cuts is like oh you know what? because values and boundaries go hand in hand this um that this value has been. You know I'm doing something or going along with something. It's not really in alignment with my values but it seems like the rest of the group want Yeah yeah, yeah. 48:02.98 Max Shank The greater good the greater good the greater good. It's same old story man the great the greater good. You can convince people of just about anything if it's for some sort of greater. Good. 48:18.58 mikebledsoe Um, how vague is the greater good like when people say the greater good. 48:24.13 Max Shank What's more vague. Nothing is more vague. The great or bad I mean like it's It's a ridiculous phrase. It's this. It's this totally. Um, unscientific assumption that if you concentrate the decision making. 48:30.22 mikebledsoe It's a ridiculous phrase. 48:41.76 Max Shank To this guy. It'll be overall better off and we still don't know demonetized here. We come de you monetized. We still don't know if our ah emergency break reaction to whatever the fuck has been going on the last couple of years actually is better than doing literally nothing other than saying hey if you ah if you want to stay home. You can we? We don't know which would have been better and I'm not saying that would have been better but historically speaking. Ah. Bureaucrats usually make things about None to None times worse with what they do than if they had just done nothing and let people figure it out through consensual exchange. 49:34.70 mikebledsoe No yeah, the the but I think the greater good thing is also interesting is I don't think most people see it as ah, giving control to a centralized group of people or individual. It's.. It's like um, it's when they say like they you know they say they're not even talking about an individual.. There's this.. There's this ominous so that's how I know that someone believes in God is when they they say things like the greater good like there's some. Magical being and my definition of God is different. But when I I run I Run I run into atheists all the time that believe in a in a being a magical being that knows what's the best for everybody and so. 50:12.34 Max Shank So so it's like a unifying idea for you. Ah. 50:27.56 Max Shank Um, does this magical being have a name. 50:28.79 mikebledsoe But they're not. They're not even um, well it's it's probably whoever their favorite anchor is on the news or the you know or the newspaper that's in the the blue package the blue. 50:38.59 Max Shank Here. 50:47.93 mikebledsoe Rapper the New York Times you know as long as the New York Times said it you know now. Yeah, so it's like late they actually they they actually don't have. There's no end of they're not. They're not in recognition that they're even giving power to an individual because there's this. 50:52.94 Max Shank I see Yeah so I God is like. 51:06.74 mikebledsoe There's this mass media machine that is is spitting out this narrative and so anything. That's not that isn't for the greater good like that's that's in service of the greater. Good. So The fact that I think it's it's ah it's an interesting little trap that people find themselves in is because they're. Saying it's for the greater. Good. They believe it's for the greater good but they don't actually they're not I don't think most of those people are in recognition that they're giving power to a centralized control of people who who may not actually be that informed or that Um, what's the word I'm looking for. 51:27.67 Max Shank Right. 51:45.43 mikebledsoe Altruistic You know they they they believe that the people are doing the best they can. They're like them. That's that's the most that that's the they're like me. It's a lack of it's ah it's an inability for things like empathy. So the people who feel as though they're the most empathetic. 51:45.60 Max Shank Um, right like them this they're like me. 52:03.49 mikebledsoe Are usually the least empathetic because their their empathy is the projection of themselves instead of recognizing that people are different. 52:08.20 Max Shank Well, it's elevation through depression like you have these victims and that elevates you you put yourself as the hero you have to put them as the victim. That's why I don't want to be anybody's savior. It's It's not a cool role. 52:22.92 mikebledsoe No. 52:25.11 Max Shank You know you don't want to be victims I don't want to be a hero just be a guy I think the way you're thinking of God a phrase struck me. It's intrinsic belief or intrinsic believability and that's kind of what God is. Like who who's your God is who you trust without really understanding. There's no reason to a lot of people worship money kind of like God or Worship. Um the state as a God Yeah yeah. 52:54.10 mikebledsoe It's probably the biggest God I know of yeah, well when I say the biggest I mean the majority of the population is it. Worships money anything. 53:02.46 Max Shank Way more people believe in money than believe in a Christian Catholic or whatever like any one of those. 53:09.00 mikebledsoe Yeah, anyone well any any Christian like 99% of christians believe more in money than they do they do in the Christian god. 53:17.72 Max Shank Oh snap smackdown. 53:22.32 mikebledsoe Do you spend more time thinking about money or do you spend more time thinking about God where whatever you wherever you spend wherever you spent your attention is what you worship and that is your god. 53:27.19 Max Shank Oh My God roasted I think you're probably right. Let he who is without Sin cast The None stone. 53:41.81 mikebledsoe He. 53:43.20 Max Shank Let he who is without sin cast the None stone. Oh you're you're calling out these non-believing christians for their lack of true faith right? they're they're pretending 53:47.12 mikebledsoe Was was that in reference to. 54:02.15 Max Shank They're pretending to love their religion but really they love money way more and they're not open and honest about that. 54:04.93 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a it's a something that makes people feel better about themselves. 54:11.44 Max Shank Oh yeah, I mean and I think ah in many cases I've seen religion be super constructive for some people. So yeah. 54:18.39 mikebledsoe I Think it's I think it's constructed for most people I think most people lack order in their lives. They they do want someone else to tell them what to do how to live their life. Most people have zero moral compass. Ah. 54:31.50 Max Shank Ah, but they don't do it at the barrel of a gun right? I Think that's what I like better about religion is it still giving you structure for the flow kind of what we were talking about before ah you need to have that structure for the flow. 54:37.10 mikebledsoe They're not. 54:48.14 mikebledsoe And what you're saying is it's voluntary. 54:50.62 Max Shank Um, yeah, it's consensual. It's consensual is awesome baby. Nothing's hotter than consent I think it's pretty cool. 54:58.63 mikebledsoe The the yeah yeah, what I what I think is funny. Is you got a bunch of ah I was in a conversation last night about ah blue states versus red states and getting in the conversation now. 55:12.25 Max Shank In like a fight. It would be no contest be over so quick. Can you imagine if we just reverted to like an all out battle every 4 years. Amazing. 55:17.51 mikebledsoe Um. 55:23.40 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, ah the yeah. 55:30.83 Max Shank Who we'd be more civil. The rest of the year too if we could just get it out. Not quite purge. Love not not purge like you know you get in the ring. You take a few punches with boxing gloves on. 55:34.76 mikebledsoe Like ah like ah one day a year like the purge. Yeah. 55:44.52 mikebledsoe Yeah, ah ah the reason I bring this up is like that the left and the right are interesting because like on the left. They really believe in consent when it comes to anything that's sexual in nature like there's but but when it comes to anything else. 55:58.12 Max Shank Ah, yeah. 56:04.56 mikebledsoe There's complete blindness to it and on the right? yeah and on the right they they want consent for certain things but completely disregard other things like people. 56:06.64 Max Shank Um, it's like a mental illness both ways like how could you believe it's so weird. 56:19.61 mikebledsoe I say this regularly like when people I'm talking to someone and they go what's wrong. Why do those people do this but then they do this. It doesn't add up and I go yeah most of what people are doing doesn't add up because they lack principles. They they. 56:32.44 Max Shank Well um, almost everybody's a hypocrite on some level by the way like let's not put even ourselves up on like that high of a pedestal right? like everybody's working with that. 56:36.20 mikebledsoe On some level. But percentage wise the amount of our life that we make decisions around are more principle based than the average person. The average person is going with Pop. Whatever's popular right? people go people want to be accepted by the group so they do what's popular. They don't. 56:51.78 Max Shank God I Hope So yeah, true, true True true. 57:00.59 mikebledsoe They're not running it through a filter of what are my values. What are my boundaries. What are my principle. What are the principles and by the way you don't get to choose the principles. The principles are are around us. Yeah, as I that's. 57:10.32 Max Shank My body my choice across the board. My body my choice across the board that is what you're talking about that's why that's that's the only example because the only question the only important question just to cut through all this bullshit is who decides that's it. 57:17.87 mikebledsoe A perfect example. 57:29.33 Max Shank Do I decide or does some other guy decide. That's the only question that matters politically ever is who decides anytime it starts to get confusing. Just ask the question who decides and the argument crumbles for people who want to I don't know Gatekeeper A lady's vagina. People want to add some experimental fucking injections into your skin ah with the shortest track record of any kind of thing like that ever I mean these are both signs of mental illness to believe 1 about 1 and another about the other. It's ah. It's really weird. It almost forces people who are hyper left or hyper right to be mentally Ill like you have to shut off your thinking brain to think those are like some but. 58:19.30 mikebledsoe Yeah there's um, you know we look at like Socrates and talking about what what makes someone human it was ah practicing having the practice of being in touch with reality being in greater contact with reality. And this and this inability inability to see ah the principle at play like just completely unable ah is is being out of touch with reality. 58:38.84 Max Shank Pretty pretty nebulous. 58:46.20 Max Shank A. 58:53.84 Max Shank I Like the dune experiment for figuring out if he's a human where they put his hand in the pain box and say if he takes it out. They'll cut his throat with a poisonous needle so he has to withstand tremendous pain. 58:56.13 mikebledsoe In which. 59:01.65 mikebledsoe Yeah. 59:11.60 Max Shank Thinking He's like sacrificing his burning hand in order to keep his life and I think that is kind of the secret to wealth and planning and any of that is can you see can you see the big picture. Can you see the forest for the trees and the trick is you can't see the forest. And the trees at the same time so you have to alternate you have to cycle you have to hone in like a laser on something and then you got to open up your awareness like a lantern and take in everything around you to make sure that you're still focusing your energy. In the right direction kind of like we talked about with structure versus flow structure as the pipe flow is water if you don't have ah that that rushing water channeled somehow. Well you're just moving along with the River and that's fine, but you're going to go in the same direction as the rest of the water. 01:00:03.70 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, and I the some my practice over time is I've had a easier time in my life being zoomed out than zoomed in and um I don't know if that's. 01:00:15.98 Max Shank Are. 01:00:21.86 mikebledsoe I would say that I could spend more time zoomed in I still spend more time zoomed in but I noticed that the amount of time I spent on considering when I think about expanding my awareness around something that lantern there's there's 2 ah dimensions to consider one is space and the other one is time. 01:00:23.57 Max Shank Indian. 01:00:41.80 mikebledsoe And so there's there's what's happening right now and there's what I want to happen in None ears There's also what's happening right now in the space that I'm in but what's happening in you know, Dc right now or just right down the street like how much. How much space can you consider and how much time can you consider when you're making your decisions when you're setting the vision. What how much can you consider? most people don't practice that expansion of time and space when setting the vision. 01:01:04.70 Max Shank How many variables go into your decision making equation right. 01:01:18.30 mikebledsoe Or making decisions. Um and because of that for anyone who is unable to do that. They're more easily to be controlled by someone who does do that. 01:01:29.19 Max Shank Absolutely Um I think the average person is constantly pushed and pulled by a variety of forces to do things that are as frictionless as possible and for them as Motionless as possible. And those are forces. Um from a software engineering standpoint from a psychological engineering standpoint and also from an evolutionary standpoint.. There's nothing better for a curious lazy Monkey mind who's trying to maximize efficiency to just sit around and Watch. An Endless stream of crazy shit. So if you don't draw that Boundary. You're never going to pick your head up and ah like I'm not trying to call anyone out or anything but you see some of these kids these days. Fucking kids I hate that phrase. What am I doing that for these kids these days I feel old saying that feel silly I don't feel old until I talk like that. But basically they're like looking straight down into the telephone and it's adults too. Don't get me wrong while they're walking. Maybe they walk. 01:02:26.28 mikebledsoe You're so old. 01:02:42.30 Max Shank Into traffic. Maybe they walk off a cliff something like that. But it's the perfect visual of someone who's so ah, locked in psychologically onto something that isn't even really good for them and when we talk about drawing boundaries for ourselves like I'm going to say no to crack today every day I'm like. I'm going to say no to crack and every day I have so far and it feels like a little like a little victory like I didn't do crack again and ah if I do crack though. It'll be bad. 01:03:02.63 mikebledsoe Yes. 01:03:10.84 mikebledsoe We also you also have like ah we have a record breaking ah amount of kids on things like Sslris on antidepressants and anti-angolytics things that things that dep. 01:03:21.60 Max Shank Yeah, those are good drugs Mike those are good drugs. They're just good for you. Everyone should be on those right? They're on the Tv isn't it like 75% of commercials pharmaceutical ones. 01:03:30.80 mikebledsoe You know what's interesting is think about this? Yeah, it's It's a lot. Ah every news. 01:03:39.84 Max Shank There's got to be something wrong with you. Are you watching the Tv there's something wrong. 01:03:42.48 mikebledsoe Um, well,, there's ah, there's a theory that ah one of the reasons that the government is so friendly to pharmaceutical companies is that when under the influence of these these drugs that. People become docile way more easy to control like like please pass the xanax out please pass What I don't know these drugs are called anymore. 01:04:01.33 Max Shank Holy yeah, totally totally. 01:04:09.90 Max Shank If I was going to get a bus full of people on a field trip and I had the choice between giving them heroin or crack at the beginning I would clearly choose heroin every time they would be mostly still. 01:04:20.86 mikebledsoe Exactly. 01:04:25.87 Max Shank Could be like hey we're going over to this bench over here way easier to control that that doesn't surprise me one bit. 01:04:31.26 mikebledsoe Yeah, yeah, so yeah I've heard discussions of you know? ah the food supply being fucked up in certain ways intentionally as well to reduce the amount of testosterone that men have because. 01:04:46.70 Max Shank When people get afraid also like a ah scared stoned guy. He'll do anything. He'll do anything you want that guy is scared and stoned. You're like hey I need your left leg but I'll protect you until tomorrow. Thank

0:47 May 1999, Steve Jobs (Apple) and Macintosh presentation reveal for Halo  1:57 2000, Halo promo for NVIDIA Geforce2 GTS  3:16 15 November 2001 Halo for Xbox released 3:40 First machinima for Halo, released 6 June 2002, Warthog Jump by Randall Glass   5:04 Red vs Blue premieres, 1 April 2003, by Rooster Teeth Productions 7:04 Halo released for PC on 30 September 2003 7:31 Fire Team Charlie starts up in 2003 7:56 Halo PC Custom Edition released on 6 May 2004 and a recently made Halo PC Custom Edition Fan Documentary by Subpixel, released 17 April 2020 8:57 On 6 June 2004, the seed of Sponsors Vs Freeloaders is planted –·      First Episode  ·      Flame War Saga 12:09 HaloTV.net was launched on 10 July 2004 – this channel (pre-YouTube) offered 24/7 Halo machinima primarily of clan matches with commentary plus had a dedicated Red Vs Blue channel  13:10 The Matrix (Halo Remix) by Halo1007 released (Halo Footage – Matrix Voice-Overs, released on 5 September 2004 14:01 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Dave Anderson, released 13 October 2004  14:55 Halo 2 released 9 November 2004 and Burnie Burns reports from Camp Bungie on the secret machinima test they doing in the game  16:26 The Codex series ran for 21 Episodes with an average run time 3-5 minutes and it's prequel The Heretic, by Edgeworks Entertainment, released in 2005 17:39 This Spartan Life by Damien Lacedaemon aka Chris Burke premiered in May 2005  19:07 iGod... Holy Halo series by Fuzion Church, Crossroads Baptist Church and Chi-Ro Ministries, a Halo-based machinima to promote a Christian weekend retreat and to promote Christian principles in general – the episodes are covered on Halo.Bungie's fan website (see Purple and Pink Mirrored), released 12 April 2005  20:55 First green screening machinima by AmandaJ3162, merging Sims 2 and Halo in You're Fired, released 10 July 2005  24:41 Company Rulz by Z-Studios and Krad Productions, a Microsoft game usage rules explainer, released in 2007  

Happy Thursday to you! Two quick things to share.I will be at the Campbell Road church of Christ in Garland, TX June 17th-19th. Friday night at 7pm. Saturday beginning at 10:30am. And Sunday beginning at 9am. Come join us as we sing and pray and study renovating our spirits to go on beautiful missions of mercy in Jesus' mighty name.Today I want to share with you one of the most beautifully encouraging songs I've ever heard. Everything God has made around us, and everything God did in sending His Son, declares His glory beyond comprehension. Today we hope to be grateful. And to look at the planets proclaiming His majesty and say "So Will I." Look at the extend Jesus went to honor the will of God and love those around Him and humbly proclaim "So. Will. I."God of creationThere at the startBefore the beginning of timeWith no point of referenceYou spoke to the darkAnd fleshed out the wonder of lightAnd as You speakA hundred billion galaxies are bornIn the vapour of Your breath the planets formIf the stars were made to worship, so will II can see Your heart in everything You've madeEvery burning starA signal fire of graceIf creation sings Your praises, so will IGod of Your promiseYou don't speak in vainNo syllable empty or voidFor once You have spokenAll nature and scienceFollow the sound of Your voiceAnd as You speakA hundred billion creatures catch Your breathEvolving in pursuit of what You saidIf it all reveals Your nature so will II can see Your heart in everything You sayEvery painted skyA canvas of Your graceIf creation still obeys You, so will ISo will ISo will IIf the stars were made to worship, so will IIf the mountains bow in reverence, so will IIf the oceans roar Your greatness, so will IFor if everything exists to lift You high, so will IIf the wind goes where You send it, so will IIf the rocks cry out in silence, so will IIf the sum of all our praises still falls shyThen we'll sing again a hundred billion timesGod of salvationYou chased down my heartThrough all of my failure and prideOn a hill You createdThe Light of the worldAbandoned in darkness to dieAnd as You speakA hundred billion failures disappearWhere You lost Your life so I could find it hereIf You left the grave behind You, so will II can see Your heart in everything You've doneEvery part designed in a work of art called loveIf You gladly chose surrender, so will II can see Your heart, a billion different waysEvery precious one, a child You died to saveAnd if You gave Your life to love them so will ILike You would again a hundred billion timesBut what measure could amount to Your desire?You're the One who never leaves the one behind

Welcome to Imagine Faith Talk, the podcast where we believe that faith in God is the key to unlocking everything you've been called to be. In this episode we dive even deeper into how tiring success can be. We explore how you could be tired of success because you are out of pace with God. Additionally, we discuss how neither worry nor doubt has to have any part of your journey. Mainly because God has called so much for you and when you trust in Him you become filled with His love and Joy. Fun Links: This podcast is sponsored by Anchor. If you haven't heard about Anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast. Download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor.fm to get started. Here you can leave us a voice message: Who knows? It may get played in a later episode https://anchor.fm/imaginefaithtalk/message Key Talking Points of the Episode: [1:22] What is Donovan's struggle? [4:02] Definition of ‘Prosperous' in Hebrew [6:07] God is purposeful in His pace [8:32] What is required to be sharpened [12:56] Why do we as high performers get out of pace? [17:33] “Says who?” [19:25] God's will for you. [19:59] How Faith in God got Kevin to where he is today. [24:44] Donovan's Mantra. [25:29] Why does worrying cause us to be out of pace with God? [30:23] How to deal with worry. Magical Quotes from the Episode: “We're entrepreneurs, young professionals, creatives trying to do things that God has called us to do on this earth that might be uncanny. How do we do that and not get drained?” [0:56] “When we're out of alignment with pace and we're not seeing pace properly, it can be very destructive.” [2:00] “How important is it to meditate, saturate, fill yourself with His presence, with His Word, with His promises and then He will make your way prosperous?” [4:56] When God says, “Go, and work hard and get it done,” efficiency is going to be key.” [8:07] When we do this by God's grace, our cup is overflowing and now everybody else gets the overflow of that cup being filled and that overflow is beautiful. [11:48] “If you stay your path, you will receive everything that I (God) has reserved for you.” [13:55] “I memorized portions of God's love letter to me as a father so that I wouldn't forget whose I was and what I've been called to do.” [25:01] “Jesus never ran anywhere.” [28:32] “God has set a pace for you to move at.” [29:17] Scriptures Mentioned in the Episode: Joshua 1:8 Ecclesiastes 3:1 Ecclesiastes 10:10 James 1:2-4 James 1:6-8 Genesis 18:10 Galatians 4:4 Matthew 6:31 Psalm 46:10 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/imaginefaithtalk/message

Have you ever thought about the phrase “I God am a jealous God“?  I don't believe it is what it appears to be on the surface, but rather a beautiful way of helping us build a relationship with him.If you'd like to view the video that goes with this podcast, click here

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-16"Has anyone seen my turquoise bracelet?" asked Demi. "I don't want to wear my turquoise necklace without the bracelet. They're a set.""Big deal," scoffed Demi's brother Ben."You'll have to find it later," said Mom. "It's time to leave for church now.""Wait! I think I remember where it is." Demi dashed into her room and came out with the bracelet. "I forgot I had put it on the bookshelf by my bed when Iwas reading. Now I'm ready to go," she said, slipping the bracelet on her arm. She paused and admired a small turquoise ring on her hand. "My ring and necklace and bracelet are a matched set.""What does that mean? What's a match set?" asked her little sister."Matched," said Demi as they went out to the car. "These all have matching turquoise stones. Since they're alike, they match each other--they all go together."After church, Demi was eager to tell her parents about the lesson her class had that morning. "I showed Mrs. Peters my ring and bracelet and necklace. I told her they're a matched set, and she said I should show the whole class because that's a lot like what God wants for His children."Ben was skeptical. "He wants us to have jewelry?"Demi laughed. "No--He wants us to match Him! We're supposed to be like Him.""Be like God!" exclaimed Ben. "We can never be like God. We can't control nature or do miracles like He can.""That's true, Ben," said Dad. "We could never be as great or powerful as God. But there is a way we can match God--at least a little.""That's what Mrs. Peters said." Demi twisted the ring on her finger. "She said God is making us become more like Jesus. He helps us be more kind and loving and refuse to do wrong things. Stuff like that.""Yes," Dad said. "Jesus has freed us from the power of sin, and the Holy Spirit helps us obey His teaching and makes us more like Him each day. God is holy and righteous. We want to match Him as closely as possible. Right, Ben?""Yeah, okay," Ben agreed. "I guess we can match Him in some ways."-Carolyn E. YostHow About You?Do your words and actions match up with Jesus's example in the Bible? He was always loving, kind, and thoughtful of others. He treated people with respect. He cared for those who were poor, sick, and suffering, and He helped them. And He never, ever sinned! Even though we're not perfect, the Holy Spirit is making us more like Him. Trust Him to help you turn from sin and follow Jesus's example.Today's Key Verse:Be holy, for I [God] am holy. (1 Peter 1:16 (NKJV))Today's Key Thought:Be like Jesus

"Reflection on God's Nature Leads to Universalism Next, the nature of God, as described in the Christian scriptures, leads me to believe in Universalism. I believe that God is Love. Indeed, the Christian Bible also states that explicitly (1 John 4:8). If God is Love, then surely he wants the best for every person. Many scriptures support this. 1 Timothy 2:4 says, "God … wants all people to be saved". Again, He "does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). There are several other scriptures that plainly state that God desires salvation for everyone. I also believe God is powerful and wise enough to accomplish whatever He wants. When Christ's disciples once asked him, "Who can be saved?" part of his response was, "With God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26), by which we can infer: God can save anyone! If God desires that every person be saved, and He can save anyone, how can anyone not be saved? The doctrine of eternal damnation suggests that either God's love or God's power is deficient. I've often heard it objected that God can save anyone, but He will not do so because He refuses to interfere with the "free will" of any person. However, that idea is not scriptural at all. Isaiah 46:10 says, "I (God) will accomplish all that I please." In other words, if God desires something, He not only has the ability to obtain it, but He will obtain it. "God … wants all people to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4) and God "will accomplish all that" He pleases (Isaiah 46:10). Therefore, human free will is not going to thwart God's desires. See also Daniel 4:35 and Romans 9:16-20. Also, note how the discussion in Romans 9:16-20 continues to its final conclusion at Romans 11:32, which is explicitly universalistic. In fact, Paul is in such awe at this wonderful conclusion that he lapses into ecstatic worship for the next few verses (Romans 11:33-36)." "Another example is Romans 11:32, which says, "God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all." It is very clear from reading the whole chapter of Romans 11 that when it says "everyone" was bound over to disobedience, it is referring to every single person. So, when the verse speaks of God having mercy on them "all", it is once more referring to every person. There are many other scriptures like this. Just a few examples include John 12:32, 1 Timothy 4:10, Colossians 1:19, Lamentations 3:31, Eph. 1:9 & 10, 1 Cor. 15:28, and Rev. 5:13. Importantly, the Christian scriptures define "eternal life" not as an endless duration of life but as a certain quality of life. That is, eternal life is defined as the quality of life that a person has when a person is living in communion with That which is Eternal. This is how Jesus is quoted as defining it: "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Similarly, He says, "You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life" (John 5:39 - 40). I'll return to this line of thought later in this article." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

This first sermon in the Mark series discusses the importance of studying Mark and covers the reason why the book starts with John the Baptist. - Sermon Transcript - I. The Beginning of the Gospel of the Son of God A Stunning Journey Begun Today Turning your Bibles to Mark chapter one. I have been so excited to say those words to you, been looking forward to this for probably a year, as we look at the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the son of God. Today, we begin in some sense, one of the most thrilling journeys on which we could ever embark. Ultimately that journey, which many of us have begun even years ago, is far more exciting and fruitful than any that has ever happened. I think about the voyage of Columbus sailing west, trying to find the East China and all the routes, and courageously sailing west, and bumping into the new worlds. And that was exciting. I think about Lewis and Clark going out and exploring the Louisiana Purchase and all of the excitement of discovering the new lands that were now part of the United States, a discovery journey that led ultimately to the shimmering Pacific Ocean. A journey far more mysterious and courageous than that which led to the first man walking on the moon, the Apollo missions to the moon. All of these were exciting in their own ways. But today, as we begin a verse-by-verse journey through the perfect words of the Gospel of Mark, we are continuing our own deeper discovery of the person of Jesus Christ. The Dimensions and Details of the Son of God And why do I say all these things? Why do I use this grandiose language? Well, it's because the study, the person, and the work of the son of God is infinitely glorious. It has infinite dimensions that we will never finish exploring. It will extend on into all eternity. We will never be able to fathom the depths of Christ. We will never be able fully to study the dimensions and details of the person and work of the incarnate son of God, of Jesus Christ. And I think that is what heaven ultimately will be for. Now, last Christmas, as I was writing my Christmas message, I came across a marvelous statement by the church father, Athanasius, who lived in the fourth century and defended, sometimes it seems almost alone, the Orthodox doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus against a heresy that was rising up today Arianism, or then that was rising up Arianism, which we know today as the Jehovah's Witness doctrine, that Jesus is actually Jehovah, God's greatest creature, greatest creation, rather than actually God. An Athanasius wrote an incredible work called, On the Incarnation of the Word of God. And I found a quote in that that was so powerful and meaningful and I want to read it to you today: "And in a word, the achievements of the savior, resulting from his becoming man, are of such a kind and number that if one should wish to enumerate them, he may be compared to men who gaze at the expanse of the sea and wish to count its waves. For as one cannot take in the whole of the waves with his eyes, for those which are coming on baffle the sense of him that attempts it; so for him, that would take in all the achievements of Christ in the body, it is impossible to take in the whole, even by reckoning them up as those which go beyond his thought are more than those he thinks he has taken in. Better is it then not to aim at speaking of the whole, where one cannot do justice even to a part, but after mentioning one more to leave the whole for you to marvel at. For all alike are marvelous and wherever a man turns his glance, he may be hold on that side, the divinity of the Word and be struck with exceeding great awe." Well, in simple terms, Athanasius is likening the depths of the incarnation of Christ and his achievements to trying to study ocean, wave upon wave of power. There are too many waves and the shoreline extends beyond what the eye can see and even to comprehend one wave would overwhelm his mind. How then could anyone take in Christ? It's just too much. Now, I remember a number of years ago after Carolyn was born - our third child - and she was born in June, in Louisville, Kentucky, a landlocked state. We brought her to our home state of Massachusetts and we went to visit my mom on her house on Cape Cod and went to Nauset Beach. And I brought Carolyn there to show her for the very first time, she was about six months old, the ocean. And I'll never forget, because there's this little rise that you go out from the parking lot at Nauset Beach, and you get to the rise on the sand dune, and then there it is, there's the ocean. And there had been a very powerful storm in the days that preceded that. And I was holding this little six-month-old baby, and I knew not to look at the ocean, but rather to look at her face. And as we crested and walked down, and she saw this overwhelming sight, she obviously couldn't put into words what she was thinking, but just pointed, and pointed, and pointed. Again and again like, "Don't look at me, look at that." And I thought to myself, "The excitement and the joy of discovery inside her heart, she couldn't put into words." Now, I'd been in Nauset Beach more times than I could count. I'd been on the Cape, I'd seen the ocean. It was kind of old hat to me. Well, why is that? Why is it that awesome, majestic, incredible things become old hat for us? I think it's just part of the problem that we have of sin. And we're just kind of used to it. It's like, "What new things can you possibly say to us, Pastor, from the gospel of Mark? Just want you to know, we've read the gospel before, we've seen it." But I think that's just the dullness that comes over our minds through sin and the fact that we have lost some of the wonder and the amazement of the person of Christ. And I'm telling you, you're going to get it back. Now, I don't know if you're going to get it back through this preaching series. I hope so. I hope that I'll be able to ignite in you that sense of wonder, but I know that when you lose the sin nature and when you are transformed in glory, you are going to have a sense of wonder and amazement at the person of Christ that will never end. This is ONLY the “Beginning” of the Gospel If you look at verse one of chapter one, and maybe this is a detail you hadn't noticed before, I really hadn't before. But look what it says. Mark 1:1, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The beginning of the gospel, that's what you're going to get here when you read this gospel of Mark. And that is what heaven is for, for us to be educated in the infinite greatness of Christ to try to comprehend the whole, even as we were to finish careful study of this magnificent gospel, became believers in Christ along the way, or did even before that. The gospel, the good news of his eternal kingship, of his majestic person, his perfect rule over his adoring people, would just be beginning. In this world that is all that we can do, begin to study the good news of the son of God, Jesus Christ. Heaven is infinite in its scope because it will take eternity to study and comprehend all the dimensions and details of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And at that time, we're going to see him face to face, and we're going to be in this new world, which we're told in Revelation 21, "…does not need the light of the sun or the moon, but the glory of God will give it light and the lamb," Jesus, "will be its lamp." And so through Jesus, the full glory of God will be put on display in the new heaven and new earth. We will be set free. We'll be set free from everything that sin has done to us and from all of our limitations. Now, we're limited in time, limited in comprehension, limited in love, all of that will be done. And so heaven study will be infinitely better than this one. This is just another sermon series. It's another chance to do what the Apostle Paul says in first Corinthians 13, "To see through a glass darkly, then in heaven face to face." But now we're going to see through a glass darkly. And we do that by studying words - the words that come from God, the words of God. This is what God has given to us, to study the words of the scripture. And with the study of the life of Christ and with our repentance and faith, comes the salvation of our souls, that we would spend eternity in heaven and not in hell. That is the treasure that awaits the careful study of Christ through the words of scripture. The facts of the life of Christ are essential to our salvation. The history of Christ, you could say the biography of Christ, is essential to the salvation of our souls. The Gospel is the only Power of God for Our Salvation Now, the gospel mentioned here right away, the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the gospel Paul says is the only power that there is for the salvation of our souls. Romans 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of God because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." So the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to save sinners from the condemnation that we deserve. Now, the word gospel means good news - means good news - and the good news is Jesus Christ himself, that he is a good and loving king, that he is calling us out of our rebellion into full submission to his kingly reign. The good news is that this good king laid down his life on the cross for those who were not good, for those who are in rebellion against his kingdom. This is the gospel story, and this gospel story must be received by faith. As Paul says, in Romans 1:17, "The righteous will live by faith." Now, in the book of Romans, Paul makes it very clear how we sinners can be saved by the gospel. And that is by calling on the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." And he says a few verses later, "For everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved." The Facts of Christs Life are Essential to the Gospel Well, the facts of Christ's life are essential to that. They're essential to the gospel. How can we know on what basis are we going to say, "Jesus of Nazareth is Lord,” that means God, that he is actually the son of God? Romans 10 makes it plain that without those facts, we can never believe in him. And we will never call on him without the facts of his life. He says in Romans 10, 14- 15, "How then can they, anyone, call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in one of whom they've not heard?" So just stop right there. Without the facts of the life of Christ, you're not going to have any basis for faith in Jesus and you're not going to call on the name of the Lord to be saved. And how can they hear those facts without someone preaching to them, and how can they preach unless they're sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news?" So, he says there in Romans 10, a few verses later in verse 17, "Faith, which saves us, comes from hearing the message" about Christ. "…the message is heard through the word of Christ." So the facts of Jesus's life, of his death and his resurrection, are essential to the salvation of our souls. Now, God in his kindness has given us four perfect records of the life of Jesus - four relatively short biographies of Jesus. The New Testament begins with those four. The gospels of Matthew, of Mark, Luke, and John. Now, these four perfect records of the life of Jesus are equally inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore, they are perfect histories of the person, the words, the works, the miracles, the activities of Jesus Christ. They are all four of them perfectly true. And though it is sometimes difficult, they can all be perfectly harmonized with one another. So while we are studying this one gospel, the gospel of Mark, we will feel free from time to time, to reach over to some of the other gospels and get some more information about the life of Christ. And we'll take that information and feed it into what we're learning about Jesus in the gospel of Mark, but we're going to focus primarily on this one simple gospel. A Call to Non-Christians to Hear and Believe for the First Time Now, for are any that are listening here that are not yet believers in Christ, the gospel gives us a call right away to hear and believe even for the first time. And I believe that the Gospel of Mark may be the best book to give to somebody who is not yet a Christian. As we're seeking to win the loss here in Durham, as we seek to reach out, we're going to have conversations with people that haven't read the Bible much. They've maybe never read it and they don't understand how the Bible works. It's different than ordinary books. Really, the Bible is a library of 66 books. And sometimes Christians will give to non-Christians the Bible and say, "Read the Bible." And that's all they said. And so what are they going to do, except just begin at the beginning? And they'll be encouraged because it'll say right away, "In the beginning," so they'll think, "All right, this is the best place to start." But what's going to happen is they're going to keep reading and at some point they're going to be like, "What is this?" They're going to be somewhere in Genesis, or in Exodus, probably in Leviticus, and they'll be like, "All right, I don't get it." And they're going to give up. I would suggest a different strategy. Tell them to read the Gospel of Mark. Some people recommend the Gospel of John, and that's beautiful, I think it's fantastic, but it's much more complex. It's got deep, fully expanded theology that Jesus gives. It's harder to understand. The Gospel of Mark reads like a simple newspaper account of the events of yesterday, like it just happened. The facts of Jesus' life start there, and the first eight chapters give us a sense of the words and works of Jesus - very streamlined. It's very efficient. There's a lot more he could have said, but those first eight chapters show the deity of Jesus. And that's the thesis statement, right from the beginning, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. And so the deity of Christ, the evidence of his deity, given from the very beginning, eight chapters by his mighty works, his amazing words. Then the second eight chapters showed Jesus' deity by his death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection from the dead. So for many people, this Gospel of Mark may be the first time they've bumped into the facts of Jesus's life and it's something you could read in an evening if you wanted to, in a very simple, clear way. "The Gospel of Mark reads like a simple newspaper account of the events of yesterday like it just happened. The facts of Jesus' life start there, and the first eight chapters give us a sense of the words and works of Jesus - very streamlined." A Call to Christians to Hear and Believe Continually But for the rest of us, we've heard it before, we read the gospel of Mark before, we're familiar with it. Most of you have been Christians for a long time, I'm sure some of you for decades, and you've heard many sermons and you've read the Bible for years, and there's very little in the 16 chapters of the Gospel of Mark that you aren't at least familiar with, that you haven't at least at some level heard before. And yet this is an opportunity for you to hear and believe again, for you to actually hear and believe continually, because I believe you'll need your faith until you finally see Jesus with your own sight. When you lay faith aside, you won't need it anymore, you'll see him face to face. But while you live in this world, you'll need your faith, and faith is the eyesight of the soul. And faith, like any living thing, needs food in order to live, in order to keep surviving. And so, the food of faith is the word of God. And so you need to feed your soul on the Gospel of Mark. "Faith comes by hearing the Word," Romans 10:17. Faith is also nourished and sustained, fed continually by hearing the Word. My Delightful Journey in Scripture Memorization Now, my own recent study in the Gospel of Mark began when I was on sabbatical in Cardiff, in Wales, on October 3rd, 2020. It was my next extended scripture memory project and I began memorizing the Gospel of Mark, three verses a day, and just continuing to add more and more of the verses of the Gospel of Mark. And I must say it was one of the most delightful studies that I've ever been on in my whole life. Day after day, by the words I was memorizing and reciting, going over, day after day, I was fellowshipping with Christ by the power of the Spirit. I had a sense of intimacy, a sense of the friendship with Christ, a sense of newness of him walking with me through the day. I was amazed at his teaching, I marveled at the effortless power he displayed in his healings and the effortless power he displayed over every demon, the fact that the demons were so terrified of him and fled from him, the wisdom in his teachings, all of these things. I fed on these things, day after day. As Jesus said in John 15, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me, my words remain in you. Have fellowship with me. You can ask whatever you wish and it'll be done for you." That's the fellowship, the feeding of the soul day after day. And these sermons that I hope to preach over the next year, come out of the hours and hours, of the hundreds of hours of meditation on the Gospel of Mark, and I hope to be able to excite your own faith through this study as well. And so now here we begin at the beginning, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God, that's the theme of this gospel, and I believe it's the theme of all our gospels. I think they work together to achieve one end in our soul. So, the apostle John, in giving the purpose for the gospel of John, rights in John 20:31, "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." So, John is saying there, "I wrote my gospel so that you could believe that Jesus is God, and that you might have life through his name.” So that a man named Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, that lived 2000 years ago, actually was the incarnate son of God, the savior of the world. That is the purpose of all four gospels. And it's the purpose statement right away in the Gospel of Mark. Look at it again. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God, so I think that's the thesis of the entire Gospel of Mark. And it's really quite beautiful because there's a kind of a perfect bracketing of the entire gospel at the end, toward the end, not the final chapter, but at the end of Mark 15, the centurion standing there at the cross when he hears Jesus' cry and how he died. He said the words, "Truly, this man was the son of God." So, you get that phrase again, the Son of God. So, the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the son of God, and the centurion testifies, "Truly, he was the son of God." And so everything in between is to us to that point, to believe that Jesus is in effect the son of God. But that's not enough, it's to call us out of our sinful rebellion against him into the kingdom of God. And so, Mark 1:15, you can see it right there on the same page, tells us, and this is the preaching, "The time has come, the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news, that we will repent of our sins and believe in the good news of the kingdom of God and enter the king of God." That's the purpose of the Gospel of Mark. II. The Mission of the King’s Herald Why Start With the Herald?- To Prepare the Way of the King Now, amazingly, the first section of this doesn't begin with Jesus himself, with the king himself, but rather with the herald of the king, a man known as John the Baptist. So we're going to talk about now the herald of this great king, and that is John the Baptist. Now, what was the mission of the king's herald? It may seem strange to us to start with the herald. Why not start with the king? But that's only because we are not used to the patterns of a king. We're not used to how they behave. A king doesn't usually just show up in a town or village, "Here I am," but he sends officials who will run before him, who will go before him, will prepare the way for him, make sure everything's set up, get everything ready for his arrival, the herald of the king. And the heralds run before and announce he's coming, that the king is coming. John the Baptist was that, he was the herald of the king, sent before him to prepare the way of the king. The Prophetic Preparation And that was his mission. As it says in verse two and three, "As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet, 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way. A voice of one calling in the desert prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" So, God sent his messenger ahead of Christ, whose task was clear. That is to go ahead of Jesus and prepare the way for him. Now, it's interesting he quotes Isaiah the Prophet. There was a prophetic preparation long before John the Baptist, long before Jesus was born. God went ahead of Christ and prepared the human race by prophecy. Right from the Garden of Eden, a prophecy was made right after Adam fell into sin, tempted by the serpent. A prophecy was made that someday a serpent slayer would come, who would crush the head of the serpent. That was a prophecy, a prediction of the coming of Jesus. And so, God sent prophet after prophet through the history of Israel, the Jewish people, and instructed the Jewish nation of the coming Messiah, the son of David, the Anointed One who would come and he would reign forever on David's throne and to the ends of the earth. And also another vision in which the Jews had very difficult time harmonizing of the suffering servant of Isaiah, who would die for the sins of the people, Isaiah 53. But we know now as Christians, they are the same one. The Davidic King, the Great King, the Messiah, would come and who would also be the suffering servant, who would suffer for the sins of the people. So Mark's gospel begins with two Old Testament prophecies preparing the way, but they're not focused directly on Jesus Christ, but on Christ's herald, John the Baptist. The Mission: to PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD Now, God speaks directly to Jesus in the first prophecy, Malachi 3:1, saying, "I [God, the Father], will send my messenger ahead of you, the son of God, who will prepare your way." And that is the mission, to prepare the way of the Lord or the road of the Lord, the journey of the Lord. So the image is one of road building, you could imagine a massive road grader that goes and levels the road and removes obstacles. So, if you were to read the fuller quote in Isaiah 40, it makes this powerfully clear. Listen to Isaiah 40, verse 3-4, "In the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up and every mountain and hill made low. The rough ground shall become level, and the rugged places, the plane." That's very visual imagery. Isaiah was beautiful at getting images into our minds. And since John the Baptist, who fulfilled these words was not a literal civil engineer building roads out there, it's a spiritual work that he's doing, a work in people's hearts. "Every valley shall be raised up," I think refers to sinners who feel that they have sinned so much that God could never forgive them. They have no hope of heaven. They don't know how they could ever be welcomed by such a holy God. They had no hope of forgiveness of sins, like a prostitute, or a tax collector, or some kind of a thief, or murderer who thought, "There's no way that I could ever be forgiven because of what I've done." And so when it says, "Every valley should be raised up," the hearts of such crushed, broken people could be lifted up so that they have hope. They actually think they could be forgiven. And then it says, on the other hand, "Every mountain and hill made low." Well, this is referring to the opposite kind of person, who's so filled with self-righteousness, they don't think they need a savior. They have no need for Jesus. They don't need Christ. They're fine on their own, like the Pharisees and the scribes, or the teachers of the law, who were so confident in their own righteousness, they felt they needed no savior at all. Those had to be leveled. And then it says, "The rough ground shall become level and the rugged places, the plane." So, this is just kind of a universal statement of the devious nature of the human heart. We have all kinds of twists and turns inside our hearts. We can shirk our duties, and we can blame others for our sins, and we have twisted logic inside. And so all of these bizarre, twisted, strange heart states need to be leveled for the way of the Lord. And John the Baptist came to do that. The Deity of Christ Clearly Proclaimed Now, in these verses though, you may not see it obviously, if you look closely and know what to look for, the deity of Christ is clearly proclaimed. Fundamental to the mission of the herald was the greatness of the coming king, and you see it literally in these two prophecies. Malachi 3:1, let me read it right from the Old Testament. "Behold, I send my messenger and he'll prepare the way before me." That's what the text actually says. "And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple." And then Isaiah 40, verse 3, says, "A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord." Now, if you were to read that in the Old Testament, you'd see that the word Lord would have all four letters capitalized, capital L-O-R-D. That means Yahweh, sometimes Jehovah, the creator God, the only God there is, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, Yahweh. And it says, "…make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." All of that ascribed to Jesus, preparing the way for Jesus because he is the Lord. He is truly God in the flesh. And that's what these verses are claiming. So this is the king that John the Baptist came to herald. III. The Ministry of the King’s Herald Who is John the Baptist? Now, how did John do his ministry? How did he prepare the way of the Lord? Well, we begin by just trying to understand who this individual is, John the Baptist. We don't have much information about him here. We have a little and we're going to walk through it today. But the other gospels, Matthew and Luke, give us more information about John the Baptist. For example, Luke 1 tells us the amazing story of how he came to be conceived. He was conceived by an elderly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were beyond childbearing years and had been barren, they'd never had any children. And so, an angel came and told Zechariah what would happen. He didn't believe it, God struck him mute for a time, and then Elizabeth became pregnant, and she gave birth to John, so it's an amazing story of how he was born. And there were some prophecies and some things around John given in Luke one. Now, Jesus, in Matthew's gospel, after John had been arrested and was about to be executed, tells us this amazing statement about John the Baptist, Matthew 11:11. This is what Jesus said about him. "I tell you the truth. Among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." It's an incredible statement by Jesus. In other words, in the hierarchy of greatness, of all of the individual that ever lived up to that point, John was the greatest. Now, literally said there's not risen anyone greater, so perhaps Abraham was equal in greatness, but not greater. And you could do the same thing, but it's not likely for people to be absolutely perfectly equal in greatness. So effectively, he's saying that John is the greatest man that had ever lived up to that point. When you think about all of the Old Testament heroes, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all of those, think about David, think about Noah, think about Job, Daniel, all of these godly great individuals, John was greater than all of them. And Jesus made that evaluation. A Desert Ministry Now, Mark doesn't tell us hardly anything about these things, he just launches in. And he starts with John's desert ministry, "A voice of a one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." And so John came, verse four, "Baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.” So John's ministry was based in the desert. This must have reminded Israel of the Exodus when God sustained them out in the desert and when they were purified of their sinful idols, 40 years wandering in the desert. The desert also just represents austerity. There's nothing to eat or drink out there. It's not a luxurious, comfortable life. And so John's manner, and his clothing, and his diet, all represented a rejection of luxury. Look at verse six, "John wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist and he ate locus and wild honey." So I think in this way, just by how he was living, by what he looked like, where he was, he was a rebuke to a luxurious lifestyle. Now, it is important to note that John never called anyone to imitate that austere lifestyle. He wasn't saying, "It's essential to your forgiveness of sins that you come and be like me, that you dress in camel's hair and that you eat locus and wild honey." He didn't call people to that, but I still believe that his austere lifestyle must have been a rebuke to many in Israel at that time. Jesus later would point this out, again, in Matthew 11, "As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see a reed swayed by the wind?'" Was he some weak, kind of blowing one way blowing the other? He wasn't that way at all. Well, if not then what did you go out to see, "A man dressed in fine clothes?" No, those who wear fine clothes are in king's palaces. So, John had this austere lifestyle. He was an otherworldly figure, like those mentioned in Hebrews 11, men and women of faith, those of whom the world was not worthy, "They went about in sheepskins and goat skins, destitute, persecuted, mistreated - the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts, and mountains, and in caves, and holes in the ground." In the Spirit of Elijah Now, John, it is also said, went in the spirit and power of Elijah- in the spirit and power of Elijah. John's clothing immediately reminded any careful Bible student of Elijah, because that's exactly what he wore, and he also ministered out in the desert. On 2 Kings 1, when a wicked king sent some messengers out to find out whether he was going to live or die from some injury he had sustained, he was met by a man. "Is there no God in Israel that you're going out to Baal-Zebub to find out?" Etc. Well, they came back very quickly and they said with a man met us and he said what he'd told him to say. And he said, "'Well, he was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist.' 'Ah,' said the king, 'That was Elijah the Tishbite.'" So that's how he knew him, what he wore and the leather belts. And so, John is the fulfillment of this. He's the fulfillment of the last prophecy that was made in the Old Testament, Malachi 4:5-6, "Behold, I will send you the prophet Elijah, before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, or else I'll come and strike the land with a curse." Those are the last words in your Old Testament. It's the last prophecy that was given, that Elijah would come. Now, Elijah himself didn't come, but as was said plainly, as the angel Gabriel foretold to his father Zechariah in Luke 1:17, "He will go on before the Lord, listen in the spirit and power of Elijah. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children to make the disobedient and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." So, it wasn't literally Elijah, but he came in that demeanor, in that spirit. The same lifestyle, the same manner of living, the same manner of preaching. Bold Preaching And this preaching was powerful. Remember how he said he had to level those high mountains. "Every mountain in hill will be leveled." So, Matthew gives us a sample of some of John's leveling, some of his bold preaching. Matthew 3:7-10, "When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them, 'You brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee from coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones, God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." That's bold preaching, powerful preaching. That's what it looks like to level every high mountain and every hill. Baptizing: Repentance & Forgiveness of Sins John also came baptizing. Again, verse four. "And so John came baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." Now, the word baptize is just transliteration of the Greek word, which means to him immerse, to immerse in a liquid, to plunge. And so that's this word. Now, John was doing something radically new, something that had never been done in the Old Testament. There's no example of baptism in the Old Testament. It was something that seems historically that rose up in the inter-testamental period between the Old Testament and New Testament, when the Jews had been scattered all over the Gentile world and there were synagogues coming up, and so they would interact with Gentiles and Gentiles wanted to join the Jewish religion, they wanted to become Jews, they were converts to Judaism. And so sometimes the rabbis would tell them that they had to be cleansed of all of their filthy Gentile ways. And so, they would baptize them, they would plunge them in water. Well, John picked up this image and was doing it, but not to Gentiles, he's doing it to Jews. And what he's saying by that is, "You're every bit is filthy and every bit as idolatrous, and every bit as on the outside, as the Gentiles are." It was the radical act. As he said, "Your having Abraham as your father doesn't save you. It has to go beyond that." And they were submitting and they were letting John baptize him, immerse them in water. That's what he was doing. And the baptism was a baptism of repentance, so they were being called unto repent of their sins. To repent means to turn in your mind and your heart away from sin to God and say, "I've been living a wicked life. I've been sinning and I need to turn away from sin now into God." It was a baptism of repentance. They're saying, "I want to live a different kind of life." And it was for the forgiveness of sins. John's ministry was to proclaim the possibility of the forgiveness of sins, that God was coming to work a deep work of restoration in the hearts of the people resulting in their forgiveness, in their reconciliation with God. Popularity Now, John was incredibly popular. Look at verse five, the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him, confessing their sins. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River. So, John's ministry was electrifying. He prepared the way of the Lord by heightening everyone's expectation. Now, some misunderstood and thought that he himself might be the Messiah. That's the level of expectation where people's hearts were up. They're saying, "Maybe he's the Messiah," but his message was plain and clear. IV. The Message of the King’s Herald The Centerpiece of John the Baptist’s Ministry: Proclaiming the Infinite Greatness of the Coming King Listen to the message of the king's herald, verse seven and eight. This was his message, "After me will come one more powerful than I. The thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." So, the centerpiece of John's ministry was getting the way, getting ready for Jesus Christ. The coming of Jesus Christ. John’s Humility And John has humility here. He said, "I don't deserve to stoop down and untie the thongs of his sandals." I just want to stop and tell you what an impact that statement has made in my life. I don't deserve to touch Jesus' feet. I mean, the lowest of slaves, I don't think would even be asked to wash their master's feet. It would just be something they would do maybe occasionally. The lowest of the low would wash someone else's feet. John says, "I don't even deserve to do that. I don't deserve to touch the thongs of his sandals." Now, you think, put all that together. Jesus says, this is the greatest man that has ever lived up to that point and he said, "I don't deserve to touch Jesus' feet." Could it be? This is what the Spirit was saying to me. "Could it be, Andy, you think too highly of yourself? Could it be that your pride still needs a little more leveling? Could it be on the other hand, you think too lowly of Jesus, that you underestimate his greatness?" "I don't deserve to touch his feet." That was John's humility. "So, no, I'm not the Messiah. There's one coming after and I don't even deserve to touch his feet." Now, that kind of humility is essential to entering the kingdom of God. As Jesus said, "Blessed are the spiritual beggars, poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The Infinite Superiority of Jesus’ Ministry And look at the infinite superiority of Jesus's ministry, verse eight, "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." So, John's baptism was symbolic only. It was just water only. He would immerse all the people that came in water, but Jesus, his ministry's superior because his baptism is superior. He would baptize people in the Holy Spirit. And that's what he says. Now, this is a direct fulfillment of a prophecy in Ezekiel, Ezekiel 36, 26, 27. "I will give you a new heart and I'll put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I'll put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." That is the work that Jesus does to all who true believe in him. He immerses their souls in the Holy Spirit of God, working a total internal transformation, removing the heart of stone, putting in the heart of flesh that prepares us for eternity in his heavenly kingdom. "John's baptism was symbolic only. It was just water only. He would immerse all the people that came in water, but Jesus, his ministry's superior, because his baptism is superior. He would baptize people in the Holy Spirit." John’s Fuller Message Now, John's fuller message in the gospel of John shows that he understood how Jesus would save sinners like us. And so, in John, 1:29, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." And then he talked about a man on whom he saw the Spirit descend and remain as a dove. And God willing, we'll talk about that next time in Jesus baptism. But John said, "I wouldn't have recognized him. I wouldn't have known who he was, except that the one who sent me to baptize, God, told me, 'The man on whom you see the spirit descend and remain, he is the one who will baptize people in the Holy Spirit. I have seen, and I testify, that he is the son of God.'" So that's his full message. That's what John the Baptist came to say. The herald of the king, he made it plain that this coming king was actually both the son of God who had ruled over all the world, and the lamb of God, who's bloody death on the cross would take away our sins. The same. That is the good news, the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ available for all who will repent and believe. "The herald of the king, he made it plain that this coming king was actually both the son of God who had ruled over all the world, and the lamb of God, who's bloody death on the cross would take away our sins." V. The Spirit Calls Us to Respond John’s Message and Jesus’ Message Are the Same … STILL Now, in this text, the Holy Spirit is calling on all of us as we read it to respond. John's message and Jesus' message are the same. They are the same. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe the good news. That's what we're called on to do. Well, how do we enter? Well, we recognize that Jesus is a king, that he has the right to give comprehensive commands in our lives. He has the right to meddle in everything in your life, because it's not meddle; he is your king. He has the right to tell you how to spend your money, how to spend your time. He has the right to tell you everything. He is the king. How Do We Enter? Also, we recognize that we have been rebelling against this kingly reign and that we need to enter and submit to it. And I think the best passage to talk about that is in Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus invites us saying, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I'm gentle and humble in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, my burden is light." The only way I think to understand that word yoke is kingly authority. Jesus has kingly authority, the right to command, and he's calling on all of us to take our stiff necks and put them under his yoke. And if we do, if we submit to his kingly reign, we will find out that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. It really was sin that was crushing us, and Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. So, this involves continual repentance, and faith, and submission. And we're only going to do that and live out that Christian life by the baptism that Jesus gives us, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit Now, when we look at that expression, baptism of the Spirit, we're not talking about what some charismatic Christians talk about, about some second experience, where you then speak in tongues or something like that. I believe every single Christian is baptized by Jesus, into the body of Christ, at the moment of conversion. He immerses you spiritually in the spirit of God at the moment of conversion. First Corinthians 12:13 says plainly, "By one spirit, we're baptized into one body." And so that happens when we are converted, but think about what that word means, immersion in the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus said in John 14: 16, and 17, "I will ask the father and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever, the spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him or knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." And so that in dwelling Holy Spirit is in each one of you who are Christians. So, what does that mean? The Holy Spirit is in you to enable you to put sin to death. Romans chapter 8:2. "By the Spirit, put to death the misdeeds of the body." Romans 8:13. And that's negative, positively to imitate Christ-like virtues. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And by the Spirit, immersed in the Spirit, we have the power to be witnesses. So, God's going to give you perhaps some opportunities even this week, to be witnesses. And Acts chapter one, verse eight says, "You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." So, we can be gospel witnesses. So, our responsibility is to "…be filled with the Spirit," Ephesians 5:18, and "…keep in step with the Spirit," Galatians 5:25. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the beginning of this journey and the Gospel of Mark. We thank you for the things that we have learned. Lord, I pray that you would enable us to see the full power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, in the church, as witnesses in the holy living that we do, by putting sin to death in the way that we carry ourselves, the demeanor that we display. We thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit. We thank you that Jesus baptizes, not merely in water, but in the far richer, more powerful baptism of the Holy Spirit. We thank you also for John the Baptist, who came as a forerunner and a herald to the Eternal King. We thank you for his ministry and what we've learned from it today. In Jesus name. Amen.

"If you move over, I (God) can take care of it. Often we stand in the way of what we are called to do because of what we envision in our head of what we want to do." - Asia Cunningham In this week's episode, we are joined with Asia Cunningham, who tells her story of hope for our education system, her story of resilience, and the importance of mentorship as she continues to navigate her career.

The Christian Way of Living Part 6. CWLiving.org Cliff Spier We are at part 6 of the CWLiving, my last full lesson tonight [^] Coach Lombardi [^] blank There are no coincidences for the bel in Gods plan. I woke up Thursday morning, getting ready to start my lesson for today (Friday) and I scanned the news (always an invitation to sin and lose my RMA, since the News is always major source of MAS…) And of course I saw an excellent news report of what I taught on Wed night. [^] Recall I said …. [^] God is for freedom [^] Picture – so what did I read … These people face some amount of uncertainty. They had courage and did their jobs in the face of changing and bad ‘science'. They stood their ground and did their jobs. Now, they are under attack from the socialist, the democratic socialists, Marxists, the “cancel culture' That is what socialism does. Its evil and very very destructive to a nation. Yet, recall, as bels you do not face uncertainty. Not bels. I repeated this over and over again. God protects the believer. Not always Door #1 but you are protected and NOTHING, NOTHING can get to you that God does not approve from His throne in heaven. You are HIS and HE is your God. The solution is always the same in the CWLiving – Use Gods solutions – [^] Rebound - …. [^] So we are to Learn … Remember you cannot copy this as your sp life. You cant execute just what I tell you. (Repeat) you cannot copy this as your sp life. You must (Learn) Think about these verses, adopt them as your F/R Drill verses and then when opportunity comes up then use them. Be prepared. Do not be a casualty. [^] Blank What do I mean as a casualty? If you are concerned or have anxiety about any situation (at work or in your personal life, on in the lives of those you love, like children) Then STOP, Rebound when necessary. Go to God in prayer and claim His promise(s) and let God handle the situation. Whether it is getting a shot, refusing a shot, taking a stand and potentially getting fired… rejecting what schools teach your children…. Or Giving up your guns when they come for them… Charlton Heston famous quote – they can come and take my gun from my cold dead hands… great bravado (emotionalism), but that is not God's solution. What are God's solutions? God's #1 bumper sticker … [^] Rebound when necessary, xxx Let's God's Omnipotence handle the situation… and in His timing. … but Cliff I lost my job… then do your job… find another… ‘Oh by the way ….. Have you thought that God wanted you to have another job and He is using this to force that to happen? Do not under estimate God. Even if this is not the situation – God will protect you, He will help you… He protects you, the bel using F/R Drill, who is not falling apart…. You might have underserved suffering involved (don't be a coward), recall also God is the one who allows that suffering to occur. He is the one who will deliver you. Will you accept His help? Even in adversity? Even in pain and underserved suffering? Remember everything in this life is a test. I know it is a easy, flip thing to say from the comfort of our non-adversity situations… but it is still true… A test not of the cosmic system but from God. God may use the cosmic system and does. But God, Your creator TLJC, G/F and G/HS are the ones who allow your exact form of testing to occur, and gave you (in the past, before you needed them) the solutions to all testing. Use them and relax, or not, and suffer. The choice is yours. It's God's way or the My Way Highway The solution is always the same. Shifting gears … Let me summarize what the lessons were from the Red Sea incident and the Prodigal Son. [^] God makes you promises and God keeps His promises. o How? Well for one He is all powerful (Omnipotent) – like parting the sea! Therefore Trust God – No Mo Fear o We Trust God by a process of using the Faith Rest procedure God is a God of restoration o God knows we fail & o God patiently waits for us to return to Him, and many times again and again o So again no regrets, no guilt, no condemnation and no fear - we boldly go to God using His solutions - NO MO FEAR o We look forward (not backwards) and use God's solutions day- by-day. What are God's solutions (thus far in our study)? ... Now wait for it! [^] blank You do not need me to show it to you again. You know it by heart. Rebound Learn and use God promises Think like God thinks Again we are to use the F/R procedure when we fear, in order to put that fear on God to handle. We are to have no guilt or shame, we are to return to God's solutions and God's thinking when we fail, because He waits patiently for us to return to him. God is glorified when you use His solutions. So glorify God. Recall you have only one time in your entire existence on earth and in heaven to glorify God. And that is now, while you are on this earth. You should see in every passage of scripture, God loves you, wants the best for you and all you have to do is Learn, Think, Motive and Act. Learn about God and His procedures, Think about them and how they can apply to your life, be Motivated to make changes that you want to make. Don't make changes because of what you read only. You must understand what God says, why He says it and why you want to adopt His thinking. Then and only then change your Thinking and then be Motivated to Act. So relax. Take it one day at a time. Don't get bogged down. Just move forward each and every day. cccccccccccccccccccc Now I want to speak to a different group of believers. The Pharaoh's of Christianity. See in Pharaoh's case, after repeated warnings to believe God, he did not, So God's +R was displeased with Pharaoh and His decisions and His Justice meted out discipline and punishment to those who reject Him and violate His laws and commandments. That ‘return' from wrongdoing (disobedience and evil) should be so easy, But unfortunately for the average person, it is not. Including the average bel! But if and when you do use God's procedures (Rebound and F/R) then we have a compassionate God who forgives, forgets and who provides a RMA that is so precious in life. So it should be simple, right? Why do all this? One: God commanded us to. Two: God wants us to have a life of happiness, contentment and relative peace and tranquility with a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA). He also has a plan for us while on this earth So He provided solutions. Therefore it is up to us: follow God's provided solutions (aka God's way) vs. our own way or the way of the world (cosmos). These are a very important set of things to understand. When you Rebound, when necessary, and claim promises from God using the F/R procedure then you Trust those promises because you know that you have called upon God to do what His promises say and you know God is faithful and trustworthy to do what He promises. Then you can build up Trust. You come to rely upon what He says is true (Veracity) and He will come through for you (Immutability). Ccccccccccccccccccccccccccc There is another promise of God in a passage you may not be familiar with. Turn to Proverbs 12:25 I will put it on the board also but please turns to this passage so you can see it with the eye gate. [^] Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, But a good word [Divine promises and BD] makes it glad. “Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, it's a burden anxiety is. A burden wherever it occurs, and whenever it occurs, but a good word makes it glad.” Anxiety and gladness are contrasted in this verse. In fact they are antithetical terms, and a very necessary that we understand both in order to understand the message, the application of this great verse. [^] anxiety Noun Feminine singular deagah (deh-aw-gaw') Definition: anxiety, anxious care 1. fear or dread 1. This type of fear intrudes and manipulates the thought process. It affects it greatly. 2. It is a fear that paralyzes the mentality of the soul. a) And how does it paralyzed the mentality of the soul? By substituting emotion and reaction for both reasoning and objectivity. b) Fear is subjective, the counter to fear is, objectivity. (use F/R Drill and calm down … reverse process concentration 3. Emotionalism and reaction affects and sometimes debilitates normal activities in life. a) Fear can hold people prisoner. b) The reaction of fear affects and sometimes simply debilitates normal activities in life. 1) That moves into the area of depression as well. 4. It causes inertia, when there should be action. a) Fear can make people so uncertain that they don't know what to do, they can't make a decision, and therefore they can't act by making that decision. Think, Motive, Act 5. Also, fear stymies maximum effort when it is most needed. 6. A person who is anxious and emotional, turns inward, becomes subjective, and thinks only of self in times of adversity or stress. Cannot look at the problem with objectivity, can only look at themselves in fear and subjectivity. [also everything around the suffers – relationship with God (No Rebound, No F/R, No promises, cant think…), Family suffers, Job suffers, friends, Church, all suffer because you are frozen and cant think.] 7. These people are more afraid of a lack of a job, personal injury, of pain (in sickness), and even death, than personal integrity, honor and responsibility to God and to OTHERS. 8. And that's particularly true, For the believer, our responsibility is to the Lord, we are responsible to the Lord for our failure to use the spiritual life under pressure, fear - a lifestyle of fear. 9. The anxious, fearful person cannot think or function under those conditions. 10. Thus, Fear turns to cowardice. a) Fear is in all of us as we shall see, but cowardice is the result of fear that controls us. b) Fear that will not allow us to make good decisions, to be objective. Fear that makes us turn inward on ourselves, and become self-centered. c) This full-blown anxiety and cowardice is a result of a combination of confused thinking and personal arrogance and self-centeredness. And it manifests itself during interactions with people, or with other persons, or from some other stress factors. So anxiety appears in the face of any imagined, threatened, or real adversity. Adversity doesn't even have to happen for people to fear, it's only the threat of it or it's only the thought of it that brings fear. Such a person has a very, very difficult time in life dealing with demanding circumstances. They program themselves to fail because they are afraid. Because emotions and self-centeredness overrides calm, and rational, and objective thinking. People who handle adversity and fear, when they are under that kind of situation and condition, they become even more calm, more relaxed, more dependent not on their self-centeredness, but on the objectivity, and the problem solving that must occur to overcome the adversity. And we as believers know exactly what that means. We have problem-solving devices (PSDs). What I have covered these last 3 weeks. You may be sick of it. But is always remains the same -- Rebound when necessary ….. We use this overcome those moments of adversity. So that adversity doesn't become stress. Because when adversity becomes stress, that's when the pressure gets to us. That's when we can't function, that's when we fall apart. That's when fear (& Santa and His cosmic system) wins. ccccccccccccccccc I was in Glacier NP located in Montana camping before coming here. [^] It is located near and actually spans the Canadian border, Glacier NP is called Waterton Lakes NP in Canada. [^] I wanted to go into Canada and take the Trans-Canada highway across Canada and then come down into New York or Vermont to arrive here. [^] Blank I could not. Why? Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Countries, Gov'ts, peoples are paralyzed by [^] Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Yet, we as believers do not have to be. Why? [^] Psalm 91:1 He [the believer in TLJC] who dwells [via F/R procedure] in the shelter of the Most High [a reference to God] Will abide [reside] in the shadow of the Almighty [Omnipotence of God]. [^] Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions [feathers], And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark [a defensive wall – like a castle wall]. [^] Mother bird Psalm 91:1 … will find shelter … and reside under the protection of Omnipotent God. Are you afraid of the corona virus or of what it does? Stop Stand Still and watch the deliverance of the Lord. We as bels can, those bels who do not use the F/R Drill cannot, and all unbels tremble at the thought. But not those who reside under the protection of an Omnipotent God. [^] Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, But a good word [Divine promises and BD] makes it glad. ccccccccccccccccccccccc Turn in your bibles to Psalm 27:5 [^] Blank [^] Psalm 27:5 [Promise] For in the day of trouble He [God] will conceal me in His tabernacle [promises claimed]; In the secret place of His tent [doctrine & promises] He [God] will hide me; He [God] will lift me up on a rock. Psalm 27:5, “For in the day of trouble, we all have those days, maybe every day, especially if you have a lot of anxiety - every day's a bad day, every day you wake up with all know what's going to go wrong today? So say “Well I already know two or three things”, and so you approach life with anxiety and fear Psm 27:5 , [Promise] For in the day of trouble, God will conceal me in His Tabernacle [promises claimed], in the secret place of his tent [BD] he will hide me, he will lift me up on a rock.” What a great passage of care and deliverance, behind you. What does what does a dog do when it's scared, well often it runs into his house or it runs somewhere to hide, what a perfect example. When you are afraid, you don't hide from your fear, rather you let God hide you in His loving hands. And that is confidence. Ccccccccccccccc Turn to Psalm 56:3 [^] Psalm 56:3 [Promise] When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. [you can have fear but don't let it control you – how? F/R Drill] Psalm 56:3 not again, a promise, David, he said “When I am afraid, David was afraid, David faced a bear and killed it by himself without an H&H .375 cartridge rifle. He faced up a lion and killed it by himself. He faced Goliath. He faced the wrath of Saul for years chasing him around the countryside trying to kill him with his army. He faced his own son who deposed him, and then chased him around the countryside to kill him. David had fear! This man had fear! I suppose he could have just said any of the many true but HVP epigrams around today: put your big boy pants on; or in the west we say Cowboy up! Army Rangers say “drive on”, Airborne Rangers say “Airborne! Marines say Semper Fi! What does that mean? Nothing. Bravado. To face a bear or problems in life requires fortitude. You better have something besides just some epigram. David did have fortitude, but how? Through his own power through his own strength? No not at all. What did David have? What does it say, when I am afraid I will put my trust in You, David was a man of great courage, David was a man who could handle that adversity. David's life was turmoil, in so many ways. Many times self induced… But recall… It Matters Not … He had a great life. David could have trusted in his human ability, in his own strength, in his training. Yet David Trusted God. What did God say about David? A man after my own heart. Can God say that about you? The solution always ahs been and always will be … [^] bumper sticker So to close out this 6 part series, I want to review summarize what we have studied and remind you of the promises we covered. Thus far, we have explored in God's instruction manual [the bible]: God's Divine Essence (JR SOOO LIVE), How He thinks (His Love, His Righteousness and His Justice) and we have studied the first of His Problem Solving procedures: Rebound when necessary and learning then diligently using the Faith Rest procedure. Along with these aspects, I have emphasized God's Love for you (God's Divine Essence of Love), We need to Trust God, that is Trust His promises because He made those promises for you, for you to use, (but also Trust His Commands (CMD) and procedures and what the bible says), So that you can be relaxed in any and every situation of life (Relaxed Mental Attitude – RMA). That too is an expression of God's Love for you, providing you solutions for life. I have covered fear because fear is a big problem in life and God has given us a lot of anti-fear promises. I reminded you God has a plan for your life. And since it is God's plan, he designed it for you and only you, therefore only a perfect God can create a perfect plan for an imperfect person (i.e. you and me), so it will be a great and fantastic life. I defined the CWLiving, that is living God's Plan for you, using God's provisions, like Rebound and F/R procedure, learning about God and Trusting God, which means you start to appreciate God which develops into a love for God. You love what He has done for you, what He provides for you and then you start to Depend upon Him. But this all starts with Rebounding when necessary, diligently using the F/R procedure based upon learning God's promises & using them (in the F/R procedure), learning about God's Divine Essence and how it works. Once you ‘see' God in action and how you can lead a more relaxed life, then that too grows your love for God. And when that happens, you reflect God's thinking in your life and you make decisions that reflect God's thinking because it becomes your thinking. That then is living or executing God's Plan for your life. Just like I described in my first example of the Faith Rest procedure as driving in bad weather: God either causes circumstances to work in your favor (rain goes away or lessens), or your confidence (courage) is increased, or any number of possibilities (recall He is Omnipotent). God works things out, life out, for your benefit. In fact, there is a great verse that says just that. You know it well… [^] Romans 8:28 [Promise] In fact, we know that God causes all things to work together for [your] good to those who love God [who TRUST Him [Prov 3:5-6a]], ... The key is those who Love God, i.e. who know God, who Trust Him, who use His solutions, procedures and who follow His plan. And to follow God's plan at this point for you is Rebounding when necessary, diligently using the F/R procedure, learning who God is (His Divine Essence) and how He thinks – or in short trusting God. Let's do a quick run through of the promises we covered. You can copy them down or get them from the web site. Please do memorize them or put them on the wall in your study so that they are on the wall of your soul. [^] 1 Peter 5:7. Give me all your concerns because I (God) care for you. I like what Pastor Rory Clark says: Slamming all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (TLJC) and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31) [^] Proverbs 3:5 [CMD #1] Trust in the Lord with all your heart [where you think, not emotion], And [CMD #2] do not lean on your own [human] understanding [your own personal opinion vs God's]. Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways [CMD #3] acknowledge Him, [using Rebound & F/R Drill] And [Promise] He will make your paths straight. [God will work out everything in your life] And recall what I said you have to do to “In all your ways acknowledge Him?” Rebound when necessary and diligently using the Faith Rest procedure. Trust, lean not and acknowledge Him - a learned behavior, a process. Never give up, never give in. I introduced the concept of Trust early to you – [^] Lamentations 3:25 [Promise] The Lord is good to those who trust in Him [F/R procedure] and to those who wait for Him [divine timing of God, having patience], Anti-Fear – God's Protection [^] eternal security anti fear promise John 3:16 "For God sooooooo loved the world, [with the result] that He gave His uniquely born Son [virgin birth], that whoever believes in Him shall never perish [eternal security], but have everlasting life.” Once you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, you are going to heaven, no matter what! You cant ‘lose' your salvation – ever. That is called eternal security. And also, you have no fear of physical death. When you die physically you are going to heaven. [^] Isaiah 41:10 [Promise] '[Stop] Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' > [^] Deuteronomy 20:3 ... “Hear, O Israel [believers using CWLiving], you are approaching the battle against your enemies [problems, adversities of life] today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, Deuteronomy 20:4 [Promise] for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save [or deliver] you.” [^] Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord [TLJC], the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. ... Isaiah 40:29 [Promise] He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power [physical and mental courage and a RMA]. > Anti-fear conclusion ... [^] Matthew 7:11 [Promise] If you then [the context is talking about parents], being evil [compared to the character & integrity of God], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Again, those are Promises from God. You go to God and ask or claim a promise and God delivers (in His timing). We covered Psalm 91, a great passage to put together the concepts of God's Divine Essence, His promises and what He does for us in terms of protection (anti-fear). How can we not forget… [^] Psalm 91:1 He [the believer in JC] who dwells [via F/R procedure] in the shelter of the Most High [a reference to God] Will abide [reside] in the shadow of the Almighty [Omnipotence of God]. [^] Mother bird The mother bird protecting her chicks? That is you and any of us as believers who use God's procedures and Trust in God. > Another aspect of anti-fear ... That I did not cover but you as Pastor's congregation know well… “Rebound and Keep Moving (forward)”. Do not look back. God knows that humans have regrets and worse. We are hampered by [victims of] our past. Or what we are doing right now (guilt). Rebound and move forward. Don't look over your shoulder, so to speak. Go forward and do the best you can in your circumstances. [^] Confused which way to go? So part of anti-fear in your life is not looking backwards, Rebound when necessary and move forward. Mistakes in the past, even horrible ones, God turns into blessings (not necessarily instantly but over time) so that you look back and ‘see' God and His hand in your life and are so grateful to Him that you are where you are, at this moment, and look forward to what God has for you in the future. > I addressed the issue of fear of punishment, people fear God is going to punish them. But we know God's will for all mankind. And it is not punishment [^] 1 Tim 2:4 [God] wills [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] [for believers] to come to the knowledge of the truth [bible doctrine, what the bible says, like Rebound and F/R procedure]. SO we know by this doctrine that God is not out to punish you, but By first looking at who and what God is, His Divine Essence which for us centers around His Love and then His Righteousness and Justice. What is God's ‘goal'? Anything God does it is with this in mind. For unbelievers' discipline is to point them toward the need for salvation and a need for a savior, that is Jesus Christ. For believers' discipline is to guide us back to executing His plan for our lives. That is Rebound when necessary and diligently using the F/R procedure. > Recall [^] Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness [unfailing Love of God] to all who call upon You. ‘call upon You' are those who Rebound when necessary and diligently use the Faith Rest procedure. Using God's solutions in life. [^] Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger [patient and longsuffering] and abundant in grace and truth. ‘truth' is God's word, the bible or the doctrines of the bible like Rebound and Faith Rest procedure – ‘truth' is His Love Letter to You. Yet recall part of discipline that none of us like is Reaping what you Sow. [^] Gal 6:7 [CMD] Do not be deceived, God is not [cannot be] mocked; [Promise] for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Again, for the believer Rebound and diligently using the F/R procedure then start making better decisions. Then God may eliminate or reduce the effects of bad decisions. Or He might not, and if He doesn't then it is for your own benefit, as strange as that might seem. Yet you still have F/R procedure and you can be relaxed even when under the effects of bad decisions. So isn't God wonderful? He gives us a RMA and contentment even when we reap what we sow!!! So God loves us even when we make mistakes and are suffering the consequences of those mistakes. God has a plan for your life: Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace [mental prosperity] and not for calamity [evil] to give you a future and a hope [confidence]. Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him [God the Father] who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power [God's Divine Essence] that works within us. > Recall grace means God's un-merited favor toward you. You do not earn or deserve (merit) blessings from God but you get it, especially when you use His solutions then His Righteousness (+R) is satisfied and His Justice gives you what God Love wants for you. Grace. Recall again God provides for what you need in life – [^] 2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power [Omnipotence] has graciously been given to you everything pertaining to this natural life [food, water, shelter, etc] and the spiritual life [CWLiving], through the knowledge [learning what the bible says = Bible Doctrine, e.g. Rebound and F/R procedure...] of Him [Jesus Christ] who called you by His own glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:4 For by these [doctrines – Rebound, Faith Rest, God's Divine Essence and how it works] God has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises [1Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5-6, etc], in order that by them, when applied, you might become partakers of the divine nature [God's Thinking specifically the CWLiving], having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust [human thinking and lifestyle]. Bottom line, God has provided everything you need for this life and to grow spiritually. And to repeat, the ultimate anti-fear versus is: [^] Isaiah 41:10 [Promise] '[Stop] Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' notice again how God worded what will be done? I am, I will... Do you see how personal God is with us? Just another indication of His Love for you and me. [^] Blank So this is how God thinks and what Gods will is and How God thinks. His Promises, His CMDs and Instructions to live our lives in the face of Cosmic opposition or the troubles of life. My last promise to quote is a prayer, so read it with me as a close in prayer. Jude 1:24 [Promise] Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, Jude 1:25 to the only wise God and Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom is glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Recap – Coach Lombardi – [^] Coach Belichick Prodigal Son verbal summary So as far as we have gone in this parable you now have a good background as to the plan English and the isagogics. Let's look at the spiritual meaning of this part of the Prodigal son. [^] Luke 15:11 ¶ And He [Jesus] said, "A certain man [God the Father] had two sons [both believers]; I want to skip some detailed background as to the circumstances of where and why Jesus told this parable. My goal is to keep this relatively simple for now (even if it is not short). Just know there is allot of background as to why Jesus told this parable. But for now, it is not important. What I do want to mention, something that many in ‘Christianity' do not understand and what I want to make clear is that we are all undeserving of receiving anything from God. You are a well taught congregation, but it is worth repeating. God can't have anything to do with sin or sinner (you know this as what the bible calls unrighteousness). Therefore God can't have a relationship with sinful mankind. But He wants to (ponder than – He wants to …) and so His Love Motivated Him to find a solution (Think and Act) and that solution was Salvation followed by the sp life – the CWLiving. We are learning God's solutions that enable us to live in this world and have a relationship with God, and in using His solutions and following His instructions, we can navigate this corrupt world we live in and first demonstrate to ourselves how we can be happy, content and relaxed (by using God's solutions) and then by living the CWLiving we show others (a witness). God found a way to provide for us and all we have to do is Learn, Think, Motive and Act – or in short obey, but obey because we want to, not because we have to (that is part of motivation). Along with being unworthy, because we are sinners and will sin in the future, this means our human nature is evil. We are not basically good; we are evil and strive to be good. That is hard to swallow and most human thinking says we are basically good but do bad things. No. God says we do not have a righteousness equal to His and therefore are unrighteous. Again this is a hard to accept since we are brought up to think of ourselves as basically good (Satan's lie). But the fact is when we compare ourselves to God, we are totally unrighteous and evil. Now be careful, do not take this to the extreme. God created us and we are valuable to Him, we just have a nature that is unrighteous compared to His. And as I said He cannot have anything to do with unrighteousness or sin. So He had to do something about it. And did. There are many people who have good traits and follow morale principles (which are given by God for all people - DE) but the bible is clear we are basically bad people and we have to strive to be good. Which is just the opposite of what humanity (i.e. Satan) says and peddles, which is false and anti-God. If God says we are naturally evil and humanists say we are basically good, then they are saying God is wrong, God is a lair and are against God. Therefore they are on the wrong side and they are siding with Satan. That might be rough to hear but it is factual and God says this directly. [^] Psalm 14:1 (For the choir director. A Psalm of David.) The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. Psalm 14:2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. Psalm 14:3 They have all turned aside; together they have become [morally] corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. [^] Rom 3:10 As it is written [in Ecclesiastes 7:20], "There is none righteous, not even one; Rom 3:11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; [God sought us] Rom 3:12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one." So where am I going with this? Simply, we are all unworthy, and so for the prodigal son to say he is unworthy to be a son, he is wrong on two counts. First, he was always unworthy, not just this one little time when he demanded from his father the inheritance and then sold it and left for a distant country. He was always from his birth unworthy. Second, he says he was unworthy to be his son, again once a son always a son. So he was wrong with his logic twice. Thus he still has allot to learn and growing up to do. God's salvation gift is provided to all, there are not levels of deserving individuals or levels of undeserving individuals. As human beings we all sin, some more, some less but there are not degrees of sin making one better than another. (There are different ramifications for sins – e.g. murder vs speeding ticket). What the bible makes clear is that we all, everyone, is undeserving. So know the bible is absolutely clear that we all are undeserving, yet God Loves us and gives us grace (un-merited blessing). John 3:16. This parable portrays the attitude of God the Father toward the lost. Seeking the lost to come to Him in contrast to an excluding attitude. Since we are all undeserving and lost (without God), God takes the initiative and seeks you. He does this consistent with His Righteousness and Justice, motivated by His Love. I want to read another quote from Col Thieme - . The unfailing love of God for His own, that is believers, is the security that He provides for those who are His [believers], no matter where we are, no matter which direction we go, no matter how far we stray, no matter how lost we are. He never gives up, never. He is going to pursue you and try to persuade you to have a relationship with Him, a most beneficial relationship that has benefits in time, this life, and for all eternity. That's our God. [^] Luke 15:11 And He [Jesus] said, A certain man [God the Father] had two sons [both believers]; Luke 15:12 and the younger of them said to his father,' Father, [CMD] give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. The dividing of the estate represents God providing everything you need in life to Learn, Think, Motive and Act with emphasis of what is called logical grace (food, shelter clothing, etc to live life in earth). Once you are a believer, God is obligated and has provided everything you need to live in this world. Both physical and spiritual. So your obligation is to grow up spiritually, to live the CWLiving. 2 Peter 3:18 says “Grow in the grace and knowledge of God”. To do that you must Learn, Think, Motive, Act. God provides both the materially and the spiritual information you need to do that. The younger brother represents most believers that receive the blessings of God the Father while turning our back on God. Also notice the Father made no attempt to stop him. God is a perfect gentleman and He does not violate your free will nor does He force you to remain in fellowship with Him. We are not robots, automatons, we are thinking, breathing, beings who God gave free will to follow God or not. So it is our decision. At this point when you look at this, it is a picture of the Plan of God and us using our freewill. God has a plan for every one of us, and we have free will, a choice to Learn, Think, Motive, Act about God's Plan or to reject or be ignorant of God's plan (apathy). The believer must accept the Plan of God which includes living the spiritual life [CWLiving]. The only alternative is for the believer to go his own way, to stay outside the Plan of God, to reject the Plan of God. To live our lives and its consequences without God. The My Way HighWay Just think about this for a second. Go back to the driving in weather example. Do you want to drive in bad weather on your own or do you want the protection and help of God? A God that is all powerful (Omnipotent)! Seems like an easy decision, huh! So if you want to get back into the protection and help of God ... there is always a way of recovery. To return or start living in the Plan of God. [^] How? Rebound when necessary and then diligently using the Faith Rest procedure. For unbelievers, Faith Alone in Christ Alone – Salvation, [^] Then start with my first lesson and Learn Rebound and the Faith Rest procedure; Think about when you need to Rebound and then call upon the promises of God so that you can be relaxed; next be Motivated to make good decisions based upon what you know from God via His word, the bible; and Act, have the courage to make those good decisions, including calling upon God via the Faith Rest Procedure to help you out in your times of need. And as you practice these ‘skills', learn about this God (Divine Essence) and then more about what the bible says, you are growing spiritually, you are executing the CWLiving and you are in the Plan of God for your life. But first it starts with Rebound when necessary, Diligently use the F/R Drill. The believer always has the ability to Learn, Think, Motive, Act in accordance with God and His plan. And that is another point that will be clearly made in this parable. That's the desire of God the Father, a recovery of right thinking and right living for all of His children (sons and daughters). He wants us to be in His Plan (PoG), sometimes we decide we are not going to be in His Plan. But it is our choice. And God lets us do that and then we suffer the consequences of our Thinking & Actions. [^] Luke 15:13 "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country [outside God's Plan], and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Two things to notice here: First, the younger son just left God the Father's protection [^] bird pic … the younger son just left God the Father's protection and did not call upon God for anything that he was planning to do. He did not ask for guidance, did not ask for help when things started to go bad, he just did his own thing. And that unfortunately is what we all do (some more, some less). We forget about God or we don't even have a relationship with God to know we can rely upon Him for help and advice. We just go on our merry way without a care with respect to God, and then panic when we get into trouble. [^] Blank Second: I mentioned this earlier, “loose living” – Notice God covers your sin(s) and therefore does not tell us what this loose living is. He respects what the younger son did and does not tell us what it was. That is part of God's graciousness. What the young son did is not the issue, the issue is being outside of God and His plan. The only thing that matters is to return. Period. That is how God thinks. The bible says sin is sin, there are not degrees of sin (though there might be degrees of consequences). The sin is not important; it is that we are outside the thinking of God, outside the Plan of God, and a lifestyle of living without God. Also God does not keep track of our sins, that is only something we as human beings do, which is antithetical to how God thinks and wants us to think. When we commit sin were are to Rebound, name and cite that sin to God and move on – 1 John 1:9. A corollary to this is, we are to keep our noses out of other people's business and if by chance we know of someone's sins, we are to never mention them and even forget them if we can, but never mention them or think about them. We follow God's example on this. [^] Luke 15:14 "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. First, God loves you so much, He does all he can to wake you up to the fact that you are outside His plan for an extended time, this is part of what is called Divine Discipline. You are living outside the protection and provisions of God, so God provides disciple to wake you up to the fact that you need to recover and be restored to fellowship [via Rebound]. So what does God do in this case? He allows a severe famine to occur so that this young man would begin to be in need. This is the Sovereignty of God, the Omniscience of God or maybe the Omnipotence of God acting. God either knew that a severe famine would happen and he allowed this young man to go into that country. Or God made the severe famine occur via His Omnipotence. We are not told, but we can clearly see and use the Divine Essence of God and apply it here to understand God's ‘hand' in this situation. Again, so important from time to time to relate what is going on, or not, to God's Divine Essence. It helps us understand God and appreciate His power and wisdom. Because His Divine Essence is in action for your benefit. Principle: again without going into detail at this time, we are ‘whole in our life' [relaxed, happy, content, having purpose or ‘filled up' as it were] when we Learn, Think, Motive, Act using what God has provided and learn God's thinking. When we think like God thinks. There is a famine in every person that rejects the nourishment God provides by Learn, Think, Motive and Act using the word of God. Notice he began to be in need. He could not find a job. He never knew what hunger was all about because He was always provided for by living (fellowship) with his Father. And now he is outside the protection and help of His Father. Just like we are when we are out of fellowship and need to Rebound and even if we are in fellowship but do not use the Faith Rest procedure when needed (and it is always needed). [^] Luke 15:15 "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. There is allot to this sentence that we will learn in the future. Since we are talking about the spiritual interpretation here and its application, just know that ‘attaching himself' means that this young man has rejected God the Father's thinking and way for his life and has adopted a different way of thinking and a different life. And as a result, he is now the feeder of the disgusting, muddy, stinky swine. See here God is a gentleman, you reject God, His plan and His instruction and procedures and you then reap what you sow. You make bad decisions and you reap the consequences of those bad decisions. (as you know all not lost, you can still recover, it is only a hard road because you think it is a hard road, but don't forget: God will help you, he is rooting for you and He will do all in His power to help you. And you know what? You will be better for going through the process! Guaranteed.) Something also to bring out wrt going our on way. Where did we get this idea of going our own way, it is not just volition, we learned it. We adopt some other philosophy than Gods. ... where did humanity or the ‘world' get its philosophy? In short it gets it by not following God's thinking and making up its own ‘rules' of life. This congregations knows where ‘world' gets its thinking apart from God's thinking? It got it from God's adversary, Satan. We know it as cosmic thinking. It is derived from the Greek word used in the New Testament for ‘world', ‘cosmos' - where we get the word cosmic and the bible says that Satan is the ruler of the cosmos – the ruler of the world. Of course this is a reference to the Angelic Conflict. So not thinking the way God wants us to think then is ‘cosmic' thinking or cosmic system thinking. Because Satan has developed a whole ‘system' to trap people into not thinking the way God thinks. So let me contrast God's thinking with the thinking that is in Satan's cosmic system. By use of an illustration from today… Communism and its little brother Socialism are anti-God and are the way that humanists think. The precepts of these human ideologies sound good but are built on faulty premises and are anti-God. God is for freedom, these groups are for right thinking and if you do not think right you are condemned (‘cancelled') or worse (you are imprisoned or killed); God is for marriage, one man and one woman; these groups are for anything goes – same sex marriage, polygamy. God is for family, what we have called in the past a nuclear family, a mother and a father raising children, these groups are for ‘It takes a Village to raise a Child”, completely opposed to God's way of thinking. God is for nationalism, they are for internationalism. Everywhere ‘their way' has been tried, you have the rich politicians and peasants who are struggling to survive. Look at Venezuela today and the French Revolution or the Bolshevik Revolution (Russia) or Communist China started under Mao. Socialism, the progressive movement, BLM, ANTIFA, Communism are all anti-God and part of Satan's cosmic system. And those people who think like that and those who sympathize with them are part of the cosmic system. > You can spot these groups and what they stand for by their use of the word ‘change'. ‘Change' in the name of some vague improvement, for the common good. The collective good vs individual rights. ‘Change' glorifies man, look what man can do. Versus looking to God and His system as outlined in the bible. God provides a system for all mankind to function, which is called Divine Establishment – 4 Divine Institutions I just mentioned The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to the US Constitution) embodies God's Divine Establishment. In the USA it is what defines how citizens can live together in peace and harmony. Let me challenge you – Do you know what is in the Us Constitution as basic rights? I am sure you know free speech. What are the 4 things mentioned in The 1st Amendment of the US constitution? Besides free speech? - First Amendment (5 things) Congress shall make no law [1] respecting an establishment of religion, or [2] prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of [3] the press, or [5] the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and [5] to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Second Amendment … the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Fourth Amendment The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, Fifth Amendment No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury For believers and unbelievers alike, God's Divine Establishment is made up of Freedom, Marriage, Family and Nationalism plus the Rule of Law (embodied in the US Constitution). And in God's system is how mankind can live and prosper. It is also what glorifies God. Why? How? Again, the ‘recipe' is the same, using God's solutions vs man's made-up solutions or ‘change'. God honors His solutions and He eventually punishes man's solutions (as being anti-God and therefore anti-freedom). Mankind is the most prosperous under freedom vs tyranny. Tyranny is anytime you remove free choice - Freedom. What happens to these people who are anti-God and anti-USA and want to bring this country down and remake into a Socialist Communist country? These people who mock God and His system will suffer Divine Judgment. Psalm 33:10. [^] Psalm 33:10 [Promise] The Lord nullifies [note ] the counsel [thwarts the plans] of the nations [globalism, anti-Nationalism, UN]; He frustrates [to bring to nothing ] the plans [intensions] of the peoples. [who are attacking the client nation & DE people] [note ] It might happen with the next election, it might happen years down the road, it might happen after our deaths, but God will judge these people for the evil that they Think, their Motives and Acts. God will not be mocked Galatians 6:7 - [^] Galatians 6:7 [CMD] Do not be deceived [Stop doing what you are doing], God cannot be mocked; for whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap. This simply says that if you mock God, if you follow a course of anti-God, your actions have consequences and those consequences will be you reaping what you sow. If you sow God's thinking, then you reap the benefit of God's thinking. If you reject God and go down your own path or someone else's ideals that are anti-God then you will reap the consequences of anti-God thinking and be outside of Gods protection. So cosmic system thinking is anti-God and therefore evil. Those who think this way, those who act this way, those who are sympathetic to these groups and this thinking are anti-God, which is evil. So we need to Think God's way and not think or be anti-God. And again how? Become a believer in Jesus Christ [^] slide Rebound … then use Rebound when necessary and diligently use the Faith Rest Procedure, and Learn about God, how he thinks and adopt His thinking and His ways vs Satan's comic thinking. I can go on but I will stop here. > Those who reject God and pursue humanism, socialism will be judged harshly by God – remember – Don't mess with God and don't mess with God's people, whether it be the Jews at the Red Sea or God's RF, His Church Age bels & Client Nations or His principles of DE. God wins Satan and His cosmic system and peoples loses We win because we are Gods. [^] Chart 23 Luke 15:15 "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. So ‘attaching himself' means that the young man is part of Satan's cosmic system and not in God's plan for his life [CWLiving]. Not thinking with God's thinking. He rejected God the Father's thinking and lifestyle. Not ‘attaching himself” to God's plan. The second thing is this ‘citizen of that country' sent him out to the fields to feed swine. He is now effectively a slave to this ‘citizen'. What friend or associate would send someone out to this work? This is an analogy to the cosmic system making slaves out of people who follow its tenants. Following the ‘rules' of the cosmic system will only lead to heartache and disappointment because only God's ways are the way to peace [RMA], comfort and genuine happiness in life. How could it not if God is the one protecting and providing for you? [^] Luke 15:16 And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. God provides for believers, he provides for your daily needs, logistical grace. So the food you eat, the clothes you wear, your transportation, everything you need to sustain yourself God provides. When you are in the cosmic system, you are rejecting God's plan and provisions for you. You are now relying upon Satan and his cosmic system for your needs. I know this is a hard concept to understand because what you see around you does not conform to this view. But it is nevertheless true. In short, the world or cosmic view is you work hard, then you can provide for yourself and your family. There is nothing wrong with working hard. But it is a matter of your focus. Are you working hard to get ahead, to make money? Or, are you working hard leading a balanced life, knowing God provides what you need (called logistical grace) and knowing that everything you have is from God and not from your own labors. I know this is subtle, but working hard and gaining ‘stuff' vs being diligent in spiritual life (CWLiving) is a big difference. I changed the word ‘hard' to ‘diligently'. A subtle but important change, in your thinking. You choose to live under God's thinking and work diligently at your jobs (notice plural) and let God be the one who provides for you. Jobs: You have time for God, you have time for family & your spouse, you have time for work, you have time for friends and hobbies, you have time to enjoy the fruits of knowing God and in your work (Sabbath Rest). One works for money and status in life and the other a balanced life that is relaxed and comforted in the knowledge of God and how God thinks and how God provides for you. The subtly here is work hard for stuff and all the anxieties that come along with that. Or your focus is on God, learning and applying what He says, diligently living the CWLiving and part of that is doing your job at your work, then reaping the benefit of God's provisions for you. A balanced life or a hectic life. Your choice. Satan's cosmic system way or God's way. Subtle but important. So attaching yourself is important [and has ramification for your entire lifetime]. This young man was attaching himself to the cosmic system rather than God. [^] Luke 15:17 "But when he came to his senses [notice thinking before changing your mind], he thought to himself, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! He never was hungry before this, he never did not have the right clothes, he never did not have a soft bed to sleep in, they were all provided for by his father. God the Father provides for everything in a believer's life. Some may have more, some may have less but always what you need. So the analogy here is ‘why would you leave the protection and provision of your Father'? And we know the answer, we are arrogant and we want to do things our way. When our way conflicts with God's way then the inevitable results occur. Likewise when we trust God, learn His thinking and His ways, use His solutions (procedures and techniques then we are living under the full protection and care (Love) of God. Which of the two ways is best? (rhetorical question) The point is rational thinking is what is needed to evaluation your circumstances. In this young man's case, he said to himself: “why did I leave?” He knows why but now with his ‘experiences' he sees the error of his ways. [^] Luke 15:18 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven [rebound], and in your sight; So what is the spiritual solution when you are outside of Gods plan? Rebound. Name or cite your sins to God the Father and be restored to fellowship. This young man Thought, and was Motivated to change his Thinking and decided to Act. [note – I am using this Learn, Think, Motive, Act process allot because it is important that we all understand how we come to make a decision. It is not emotional. It is rationale. It's a process. This process is important and it is found throughout the bible. It needs to be the model for your process to come to a decision] [^] Luke 15:19 [he should have stopped but continued on emotionally] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men. "' Again worthy. None of us are worthy for God to take interest in us. We have nothing commendable to God. What we are is His creation and because we are His creation He takes an interest in us and wants us to succeed. He Loves us with His perfect Divine Essence of Love. But as we have covered before, He can't Love us and provide all that He wants for us unless His perfect Divine Righteousness (+R) and Justice are satisfied. Again how are they satisfied? By using His solutions and procedures. In these lessons it is Rebound when necessary and learn the promises of God and diligently using the Faith Rest Procedure. As we are seen via this parable, it is God's way or it is Satan's cosmic system way. Those are our only two choices in life. Again we need to note God's procedure. Name or cite our sins to God the Father in prayer. We are not to feel sorry for them. God does not ask that of us. Just name or cite them to Him and only Him. God does not ask us to plead with him, to tell Him (what He already knows) that we are unworthy. But since we believed in Faith Alone in Christ Alone we became part of God's family, so worthy or unworthy is not an issue. We are His. We were born unworthy but God, at our Salvation, made us part of His family and now therefore worthiness is not an issue. It is not part of the equation. Worthiness does not matter to God and should not matter to us. (adopt God's thinking) We are sons and daughters and nothing is going to change that after salvation. We are not worthy to be His family, yet He made us sons and daughters nonetheless. God's Sovereignty made us sons and daughters because His Love wanted to and when we believed in Christ with Faith Alone in Christ Alone then God's Justice was satisfied and His Righteousness told His Omnipotence to make us sons and daughters. Again everything God does is related back to His Divine Essence. Study God's Divine Essence, it is important. So after we Rebound, there is nothing left to do. No feeling sorry, No nothing, just go forward (make better decisions). So this young man should stop in his thinking after ‘rebound'. He does not have to grovel or insult his father by saying treat me, your son, like a servant. Just Rebound. Father I have sinned against you. [^] Luke 15:20 "And he got up and came to his father. Again, Thinking about his situation led him to be Motivated to change his situation (Action). [^] Luke 15:20 "And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father [did 5 things] [1] saw him, His father every day was looking for his son to return. The same with God the Father. Every day He is waiting for you to return to His plan using His solutions and procedures. He waits patiently. There is a verse in the bible that describes this: [^] Revelation 3:20 Behold [Take Notice! - believers], I [God] stand at the door [of your soul] and keep on knocking; if you hear My voice [how? By Learning or recalling what the bible says] and opens the door [you walk away from the cosmic system and Rebound, restart the CWLiving], I will come in to him, and will dine [fellowship] with him, and he with Me. God takes the initiate and is always waiting for a believer to be Motivated to Act based upon recalling or Learning what the bible says (Bible Doctrine) and when you use God's solution (Rebound) then you are back into fellowship with Him restarting the CWLiving. God is waiting... and therefore looking for His sons and daughters to return. That is how God thinks. Period. Just return via Rebound and move forward in the CWLiving (in your case diligently using the F/R procedure). [^] Luke 15:20 ... But while he was still a long way off, his father [did 5 things] [1] saw him, and [2] felt compassion for him, and [3] ran and [4] embraced him, and [5] kissed him. This is God's attitude for every believer who returns to the CWLiving. We have a Loving, compassionate, forgiving and wonderful God. Our job is to Learn, Think, Motive and Act using God's provisions, procedures and what He tells us in the bible (Bible Doctrine) to live our lives under His protection. I think it is important to notice that God did 5 things. He could have just done one, but His heartbeat is to have a relationship with you, an individual relationship, so God is ‘excited' and overjoyed at seeing a believer who is returning to Him. God is always [1] looking for a believer to return, [2] He is compassionate and knows that the believer had a rough time and wants to do everything to ease their pain; He [3] runs toward you when you have a change of thinking and [4] embraces you and hugs you and [5] gives you maximum comfort. This is the God of the universe, this is the God who Loves us and waits patiently to do all that He can for you. [^] Luke 15:21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' Luke 15:22 "But the Father [cut him off] As we have seen, Rebound is all that we have to do. And as we see here, the father cuts him off. He has Rebounded, so that is all that is required to be done. You changed your mind to God's thinking – repentance. A word that has been badly re-defined from what its original meaning. We change our minds about using Satan's comic system thinking for God's thinking (Bible Doctrine) and we start using God's provisions and do what the bible says. [^] Luke 15:22 "But the father [cut him off] said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand [signature ring] and sandals on his feet; Luke 15:23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry [celebrate]; [^] Luke 15:24 for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again [he simply returned home]; he was lost, and has been found.' And they began to be merry [celebrate]. You can see and feel the excitement that God has when just one son or daughter returns to God and His ways. This is who and what this God of ours is. He is overjoyed at someone's return. This is the Love and excitement and care that God has for us. And ‘what is it that we have to do'? [^] Rebound when necessary. Learn God's Promises and diligently use the Faith Rest Procedure. Learn about God and His character (Divine Essence), ‘see' (experience) how God thinks and use or adopt His thinking as our own. When we fail Rebound. And keep moving forward I am choosing to not cover the rest of the parable which involves the older brother. I wanted to hammer home God's love and How He feels and thinks about you. What he has provided for you. And what our obligation is to God. extemporaneous – Heb 10:25 and why COVID…. To close out this parable I want to mention one thing. What the Father wants here is the prodigal's restoration to the father in his house (fellowship with God and fellowship within the RF – Heb 10:25) What is exemplified here is the necessary attitude of love by believers for one another. This is a part of restoration, and this is a part of your attitude in grace orientation. It should be either personal love or impersonal love as the situation dictates. You have to be very careful that your strong sense of justice doesn't become self-righteousness. We do note hate the rioters, we despise the riots. Now the Rule of Law must be enforced – yet we despise the riots. We do not hate the Gay, Lesbian, Queer, Transvestite, Bi-sexual, binary or undecideds – we despise their actions. We do not despise the socialist, Marxist politicians who want to destroy our country and who spew anti-God rhetoric – we despise, reject and stand against what they say. We reject their actions but not the person. We want the Rule of Law enforced but we do not support or participate in vigilante justice. As Col Thieme stated … [^] Nothing wrong with a sense of justice, temper justice with grace orientation. Grace was given to you, me and those who are anti-God because we are all unworthy. As we know there is no other way you can receive salvation by other than grace. There is no other way that God can give you everything you need, to fulfill His plan other than grace. There is no other way that you can live in heaven for eternity without the grace of God. We don't deserve any of it, which one of us does? the prodigal? No. But he has it just like us. Grace is always demonstrated to the unworthy, that's what God's grace is, and what it does. [^] Blank So this concludes what I wanted to cover for the CWLiving. I do want to cover the passage in 2 Peter 1. I have memorized v1-11 Because it is the CWLiving in miniature So I want to read this because this congregation has the back ground to understand it and it might give you something to think about as you execute your spiritual life. 2 Peter 1 covers 7 qualities or attributes of the CWLiving. I do not have time to define each one but, again, this congregation has enough background to understand them. 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours [bel in JC], by the integrity [+R + J] of our God [deity] and Savior [humanity], Jesus Christ: 2 Peter 1:2 Grace and [mental] prosperity [RMA] be multiplied to you by means of the [epignosis] knowledge of God[/F] and of Jesus our Lord; 2 Peter 1:3 [how? ->] seeing that His divine power [omnipotence] has graciously been given to us everything pertaining to this [natural] life [logistical grace support] and spiritual life [CWLiving], through the epignosis knowledge [metabolized BD applied experientially] of Him [JC] who called [common grace] us by His own glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:4 For by these [doctrines] God/F has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them [metabolized and applied BD] you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust [OSN lifestyle]. 2 Peter 1:5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence [mental and physical strength], in your faith [by means of doctrine] apply] [1] virtue, and to your virtue, apply [2] [gnosis] knowledge, 2 Peter 1:6 and in your knowledge, apply [3] self-control [control your OSN & your decisions]; and in your self-control, apply [4] perseverance [patience with circumstances], and in your perseverance, [5] live the spiritual life [CWLiving]; 2 Peter 1:7 and in living the spiritual life, [6] apply love to members of the RFG, and in your love for members of the RFG, [7] apply virtue love [to all mankind]. 2 Peter 1:8 For if these seven qualities are yours [i.e. keep on being present] and keep on increasing [we never arrive], they render you neither useless nor unfruitful [no hopeless situations] in the epignosis knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:9 For the Believer who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted [occupied with the cosmic system], having forgotten his purification from his former sins [salvation by grace through faith]. 2 Peter 1:10 [CMD] Therefore, members of RFG, be all the more motivated [make every effort] to make certain [a spiritual reality] about His calling [common grace] and electing [Doc of Election] you; for as long as you practice these things [the virtues of living the spiritual life], you will no not never stumble [in the spiritual life]; 2 Peter 1:11 for in this way [making your calling and election sure, practicing the CWL] the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you [conveyance of Escrow blessings]. --- Fit in Matthew 8:26, Luke 8:24, Mark 4:39 And He said to them, "Why are you timid [cowardly], you men of little faith[s] [note1]?" Then He arose, and rebuked [issues a command to] the winds and to the surging waves and the said to the sea "Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. This is the way to alleviate fear and anxiety every time. F/R. [^] Note1 - little faith[s] (ol-ee'-gos – pistis) oligópistos (from 3641 /olígos, "little in number, low in quantity" and 4102 /pístis, "faith") – properly, few occurrences (applications) of faith. 3640 (oligópistos) occurs five times in the NT, each time with Jesus rebuking the problem of failing to hear His voice (cf. Jn 10:3,4,27). [^] F/R…. =========== ========== ========= What's God's will? [^] 1 Tim 2:4 who [JC] desires [wills] [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] to come to the [epignosis] knowledge [through metabolized BD] of the truth [believer]. [^] God's will = 1) salvation; 2) 2 Peter 3:18 IOWs How to grow in the grace and knowledge of TLJC – Master the CWLiving fundamentals ● Rebound when necessary ● Learning God's promises ● Diligently using the F/R procedure ● Understanding God's character (JR SOOO LIVE) especially God's Love and His Righteousness and Justice. ○ And how God's Love is His motivation to do things for you and to help you and ○ how His Righteousness has to be satisfied so His Justice can execute what His Love wants to do. ● Understanding How God thinks Recall Gods Love wants to bless you, encourage you, and prosper (RMA) you. That is His loves motivation. And when His Righteousness is satisfied, His Justice executes what His Love wants to do for you – aka blessing When you do these things then God's +R accepts this and His Justice blesses you. When you don't or are apathetic or disobedient – then the +R of God rejects your behaviour and condemns you – disciplines you (including reaping what you sow). Trusting God [in God we Trust] [^] Proverbs 3:5 [1] [CMD] Trust in the Lord with all your heart [rt lobe – where you think. PSD #3 F/R Drill], And [2] [CMD] do not lean on your own [HVP] understanding [man's opinion vs God's]. Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways [3] [CMD] acknowledge Him, [Promise] And He will make your paths straight. [1, 2, 3 - easy] Straight forward. Trust is a process. IF you use it, the more you use it, the more and more God comes through for you – guiding your life via open and closed doors and protecting you (recall Mother bird protecting her chicks) [^] Confused which way to go? After using the F/R Drill… Then make the best decision you can and if God does not want you to go in that direction, he will close the door. If you are receptive to closed doors, then you see that for what it is and you go in another direction. In all cases you make the decisions in life as to what you think is best. Remember, you will not be in fear or worry because you are using the F/R procedure and as long as you do and are remaining calm about it then any decision will either be guided by God and an open door or the result of the decision will be a closed door. Then you know to go in a different direction. The key is [pause]: are you diligent in using the F/R procedure and are you trusting God such that you are relaxed? If so, then your trust in God is not in vain and He will come through for you (but also remember it will be in His timing). [^] Learn – God's Divine Essence (JR SOOO LIVE) - God's Promises Think – How God thinks … L => R & J Motive - Do follow God's CMDs Act - to use Rebound … & Diligently use F/R Drill Learn – Think – Motive – Act (PMA of BD, Op Z)

The Christian Way of Living Part 2. CWLiving.org Cliff Spier [^] Lombardi believed that if you want to win at anything in life, you had to perfect and master the basics. [^] Col R.B. Thieme Jr said on 15th of August 1979. “A pivot of mature believers - which is what we all should be - break no laws, sponsors no violence, including assassination, crime, terrorism, or revolution. Confiscates no one's property. And does not intrude on human privacy. [^] But turns the world upside down through the invisible force of Bible Doctrine, and the function of, the royal family honor code.” Do you recall what God's will is? You should know and recall what one of the shortest verse in the bible is. [^] 1 Tim 2:4 who [JC] desires [wills] [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] to come to the [epignosis] knowledge [through metabolized BD] of the truth [believer]. [^] God's will = 1) salvation; 2) 2 Peter 3:18 IOWs How God works (Thinks) (God's Righteousness, Justice and Love) So the next logical question is How does God's Righteousness get satisfied? [^ - Blank screen] Blessing or Discipline (your choice) God's Promises Learn more God's promises. So far - 1 Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Lamentations 3:25. We are to use these promises to ‘slam' all our cares, anxieties and problems on God, then relaxing about them knowing that in Lam 3:25 God will provide solutions while you relax and wait on His timing. This should also give you courage. Tip -- Make a list care, problems, concerns - mine is on my phone, and cite them to God in your Faith Rest procedure prayer to God. You have to move forward every day, you have to make decisions every day. Now you can do that, even in difficult times or in pressure situations, with the courage God gives you by using the F/R procedure and having confidence in God, God will come through for you. So then trusting in God and using His procedures (acknowledging Him) He will guide your life and that life will be one of prosperity (mental prosperity - RMA) and he will guide your life with the result you will have maximum happiness and a life of fulfillment (Prov 3:5-6). [^] Problems come in two flavors; 1 - the ones we created by bad decisions (which have internal (pressure, anxiety) and external (ramifications to others)) and 2 - problems others created and put on us (these can be circumstances of life or overt decisions made by others that cause you problems, including ‘natural disasters' such as Mt Saint Helen's, floods, war, pandemics, etc. ) So you know your problem is internal or external. So what??? [^] Sooooo it matters not whether we or others created the problems, God has a solution to them. His solution is to use what you know from the bible to make decisions (based upon your best judgment – at the moment) and to use the Faith Rest procedure to remain calm, relaxed in spite of the pressure, and have courage to move forward because God will fulfill His promise. > V2 goes on – [^] Psalm 91:2 I will say to the Lord, [your conclusion upon using the F/R procedure] "[You are] My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" So the result of using the F/R procedure is coming to the conclusion that God will fulfill the promise to you (that is, you are trusting God) so that you can say (to yourself and others) God is my refuge and my fortress. Also you thank God, in prayer or verbally to others, “My God delivered me because I trust Him” (I trust His word – promises). So you are praising God and thanking Him with your thinking because He will and does protect you. But, this is only for the believer who is using Rebound and the F/R procedure. See when you follow God's thinking and use His tools and develop the spiritual skills to live your life (CWLiving) then God blesses you and part of the blessing is protection per Psalm 91. Also look how personal v2 is. My refuge, My fortress, My God. As I said God wants to have a personal relationship with you. This is you having a personal relationship with God by using His tools (promises) to live your life. And as I said you become grateful to Him for giving you these promises to use in daily life. I like v3 because it has been true in my life. [^] Psalm 91:3 For it is He [God] who delivers you from the snare of the trapper [people and circumstances in life], And from the deadly pestilence [deadly hazards like corona virus]. The snare of the trapper is an illustration of traps in life. Who would set traps for you in life? Have you ever had people in your life who were out for you and wanted to do you harm? I have. I have had bosses at work that ‘hated' me and wanted to destroy my career. I knew it and I did not react to them. I treated them with kindness and respect and I did my job to the best of my ability. And no matter what these bosses tried to do, in the end, they had no effect on my career. [nor my RMA] Now this sounds like I was perfect in all of this. I was not. A few times I got depressed and worried BUT when I did, I Rebounded and used the F/R procedure and went back to a relaxed state so I could do my job. And that is what happens most if not all the time. Sometimes we fail. We Rebound and go back to using the F/R procedure. So God protected me, I was allowed to do my job and very successfully. Then later God's solution was to give me a better job (a promotion). So God did not make the person go way, instead, He protected me so I could do my job and He ‘promoted' me and the person who ‘hated' me, got to ‘stew in their own juices' while watching me be successful. This is an example of God protecting me because I was using His solutions to the problem. > Circumstances in life can also lay traps for you, but again the solution is the same – Rebound when necessary and diligently use the F/R procedure. The second part of v3 I covered in the example of the pestilence above, using the corona virus as an illustration. [^] Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions [feathers], And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark [a defensive wall – like a castle wall]. Here is a picture of v4a that says it all. [^] Notice how the mother bird is holding on to her chicks. Physically protecting them, giving them cover and warmth – that is total protection. Notice also that the chicks could fly away if they wanted to. But they are choosing to stay under her protection. Same with us and God. We can remove ourselves from God's protection by using human solutions to problems instead of using God's solutions. So it is our choice, use God's solutions or use human solutions. Versus 5-7 are additional descriptive illustrations of terrors that can affect Believers. [^] Psalm 91:5 ¶ [result from v2 of using F/R procedure] You will not be afraid of the terror by night [criminality, etc], Or of the arrow that flies by day [warfare]; Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon [earthquake, volcano, tsunami]. Notice night and day, darkness and noon – this is a reference that God protects the believer 24 hrs/day! God never sleeps. He is on the job 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week. [^] Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall [die] at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it [terrors and disasters] shall not approach you. V7 is interesting. You might be in the midst of a great natural disaster or the corona virus with thousands dying all around you but it, the disasters and terrors, will not affect you. We are blessed (by God) in the USA and we do not have many disasters like other parts of the world, but when we do, God protects the believer who is executing His Plan for their lives. [^] Psalm 91:8 You will only look on with your eyes, And see the recompense of the wicked [Justice of God in action]. V8 is interesting because it now introduces what happens to those who are evil, from v3 and 5-7. Not only are you protected but the Justice of God punishes those who are evil (anti-God, believers not using His Divine Solutions in life and unbelievers). You will many times see that they get Divine Justice from God for their deeds. Recompense – How would you like to be in the Recompense side of God's Justice?? Versus 9 & 10 are a conclusion. [^] Psalm 91:9 For you [the Believer using the F/R procedure] have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. Psalm 91:10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent [where you live]. V9 is a restatement of v1-2 and the conclusion of all these terrors and adversities is that you are protected wherever you are. These 9 verses give you enough background to understand what God is telling Believers who a executing His Plan for their lives, the protection and comfort He provides 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. And, and the recompense for those bel who do not and for those unbel who are evil. [^ Blank Screen] So this is a great example of God's promise to believers who Rebound when necessary and use the F/R procedure to handle problems, anxieties, disasters, evil and adversities of life. God protects the ones He Loves. And since He is an all-powerful God, He has the means to provide protection to His loved ones. You can see His Divine Essence in action. His Righteousness not tolerating evil and His Justice executing justice on evil in this world, His Omniscience knowing what will happen in advance and having a plan to protect the believer in these circumstances, His Omnipotence shielding the believer from the consequences of evil and disasters, even when those around you are affected. He does all this because He Loves you and you responded to His Love by first believing in Jesus Christ for salvation and then following His procedures, commands and getting to know and appreciate Him and trusting Him for deliverance from the problems of life. God can only keep His promises and in them is true security. Once you latch on to what Psalm 91 says, and once you understand the context of Psalm 91 as a whole, and once you believe God's promise, and trust God for the fulfillment of Psalm 91, then you have security. You have security in your salvation, you have security in your life, both physical and spiritual, you have eternal security, you have everything that you need, every resource to be secure in this life, no matter what. Psalm 91 is a benefit in the midst of adversity, it is a benefit in the midst of a corona virus plague. Also as you are relaxed, you look around at others who are in panic and fear and you can ‘see' what a wonderful God you have, that Loves you and protects you. Last thoughts Why is the F/R procedure so important? Why do I keep telling you to be diligent in using Rebound and the F/R procedure? What does claiming God's promises on some specific ‘issue' you are having do? First if you trust God and believe His promise(s) then you can be relaxed. That is called a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA). You can relax, you do not have to dwell on your problems, you let God handle them. What else does a RMA bring to you? Courage. Courage under adversity or better said Courage under fire (as in a battle). So what if - you momentarily think about your problem(s) that you asked God to handle by using the F/R procedure? There is nothing wrong with that. It happens. Remember Crunch! Give yourself grace. But if you dwell on them more than momentarily, then you have in essence told God that you want to handle them. So you need to Rebound (you told God that He was going to handle them and you changed your mind, not trusting God) and then you must use the F/R procedure again for that problem. See there is a solution for that too. Think about this for a moment. When a problem comes up, you are able to claim a promise and calm down, by utilizing the Faith Rest procedure, and have a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA), under adversity and that is something that only the believer in Jesus Christ has at their disposal, only the believer. You should be able to see what a great God we have. You should be experiencing encouragement of both God's presence and His care for you. You will rest with the confidence that whatever happens in life is with His knowledge and nothing happens outside of his knowledge (Omniscient). Psalm 91. And you know what? This is one of several problem solving procedures God has provided for believers only. You are well taught and know God provides 10 PSDs that you can use. We just looked at two. Rebound and F/R procedure. Now it is your job to use these two diligently! ############### ############### Morning Thought Process Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. How do we do this? What is our Morning Thought Process? Recalling what God says and tell us to do. Recalling Psalm 118:24 and then using the Faith Rest Procedure for any and all concerns we have. Daily, which is another say of saying: diligently using the Faith Rest Procedure. So, in the morning it begins with Thinking and recalling God. Psalm 55:22 [CMD] Cast [all] your burden upon the Lord [TLJC], [Promise] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous [believers using the CWLiving] to be shaken. So you can pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I have these thoughts of unsurety and I need your help to combat them by using Psm 55:22; therefore I cast the following (name them) to you …. Deuteronomy 20:3 … “Hear, O Israel [believers using CWLiving], you are approaching the battle against your enemies [problems, adversities of life] today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, Deuteronomy 20:4 [Promise] for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save [or deliver] you.” … (continuation of the prayer above) and I know you God are the One who goes with me and fights for me in Deut 20:3-4 … Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord [TLJC], the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. … Isaiah 40:29 [Promise] He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power [physical and mental courage and a RMA]. … Therefore Heavenly Father I claim your further promise of Isa 40:28-29 to strengthen me so I do not give in to wrong thinking and I express my feelings, give me more strength to handle them… Psalm 91:15 [Promise] He [believers using CWLiving] will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him. … because I know based upon your promise of Psalm 91:15 that you will answer my request and you will rescue me and I will know that rescue comes from you … Luke 1:37 [Promise] "For nothing will be impossible with God.” … for nothing is impossible with You (Omnipotent). And I know that I am to … James 1:2 ¶ [CMD] Consider [thinking vs. emoting, consider all that you know about God and His essence] it all happiness, my brethren, when you encounter various trials [testings, adversities, Providential Preventative Sufferings], v3 knowing that the testing of your faith [doctrine, F/R Drill -- ex. Job, Paul in prison] produces endurance [hupomone – w/ circumstances]. v4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. … Thank you Heavenly Father, I pray in Christ's name, Amen.

The Christian Way of Living Part 1. CWLiving.org Cliff Spier Turn to Hebrews 4:12 [^] Col R.B. Thieme Jr said on 15th of August 1979. “A pivot of mature believers - which is what we all should be - break no laws, sponsors no violence, including assassination, crime, terrorism, or revolution. Confiscates no one's property. And does not intrude on human privacy. [^] But turns the world upside down through the invisible force of Bible Doctrine, and the function of, the royal family honor code.” As the believer advances to spiritual maturity, he or she more and more fully orient's the Gods absolute eternal essence (JR SOOO LIVE), who he is, and is rightly motivated to live the honor code, Rom.12:2, that is with renovated thinking. [^] Rom 12:2 [CMD] And do not be [Stop being] conformed to this world [the cosmic system], but [CMD] be transformed by the renovating of your mind [thinking – Rebound, F/R Drill, GO & DO …], [so] that you may prove what the will of God is [1 Tim 2:4], that which is [1] [divine] good and [2] acceptable [living the spiritual life - CWLiving] and [3] perfect [mature spiritual life] which is pleasing to God, the mature status quo [execution of the spiritual life - CWLiving] Rom 12:2 says so that you may prove what the will of God is… Do you recall what God's will is? You should know and recall what one of the shortest verse in the bible is. [^] 1 Tim 2:4 who [JC] desires [wills] [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] to come to the [epignosis] knowledge [through metabolized BD] of the truth [believer]. [^] God's will = 1) salvation; 2) 2 peter 3:18 IOWs So how do we get to this place Col Theime mentioned? A pivot of mature believers. (on the board) I assume you are saved and you are here to learn Gods word. To learn or mature in handling problems. No just your own problems from the decisions you make, but external problems. And boy are we getting allot of external problems today. [BLANK Screen – W] < disobedience => disbelieving, apathy and lack of F.R Drill>> Heb 4:12 For the word of God is [keeps on being] living [alive] and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of [1] soulish things [cosmic things] and [2] spiritual things [God and his word], of [3] both joints and marrow [body], and able to judge the thoughts and intentions [motivations] of the heart [rt lobe – where you think]. When I studied Heb 4:12, esp the first word, gar - translated 'for' it really opened my eyes to the ICE of the verse. gar is used per HELPS Word-studies: [^] "Strong's 1063 gár (a conjunction) – for. While "for" is usually the best translation of 1063 (gár), its sense is shaped by the preceding statement – the "A" statement which precedes the 1063 (gár) statement in the "A-B" unit." What precedes Heb 4:12? Heb 4:1-11 is talking about the Exodus Generation and for us to get out of revisionism, v1 Therefore ... It goes on to talk about the Jews (they are always our example) and how they failed time and time again to use Faith Rest. The specific example is Sabbath Rest. It then goes on and talks about disobedience of the Jews [v6, v11] in 1) not Faith Resting [v1-2, v3-6, v9], 2: apathy toward their duties as a client nation (individually and collectively) [v1-2, v6], and 3) disbelieving [v3]. So, my Heb 4:12 starts out with [^] Heb 4:12 For [the solution to v11 disobedience: disbelieving, apathy & no F/R] ... and continues with Heb 4:12b ... the word of God is [keeps on being] living [alive] and powerful [effectual - accomplishes its objective] and sharper than any two-edged sword, ... So not only do we need to understand the seriousness of disobedience in our life, we are not to fall into the trap that the Exodus generation did which is disobedience: i.e. disbelieving, apathy & no F/R, because not recovering from Revisionism will lead to what happened to the Exodus Generation, the sin unto death and a loss of rewards. So Three things Israel was disobedient at: 1 – disbelieving 2 – apathy 3 – no Faith Rest life aka - The My Way Highway of life. Disbelieving and apathy are volitional matters. You have to check your own motivation to correct them. I'd like to focus on Faith Rest and mix with it God's Divine Essence Then challenge you to strengthen both. Remember our CWLiving skills > What is the F/R Drill? Faith in this case means ‘what you believe'. What we believe as it relates to God is what the bible tells us. And in this case specifically promises that God gave us. Rest means that we claim these promises and believe that God will honor the promise (trust) and so we can relax. Why do we believe that God will honor his promises? His Divine Essence. His character. [BLANK screen – W] Let me give you an example. We all have fears. Let's say it raining hard and the roads are slick and you are afraid of driving but you must. So you are going to claim, by reciting to God, one of His ‘promises' that He has make to you (don't worry I'll give you a promise to use in a second) and tell him your fear and let Him handle it. So we can be relaxed knowing, in this case, that God will give us the courage to use our driving skills to handle driving in the rain. [^] The promise we will use (and I use this almost every day) is found in 1 Peter 5:7. It says: Give me all your concerns because I (God) care for you. I like what Pastor Rory [^] Clark says: Slamming all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. So we ‘give' or ‘slam' all our concerns, worries, fears upon Him, because He cares for you. Again we do this so we don't have to ‘worry' about them. We leave them in Gods hands. So we can relax or the ‘Rest' part of Faith/Rest. Claim a promise by faith (believing God) and then resting that He will handle the situation. [BLANK screen – W] Just a few short things to know about this before we use it. - God is not a genie, we don't get three wishes and He makes them come true. God does not fix problems, He ‘fixes' us. (repeat) - God, usually, does not make the problem go away. Rather He gives you the strength (courage) to handle them with the skills you have. In the example above, God won't stop the rain but He will make sure your driving skills handle any situations you come upon. Therefore, you can trust Him, relax and drive safely in the hazardous rain. That is how God works. That is how He helps you. So take a moment and think about what bothers you, what are you worried about or afraid of? (I keep a list, so I don't forget, and I change the list frequently) So in this example, when you drive safely under God protection inn the rain, what did you do? The first thing you learn by this is: you're starting to trust God Notice Rebound and F/R Drill have to do with you. Not about other people. They deal with your thinking and with circumstances in your life. That is what God designed them to be. It's how you start out. Changing your thinking. Not doing anything…. Hold on to the F/R Drill because I will be coming back to it. (shift gears) Who and what is God? The simple explanation is God is the Supreme Being in the universe God is all powerful, He's smart, etc ... He is not flesh and blood God is a spirit. But these are inadequate, but true phrases and descriptions. But inadequate. We have been taught about His Divine Essence, His character. And that is what we will explore along with the F/R Drill as the fundamentals of the CWLiving. There are three primary things to know about God: [^] 1 - He is what is called absolute righteousness, meaning he can't sin and the reason He can't tolerate or be near sin. And the reason He provided Rebound. God is perfect and He can only act perfectly. Again that is called Righteousness 2 - God is also Just. He can only do the right thing a right way. Think of it in a legal sense as a court room judge. He knows all the facts and can only render a perfect verdict and judgment. So anything God does it is Just, fair and he has no bias. 3 - And the third thing here is God is Love. There are a lot of ideas about love. BUT, lets look at an example from God. Before we believed in Jesus Christ for Salvation, we were not ‘saved'. We do not have a relationship with God. God wants to have a relationship with us; therefore He had to solve that problem. He did what [^] John 3:16 says, God soooo (my emphasis) loved the world (you and me) that he gave us His uniquely born son, that whosoever (me and you) believes in Him shall have everlasting life (aka we will go to heaven). Whether we realize it or not, when we believed in Jesus Christ for Salvation, we claimed that promise of John 3:16 and we became saved. Just for reference notice God did all the work. All we have to do is believe. It takes no ‘effort' to believe. God did the work of Salvation. It takes faith. Faith in someone higher than you. Now that is Love. God doing all the work and we get all the benefit. But wait there is more to this ‘salvation' Let's look at it from the Divine perspective of God's Essence. Righteousness, Justice and Love God in His Righteousness could not have a relationship with you and me before salvation. Therefore His Love motivated Him to find a solution. That was Jesus Christ So God found a way. God's Love motivated Him to find a way which satisfied His Righteousness that allowed God's Justice to establish a relationship with you and me. I hope that is not too confusing. But that is how God works. He loves us and wants to do things for us, because He loves us and when His Righteousness is satisfied then His Justice is freed to do what God's Love wants to do. God can't do anything He wants to do. He operates within His own integrity. That integrity is His Righteousness and Justice. So He is motivated by His Love yet His Righteousness has to be satisfied for His Justice to execute what His Love wants. [Blank Screen – W] How God works (Thinks) (God's Righteousness, Justice and Love) So the next logical question is How does God's Righteousness get satisfied? Great question. It is when we follow His ‘instructions'. Or better said when we follow what the bible tells us. For example, you Rebounded at the beginning of class. You followed God's instructions (procedure found in 1 John 1:9) and when you executed that procedure, God's Righteousness was satisfied and His Justice forgave you of your sin(s). So that is How God works. God loves you. He wants the best for you. And He provides information on how we are to think, and when we think with God's thoughts, or think like God thinks, then He is free to bless us and help us. That is why God in His love provided the Bible, which is His complete information about Himself for us to understand and follow, by thinking like God thinks. And when our thinking changes then our actions follow. You know God does not make the sp life hard. Recall Jesus saying My yolk is easy my burden is light – and we said to ourselves sure, right!!!! I am not going to tell you that reaction is right nor wrong. Why? Because it is a matter of perspective. I can stand here and quote bible verses until I am blue in the face and that will not persuade you. Or maybe you know its true (the bible says so) BUT you have not experienced that yourself. That has been true for me at times in my life. Sooooo, let me tell you it is a matter of your perspective as to the validity of JC statement. Let me explain. Recall Adam and the Woman. God has one only one prohibition in all the entire garden. You can tend the tree (and everything in the garden) and take care of it but you cannot eat of its fruit. (some say the bible says you can go near the tree nor touch the tree. Absolutely false. Go read you bible. God said tend every everything in the garden. ) So Adam had to tend the tree but he and the woman could not eat of the fruit of the tree. Preciseness is important in Gods system. It is how Satan trips us up and did trip up the woman. So one prohibition. Do not eat. (Now isn't that easy – My yolk is easy my burden is light…) Yet what did the woman do? Crunch… Hey Adam, you tall dark handsome man, have a bit. Crunch. One command, only one. Now that was simple wasn't it? Yes. Yet….. So is it simple. Simple to rebound? … Yes Is it simple to claim a promise (surmising you know at least one promise) … Yes And when you do that, Gods +R is satisfied and His Justice executes what His Love wants for you. Simple? Yes. So what's so hard….. We are human…. We are arrogant. We make things hard. Now this is where an aspect of Grace kicks in. We are to give ourselves Grace. In my youth the expression was take a chill pill, give yourself a break. We are only human… very funny if you really understood what it meant. We are to relax and follow God procedures. Thus far tonight Rebound and F/R Drill allowing Gods Love to give us the things we need because His +R is satisfied, because we are using Gods procedures (Rebound and F/R Drill) and God's J delivers what Gods Love wants. So easy. Let's proceed. The next thing to understand is to Trust – Trusting God [^] Proverbs 3:5 [1] [CMD] Trust in the Lord with all your heart [rt lobe – where you think. PSD #3 F/R Drill], And [2] [CMD] do not lean on your own [HVP] understanding [man's opinion vs God's]. Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways [3] [CMD] acknowledge Him, [Promise] And He will make your paths straight. [1, 2, 3 - easy] Proverbs 3:7 [conclusion v5-6] Do not be wise in your own eyes [conceited - arrogance]; [CMD] Fear [Trust] the Lord and [CMD] turn away from evil. Straight forward. First this verse is both a Command and also a promise. A command to Trust in the Lord. How? That starts with knowing a little about God and doing what He says. That is why we Rebound and why I am starting with the Faith Rest procedure. Knowing those two things and using them starts the trust in God process. [In God We Trust] God said x, I will do x and I trust God will do x. Simple, but very important. Like 1 + 1 = 2. Next it says with all your heart. That is our goal – recall what Col Thieme said? Bel using BD turns the world upside down. In the sp life, we can't quite Trust God perfectly yet.. but you can start by using what you know right now (Rebound and F/R procedure). So if that's all you have in your ‘heart' so far and if you do them diligently, then you are fulfilling this part of the command. The third part is interesting and should generate some questions. But first let's look at it plainly: “And do not lean on your own understanding”. Leaning on your own human understanding is using human opinion, the worlds thinking in solving problems vs God's thinking in solving problems. Lean on God and His thinking vs lean on what humanity tells us. If human solutions do not line up with what God says then that thinking is faulty. Where human wisdom lines up with God's thinking or Divine Wisdom then humanity is following the way God thinks. Either way its Gods thinking that is correct, every time. The interesting part here is there are at least two ways to think. God's way and humanity's way. Also called God's Divine Viewpoint (DVP) and human viewpoint (HVP) thinking. We know in fact there are multiple views of humanity, many different forms of ‘philosophy'. But only God's ‘philosophy' matters and is the only one that produces results that are for your best interest, happiness and prosperity in all situations and all the time. This applies to you individually and us a group or humanity. For right now, let's keep it simple, God's viewpoint of life is correct and that is the one we are to learn and think. So And do not lean on your own understanding. Means we are NOT to use human thinking, HVP, but learn and use God's thinking, DVP. Next is verse 6, In all your ways acknowledge Him. So how do you acknowledge God? Does this mean witnessing, etc? God wants your thinking to change, He wants your mind to be ‘renovated' – out with the old thinking and in with the new thinking. God knows if you think like Him and use His procedures and follow His commands then your actions and what you do will follow suit and be based upon His DVP. So God is focused on thinking and not on acting or actions (since allot of people ‘act'). So what this means for you is something I said on Trusting: if what you have in your ‘heart' is Rebound and F/R procedure and you use them diligently, then you are acknowledging Him in all your ways (two areas so far!). So verse 6a just restates what verse 5b says (a side note, I don't know if you like poetry or not, but the relationship between v5b and v6a is called a synonymous parallel. These verses in Proverbs are all Hebrew poetry and they don't use rhyming as their style of poetry but parallelism. God uses this restating technique to both reinforce its importance and to say the same thing slightly differently so the reader understands more completely what He is saying.) So if you are using Rebound and F/R procedure then you are acknowledging God in all your ways! Now the last part of verse 6 - God's promise to you: And He will make your paths straight. A promise to make your paths straight. Make your paths straight is a metaphor (defn: A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly referring to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide clarity or identify hidden similarities between two ideas.). So to make your paths straight means to live your life in the way God wants you to live your life for maximum happiness and blessing in life. Because that is what God wants (I am not giving you lots of bible verses to back up what I say so as not to inundate you... But you can rationalize it yourself, if God is God then He must have a plan and a purpose for my life and He must have given us all the information we need to live that life ... ). God wants you to be happy and prosperous in your life. God gives us His thinking that we need to learn, procedures to execute, commands to follow so that when we do these things we can live our life, solve the inevitable problems we face big and small, day to day, have happiness and contentment in this life. You might ask “How does God make our paths straight?” In its most simplest form it is two things: 1 - you are learning and thinking what God has said, in your case Rebound and F/R procedure. If you are being diligent about using them, then you are acknowledging God and you think differently or you are more relaxed so that you can think and act differently. 2 - with your relaxed thinking and decision making, God opens and closes ‘doors', He brings circumstances into your life which will now guide your life in different directions. [^] Confused which way to go? Then make the best decision you can and if God does not want you to go in that direction, he will close the door. If you are receptive to closed doors, then you see that for what it is and you go in another direction. Don't take this to the ridiculous as some do, “should I eat Mexican or Italian tonight? I'll wait on God's will”. In all cases you make the decisions in life as to what you think is best. Remember, you will not be in fear or worry because you are using the F/R procedure and as long as you do and are remaining calm about it (really, not faking it) then any decision will either be guided by God and an open door or the result of the decision will be a closed door. Then you know to go in a different direction. The key is [pause]: are you diligent in using the F/R procedure and are you trusting God such that you are relaxed? If so, then your trust in God is not in vain and He will come through for you (but also remember it will be in His timing). [^] Trust is a process. [^] You start out slowly, so to speak, claim a promise and wait upon the Lord to handle that promise. If you put more and more on his ‘plate' and you trust Him to handle it then the more and more relaxed you become. When you see this happening in your life, you realize you have peace and tranquility that you did not have before. That is the result of using Gods thinking and specifically the F/R procedure. An other verse which is similar is Laminations 3:25. [^] Laminations 3:25 [Promise] The Lord is good to those who trust in Him [F/R procedure] and to those who wait for Him [divine timing of God, having patience], One of the objectives you have eventually is to want to please God. God is a person, He thinks and He has emotions (just perfect emotions vs our sometimes irrational emotions). He can be ‘pleased'. And doing what He wants for us to do in our lives is something worth aspiring to. This verse tells us that God is good to those who trust Him. That's what you are doing by being diligent in using Rebound and F/R procedure. Lamentations 3:25 says trust and wait upon God. The waiting is also a test. God is testing you to let him handle the situation in His time and for you to relax and wait. Patience. [Blank screen – W] Let's look at Fear - One thing that can characterize what was going on during this COVID-19 crisis is fear. So I wanted to talk to you about fear. There are several ‘fears' in life, some are inherent (you acquired them early in life, or acquired them through difficult circumstances in life) and some come on suddenly (COVID-19 virus with all the conflicting information we get). So let's discuss fear and look at it from God's Divine viewpoint (DVP). In the bigger sense, most people are afraid of death. Many don't think about it until they have an experience with it (friend, loved one, war, etc) and other fears can develop as we age. But as a believer in Jesus Christ, you should have no fear of death. You know what happens after death. You go to heaven. Now some in Christianity have said, and some religions say, you can lose your salvation by being ‘bad'. BS! Why? Because the bible NEVER, NEVER says that. It clearly says many times, you have what is called Eternal Security. Once saved always saved. Period. Unfortunately that is not how humans think (HVP). We want to feel sorry; we want to make amends or penance. BUT recall what I told you. God does not think like humans think. We have to learn how God thinks. And this is very important. Probably the most important thing after mastering Rebound and the Faith Rest procedure is to understand more and more about God and how He thinks. So once saved always saved. Proof – John 3:15 [in order] that whoever believes may in Him [Jesus Christ] have eternal life. John 3:16 "For God sooooooo loved the world, [with the result] that He gave His uniquely born Son [virgin birth], that whoever believes in Him shall never perish [eternal security], but have everlasting life.” John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to judge [punish] the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged [Great White Throne Judgment for unbelievers]; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the uniquely Son of God. Second Proof – John 10:28 [Promise] and I [Jesus Christ speaking] give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish [salvation cannot be undone]; and no one shall snatch [pluck] them out of My hand. [eternal security] John 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. Our first security is the eternal security. You cannot lose your salvation. And you go to heaven at physical death. So God handles the fear of death. No Fear! Next - Do you really understand why God loves you? Yea, Jn 3:16… But Do you really understand you and all mankind are precious to God? Think of that for a second in human terms. I love dogs. [^] [^] I loved my first dog, Hans. He was a playmate, ‘friend' and companion. He was precious to me. And every dog since then has been precious to me. What's precious to you? [BLANK Screen – W] Now, think how much more God thinks of you as precious? He created you. Don't you think that someone who created you would not also think of you as something precious to Him? ((Wait a second Cliff, my parents ‘created' me? Not quite true. Your parents ‘created' you physically and give your certain DNA traits. Through the reproduction process (that God invented), your parents DNA gave you a body. )) God gave you life and He gave you, you. I.e. your soul, your personality, the real you. When you die your physical body goes back to the earth. Your soul is still alive. And with salvation, you will live in heaven forever (and God will also give you a ‘new' body in which to house your soul). God created you and that makes you very precious to Him. That is an inkling of how much God loves you. My second favorite verse in the bible is Matthew 7:11 – [^] Matthew 7:11 [Promise] If you then [the context it is talking about parents], being evil [compared to the character & integrity of God], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! How much more! How much more does God our Father know how to give ‘good gifts' to you! What are good gifts? The things in life that you desire that are in accordance to His plan. So if we know how to give graciously to others, how much more does God who is infinitely powerful, know how to give to us gracious things in life that we desire to have which are in accordance to His plan. He has a perfect plan for our lives. And He will provide everything we need for our life. I can imagine some questions. “I do not have what I want in this life (yet)”. Are you in the Plan of God for your life? [BLANK Screen – W] So thus far in the CWLiving we ---- You started at the beginning. Salvation. Then … Rebound and the Faith Rest procedure. Master that. Next … We start with getting to know a little about God. As we get to know God and use His procedures then we trust God. That is the beginning of being in the Plan of God for your life. Simple 1, 2, 3. Proverbs 3:5 & 6. Go back and read it. [^] Rebound when necessary Diligently using (mastering) the F/R Drill Understanding God's Essence, esp His Love -> +R –J Then using your volition to execute what God says – CMDs, Promises, Instructions. … and He will make your paths straight. Very Key. Simple. Crunch…. My focus over these lessons is going to be just that. Giving you Promises and going over biblical narratives to focus your attention on the range of promises and commands we have and to see how God thinks using His divine Essence. [BLANK screen – W] In this country we are living in MORE difficult times than in the past. We are going to be tested more than ever because of the decay, the rot of our nation. (it humorous but NOT funny – what the socialists, the democrats are pushing for is to make our lives more and more difficult – a true reversal of ‘peace and prosperity' we experience today) God's way – peace and prosperity – their way hardship and difficulty. So mastering the F/R Drill and understanding How God thinks is paramount for your sp life and living in this cosmic system. If you can recall how God thinks vs cosmic system And if you can recall more than one F/R Promise (one tailored to your ‘issue(s)) Then you have the solid foundation to advance and thrive in Satan's Cosmic system. > So let's proceed by reviewing God's Divine Essence then mixing in some narratives and promises of the bible to highlight them. Before we do let's review - 1 - Faith & Divine Essence Faith in God. What is faith? I have said several times you must trust God. Faith is putting your trust in something greater than you and your problems. If someone says I trust God but can't explain why, then that is empty faith and it is not going to help you be relaxed or help you psychologically. Being relaxed or what the bible calls prosperity (mental prosperity) is one of the great benefits of the Faith Rest procedure. RMA. So, if you know or recite Gods promises and know that God backs them up because He is an all-powerful God, then you are putting your faith in someone stronger and mightier than you. You see faith must have an object. And in our case at GBC and what Pastor Bob has taught us, our faith is in God, specifically His promises and Him as an all-powerful God. Now when I say an all powerful God – what does that mean to you – Omnipotent. Well not really. It really is means that God acts IAW His character – Omnipotent God doing the right thing the right way. Not whatever He wants. That might sound sacrilegious but it is true and a key component to understanding God's Essence. God does the right thing the right way, every time – right thing – +R, the right way - Justice, and the power to do it is Omnipotent. So an all powerful God is a +R, J and Omnipotent. 3/10 attributes. What are the attributes of God's Divine Essence, His character? Pastor Rory Clark gave us an acronym to remember this by: JR SOOO LIVE (pronounced: junior soooooooo live) • Justice – God renders a fair decision based upon all the facts. He always does the right thing in the right way. He is a perfect (just) judge. • Righteousness (+R) – this refers to God is perfect, He never has made a mistake, never thought anything wrong, is perfect and without sin. • Sovereignty – God is supreme authority of the universe. There is no one more powerful or ‘above' Him. • Omniscience – God is all knowing, God knows everything including what would have happened if different decisions were made. He knows all the outcomes. • Omnipresent – God is in all places at once. He is present everywhere. • Omnipotent – God is all powerful. For example the bible describes God's creation of the universe as the work of His fingers. Your fingers are the weakest part of your body, yet God created the whole universe and all its great beauty with just His fingers. Now that is power. (and no God does not have fingers – it is a metaphor) • Love – God is Love. This is a huge concept but to keep it relatively simple we have to use all of the following words to describe God's love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives several descriptions of God's love: "Love is patient, love is kind. God's Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (see note at end). Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God's love never fails." That is a lot to digest, but I think you can get a glimpse of what true love is and God is Love. • Immutable – God never changes. He never makes a decision that He would change. He does the right thing the right way the first time. • Veracity – God is truthful. Titus 1:2 "God, who does not lie." Also that means the bible is inerrant, without error (in the original language that is was written). God's perfect thoughts given to mankind. • Eternal Life – God always existed, He was in the past, present and future forever and ever. This is the One whom we put our faith or trust in. This is the One whom we put our faith or trust in. So when God says in 1 Peter 5:7 Give me all your concerns because I (God) care for you. Or Slamming all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. He means it. Re-Read God's attribute of Love over again. That is His attitude towards YOU. And now you know why the bible is called God's word. It is just not title. It is God's very words to you and to me. God's veracity, His Omnipotence make sure that you have His absolute thinking in the bible. That is why it is the oldest book in the world, God has preserved the bible for 4000-5000 years. Who else could accomplish that? Only God because of His attributes. That is who we put our trust in. I emphasized trust. But trust is something you have to develop; it is a process. You have to learn to trust God. Learning about His Divine Essence is an academic endeavor. You still have to learn to use [experience] each of His attributes and see it working for you. When you do you start and continue to trust God. It is a process. It does not happen overnight. Many people, including myself spend years exercising the Faith Rest procedure and trusting God. Sometimes I fail, but I keep going. I make mistakes but I keep on going (this is something I will talk about later, the concept of perseverance). ((RECAP??? Let me recap this last section on Faith in God, His Divine Essence and its relationship to learning to trust God by using the Faith Rest procedure. Faith has to have an object or it is just blind or useless faith. In understanding (and memorizing) God's Divine Essence, His attributes, we can see that the One we put our Faith in is stronger, more powerful, perfect (Veracity) and Loving. We must learn to trust Him and what He says. We start to do that by Rebounding when necessary and using the Faith Rest procedure. And as I have said, we must master this part of the CWLiving. )) 2 - God's Promises Learn more God's promises. So far - 1 Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Lamentations 3:25. We are to use these promises to ‘slam' all your cares, anxieties and problems on God then relaxing about them knowing that in Lam 3:25 God will provide solutions while you relax and wait on His timing. This should also give you courage. Tip -- Make a list, mine is on my phone, and cite them to God in your Faith Rest procedure prayer to God. You have to move forward every day, you have to make decisions every day. Now you can do that, even in difficult times or in pressure situations, with the courage God gives you by using the F/R procedure and having confidence God will come through for you. So then trusting in God and using His procedures (acknowledging Him) he will guide your life and that life will be one of prosperity (mental prosperity or relaxed) and he will guide your life with the result you will have maximum happiness and a life of fulfillment (Prov 3:5-6). Problems come in two flavors; 1 - the ones we created by bad decisions (which have internal (pressure, anxiety) and external (ramifications to others)) and 2 - problems others created and put on us (these can be circumstances of life or overt decisions made by others that cause you problems, including ‘natural disasters' such as Mt Saint Helen's, floods, war, pandemics, etc. Sooooo it matters not whether we or others created the problems, God has a solution to them. His solution is to use what you know from the bible to make decisions and to use the Faith Rest procedure to remain calm, relaxed in spite of the pressure, and have courage to move forward because God will fulfill His promise. 3 - Psalm 91 God's Promise of Protection for the Believer Third, lets study a passage to put most of the concepts together – God's Divine Essence, His promises and what He does for us in terms of protection (anti-fear). Psalm 91 is an example of God's protection of you as a believer in Jesus Christ (JC). God protects believers who trust (here is that word again) in Him. When you are executing the Plan of God then because God Loves you, He wants the best for you. Based upon you executing His procedures, His Love wants to bless you and He can because His Righteousness sees that you are following His procedures and commands so then God's Justice provides you blessings. Simple? Crunch Psalm 91:1 He [the believer in JC] who dwells [via F/R procedure] in the shelter of the Most High [a reference to God] Will abide [reside] in the shadow of the Almighty [Omnipotence of God]. The author of this Psalm is saying Believers in JC whose thinking and who live their lives using God's solutions (so far in our lesson today Rebound & F/R procedure) will find shelter and reside under God's protection. God protects those whom He Loves. Protection from what? Versus 3, 5-7 give us some examples (criminality, war, pestilence, natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, etc). But let's pick one from v6 that is applicable today – the corona virus. God protects the Believer from the corona virus. Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon [earthquake, volcano, tsunami]. He shelters (protects) you and does it in at least one of 3 ways (which will be true for any example). 1) God protects the Believer from catching the virus. 2) God allows the believer to catch the virus but heals the believer. 3) God allows the believer to catch the virus and allows the believer to die and go to heaven. What a minute! How is #3 protection? God provides blessing to a dying believer: - first you are relaxed even when you are dying (F/R procedure); - second, in being relaxed while dying you might be a witness to others who will be curious why you are so relaxed, it is an opportunity to witness to someone; and - third God's Plan for you is to witness in dying. His Plan for you is up and He is bringing you to heaven. There cannot be a more greater protection that to spend eternity in heaven. This might be hard for you to understand but God has a Plan for you and will provide all the means for you to be relaxed and fulfill His Plan. And that Plan just might be putting you in a situation of death so that someone else can benefit from your death. How many soldiers died in WWII so that we can have the freedom and prosperity in the USA today? See there is a bigger plan and purpose, greater than just your own life. So yes, death can be part of God's Plan for a believer. And in that death, you can be relaxed and happy. That is not how the world (cosmos) thinks. Again another example of God's thinking is opposite of the worlds thinking. So back to the first 2 ways God protects the believer. Verse 1 says those believers who use the Faith Rest procedure will find shelter and reside under the protection of Omnipotent God. We might not know how God's Omnipotence might protect us in advance but we can trust (here is that word again) in His promise, an Immutable promise and when we use that promise, God will deliver. Just in this verse we can see how to apply parts of God's Divine Essence. God is all powerful, Omnipotent, and can prevent you from catching the virus or heal you if you catch the virus. God knows through His Omniscience why He might want you to catch the virus or even die, so that His Plan for you and others can be fulfilled. God's promise is Immutable it will never change and since you claimed the promise God's Righteousness is satisfied so that His Justice can execute the promise that God in His Love proved for you. Thereby proving God's Veracity. So in this example you can ‘see' how God thinks and how God works. V2 goes on – Psalm 91:2 I will say to the Lord, [your conclusion upon using the F/R procedure] "[You are] My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" So the result of using the F/R procedure is coming to the conclusion that God will fulfill the promise to you (that is, you are trusting God) so that you can say (to yourself and others) God is my refuge and my fortress. Also you thank God, in prayer or verbally to others, “My God delivered me because I trust Him” (I trust His word – promises). So you are praising God and thanking Him with your thinking because He will and does protect you. But, this is only for the believer who is using Rebound and the F/R procedure. See when you follow God's thinking and use His tools and develop the spiritual skills to live your life then God blesses you and part of the blessing is protection per Psalm 91. Also look how personal v2 is. My refuge, My fortress, My God. As I said God wants to have a personal relationship with you. This is you having a personal relationship with God by using His tools (promises) to live your life. And as I said you become grateful to Him for giving you these promises to use in daily life. I like v3 because it has been true in my life. Psalm 91:3 For it is He [God] who delivers you from the snare of the trapper [people and circumstances in life], And from the deadly pestilence [deadly hazards like corona virus]. The snare of the trapper is an illustration of traps in life. Who would set traps for you in life? Have you ever had people in your life who were out for you and wanted to do you harm? I have. I have had bosses at work that ‘hated' me and wanted to destroy my career. I knew it and I did not react to them. I treated them with kindness and respect and I did my job to the best of my ability. And no matter what these bosses tried to do, in the end, they had no effect on my career. Now this sounds like I was perfect in all of this. I was not. A few times I got depressed and worried BUT when I did, I Rebounded and used the F/R procedure and went back to a relaxed state so I could do my job. And that is what happens most if not all the time. Sometimes we fail. We Rebound and go back to using the F/R procedure. So God protected me, I was allowed to do my job and very successfully. Then later God's solution was to give me a better job (a promotion). So God did not make the person go way, instead, He protected me so I could do my job and He ‘promoted' me and the person who ‘hated' me, got to ‘stew in their own juices' while watching me be successful. This is an example of God protecting me because I was using His solutions to the problem. Circumstances in life can also lay traps for you, but again the solution is the same – Rebound when necessary and use the F/R procedure. The second part of v3 I covered in the example of the pestilence above, using the corona virus as an illustration. Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions [feathers], And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark [a defensive wall – like a castle wall]. Here is a picture of v4a that says it all. Notice how the mother bird is holding on to her chicks. Physically protecting them, giving them cover and warmth – that is total protection. Notice also that the chick could fly away if they wanted to. But they are choosing to stay under her protection. Same with us and God. We can remove ourselves from God's protection by using human solutions to problems instead of using God's solutions. So it is our choice, use God's solutions or use human solutions. Versus 5-7 are additional descriptive illustrations of terrors that can affect Believers. Psalm 91:5 ¶ [result from v2 of using F/R procedure] You will not be afraid of the terror by night [criminality, etc], Or of the arrow that flies by day [warfare]; Psalm 91:6 Of the pestilence [corona virus, black plague] that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon [earthquake, volcano, tsunami]. Notice night and day, darkness and noon – this is a reference that God protects the believer 24 hrs/day! God never sleeps. He is on the job 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week. Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall [die] at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it [terrors and disasters] shall not approach you. V7 is interesting. You might be in the midst of a great natural disaster or the corona virus with thousands dying all around you but it, the disasters and terrors, will not affect you. We are blessed (by God) in the USA and we do not have many disasters like other parts of the world, but when we do, God protects the believer who is executing His Plan for their lives. Psalm 91:8 You will only look on with your eyes, And see the recompense of the wicked [Justice of God in action]. V8 is interesting because it now introduces what happens to those who are evil, from v3 and 5-7. Not only are you protected but the Justice of God punishes those who are evil (anti-God, believers not using His Divine Solutions in life and unbelievers). You will many times see that they get Divine Justice from God for their deeds. Versus 9 & 10 are a conclusion. Psalm 91:9 For you [the Believer using the F/R procedure] have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. Psalm 91:10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent [where you live]. V9 is a restatement of v1-2 and the conclusion of all these terrors and adversities is that you are protected wherever you are. These 9 verses give you enough background to understand what God is telling Believers who a executing His Plan for their lives, the protection and comfort He provides 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. And, and the recompense for those bel who do not and for those unbel who are evil. So this is a great example of God's promise to believers who Rebound when necessary and use the F/R procedure to handle problems, anxieties, disasters, evil and adversities of life. God protects the ones He Loves. And since He is an all-powerful God, He has the means to provide protection to His loved ones. You can see His Divine Essence in action. His Righteousness not tolerating evil and His Justice executing justice on evil in this world, His Omniscience knowing what will happen in advance and having a plan to protect the believer in these circumstances, His Omnipotence shielding the believer from the consequences of evil and disasters, even when those around you are affected. He does all this because He Loves you and you responded to His Love by first believing in Jesus Christ for salvation and then following His procedures, commands and getting to know and appreciate Him and trusting Him for deliverance from the problems of life. God can only keep His promises and in them is true security. Once you latch on to what Psalm 91 says, and once you understand the context of Psalm 91 as a whole, and once you believe God's promise, and trust God for the fulfillment of Psalm 91, then you have security. You have security in your salvation, you have security in your life, both physical and spiritual, you have eternal security, you have everything that you need, every resource to be secure in this life, no matter what. Psalm 91 is a benefit in the midst of adversity, it is a benefit in the midst of a corona virus plague. Also as you are relaxed, you look around at others who are in panic and fear and you can ‘see' what a wonderful God you have, that Loves you and protects you. Last thoughts Why is the F/R procedure so important? Why do I keep telling you to be diligent in using Rebound and the F/R procedure? What does claiming God's promises on some specific ‘issue' you are having do? First if you trust God and believe His promise(s) then you can be relaxed. That is called a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA). You can relax, you do not have to dwell on your problems, you let God handle them. What else does a RMA bring to you? Courage. Courage under adversity or better said Courage under fire (as in a battle). So what if - you momentarily think about your problem(s) that you asked God to handle by using the F/R procedure? There is nothing wrong with that. It happens. Give yourself grace. But if you dwell on them more than momentarily, then you have in essence told God that you want to handle them. So you need to Rebound (you told God that He was going to handle them and you changed your mind, not trusting God) and then you must use the F/R procedure again for that problem. See there is a solution for that too. Think about this for a moment. When a problem comes up, you are able to claim a promise and calm down, by utilizing the Faith Rest procedure, and have a Relaxed Mental Attitude (RMA), under adversity and that is something that only the believer in Jesus Christ has at their disposal, only the believer. You should be able to see what a great God we have. You should be experiencing encouragement of both God's presence and His care for you. You will rest with the confidence that whatever happens in life is with His knowledge and nothing happens outside of his knowledge (Omniscient). Psalm 91. And you know what? This is one of several problem solving procedures God has provided for believers only. You are well taught and know God provides 10 PSDs that you can use. We just looked at two. Rebound and F/R procedure. Now it is your job to use these two diligently!

Surupa Cuffman shares her her family's bold move to Orlando to serve Disney cast members as Off the Cuff. What does it look like when God's calling is clear, but the process seems uncertain? "I [God] have something for you, but you can't be distracted. If you're looking around for other opportunities, you're going to miss what I have for you." -Surupa Cuffman (Originally published 2018)